A Bittersweet Trip to the Strip

[MuleyMan]

Spent some time in one of my favorite places on earth over the holiday weekend. Great trip! Saw a dozen bucks in 3 days. Gotta love the nightlife in Kanab after a long day out in the hills too, LOL.

 

Took some unused trades to Outdoorsmans (Amanda.....aren't they a sponsor here?) a few weeks ago and left with this TERRIFIC Kowa High Lander Bino!!! The tripod is the Bogen 055XV and the pan head is the massive Bogen 501HDV.................prolly the only setup stout enough to hold these heavyweights. The glass is the Fluorite 32x and it is terrific! Muuuuuch more clarity than I ever imagined. I highly recommend these to anyone who is considering them. Just make sure they will fill a void in your glassing needs and hunting methods before robbing a bank to afford them. Wow! I may get the 21x eyepieces as well. The individual focus eyepieces will prolly take some getting used to. Check out the great, brushy big buck country in the background.

 

 

Little bucks might make a little rub.............or they might make a big rub. But.............big bucks ALWAYS make a big rub! This first one looks pretty serious, the second one not.

 

 

Looking across Kanab Creek at the West Kaibab.

 

 

Across Antelope Valley with Yellowstone Mesa in the distance.

 

 

The lower end of Hack canyon where it enters Kanab Creek.

 

 

A terrific isolated, somewhat hidden trough ruined by either an outfitter or a hunter. I am sorely disappointed to see hunters leaving this selfish damage..............especially 50 miles from the pavement. I'll save my trail cam comments for another post. So much for the wilderness experience and leaving it "like it was". The commercialization of big muleys has ruined hunting them. Too many hunters now believe that the end justifies the means. It doesn't. I was here 15 years ago.....this crap wasn't.

 

 

A typical water catchment on the Strip. Again, note the ugly, butchered tree resulting in a ground blind for the selfish, destructive outfitter or hunter.........50 miles from the pavement. The second pic shows that this drinker is VERY heavily used. 15 years ago..........this one didn't have much sign. Seems to me that there are more deer in 13A these days.

 

 

Looking west off Mt. Logan into Whitmore Canyon and ultimately the Grand Canyon.

 

 

The deer on Logan seem like "park" deer.

 

 

This is another 3.5 year old buck on Trumbull that let me get close to him.

 

 

I spotted a 170" buck with his doe at the top of this first ridge near the heavier PJ's at the top about 1.5 miles away as the crow flies. These are a terrific bino!

 

 

I took this buck there years ago.

 

 

I try not to visit the Strip without somehow contributing to the deer herd...........

[Coues Archer]

Awesome pics wow is that buck a dandy great job.

[stanley]

Nice post Chris! Amazing BIG country there for sure!!!

 

S.

 

 

PS: Nice tri-pod set-up! I have the 701HDV head on a Velbon tripod and love it!! Rock solid!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Thanks for posting! Love all the strip pics! How much were the Binos?? ... if you don't mind me askin'?

[CouesWhitetail]

Great trip report Chris. Thanks for the post.

 

After using Scott's 30's a bunch, I sure can appreciate how much you are enjoying your new binos.

 

Amanda

 

[Chef]

Nice set of big glass there.

Good looking rifle too.

[Red Rabbit]

Chris,

Looks like great country for using those Kowas, and for some nice deer.

 

Do the carvings for the treestands look recent in that they are a result of the new archery hunts on the strip. One would think there would also be older tree trimmings from when there were archery hunts there many years ago.

 

Thanks for sharing the country via photos, as many will never get up there to see it.

 

Doug~RR

[ZBAR]

I've never been on the strip. That place is VAST!!!

[MuleyMan]

Thanks for posting! Love all the strip pics! How much were the Binos?? ... if you don't mind me askin'?

 

 

They retail for $5k. These are the Fluorite Prominar ones, not the standard ones, which are less expensive. I think Outdoorsmans may be offering a discount tho.....check with them. I've done substantial business with them for many years. They are great people to deal with. I looked thru Floyd's bino in their parking lot first. The tripod and head were $380.

