galiuro mountain man

Also, bears love wild grapes, if you know of a canyon up there with grapes in it you could find bears. Where I went in aug. the bears were eating grapes, prickley pears, and those big green catterpillars.

Hey everyone hunting this weekend, let us all know how you do.

OOPS!

The polish worked!! I went to the range on the first to zero it in for lion hunting this month and they dont get stuck anymore. I am shooting 240 gr hornaday hallow points, and they are hitting good!! Now all I have to do is get a lion within 200yds long enough to set up my rest and I can get him. Have you used the 240 hornadays yet? I have noticed a big improvement in performance from the 260's I was shooting. I sighted in 1 inch high at 100 yards, now at 200 I have way less drop! My groupes are tighter also, all within 3 inches instead of 5. and this is with 10 rounds! I have to admit, this Taurus is awsome, I dont have near the accuracy with my Ruger 357 mag, and for some reason it is funner to shoot! GMM

Catclaw, I ran into the same thing in August with some people from CA in 32. They had a road I always use blocked off with a trailer, and almost told me that I couldnt go through there because it was their camp. They werent even supposed to have a trailer up there in the first place! second they left a mess. Third they rode quads into the wilderness. The last thing they did was camped about 100 ft from a stock tank. Now 2 of the 4 things they did wrong are easy to do, if you dont know the area, but when you sign a book for private ranch access these things are posted- NO TRAILERS and CAMP AT LEAST 1/4 MILE AWAY FROM WATER. Now the mess they left really made me mad. Then I saw on the day after they left, quad tracks from their camp into the wilderness. They used an old mine road, and right on the gate it says FOOT ACCESSS ONLY. Now I am disgusted! So I walk up to the top of a ridge and call G&F to report them. I took their license #'s when they werent going to let me past their camp. I dont know what happened with it, but something has to be done about stuff like this! Dont get me wrong, I dont care where you are from, out of state, local, or out of country, FALLOW ALL RULES- especially when they are posted all over the place!!!! There are a lot of places in 32 where the landowners wont allow access, all because of this very thing. Remember 1 PERSON can ruin this for EVERYONE!!! OK I will get off the soapbox now, just obey all rules and have fun out there! GMM

any luck using this info? It worked for me last weekend, I was even on a 4wheeler and saw 2 does running up the side of a hill next to the road. I quickly turned it off and grunted, as they topped over the hill. The one in back stopped right on top and looked back. A minute goes by and the other one comes back over the hill!!! I am sitting on my bike and they are 60 yards away just looking at me, then they started graising again!!! Also I heard a grunt while checking out a small pond, so I did one short soft grunt then one louder one. A minute or so goes by and I hear something behind me, just then a little gust of wind blows that direction and I hear hooves on rocks going away from me. I am pretty sure it was a buck that circled downwind of me to get a wiff of what was trying to pick a fight with him. I think if I would have been high in a treestand he might not have smelled me and came all the way in. GOOD LUCK

