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I was fortunate enough to draw another deer tag this year and have been putting in alot of time in the hills the past 2 months. I had 2 bucks picked out for sure this year and knew it would be one of them or nothing. I packed in the day prior to the hunt and set up my camp. I managed to turn up a few nice bucks the evening before the opener but wasn't able to locate one of the bucks I was after. 3:45 came early the next day and I crawled out of my sleeping bag and started getting everything ready. Within a hour my brother inlaw showed up to hunt the morning with me before he had to work. We managed to get to the glassing hill with time to set up everything before the sun came up. I soon found my self glassing into the basin that I've seen my target buck in. I scanned the only turning over a few does. I was about to turn and glass below us for my other buck when some coyoties started sounding off below ous and deer came pouring over the cut above us. I saw what looked like a nice buck come out of the same area I've seen the big buck and although he was a solid deer he wasn't the one I was looking for. We glassed for another hour or so then started focusing our efforts on the shade. My brother inlaw called me over to his spotter and he had located a buck that he knew I needed to take a look at and make the judgment call myself. We sat and watched him for probably 15 minutes before I decided to pass. We continued to glass when I turned up 2 bucks. one was a smaller 4x4 maybe mid 80s and the other was a stud of a 2 point. As im watching the larger 2 point I see a deer making his way through some thick brush. I turned to my brother inlaw and said we need to figure out what that deer was. We knew that most of the bucks were still running together and he had to be a buck. We stared at a 40 yard circle for close to 20 minutes when my brother inlaw happened to glass the buck bedded in a small opening inside the thicket. He was just sat in a way that we though it was him but couldn't quite tell. We compared him to the videos we had back and forth for what seemed to be forever. Finally he turned jsut right giving us the look that we had been looking for to make conformation. Laying down below us bairly noticeable through the 15s was the one of the bucks I was after Pitchfork. We got set up and checked the range, we waited for what seemed like a eternity and finally he stood up. Shortly after he got up, I was able to successfully harvest this amazing buck. What a awesome, yet short hunt it was. I cant wait to do it again.

Haaah! made you look!

Bull Bison, Turkey and Javi tags for me. The tag gods smiled upon me lol

After many years of Hunting AZ Coues Deer I finally killed a good one! The story is short and sweet. Opening day in my usual places were not producing any bucks, plenty of does but no antlers at all. I moved down to the river bottom in some very thick cover where I had seen a few small bucks before opening day. As we all know it was unusually hot so I figured this to be a good strategy. At about 4 pm on opening day this buck walked out at 60 yards! My Marlin 336Y in 30-30 did the job and my hunt was over.

Met a guy to buy a "bobtail" kimber about 5 years ago.... bobtail with an angle grinder. Literally.

I recently was able to take my best archery mule deer to date and quite possibly the best buck that I'll ever take. The target buck was a 4x5 with an inline on his left main beam. My brother in law and nephew were scouting for elk when they found this deer. They placed some cameras at a nearby water source and to their surprise he showed up. Not once, not twice but three consecutive days the week of opening archery deer. He hit water in the middle of the night before opening morning and didn't show up til 3 days later on Sunday evening. I got in the blind around 4:30pm Sunday evening. It was windy and sprinkling rain and I remember thinking to myself that there wasn't a chance the deer would show up in these conditions. Around 6pm the wind died down and it got real calm. A large group of doves flew in and fed/watered at the tank. Out of the corner of my eye I caught some movement. I immediately knew they were deer and upon pulling up my binos confirmed that they were deer and that they were bucks. Then buck fever set in like I've never had it before. The lead buck was a two point followed by a decent 4x4 which I confirmed didn't have the extra on the left. Then I saw him, the very last buck in the bunch. The bucks filed in to the tank and I ranged the buck at 65 yards quartered to me as he began to drink. I drew my bow and sent one his way. The deer scattered and I quickly nocked another arrow. The buck ran to 90 and stopped. All I could see was his head. He didn't seem like he was hit, had I missed him completely? Should I send one at 90? Had I blown my chance at the buck? After what seemed like forever the bucks started back into water. I couldn't believe it but the 4x5 with them. He came back to the same spot, this time he was facing me head on. I ranged him again at 65 and when he bent down to drink I drew my bow and sent a second arrow. It hit its mark and the buck blew out and ran and I watched him crash after 80 or so yards. A special thanks to Blake, Tyler, and Matt for the chance at this deer and for letting me sit their blind. This buck belongs to us all, an experience that I won't soon forget...

