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It’s been a busy fall for our family with a bison hunt, MT elk and AZ early rifle bull hunts all in the books. Hunter was next up with a Kaibab youth tag in his pocket. Due to less accountability with online school he found himself making up assignments instead of hunting on opening day. Mom was merciful and let him hunt after his assignments were made up. We arrived late Saturday. From past experience and lots of driving 67 in the dark going/coming from bison camp we knew they were stacked up in the burned areas. So we literally plopped down a tent right next to the highway and grabbed a few hours of sleep before the alarm went off early Saturday. About 5 minutes after we left camp Hunter spotted some deer feeding in front of us. He quickly setup and fired a shot and MISSED at the startling distance of 30 yds. He looked straight at me and said “I was right on her shoulder, if I missed the scope is messed up.” Almost word for word something he heard on MeatEater this week. We looked but it was a clean miss. Within 30 minutes we found a small group feeding down the ridge from us. This time there was a little more breathing room between us to setup the shot. He had to stand because of brush. We got the triclawps under the foregrip and the Bogpod under the butt. He was steady and told me he was ready to squeeze. At the crack she lurched forward and then stumbled two steps before piling up behind a log. Hunter had filled his second tag in two days with his little brother and I both by his side. At 267 yds he couldn’t have placed the shot any better if he did it by hand. We spent the rest of the day scouting for Nash’s 12AW late hunt, admiring the fall colors and bemoaning the fire damage. As I reflected on this in a way only Father’s do, I realized how far he (and I) have come. Which then also made me consider what heights he might yet achieve. We did this hunt two years ago when he was just 10. He was freshly diagnosed with CMT, hyper-mobility and bilateral hip dysplasia. It was between the first and second reconstructive hip surgery. It was a year I had waited my entire life for, a year of first hunting expeditions, but had turned into a year of doctors, surgeries, therapy and tears; both his and mine. At that time it felt like a monumental effort just to fill that tag. This year, it was a layup, probably too easy for him. He found his own deer, dialed his own scope, called the hit and navigated his own way back to the truck. I wish the me now could go tell the me of 2018 that it’s going to be ok. You and he can do this. My buttons were all busted on Saturday from puffing out my chest. One more Bab trip for our crew left this year.

Oh my sillyness what an end to a ridiculous hunt. Was heading out for one more evening of failure when Big Browns gives me a call and so graciously offers to take us to his super secret A+honey hole. Off we went. We climbed a small miserable mountain and right away found elk. Wrong flavor though. Not to worry, Big Browns not only takes us to this amazing spot, he then FINDS the elk TOO. After a short mad scramble to get everything set up,my niece launches her FIRST bullet at her FIRST big game animal. 530yds. The hours of practice paid off and she laced miss daisy with an (almost) perfect shot. Tucked it right behind the front leg just clipping the elbow. After a VERY short run/fall....elk down. Then the REAL fun began. Big Browns and her dad head back to get the ranger and she and I head through the scrub to find the prize. It took us over an HOUR to find it because of a) thick nasty scrub and b) a little hidden gully that fooled us and c) sheer stupidity on my part for not getting walked on to her. No worries, we had plenty of time because Big Browns doesn't know how to change a tire. Luckily he has hillbilly friends that do and came to his rescue. A few cuts later and elk bags in the Ranger and HAPPY niece. It was really AMAZING. her dad had been down with bronchitis for over a week, This was the first chance he had to get out. Shouldn't have because he was hacking up a lung but didn't want to miss it"just in case". Thank you again to all who offered help. Absolutely made this a fantastic experience. THIS is what makes this forum a great place. And of course I can't thank Big Browns enough for making this happen(after ALREADY helping TWO other youths this morning!!!!). And to wildwoody for saving the day. Just......AWESOME. Thank you guys. we did get some video but I am WAY too tired to mess with them right now.

7 1/2 but I shoot them on the ground

Javi, turkey and buffalo all x5. Just applying is getting expensive these days.

