Leaderboard

Got a cool photo of this buck last week. I was 100 yards from him and he had me pinned. Zoom in and you can see he’s pretty unique. He was solo. Hopefully he’s with some does this weekend and is dumber than he was last week. 🙏🏻

Every year near the end of the hunt I force myself to make peace with the fact it's not going to happen. It's not something I relish but time is running out so it's really just a coping mechanism. By the beginning of week 3 the forecast is looking sketchy so I decide there's only 2 days left to hunt to avoid bad weather on the way home. My neighbors and I have also been debating if it's better sitting in one stand the entire time or keep moving. Now that we have game cams it's frustrating to know you were in one stand and deer walked by another which is what happens too many times, so I've been waiting it out in the stand with all the action this year (now called the coati stand) under the theory one will walk by eventually. However I'm bored to death looking at the same scenery so I break with my new strategy and decide to try the other stand for the last few sits despite low deer activity. On Monday morning 1/18 (day 15) I'm back in the other stand not expecting much so my mind turns to the trip home. I took a javi this year which was a goal but coues will have to wait yet again. I'm looking at the weather forecast trying to figure out if I want to leave tomorrow night or Wed morning when I hear something. I slip the phone into my pocket and grab my bow. And just like that it's a buck and he's headed right down the primary trail that will be a 12 yard chip shot. I get to full draw right before he hits the shooting lane and not sure if he heard me or decides to change course but he stops, and then makes a hard right turn. I have to ease down to 1/4 draw trying not to spook him then he starts walking at a good clip so I'm back to full draw. But now he's moving too fast to try and hit a gap between the trees so I bleat to stop him. This is a very risky move, but for some reason he doesn't look at me, he just stops. Oh yeah, he's in rut mode. It's a 15 yd shot and based on past experience I aim low, but he doesn't duck so it looks like low hit in the chest, just behind the heart. He trots off like nothing happened. I know it's fatal, but I'm not taking any chances so I get down and look at the arrow which is stuck in the ground. White hairs confirm a low hit likely just 1 lung, which can make tracking difficult. I force myself to get back in the tree and wait an hour, which feels like the longest hour in my life. After that I take down the stand, realizing either he's dead or I'm done. Then I nervously take up the track. I don't see any blood but I'm not sure of the exact path as it's been almost 90 minutes. I went about 30 yards still not seeing any blood when I'm started by movement as he tries to get up 20 yards further away. Another arrow and it's all over. I hate less than perfect shots but waiting ensured it wasn't prolonged any further and a potential loss. Holy crap I finally did it, one of the biggest coues I've seen, a wall hanger for sure! Everything I hoped for! Funny how success after that much effort can be almost anti-climatic, but I was happy and the work ahead was satisfying. I want to sincerely thank everyone here who help me figure this out, and those who offered words of encouragement. This was by far the most challenging critter I've hunted, and will be my most cherished trophy. I can chase much bigger bucks back home anytime, but you guys have something way more special to hunt. Only those who have experienced it will really know just how special these little deer are.

You guys have a secret. I'm a big fan of cooking wild game, especially for those who have never had it before or had a bad experience in the past. It's (mostly) all about meat care and prep, and cooking properly. A rutting buck is the exception, and is why I don't shoot bucks back home unless they are a wall hanger, then I generally turn the meat into sausage. My favorite is a yearling (small) doe which can be unbelievable table fare. If you read my recent adventure in the AZ forum I finally got my first coues. A nice mature rutting buck with the odor you'd expect from one. I was concerned with how it tastes given that it's #1 a buck and #2 they eat who knows what. But now your secret is out. This deer is phenomenal despite the age and rut status. The deer police may come for me after saying this but it's probably the best deer ever! The myth of the corn (or soybean, alfalfa, etc.) fed Midwestern deer is just that. It's definitely leaner than MW deer, but most fat on whitetails is external. It hardly tastes like deer at all, it almost has a nutty flavor? And it's tender too. Whatever I'll shoot another one just to eat it! I can't imagine what a doe would be like if they were legal to shoot. One big tip is to allow the meat to cool slowly, the worst thing you can do it throw it straight into an ice filled cooler. I killed this deer in the mid morning and let the quarters hang in the shade until dark even though the high was 60F. It was cool to the touch at that point (evaporative cooling helps with low humidity too). Then I put it into a cooler with ice. Anyway don't let anyone tell you that MW farm country deer are better table fare, or better yet don't tell anyone coues are delicious!

