AZP&Y

Real nice Gobbler- Congrat's! I'll be sure to bring my shirt along in 3 weeks! Best of luck with the Gould's - you are a lucky man to draw that tag in AZ! AZP&Y

WOw- look at that it took them 4 days to figure out how to post them online- That's our tech savy AzGFish! AzP&Y

I took Duwane's class 3 years ago- and never looked back! I spot more critters than I ever believed was possible : Bears- Mtn Lions and of course BIG Coues BuckS! His passion and experience runs deep. It's worth the price of admission. Bring the best glass you have, but Swaro's are not mandatory! AzP&Y

Amanda- the people of India & Hindus around the world appreciate your quote- GOOD ONE! AzP&Y

RG, Awesome-That's my kind of hunt and pack sytle- lightweight covering lots of ground. It's funny you posted this , I Signed off last night and thought , "boy haven't seen any spring bear hunts on cwt" and when I logged in this morning - your post. Excellent pics and whew talk about BONE FEVER! Thanks for sharing! Doug

I think being a bowhunter knowing I can get an over the counter- deer- bear and turkey tag makes it a bit easier (IMO)..... AzP&Y Matty - Is she from Kiev?

Most excellent find for sure! Would love to stumble upon that buck! Azp&Y

Clay, Nice trail cam pics- bear track is way cool. Good talking to you the other day and I'll let you know how my trail cam spot pans out ! Thanks again! AzP&Y- Doug

Well it is definetely that time of year again! PRIME TIME Hiking weather!!! This time our crew (3 of us and 3 dogs) decided to take on sections 16 & 17 of the ARIZONA TRAIL. The hike started near Kelvin Arizona and the Gila River. Over the course of 31 miles we would end up at Picketpost trailhead just west of Superior. Day 1-was just incredible hiking with sunshine and cool breezes. Section 16 is under construction and instead of taking the dogs through the thick cactus and rocks, we decided to take the old way along the railroad tracks. We didn't want to beat them up too bad, but I hope to return to do the section as intended. Before long we were into some nice single track and the desert wildflowers were blooming everywhere. A few miles into the hike we came upon an old chalky muley shed lying in the wildflowers, we left it behind for someone else to enjoy. Another couple of miles and what a treat to discover the black and orange beaded creature of the desert lazily lying smack in the middle of our path. The setter (otis) and golden (milo) were not sure what to make of it ? So we slowly walked the dogs by as he reared his head and gently 'hissed'. After 9 miles the sun would be setting soon and it was time to pitch the MSR trekker mesh tent in a soft sandy wash. The Moon 95% full made for a nice evening and no headlamps were needed, as the rays cascaded shadows on the rock faces and surrounding saguaros. Day 2-brough light winds and some rolling clouds and again temps in the low 70's. Our destination today would be an artesian well 6 miles away. Again more wonderful single track intermixed with jeep trails and our only visitor was a snake and some folks in a Rubicon from Montana that said, " where did you guys come from?"... After 3 more miles we dropped into a narrow boulder strewn canyon. Lots of rock hopping and we even at times had to lift the dogs over the waist high boulders to help them along. As water trickled down the canyon floor, we knew we were getting close. A bit of navigation and we were able to find the well and fresh water was a welcome site after 15 miles. A peacful night in the slot canyon on a bed of soft sand, only to be awoken by the light mist of a rain storm that last from midnight until 4am. Dreams of the Anasazi-Hohokam filtered through my mind... Day 3--A partly cloudy morning and an exiting front gave way to the fresh smell of the desert after a rainstorm and a bighorn high on the bluff greeted us. Today is the BIG push. 1800 "+" vertical through tough country with full loads of water and only rock cairns to guide us through WHITE CANYON WILDERNESS> The walking stick will earn it's keep today. The views rival Sedona and every Saddle and Summit you see here we earned for sure! I am drawn to one peak and fondly name it "THE TEMPLE OF SYRINX" 4 hours and we've gone 2 miles. As we traverse the ridge line we notice 6 bighorn sheep on the far bluff. Time to rest and enjoy the moment. Another 6 hours and 1500 vert of up and down have us pitching camp at 3800' with a 20-30mph wind. The moon is full and I eat my freeze dried Lasagna and sip whiskey... a great finish to a TOUGH day on the trail ..ZZZZzzzzZZZZ Day 4--is clear, cool and bright. 11.5 miles today to get to the truck. After the prior days serious vertical climbs, we get a late start. 6 miles down and the sun is high overhead beating down. We stop intermittently to rest the dogs in the shade where we can find it. The remaining 5.5 miles few words are spoken and after every zig/zag of the trail the truck comes faintly into view. Finally End to end one of the most challenging, rewarding and enjoyable backcountry trips I've done in a long time. Thanks for reading and if you scrolled to the pics- well that's ok too AZP&Y -Doug Otis Along the Railroad tracks An old muley shed for the next hiker to enjoy A neat Gila Monster searching for some shadeThe Temple of Syrinx:Precious water in the desert Desert Bighorns (that ram on the left is going to be a shooter some day)...Views of the Gila River valleyNo Sedona Red Rock pass required here:The last evening of the Hike:

