whats wrong with us!!!

[bchoitz]

One more thing....

 

Cherish the time in the field with your dad. At 47 I have never gotten the chance to hunt with my own father. He stopped hunting shortly after the first time he took my older brother on his first hunt, and I did not get the chance until I was married, out of the navy, and moved back to Colorado where I learned to hunt with my father in law. I still try to get my dad to go with me and my sons, but so far no luck.

 

Bret

[bobbyo]

Best thing you and your Dad can do is buy a bow. You don't even need a real expensive one. I had the same trouble filling tags when I first started hunting. Then I bought a bow and a OTC deer tag. Increased the hunting season by two months. More time in the field means seeing more animals and finding more spots where they live. Trust me. I didn't become a decent hunter with a rifle until I bought a bow.

Bob

[coueschaser3]

One more thing i thought of that helped me tremendously in archery, not so much rifle but sometimes. Dont always stalk to the deer. i have learned if you know enough about its habits to be able to ambush it, get a head of it know where its going and let it come to you, it severly increases success. Gives you time to calm down and set up also. Never never never forget to pay attention to your surroundings. sometimes its nice to see the deer/elk/pig/bear whatever but sometimes you NEED to drop out of view and get to a point you can inch up and see it in range. might not always be there still but its a good idea alot of the time, pay attention to typical wind in each area you hunt, alot of mountains and canyons tend to have consistent directions that change at certain places, always watch the wind! you can wear jeans a regular shirt and cowboy boots, not take a shower for a week, smell however and if you keep the wind right your perfect. On the other hand use all the scent kill you can get scentlok cloths use cover scents full camo and move with the uttmost care but loose the wind and its gonna be over.

[BigBfever]

Practice in the off season and try stalking the deer, not just the bucks, but the does as well.

 

 

75% of the time does/cows will be the ones that bust you everyone is giving great advise, another tip is shoot your rifle/bow at distance a little beyond your comfort and continue to push you ability to hit your target. practice as much as you can. between good stalking tactics and being able to make a longer shot will will increase your odds greatly.

 

Don't limit yourself to a few units there's deer and elk all over our state.

[HuntKaibab]

Thaks guys All great advice. Yea my dad was real suprised i had the money to but him glass like

[bowsniper]

You are getting some great advice here! A couple of things jump out at me:

 

Cherish the time in the field with your dad!! (quoted from someone else)

 

You gotta go where the deer are. (quoted from someone else) The solution to that is to scout and scout and then scout some more. I would guess that I spend 3 days scouting for every day hunting.

 

Hunting for most people is not instinctive, it is a skill gained from either your own experience or someone else's experience. My dad never hunted, and I taught myself to hunt as an adult. I stumbled around for 13 years all over Arizona before taking my first animal. That's a time consuming way to learn. Get a mentor if you can to help you along. If you can't, it might be worth hiring a guide for a hunt, with the condition that he mentor and teach you as well as guide you.

 

At least for me, glassing is not a natural ability. I have a friend that after I pick out one deer on a hillside, he can pick out 9 more with the same binos. There was someone note worthy guide (Dwane Adams?) giving glassing lessons a while back. Maybe someone could remember the details.

 

Good luck, keep at it, and keep us posted.

 

Mark

[CouesWhitetail]

Yes, it was Duwane Adams that does the glassing classes. he is a great guy and terrific glasser and one of our sponsors. He can teach you alot. You can find his contact info on his website:

 

http://www.arizonabiggamehunting.com/

 

 

[DUG]

There's a lot of good advice given here. Enjoy the time with your dad. That's probably the most important. My dad wasn't a hunter so to speak. But he helped me alot. He was there for my 1st pig and deer kill when I was 13 or 14. He gutted them for me and then said the next time it's up to me. As far as finding animals and shooting them, I'm a big believer in luck and thinking positive when I hunt. You need to be ready when the opportunity presents itself. Just a couple of seconds can be the difference between filling your tag and not filling it. Sounds like you are getting tags and getting out there. It's just a matter of time I guess. Just remember anything can happen when you are out hunting. Good luck to you!

