naturegirl

Wow that is a nice buck! Sounds like some action packed pig hunting too. Thanks for sharing

Very nice buck

I think I should add that male G strings are not acceptable forms of clothing EVER and especially not out in the sticks. I'd have the crap scared out of me if I came across such a sight!

He's HOT! LOL What the heck is he doing? That is quite the surprise when checking a camera...LOL

Nice story and pictures! Cheap is GOOD!

Go to" forums" before you sign in and then sign in. You will skip word press

That is one heck of a deer! Great job!

When I was in Illinois, my cousin had made the best duck jerky ever! Very yummy

Love it!

If youve seen my pics, i get close with boots on. I do believe my smaller sized feet make less noise though. I notice noise (as long as you are being pretty quiet) doesn't affect them a lot until you are within 30ish yards, which is bow range. Also learn to call. If you spook a herd, calling may bring them back. That's how I took my archery pig.

I actually came back to add that point. Most shots on pigs are on an angle. An archery range finder with the angle compensator is important. Also look online for pictures on how to shoot at angles (like from a tree stand). It helps from ridge to ridge or up/down a steep hillside to know where to aim for the best vital shot. I've also taken targets and positioned them in various places on hills to practice in the past. It was very helpful.

I aim low for the heart and am 2 for 2 with pigs (one archery at 5 yards and rifle at 250 yards). Both heart shots and the pigs went nowhere.

I've got space but not exactly east mesa or tempe. South Gilbert.

I had planned this trip awhile ago and at the last minute decided I was bored with my old area and needed something new. I knew of a spot from years ago in a different unit so I set off for it. Me, Miss good with directions, couldn't even find the main turnoff so after an hour of looking I got frustrated and said "It's time to find a new spot." I turn on my phone and look for a road that goes the furthest into the mountains and that is where I went. I ended up finding my own little piece of Heaven and I was the only hunter for as far as the eyes could see. On day number one I found my first ever deer shed and a Coues nonetheless. I knew the snow was coming overnight and I couldn't wait. 2015 would be brought in with a picture only Mother Nature could create. The sun rose and with it I was bestowed with the beautiful desert we live in blanketed with snow. I eagerly got on my cold weather gear and waited for enough sun to start taking pictures. Hunting could wait. I was being given a gift and my eyes wanted to see it. After I had my fill, I start up the biggest mountain around and I was literally mesmerized with the beauty surrounding me, but the animals were nowhere around or so I thought. It's about 9 am and I'm creeping along the east side of a crest and I hear something so I freeze. I scan back behind me where I just passed and this gal is coming out of her bed. She comes out and shakes all the snow from her coat. I've learned over the years I am a pig magnet. I've quit buying a tag until I fill a deer tag. As luck would have it, the herd makes their way right to me. These pictures were taken with the javelinas less than 5 yards in front of me. I thought they were going to walk literally next to my leg, but they ended up just mingling around and then moved on. They were wonderful photo subjects and didn't mind my noisy shutter clicking away. As they were leaving, I look over on the next mountainside and say "Wait! That's deer!" Yes they are easier to see against the backdrop of white snow. I have no tripod and I'm trying to steady to see if they are bucks. I can't tell, but I can tell they are Coues! I get myself as steady as I can and yes!!! I see two tiny little eyeguards and that's all I need to get a plan going now! I check the wind, scan the ridges, and come up with a plan to get me from this mountainside to the next as quickly as possible. I've always wondered what I'd do if I saw something wayyyy over there on another mountain and now I know. I get my rear moving and quickly. I'm moving along the same hillside where I saw the pigs and here comes another herd of pigs out of their bed, but two of them decided they weren't ready so just stayed under the tree about 20 yards in front of me. Now this is twice today I've actually passed the animals before I know they are there so I know I'm doing my job being quiet I finally make it to the ridge I want to be on about an hour later and start working down the ridge to where I last saw the deer. I'm creeping and scanning everywhere with binos and without. I can't see deer anywhere, but I know they have to be here somewhere so I keep creeping. I must've said "Where'd they go?" in my head 100 times. I have a helicopter fly overhead about now so I move a little quicker with the noise it brought me. It passes and I slow back down. I've hit a rocky area and I need to go right or left. The wind says go right so I do. I hadn't moved two steps and I hear bounce, bounce, bounce back behind me to the right. It's a deer and it was very close! And again I was so quiet I passed it! I'm by a Saguaro and I know I didn't see the deer go anywhere, but I also can't find it anywhere. I know I would've seen it head up this way or down that way if it had exited. So I do not move a muscle. Finally I make out a white ring around it's nose through the Palo Verde between me and the deer (the deer is about 40 yards with the tree between us). The wait is on. I will be the first to admit I have never waited out a deer, but this time I will. Typically if I move an inch with a mule deer the game is over and I know these Coues are supposed to be more challenging. About 15 minutes into it my right foot is absolutely killing me. Most of my weight has been on that right heel so I think of Fear Factor and Survivor. If those people can do it, I can do this so I wait and I wait and I wait. After about 20 minutes the deer finally starts to move his head around, which enables me to get my range finder. With this, I can see through the tree and he is a 2x Coues. This totally works for me! I continued the wait and honestly I don't know how long it was, but my guess was a good 30 minutes, but I did it! I won the battle of the wits. The buck was feeding, but always checking back in my general area and I was lucky enough to have snow falling out of the trees to help distract him. Now he was between 60-70 yards away and it's a clear shot, but this is out of my range. I quickly think of any possible way I could take this shot and I just couldn't. I knew I would be plucking an arrow and coyotes are the only thing I seem to pluck arrows at - not a deer. I hoped he would come closer. Well, actually I believe I prayed he would come closer. I waited, but for whatever reason he just bounded up the mountainside and was gone. This trip took me to an area that holds both mule deer and Coues. I felt like I hit the lottery when it was a Coues buck and I'm thrilled I got so close to him. I couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in 2015. Well, of course, it would've been even better if that buck had my tag on him...lol

