Leaderboard

I love these threads. In my 50 years of being alive in this great state, I’ve been all over Arizona, but these threads always remind me that I really HAVEN’T been everywhere! Thanks for sharing. I think we should have a “Where Am I“ subforum here!

When Paige (my older daughter who was a 3 time AZ state 3D champion including the Triple Crown in her age groups) was 12, she took a cow elk with her bow. 40# limbs, but with her draw length, it was a 38# bow. Cut on contact broadheads on light carbon arrows, the arrow was almost a complete passthrough @ 22 yards. Arrow held in by the fletchings when the cow took off. Double lung, no ribs. Cow went 30 yards. Also took a sheep @ 56 yards with the same setup. That was a crazy hunt.

Turns out the kid is a natural! Drilled his first dove with his first shot! Could not believe it. First 3 shots were 2 out of 3 which ain't too shabby for a kid that never hunted anything ever! In fact I think he did better than I did. Great big thanks to Bigbrowns for the invite and the use of his shotguns. When we pulled up to the farm doves were flying everywhere it was crazy! It was also my first dove hunt and lets just agree that i suck but i still had a blast. Here are some pics... Caliche's first dove with the ultimate mentor. Pops n boy Slaying birds! The Hilton has some pretty gamey smellin bathrooms We had a pretty good system going Or maybe not.. Didn't take long... Back to work the next morning. It took a good while to clean up all the evidence! The final product

I got the opportunity to go on a friends archery bull hunt. First time for me to do this, tag along and help out. I learned alot but this was one of the most epic hunts I have ever been on. It was a ton of fun chasing bugles through the forest and watching them rake their racks. This one was the 3rd attempt to get on a bull. This time I dropped him off and drove around a mile on the other side where the meadow was because I knew he would chase them out of there if he spooks them, so I can get eyes on them if they ran out and radio in. Not long I got the radio and he said he stuck one. Drove back to the old logging road and hike into him. My buddy was worried about his 55 yard shot and showed right where he shot him. I looked down the narrow corridor of trees about a 100 yards down and the sun beaming on the body and antlers and said "dude your bulls right there" Hugs and congrats happen! Man that was fun!!! Sad its over. Gutted it out and drug it out into the open for some nice pics.

Another big thanks to Adam for the invite, pointers and birds. And to Wildwoody and Goldfinger78 for donating their birds to the Swavely family cause! It helped take the sting out of a hotel for 2 nights and a 6 hour round trip with slightly less then adequate A.C.. you guys are awesome!

My father-in-law used to tell everyone he pulled 140# during archery season. Then he would point at me and say, "I pull his scrawny butt all over the place". I miss that guy every day.

If I went to pint night at a brewery, I wouldn't be a very good mentor😫

Just picked-up my son Erik's pronghorn from last year. Jim, Cody, and team did an AMAZING job!!!!! It really looks SO beautiful!! Thanks for the outstanding work, guys!! 👍😉

Man, you know you gotta plan baby making days.

Heres my OTC Buck, shot him Monday just after noon, took about 8 or 9 days of spot and stalk/sitting. Have a shed of his and last 4 months of cam pics. This is my biggest coues and my first archery coues...addicted.

I had the privilege of helping my nephew get his first elk this morning. He has a CHAMP and crossbow permit. Walking more than a 100 yards on flat ground was going to be tough, so sitting water was going to be our main focus of hunting. Yesterday, he and his dad found a tank that had a lot of elk coming into that was easy access for him to get into. After sitting last night, no elk were seen but some nice bucks did come in to keep them occupied while sitting. This morning I was able to go, so we decided to go sit the same tank. We got there just before daylight and we could hear some bulls blowing but they were a long ways off. After a little bit a bull started getting closer an closer blowing as he come. Finally we could see him on top of the ridge and he was coming in. He first got to the water facing straight on. He walked out into the tank and screamed right at us. He turned broadside and Mike was just about to shoot when he turned straight away and started drinking. After a minute or so, he started raking his antlers in the mud and little by little he started to turn. He was quartering away and I told Mike to aim right at the last rib and squeeze it off. The shot hit perfect, lodging in the opposite shoulder. The bull took off and I cow called and got him to stop. Not five seconds later he was down at 80 yards. The hunt was so much fun and glad I was able to be apart of it. Everything worked out perfect. Brian

Well with no hiking ability right now i needed that 1 goat that didn't mind hanging out near dirt road. Friend of mine bowhunter4life Mike had location and Cliff also from Christian Hunters of America was kind enough to go up Thursday and bed the lovesick buck who hung out in the exact pocket i needed him to be in this morning. My son was able to join us!😀 i know for many this might be a last day buck but for me this was a 6:10 am opening morning buck and i couldn't be happier!!! I saved that poor doe from this guy who was trying to run her to death i believe. After a bunch of 200 yard dashes back and forth they finally stopped for a snack at 311yards... and better late than never doesn't count in this case but here we go anways-OH BY THE WAY GUYS PLUG YOUR EARS... YEP I FORGOT TO WARN THEM. 😯 the 243wssm barked with 1 of SHERMAN's reloads and done deal. Gonna give cape to anyone in need if you lost yours during archery hunt or what not but only keeping a day. I have not skinned the head out. I have a euro skull business, i do not remove skulls from cape nicely but it was caped up to neck properly. 6mm/243 wssm hole on left side shoulder not bad and no exit. if in need of cape and wanna come cape out head let me know asap👍 6024994136 N.Phx

And you didn't crush the other camara,, why??

