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I drew my first AZ antelope tag this year with 17 points (15 pts + HS +loyalty). I still feel very fortunate to have drawn with 17 and personally know of others who didn’t with more. I started preparing immediately. I spoke with some of last years tag holders, AZGFD officials, guide friends and internet searched all I could. I purchased maps, OnX hunt chip and the premium membership and drove the unit marking areas. I became a member of the Arizona Antelope foundation and attended their online webinar. I even sweet talked the wife into some new NL 12x42’s. I was all in, putting everything I could into this hunt. Who knows if/when I could draw again. I spent over 33 days scouting and put 6,500+ miles on my truck, not to mention 2 new sets of tires. I’ve hunted Wyoming a few times for antelope and have looked over plenty, but judging them is still tough for me, especially from a distance. Anyhow, I made a list of the best bucks I saw and named a few. Some of them I had patterned well and saw them often, some I only saw 2-3 times. My biggest hurdle would be finding one on public land during the hunt. I arrived on Tuesday before the Friday opener and camped on a piece of BLM 6 miles from Holbrook. Not wanting to mess up any archery hunters I glassed from camp, the highway and once from Denny’s when it was raining, Hee Hee. I did manage to find one of my top 5 bucks on Wednesday but never saw him again. Thursday afternoon I spoke to an archery hunter headed home. After talking and looking at a few pictures I found out the best 2 bucks were taken during the archery hunt. Opening day- I’m in my target area but only see some small goat bucks and a few muley bucks. I head to another area for the afternoon hunt and spot a tall and wide but thin buck I had on my list. I watched him until dark and headed back to camp. I had several friends come up Friday night to lend a hand glassing or to deplete my supplies. We had a quick dinner, a few spirits and went to bed. Saturday- Two buddies and I are looking for the buck from the night before. We see a small buck chasing two does. We move to a little knoll an spot him glowing in the morning sunlight almost a mile away. I check with OnX and we are both on state land. We watch him feeding for a few minutes until he beds. I make a plan and we go over some signals. I head off west with the sun at my back and the wind in my face. I’m at a brisk walk while below a small rise trying to make up time. I stop occasionally to look at my buddies for instruction and to look at OnX for location. Before the last knoll I turn for last direction. They indicate the buck is walking towards me. I creep up towards the top of the knoll, lay down and start crawling forward to a bush. After a minute or so I see the buck through the brush feeding towards me at around 600 yards. I decide to crawl another 30 yards to a rock outcropping for a better shooting platform. After reaching it, I see the antelope feeding to me around 500 yards. I get set up to shoot, ranging several trees and bushes along his path direction. He should walk within 300 yards or closer. Naturally, at 445yards he beds down looking in my direction. I decide I will wait until he stands back up. I check my ballistic calculator and decide on 34” of hold over. After 15 antagonizing minutes and several trains horns later I feel the wind start changing direction. I afraid he may not stand but instead bolt from his bed. I decide to set up on the gun, blow a call and hope for the best. With a great rest I blow the call and watch him stand up broadside facing to my right. I find my hold over, settle in and the recoil surprises me. As I’m cycling the bolt I hear the impact and watch the goat run from left to right FAST !!! I watch him pile up in a cloud of dust and rocks. He must have slid 12’ or more and broke off a prong that we never found. I collected my brass and walked back to the top of the knoll. I flagged my buddies, sat down in the shade of a juniper and started shaking. I dug out my tag and some water from my Fanny pack and texted my wife and kids. Soon my buddies arrived. We hugged, high five and shook hands. I tagged my buck and took some pictures then we headed back to camp. We skinned/processed the buck and got the meat cooled. Soon we started celebrating and with Holbrook being so close, everyone got dilly bars from DQ.

Good luck! Just got back for a few days... will be back up there end of week. In area of unit we were in, they were bulging late evenings and around 4- 8am. Was able to locate and work two small herds each morning but only once in the evening. I'm hoping this not considered fully going yet cuz I need them just a little dumber with that one track mind 😁 I came dang close Sat morning. He was in bow range but didn't get a shot of... shoulda, woulda, coulda, is haunting my thoughts and dreams now. I cant wait to get back it chasing them sounds.... ya hear it !? wait, was that a hunter or an elk? 🤣

For Sale: S&W 329PD Airlight in 44 magnum. Brand New in the box, unfired with all the factory goodies, lock, certs and manual. Has wood and factory S&W hoague like rubber grips. 4.125” bbl. HiViz front sight. No Trades yet. FTF sale. Will not Ship. $1150.00/OBO Andy in Tucson / Text Please/ 520-954-3403

Awesome gun, love mine

Contact Duwane and pay for one of his glassing sessions. https://www.facebook.com/duwaneadamshunting/

Not really Both times Daniel at the archery club helped me set them up out to 40 yards. Was pretty simple sighting in out to 80 yards on my own One thing I noticed over my black gold sights is I can only get out to 85-89 yards with garmin sights it can be hard to see your target in low light conditions with the brightness of the green pin. You can turn down the brightness of the pin wich helps a little if you’re ranging through a shooting lane I have had the sight pick up the tree and not the target beyond the shooting lane . you can set it up to have it drop down fixed pins incase of this situation . I have hunted with them in the rain and had to issue seeing thru it and it worked just fine .

Very nice buck! My dad and I also tagged out in 4b also. I guess there's 3 tags out of 25 in 4b.

i may have had a few chardonnays, what of it?

I had that rifle when it was a 243 win. Always been a great shooter. GLWS

smoking deal

Try AZ heelers on face book. Wife just said Bunch of litters on there right now.

Are you glassing with a tripod? What power of binos you using (10x or more is a must) ? Move your glass slow - it's not a race- plenty of great podcasts on how to glass coues - glass the south hill early, into the sun late... Stick with it, I had a late Dec 33 WT tag for my first hunt (almost 30 years ago) and didn't see a buck, not to brag, but I could go to 33 now and find a buck within 30 mins of glassing 80% of the time now. 36B has plenty of bucks, it's not the unit.... it's experience and time behind binos

I had one, it wasn't for me, after using pins for ever I couldn't get used to it. I missed more 3D targets in the short time I had it, than I ever had....I mean clear misses it is well built and easy to sight in- Garmin is a solid company- nothing bad to say about it, just wasn't for me.

Rut just kicking in now. My guess would be April.

Smells like spam.

I was blasting doves at sundown last night at had a nice 6x6 walk into about 300 yards. Stood there and watched as I shot a few more times. I packed up and as I started to drive away I saw him walk down to the water. Away from the peaks out in the cedars. Lots of elk down there.

Nice try sand bagger. I was in 4b and it was going good.

Glad to hear 10 is on fire. Going up there the 29th and looking forward to it. I'll report back when I'm there

My buddy is in unit 10 and he said it's on fire.

Any success pics? I’ve seen a couple but not mine to share. I’m getting antsy and nervous now and can’t wait…heading up tomorrow morning and hoping the bulls are going crazy!

I'll second this, the heat will slow things down in daylight hours. It's been wet and cool in 3C and heard some talking last weekend, but feels like June again and quiet.

Step one find podcasts on late elk hunts. step two find videos on late elk hunts. step three find someone with experience to come help. step four delete this post because no good will come from it.

I’m in what’s your major cross streets