This UNREAD, like-new copy of BOWHUNTING IN ARIZONA is the 2nd edition, printed in 1985. It is signed by editors Tom Dalrymple & Larry Derksen. $50$40 I will consider reasonable offers but no trades. Payment via PayPal (buyer doesn't need an acct; just a CC or checking acct.) or cash only. Can be picked up near 67th Ave. & Camelback in Glendale or shipped at buyer's expense. TM List

chinese sks w/ detachable mag (duckbill) and case $425 unsure of round count on all but good shooters. must fill out 4473. located in glendale.

This UNREAD, hardcover autographed copy of BUCKS I HAVE TAKEN (And Bucks That Got Away) was signed and given to me by Jay Gates in 1988. Lots of big buck photos. I will include the personal letter on his letterhead to me when Jay sent the book. I believe he's at least in his 70s now and lives in Chino Valley, AZ. This a a rare book. A new one like mine is listed on Amazon at more than $900! Deer Hunting Legend: Jay Gates I will consider reasonable offers but no trades. Payment via PayPal (buyer doesn't need an acct; just a CC or checking acct.) or cash only. Must be picked up near 67th Ave. & Camelback or shipped at buyer's expense. $150 SOLD The signature says. "Tony-- To the best outdoor writer in Arizona (and one of the best anywhere), Hope you have many successful deer seasons -Jay Gates" Jay Gates was raised in the hunting lifestyle in Kingman, Arizona. By 1979, he’d taken his first deer slam (four species of deer—mule, blacktail, whitetail, coues—in one season), and then did it four more times. Once Sitkas were added to the slam, Jay took all five species for his fifth slam, something only a few hunters had done at the time. Jay is an official scorer for P&Y and B&C, and had been covered in all the main hunting mags of the day. He also spoke at all the major sportsman’s groups and conventions. The forward of the book was written by none other than Craig Boddington, a testament to Jay’s popularity of the day. While the book covers all species of North American deer, any mule deer hunter would be wise to read it. Jay had killed over 130 deer (50 of those were mule deer) by press time.

Long story short, had a few misses last year on the early rifle hunt down south. Figured out I had a loose ring on my scope. That boiled in my gut for a year and got lucky drew the same tag again. Got it done this time. This year the early early rifle hunt was extra hot. Didn't see any big bucks.....on day 1 we saw the buck I harvested on a ridge bedded with a doe. I looked him over quite a bit and decided to pass. Eyes were playing tricks on me because he was pretty heavy. I keep looking for that 3rd point LOL. Day two was tough, lots of deer but only dinks. Three of us had tags so we decided hey lets go back to that ridge and put something on the ground to get momentum. If you can believe this, that buck and doe were bedded under the exact same tree. I had plenty of time to get situated and shot him in his bed at 477 yards. Later that evening my other partner shot a small 3pt. Fun hunt. Wish it was a little cooler though. My buck is the large 2pt on the left.

I shot this coues buck in August. My sons and a few friends think I'm a little crazy hunting coues deer with my recurve. I enjoy all types of hunting but hunting with traditional gear has become a passion of mine. This is my biggest coues to date and to do it with my recurve is a dream come true. I was able to spend time with two of my best friends on this hunt and that made it even more special. I'm already dreaming and making plans for next year.

