AZ hunting

Anybody have any luck with rifle deer hunts (aside from the young man pictured above)?

I'll be heading up to 23 for cow elk on Saturday. Didn't have any luck on archery black bear, but there's still a few units open so if I down an elk quick enough, I may hit up a bear unit and see if I can double up.

 

Did you ever manage to find him?

 

I went out with 3 buddies to unit 32 for a Whitetail hunt. It was a super hard hunt but all 4 of us tagged out. One of my buddies got a decent 3x3. I got a small 2x3. But it's all meat in the freezer. The first night near Redfield Canyon that wind was insane. Blew all of our tents over during the night. Pretty sure the wind kept all the deer bedded down the first few days. After that we moved North to the Galiuro Mtns. That place is super rugged and gnarly. But there were a good amount of deer up there. Saw a good sized Mt Lion tracking an injured buck we saw the day prior. Had a great time. Next up is cow elk unit 8 on Thursday. Hoping the snow melted some from this recent storm....

 

That's awesome man! Anytime you can fill 4 tags is a big win. Did nobody have a lion tag, or couldn't get a shot?

Good luck with your elk hunt. Thanks for posting pics. Looks beautiful

 

One of the guys had a lion tag but he wasnt anywhere close to me. I saw it at about 300yds for 30 sec and it was gone. Beautiful animal. Better believe I have a lion tag now though haha.

 

Good luck on your hunt in 23. Hopefully the weather didn't hit your area too bad.

 

Thanks. I think it probably hit pretty good, but I'm just guessing. I lost all my time to scout because we had a baby girl on the 14th. She came a week late so the two or three weekends I was planning on scouting, I couldn't leave because she could have come at any time, then we were in the hospital, then I was on leave from work helping wrangle our 2 and 4 year olds after we got home. I'm just going in blind, hoping to find a herd and get a shot on a nice healthy cow. I've been told by a few people that there's alot of cows around Young so I think I'm just gonna drive up the main highway and pick a spot that looks inviting. That's all I can really do at this point.

 

Well my cow elk hunt in 23 was successful! I'm only now getting time to post about it. I left Tucson on Saturday morning and explored around Aztec peak in Sierra Ancha that afternoon. I found plenty of sign and decided to set camp before it got dark. It rained lightly but steadily all evening. I had a skunk come into camp but was able to run him off without getting sprayed. He came back about an hour later and gave no shit's about my displeasure. I shot him with my ruger 10-22, scooped him up with a shovel, ran him down the hill and laid him next to a tree. But I hadn't run far enough. I was stuck with his stench wafting through camp all night. I decided to leave there in the morning, head into Young and see what things looked like around there. It rained hard all night and I was stuck in the tent reading a book for 3 hours before it lulled. I got some coffee warmed up and broke camp in a downpour. Here's some pics from that night and morning...


This is rain water pooled in the tent canopy when I woke up...

I ate lunch at the only restaurant I could find in Young, got lunch and headed out to check a few spots that the locals had recommended. It rained for the entire day and this...convinced me to seek lodging in town. I got a room at the Pleasant Valley Inn and the owner opened up the restaurant for the hunters that evening (same owner, same property). I met 3 other hunters from the phoenix area and we talked strategy as we ate. I felt much better after a shower and some hot food and coffee. 2 days in the freezing rain will fuck you up! Lol.

The next morning I headed up to the neaglin rim area. I glassed up two cows at a thousand yards within 20 minutes. In trying to work my way into a shooting position, I glassed another at 600 and change. By the time I got into range, she was nowhere to be seen. I headed out to where I'd seen the first two, but couldn't find them either. I sat for a couple hours and decided to head back. I jumped two bedded cows on the way back, but had no chance for a shot. I ate lunch at the truck and headed out to the ridge where I'd seen the first two at first light. As soon as I crested the ridge, I glassed 3 elk at 600+, but one the cows was staring right at me. I dropped back down and circled, found two other cows that were closer and started trying to work in on them. All of the sudden I looked up and saw 5 mule deer staring laser beams at me! This created an inconvenience as they were on the same ridge as the elk... spook them, spook the elk. Long story short, I got to about 350 yards from the elk as I watched them disappear over the ridge line. I only had about 1/2 an hour of light left and decided to back out. Ryan, one of the hunters from the inn was waiting for me at my truck when I got back. We headed to the inn and ate dinner with Pete and James again. We talked strategy and optional spots again and I stayed another night at the inn. I was at the same glassing point at daybreak that next morning, hoping to spot the elk from the previous evening. Somebody else spotted them first. I heard two shots, saw the elk flee, then two more shots a few minutes later. I THINK two hunting buddies got one each. I jumped in the truck and hauled ass trying to head the elk off. I hiked the ridge and glassed but never saw hide nor hair of them. I tried a different spot that afternoon. Saw plenty of sign, but no elk. I headed back to the inn and talked with Pete and James for awhile. I decided to camp and try a spot that Pete had recommended to me.

