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Man, what an interesting hunt. Friday, I had the AC running in my trailer. Sunday I had the heater going. Monday we were 100% socked in from fog until I think 11 or so? Glassed this guy up at 835 Wednesday morning, at 840 he was dead. With my hunting partner, Jim spotting, the 28 Nosler made quick work with a heart shot at 436 yards. Can't wait to have some snack sticks!

And I'm not talking about the current state of the nation. I knew the odds of me drawing a sheep tag were slim to none, but it happened in 2019. The odds of what happened on my deer hunt this past weekend however, had to be far slimmer and certainly unbelievable without proof. Whether the destination of the day or the particular part of a ridge or canyon, I have told myself a hundred times "that is where you're going to find a lion." With an abundance of hunting pressure on opening day of the third coues hunt in the unit, I went 2.5 miles to the deepest and darkest canyon available from my hunt party's area before sunrise on Saturday. The drainage of the canyon was surprisingly void of deer at first light, so my partner and I kept on the last several hundred yards up a shale face that crested into one of the steepest and biggest Google Earth tricks that I've ever played on myself. I immediately thought, "crap it is going to be tough to find a buck in here, but this HAS to be lion country." One tucked in doe and 5 minutes later, and I had finally found what I'd been dreaming of every day on the mountain for the last 18 years. There sunning sideways on a large boulder along a steep draw, stretched out my first glassed lion with no idea we had slipped into its lair. Unbelievable. The excitement nearly doubled when my rangefinder read a number starting with one of a few magical digits, 4. With the state of cat and a series of boulders and rock faces to navigate through, I closed the number to 400 yards even and set up prone. I waited for an hour and a half as it roll occasionally from side to side. I tried to guess how everything would play out including when, how and for how long it would get up for a stretch, but I was in no mans land. I knew nothing first hand about their daytime behavior and came to the conclusion it could be hours before anything changed. With a solid rest, no kittens joining the party and a forecast of high winds picking up well before noon, it was time to put all the load and range work to use. Timed to a break in the early morning gusts, 2 quick reports and a cloud of dust rising from the rock pile beneath is all that could be seen. For the first time ever, the deer tag in my pocket didn't matter anymore. We found 3 kills all within a few hundred yards. Upon arrival, I feared the lion had crawled its way into a hole that I was going to have to dig out similar to several javelina over the years. But luck continued on my side. My first lion, a 2-3 year-old female. Another first was my young cousin's buck on Friday, his first day ever hunting. Obvious first timer with his headlamp still on his head at noon. I hadn't noticed all day or when taking the photos either! Haha. It was also my first weekend with a new pack and I couldn't have carried the lion out like I did for camp to appreciate without it. A buck on Friday and a 80-90 pound lion on Saturday - what a way to break it in. The Savage LWH has also taken a sheep, coues and lion all within the last year with the 6.5 ELD-X doing its job 3/3, dead right there. And the most unbelievable part? After 18 years behind binoculars across the state with zero lions spotted, a second lion on Sunday after creeping into just 380 yards. It didn't have a care in the world, like it knew none of us had another tag in our pocket. We watched it along with deer a couple hundred yards to both sides for an hour before we let it lay and moved along. I've always heard "anything can happen" when it comes to hunting, and after the last 2 years, it isn't so unbelievable anymore.

Hey Elk hunting crew, So I am super pumped up! Headed up north to hunt with The TLO Outfitters crew on a late muzzleloader tag. I have been fortunate enough to draw a tag. Bummer to the story is my Dad can’t make it with me. He has been struggling with health issues. Send some prayer his way if you read this. I have been encouraged to go despite him not being able to make it. I will keep this thread going with more information as we get closer to opening day.

I bought a Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 6.5prc. Just try to find 6.5 prc brass or ammo! it turns out it really, really likes H1000 and 143 ELDX’s......go figure.

Coues deer hunting is my passion, love it! That's what I breathe. Located a shooter buck, disappeared in the thickness of the desert floor. While glassing for him for about 3 hrs. a BIG BUCK walked into my field of view. My heart skipped a beat! My eyes wide open and my jaw dropped to the floor, what a buck!! Looked for him frantically in the brush and mesquite packed desert floor.. just before dark I saw him again, waling behind some trees and then stopped on a opening to show me his majestic rack, wow! I immediately got up with the intention to grab my rifle and got into position for a shot; as I lifted my tripod to put them by my side some how my swaros got detach or disconnected and fell hard on the rock below me. It was a hard hit I knew that while I was aiming my rifle where I just saw the buck... the buck wasn't there anymore. I looked around that opening with my rifle scope and with my naked eye to see if I can see him again and shoot but nothing...looked again and then some more and notrhing. Immediately after I grabed my binoculars put them back on my tripod to find him again and guess what? they were broken!! My binos broke when fell onto the boulder below me! I could not see through them!! and somewhere below me therea was a huge buck! Looked for him with my naked eyes and through my rifle scope but with no success! 😩 Now I had no binos and it was only the 2nd day of my hunt. I was frustraded, devastated and traumatized...how I was going to look foor that giant on an area that is very thick full of brush and trees with no binoculars? To make a long story short, hunted for him for 4 more days never to see him or the other buck I originally saw before him. On the last day of my hunt I moved to a totally different area. Right at 7:00 am located this buck at 473 yards. I said to my self hey, last day, lets do it! One shot and this buck was mine! It was a long 3 hrs haul to my truck but a very happy camper 😋 Next year, Lord willing...I will go back and look for that big buck and with binos of course. P. S. Sucks to hunt with no swaros.

