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So i had the pleasure of hunting with my two older boys for the first time in 7 years. Both were competitive swimmers and missed most hunting seasons due to trips and then college. So after a long absence we hit the southern hills for a coues hunt. Glasses up two shooter bucks first morning and they slipped us on three different stalks the first two days. Great hunting though we were having a blast but starting to think these bucks had us beat. Third morning the wind was howling and everything seemed bedded out of the wind. We flipped to a side of the canyon that we thought would block the wind and just before 10am we caught them moving to beds. After some leap frogging to keep them in the glass and move to a shooting spot. The best we could do was 420yrds and we couldn’t get low enough to get out of the wind that was swirling around the top of the ridge line. My oldest got set up and we waited for a couple hours hoping it would stand up. During the time we went back and forth on the two bucks. One a classic 3x3. Most likely 85-90 so good solid buck. But we could get away from the old 2x2 with him. He was unique with great mass and tall. Big body and we just couldn’t pass on him. Yea the 3x3 would score better and look good but this old deer had to be taken. Finally we said let’s take him in his bed if you fell good. I know my son felt confident with his old 30-06. Not the perfect Coues rifle but he trust it and it shoots great. He didn’t have a BT so we were working out the drop at 420 and one of his reticle hash marks lined up good. So he went hot and let it fly. Deer came busting out. Shot was high. He found it again on the run up the to the top and fired an ill advised shot missing Unlike most coues I’ve hunted this buck granted him one last perfect broadside at the top. Reset he fired and the buck went ten feet into a prickly pear and folded up. Ranged 465. Double lung. Side note. Using new Sierra Gamechanger bullets. Went through and blew half a lung out a hole about the size of a quarter. Minimal internal damage. Nice bullet in the wind for sure. Couldn’t have had a better hunt with my two oldest boys after a long gap in the field. Enjoy the pics

I got a golden eagle on a different waterhole...it likes to go hop into the water and take a bath and then sit on the cement and dry off.

Well I went and checked a camera and sadly, two of our bigger bucks haven’t watered at this drinker since I changed the batteries last. I did get a new buck on camera though that got my attention. Not the best photos because I just snapped a shot of my computer screen but you get the idea. Solid 4x4 with a small point on one side that isn’t big enough to count as a kicker.

Looking for a new home, really nice condition Colt Police Positive Special in 38 special. Nickel plated, 4" barrel, pachmeyer grip. Super accurate and fun to shoot, $700.00,, NOW $600.00, or make a deal on an RMR or Holosun red dot optic. Please have a AZ DL and be legal to own this beautiful revolver made in 1983.

Ethan pulled it off. 4pm last day of the hunt and a cow walks up on us at a new area we had good vibes about. Wanna find elk? Take a walk.. This is his last youth hunt. He’s growing up! The interaction we had with the herd was magical and it turned out that baby hoochie got em’ talking after all! Even the bull wanted to play. never had so much fun with a call.

Hard horned is 2019 and the velvet photo is back in early September. Not much growth but has gained mass.

Public land in AZ has as good or better quality than 75-80% of Mexico. Unless the ranch you are hunting has a long proven track record, anything over 105" should be seriously considered. Most want to kill 110+ and in the end shoot something under 100". The benefits of Mexico include 1. Limited to no hunting pressure 2. Food 3. Most of the time limited cell service 4. Good friends

Not sure anyone is bitching here, simply having a discussion on a discussion forum. Cross"bows" are a tough subject. I understand how guys, who have always been bowhunters, want to continue bowhunting. Even if their bodies tell them they can not. It is simply a passion of many hunters and I would say most bowhunters love it because we get more time in the field, better season dates and the animals are usually easily visible. So I understand the passion and the want to continue to hunt during the archery season. The facts are, if I cock a crossbow for just about anyone, they will be able to be fairly accurate off of a tripod and hit what they are aiming at. The same can not be said for any compound bow. At what point do you realize that maybe your body is telling you that you are no longer able to bowhunt, so it is time to pick up a rifle and switch to the general season? Or do you stop halfway and start muzzleloading? Slightly later seasons but less pressure on the animals vs. the general hunt. I know when I went to Alaska for a Caribou hunt I realized that I am gonna have to go back for a moose hunt here soon, because my body might not be able to pack out 130lb moose quarters, miles over the tundra here in 10 years. It was hard enough at 35, I could only imagine packing a moose out at 47. F that. Sometimes you just gotta listen to your body. No need to get sour when guys have different opinions.

Size wise it comes down to what the ranch is known for i would think. I'd be highly disappointed if I paid $3k and saw few to no 105+ bucks. I've seen some absolute monsters (pics here) come from down there but also saw plenty that would be of typical quality for any AZ southern unit. If it's a ranch known for big bucks I'd hold out for 105+. Also I would factor in if they had real good rains down there when it mattered the most and maybe hold out for something even bigger.

A few thousand to a shoot coues deer? They’re like $50 here.