I spent a cold ass night in the great outdoors and left camp in the predawn light. It took me 10 minutes to glass up 3 elk from Pete's recommended spot. Then there were 7, then 11, then 17! This was a big herd, but they were a mile off. I texted Pete to see if I could get them over there. Elk for everybody!! After watching the herd for 3 hours, I decided to start hiking in. Hopefully they would bed while I hiked in.
An hour into the hike I got a text from Pete that they'd be there in 10 minutes. I told them where I'd last seen the elk and where I'd be coming from, and just to watch and see where they went after I shot. When I got to the saddle I was going for, I found no elk, but Pete and James glassed them feeding down the draw I had last seen them in. I was off to the races, and they started their hike in. I caught up to the elk and ranged two that were bedded under a tree. Horizontal range was 205 yards... perfect. One of them spotted me setting up my shooting sticks and got up and walked off. As I got on the scope I spotted one standing broadside. This is the closest I've ever come to blowing a hunt due to "buck fever". As soon as the cross hairs touched her heart I fired... and she didn't move. Chambered another round and put the cross hairs a few inches below her spine, fired and saw her drop!!! I got on the phone with Pete and told him where the herd was headed, then I headed down the hill to get my elk. At this point, the sole of my left boot started to peel off. It took me over an hour to find her. I was 170' above her when I fired and the shot was 265 yards. Everything looked different when I got down there, but I could smell her every time the wind swirled so I knew she was there somewhere! I eventually got my landmarks found, and found first blood...
...

 

I found her about 20 yards down hill from there, unfortunately, still alive. I put one through her brain and that was the end of it. This was a mistake of inexperience on my part. I've never fired at an animal from that extreme of an angle. The bullet went right where I aimed for, but what I was seeing as her spine, was actually her far side backstrap, due to my elevated position. The bullet hit her spine, which is why she dropped so fast. I don't take pleasure in posting this mistake publicly, but if the story of my mistake helps another hunter keep from making the same mistake in the future then it's worth posting. So learn from my blunder guys. If you're way up above an animal (170' in this instance) the backline you see is not the spine because you're actually looking at the top of the back from that angle. Anyhow, now she dead, and the butchering begins...

It was dark by the time I had her gutted, skinned, quartered, trimmed and packed into game bags. My boot sole was completely off my boot at this point and I had a long hike out. I loaded the neck, backstrap, tenderloins and trimmings into my pack and drug the 4 bags with the quarters and rib slabs a 1/4 mile down the mountain to the creek. I checked to make sure the dirt wasn't penetrating the kuiu game bags and it was not. I hung the quarters and ribs in a juniper for the night and hiked out with over 50 lbs on my back and 1 and a 1/2 boots on my feet. At one point I used paracord to tie the sole back on, which was an improvement but still sucked because it kept rolling off to the side when I would step sideways or roll off a rock.


I made it back to camp around 11:30 and drank water and coffee and rum until about 1am. I slept in the next morning and spent the afternoon making the 1/2 mile pack out for the rest of the meat. I got out just before dark and headed back to camp. With all the meat back to camp and safe, it was finally time to celebrate! Food, booze and a victory cigar!!

I cleaned and rinsed all the meat the next morning and packed it into the cooler, broke camp and headed home. This was a HARD hunt and very fulfilling. What a blessing to be able to bring a cooler almost overflowing with elk meat home to my family!!

On another note... The elk had disappeared by the time Pete and James made the hike into position. As they were heading in to help me clean and pack out, Pete injured his knee. They were able to get out safely but that ended their hunt. Shitty way to have a hunt end. But I made some new friends who I'm sure I'll see and hunt with in the future so this hunt was rewarding in many ways.

 

@mbmack1 Great story man thanks for sharing. Did you hit Cherry Creek road and come in from the North out of Young? I've only been that way once. Every other time I've went into the Sierra Ancha from the South but its a long way.

I just got back from a cow elk hunt in unit 8 in the Kaibab National Forest. I scouted that area this April and found some great areas for the hunt. But the whole region got hit by that Thanksgiving snowstorm. By the time I got out there a lot of the snow had melted and the it was all ice and mud. Super muddy. I got to the campsite pretty far into the unit and got my truck stuck in some deep mud that was hiding under a layer of line needles. My buddy and I get the Taco out with traction boards and tow straps from his jeep thankfully. We headed out that afternoon to scout and the area was a mess. Super thick mud and water everywhere. Right after sunset we came upon an old dude coming out of the unit on a really rugged backcountry road. The road had turned into 10" of mud. He was stuck and using a Come Along to pull himself out by each tree. I had my RZR and we pulled that dude out and he was on his way home to Mama. We joked about our karma bank being full after that. The next day (opening day) we went to our first planned area where we had seen fresh sign. Within 15 minutes the herd of around 15 came walking straight at us. My buddy got a broadside kill at 25yds. I got one at around 50yds. I definitely didn't expect that. We were super excited and 6 hours later after gutting/skinning/quartering we got both elk out of there back to camp.

