Outdoor Writer

So back to serious. Obviously in more than 45 years of hunting throughout Arizona, I've often treaded on new ground. This is especially true since the permit system went into effect; in some cases, my son and I have had to settle for the leftovers. When that happens, the BEST approach is to do your homework by researching the area, i.e. READING and using the phone to talk to biologists, guides and other hunters. Few places in this state are secret when it comes to the general areas within a hunt unit. Anyone with some knowledge and research will discover certain mountain ranges, and specific areas within them, harbor critters -- regardless of whether they are deer, javelina, elk or Mearns' quail. Of course, those who have hunted in the same general areas a few times will soon develop their 'honey holes,' as you called them. Many times we've hunted new territory even in units where we had hunted numerous times in the past. A good example is 36B, where we've killed most of our Coues bucks. Another is the Kaibab, when getting a permit there was fairly easy back in the 60s and early 70s. Back then, there was no east and west; it was merely unit 12. So over the years, we hunted about everywhere on the plateau. The one year we didn't get drawn for the Kaibab early on, we hunted the Strip -- a new area we had to research! Once someone does his seat-of-the-pants research, the next step should be the on-the-ground type; get your butt out there and find either the sign or the critters themselves. It's not too difficult to tell when you're in a good spot. For the most part, though, I think most hunters are habitual; they hunt the same unit and spots repeatedly because they feel comfortable doing it. They have learned where the roads and trails lead and found good glassing spots, etc. This is probably why many of us get in a rut when it comes to switching to new hunt units or even areas within a unit. Everyone wants to tag a buck, and the best way to do that is by using accumulated knowledge and experience. -TONY

Gino, You need to follow behind all those 5th graders carrying the "How to Hunt Coues Deer" book! -TONY

I guess mine is self-explanatory. Been doing it full-time now for the last 23 years and part-time for 16 years earlier. And I've been lucky to get the same handle on most of the sites I have joined. -TONY

Right, no one but a few hunters in AZ know where the "honey holes" are. Anyone who believes that is living is lala land. Now, if we had sold 50,000 books, you might have a point; we didn't, though. And I'd bet most guys who bought the book already had their own "honey holes" anyway. That goes even for the ones with 5th grade educations that write, "Next time you right (sic) a book...." The bigger problem is the continuous loss of habitat shrinking the available areas to hunt deer. Thus, more hunters concentrate in what is left. Units such as 34A and 34B are prime examples. If they continue to erect housing up the sides of the mountain in 34A, the only place left to hunt will be on the peak where the Lowell Observatory sits. Same thing with the other side of I-19 in 34B -- my favorite area. Although I haven't traipsed through every unit in the state recently, I would certainly venture a guess that no hunting unit has been immune to the above. This is especially true for the Coues deer units, many of which are in close proximity to the major population centers. -TONY

