bigsky2

If you read my original post asking for info on the Kaibab I made sure to get back to everyone and report how my hunt went.

Well I don't want to be one of those guys to ask for info and then you never hear from them again, so I'll let you know how my hunt went. We got down to the Kaibab on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and the place was a zoo. Not being used to hunting in areas with so many roads, it took a while to adjust to. You keep thinking, "there wouldn't be a big buck there because there's a road right there". Well we finally got it through our heads that there are roads everywhere, so its inevitable that there will be big bucks living right next to roads. We seemed to spend the first few days doing a lot of driving around looking for spots, not that we are road hunters but when you have never been to an area and aren't seeing bucks off the road and cant glass much then its kind of hard to know where to start going for walks in the timber. I had got a lot of recommendations for water holes to check out beforehand, but it rained every day we were down there except for the first day. There were puddles everywhere so hunting water was a waste of time. Out of curiosity we did check out some guzzlers the first few days (we don't have them in MT so I wanted to see how they worked). I had heard the stories of trail cameras but it didn't really hit me until I saw them at every guzzler and trick tank we checked. I had actually never seen a trail camera in the field (besides my own) so it was crazy to see them everywhere down there. It was really green with feed everywhere so the deer didn't have to move much. We talked to the game warden for about an hour and he said the conditions are about as tough as they get. He said harvest success will be down this year and if it continued to rain the early rifle success would be way down as well. After people started clearing out after the holiday weekend we started seeing more deer. On Monday evening my dad spotted two big bucks together, one a 185+ buck and the other a big 3 point that was 30" wide, around 170. I looked for them for a few days but we couldn't turn them up again. I ended up seeing 32 bucks in that drainage with a couple I would shoot. I had some close calls but couldn't seal the deal. We never saw the same bucks twice. It seemed they would only come out in the open every once in a while and spent the majority of their time in the new growth aspen where you couldn't see them. Even with all the hunters driving around, I only saw one other person when I was off the road. Unfortunately it was on my last morning to hunt, and he ended up blowing out the bucks I was hunting. Even with the hunting being so tough, I look forward to drawing the tag again. A guy just needs more than a week if he's never been to the area. At least I will have an idea where to start next time, and hopefully the conditions will be a little better. I still had a good time, the Kaibab is a special place. Its really cool that AZ has places they manage for mule deer, I wish MT cared about our mule deer the way AZ does. Thanks again to everyone who was willing to share info with me. P.S. The food at Jacob Lake was just as good as everyone said!

Thanks for sharing, I head down on Friday and I cant wait. It will be my first time seeing the Kaibab. Has anyone had any success on the archery hunt yet this year?

Does anyone have an update on the fire on the plateau? I'm just trying to figure out exactly where its at and how it might affect my hunt so I can plan accordingly.

Thanks for all the advice. I will report back on how my hunt goes for those that are interested.

I e-mailed them, I'm still waiting to hear back. Please no smartass comments like the one above, I'm not expecting anyone to tell me exactly where to go. I just want to get a better idea of what to expect on the hunt. Things like is there cell service, do I need to bring an atv to get around on the roads without beating the heck out of my pickup, etc. I live in MT and have lived in WY and I would be happy to exchange info.

The trail cams Ive been using are now discontinued. What are your favorite trail cam models for under $100?

I drew an archery javelina tag for January and it will be my first time hunting them. I'm really excited for the hunt, but I am trying to temper my expectations since I really have no idea where to start. I have a few questions that I was hoping some of you could help me with. What areas (elevation and vegetation types) should I look for javelinas? Are they active at all hours of the day, or are mornings and evenings best? I have heard mixed reviews on whether they are good eating or not. I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with how you take care of them after the shot. Any tips on how to take care of them to get the best tasting meat? What do most people make with the meat? Any recipes anyone is willing to share? I really appreciate any info you are willing to share, it will really help!

I just started applying for elk in AZ last year. This year I had the privilege of going on an early archery hunt and it was an amazing experience. I would love to do a hunt like that again, but I can't imagine putting in for 15-20 years to draw a tag like my dad did. I have been looking pretty hard at the late season archery hunts. Does anyone on here do them? Would a guy that hunts hard for a week have a decent chance of success on one of these hunts? I get to hunt elk every year in my home state so I wouldn't be looking for just any bull. I would be happy to go after 320+ bulls though. I know post rut hunting can be super tough where I live so I'm sure these hunts are no walk in the park. Can anyone give me some info on what these hunts are like? I have been looking at units 1 and 23 but I am open to suggestions on units too.

