Black Bear Hunting in Arizona Game Management Unit 22

Beginning at the junction of the Salt and Verde Rivers; north along the Verde River to Childs; easterly on the Childs-Strawberry Rd. to Fossil Creek; north on the creek to Fossil Springs; southeasterly on FS trail 18 (Fossil Spring Trail) to the top of the rim; northeasterly on the rim to Nash Point on the Tonto-Coconino National Forest boundary along the Mogollon Rim; easterly along this boundary to Tonto Creek; southerly along the east fork of Tonto Creek to the spring box, north of the Tonto Creek Hatchery, and continuing southerly along Tonto Creek to the Salt River; westerly along the Salt River to the Verde River; except those portions that are sovereign tribal lands of the Tonto Apache Tribe and the Fort McDowell Mohave-Apache Community.

Bear activity during the spring is not related to food supplies as much as the fall. Early spring food sources such as grasses and manzanita fruit occur from about the 4,500-7,000 foot elevations throughout the unit. During the fall hunts, bears range widely in search of acorns, juniper berries, mushrooms, and of course prickly pear cactus fruit in order to prepare their bodies for winter. In poor precipitation years, acorn and juniper berry crops tend to be low and bears must travel a great deal for feed, making them more visible to hunters especially in the lower elevations when bears seek out cactus fruit.

Conversely, good precipitation years, especially after drought years tend to produce high yields of acorns and berries and provide the bears with an ample food supply. Bear hunting during these periods can prove to be difficult because the bears do not move much in the heavy dense scrub oak. Bears will still descend to lower elevations to feed on cactus fruit, but for not as long a period as they do in dry years. Concentrate hunting in moist canyons and northern slopes or where you find good acorn yields.

Find the food and you should find some bears. A good pair of binoculars with tripod is a must and a spotting scope can come in handy. When hunting in dense habitats with bear sign, try a predator call, this can be very productive.

Access to bear areas in the unit may be reached from the Phoenix metro area from Highway 87 north towards Strawberry, and along Highway 188 towards Tonto Basin and Roosevelt Lake.

A USFS Tonto National Forest Service map can be purchased at local map or hiking stores or by contacting the Tonto National Forest Phoenix Office at (602) 225-5200 or any of the Tonto National Forest Ranger Districts located in: Mesa (480) 610-3300, Cave Creek (480) 595-3300, Payson (928) 474-7900, Globe (928) 402-6200, Tonto Basin (928) 467-3200, and Pleasant Valley (928) 462-3311. It is also highly recommended that you purchase several topographical maps of the areas you intend to hunt at local map and hiking stores to get more detailed information on canyons, peaks, and springs to aid you in your hunting.

Major canyons along the Mazatzal Mountain Range of the unit generally have good bear populations. When scouting, consider food items available and watch for sign especially near springs. Bear sign such as bear scat, hair on fences and trees, turned over rocks, and torn up rotten logs are easily recognized sign.

Tracks in rough rocky terrain are sometimes hard to find unless you find them in canyon bottoms with soft dirt or around water sources. They can also be found on mountain saddles that may act as travel corridors. Tracks in pine needles or dense leaves can sometimes be recognized and may appear as if someone were dragging their feet. Concentrate on hunting for bear in Unit 22 from the 3,500-foot elevation on up.

An essential tool for bear hunting is a good pair of high quality 10X power binoculars at a minimum. A tripod for your binoculars and using a good spotting scope will also greatly aid you.

Try both the western and eastern slopes of the Four Peaks Wilderness Area along the edges of the "Lone Fire". The Four Peaks can be accessed from both Highway 87 and Highway 188. Also hunt to the north of Four Peaks along FS Road 422 towards Edwards Peak concentrating on moist canyons and spring areas and where food sources are most abundant on both sides of the ridge line.

The Mount Ord area is mostly accessed from Highway 87, but the eastern foothills can be accessed from various forest service roads west of Highway 188. To the west of Highway 87, you can continue hunting the Mazatzal Mountain Range from the Mormon Grove Area, Cane Springs, Barnhardt Trail, and into the Mazatzal Wilderness Area. These areas tend to have less hunter densities, but still offer good bear populations. Once you get to the northern end of Unit 22, hunt under the face of the rim from Strawberry to the Tonto Fish Hatchery.

This area is particularly good on good acorn years and offers good hound dog hunting.

HuntScore Tip

Black bears, more than any other big game species in Arizona must be hunted early in the morning or late afternoon during the early fall hunts, if the hunter is to have an opportunity to locate the animals. Scouting prospective areas helps greatly and the use of binoculars and/or a spotting scope is almost mandatory.