just got back from 36b

[trphyhntr]

let me start by saying that i lurk on here quite a bit and have a lot of respect for you guys that go out and shoot these grey ghosts whether its a dink or a trophy because they are not easy. im fairly new to hunting coues and man are they some tricky animals. i have a question for you guys though, what do you think the buck to doe ratio is down there? in 4 days we never saw less than 25 deer a day and one day we saw 40. and im guessing we double counted some of them so maybe the invididual count is lower than that. but out of approximently 120 deer we saw 4 confirmed bucks. 2 spikes, one small 3x3 and about an 80 class 3x3. so my count is like 30 to 1? glassed up far more illegals than we did bucks. its an awesome place id love to go back, amazing what a little grass and water can do for a deer population.

[jmall]

I was down there this weekend . I saw about twenty deer, three bucks seventeen doe. I wish I had more time I am saving my time for an upcoming elk hunt. Love hunting down there.

[elkhunter]

alot of the bucks are bunched up together in bachelor groups- if you had found 2 bachelor groups the buck to doe ratio would change dramatically.

 

On my hunt in a different southern arizona unit we saw 23 bucks and 8 does.

[kwp]

I've hunted 36b for a while now and was helping a buddy this weekend down there. He did kill a 94" buck so we were successful but I would say on average we saw 35-40 deer a day but only 3-5 bucks. Most of these bucks were spikes. I have noticed a steady decline in the number of bucks over the last few years. I think the addition of the 4th hunt a few years back plus the steady increase in tags is having a detrimental impact on the buck to doe ratio.

[Str8Shot]

During this time of year in 36b you will see good groups of does usually with spikes and some forks .... the better bucks are in bachelor groups and a little further away from were you would be seeing the does. this is the first year in the last 6 that I did not spend a hunt down there and in years past ( a few just helping find them) we have seen numerous bachelor herds of bucks from 4 - 8 bucks in a group. I think the key in those southern units during these earlier hunts is not sticking right in the areas you are seeing large numbers of does (unless looking for a tender spike), this does not mean move to the other side of the unit but the bachelor herds do seem to like some distance from the doe herds. In all the trips down there scouting, and on hunts and not counting spikes I would say we have on average no more than 10 - 12 does per buck... the hardest part once the hunt has started is finding them and getting them in the cross hairs.

[trphyhntr]

ya ive heard you guys talk about the bachelor groups on the early hunts. ya, i wanted to move to a completely diferent area to try and change my luck just like your saying. but it was my first time down there and i was seeing more deer than ive seen hunting carp in the kaibab so it was a little hard for me to get away from the area i was in.

 

helped capture a few of these guys. that was a first for me. i glassed up illegals everyday we were there.

 

[Str8Shot]

lol ... you did not ask about the illegal to buck ratio in 36b ... I would say that number is a little higher than 12 to 1 from our experience down there, some of those herds have 20+ all trying to curl up under one tree on the cold mornings like a bunch of Javelina

[trphyhntr]

ya i wanted to see a train of them walking a trail like ive seen online but the most we saw were 3 at a time. funniest was when we glassed up one taking a shoot lol. that poor guy has to walk 10 days in the desert and cant even take a dump without someone spying on him.

 

 

edit: i could not believe how worn down some of those trail were right along the border, you could have rode a mountain bike or a motorcycle down them no problem. makes for some easy walking when you get on those trails too

[firstcoueswas80]

When I had my December tag last year, I saw 96 deer before I saw a single buck.

[trphyhntr]

When I had my December tag last year, I saw 96 deer before I saw a single buck.

 

was that in 36b as well? honestly my dad saw the 3 smaller bucks, i can only verify seing 1 buck in 4 days and well over 100 does. i was staring under every tree with th 15x's till i was crosseyed and tearin up from looking so hard. im sure i missed a lot because they are that sneaky but i cant think of anything else i could have done besides moving to a whole diferent area of course.

[firstcoueswas80]

Yep. It was 36b. Lots and lots and lots and lots of does.

[AZBUCKEYE]

Could not believe the Wet traffic down ther this past weekend un real thaught it was getting better WRONG

[Str8Shot]

Could not believe the Wet traffic down ther this past weekend un real thaught it was getting better WRONG

 

It was... but I am sure the news traveled quick about Obama securing his second term combine that with a big drop in temps and the flood gates were bound to open up... I doubt they are even worried anymore about securing jobs since they are good at abusing the Liberal entitlements.... Obama and Democrats looking to secure a new bunch of illegal voters for the next house elections to try and get the house and senate democrat for his last 2 years like he had his first 2

[SunDevil]

you can thank the G&F for the wonderful "opportunity" you had to be out in the field viewing all of those does!!!

[trphyhntr]

you can thank the G&F for the wonderful "opportunity" you had to be out in the field viewing all of those does!!!

 

tell me about it. thats what i kept telling my dad. its a dang shame, appears they use it as a cash cow. never have maintain anything it doesnt look like, didnt see one AZGFD truck down. i would think the genetics are going down hill, are they not? have you guys that hunt there often noticed a decline in quality?