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After ranging twice I settle my 3rd pin (sighted exactly in at 45 yards) on him and I release. I hear the thump of a hit. I notice a smaller buck running along side monica as chaos breaks loose, like I tried to assassinate the president. Bucks are running everywhere. I keep an eye on monica making sure I dont lose site knowing he/she will go down any second. I go to where I shot and look for my arrow. Nothing. no blood. I go to where I last see them and find a piled up deer and say to myself finally. I look at the horns and go where is the rest of it. For a fleeting second I wont lie to you and say I didnt consider going after the big buck. Apparently when I ranged the second time and the seconds it took to reaquire the target the little guy stepped in front of his dad enough to take an arrow to the face. I sat there reminiscing over the past couple of weeks. the bucks I missed, passed and seen and just laughed. Here is my monster strip buck. Hope you guys enjoyed the ride. the ending wasnt what I expecting either.

Son got it done opening morning on a nice lope with great cutters.

Well that took a plot twist I wasnt expecting. long butt drive to show low tonight.

God is good!!! The first few trips out this hunting season were less than stellar in productivity, but I was able to enjoy the country I was in and the company I had on every trip out. Yesterday evening after getting off work at 2:15pm my buddy Brad and I hit the sticks for an evening hunt. God blessed me with great company and very good help as well as a nice archery coues deer. Thank you brad for all of your help it is very appreciated!!! Hadn’t chased coues in over 10 years since I had moved away from Tucson and couldn’t be happier with getting this buck my first few months back.

Well, I shot my buck Friday morning about 10 minutes into the season. During all my scouting, I never saw a buck that made me say "Wow". Combine that with leaving Wednesday for my elk hunt, the God awful heat and the fact that the opener would have been my dad's 81st birthday, I really wanted to shoot one the first day. I saw a couple that were a little bigger than this one but he was decent enough. And best of all, he hung around in a very stalkable spot. I put him to bed Thursday evening and was back before light Friday. Sat drinking coffee waiting for it to get light enough to start out. They were hanging out in a spot that was just over the rise of a gentle slope the last time I saw them Thursday so I slowly moved in that direction. I was getting close so I put my pack down and continued on. I was keeping an eye out, hoping I would see them before they saw me. Well, they had moved into the bushes above and to the left of where I thought they would be and I actually passed them without seeing them. Next thing you know, I see does trotting along the fence about 150 yards away. I saw the buck coming along behind. Of course, he stopped behind some brush. I moved a little closer and I think a doe must have seen me. The does started trotting again and I got ready as he went behind another bush. The grass and bushes were so tall I had to shoot offhand. He came out on the move and I let him have it. He went down but I hit him a little back. I put another one through his shoulders as he tried to get up. I didn't realize he was all busted up. A fighter. Broke off the prong on his right side and the tips were broken off on both horns. Decent mass and right at 14" long. Now....on to elk. Forgot to mention....shot him with one of my dad's rifles also. Winchester Model 70 in 7mm WSM.

Had a great hunt in Unit 31/32. Saw several nice bucks. Had #1 slip us and could not locate him. Passed on several bucks trying to relocate him. Saturday located this buck chasing a doe and keeping a smaller buck away. I would like to thank Steven Ward, Jeff and Colton Wheeler, and Joe Madril for being a great team. Also like to thank Lance Kenyon for helping me setup my new Christensen Arms Ridgeline 6.5 CM with Leupold VX3i 6.5x20 LRP.

did someone say something about a cat and a grassy knoll conspiracy????