11 years of scouting/hunting as often as I could has finally paid off! This past August I was able arrow my biggest Coues Buck EVER. Last year was a very disappointing archery year for me as I missed several bucks during the Jan. season, I even missed a Javelina. With my failures weighing heavy on my mind, defeating my moral I decided to pick up the rifle and chase Coues deer with it to finish the year. Despite not having used a rifle to deer hunt in over 32 years I was excited to be in the hills of Southern Arizona on the quest to fill my tag. I was able to fill my 2019 rifle tag with a respectable representation of the grey ghost. January 2020 I found myself in a new position at work that demanded more of my time than I thought it would when I pushed myself to obtain it and my bow skills suffered. Covid 19 swooped in and added a harsh reality check for America and more importantly to me and my family when my wife was tested three times to confirm she was positive for it. My entire household was under quarantine for most of March. Unable to hit the field to scout as much as I usually do I was able to find one spot that heldover promise from last year. I set up my cameras there and a few other spots that looked promising. Two weeks before the hunt I ran into other hunters building a blind on the very tank I was watching, after talking to them I learned their intentions. I knew that if I wanted to hunt this spot opening day I would need to beat them there. Opening day excitement turned into nervous jitters as I drove south wondering who would be first to the tank. The extremely hot weather seemed to push more hunters to sit water and I was no exception. My heart sank as I rounded the last turn to the tank and I could see taillights at the gate, dang. I was less than 2 minutes late getting there. Plan B was, I would spot n stalk in the hills not far from the tank. As I sat in my truck thinking where I should start, I started to reevaluate my decision. I thought of how I would feel if that was me down there "waiting" for a buck to come in and they was chasing the deer all around keeping them from settling down and going to get a drink. Plan C, drive to a completely different area and hunt there for the day. I found two trucks in that area when I pulled up 45 minutes after daylight, now I am on plan D and it's not even 7am. I finished the opener without seeing a single buck. Day two my little voice whispered in my ear, "don't go hunting, something bad will happen!" This voice was so strong that for the first time EVER I listened and stayed home. April 2018 my wife had that voice and begged me not to attend a fundraising shoot in Phoenix, I went anyway and was rewarded with a broken right knee that laid me up for 7 months. Sunday I was up a 2:30am, not wanting to be beat to the tank again I arrived around 4am. I set up my blind, made sure everything was perfect and waited. I had deer come in at first light and just about every 45 minutes until 10:30. the action picked back up around 12:30 and stayed steady until I missed a giant around 2pm. I had good bucks in front of as the last light faded without loosing another arrow. Monday was a repeat of Sunday without my having taken a shot, lots of bucks but none that I wanted to shoot with one more day to hunt. By Tuesday the deer had started to slow down on the arrival times but stayed longer. On the drive in I noticed the water line was broken and gushing hundreds of gallons per minute. After daylight I went back to the break to see if there was anything I could do. I tried to contact the only rancher in the area I knew but my phone would not complete a phone call, I could text and post online, just no calls. I found several hose clamps on the old poly tubing, some bishop's tape in my truck. With a water bottle I cut both ends off I added the tape to the inside and clamped it over the PVC pipe, fixed for now! Who needs McGiver anyway!! Several times the ranchers bulls would come in bellowing and carrying on pushing the deer off. After fixing the water pipe I was feeling pretty good and satisfied with the hunt if I didn't get a buck. Around 2:30 the better bucks started hanging around outside the fence. There was one buck I had settled to take if he gave me a shot. 15 minutes later he crossed the fence and nervously approached and backed off from the tank several times before settling down to take a drink. As I started to draw back a much bigger buck walked into view, back to waiting! The new buck wasted no time crossing the fence to take his turn getting a drink. I drew back and settled my 40 and 50 pins on his chest just behind the shoulder, took a breath and let it fly. He ran about 50 yards out of sight and crashed, the Swhacker 125 strikes again. As I waited the bulls started bellowing, kicking up dirt and gathered in one spot just out of sight. Fearing the bulls would destroy any sign from my buck I decided to at least check the area inside the corral. What I found could only be described as a blood HIGHWAY in the soft dirt. I found part of my arrow covered in blood. It was at that point I could see the bulls gathering in the direction my buck ran, they were really getting worked up. I decided to continue the track job and followed it right to the group of bulls. Through their legs I could see my buck. It seemed like they were doing a WAR DANCE for their fallen comrade.

I was finally able to recover a couple of cameras that have been trapped inside the Bighorn Fire burn area since June. The cameras didn't survive, but many photos on the memory cards did. I converted the stills to videos.

SPF to Vowell.

Got 24B archery pig and 3B for turkey

Congrats! And with ONLY 37 BPTS too! Is that a new hunt? Had not seen a designated animal hunt for the House rock in prior years.

Yes yes they are

up online as well now too!

Results on the phone!

Maybe it was just for fun 😉

That yote pic is bad butt

Yup I see Duwane, Nick and John with 2 guys (I assume the hunter and his friend) in that pic. And yes when one tags they help the others glass for the remaining clients. And all without setting cameras or blocking roads.

Your tag numbers are now posted on the portal but not hunt number. Results will probably post today imo

Hey everyone sorry I haven't posted on here for a bit as my work and family life has picked up. I haven't been draw for a rifle hunt in about 5 years or so but have been helping out Tom Wagner on some veteran hunts. I finally got drawn and it was our second choice 6a mule deer. On the second day just at opening light I was able to harvest this magnificent buck for the unit. The weather being so dry we knew some good bucks had been hitting this water source as it was the only water around. I caught him moving from water to his bed and at about 175 yards I dropped him in his tracks.

