GRONG

You're killing me!!!!!! That is unreal, I'm so jealous and so happy for you guys at the same time. How 'bout some pics of those other bucks you guys have killed. Congratulations, Josh Epperson

Bob, your name is very familiar for some reason. Maybe someday I'll think of why. If you ever pull a tag up there I hope you get ahold of me. We saw some hogs this year during bear season and they were ruttin it up bigtime. I remember! Your name was on the back of a business card I got from a guy in Pine. His name slips me right now but he deals in antler like I do, or rather he makes stuff from antlers. Call me anytime you'd like. My email is antlerboy132@msn.com TSM, I like to stick to the thick stuff on the edge of rims of big canyons. I'm finding that a lot of bucks seem to hang out on tops of ridges or rims of canyons where they can't be glassed and hunted very effectively with traditional methods. I saw a rubline in 6A this past Dec that had to be close to 300 yards long with a monster scrape at the end of it under a big cedar tree all along the rim of a huge canyon. I've never been back to check it, I'm a loser. I've spent a fair amount of time in 21 and 22 this January cause their open for archery but I'd love to be spending some time in 6A. Oh well, maybe someday. I can only go so many places you know, I try not to spread myself too terribly thin. For the first roll of film I got back in early Jan I had the timer set at one pic every 30 seconds. I didn't see the same bigger bucks again but two smaller bucks 3 different times each. Not sure if the bigger ones wised up to the camera or what so when I reset the timer I set if for one every minute to see what happens. I didn't get many pictures during the week and a half but I've got 2 rolls to get developed manana so we'll see what's on there. Get that camera out there!!!! My camera spent most of the year in my truck cause I was too indecisive as to where to put it. What an idiot! After I got that first roll of film back I immediatly went and bought another one and now I've got two of them going. Josh

CB1, Ya I'm a lucky guy to be spending all this time out there. No I haven't seen any elk up there at all. I've seen some old sign but no sightings. I did find an old elk shed there on Saturday but all 6pts were chewed off. The week before I glassed up two elk sheds and when I got over to them they were chewed to pieces so I left them right in the open where someone else can see them. I've seen some good elk in that unit in the past but not where I've been hunting. BH, what does that stand for? Josh

Ernesto, the sheds I found were about a mile away and a lot smaller than the 2pt I saw. Definitly not the same deer. I did see this deer about 3 years ago when I had an elk tag there though. He was about 1/2 mile away going to water and was a big 2x3, I had him at about 30 yards but didn't shoot. It's got to be the same deer. I hope to have some pics of him soon! Josh

I had a pretty crazy day yesterday. I got set up in a little pocket that reeked of Coues. I mean it just looked like a place there aught to be some deer action. I placed my scent on some tree branches about 25 yards out and kicked back under a couple trees while I rattled, grunted and bleated over a period of around 45 minutes. I didn't really go prepared for the cold morning that it was so I got the shivers really bad and needed to get up. I walked past where I'd placed my scents and there about 30 yards away was a huge scrape that I hadn't seen. This thing was getting some serious use over the past month or so so I decided this would be the spot for my trial camera. As I was hugging the tree trying to get the thing up I looked up and saw a button buck coming right at me at 30 yards. I was totally stuck and didn't move. He crossed the scents and started looking around. His mom came in behind him and I think the little fella finally figured out that I was there and walked back up the hill. Well I got back to putting up the camera and I heard something up the hill to my right.....here came 3 more doe and there I was hugging that dang tree again. I waved my arm and they saw me and drifted up hill from me. I heard something again uphill and left of me and here came that button buck and doe again. This time I knelt down hiding behind the tree. As I watched them I heard a limb snap to my left. I watched through the trees and at about 40 yards I could see parts of a deer. I stared and stared untill finally he came out. He was a super huge 2pt buck probably around 85-90"!!! My bow was behind me about 15' and I made a dash for it when he topped over a little rise about 10 yards from where I had been sitting 15 minutes before! I bleated and then grunted for the next 15 minutes but he never came back. He had a real wide spread and really orange looking antlers, great mass, eyeguards and G2's. I'm sure this is the buck that is making that scrape so I hope to have some pics of him by next week. I'll let you guys and gals know if I do. I found another scrape about a mile away that is getting trashed also. As I walked to it, after spotting it, I walked right up on a nice 3pt shed. I looked to my right and there was the match about 5 yards away. I was pumped. The sheds are from last spring's drop and are a decent 2x3 set about 75" or so. They were about 15 yards from the scrape so I wonder if it's him. I placed a 2nd trail cam over this scrape too so we'll see. Talk at you guys later, Josh Epperson