[Chef]

x2 on Duwanes glassing lessons. Maybe you can get your Dad to go with you. Between both of you, you can pick up a lot more tips. He definitely knows his stuff and is one of the most helpful people I have met.

[desertdog]

Sorry to hear about the lack of success for you and your dad. I can see that a few of your hunts have been for tough hunts and that doesn't help to increase your odds of success. My thoughts are that to be successful on a hunt you have to scout, plan, and prepare. The more days you spend scouting......and I mean actually scouting, glassin, checkin' tanks, talkin to locals, past hunters etc......all increase your chances of success by leaps and bounds, the more days the better!!! Sure, a guy can get lucky and lots of folks do, but don't rely on luck. The more you prepare for a hunt, means the less dependant you are on luck and the better your chances of success! Next time you or your dad draw a tag call me, I'll help out in any way I can. JIM>

 

 

Wow I was reading this reply thinking to myself "spoken like a true guide". Not much of us really get time to put the kind of effort into scouting the way we want. We are usually working lie dogs trying to keep food in our family's belly's and cloths on there backs. We don't have that kind of time to spend in the field scouting. It is a pleasure just to run out for a long weekend to hunt for a few days. Then at the end of Jim's post he did something that only a gentleman and a heck of a nice guy would do. He said "call me, I'll help out any way I can". Coming form someone of his stature, a offer like that is truly priceless and goes to show you what type of person he is. Kudos Jim!!!!!

[tjhunt2]

After reading these replies you can't help but be a better hunter already. I'm always willing to help out a fellow hunter whenever I can. Great advise here on coueswhitetail from the best gang on the web.

 

TJ

[az4life]

I think it has been said that we all go through dry spells sometimes but when they run that long (for me) I had to ask if I was shooting blanks or forgot to take the lens caps off. Actually Dry spells are why it's called hunting, not killing.

Stick to this board and the rest of the time, get in the field and learn your terrain and quary. Make sure you take Jim and others up on their generous offers. Doing that, I think your dry spell is about to turn into a flood pretty fast.

Good luck.

[IKillCoues]

I'm 16 and i have been going out hunting with me dad since i could walk. So im not sure what starting from no experience is like. But i can definately tell you will get what you put in to it. Spending all those hours out in the field scouting will help. And it could also have to do with the way you are hunting. And some of those units don't look like your makin it super easy on yourself

 

Aaron

[KaibabHunter]

All great advice.

 

The only thing I haven't heard is trail cams. I have 2 now and they have been a huge help for me with my limited time and busy schedule. I can leave them for pretty much however long I want and check them and see what activity is going on. I'm still using the same 6 d cell batteries since June and reading 70% battery life as of today. I usually check them every 2-3 weeks. You can eliminate tanks, trails, or entire areas all together until you get dialed in on an area with activity. If you're buying top shelf binos I would recommend adding a trail cam or 2 to your arsenal. ust make sure you're smart about how you place, conceal and secure them - they're tend to get stolen.

 

I also agree with using bowhunting to hone your skills. Nothing like tip toing through 60 head of elk over 2 hours trying to get within range (under 45 yards for me) of the herd bull just to have him feed out of range at the last second or closing from 80 yards to under 40 on a muley. Not easy but its fun and if you take it seriously it'll make you better.

 

Keep using the boards for info. Remember, for example that hunting muleys in the desert vs the mountains is a different ball game. That's a lesson I painfully learned over a long period of time until I finally took the advice of some seasoned desert hunters that got me on the right track and now things are looking much better. Good luck.

[Red Rabbit]

Keep using the boards for info. Remember, for example that hunting muleys in the desert vs the mountains is a different ball game. That's a lesson I painfully learned over a long period of time until I finally took the advice of some seasoned desert hunters that got me on the right track and now things are looking much better. Good luck.

 

I suspect many have not altered their techniques to fit the time and place. What have you noticed that is different between mountain and desert behaviors, and what have you done to change your tactics as a result?