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Hi everyone! I started Banded Taxidermy in early 2024. Currently focusing on skull cleaning, waterfowl/birds, and getting into hide tanning. I am accepting all work and hope to see some of you soon. Here is the website: https://bandedtaxidermy.com/ I am also on Facebook and Instagram for those of of you with social channels.

https://www.fieldandstream.com/hunting/sportsman-group-fights-arizona-trail-camera-ban/

Anyone getting their credit cards hit this morning?

2013 G5 Prime Impact Compound Bow 70LBS Limbs at 28” Draw Length 2 seasons on the Strings ~390 Grain Arrow at ~280 FPS QAD drop away rest and paper tuned by AAC $325 Or Best Offer I-17 & Carefree Hwy Contact Keith: (602) 642 1721

I have experience with big game and predator hunting but am absolutely inexperienced with dove here in Arizona or anywhere for that matter. I would love to get out there and give it a try but haven't the slightest idea where to start. I'm in the North Phoenix/Cave Creek area and would love any advice for a dove beginner. General location, things to look for, suggestions without a dog etc.

Im new to deer hunting and id have to say so far im finding doe and a lot of poo just no bucks. I was hopping someone would point me in the right direction or kust give me some pointers. Or is there a better unit to hunt otc tags

Looking for any advice on good areas to scout for unit 22 rifle hunt. I'm a relatively new hunter. How will this year's winter precipitation effect the hunt? Thanks.

Hello everyone, I am a first time DIY elk hunter. My father-in-law and I are heading out to Unit 1 for a late season bull hunt. I did not grow up hunting but have done a little over the past few years. All of my hunts have been DIY based on lots of reading and trial and error. We were able to spend the Thanksgiving weekend (Fri-Sun) scouting & glassing sun up to sun down but were unable to locate many elk. I was hoping that some of you would be gracious enough to share some advice about hunting late season elk in Unit 1 Arizona. Are most still up at higher elevations? Are bulls still generally sticking to secluded areas this long after the rut? Is it beneficial to still use calls occasionally? I have done quite a bit of research, but nothing beats picking the brains of an expert. Any advice/help you could give is much appreciated! John

Hey everyone who reads this, just wanted to introduce myself since I just joined. I’m 24 from Arizona lived here my entire life I mainly fish all year around but I just started to get into hunting and putting in the for the draw. Finally drew a tag after my 3rd year of putting in and got drawn for unit 10. I have the late rifle hunt, November 30th - December 6th. My dad and uncle got drawn for the Unit 10 October 19th antlerless elk hunt and we were just there with no luck. We stayed off the private ranch there in unit 10 and came up short. Came across some tracks and about a week old elk droppings all over the place but could never get on any. Other hunters we ran into out there said the same thing, that they didn’t even glass any up. We coverd a decent amount of ground but couldn’t locate any not sure if it was the weather or the foot traffic but I was curious if anyone else who had that hunt had any luck and If anyone had any advice for unit 10 in general. Is it worth paying $110 to hunt on the private ranch and then making my dad pay another $80 just to assist and go with? I’m not looking for anybody’s secret area or them to give me everything they know about unit 10 just some over all general advice for unit 10 since I’m new to this I know how forums go, was part of the azbasszone for years so I’m not looking for handouts. I know it’s the late hunt and weather can play a factor on where they go but just thought I’d give it a shot if anyone has any advice or past experience. Thanks for reading, Taylor

Hello everybody, i need some help, i am a hunter from Spain currently living in phoenix until February, i have got a over the counter deer tag for bow in December. i have been looking to go hunting to unit 22 or 21, just because are close to where i live, both have good acess (i don't have a truck to go far off road) and i have just weekends to go hunting or scouting. Already have been scouting three weekends, hiking and camping in unit 22, first one , i went to the left side of highway 87 in Sunflower, i hike about 7 miles and camp in high spot to glass, i didn't see any deer but a lot of tracks. Second time i went to Tonto basin, right side of the 188 rd in the way of Roosevelt lake, i saw just two mule does in the hills but i did see and a lot of track . the 3ª weekend i crossed the rio Verde just below the horseshoe dam and hike a few mile into the Mazatzal wildenest, i saw again just too doe mule deer and 2 doe White tail deer, but i didn't see many tracks. This weekend i will try 21 to go to the left side of Seven spring road, trail 245 in Onx map, near to Camp Creek. It is been very difficult to me decide where to go, i am not looking for a big trophy, i don't mind if it a mule deer o coues, i just want to have some fun and at least try to spot and stalk once in Arizona before i go back home, i am already having a great time jus scouting such a nice mountains. If someone can give some help, not saying that i want a honey hole but meaby some better areas to look for or any other advise will be great. my brother is coming all the way from spain just for the hunt and it would be great at least see some bucks. we will try to film the hunt and posted in our hunt channel in youtube " Certeros Ballesteros " it is all about hunting and fishing video in Spain. thanks all!

