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How’s everyone doing? We’ve gotten a few, including this one on opening day. My cousins husband.

Man, it was indescribable. Sheer panic and jubilation at the same time. I was thrown out of a life of selfishness and worry free living into a life of discipline and sacrifice. Since she was a baby I was terrified of what the teen years would bring. I was sure she would see me as the enemy instead of the father just trying to protect his little girl. I am blessed to say that the day has never come, and my daughter and I are best buddies and have an amazing relationship. I can't believe the little lady this kid has turned into. We are so proud of her! Tonight we took her out for her 16th birthday and presented her with a ring and a tiara. Only to drive home the point that she should always value herself and never let herself be put into the position to be used by others Aurora Jean we love you to death, you are the most amazing little surprise we could have ever asked for. And when I look at you to this day, just like when you were a baby, you simply take my breath away.

Long story short shot on top of a mountain which we knew packout would suck but what we didnt expect for it to do is go over the mtn to the other side which is dang near a cliff and die. 6 hour packout with 6 people. But job is done.

I know we've all had our encounters with ranchers, locked gates, access and the likes and I know this will probably be a firestorm topic but I ran across this video and thought it did a good job of talking about land access and how to approach ranchers and land owners. Just like everything in life there's good apples and bad apples no matter what topic you are discussing! I have had great relationships with the ranchers I contacted and got permission, they have even gone to the extent to let me bunk in their quarters when weather was bad, bad....... Anyway......just a good video.....

Hung a tree stand thursday morning in 22S only to return later that afternoon only to hear quad hauling butt cross country from the pond we hung the stand on... we just missed them...took the stand and steps... tracked out the tire sign all the way to cabin in Thompson draw off the 405 road... Dont worry...revenge is a dish best served cold buddy!

I think the "rabbit" is just a young pig/javi

Another good one....made me laugh at the end though because I've seen how some people take care of their own front and back yards

I glanced up a hen turkey in unit 9 once... it was nose to nose with my sleeping, snoring brother trying to figure out what the F was in front of it. Deer tag in your pocket meant you saw 25birds/day for a couple years.

I will let the photos do the talking on this one. Taylor and I had a blast today even though the squirrels were almost nonexistent.

Got mine today. 37B Rifle.

Yep. That was a give away to me too. From what I've read javelina, which are not true pigs, only have two teats. And you never see them on a live one 'cause they're up and back (like where a coues doe's are). Sow pigs can have 10 or more 'cause they can have lots of piglets. I agree with the posters who said it's a feral pig. (And what looks like a rabbit in the second one's mouth could just be a piglet that was in a weird position when the shutter on the camera went off.

First one has teets

I must just be lucky. The last few months I’ve been in 19a 21 20b 20c 34a and 18b. Saw a ton of gambles.

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Maybe its just the pics, but Those don’t look like javelina. No collar. Long hair. Looks like feral pigs.

Same got tags today. Good luck everyone.

Turkey tags today.....weidest format......but hey it is a tag so I'm happy.

excellent video! We always try and give something to the ranchers as a thank you for continued access. And we always report water line leaks or gate problems and pick up trash whenever we see it. If I owned a ranch it would probably drive me nuts seeing a bunch of strangers parade through the land and being disrespectful. So I am thankful for the ranchers who tolerate hunters access through their private land. AGFD is working with ranchers currently to get more access to the state lands that have been locked up by some ranchers. Hot topic for sure.

Great video. Respect is all it takes. Growing up in a Midwest farming community, I'm thankful my dad taught me how to kick dirt with local farmers. I spent many days helping stack hay bales, fixing equipment/facilities, and shooting the breeze on a porch or at the table. Once in a while, I'd offer up a pheasant or some fillets from my day's harvest. That got me continued access and, often, return access to many fields and farm ponds. It really is that simple.

