AZP&Y

This would be interesting to see what the "strategy" is ...??? And then you've got Chuck Adams over there in the corner laughing and saying "beat the odds" yeah right. Like " I have to worry about that problem" Of all of the things that Az Game and Fish could be "promoting" the DRAW seems to DRAW the most attention???? AzP&Y

Superb! I can't see the boy ( nice camo) Great shot! That's the way to start them out. Get em into some Jave's and drop one on the spot! Bet that was a hoot to watch all of the other kids coming into camp with a pig! Right ON! Congrats! AzP&Y

Direct from ARIZONA GAME AND FISH I know it's seem a bit hard to image with all of the current controversy (archery bull tags and coues modifications). It was sent out yesterday. Here's the link - see for yourself. http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/highlights/highlights_0602.html#2 I was hunting the border zone for weeks this January and now there will be no question of the legality. Regards, Doug AzP&Y

i've got my own trick tank...

Super Nice buck! Way to stick the target! Like the smile from ear to ear! Thank you for sharing- Bet it was hard not to pull back on the Guajolote! AzP&Y

I've got a cord of Northern Arizona OAK (HARDWOOD) send em' my way..

Grizz, I read your post a couple of weeks ago and was thinkin' if you were gonna head back down?? Well you did and flung some carbon , it may be tough now, but the experience of getting close to pigs will get you in there for a kill shot (. It's funny that your Mantra is our Mantra??? My buddy screwed up in putting in for our Archery only Jan hunt, and we got left-over tags for the HAM hunt (area 33) in a couple of weeks. Hopefully that will be a blessing and I'll get another shot and a chance for "redemption" from last season (aka the mantra).... Thanks for sharing. For about 90.00 you can get the Javelina 3D target from Delta. That target is a bit smaller than most realize with stick and string in hand. Respectfully, AzP&Y

BIG CAT! VERY BIG CAT! VERY VERY BIG CAT! Nice Shot(s) , I like the .44 mag choice. If you ever go to Alaska, you'll be ready and loaded for Bear. Ruger! Great job...and thanks for including us on the hunt -those dogs are impressive in this year of the drought..... AzP&Y

nICE SHED PICS- THANKS FOR SHARING.. ALSO LIKE THE BUCK ON THE TOP PHOTO! dID YOU GET A CHANCE TO ARCHERY HUNT IN JAN? AZp&y

Superb Bucks! Great lighting in the pics and gives us all desk dwellers a sense of the Mexican countryside. 25,000 acres is a lot of land, and sounds like the deer are plentiful! Great Job - Also maybe next year incorporate Dos Guajolote? AzP&Y I bet you'll have dreams in the coming year of archery hunting some of those MONSTER COUES! ???

True. Tarnishes the image of ALL hunters and this one is not going to die easliy. It will be interesting to see how game and fish handles this with the need to control ELK and Javelina populations within the Payson city limits... Idjut is a kind word

cooc4cous, I really feel for you man. You've made what sounds like a shot that should/may have taken him down. You now know that you can't push the animal again, and that is a tough one to live with. Is it possible for you to gather any friends , even if it's late or night is approaching to assist with tracking?? Someone with experience would be a great assett, so you can develop a strategy , after the shot. I would suggest even after Jan archery bow season is over to spend some time studying the vitals of the whitetail. Here is a tool that helped me truely understand what I was aiming at and where my mind was telling me to shoot. It's a cut away of all of the organs-bone structure- skin etc. PUT out by NBEF National bow-hunter education foundation. They have Whitetail deer- Elk - Bear http://www.bowsite2.com/nbefstore/product1...&Product_ID=173 Good luck and I'll be watching you post for what I hope is you finding him! Respectfully, AZp&Y

Your dad is smiling inside (right)? I think I'd be doing hand-stands and back-flips! He must have the composure of a true hunter to be so "relaxed" after that buck. Excelllent job- memories of a lifetime!

I learn something everytime the "digiscope" pics come up on the site. Keep em coming and I aspire some-day for the savy to take such nice and *up close* pictures! Sweet!

In addition to the comments, I think it's how you respond after a miss that is most important. Say you've missed and another shot opportunity presents itself, re-grouping is a key to what can me the "clincher". A buddy of mine this last week , emptied his quiver on misses... The threw the bow to the ground, and moments later more deer approached and he fired again (missing). Some of us aren't so lucky to have that many opportunities, but I know he's going to be 2nd guessing himself for a while. Practice breeds confidence. 30 + hours on stand, still no shots. AzP&Y