Ask the local rez shed hunters how that seasonal shed hunting works out???? I just wanna be able to go out in the woods and enjoy what is there and if I find an antler and have the kahones to pack it out then I don't want the law looking over my back....if I wanna let it lay then I can let it lay!!!!

Heading up to 4b to set up camp for my nephew's first trophy cow elk hunt. Lol If anyone up there needs help or just wants a s'more, give me a shout. Actually I dont have any s'mores so please bring me some.

AZGFD To drcarr1@cox.net Virus affecting some deer in Yavapai Hills area near Prescott 9/14/2018 8:48 PM GAME AND FISH NEWS Sept. 14, 2018 Virus affecting some deer in Yavapai Hills area near Prescott PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has confirmed a disease event affecting some mule deer in the Yavapai Hills community and surrounding areas near Prescott. After receiving reports in recent weeks from residents who observed deer that appeared to be lethargic, blind, walking in circles and unaware of their surroundings, AZGFD biologists collected tissue samples from three animals and sent them to a laboratory for testing. The results confirmed the presence of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in all three deer, as well as bluetongue in one of the three animals. These viruses only affect animals, primarily deer but also pronghorn, bighorn sheep, domestic sheep and cattle. The viruses are spread by culicoides midges, commonly known as “no-see-ums.” The midge populations dramatically increase as the result of summer monsoon rains. “We detected these viruses in sick deer last year in Prescott Valley and around Kingman,” said Anne Justice-Allen, the department’s wildlife veterinarian. “We know these viruses have been present in Arizona because we can find antibodies in the blood of wildlife. “Generally, we don’t see any significant disease because most of the susceptible wildlife have some immunity to the infection. It could be that we are seeing more this year because of several years of drought, meaning the animals were not exposed and did not develop immunity. The intense monsoon this year has caused a bloom of the midges exposing naive animals and leading to disease.” EHD has been shown not to affect humans. While there is no evidence that the disease can be contracted by consuming venison that has been infected with EHD, the department always advises hunters not to shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be sick. Wear latex or rubber gloves when field-dressing a deer. All hunters are asked to contact AZGFD at (800) 352-0700 if they see or harvest an animal that appears to be sick.

No i did not. I got maps and tons of info i even went and bought 5 dang bfg's i couldn't really afford right now. I found a guy on here to go with me then foot sprung a leak. the main incision where fusion was done started draining possibly from pt but now they have requested i go see surgeon tomorrow cuz still red , swollen, warm so little sketchy to go camp in dirt for a week. Once a firm no was obvious i offered up to another organization but with only 1.5 weeks left in hunt they turned it down, someone would have faced same lack of time to plan and execute a rime consuming money pit hunt. This lope was a 10 minute hunt with the effort a few friends put in for me so bit more my speed at this point in time. No camping or hiking so worked out really well. I sure wish i had not been following the strip kills cuz that made it pretty rough! Although each picture i saw was killed with full guide service and spot and stalk. i did hear 1 guy on here was with friend who killed 195 i believe and jiat friends help, no guide. The gross picture is where i was at on Mon the 3rd of Sep and on Wed the 5th i contacted guy from AES HFH because clearly i was not leaving on the 7th as planned for the last week of hunt... but it was too late in hunt.

