WarrZone

Hey all, I have been up scouting the area several times this year and I have seen well over a dozen bulls, but only two cows. Maybe, I'm up too high and looking in too steep of country but I know I need to find the best feed to find the cows, and I thought that's exactly where I was, but not many cows at all to speak of. I'm probably doing something wrong and plan on trying to glass some of the meadows I can find on google earth in future trips. But any tips/suggestions would be appreciated. If you're looking for bulls, I know where to go! Thanks!

You had me second guessing myself! Glad I wasn't missing something. That would be awesome. I live in North Chandler and work in Scottsdale.

Hunt # 3048. 10/5-10/11.

Good to know. I have the rifle tag that starts 10/5.

Hey all, A shot in the dark here, but I unexpectedly drew an archery elk tag in unit 16E. I am mostly just looking to see if anyone has advice on access and getting around in the unit. There is a lot of private land and state land (which I'm not used to) and I've read that access can be difficult. I've also heard chatter about not being able to camp overnight in the unit (??), but I'm not sure at all that this is true. If anyone has some info they want to share shoot me a PM. It would be appreciated. Thanks, Chase

I recently did an overnight trip to the top of Kendrick Peak to dial in some of my gear. It is a pretty good trek and would be a chore to bring an elk down the hill. The area up top isn't exactly a big area and there is a TON of blow down. Looks like someone dropped a box of giant toothpicks over the whole place. But I did bring my glassing set up and glassed one of the drainages from the top for maybe an hour and half, and saw a bunch of elk in that short time span. Best of Luck!

Thanks jamaro. I do have OnXMaps and have been studying the area. It has and will be very helpful!

Thanks azpredator@work. Is the habitat stamp good for any of the land or only certain ones? Understandable if you don't want to disclose since there are 3 main areas, each on different types of land. Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how the camping situation works.

I actually did! Definitely didn't expect to draw anything. This will be my first archery bull elk hunt in the rut and my second elk hunt ever. I'm sure I'll be asking some folks for some info eventually, after I get my initial research done.

