lamrith

Get a pellet smoker of some sort. your $ range is sort of the low end of things, so you will not get the nice features like PID controller, but it gets you a start and there are aftermarket controllers you can buy later to upgrade if you want. Pellet grills will not put out the heavy smoke profile like a stick, elect or propane smoker. BUT it is a nice subtle flavor that does not bother those that do not like smoked food. Better yet they are ultra flexible cookers and can do everything. Anything you bake, can cook on pellet smoker, plus low N Slow, and some of them also will get higher temps (500*) so you can even grill on them. Make sure you get a good pellet, that can really make a difference. Most pellets on west coast are 60-80% alder and the rest is the flavor on the bag. There are a few brands that are pure 100% flavor wood like Lumberjack (I am a dealer), BBQ Delight, and Cookin pellets are the ones I know of.

Just a PNW based hunter with a question about Hunting lions in 34A. I am joining family on a Early Nov Hunt. I know they stay in the "lowlands" relatively speaking. I will be in the SW section of the unit, in the 4400-5000ft mark where it is more desert than the higher elevations which are trees. They have never seen a cougar in the area we will be hunting. However I have heard from a fellow hunter on another forum that there have been a number of cat sightings in southern section of unit closer to Nogales... I plan to coyote hunt if I tag out on deer early, so will be calling a bit, just not sure if the cats venture down that low in the unit? I am wondering if any of your pro's on here have any input on recent sightings, etc and if it would be worth it to pickup a tag. They are a bit spendy given I am out of state hunter, so I don't want to grab one if the cats just don't normally hang in that environment.

Thanks. Yeah that is my Idaho bear from last year. Finally got a game animal down so had to change avatar for the hunting sites. I am hoping to maybe break from them as some point and at least head up the hills right there by camp some as well.

We are north of those areas, but based on what I am hearing, I will be grabbing a tag on the way form airport to camp.

So they act like elk. always downwind.. Thanks for that tip.

Thanks Duck! Great to see you on here!! I am going back to the same place my family always runs south of where you took us a few years back. It is just what they know and they pulled a nice buck out last year. I did upgrade my glass though (see other post here) so I have higher quality and plan to hopefully hop over a few ridges to get away form the dirtracks and glass for coues. If I tag out I do plan to call for yotes and anything else that comes in.

Thanks I appreciate the info. We are going to be in the SW area of the unit. I have heard there have been a few cat sightings near town out by Tubac. Just hung up with AZFGD, apparently you cannot buy the ML tag over phone or online, has to be in person at a F&G dealer.

Yeah I know they can be pretty sneaky buggers from how they are up here. So many people have them very close and just never know it. But we are pretty heavily forested which is perfect for them. I just did not know if they frequented the lower ocitillo and scrub brush type areas all the time or stayed up in the hills.

Incredible shot, specially with a ML. Congrats on a great Buck and thanks for sharing.

I greatly appreciate the input and I can see and agree with both sides of Chef and Davehc130's points. Thank you both. This is not a one time only hunt by any means, this will be my second in 3 yrs and I plan to continue to hunt them as much as possible. I have a family member in AZ and he draws almost every year, I just don't have the opportunity to get the time off for it that often. I am not hoping for a monster or a booner, just trying to get options and plans laid out ahead of time rather than scrambling once I have something down. What I want/do will largely depend on what I get down. A Spike, not sure if I will do anything at all. If it is a middle of the road Coues, I may just do a Euro, if it is a big one then I will probably go for a full mount. Chances are that if it is more than a spike I will go ahead and cape it out and get it on ice then iron out the final plan. I have a good Taxi up here in WA, he does mounts from all over the world and just does incredible work. I was in his shop last year and very impressed with his work. I also have a very good guy up here to do Euro's, he did my bear last year and it come out incredible. My real drive for doing it up here is quite simply having a more personal touch and relationship with the taxi. I have been to these guys shops, and seen their work. There are bad Taxi's everywhere, and even good taxi's have problems once in a while. With my local guys if there is an issue I can drive over and address it face to face. It is just not something that can be done when my mount is 1000's if miles away.

