Old Guys vs Young Guys

[Ron G.]

I just got back from mine, my dad’s, and WOODSAZ’s November deer hunt. After much anticipation, the hunt finally arrived. Jay and I were hunting together and my dad and his friend Bob (who I hunted with last year) hunted together. It was the old guys vs the young guys! LOL 

 

Day 1

Opening morning found Jay and I on a hill not far from camp. Almost immediately, we started seeing deer.

 

 

We moved around the hill as the morning wore on to get a better perspective on things. We bumped a couple of does and a 1x2 below us. The 1x2 was pretty confused and decided to just bed down about 125 yards below us. We watched him for a while before he finally bolted. After seeing numerous other does and some smaller bucks, I glassed a nice buck going over a ridge about three quarters of a mile away. We then watched him and some other smaller bucks move through some oaks and up another ridge. He was the best we saw that morning and we decided to go and try to find him.

 

After hiking up to the top of the ridge we saw the deer go over, we were rewarded with some nice vantage points of a couple of nice bowls. We saw a small buck across from us, but he wasn’t what we were looking for opening day.

 

 

Here is another deer we glassed up on a ridge across from us…

 

 

We continued along, glassing and picking the bowls apart. Jay glassed up a coati mundi about 70 yards or so below us.

 

 

 

After not seeing the bucks we were after, we decided to continue on to the top of the mountain and try to find some other deer. As we were making our way to the top, we busted up some deer bedded in the ocotillos at the top. We were about 300 yards away and we didn’t have a clear shot since they were moving and all in line. We continued on our way and as we got to the top of the mountain and started getting set up to glass, I slipped and tried to fall off the mountain. All the commotion spooked the deer that had unknowingly bedded about 150 yards below us. 3 deer bailed off one side of the ridge and 2 off the other side. I was trying to grab my rifle and continued to slide down the mountain. Jay’s rifle was still in his pack, but I don’t think he could have gotten to it anyways as he was laughing at me too hard… Ticked off that I hiked my out of shape self up to the top of this mountain and spooked a nice buck and his buddies off the mountain we settled in to glass and come up with a game plan for the next day. Strike one…

 

 

We were rewarded however with a beautiful sunset…

 

 

Upon getting back to camp we saw that my dad and Bob had some luck. They were heading back to camp about mid-day and kicked up this buck from his bed. My dad was able to anchor him after missing his first shot. Score one for the old guys!

 

 

 

I was very happy that my dad was able to tag out and would be able to relax and enjoy the remainder of the hunt. He missed last year’s hunt because my mom was sick, so this was really his first ‘vacation’ in quite a while.

 

Day 2

 

Jay and I decided to hike up to the top of a hill that would provide a good vantage point. Some mis-communication between the two of us put us on the wrong hill, however. 

Even though we did glass up numerous deer that morning, they were a ways off and we didn’t see any bucks of any decent size. We almost saw as many people as we did deer. The most eventful part of the morning was watching some people that were camped down below us hike between us and the ridge we were watching. We watched them get on the other side of the hill we had planned on going up and they were looking through their scopes up on the side of the mountain that was out of site of us. We saw one guy chamber a round and we were sure he was about to shoot something. Then him and the woman he was with put their rifles down and then the woman shouldered her rifle and pointed it at the hill Jay and I were on! We dove for cover around the side of the mountain. They finally saw us and lowered their rifles. None of the three hunters carried binoculars with them. I hate being scoped…

 

We had glassed up a couple of does on the mountain we were on top of the night before, so we decided to head over and glass the north side of it and see if any bucks had moved back in there. We sat on a hill north of the ‘hill’ and started glassing in the heat. After a few minutes, we picked up some does that were bedded near the top. Probably the same two we’d seen earlier in the day.

 

Can you see them???

 

How about now???

 

Now???

 

Jay took a short power nap and then we moved positions to get ready for prime time…

 

Evening had us glassing up and watching some does at the top of the hill. A nice 3 point joined them from over the top and we came up with a plan to have about a 350-400 yard shot. I leap frogged up to where Jay would take a shot. As I was moving, he told me to get down as the deer had me pegged. I hit the dirt, but then heard voices and jeep doors slamming behind me. There had been a yellow jeep parked there all afternoon and they decided to leave right at prime time. The deer had honed in them from on top of the mountain. They started driving away and I thought we would be ok. Just then, I heard other voices above me. I look up and see two guys walking the ridge towards the deer. The deer saw them (about 100 yards or less from the two guys) and bailed off the other side of the ridge. The ‘perfect’ setup quickly turned into the perfect mess up. Oh well, that is hunting… Strike two…

 

Day 3

 

Day 3 had us hiking up onto the hill right outside of camp. As far as we knew, the area behind camp hadn’t been pressured as much as the other areas we’d been focusing on. Jay had to listen to me complain about hiking to the top of yet another hill, but we finally got to a nice vantage point. As daylight broke, we started seeing deer. 4 here, 2 there, then, wait, those two had antlers. Bucks, and nice ones at that. The lighter it got, the nicer the deer looked. The only problem was, we originally saw them about 620 yards out. We started to make a move on them a couple of times, but stayed put to watch them. Good thing too, because they switched direction and lines of travel a couple of different times. We focused on these two bucks and painfully watched them move farther and farther away, higher up the distant mountain, into the thick trees. We watched the bucks for a good two hours before we finally lost sight of them at the TOP of the darn mountain. Despite the heat, we devised a plan for getting up near the top of the mountain and try to find them that afternoon.