Ok... since we are sitting in the OR waiting room with nothing to do. The hunt was a bit of a whirlwind, but definitely a huge success. We spent Labor Day weekend getting familiar with the unit and trying to locate a few goats. To my surprise antelope were relatively scarce and the heat waves made it really tough to glass more than a few hundred yards. Saturday we drove up to Valle and across unit 9 on the Willaha road towards Tin House then down to the Espee road and back into Williams. We did not see a single antelope. Sunday we ventured over to the Aubrey Valley and before we even arrived we saw a buck chasing a doe near Ash Fork and one lone buck North of Seligman. Once we rounded Chino Point we started glassing the AV and immediately picked up a buck with several does far across the valley floor. He was impossible to judge from our distance but size wasn’t all that relevant anyway. We weren’t being picky. We hadn’t been glassing long when Ty from OE4A called and told me that one of their youth hunter’s had just tagged out with his crossbow. We packed up shop and headed their way. This was my first time on the Big Bo, and I must say I was a little bit intimidated by the rules and permitting. I was very pleasantly surprised that it was not complicated at all and their hint manager Lee made everything easy for the folks helping Hunter. Once we got signed in we met up with Ty and Joe at his buck. I have to say, of the whole experience, this might have been the most important part. I had both Hunter and Nash with me and they got to meet Joe, a 16 year old boy with two prosthetic legs and toes sewn onto his left hand for fingers, beaming and showing off his very well earned trophy. While we were standing there he took off his prosthetics and dumped out the rocks and sand that had accumulated from crawling under fences. This is important, for my kids to see someone with incredibly challenging circumstances, not being defined by them, but instead choosing making their own course. After driving around the flats for a while we ventured around the West edge of the unit and up to the far north and drove roads into camp 5. Again we did not see a single antelope, which really had me perplexed. But, at least we had some goats located for the next weekend. During the week I talked to a few archery hunters who suggested I take a look near Tin House again. Fearing that all 85 tag holders would experience the same thing I had and the AV being a foot race on opening morning, I resolved to get out of town early enough on Thursday to go check some Of the points that had been provided. Thursday came quick. Fortunately Ty would be joining us and was able to get up to the unit on Thursday morning and spend most of the day looking for a buck. We arranged to meet near Long Point and after working for the AM and a rushed packing job we were in the truck and headed North. Hunter was all smiles. Because of the size of the unit and not wanting to be tied to a specific location we decided to pack a nomad camp and just throw down cots and cover wherever we ended up at the end of each day. I would love to regret this decision. After several hours of driving we were sitting on the Babbit ranch overlooking lots of great antelope habitat but only managed to turn up a solitary doe. Ty had found a decent buck, but with 4 guys staking him out, it looked like the next morning would be a foot race. We talked it over and decided to drive the 2+ hours to the Aubrey Valley where we at least we knew there were more antelope. There wasn’t a convenient campsite for where we planned to glass from so we plopped the cots down on a pull off from the highway and hunkered down for the night. Well if you have ever been on Route 66 you know that a train passes through that country about every 20 minutes. Thursday night was not exempt. Our cots were about 100 yds from the train tracks. I MIGHT have slept for 2 hours. Maybe. Good news is that Hunter is a professional sleeper and he was out before the second train of the night. In the morning a quick muffin for breakfast and then we made the short jaunt to our glassing outpost. To my surprise before we were really even settled AZGFD had pulled up alongside our trucks and an officer made his way out to our knob. The check was uneventful but professional and courteous. Before long we turned up a buck with several does about 4 miles across the valley floor. We didn’t have any better options so Hunter and Ty geared up to head out after him. They needed to move the truck for the stalk and in the process they found that several other groups were headed after the same buck. We aborted the plan and decided to move on. Shortly later Ty called and said he and Hunter were headed after a different buck. So I dropped off the glassing hill and headed their way. Now I think this is a good time to mention something I learned recently. I heard Eddy Corona recently talk on a podcast about the value of having kids spend some time with a mentor other than Mom or Dad. Spending time with their parents is good, but sometimes kids respond differently when it’s not mom or dad pushing them to do something hard, or try something new, etc. This was on my mind going into this hunt. Part of Hunter’s condition causes his hands and feet to be weak and causes occasional drop foot and he is really skinny. All of this combines to create a kid who can be a bit cautious and hesitant to try new things physically. So instead of being the one to take him on his stalks I asked Ty to go with him. Ty does this for a ton of kids and is awesome with them. It was hard to hang back and not be by his side the whole time, but I also remember being a young man and that sometimes the last thing I wanted was my dad telling me what to do and how to do it. So I played eyes in the sky and watched things unfold. Mine thing that Ty provided tha was very helpful was a 30.06 with a chassis and suppressor. So I didn’t even realize as I was watching that Hunter had actually taken a couple of shots. Unfortunately some crossed wires on the range / coping ecercise lead to a clean miss.by the time they got back to me I had another group spotted. I could tell there was a buck, but the mirage was so bad there was no way to really judge anything. So if there was a buck, we were just going after it. While going out after those lope we ran into a group of hunter’s who had just tagged out. It was a well known outfitter and his family. When they saw the CHAMP sign on the side of the truck they stopped and were very gracious to share all of their scouting results and took our number to check with us if they found anything of interest, which they did later and called us to see if we were still looking. Class act, all the way. After looking that buck over Hunter was anxious to get back after it. We started cruising the flats and glassing. It was tough when we would find them out in the flats to get on them with out much topography or landmarks. While eating lunch I was glassing with a sandwich in one hand and found a small group we had been after earlier. We made a plan for me to keep eyes on them and the dynamic duo to drive around and come at them from a different direction. I was looking back and forth between my 15’s Which were set on the goats and glancing at the truck periodically to see their progress. To my surprise they had only driven a few hundred yards when the truck stopped. Soon I saw the doors open and Hunter getting the rifle on the tripod with Ty looking over his shoulder. I glassed down the fence line and soon saw two bucks just down the fence from Hunter. My heart raced as I put my 15’s on the bucks and prayed for a clean shot. Soon I saw the bucks take off running and smiled as the larger buck slowed and laid down. The shot wasn’t perfect, but soon with a follow up the buck was down for good. When I walked up Hunter was already holding his buck, all smiles, and refusing to let go of those horns. The buck ended up being better than initially thought. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. I cannot thank everyone who helped enough. There were tons of people who offered suggestions and shared info. Eddy Corona who helped hunter receive this tag is really amazing. The guy spends an unbelievable amount of time helping kids and vets get awesome opportunities. And on this hunt especially Ty was fantastic. For a kid who cant play sports it was important to have this experience of having someone mentor him and push him. When the time came, having someone other than Dad, say he was proud of him. Hunter was eating up the attention. Thanks again to everyone and sorry for the long read. Thanks for sticking it out.