One herd that I hunt pretty regularly always has a few knocked over barrel cactus around them that they have been eating on but I was blown away at how many more knocked over cactus I saw this year. This herd was also bigger this year than the past two years.

Please delete this post and don’t tell anyone. Coues are terribly gamey from all the desert crap they eat...

Day 4. Great faith in day 4. the Golden Child(T's daughter who has more luck than any 1 human being should have) showed up last night. Today will be good. Morning- right off we spot 1 ram and 3 ewes. of course they are on a sky island at 1600 yds. HARD pass. Afternoon- wind STILL SUCKS!!!!!! So maybe she's not all that goldden after all. We start heading back down the mountain. Over a little rise at teh bottom of the ridge and "STOP!" T yells there's barbary ram at that water hole! We BAIL out of the sxs (I grab my gun) and T is down off the side prone. I yell out 530yds and he says "on it!". Fires. HIT!(sort of) and off the dang thing runs... This time I don't just watch though. I shoot and mr barbary takes a flop. Jumps up and flops back and rolls off the hill a bit. I was certian I missed and the ram was down from T's shot. We gather everything up and head down. He calls me over to have a look and tells me we need to figure out who's ram it is. I said, "well it's yours". It was a no brainer. He saw it, he shot it first and it was his. He disagreed. We ran back through the shot sequence and he AND his daughter made a very persuasive argument that it was MY ram. The Ram was shot twice. Turns out T shot it in the lower front lip and busted its lower jaw and front lower teeth. T is actually a VERY good shot but just had a monkey on this trip for some reason. I had NEVER seen him miss before this trip. Based on how the second shot completely disabled him, they convinced me I should have the ram. I graciously accepted and quite honestly almost cried at his selflessness. Yes, my friend just GAVE me a 30 inch ram that he could have rightfully claimed and NOBODY would have been upset. This entire experience was amazing and truly a TEAM effort. easiest pack out EVER the team

You already know brah. high Desert. i only saw 3 big ones. And probably 10 dinks from small 4x4 to spikes. I had 2 herd of does dialed and if I found them all I’d find a big one. I missed one twice and blew 2 stalks on the other.

Sold! Thank u

I’ll go $350.

To me Pronghorn are milder than deer. My theory is they are all gamey tasting because when we buy beef they knock them out, string them up and bleed them out while their heat pumps out most of the blood and while we can't do that with game the blood stays into the meat and makes it stronger tasting.

Lots of torn up barrel cactus in several washes. Sure its piggy getting water,as most known tanks and seeps in the area are dry.

The best so far.

Thanks guys. It was certainly a learning process. In just that short time i feel much more confident though. My understang is they taste like butt and chew like shoe leather. Supposed ro make decent sausage and chorizo which is where this one is going.

Usually if you hunt an area with scrub oak that has an acorn crop that year, I've found that Deer are extra tasty after eating those acorns.

Last 3 times out chasing bucks with the bow seen yotes chasing deer. So since i suck at bow hunting we decided to try some yotes. My 16 yr old got em.

Anyone seen trphyhntr? I need a DNA sample for my paternity suit.

So all that fun was just the first week! I started seeing a few deer again so I dropped by my neighbor to find out how he was doing - his response was 2 does and 12 illegals! He was not happy. The illegals walked 30 yds behind his tree stand all wearing cheap Walmart camo, but they never saw him. I thought they mainly moved at night but this was around 1 in the afternoon. He figured since they were different sizes and not all were carrying backpacks they weren't drug importers, but they were still moving like they had some place to be. He tried to call border patrol but never was able to find a live person. I also found this recently occupied site near where I shot the javi. I'm guessing a pickup was nearby. Pretty sure I didn't scare them off as I would have heard something. When I first came here 5 years ago there was a lot of illegal activity in the Santa Ritas, then it seemed to wane but the locals tell me there's a lot more now. I remember the first time I found this killer deer trail, only to realize it was an illegal trail. I finally saw my first buck, a little 3x3. He came in to check out 2 does and and I almost made it to full draw before he decided to follow the does that he just ran off. This was a positive sign and the first indication of the rut. The next day I had a spork (1x2) come by and give me every possible shot opportunity, but I respectfully declined. Didn't think it was possible but that was one ugly coues. While spork is off to my left still trying to tempt me a big coati walks up to my stand, nose in the air. He's looking my direction which had me baffled, then it got even more interesting when he decided to join me in the tree. So here I am waving my right hand by my hip to keep the coati from coming up the last 2 feet while trying not to spook the spork on my other side. The coati is looking at me like why are you not following the program? Then I realized yesterday I put the crust of my PB&J sandwich in a hollow, rather than toss on the ground under the impression I was feeding the birds. It was cleaned out this morning so I put in a refill. Turns out coati love PB&J as much as I do for breakfast. Great, now the coati associates me with food. Eventually the spork walks off leaving just me and the coati to fight it out, who's now back on the ground staring at me. Figuring it best I tossed the crust down to him, which he happily ate. Then he tried a different approach to climb the tree again. Some stern arm waving on my part convinced it the feast was over. Dang, I'm like Dr Doolittle with everything living out there. Hold on it's not over yet...