Below is an excerpt from The Trophy chapter of HOW TO HUNT COUES DEER, written by me and Duwane. Amanda sells the book here on CouesWhitetail.com -TONY FIELD JUDGING The limited time each of us spends in the woods every year makes it difficult to practice antler judging, especially if we see only a few deer on those outings. The most useful knowledge is an awareness of the average body and antler measurements for the species. Then if you know what it takes for a trophy-class buck, there’s some basis for comparison. The typical Coues rack generally has five points or fewer per side. A front view provides the best for judging antler spread. Mature bucks have a tip-to-tip ear spread of 12 to 14 inches. If the inside spread of the main beams reaches the end of each ear, that’s about 13 inches. The world record was only 15 3/8 inches. For every inch one antler goes past an ear, double it and add it to the 13 inches. In other words, if the main beam is an inch wider on one side, add two inches for an inside spread of 15 inches. The ear averages six inches from the tip to where it joins the head. It makes a good gauge for the tine lengths. If the longest tine looks to be as long as an ear, it will measure about six inches. The most difficult guesstimate is the length of the main beams because some grow at weird angles. The way to come close is using multiples of the ear length or the eye-to-nose distance, which is about seven or eight inches. Or simply compare the main beam to the length of longest point. The other important considerations are mass and symmetry. Neither are easy to judge at a distance in the field and usually comes to a ‘you'll know it when you see it’ situation. Years of scrutinizing hundreds of bucks through his binoculars have convinced Duwane of one thing. “Reading a magazine article or looking at a score sheet won’t teach anyone how to field judge a buck. There’s only one way to learn how to judge antlers successfully, and that’s through experience. You have to do it often and know what to look for. A guy can start with mounted heads and play a game of ‘guess how big,’ but the final exam has to take place in the wild. Scoring a buck at 500 yards through binoculars or a spotting scope will be vastly different than doing it up close and personal,” he said. “The first thing to look at is the mass and height. Then check out the third point. A long one usually translates to a deer you would want to shoot. If a buck has a fourth point, three other factors come into play. First, the length of the point counts. Also, the measurement for the last quarter will fall between the third and fourth point instead of between the second and third. Lastly, bucks with the additional point generally have a long main beam,” Duwane said. Duwane’s Tip For his clients, Duwane ordinarily tries to find a shooter buck that will gross at least 100 points. “A buck in the 100-inch class isn’t one to sneer at. Most of my hunters would be tickled with it, and it’s a bonus if it’s actually bigger,” Duwane said. A 100-inch 3x3 buck is not that difficult to judge if you look for the key dimensions. Here’s what it takes. The main beams should be at least 17 inches long. Brow tines (eye guards) will be three inches or more. The second point (G2) should measure six inches. The third point (G3) should be five inches. There should be at least 13 inches of mass per side. The inside spread should be 13 inches or better. The total point lengths and mass for the above will come to 44 inches per side or 88 inches for both sides. That, along with the 13-inch spread, equals 101 inches. Naturally, most B&C bucks will have some deductions, but under SCI’s system, everything counts.

Be sure to read the "AZ Trophy Deer & Elk Article slots" topic in the Rifle Hunting section.

Okay, folks, I have several "hero" type articles already assigned for the following: 1. 2006 AZ trophy mule deer (something 170 or bigger preferably NOT from the N. Kaibab. AZ Strip would be fine, though, as would any other unit) 2. 2006 Archery elk (can use two here but should be 340 or bigger if possible) Must have a couple good original photos, preferably in the field and in digital format. I will do a phone interview to get the hunt recap, etc. If you're a guide or outfitter that had a hunter who would fit the above, let me know. Contact me via Private message here and we'll go from there. -TONY

If you're talking only Coues deer in AZ, five different units for me. If both Coues & mule deer, about 10. -TONY

I expected that one! -TONY

LOL. And if the same warning was issued everytime a similar incident occurs in Mesa, Phx, Scottsdale and Glendale, would you stay home or move to Flagstaff? -TONY

Perhaps the State Department will soon issue a similar warning for the city of Chandler after the recent drive-by there that killed one and wounded five others. -TONY

Dandy buck, Jim and good pix! Congrats to your dad. -TONY

And I took your comment as just that. I enjoy good discissions, even when they entail controversial topics. On the other hand, when a thread goes from discussing the ISSUE and turns into a name-calling and insult contest, I generally move on. I have better things to do than get in personal pissin' matches that go nowhere. No one learns anything from it. -TONY

KG, That's funny. Those folks take their politics serious. When my fishing partner and I drove down last March to Lake El Salto, the farmers were waging a protest of sorts and had taken over one of the toll exchanges along the main highway. There were hundreds of tractors lined up on both sides of the road and in the center divider. When we entered the toll lane, one of the dudes in the booth just waved us on through. So we saved about $5-$6 at that toll. Not so lucky at the rest of them, though. Dave, I'm beginning to think I have more than one screw loose. Otherwise, I wouldn't get in these dicussions in this place. -TONY