 

We headed out that afternoon and soon found ourselves at a nice shaded glassing point. After glassing for a while, we didn’t see anything. Jay decided to move over and glass a different area of the mountain. It wasn’t soon after he left, and I spotted movement above me. There, at the top of a ridge was a nice 3 point. Only problem is, he was too high up and moving too quickly for me to get set up and prepare for a shot. Before I could find him in my scope and get setup, he went over the ridge coming down from the top of the peak. Jay came back and I told him he missed all the fun! We figured maybe we could ambush him coming down, so we traversed around the ridge and Jay sat one ridge while I worked over to another finger and waited for him to drop down.

 

Dark was quickly approaching and I hadn’t seen anything yet. As I was about to convince myself to pack up my stuff and head down, I looked up above me and saw a deer staring down at me. I shouldered my rifle, found him in my scope, and confirmed it was a buck. My cross hairs wavered slightly as I tried steadying myself. I squeezed one off, and saw front legs come up as he spun around. I heard a few rocks clatter, and then silence. I raised Jay on the radio and had him come over to my position to mark my spot and guide me up to where buck had been standing. I searched the entire area by headlamp in the dark where I figured the buck was when I had shot. I came up with nothing. Thank you Jay for hanging out there on the side of the mountain while I searched for that deer. Bummed that I didn’t find him and not sure if I hit him or not, we returned to camp. Wore out, we grabbed some dinner and hit the sack. I knew my only option was to hike back up there in the morning and confirm whether or not I’d hit him. Being exhausted was my only saving grace to getting any sleep that night. Strike three!

 

Day 4

 

The next morning Jay decided to hunt close to camp and try to find one of the smaller bucks we’d been seeing next to camp as a last day buck. We had planned to hunt the morning and pack up and head home in the afternoon. I headed back up the mountain to look for signs of a hit and try to find the buck if I hit him. I got up there and found where I shot from, saw where the buck had been standing, and headed up there. I found his tracks where he spun around and didn’t find any blood or hair. I continued searching the entire hillside just in case, but never found him or any sign of him being hit. The shot was about 100 yards at a steep incline. Probably 30-40 yards horizontal distance. Now that I think about it, I’m wondering if when I saw him spin around if it wasn’t before I shot or as I was shooting, which would have easily resulted in a miss…

 

I decided to try and salvage the morning and hike up the ridge a little bit to where I could glass the bowl that the bucks we’d seen the previous day had headed up into. As I got to a good glassing spot I noticed a white water jug laying in the trees. Heading over there to investigate, I noticed something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I immediately chambered a round in my rifle…

 

 

 

Just great, I thought. As much as I wanted to glass from that point, I didn’t feel much like sticking around. I moved down the mountain a hundred yards or so and sent a couple of texts and called Border Patrol. They immediately dispatched a guy out to check it out. Needless to say, I decided my hunt was probably over, so I headed back down the mountain and met the BP officer at our camp. I showed him where on the mountain it was as well as confirmed the coordinates I’d given him previously. The packages were about two-thirds up one of the highest peaks in the area. Crazy thing was, as I was beginning my hike up there in the pre-dawn grey, I thought I spotted flashes of light up on the mountain a couple of times. I wrote it off to me being tired and just hallucinating… Who knows… The bundles didn’t look like they’d been there for too long, but they didn’t look really fresh either.

 

Jay ended up finding some bucks, but as he moved in on them they disappeared in some mesquites.

 

Even though unsuccessful, it was a great hunt and I really enjoyed it. Thanks Jay for a great hunt and waiting on me as we hiked up those mountains!

 

Ron

 

 

 

 

[Coach]

That's a great write up! Thanks for sharing it with us...I can only imagine what was going through your head when you saw that droppped pack.

[1denogean]

What the heck is it?

[Str8Shot]

Great write up there Ron ! ! I herd about the older guys buck and the bail earlier but the overall story and pics shows really the kinda of time you had right up to having to call BP .... Wish the activity was a little less in those parts for the Mules and Bandits but hey BP works their butts off and there is so much to hunt in this unit .... Thanks for sharing and good luck on any other upcoming hunts ... January is not that far away

 

 

Chris

[joeybari]

Great write up nice pictures

[TAM]

Sounds like an exciting hunt. Thanks for sharing with us!

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for sharing your adventure!! I am glad you didn't have any confrontation over the contraband.

 

Amanda

 

[Elkaddict]

Congrats to your Dad, nice buck!

[WHT_MTNMAN]

Nice write-up and pictures Ron and huge congrats to your father. Glad everything worked out ok.

