Water placement in AZ — I mapped 1,116 tanks across the state. Here's what the data shows.
Been doing a deep dive into water data for Arizona elk units and wanted to share some findings. I pulled tank locations from state GIS databases and cross-referenced with NHD (National Hydrography Dataset) water data. The number that surprised me: 1,116 mapped water sources in the primary elk units alone. A lot of these never show up on OnX or standard topo. What I found looking at 7W specifically: — The tanks in the 7,500–8,500 ft band are the most active during the September rut based on historical sign. The higher-elevation springs tend to dry up by late August in most years. — Water within 0.8 miles of a quality feed area is the real sweet spot. Elk don't want to travel far between food and water when they're focused on breeding. — PRISM climate data (6-year averages) shows the southwest corner of 7W gets significantly less late-summer precip than the northeast — this concentrates elk near reliable water sources in dry years. Happy to discuss in more depth if desired.