208muley

Congrats on the hunt! Good times!! How do the Coues deer look? I've gotta jan tag in C... Chomping at the bit waiting to get up there and start the quest.

Not to turn the discussion but don't you all find it rediculous that we have to have concerns about this BS? To the op.... Lots of deer close to roads and far away from roads..... Some of the better bucks are in "mule deer" country but they are tougher to find and hunt. Carry a side arm have BP direct phone number and have a good time! Good luck!

If it were me and I am hunting solo on the early season , I would hope I shoot one in the evening over the morning. Working to pack one out at night solo is much easier and cooler with the right equipment. First it only gets cooler as the temps drop throught the night so you dont have to race to get the meat cool and you can take your time with the pack out. And the meat bees and flies are gone. Plus the woods are awesome at night especially with a half moon or better. Good luck on your hunt!!!!

When I had a boat I used to night fish the walls or really steep banks with a big, but light, jig or worm. Lots of guys pass by that stuff cause it's tough slow fishin but it sure paid off. Always creepy seeing all the scorpions glowing in the black light!

I am convinced that families that hunt are stronger. My wife and kids all hunt except the 2yr old but he will. My wife never hunted before but now loves it and is genuinely upset when she doesn't draw tags. She now gets "it" and understands why I need to get out As she goes with except for backpack type hunts. In fact, most of the hunts I've done since meeting her have been her hunts and I love it! Don't get me wrong tho, I love the hard core hunts where I work my butt off but the hunts with family are a ton of fun so I think it's a good balance...

Wide yes!!! Long beams yes!!! But lacks in a lots of other area to be the biggest buck alive this year! This is going by B&C scoring. The buck just killed on the strip is bigger in my opinion. From some of the pic I've seen floating around he may not be top 10. I will say that single pictures of any animal doesn't show everything any animal has. Great deer and if the antelope island hunter takes him I guess we will find out just how big he is.

I can't imagine 16 days on the strip with just my dad...I bet everyday was an adventure. Time well spent! 15 days solo, I bet there were some tough moments on that hunt facing challenges alone, good job staying focused until the end. I definatly did! Lows were: lonely in camp, having a 261" shot by a road hunter that I had scouted and was a little behind him when he got shot in the middle of the road. Highs were everything else including taking a 208" buck on the 5th day that had everything I had dreamed of wrapping my tag around except a dropper point. Awesome experience!

It's tough to pick the "most memorable" as all my hunts are memorable for me for one reason or another but my 15 day solo hunt on the strip was my most rewarding hunt I've done so far for myself. My wife and kids first kills were pretty special as well. I kinda hope the most memorable hunt hasn't happened yet if you know what I mean!

I don't like bugs, snakes, scorpions, mice that chew your crap up and rain that could get your stuff wet if you made a mistake setting up, not when you are 10 miles in. I will stay with a tent and take a one proud weight penalty.

As long as the gov tag allotment stays the way it is I think it's a good deal and I have no problem with it. We just can't let our state turn into Utah and the system they have or states with landowner tags. There are some gov tag buyers that hunt and spend time looking and respect the tag and there are some that show, shoot, smile, leave. Just like there are hardcore guys that grind for the duration of the season and weekend warriors that drive roads and drink beer for 2 1/2 days and call it a hunt. It's different levels but the same thing.

Another vote for turtle skins.

What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Better bucks can be found in the flats but man are they hard to locate and hunt.

My 71 is just in Az and I don't put in for bear or buff..... But on a lighter note I did draw a jan Coues San Carlos tag and a Utah Muley tag the first time I tried so there is that...

So I just looked at my bonus points because I felt like getting kicked in the sack after not drawing one state tag (minus piggies) for another year. I now have a total of 71 points... Ouch So how many in total do you all have? Am I all alone with this many?

I shoot 168 vld hunters in my 280ai. Kimber mtn ascent I get .5 moa. Could you share your findings with the load you have worked up? The kimber mtn ascent is shaping up to be a very accurate rifle. I was just doing some load development with my buddies mtn ascent 308 and it's a real shooter. He's got a friend with the 280ai shooting 1:2 to sub 1:2 MOA at 300 yards as well. I've only currently shot one group with the 168ABLR but it was promising. At some point, I'll try and fine tune them but right now I'm still testing a couple more powder and primer combos using the 162A as a baseline. I think I've narrowed my choices to H4831 or 7828SSC. Initially I had phenomenal results with RETUMBO but I was using an older lot from a single one pound bottle. When I switched to my 8 pound keg, it's a no go I am using 59.5 gr of 7828SSC with a 168gr vld hunter pill. Federal 210m primers. I did a full glass bed and floated the barrel more, once I did that the groups got tight. Please keep posting data you come up with both good and bad.

If you have time and hunt hard and scout harder you don't need a guide. If time is limited and you have never been there then a guide is a good idea. If you are locked into going DIY, and that's what I did in 2008 in 13a, then drop me a pm and I can get you started looking in some "traditional" big buck spots. Please understand that 13b is huge and big deer can be found anywhere in it. Big deer on the strip are like big elk, they can only be found where they are standing that day! The next day they could be miles away.

I also was running the 210 in my 300 Win. They shot lights out. Had them in the .2s and .3s consistently. Running 3 and 3-1/2" at 720 no problem. That said, the 142 shoots extremely well in my 6.5-284 but I can't get the 190 or 210 to shoot well in anything else. I'm trying 168s in a 280AI tomorrow. I shoot 168 vld hunters in my 280ai. Kimber mtn ascent I get .5 moa. Could you share your findings with the load you have worked up?

heck no!!! Now he will blame trucks for mass killings and of course global warming!! Two birds one stone Spineless dummy.

I have 70 rounds of various loads with that headstamp I'm willing to part with.

Who cares what that ram would score!!! Once in a lifetime tag once in a lifetime animal! Booooom!!! Lifesize mount...

No real big secret to hunt the bab. Look for lupine, hunt water that has lupine in the area. Hunt from quarter moon thru new moon then back to quarter if you are hunting water( more daytime activity). Some of the biggest deer killed on the bab during the archery hunt are killed within 5 miles from Jacob lake. Good luck. Or just road hunt!!!! Do it in style tho, use a recliner with a drink holder in the bed of the truck. Lmao

Oh to have the problem of which rifle to shoot!!!!

LRAB won't fly worth a crap in my 280ai. But the rifle loves factory 140gr AB.

Kimber mountain ascent in 280ai for me. Wife will be using a savage 11 in 6.5 creed. Both rifles are shooters..

Check burns on top of the rim.. Just drive around with a cold beverage of choice till you find some. Most guys will be pretty secretive about spots as they are with everything else. If you see a truck parked in a random spot near a clearing or burn during August it's a good bet they are getting berries or it's a couple going for a "nature" walk... Lol