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Hadn’t seen much rut activity this Jan until a week ago. After a few days of rain I found 14 bucks all w does. Too many deer on the Mnt to even get in there and hunt one of them. Came back a week later and saw a buck stand up at 8Am w 3 does. Range was 1500 yards. Got the spotter out to check the details. 3x3=go time. Made a plan to get half way and try to relocate. From that spot I couldn’t see into the cut he was working down. I glassed one of his does and decided to close the distance to see if I would be able to see into that cut and maybe make a play. Got to the skyline of that cut with perfect wind and some cover I was able to see the buck behind an ocotillo. Range was 82 yards. I knocked an arrow and dialed the slider to 82. If he steps out I will get a chance. 1 well placed arrow and he ran for 2 seconds. Made a trip to the truck to drop all my gear and hiked back to process him and pack out. I could not be happier. I’ve been trying to do a solo spot and stalk Coues for 10 years now.

It was a tough year to be a coues hunter... managed to scrape out a decent buck, thought I would share.

Shot on November 5, 2025 in rifle season on public land. First mule deer for me.

Had a good December hunt! After a couple years of tag soup we were overdue. Between work, travel, and family schedules our time was pretty limited to get out. Had a few good days with some good bucks spotted that didn’t present any shot opportunities and the warm weather didn’t help. These two had read the script and showed up at first light exactly where we had hoped to find deer. After we figured out our play and were moving closer, the herd of at least 12-15 topped out and moved onto the next ridge. Sneaking to the top to begin searching for the bucks, the herd had really spread out and all we could find were does everywhere. Finally spotted one of the bucks way down low and started setting up for the 260yd shot. My buddy spotted the other buck and we decided which one looked better and presented the best shot. Boom…dropped right there. The second buck didn’t even move after the shot and gave us time to get set up for another shot. Boom…dropped right there within about 25 yards of each other. Radioed our friends who had been helping spot for us to bring the packs and knives! They even brought a couple of cold brews from the truck to help celebrate. Nice having a youngster in the group with a strong back to help pack out too! The two of us have been hunting together for over 10 years and have had some great times and quite a few misses and servings of tag soup. First time we’ve ever even had a chance for a double together so it was really special.

IMG_4384.3gp IMG_4384.3gp

My biggest buck an Az archery otc

Buck scored 127 7/8

Shitt I thought you were selling weed or something.. 😁

Man what a blessed week! To have the opportunity to go to desert. Have you guys seen the desert lately? So beautiful! Beautiful weather! And to have the ability to harvest a beautiful buck, man I'm...I have no words, I'm just so thankful! Then I go to one of the metro units and took a javalina with my bow! Wow! Happy Birthday to me I guess! Thank you Lord for the opportunity and the ability!

Careful...If you have or share pictures of an unlawfully taken buck, can you be charged?

wont crash, data centers will take it to the moon. I give my grand kids a Oz everytime there on the honor roll. There kicking butt for 6&8 year olds

Everybody has a Rzr, Can-Am or other utv now days and the desert is covered with people. We used to have the area we hunt pretty much to ourselves and the hunting was great. This last rifle hunt, there was a camp with 15 or 16 tags and they were like cockroaches out there. Just running all over the place. Not one of them saw a deer but we found one area that looked like the Baja ran through there and found deer tracks bouncing where they had clearly jumped some bucks and didn’t see them. I know people hunting the 45 units that are notorious for avoiding people and the road hunters are out in full force this archery season. I wish we could go back to times before Covid where all these people used to be indoors 🤣

Not that simple. I think this case was wrongly decided, partially due to some poorly written law, and partially due to Nick Debaca being ratted out by the hunter. The hunter was the one who squeezed the trigger, and should have manned up and done the right thing. By the way, Marsha Petrie Sue voted against the revocation, so it was not unanimous. That should tell us something. 1. I agree, the terrain along some of the roads in 34a is such that it would be very difficult to shoot off the edge of the road unless you had practiced with shooting sticks; 2. On this hunt, Mr. Adams was apparently the guide of record, although the signed contract was probably with the company, so any of the licensed guides could have been the "official" guide; 3. There were 4 citations issued, 1- to Mr. Adams (possession of meat), 1- to Mr. Olieto (possession of meat), 1- to the hunter (shooting from a road) and 1- to Mr. Debaca (possession of scalp and antlers of unlawfully taken deer). The charges against the first two guides were dropped because the officer who issued the citation was away on military duty and therefore unable to testify. The charge against the raffle tag winner Mr. Best, was dropped or reduced as he pled guilty, but through the practice known as "diversion" implicated one of the guides, Mr. Debaca, as being partially responsible for his taking the shot from the location he did. As Mr. Debaca stated, he was not anywhere near the hunter Mr. Best, as he set up for the shot, rather he was glassing the deer from another location in anticipation of the shot. And finally, Mr. Debaca who was not the guide of record, and was primarily along to watch how the hunt would play out with an opportunity for a rifle harvest of a quality Coues buck, was issued a citation for possession. Due to "strict liability" the citation for possession had to go to someone. Additionally, Mr. Debaca got some bad advice with respect to the 180 day timeframe with respect to affirmation that AZGFD was going notify whether or not they would assume jurisdiction. He never heard one way or the other and therefor assumed there would be no revocation hearing and he would just have the misdemeanor conviction, and could continue guiding after the "1 year penalty period" which as stated by the investigator Mr. Foley, was actually a 5 year window for a prior conviction. We all know sometimes life does crappy things to us. This whole thing looks to me like a perfect storm of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people, and in the gray area of the law. I have hunted with Nick Debaca. He is an excellent guide and a good man. It is shameful that got caught up and railroaded which is exactly what happened, and will result in him being unfairly penalized in numerous ways. If any of the folks involved walk away with a clear conscience, maybe they are fooling themselves. That little nagging voice might be there for a long time. Hopefully Nick Debaca can bounce back and continue with his guiding business at some point in the future, but in the meantime, let this be a word to the wise for all of us.