Depends on the deer, I have had deer see me draw and actually walk closer to check me out. Also I have had deer bolt as soon as they saw or heard me even behind cover. I just try to figure out what the deer might do before he figures it out. But when I know the deer isnt paying any attention to me, even while they are in the open I just draw as slow and quietly as possible. I got a story about my hunt this past August. Opening day first thing in the morning I see 2 forkies and a little button horn buck at 20 yards graising away, they just looked at me for a few seconds then wnt to graising again, I think wow first 20 minutes of the hunt, this should be a good hunt. I pass because I am still walking to where I was going to hunt. I get to my spot at 8am after a 2 mile hike into the wilderness and sit down. I havent even gotten comfortable yet and a doe and what looked like another button walks by at 30 yards and dont even see me. Nothing goes on for a while untill 1pm, I hear something coming from my left, I use just my eyes to look, it was a monster buck well over 100" walking my way. He isnt even paying attention to me, so I slowly turn my head, and at that time the bill of my hat hits a small stick and it breaks. The deer bolted and was gone. Now all it that happened was a stick broke and he was gone. The next day I do the same thing walking into my spot, this time I pull my bow without an arrow just to see what would happen, the deer just looked up at me then went back to eating. This day I had 2 other people with me though, and when they caught up to me the deer ran off. Well we get to our spot and start to figure out where we are going to sit. I find my place, and guess what, someone was already there! A 5 1/2 foot long rattlesnake. Well I decide I am bigger than him and grab a long stick and move him about 150yards from where we will be. Nothing happens for a couple of hours untill I hear some leaves being moved. I slowly turn my head and there he was, well the snake, I now know that he has a problem with me so I use other means that I knew would take care of him. This time I moved him back to where I had before. He had a proper burrial. Anyways I walk up to one of my friends and was asking him what he wanted to do since nothing was coming in, about that time we hear hooves, so I sit down, in the open. We then see bucks! 4 of them 2 small ones and two monsters. They are at 80 yards now. I see one of them is the buck from the day before. I just stay as still as possible, I dont even think I was breathing. The two small ones get to the water hole and are 20 yards away now. Both big ones move to 60 yards straight in front of me. So I start moving my bow as slowly as possible, must have taken 5 minutes to get into drawing position. I keep running the yardage though my mind, and decide since it is a level, open shot and no wind to shoot. I start to pull back as slow as possible and realize it was too slow, I started to shake and so did my arrow on my rest. The big deer turns and looks right at me, remember, I am in the open! So I decide to pull fast and see what happens, I get all the way back and he hasnt moved. I set my pin on his side and let it go. It was a perfect release, arrow flying perfect, a perfect shot. Untill I notice my arrow hitting a stick about a yard in front of him then crashing into a rock. The angle was just perfect I couldnt see the stick against the deers body. I went and checked for any sign of a hit, nothing, my arrow and broadhead were up against the rock with nothing on them, I was relieved I didnt have to chase a wounded deer around. So you see, it just depends on the deer, that deer spooked so easily the day before and didnt move till my arrow hit the rock next to him the day after. Oh, so far I havent seen him again......YET!!! Good luck

It is all in preperation, at home and in the field, even before the first shot is fired. From start to finish you must start prepairing the meat. Shot placement: hit it good so you dont chase a wounded animal around. When wounded and they run, it makes the blood pump harder into the muscles, which is thing similar to what happens when you bruise. Also if you gut shoot an animal, guess what the meat might taste like. Field dressing: get those guts out fast! as soon as the deers heart stops beating, its cooling system stops. I shot a deer in dec of 98 and I had a thermometer with me, I set it inside the stomach area then started gutting, in 10 minutes it was at 115 degrees F. Then as soon as it was field dressed it started dropping temp. At this time that I shot it, it was only 40 degrees out. Also try not to let any urine hit any meat, this whangy flavor wont cook out of the meat (experience speaking here). Hide: Skin your deer as soon as you can. My family always skins our animals the same day we get them. The longer you leave the hide on the more chance there is for hair to get on meat. Processing meat: If you dont have access to a meat storage locker, get that meat cut up and in the freezer. Some people like to hang their animals a few days to tenderize it, Thats fine, but I dont do it. Thawing meat: Heres the main reason for gamy taste. DONT USE MICROWAVE!!!! Get a large salad bowl and fill it with salt water. It thaws meat well and will draw some of the blood out of the meat. I do this 3 times for 20 minutes each time with ALL of my red meat. It also helps tenderize it. A nice thing about salt is that after you cook youre meat, you dont taste it. Cooking meat this way people thought I was ordering expensive beef steaks, when all it was, was elk or deer! There are a few flavors that I cant remove from meat, 3 mentioned earlier. The main game taste I have noticed is juniper, mostly in mulies, I cant remove. I had one deer from unit 28 that ate a bunch of juniper berries, and you could taste it! That whole deer turned into green chile meat. I know most of you here already know this. But I hope this helps someone. I love pretty much all wild meat and in my opinion from the first shot untill it hits the freezer is the most important time of meat preparation. anyways Good luck every one. GMM

The 454 I have is the hunter editon raging bull. I shoot the 240 grain hornadays through it. It is an awsome pistol. I put a 2x6 power scope on it and now I am very acurate out to 200 yards when I shoot with a rest. 1 question 300 wsm, When you shoot more than 3 times at once, does your brass get stuck in your cylinder to where you have to give it a pop to eject it? Mine has done this since I got it, but my granpa's doesnt. I am going to try to polish it lightly with flitz and see if it works, but if you have any suggestions I would appreciate it.