Real nice desert Muley for sure! Glad it all worked out... This time next year that buck will have some nice company with coues mount! AzP&Y -Doug

Ok, so I think I've stumbled upon something that may or may not be so common. 2 GILA MONSTERS in less than a week. They were both about 6 miles apart and at approximately the same elevation 2800-3100 feet. Is this common? I've walked hundreds of miles in Arizona and not seen one since I went to The Phoenix Zoo. Any factoids you can throw out ? Breeding season - movement patterns. Or is this just pure LUCK? Either way I think I'll play Powerball this weekend. Enjoy the pictures. I know I did getting close without having to worry about this critter pouncing on me ! AzP&Y

Excellent recovery and variety of sheds and heads! I enjoy watching the coati's - I've watched some groups through the binos for hours... AzP&Y

Thanks guys for the nice comments! Yes , RR it was a small recessed cave in the face of the rock. I only had my steiner 8x22's but enjoyed checking out this particular set of rocks. We saw lots of little caves and this looks like excellent mountain lion country! I think one of the true keys to longer distance hiking/trekking is time. Pushing enough, but not too much. Couldn't resist posting a few more pictures... Doug AzP&Y

What products are you using? Home brew? Or some of the commercial stuff?? You can PM me if you don't want to post. Thanks, AzP&Y

+1 for Scotty and Phil. Even before Scotty was back from Africa I was anticipating the photos. They of course were spectacular and I felt as if I was along for the journey. Also, Phil mentioned when I voted his photo essay the best in my opinion, he said, "he thinks about taking pics and recapping a hunt prior to his return"... It's patience to the Nth degree and not always easy to do on a hunt of lifetime, long 30 mile trek or creeping up on a sleeping gila monster. Another factor with these attributes are the willingness and ability to SHARE a story rather than internally covet the experience. To do it well is ART. Great job guys, the pictures are for sure a great addition to any story. AzP&Y Doug

RR, Excellent pics for sure- I can see a frame around the top photo. Moving water is always a challenge for me, but I've come a very long way from when I first photographed all types of water. Thanks for sharing! AzP&Y

I'm switching to the Grong Olive-Brown shirt. Orange is out... sweet match 4 sure! AzP&Y Doug

A couple of recent spring pics- where's the Benadryl? AzP&Y

SPIRIT OF THE WILD- for sure- Really enjoyed the pics and story! Bet it's good to be home in the comforts of your home! Great story and Happy belated birthday! AzP&Y Doug

You better make it back in one piece!!! I need someone to film that TROPHY VELVET COUES in AUGUST I'm going to take! AzP&Y

Most excellent- with the music and all it just enhances the whole trail cam- production! Thanks for sharing - nice lion! AzP&Y

All of these stories are excellent reading for sure. I particularly liked Cramerhunts (phils) story. It is superbly put together with hyper-link text. That is just way to cool. I think even someone who is a novice hunter reads this story and has a greater appreciation for what it takes to be in the field and harvest one of these elusive ghosts. The pictures also tell a great story- from field to campfire. Hunting is not always about success and it seems after reading his post and story- that is why it gets my vote. Great job - CWT guys (and gals). This category should be around for a long, long time... AzP&Y

CF, I saved these pics to my hard-drive from the original post- these are also etched into my mind... http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...8&hl=jaguar AzP&Y

Nice pics for sure- enjoyed all of them! This whole thing is a serious addiction! The c batteries on the wildviews are breaking my bank - So I'm switching to 12v batteries soon! AzP&Y Doug

That is so cool-- I can't believe that's is going to the smallest buck of the contest - Tee hee hee (JK) Great work and pride in that piece for sure! AzP&Y