Overview: The upper elevations of central and eastern Unit 24B contain low to medium densities of black bears. These areas typically consist of oak or conifer woodlands mixed with chaparral, and are often located in rugged or mountainous terrain. Moist, cool canyons are a very important component for bear habitat in 24B. These provide good cover, food, and travel ways for the bears. A large part of the bear habitat is within the Superstition Wilderness. Since bear numbers tend to be low in the unit, a short hunting season and a one female harvest objective are in place. For Bear season dates refer to the current Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations for season dates, bag limits and other rules.
Even at 5,000 feet or above, temperatures can still be hot in 24B.

Overview: Javelina occur throughout most of Unit 24B. They can be found on the lower desert flats all the way up to the oaks and pines of the higher elevations of the unit. They are most easily hunted in the intermediate desert and grassland habitats. In these areas the terrain tends to be fairly open, and numerous ridges and canyons provide excellent glassing opportunities. As far as numbers of javelina are concerned, Unit 24B is considered to have a population in the medium range. Since javelina are herd animals, this simply means that herd sizes within the unit tend to be of medium size. The average size for javelina herds in 24B is about eight animals.

The majority of 24B javelina habitat is on public land – either the Tonto National Forest or State Trust Land. Written permission (i.e. a permit) is required to be on state land, but if you are legally hunting, your hunting license is considered to be your permit. Private lands exist around the mining areas of Globe and Pinto Valley. The lands are usually posted as to whether or not hunting is allowed. The Superstition Wilderness comprises about one-third of the unit. The Wilderness is closed to all vehicular and mechanized travel, but it is open to hunting. The Tonto National Monument near Roosevelt Lake is closed to all hunting. A Tonto National Forest map will help to identify roads and trails, as well as land ownership topographical maps will provide information about the terrain.

Areas: Some of the more popular areas to hunt are listed below. While general they may be of a general description, they can provide you with a place to start looking for javelina.

State Trust Land: This area is located in the southwest portion of the unit and is characterized by fairly level terrain consisting of Sonoran desert scrub. There are many roads within this area, and major access points are the Camino Viejo, and Queen Valley Road. There are several herds of javelina in this portion of 24B, but the relatively flat land makes it difficult to locate the herds. If you hunt in this part of the unit, concentrate on the major washes and drainages. These areas will provide good cover for javelina, and their tracks will be easier to find.

Queen Valley to Superior: Located in the south-central portion of the unit, this area varies in terrain from rolling desert ridges to steep mountains and canyons. A variety of habitat types also occur here, including upper Sonoran desert, desert grassland, and chaparral. This area provides good opportunities for glassing with binoculars, and several roads provide for good access throughout much of this area. Popular areas to hunt include Hewitt Canyon/JF Ranch (FS 172), Happy Camp (FS 650), and Silver King (FS 229).

Globe Vicinity: Northwest of Globe, Devore Wash (FS 344) and Gerald Wash (FS 225) provide access into country with javelina. Southwest of Globe, the PintoValley area also contains javelina habitat. Access is through the Pinto Valley Mine, which can be very confusing. Routes through the mine continually change, and they are not always clearly marked.

Apache Trail: There are a few roads off the Apache Trail between Apache Junction and Globe that provide access for javelina hunting. These include the Horse Mesa Dam Road (FS 80), Tortilla Ranch Road (FS 213), Reavis Trailhead Road (FS 212), Davis Wash, and Two Bar Road (FS 49). Campsites tend to be limited along these routes, but developed campsites are located at Tortilla Flat and Burnt Corral (at Apache Lake).

Roosevelt Lake: Located along the northwest portion of the unit, this area can be accessed from Highway 88. Popular hunting spots near Roosevelt include Two Bar Ridge (FS 83) and Campaign Creek (FS 449). These areas are comprised of a variety of habitat types, ranging from flatlands and rolling country to steep mountains, all of which contain javelina herds.

Goldfield Mountains: This is the western-most portion of the unit and is located west of the Apache Trail and north of Saguaro Lake and the Salt River. It is comprised mostly of rugged, mountainous terrain of volcanic origin. There are several small valleys or basins that contain javelina and are not too difficult to hunt. Javelina can also be found in the more rugged areas as well, but the terrain can be tough to negotiate in many areas. Access into the Goldfields is rather limited. Most roads have locked gates that require a permit from the Tonto National Forest. Permits are free and can be obtained from the Mesa Ranger District. Combinations to the gates are provided with the permits.

