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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/06/2020 in all areas
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5 pointsThese guys got in through a tight spot and killed all 22 Chickens in one night. They returned the next night to feed. The third night they entered a well set trap and payed the price
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5 points
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4 points
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3 pointsI don't post on here much but like most of you I get on just to see cool pics of cool bucks. I feel this is a buck many would enjoy to see. Luck: when preparation meets opportunity. That’s the best way I can describe this hunt. Due to some life events I didn’t not have time to scout much this year. I actually missed the first day of the hunt and the second day committed to helping a friend fill his tag on the one day he had free. We had some luck filling his tag with a nice 90ish buck then it was game on for me and my tag. It would be a solo hunt for the rest of the season which I mostly do and prefer in most ways. I decided I would hunt a spot that I nicked named “The Hole”. It’s a spot I have looked at in previous years, one years was covered with decent buck, then some years I have a hard time turning anything up. I had never taken a deer there but knew it could hold a good one since it was a “hole”. This spot is not hard to access but I knew it’s a spot hunters overlook and I call it “The Hole” because, while it’s not that hard to access and not that far of a hike, it’s a pain in the butt to hike in given the brush and terrain. The only good glassing spot is pretty uncomfortable and with an all-day sit during an early season you WILL get burnt. I get to the glassing spot with a good 30min sit to cool down before its even light enough to start glassing. This is done for a reason as while most of what I glass from here is a good 1000 yards away, one of the better bucks I had seen in years prior was on a small ridge just in from of the glassing point about 350 yards away. As most of you know that darn close to get to Coues especially just to glass so I knew getting in there in the dark was a must. I sat there and set up the glass on the tripod and started glassing before there was much light to even see anything, thinking ‘Well it’s about that time when lots of hunters are just waking up and the deer are the most active’. Through the low light I make out the form of a deer’s body on the ridge just in front of me at 375 yards. I make out some antlers and continued to watch as the light began to make it easier to see. Due to the subdued light I couldn’t tell exactly what he was and being the first deer that morning I began looking around to see what else may be out. For about 15-20 min I looked around for more deer and not seeing any other and I kept going back to the buck I saw. He was slowly feeding uphill as I was getting a better look. I could not see his main beam on one side so I thought he was a big 2 on one side and a 3 on the other. To be honest I still wasn’t sure it was a buck I wanted to shoot to end my hunt so quick. Finally got an angle seeing it was, what I thought, a good 3x3. This look was just after coming back to him and I thought well that looks like a good buck maybe another one showed up. The decision was made at this point to shoot but it took a bit to find a place to set up, the buck only being 350 yards now. While getting the gun set up the deer disappeared on me. It was now maybe 15 min before sunrise, yes that buck was on his feet for just a short while in the daylight. The last spot I saw him was on the edge of a large brushy patch so I figured he was in there somewhere. The wind was howling to and he was on the shaded side from the wind so it made no sense for him to leave, my gut told me hes still there. I watched the brush for about 45 minutes and I catch the buck up for just a few seconds as he shifted in his bed. No shot before a bedded back down, but now I knew where he was and could make out bits of his antlers through the brush. I made sure the gun was ready and got the phone scope set up to film the shot and the wait began. I waited for about 45mins and at was getting back on the gun to make sure it was ready. Well I looked in the scope and there he was standing. He was now looking over his shoulder and looked uneasy. Not knowing if he was about to bolt I decided to bag the filming and take the shot. At 350 yards I felt 100% confident on the hit but watch to see if anything runs off the ridge and nothing showed up. I gather my gear, make the short hike across the small canyon and find this. When I pull him out of the brush he just got bigger. I did not see all the mass, extra points, and thought how stupid I was in thinking I may pass. I was gitty for a while and got to work. The pack-out was heavy and sucked but I loved every minute of it. Yes, luck had a lot to do with it but my preparation, previous knowledge and opportunity all aligned for this hunt. I've had the privileged to take some great buck, working a lot harder to do so, but this is my best. Sorry for the long read that did.
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3 pointsThey seriously consider that a pistol for hunting purposes? Haha geez
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2 pointsHad high expectations headed into this hunt. Hunted 1 day each weekend when the hunt started then hit it after Christmas when the weather went to crap. Was happy to kill this buck when I did.
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2 points
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2 pointsHere are some pics of my sons big horn hunt success, 15ds amazing hunt and memories 165 5/8 Gross 165 3/8 net
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2 pointsAfter an all out adventure of getting stuck, hiking miles and I mean miles everyday into the wilderness area, calling in a group of drug smugglers, running face to face into another group of illegals, watching fighter jets dog fight right above us, we came up with a good ram that checked all the boxes, most of all that everyone in the group was able to be involved. Physically brutal hunt but an awesome hunt! He green scored 165 6/8 at AZGFD and they put him at 8 1/2 yrs.
