MXW13

MXW13 - I was down to the unit last weekend and spent all my time in the bottom of the unit - in the Huachucas mostly. I drove by the Mustangs on the west side and decided not to stop because there looked like there was a bunch of private property to get through, and then the vegetation didn't look all that good. Looks like I blew it! I'll be able to get down to scout one more time before the season starts - do you have any suggestions you could share about the Mustangs to point me in the right direction - not your honey holes, just general guidance? Thanks for any help. Dave Dave, Thera are basically two ways I found to get into the mustangs. One is on the west side of the mountans, you turn south on Upper Elgin road off Hwy 82. The mountains will be on your left, look for any entrance headed into the area that is not private. Thera should be a gate about two - three miles south of 82. There is a nice sized stock pond on this side of the mountains, and some nice glassing spots. On the east side of the mountain there is a gated entrance just esat of the mountains with a road that runs parallel to the range. There is a sign that says no illegals or coyotes allowed. There are several places along this road you can glass from. I hope this helps. Mike

I would not overlook the Mustang mountains in that unit. There are very few hunters in that small mountain range, and there are number of nice deer in there.

Great buck and an amazing story.

Believe it or not. I use a small bean bag I bought at Target in the toy section. It is very comfortable and light. It straps to the outside of my pack. It also gives me a little lower back support. I can glass for hour with it.

Due to lack of time off our November hunt was limited to Fri, Sat, Sunday of the first weekend. We glassed up several bucks on Friday, and attempted a stock but the deer got spooked. Saturday morning didn't go as well in numbers. We only glassed up one deer, but it was a buck. He was decent enough, and we saw him bed down. We wanted a 3x3 and he was a 3x3. I stayed at the glassing location keeping an eye on the deer, and in radio communication with my uncle and brother that hiked out after him. Two and a half hours later they arrived and were in position. The deer had repositioned only a few yard away from his original position, and they were able to spot him. He shot, and I saw the deer rolling down the hill before I heard the shot. Deer down! It turned out that the deer was 1.3 miles away as the crow flies. Attached are pictures from our glassing location, from the deer’s point of view, and of the 3x3 deer we work together on getting in unit 33. We glassed from this point of view: This was the deer's point of view: Here is my brother and his deer: Mike W.

The shot was ranged at 535 yards, but was sitting higher up. So he used the 400 yard crosshair. He was shotting a 300 winMag.

Congratulations on your first deer.

Testing a post from photobucket.com

Went to 33 to hunt Friday thru Monday. My uncle, brother and myself. Only my brother had a tag. Saw lots of deer. My brother tagged out on Saturday morning nice little 3x3 plus one eye guard. The other eye guard had broken off earlier.

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Is anyone planning on showing up for the cleanup in unit 36 tomorrow? Below is a link with the information. http://www.azhunterswhocare.org/ It will be interesting to see how many people attend this cleanup.

This is from fish and game web page. Good luck. White-tailed Deer Overview: Unit 30B has a relatively small population of whitetail deer in relationship to nearby units. These populations are isolated to the Dragoon Mountains and the southern end of the Mule Mountains near Bisbee. Whitetail can also be found along the San Pedro River. The 2003/04 buck:doe:fawn ratio was 22:100:47, and the combined hunt success for the Oct. and Nov. firearms hunts was 13 percent, up from 9% last season. This year?s buck:doe ratio decreased significantly,39% as did the the fawn:doe ratio, 10% Overall, the unit has approximately 125.5 square miles of whitetail deer habitat of medium to low density, in the Dragoon and Mule Mountains. Sportsmen must be aware that a large portion of the habitat in the Mule Mountains is inaccessible. Also, accessible habitat within the Mule and Dragoon Mountains can be far from existing road and extremely rugged. To reduce the frustration, it is a good idea to scout the unit and secure access into a desired area before applying for a whitetail permit in the unit. The Dragoon Mountains are part of the Coronado National Forest so a forest service map will help you with the road system and the access points. Topo-graphical maps will help you get around the rest of the unit. Whitetail can also be found along the San Pedro River, but the thick vegetation can make it difficult to get a good clean shot at a buck. Also, parts of the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area are closed to firearm hunting (Charleston Rd. to SR. 92) so getting the Bureau of Land Management's regulations is a must. (1763 Paso San Luis, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 (Phone No. 520-458-3995). Remember, when hunting units with both whitetail and mule deer; both species can be found in the same habitat types within the unit. Before hunting either of the two species, consult the Hunting Regulations: Commission Order 2 for distinguishing physical characteristics. Areas: Access into the Mule Mountains is very limited compared to the Dragoon Mountains as most of the major canyons are inaccessible by vehicle. One of the easiest ways to get into the Mule Mountains is to take Highway 80 south of I-10 at Benson. Continue down Highway 80 past Tombstone. Approximately 2.5 miles south of Tombstone take Davis Road east to High Lonesome Road and south to access the east side of the mountain. There are two dirt roads off of the High Lonesome that will access the eastern side of the Mules, and you can access whitetail habitat in the upper parts of a few canyons. Access to the top of the mountain from Hwy. 80; the Juniper Flats Road travels northeast to the radio towers. One thing to remember when you are in the Mule Mountains is the private land, most will be posted and locked, so respect the ranchers' wishes. Hiking from open areas across state land will get you in most of the Mule Mountains. The area is very rugged and steep and requires a lot of effort on the hunter?s part. Access into the southwest corner of the Mule Mountains can be gained off of Highway 92 between Sierra Vista and Bisbee. When driving east on Highway 92 from Sierra Vista to Bisbee. Various dirt roads intersect the highway from the north (m.p. 345, m.p. 350, and Fowdy Ranch Rd.). This area is being developed so be aware of the residence in the area.

The web page is: earth.google.com

Where do you meet for the trash clean-up? These units are filthy with all the illegal traffic going through them. The illegals are filthy creatures. Hopfully one of these days we will be able to put a stop to them destroying our countryside.

I saw some nice mullies in the rolling hills just East of Happy Valley. I have seen mullies there every time I go there.

I was drawn for my last choice (35A) this year. Is anyone familiar with this unit? Where would be a good place to start? Are there a lot of illegals in this unit? Any help would be helpful...

You drew a great tag. This is a wonderful unit for big deer. You just need to be willing to put the time into it. Sitting and glassing is the key in this unit. If you want to do some preseason scouting with good results. I would go to the town of Oracle and take the road to Peppersauce Canyon. This road is a road that will eventually take you up the back side of Mount Lemon. This area was burned 3 or 4 years ago. Find high place to glass from and glass hard. There are alot of deer here. I recommend glassing early morning, drive around and get to know the roads during the day, and glass right at sun down. You should find alot of deer here. Good luck.