Hunter continued his quest to complete his AZ Big 10 last night. We hunted this bull for a couple days. He was a gladiator and kept injuring and running off bigger bulls. We were on him twice before without being able to complete a shot. To his credit he just wouldn’t shoot unless he was perfectly steady. When the moment came just before dark he made it count taking out the bulls front shoulder on the first shot. He went 30 yds and piled up. I have to say what an awesome experience from the great friends who made it possible when I couldn’t be there to start, and some others who came out to help late last night. You only get so many firsts and this one was awesome. Watching Hunter and his brother fist pump and high five was priceless. There are great lessons to be learned in the outdoors about persistence and strength and effort. So proud that he stuck with it and didn’t give up.

Huge thanks again to Wildwoody for saving my butt tonight!!!!!! It's impossible to change a tire on a Ranger without a lug nut wrench!!!!! Thank you for bringing one to me!!!!!! You da man buddy!!!!!!!!!

Struck out again today. Got really close this morning but they saw us before we saw them. Went to a few spots that some members on here suggested. One was REALLY good. Unfortunately it was REALLY good for someone else right before we got there. We were at least able to render assistance to the dad and 3 boys who had killed an elk and had no way to get it out. Hopefully Karma comes back quickly. lol Will try again. Thanks to all who have sent help.

Awesome story. Congrats to you, dad, the young lady and even Adam. Well done.

6. Got five on the ground in one shot once.

the addiction of Quail hunting. then you find some scalies or Mearns and you will question your own IQ for getting involved. fun and high end shotguns though.

Breaking this weekends scouting into two post. Some trail cam photos and dead calf that was eaten about 100 yards from where my lion last year died. The breakage is significant on the elk this year. 4b has some fighters

Got a turkey. Saw 12 solid bucks and tons of does. Fun week. No bears though.

not that it matters, but we threw them at the direction of a backstop/canyon wall. found out that my wife was a great shot. good memories.

Some more pics of that messed up skull.

This is making me thirsty! I guess the marketing piece works! Good luck with the sale.

Far NW Peoria, Roosevelt Mark

Link to buy online is up! https://www.naznwtf.org/shop

Hunt hard but dont pass on a good buck opening morning. I hunted 12ae early a few years ago and if I had passed the buck I shot opening morning I may not have gotten a shot after. Late is a little different but I wouldn't take the chance. My buck turned out to be about 167" which I am more than happy with. I had the smallest of 3 bucks at the check station when I checked mine in, but the other 2 bigger bucks were guided. Good luck on a great tag. Scout as much as you can.

If you see a big buck on opening morning 90 minutes into the hunt....shoot it. Taylor did last year. I would not have passed him either. I am thinking this year might be epic. I have not seen the new Mangum burn firsthand, but I wonder if anything green popped up this late summer after? I have been on a few late hunts up there, but never for myself. Depending on weather, that will determine where the deer will be. We have always hunted high, and seen plenty of deer. If you are patient, a 180" buck is a possibility. But, if you like a buck, shoot it. I knew 8 tagholders last year that had either 12AW or 12AE late tags. 7 of them were guided. 6 of them took 180"+ bucks. I am pretty sure the only DIYer got the biggest buck of those 8 people I personally knew. But, I know of some bruiser bucks that came off the early hunt by guided hunters.