I am curious how some of you out of state Coues addicts handle getting your cape / racks back home to be taxidermied when you are flying in for a hunt? I have an AZ Coues hunt in Nov and am hoping to get a good handle on logistics before I might need them. I am flying to/from on SW, but it would be nice to get general info that may help people with other airlines. I know there are a number of very good taxidermists in AZ, but I would much prefer to have my "trophy" with me, local to me when it is being worked on. There are just too many horror stories when it comes to taxidermy I am not comfortable having it being worked on 1000mi+ away. Not only will I have a better relationship with my taxidermist from using them for local game, but also if there is a problem I am close and can deal with it in person. What needs to be done, do you freeze and overnight it via common carrier, do the same and check baggage? I recall there was a big uproar after the whole trophy lion in Africa debacle a few years ago and I think some airlines and shipping Co no longer will handle game?

Sounds straight forward and the same as my last hunt. I froze the meat solid and had a small cooler that went in checked baggage for the flight home. What about the antlers/rack? I cannot see them letting those as carry on due to size restrictions, I could also see them treat the "pointy" antlers as a possible weapon?

Sorry, I have not had a chance to get back on the forum and update the thread. A member clued me into a source for Vortex factory refurbs yesterday. I am betting many of you know of the source, but yes I kept it quiet while I was debating options because the pricing was very good and supplies are limited. 🤣 It's a darn good thing to! I picked up a pair of Vortex factory refurb Vulture 15x56's for a complete steal, so cheap in fact that I added a refurb Viper 15-45x65 spotter as well and all for $675 shipped. The Vultures were the last set they had. I will sell my 12x50's to offset the extra $ once I get the new glass in my hands. I have to extend a big thanks to all of you here that posted guidance and info and also those that PM'd me directly. This site really is a great resource and group of people, I only come on every few years when I draw this hunt, but every time it is a great experience.

That honestly is some really great practical info for me in my situation. Only reason I will have to "grade" anything is if I have multiple on the same hillside I need to choose between. Honestly this year #1 is identifying and verifying legal, I passed on a spike opening evening of the last hunt and we never saw another deer the rest of the trip, not even a doe.

That is the problem, last thing I want or can afford to do is tinker with top tier gear when I cannot afford the neck strap for it. It's like renting a ferrari, when all you can afford is a 5yr old honda. 🤣 Shared PM's with a member here a bit lastnight plus the info in this thread, really has me thinking about 15x binos. I have seen a few posts here were people really like these, and I am thinking it might be a really good option? Some even said they prefer them over the Viper 15x50 (which btw seem discontinued now?) for a binos to keep in pack for use with a tripod due to better low light performance? http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-vulture-hd-15x56-binocular

Got the PM's guys thanks!! I do not plan on moving every hour or anything like that. but I want to get to a decent spot with lots of land to glass, and not have to worry about if it is 200yrd or 1000yrds that I have to scan. I see a number of people recommending 15x. Is that sort of the "do-all" power that works well in coues country, as in that is all you take, even when you have other options available? It seems a bit light to me, which is why I ask. I really appreciate the info guys, just trying to get a full handle on it.

I really appreciate the info everyone. Didn't know you could rent them, that is a nice option. My 10x43's are Diamonbacks as well. Honestly I just don't have the budget for high end glass at this time, so I have always gone for the best bang for buck in my low budget. That is what has me considering the Athalon Ares 15-45 spotter, great reviews, small format and not overly heavy like the 20-60's tend to be. Lot easier to pack around. I should probably fill in a little on the hunt I will be doing. This is with my step-dad and his hunting partner, they are pick a spot and spend the day types. They have hunted this section of 34A for decades, so have certain places they go sit and wait. It is just how they have always done it. They are not miles on boots hunters which is good for me being sea-level desk jockey by day. I am not prepped for putting lots of miles on either, but I would like to split off and try to push farther up a few draws, or pop over a ridgeline and glass the other sides a bit which is why I am interested in better glass. I will def look at rental as an option, the logistics of it could be tricky with flights in/out and such, but worth an look.