I never thought about snow, that could definitely make or break the hunt. We get September snow storms up here and it makes it pretty tough to do any sneaking when you are walking on crunchy snow. Do all the units in AZ get snow that hangs around for a long time? I would think typically just the highest elevations would get snow but I am not from there so I have no idea. Maybe there are some units that are better than others as far as being less likely to get snow.

Yes I did. My dad had been sitting back and watching the show, but since the pigs were focused on me after I called them in he was able to sneak in and get one too. I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on javelin meat but I got a couple recipes from Hank Shaw and am determined to make something tasty out of them.

Thank you to everyone that gave me good info. I ended up spotting a group of javelinas the first morning of my hunt. While I was stalking them they bedded down for the day so I got in close and blew on my javelina call and they came charging in to where I was able to get a shot on one. I spent the next three days hunting deer. Those Coues are an awesome animal. I had a few opportunities at nice bucks but wasn't able to make it happen. I will definitely be back, it was nice to be camped in the desert while it was -20 degrees at home!

I'm posting this here just because it seems like it gets more activity than the bowhunting forum. Last winter I stopped in to AZGFD office in Tucson and talked to a biologist on units to hunt deer. He recommended I hunt 32, so that's where I ended up applying for a javelina tag. I was successful in the javelina drawing, but after talking to a few hunters about places to hunt deer in 32 it sounds like it might not be as good of a unit as the biologist said. Since its an over the counter deer tag, I can hunt deer in any of the units down there, but I feel kind of committed to 32 since that's where I have my javelina tag. I know I can hunt javelina in 32 and deer in a different unit, but I would prefer to be able to hunt both species at the same time if possible. I am just looking for more opinions - is 32 a decent deer unit where I could still have a good hunt? Does 32 have a good javelina population? If anyone has any advice on areas to check out, I am all ears. PM's are welcomed.

I have onxmaps and, yes I use a Garmin. I was hoping to get a detailed paper map though if possible. Flatline Maps doesn't make one for 32.

What's a good place to get a map of 32?

I drew unit 32 archery, I'll be there the first week of January.

Thanks for all the help everyone! This helps a lot.

I applied for 32 and my card shows a $100 charge from AZ Game and Fish but when I check the draw results it doesn't show I drew?

I am from Montana and my girlfriend will be doing her pediatric residency in Tucson for the next two years. I have always wanted to hunt coues and javelina with a bow and was hoping to do some hunting when I go and see her this winter. I am more so looking for good populations of both species rather than trophy quality. I have been doing some research and the units I am looking at are 34B, 35B, 35A, 34A, 32, 33, 36A, 36B, and 36C. Can anyone that is familiar with these units share some info on them? Are there any reasons why I should avoid any of these units? Feel free to PM me, any advice is much appreciated.

I'm heading to unit 10 for my dad's archery elk hunt in a few weeks. Has anyone been out in the unit to see how the horns are looking this year? How about neighboring units?

It took my dad 17 points to draw as a nonresident. He had been applying for unit 9 and switched to 10 this year.

My dad finally cashed in his 17 NR points this year on a unit 10 archery tag. I probably won't draw a tag like this in my lifetime so I plan on going with him for a week of his hunt. I know the unit isn't as good as it once was since they have been issuing more tags in the last few years, so we are trying not to get our hopes up too much. We have family in AZ so my dad actually spent a couple days checking out the unit while he was in AZ last week. It sounds like it is a huge unit and elk can be found all over the unit. He plans on getting there a week early to scout and then hunting the full two weeks of the season. I am just looking for some general advice and trying to find out what to expect. We are from Montana so during Sept. 15-30 the elk up here are in the peak of the rut. I know they typically rut a little later in the south...will the elk be bugling the entire time during those dates? My dad was saying most of the public land in the unit is state land rather than BLM and he thought you could only camp in certain designated campgrounds. Is this true and do the campgrounds get full? I know there is some National Forest but it looks like that only covers a small part of the unit. If anyone is willing to send me a PM about areas to check out that would be really helpful. I am hoping since it is such a limited opportunity hunt that people will be a little more likely to offer advice on the unit. We will never be able to hunt it again. If anyone is willing to help and wants info on hunting Montana I would be happy to exchange info. Any advice is much appreciated.

He is hoping for a 350+ bull, and I am not sure if he would settle for something smaller. Here in Montana we can elk hunt every year so I think he is kind of set on trying to get a big bull. He considered hiring a guide but the one he looked into was a lot more than he was wanting to spend. I think he would be willing to hire a guide if the price was right. That being said, we have a lot of experience hunting elk so DIY is definitely an option. The main challenge is hunting a unit we've never been to.