Superstition Wilderness: Don't overlook hunting in the Wilderness area. It has a well –developed trail system that can take you into the backcountry - far away from roads and vehicles. Popular trailheads are located at First Water, Peralta, and Reavis (near Apache Lake).

Overview: Whitetail deer may be found throughout much of Unit 24B. A general rule of thumb is that they occur in brushier habitats above 3,500 feet in the unit. However, whitetail have been showing up in the past few years at elevations of about 2,500 feet in what would usually be considered as mule deer habitat. The more typical whitetail habitat is located from the central to the eastern portion of the unit, and is comprised of chaparral, oak woodland, and conifers. Whitetail are also found on most of the mountain ranges in the western portion of the unit as well. These habitats are primarily high desert or chaparral and may also contain mule deer.

Whitetail in 24B do not appear to have been as severely affected by the recent long-term drought conditions as mule deer. Permit numbers for whitetail have remained relatively stable for the past eight years. There are a total of 635 whitetail permits for the 2008 seasons.
Practically all whitetail habitat in 24B is located on public lands of the Tonto National Forest. A small amount of whitetail habitat is on private land owned by mines near Globe and Pinto Valley. These lands are usually posted as to whether or not hunting is allowed. A large portion of whitetail habitat is within the Superstition Wilderness. The Wilderness is closed to all vehicular or mechanized travel, but it is open to hunting. The Tonto National Monument near Roosevelt Lake is closed to all hunting. A Tonto National Forest map will help to identify roads, boundaries, and land ownership. Topographical maps will provide information about the terrain.

Areas: Some of the more popular whitetail hunting areas are listed below. If you are not familiar with the unit, these may provide you with a place to start.

Superior: North of the town of Superior you will find extensive whitetail habitat around Iron Mountain (FS 172), Montana Mountain (FS 650), and Fortuna Peak (FS 342). Expect to encounter other vehicles along the way, but don't let that discourage you – there is plenty of room to hunt away from the roads. Portions of the Fortuna Peak area were burned due to a lightning-caused fire during the summer in 2005. Isolated patches of habitat remain untouched in some of the drainages, and some forage has begun to appear in burned areas.  If you plan to hunt this area, it would be especially important to do some pre-season scouting to determine habitat conditions and deer activity.

Overview: The outlook for the 2008/2009 quail season in Unit 24B is probably in the average to above average range. Ample winter rains between January and March of last year provided the necessary green-up that is required for good quail reproduction. It is this type of feed that influences breeding behavior and clutch size for quail. Simply put, the more winter rain there is, the more birds there will be the following fall, and conversely, the less rain, the fewer quail.  A cold, wet period during the end of May was cause for concern, since hens were laying eggs and on nests at that time.  There appears to be a number of birds that nested after that time, and hatchlings have been observed even as late as mid-August.
This summer’s monsoons have provided good cover in many areas, which may help both the quail and quail hunters.
Quail can be found throughout 24B, and their numbers appear to be better than last season.   

Gambel's quail are the only species of quail that are hunted in 24B. They are found throughout the unit primarily at elevations below 5,000 feet. In the lower desert areas, look for quail along mesquite-lined washes or arroyos. Another desert plant species that indicates good quail habitat is the desert hackberry. In the mid-elevation areas of the higher desert or grasslands, cover is again important. Concentrate on hunting around drainages that have mature vegetation. Quail also occur in the higher oak or juniper portions of the unit, but the larger trees and thicker vegetation make for difficult hunting conditions.

Cholla is very common throughout much of the lower desert in 24B, and it can be quite a problem for bird dogs. In general, the greatest amounts of cholla are found at lower elevations on the south side of the unit between Apache Junction and Superior. Cholla can also be problem in some areas south of Roosevelt Lake

Hunting access within 24B is very good since most of the unit is on public land – either the Tonto National Forest or Arizona State Trust Land. A permit is required to be on state land, but if you are legally hunting, your hunting license serves as that permit.

Areas: On the south side of the unit, major access roads into quail hunting areas include the Queen Valley Road, FS roads 357, 172, 650, 8, and 229. On the north side of unit, FS roads 49, 83, and 449 will take you into some good areas to hunt.