Sorry I haven't to you guys yet, pics are on the way. I need to get them posted on this site. Treestandman, what's your email? Josh

Well that's hunting Mike. I just got back from 33 where I was guiding a pig hunt. Man those whiteys down there were rutting it up for sure. I forgot to mention that I got my trail camera film back and holy crap!!!!!! In 6 days over the same scrape 10 doe came in and 9 different bucks!!!! I was amazed at the pictures. The biggest was a 80ish 2pt and a hasbeen 80+ 3pt. His antlers were wrecked, he looks way torqued in the pic. I put the camera up on a different scrape to see what happens there. I think I'm starting to learn quite a bit just by on roll of film. I think that most all deer check scrapes, bucks and does. I've seen dozens of scrapes so far this month and only a few of them I'd consider to be regularly used communal scrapes if you know what I'm saying. I mean I've found scrapes that get forgotten about, I find scrapes that are used only every now and then I find these scrapes that look like they're used every day. Definitly starting to learn to read sign better too. I read a huge article on rubs in the latest N AM Whitetail magazine, very interesting. If you want to see my photos just send me an email and I'll send them to you Mike, Ernesto, anyone. Josh

180" muley?!?!? Now that'd be a tough one for me to pass up if I knew where he was watering every day. Sheesh! Josh

That's awesome, can't wait to see the pics. Congratulations!!!! Josh

A couple years ago I was guiding 3 bowhunters in 36C and after a couple days of frustrating stalks they all decided to sit water holes. Within 2 days all three had killed deer amazingly! One was a nice 4x4 muley and the other 2 were Coues does. On that 4th day I was sitting a nearby waterhole just to see what would come in. I had one Coues doe and fawn come in as well as a small 2pt buck. I'd have no problem sitting water this time of year, especially as warm as it's been the past 2 days. Josh

MoreD, When I get my pics developed I'll try and get it posted. I'm off tomorrow to get my trail cam back and then then next day to hike in and put it up by the huge scrape and rub. Maybe even stick an arrow in him????? Good luck Mike, I'll be thinking of you as I'm guiding pig hunters this wknd. Josh

Went back out there again this morning and I couldn't get any farther than I did yesterday afternoon. I made some big loops and couldn't come up with anything. I hope the little fella makes it. I'll go back out there in a few days and look for crows just in case. Ernesto and AZ Guide, he ran through the pines and down into a drainage then up the side of a fairly steep slope. He then made the loop I mentioned and bedded. After he bedded he ran sidehill for a couple hundred yards untill I lost the trail. Yesterday afternoon I looked for the arrow and couldn't find it but I'm pretty sure I walked past it since I was mostly looking for blood in the pine needles. I never did see any sign of him staggering or tripping so after all I'm bummed but I think that he might have made it. Only time and the crows will tell I guess. I had a hard time finding the last couple hundred yards of tracks and blood and I was following my boot prints, which were also very hard to see. After I was done looking I started to check a couple new areas a little farther out from where I've been going. YOU TALK ABOUT SCRAPES!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe the sign I found. I wish I had 10 trail cameras I'd put them all over the woods. I found a huge scrape with his licking branch about 5' high, he'd have to stand on his hind legs to get up at that thing. There were 2 rubs within yards of it too and one of them was flippin huge! I mean he'd have to have a tall body or some really tall horns to do the damage he did to this tree. The tree wasn't bendable either so I know he's got to be pretty decent. I set up there and rattled and grunted for nearly 2 hours and had no action. Oh well. I did drag a tarsal gland off of a Dec deer through his scrape to torque him a little. I'll check it in a couple days and see if he did anything to it. I've got to go get my trail camera off of another scrape and put it on this one. The area I'm in there is no possible way to glass it from any direction, it's up in the pines and I think there are some deer in there that are huge. Never saw a deer all day other than a 85" 3pt that jumped across the road in the dark this morning. I did find a matched 2pt set of carp sheds laying next to each other. Mike I hope you can get out soon, I'm whipped. Josh

