BACKCOUNTRY

Yep, your right, It should be at least the 2nd choice. I just hope I get the LUCKY 1st choice, Come on DEC, #33 Its like rollin dice in the alley beind the tavern....... BC

Yes, I understand the odds are against me with theses choices. Over the last 27 years I have pulled a late WT tag 8 times in unit 32, and 7 times in unit 33, and the rest of those years I have pulled a November WT tag ( not including the 04 and 05 years when I didnt get drawn) So I play the odds and hope to get the December tag. Otherwise I just get out the trusty old PSE compound and go rut hunting!!!

Ok, after taking in all the reply's and contemplating this all weekend (with the help of a few too many cold brews) I have decided to fill out my apps as follows: 1st choice: unit 33 late white tail 2nd choice: unit 32 late white tail 3rd choice: unit 37b Muley (while also applying for Javelina in the same unit) This will be the first time I have applied for Mule deer, let alone hunted Javelina in the Fall. Thanks for all your input, and good luck in the draw. BC

Thanks to all of you for the great reply's. It looks like this unit still has great potential, I better get my scouting gear together. I usually cruise out there after work on fridays, getting to the Black hills area around 6:00 pm. this allows me about 1 hour to do some glassing. I mainly hang near some of the bigger cattle tanks, but I also like to head up and over the ridge by the microwave tower on the north eastern slope of Black Mt. That area looks like some real good habitat for Muleys, But all I find is tracks and a few little Fox's. I will also head over to a big tank on the north west slope of Black Mt. Its not the best road, but it limits the amount of traffic in the area. The foothills sure look good around there, I just need to get up high and set-up the Tripod and start working the grid. Thats the plan anyway... Any tips??

Bummer, no Elk tag!!! My bonus points still reflect last years numbers!! The web site say's bonus points reflect numbers after the draw, if thats the case I should have 8 by now, not 7 Anyone else seeing this discrepancy? BC

Nice Job!!! Looks like all that hard work payed off, Great lookin Buck. Talk about HighRack for sure!! I noticed that big boy has only one eye guard, how common is that?? I shot a nice 3 point this year and It had no eye guards at all. BC

This is a mixed bag, I myself try to follow all no-sent rules...from scentless and non-uv laundry soaps to chopped up cedar bows and sentproof storage bags. I will only wear my hunt gear once i am in the field and locked and loaded. Now my hunting partner is of the mind that if you stink to high heaven, all game animals will take off running when they catch you scent, thus revealing their location. He and I are batting 500 for the last 10 years. Keep the wind in your face, and with a little luck, all your worries will be rewarded with I view to a kill.

Casey, glad to hear your first trip went well, Maybe your next trip will bring your client better luck. Now that you had spent some time in unit 32, what did you think? Ill be heading into the Galiuro wilderness in november. what part of the unit did you spend time in?

Your right Thomc. I have been seeing more and more camps that show little or no respect for the land and the landowners. We will be heading out to the East side of the Galiuros in 10 days, Any updates?? after 25 years of hunting that area, I have seen lots of changes, many caused by hunter ethics. Thomc, Pm me if you were in the Deer creek area?

I myself, like a lot of you, head way-out beyond the buffer zone, aka… a hunters day loop. So the areas I hunt don’t get a lot of pressure throughout the year. What does change is the amount of deer I find in these zones. It seems, during Oct and Nov hunts, the whitetail I find heading into the backcountry are either Looking for better food sources, water, and relief from hunter pressure. But during the December hunts many of the bigger whitetails are like Vagabonds, just out looking For a hot date, with a few little guys hanging out due to hunter pressure. I too have seen many whitetails down in the lower elevations during high pressure hunts. They like to show up in areas where I am not expecting them! So I work the solo-hunts, light-weight and ready to pack-out a wise old dude. Working beyond the buffer zone has been very productive of the last 25 years. BC

2 Years and 4 Bonus points later, I drew unit # 32 November Whitetail Galiuro Wilderness here I come And Unit # 1, Turkey. Coon springs in the Fall, sweet

Well after a two year drought, I got drawn. Unit 32 November Whitetail. Has anyone been out to Deer Creek area? Last time I scouted Upper Rattlesnake area there was talk of locking up the access to Deer creek trail head. China Peak here I come. Powers Garden next. BC

YES!!! My 2 year drought is over. My card just got hit for Deer and Turkey. Come-on Elk...... Good Luck to you all......

Looks like I will be Hunting Deer and Turkey. My account got hit for both! No Elk though, that makes 8 Bonus points.

