Leaderboard

Kaibab hunt sounds like a nightmare with the guides that think they own the buffalo. AZGFD really needs to do something about those clowns.

Been hitting the duck hunting hard this year. Haven't killed anything super cool, mostly widgeon, a few mallards, and green wing teal. Got this beauty Sunday and wanted to share.

Even though I will probably never draw a tag in my lifetime, I love seeing these guys. They are such amazing animals. This is a 24B ram, and not one that you’d see from one of the lakes. He looked to be a really good ram. Hopefully the video uploads with good clarity. IMG_1288.MOV

Ya but everyone on here wants everything for nothing lol if its not a screaming deal or a highly sought after item it gets ttt for 4 pages worth

Rim Country guns in Payson had one a few weeks back. Not sure if they still have it or not. If I remember correctly, it was $1400-1500. Looked to be in good condition.

For me it was 27 days of hunting. 3 minutes of excitement and 8 hours of very hard work. I did my own thing and was the second(and last) of 25 hunters to fill there tag. If I had the tag again and the whole hunt off I would investigate the west end of the area more and believe my eyes more than what people were telling me.

Raymond Ranch sounds better by every post.

A note to those who try the co op and then decide it's not for them. Before my hunt I coordinated with guys that had the tag before me. One guy did the co op and decided it wasn't for him. They ended up going on their own and got out to the salt by the park entry early. It pissed of Ned's kid and he got a bit belligerent with them and said something to the effect of if you can do what you want so can I. He went out in the meadow running around in circles to the point of redface and sweaty, then sat down right in the middle of the meadow. I was gonna post this way back when but decided not too just because I didn't wanna come off like a hater. But that was a BIG deciding factor for me to go diy and not even consider the co op. I ended up killing first morning with the help of running my own cams

The first two weeks was basically chasing pigs in the flats as they never moved up in the hills. 0 opportunities and a whole lot of exercise. The warm weather has em holding low and being very mobile and moving constantly. We were excited for a cold weekend, it’ll keep the pigs feeding in a small area. My son and I snuck out Saturday morning for a quick hunt before an afternoon bday party. We glassed up a herd feeding and made a move, I was able to stick an arrow in this herd boar with my recurve, he freaked on me and took 2 more in the chamber before dying. My son got to watch the whole show by my side which was great. Battle scars everywhere. He bit off and broke two of my arrows. This morning it was just pops and I out trying to keep his archery success streak alive. The morning started off dull until 9:30 when a herd was spotted feeding on an agave. We made a move and crept up to 17 yards and pops was able to harvest this old old sow. Molars were worn down to nubs and very little meat on her frame.

Sounds like this thread should be about scope fail horror stories... I bet there are some good ones out there. When I was a teenager, I had an old Weaver K4 scope fog up on me during my second ever deer hunt. I ended up carrying an old 30-06 beater that had been my Grandpa's for the rest of the hunt. I still have that rifle and the scope has wicked canted crosshairs... but I can't bring myself to straighten the scope since my grandpa did it that way. I smile every time I look at that rifle. An old Remington 721

Went out to my usual stomping ground for quail and got on 10-15 different small coveys. Knocked down 8 recovered 7. Always like finding/seeing other wildlife, came across these barn owls hunkered down in a vertical mineshaft. And of course love finding deer sheds.

Right on!!! Thank you for being polite in your reply, not everyone is. Good luck with the sale!!!

He did well!!! grass was high this year so finding pigs was a task and stalking wasn’t easy but we were able to get my son in to 27 yards and he got his first bow harvest I hope he is hooked for life with stick and string!!!

Wife and I got lucky and arrowed two seconds apart. Both nice boars for Chorizo!

The Boys had a great day out Sunday. Only day we had with high school wrestling in full swing. First archery kill for one and second for another. First time I have every seen three taking on first stock, same herd and no blood trailing. All dropped insight. Middle pig is a hoss.