I got set up for the second time this morning and it felt like a great spot. Scrapes all around the ridges above and to the sides of me. I rattled first then for the next 15 minutes or so I'd grunt a few times about every minute or two. I rattled again about 15-20 minutes since the first time. It was really windy today and the wind in the trees sorta drowned out every thing else. So this time I rattled aggressively and loud. Within about 3-5 minutes at 10:25 I saw a buck coming through the pine trees. He kept checking the wind and licking his lips. I think he was smelling the Tinks 69 Doe in Estrus Pee that I had placed about 25 yards out in front of me on the wife's cotton swabs. He walked behind a bunch of deadfall and I rearranged myself to get ready for the shot. He kept on coming and came within 9 yards of me walking right to left. He's only a 70" 3pt so I tried to draw while he was in full view of me. Well about 1/3 of the way into my pull he busted me hard. I think I freaked him out cause he wasn't expecting some camo blob to be moving like that so close to him. He finally spun around and then stopped at 20 yards broadside. Even though he wasn't a super buck I was so pumped by the whole situation I drew with him looking right at me. Soon as the string hit my mouth I released. The arrow struck him behind the shoulder and a little high I'm afraid. He spun as the arrow was on it's way and I think it went into the upper part of his ribcage just below the spine. He high tailed out of there and I could see him about 150 yards out with the arrow barely hanging on. After a few minutes I went and checked to see what kind of blood trail there was. About the 2nd spot he landed there was blood. I followed it for about 30 yards and it looked pretty good. I went back to my pack and kicked back for about 45 minutes and resumed the trail. To make a long story short I followed the blood, according the the GPS, about a half mile in about and hour. I found a bed that had decent blood in it but not the foamy blood I wished for. I spent the next 3.5 hours tracking him on my hands and knees only to be led right back to the same bed. He had walked by the bedding spot and made a big loop up the hill and circled right back and bedded in the same spot he'd already walked by. I was all confused and finally figured it all out. Had I realized that the bed was on the end of the loop it would have saved me some valuable daylight. After he'd bedded he really clogged up and I could only find minimal blood. I did manage to trail him another 250-300 yards untill I lost him in the rocks and grass. I'm not sure what to feel. I have killed two Coues bucks with my bow before and the first one went 83 yards and the second went 35 yards so this blood trailing was a true test for me. But I think I did a great job for what sign was available. In all I trailed him for 5 1/2 hrs. It seemed that he lost a fair amount of blood in his 3/4 mile walk but the blood never really was that thick. Towards the last couple hundred yards the blood was real thin and more pink than red so I'm not real sure how hurt he really is. He went a long way but I'll try to get back on the trail in the morning and see what I can summize. HMMMMMMM. Josh

Well I went back out to the same spot yesterday and didn't have the action I had a week ago but that's hunting. I did set up in a little different area for a while and after about 45 minutes of sitting I had a buck come racing off the hill behind me chasing a doe and fawn. He was grunting WAY loud and a lot too. They were about 60-70 yards from me but I never could make out antlers cause the trees are so thick there. I tell you what though, my heart was POUNDING!! I found a lot of scrapes but only 2 of them were being used since the rain/snow last Saturday. So I put my trail camera on one of them so we'll see what happens with that. I hope to be going back up on Sat/Sun. Mike I've got a good feeling you're about to kill something! Did you see Brian Marshall's huge buck in the photo gallery yet? He rattled and grunted that buck in so I've got new hope once again. Josh

Mike, Holy crap that was an awesome story!! Like Ernesto said my heart was getting all pumped up too just reading that. You know, I can read all the eastern deer hunting tales and not really react all that much but reading Coues stories always always get me going!!!! I'm going to have to buy me one of those cans you mentioned and maybe a new grunt tube. That 3pt that I passed on a few days ago grunted as he went by and at 25-30 yards I could barely hear it and wasn't really sure it was him untill he did it 2 more times. It was really low toned and when he did it he was following that doe. A friend of mine told me that he was watching a spike across a drainage maybe 150 yards and he could hear that deer grunting real loud several times. I don't know what the circumstances were but maybe one of these days we'll all be able to get it figured out. Mike I'd sure stick with that spot. In the spot that I was in it'd be tough for a stand cause most of the trees died from that droubt last year in the area I was at so I'm kind of stuck out in the open. I'd like to bring some burlap camo and set it up but I'd be afraid of all the scent that it would bring too. Oh well. Man I can't wait to get back out there. Hopefully on Tues/Wed. Good luck guys Josh