These guys are living right here by me splitting their time between the trees and a vacant parcel of land nearby. I'm on the far northwest side of the San Tans. Once I drew my pistol on one that dang near ran me over in my front yard, but I knew I couldn't shoot it in town unless I was in eminent danger so yes bows do work very well in this type of environment. I've got my 2015 lion tag. My neighbor with the trees trapped a bobcat last year that was eating her chickens. I have yet to see a lion in person much less have an opportunity in bow range, but I'm sure my adrenaline would be off the charts.

If you've been following for the last couple months, a pack of coyotes has taken up residence close to my house. They have been eating my neighbor's chickens and tormenting me and my neighbors. I spoke to all of my neighbors and received permission. I did not actively wish to hunt coyotes in my backyard, but when they make themselves so brazen, it really left me no choice. I started watching closely their patterns and noticing they move between 7-730 and again around 11-1130. I had been tracking them in the dirt to see their favorite routes and eventually found their beds in my neighbor's tree farm. My neighbor is an older woman who lost her husband of 50 years just a month ago. He had battled cancer for seven years and when he was well, the tree farm was kept immaculate, but as his health declined all the family efforts were put into his end of life and the tree farm could wait. The weeds grew, which brought good cover for the coyotes. I've had numerous opportunities on these coyotes, but urban hunting brings it's own unique set of challenges. I have yet to master the ability to shoot my bow straddling a block wall. I have attempted this twice and missed both times. I have to take the shots as they are presented to me on my own turf. I have lost my share of arrows on these yotes, but knew eventually I would connect. The last couple mornings I went out and walked the tree rows looking for them. This morning I opened my front door and but what is looking back at me? Yes a pesky coyote is right in front of me. I repeat the process I've done so many times. I grab my gear and run. I saw the direction the coyote headed and I head for the end of that tree row. At this time, I see another larger coyote at the other side of my neighbor's property, but I decide it's safer to stick with the one that is close to me. I creep past each row of trees and see the coyote tuck into the trees. I head to the other side of the row, but it never steps out so I backtrack and can't find it anywhere. I decide to cut up the last row I saw it in, which had my nerves on end because I knew the coyote was close....very close. I could feel it. I crept up the row until I reached the end and peek around the corner. No coyotes. I quietly move to the other side of the same row and peak to my right. Yes! The coyote just tucked into the trees again. This time I decide to wait where I'm at. I'm in a good spot right at the end and edge of a row. I sit and wait, but the wait wasn't long. Next thing I know the coyote is less than 10 yards in front of me. I drew back, aim where I know vitals are (through weeds), and release. I hear the thud I know is a hit and the coyote jumps, kicks, and runs. By the time I get the 10 yards past the trees I cannot see any sign of the coyote. I look on the ground for blood and see nothing. I find my arrow in a dirt berm and there is blood all over it. I look all over the ground and not even a spec of blood could be found. I've been through this a couple times before on hunts and I can feel my heart sink. How can I shoot a coyote at 10 yards and lose it? I can't even imagine how that would or even could happen. I'm a sure shot closeup. I search the row it ran down and no blood. I head around the next rows to see if it cut through the trees and still no blood. I go to the travel holes under the fence and no blood. I figure it's still in the trees somewhere...or at least that is my sincerest hope. I'm walking a dirt path and finally I see a large area of blood. YES YES YES YES! This is a good sign. So I try to follow the blood and it's gone again. I start heading the direction the splatters told me to and now I'm right next to my horses. Their behavior tells me they are on edge and something is bothering them. I start concentrating my efforts closer to my horses and it didn't take long to find this guy Edit My shot was 5 Yards My arrow hit its mark. I text my neighbor who quickly congratulated me. Mathew's Passion did the job This is a picture of where the coyote went down and that is my horse pen 10 yards away.