I grew up around hunting (Utah) but never actually got into hunting until late last year and really started in 2018. Before this hunt, I had only been hunting in January and August for the OTC hunts. I lucked out this year and drew an October WT tag in a unit I have visited often. Scouting started early in August, as high as I could get in the unit but no luck finding what I was looking for. As we the weeks went by I got better at finding deer, just the wrong flavors. With the hunt coming up quickly and still not being able to lock down a spot, some helpful folks on this forum decided to reach out and share some pointers.Their helpfulness cannot be overstated. So with some advice and my truck loaded up, I finally get away from work and head out Thursday afternoon. Day 1: I head out to a popular shooting area, just to triple check that my rifle is sighted in. I pull up to a good spot and start getting ready and I hear some hissing...look at the front right tire, and I have a puncture. Awesome! Not to mention I just had a flat the weekend before on the way home from a scouting trip. Great start to the hunt! I quickly get the spare on. Shoot a few rounds, and I'm dead on. That's a relief. I drive all the way back into town. The tire shop can't repair the tire, and they don't have a replacement in stock. Even better! I tell them to order me one and I'll be back the next day. I wasn't going to miss opening morning, so I drive 2 hours to the TH with a couple hours of light left. I hike in for a mile or so and start glassing, no luck. Just some cattle. Head back to the truck, for the night. Day 2: Opening morning. I'm up at 4:30, hike in 2 miles and get to my glassing spot well before daylight. As the sun comes up, it gets windy, and windier, and WINDIER! At times, it's hard to keep my binos steady, even with a solid tripod. Now its noon, not a single deer to be seen. Not a great start. Hike 2 miles back to the truck. It's HOT! Drive back into town, get my tire replaced. There's not enough time to get to my primary spot, so I head to a closer spot I've never been to for the evening hunt. Now it's even hotter and I get to a spot with a couple hours of daylight. Glassing turns up a doe chasing off a bobcat, the doe seemed to be harassing the bobcat more than the bobcat was bothering the doe! Nothing else the rest of the night. Get lost on the way back to the truck, but eventually I make it. Head back to my primary spot for the next day. Day 3: Hike 2 miles to a new spot. Glass, glass, glass. Turn up one doe. Head back to the truck. Take a rest. Get ready for the evening hunt. Wait, I smell something. Sniff, sniff. It smells like gas...odd. Look under the truck and there's gas dripping from the tank. What the?? This truck isn't even two years old yet! What's the deal?? The gas stops leaking when I turn the truck off, so I head out for the evening. More glassing, I see a couple of does just feeding over a small ridge way off to my left. Nothing else. Head back to the truck. Decide the gas leak can wait until tomorrow, since there hasn't been any more leaking. Day 4: Up at it again, nothing. Get back to the truck, I gotta take it in to see what the problem is. I make it home but of course its Sunday so all the service centers at the dealerships are closed. Take the truck to the nearest dealership, drop it off and wait for the morning. Day 5: Call the dealership, faulty hose is the culprit. Should be fixed by lunch. Pick up the truck, race to my spot for a short evening hunt. Get to the TH with only 1.5 hours of light. Race to the first good vantage point. I see some movement on the ridge across from me, same spot as I had seen some does on day 3. Take a closer look, it looks like they're does. So I decide to watch them. Get my spotting scope and I notice that one has black on the tail. Hmm...Let’s take a closer look. Finally get him in view and it’s a little buck! He's 375 yards out. I slowly walk down the trail. 350 yards. 315 yards. Now I get into 300 yards and I set up. I'm having trouble distinguishing between the buck and the does. I try to get closer. They keep feeding to the top of the ridge. I finally get what I think is the buck in my scope, trying not to shake. Let me check one more time with the spotting scope to make sure that it's the buck. Put down the rifle, get the spotting scope...they're gone. DANGIT!! Maybe they’ll be back in the morning. Only a little daylight left, so I run to see if I can see the other side of the ridge. No luck. On the way back to the truck, I see a headlamp. Shoot, another hunter? I haven't seen anyone back here all week! They're stopped along the trail and I walk up and I see it's a young lady, about my age, all by herself. She ends up being a through hiker, who started in Canada in June and hiked the Continental Divide Trail and now she's hiking along the Arizona Trail with a final destination in Mexico. Now that is mighty impressive. We chat, and back to the truck I go. Day 6: I get set up WAY before sunlight at the best spot I can think of to see if that little buck comes back out, while still being able to see some other areas, just in case. Glass, glass, glass. Nothing. Back to the truck. Head back out well before dark. Get set up. I see deer! Wait...those aren't WT this time, those are muleys! What the heck?? And there's 6 of them! I decide to hold out to see if the WT's come back. Waiting...waiting...WT! Out of nowhere here comes the same group of WT's from the day before coming in from my right. 290 yards. I pick out the little buck with the black tail. He’s in my scope. I’m shaking! He’s feeding directly away. Still feeding. Moving to exactly where they feed over the night before. Still facing directly away. He won’t turn. I’m whispering, c’mon turn already! He never does turn and he feeds over the ridge and out of sight. C’mon!! Back to the truck. Day 7: I know they won’t come out to that ridge in the morning and I know they’ll be there in the evening. So I try a brand new ridge, one ridge beyond where I have been seeing this group. Right after daylight I see with my bare eyes the same group of MD side hilling and heading straight toward the backside of the ridge from last night at 100 yards. I think, maybe the WT’s will come by as well. More glassing, nada. Last ditch effort, I head to the ridge behind me so I can see the backside of the ridge where I have been seeing the deer. It’s getting hot now so I am just scanning, finally, I see an ear flick. WAY back in the head of this canyon. It’s the WT’s again! I watch them feed, and they finally bed, or I assume they bed, in a small cut at the top of the ridge. So I decide I’m going to sit at the bottom of the ridge, on the other side, where I have been seeing them in the evenings, until they come out. There is this little knob at the bottom of the ridge, where some washes come together, so I know they won’t be able to catch my wind. I get to the knob and I start ranging, 200 yards would be the farthest shot. Perfect. It’s about 11 am now and I start dosing off. Now it’s about 1 pm and I am just scanning, waiting for the shade to start covering the ridge, but that won’t be for a few hours. I’m looking at my phone and its 1:30, I look up and I see a deer at the top of the ridge skylined! Ok, here they come, one doe, two does, where’s the buck?? Finally he pops out at 200 yards, I get my rifle ready and they disappear behind the ridge again, uh oh. But I have faith that they’ll come back out. Finally I can see one deer just below the ridgeline, it’s him!! Just under 200 hundred yards. I keep checking that its’ the buck. Checking, checking, ok it’s 100% him. Get my scope on him and now he’s facing me, oh great. Then he turns to his left, I settle the cross hairs…BOOM! I get the scope back in focus in time to see him jump straight down the hill and it looks like he crashes into a bush and I don’t see him again. I think I got ‘em!! I pack up everything and head up this steep ridge. I get to the top and find the tree he was under. Crash, crash! Crap, I hope I didn’t jump him. Wait, it’s the two does, they’re 40 yards from me and keep staring at me but won’t run off. He must be here somewhere. Some more walking and lookng...and sure enough, here he is! He’s even smaller than I thought, but I’m ecstatic!! I take some time to soak it all in, and then I get to work and get him cut up and in the pack. Head to the truck and get there just before dark. Get him in the cooler, crack open a cold one and head home. I finally did it. First rifle hunt, First big game animal, First deer, First Coues, First time quartering out an animal, and First pack out, all solo. What an awesome feeling. And I couldn't have done it without the generous advice I received. Thank you! Now I am off to try my luck at a late archery elk hunt! Should be fun!