Made my second trip ever up to Wyoming (first was 2018) and this time I had a mule deer tag instead of a pronghorn tag in my pocket. Two buddies from high school and one from the Army made the trip as well, which is the same group as before. I hope that we continue to make it out every few years and that we can continue to have the same luck as these last two trips. Our first trip we all had antelope tags and went 4/4 to include two bucks that were over 75". Only one guy had a muley tag and never had a good opportunity but we didn't put forth the effort we should have. Fast forward to 2020 and we've decided to go all in on deer tags. Two guys fly to Denver (they had also bought antelope tags) and I drove up from Texas on the maiden voyage of my new (to me) hunting rig. This hunt was the ultimate proof of concept for the vehicle which is a 2011 3/4 Yukon XL that has been leveled, trimmed and fresh Cooper STT Pro LT275/65r20s installed-- gas mileage hovered around 12mpg the whole trip. Also- a huge shout out to Pakmule- a Texas built aluminum cargo carrier that is AWESOME! Mine was mounted for nearly 4500 miles between CO and WY and performed phenomenally, probably one of the best hunting investments I've made in a long time. The two antelope hunters tagged out the day after we arrived, while myself and my other buddy went scouting. We hit a few separate areas and by our third or fourth stop my buddy glassed up a really nice set of bucks who were feeding up a drainage in a rocky flat that looked devoid of life (this is important later). Our final stop of the day we found a really nice buck in a bowl that was well away from where we had counted 35 RVs parked. The buck stayed put for the whole afternoon but eased out to the east at nightfall. He had very strong backs and was a Day 1 shooter candidate for sure... especially because the only muley I've harvested to this point was a fork horn from CO with my muzzleloader. Opening morning found us glassing the bowl and the draws looking for that buck. He was nowhere to be found but we saw several does and good 4x4 skyline over the ridge toward us. The race was on because another group of hunters had driven up to the base of the hill (we had camped back about 3/4 mile). As I neared the edge of the draw about 350 yards from where the buck should be I loaded my rifle... and a shot rang out. The other hunter had also closed the distance and had scored. If you read my Coues deer story from AZ 2015 it was eerily similar to watching a guy kill a 95" Coues on opening morning before I could shake out the lead and make a move. Instead we opted to skirt the edges of the ridges as hunters up high were pushing deer down toward the flats. We had a RZR drive right through the middle of the hillside and heard a shot... only to see a big buck... the BOWL BUCK!! Running right toward us as fast as he could! My buddy made a great running shot at 75 yards, a single 270win (150gr Partition) through the shoulders and it was all over. That buck had 21" G2s, he was a heavy 4x4 with eyeguards and pushed the tape just over 160"... not bad for his first ever Muley! We hunted the rest of the day and 3 more days in a row without any shooter encounters. One fellow had to catch a flight back so then, our final morning, 5th day deer hunting we decided to go back and look for the flat bucks. It was a long shot and we had to be headed home by lunch but we made a plan and first light found us looking down over a flat with many draws and crevices where bucks could hide from the crowds. The wind was whipping into our faces, quartering but sometimes almost full value at 15-20mph. I covered the area quickly with my binos and saw no deer. Then almost like a group of ghosts, 3 mule deer bucks popped up from a crevice and fed onto the flat, nearly 425 yards away. I was laying on a downslope but managed to get into a prone position, using my bino case as a rear bag. When I got in my scope I nearly fainted... a fourth deer stepped out. Noticeably larger than the rest, with a big body and antlers that in a single glance I knew were larger than anything Id seen so far. I settled in, dialed my distance and held slightly into the wind. The buck was facing into the wind and my goal was to anchor him through the shoulders. I slipped my earplugs in and with a surprise the trigger broke and the 250gr Barnes LRX was on its way. I saw the buck collapse through the recoil but stayed on him. I found later the first shot had hit behind the shoulder, and passed through both lungs. I believe it was the sheer energy of that round which took him off his feet, but that was momentary because he looked around and staggered up to his feet, bleeding out his nose. An assurance round followed, through the shoulders as desired and he never took another step. The other bucks were still milling around, I believe the wind and muzzle brake made it impossible to tell what happened and they went over, sniffed the big buck and went back to feeding. My buddy was able to hustle over and make our trip complete by doubling down and taking a great 4x4. We both firmly believe that these were the bucks we had seen on our scouting day!! We haven't taped his buck or fully taped mine but mine was a 3x4 with small eyeguards and had 20" G2s and 26 3/4" wide. Needless to say he is at the taxidermist and we are all planning our return trip!