Today I sat in a saddle where I've seen scrapes in the past. I don't have a stand set up so I just sat amongst a couple of oak trees and got out the grunt tube and antlers like the midwestern and easterners do to see if it'd work. I really don't have a clue what a Coues buck's grunt sounds like so I just improvised grunting about 3-4 times in a row and about 10 minutes apart. After I finished grunting I slammed the antlers together for about 1-2 minutes and then I just sat buck on my knees in the trees. I'd sat there long enough for the circulation to get cut off to my feet. I leaned forward to get the blood pumping and looked to my left and there was a spike buck coming nearly right at me. He had a spike on one side and a nub on the other and still my heart was about to pound out of my chest. He walked past me at 12 yards and finally caught wind of me and took off. I was hoping that my recently laundered clothes would keep me scent free but it wasn't happenin. I even had two film cannisters with cotton and Tinks 69 doe in heat scent and the tarsal glands off of a recently killed Dec deer, set out in the trees to cover my scent. Didn't work but oh well, talk about exciting!! About 10 minutes later I caught movement about 125 yards out and another buck was walking by. No matter how much I grunted or rattled the antlers he didn't even look over. I gave up after about an hour of my feet falling asleep and took a walk. About 2 hours later I walked up on the buck that walked by me and his doe at about 30 yards. She busted out and stopped about 40 yards away and looked around. I didn't move just letting my camo do the job. The buck finally decided he better catch up and walked by at around 25-30 yards, too quick to take a shot. After several minutes of standing in the trees he finally came out at around 35-40 yards and when he hit the opening I whistled, stopped perfectly broadside and I was already at full draw. I'd like to tell you that I let her rip but I just couldn't get myself to release my arrow at that 50" 3x3 on the first day of the year. What a blast! Can't wait to get out there again next week. I did end up seeing several scrapes but most all of them hadn't been used in several days. I'll check it out next week. Josh Epperson

Finally got to go out back with the dog last night. I haven't been trying anything with him for at least a week now since I've been hunting deer lately. Took him in the back yard and make him sit and stay. I'd walk out in the grass and drop it randomly in the grass and keep walking around. I'd then walk over to him and say findabone and he'd tear out into the grass. The yard was only lit with a weak light so it made it a little tough on him. He not only found the antler everytime (by sight) but he'd bring it back to me. I nearly had a coronary each time I was so excited. Thinking of visions of the multiple Coues sheds he'd one day bring out of the woods for me. I tried again when I got him this afternoon and he could've cared less about the antler in the grass. I think the daylight lets him get distracted easy, he's always wanting to go sniff some bush for someplace to do his business. Oh well. I gave up the dog treats cause I was suffering from a severe case of the dogfarts and I couldn't handle it anymore. One of these days......... Josh

Ya, you'll probably beat me there Travis. He's starting to fetch the antler already but gets bored with it real quick. I'll just keep being patient I guess. Thanks for all the good suggestions Bruce. Josh

Alrighty then, thanks Amanda and Standman. Josh

What is a good site that hosts pictures so I can do this? Josh

All this dog shed hunting talk is really getting me going. I went out today and bought some dog treats to try and do a little training. My lab did OK but I've never tought him to fetch cause I just can't stand soggy tennis balls and dogs that always have to have you throw something for them. He'll sit and stay real good but getting him to fetch the antler is gonna take a while I think. I sacrificed half of a small set of fresh Coues antlers so maybe he'll pick up the scent in the process. I'm gonna try and play/teach him as much as I can in the next several weeks. I almost teared up seeing him bringing that shed to me this eve. He just wouldn't do it everytime I'll keep you posted on his progress and hopefully my dog will pick it up faster than Travis' will. Josh

The wilderness you are talking about is the Mazatzals. Good place to hunt and boy is that place rocky. Be in good shape if you plan on hunting it. There must be a 1000 good places to hunt since that unit is so darn big. Roosevelt, East Verde River, Mazatzals, Christopher Ck, North Pk, just a few areas that are well known for Coues. If you are a big hiker you're going to love it. If weather permits I'd hike into the wilderness way more than 3 miles and try and find a biggin. If you find any sheds, leave them, GPS them and email the coordinates to me please as all sheds in northern AZ are mine, southern AZ too for that matter. Just messing, good luck in 22. Josh Epperson

Falls, your friend's name is Jed? Sounds like a deep south thing to me. You make me nervous.

Pollo, I live in this unit and you can find whitetails in any major canyon south of I-17 all the way south to Fossil Creek (unit 22). Most all dirt roads in 6A severely suck, so if you have a quad I'd put it to use. Get to any rim of any canyon and glass the south facing slopes. There are quite a bit of Coues deer up in the pines up off of the higher part of Hwy 260 but they're TOUGH to hunt up there. Be prepared to be sitting by other hunters come opening weekend. There may has well be picnic tables and porta jons on most rims in 6A cause there are so many hunters. Scout your tail off to find a somewhat overlooked spot, could pay off with a nice buck. I saw 3 nice Coues bucks sparring 4 days ago in a spot I'd never think to look for Coues deer and I've lived here my whole life. Good luck Josh Epperson

HOLY CRAP GreyGhost, I've never heard of finding that many sheds in the same place!!!!!!!!!! I would have been in heaven. Take any pics? Send or post some pics of that hog 120"er if you can. SHEESH! Was out in 6a scouting for the upcoming muzz bull hunt and found a nice 6pt elk shed, a spike elk shed and two 3pt muley sheds. You've got me cranked to go find some Coues sheds. Josh PS dang!!!!!!!