Viper

OK, after reading the article, this doesn't match the description either. 15 miles west of Payson and south of E. Verde puts it about 6 miles into the wilderness, past Doll Baby Ranch, which apparently was Taylor Ranch. I love maps, especially old ones.

There is a House Place Spring below/east of North Peak, north of Boyd Mnt. There is an old mine road, off the main road 414, that heads west into the higher foothills. they are all scarred up with old mining activity. The 414 will be a mess for a while, with this weather. I just looked at the old map posted earlier. It shows House Mine at this location I mentioned.

Great bucks!

I bought this one from REI. Haven't used it yet. Gets good reviews regarding taste. https://www.rei.com/product/836469/nalgene-flask-12-fl-oz#

I've called them out of their bed with the popular javelina call (don't remember the name...J8 or something). They come in fast

I have the Alaknak 12x12 with all the options. It is a great tent. It is 11 years old and shows very little wear. A propane heater will keep it plenty warm down into the 20's. A wood stove will keep it toasty at 10 degrees. The vestibule adds a lot of extra room. I have a little experience in canvas tents. I can't handle the musty smell.

Very cool! That's a heck of a woman right there! My wife doesn't hunt...sometimes I wish she did. It would be fun to share the experience together.

Congrats!! That was a fun story.

I hunted that place several years ago, and had a similar experience...not as bad as yours though. I didn't know better because it was my first time hunting pheasant. The birds were in decent shape, but you had to kick at them to get them to fly. We wore irrigation boots do to the wet, muddy field. The YMCA club up near Prescott is WAY better. You are hunting natural desert and the birds are stocked ahead of time.

How do you cook it to make it "pull"?

Got mine

I have always had a pleasant experience, great conversation, and competitive prices at Healy. Great people.

I've thought of hunting them with a paintball gun, so I don't have to deal with a dead one LOL. I've always had them made into summer sausage...pretty good stuff.

I have AG IWB and OWB. They both work well and are comfortable. No break in like leather. At the time I bought mine, they were a lot less $ than their competitors. Also if you change guns you can just buy a new shell. For appendix carry, I prefer a single belt clip holster....I have a Blackhawk.

Big congrats to Neil. Thank you for your service! I have hunted a lot around Picket Post and would have loved to be involved with this. I was helping my buddy with his WT hunt and was not on CWT for several days. Big kudos to AES and CWT! Maybe G&F would put the story in Wildlife Veiws?

Nice buck for your first! Way to stick with it. I like the license plate.

Deer hunt success Monday, 12/12/16. This was the toughest adventure of all my hunts. 12 hours from the time I started after this buck until we got him out. Bill, Brian and I glassed him up early morning, one mile across a major canyon. I decided to go after him at 8:30. Bill and Brian kept an eye on him and watched him bed. It took 3 hours to get in position. Bill guided me to the best position on the opposite ridge so I could look back to find him. It took about 20 minutes to find him in his bed, across a canyon at 375 yrds. I focused on what I thought was an ear, until it moved...got him! My only shot, if he doesn't stand up, is through a small opening in the brush. After careful study with the binos, I determined which way he was laying. It took a while to set up. The shot had to be perfect. Sitting up, I rested my rifle on top of my upright pack and used my collapsible shooting sticks under the stock for a rear rest. He had his head resting low, so I blew the grunt call to stand him up. He just raised his head to look, then dropped his head again. I got ready again and blew the call. As he raised his head, I settled the crosshair below his nose and squeezed the trigger....boom...thwap! I got the scope back on him as quick as I could. No movement. I could make out a sliver of his grey back laying there. I phoned Bill..."did you see him bust out?"...."No". "I think he's dead right there!" After the shot, it took 1 hr. to get to him. Brian guided me to him. The bullet hit exactly where I aimed, centered through his lower neck. It took about 2 hours to cape and bone him out and load my pack. Holy CRAP it was heavy! I decided to go a different route, down to a major canyon bottom and up the other side to a trail that led back to where I started. The way I had come in included two brush-choked canyons with serious deadfall. No way I could carry a 80 lb. pack through that. It took 5 hours to pack him out up a long, steep ridge to the trail. It's dark now and Brian and Bill came down the trail to meet me. I made it within a couple hundred yards from the trail when Brian came down to take the load. I had crossed a total of 4 canyons, choked with tall brush and deadfall, and climbed out of the last canyon 500 vertical feet in 1/3 mile. I really had to dig deep and expend every ounce of energy and tenacity I had. I had no idea I was capable of carrying that kind of weight through that kind of country. I learned a little more about myself...and renewed my prayer life . Big thanks to Bill and Brian for sticking behind the binos for so many hours and putting me in position...then helping with the load the last 1/4 mile. The cool thing about this buck is the piebald pigment on his legs, chest, and belly. It should make a unique mount. Not too good with the selfie thing Notice the light colored hoof and piebald leg and chest 80 lb. pack! Backstrap goodness!

Nice! I like those high and tight bucks.

I have the Kuiu Superdown as well. I was skeptical about performance due to the "lack" of puffiness. But it performs very well in cold and wind. I cary it in my pack until glassing or riding my atv. It is a great piece of gear. There is a huge difference between quality 850 goose down and the cheaper 650 down that is usually mixed with feathers. The Badlands packaging/tags should specify wat it is, especially if its the good stuff.

...also watched a big muley chasing a doe and running off a smaller buck, down low, Monday evening.

North or South part of the unit? South...up high.

My buddy and I would be interested in attending just for pointers and learning...if some folks are willing to tudor. My gun is only capable of 600 yrds, but his new rig should be good to 1000 plus. We are just getting interested in longer range shooting.

Watched a nice buck chasing two does last Sunday, 12/11in unit 22. The buck I shot Monday, 12/12 was also chasing a doe. His neck was swolen.

I used the Kuiu Icon Pro 3200. It hauled the weight awsome. I didn't think I was capable of hauling that much weight, but a good pack makes a huge difference. I know it is designed to pull the pack bag away from the frame and put the meat there, but I didn't have time to fool with it, so I put the game bags of meat in a garbage bag, inside the pack bag. Still got some blood leakage, but not too bad. The two bags of deboned meat weighed 43 lbs. With the cape/head....probably 50 lbs of deer. Add my 25 lb normal pack weight and 8.5 lb rifle...thats over 80 lbs. The Kuiu pack made it possible.

Thanks Tony. Hows Danny? Haven't seen him in a long time.