AZantlerhead

Dandy buck!!! Descent is understatemant. A 85" bucky is the average " descent buck" Got that whooped with that bone don't ya! Javis and dogs, well. I know exactly what you mean my friend Try to make this short but I usually don't... Javis are no joke when you got a dog by your side. I've ben into trouble twice with My Dog Ol' boy with those suckers. I know what you mean. I actually had to kick one as it charged in gunning for my leg, got lucky, walloped him and he turned to help his buddy tare up my dog, wich had gotten in between me and the pigs. The outcome is classified. The other time I thought there was a bear in the brush on our trail. The dog went into the brush, I RAN to the top of the hill and waited. Calling and calling into the draw for a couple hours and ol' boy finally makes it back to me, Shredded but alive- with a mouth full of javi hair. Takeing a dog into the woods is a huge responsibility. After that last one i don't take him anymore. he's stood of 5 rattlers, Defended me from bears on 4 occasions( i have a thing with bears) who i believe would have mouled me had he not ben there(woke me up twice), but he stood them off. Ohh he's ben porcupined three times, lost part his ear to a coon.... Needless to say I don't take him out anymore, Stinks cause he had found his first shed on his 2nd to last trip out. Safer for my pet and the wildlife for him to stay at home. Still debateing if i want to get a strictly( hunting dog) not a pet. It's great haveing a canine with you in the wilds!. If you love um or even like umm i'd think twice. Lions and javis and bears ohh my..........Rattlers, porcupines, coons, badgers, skunks, hmm what else, Ranchers with wild dog fever, bee hives, tarantulas, trigger happy nut in the woods ( you sure that wernt a dog cletus?) " look like a doe to me jethro!) sandspurs, jagged rocks, and cliffs, He ran after a doe and i never seen him again?, Someone stole my 1000 dollar purebred man! ? Feral hogs, never seen one till today, and they killed my dog!? Did you know a pack of yotes will kill a dog, yeah they got mine? Hate to throw the if card. But old boy nailed half that list, lucky to be alive, feel bad for ever putting him in those situations, yes he would die for me..... Like i said, think twice before takeing your pet to the woods.... Hope i saved someone a vet bill or burial.....

Grandaddy bull there, Man he's got a world class rack !! Would be happy to restore and mount them for ya, so's I get to borrow umm?

Boy I hope that wasn't my favorite canyon jk, theres hundreds of " canyons" in every unit. I've got a place like that we've not hit in two years. Hopefully no ones found it still and it will be recharged with more bone somewhat. How deep? steep is the canyon? I'd keep goin back and back to that area. We brought out 12 a piece per day for many trips and was actually a 30 horn trip the last weekend. Bone mines also a couple elk racks and a few nice coues and muley skulls.Steep and rugged do not describe it fully though. but at least you can tackle the area in a day wich is nice sometimes. or stay two days and find just as many, usually. Probly still a crap load we missed, that's a truly good area. Sounds like you found one. Places that rugged with that many to be found can be pretty consistant as far as sheds/ herds. Also blisters and rattlers. Keep at it! really digin the post as i've not been shedin in two months now .. Way to go get umm!!

Also Since Jason told me " I don't have any more places i havent shown you" I will be auctioning the Maps i've compiled over the last 3 years on E-bay with a reserve of Priceless. Or you can purchase Honeyholes at a gold brick a piece, Ive got 30 up for sale Jk Jason, don't have a coronary. . Ohh- all sarcasm aside. Jason also says location location location. You can walk a million miles in death valley and never wish up a moose antler.

I'll sell you all Jason's advice for 9.95 a copy +tax This is an excerpt from the first chapter. Ohh yeah it's an audio book. Yeah Jason I was recording you the whole time Buddy. HA!!! hey ten hours of tips is a bargain at$ 9.95!!

You are officially watching for snakes way too much... But I see you made it out for a stroll away from camp and you're wife and friends long enough to run up that mountain and back, and score those Coues Brownies. looks like he's old and regressing now. I can't tell how big they are though. Mind scoreing them or setting something by umm?? He's a shooter whatever the case. Cool Buck. So it sounds like you found the "antler belt" on that mountain so on youre third trip back there ( with me of course) we get packloads right? . Thanks for doing my homework. JK. When are we goin . I'm guessin you were at the bottom end of notellum canyon on the north side, theres a graduall very large bench about three quarter up on the west faceing slope, well it actually wraps around the ridge but you get the picture.. to the west from where you found that dagger brow tine muley? Ive walked accross that area once in a breakneck attempt to get back to the truck another 5 miles away on the other side as the sun was settin, picked up 3 on that flat, not even lookin, spent the day east of there in honeyhole gorge below motherload peak. . is good area, Correct me if i'm wrong. That's a good little trek or climb from where you were camped, Your ol' lady and friends are so understanding of youre addiction to horns Family outing my patutie!! lol Good job man.