[MuleyMan]

Chris,

Looks like great country for using those Kowas, and for some nice deer.

 

Do the carvings for the treestands look recent in that they are a result of the new archery hunts on the strip. One would think there would also be older tree trimmings from when there were archery hunts there many years ago.

 

Thanks for sharing the country via photos, as many will never get up there to see it.

 

Doug~RR

 

 

I can't seem to find the multi-quote button.

 

Doug, my disappointment is with the amount of human traffic and selfish impacts that I've seen in recent years on the Strip. It used to be wild and woolly country, but no more. I realize that this trip was just after a 10 day hunting season, but the use was very obvious. What used to be faint, overgrown 2-tracks now had heavy usage. Faint 2-tracks that I wouldn't have considered driving on 15 years ago had significant quad and full-size vehicle usage. I saw several new 2-tracks too..........very disappointing. New camping spots were prevalent, too. Could this overuse be from gang hunting...........with 8 or 9 hunters with 5 vehicles for every one tag holder on the Strip??? The BLM is now aggressively citing people for driving off road all over the west..........looooong overdue. I know a guy who just received a $175 ticket in Wyoming. He whined............I applauded!

 

I would never considering cutting up a tree to put up a manmade treestand on public land. This comes with age and maturity. The wooden tree stand looked recent. Keep in mind that 13A had over-the-counter archery tags until 3 or 4 years ago. It was getting hit HARD by archers.........the reason for the now limited quota archery hunts.

 

Note the trail cam post in the first water trough pic. It ain't a fence post. These things ought to be called "water tank cams", since few actually use them on game trails. Using them on game trails would actually require that...............people hiked more than 20 yards from the truck...........and.........knew enough about the game to find a likely game trail.

 

The commercialization of big muleys by the outfitters, trophy hunting magazines, and DVD makers has ruined some precious areas in the west. Not to mention trophy hunting in general. The end doesn't justify the means! Do it ALONE with NO IMPACT...........or stay home.

 

 

[russd]

i like your attitude about the outdoors muleyman. i have never been to the strip but hope to someday. would love to walk all over that place. where i usually hang out in 5b has had the same destruction. new roads, cut trees... cool pics you have tho.

[TAM]

Thanks for the pictures.... that's some awesome looking country!

[LCconvert]

Chris,

Looks like great country for using those Kowas, and for some nice deer.

 

Do the carvings for the treestands look recent in that they are a result of the new archery hunts on the strip. One would think there would also be older tree trimmings from when there were archery hunts there many years ago.

 

Thanks for sharing the country via photos, as many will never get up there to see it.

 

Doug~RR

 

 

I can't seem to find the multi-quote button.

 

Doug, my disappointment is with the amount of human traffic and selfish impacts that I've seen in recent years on the Strip. It used to be wild and woolly country, but no more. I realize that this trip was just after a 10 day hunting season, but the use was very obvious. What used to be faint, overgrown 2-tracks now had heavy usage. Faint 2-tracks that I wouldn't have considered driving on 15 years ago had significant quad and full-size vehicle usage. I saw several new 2-tracks too..........very disappointing. New camping spots were prevalent, too. Could this overuse be from gang hunting...........with 8 or 9 hunters with 5 vehicles for every one tag holder on the Strip??? The BLM is now aggressively citing people for driving off road all over the west..........looooong overdue. I know a guy who just received a $175 ticket in Wyoming. He whined............I applauded!

 

I would never considering cutting up a tree to put up a manmade treestand on public land. This comes with age and maturity. The wooden tree stand looked recent. Keep in mind that 13A had over-the-counter archery tags until 3 or 4 years ago. It was getting hit HARD by archers.........the reason for the now limited quota archery hunts.

 

Note the trail cam post in the first water trough pic. It ain't a fence post. These things ought to be called "water tank cams", since few actually use them on game trails. Using them on game trails would actually require that...............people hiked more than 20 yards from the truck...........and.........knew enough about the game to find a likely game trail.

