nogalesjim

Thanks! I'm heading out in 25 minutes to hunt a private ranch in 34A. It should be interesting.

Last year I hunted 34A during the full moon. Indeed, you could almost read the newspaper at midnight. We hunted hard for three days, and never saw a single buck. This year I have the same hunt as you; I am hopeing for the best. The end of November will be no moon.

Last January I ran into a group of old ladies hiking on the road going into Guajolote flat in 35B. I had been archery deer hunting hard core for four brutal days. I could barley muster a "hello." Another thing interesting that happened that day; while approaching the last gate that leads to Harsha Road, the gate was held open for us by none other than Tim Wells from "Relentless Pursuit." I didn't recognize him right off. It wasn't untill I was watching his show that I remembered. Anyway, he never said who he was, he only said that he was heading in there to call for lions. I told him that I had seen them in there, which I have.

NICE BUCK! I'd have him mounted. What area did you get him in?

Nice buck. There seems to be some confusion about the alleged illegals though. That appears to be our local nature conservancy group that generally goes hiking out there every Tuesday. Yaaaah, that's the ticket; conservancy group!

I use an A-Bolt in Jack O'Connor's favorite caliber as well. It gets the job done just fine. But, I would prefer a pre 64 model 70 featherweight in the same caliber. Maybe with a 4x Kollmorgan Cub. What type of optic do you have on your A-Bolt?

This may be just a personal preference, but if I am buying a Winchester rifle, I want it to be in a Winchester caliber e.g. 270 Win., 300 Win Mag., 243 Win., and so on. If I am going to buy a 25-06 Rem., 280, 7-08 or 260 Rem. caliber, I would look to go with one of the perfectly fine Remington rifles. But, if you go with Ruger, Browning, Savage or Kimber, or if your caliber of choice ends in H&H, the world is your oyster. Call me strange

How do you access the canyon?

Anyone hunt 34A? If so, where?

Where in the Santa Rita's? North end, south end, east or west? Area names such as Josephine Canyon or Squaw Gulch? Success?

When I went to hunters saftey course in 1971 at age 10, and got my hunting license, my dad put us in for Kaibab. Of course, we didn't get drawn. But, having just gotten my hunting license, I wanted to hunt deer somewhere. As there were always leftover Coues permits down south, we went down there to be able to hunt, at least something. This pattern of events continued year after year. Eventually, I fell in love with the area; which is why in 1995 when I received an opportinty to move there, I jumped at the chance. I now live in area 34A, and occasionally have Coues deer in my back yard.

I beg to differ, I have taken several out of 34A. And by the way, is this a spelling or grammar test?

I didn't see much for whitetail in August in 36B. But we really got into the Mulies on the other side of the freeway in 34A. I got an arrow into one, but could not find it. The deer do seem to be moving around a bit now though. I snapped some pictures of one last week in 34A. I tried to download it just now but it is apparently too big, too many MB's. Anyone know how to deal with this?

I live in Rio Rico about eight miles east of the burn. It made for a spectacular show at night and a great deal of smoke during the day. I haven't gone clear over to Bear Valley Ranch, but I archery hunted the eastern area of the burn in August. We got a lot of rain during the summer, and except for the faint smell, you almost can't even tell that there was a burn.

That's great, you got the early hunt. The thing with the eary hunt is that it will be hot and very dry. So, the tactic is to find water sources, and hunt around them. This hunt is usually a bit crowded. The farther in that you go, the better your chances of success. I have had the best luck in the southern part of the Atacosa's. Around Ruby is pretty good as well.

Last August while archery deer hunting in 34A, my buddy and I spotted a herd of mulies about fifty yards from my truck. I dropped him off and continued down the road about four hundred yards. I got out of the truck, grabbed my bow, and slowly sneaked through the mesquite. At first I heard the clambering of rocks and hooves. Then I saw nothing but scrambling legs under the trees. Then, they were on me! My buddy had pushed the whole herd of what seemed to be six bucks (in full velvet) replete with several does and fawns right on top of me. Now, we all practice with our bows to make those fifty to eighty yards shots, right? These deer were so close, and it was happening so fast, I couldn't get one in my peep sight. How do you shoot a deer from two feet away? I think it's time to blow the dust off my old Bear recurve.

Try scouting north of Ruby Rd in the Atacosa's. There are some monsters in there. As far as the fire is concerned, I bow hunted in that unit in August. You can't hardly tel that there was a fire at all.

I camped out in 36B over night alone myself on a deer hunt four years ago. I felt perfectly safe. Don't believe all the crap that you hear about the illegals. A lot of it is hype. Yes, they are out there. But, they don't usually mess with gringos carrying guns. But, if you want to avoid the inherent loneliness that is usually associated with such a venture, and depending on your budget, I would recommend the Esplendor Resort in Rio Rico. The rooms are very nice, but the food leaves something to be desired. Anyway, from the Resort, take the west frontage road north to Camino Ramanote, and head west until you hit national forest. Stay on that road until you come to the Atacosa Ranch pens. Now, look to the west at some of the best Coues Whitetail country on the planet! It's rough country, but that's why I have hunted Coues for forty years instead of Mulies.

Which hunt did you get, meaning which dates e.g. late Oct, early Nov or later?