Strip talk

[creed_az_88]

For those of you familiar with 13a and 13b, how many 200 inchers get killed that nobody knew about prior to the day they were killed? It seems that every water source up there has multiple cameras on it. Are there any monsters that slip by the big name outfitters and get killed? Surely it happens, but how common is it? Most people who have hunted the strip recommend a guide. Is it that hard to find a big buck on your own up there that isn't already targeted by somebody else?

 

 

 

Creed

[lancetkenyon]

200" mulies are rare, even on the strip. People think there is a 180" buck behind every tree. Not true.

 

The guides flock to the Strip in search of the big boys, because of the mythical proportions that do grow there. Best gene pools, good habitat, glassable terrain, and low tag numbers mean the opportunity for one of the record book bucks.

 

But just like every other unit, if uou spend 1000s of man hours and hundreds of miles of boot leather, you will find a big animal. The amount of cameras are anothwr way of patterning the bucks. And the guides have the time and money to do this, where the average Joe Hunter doesn't. Can a DIY hunter tag out a 200+" buck? Of course, with luck and skills. But it is far more likely that a person with 10 other guys looking and patterning that deer for months will have a much better opportunity. Pay to play. Whether with cash or time and pain. Nothing, not even luck, compares to experience.

 

Do I think there are bucks tbat never get seen up there? Not many, but probably a few.

[Big Browns]

I agree with Lance. That is specifically why I will never put in for the strip. I simply don't have the time it takes to find and pattern the type of buck that tag requires. Plus I don't need a 180-220 inch Buck to be happy. There are plenty of other units that would offer solid 150 class bucks that I would be more than happy with.

 

The more inportant question is why shoot a CARP?

[trphyhntr]

a guy got a 230 off the road last year unguided.

[GreyGhost85]

i think that the people that hunt the strip year in and year out try to make it sound much worse than it is. i have a close friend that drew it last year and killed a buck pushing 230". said there were a lot of deer and a lot of really big bucks. had to wade through 180-200"ers to find the right one. this was also his first time on the strip and it was unguided. I would say, without knowing personally, that the unit has big swings in deer population due to weather and migration. some years people report a tough hunt and some years people say there are a ton of deer and big bucks, but i think in general it is isn't as tough as a hunt as the regulars try to make it out to be. it is very far and very remote and that is probably the main factor that makes people say it is such a tough hunt

[ivhunter]

greyghost has a point, never hunted AZ but same concept for some of cali zones I hunt. Before I ever hunted it peeps made it out to be a very tough place to try and hunt and yes the percentage of successful hunters is only 9% but I guess I've done ok with 2 bucks out of 5 seasons and the years I didn't score my group did, maybe one day I will put in for an AZ strip hunt and find out myself.. good luck guys on your hunts.

[trphyhntr]

but i think in general it is isn't as tough as a hunt as the regulars try to make it out to be.

outfitters have a lot to gain by keeping everyone thinking its a tough hunt. ive never been, but seems most people that talk about how tough it is havent been either lol.

[creed_az_88]

I ask this question becasue I'm building points right now for the strip. I'm really considering not even sticking it out only because when I get tags, I try my hardest to hunt deer that other people aren't seeing. I want to kill that buck that nobody knows about yet. That's what makes a deer a trophy in my eyes more than anything. The fact that he's avoided people and has grown old. Big antlers are just a bonus and I think the two go hand in hand for the most part. I just really want to know if it's a realistic goal, to go up there and hunt for some deer That doesn't have his picture taken by 11 different outfitters. I can't shoot another az deer this year anyways, so it's just a bonus point this year for me. Would my goal of shooting a giant buck that nobody knows about be easier met on the Kaibab? Is there any parts of the strip that are roadless enough to backpack into and see the deer outfitters are missing?

[trphyhntr]

Wants to hunt bucks never seen before, is asking about the unit with more cameras and guides than any other.

[GreyGhost85]

i'm not sure why killing a 200+ buck someone has a picture of would be a problem? every single water source on the strip has multiple cameras. if a deer takes a drink in his lifetime there is a really good chance someone has a picture of him. if you are building points and only want to hunt an unknown deer, maybe 27 december would be a good choice?

[DesertBull]

I think you can kill a big mule deer in Colorado, Utah or Nevada and not have to wait half a lifetime to get a decent tag.

[trphyhntr]

I think you can kill a big mule deer in Colorado, Utah or Nevada and not have to wait half a lifetime to get a decent tag.

idaho, montana, new mexico. basically AZ is the worst mule deer hunting in the country except for the north rim lol

[trphyhntr]

with this many cameras from one crew up there I don't think there is any nice ones that are unseen.

 

Also isn't a 6 year old deer on the strip considered ancient?

 

 

[Flatlander]

 

 

I think you can kill a big mule deer in Colorado, Utah or Nevada and not have to wait half a lifetime to get a decent tag.

idaho, montana, new mexico. basically AZ is the worst mule deer hunting in the country except for the north rim lol

Ummm, New Mexico sucks real bad. Like really bad. They are similar in that they have the Jicarilla and basically nothing else. But at least we have Cow palace that can crank out a 200" deer.

[Becker]

My experience with the strip. I was up there for 5 consecutive years in a row. I had some of the easiest hunts of my life as well as some of the hardest. There are very popular places that you won't be hunting by yourself. And there are definitely places you can get away from everyone. The strip is a vast place. There are springs and water sources that people don't have cameras on and there are others that are famous for the number of cameras set on them. You can make that hunt whatever you want.

 

There are bucks that people have pictures of in places that make them almost un-kill able. There are deer that get killed that nobody knows about.

 

There are high density deer areas and others that seem devoid of life.

 

It really is a spectacular place to hunt. Rough and unforgiving. Im too much of a Coues deer junkie to apply up there but its truely a once in a lifetime hunt. If you like the giant deer potential and being challenged it really is that place.