And a good discussion -- as long as everyone can be civil and discuss. -TONY

KG, I find little to disagree with in your comments. I don't support the illegals either, but then that has nothing to do with the main gist of this thread -- visiting Mexico and worrying about being kidnapped or worse, does it? I have no doubts that drug dealers shoot at BP agents, etc. But then drug dealers who aren't illegals also shoot at the regular cops all over this country. That's what criminals do. But only a small portion of the illegals crossing the border are drug dealers and most of the illegals -- nearly half -- arrested and put in jail here were charged with entering the country illegally and nothing more. Stands to reason that an illegal alien entered illegally. Crime here is a MAJOR problem, regardless of the illegal immigration. And in some parts of Mexico, such as Mexico City, it is also a MAJOR problem. Same around the Laredo area. It's the nature of the beast in big cities no matter where one lives. My only point here was that it no less safe for Americans in Mexico than it is here in the U.S. Shake and bake it anyway you wish. -TONY

>>Infact they are brought to our border and told they cross or go to jail.<< Hmmm, that's a pretty loose comment to offer with no way to prove it as fact, especially in light of many of the illegals are women and kids. There were scads of criminals preying on innocent people here LONG before the illegal immigrant problem cropped up. And even more recently, crimes by other races other than Mexicans has been rampant. Back to my original cite, neither of the two PHX serial shooters was an illegal immigrant nor was either even Mexican. In LA, Detriot, Chicago and NYC, the crime problems are far from being limited to the Mexicans -- legal or illegal. -TONY

>>OK banditos in this country sure< but probably less in there country as ours. (well I wonder why).<< AZ Guide, I'm sure you were trying to make a point in the above. I just have no idea what it was. Care to try again? -TONY

Guys, Don't make a major issue about one isolated incident that happened to get major publicity. I've been a frequent visitor to Mexico for nearly 30 years now, and normally DRIVE my own vehicle there. I even spent two weeks alone a few years back with a major trip to Copper Canyon, including the drive down to the bottom. And from there I headed south as far as Puerto Vallarta, mostly driving the back-country roads. Over the years, I've driven there to hunt Coues deer with Duwane Adams, turkey, doves and waterfowl -- all without incident. Also, we own two time shares in Mazatlan, and we use them either once or twice every year. My wife feels safer walking the streets there at night alone than she does walking in our own Glendale neighborhood during the daylight hours. In fact, I often leave her alone there for a day or two so I can go fish at Lake El Salto, which is about 1.5 hrs. north of Mazatlan. She manages just fine and often walks to one of the several nearby restaurant to have dinner on her own. As Bob said, for the most part the Mexican people AWAY from the border are gracious hosts, We have made many, many friends among them and always look forward to seeing them each year. Banditos in Mexico? Sure, but probably fewer than we have in this country. The Phx serial shooters probably killed more innocent people than those innocent people killed in the entire state of Sonora over the past two years. Most of the killings there involve rival drug gangs, similar to what happens EVERY day in EVERY major U.S. city. -TONY

Good job, Casey! -TONY

Scott, Congrats to Austin. As usual, great pix. I'm gonna see if maybe I can line up an article, perhaps titled "Austin's Trifecta." -TONY

Great bull! Congrats. -TONY

His name was Samuari, and he lived somewhere in Canada. He was supposedly also a sperm donor for other elk farms -- for a price, of course. So if you will, imagine a "man on the street" interview with the guy in charge of the collection: And what do you do for a living, sir? I'm a professional elk semen gatherer, eh. Wow, that must be a tough job. No, it's actually very easy, eh. My business partner and I just dress like a cow elk and take turns bending over, eh. -TONY

These should dispel any rumors of this bull's origin. -TONY

Doug, I posted this on MM but will duplicate it here to make sure you see it. -TONY Doug, I won't be hunting this year since I got shut out in the AZ draw. BUT...put me down to donate a limited edition hard-cover copy of HOW TO HUNT COUES DEER. It is one autographed by both Duwane Adams and me. Just let me know who wins it and I can ship it direct from here. -TONY