lancetkenyon

Drove down to Sierra Vista this morning. Left at 5:00, rain. Poured almost to Tucson. Then, when heading back, rained from Whetstone to Tucson.

AZ City, like down by Picacho?

What idiot talked you into a Tangent Theta.....

For the Kaibab, there are two schools of thought (from what I have observed). Glassing: The early hunt will still have foliage on the bushes, so glassing will be a bit tougher. But it can be very productive if you can shoot well. And when I say "shoot well", I am talking out to 700-800, which is very realistic. This is my preferred method. Our shots have been between 18 and 882 up there. Road hunting: A lot of the guides, all they do, is drive all day. I know this from several guys who have hired guides up there. It works. But not my personal cup of tea. Not that I would refrain from shooting a big buck I happened to drive by. We have seen a lot of good bucks this way. There are a ton of coyotes, I have seen numerous cats as well. Like Flatlander said though, squirrels and jays are the top raiders of camps. I do not think there are any bears up on the Kaibab any more. Not in a long time. I have never seen a single bear track up there in my 30 years of hunting. As far as the two-legged raiders, I have not had an issue. But you never know. I don't leave anything expensive in camp when we are out. Never had an issue with my vehicle either. During the early hunt, most of the big bucks will still be almost nocturnal. You can catch them at first and last light if you are lucky. But they don't get big by being stupid. They save stupid for the late hunt.

Couple things... 5 BPs and you are already looking for a different option? HAHAHAHA! I have 27BPs for AZ, and still don't have a tag in my safe. Then again, I know people every year that draw with 5-10. So maybe it is just my terrible tag-drawing luck. NM is easy to get a private land tag, but getting permission to hunt a ranch, or hire a guide is going to cost you. Drive is anywhere from 8-12 hours. 3 day hunt. WY is not difficult to draw a tag, maybe every 2-5 years depending on unit. I am building points for up there, so when I want to go, it will be a guaranteed draw. But, there is legislation on the table limiting NR tags and capping to a certain percentage. So the 3-5BP days might be coming to an end. Drive is longer, but pronghorn are definitely WAY more prevalent. Big bucks are not as common, but when you can look at 100 bucks a day, you can be far more picky.

Muley

Elk chili? Elk sloppy Joe's w. Spicy coleslaw Elk burgers Elk meatballs for spaghetti (I have a killer recipe for this, baked) Elk lasagna Elk ground hash w. Diced potatoes and covered in melted cheese (soooo good)

Great bull.

I use Bayer Oust and Polaris mixed together. I spray my 2.5acres, and it works for about 2 years. Kills ANYTHING green. Trees, bushes, grass, weeds, etc. So be careful. I get mine from AZ Spray Equipment.

Adam, I run the 95mm on mine. I see no need for the 115mm unless you are a professional guide. If you don't have the body already, I think Casey Firstcoueswas80 is selling a 95mm body.

Unit 10? Tons of mulies in there. Now I am wondering if there is a troll around.

Coues are a subspecies of whitetail. Plenty of Coues in the desert. I have seen a number of them in Unit 21 and 22 (which sounds about where you are describing). But, with your screen name....are you sure you weren't drinking "firewater" anyway?

So he IS an old geezer!

Crazy. Never met the guy. I always pictured him as an old geezer. Looks way to young to be gone so early.

I have a Marsupial bino chest harness, and it is top notch. But they did not make a "leave on" version for the BTX, or else I probably would have gone that route.

The Outdoor Vision BTX is a sweet case.

What problems did you have? I am usually around 65.0 to 66.0 depending on brass.

Out of those choices, since the 12s and 13s are not on your hunting unit list, I would load the 160s over RL23. Just finished a couple loads with the 160 NAB and a 162 ELD-M, both over RL23. Both very accurate. Both good speeds from a 26" 1:9".

Yes, that is unrealistic. Box for box, or maybe box for box+$20.

Dadof3, disregard all the info that JFP provided that does not pertain to your hunt. My advice, good glass and a tripod. Be prepared for a shot across a canyon, 500 yards or so. Good rangefinder. Practice, practice, practice.

These are .1 better than 6.5mm bullets!

Gotcha.

I use an older Marsupial. It is open a bit on the sides of the top. But I tried probably 10 other chest rigs before the Marsupial. None lasted more than 1 season. I have worn the Marsupial for 4 years now. I would only upgrade to the fully enclosed one now.

Does your reading comprehension need work? Do you research before you comment? If so, I guess you're not a viable advocate then, only in your own mind. But, for those that don't research (even though I said "I have not hunted big game": Yes, yes, no, no, no, yes. Yes, yes. Really no desire to hunt bears. Lions are just a tag in my wallet in case I see one. Javelina, no thanks. Fun to hunt, but I hate the taste no matter how many different ways I have tried to cook them.

If you want to hunt turkey, it is worth the drive.