Black River Back Pack Hunt| Picture intensive

[idgaf]

We got the idea for this a couple of months ago when my brother commented I want to hunt where nobody else is. I said we have two options one is out walking everybody else or going where no one else is willing to. Unfortunately, we chose the latter and decided on where and when. The black river below wild cat crossing and the southern most part of unit 1.

 

Opening weekend I used for practice and exercise seeing few deer and climbing hills over and over to get in a some kind of shape other than oval.

 

A few of the highlights

 

The most photographed horned toad for the month of August

Cute and fuzzy bunny (I man enough to say it)

 

 

We leave Thursday after he gets up from Tucson and I finish off 10-15 emails and reports and see several deer on the way a good sign so I thought.We put are packs on mine is at 70lbs and my brother is at 85. I think we over did it just a bit.

 

Our first view of the river. We will be hunting the upper right portion in the morning.

 

The walk down with full packs, a steep grade, and wet soil was treacherous. We both would slide down and have no way of slowing our descent. When it was him I would laugh. like right here

The hunting our first morning was non-existent, not a deer or a mammal for that matter, so we tried fishing mid-day and our first river crossing. For the record I do not think there is a fish or a crawdad from wild cat crossing to the rez fence we tried. There is hope before we left I saw a minnow. Scenery was as great as anywhere in AZ.

First river crossing (PG-13 for mild nudity)

We climb up the other side and after not seeing a deer track we decide to switch gears and start calling within moments we have seven turkey vultures swooping down on us, after thirty minutes still no mammals. At the top, its like walking in heaven compared to the climb up. We see our first mammal a group of wild cows. Sometimes you go so far you hit the other side and we ran into a hunter in blind over salt. They came in through the Rez side. We immediately left the top and took the next crevice down following a spring to a waterfall and no easy way down. Look at the trees and the angle they grow

We make it down and back to camp by eight o clock. eat dinner and are asleep by eight thirty. The next morning we go up stream and see our first big game animals a doe and a three point coues. No shot opportunity. We find the perfect elevated stand and stay there for the morning. Then some beard dragging gobblers showed up. No shot opportunities.

 

The view from our stand.

 

We get down from our stand and explore a little farther up stream. When we find this. The eyes were not even glazed over yet. The USFS federally mandated feral dogs at work. At this point I decide we cant compete and decide to pack up camp.

 

No regrets and I would do it again in second once I can feel my legs again, but we were not done with hunting bug still with us and a couple more days to hunt we go to another place and find these guys

After a great stock and unseen branch during the shot a stampede occurred. I got to watch everything from my mountain perch about 150 yards away. I made fun of him to the point he was going to beat me up and leave me.

 

The next day I hunted solo only seeing this little girl (my first elk in five days) for the first eight hours of the day.

Late mid day I see this covey of turkeys and went into the high brush and I could not get them to flush.

I thought this has been a great five days but I have lost my touch at finding big deer. Just then I see a small three and a couple of other juveniles. I snapped one picture thinking I have taken enough little deer pics. Then that little voice in my head yells at me to get my bow ready and I see him. Easily the widest deer I have seen ever with big deep forks and only 45 yards away he scampers to 65. I range him pick my pin and shoot hitting an unseen branch sending my arrow into the abyss. Deer are going everywhere and I knew I had to try to catch up. By some twist of fate I do and range him once again with no branches and a perfect broadside shot. I envision in a millisecond my range at home an knew I would get this deer. I relax pick my pin and either flinch because of nerves or fatigue ever so slightly and watch my arrow miss underneath him by inches. He stands there and walks off. I grab my arrow and run after him, bumping him twice and finally catching up to him at 85 yards. I knew I could get 40 yards off easily and have a chip shot. After five steps I get careless and not watch my step breaking a piece of fallen tree bark and sending deer every where. The wind sucking sound you here to the north east is just me choking.

 

Find the antler his backs were better than front. Thanks for reading my longwindedness. When I stopped I was three miles from my truck at dark with no flashlight, covered in sweat, no gps, and I would not have changed a thing.

[flatline]

Those are some nice bucks. Like all the pictures to.

[LovinthehuntAz]

That a way ! Good stuff

[Couestracker]

Great hunting adventure right there. Good job on the story and great pictures. Thanks for sharing your hunt with us.

[coatimundi01]

I love that area above and below wildcat! You guys sneak any fishing in?

[naturegirl]

Very fun hunt and wonderful pics!

 

Would've been that much better if the fish were biting too!

[coatimundi01]

Disregard my question! I must've skimmed that part reading about the deer!

[BeardownAZ]

Its crazy you went that far in to begin with and hadnt seen much of anything, including in the river. Wonder why its like that, figured there be wildlife all over in there. At least it got better as it went on.

[Edge]

Great pics and narratives, thanks for taking us along.

[mattys281]

There's no better way to hunt than out of a backpack. Great country! If you dont mind someone else tagging along, feel free to pm. I love the white mountains!

[Snapshot]

Nice pics. Too bad you didn't get that 4 x 4. Maybe next time. Great adventure.

 

85 pound backpack? Did you guys stuff a couple 30 packs in there, or what?

[randyolson]

Great!!! Thanks for sharing that!

[idgaf]

Matty absolutely but the next backpack trip is going to be in 36c in late December or early January depending on if we get our deer or not. We are starting just below the last house on the Santa Margarita ranch and going to the Coyote Wilderness Area. This stuff gets addicting, going down into the Black River area for our first attempt is a little like skiing or snowboarding a black diamond on your first try.

 

Snapshot if I were in my twenties that would have been correct. Now that I have started my fourties I drink beer with weird names made in a style that can not be pronounced in the English language or must be abbreviated and I could only drink two or three before I got sleepy. He brought all kinds of things that were not needed, (besides our bows and rods) like three cans of propane, five cans of tuna fish, a full lantern.

 

The wanna be wolves have the place eaten out and the fish have not migrated down yet. I did see a minnow and a crawdad right when we were about to leave so there is hope.

 

A couple more pics.

 

[Apache7mm]

Awesome, thx for taking us along!!

 

DAN

[200"mulie]

very cool ... very nice write up and great pics. thank you very much