[Sam]

Congrats to your dad. This was fun to read. I'm headed down to 36A in two weeks. Where you guys down that way? Glad the BP responded quickly. If you were in 36A, what number did you call. I have a number for Tucson and Nogales, but not sure if those will work. I have run into illegals numerous times, but I don't carry a cell phone. I think this year I will.

[wbyfireman]

AWESOME post... love the photos of you guys glassing, as well as the landscape!! VERY WELL DONE, thanks. Did you check to see what was in the bags.... wacky-tobacci perhaps?? reading posts like this makes me all the more anxious for my hunt at the end of November. Here's to a successful one, and to my new binoculars getting in before I leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ron G.]

Thanks everyone!

 

As I was unpacking and putting away my gear, I figured I'd post up what equipment worked well for me and what didn't...

 

 

What worked and what didn’t…

 

WORKED:

 

Cabela’s Meindl Denali Boots: Very supportive and took the rough country in stride. Stiff enough to handle the steep terrain, but not too stiff. Not the quietest boot out there, but I’m not sure what is in that country…

 

Carrhartt Double Faced Pants: Tough as nails. Took on the brush, cactus, and catclaw without ever having anything poke through them into my legs.

 

Petzl Tactikka XP Headlamp: This headlamp has replaced my Princeton Tec EOS headlamp as my main headlamp. The Petzl has the ability to have a colored filter over the lens without cycling through different modes. It has 3 different brightness levels as well as a strobe and a boost mode that really lights up the area. It runs off of 3 AAA batteries and has a low battery indicator. I used mine all 4 days of the hunt hiking in and out at night by it as well as around camp and never had to change the batteries.

 

Eberlestock J104 Pack: The expandability and functionality of this pack is great. It could carry more than I could handle… Packed my water, snacks, lunch, tripod, 15’s and other misc gear. Scabbard is great for a rifle or a tripod.

 

Cabela’s Hunt Tech L/S shirt: Great for staying cool when it is hot. Very breathable and wicks sweat away from your body. Picked up some stickers though.

 

Desert Shadow L/S and S/S Tech shirt: Same as above.

 

Colombia wide-brimmed hat: Kept the sun off my face, neck, and ears. Ventilated top helped keep my head cool.

 

Leather gloves: Kept my hands protected from brush, cactus, and rocks when I took a tumble.

 

Badlands Bino Vault: Kept my 8x binos protected and within easy reach.

 

Tripod mounted 15’s: Was great for long distance glassing. I think Jay glassed up more deer than I did, but the 15’s helped put/confirm antlers on the deer we found. Tripod was a necessity. I picked up an Outdoorsman’s pistol grip head earlier this year and I have been very happy with it. It is mounted on top of a Jim White panning attachment.

 

Century Plant Walking Stick: Helped steady me on the steep slopes and was used to steady my hand held binos as I hiked and glassed.

 

Tent and cot: A comfortable camp allowed me to get a good nights rest and be ready for the next days adventure.

 

Wilderness Athlete Drink Mixes, gels, and bars: These helped energize me and fuel my motor when it was low on fuel. Glad to see that the Outdoorsman’s has brought this product back to life.

 

Jim White Glassing pad: My butt was thankful for it. I haven’t found a soft rock yet… Lightweight and cushy. Jay’s glassing stool was nice as it got you up off the ground, but was significantly heavier than my butt pad.

 

Jay’s Ranger: Got us down some nasty roads a lot quicker than our trucks would have. Don’t worry, we just pulled off the road and then hiked the rest of the way in to where we wanted to go…

 

 

 

 

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

 

Sitka Shooter Gloves: I brought these gloves to wear as they have performed great in the early season at letting my hands breath, but keeping them protected. The stickers and spines of southern AZ found their way through them. Switched out to my leather ones mid-way through the first day. Leather gloves were definitely warmer, but my hands stayed more protected. Still like the gloves, but not for that country.

 

Fleece clothing: A couple of mornings a fleece vest would have been nice to wear, but I didn’t dare as it would be covered in grass seeds and stickers. Anything fleece attracted nasty stickers that dug into you.

 

Motorola 2 way radios. This particular model stinks. I’ve only occasionally had good luck with them. It seems you have to hold them a good ways away from your body or they break up and conversation is unintelligible.

 

My lungs and legs: First hunt in a while that I felt like my legs wouldn’t work like they should. There is always room to be in better shape!

 

Tripod: My bogen tripod is rock steady, but very heavy. My Slik tripod is lightweight, but doesn’t do well in the wind. I think I’m going to be shopping for a light weight, steady tripod, if there is such a thing…

 

Hopefully some of the above will help someone make sure they pack the right equipment on their next southern az adventure. I'm sure Jay will pipe up when he gets a chance, but he'll probably comment that boots are extremely important. He forgot his...

 

Ron

 

 

[CouesWhitetail]

Thanks for the report on your gear!! That's really informative. I will second the Wilderness Athlete products, I used them on both my hunt in AZ and NM. Scott loved them as well. Great energy to help keep you going. And Scott liked the Jim White butt pad so much I gave him mine .

 

Amanda