Scott, it is hard to tell from the picture, but he looks good. If I had to guess it would be over 350, probably closer to 380. Just remember my rule, when you tell people about it subtract 10" for every hour he has grown in your mind. But it is a very good bull, maybe you can get drawn next year and locate him. Good luck

I have been handgun hunting for a few years now and I still havent been drawn for anything with a rifle yet so I guess I would be considered new to this. I have done a lot of coyote hunting with pistols though, and let me tell you, it is fun. (I even got my wife into it, she is shooting my 357 mag!) Start off, pros and cons. Pros you have both hands free at all times unless you are shooting. Less weight, I feel it is more convenient, more challenge. I like it because you have to get closer than a rifle, but unlike bows, its hard for them to get away from a well placed shot. After I shot a mulie running from right to left from me at 300 yards with a rifle, I decided to try something else. That is when I went to pistols. Ive bowhunted since I could pull a 40 lb bow back and that is my most favorite, but pistols are a close second, I havent shot a rifle in over 4 years now. Cons way less range than a rifle, no special season for them- you have to use them during rifle season. Also it is a little more room for error, it is at the end of your hands instead of having an anchor point, rifles have a stock that gos against your shoulder, bows have the string and a wider spread between hands so it is more stable. Now, what gun? I shot my wifes 357 for years. That gun has taken out many coyotes and rabbits, a lot of those coyotes were from 70+ yards. Now I shoot a 454 casull which is basically a 45 long colt magnum. It has some range on it. I can shoot accurately to 200 yards. It is set up with a 2x6 scope so I can pinpoint those longer shots. At 200 yards I can group 10 rounds into a 3.5 to 4 inch circle, but I need a good rest and no wind, across flat land(rifle range). The hangun you want depends on what types of hunting other than deer you will do. For deer a 357 mag or better will do the job fine, but for bigger animals, bears, or elk, I suggest a .41 mag or bigger (these animals have thicker skins and more power is needed, reason I own a 454 casull). How would I hunt with them? I do the same things as archery hunting, still hunt or tree stand. Yes, you are shooting a gun, but remember you must get within your comfortable shooting range. A pistol has a very limited effective range as stated before, unless you shoot a TC which is a pistol that shoots rifle rounds. It is great fun and anyone looking for a good challenge and doesnt archery hunt should try it at least once, even if you barrow a pistol and chase rabbits, there is nothing like it. Good luck everyone

Rimhunter, you are exactly right. My Dad and I have been quail hunting with dogs since I can remember. You described exactly the way we trained our brittanys to retrieve quail. It didnt matter how old they were, you could train them easily by keeping their interest in it. The only thing that was different was that when they started doing good with pointing and holding on our quail sock, we started throwing a frozen quail around the yard and let them bring it to us. This method will work very well, but just remember, dont give up because they dont get it right away, be patient with them. Eventually they will pick it up. The hardest part is keeping them interested, if you turn it into a game they will get it. Also like Rimhunter said, used a word or phrase that lets them know that they are looking for something. Example: for birds we used find dead, then the dogs would look for the quail. Good luck

I just wanted to tell Amanda Thank You for adding a handgun hunting section. I enjoy handgun hunting, and figure that some of the other people that visit here do to. And for people who dont but would like to, this would be a great way to answer any questions. Thanks again Amanda Good luck everyone

I dont know the other two units, but 32 is a tough one to hunt. The deer have all moved to mequite flats because of lions. I went to a place where I knew I would see deer, and no people. I saw no deer, no people and a bunch of lion sign. Unit 32 is a good unit if you can locate the deer, but they are very wild because of the lions, and being easier access to people while out of the wilderness. But I have seen quite a few mulies this year. In unit 32 I heard 1 grunt and 2 bleats so it looks like the rut is beginning. Good luck

no, if you get a deer anytime during the year, you have to wait untill Jan 1 of the next year.

