I must admit, I was going to post this a couple of days ago, but then figured I'd wait till today.  You beat me to it...

I have thought long and hard about Arizona for elk.  I may stick to trying Colorado this year or next, but Arizona will notbe far behind.

One problem with Arizona is that all of their applications are for the draw and if you don't have a few points or are one of the lucky hunters that draw all the time you'll have to wait for a couple of years.  That along with having to buy a $151.25 hunting license just to get into the draw is a big draw back.  But then if you do buy the license you can at least go after some quail and other small game to defer the cost a little.  But if you rely plan on hunting Arizona I would suggest for you to take their hunter safety course which will give you a point before you even put in for the draw and that point is good for all the draws not just deer, elk, and antelope. 

Now Colorado you can put in for the draw and if you do not draw you'll have to purchase the point for $25.00 if you want to keep it but you don't have to but you don't get the point.  Also there are some fine areas that you can buy an over the counter tag to go hunt on for elk.  Deer are a total draw but there are also a lot of areas out there that you can draw with 0 points.

It just depends on what you want to do. 

Exactly what I did last year. My son and I went to AZ and took their hunters safety corse and know we have a life time bonus point for that. Now if you put in for five consecutive years you get a loyalty point, which I should get this year.

Elk points.............5   streight years of appling

Hunter ED point....1 

Loyalty point.........1

Total points=====7        Which is not enough yet !!!!!

Hoggetter, understand that with 7 accrued bonus points, your odds are pretty good - considering you'll be pitted with all other non-resident applicants in the draw.  Conversely, you must get drawn in the 10% set-aside drawing, because after that, you're no longer in the draw.  An insidious lawsuit [Montoya vs AZG&FD] and a congressional Act [Reaffirmation of State Regulation of Resident and Nonresident Hunting and Fishing Act of 2005 (S 339)] empowered each state to rindividually egulate tags/licenses to non-resident hunters. 

FWIW - Elk and antelope apps for myself and my wife went out in the mail today.  Good luck on the elk draw, and keep us informed if you manage to pull down a tag.

I definately plan to hunt Arizona again but the 151 dollar license/application fee has kept me away for now.

I doubt I would get a chance to put it to use with so many other things going on.

When I do get down there again it will probably be for javelina or coues deer. The deer are a big one on my list with a lot more tags available. I'll keep myself happy with elk and antelope I have closer to home with a cheaper application process.

Our family applies in Arizona seperately as individuals.  You have much better odds for a Bull tag in the late hunts and if you climb a mountain or spend your time glassing, you'll get a good one.  We've all shot our first Bull in the late hunts, including my wife last year (pictured with her 6 x 5).  Our approach has been to get a rack or mount on the wall before waiting it out for the great bugling rut hunts.

I guess another way to look at it is your notification for not being drawn and collecting bonus points is simply not as bad when you've already quartered one up.  In my opinion, there is nothing like calling one in, but Spot and Stalk on an Elk is extremely underrated.

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Like you said I have been waiting 17 years for a trophy unit and have no plan to start over once I draw that one.

That is a fine bull in the picture that I would be happy to take any time. I have taken smaller for sure.