I was at work on a Thursday when I got a call from game and fish saying someone gave their early archery bull tag back and I was next in line if I wanted it. The issue and in my opinion the part that makes the story better was that the hunt started the next day! I made some phone calls and talked it over with my dad and a few other people that knew the area pretty well and decided I'd take the tag. Due to work and the short notice, I was going to have three days the first week and four days the second to make it happen. Seven days total to kill a screaming bull sounds easy right? I was wrong. The rest of the day and the following two at work were the longest most anticipating days I've ever had. With my schedule I was zero help with getting the camping equipment together and buying last minute groceries and supplies. Not to mention I had to learn how to cow call on the clock as well. My dad took care of it all. I'm just glad I shoot my bow regularly so that was just about the only part of this hunt I had confidence in. Luckily my dad was able to get every day we needed off and he was just as motivated as I was. Finally after clocking out at 9pm Saturday I raced home, showered, grabbed any last minute supplies and my dad and I headed north to chase some elk. We were meeting my friend Colton (RackTracker) who had camp picked out. He went out the evening before and said the rutting activity was incredible and the this was going to be an epic hunt. The morning of my opening day came and we made a plan to climb a hill and glass and see what was out there and possibly hunt them the same way we hunt deer. The hill didn't offer the glassing opportunities we expected, luckily there were plenty of bugles to chase. The morning was great I just couldn't make it happen. I had already seen a few bulls that would make me more than happy to wrap my tag around. I specifically remember one bull that we snuck into with a heard of cows with him that winded us at 78 yards. When we watched him run away I turned and looked at Colton and he looked at me and said "shoot that one." I agreed. The evening presented a lot of distant bugles where the bulls were across the road in the neighboring unit, leaving us with no options. Day two started way different. There were minimal bugles in the same spot and we found ourselves wandering around praying for one to sound off. At one point a small bull came in at about 80 yards but I wasn't interested at the time. That was about all the action we got for the morning. Colton went home after the morning hunt and it was my dad I for the rest of week one. That evening my dad and I tried a different spot after assuming the elk felt pressured with lots of hunters in the same spot. This spot was in an area where I guessed elk might be getting out of bed and wandering around. We jumped a lone bull close to dark but that was about it. We were going into day three without a plan. I texted a friend who had killed his bull in the same unit earlier in the week and asked if he wouldn't mind sharing some spots. He sent me a pin and we had our spot for the following morning. Day three started off much better. My dad and I walked in just to turn right back around after hearing a bugle that sounded like the bull was standing in the bed of our truck. Next thing we know, this bull had us crossing the road three times before catching up with him. I walked into a small opening and caught a glimpse of a leg about 200 yards out. As i was looking at this elk my dad gets my attention and there was a small bull staring at us broadside. I nock an arrow and I'm convinced this bull is in range. My rangefinder reads 125 yards. My thought was cool I'll let him walk since he'll run as soon as I move closer anyway. We refocused on the other elk and at this point we could tell it was a bull. We sneak in closer and he responded but he wasn't completely bought in and wandered off without presenting a shot. We circled around and thought he was going to walk into our lap until the bull stopped bugling and disappeared. That was the end of our first week. Next I had 4 long days of work ahead of me but it gave my dad and I enough time to become YouTube experts and and convince ourselves we can kill a bull. My friend texted me saying his buddy had tagged out and he had some great spots for me to hunt the four days I had available. I couldn't be more thankful for his help. Day four started with me getting held over at work and being late to get home. We met Colton again in camp and went straight to a completely new morning spot. The forrest was silent. Late in the morning we spotted a bull on the opposite hillside but couldn't get close enough to make it matter. The evening hunt would set the tone for the rest of the hunt. We walked into a tank and decided to sit it for the last hour and a half of the day. We heard distant bugles and knew the elk were getting closer but by the time they came in it was too dark. At this point we knew the full moon was going to make the hunt tough. We had to stay at the tank for nearly an hour because we were covered in bulls and didn't want to spook anything. Day five started with nothing. Not a single sound in the forrest. We basically went on a nice