MT_Sourdough

What a bruiser! Nicely done.

I have run cams on the same water sources for years. Proof is in the pudding. I'll sit a water hole all day long in December and January. If a person wants to be sitting on a water hole during August in 90 degree plus heat for the off chance that a Muley might come in, more power to'em. My fat butt will take air conditioning, a cold beer and a siesta.

I had two muley bucks jump out in front of me on my way home. It was about noon or so, but more often then not, they just hang up all day. A game warden from Tonto National Forest told me that when i first came to AZ about 10 years ago and I find it to be largely true.

I just had that same conversation earlier today. Some dude woke me up when he came in to the tank I was sitting to check his cam. He justified coming in despite my truck parked at the entrance, by saying the hunt is over at 8. I agreed. Then I said but the coues come in around noon, He said "Really?" I laughed because he is the one with the trail cam on the water hole. I am sure he already knows. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't upset about him coming in. Heck I was sleeping.

Water! Look for water. Then walk around the water. Chances are, you'll see you Muley tracks around the water's edge. Then look for the deer's trails coming and going from the water. At this point, you can set up at the water and sit it at the break of dawn and at dusk. Looking for muleys in the middle of the day, in this heat, would most likely prove futile. Middle of the day is good for scouting water sources for areas with more deer activity than others. Another tactic is find a good elevated glassing position that is in the vicinity of water source. Sit at that glassing sight at dusk and dawn looking for deer coming and going from water. Once you glass some deer, plan your stalk.

I considered going in through a back way, but then I reconsidered. I went up into 8, found a certain seep which has been left vacant and unmolested. Sign of deer and elk coming in, so I set my blind up and that's where I'll be in the A.M.

I guess this guy just got a reprieve.

I just got off the phone with a dispatcher for Prescott National Forest and she said Camp Wood Rd is CLOSED until further notice. On the east side, the closure starts at the Las Vegas Ranch gates and on the West side by Yolo Ranch/ Forest Service Boundary.

The fire info says the Sheridan fire is on both sides of Camp Wood Rd. I have to assume the rd is closed.

I will head up Camp Wood tomorrow and I will see what happens.

Yea, that was true as of a couple of days ago. They had taped off all the roads and trails heading south from Camp Wood Rd. There were signs with the tape that warned of fire closure. At that time, Camp Wood Rd itself was still open, but now that the fire has been ignited right along the road, as the warden suggested would happen, Camp Wood Rd. is probably closed now. Like I said previously, I have not seen anything that states that the road is actually closed, but the warden said once the fire is near the road, as it is right now, then the road would be closed. https://wildlandfire.az.gov/wildfire-news

I do not see anything making the claim, but I am assuming Camp Wood rd is now closed. They ignited several points along the road today. Their map shows multiple fire pts right along the south side of Camp Wood Rd and they are calling it part of the Sheridan fire. The east side of Camp Wood rd will likely get a similar treatment with in the next couple of days as a north edge of the Pemberton fire. I have a camp set up there. I assume it will be safe where it is at, but I probably wont be able to get near it for a few days. Time to make new plans for Friday morning.

I did a little e scouting this area just out of curiosity. I have never been in that area of Idaho. I must admit that I have never seen anything quite like that area. It looks like some kind of moose paradise. Very impressive and defies what I thought I knew about them. Just Wow!

Everywhere I have been, numbers are way down.

Thanks Flatlander. Good info. I know the antelope in 19a and 19b are doomed.

I thought it was a great deal. When I shredded one of my Cooper tires, Discount Tire would replace the tire with a spanking new one for just $25. I never had to worry about tread ware, because I was going through more than 4 tires a year. I was shredding the sidewalls on those Coopers in these sharp AZ rocks. Over time, I just got tired of changing tires out in the boonies. Lots of time was lost changing tires and situations were often quite precarious. After about 5 years and about 15 to 20 new tires, I sold the Coopers as they all had fresh tread. I put on Goodrich BFGs. I have not had a flat since. Tread ware with my BFGs isn't great, but serious offroading on these rocks eats rubber, so tread life won't be great either way.

A heads up for whoever cares. The Prescott Sportsman's club had their contract with the city of Chino Valley revoked and as a result, the shooting range has been closed. Well, it has recently reopened under a new vender contract with a group called Compass. Public shooting is Wednesday-Sunday. A days shoot is now $15. In theory, one benefit is that there will be more resources available to advance the developments including a 700 yards (maybe more) rifle range, mounted cowboy action arena and archery range. We'll see how things go, but it is now open again.

here's some links https://www.chinoaz.net/539/Town-of-Chino-Valley-Shooting-Range https://www.facebook.com/compasstrainingaz/

I believe your experience is more commonly the case and that is what I was assuming, but it didn't work that way during my hunt. The fact that Russ nor any sort of associate was there during my hunt is also true. I just want to allow people to consider that he may not be there, because he may not.

Be aware, if you are not paying Russ, there is no guarantee that he will be there. I put all my eggs in the basket of working with the Russ program as a non paying, but cooperating hunter and panning to leave a decent tip. Well, by leaving all my eggs in that basket, I never prescouted out of courtesy to other hunters. As it turned out, Russ was on a sheep hunt. Us bison hunters ended up going at it primarily on our own and I was hunting in an area I had never been before. I figured it out and killed on day four. Once again, I was on my own butchering my bison without any help. So, unless you are hiring Russ, you should not assume he will be there. Heads up!

My grandpa was a lowly grunt in the island hopping in the pacific. He never talked about it, but he caught malaria twice and took a bullet that was lodged in his back. That bullet and the effects from the malaria stayed with him for the rest of his life. Those conditions plus the results of two cave-ins in the coal mines in Western PA made his later years tough and he died in his early 60's.

My guess is that bull in the high country, if still alive, will be at least 25% bigger this year. Depending on conditions, its possible that he'll have double the mass. I've never hunted them, but I grew up with them and I have found some huge sheds over the years. They can cover a lot of geography during rut. but some bulls can hang up in a big Willow flat or in high country bowls. Snow is very helpful for finding them in high country. When snow starts to pile up, the elk and Muleys drop to lower elevations to wind swept southern exposure. The moose, on the other hand, will hang in high country all winter and will hang in tight areas. Is that the salmon river?

no takers yet

I've had to watch inmates on suicide watch. Funny, none of them ever killed themselves while I was watching. Suicide watch meant an officer was assigned to be right outside the cell 24/7.

Looks like you have valleys and hills. Moose will be easier to spot in the low country, but the big guys will be found up high. Bulls in the low country often don't live long lives. Good luck