Well I struck out on my 1st AZ hunt (Oct 34A Coues) but had a blast and it was great to hunt with family. I am already thinking and planning for next year. So, Family are Modern hunters, they put in for bull but Cow backup choices. They have not ever dealt with how a non resident might affect the draw. For the deer hunt I was 3rd person on the application. The big question is how if at all will me being a non resident on their application affect chances for draw? Last year they did not get drawn at all, and the last thing I want to do is hurt their chances at being drawn this year, but I also want to join them for an Elk hunt. If they get drawn, but there are no more non resident tags left do we all get denied, or just bump down to our next choice? That is the risk I could see happening, and since they did not get drawn last year, even residents do not get drawn due to demand... Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

Axis is a darn good rifle for the $. You really cannot beat it, and they shoot really well.. Triggers of the original Axis were not very good. The trigger on the AxisII are decent adjustables. If you find an older model, there is easy DIY to make the trigger MUCH better. You can cut a coil or better yet replace the stock trigger spring with one from a ballpoint pen. Just search Axis DIY trigger and you will find the info. Jsut be aware the stocks are, well, junk. plastic and soft so they flex a good bit up front. Some guys will replace the stock with a boyds, but they just had a hefty price increase for some reason. Went from $99 to $144 + shipping. My last Axis went from 7.5# to 3.5# trigger with a spring swap that took me 15min. 10 of that was taking apart pens in the house to find the correct size spring!

Sorry guys, yeah been looking at WA regs for the last week figuring out late hunt options... I don't know, Couse deer 34A hunt was tough, we saw nothing with horns after 1st evening. Thank you sir, that is what I was affraid of..

Yeah we went up the road past were I think you were, that road was majorly sketchy given that wee were in a full sized, extended cab, long bed Dodge.. Our UTV blew a tire 2nd day and nobody in tucson had one. Will send you a PM to caltopo map, finally see where we were in relation to each other. Def seems like after 1st day success rate drops like a rock. We heard maybe 7-10 shots opening day, one or two second day and then nothing more the rest of the hunt, so was not only us to strike out. This is our second choice hunt, but if we both get it next year we will have to hook up at least around the campfire one night.

CONGRATS AGAIN!! Pretty amazing how different our hunts went when we were only a few miles apart! We saw 2 spikes Opening evening, and then nothing other than does the rest of the trip. We took one and let the other go. Should have dropped him too, but everyone talking about good bucks I let him skate by. Had yotes up close (10-15yrds) to camp before daylight, but they vanished as the sun rose. Really glad you had success. Our camp went 1 for 4.

Just to bring everyone up to day now that I have travelled and come back Seatac: Airline: Went in with one lock on case. Declared at counter, SWA agent handed me a declaration card and asked my name/reservation and started on the check bag tag. I filled out card, agent added airline/flight info to the card. I unlocked and threw card inside and she never even glanced inside the case. Put one lock back on and she pointed me to the TSA location and called them to let them know I was coming. no escort TSA - Walked into booth area, let them know I had the signed declaration already inside the case as I put the case up on the table. Agent told me to lock the case all up so I added the 3 additional locks. She asked me where headed and told her to hunt in AZ, then proceeded to have a 5min conversation about hunting and whitetail/mulies etc as she swabbed the outside of case and awaited results. Spend more time talking deer than her doing the screening... never looked inside. Phoenix: Airline: Much the same as at Seatac, filled out form and put it in the case. This time however they had someone come and take the case and I followed to the TSA location, so I locked it fully at the SWA counter. TSA: Roped off closed area, no admittance, but open and complete view of passenger. no interaction with the TSA agent at all. Swabbed the case, put notes in a log book they had and handed it back to baggage handler to take to aircraft. No looking inside case etc. All in all it we smooth as silk. wish the hunt had gone so well!

I am curious if anyone here can share some experience with flying southwest with a rifle specifically? I have flown with firearms before but always pistol which is pretty simple. SW has bags fly free but based on the website the measurements for oversize are smaller (62" total of L+W+H) than pretty much every rifle case ever created. That means $75/each way. I am hoping maybe someone has some expperience and maybe they have relaxed that like most of the other airlines have? I was planning to use a golf hardcase, but the way it would be packed would be beyond problematice in terms of the TSA screening so I am not going to try that route. Any input would be appreciated.

Hope you arrived and got settled OK duckhunt!! About to board plane myself and be there tonight!! Good luck and send me a text when you get one down.