LuckyGuy128 Report post Posted November 9, 2009 Was I just in the wrong part of 36B? Multiple long time waterholes were dry and I saw very few deer (13 does and 1 buck in 4 days). I hunted in 2 distinct parts of the northern part of the unit. Thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rclouse79 Report post Posted November 9, 2009 I hope I do not find a similar story in 36C later this month. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted November 9, 2009 Not sure where you were hanging out but on the early hunt we seen tons of deer everyday .... lots of does (many with fawns and lots of twins) ... lots of spikes and forks and several big ones ..... we went 3 for 6 with 2 missed opportunities for another hunter .... I made a bad mistake and ended up shooting a deer which when glassed was a good 3x3 but in the transfer between the binos and the gun and a few feet of movement on the deers part and my lack of confirming the head gear before my shot the 3x that I thought fell in his tracks, it ended up being a spike when I got to the Kill... The 3x3 was laying just up on the slope in the grass with his body and rack right behind behind the Spike .... He along with another 3x3 , A large fork and a huge body 3x2 came out of the grass when mine fell and my buddy was able to take the big 3x2 (80"-90" (dressed out was well over 100 lbs)).... it was Hot most the hunt with a 25 degree temperature drop over night for the last 2 days .... over all 8 days we probably seen about 120-130 does & fawns about 15-20 or so spikes and small forks, a handful of 80"-90" bucks and unfortunately the largest bucks 4 100"+ bucks seen the week before and one much larger seen the day before opening morning going to bed did not seem to return to the area they were hanging .... a couple camps set close and the number of hunters running the roads seemed to send those guys into hiding and we were not able to get back on them .... It was a great hunt and lot of hiking and a lot of lessons were learned (note to self-double check the rack through the rifle scope of the one your shooting ) but we seen deer and lots of them .... Chris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted November 10, 2009 So stra8shot. I am not trying to be to judgmental on your choice of shot. Before you take a shot at an animal you should do all you can to be sure of the shot. I would hate to have seen hat could have taken place if you would of had a pass through shot on that small spike and hit the bigger buck behind him in the grass. Then there would have been a bad mistake (choice on your part that may have ended up with you not beeing able to hunt for a few years. We all need to be ethical enough to use our glass to see our target and beyond to be safe hunters. Just saying. If I read what you said wrong then i am wrong for saying anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azphil Report post Posted November 10, 2009 I'm headed down there this weekend to scout up for our thanksgiving weekend hunt. We were near Pena Blanca last year with no sucess- saw only 2 spikes and several does. There were more mule deer doe than whitetail. No muley bucks. Too much border patrol activity down there. We'll try a little further north. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted November 10, 2009 Couesaz as I stated in the post that the deer MOVED a few feet to the right from where I glassed him directly in front of an Ocotillio .... thinking he was a lone Buck my mistake was not focusing on the rack one more time before dropping him having done that I would have seen I was wrong about the lone buck thing .... It was a 254 yard shot and with eye never leaving the scope watching my deer drop I seen the one buck get up from the left of the ocotillio maybe a foot or two above and back from where the deer I shot originally stood in my binos before switching to my gun then the other 3 got up from the right about 8 yards up from the kill .... They were laid up tight and did not even spook right away running .... the largest bodied one with the most mass on his Rack slowly worked up to a saddle where I guided my buddy to him and where he placed his shot at about 290 yards while the other 3 hung lower between the fallen deer and the one about to get shot... with the one that had been laid up close to mine staying trying to nudge my fallen deer up from the ground to hit the road .... My friends shot was a few minutes after mine and at that point the others moved a little faster none flagging and running at all and the 3x3 that was nudging mine was last to move up and just in time to save himself because the other friend hunting with us was confused and slow on getting to us and missed having a perfect shot by only about 40 seconds...... I understand that you are trying to stir things up but to try to compare a single bullet passing through an animal and hitting and killing an unseen animal behind him is far far different then locking and loading three or four different shots on multiple seen targets .... I did not say accidents do not happen in the other post I stated that when it is a conscious decision to fire on multiple big game after you suspect you hit one is no accident ..... and I can tell you another thing if that buck I shot who was thought to be alone did not fall in his tracks and ran there would not have been a second shot fired at any other of the bucks larger or not that came out ..... I would have waited, hiked, confirmed the shot and tracked the one I shot to where he laid if it so happened I missed the shot there is always tomorrow to get back on them ..... I am sorry if you think that my way of thinking