My wife's carp deer story.

[Redbeard]

Here are some pictures and the story of My wife Janice's Kaibab mulie hunt.

 

We did everything wrong for this hunt but it worked out right. We were both so tired this week we almost didn't go. We had hemmed and hawed around but a couple of friends talked me into it. One said, "Well if you don't go hunting you could always work on your house." The other one said, "It's a Kaibab tag you gotta go!" That was enough.

 

We really just looked at it as a camping trip with the girls. We had planned to leave Thursday afternoon but we just slept in until Friday morning when we finally packed and headed out of town for the 5 hour drive leaving around 10 am. The odds were definitely not in our favor. We hadn't scouted. We didn't hunt until the last weekend. We brought our 4 and 7 year old kids. We left town late and got there late. I even left a full can of gas sitting at the gas station in Chino!

 

As we finally turned off the highway onto the dirt road we met a couple of VERY nice guys from Tucson who were leaving with a nice buck. Looked to be about a 170" 4X5. They gave us some tips about what the deer were doing and told us they had seen a couple of small 3 points on a waterhole at 9am that morning. With everything against us I said, "That is good enough for us but we'd sure like to see your buck's brother." They wished us luck and we headed to find camp. I sure wish I'd asked their names now.

 

I think we ended up camping in the same spot they had left, complete with firewood. I quickly threw up the tent while Janice got her camo on and hunting gear together. Everybody jumped in the Jeep and we raced up the road to find the waterhole they had suggested. In minutes we were there and just like they said there was a blind built about 75 yards away. We rushed Janice up the hill and I gave her a bunch of last minute instructions since she had never hunted alone before. Things like, "Don't forget to put a bullet in the chamber, make sure there isn't another deer behind the one you are going to shoot, don't wait too long to shoot." (she's famous for procrastinating pulling the trigger, "Can I shoot him now?" "Yes!" "Are you sure?" "Yes!" you get the point.) And the most important piece of advice, " If it is bigger than a spike shoot it." It was after 4 pm when I drove off with the girls.

 

I took the girls for a ride in the jeep to see the Grand Canyon sunset and when I got back to camp I turned on the 2 way radio in case she called for a ride back to camp. About one minute later I heard my name through the static then. "He's in the pond!" I looked a Zoe and Phoebe and shouted, "She got one!" then threw the girls in the truck and raced up the road. I told Zoe, "I bet she got one of those three points." When we got there I looked over to the pond and there was a big deer and a nice four point antler sticking up out of the water!

 

We jumped around hugging and hollering. When I pulled the deer out she said, "I didn't even know if he had the other antler." In fact she had no idea how many points or how big the deer was when she shot. Here's how that happened.

 

After the sun went behind the hill and Janice had been sitting for all of an hour (long hunt eh?) she was getting cold so she put her noisy Gore-Tex rain jacket over her legs. She figured she'd better test how noisy it would be to move and shoot with it there. So, with the rifle on the bipod she looked through the scope through her shooting lane to the left then while still looking through the scope she panned right to the other shooting lane. To her amazement there was a buck in her scope! She couldn't believe it so she lifted her head and looked over the scope and sure enough it was real. She looked back through the scope remembering my advice, Don't wait around to shoot, and if it is bigger than a spike shoot it. So, while the buck was still drinking, she pulled the trigger . The deer just fell face first into the pond and never tried to get up. She got up to run down and see if she needed a follow up shot but it was obvious it was over. She was one excited girl. She asked if buck fever came before or after you shoot since she didn't start shaking until after.

 

This is her third big game animal and each one went down with one shot. I was right with her for her nice coues deer and huge elk but this one she did alone. Every time she just concentrated on making the shot and did it. I wish I had such a record. This is definitely the record for the shortest hunt I've been on.

 

Things got comical during and after the picture taking. It was dark so it was hard to know if we were getting good pictures. Besides that Zoe had to go to the bathroom and Phoebe just wanted to play in the truck. We got them to hold still for a few. After that we tried to load the whole deer into the truck so we wouldn't leave a gut pile etc at the tank. It is hard enough trying to wrestle a 250+ pound wet dead deer into a truck but Janice has severe tendonitis in one elbow so she couldn't lift with both hands. We only got so far as getting his head and neck on the tailgate with his antlers tied to hold him there. Just when we were about to give up a guy came by an an ATV and helped me lift the buck into the truck. We must have been quite a sight.

