Heat

Sitting in the truck waiting for first light. Trying to find a ram for another lucky hunter. Good luck to all with tags! UPDATE: Here are the results. Found a couple of rams first thing but not the one my buddy is after.

Hi folks, Some of you may recall that I was inquiring last year about good taxidermists here in Arizona. I had some great hunts last year and was fortunate to harvest a pronghorn buck and a desert bighorn sheep. I knew before that if I got a nice representative of the species that I would mount the heads. Well lucky enough I did OK and got them both done. I checked into a few of the taxidermists mentioned here on the site in my thread and ended up going with Jim Hartsock from Southwest Wildlife in Scottsdale. I couldn't have asked for a better taxidermist. Not only is Jim an AWESOME taxidermist, he's a great guy to work with and has the customer service, business, and artistic skills to produce excellent mounts in a reasonable amount of time and make the experience one that I would recommend him to anyone. Jim really did exceed all of my expectations. Here are a few pics of the mounts on my wall. Believe me, they look even better in person than in these photos. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for letting me share. Nick

Great job! That's a dandy! Awesome pics and story.

Nice bull! No way I would pass up a bull like that. Awesome top end, everything else looks pretty good too. Congratulations!

Didn't spend any time in 12b. Sorry!

Hi Folks, I'm not sure about anyone else, but I can't wait for my archery deer hunt to start! I drew a tag for Unit 12 Archery Only. I am curious who else is headed to the Kaibab for the archery hunt? This is a hunt I have been looking forward to for a while. I was busy with a couple of other species last fall, so I didn't get a chance to archery hunt for deer (or elk). I am dying to get back up into the pines with my bow. Does anyone have an opinion on the quality of this hunt now that it has been a draw hunt for a few years? It seems like there have been some great bucks taken on the Kaibab over recent years. Maybe not as many or as big as "back in the day" but there are some dandy photos floating around. I never went before it went to a draw, then I went the first two years, but skipped last year. Although I have been deer hunting on and off with my bow for over 20 years, I have not had any success with deer. I have killed one with my rifle down south and I have killed a bull elk with my bow, but no archery deer yet. I chose the Kaibab to put in for because of the high numbers of deer there. Quite frankly, although knowing that there are giants there makes for an exciting hunt, I would be very happy to put my tag on just about any buck. I am hoping to find a high quantity of deer and not necessarily a trophy deer. I think having only 700 tags this year might make the quality of hunt the best it has been in a long time. I have a bunch of questions for those guys that know the Kaibab well. Do bucks ever hang down low in the winter range all year, or do they more or less ALL head up to the higher elevations for the summer? Would you recommend finding an active water source and sitting there, knowing there might be competition from other hunters, or would you mostly try to still hunt or spot and stalk? Is the Warm Fire burn area still as attractive to deer as it was 1-3 years after the burn? Is there a particular habitat type that is better for deer than others (P/J down low, Ponderosa/Oaks a bit higher, Ponderosa/Aspen even higher, Spruce/Fir near the top)? Do bachelor groups of bucks prefer the ridges or the canyons to feed? Do bucks prefer ridges or canyons to bed? The reason why I ask so many questions is that the area is so huge, there are just so many options for places to go and how to hunt. I normally go with a buddy of mine, but unfortunately he was not drawn this year. I will be making a solo trip up there. As much as I would love to be up there for opening weekend, I won't be able to get up there until the second weekend. I have about 9 days to get it done before I have to head back home. If anyone is interested in sharing a camp up there I'm game. So sound off, post your pics, and let's hear it from those that are going this year, or have anything they want to share to get me even more jacked up! Thanks and good luck! Nick

Back from the Kaibab. I hunted for seven days. I saw more deer and more bucks than I have in two previous trips combined, but still no buck. I didn't have any shot opportunities. I saw the biggest mule deer I've ever seen in my life, problem is he was just a couple hundred yards past the Chevron at Jacob's Lake right off the side of the road. What a crazy sight. I also saw a buck on a tank that was just laying there as we drove by. Stopped to check him out and saw that he was hit. We knew there were some guys hunting near us that had hit a buck the night before, so I stayed and watched the buck and my neighbor went to get the hunter who hit the buck the night before. I kept an eye on the deer and waved them in when they returned, but unfortunately the deer moved again and the guy couldn't get another shot. Kinda funny cause at first I was thinking it was a Game and Fish Decoy or something! I saw plenty of deer but they mostly saw me first and I couldn't get close enough for a good shot. I got close to a group of 4 or 5 decent bucks one morning, but they busted me in the thick aspen regrowth. They were within 40 or 50 yards, but got out of there too fast for a good shot. I also sat water for like 5 nights and had does come in and drink on two of those nights but no bucks came in while I was there. Oh well, I learned a ton and will be back next year again for sure if the draw does me right.