Great deal

Back from the range and the desert. Shot some amazing groups with the 110 SMKs staying within the PRS speed cap range. Recoil is very mild, as can be expected with a 22+# rifle with a 5 port brake shooting a light bullet at moderate pressures. Shooting a few different Axisworks rifles today. 6SST, 6.5SS and 6CM. Here was the best group, but all were in the .1-.2 range. 3 shot group @ 100 yards After the range, I went out to one of my LR spots to shoot a couple more ladder tests since the winds were pretty clam, and the air was cold and humid. 115 Berger over RL23. Had a bit better speeds than I anticipated with lower charge weights. So only got 5 rounds in the ladder test. Rich figured we would max out about 55.0, I was hoping for a bit more. Too bad Rich was so far off.... Shot the ladder test @ 404 yards. Not bad for 5 different charge weights spanning 120fps @ 404 yards. About 1.1", or .26MOAish. On to the 87 V-Max..... Results were not what I had hoped, until I figured out why....and witnessed something I have only heard of. I loaded the 87 V-Max over RL19. Did a very broad charge weight gain of a full grain just to see where we could expect speeds to end up. I started at 50.0, figuring that would be plenty low, and went up to 59.0gr of RL19. Bullet was seated .020" off the lands for testing purposes. Shot #1 @ 3300 to shot #7 @ 3530fps Shot a ladder at 404 yards again. Results were less than spectacular...... .....until shot #8. My Labradar gave me an error "could not track bullet". I studied the target through my spotter, and could not find the bullet hole on target. No way I missed a 12"×18" target @ 404 yards. So, shot #9, I watched. Let me set this up. I was shooting northnorthwest. Time was about 10:00am. Sun at my back almost directly. Got set up prone again, got on target through the scope w. my right eye, but kept my left eye on the distant frame I had set up. When I touched off the shot, I witnessed it for the 1st time ever firsthand. About 20 yards out, I saw a very brief flash, like the sun shining off 1000 tiny pieces of lead about 5' in diameter. A tiny dust cloud about 20' wide appeared below it. The bullet had vaporized when it left the barrel. I guess a thin jacketed varmint bullet cannot withstand 340,800 RPM. (3550+fps from a 1:7.5" twist). So I guess we are going to play with a 95TMK and some sort of lighter all copper bullet to see how fast we can get them going and hold together. Sure wish I would have had a super slo-mo video camera going. I laughed so hard I almost had tears. I wonder how fast I could get the 88 or 101 Hammer Hunter going? I know those would stay together out of a 1:7.5" @ 3500+. I had easy bolt lift and not a single sign of pressure (except the bullet vaporizing) with my higher loads. Last recorded velocity was 3530 that stayed together. So I am betting we had MV of over 3600 with at least 2 more shot that I didn't even record. I have always said "You can't over spin/stabilize a bullet". Guess I proved that wrong.

The damage has already been done. First the fire, second he's already bred, hopefully the kid will be smarter.

While WT hunting in 36B (California Gulch area) I was glassing this deep canyon when I see a Mt Lion emerge from a bush, then a 2nd lion follows. Being that this was my 1st lion(s) sighting I was mesmerized. I couldn't take my eyes off them, then in my field of view of my Binos about 10 o'clock I see more movement and its 5 yotes in a train. The lead lion starts to head up hill while the 2nd one follows the ravine. The yotes see the 1st lion and circle it, after that it was the wildest National Geographic dog and cat fight ever. The dogs would dive in and nip at the lion and then haul butt when the lion would swat and chase em. The noises that the lion was making was so erie and loud coming through this canyon. This happened for about 20 minutes. I completely stopped looking for deer and just watched. As for the 2nd lion, I lost sight of it and actually started to get scared because I had no idea where it was at. The yotes lost the battle and took off up the hill. Never thought about sending lead down range, but the more I think about it I probably should have filled my lion tag that year. In 2010, I did end up killing my 1st lion at 10 yds. I was able to sneak up to it without it knowing I was there. Too close for comfort in my books, but at the time I had know idea what I was sneaking up too. I just saw something move and I was curious as to what it was.

