idgaf

I'm trying for rio's or gould's i am not prejudice. Bob I will make you a deal you tell me where your honey holes are, when I draw a tag, and I will let you know how the hunting is. Just think of the peace of mind you will have knowing that your sweet spots are still sweet.

let me preface what I am about to say with I am a well accomplished hunter, however, when it comes to turkeys I know kids that are better than me. I am the worlds worst turkey hunter, please let me know where it is easy and I want to hunt there. I have taken four turkeys all in the archery season all hens, all luck. I think I will have 15 points for the next spring draw and want to take all of Arizona's species including sub species that is the main reason I keep trying to hunt Gould and have not stopped hunting turkeys all together.

I have had a few things the last few months seriously alter my fall and winter hunting plans. Everything from Job loss to my fathers recurrence of cancer to my bow snapping a limb as I am pulling back on a cow elk the week before Christmas. The job loss was a good thing I was unemployed for what amounted to the time it took to have lunch and i went from a sniveling reactive company to a company that is proactive with a good team and leadership. The only drawback is I have minimal time off. My fathers cancer i am hoping was caught in time but if it wasn't we will spend the quality time that we missed over the last four decades. Me and my brother altered our 5 day back pack plans from Mexico to the end of the Babaquiveries to day trip flats hunting. The last item was icing on the cake. My bow broke at my favorite time of year causing me not to hunt deer in December and finishing my elk hunt with a thud. I posted a topic in the bow section about which shop to take it to to get it fixed. I had several quality answers and went against the SUPER majority by not taking it to Ross Outdoors (I am sure they would have done a great job) and took it to the new local shop, Desert Country Archery. They replaced my limbs at no charge, informed me that my string was on the verge of breaking and then replaced the bad string with one of my old ones and tuned it until the end of January when my girl will go back into surgery and get a new string. I was very impressed with the gentleman's passion for what does and I will be back. My girl before going into the ER. I knew it would take a bit to get the limbs from the Midwest with the holiday timing. So I knew I was going to miss some hunting time. It was easier for me to quit smoking cold turkey than it was to be inside the house with fresh snow on the ground and the start of the new year. I finally got out the second weekend and headed down to Tucson to see my Dad and hunt with my Brother. I saw one Javelina fifteen minutes into the hunt and then nothing larger than a rabbit for the next day and half. My brother and our cousin on the other hand saw several bucks and one that was giant(so they say). We had chased a buck from 2006 to 2009 down there that we named Mondo and this buck had all of his characteristics according to my brother. The name Divo stuck for this buck. I was immediately made reservations to be down the following weekend. I take a modified day off on Friday and head down the hill. I get to Oracle about day break and see a very good buck get hit by a car.I thought wow, you do not see that everyday. I get to the edge of the unit with an S10 blazer in front of me and then see an even larger buck get hit squarely and die immediately. I think to myself is this a good omen or bad. Once again I do not see another animal larger than a rabbit. The next day I was expecting my luck to change and it did immediately. From the time I put gas to dinner that was great. i had a few gas rewards. We get to our hunting grounds and start working the flats. I am twenty minutes into my walk thinking what happen to my mojo, its lost. Is my brother telling the truth or exaggerating on the size of the deer. Then I see what I thought was Javelina escaping. I head that way and look to my left and see my first deer not hit by a car in the unit. I see antlers and my internal barometer is saying shooter. Sneaking through the mesquites and palo verdes was easy and I closed the distance in moments. Just then I lose sight of him and think he went the other way, I move up slowly and he shows himself for the second time within range and broadside. I assumed first pin I was wrong., way wrong. I was so wrong the deer went around a small mesquite and then faced me to see what the rukus was. I grabbed another arrow settled in moved two pins down and released. The buck takes off crashing through bush. I walk to where the deer was and see blood immediately. I text my brother "I shot Him" he does not respond. I wait a few minutes and then I see him and he says "there's twenty pigs over there" which I respond "F%@! the pigs!" get over here. (Any law enforcement reading this I was referring to Javelina please do not pull me over) . We start trailing and see this within a few yards. I am a slow tracker very meticulous to every detail when blood trailing, my brother on the hand goes very fast. He is ahead of me and the blood gets even better and then I hear "there he is" We see this and start our happy dances. This is my first buck since 2012 (I thought I was a trophy hunter for a couple of years) Glamour shot Spirit fingers A little more realistic view This is not the largest buck I have taken but he is the oldest and the coolest. He has his front teeth and wisdom teeth and nothing else. Oh by the way this is not Divo he still lives and is much larger.

fixed You haven't lived until you have binged on Naughty Ice on the rez.

Good Luck to you guys, I will drop off a pic to the "brag board" later this week. I am almost hoping I do not get drawn, I want to hunt elk in July and try to get an otc bull in velvet. Here are a couple of bucks I passed up when I thought I was a trophy hunter (I'm dumb) 15 - 18 yards 36 yards

I spent a lot of time on WMAT reservation talking to tribal elders and they would say something like "walk to that tree over there and tell me what you have learned." It sounds to me like you are starting the journey of becoming a better hunter.

I see your point, but at least run a play action and try to trick the defense. They didn't even do that. For the record, I'm glad Seattle lost. I would hate to see a division rival win it all on our home field. I agree with you that play action would have worked all day long in that situation. I am willing to bet by the way the corner jumped the route that they have called that play several times before in that situation. Doomed by their previous success. I am unbiased on this one I hate both teams. I do hate New England less though.

