AZantlerhead

I think if some of you want?, I can get him to write up his story. Thanks for looking Hint= 9x9 counting the eyegaurds

Man that's a sweet find , congrats!

That never gets old.

Well done. congrats. Anything with a bow is a trophy. My first and only bow kill was a javelina about 12 years ago. I remember it well. Those things are tough!

Nice find, lotta mass.

My hat's off , that's allot of blood and sweat laying there. Very nice collection!! Thaks for shareing.

Well my Dad is just seriously too busy to fill you guys in, but I'll give you some details as he told it. I'm really proud of my Dad and his Archery trophy, and I can only dream to arrow one like his some day. And now, the rest of the story........... A tight schedule kept scouting and early arrival to the non existent point, as well I could not make the hunt, but this timeing proved to be just the golden ticket my father would need to harvest his first bow kill after many many years of nothing on the ground. He still shoots his old york he bought when I was ten years old. Some 16 years ago.He's the best hunter in the world in my mind. Trained for 5 years with the U.S. Marines, an expert ranked marksman.And has hunting stories from 8 years prior to my existence, has been an accoplished guide for a few years and has many the animal met it's demise by his skills as well as others kills. But just never had that luck factor for himself while having a bow in hand. The factor without wich 100 percent of hunts would be bloodless. Yes, I believe God is the word not luck. Used "luck" to not offend but ohh well . Opening day still running late my Dad made it from the G&F through the line and down the road south east a couple hours To his unit. Soon he was driving a dirt road towing a camper and" road hunting" to drop camp.On the way in he noticed some deer trails and without even dropping the camper started backtracking the road he just drove on foot, bow in hand and ready to draw. This proved to be a heck of a gut feeling cause out of no where he spotted some does feeding and moveing adjacent to the road on the uphill side. Useing the pines he got close and then he saw Mr. Big Buck. But then the does saw my Dad, they didn't bound but began walking away. Fearing his does were leaving the buck followed but paused to see what made the does move. This was the time. Dad says it happened real fast but he new it was a shooter more than any dear he'd ever seen. He flipped his glasses of his face and to the ground. Yes his 250$ eyeglasses he needs to see clearly but can't shoot his bow with them.But the last thing on his mind was hestitateing an letting him walk. Not an instant later he was at full draw and Old buckies vitals soon filled the ring of his first sight pin. Knowing time was crucial, he let the arrow fly. It flew true and straight to it's destination. 22yds later the arrow did it's dirty work. the old aluminum easton 2213 smacking and makeing it's way back to earth covered in Blood,. Blood that ended a long battle, a battle between a man and his instinct to use a bow and arrow to put meat in the belly and antlers on the wall. The buck bucked. no pun. And ran, chaseing his does up the hill. My dad knocked another arrow and drew up hopeing he'd stop again for the "mulie glance back"but there was nothing to aim at. After waiting a while He began tracking. Not finding his arrow untill after the buck and seeing little blood and then none was a puzzling thing. Hours after working the deer trails up the mountain, through their beds and then zig zagging back down he found Him. Not 200yds from where he'd neen shot. I can't write it up well enough in a hundred years but this buck had serious ground expantion! My Dad say's he lifted the rack for a few seconds, Then began a long series of whoopies and thak you gods and a victory dance I'm sure woulda been well at a Pow Wow. Luckily it was not long before he had gotten the truck from camp and made it back. Also he didn't have to pack it miles, something he's well familiar with. And with the help of the winch on the rack got the buck in the pickup. He Soon Made phone calls And I could't of been more happy my Dad was MY Dad when I heard the news. He kinda pulled everyones chain though. Telling my uncle it was nothin special and then me that he got a "little" 8x8. The whole little and 8x8 thing had me suspicious. When He got home and I saw the rack and the look on his face I relayed my congrats and gave Him the kind of Hug This kinda time in life calls for. And I felt like I was ten all over again. My Dad was Super man and He'd just taken the biggest, meanest, toughest Buck to walk on the face of the planet. The way I did when he brought home the first one I remember, a litlle forkie blacktail, who was also the new world record.

Everything that's Legal is not ethical. Everything that's Illegal is not unethical. Some people confuse the law with ethics these days, I feel they are two different things. I make sure to stay right with both . To each his own. But do you really feel at rest about that shot and sure you'd do it again. I wouldn't sleep at night myself.

Ok wow, allready some really close numbers. I green scored him conservatively at 206-7/8.With only 7 inches of difference those guys with the fish nets will put him at 199-7/8, give or take the professional inch. He's got an outside spread of 30-1/8, and a 22 6/8 inside spread credit. he's right at 4-4 1/2 on all his mass. Has 3 1/2 inch brows, 15 inch g-2's, 13 inch g-4's, and he sports 22 and 24inch mains. his g 3's are 7 and 10. and has a total of 22 inches of non-typical points . Thanks for the guesses and coments. I'll keep bugging him to post the story.