I saw a post made on HuntAz’s Instagram page. I am not trying to steal anyone’s thunder and I apologize if the hunter did not want any publicity but I think this is just bad butt that he shot this in a super tough unit and did not allow his disabilities prevent him from getting it done. Congratulations to him.

I figured I'd share the story of how it went down. It was pretty amazing. I had the opportunity to hunt desert bighorn sheep in the Cabeza Prieta wilderness of AZ. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. The Cabeza is rugged, austere and dangerously beautiful. The only thing that really exists out there are the iconic desert bighorn. This story is filled so many nuanced connections between amazing people. From the moment the original hunter decided to donate the tag to me because he got Covid the hunt was meant to be. People that I didn't know I came from everywhere to help me make this a reality. I literally could not have done this without them. And for that I am forever grateful. When I hunt, I'm not the person who is always chasing antler length. I always have "the quality of the hunt" in mind. It's about the experience. This experience was among the best. In previous years of hunting I've had hard earned lessons, I've beat my body up and I've learned to deal with the frustration of failure often. On this hunt everything went perfectly. It culminated when I was able to harvest this 10yr old beat up and broken warrior at 220yds off the desert floor. I had prepared myself to climb on my hands and knees up these steep 1000' cliffs to make it happen. Instead it all happened at the bottom. I'm still in disbelief. The original hunter had 29 year's worth of bonus point for sheep in AZ. I've only been hunting for 4 years so I assumed I'd never hunt sheep. 2 days before the hunt he gets covid and donates his tag to me through Outdoor Experience For All. I was floored and quickly accepted only to find out that 46b west is a wilderness walk in unit. I called the preserve and they granted me access to drive in because of my prosthetic legs. I got out to the area a week after opening with some great dudes helping me. We glassed and saw some good rams over the next few days. On the 4th day we went deep into the unit and spooked3 rams that winded us when we got to the glassing knob. The rams went up a mountain and were not huntable for me. We backed out and drove a ways to a valley to glass. We glassed up those same rams a long ways a way from where they originally were. They ran up a mountain and down the other side then ran over 2 miles across the desert floor to a whole new mountain range. They were laying at the bottom in the sand when we saw them. I made a mile long stalk in to 220yds. Wind was perfect and we dropped into a wash bottom to cover movement. When I got there we couldn't see the big one but the second biggest one was in sight. I was considering taking that ram because he was pretty good but a little younger. Then the bigger on stepped into sight and I was able to take him 20" off the bottom of the desert floor. It was absolutely amazing.

Since we hunt different units for archery, ham and rifle hunts, we went out last weekend scouting for the wife’s rifle hunt, see where the pigs are hanging out this year. We basically learned where there were NO javelina, couldn’t find any sign either. Opening day we made plans to go into a roadless area, where pigs often go after being pressured. About 9:30 my wife caught some movement in a wash a mile out, she was sure it wasn’t a deer. We watched for another 15 minutes and sure enough 9 pigs walked out of a draw to feed. We snuck in to 120 yards and waited for the larger boar to turn broadside and she took her chip shot. Whenever we’re hunting we always pick up trash, mostly beer cans. As luck would have it my wife spotted a pile of valentine day balloons tangled up in a brush. She went and grabbed them so we could take some of the weirdest pictures I’ve been part of.

After a couple years of frustration bowhunting these things I decided to switch over to the pistol. Decided to sit a water hole the afternoon of opening day and after 4 hours of seeing nothing but cows coming in I backed out spotted 2 pigs heading in the direction of the truck. Snuck into about 20 yards, made a couple quick shots and finally tagged my first HAM hunt Javelina. This guy had to weigh over 50 pounds. Looking forward to making some chorizo and also wanted to check if anyone has any recommendations of good taxidermist in the Valley? Preferably somewhere in the Chandler/Tempe area. I have always wanted a good Javelina shoulder mount and I am still deciding if I want to do a mouth open or passive mount.