Thinking it might turn into a nice trip down memory lane, I started this thread as an off-shoot of the "Good ole days on ammo prices" one. In that thread I mentioned (see below) my early mentor from the 1960s of all things hunting, and that he and his son were noted for a certain hunting discipline. "Yup. I had a PM conversation with another member , and that's how we remembered it. Govway was like an airplane hanger and later became a skatng rink. He also brought up one of my hangouts in the 1960s, Bellow's Sporting Goods at 27th Ave. & Camelback. My dad had a gas station next to Fergison's Cafeteria on the corner of 27 Ave. and Indian School. I worked for him as a mechanic until about 1969 when they tore up the road to widen it, sending his business south. Ed Bellows and I, plus two others, did a DIY horseback hunt in Colorado's San Juan Mts. one year. One of my hunting mentors on all things AZ also hung out there. I'll see if anyone might be able to guess who it was. " So far the guesses included all of these incorrect ones: Bob Hirsch, Bob Housholder, Manuel Sinohui, Mickey Del Re, Steve Galizioli and Ben Avery. These are a few of my replies: Good guesses, but no. I met Householder but didn't know him well. My mentor was actually older than both of them, and he and his son (who was about Hirsch's age) were noted for a certain discipline of hunting. In contrast, Hirsch and I were good friends from about 1969 until his death in 2007. In the 1990s, Kurt VonBesser, the owner of Atsko Inc. (Snowseal, UV Killer. Etc.) and I drew archery elk permits in unit 7W. Hirsch let me use his 23' trailer for Kurt's comfort. It had seen a lot of neglect in the kitchen and bath areas. So when we got done with the hunt, I told Hirsch to leave it with me for while and I'd get it fixed up. I completely rebuilt the cabinet area that held the sink, stove and oven and replaced the floor that had warped because of a water leak. Another good guess. Although, Mickey and I became friends, I didn't know him well until the early 1970s when I was a road rep and sold hunt/fish stuff to him & his brother, Ed, at their store on Northern. I did hunt with Mickey twice, tho -- once for deer & turkey in TX and once for elk near Pagosa Springs. And in the 1970s when we had our lodge at Vallecito Lake in Colo., Mick, usually with his close friend, Chet Hansen (Hansen Mortuary) or others along, would come up a couple times a year to fish for northern pike with me. From PM: Nope, though Steve was another good friend. Jim Tallon, Steve and I hunted dove and quail together a lot. They are both dead now. you don't think he is talking about Ben Avery do you? thats just too obvious.................................... -- No, not Ben.

LV Yates went to church with us back when I was young. He hiked the Superstitions non stop it seemed. A really good man.

Looks like a crossfire 4-12x40

Patches down low. Several inches on top of the plateau

No, but how ironic since not more than 15 minutes ago, I pulled Sam's book, The Complete Shooter, off the shelf because I'm getting ready to list it for sale. Not sure if Sam is still alive because I haven't spoke to him for at least 30 years. Last I knew, he was living in Alpine as of about 3 or 4 years ago. If he's still around, he's about my age.

As the ad says, never read. 😂 That said, John did a lot of turkey hunting in many states. I'm guessing he learned a lot. Someone on another site bought it as a gift for his son in Idaho.

Saw these nine, middle bottom of wash, mule deer heading S. E. From Rio Verde at 10:40 am this morning flying with a buddy. Look for straight line of ant like dots middle-right below, almost leaving the wash. Phone camera did not do them justice.

I have a 17 year old GSP that could be for sale at the right price. Doesn't run around like a wild man (too old to run away) , takes hand signals (he is deaf), stays on point on a bird or rabbit (has cataracts so he doesn't see them leave), doesn't bark at everything that moves (deaf and half blind), very calm (sleeps most of the time), good with other dogs and kids (again, sleeps all the time), not an ounce of fat on him. $16999.99

The Yates store on 40th St. just south of Thomas was another one we "comparison shopped." L.V Yates was an avid outdoor type and really enjoyed hiking. I think there's at least one trail in the Phx. Mt. Preserve named after him. He often gave outdoor writers special deals on equipment.

drive around till you see one, shoot it.

Those are two nice Coues bucks- I can see why you loved it. Congrats to both of you.

That’s awesome man! Congrats to both of you. We glassed up a lion sitting on top of a rock a few weeks ago on my buddy’s coues hunt, but it was a loooong shot and missed.

Oh, I have had plenty of opportunities. I am holding out for one those classic kaibab bucks that go well over the 200 mark. I have seen a couple while hunting but things didn't work out for one reason or another. It is very common to see 15-20 bucks per day but they are not all the big ones. The most I have ever seen in a single day is 39 but that was 12 or 13 years ago. Lots of 22-26 inch bucks running around up there but numbers drop dramatically once you start to get to 28" and bigger. If and when I ever draw another 12aw tag, I will know the buck I want to shoot when I see him. I'm ok coming home with my tag still in my pocket. If hunting was just about killing, I would have quit years ago. Good luck to the late hunt guys and be sure to post up some pictures when you get back.

Pm sent

Mods- Not sure if this is in the right area if not please move. If you lost a phone in the copper creek area of AZ unit 32 hit me up. Let me know where and what type of phone and I'll get back to you. It's pretty banged up but you might be able to get your data off it.

Another from Duwane's camp...

Here's one from Duwane's camp...

And save a ton of money!!!

Eric is OK.....😄 I guess if he ever built me a bad rifle, I would quit going back again....and again....and again....