Mule Deer and Golf Courses

[longbowpilot]

Just seeing what people thought about hunting near a golf course (like say the Ritz Carlton in Tucson up against the Tortolita mtns). Do mule deer hang around those areas because of water source/safety? Or is it too close to development and people for mule deer?

[EAS]

^{take your bino's on your next round of golf...}

^{i would say yes, there are deer that hang out at golf courses that back up to hills or other habitats that hold deer. IMO i dont think you will find many shooter bucks, more so spikes and forks... and every so often a forky that grows up. go scout, maybe put up a trail cam...and show us what ya see}

[wendt]

I have seen several times bucks crossing seven springs rd from Desert Mountain golf course in North Scottsdale.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

Ditto on seven spring deer, I ride down there often and see them on or near the course. Wickenburg I. Have seen them many times on los cabaleros course.

[out2hunt]

My buddy survived hitting a 4x4 buck just short of seven springs in those last few switchbacks before kachina village on his harley no less.

[AverageJoe]

A couple years ago there was a buck walking around the saddlebrook golf course with an arrow sticking out of its rear leg. All the old ladies were screaming. They called game and fish and demanded he do something and he told them sorry nothing I can do, which didnt make the old ladies too happy. not sure what happened to the buck, it was a smaller forky but it disappeared. There are always bucks on the saddlebrook golf course and some nice ones in January...

[CouesHunterAZ]

There is always many hunters hunting next to Saddlebrooke and glassing 100 yards away from the houses and golf courses. I have heard that some hunters glass from the proshop haha!

[az_shooter]

I would say yes.

[azffhunter]

Ok...so completely not meaning to be controversial or disrespectful to anyone, because I realize there are many different types of hunters and hunting styles. So...I guess I would ask what the goal is? To hunt or just kill a big buck....? I love to hunt and of course I too want a big buck. But a big part of why I love to hunt, and why I love to take my son hunting, is going out and putting the work in to earn what we accomplish....and accomplishments don't always come in the form of a buck. Hiking through the canyons, glassing for hours, planning the stalk, spending that quality time outdoors, being totally exhausted after being skunked, and sometimes eating the ever so tasty tag soup. To me...that's hunting. So I avoid hunting in areas around neighborhoods and golf courses because for me, I choose not to be a part of any potential negative connotation to hunting and I'm trying to teach my son to be the same type of hunter.

 

I have seen some good bucks near golf courses in southern Arizona, and have also heard of several incidents where wounded deer have wondered onto the course or in the surrounding neighborhoods. I have witnessed many unethical hunters....the kind that have no hesitation or common respect as they hunt literally in peoples back yards violating who knows how many hunting laws. In my opinion, these incidents, and these unethical hunters is why the majority of us hunters continue to lose access to good hunting grounds, and struggle to maintain our positive image as hunters to those who don't hunt. I also know there are great hunters who are respectful and ethical who hunt near such locations while maintaining appropriate distances and taking only ethical shots. But even the best hunters, and the best shots sometimes don't have the desired outcome and our games wanders farther than we would like.

 

I'm sure that's not the response you were looking for, and I certainly mean no disrespect to any hunter who does so in an ethical fashion. Just thought I would post my thoughts. Happy hunting!

[Coach]

I think azffhunter did a great job of answering the question about hunting in and around the suburbs. I, for one, am guilty of arrowing many, many rabbits on Tucson golf courses when I was going to college there. In my defense, by late afternoon most of the golfers were in the clubhouse drinking, and the groundskeepers were usually really cool - they let us keep shooting rabbits, but not while the ladies were still playing.

 

This reminds me of a thread here, and on other forums a couple years back where there was the incredible, non-typical mule deer buck hanging around town in Colorado Springs. There were pictures of it lounging and bedding near an industrial park, walking through nieghborhoods in the middle of the afternoon. It also brings to mind a video that was wide-spread about elk right in town up in Calgary or Vancouver - some freaking awesome bulls just walking down main street - in some cases actually charging tourists.

 

For me, hunting game that has been drawn into town and gotten accustomed to people would not satisfy what I want to learn and achieve through hunting, no matter how big the rack.

 

If shooting a big buck is the motivation that drives you as a hunter, then who cares if it is in town, half tame, fully tame, in a pen, tied down, etc?

 

On the other hand, if you think hunting has a spiritual quality, you take this "sport" as a personal challenge to be closer to the animals you persue, learn more about the land they live on, their habits and want to grow as a hunter, then the whole idea of killing a deer that has been conditioned not to see you as a threat goes against your core ideas of what hunting really is.

[CouesWhitetail]

When you say hunting near a golf course, how close are you thinking?

 

I agree with azffhunter and coach. There are a lot of potential negatives with hunting around a developed area....what if the buck gets away after being shot and goes and bleeds to death in someone's yard or near the golf course where people see it suffering? It can mean a lot of bad press for hunters.

 

For me, I would rather be in a remote area even if it holds fewer animals.

[BMart]

I used to be a golf pro at Mountain Brook Golf Club in Gold Canyon. We had mule deer on the driving range quite a bit in the summer. The bunkers on the range would puddle up from the sprinklers and they would come lay in them...while people were hitting balls too.

[double lunger14]

I work at the ritz as one of the asst pros and ive been there for four years now and to be honest back when we first opened there were toads everywhere and now that all these houses are going up I dont even see does anymore.... Barely see the pigs too.... Idk where they went

[longbowpilot]

When you say hunting near a golf course, how close are you thinking?

 

I agree with azffhunter and coach. There are a lot of potential negatives with hunting around a developed area....what if the buck gets away after being shot and goes and bleeds to death in someone's yard or near the golf course where people see it suffering? It can mean a lot of bad press for hunters.

 

For me, I would rather be in a remote area even if it holds fewer animals.

 

I wouldn't plan on hunting right on top of a golf course but if there was a good trail, sign, etc. leading into the course and its on state trust land then why not set up in a position to glass down into that area? I totally understand the "total hunt experience" but for people that can't take a whole week or 10 days off of work for a big hunting expedition, this might be the only option (hunting in the morning and then head in to work).

 

Just my thoughts, I figure if the golfers are going to tear up the desert and use up all the water to irrigate their greens, why wouldn't a hunter use it to his/her advantage?

[Huntress283]

I used to work at a golf course at the base of mountains and there were mule deer all over the courses as well as bobcats and many other animals, in my opinion they come for both the water and because they feel protected. I wasn't able to get a video or a picture but there was a spike swimming in one of the lakes one summer.