mattys281

Sounds like you need some help. I'll start packing.

Just offer nonres tags for a reasonable price, lots of hunters would drive in for it and spend money at their hotels, restaurants & gas stations. But I guess in nyc its better to piss away millions instead of making millions, as long as you dont hurt anyone's delicate, liberal feelings....

Hes got some pretty good prices. I like that buck/doe/hog combo. Sounds like fun.

You can be undersalted, but you can never be oversalted! Good luck Justin! Keep at it, you'll get him. It's a game of hours, just gotta be there when he shows back up.

Welcome to the site and good luck on your hunt. I took my first 3 deer out of 24b, it's a great unit. I'm sure you'll have a good time in there.

This ^^^^ is exactly how simple it is. People have been reading spot & stalk articles about Arizona and about coues & mule deer for so many years that they think it's the only way to hunt. It can be an effective way, no doubt, but it's a much more challenging method than sitting an ambush. If you just want a first deer, and don't really care about antlers, literally all you have to do is find a spot that shows signs of good deer traffic and has good cover for you to hide in and sit tight. I've had to sit for 3 days straight before, but eventually you will get your shot. If you can't sit still that long and you're one of those that always end up meandering around looking for a 'better' spot, than the problem is not your location: it's you. And you've probably got a really long hard road ahead of you before you connect. Good luck to you & keep at it! I rarely sit still and have good success. So there is still hope for the hyperactive I've been fairly successful spot & stalk hunting myself & have gotten a few shots still hunting through heavy timber around meadows. I'm not saying it's impossible or a bad way to go, I think it's a great tactic. I just think that for newbs or guys getting burned out and struggling to get that first archery deer, they should tip the odds in their favor. In my opinion/experience ambush hunts will often give you fewer deer sightings, but the ones you do see will be closer and you'll have more shot opportunities. Again, just my experience having tried it both ways and having failed and succeeded both ways.

Awesome bucks! Does he own his own hunting land over there or does he hunt on a lease? My retirement plan is to buy 200 acres somewhere with whitetails and turkeys, but I'm not sure where yet. A buddy of mine has turned me on to Kentucky recently, but I know south texas has some affordable land with deer and pigs on it.

+1 Stole the words right out of my mouth. I would've paid to see that! Glad you're alright & nice work on the skull.

In spite of all the fiddling mine required, after I did get it dialed in so to speak, it was my second favorite drop away I've had (I've used 6-8 different kinds). It just took some fiddling, and unfortunately, the warranty is probably gone after you do the things I did to mine, so if you mess with it and still don't like it, then you're probably stuck with it.

Congrats on an awesome buck! Man, he's got some nice mass to him. What a trophy!

Im a firm believer in just getting the first one under your belt. Its such a confidence builder. After I killed my first one in 08, I was fortunate enough to get another one in 2009, and then In 2010 I went home empty handed after passing on a couple smaller ones. It was much easier to accept knowing that I didn't get skunked, but rather had made the choice to go home with my tag.

This ^^^^ is exactly how simple it is. People have been reading spot & stalk articles about Arizona and about coues & mule deer for so many years that they think it's the only way to hunt. It can be an effective way, no doubt, but it's a much more challenging method than sitting an ambush. If you just want a first deer, and don't really care about antlers, literally all you have to do is find a spot that shows signs of good deer traffic and has good cover for you to hide in and sit tight. I've had to sit for 3 days straight before, but eventually you will get your shot. If you can't sit still that long and you're one of those that always end up meandering around looking for a 'better' spot, than the problem is not your location: it's you. And you've probably got a really long hard road ahead of you before you connect. Good luck to you & keep at it!

Archery hunting deer can be real frustrating in this state. I think you're making a good move trying to pair up with someone more experienced early on, rather than spend a lot of years trying to figure it out on your own.

I've never been too picky. I'll pass up some spikes and forkies if I have lots of days to work with, but any 3 point is in trouble even on opening day. And those same spikes and forkies should start getting worried about noon of the second day.

You guys are beasts! That's an incredible hunt for sure, Grandpa has to be proud of his boys. Congrats!

I had a couple different problems with my ripcord. 1.) There's a metal on metal contact point inside the housing when the rest drops during the shot that made a slight clank. I opened it up and put a tiny piece of felt in there to cushion it and that quieted it down a little. 2.) The plastic arms were bending from dropping against the arrow shelf of my bows riser, so I cut the top 1/4" or so off of them so that they did not contact the riser any more. 3.) Mine also got to the point where I could not stand it up manually to hold the arrow, it would just fall back down. Finally I fixed it by taking it off the bow and replacing it with a limb driver rest.

Were you on the 'wash road'? I think it's 650? It runs up to that old rock house or you can take off on 342 that heads over to haunted canyon? It's some great area, a really beautiful drive. There's a nice stretch of the Az trail that runs up through there too. I've hiked part of it, but not all the way. It sure is a scenic area, no doubt about it.

ps: if you guys don't know who Rick is, they have some really cool videos on youtube under the handle Az Extreme. This guy is 100% in beast mode when it comes to bowhunting.

I agree. I've done this for years and have seen more 110 plus bucks from a road than you can shake a stick at. Heck i've glassed many 110 bucks from the side of the beeline highway on the way up to payson over the years alone. Roads are nothing but a bunch of glassing points that you don't have to walk to. The original poster doesn't have a clue obviously. In some country i would challenge any guy that hikes miles into back country with who sees more 100 inch plus bucks with me being on the road only. There was an article on Rick Forest in Bowhunter magazine years ago where he said that this is how he hunts. He said he's there to find and stalk deer, not to hike, so he glasses from the road and then if he doesn't find something he likes he can jump in the truck and quickly get to another glassing point. I don't recall the exact wording, but that was the jist of it. It's hard to argue with someone that is successful in Az hunting as Rick is.

Sure has to be rough going outside your door and seeing a view like that. Some nice looking bucks.

That's area is really bad for them. When I lived out in Superior, I learned to either get out before 8am or just stay the heck away for the day. Can't tell you how many times I've come around corners and ended up nose to nose with some rocket scientist in one of those thing going way too fast.

Good luck Red, I hope you can heal up enough over the next couple weeks to enjoy the hunt. Talk about crappy timing.

I think thats the buck of a couple lifetimes. Nice! Big congrats!

What an awesome buck! Congrats!

You gotta practice those 10 yard shots amigo. I use my 20 at 10. Any closer than that and all the pins are in the lungs anyway, so just use whichever color you like best.