I've been scouting an area where I am confident there are Coues Deer but I've only been seeing mule deer. When this happens is there anything you guys change up in your glassing habits? Do you start looking higher? Lower? In the thicker areas? Or are do you just "find them where they are", like I've been reading a lot. Sometimes I think might be glassing too far away. How far away are you comfortable glassing for Coues with some decent 10x42 binos? I have the Vortex Viper HD's. I also have a spotting scope but trying to get a baseline for how far with the binos. I can usually pick out mule deer at around 800 yds. Good luck to everyone next week!

Thanks everyone for the replies. Big Browns - I am in Unit 22. Does that help? Str8shot - that is the approach I have been taking. I have been to probably 3 or 4 areas on the "Where to Hunt" page for this unit. Which is why I was confident the area holds Coues, but thought that maybe I was just focusing on the wrong habitat/terrain, since I've only been seeing muleys. My last area, this weekend, I hiked in 4 miles one way. It was fun hiking back in the dark with no moon, but I do enjoy finding those less traveled areas.

So, generally I've seen there is no specific elevation to Target. But you guys would say that when you pick an area, you would focus on the higher/thicker/rougher areas in the general area, correct?

More D - I feel you there. When I was looking for deer earlier in the year, I had no problem finding elk and no luck with any deer. I start looking specifically for Coues deer, I find tons of mule deer and no Coues.

After reading a lot of posts on here lately, old and new, I see that there might be quite a few people like myself who don't have many hunting buddies (I have a total of zero), to help them with a tough pack out after a successful hunt. And some might be worried about getting an elk or even deer out of a deep nasty canyon or a long distance from the nearest road. So I'd like to offer to help anyone out when the time comes, if they need it. You can text me on a Tuesday at noon while I'm at work, or at midnight on a Friday night, and I can be there in a few hours. So anyone in and around Unit 22, 23 or even maybe 4a, 4b, 3a/3c, and need help on a pack out shoot me a text. I'm most familiar with 22 and 23 so I'd be able to find you easier but anything close to there and I should be fine. I don't need an excuse to get out and hike in the woods but this would be a good one, even with a heavy pack on my back. 480.262.1855

Didn't think I would have this problem, but does anyone else fall victim to getting distracted by elk when looking for deer? My first couple of trips were spent in the higher country, which have low deer densities and to top it off I was seeing elk everywhere, so my attention kept going back to them. I couldn't help myself. Next trip I go down in elevation to find more deer and lose the elk. Next thing I know I'm spotting more bulls! And to top it off while I'm checking out this decent 5x5 I see out of the corner of my eye a Coues butt! And of course it goes into the thickest brush on the hillside and doesn't come out again and now it's dark. Managed to spot a mule deer doe and 2 fawns but those dang bulls again! How do you guys keep from getting distracted when this happens to you?