Well that's good news. I have found pigs to be FAR more crepuscular than they are generally rumored to be. I know this, the guys with the whole: "They won't even be on their feet until 10" thing... You just keep doing that. Makes it nice stalking herd after herd at the first crack of light all alone. LMAO! (And yes I have killed several pigs over the years in the evening. It fact last years was within the last few minutes of light.

Put in for 8 hunts on Saturday without a hitch.

Took my daughter to 24b on Saturday found 2 herds one in the morning and one mid day.

Brah you got drawn for elk last year and you didn’t even know it. RIP

A friend sent this to me but he didn't write it. DID YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT ARIZONA? 1. Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits, more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). 2. All New England, plus the state of Pennsylvania would fit inside Arizona. 3. Arizona became the 48th state and last of the contiguous states on February 14, 1912. 4. Arizona's disparate climate can yield both the highest temperature across the nation and the lowest temperature across the nation in the same day. 5. There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 50. 6. Arizona has 26 peaks that are more than 10,000 feet in elevation. 7. Arizona has the largest contiguous stand of Ponderosa pines in the world stretching from near Flagstaff along the Mogollon Rim to the White Mountains region. 8. Yuma, Arizona is the country's highest producer of winter vegetables, especially lettuce. 9. Arizona is the 6th largest state in the nation, covering 113,909 square miles. 10. Out of all the states in the U.S., Arizona has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian lands. 11. The Five C's of Arizona's economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton, and Climate. 12. More copper is mined in Arizona than all the other states combined, and the Morenci Mine is the largest copper producer in all of North America. 13. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, two of the most prominent movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, were married on March 18, 1939, in Kingman, Arizona. 14. Covering 18,608 sq. miles, Coconino County is the second largest county by land area in the 48 contiguous United States. (San Bernardino County in California is the largest) 15. The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Sells, Arizona.. 16. Bisbee, Arizona is known as the Queen of the Copper Mines because during its mining heyday it produced nearly 25 percent of the world's copper and was the largest city in the Southwest between Saint Louis and San Francisco. 17. Billy the Kid killed his first man, Windy Cahill, in Bonita, Arizona. 18. Arizona grows enough cotton each year to make more than one pair of jeans for every person in the United States. 19. Famous labor leader and activist Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma. 20. In 1912, President William Howard Taft was ready to make Arizona a state on February 12, but it was Lincoln's birthday. The next day, the 13th, was considered bad luck so they waited until the following day. That' how Arizona became known as the Valentine State. 21. When England's famous London Bridge was replaced in the 1960s, the original was purchased, dismantled, shipped stone by stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it still stands today. 22. Mount Lemmon, Tucson, in the Santa Catalina Mountains, is the southernmost ski resort in the United States. 23. Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch in Picacho, Arizona is the largest privately-owned ostrich ranch in the world outside South Africa. 24. If you cut down a protected species of cactus in Arizona, you could spend more than a year in prison. 25. The world's largest to-scale collection of miniature airplane models is housed at the library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. 26. The only place in the country where mail is delivered by mule is the village of Supai, located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. 27. Located on Arizona's western border, Parker Dam is the deepest dam in the world at 320 feet. 28. South Mountain Park/Preserve in Phoenix is the largest municipal park in the country. 29. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located about 55 miles west of Phoenix, generates more electricity than any other U.S. power plant. 30. Oraibi, a Hopi village located in Navajo County, Arizona, dates back to before A.D. 1200 and is reputed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in America. 31. Built by Del Webb in 1960, Sun City, Arizona was the first 55-plus active adult retirement community in the country. 