I would first like to start off by thanking everybody for the wealth of knowledge that is shared on this site. I have been a member here for about a year and have just got around to posting my story. I read these forums daily as I have become completely obsessed with chasing the "little ghost" known as Coues Whitetail. I have become so invested in learning about and chasing these deer, sometimes my wife thinks I'm crazy. I have done hours upon hours of research to figure out an advantage, if any, over these sneaky critters. I have many more failures than I have had success in 3 years of hunting in Arizona, but have learned more than I could have ever imagined. I have hunted almost every season since I was 11 years old, only missing seasons for being over seas. When I found out I was coming to Arizona I was thrilled to start a new chapter in my hunting career. I quickly found out that hunting in this state is like nothing I have ever done before in my life. My first season was an OTC hunt in January. My game plan was to sit off of deer travel areas and hunt ambush style with my bow. At the time I was only confident out to 30-40 yards. I can say I busted more deer in that one season than I had ever before in my life. As the season went on, I was finally presented with a shot opportunity. I had a doe pass within 25 yards of me and had no idea I was there, following behind her was a nice 3x3. As the buck came into shooting distance I grunted with my mouth in order to stop him for a shot. Little did I know he wouldn't stop, but run completely out of the area. Completely confused, I searched for any video I could find on deer hunting in Arizona. That is when I learned about "glassing" for deer. I got myself a pair of 10s but lacked a tripod. I learned how to glass for deer by hand pretty quickly. As the season started to end I was presented with another shot this time at 50 yards. Needless to say I wasnt prepared and missed pretty badly. My first season in Arizona ended leaving a burning desire for success. During the off season I shot hundreds of arrows to prepare myself for longer shot opportunities. I became confident out to 65 yards very consistently. My obsession was growing more and more every day leading up to the next OTC hunt in August. I spent days looking for spots to set up and hunt. I stumbled upon a secluded watering hole with very little access. There was tons of deer sign everywhere in the area so I knew it would produce. As the season opened I fully committed myself to sitting the water. I spent countless hours on water without even seeing a single deer. The season ended much quicker than I would have liked, but it only made me work harder. The next season passed with the same outcome as the 2 prior. Fast forward to August/September 2017, I now am confident shooting well past 70 yards, I have a tripod and a pair of 15s, and have scouted and found bucks consistently. Opening day comes and I am not able to hunt because of work. The next day I'm out early and in my spot. Right after first light I glass up a group of bucks I have seen all summer long. I watched them and devised a plan to slip in within shooting range. I was able to stalk within 60 yards of the deer but was never presented a shot opportunity. My confidence is sky high at the point. A week goes by and have blown quite a few stalks. My wife being as great as she is wanted to come out and help me on my hunt. We were set up and in position to glass for the bucks I had seen numerous times at this point in the season. The words I SEE A BUCK!!! Coming out of my wife mouths filled me with excitement. We came up with a plan for her to keep an eye on the deer while I slipped into position. I got to 33 yards from this buck with only a tree separating him from me. As the buck walked out I was at full draw, I settled my pin and let my arrow fly. I heard a lot smack and the deer took off. After a few minutes passed I walked to where he was standing and found my arrow. My heart immediately sank as I didnt see a speck of blood on my arrow. Needless to say I missed. I took a long walk of shame back to where I had left my wife. We talked about what happened and I determined I rushed my shot. We got back on the glass. 15 minutes goes by and we see another group of bucks headed for an area where the wind and cover was in my advantage. I quickly got down and in front of where they were headed, a quick confirmation from my wife let me know they were still headed my way. I started ranging trees and found out the farthest shot I would have was 30 yards. No sooner did I clip my range finder to my harness the first buck stepped out right where I thought he would. He looked in my direction but I dont think he saw me. He put his head down and slowly started feeding, I slowly drew my bow and settled my pin, I verified my bubble was level and my pin was behind his shoulder. I sent my arrow flying hearing the solid thud of making contact. I watched as the buck ran 15 yards and fell over! I just harvested my first Coues, on the ground and with my bow. The amount of relief and pure joy that over came me was undescribable. He isnt the biggest buck in the world but he was my first spot and stalk deer in Arizona. I continued to hunt the following seasons with my bow without firing a single shot. I decided I would try my hand at rifle hunting. I was fortunate enough to pick up a November leftover tag. I got myself a rifle and started practicing every chance I got. I was very confident in my shooting ability leading up to the season opener. Opening day November 2018 has finally come. I found a good vantage point with plenty of deer activity. The canyon I was hunting in was much steeper than what I was used to bow hunting in. As the days of the season started to roll by, putting 15 hours a day in the mountains, a shot opportunity presented itself. A nice 3 point was feeding 400 yards across a small draw from where I was at. I ranged him at 410, and got myself set up for the shot. I plugged the numbers into my ballistic calculator and dialed my turret. I took my time and squeezed off a shot. I thought for sure I hit him good, but at the same time not sure if I had hit him at all. I worked my way to where he was and searched for blood, nothing. Completely beside myself I bailed off the mountain and headed straight to the range. I put paper at 100 yards only to find my zero had shifted 2 inches high and groups larger than an inch. At this point I realized I hadnt cleaned my rifle in a few range sessions, so I headed home, re-torqued all of my mounting screws to spec and cleaned my rifle. I took the afternoon off to let myself reset mentally. The next morning I was right back into the same canyon waiting for daylight. It was very still, with only the slightest breeze. As the sun started to rise I noticed 3 deer feeding. I immediately recognized 2 of the bucks from the morning before, I continued to search and eventually found the buck I had missed the morning before. He was about 300 yards above the other 2 smaller bucks. I ranged the bigger of the 2 smaller bucks at 297, he was slowly feeding on the hillside. I went through all of the same steps I had the morning prior. I watched him through the scope of my rifle waiting for him to stop, sure enough he did exactly that. I squeezed the shot and watched him drop, I racked another shell and kept my cross hairs on him, he stood back up slowly and I shot again, dropping him once more. I continued to watch him until he stopped moving completely. I called my wife to let her know what happened, she was excited and happy for me. I harvested my first rifle buck in Arizona, on day 4 of the season! Again not the biggest in the world but he is my first. Once again I would like to thank everyone for sharing their knowledge and helping me learn and understand what it takes to hunt in this great state!

The view from my in laws back porch. Every year at this time the water brings them in. Some times my mother in law will get a picture with five of our big game species in it at the same time.