is brash and harsh and that there is not enough gray in my thought to call such things that some do accidents but in the case of a True accident something unseen something unplanned without intention I do have understanding I do have empathy and I do believe in trying to make it as right as possible.... on the other post that was not the case a conscious decision was made to fire on a different animal .... Thanks for your concern though it is appreciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted November 10, 2009 I'm headed down there this weekend to scout up for our thanksgiving weekend hunt. We were near Pena Blanca last year with no sucess- saw only 2 spikes and several does. There were more mule deer doe than whitetail. No muley bucks. Too much border patrol activity down there. We'll try a little further north. AZphil The border patrol activity is high all over the unit and so are the deer .... We have hunted it only the last couple years but many many scouting trips and 2 Hunts down there we have been impressed with the numbers seen as well as the amount of fawning we have seen the last 2 years.... there are so many avenues to go in that unit and find bucks but if you are patient and willing to get a little off the beaten path that late November hunt should be a fun one .... while there are some tanks that are dry many are not dried up .... we have put in a lot of time over the last couple years covering about half the unit finding what roads go where... areas that can be hiked to, getting away from most if not all the pressure out there if you want any general info just PM me and I can point you in some general directions that with some scouting time will have you seeing a lot more than you did last year.... Good luck on the scouting and your Hunt Chris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted November 10, 2009 Oh well see the thing i saw in your post that made me think this was that you said the buck right behind the spike. So I misunderstood what you were saying. Sorry about bashing you for it. Like i said if i read it wrong then i am wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted November 10, 2009 So stra8shot. I am not trying to be to judgmental on your choice of shot. Before you take a shot at an animal you should do all you can to be sure of the shot. I would hate to have seen hat could have taken place if you would of had a pass through shot on that small spike and hit the bigger buck behind him in the grass. Then there would have been a bad mistake (choice on your part that may have ended up with you not beeing able to hunt for a few years. We all need to be ethical enough to use our glass to see our target and beyond to be safe hunters. Just saying. If I read what you said wrong then i am wrong for saying anything. +1 Sounds like you didn't confirm your target before shooting, what if you had shot a doe? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Str8Shot Report post Posted November 10, 2009 Couesaz Sol Good re reading it myself I could see where you would be confused I was trying to keep it short .... either way It was confirmed... When I got my buddy on it with his Binos the deer had just started to move ... during that time is when I took off my pack layed it down and set up prone a process that was not rushed and took place over a couple mins .... What he did not realize was that I seen the rack of the other deer and to him Buck and Spike is the same thing so when it moved as I was setting up and he was on him he confirmed Head gear again but not that what he was looking at was a spike ..... either way we Both took home meat that afternoon and the cuts from that spike are tasty .... no other deer were fired upon in the group of 5 but the 2 that were hauled out ...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBfever Report post Posted November 10, 2009 We had the first hunt it was drying up pretty quick, plenty of deer down there. Get into the rough country, numbers aren't as good but your only looking for ONE and odds are he'll be a little heavier then the deer hanging around water holes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
massamino Report post Posted November 10, 2009 How about muley bucks? We are headed out today to go scout if you have any tips. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jasong Report post Posted November 10, 2009 i hunted 36B over the weekend at south end of Ruby private land, and other areas in close proximity. i glassed up 58 different deer, in three days 4 were small bucks (2 point/ fork/ spikes). i did spot one other what i believe was a buck on north west side of Montana Peak (extremely rugged) just as sum light was fading. if your up for the climb i would recommend this. it is approx 1 mile from roads steep and rugged, and there is a water catch on the south/ west end of the canyon that is on top of montana peak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scoutm Report post Posted November 10, 2009 I hope I do not find a similar story in 36C later this month. Rain had to have been very spotty down south. In 36c some tanks had plenty of water and tanks less than 1 miles away were bone dry - it made no sense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntingfool Report post Posted November 10, 2009 I too saw far fewer deer this year in 36B compared to last year. We managed to fill 3 out of 5 tags with small bucks, but numbers-wise there were definitely fewer deer. Pre-season scouting was the same way, I'm glad to have gone 60%. Not sure why it happens but I've had good spots go dry lots of times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