I can honestly say I have no regrets at all. I like 40 yards or less, but can hit 50 well. I've never shot 70 yards in my life. Pigs, pigs, pigs. I was out for a couple hours yesterday afternoon and but what did I find not once, but twice - PIGS!

I have a whole coyote here if anyone wants the pelt (if it's legal of course). Please correct me if I'm wrong. Story to come

I would've left a note with my name and number.

Thanks It sure was exciting I must admit. I think I'm hooked on coyote hunting and I have never even called one in...LOL I'll just continue being an opportunist and be ready. There is a reason I'm not with the coyote in a picture. It wasn't technically PJs, but a little too many different fashion statements going on all at one time....LOL. I totally agree that this was very good practice for hunting any animal. My heart was pumping and my hand was shaking so bad at one point I couldn't get my release on the loop. It all helps in the long run.

I didn't realize coyotes were considered so difficult to kill with a bow I also took my lab (trained bird dog) out to show me where the blood trail was. It was a blast listening to her nose go following the blood trail. She showed me how I missed the blood signs that were there for me. She did very good for never having done it before. Sure wish I could put her in my pack and take her with me...lol Again, my visual yardage estimate was off by 5 yards. that seems to be my MO. It wasn't a 10-yard shot, but rather a 5-yard shot.

Well, up until now I have managed to get out of the endeavor of changing a tire. Have I been taught by watching? Yes. Have I ever changed one on my own? No. So I'm out hunting for a couple days. After the first afternoon hunt I get to my truck and start it. Now with the new vehicles you don't have to be very smart to know you have a flat tire because it tells you when you turn it on. Lights are flashing and the dash says I have 14 lbs of air in my front left tire. Yep I'm out somewhere in the desert, but I have thankfully started a kit for such needs and have a small air compressor. I read the directions (women do this all the time). It's 20 minutes on and 30 minutes off. After an hour plus I have my tire air upped. I would rather change the tire at home if possible so I air up after the morning hunt and head home. I'm home now and I pull out the truck manual, go to page 175, and read the directions on how to change a tire. It's time I make myself do this pesky little chore. Some directions make no sense at all and some I understand well. I know a man wrote the directions because men typically leave out the simple little things like a picture of the jack with words saying what each piece is called, which would save people like me time. Even after reading the directions, I forgot to loosen the nuts before jacking it up so then I got the practice of lowering it and jacking it up again. This is where I got frustrated. No matter how hard I tried I could NOT loosen the nuts. I was getting extremely frustrated and felt like I was going to break the wrench they provide so I called on Mr. Google and he said to try a 4-way. Then I call my neighbor to borrow one and actually get two to see which size I need to carry in my truck from now on. I try the small one and still can't get any of them loose. I move to the big 4-way and finally get them loose. I also like to think I have a bit of common sense so I do not understand why the manual said to remove the blocks before lowering the jack so I didn't listen to the manual. I think it's a good idea if when teaching how to change a tire, you let the person being taught do the work from start to finish. There is a difference between watching and doing.

Nice looking buck and so awesome that your boy was with you Congratulations!

My daughter had a play date this morning so we had three girls and a mom at our house. These ladies were all lucky enough to receive an educational lesson on coyotes Their mom, my good friend, was worried how the girls would react (7-year-old twins and teenage sister) so she didn't show them. A little while later my friend and I are out back and I can hear little voices out front. All the girls were now out front looking at the coyote. That's a new one for a play date...lol Pelt is no longer available.

When we buy a car, we can use KBB as a guide for the car's value, but how does someone who is not knowledgeable know the current market value of guns and reloading equipment?