gogoj1

With our President threatening to deploy 5,000 - 7,000 active troops to the border I'm wondering if they will shut down access to NF? I'm in 36B again this year. Has Ruby Road ever been closed? It's been done in Organ Pipe NF and elsewhere I believe. What I have read they are planning to build permanent housing and "30 barriers", whatever that means. Hard to make scouting plans with our President's fondness for unpredictability.

FYI here's a brief article about shed "poachers" in the Oak Creek Wildlife area in Central Washington. Not fully explained in the article - how the area is closed off during winter to reduce stress on the Elk herd, but some cheaters sneak in early and stockpile sheds before 'opening day'. http://www.npr.org/2015/06/20/415741337/volunteer-rangers-work-to-rein-in-antler-poachers http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/oak_creek/

When the regs say "Applications for left over tag's will be accepted by mail after 8 am on July 28th" does that mean if you send it in early it will be rejected? I never understood when to drop it in the mail if you want to be first in line. I assume you can't drop it off at the office right?

Yes that is good advice. You reminded me of the one time I was able to run down low and set up an ambush for a buck pushing does. This was down in some rolling hills in 34B. After waiting what seemed like an eterniy for those deer to pop out in front of me, I was surprised to see instead - for the first time that day - another bowhunter. He was in hot pursuit and never saw me, and was probably the reason they were moving faster than I expected. I watched him chase those deer for at least another mile out of sight. It was a learning experience though because he made no attempt to conceal himself, and the bucks seemed to care less than the does.

If you are able to sneak up on a bedded buck, what's your next move? The few times I have been in that situation I blew it every time. I always snuck up behind him with a tree or bush between us but then I couldn't shoot him unless he got up and wandered into the open. My plan was always to wait,wait,wait but it never worked out. One thing I thought of was throwing a rock over his head and spooking him back in my direction.

I hunt the southern units and use caution as others have advised. If you spot and stalk WT hunt you should usually see them coming. Jump hunting deer or quail is more risky and I normally would choose not to hunt that way down south although I have done it from time to time. In the Santa Ritas I accidently surprised a group layed up and it was not a good feeling because I just took one step up over the top of a ravine and found myself face-to-face with them, and me carrying my shotgun. As far as camping, I'm more worried about improved campgrounds in semi-remote locations no matter where in the USA that may be. Not unheard of for violent criminals to hide out, and very common for your average everyday wierdos to pull up next door at sundown.

Very nice buck. Congratulations. I guess the wind was not blowing much that day or ?

Did not intend to hijack this thread - The truth is I have never seen a Mule Deer in 36B, and was surprised to find the success odds in November are nearly identical for MD and WT. Just out of curiousity I would ask what kind of places you have seen MD in the past. I have seen them on the Santa Rita Experimental range and on Golf courses in Green Valley but that is 34A. The Unit Reports seem to hint at urban enviroments for MD. If it is any help I did notice the hay field on Bellotas Ranch is green.

"Watch out for the PETA branch of BP, aka the chopper that will buzz the deer off." Something like that happened to me - still not sure what the pilot was doing. Maybe he doesn't know AZ law - against interfering with a hunt. All the BP on the ground I talked to were helpful, and none suggested I should find a different place to hunt.

Antelope Jackrabbits are easy hunting with a .22 pistol and good eating IMHO - a thousand times easier to hunt than coues, and dress out about the same size!. The AZG&F regs have a year-round Cottontail season but don't mention Jackrabbits, but there are plenty of articles written by AZG&F officers about it so I assume it's legal. One article claims there is no bag limit for Jackrabbits.

Here are some Javalina skulls picked up over the years. Would be interested to see what other kind of stuff have you found besides antlers?

Here is a link I ran across that has a lot of old Arizona hunting photos from the Sharlot Hall Museum archives. Click on the ones with the camera icon, and don't miss the second page of listings by clicking on the "show last 15" box at the bottom. http://www.sharlot.o...&phrase=Hunting Here is a bunch more general topics like Indians-petroglyphs, rodeos, hangings, etc. http://www.sharlot.o...aphs/index.html

Two years ago in 36B I feel like I was 'spied on" much like the person who posted his story about an older man in an orange vest posing as a hunter. I was glassing in 36B alone when I spotted two guys with guns hiking the foothill perimeter of the area. After a while they got to my area and were headed towards ruining my hunt, so I decided to stand up and greet them to see what was up. When they got to me I saw they had walkie-talkies and two of the sorriest looking guns I had ever seen - one with iron sights only and the other with a clothesline attached to the lever action for a strap. They asked "have you seen any"? I said "no, only does". He looked confused and said "you mean not very big"? I repeated "no, only does", and he asked "what is does"? Soon after they left I could hear them chattering on the walkie talkies as they headed toward the couple who were weekend tent camping nearby. I hunted 36B again this year.

TATAat27 - for the sake of safety for those of us with 36B tags, can you get any more details? I don't think any of us will be stealing your buddy's honey hole - I promise he can have it all to himself! How did the bandits find him anyway? Did they spot him and sneak up on him on the sit, or was he on the road, or was he moving and stumbled across them? I have not had any bad experiences down there, but this year was planning to go in deeper. From what I can pick up from BP on the news and the papers, one bad area is west of Tubac in the Tumacaccoris - because of the 'permanent mobile' BP checkpoint on the Interstate just North of there. The smugglers are bypassing the checkpoint through the mountains, not through the cities to the East. This is where in 2007 armed bandits ripped off and killed some drug mules.

Did you hear about the well armed bandits murdering and robbing Marijuana smugglers south of Tubac? http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/164752.php This is Coues territory. How safe would you all feel bowhunting in that area, and what precautions would you take? Now my family is really worried and it takes all the fun out of it.