Year 1 : This journey started 3 years ago with a rifle. Like my first deer hunt, I had no idea what I was doing. I went high, I went low, I went into the thick, I searched out in the open. I was striking out. The last evening that I had to hunt, and after covering all of the different terrain that this unit has to offer, I decided to go back low and into the thick stuff. I had been in this area a few days prior, so I had some familiarity with it. It was 4th and long, and this was my hail mary. Less than 100 yards from my truck, and with less than 1 hour of light remaining, I cut a set of fresh tracks out of the main wash that I was in. I decided to follow them into the stuff that makes you question your sanity, as each step rips out a new piece of flesh. Obviously, this was not the quietest route that I could have chosen, but I wanted to follow these tracks. As I painfully pushed on, I heard the unmistakable woofing sound. I couldn’t believe it, I was closing in on them. I realize at this moment, I have no path forward that doesn’t spook them into the next area code. So, I back out and make my way down the main wash. I knew that they were feeding up the side of a hill, so I backtracked a couple hundred yards (if that) in each direction, got the wind right, and set out to cut them off. This walk was far less painful, but still thick and did not offer many shooting lanes for a rifle. As I’m pondering how I’d get a shot if I did manage to get in front of them, I suddenly see one cresting the top of the hill side that I am now on the backside of. It happened so quickly, that I messed it up before it even began (after doing everything right up to this point). My kneejerk reaction was to put the rifle up immediately. I was WAY too close for that, and couldn’t see a thing but blurry bushes and cactus. This subtle movement blew my concealment, and then the herd blew loose in every direction around me. I stay focused on the first one I saw, and it had moved behind a thick patch and we engaged in a stare down. Again, not knowing what to do in this situation, and after listening to it woof/stomp for long enough, I make the snap decision to try to side step the bushes. Still too close for a rifle, my movement was caught immediately and like a cartoon character this thing took off faster than I realized they were capable of moving. I tried holding in front of it after it crossed the wash on the far side and squeezed one off. I knew immediately it was a clean miss, but did my due diligence to confirm it. When I got to where it was when I shot, it was moving so fast that it was easy track. I followed the deep impressions it left behind as far as I could, and to no avail I finished out my hunt gridding that area as the sun set on my first Javelina hunt. Year 2: I have one weekend to hunt, and a 10 year old in tote. I had gone out the week before opener to check cams (last year of doing this). As I am making my way through some of the areas that I had been in the year prior, I decide low and thick is where we will be (again with a rifle). Not far from my camera, I jump a herd bedded nearby. A mama and little one stay in front of me at 10 yards for quite some time. She never became threatening, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little intimidated in the moment as I was not packing, and wasn’t sure if she’d charge to protect the little one. Anyway, I took some pics, marked the area on ONX, set a cam, and back home I went. Opening morning comes, and for obvious reasons we head out on foot to where I had jumped the herd the week before. I’m a novice hunter, and now I have my boy with me. I have to at least make him believe that I know what I am doing, in hopes that one day he does know what he is doing. It takes us a little over an hour to hike in. All along, I am teaching him about the wind, the sound, the tracks, the signs and most importantly the repercussions of not paying attention to where the cholla are. He’s doing great so far, he’s being quiet, he’s listening, not complaining, I’m sure this is all because I bribed him with a $5 per shed offer to help keep him focused. As we’re getting closer to the “hot zone”, I start telling him to move slower, walk lighter, etc. because we are almost to where I want to be. He gives me the thumbs up, and we start making our way up the hill side that I am convinced will lead to Javelina land on the other side of. As we approach my mark on ONX I hear it starting. Ah…ah….ahhhh chooooo! Over and over and over again…In this moment, I don’t even turn around. I stand there and literally laugh out loud. There was no Javelina land on the other side of this ridge, but his allergy attack ensured that there wasn’t a Javelina within a mile of us in any direction now. Not long after this moment, I spot a decent 3 point shed and want him to earn his 5 bucks. So…I walk by it, come back to it, circle around it, stop short of kicking it, before I can’t take it anymore and finally ask him what the heck he’s looking at besides that nice 3 point shed on the ground in front of him. He shakes his head, laughs, and told me he didn’t actually believe me all along that there’d be sheds out here in the desert. We hunt hard the rest of the day and the following day without much to show for it but a shed, a pic of him with someone else’s recent kill (we found the hooves and gut pile), and a new marker on ONX where we found the most sign (more on this in the conclusion). All in all, we came up empty handed, didn’t see a live pig, but I shared some great memories with one of my boys. Year 3: The conclusion My wife decides she wants to go see Kane Brown in Vegas for our 5th anniversary this year, and the concert falls on opening weekend, much to my displeasure. I reluctantly agree to this, and tell my father in law that I only have opening morning to hunt, and that I’d be back in a few days. I really like the area I have been hunting the past two years, but have concluded that it’s not conducive to rifle hunting. This year we put in for the HAM tag, and I decide I will try for my first big game harvest with a bow. Thankfully the HAM hunt is a longer hunt because now I’m going to miss part of it for this concert. Opening morning comes, and it’s cold and windy out. I am going in with my bow, and my game plan isn’t to glass from afar so I don’t really care if they are hunkered down. I considered it an advantage and I set off from camp on foot. Within an hour, I’m moving through a small wash wind in my face and