second shot

I couldn't be happier with the repair job Devin did on these antlers. From the replaced points to the stain, it looks awesome. This was my first experience with Devin's shop and I hope to have more work for him in the future.

They were just beginning to crack a little bit and turn chalky. What the before pictures don't show is besides the chewed off points there was a good deal of rodent damage to some of the other points as well. He repaired that as well and it looks good as new.

I have a coues pick-up I'd like repaired and restored. Any suggestions for a Taxidermist in Tucson that may do this? I've e-mail a couple sponsors of the site but have yet to hear back. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all the comments. I hope to get out again in a few weeks to see what else this area holds.

Went out for a day long shed trip yesterday with my friend and shed hunting buddy. He led the trip and told me he had a good feeling about a certain spot. Little did he know it would end up with this buck. Grosses 119 1/4 measured conservatively and with probably 5-7 inches chewed off. By far the biggist I've ever had my hands on. Also found a fair amount of sheds and a Javi with some dental issues. Enjoy, I'm still flying high after this find. The Javi The sheds ATL Top view 18 inch inside spread For perspective, bottom buck grosses 106

My wife and I ran it yesterday and had a blast. Nothing like ice water and electricity to start a day.

Found these this morning. My dad found the match to the small 2pt but I forgot to get a picture of them together. Had the dead buck grown up he would have been something special. The left antler is a normal 3pt, but the right is very palmated and comes off the skull at a completely different angle. The base on the right is also about twice as wide as on the left.

I keep everything I find. I've got loads of antlers that are new, old, broken, etc.

I've had success with grunting during January.

They are up online. 27 turkey and 33 javi for me.

I found these during the early november hunt.

Being a vague as I can. The spot is in unit 33, over 3 miles up a trail. You were sitting just over the north side of a hill top, under a lone mesquite tree. You were watching the south facing side of a steep hill that is about 550 yards away at the top, 400 directly across from where you sat, and 900 at the bottom. The hill is grass/some oak at the top and mesquite at the bottom. The spent casing I found is a silver 257 weatherby magnum. The buck I've been watching is a basic 3x3 with a forked G-2 on the right side. He is probably 7 - 8 years old. I know it's a long shot, but if this sounds familiar at all I'd appreciate a pm. I see lots of bucks on this hillside but I've been trying to connect with this particular buck for the last few years and I'd like to know if I can move on. Thanks in advance.

Good job. I've been a big for about 9 years now with the same kid (now 21 years old). Last year he was able for the first time to go hunting and he got his first deer. Now he's hooked and going again this year. It's a great thing you're doing for that young man!

thanks bowhuntaz1!

Got drawn for hunt 1114. Anyone know which one that is, can't get the online regs to open up. Thanks

Thanks for all the replys and for reading the story. The rifle is a 1960's model browning 243, ammunition was 100gr winchester from Wal Mart. The rifle is a tack driver and this is the third deer we've taken with it in as many seasons.

I had the great pleasure of taking my little brother out hunting his first time ever this year. He has never expressed any interest in hunting until this year. He let me know in May that he would like to try deer hunting and it was on. We were drawn for our first choice hunt and I was very excited to get him in the field. We were able to spend some time shooting to get him comfortable with the rifle, but did not have any time to scout. For my part of the hunt I packed into an awesome area for Thursday through Saturday night with a friend. We saw lots of deer but only one I wanted to tag. Unfortunately he was able to give me the slip on Saturday afternoon so I came home empty handed. He was a great buck and I'm confident he'll be around next year, as this was the third year in a row I've seen and each year is better then the last. Sunday I rested in anticipation of taking my brother out Monday and Tuesday. Monday morning came and found us sitting on one of my favorite hills. At 7:30 I glassed up two young bucks. Being his first hunt I told my brother anything with antlers should be wearing his tag. We watched for about 15 minutes as the two bucks turned into six! The smallest was a spike and the biggest about an 85" 3x3. I don't think my brother knows how lucky he was to see 6 bucks in a group on his first ever hunt, first ever day in the hills for that matter. The bucks were feeding pretty fast away from us so we made a long loop around the cut to try and head them off. We got to the perfect spot to take a shot and wouldn't you know it, no deer. The whole group was gone. We glassed for a bit and decided to head back to the truck to meet some other friends of mine that were hunting near by. They hadn't seen anything and decided to hunt another spot before they headed back to town. My brother and I hunted until mid afternoon until it got way to windy. We headed back to town to prepare for Tuesday. Tuesday morning found us glassing the same cut but from the opposite side where the bucks were feeding the day before. By about 7:00 I'd located a couple doe but not much was moving. I started glassing farther out and spotted the back end of a deer bedded under a juniper about 550 yards away. Even though I couldn't see the head I just knew it was a buck. My little brother and a very good friend were there and we decided to move to a spot about 200 yards from the deer. The stalk was one. We made it to the hill and I peeked over the top and sure enough it was a young 3x3. I told my brother his buck was just over the hill. He told me I could shoot it, and I was tempted as it's hard to pass up any coues buck, but I was determined to make this hunt about my brother. The three of us crawled up to the top of the hill. My brother and I had our rifles trained on the deer while my friend watched through his binos. Then my brother started shooting. Shot one, buck stands up. Shot two, buck turns around, shot three buck stands still. Shot four, buck turns around. Shot five, buck stands still. Talk about buck fever!!!! It was all I could do not to shoot the deer myself as I was watching the whole event unfold in my scope. I told my brother to reload and that I wouldn't shoot unless the deer ran off. My brother, I guess feeling confident at that point, loaded one more round into his rifle. He took aim and the shot rang true. The buck did a complete back flip and was dead before he hit the ground. We then started all the hootin and hollerin that goes along with a young man getting his first deer. I couldn't have been more proud. I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience of taking his first ever animal, cleaning it, taking it to the butcher, etc. By the end of the day though he was ready to put in for next year, so I think I've got him hooked on this crazy passion of hunting Coues deer. I didn't tag out myself, but I must say this is the most rewarding hunt I've been a part of! I have to say thank you to my good friend who was on the hill watching the whole event unfold, and another buddy that was near by and came running once the shooting stopped. They made the task of getting this deer to the truck a piece of cake, and it's always a great time when a group of friends can help a young man take his first buck. Thanks for reading

This will be my first elk hunt, 27 bull. I've hunted deer, turkey, javalina, etc but never elk. I've read a lot about it since I was drawn but I'm pretty sure I have no idea what I've gotten myself into. I can't wait! Good luck everyone.

Go for it. I tried calling during the rut one time, with one buck and it worked. He came in on a string from about 70 yards to 10 yards. Haven't had time to hunt during the rut since then but when I do I'll be calling again.

My dad and I got out for a few hours this morning. We don't get out together that often so it was nice to see him score these sheds. The one on the left is this year's and is a little guy. The one on the right is probably last years, wouldn't score real high but it's a nice heavy older buck. Thanks for looking.

Checked out an area that hasn't been too productive in the past but the thick grass burned a few months ago so I thought I'd give it a try. Found these three sheds before 7:00 a.m. The larger 3pt is fresh and would go 85-90 with a match. The first three pics are as I first saw them. Thanks for looking.

early november 33 coues, late november 27 elk. Should make for a fun fall.

Went out for a few hours this morning. The 2pt and 3pt are pretty old but the spike is this year or last.

I found these this morning. The 3pt is fresh and that other is from last year.

May have been wounded during a hunt or something along those lines. Wasn't any sign of what I'd expect from a lion kill, and I've found quite a few. Never seen what a wolf kill site looks like so that's a possibility.