bojangles

i've commented on this topic before in other threads. i found a muley last year in a desert unit, with a trillion tags that i would shoot on opening day of a strip hunt if it took me 25 years to draw the tag. he's incredible, probably the biggest 4x4 i've ever seen. i don't know if somebody's killed him last year or not. i watched him all morning on my bro's whitetail hunt. i went after him in january, and another hunter i met had a pic of him on his phone that he took at 120 yards, the previous year, when he looked to be 180 ish, but this year he looked to me to be 200 and no trash either. but a whitetail tempted me and my arrow found his heart. so, i'm buying bonus point number 8. i can't pull the string on a deer till next january, and while i have no regrets on the whitetail, it's a tough wait, knowing he could still be out there, and there's 3 seasons of deer hunting he has to survive between now and january, and i don't think he'll make it based on where i found him. so, do i keep waiting for the strip tag, or, hunt a more familiar unit. every year i kill a deer with my bow, the decision is easy.

how are you at handling regret?

I wasn't going to say anything hoping I'd be out there by myself but it looks like the cat is out of the bag.lol. Good luck to all.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156931785995290&set=pcb.10156931786060290&type=3&theater a friend of mine came across this today while on a bike ride near flagstaff.

thanks for the replies. the blocks and zipties had me suspicious.

indianapolis. that's a fine midwestern deer killer right there.

so...what part of Indy are you from?

you look familiar. i think i met you hunting a few miles south of payson 2 januarys ago. we were both looking at the same mule deer, your buddy and i were both stalking that buck. good to see you on here. i also live in star valley. good luck with the rental.

yes, they make you buy to maps to get unit 22, and they don't split it at the border of 22n and 22s. so, you have to get 2 maps to get 22s. it's called a "racket".

i'm not even sure what back country is, technically, but the word seems to be tossed around a lot by the who's who of richy rich hunting kids. look, i'm not gonna buy some $350 pants, but i would like to get in there to some solitude some day. not sure when my life is gonna calm down to that point, but hopefully i can pull it off some time soon, like maybe a couple of days this fall. is it all that and a jelly samwich? i've been looking lustfully at some maps and some places on google earth, wondering if there's any critters out there, or just tumble weeds and rattle snakes.

I hadn't thought about the impact the archery hunt would have on these areas. i'd say there's a bunch of land in 22 that never sees a soul all year long, much less a bowhunter. i don't see any of us dragging our bows over the mazatzals. there's a big stretch of land there, and other places as well. us bowmen are in treestands in the high country, or sitting tanks in the desert near our trucks.

bummer. i'll have 8 this year.

22s

plus 1 nap thunderheads sure have killed a lot of animals, and their cheap, and tough, and....everything else you need them to be. i'm hooked on expandables right now, but...just find something that flies good and looks tough and is sharp, and you'll be in business.

here's a dilemma, i got this late archery elk tag.... i don't know if i should get way back in there and hunt, or if i should just try to find something that i can shoot near the road, so it's easy to get out. i'd hate to hike in for 3 days and come home empty handed, i'm one of those i gotta fill my tag kind of guys. while i really like the hunt, i go into mild depression after a big bowl of tag soup.

it was a tough call for me. i wished i could shoot all the arrows out there for a year just to see what i liked. i wound up with the easton hexx. 7.9 gpi, and .001. i just shot the first dozen this morning. they flew crazy good with field tips, as i was expecting. there will be no shooting at the same spot with these arrows. i know it's a little light for some guys, but i'm pulling 70 pounds, soooo.... wish me luck.

i'd love a place at the strong hold.

thanks for the great replies, keep 'em coming. i'd really like to get out there and hunt the old fashioned way, i think the biggest hold up right now is work, kids, etc. it keeps me from really planning a big hunt, seems i can't let myself get away. i think if i could ever push past that, i could really get out there.

i think i'd like to give it a whirl anyways. i'm not into trends, and think with big brands pushing "back country" lingo around, it's gonna get popularized, and possibly not be what it is in the near future. but i know, they gotta sell their $350 pants and $600 packs, so some certain wanderlust must be prostituted out so we'll all train to hunt and drink mountain ops and whatnot. but i'm looking for solitude and challenge, probably not the real thing, but maybe just a taste of what i think it might be. reading my grandpa's memoirs got me thinking about what a softy i've become. he punched cows in the old days by himself in the wilderness, sometimes a couple days ride from camp. i think i'd like to do something as tough as he was, even if just once. since hunting is my thing, it seems it might be my opportunity at hand. i'll chat more tomorrow, thanks for the lively conversation.

awesome. i got another buddy who drew that tag as well.

congrats! i drew the late archery. wish i had the muzzy tag. i love 22s.

wut? i don't take workout supplements. no matter what. just give me an elk roast and i think ill have the nutrition i need.

i refuse to pay money on special food to work out. maybe that's why i'm not famous. at this point, i'm strictly calisthenics and biking. last nite i rode as fast as i've ever ridden, today, i feel like i'm gonna die. i'm gettin old.

i'm trying to figure out why i need a portal account. why can't they just post the results?

well, you'll see a huge improvement over that old thing. I'd start with shooting PSE's and Missions, I just bought a PSE premonition HD, (pro series, not available at bass pro) an incredibly high kinetic energy and fast bow for the money. It's funny how a lot of bows look just like it for $4-500 more. The mathews halon looks and specs just like it, but costs a solid $400 more. There's a lot of bow companies that have been trying to keep up with Arizona bows here lately. It's a tough task. Missions are great bows for the money also. Not all the bells and whistles but they are shooters for the money. there's hoyt, prime, obsession, athens, bowtech...the list goes on. they all gonna kill deer. develop a budget and go from there. i'd set aside for a good sight, decent arrows and broadheads, as if not more important than the bow itself.