I catch movement out ahead approximately 40 yards. Bingo, a pig is feeding behind a bush in front of me, and I have a strong wind in my face. I nock an arrow, and don’t move a muscle (experience from 2-years ago kicks in). While I am thinking of a game plan, the wind swirls, and as hard as it was blowing in my face, suddenly I’m up wind and it’s blowing twice as hard back down toward the pig. Now, I have always heard about the importance of the wind. But for the first time I experienced it firsthand. This pig did not see me, there’s no way. When that wind shifted, it got alert, and before I knew it he was on the run. Now, for the rodeo. I quickly moved up the wash fast enough to see him run up the other side. I tuck in the left side of the wash and think to myself that I’ll try and get in front of him. I can’t see him at this point, but I can hear him. He’s woofin’ and screamin’ mad. It sounds like he’s running in a circle around me. At this point, he’s been so vocal, I decide to stop where I am at, and I let out two calls. I hear him immediately begin charging towards me, and I couldn’t believe it actually worked. I draw back, and hold where I think he’s coming from up wash. I see his nose, when all of a sudden the wind hits me hard with another gust from behind, and he bolts sideways one step away from me releasing. I boogey to the other side where he ran up, and lose sight of him. I’m now standing ¾ of the way up the hillside, and it sounds like he got in behind me somehow (or there was another pig that I hadn’t seen up to this point, I’ll never truly know). I knelt down and listened for a second. It was close, so I decided to let out two calls to see if I could bring him up. Not on a rope, but he comes in and he comes in heavy and fast. It was almost comedic sitting there watching him jump around like he was being electrocuted or something. Hopping over the ledge of the wash onto the hill side, and bouncing side to side all the way up to me. It was incredible, he bounced behind every single bush, and cactus on that hillside between him and I, always blocking my shot. He comes to a stop 5-yards in front of me, directly behind a bush. I am at full-draw, and I hold, we stare, and I hold until my arms start shaking and are about to give out. It’s hard to say how much time has passed during this stare down, but long enough for me to have contemplated taking an ill-advised shot on several occasions. I held until my arms finally gave out, and he never moved a muscle until I let down. Once he caught that movement, he was out of there faster than I could stand and draw back again. I felt a weird combination of “that was awesome!”, and “my soul has been crushed by a blown opportunity, yet again”. I reflected, I hunted some more, met my father in law for lunch, told him the story about the big one that got away yet again, and hunted until dark in the cold wind. Now I had to make the long drive home to get ready for Vegas, while replaying the sequence of events over, and over again for the next three days. He hunted while I was gone, never turning up any pigs. I made it back to camp the following Thursday and rejoined him. The night prior, I knocked an old hunting hat of mine off of the shelf, which happens to be the hat I wore on the hunt with him when I shot my first deer. I said to myself that I’m going to bring it along for good luck. I make mention of this to him at camp in the morning over coffee, put on the lucky hat, we wish each other luck, and head off in our separate ways. I left the bow at home this time, and decided to bring the .357. He heads to the area that my son and I were in the year prior that I marked on ONX, and I go right back to where I blew it opening morning of this year. By 8:30am, I get a text message from him saying “Pig down. More in here, at least 6”. I am way too far away for that to matter, so I just give him the thumbs up sign, and let him know I am on to some fresh sign myself. I am happy for him, but also feel an immense amount of pressure set in now. I can’t help but think it’s never going to happen for me at this point. Knowing approximately how long it will take for him to get back to camp, I hunt the area I am in accordingly, and make my way back so I can congratulate him and take a picture if he wants one. He’s pretty much got the entire pig taken care of by time I get back. We talk briefly, and then I have him drop me off in a new spot close to where he just was and near the area my son and I found the year before. I get out, he wishes me luck yet again, and tells me to call him at lunch and he’d come pick me up. I have no intention of calling him at lunch, and tell him not to expect a call from me until nightfall unless I text him that a pig is down. Where he drops me at, the wind is wrong for where I am trying to get to. I walk out of my way so that I can get the wind in my favor, and cut across a few washes to start making my way to my marker. As I am approaching, I know the area is hot. The beds here are being used, there’s fresh scat, and my father in law just got one not far from here. So, I decided to stop moving and let out 2 calls. Within 30 seconds I see her cross the wash up ahead of me. I slowly move to the right side, and kneel down. I completely lose visibility of her when I squat, so I decide to let out two more calls since they had been responding to them up to this point. The wind is perfect, and I sit there waiting for her to come down the wash that would present me with about a 5-yard broadside shot. But she doesn’t come down the main line that I expected her to. She made a big loop and came in at me head on. It didn’t matter where she came from this time, I was cocked and ready. As soon as I saw her I put the red dot on her chest and squeezed off one fatal shot quartering towards me. It inserted her chest and was held up on the exit near her rear ribs by the hyde. I found the bullet when I was skinning her. And just like that, 3-years of ups and downs, close encounters, and everything in between finally came together. 11 minutes after he dropped me off, and with shaking hands, I texted my father in law, “pig down”, and marked my location on ONX. Later when looking at ONX, I realized I shot her within feet of where my son and I had stood and marked the year prior. When I zoom out of ONX, you can barely even differentiate the markers, it’s that close. We were back at camp with two pigs in the ice chests and drinking bloody marys by noon that day. AMAZING experience.