Great buck...really nice mass on the bases. Congratulations!

Hi Allen, No report yet. I'm headed out bright and early tomorrow AM. I'll be up there till the following weekend. I may post a report if I get a signal somewhere up there.

Awesome buck! Congratulations!

That's an awesome mule deer right there! One heck of an archery trophy! Congratulations!

Way to go! Any animal with a bow and arrow is a trophy! I killed my first with a gun, but I'm putting in for archery only from here on out. Sounds to me like killing a pronghorn with a bow is no walk in the park here in AZ. Congratulations on your buck!

Vortex Kaibabs

Wow!

Very low elk numbers up there and the buffs are tough to come by but if you have some inside info they are there to be had. I thought about the buff tag for about 5 seconds then reconsidered since Ive never seen one up there and won't have any help if I got one. Good luck if you give it a whirl!

Absolute giant! Thanks for sharing! Amazing how he towers over that other bull!

Now that's what I'm talking about! More than fine for this guy! Thanks Roy!

Thanks Allen! I'm really starting to love that place myself. I appreciate your passion for the Kaibab and deer in general. Thanks again for the input.

Man you guys are bumming me out! I was hoping to have this thread fire me up! I guess maybe I asked for it mentioning quality of the hunt. I hope to keep this thread focused on having some fun. I would be happy to start another thread about Kaibab management if you guys want to pick the Department and the FS apart. Hey Roy, I would guess that most guys see very few true 180 class bucks in their lives, nevermind 3 in one trip. I certainly have a much lower level of expectations. I am encouraged by you mentioning that there are plenty of smaller bucks around. Did you happen to draw a tag as well? Following the advice you gave me a few years ago, I plan on keeping a keen eye out for the lupine and buckbrush on the more secluded ridges to find the forage the deer like and go from there looking for bucks. Sound about right? BTW, nice collection of pics in the thread near the top! You are the jedi master of the Kaibab archery deer IMO! Thanks for your input. More than anything I will be happy to get out of Yuma and into the cooler country to chase some deer around! Keep the good stuff coming guys!

I chose Unit 1 in the poll. It is my dream elk hunt and my first choice but by far I've done most of my elk hunting in 6B. Lots of fond memories from that unit.

Straight up the front leg about a third of the way up the body is the best place to aim. Too many guys aim too far back. Keeping your aim low probably helps when they jump the string as well. Dont worry too much about the shoulder blade. Most set ups have plenty of energy to get it in the good stuff even if you hit the bone. Too high happens a lot. Don't fret too much on a lost deer. Nothing goes to waste in nature. As long as you gave it your best and learned from your mistakes, you have nothing to feel bad about. It happens to everybody who hunts with bow long enough. Good luck this season!

I like the Magnus Snuffer SS and Stinger 125 grain heads. Very durable heads that are guaranteed for life. Free replacement if you mess them up too bad. That's a deal I can't refuse!

Hey Bowsniper, Did you guys go to the Kofa quail camp in January? I believe we met and chatted a bit there. Either way Congratulations to KidBowHunter! That is so cool! I just found out today that a friend since jr high got a sheep tag in 41E. Looks like I get to help this year, which is nice cause I think I still got the fever!

I got checked last fall in 13A pronghorn hunting. Ran into the wm supervisor on opening day and stopped to chat with him. He checked my license and tag and we parted ways. Two days later while driving back out to one of the main roads with my buck I just killed, he was there waiting for me at the junction. He checked my license and tag again, took some data, gave his congrats and I was on my way. Very professional IMO. I do think he was watching me the day I killed my buck to be right there as I was leaving the area. Kinda suprised to see him then and there, but I was with a guy that wasn't hunting so maybe he was just making sure I tagged my buck and there was no funny business. I've been checked by the feds dove hunting in Yuma and I'll deal with the AZ guys anyday over the feds. That guy wanted to write one of us a ticket in the worst way. He dressed up like a hunter went out in the field near us and waited till we were about done then came and checked our group. I kinda wondered why he wasn't shooting much. Only checked fishing once on the canal near Yuma again.

Any way you look at it I am one of the luckiest SOB's in AZ. Good news for you is I only have 3 sheep points and I'm now applying for Rocky. Good news for me is I killed a desert ram last year with 8 Points going into the draw. Bad news for you and me is there is no guaranteed draw for sheep based on bonus points. There are just too many applicants with max points and not enough tags to go around. I still am encouraged that while remote, it is still possible to draw sheep tags as a resident with little or no points.