high rise hunter

Must be the opener. Is that Fishing for Ducks on Lake Mille Lacs? Might not be but sure looks like. My buddies and I participate every year. None of us have ever have caught a fish but had some fun and a little luck in the raffles. It's a huge fundraiser for Ducks Unlimited in the state.

Fellas - just got back to the concrete jungle after a kick *ss 6.5 days of running around the AZ desert chasing coues! I didn't fill my tag but had a truly awesome time exploring new territory and learning a new species. I started my hunt backpacking up into Unit 33. Beautiful country, saw lots of deer but I came to find out the weather can switch QUICKLY. Camped on top of the mountain I got destroyed by overnight 40 mph winds and downpour rain. Having gotten zero sleep and my gear (including tent and quilt) soaked I comically had to hike out the next morning. A blessing and a curse I got a hotel room in Tucson to dry out. The next day I hunted off Redington Road and immediately got on a couple of rutting bucks but never eclipsed that 190 yard mark. Having really no game plan at this point I did a complete 180 and decide for my final two days I would explore some new territory up in Unit 23. I backpacked 6 miles into the wilderness there. I found a cool solo bull in total recovery mode and a decent amount of coues deer. I should have filled my tag but a lapse in mental judgement was my downfall. I was glassing and decided I wanted to pop over the top of the hill to look down the other side. I debated if I should bring my bow or not but thought "Eh, if I see something it's likely to be a LONG ways off" so I left my bow with my pack. Of course while walking over to the other side I noticed the top of a deer's back 40 yards in front of me. Having no idea I was there this coues buck feeds to 30 yards standing broadside for 5 minutes before bedding down 25 yards from where I stood. Would have been a chip shot but that's the way it goes! So neat to see one that incredibly close and something I will not forget anytime soon! Well I'm officially hooked and will 100% be back next January or maybe even for a December hunt since I can use the same tag. Thank you everyone for the tips and advice! Joe

Great post Speedy. I'm following along as I'm also flying down from the midwest (tomorrow actually) to chase the grey ghost. FIRED UP!!!! Good luck and please keep us posted how ya do!

I'd LOVE to bag a Cinnamon Teal. Besides a big fully plumed ol' drake Canvasback that might be the highest up on my list. I'm part of tiny duck camp out in western Minnesota (Detroit Lakes area) and we do pretty well. We shoot limits every other day. On the other hand, my father in central WI said he didn't even go out this season there were so few ducks migrating though. Tough hunting.

muledeerarea33? That would be awesome! DUCK hunting in AZ. That sounds really fun and a bit of time warp! I haven't puddle jumped since I was a kid.

That's a great observation about the down compressing more than the synthetic thus providing little warmth factor. The Teton seems to be well reviewed. I've been reading a few other reviews online and the price seems darn reasonable. Speaking of the Pack...not all hope is lost. We should be able to beat Cleveland this weekend with Hundley THEN we get Rodgers back. If he can lead us to three straight victories and close out the season at 10-6 we may be able to sneak into one of those wildcard playoff spots. FINGERS CROSSED!

Thank you MUCH for the heads up! I had called the AZ Game and Fish the other day and was told those tags specifically were gone/sold out. Clearly I got the wrong information or it was a case of misinterpretation. Either way, I've overnighting an application today.

Haha! Very easy for an outsider to overlook all those thorns. Great tip though. It would definitely be a bummer to tear apart a $400 jacket on its first hunt.

I may have to take you up on this and much appreciate the offer! It would be REALLY fun to do some exploring (at least for me) and trade some hunting stories. I'll let you when I get my schedule all figured out. Things are in a little bit of a whirlwind since I'm headed to Asia for 3 weeks in-between now and January 6th

Well unfortunately those leftover Javelina tags are long gone. I really had a mental lapse. I should have applied for the tag knowing I was going to be in 33 coues hunting already but instead I just put in for the bonus point Glass if half full... now I have an excuse to come back next season

I really like those weather forecast sources. I already added those to my "favorites" so thank you for sending those my way. So I'm going to guess that the Kuiu Super Down you have in now the ULTRA line? The super down PRO is the new one. I want to ask you a question. For my style of hunting I carry everything with me all the time. I like to be able to camp where ever I end up at the end of the day and hopefully wake up and be that much closer to the mornings action. I'm a huge nerd when it comes to ultralight gear and keeping my pack weight to a minimum so much that I forgo bringing a stove and will plan a 100% dry food menu. Have you found your Kuiu super down to be adequately warm enough as an outer layer? I ask because the ULTRA is 6.4 oz vs 13.4 for the PRO. I'm curious if the PRO's additional warmth is really needed for double the weight cost.

That sounds BRUTAL. Did you drop down to hunt lower elevation or call it quits all together? I was looking at the Kuiu Teton Insulated jacket. I'm glad to hear that your like it and it must be warm. That's a good endorsement. My only concern with it was the lack of packability/compression compared to a down-filled jacket. Also I see your a cheesehead. GPG! I'm a born and raised Wisconsinite myself.

I meant to call the G&F this morning but of course when I had time and was thinking about it the West was still asleep. I'll definitely be giving them a call tomorrow morning. The G&F website has a list posted from November 27th that says 458 leftover permits remaining. I have no idea how fast these sell out so fingers crossed. I'll overnight an application if thats what it takes! It's really neat these AZ OTC deer tags are good for either a coues or a muley. I plan to focus on coues but that said, if I see a muley buck I fall in love with...game on!

I am REALLY looking forward to this trip! I'm headed down January 6th then participating in the AZ G&F bonus point field day that Sunday in Bisbee. Immediately following the field day I'm headed back up towards Tuscon to hunt Unit 33. Also just found out there are leftover archery-only Javelina tags so definitely going to scoop one of those up. I've been watching the weather forecast for Tucson and also found this really cool website www.mountain-forcast.com that gives you temperature readings at different elevations for certain peaks. For example, right around Tucson: Mount Lemmon, Mount Bigelow, Thimble Peak and Pusch Ridge are included. If lows are in the 30s that sounds mighty comfy for this guy!

Teens to 80s is QUITE the swing. Definitely more than I had anticipated so I very much appreciate the responses. If I'm moving I'll have zero issue staying warm even in single digits, early morning and late afternoon glassing sessions even a for a Windy City guy I'll have to bundle up. I'm leaning towards some down layers for insulation. Probably pack Patagonia Nano Puff Pants (I got these for a Northern MN winter camping trip last year and they were bombproof/unreal warm) and I need to find something I for a jacket. I don't have anything I love. Any recommendations? Any Kuiu Super Down users? I'm all ears. Thank you guys!