I’ll take any Kaibab hunt anytime…however, I quit putting in for it as it takes too flipping long to draw even an early tag anymore. I can’t leave bonus points in my will, so I’m using them as fast as I can get them , lol

Guess what, if you hunt long enough, in enough places, you’re gonna make a mistake. And when you do, you’ll realize we are all human. All you guys care about is crucifying anyone you can.

If you apply on the same app, you will both fall under the non-resident cap. You would be handicapping him severely by putting in on the same application.

Agree, a tasty tasty petting zoo.

The biggest difference between guys like you, Trouble Sh00ter, members of the commission, and a lot of these guides is the fine line of hypocrisy. I'd bet a month’s pay that every one of us who have hunter more than a few season have unintentionally and unknowingly (as I believe was the case with both guides discussed here) committed as egregious of violations. Most of them would probably warrant a warning, small fine, or assigned education. But the commission, and you keyboard jurors, feeling max penalties and 5 year revocations are appropriate for these individuals is disgusting and abuse of power on the part of the commission.

I had kinda the same experience with him a few weeks ago on a Mexico Deer Hunt. Myself and my best friend booked a fully guided coues deer hunt in Mexico. Paid $6500 each. We got to see every corner of the ranch every day. We drove from spot to spot glassing and seeing the same dang 2 point deer over and over. FML. The food was so nasty the ranch dogs probably gained 10lbs in 4.5 days. Steve himself took my best friend. oh ya he split us up. And pressured him into shooting a 2 point buck with crab claws maybe a 80 in deer. I kindly told Steve that i did not think there was a reason for me to hunt the last day. He told me he would still go out. i said ok. ill stay and help clean ticks off the hide for my friend. He got so offended over night that he told us we were leaving early because he didnt want to hang out. Then he left us at the end of the ranch road for us to find our way back.

No, the client carried the elk by himself to the vehicle. I am sure they traveled separately and the client rented a truck, just so jed would not be held accountable for taking him to the reservation. When I pay 5 or 6 figures for an elk hunt. I want to make sure the guide watches me carry the elk.

236 and 224 NT. 224 has over 6 inch bases and a 203 mainframe. Same hunt 1992 thumbnail (2).jfif thumbnail (1).jfif

Smoked a tri tip then did a reverse sear. Smoked baked potatoes.

The screen shot thing worked. Here’s the pics.

Pretty good answer. You've been reading about it and or peaking as you pass by. My answer is that the plants growing on my 4 feet high chainlink fence at times reach 7 to 8 feet high,and are about 4 feet wide, as I can pick on both sides. They are about 16 years old. I gave a bunch to St Vincent's near Broadway and Center in Mesa for their Garden and in two years the main garden lady had them about 7 feet high and 2 feet wide off of their 8 feet high block wall! She is an exceptional gardener and does everything pretty much organically! A good person to talk to! I have about 500 feet of 8 feet high chainlink at the Orange Grove that I planted just about two years ago and I've got parts as high as 1 foot above the fence but only about 3 Feet wide with both sides accessable. I planted mine with 75% manure and 25% dirt mix and only about 1 foot wide by 1 foot deep hole, two feet apart, over the roughly 500 feet of 8 feet high fence. The bushes are very thorny and should help keep the vagrants from cutting through my fence and "camping" . I support St Vincent's but not the druggie bums whom refuse to go live in the shelters where drugs aren't allowed and destroy my property and leave lots of trash and literal crap around! ANYONE or ANYTHING that destroys my property obviously is NOT welcome EVER. Pests get destroyed and eventually the humans get arrested and charged! I'm patient.🤣 Right now, for the most part, the fence and black berries are working at the Grove and at my main house. Hidden cameras are working there and at other places, as a couple of people recently found out! Just a different type of hunting!🤣 So you good and great people on Coues, yes even those that may not like me, are welcome to come and I'll even let you pick the berries for free in May when they ripen. Maybe we should have a CouesWhitetail get together then? All others that are not on Coues, or that I don't know, and obviously the bad people (and there are a couple on Coues that I know), are not and will not be welcome, unless specifically granted permission.

Do you know how many assholes now live in this state ?? Especially the Phx metro area. Explaines alot