34A help needed

[Red Rabbit]

I just found out I drew a coveted 34A December tag. Unfortunately, I have never hunted that unit before and will not have time to scout much. It is a long drive from northern AZ and with the price of gas, you know. Most of my weekends are already booked with fall fishing and keeping my wirehair entertained with quail. I would appreciate telling me whre you have seen B&C class bucks in the past. I am not asking for all of your honeyholes, but gps coordinates are appreciated. I can send you my email addy so you can forward some trail cam pics. After teaching for 24 years I cannot afford one of those digital cameras with the satellite feed.. Thanks in advance again.

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Figured I could get the ball rolling and be the first e-scouter

Congrats to those of you who drew.

[missedagain]

Here is where you can find a buch of big fat ones!

 

31 37' 04" N 111 03' 05" W

 

Congratulations on the tag! Make us proud

[COOSEFAN]

Awesome tag Doug! Congrats! I'm sure you'll be able to get a ton of bird huntin' in this year down there!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Awesome tag Doug! Congrats! I'm sure you'll be able to get a ton of bird huntin' in this year down there!

 

 

That is the best way to scout for Coues deer down in that country!!! My Dad is always telling me about the big bucks he sees while hunting over dogs.... Good advice, Jim!

[azpackhorse]

We gotcha covered Doug

[25-06]

When I get home from work this afternoon I'll send you a pm...You got a GREAT tag

[Red Rabbit]

Thanks a bunch guys. My post was a lot of tongue-in-cheek about the e-scouting by first-time posters. I find the researching and scouting as enjoyable as the hunt itself, so there will be plenty of time put on the ground. But my ears are still open to where that 126 NT is tied to the tree

 

Doug~RR

[couesdiehard]

Doug,

My buddy and I had the same tag last year and had a blast. We liked the country so much that we decided to put in for the Nov hunt this year in the same unit and got drawn. (Dec hunt would have been tough for us this year). Anyway, send me a PM some time and we can compare notes if you want. Lots of birdhunting in the unit, so you have the perfect excuse to make trips down there.

 

Lee

[AZP&Y]

RR,

Not sure if you have seen this or not, but it helped me when I was down there a couple of weeks ago.... Congrats on the Tag- I do believe that you will have a QUALITY Hunt!

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/forest/re...ta_rita_ohv.pdf

 

AzP&Y

 

Doug

[Arizona Griz]

But my ears are still open to where that 126 NT is tied to the tree

 

Doug~RR

 

Just don't overlook the west side.

[wklman]

White-tailed Deer

Overview: Unit 34A has an average population of whitetail this year. The majority of bucks seen will be in the one to two year age classes but there are older class bucks available to the hunter that puts in the effort at pre-season scouting. There are average densities of whitetail in many areas of the Santa Rita Mountains and the foothills.

 

Get out for some scouting to sharpen your eyes and to find the hideouts of those wily old bucks. It is a good idea to do some pre-season scouting not only to find the deer but also to also check and make sure access is still available for your favorite hunting grounds.

 

 

Area: The best numbers are in the southern end of the mountains but you can also expect a lot of hunters in small amounts of area between private property as the area is popular. The Squaw Gulch area on the southwest corner of the mountain is also good. If you hike in at least 1/2 mile away from the road you will get away from most hunters. The country on the west side of the Temporal drainage has good numbers of deer, although the past monsoon season has washed the Temporal canyon road out completely and the Forest Service has no predicted date on rebuilding it. The road is closed at the trailhead at the Arizona trail parking lot. The thicker cover areas from Mansfield Canyon and south harbor a few older age class bucks.

 

 

The Fort and Hog Canyon areas are favorites of many hunters. The traditional entrance off of Highway 82 is not public access and has been posted by the homeowner's association. Please respect landowner rights and use the alternative access. Access is through Garner Canyon. To get there, exit Highway 83 at Gardner Canyon. Follow this road to the west to Forest Road 795. Take the 795 Road to Forest Road 4111. The 4111 road will take you south into Hog Canyon. You can glass some good habitat along the way.

 

Forest Road 143 on the southwest side of the Santa Rita Mountains goes through some excellent whitetail habitat. Alto, Josephine and Bond Canyons are good but be prepared for steep country. For those wanting a little more level hunting, try the State land southwest of Josephine Canyon and F.S. road 143. But be aware that white-tail and Mule deer can occupy the same habitat in these lowland areas.

 

Upper Sawmill Canyon, east of Madera Canyon has some good whitetail hunting. A good way to get to the high country there is to come in on the east side of the mountains to F.S. road 165 into Melendrez Pass and hunt down into Sawmill. This method provides excellent glassing opportunities. To get to the 165 road you will need to take Highway 83 south to the Gardner canyon turnoff (forest road 92) and go west. Take the Fish Canyon road number 163 and follow it past Kentucky camp. The road will continue west and then north, intersecting forest road 165 which will take you west to Melendrez Pass.

 

A new access road was constructed in 1997. This road provides legal access into the Big Casa Blanca and Wood canyon areas. To get there take State Highway 82 to mile marker 25.5 (approximately 5 miles east of Patagonia), and follow the Casa Blanca Canyon road to the northwest. After about 3.5 miles look for a road heading to the north. Follow this road to the crest of the ridge. The road will then travel east and take you into Wood Canyon.

 

Summary: Two key things are to be remembered. First, pick up a Forest Service map to find the above-mentioned roads and canyons. Second, don't forget your binoculars. For whitetail hunting they are as important as your rifle.

 

The early hunt will be pretty warm so get out early in the morning to catch them before they bed up. They will begin to bed shortly after the sun comes up unless we get some cool weather during the hunt.

 

The middle hunt will be cooler and the deer should stay up later but you still will increase your chance of success if you are heading out of camp at the first hint of light or sooner. Remember that deer also have a mid-day flurry of activity around noon to 1:00 p.m. It's a good time to be on a high point glassing.

 

The late hunt will be cool to cold weather. The bucks will be starting to chase the does and will be more visible. It is always a high hunt success time as the bucks are moving more. You will not find high hunter densities during this hunt

 

hope this helps doug

[Snapshot]

I live on the Northern edge of 34A and I ride my quad from my house down there all the time and glass my spots.

Mostly the northern half of the west side from Madera Canyon up to Mt Fagan. last year I found about 20 bucks from dinks up to a 105" ish, buck.

I only hunt the area during late archery. Anyway, if you come down I will be more than happy to show you around. I usually start looking for bucks in late August through the end of the season.

There are more bucks in the southern half of the unit but I do not go down there much. There is more private property issues in the unit than there used to be so access into some of the areas is more difficult but there are still many quality areas to go to.

One thing I have learned is alot of the bucks that are spotted early in the year are killed during the first two hunts. If you scout, do it after the second hunt ends as the area gets hammered during the first three hunts (archery,oct,nov). I went down last year after the second hunt ended and the bucks I found were extremely spooked.

[BowNut]

I have the same unit but in Oct. I will tell you were that 126"NT WAS tied up when I get home on the 31st.

Just kidding I will let you know what happens and try to help you out with what I can. Maybe point you in a good direction anyway.Will you be at the shoot tomorrow?

[muskrat]

Doug - PM sent

 

Drew a 34A tag last year. Didn't fill it, but we (my daughter and I) had some does walk past us...

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Doug, was out in 36b today ( got rained out! woohoo!!!) ( and saw a buck, Leicas are 1/1!) and the santa ritas were getting P-O-U-N-D-E-D with rain! they get alot of water over there, would be a good place to check out!