On the way home my buddy spotted another old guy and his wife dragging an elk down a hill with a rope. The wife slipped and landed straight on her face in the mud. My buddy felt bad and helped them out. The hunter told us about the mobile butchers up there. I had no idea that was a thing. It took me about 4 days to butcher all the meat since it was my first time. But man is that meat good. It was a really memorable but short hunt.

Next up: OTC deer archery in January. The hunt was so short I didn't take any pictures really.

 

Thanks for sharing! No I didn't hit cherry creek. I went north from globe on the main highway through the Ancha and into Young. I definitely want to get back to Sierra Ancha sooner rather than later just to explore and try to hike into some of the cliff dwellings. My dad wants to go up there with me to go squirrel hunting, but I don't think we'll have time before the end of the year.

Sounds like a great hunt! Nothing wrong with tagging out on opening day. I glad you guys had good luck. I'll be out there on new years day hunting deer and javelina too! Good luck to you.

 

Anybody out there bow hunting this month? I've had no luck on deer or javelina yet but I couldn't resist this 15 yard shot on a jackrabbit yesterday...

I'm getting ready to head out again this morning.

 

Was out New Years Day for pigs. Got into one herd but couldn't make it happen. We either got winded by them or a fox that we saw spooked them. Not quite sure. Going back out Tues. or Wed. for the day.

 

Good luck bro!

 

I've been able to get out 4 times since the 1st. Really close each time. Twice I stalked in on Coues deer only to find out they completely disappeared once I got to where they were. Really living up to the name of grey ghost... Got 25 yds from a Mulie and a Coues hanging around 4 does. There was too much Creosote in the way and I couldn't get a shot. Does spooked and they ran away. Been some good action this season. 2 more weeks to close the deal.

 

Were the coues and the muley hanging out together with the same does? What is that skull from? Badger? Bobcat?

 

I've been out 5 days so far, got two to go because I'll be on call the last weekend of the month. I've been consistently there on the wrong day to get a javelina from the same herd I got one from last year. I keep missing them by a day or two. I had a real close call yesterday with a coues buck. Right at first light, I was checking my first trail cam and he walked right in on me and started grazing on a tree 10 yards away. As I turned to try to get my bow without spooking him, my rangefinder swung and knocked against something. I keep it on a caribeaner clipped to a paracord sling, slung over one shoulder. The buck looked at me and I froze in place, on my hands and knees, I turned my head down so I could just barely see him. I heard that predators squint as they stalk prey so the prey animal can't see their eyes, and therefore can't identify them as a predator. That's why I tried to look down to hide my face from him. When I realized my breath was coming out in clouds, I closed my mouth too. He stared at me for what was probably 2-3 minutes, but he couldn't get my scent and apparently couldn't figure out what I was, so he went back to feeding, but kept glancing at me. It was during this time that I reached for my bow and tried to get clipped in, which was a clumsy affair with my gloves on and my adrenaline pumping through my ears. He didn't like that movement so he circled around some foliage to try to get down wind of me. I finished getting my release clipped and when he stopped he was to my left, with a couple bushes between us, but I had a window through the branches where his vitals were showing. "I can do this," I thought. "Just have to thread the needle." I drew and couldn't decide if he was at 20 or 30 yards so I split the pins on his rib cage and in the window through the branches. I touched off the release and watched him shag ass out of there after the arrow hit a branch. DAMNIT!!!!! I couldn't find the arrow anywhere so I tracked him for a couple hundred yards looking for blood, but I never found any. I never found the arrow either but I'm confident that it deflected and cleanly missed him. Here's a pic of the branch it hit...

And here's a pic of him from one of my trail cams, just before he walked in on me. He was just a little spike so it's hard to see his antlers in this pic, but they're there, I promise. Lol

I've been getting some good bucks on my cams, but they're all spread out over my hunting area. I don't have one spot that has alot of daytime bucks showing up consistently so I'm a bit torn over where I'm gonna sit this weekend. There's scrapes all over the fuckin place and it's kind of a crap shoot on what's gonna happen when and where. This weekend is my last shot for the rut this year so I'm really hoping I choose the right spot. Here's some random trail cam pics from the area I'm hunting...

 

Yeah it was weird. Both a Coues and a Mulie buck hanging with 4 does. I couldn't see what they were. Then later on the same day I saw a young Mulie chasing a Coues doe. She wanted nothing to do with him. That was all the southern end of the Rincons. Agua Verde Ranch area. That skull was from a Bobcat I think.

 

Those are some great pics. Bummer not being able to close the deal. I know the feeling bowhunting is an emotional rollercoaster. I've been heading out the past few days and it's minimal activity. Dunno if it's the moonphase. Hoping tomorrow is a good day. Worst case scenario, send me a DM and I can send you a pin where I've been going. There's a hill that has pretty consistent Coues activity.