Took me a few days but I located a herd in 31 and this young man took his first javalina. Today it’s moms turn

Well this year had two firsts for my boy. He drew his first archery javelina tag and his excitement began. After track practice he would come home and shoot his bow to knock the rust off since he had not been shooting it in a while. When we were able to get out in between track practices and meets, he shot his first javelina at 9am. We ended up stocking into 20 yards and waiting for the two pigs to come out of the brush to try to get a shot. After 10 minutes the pigs ended up feeding towards us. We waited them out and the bigger of the two walk out at 10 yards. Curtis ended up drawing his bow while the javelina was behind the last bush. After 3 long minutes of holding at full draw the boar walked into the gap and boy made a really good shot. We watch the boar go down after about 15 yards. After lots of smiles and a big hug we went and got his first javelina and first kill with a bow. Made a ton of memories that day we will not soon forget. Bonus picture of the last 8 inches of his broken off arrow in inside the ribs.

I'm an adult onset hunter. My first hunt was in 2019 Finally got one on my 3rd hunt. I Always saw them but never got close enough for a shot. Tuesday of the hunt I went out solo, this guy came up behind me at 15 yards. already looking forward to next year. Tuesday 2-22-2022 at 2 pm unit 22

It was cold with wind chill in the mid 20’s opening morning. Saw nothing but deer and coyotes. We had to walk around to check out small cuts out of the wind. We found just 2 pigs feeding and were able to double up at 52 yards. We stayed around for another day and found a couple more herds for next year’s HAM trip.