Basser15 Report post Posted May 31, 2015 What did you use to store the meat after field processing? How long did it take to quarter up/cape and how many guys helped out? Are you getting any shoulder mount or rug done? Well it was snowing the entire time so I just kept the meat covered in tarps in the back of my Ranger as it was plenty cool up there until I could get it off the plateau the next day. It took a crew of us about 4 hours to get it processed and hiked out to the truck. Each quarter was between 80 and 90 pounds a piece. I was really surprised that the front and hind quarters were very similar in weight. I'm going to be getting a euro mount done with the skull and a replica of the horns made so those can be placed on the shoulder mount. The remaining hide will be given to a friend of mine who will be using it for some of her native ceremonies and celebrations. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azbow Report post Posted May 31, 2015 Big beautiful bull, congrats on getting one of Arizona's most awesome trophies. I would think that all of the fresh snow would have been a big help finding and following tracks. The couple of times that I hunted them it was dry and noisy tracking and would usually loose the track before I would see the bull. About 90 degrees the day I shot mine made a miserable pack out. What a difference each hunt can be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted June 1, 2015 Verrry cool! nice Bull Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted June 2, 2015 Congratulations Rob on an outstanding looking bull. I know how hard you hunt and I'm sure it wasn't no piece of cake. Way to stick with it. Thanks for sharing. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Basser15 Report post Posted June 2, 2015 Big beautiful bull, congrats on getting one of Arizona's most awesome trophies. I would think that all of the fresh snow would have been a big help finding and following tracks. The couple of times that I hunted them it was dry and noisy tracking and would usually loose the track before I would see the bull. About 90 degrees the day I shot mine made a miserable pack out. What a difference each hunt can be. It would have been much easier had they been in an area we could have hunted them. The snow kept the animals on the Park and the few that did come across didn't come across very far before heading back over to safer areas for them The hunt ended yesterday and unfortunately only 15 of the 30 tags were filled. There were guys who hunted 30+ and 40+ days each on this hunt and didn't lay eyes on a buffalo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yotebuster Report post Posted June 2, 2015 Big beautiful bull, congrats on getting one of Arizona's most awesome trophies. I would think that all of the fresh snow would have been a big help finding and following tracks. The couple of times that I hunted them it was dry and noisy tracking and would usually loose the track before I would see the bull. About 90 degrees the day I shot mine made a miserable pack out. What a difference each hunt can be. It would have been much easier had they been in an area we could have hunted them. The snow kept the animals on the Park and the few that did come across didn't come across very far before heading back over to safer areas for them The hunt ended yesterday and unfortunately only 15 of the 30 tags were filled. There were guys who hunted 30+ and 40+ days each on this hunt and didn't lay eyes on a buffalo. Is that common? I always thought the success was pretty high on that hunt? Was this year just that much of a tough one due to the snow? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Basser15 Report post Posted June 2, 2015 It is generally over 90%. I think a few factors played in to it....the weather, 10 more tags than previous years, and the season was 2 weeks shorter than it had been in the past. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azbow Report post Posted June 3, 2015 Wonder why they shortened the season. They want to thin down the herd and the extra 2 weeks makes a big difference in the success rate, especially in long hard winters. They don't come off the park. Several years ago the season ended at the end of May and only a couple of bulls were killed going into the last week or so. G&F was really concerned about the hunter success and trying to work out something to extend the season, which they didn't do. Luckily, there were some bulls taken the last week. They did add a couple of weeks to the season after that. Now they went back to the same shorter season and added tags??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AmericanThunder Report post Posted June 3, 2015 Just wondering what the average number of bonus points you need to get the House Rock tag? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzHuntAtty Report post Posted June 3, 2015 First, my hat's off to Rob. He killed a great bull. I think it was the biggest taken? I was one of the unsuccessful hunters and I have to say the shortened season was the primary reason only half of the tags filled. Nearly every unsuccessful hunter I met up there was dedicated to making it happen and put in the time and effort to earn an animal. I put in 16 days of hunting and there were others who put in much more. There were just no animals to kill and the few that were killed (most of which were younger bulls) were killed just yards from the park boundary. Unlike most hunts where hard work, perseverance, and smart hunting pays off, this hunt was totally dependent on weather and water. The late winter and abundant moisture coupled with the shortened season was a disaster. To give you an example, my son and I rode our horses more than twenty five miles and hiked another seven over a two day period in the snow along the park boundary and we never cut one buffalo track. I then sat salt for 12 plus hours a day for nine days and never once spotted a live buffalo. Did a few buffalo cross the boundary during the hunt? Absolutely, but the numbers were so few and the duration and distance of the crossings was so short that success was just being at the right place at the right time. In the last week of the hunt Russ Jacoby (a great guy and very helpful to all tag holders) went into the park and filmed hundreds of buffalo, including some huge bulls, just several miles from the boundary. Unfortunately, there was ample grass and water in the park and therefore no incentive for the herds to migrate north into the national forest. Don't get me wrong, I was super excited for the hunters that were able to kill and my comments are not intended to diminish in any way their accomplishments. Just frustrating that Game and Fish would knowingly stack the deck against the hunters when the objective is to thin a large herd. As I understand it, the majority of animals killed in the past have been killed in the last few weeks of the hunt in June. My two cents is that the season should have remained the same length as it was in previous years if the objective was to kill buffalo. When it became apparent that the buffalo were not going to start the migration north until after the season concluded it would have been nice for Game and Fish to have a mechanism in place to at least have the option of extending the season. So it goes. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter01 Report post Posted June 7, 2015 You put your time and heart into that one. Congrats on a great looking bull! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmc Report post Posted June 10, 2015 Congrats Rob on a heck of a bull. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmc Report post Posted June 10, 2015 I was one of the tag holders that didn't fill their tag and I invested 32 days into my tag. My advice to those applying for AZ buffalo, do some serious research before you apply (key words BEFORE you apply!). I recommend finding anyone that drew the tag you want to apply for in the future and offer to go up on their hunt and spend time around buffalo camp(s) asking questions and offering to help in any way you can. You'll quickly learn if it's something you want to put in for or not. As I understand it, the majority of animals killed in the past have been killed in the last few weeks of the hunt in June. Only 6 of the 20 tags last year were filled in the last two weeks of June. There was sound reasoning why they shortened the season, I for one didn't like it, but I understand it, and the dates were specified at the time I applied so I knew there was a shorter season. Don't get me wrong - I still don't like that it was shortened. But what's done is done and there isn't anything I can do to change it. Looking forward though, I'm excited what the future holds for the buffalo and very optimistic in seeing things shift for a positive north of the ditch. It will take time, which is fine by me as I'll need many years to build up points again anyways, but given some patience I think that sportsmen will find that their chance of taking home a once in a lifetime freezer full of buffalo meat quite realistic. cmc 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cvw789 Report post Posted July 15, 2015 Awesome ! Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