 

Back at camp I skinned and caped the deer while Janice made dinner and the girls sat around a roaring pinyon campfire. It was perfect. I kept thinking about how this is exactly the kind of amazing/funny story my Dad used to tell about his hunts on the Kaibab back in the 60's and 70's. My stock 1975 CJ5 even helped add to the nostalgia. I wish I could tell him this story in person. He would have loved it. Unfortunately he died exactly two months prior to this day. I know he is happy we went ahead without him and he's laughing about it.

 

I have never been lucky in hunting but if we had done one thing different or right (like leaving home on time for one) we wouldn't have met those Tucson guys so I would not have had her sitting that waterhole. Really, who would think a mature buck would come to a water tank before dark on a main road on the second week of a Kaibab rifle hunt. Of course it really wasn't me that got lucky but I'll take being married to a lucky woman as close enough.

 

Her buck gross scores 173 and at the check station they aged him at 6-8 years. He didn't have the kind of mass you'd expect on a deer that age from the Kaibab but, WHO CARES! I am way more excited about my wife's buck than the coues I shot last weekend myself. I just get so much satisfaction seeing her succeed.

 

Both hunts were way out of character for me with no scouting and no expectations but like they say...Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Friends and even tips from strangers can sure help with luck I guess. Here I was doing it the hard way all those years by finding animals myself. I'm going to have to start listening for a change.

 

I'd like to track down the Tucson guys to say thanks. They were driving a maroon colored truck pulling a small 5th wheel travel trailer with another little utility trailer (12" wheels) behind that with their ATV. One guy was tall and thin and about mid 30's. He had a unit 33 coues tag last weekend and killed a nice two point on that hunt. His buddy who had the Kaibab tag was also in his 30's but shorter and a bit stockier. Both had light colored hair. If you know these guys let me know so I can thank them.

[Redbeard]

another shot

[Redbeard]

the kids

[azcouesandelk]

Very nice deer there. Congrats to your wife.

[COUESAZ]

That Is what makes the Kiabab the Kiabab. That is a dream right there. Very nice buck And wonderful family. Tell your wife congrats on a trophy for sure.

Don't forget to post the pics of your coues and this monster on the AZO site for joe and them to take a look at as well.

[CouesWhitetail]

Congratulations!! Funny how things work out so nicely sometimes. Great photos and wonderful buck.

 

Amanda

[Brandon]

Great story and photos! Congrats to your wife, that's a bruiser!!

[Arizona Griz]

Chris, congratulations to Janice. What a great buck and to have both of your girls present on the hunt. That is what it is all about.

[azhuntsmen]

Great story and killer buck. When u expect less you usually get more out of it. why to go, i had to show my wife this story in hopes getting her into the sport i love so much (it may have worked) thanks

[megahunter6969]

Hey, were u guys in 12AW?

[DesertBull]

WOW, that's awesome. Funny how hunting is supposed to be relalxing and a chance to get away from the grind of city slicker life, but we often put so much pressure on ourselves that it become more stressful than rush hour traffic.

 

This goes to show that you don't have to take the fun out of hunting, just because you drew a good tag!

 

Are the deer still up high, or have they moved down into the winter range? I noticed you said you had a "pinyon fire" going, so would guess you were hunting down low.

 

Congrats!

[Redbeard]

az huntsman,

 

I hope you can get your wife to share in the fun and I'm honored if my story helped. My wife is a serious outdoorsperson but wasn't really into hunting. She really appreciates that we get healty meat and she likes the antlers too. I'm pretty lucky to have landed her. My little girls love hunting too so I'm loking forward to years of family hunting trips.

 

Most of the hunting action was on top but I didn't want to camp up there because it is much colder for the kids. There were some resident deer down low but they have not really moved off the top yet. She had the E tag.

[Tucson John]

Awesome story, awesome Buck, and especially awesome family! I sure miss the times when my girls were little. Cherish every moment.

 

TJ

[stanley]

VERY COOL!!!!

 

Sincere congrats on an oustanding hunt. What great memories with the family there... I'll be up there this weekend with my son on his first deer hunt (Jr. doe tag), and I can't wait.

 

Again, congratulations!

 

S.

 

:-)

[az4life]

What a story! Tell your Wifey, Congratulations on the nice Buck.

I do have to wonder if that was the only Carp in the pond?