bchoitz

Headed south to the Patagonia area starting the 21st, then back again after Christmas. Bringing rain gear...

Don't apologize for the "long" story! IT was one of the best I've read this year, Some of the best pictures I've seen to go along with it. Not a bad deer either :-) Congrats on a very successful hunt!

That's a nice one! Congrats on a well planned hunt.

Nice buck and nice muddy truck! Congrats to dad!

Nice Buck! I'm hoping I can fare as well as you guys. Bret

Last tag was 2008 for this hunt. I suppose that means 6 this time. I also had one in 2005, and one in 2001 or 2002, I don't recall for sure.

Good luck on your hunt. I have this hunt in 35B and it's killing me sitting here when I wnat to be out there. Headed down for the week after Christmas, but sure wish I could get a day or two before that! Take your time and pick a good one, you have a lot of time. Bret

Beautiful Trophy and a great story to go with it. Congrats on sticking with the plan and getting your deer!

Beautiful pictures! You and your camera can come on my hunt anytime! Congrats on the very nice deer.

Nice buck and nice shooting. Good job!

Nice write-up and a very nice buck! Best of luck to your brother.

Good job, congratulations! I tend to hide on the lee side of a hill and glass when it gets windy. Your method seems more productive though.

My favorite unit! Good luck on the hunt. I haven't seen any lions, but I've seen plenty of sign. Since you already bought the tag I'll skip the +3 or +4 Bret

Way to go Tanner! Nice deer, congratulations!

My son Curtis had a great year last year, bagging a cow elk on opening day at 10:00 AM, and then bagging a doe in the Jr. hunt on the Kiabab at 10:00 AM on the last day we had for the hunt. This year he wanted something with antlers. Curtis has a Jr. hunt in area 42 that started on the 20th. We spent three days last weekend searching for deer with only a couple of does and a javalina to show for it. Obviously we were not in the right places, even though the country looked promising. I guessed it was time for a change in tactics from what I've become accustomed to. Thankfully, his hunt area is very close to where I work, so after I got done on Wednesday I called him and asked if he wanted to go out that evening. He said he didn't, so I took a drive and started walking through some very flat country broken by several washes. I started towards a water tank near a very imposing barrier and checked for tracks. I was definitely seeing more tracks than I had over the last weekend and the several days of scouting leading up to his hunt. I follow some fresh javalina tracks into a nearby wash, and sure enough, there are 4-6 javalina there. I put in 5 miles of walking down one wash and up the next, and decide I will try to get him to come back to this area. It looks promising. Well, when I get home I check with the boss who is making Thanksgiving dinner Thursday. My older son who is in the Navy arrives late that evening, and she tells me she has dinner planned for 2:00 PM. I ask and she gives me permission to go out in the morning after I promised we would stop hunting and head back at 10:00 AM. Then I ask my son if he want to go, and he tells me no, he is still tired from last weekend. I tell him that's OK, it is his hunt, but deep down I'm not so happy. After a bit he asks when he would have to get up, and I tell him we can leave a bit later than usual, so he doesn't need to get up until 4:30 AM. He decides maybe he will go, because you certainly can't get a deer if you are not in the field. Cool! Now here is where the story get's kinda boring... We get up and drive to the area. We walk in and watch the tank I checked on the day before until after sun-up. shortly after, we watch two coyotes come in for a drink. after about 1/2 hour he is ready for walking, so we go into the tank and check for prints. Nothing other than the two coyotes has been to this tank since I visited the day before. We pick a wash. Down we go, nothing but dove. It is going away from where we want, so we cross to the next. down that one we go, nothing but dove. Now we are getting close to 9:00 AM, and we need to start back. We cross to the last wash we will walk that day and start up toward the general direction of my jeep. Nothing but dove. About 9:40 and he tells me what time it is and asks how much further to the jeep. I tell him it's about a mile and a quarter, and we should probably move a bit quicker than we have been. He's looking worn out and discouraged, It's getting warmer, and still nothing but dove in the wash. Noise in the wash! Wow, there are deer in there! A doe exists to the left across the wash from us, two more deer exit to the right! They are both bucks! (Now dad is the excited one ) "They are both bucks Curtis, shoot one of them! " "I can't,....I can't get a good shot..." Hmm, no bcuk fever there I sure hope they don't get away. One of them stops briefly, and he is only about 60 yards from us. BOOM! He takes off again. "I missed ". "No, you didn't. I saw you hit him, but he is hit too far back. he stumbled and isn't going too far. I think he is under that tree over there" The tree rustles and out he comes, and he is off, but definitely hurt. We check for blood and tracks. Yep, this deer is dead, just doesn't know it. I send a quick text to my wife... Tracking blood. (It's 10:07, just after I said we'd call it quits.) We track and follow and follow some more. Good blood trail, It can't be far. Finally, after 3/4 of a mile tracking, at 10:40 Curtis gets to put a finishing shot in his first ever deer with antlers! Pictures, clean, hang, walk back to jeep, drive to deer, drive to house, Thanksgiving dinner only a little late at 2:30 PM, but I am assured that I am forgiven for being late. Only picture I currently have is from the cell phone... Sorry about the glare.