 

The commercialization of big muleys by the outfitters, trophy hunting magazines, and DVD makers has ruined some precious areas in the west. Not to mention trophy hunting in general. The end doesn't justify the means! Do it ALONE with NO IMPACT...........or stay home.

 

Great pics!

 

And I feel the same way as you. I just attended some forest service meetings on the Tonto and they are looking to close down roads because of this kind of abuse. I know most of it is not hunters but sadly some is. I don't think I will ever own a 4 wheeler because of the destruction I have seen them cause. Places my family have been going to for generations are now ruined. I really wish they would just crack down on these people with stiffer fines rather than close roads.

 

stepping off my box...

 

 

 

[ultramag]

Chris,

Looks like great country for using those Kowas, and for some nice deer.

 

Do the carvings for the treestands look recent in that they are a result of the new archery hunts on the strip. One would think there would also be older tree trimmings from when there were archery hunts there many years ago.

 

Thanks for sharing the country via photos, as many will never get up there to see it.

 

Doug~RR

 

 

I can't seem to find the multi-quote button.

 

Doug, my disappointment is with the amount of human traffic and selfish impacts that I've seen in recent years on the Strip. It used to be wild and woolly country, but no more. I realize that this trip was just after a 10 day hunting season, but the use was very obvious. What used to be faint, overgrown 2-tracks now had heavy usage. Faint 2-tracks that I wouldn't have considered driving on 15 years ago had significant quad and full-size vehicle usage. I saw several new 2-tracks too..........very disappointing. New camping spots were prevalent, too. Could this overuse be from gang hunting...........with 8 or 9 hunters with 5 vehicles for every one tag holder on the Strip??? The BLM is now aggressively citing people for driving off road all over the west..........looooong overdue. I know a guy who just received a $175 ticket in Wyoming. He whined............I applauded!

 

I would never considering cutting up a tree to put up a manmade treestand on public land. This comes with age and maturity. The wooden tree stand looked recent. Keep in mind that 13A had over-the-counter archery tags until 3 or 4 years ago. It was getting hit HARD by archers.........the reason for the now limited quota archery hunts.

 

Note the trail cam post in the first water trough pic. It ain't a fence post. These things ought to be called "water tank cams", since few actually use them on game trails. Using them on game trails would actually require that...............people hiked more than 20 yards from the truck...........and.........knew enough about the game to find a likely game trail.

 

The commercialization of big muleys by the outfitters, trophy hunting magazines, and DVD makers has ruined some precious areas in the west. Not to mention trophy hunting in general. The end doesn't justify the means! Do it ALONE with NO IMPACT...........or stay home.

 

Great pics!

And I feel the same way as you. I just attended some forest service meetings on the Tonto and they are looking to close down roads because of this kind of abuse. I know most of it is not hunters but sadly some is. I don't think I will ever own a 4 wheeler because of the destruction I have seen them cause. Places my family have been going to for generations are now ruined. I really wish they would just crack down on these people with stiffer fines rather than close roads.

 

stepping off my box...

[Guest S P Cheuvront]

This is my first post on coues whitetail.

I have been going to the strip,13A and 13B for over 10 years, and the last 4 or 5 years

I have spent nearly 90 days a year up there.

The strip isn't ruined, and is my personal favorite for photographing big deer.

Yes, archers build ground blinds, and set up tree blinds, but far and away the hunters clean up their

blinds, and restore the area.

I know a lot of the outfitters, and guides who hunt the strip. Saying that, there are good folks and bad folks

in every situation.

I don't believe the strip is going to heck in a hand basket.

If I was to name one group that really trashes the strip, it would be the shed hunters. These folks show up with

2 wheeled motor cycles, a pack on their back and wire cutters in their kit. They drive all over the hills and cut fences

when their travel route is blocked. These guys and gals really are the people who trash the strip.

The strip is a wonderful place. You all owe yourself a trip sooner than later.

Steve Cheuvront