4-Deer (never thought I would need bonus points for deer) xxxx this will be my lucky year xxxx 6- Antelope 6- Elk

last weekend I hunted the Brady park/Brady spring area. Saw 6 toms running for their life on the fs 404 road. 16 Mule deer also running hard on the fs 61 road. 8 Elk acting very skidish on the fs 65 road. Then a big Mexican Gray Wolf appered by our camp along Mineral creek. Guess what was making all the game act so scared. anyways no shots fired, but I did have one front tire blow out on a very rough cut road. nothing like changing a tire on a 6% grade 4x4 road!!

WOW, 1,400 less December whitetail tags than last year!! 1,195 more October whitetail tags than last year!! Looks like the G&F dept. really does not listen to the people that are paying their wages! And how about those 2007 rates? I guess its time for some new Dodge 1/2 ton 4x4's at the G&F.

Great!!! If only the Forest Service and Game and Fish could do somthing about all the other landowners that are trying to lock-up access into the Galiuro Wilderness. I'm afraid that some day soon the whole east side of the Galiuro's will be locked-up!

I used Dan Lackner's services twice in the last 10 years. Both times he provided DROP CAMP service's, once to Powers Garden and once to Upper Sycamore Canyon. He met us at Deer Creek trail head/camp area also. I would easily recommend his DROP CAMP service's He grew up in that area and knows his way around!

You see these in hunting and fishing magazines. Do you think its a usefull tool, or just trash? Give a quick reply.

LOOKIN FOR A LITTLE HELP, I AM TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH WEEK TO HUNT UNIT 33 BEFORE THE END OF SEASON. HERES THE DEAL, I HAVE ONLY ONE 4 DAY WEEKEND THAT I CAN GET AWAY BETWEEN NOW AND JAN 31ST. THINGS I HAVE BEEN CONSIDIRING TO HELP ME DECIDE: 1. MOON PHASE; THE LAST WEEKEND IN JANUARY, NO MOON!! 2. WEATHER, WHAT IS UP WITH THIS DRY HOT HIGH PRESSURE LOOP WE ARE STUCK IN? 3. THE RUT, THE RUT, THE RUT, WHEN WILL IT STRIKE? (was in the field for 5 days last week and no sign of it happing ) JUST A FEW THINGS I HAVE TO PONDER. HOW ABOUT A LITTLE HELP, THX, LC.

Question: when rattling, does size of rattling antlers really matter? I have several size racks available to use, any opinions?

I found a huge WT shed this past weekend in the southeastern part of unit 33. I scored this left side shed and was astounded by the score, I re-scored the thing 3 time's now. here's its numbers: main beam: 17-4/8 G-1 4-2/8 G-2 9-3/8 these things are awesome G-3 9-6/8 " " " " " " " " H-1 3-6/8 H-2 4 H-3 4 H-4 2-6/8 TOTAL 55-3/8 Estimate of inside spread 12" if this thing was symmetrical you could end up with a score of 134-3/8 !!! that would put this toad at the number 2 position for all time Typical Coues Whitetail deer!!! the shed looks to be a year or two old. I can only hope that this dude is still out there, or at least his off spring are. I will try to get some photo's up soon. LC.

Disturbing and Saddening news from unit 34A. I hunt this area alone all the time. Tucson man killed on hunting trip in Santa Ritas ARIZONA DAILY STAR A Tucson man was killed and his body found at his camp site in the Santa Rita Mountains Sunday, police said. The man told family members he was going hunting and camping on Thursday. They became concerned when they hadn?t heard from him by Sunday and went looking for him at his usual camp site. They found his body at his camp site off Forest Service Road 485 and originally reported to sheriff's deputies that the man had been mauled by a bear. Sheriff investigators classified the death as a homicide. The body was brought down the mountain last night. ?Somebody came upon him between Thursday and Sunday and murdered him,? said Sgt. James Ogden, a spokesperson for the Pima County Sheriff?s Department. Authorities are not releasing the name of the victim until this afternoon, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The investigation continued this morning. Read more about it in tomorrow?s Arizona Daily Star.

After several years of hunting unit 32's northeastern side, I have come to the conclusion that packing in and camping overnight is the answer. Try to stay on the outer fringe of any day hunters loop. I was once told by a old timer F&G officer that the hunter pressure creates a series of zones that deer will respond to. In close to roadways is the "luck of the hunt" zone, out from this zone to a day trippers loop will increase your odds substantially, but from the day loop outer fringe to the good water source and bedding zones thru the upper reaches of the backcountry are where your odds go way-up for El-Grande