That is one incredible hunt Josh, and some Magnificent bucks! I was saveing my jealousy over the country you were in for this post.Yeah, awesome , awesome location !I've been in the snow now for weeks up here and really enjoyed the pics, awesome quality pics of an awesome landscape. It looks like you were overlooking a very old water source with washes going in and out for cover accompanied by oaks so they can feed while they travel, accompanied by relatively heavy cover for the big bucks to stay in as well there are pleanty of sparatic "meadows"they can pop in and out of and plenty of hillsides and knolls to use .I'm afraid after a week being there I wouldn't wanna leave man. But you do have the memories so it works out huh. And with those vantage points and that Back country honey hole, it's no wonder you had great success.Good shooting too!!Something urkes me when people fill a 90 lb deer up with 4, .300 mag bullets when usually one should take down an elk but that's just my opinion. Congradulations to you and your friend. My hats off to you!!!! Those bucks are off the freakin charts in every way, as well I'm sure the memories of that hunt will haunt you along with the bucks on the wall, in a good way of course. If you are like me Hunting is a sacred thing. And I'm sure with you're responses to all the posts you are. Once again, Totally awesome job finding and takeing those one of a kind bucks, In that one of a kind place. What a hunt and thanks for shareing! And friggin hillarious pullin everyones chain like that , yeah buncha vultures around here.!!! still laughing. The last laugh is all yours though. Git-R-Done!!!! Dustin

Wow, Awesome!!

Trully awesome bulls man . congrats to everyone involved. I love hearing about late season elk hunts, especially hardcore hunting like you guys did! way to go!!! I hope my family has an elk hunt like that some day.

Congrats!!! thanks for shareing.

Double whammy!!!! Nice bucks and nice job!

That's one great looking buck!!! Congrat's man!!

Yes, it's an unfortunate circumstance surrounding that Bull .I live 10 miles from where he was shot and Hundreds of people knew about him(every G&F as well) and every hunter and scout was gunning for him.(of course he was shot two weeks before everyone elses hunts started) I went to majestics taxidermy where the G&F was keeping the bull to have a look at him, a 418 inch bull with a nontypical 17 inch droptine, in full velvet.A trully awesome sight, I hadn't seen him on the hoof but know many that did. A sad situation for such a unique Monster Bull. I'm not takeing sides, I was not there(that day) , but I'm willing to bet the officer who investigated was not coincidentally within range of THAT Hunter and THAT Bull . AS well It was not a coincidence that he was taken very near private property . If you ask me both the law and the hunter are in the grey zone here. Hopefully both parties were heard by the judge and justice was served. And I hope they put the mount in the pinetop G&F office to display if they do keep it in the end.

Nice bucks man , congrats to you guys!!! I'm betting they're was hard hunting involved by that collection.

Heck of a pick-up !!! nice job.

Where can I find one of those at? Nice shed!

Next they'll probly outlaw blinds, treestands, calls and cover scents, maybe game cams,Scent killing products,High def Camo,Trigger releases, 300fps+ bows, 40x + Binos, Carbon arrows etc. etc. I wonder where they'll stop? Pretty soon we'll be down to that old BBgun or Slingshot. But no really Sign of more rights they're gonna take. I mean If you put an apple on a trail knowing the deer will pause at the "bait" for a clean, ethical, and succesfull harvest then, what the heck is wrong with that!!! ? The apple fell outa my pack I guess?

No expert here but find a tree over water with of course lots of fresh buck sign, then sit and wait. That's my plan anyway . this Jan. AS you may have noticed it's kinda tight on advice at times. But a guy I know with 9 P&Y coues has got umm all that way.

You know thats a dumb question

Second that Yeah , I agree even an average mature whitey is P&Y usually right?

I'm planning to sit in a tree on a tank for Jan hunt. dark to dark. But, North American Hunter magazine has a great moon phase chart with peek deer movement times listed for a.m and p.m. They have it in their mag every month. But i'm not chanceing the monster that moves when the other deer aren't. dark to dark I've yet to take a deer with my bow you see I've never been a stand hunter always still hunting/shed hunting with Bow in tote the past 8 years with no luck. I arrowed a pig when I was 15 but that's the extent of my bow kills. I'm totally going to change tactics this year after takeing 2 rifle bucks in two years on water.Also a man Bill Bishop hear in Show Low has taken 8-9 P&Y coues, all on water from a treestand. I'm done hunting like a bear, I'm going lion tactics on these smart little deer. I.E. sitting in a tree or glassing from a ridgeline boulder, but always overlooking water. I have a feeling I may arrow a deer soon this way.