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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/01/2018 in all areas
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4 pointsCouple of buckles and couple of bolos! I’v got lots to learn about turquoise!
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2 points6.5CM vs. .30-06 Springfield Apples and oranges Please let us know what you want to do with this rifle and we can offer better advice other than just giving you best prices.
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2 pointsI have a CF promaster. Really nice. Not sure why I would pay 2x for an aluminum outdoorsman.
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1 pointBump for nice tent. Picked one of these up on here a couple years ago and has been great for backpacking trips.
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1 pointWith fresh snow I would try to cut a fresh bull track or glass a remote canyon before I sat a meadow. if your not seeing movement you might check a diferant area. This is elk moving weather.
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1 pointI had that message and had to keep declining but today I figured out there was a drop down menu by the don't allow response that gave me the option of never allowing it. I clicked that and closed out and restarted and the message didn't come back up. Maybe that will work for you. I thought the issue was just my computer or browser until I saw your post. Thanks for bringing it up.
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1 pointWelcome to the site & good luck on your hunt. I've killed a couple spot & stalk hunting, but most of mine (muleys & coues) have been sitting ambushes. The same tactics you used in Oklahoma & NY can make you successful in Az. The main difference is that the deer population & concentration is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less here than either of those states. It's not uncommon to sit for a day or two and see nothing but birds & squirrels here, but then other days it seems like every deer in the county is around your stand. Deer here have much larger ranges than their eastern cousins, so a "good spot" will often not have deer everyday. If deer pass through it consistently every 3-5 days, it's still a good spot. Just my experience, but most of my trail cams will show daily use for several days in a row, then almost nothing for 2-7 days, then they're back again. It's a waiting game and long hours are the rule of thumb. I've had opportunities at small bucks within minutes of getting in a tree before, but usually I sit for 2-4 days before I kill something. My buddy that I hunt with just killed a 90" coues deer this August on his third morning. A few years before that I killed a 113" one from the same stand on the 3rd or 4th morning, can't really remember now. Last year he killed opening morning and I got mine on the fourth evening. Just gotta commit and sit it out all day. Never know when one will show up. As you're probably going to have very limited scouting opportunities, it's not a bad idea to set up an ambush in a high saddle or on a ridge top overlooking a trail in a spot where you can also glass for the first couple days. Scout & hunt at the same time. If your glassing reveals deer hanging out in a certain area you can either stalk them or switch over and set-up an ambush over there the next day. There's no rule saying you have to hunt one way or the other, you can mix it up. I used to glass during the mornings & into the afternoon & then sit in saddles the last 1-2 hours of the evening if I hadn't found anything to spot & spook yet.
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1 pointUsed the new Feisol today on my kids 34A hunt. I really like it. Switching from lever locks to twist locks takes some adjusting. It comes with a two price “ telescopic “ center column. I was skeptical but it’s stable and super easy to use. Lance, it has the standard 3/8 stud to mount a head. The manfrotto Fluid head screwed right on. Only complaint is there are no set screws to prevent the head from coming loose. I used locktike since I don’t plan on swapping heads.
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1 pointI also have a CF Manfrotto. To me, nothing even compares to them. Even these ridiculously priced Outdoorsmans...they make me laugh. Except for their machined parts- Good stuff.
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1 pointI have a CF Manfrotto. Had it for years and a lot of miles in the pack and thousands of hours under my optics. Also have an aluminum Manfrotto I bought for a truck rider and for family members to use after one of them dropped my 15x56s over on an elk hunt on one of their cheap camera tripods. This sounds like a good, less expensive option. I would love a second CF tripod. I assume it has the same threaded post to mount a head of your choice?
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1 pointHey, I worked with tech support today and they got the issue resolved, so now it shows as secure.
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1 pointI use my spotter as a way to judge a buck. If I cant see antlers with my 15s I'm not interested anyway. For me a straight spotter is 10x better than an angled. Angled is great for steep uphill shots but other than that it takes too long to acquire your target. In Mexico for example I use my spotter to judge bucks sometimes 20-30 times. it is faster to remove 15s acquire target, quick judge remove spotter put 15s back on and continue glassing with a straight.
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1 pointI have spotted many bucks fit or no rut from the highway. My biggest coues was spotted from the highway.
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1 pointThis. Commuting is wasted time. Many people I know have killed a buck in or just outside of camp.
