2013 12A West (late) hunt results

[Capt. Don Martin]

Several folks have asked me to post our Kaibab deer hunt story on this site and I'm more than happy to do it.

 

"Sorry I'm kinda late on posting the results from my Kaibab hunt but I went straight from the Kaibab to my grandson's junior deer/pig hunt in Unit 18B, and then straight to a sheep hunt in 15B West!

 

Here is the scoop on my 12A West hunt.

 

Kenny Turner, who has guided for me in the past, drew a tag as did a 74-year-old sportsman from Oregon named Tom Peterson.

Tom had one point under max deer points and knew he couldn't draw a 13B rifle tag so he applied for the late, 12A West hunt and got tag #13.

Tom was going to have his son Eric out with him on the hunt.

 

Kenny and I did all of the preseason scouting and the day before the hunt opened we actually found not ONE but TWO good bucks!

Kenny glassed up an awesome 4 X 4 that we thought would go at least 180+ and I found the buck that had a 26 inch main frame with double stickers on both side. We thought that buck wold have a 31-32 inch outside spread and would score in the 190's.

 

Opening day, Kenny and our friend Eric Hawkinberry got to where they were going to glass from way before daylight and waited.

Then just before daylight a truck drives right past them and parks 30 yards away IN FRONT OF THEM!

 

We had seen these two bucks in the same general area and Kenny said he had no problem with Tom taking the first crack at either one of them (Yep he is a nice guy!)

 

At daylight other rigs started driving into the area, so I decided to check a canyon behind where we were at.

It didn't take long to locate a big group of does (20) which had an almost 30 inch 4 X 4 with them.

Tom, Eric and I started to move on them when the wind gave us up and off they ran.

The big boy got right in the middle of them and Tom wasn't going to chance a shot like that!

 

Later that morning Eric and Kenny did find that big 6 X 6 and a doe bedded down but Kenny in an attempt to film the shot ,ended up not getting a shot at that buck!

We never did see him again!

 

That day we saw 13 bucks of various size, but no shooters.

 

Saturday morning we were back in the same area and there well again before daylight.

 

At dawn a pickup drives up to within 100 yards of where we were parked and 3 guys get out.

They start walking behind my truck so I get out.

I ask if they are going to go down the ridge from us and they say "Yes."

 

Cool, after all its public land.

 

Then one of the guys walks over to the edge of the canyon about 100 yards from us, and sets up his tripod with the 15's on top and starts glassing right in front of us!

Hmm, quickly decided that we didn't want to be part of that scene, so we packed up and left the area.

 

Later on we heard four distant gunshots and a game warden told us that a guide's client had taken what he thought was a 190's 4 X 4 in the same area we had been glassing.

Later we saw a photo of the buck and it was indeed the big 4 X 4 that Kenny Turner had glassed up Thursday morning.

 

On Saturday we looked at 14 bucks, but again no shooters.

 

Sunday we decided to give up on the area we had had done a lot of scouyting in and went to "fish in some new water."

Turned out to be a good move.

 

We saw lots of bucks and virtually no hunters.

At sundown, I see deer moving through a sage covered drainage.

I can't see what they are but hear Eric say, "Big Buck!"

Then I get the 15's on a great trashy buck going up the hillside right on the tail of two does and one fawn.

 

I say, "Trash," and Tom let's the 300 Win Mag bark.

 

I see the buck's left front leg kick out, he stumbles then heads uphill light out!

We gather up the gear and head up there but now it is starting get dark.

We do a quick check and find no buck.

 

I tell them that we will come back in the morning, that I didn't want to risk pushing an injured buck in the dark. Plus if he was alive, you can't shoot anyway. Not even to finish him off.

Oh that buck was the 27th buck we had seen that day!

 

After a pretty much sleepless night we are back at the scene.

As we start to walk up the hill, I hear Tom say, "Don I just saw a flash of antlers at the end of the ridge!"

Great, I think we got ourselves a crippled buck who just ran off.

We decide to go straight to that spot and see if there is any blood.

 

As we are looking around, Eric sees two guys walking up towards us.

It is Office Todd Buck and a young man.

I tell them we are looking for a possible injured buck on the ridge where we were at and did they happen to see a buck running off the ridge as they walked up.

"Yes" Officer Buck tells us. "It was a small 3 x 3 with does."

Well at that point I decide to head back to the original spot where Tom had shot from and start tracking.

 

It was less than 10 minutes later when I found the old buck on the hillside.

He had went uphill and then had done a change of direction and had headed back down the hill where he collapsed.

I bet the buck was dead within 30 seconds after Tom shot him.

 

The buck was everything I had seen and definitely didn't have any "ground shrinkage."

Tom and his son were ecstatic and so was I.

 

Kenny and Eric came up and helped with the photos and field dressing chores, and helped carry the old buck to the truck.

 

We took the buck to the G&F check station at Jacob Lake where Ray and Sue Lee were at. They were in charge of checking in deer.

 

Ray aged the buck at 6+ and said he was a 6 X 6 and that with the stickers had an outside spread of 28 inches.

He said it was a great buck, and dang I agree with him!

 

Tom has never taken a non-typical mule deer before so this worked out great for all of us.

 

The final tally was we had looked at 44 bucks in three days.

 

Only saw two other shooters though. Lots of young (under four years old) bucks were seen.

 

Guys who think there are 180+ bucks behind every tree up there are kidding themselves.

 

Department personnel will tell you that if you see a 180 or better on this hunt you might want to take it.

I agree.

Kenny named this buck Captain Hook as he has a big hook on the back of his right antler.

 

Here are some photos that I recently received from Randy Elmer of the buck that he got when the buck was obviously in the summer range.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Randy! Awesome photos and thanks for sharing!

 

Don Martin

Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

[khmer6]

Some serious mass

[Eagle mountain ranch]

Way to go .. Congrats to the hunter

[az_shooter]

Those are some awesome bucks.