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1 pointI normally don't post stories on here, but since this was the 3rd time in 4 years my sons and I have gone 3/3 on opening morning I thought I would share that but the real story here is this is the first year they let me shoot first... I guess the time has come where they are looking out for me vs me looking out for them. Heck why not, I'll take it and thanks boys! Happy New Years all and good luck
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1 pointFS: Browning stainless A-bolt 7mm with base and rings. $325 520-240-6932
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1 pointI for got about the lifetime license You can buy at 62 + for $296 . I am 63 now and just a month ago bought my Hunt and fish for this year, Dammit. .This is for Az. Res . only. I will go buy it this spring as I am pretty much done working in 4 months and gonna play snow bird and go back to Youngstown ,Ohio for 4-5 months and try to get back with the Wife. We have been separated for 4 years now but get along great. I visit twice a year and all is cool. I just don't wanna live in the Crap back East. Being pretty much retired it is very cheap housing back there as there are no jobs. She likes the change of seasons and Winter I hate the cold. So I told Her we will see how things go but I wanna play snowbird even if it has to be a mobile home or big travel trailer out here in winter. I think if all goes well I can get Her back her full time eventually. She lived here 35 years and knows its beautiful. I was on the prowl for 3+ years and never found a keeper. I know what I have in Her and just have to devote more time to her. I grew up 90 miles away from Her in Erie ,Pa and have 2 younger sisters still there and cousins. She has lotta family back there and only 1 sister here that she is not that close with. I wouldn't mid being a snow bird . Worked outside in Summers here since 1977. I can take the heat but if You can get out of ,You may as well. Just in case I would stay back there I want that life time lic. so I can allways be put in the resident draw. First gotta work 4 months and Spring Turkey Hunt then head out. Just don't know what to take, or put stuff in storage or pay to leave it here at Roomates house. I think He would like the storage $. I don't know what storage costs here. Thanks for reading My story ,It was intended to be fore lifetime licenses. any one over 62 I think its worth it..........BOB!
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1 point
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1 pointI agree with both of the posts above. Also, I do believe coues (especially does) have a 1 square mile home range, it just is rarely anything like a square and it changes/ranges over time based on food, water and cover (pressure for bucks). Not sure if this part is relevant but expanding a bit on Matt's post, one place I have been hunting lately had 50 deer/sqmi in one area and 2 deer for the next 2 miles directly adjacent. You would think their is a fringe but it very much a specific habitat change. And that line changed seasonally because of the aspect.
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1 pointI am betting you were one of the guys that sold me half a dozen firearms, Thats f'n wild. I still have 1 or 2 old receipts from a few guns I Bought there. Somewhere around that time I ordered a 44 automag from you guys, had it for a while then sold it cause I didnt like it. I believe you guys ordered 2 or 3 of them. one was for one of the managers Thats how I found out about it. I think someone returned one of them and maybe one of you guys bought it. bought a few 24 power tasco target scopes from you guys as well. 1 I still have. Thats when tasco used to have good target scopes almost as good as the leupolds. cool store fore sure , miss that place I was in there almost everyday, wife was shopping I was plotting the next gun purchase. that little restaurant inside had great food too.
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1 point
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1 pointWhat rifle do you shoot and at what ranges? That is one thing that you may want to think about also. 300 yard shots are pretty average. And some guys and kids are shooting way past that. Sometimes the canyons don't let you get closer. That said I have shot coues deer at 25 and 85 yards here so it can be done. Unless you are wanting to hunt alone there are good chances you could team up with someone on here also. Makes for a little safer hunt and not quite as lonely. The guys on here tend to be a little more hard core than the average weekend warrior that draws a tag and hunts a couple days without ever stepping foot in the unit before the hunt and not seeing a deer during the hunt. Good luck
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1 pointI would wait a while and see what the consensus is. Don’t be someone in the test market... Colts quality has been going in the toilet for a while now. Lost government m4 contract to FN, filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Our PD even stopped using our most recent Colts due to quality issues that I saw first hand. Colt doesn’t even make AR15s anymore. In a time when EVERYONE makes an AR, Colt stopped? No way I would drop that kind of money on a new production Colt. I’m not sure the demand will be as great as you think. The name “Python” returned, i’m predicting the quality did not as the old ones were all hand fit and not just production guns. Just my opinion
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1 pointBut G&F is a law enforcement agency’s so they do in fact define it. And barrel length is not a factor. To use a weapon that is all but a rifle via a loophole, your only cheating your self.
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1 pointWhat is the public access like in 19a or 19b? Its huntable but all the good bucks pretty much get killed on the archery and muzzleloader hunts. 19B has more access available for a trespass fee. I think it’s pretty steep, but if you can pay there are typically some giant bucks. In 19B you can pay for access to Perkinsville, some years there are good bucks there, sometimes there aren’t and you waste $1500. I am also looking at units 4 and 5. In 4A or 4B you might have to look harder for a top end buck but there is tons of public land. Looks like you would be bonus pass for 4B and maybe just out for 4A. 5A and 5B are good units with tons of public land. You probably wouldn’t make bonus pass for either. 9 and 10 are really looking good, what is the access to the big bo like and would it be worth purchasing the access permit. I don’t know 9, but here good things. We hunted 10 this year. You definitely need the big bo permit, don’t get cheap and cut yourself off from more than 50% of the antelope habitat. Last year was supposedly a down year and we saw some really good bucks come out of there. It’s worth putting in for. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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1 pointYou’ll be fine down there. There are a ton of deer in those southern units and easy to draw.
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1 pointI was fortunate to take my ram mid day on December 2nd surrounded by friends and family. Special thanks to my dad who scouted for me and burned miles of roads and glassed for hours.......As you all know, it was the hunt of a lifetime. He wasn't the biggest ram out there, but he is perfect to me. Sheep slow motion.xspf
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1 pointBig thanks to Eric and Josh and the team at Arizona Desert Outfitters,cant say enough about their help helping me fulfill my dream of harvesting a sheep. Great guys all ! Will post better pics when I have them. 6.5 creed more 143 grain eldx 409 yard shot peak to peak. played in cholla needles for over half an hour waiting for him to get up.Gotta love standing up and having ticks all over your pants and shirt IMG_0040.MOV
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1 point