So I'm new to the forum and apologize if this is in the wrong section but I'm curious on how you go about pricing large TROPHY CLASS coues deer. This buck scores maybe around 129" and is just insane but i dont know where to start.

COUSE DEER- what are the best units in AZ Planning a AZ couse hunt to finish my North American deer slam and looking to harvest a respectable mature buck. Not asking for any ones honey hole just wanting some honest opinions on the best units for trophy quality , population numbers , as well as public access. Thanks for your time!

Looking for some tips on hunting this unit for late season rifle. I've done a lot of camping by Pancho Villa tank so I am somewhat familiar with that area. Not too familiar below the rim. I appreciate your comments.

Well after 11 points I finally drew my first AZ elk tag and I couldn't ask for a better opportunity with a unit 10 early archery tag!! I have hunted 10 before for deer but only a few times in the Kiabab national forest. My dad shot a bull way back in the day on Mt. Floyd but other than that I feel pretty unfamiliar with the unit. My dad and I are planning on doing a lot of scouting once I finish up my last semester of college in May. We always put our work in and aren't afraid to put miles on the boots and hours behind the glass. My main question is if it is worth purchasing the Big Bo access permit. Im leaning towards it right now due to the fact that the ranch encompasses over half the unit in prime elk country, however, after doing some searching I've also seen some people mention it may not be worth it with the amount of outfitters on it. What are your guys opinion? Also, if anyone is familiar with the unit is there any general areas I should start looking? Im not asking for specific areas and understand if I don't get a response to that question as we all have put the work in to find personal spots and Im not worried that I wont find elk. Just nice having an idea where to start the search. Right now we are planning on checking out the flats south of the 124 and putting some cameras out on our first trip. Thanks in advance for your input!!

The Arizona Elk Society Banquet is on April 14th, 2018. Tickets are going fast, over half sold out. Individual, Reserved and Corporate tables still available, but going fast. Mesa Convention Center Doors open at 4:00 PM Dinner 5:30 PM https://www.arizonaelksociety.org/shop/product-category/event-tickets/

FYI - Arizona Elk Society (AES) is holding its annual banquet on April 8th. MESA CONVENTION CENTER 4:00 PM - Doors Open 5:15 PM - Dinner 5:30 PM - Ceremonies Start 5:45 PM - Dinner is served followed by festivities. https://arizonaelksociety.org/fundraising/2017-banquet-highlights Get your Corporate, Reserved or Single tickets seats now, they are starting to sell quickly. Tons of prizes, from RTIC Coolers to various Blitz prizes and rifles!