If you buy an archery tag in Jan it lasts till Dec 31. If you get drawn for a rifle hunt you can still hunt it if you havent got a deer yet. If you get drawn for a rifle hunt (results go out before Aug archery hunt) and get a deer in Aug with a bow you cannot go with your rifle or anything until Jan 1 of the next year. I hope the deer pop. comes back up so it will go back to 2 deer per year. It used to be this way when I first started hunting deer. Good luck

sorry cant help you in northern az, good luck

Hey Griz, all I was getting to was the rules were going to change eventually, and people are making a big fuss about it. I do agree there has to be rules. I didnt put this on here to make anyone mad, It is very good info. All I have to say is things change. Good luck everyone

Why care about all this stuff? Isnt hunting about being in the outdoors, being with friends and family, getting away, the love of nature, and the memories the outdoors bring? Then I ask again, why care about this stuff? You know what, this is just my opinion but, if all you worry about is the rules to what is considered a trophy buck, or who is a real "bowman" and who isnt, you have lost sight of what it meens to do this kind of stuff like hunting. In my experience if all I look for is the perfect buck or bull it isnt as much fun as if I just go out and see what I can. Most of the time I see bigger animals when Im not focusing on seeing the "big one". You know it was good info to know and I think it is great, but is this what hunting is about??? Good luck everyone

We hunted hard today, but got skunked. Its ok, at least we got to spend time in the mountains. We hunted the same place as we did in Aug. where we saw over 30 deer a day (over half were bucks), today we saw none, and hardly any sign. We talked to the rancher and he said that there were a bunch of lions there now. Explains low deer count. There was one lion got on thanksgiving weekend and there is at least two more in the same canyon. If anyone hunts lions let me know, I know where to find them, and the ranchers will let us know where to find more. Maybe we could get together and chase them around the mountain together. Anyways that is how my hunt went, hope everyone did better. Good luck everyone.

That is a very nice coues. This year in Aug I missed a buck with my bow a little bigger than that on private land. I estimated him at 110 to 115" after I subtracted 15" from my origional estimate (I was a little exited to see him at 40 yards, figure he grew a little in my mind.) But I hit a small stick about 3' in front of him I didnt see and it made my arrow hit about 2" in front of him. Last year in the same place I saw a bigger buck by far but could not get a shot! He walked by at 20 yards, and I was so excited I was shaking. Anyways, my grandfather worked at PD Chino for many years, he was a shovel repair foreman before PD went to teams, and I worked at PD Morenci for about 2 years, and I am jelous that we werent able to hunt there too. Anyways very nice deer, both of them. And good luck on future hunts.

my dogs never did any shed hunting, but one dog did a lot of shed chewing. She chewed up a realy cool palmated coues shed that I had found. Out of about 10 sheds she had to chew up that one, oh well.

nobody said anything about 31, Ive hunted there a lot and seen some great bucks, in fact that was where I killed my first arcery deer back when I was 13. Most of Mt Graham has good deer on it except around the major campgrounds, way too many people there from march to november. But, if you get away from the people you can do good. good luck everyone

Dave, the grunt you have is the same one I have and it seems to work pretty good. The can you have I have seen but have not used, it seems a little lower pitched than the deer I have heard in the field, but who knows, it may work great. Give it a try and see what happens. GOOD LUCK

I would look at azgf.com and check out the southern units like everyone has said. Then find out which units have what you want, IE: camping, types of campgrounds, accessability, and so on. Also another good idea would be to get topo maps of areas you are interested in and checking out the terrain, It can go from a nice walk in the forest to a cliffhanger instantly in AZ, especially in the southern part. So look for places you would feel comfortable hunting in. Also, I do not know where you are from but in southern AZ it can be 30 degrees in the morning, up to high 70s in afternoon, then back down in 30s by dark, so be prepaired. But for the most part most of AZ southern units have good coues numbers in them, and some monster bucks, so anywhere south is usually good. hope this info helps GOOD LUCK