lookinfor110

Which model is it?

Rejection in the mailbox yesterday. Only hope of a 2013 elk hunt is my brother, who has not received anything in the mail.

My brother and I have field butchered our deer for years and it is a very worthwhile approach. Not to mention it saving the backbreak and hassle of hauling out the entire deer. I like packing light so use a small, lightweight knife made by Victorinox which easily skins and butchers the entire deer in the field. That knife and ten, two gallon Ziploc bags are all the tools needed. We hang the deer from the head/antlers in a nearby tree (hope for a tree) and skin it completely. As meat is removed, different cuts are put into their own Ziplocs: neck/rib meat/scraps for burger, tenderloins/backstraps, front shoulders, hind roasts, etc. Zip the bags, load meat and head into pack, leave the rest to return to nature. To really lighten the load, carry a 'string saw' and use it to remove the antler cap from the skull. Good Luck!!!

It's a shame we have to modify locations and tactics on or own lands. I look forward to the day when we can freely access all areas on these lands again, without risk. Recommend paying attention to all of the cautions/advice given in this thread when hunting the 36's.

Checked the cameras yesterday. May have caught a picture of the elusive AZ Sasquach? lol

this time with picture...

A few pics from the trail cam in our whitetail area.

WT rut in full swing in southern AZ. Glassed a small area this weekend and within 45 minutes located >10 bucks, all moving at midday, different sizes up to 90". Now if only one would cooperate and provide a stalking opportunity....

for the backcountry hunter: a small piece of high density foam as a butt pad for comfortable glassing

A reply to an earlier post in this thread...a Game and Fish study done years ago in the Santa Ritas indicated that Coues bucks shed their antlers sometime between the third week in April and the middle of May.

I had the same thing on an earlier euro mount...match the natural color of the antler with a wood stain, it worked great!

Calling sounds like a great option for pigs but which call(s) deliver the best results?

My bro and I hunted 37b Dec last year. Saw lots of 'Tonks' early in the season (mid Dec), none late in the season. My simple minded explanation: it's too cold for them and it's better to be with the family during xmas anyway. Go hunt.

My brother and I put in for 36b this year for the first time in 5 or 6 years, hoping that the illegal traffic and trash had slowed down. It has not slowed down. Plenty of trash, plenty of illegals messing up our hunt and our lands...pisses me off. We have hunted those lands for 25+ years and have seen first hand how the illegals have damaged these previous pristine areas. We don't feel unsafe, we just feel violated. Now, we routinely see 12 to 24 one gallon containers of water, marked with black markers indicating the date and stating 'suerte' (luck) and 'bien venidos' (welcome). These containers are placed on the many well established foot trails by American 'good samaratins". A question for the board...what would you do when you come upon a stack of these water containers?

Sorry to hear about your camera. Your cam pic helps confirm a post I made yesterday on a different 36b thread: Used to be a great unit to hunt deer. I've hunted 36B for ~20 years. For the last 5 to 7 years we've seen a big problem with illegals. We do the backpack thing, middle of no where only to find a bunch of trash, human foot trails and the effect that illegal over crowding has...fewer deer and even fewer quality deer. Scout 36B just like you would any other unit except be mindful that it is well travelled by drug runners, coyotes, bandits and illegals looking for work.

Used to be a great unit to hunt deer. I've hunted 36B for ~20 years. For the last 5 to 7 years we've seen a big problem with illegals. We do the backpack thing, middle of no where only to find a bunch of trash, human foot trails and the effect that illegal over crowding has...fewer deer and even fewer quality deer. Scout 36B just like you would any other unit except be mindful that it is well travelled by drug runners, coyotes, bandits and illegals looking for work.

Anybody had something like this happen? How did you handle it? My partner/I were bowhunting elk this year and got into a bugling bull early a.m. He was held up in a small stand of thick timber, we snuck within 150 yards and elected to wait for him to make a move to bedding (way too thick to sneak in). After 30-40 minutes of waiting, two hunters start cow calling behind us. We are between them and the bull. They eventually turn the corner and I waved them off. They saw us and came tromping toward us and stop to spew. One was a blow hard, the other silent. Blow hard claims he'd been chasing this bull for 3 miles that morning. I told him not possible, we'd been on this bull, not moving since first light. Then he coaches us on the finer art of hunting elk and claims that we're screwing up by waiting and that we should go in after the bull. After telling him we don't need any hillside lessons he says it's his bull, I say not and he proceeds past us to 'go get him'. I considered this a #1 violation of sportsmans code and proceed to call him what he was...a liar and a sorry mofo. He/they accepted the accusations without comment and proceed toward the bull. I'll post the result of his actions later but would like to hear some reactions.

Good Topic. Hunting solo is cool and good for the soul. I hunt with friends/family mostly but every so often a solo hunt fits. A couple of points come to mind; 1)if possible, before shooting, carefully identify a unique landmark near your buck, 2) after the shot and before leaving your shooting perch, study the landmark again-the whole area and the landmark will look completely different once you get over there...completely different 3)a boned whitetail is much lighter and easier to haul out than a gutted deer. When working solo, carry ~8, two gallon plastic bags, butcher and bag the deer on the spot. This works especially well if you're solo and a long way from a road.

I hunted the refuge a lot in the 90's...it was awesome. Not so good anymore for reasons already discussed. Game & Fish also patrols the Refuge. The field agent has a very aggressive view of the Road Hunting laws and isn't afraid to pull archers or firearms hunters over and question (harass) them about the possibility of them road hunting. Be aware of his questions: is your bow in its case, are you wearing your release, is your firearm loaded, is it in its case, etc, etc. I've experienced this and know of at least one other hunter who's gotten the same treatment from the agent. I can't describe it other than to say that the way he goes about it, it just doesn't seem right. Does anyone know how the exact law(s) read regarding road hunting. Might be an interesting thread.

When we do the backpack thing and get into isolated areas, the time of year doesn't seem to matter...we see bucks throughout the day. It's been so long since I've had a December hunt (~12 years) that I won't enter an opinion. As others have said in this thread, October is very good for finding bucks in a natural state, undisturbed and in my opinion, easier to stalk and kill than in November. November does have the advantage of being a longer hunt and giving a hunter more days in the field (if spouse/work allow) to find that big fellow. Cheers and good luck!!!

SO HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED. After Mr Blow Hard and his friend moved in on our bull we left that spot and doubled around to where we thought the bull/cows would travel. As I said earlier, it was too thick to move in undetected so it was predictable that Blow Hard would bugger them...we just had to guess the route the animals would travel then try a setup. It worked just right. The bull and five cows came out within 80 yards of our new location and fed in plain view for a few minutes. It was early in the hunt so we rated him a none shooter...a good looking, mature 5 x 5. Thanks to Mr Blow Hard we got a quality opportunity at the bull. The result: We counted coup on the unsportsmanlike Mr Blow Hard!!!

Me and my bro heading to 27 with Bull tags tomorrow and we'll be there all week...can't wait.

AZ Game & Fish sells a small pamphlet entitled, "Age Criteria for Arizona Game Species". It's an outstanding, quick reference for aging animals in the field. It includes deer, elk, antelope, javalina, bison, lion, bear, turkey, waterfowl, sandhill crane and upland game birds. Must reading while on the throne.

Weller Doyles Meacham for taxidermy all are good...just depends on the style you like