Congrats on your buck! Way to go! Sounds like a fun hunt. Bret

Nice job! Congratulations to the hunter(s) and particularly to the shooter! That buck looks like it will score in the 90's like most of the other people have guessed although it's hard for me to tell with a 10 year old as a reference. Way to go! Bret

I'm not a numbers guy, I'd shoot if I had the tag. My first inclination was 117, but getting to see everyone else guess I see he's gotten bigger! Without reading everyone's post I'll buy a lottery ticket at 121&7/8ths Bret

My Results... I was NOT drawn for elk, I was NOT drawn for Antelope. So, when will they send me my check, minus the fee for the "opportunity" to dream for a little while. I just hope my son gets drawn again this year for Jr. elk. Good luck to all. Bret

I work with a friend who used to manage the Popular in Show-Low. He told me about the demise of Popular, but I don't recall the specifics. I think it was one of those Father passing the reins to the kids who didn't have the same interest/understanding of the market. Bret

Ah crap! And I was just readin' the "Addicted to Coueswhitetail.com thread think how I was gonna quit coming here so often now that my last hunt is out of the way, and I can finally turn all my attention to fishing..... What did you go and make this new forum for? I guess I'll be lurking through the long hot dry season.... Bret

Which one of Jim's photo's? I always figured if I hired a guide it would be Jim just for the field photography. Is it this one? Bret

I'm actually reading this thread and thinking.... Yeah, I'd like to see that! I think I'll go check my temp, because I must be coming down with something. Bret

I'll sound the echo here. Silentbutdeadly, that is by far the best hunting story I have read in a long time. Thanks for posting it. Bret

These threads always amuse me The cartridge is just the metallic case that holds the powder! It's the bullet diameter and how fast it travels that are the real key. My advice is that if you hand load, then pick a cartridge and go with it. The .308 based cartridges are all easy to laod and efficient. they are also suited for a short action rifle, which can be better for a youth. (.243, .260 Rem, 7mm-08, .308) If you want a bit more power, than choose a caliber based on the .30-06, such as the .25-06, .270 win, .280 rem, .30-06, or one based on the 7x57 such as the .257 Roberts, 240 Rem, 7x57, or as one other poster mentioned the slightly shorter 6.5x55. If a magnum is what you really want, then get one. Your choice. The 7MM mag, .300 WinMag, and .338WM are all good rounds. As another poster pointed out, the Howa/Vanguard in the weatherby calibers is a decent rifle. Your son will swear that recoil doesn't bother him, and he will brag at school about what a big caliber he shoots, but I'd bet money that after 20 rounds at the range he will shoot that 7mm-08, .243, .260 Rem better than the larger calibers. You will do him a favor if you choose one of these. If he really needs something to brag about, then get him a bigger quad. If you don't load your own ammo, then go to Wally World and look behind the counter. See what caliber ammo they carry and pick one of those. (.270, .30-06, .308, 7Mag) For you fans of the short mags, I still think of them as a passing fad. Whatever caliber you get him, he will instantly fall in love with it, as well as the make/model of rifle you get him, and he will probably love it for the rest of his life. He might even use it as his screen name or at least become fiercely loyal to it in this type of debate. Bret