3c question

[Polaris550]

I went today to 3c to check a couple tanks all the way from tucson. They were dry and heavy vegetation growing in them. My buddies hunt them all the time and they say there has always been water in them. Anyone that knows that area give me any insight? It's so far for me to do these trips. Could the still get water in next 3 weeks? Will that vegetation go away? If not then I gotta come up with a plan b quickly. Thanks guys

[mc68]

I hunted 3C a few years ago and most of the tanks on the North side of the highway were dry going into the hunt. On about the 9th day of the hunt a storm came through and filled up 4 of the tanks I had been planning to hunt. This happened in literally about an hour. It was really too late to do much good for me though...If I were you I would definitely come up with some other plans though, don't bank on them getting water. IMO its more fun stalking them anyway. Best of luck to you.

[PRDATR]

Is the vegetation green? I wouldn't count on there being water three weeks from now and if there isn't any sign in those areas you need to find another area to set up your blind.

[mpriest]

I would come up with a different plan. If it rains enough to fill those tanks there will be water everywhere and the elk won't be coming to water. Just my opinion. I would follow bugles or scout out areas they are moving through. Good luck

[Polaris550]

Yes vegetation is green. Your guys responses is exactly what I was thinking. Really weird too

[Polaris550]

By the vegetation being green, doesn't that mean its getting water?

[wildwoody]

3c is tough without the rain the elk will shot down early in the am and head to the reservation. all else fails hunt the 300 road . the 124 is good also. lesson at night for the buggles and start a couple of hours before sun up and get on them. you'll do fine

[Hunterjohnny]

Last year I could not find a hole with water anywhere. The only water around was Black Canyon Lake. Try loking on the back side of the lake, lots of trails and less people.

[RHINO]

What tag do you have? Archery bull, cow, early rifle? I took a good bull out of there last year. Scouted it hard and found a lot of decent bulls. The unit has gone down a little. I probably scouted and took pictures of 15 bulls in the 300 to 330 range. Didn't find many above that. Biggest one I found is the one I shot, 373. Not sure what you are holding out for but you should have several chances at 300-330 bulls.

[THOR]

Hunt the edge of the reservation and the burn. once they start talking you will do fine.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

There is water everywhere, even on the north of 260. If the tanks don't have water in them now, they won't in 3 weeks, unless we get lucky.

Usually the reasons the tanks don't hold water is 1.lack of maintenance 2. changes in drainage.

Good luck it will be a fun hunt. Grass is awesome.

[dchambers629]

I have finally been drawn for a bull elk after 13 years, unit 3A/3C, archery rut hunt, 2 weeks. This is my first elk hunt. I've been up here, in Heber, for just over two weeks. I have been jumping in my truck or on my quad and riding all over the area just looking at country, trying to find sign, and elk.

 

On the water in 3C, afternoon storms have been common since I've been up here. Over the past week they seem to have picked up and are more intense. Friday night it rained almost all night, and it started raining so hard at about 6:45pm last night that I had to put my rain gear on, jump on my quad and head back to my RV. It rained a little again this morning around 7:00am. In short, I've seen water everywhere! My gut tells me the elk don't need to go to a tank to get water; I've seen prints around water holes in the roads, so the "sitting a tank" strategy is out for me, unless the rain stops completely between now and the 13th.

 

Over the past two weeks Almost every elk I've seen have been on the ridges, either moving or feeding. I have sat with my chair and tripod and glassed burns and meadows in the evening until I can't see with my binoculars any more with no luck seeing anything come out of the timber. I think maybe, because of the moon being so full, they are coming out of the timber later right now.

 

Unfortunately during the week I have to get up and work, so I can't go out for morning scouts, but I've been starting work a little early so I can leave the RV and start checking things out in the 3:00~4:00pm range almost every day. I didn't go out this morning because I have to button things up and head down to the valley for a few days. It really sucks too... Over the past two days, I have seen more elk than I have seen the whole time I've been up here.

 

If things stay the way they are now, my strategy for the evenings may be to locate cows and try and keep tabs on them for the next few weeks, then when the bugling starts, listen for a bull and try and get out in front of them somehow. I am kind of afraid to put my trail cameras out... Earlier this year, I had two cameras and my ground blind stolen during the last weekend of the January deer hunt. I have two more cameras and I bought a new ground blind. I may even use my climbing tree stand to sit the travel route on a ridge, if I can locate one that is used every day. At least I can bring my tree stand back with me every night and it won't get stolen.

 

I have one more trick I get to use too. A guy I used to work with grew up in Snowflake. His dad has been hunting here his whole life, and he's about my age, in the early 50's. He got a 350 class bull in a November hunt two years ago. I went javelina hunting with him and his dad 5 or 6 yrs ago and we got three javelina on opening morning. My buddy made arrangements for me to contact his dad, so I did. After Labor Day weekend, he is going to sit down with maps and show me some "good spots" he has hunted over the years. It sounds like some of them may be in some areas that weren't affected as much by the Rodeo/Chediski fire way back when.

[WHT_MTNMAN]

Well...I was probably made a liar...In the last 2 days we probably have gotten 2-3 inches of rain with some real downpours....good chance your tanks are full. Bad news I wouldn't even think of sitting water..

[cohntr6]

Saturday (24th), my brother in law and I watched a 310ish bull raking trees, herding cows and was even bugling a little.

Hunt some of the burn areas that have unburned timber in steep draws. I wouldnt worry about hunting water either. We got rained on twice

while we watched the elk.

 

Jeff