32. Petrified wood is the official state fossil. The Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona contains America's largest deposits of petrified wood. 33. Many of the founders of San Francisco in 1776 were Spanish colonists from Tubac, Arizona. 34. Phoenix originated in 1866 as a hay camp to supply military post Camp McDowell. 35. Rainfall averages for Arizona range from less than three inches in the deserts to more than 30 inches per year in the mountains. 36. Rising to a height of 12,643 feet, Mount Humphreys north of Flagstaff is the state's highest mountain. 37. Roadrunners are not just in cartoons! In Arizona, you'll see them running up to 17-mph away from their enemies. 38. The Saguaro cactus is the largest cactus found in the U.S. It can grow as high as a five-story building and is native to the Sonoran Desert, which stretches across southern Arizona. 39. Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, grew up on a large family ranch near Duncan, Arizona. 40. The best-preserved meteor crater in the world is located near Winslow, Arizona. 41. The average state elevation is 4,000 feet. 42. The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, but its capital is seated in Window Rock, Arizona. 43. The amount of copper utilized to make the copper dome atop Arizona's Capitol building is equivalent to the amount used in 4.8 million pennies. 44. Near Yuma, the Colorado River's elevation dips to 70 feet above sea level, making it the lowest point in the state. 45. The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles southeast of Prescott near the community of Mayer. 46. You could pile four 1,300-foot skyscrapers on top of each other and they still would not reach the rim of the Grand Canyon. 47. The hottest temperature recorded in Arizona was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994 48. The coldest temperature recorded in Arizona was 40 degrees below zero at Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971. 49. A saguaro cactus can store up to nine tons of water. 50. The state of Massachusetts could fit inside Maricopa County (9,922 sq. miles). 51. The westernmost battle of the Civil War was fought at Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862 near Picacho Peak in Pinal County 52. There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in Arizona, and one-fourth of the state forested. 53. Wyatt Earp was neither the town marshal nor the sheriff in Tombstone at the time of the shoot-out at the O..K. Corral. His brother Virgil was the town marshal. 54. On June 6, 1936, the first barrel of tequila produced in the United States rolled off the production line in Nogales, Arizona. 55. The Sonoran Desert is the most biologically diverse desert in North America. 56. Bisbee is the Nation's Southernmost mile-high city. 57. The two largest man-made lakes in the U.S. are Lake Mead and Lake Powell, both located in Arizona. 58. The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona and runs from Seligman to Topock, a total of 157 unbroken miles. 59. The 13 stripes on the Arizona flag represent the 13 original colonies of the United States. 60. The negotiations for Geronimo's final surrender took place in Skeleton Canyon, near present day Douglas, Arizona, in 1886. 61. Prescott, Arizona is home to the world's oldest rodeo, and Payson, Arizona is home to the world's oldest continuous rodeo, both of which date back to the 1880's. 62. Kartchner Caverns, near Benson, Arizona, is a massive limestone cave with 13,000 feet of passages, two rooms as long as football fields, and one of the world's longest soda straw stalactites: measuring 21 feet 3 inches. 63. You can carry a loaded firearm on your person, no permit required. 64. Arizona has one of the lowest crime rates in the U.S.A. 65. We've reached max capacity so don't move here!

In my experience most attorneys that specialize in homeowners associations work for the HOAs. When I had an issue I had a hard time finding anybody that would represent the homeowner. A couple things to consider: Most CC&Rs state that the board has final say. They can arbitrarily make rules and enforce them. in my experience they don't even need to enforce them fairly.... Back to the board has the final say. I prevailed (sort of) in my dispute only after nominating myself and getting elected to the board. Harder for people to be jerks when looking at you face to face at every meeting. The board tried to say that I could not sit in on my own issue in executive session but Arizona law implicitly allows that even where there is a conflict of interest. Again, harder to bad mouth you with you sitting face to face. Your best bet is probably with the board. Good luck!

TTT

Great list! Very informative. Thanks for posting. Maybe time to add another "C", for computer chips or maybe circuit boards with all the companies making them in AZ?