little walk and that was it. Colton had to go back home and it was my dad and I again for the rest of the hunt. We could not wait for the evening hunt so we could go to the tank. We made a plan for my dad to sit where we did the day before and I would go to the far side so the elk would get to me faster= and maybe I would get a shot. The elk were a little late to the party that evening so I decided to chase the bugles while my dad stayed at the tank and called. I got about 100 yards from a big bull we later named Big Boy without being able to get closer for a shot. Day six had another uneventful morning. Never in my life had I looked forward more to evening hunts than this elk hunt. My dad and I had the same plan as the day before. Around 5:15 hits and my dad started with cow calls and bugles later and all we heard were distant chuckles and nothing else. We assumed the elk knew something was up. Maybe our calls were too distinct at this point or I pushed too hard the day before but the elk didn't want to come in for a drink. I now had one day left to get it done. That night we listened to bugles from a ton of elk in a field less than 200 yards from camp. We decided we'd chase them in the morning. Day seven came and after keeping us up all night the bulls went silent about an hour before light. We went to a spot hoping they'd be traveling to us with no luck. We bumped a small bull but that was all the action for the morning. We went back to camp, took a nap and packed up camp in anticipation for the last few hours of my elk hunt. My hunting history has shown that I'm no stranger to waiting till last minute to fill my tags and this hunt would be no different. My dad and I went in with the same plan except this time I brought my stalking shoes in case I had to sneak in on the chuckling bull from the day before that we cleverly named Chuckles. At 4:15 we hear a bugle go off close to me and shortly after my dad texted me saying well that was fast. On went my stalking shoes and I began inching closer to the sound of the bull. It felt like multiple times I was within range. I could hear his distinct chuckles and he was raking trees in response to another distant bull. I could never get close enough until about a quarter mile later I stepped into an opening to where I could finally put a face to a name. Chuckles had me pegged. I ranged him broadside. 128 yards. I backed out and tried to come around while my dad texted me saying a big bull had come into his view at the tank. I found myself in a standoff about 70 yards away from chuckles. I thought I needed him to walk out of either side of a tree and I'd have a shot. Next thing I hear is him bugling around 200 yards away with about 10 minutes left of shooting light. I left the cat and mouse game to try my hand at the bull back at the tank. I ran in my socks and thin shoes a few hundred yards in hopes of beating the dark. I get back to the general area and slowed down to sneak in. I see the bull that my dad confirmed was Big Boy go into the field toward the tank. I knew if i could get to a certain tree I'd have a shot. On the way there I discovered he had about 15 cows with him. I was sneaking through openings looking like one of the cartoons on their tippy toes going from tree to tree trying not to be seen. At this point I saw a different bull eating off a juniper and he looked like a great bull not that it mattered with 5 minutes left of light on my last day. I ranged him, 91 yards. I was in the open and drew. I decided I could get closer so I stayed at full draw trying to get to a tree for a 70 yard shot. Four steps later every elk in the unit except for my bull was staring at me. I took aim at 87 yards and let it fly. I didn't see or hear a hit and all I knew was elk scattered and I didn't see my bull leave with the rest of them. I go to where he was standing and there was zero blood and no arrow. I decided to go to my pack and get my dad and as I walked around a tree I saw my bull laying in the field taking his last breaths. What a sigh of relief. My dad saw me at full draw and walking looking like Elmer Fudd but he had no idea I shot. He got to me a minute later and gave me a giant hug after I told him there's a dead bull laying about 50 yards away from us. We snapped our pictures, started cutting him up and had the bull back to the truck and ready to go home by midnight. Just like we wrote it up.

I’ll bite! I was fortunate to take this great buck last Friday on the Bab. It was a tough year but there were some great bucks out there. This was the last night of my 14 day hunt.

Here is a european mount we did of a javalina my son shot. He shot the javalina at 15 yards with a win. 308. The only shot he had was a head shot. We understand the ethics of shot placement but based on conditions and his experience we made the decision to take the shot.

168gr Berger VLD @ 3000fps in the RM, 180gr VLD @ 3050 fps in the Dakota If conditions were right with low/no wind out to 700yds but for the most part 500yds and in I am very comfortable. I still like to practice and shoot at 1K but even on still targets there is a lot going on once you pass that 700 yd mark. It seems to close the distance to 500 yds is usually doable anyway.