If it was a turkey , it would be a Goulds. Game and fish has been extremely aggressive at reintroducing them. I was in the Huachucas in the spring and saw over 25 birds. Since 2003, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the National Wild Turkey Federation have transferred 82 Gould's wild turkeys from Mexico to the Chiricahua, Huachuca and Pinaleno mountains of southern Arizona as part of their Go for the Gould's project. Last year, Game and Fish staff and National Wild Turkey Federation volunteers relocated 28 Gould's wild turkeys within the borders of Arizona. Seven of those birds were released with radio telemetry units attached. Current estimates show Gould's turkeys expanding their population and range. "A survey we did in the Huachuca Mountains last year observed 321 Gould's turkeys. The highest previous number for that area was 90 in 2004," says Wakeling. "The Chiricahua, Huachuca and Pinaleno mountains all contain Gould's wild turkey flocks that are surviving and increasing," says Dr. James Earl Kennamer, National Wild Turkey Federation senior vice president for conservation programs. "There was even a report of several turkeys being seen in the Patagonia and Santa Rita Mountains where birds have not been released. Our partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the ability to work with Mexican officials has increased the U.S. population of Gould's turkeys considerably." Gould's turkeys are one of Arizona's two native wild turkey subspecies. They are slightly larger than Merriam's turkeys, which are found throughout much of Arizona's high country. Gould's turkeys were once found in riparian corridors and isolated mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona, but their numbers began to decline with the westward expansion of settlers. Gould's turkeys were an important food source for people who settled and worked in the rugged lands of southeastern Arizona, and by 1920 the birds had disappeared from our state largely due to unregulated hunting and unregulated land use practices. A small population is still found in New Mexico, and a larger population exists in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Starting in the late 1930s, the Arizona Game and Fish Department began a wild turkey restocking program in the southeastern Arizona mountains utilizing the Merriam's subspecies. Over the long-term, Merriam's translocations in this habitat had mixed results, and the program now reintroduces the Gould's subspecies, which seems to be better adapted to the climatic and habitat conditions of the southern Arizona mountain ranges. There have been sightings in the Patagonia Mts as well.. Maybe more than you wanted to know, but hope it helps... Arizona Pope and Young

True - thwack, is a good sign and the range-finder is a must when you may be hunting un-even terrain or longer shot opportunities. If you haven't switched to carbon, I would highly recommend it. You in the end will get a more durable arrow and less of an opportunity for breakage if you've busted, say an aluminum and leave the broadhead in, which can work it's way into the vitals (this can be a good thing). If there is no arrow to be found, then you've got to cover as much ground as possible and go back to where you took the shot and try and replay the angle, trajectory... If may involve checking all areas on your hands and knees if the situation warrants it. A book that I can recommed is "tracking wounded deer" by John Trout Jr. This is an art-form and can require countless hours and can be trying and taxing when it seems there is no trail, or little sign of a wounded buck. Good luck and the best advice is perserverance, the animal deserves that right. AzP&y

Superb Buck! Nice double - lunger and a very clean shot! Az is worth the drive and every minute of your time.... The rack has legendary character and mass 2 boot. Congratulations ------------------> AzP&Y

Here's a review from a hunting website. It touches a few of the key areas and poses some interesting questions and a bit of humor. Making Scents of it all More and more, today's deer hunters are trying to remain as "scent-free" as possible. This isn't exactly anything new; unscented soaps and other like products have been on the market for some years now. Today, however, the vast selection of products is simply astounding. The question is, do you need them, and can you hunt successfully without them? This year, I bought a Scent-Lok suit. It wasn't like me, spending a little over $250 on pants, jacket, and head cover, but I did it anyway. I envisioned deer after deer strolling by my stand, never having a clue I was anywhere in the area. Well, I've only laid eyes on one deer while wearing The Suit, and I guess it did its job well enough. I had apparently walked within 25 feet or so of a doe as I toted my climbing stand in, and after I set up and started to climb my tree, she spooked and ran. I can only presume that she saw me climbing. It seems that my field-testing of The Suit has a ways to go. I've read lots of good things about it, that's why I bought it, but I have yet to prove its worth in the field. For a couple of years now, I've used a scent-neutralizing spray. With the unusually warm weather this year, I haven't worn The Suit as much as I would have liked (that thing is hot!), so I've relied on the spray when I've used anything at all. I've taken deer while using it, which is a good sign. But I've taken more deer while doing nothing about my scent other than watching the wind, and keeping my scent out of the probable direction I think the deer will approach from. Some of these deer were taken after several days of hot-weather (80+ degrees!) hunting here in Florida, and there's no shower at our camp. I think most of us hunters will do anything reasonable to help ensure our success. This includes using products designed to control or remove our natural human scent. That's no problem at all, but it can sometimes be an unnecessary expense. The main thing to remember, when weighing the cost of one or more of these products, is that many, many thousands of deer have been taken by hunters who wiped their greasy hands on their britches at breakfast, spilled some gas on their boots while filling up the truck, or sweated in the Florida sun for a week without bathing. Every little bit helps, to be sure, but like the Old Man said to the Boy, "You can overdo anything." Good Luck - and remember the scent lok logo "forget the wind and just hunt" Arizona Pope and Young

Hey Bud, Welcome to AZ - July is going to be a nice introduction to summer in AZ. If you're up on the Flagstaff area and harvest a deer or elk , I can strongly recommend Dennis @ coconino game processing. He has processed 2 of my elk in September and done a superb job. There is even a great detail description on how to work with the animal to prevent spoilage. http://www.gameprocessing.com Good luck - and enjoy the reality of public land and all that it represents!~ AzP&Y

Welcome! You've come to the right place for your addiction! Azp&Y

Fletch, I sent you a PM of the web link to AZ game and fish. http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/pubs/publications.shtml AZP&Y

NIce, I check that feature on the GPS from time to time to see if it knows something??? A few times it's been right on. I find myself checking it more often ( peak hunt times ) an wether the "Hunt Forecast" is Poor - Fair - Good or EXCELLENT. Garmin is a nice versatile GPS- that gives hunters a better advantage. Technology and good old fashioned wisdom. AZP&Y

I say go through your progression. In other words, picture your self clipping up to the string, then with rythm pull pack. Settle the pin and pick a spot (just as stated). Then tell your mind and be sure that you have chosen the right pin and let er FLY! My first kill was a 5x6 bull that was 21 yards. I will never forget that. The coues target is much smaller, but you are getting the opportunity, just need to complete the shot and good things will come! Good luck! Arizona Pope and Young