After drawing late tags last year I didn't have very high hopes going into the 2015 draw but was pleasantly surprised when the results came out as my cousin and I drew our second choice for another late hunt. Fortunately it was for a unit that I know pretty good and have spent a lot of time in over the years. Without waisting any time we got out to some of my old favorite spots and got cameras hung. I was a little disappointed in the lack of sign we found but wasn't to concerned as it was a late hunt! We had some pretty cool bucks on camera but nothing that got me really fired up, we had 21 days to hunt after all. Fast forward to the end of November and our plans changed significantly. My other hunting partner had drawn a unit 22 desert tag so I committed to helping him and the company we worked for picked up a job in Missouri so I sent my cousin to run it. We both thought no problem, get the sheep hunt over with quick and knock the job out in a hurry and we'd be in camp before opening day. As these things normally go neither happened and we got to hunt a total of 1.5 days before Christmas. We did pass up a mid nineties buck during that time though but we had both agreed to hold out for a giant until the last couple days of the hunt. While we were home for Christmas I spent some time discussing areas and strategies with another forum member (thank you by the way) and I had high hopes heading to camp at 3:00 am the next morning. I met up with John and we hiked into an area I had been wanting to look at for a while. It was perfect, snow on the ground and the air was still. Unfortunately that didn't last long and we got hammered with a blizzard. Another day lost. That evening John came down with the crud and headed home as he was in bad shape. That left me solo during the days and my dad in camp at night as he was hunting muley's in the flats with his bow. The next couple days were uneventful with a few bucks spotted and passed in some gorgeous country. The next morning I woke up to some fresh snow and decided I'd load up in the side by side and head over to retrieve our last camera we had out. As I was pulling out of camp John rolled in. I asked how he was feeling and he replied good enough since there were only three days left. We bundled up and headed out. After glassing our way in we finally made it to where we'd hike in to get the camera. John glassed the ridge above our camera and spots a buck rutting a doe. We look him over and recognize him from our pictures as a buck we named the barrel buck due to his large body. I told John to pack his gear and go kill the buck, he however was still felling under the weather and didn't think he could make it up the ridge so off I went. The rest was pretty uneventful. After a long cold ride back to camp that night we looked at our pictures and knew where we would hunt the last two days of the year. After a pretty uncomfortable trip back to where we were a few short hours previously we set up our glass and got to work. Not long after John says those magic words, "I've got a buck, a big buck". He was buried in a jungle chasing a doe hard and I knew this would be a little bit tricky to make happen. We set up some landmarks and agreed on some distinguishing names and off John went to stalk the giant. The next 4.5 hours were some of the longest of my life. The snow would move in and I'd lose all visibility, it would clear and I'd get lucky and re-spot the buck, I'd walk John into him and sometimes he'd get a shot and sometimes it would be so thick he couldn't see the buck which was less than 20 yards from him. We some how kept it all together and John was able to seal the deal on the buck we named Yeti. It was an incredible hunt and got even better when my dad was able to seal the deal with only minutes to spare on this nice archery muley! In tense situations emotions can get pretty hot but having good hunting partners like I do we always come away smiling. Most of these pictures are in this video but I had some live footage as well that I wanted to share. Hope you all enjoy. https://vimeo.com/150602643

Opened my email this morning and saw an email from MeatEater, the tv show with Steve Rinella. Basically the email said the new season started tonight and thank you for being apart of the mailing list. Reading a little further down, they sent a link for a free episode. Follow the link and type in the code MEATEATERMAIL and you can watch it. You don't have to fill in any credit card info just go to the "use code" tab under Postal Code. https://meateater.vhx.tv/buy/volume-9-ep-1-sky-island-solitaire-backpack-hunting-coues-deer-in-arizona I thought it was a very good episode.

So me and my dad are putting in for deer this year in unit 3a/3c. I have hunted the area before a couple of years ago, but it was for elk not deer. I am sort of familiar with the area but it has been 2 years since i have been back. I would like to hear from anyone that has had any luck up there and maybe point me in the right direction. I am not looking for anyones honey hole or hot spots i would just like a general knowledge of where a good area would be to start scouting. After I get done with school, I plan on making a few trips up there and setting up some game cameras. Just any advice would be helpful to maybe stay away from the burnout or what not. And it is the later october hunt.

Been doing alot of fishing the passed few weeks thought I would share some Photos. The Sheep encounter on the trip with my brother was incredible wiith I knew how to get video up, had some young ones fighting over one tree out of whole desert for shade.

So I was wonder in if anyone knows if it is legal to use the Vortex V-Brite Reticle to take game in Arizona. I read the rule, I think it is okay but not sure. Getting a great deal on the scope to put on a new gun purchase. I just need to be sure I am legal. Thanks in advance.

I thought I would share some of the bird photos I have taken the last couple of weeks.