I drew my only choice with 10 bp and was eager to get scouting as soon as possible. First Trip wasn't until mid July but my father and I saw lots of bucks and got a taste for what bucks were where etc. My next scouting trip was productive but it had become a reality that the unit experienced one of the driest years its ever had. I never saw a single fawn in all of the time I spent up there, hopefully a few years down the road the number of permits will be reduced to account for the absence of a fawn crop. Leading up to the hunt, I knew my schedule was limited with school and I needed to get a buck on the ground quickly. My goal was to kill an 80" buck and I really spent a lot of time learning how to field judge these animals. Scouting allowed me to practice judging goats and also forced me to stalk numerous animals to get a GOOD look at what's on their head. The hunt came around and I felt I hadn't laid eyes on a giant buck, so the plan was to Look for a buck or two we saw the evening before opener. Opening morning came and before the sun was up, Steven found a buck a few miles off with his BTX. We looked and when the sun hit him, we decided he was worth a closer look. Afraid of spooking the buck, John and I decide to just hoof it rather than try to drive around with the truck to get closer. We end up finding him bedded with a doe he pulled off the herd and took into an isolated valley. John and I crawl up to a spot where we think we can shoot. Skipping the BS-i mistakenly ranged the tree behind him and doped the scope to 600 when in reality it was so flat, he probably closer to 500 or worse. He stood up, gave perfect broadside shot and I was sailing them over his back. He runs off but we keep watch. We start working him again, relocate him and now he's back with his herd of does. Not seconds after we see them, they start running our way and the chaos began. Bucks were running all over the place, the buck we wanted was obviously the alpha and he was running the others bucks off continuously, It was an incredible experience to see them going wild like that. After setting up for shots probably a dozen times, the buck finally chases another buck off to our left which allowed for an open shot through the high brush. He runs after the inferior buck, sticks his horns in the little ones butt then stops, turns around and gives a quartering-to shot at 198yards. We were done by 9am and i couldn't have been happier. He's not the biggest buck i saw scouting but he was one that definitely caught my eye. Ultimately, he caught my eye on opening day and its history from there! I can't thank my Father, Reyes, John, Steven and Gavin enough for coming on the hunt, It was the best crew i could've imagined! We took photos then hung him in a tree, and pitched a nice midday camp to make lunch. Doesn't get any better... I learned alot on this hunt and I can only hope to get to hunt antelope again sometime soon I will post photos of the bucks I saw in scouting below the trophy pics but here is my 2018 Arizona Pronghorn Antelope The crew- My dad, I, Gavin, John, Reyes and Steven "Tipsy"-nice buck I passed at first light on opening morning "Double D"- only saw him once and got some decent photos in the heat waves This buck looks awesome in this photo and I imagine he grew another inch or two but he broke off his whole left prong... A massive buck i would've liked to see again Nice buck Reyes and I snuck up to While he was Snoozing with his ladies My Buck on July 18th. He pushed out another 1.5-2" of horn after this photo was taken and he also lost his giant mane Then this is the buck I Liked most from scouting Misc Bucks

Congrats. Looks about like my one and only From AZ, 12 years ago///////////////BOB!

Some dang beautiful bucks. Congrats on yours. 👍

well done

In hopes of more people donating their tag if the second time you draw you can’t go on your hunt you can still donate the tag. You just can’t use point guard and get your points back. Someone had mentioned that you have to keep your tag. That’s not correct. Just can’t use point guitars. Tags can always be donated with or without point guard.

Last year was my oldest son's first pronghorn hunt, and this year it was Nick's turn. He's going to Creighton in Omaha, so I drove up to Albuquerque and met him at the airport there on Thursday night. Quick 4 hours of sleep, and we hit I-25 for the 2 1/2 hour drive up to the hunting area (Lancetkenyon and Zeke-BE know where it is... LOL). We rolled into the property right around 7AM and began seeing pronghorn immediately. We glassed for just a bit upon getting there, but then drove on into the ranch headquarters to say hello to the owner and thank her for letting us hunt there. Like last year, she was gracious and we had a nice chat. She mentioned that there seemed not to be as many pronghorn this year as in past years, but after hearing other reports and seeing Lance & Zeke's reports here we were optimistic. We had already seen one nice buck early in the morning upon getting on the property, and he quickly did what basically ALL others had done last year; As soon as we stopped the pick-up, he and his squad ran out to about 3/4 mile. When I got out to glass them with the 15s, they proceeded to run even further! So anyway, with that in mind I had a brought along a secret weapon. A couple of years ago when I had an archery bull elk tag, I had bought one of those fabric pop-up cow elk decoys. (Her name is Miss September! Got a good laugh at that when I bought the decoy....) I decided that I would try holding her up in front of us to try to get closer to some of those spooky bucks. Well, after visiting with the ranch owner we drove off and quickly spotted another nice buck and some does. He did his usual antelope-thingy and was in the next county in short order, but I hadn't had time to break-out the secret weapon yet. We drove up on a large knoll and glassed all around, and I eventually a nice buck popped up at about 1/2-3/4 of a mile out. I broke out Miss September, and held her up in front of me and started walking directly towards the buck with Nicholas walking right behind me. I walked a steady pace, stopping every 50-75 yards or so and the buck never broke his stare. We proceeded along closing the distance, and when we were at about 500 yards I was thinking it was actually going to maybe work. We are not big on super long distance, with about 400 yards generally being our max shot distance. Well, we kept strolling and eventually got to a nice little tuft of grass on a little mound of dirt. I stopped and check the range-finder, and the buck was still staring at us from just about 350 yards. The 30-06 is zeroed for 200 with 180gr. PSPs, and I told Nick to hold just slightly over it's back. He got on the bi-pod in between Miss September's legs and let it rip! The buck bolted for about 50 yards, then stopped and started to look sick. Within about 5 more seconds he was down. 9:30AM on opening day, and it was all over! Went and got the truck and drove right to him (we had met up with a ranch hand just prior to that and he said it was no problem driving across the pasture....). Anyway, two hours later and we were done cutting it up and enjoying a couple of sandwiches. Overall a GREAT hunt!!! Drove back last night so that Nick could spend the weekend with his mom (really, the other way around... lol). A 36 hour round trip for me, with only 4 hours of sleep but lots of great road-hours with my boy! He was nice enough not to nap it all away, and we had a great time the entire way! Getting done early let's me spend a couple of mornings at the dairy shooting doves before I leave for archery deer in Utah on Tuesday morning! I'm blessed! S.

Check in with bonecollector777.....oh wait...….

Barnes MZ Expanders 250grn. Don't look back.