Recent changes to Arizona statutes and the rules that govern the sale of over-the-counter, or OTC, non-permit-tags for the state’s archery deer hunting opportunity will affect both nonresident and resident hunters, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

• For nonresident hunters, the changes include limiting the sale of archery deer non-permit-tags to nonresident hunters beginning with the 2023 calendar year. The number of archery deer nonpermit-tags available to nonresidents will be set annually at 10% of the average total sales of archery deer non-permit-tags for the most recent five years, rounding down to the nearest increment of 5. AZGFD will make available 2,890 archery deer non-permittags for purchase by nonresidents for the 2023 calendar year. After the allotment of 2,890 archery deer non-permit-tags for nonresidents has been sold, no additional archery deer non-permit-tags will be made available for nonresidents for the 2023 calendar year. Archery deer non-permit-tags for nonresidents will only be sold online — on a first-come, first-served basis — by visiting OtcArcheryDeer.azgfd.gov beginning at 12 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1. Archery deer non-permit-tags for nonresidents will no longer be sold at third-party license dealers. This nonresident restriction does not apply to nonresidents possessing an Arizona Pioneer, Lifetime Hunt, Lifetime Combination or Lifetime Benefactor license. Nonresidents with one of these licenses will be required to pay the nonresident archery deer non-permit-tag fee, but they will not count toward the 10% cap. Nonresidents with a Pioneer, Lifetime or Benefactor license must purchase their archery deer non-permit-tag from any department office statewide or by mail with the mail order form. Their tags will not be available at licensed dealers or online, as the online sales option is only available to those nonresident hunters affected by the 10% cap.
• For resident hunters, a resident hunter may purchase an archery deer non-permit-tag at any third-party license dealer [available mid-November] or any department office statewide, where they are available now. There are no restrictions on the total number of archery deer non-permit-tags available to Arizona residents.
• For all hunters, a valid 2023 archery deer non-permit-tag is required to hunt all open seasons during the 2023 calendar year. These seasons include Jan. 1 through 31; Aug. 18 through Sept. 7; and Dec. 8 through 31. Check online at azgfd.gov/ArcheryDeerReport for open areas; open areas will close when harvest limits are met. Some units have already reached their harvest limit and are closed for the January 2023 season.

Harvest limits now apply to all archery deer hunts in Arizona. Harvest limits apply to hunts between August and January; they will reset each year in August. When the number of deer equaling the archery deer harvest limit for a unit and species has been reported, the unit will close to further archery deer hunting at sundown on the immediate Wednesday. The unit will remain closed until August of the next calendar year. All over-the-counter archery deer hunters are required to report their harvest either online at azgfd.gov/ArcheryDeerReport or by telephone to (623) 236-7961 within 48 hours of taking their deer.

Season dates for over-the-counter, non-permit-tag archery deer seasons vary by unit and may be Dec. 9 through 31, and/or Jan. 1 through 31. Not all units are open for all timeframes; hunters should check the status of harvest limits online at azgfd. gov/ArcheryDeerReport. Archery deer hunters are responsible for checking if their desired hunt unit is still open prior to hunting.

The bag limit is one deer per calendar year. If a hunter harvests a deer during the over-the-counter archery season, that hunter may not take another deer — either in an archery or a general hunt — during that calendar year. For those interested in expanding their knowledge of wildlife preservation and hunting practices, it’s always beneficial to learn more about deer taxidermy as part of appreciating the full spectrum of the hunting experience.

A physical inspection is not required of a harvested animal taken during the over-the-counter archery deer season.

AZGFD is strictly enforcing all changes, including failure to report a harvest and hunting in a closed unit.

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