After missing at first light on opening day and spending Saturday jockeying with other hunters, my son punched his tag Sunday morning. Second cow tag he’s filled and he turns 12 Wednesday. Aside from the tag being filled, it was a great hunt. He got to see bulls sparring and we were right in a lot of bugling still. He’s able to handle most of the gates finally which was a huge plus for me. I hiked him up and down some steep stuff and into and out of some thick nasty stuff, and he packed out a front quarter even that was probably half his body weight. Beyond proud. Now the processing fun begins. Huge thanks to Dave and all the ADA volunteers for a great camp. You do an amazing job. sorry for the sideways pic

Son tagged out for the 5th year in a row. Saw lots of successful kids out there, and even had one shot right in front of us. Special thanks to the folks at the ada camp in 23 for putting on a good show.

I am so proud of my boys, even my 6 year old. They really put in the work to have an amazing hunt. Their tag was in 5bs/6A we signed up for the youth camp that the Elk Society was putting on there. They really do a great job with all of the youth camps. They teach the kids so much and everyone there is always so happy for the kids and willing to help. We also stayed in one of the bunk houses that they have there and the kids thought that was really cool. We got into them right away my oldest got his down around 10am and my middle son got his around 5:30pm. We hiked altogether about 12 miles. It was a long day but well worth it. They were really rutting hard, a few times we were on a herd the bulls were surrounding the cows so I was nervous for them to shoot, but it all worked out. It was really fun experience it as a family. We live in queen creek and luckily Miller's Southwestern Processing was there. They are nice and very efficient. (It wouldn't let me upload all of the family pictures for some reason)

Couple still in velvet last week

I have one I’ll sell you for the same price!

My buddy found this set today. Did 8 miles

That’s incorrect the rincons are 33. Thank you for the feedback

I thought the same since being federal.

Shoot it and keep your big mouth shut.

went today, really no top water bite. temp was 52° when we got on water at first light. water temp was 79°. caught 1 on whopper plopper caught 5 on spinnerbait white double willow, flipping it in the trees. caught 9 on square bill sexy shad, 5ft of water along rocky banks caught 3 on drop shot, Arrons Majic, 10 to 20 ft of water in the submerged trees. most were small... two fish were over 2.5lbs and both hit spinnerbaits.

This comment above is what I called bolded ignorance. I absolutely again would call your comment, not you, ignorance. I agree with the majority of the things you've posted so far and I'm not here to debate you. However, since it appears you called out my response, I will say this - I take great pride in my practicing of both archery and rifle shooting and the one shot-one kill ratios as the result of said practice and getting closer as an archer. I've passed on far more opportunities within 75 yards than I've released an arrow on. I can think of a dozen animals that were killed under 12 yards. I know my percentage of wounded game as an archer, and the one javelina that makes it about 5% still makes me sick 6 years later. All that said and even if I'm in the minority here, it is ignorant to lump everyone that participates in any one type of hunting into a category. A good portion of your other opinions support that line of thinking.

I hunt off of a WR450R and a KX450F. Both are set up for desert and mountain riding. You can get around very quickly and go places that most don't dare on anything with 4 wheels. However -- you can get into real trouble (even with a high skill level) and need to ride with a buddy *most* of the time. I have a few places I go that are pretty chill and I will go by myself - mostly that's not the case and I ride with a friend in the event of a bad injury. A couple of thoughts: I would never hook a trailer to a motorcycle -- especially in a dirt/mountain environment. Too dangerous. The bike needs to be nimble. Trailer is a no-go I buy 450s because you can't wish a 250 bigger. The power to weight ratio is completely acceptable on all of the modern 450 models. I use a backpack with a center-of-back gun scabbard and I don't overload my pack. Riding with a not-too-heavy pack is fine and making adjustments for the higher up weight is easy. Riding with a heavy pack is awkward and throw you off balance quickly. I ride with MX boots and change my boots when I park. Full pads on the outside of my hunting clothes. Smashing a kneecap on a rock can set your hunting back months. Helmet *ALWAYS* One of my motors has a "Rekluse" clutch - the other does not. I can swing either way. If you're new to the game of clutch/throttle/brake for slow control the Rekluse is the way to go - but - it adds $800ish to the tab. If you're a master of clutch/throttle/brake control then you can avoid that cost. It's a skill that's in use the whole time you ride. Practice in the off-season I like using a dirt bike, but there are *lots* of things to consider. I hope this answered a few of your questions. Mark Healy

It might be worse now after those rains. It got it pretty bad. The 2nd photo is from next to the tower, looking kinda NE back towards the main road/globe. 3rd photo is the big canyon on the left about a mile from the locked gate that goes to Madera.

Eye guards are scored on mule deer, as well. On both, they are listed as G1 on score sheets. In neither case are they counted as "points" in AZ when describing the general symmetry of the antlers, i.e. 2X2, 4x4, etc.