Sounds like a sweet hole!!! Funny how those rugged places where people fear to go can hold the most horns, Makes sense don't it . Glad to know you guys had a mix of blood sweat and antlers as most the "motherload trips ive seen and done include . I was doubting there were that many by the road, but you never know. Grong once said you get out what you put in, and I could write a book on all the theories or tactics I've heard from AZantlerenthusiast. Also i've developed a couple of my own strategies. So how long have you known of the canyon and it's treasures? Don't mean to pry but these kinda posts are my favorite. It's why I shed hunt. Knowing theres that many horns in places. I would be the last to doubt your trip and the number of horns by the way, I know theres probly another 50 in that canyon Thanks for the reply

In the few years i've known you, i'm still amazed every time you hit the woods my humble friend . It seems like your Average of 7-10" keepers" at least a day has risen to 10-15 horns a day since i've known you. And I know your gettin pickier and pickier about what you will haul so what gives? If there was ever such or will ever be such a thing as a pro antler hunter, there will be you're picture....... I'm pretty sure any one who finds, or, " keeps" a couple hundred a year is just that. Or at least anyone who sells a truckload of solid horns and then tells me it didn't put a dent in their pile is......... Had to share that, hope you don't mind If you ever stoped working and only shed hunted, the annual numbers would be sickening. But I think you're dedicated enough allready, don't you! Every one else just better hope you stay out of their favorite units. But at least you leave as many laying as you keep, if not more.. What a generous guy! HAHA, thanks for you're "scraps" bud, specialy the 30 inch muley head Sorry TJ ben there, done that spot. But i'm pretty sure you'll have to share the spot in websters with Ol' Grong of course, so don't let me puff you up too much

Like a kid in a candy store, I bet you were, well done guys!!! Were they all foud in a small area , " honeyhole" ? doesnt look like you had to pack um far?. Is that a highway bridge in the background of that pic? If so that's good a hole that close to the roads. Looks like unit 28/31/ san carlos line country? my best guess. Details man!! Ohh map with an x on it 2!! HA! Another well done on a SERIOUS load of horns guys!! Thanks for postin. I don't care what they say bout ya! jk Ohh yeah, the more you find, Usually the less response you get on here. Don't feel bad, It's the norm....... I can see your up there with the best of umm.... Serious sheddin there Awesome

When a coues reaches the size of a " eastern whitetail" you know he is the cream of the crop concerning coues. WHAT A HOG!!!!!!!!! Congrats to the finder and thanks for postin those up bud!!!

nice!

nice booner! Welcome and thaks 4 postin

that's cool

HOLLY MOLLY!!!!

Wow!!!, really does him justice, awesome man!!

Nice!! What a brute

Some nice coues horns man, thanks for posting um!!! Wore out some boots and a pooch or two looks like Awesome

WOWZER!! Congrats on the find of a lifetime, Trully remarkable! Good to know the legacy of these to Die Hard bucks will live on, no pun . AWESOME!!!!

So what the heck is a lion claw worth anyway? I sell my small browns for 4-6$ a pound,wich is the goin rate, at least in Show Low. But ive never even seen a lion claw for sale so................. I do remember my Dad buying a few Bear claws from a bead vendor at a craft show for 25$ a piece some years ago, is that about right? And is a 12 inch lion a big,med,small cat? to be honest I havent a clue, I know records are 14+ but that's all.. Still on a wild kick after this find two weeks ago. Would appreciate any info, should I call it in ?

Allright!! What could you make of the petroglyphs in the area?

Right on, way to root um out, any pic of the rack? / nevermind, got it now. computer actin wierd, great pick up

Knarly lookin rack there!

Sweet!!

thanks guys, Exploring new territories can be allot of fun i've found, new scenary, creeks, springs, ridges, altered topo - yada yada. New treasures is the best part. It still surprises me how far one can go in a day when you" just do it". Hopefully weve only had a peice of the pie as far as the area goes and shed numbers. Maybe find a shorter route in next time as well, only the third trip to the area. I was in shock when i found the lion skeleton, skull is just under 12in. so a pretty old cat?, yes all of it was there, undisturbed in a narrow, steep, shady ravine, 2 feet from a spring, I new i had found a skull but it didn't cross my mind till i got to studying the bones that the claws were present as well, probly ben layin there 2-3 years, to steep for coyotes i guess?. I spent twenty minutes sifting through the dirt and leaves to find all 16 claws. It was like a national geographic episode for me and I was the professor, a real treat from above and awesome memory wich I'm very thankfull for. This was after searching 8 hours for a 400$ video camera wich i lost the weekend before, DOUGH!! but give and take i guess, i'm over it. I was just goin down the ridge and back to get water before sun set. whadya know, just layin in the woods....... This is my second lion find in my 4th year of sheddin'. Lucky i guess...... Heck i've only ever seen one lion in the wild, But it was up close and personal, also- i was the first to retreat, the lion stood his ground at 20 ft. Eyes of fire and a growl i'll never forget. Huge respect for these things!!Being Stood off by merely a juvenile lion on a bluff without gun, dog or knife will give you that. Sleeping on a tarp, in a mummy bag, on a bench at 8000ft, in 30mph winds, under a huge juniper, in a bull bed, after hikeing 12 hours before hikeing 12 more is something i'm getting used to, kinda. But wouldn't trade it for nothin!! Lotta respect for the Men of long ago who carved a liveing out of these wild places .............. Bout two- three days at a time is enough for me. Some seriously tough people back then, and the native americans of yesteryear- forget it!! Very humbling these wilderness treks. I saw two coues bucks on this trip , one a good 2x3 and a small forkie, And turkeys everywhere!!!! Also a " gang" of squirrels who thought i was the coolest thing since nuts and came merely an arms stretch away a couple times while following me on the forest floor and above in the limbs. It was enogh to make me laugh out loud to myself, I suspect they knew the wherabouts of the camera i was searching for. Ohh well , skull and sheds in stead, ohh and claws. Man I love this stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!