My son and I are heading up to unit 10 for the Dec. 5 cow hunt. We were able to get a couple of weekend scouting trips in earlier in the year. But now with snow I understand the elk move out of areas we scouted and are hard to find. Has anyone recently been up there and can lend us a little insight about where we could go now?

with back drop of area I was glassing more of the area I was glassing where I found him laying, propped his head up with sticks where I found him, 100 yards from where I shot him side view So, my friend Colton already posted a picture of this buck last night, but here are some more pictures along with the story. I have stalked 1 mule deer and a bachelor herd of 3 mule deer this season, and in January and last August I have stalked a total of around 30 bucks. Everything from spikes to giants. I stalk any buck I see that is within a couple miles if I can get to it before dark. I am not too concerned with antler size, I was just blessed with a great buck. I was glassing for a few hours like I do almost everyday of hunting season. As it was getting a little warmer I was paying more attention to bedding areas. I finally caught a glimpse of a buck standing and feeding in a bush at the top of a hill about a mile away. I watched him walk in between a few bushes and never emerge from the other side. After watching for about 10 minutes, I figured he bedded down right there. He was in an area the wasn’t too thick and I could see I would have some shooting lanes if I went and waited for him to stand from his bed. So I began my stalk. I went to my truck and dropped off my tripod and my Vortex 15s. I grabbed a couple waters, my home made Sneaky feet (I made them out of automotive headliner carpeting, string and hot glue so I could slip them over my boots, I was sick of walking through the desert in my socks, and this was the first time I used them and they worked great, very quiet), painted my face and sprayed down with scent killer. As I walked to the top of the mountain the wind was perfect. I could see the bushes he should be bedded in so I would take a couple steps and look through my 8s, then a couple more and look again to see If I could pick up an antler tip or any movement to make sure he was still there. And I was also checking in the areas around there to see if he was somewhere else. When I was about 150 yards away I picked up a buck feeding in a different bush. After watching for a minute it seemed that he was content in staying there so I planned my path to come around some bushes and wait for him to step out and hopefully shoot him. But I know Coues bucks often travel in pairs while in velvet, so I was keeping my eye on the bushes I had seen the buck earlier, just incase this wasn’t the same buck. As I was rounding the final bush where I was going to stop and wait for that buck to feed out, I stepped out onto a rock and looked in to the bush where I had seen the buck originally. There he was standing right there still feeding in that bush about 1.5 hours from when I had seen him with my 15s. So I froze, ranged him (luckily I have one of those range snap things, mine is actually home made but after sewing it onto my bino harness strap and getting the connectors, clips, etc. and doing all the work, I wished I would have just bought one) and adjusted my hand on my bow, as I did this he whipped his head up and the staring contest began. I did not move a muscle even though my left leg was shaking so bad I thought I was going to fall off the rock. He kept doing the whole head bob, foot stomp thing and taking steps toward me. After about a minute he turned broadside but was still staring at me. I was afraid to draw because I have done it with a few bucks and they are usually about 100 yards away by the time you reach full draw. So, I said a quick prayer and felt like God told me to draw. So I focused on a spot dead center of his lungs, reached full draw, quickly set my 40 yard pin and watched my arrow hit dead on and pass through him. I watched him run straight down the hill spraying blood. I thought to my self, “God, please don’t let me wake up.” Because I could hardly believe it actually happened. I went over found my blood covered Easton Axis with the Spitfire broadhead fully opened. I sat down and called my wife who was at work and my mom who was watching my 2 boys and told them I had just shot a great Coues buck. Since I didn’t hear him crash I waited for about 20 minutes. I would have waited longer but I knew the shot was a perfect double lung pass through so he had to be dead. I followed the blood trail about 100 yards and found him laying there. I grabbed ahold of him and realized how nice of a buck he really was and I was extremely excited and thankful. Then I took a few pics, called someone to help me pull him out, pulled him into the shade to gut him. My friend arrived and we got him to my truck. I brought him to the Mogollon Taxidermy and had him caped out. Then brought him home and took care of the meat. The equipment I used for this hunt was: 2013 Bowtech Experience set at 64#s (just got his new bow after a few years of shooting a Diamond and it is amazing), Easton Axis 340s, Spitfire Broadheads, Black Gold 7 pin Sight, Carter Release, Vortex Viper 15s with a $45 Dolica photography tripod (works great), Bushnell Legend 8s, Wildgame Innovations 900 yard angle compensating rangefinder, cheap camos, 84 Toyota 4runner. Thanks to: God who is the ultimate hunting guide, my wife for always letting me go out and always shoots bows with me, my mom for watching my kids, Isaac for helping pull this deer out (even though he almost had a heart attack), Jeremy at Chasin a Dream Archery shop who always has great products and helps me with tuning and servicing my bows, and Coueswhitetail.com members for all the knowledge I have learned through reading your posts. Hope you enjoyed the story.