Like the title says, I know it will be more than tough. But I've been trying to do my homework, both at home and in the field. Anyone willing to give some advice to a newbie I'd be glad to share and discuss what I've been seeing so far. You guys have been very helpful to me in the past, so not looking for spots, just advice. If willing, shoot me a DM and I can share what unit and how I've been struggling to find good vantage point... Thanks all!

Found my first Coues Deer Shed while out scouting this weekend! Can anyone tell me what they think it might score? Or how old it looks? Just curious. G1 is about 2.5" G2G is about 5" G3 is about 3.5" Main beam is about 14" Bases measure about 4" in diameter. Thanks!

Who else suffers from the Paralysis of Analysis disease and how do you overcome it? Sometimes I think there aren't that many places to start scouting but when you get to studying maps and doing your research...it turns out there are too many areas to choose from!

What's your guy's favorite archery shop in the valley? I've had mixed feelings about the one closest to me, so I'm wondering what anyone would suggest as their go to. I'd prefer to work on my bow myself but don't have a bow press so I'd rather not risk it. So I'm stuck using a bow shop. Thanks!

Took everyone's advice and headed to Ross on Saturday. Really nice guys, they went through everything with me while they were setting up my new bow and had it finished in no time. Overall a great experience. Better then I've had at another location in the valley. Thanks everyone for the suggestion.

Hi all, I've tried my best to find some deer in Unit 22 the past few weekends. And with only a month left, I've come here for some advice if anyone here is feeling generous. Does anyone have suggestions they'd be willing to share? If not I understand. New guys gotta learn the ropes the hard way. But if there are any tips out there I would appreciate it. If you're willing to oblige, PM me so we can keep the conversation off the main forum. Also, I know in the fly fishing world that's its commonplace to ask any fellow anglers you might see if they'd had any luck. With hunting, it would be a little more obvious if they'd had luck. But is it ok to ask a hunter you come across if they've seen anything/ or had any encounters or is that something you keep to yourself while out in the field? I crossed paths with a few hunters but wasn't sure if asking them that was par for the course or not, don't want to step on any toes. Thanks and good luck to everyone this year!

mattys281 - thanks for the advice. That's what I was doing, or at least what I thought what I was doing. I went on the backside of the hill because I knew they would see me coming. But when I came up above them, I couldn't fin them anywhere. Not in the drainage. They didn't run over the opposite ridge or down into the canyon as far as I could see. I guess it's standard practice to lose sight of them for a bit to get in a better position and if they left and I can't even spot them anymore then I probably was too loud or they winded me or something, wouldn't you think? And don't they usually feed uphill in the evening to keep the wind in their face?

Your guys' advice has been paying off. So thank you for that. Now onto some stalking advice, if you guys don't mind. For some reason most of the deer I've been seeing are moving around, almost all day. Even in the middle of the day. And I can't quite figure out how to sneak up on them when they're feeding. So my question is, when they get out of their beds in the evening and start feeding what do you guys do? I've managed to get within about 100yds and each time I'll slip behind a hill so they can't see me and when I come back up I lose them. They're totally gone and I can't relocate them. For example. I was stalking a small group and they were feeding up hill about an hour before dark. I can see they're headed to a saddle between two hills. So I slip into the next canyon and run up the hill to try to cut them off. I get to the top and they've disappeared. No where to be found. After waiting a while I head down the opposite side of the canyon and I can't find them anywhere. They don't seem to be in the drainage anymore. They were only out of sight for about 10 mins. Do you guys make sure they are always in your sights or? And isn't it standard practice for them to feed up hill in the evenings?

Took everyone's advice and did some glassing. Not much luck this time but I can definitely see the advantages. Thanks again everyone.