News

Archery deer hunters reminded about changes for purchasing over-the-counter nonpermit-tags 

Posted November 29, 2022

Online-only sales to nonresidents begin at 12 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 

PHOENIX — The recent changes to Arizona statutes and the rules that govern the sale of over-the-counter (OTC) nonpermit-tags for the state’s archery deer hunting opportunity will affect both nonresident and resident hunters. 

Nonresident hunters

These changes include limiting the sale of archery deer nonpermit-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 nonpermit-tags for the most recent five years, rounding down to the nearest increment of 5.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) will make available 2,890 archery deer  nonpermit-tags for purchase by nonresidents for the 2023 calendar year. After the allotment of 2,890 archery deer nonpermit-tags for nonresidents has been sold, no additional archery deer nonpermit-tags will be made available for nonresidents for the 2023 calendar year.

The archery deer nonpermit-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. Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. The archery deer nonpermit-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 nonpermit-tag fee, but they will not count toward the 10% cap. Nonresidents with a Pioneer, Lifetime, or Benefactor license must purchase their archery deer nonpermit-tag from any department office statewide or by mail (mail order form). They will not be available at licensed dealers or online (the online sales option is only available to those nonresident hunters affected by the 10% cap).

Resident hunters 

A resident hunter may purchase an archery deer nonpermit-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 nonpermit-tags available to Arizona residents.

All hunters

A valid 2023 archery deer nonpermit-tag is required to hunt all open seasons during the 2023 calendar year. These seasons include Jan. 1-31, 2023; Aug. 18-Sept. 7, 2023; and Dec. 8-31, 2023. Check online at www.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 (www.azgfd.gov/ArcheryDeerReport) or by telephone (623-236-7961) within 48 hours of taking their deer.

• Season dates for over-the-counter, nonpermit-tag archery deer seasons vary by unit and may be: Aug. 19-Sept. 8, 2022; Dec. 9-31, 2022; and/or Jan. 1-31, 2023. Not all units are open for all time frames; hunters should check the status of harvest limits online (www.azgfd.gov/ArcheryDeerReport). The harvest limits have been reached in some units and these units are closed until the August 2023 season. 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 (archery or general hunts) during that calendar year.
• 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.