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1 pointBeing a nonresident of AZ but hunting Coues deer for 9 times and killing 4 plus one in Mexico I can understand your predicament and issues. I have not spot and stalked one to the kill but I have tried a few times without success. All of the bucks came from a natural blind, tree stand, or a tent blind (Mexico) over a funnel (bed to feed, bed to drink, feed to drink, shade during mid day heat and all were killed during the January bow hunting season. The last buck I killed came in to horn rattling and buck grunting. Being a solo hunter without a ATV and willing to hike in a mile or two, like I do here in Colorado for elk, I have no issues to hike onto an area, and even stay the night or two. I do this mainly to get away from other hunters and to also find more remote and un molested deer. Finding one or two remote water holes would be ideal and with indications that deer are actually visiting the area. With the aid of Google Earth, one should be able to find some of these. As far as spending "countless hours glassing". Well, this is the name of the game where one can find a good location and glass the areas for a day or two to determine the deer patterns and what bucks might be in the area, what time there are moving, and then slip in to ambush from a ground blind or tree stand. Setting on your butt and checking out the area with bios and/ or a spotting scope will be good time spent and I would highly recommend it. Just remember, the very first time into the area, once you determine the deer movement, is the very best time to kill a deer. I have not hunted Coues in "central" AZ but hunt them farther south within (sometimes, eye sight of the Mexican boarder). So keep at it, and with some hard work and some good luck you will one day get the draw on a Coues buck. I will be back down to AZ this coming January. my best, Paul
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1 pointHunt update, hunted hard for 9 days saw a total of 10 deer, 3 bucks and 7 doe's. A good friend caught up with me on the last day and with his 50+ years of hunting the area and understanding the deer patterns after they get water he led me to this buck. He is not the monster that is on display at the Ron's place but a nice one just the same. Thank you for all of the suggestions and yes the OnX Hunt app is the real
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1 pointI have had deer and other game come in minutes after setting my blind, including javelina, bear , deer, elk, and turkey. some like to add brush to it to make it look as natural as possible.... but if you have a good back drop that will help. as far as shooting from it... set it up and shoot from it. I sometimes take it to the range and set it up and shoot from it sitting in the chair I set in my blind. shoot through the mesh so you have no doubts about it. I do have problems seeing through the digital printed mesh in certain lighting condition (low light) if you want it open than wear all black (assuming yours is black inside) to help conceal any movement. take your noisy snacks out of their wrappers before and put them into a much quieter ziplock you'll be glad you did! after setting it up give it a good spray down with scent killer of choice hope this helps! James
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1 pointI have hunted ground blinds for years but never out of one of the new store bought ones. I use the natural cover that is around. I actually find it adds to my sense of accomplishment when I am successful knowing that I built the blind. The buck in my aviator was killed in the evening from a ground blind I had built late morning that same day. When building a ground blind positioning it to be down wind of where the deer/elk or whatever are most likely to come in is key. As someone else stated if it is a pond/tank you are setting up on the tracks around the edge will give you that info. If its a convergence of multiple trails try and understand the direction of travel the animals will be headed at the time you plan to hunt it and position the blind accordingly. Remember wind direction changes in the warmer part of the day. Besides having good cover in front of you I think it is essential to have the blind built up behind you as well to breakup your outline. This will also help to conceal any movement you might make. Try and use something that is already there such as a fallen tree or brush thicket for the location of your blind. Animals are less wary of a simple change versus a great big bile of brush that has never been there before. Make sure you sit in your blind prior to hunting out of it the same way you will when you do hunt it. Draw your bow back in the direction of all your shooting lanes to be sure you don't bump something. Finally make sure you are comfortable! If you are not you will be figiting and shifting around making too much movement. I make use of a very low to the ground bench style seat. I like the idea of the blanket on the ground to help reduce noise. That makes good sense and I may try that this year. You would need to be sure it is as scent free as possible. For you guys using the store bought blinds it definately makes sense to brush them. I would use the same principles as above in the location of the blind including utilizing something that is already there such as a fallen tree. I have been considering purchasing one but have a few questions. It does seem that it would help suppress some of your scent, have you found that to be the case? Also someone said "We had a coyote come in to drink at 20 yrds and he busted us because the canvas was shaking with the wind". This has been one of my concerns. All the blinds I have seen are built out of material that is fairly noisy when you shake it or scratch the side of it with something like a branch. Some are worse that others but I have yet to see one that was a "quiet" blind. Has spooking of deer or elk been a common problem for you guys/ladies that use them frequently? Great thread by the way. Definately lots of good info here.
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1 pointI have been hunting out of ground blinds for many years and have killed my share of critters. I don't know anyone who has sat the hours I have and I'm not saying I'm an expert with a blind but I do feel I have earned the right to at least comment on a few things that might help you. Deer seem to be the most spooked by a new setup. Turkeys are the least wary of a blind. I never put the blind up without brushing it in. On spots I've worked over the years I have built large blinds that stay year round and I put my blind in those a week or two before the season starts. If these spots start showing alot of foot traffic then I might wait till the night before. Remember the original blind has been there year round. My shooting window is a very small opening. I plan all my shots between 10 and no farther than 20yrds max. I use a Harbor Freight moving blanket for the flooring to keep noise down and a comfortable armchair so I can sleep without falling out. You can actually get up and move around while game is in front of you and they will not spook as long as you are quiet. Being that close you do need to use some sort of scent. When the wind is blowing and the rain is poring down you can't beat the blinds. They are not over rated. TJ