I can see the strategy with the play call. throw if its incomplete run with lynch on third down use last time out and run again on fourth. I do not think the play call was that bad, just an outstanding play from the corner.

Take it to the next level, don't tell until after you get drawn.

Down south I have seen all kinds of BP agents and flying machines they use to protect our borders. From Cobra helicopters to unmanned drones, honestly, the UDA corridors have not been this unused in twenty years or so. IMO. I have also seen hundreds maybe thousands of illegals from the few that I wanted to help and hoped they got across to the most evil ones around. With that being said, I saw something a couple of weeks ago that got my curiosity way up. A four engine recon plane flying circles in an area. I know Cesna's and helicopters buzz the area and me whenever I am down there with great results, but this new tool must be killing their budget and have a reason more than catching the typical illegals looking for work or dropping a few dozen pounds of illegal substance. What do you think they are really after or did they have there budget increased to the point to afford the luxuries.

I did not know Urban Meyer hunted deer in Arizona. Congrats on the deer.

I was not going to respond anymore with some of the posters I would have to reduce syllable usage. However, a few points on contention. I believe Halo stands for "high altitude low opening" these guys were buzzing treetops. reference my brother was a recon marine in the late 90's and he would tell me of some his exploits. Secondly, we were to close to the border it wouldn't be donuts it would be Conchas. I do not think fear was ever mentioned as a matter of fact I believed I mentioned that this area is the safest it has been in twenty years. Immigration right now is in lull for the area. Border Patrol is doing a GREAT job. Also, if anyone does not question cost issues obviously still lives at home with their parents or has never had to answer to a boss/wife on return on investment or has a government job that has an unlimited budget and spending way to much tax money. One of the gentlemen on the site set me straight on what the plane was.

wow great buck

The military planes in general stay to the east of where this was. It was fixated on a spot or an area that is a pick up spot for illegals. It lapped the area three times that I noticed. With each pass it lowered in elevation. In thirty five years of going to this area I have (my family owns property there) yet to see this or a military aircraft do maneuvers in this part of the unit.

In 2007 or 08 when the Utah National Guard was deployed on our border. BP had use of their Cobra Helicopters. I am not making the point of my speculation to some of you. Which is what are they really looking for? I have been playing in the same piece of desert since 1982 when my dad and uncle gave me a 22 and said go shoot a rabbit. This is the first time I have seen a plane like this flying like that over this piece of land, hence the speculation.

I hunted one mule deer buck from Dec 2006 to January 2010 or so. I hunted from December to the end of January and either the first or second rifle season in October or November. I can not comment on all deer but this one in the desert flats would not leave a two mile area. He had his favorite locations depending on time of year but in general he would stay in that two square mile area. I could find him or evidence of him in those areas anytime of year.

They had use of Cobra helicopters in the past. My cousin lives on the Buenos Aires Refuge and when he was robbed, they were deployed, when immigration was at its peak (that was interesting after they caught the guys that robbed him). The area that used for manuevers is off of Arivaca RD. This was no where near that. The plane was hot lapping a particular spot at the edge of Reservation, ranch, and private land. BP does not have to say anything, I think I mentioned in the title this is speculation. In six days of hunting 20 or so miles walked, I saw one set of illegal tracks when previously I would see dozens. Is a plane of that magnitude warranted for one border crosser, unless they are looking for something else. If I had a Ford Raptor, I would be driving it like I stole too, these days with my taxes so high the only way I would be driving a Raptor is if I stole it .

thanks Kidso, you answered a couple of questions I had for years. If I can pick your predator brain a little more. when do bears, ballpark speaking, become active after their winter slumber and when do they start responding to calling? I am thinking of doing a back pack hunt in 27 for the spring otc season and want to get the timing right.

Kidso, where do you set up to call? Drainages, hill sides, water holes, ETC.

This one was glassed. you can see a very long ways after a fire. It was my longest shot ever that I connected, 190 yards. I have hunted above timberline a couple of times several years ago on the peaks. i did not see much above timberline. I did see a great deal at timberline and the journey up. The aspen forest is very old on the north facing slope, with carvings in there trunks from the 20's and 30's. The uber hikers scoff at you and turn up their noses a bit when they see what you are doing. I would park at the ski resort and walk up, the north side did not have as many animals on the journey up.

I took this guy right after the fire in what was an aspen/douglas fir meadow mix above eight thousand feet. i have hunted both mt baldy and the peaks, I have always seen alot of deer in those places

I just put an edge on a skinner knife and lost my attention for one second. Lesson learned the hard way, again

the broadhead hit everything. Jugular, wind pipe, both lungs, aorta, liver and stomach. clover leaf entrance

Thanks for all the props. I have been very fortunate to have taken 3 pope and young caliber deer since 2010 and 1 very mature buck with a rifle in that time. One of these days I will buy some good beer a few steaks and have an official scorer come over for dinner. I was asked on my hunting style today and it's simple use your senses, hunt all day, move where and when you will not be seen or heard and have confidence to the end that it will work. My taxidermist told me today that this buck was eight or nine years old. I forgot to mention that the day ended at my 92 year old grandmothers house with her making Chile con carne, beans and rice for dinner. My favorite picture

saw a 160 class buck in 24a with five does Monday evening and two batches of does with no bucks.