To be honest, this makes me wish AZGFD would ban trail cams.

hahaha... If you have to censor the truth, to avoid up-setting someones sensitivity, THEY are the problem, not the truth teller... There is evil in this World, to sugar-coat or deny this fact of the human condition is ignorant and dangerous to civilization and to a civil society...

This is the perfect title for this post. DELETED! That's what many of the people in this country want us to do, delete 911 from our memories. We cant forget, we cant delete this tragic day if we want to continue as a great nation. It's just the easy way out, if we just delete it! I will never forget 911!

Maybe he just didn’t want his thread to turn into another string of idiocy. Stanley and Outdoor Writer are the kind of contributors who make this site head and shoulders above any other of its kind. The rest of us would do well to follow their lead.

ok, nearly caught up with my 300 emails for the week I was gone from work. Im keeping it sequential. think of my last post as a Quinten Taratino movie where its not in order. Wednesday I go after the boss buck and sit in his bedding area for the day. I find these guys in my first moments of glassing My view for breakfast I get to the top and get pinned by this guy at 25 yards. Fortunately hes solo and doesnt care about me very much. I stay in the bedding area most of the day and the boss doesnt show up. I was working my way to the edge when another (or the same) sleeping buck is at 30 yards or so. The evening I drive around a bit on black rock and decide I want to go after Matrix. I head out and get about half way and guess what, I get another flat. this one with side wall damage. I spend the night on the side of the road and head back to see my new friend at Southern tire in St george. I learn that when they grade hwy 5 (big piece of dirt road it sharpens the rocks and the reason for the flats) They hook me up with a deal and I get back to dellenbaugh during a torrential downpour. I wait it out. I get to this one little field and I have a giant 4point at 40 yards from my truck. I get out and he saunters off. The evening ends with me taking this pic. note the rainbow. I sleep at the turnoff to parashant and dellenbaugh that night. Trying to figure which way I am going to go.

Dove Tacos for dinner tonight. 1. Marinate dove breast in Italian dressing for one day. 2. Drain Italian dressing, dice dove breast, and marinate in lime juice, cilantro, salt, black pepper, and garlic for two days. 3. Cook on grill or frying pan and serve with your favorite taco garnishments. Enjoy!!!

This is and was a great thread! Congratulations on getting a deer. Sorry it's not what you wanted, but all the great memories will last longer than the head anyway!!!

Saturday crunch time. I decide to go back to dellenbaugh from parashant and go after matrix again. My plans get altered when I see this guy feeding 100 yards off the road. (im having to trim the pics so the can fit, Quality defiantly isnt as good) They bounce left and then right. I trail and get to 70 yards the bounce across the field and I watch them settle down in some pines. I do an epic stock and spend an hour within 65 yards waiting. the two crappy little bucks get to 50 yards and go back. the wind is starting to get unstable. A yellow jacket lands on my glasses and various parts of my body. it eventually bites my left calve. I cry without making a noise. then a honey bee lands on me (i am moderately alergic) it drinks the tears from my eye and I believe her or his friend stings me through my right sock. I am more determined than ever. the stupid little guys are 90 degrees to my right, the big guy is straight ahead. The wind shifts and they bolt. I yell a bad word that would be edited if I wrote it. I go after Matrix again and the bee sting kicks in and I fall asleep for a bit. Saturday evening I go back to california's spot and have a 180 class buck at 61 yards and decide that I still have time to find a big buck.

What about "the rest of the story"??????

My wife is currently working in NY city. Her office window is on the 43rd floor of a building that overlooks where the twin towers were and where the memorial presently is. Many of the people that work in the building and witnessed 9/11 have covered their windows so they are not reminded of the tragedy they witnessed. I think everyone who is old enough to remember this day knows exactly what they were doing when they heard this news for the first time. IMO this is the day we lost our innocence and the world has not been the same ever since. May God Bless America

Right in the face "IN the face" quote some movie I saw was funny as crap. heres my take on it, you had a heck of a time and saw a ton of deer both big and small. you hunted hard which is more then most guys will get to do in a lifetime. killing a buck big or small has nothing on what you did and Saw. I have more fun getting out seeing a ton of game then I do shooting them more memories too. BUT dang you got some awsum pics in this thread and found a few dead heads as well what more could a guy want. Congrats on your hunt I thought it was freaking awsum

too bad it didnt sterilize his dumb arse.

My current Jr. High students don't remember the day just like I don't remember Pearl Harbor, but I make sure that my students, in a wood shop class know how important both of these days are to me! This is such an awesome song!!!!

Update since others have asked; Hunter’s little brother Nash is A-Ok. He’ll be ready for his opportunity come Jr deer / Javelina.

Here i'll repost it, and I dont even drink heres a read on it https://libertyonenews.com/budweiser-911-commercial/

Here's the culprit!

Friday I got to where the California guide has been going with his new Mexico client at dawn. Beautiful place. Looked elky to me. I see three bucks , one shooter, and spend the morning catching up to no avail. I spend midday going after matrix, no luck. Early afternoon I go to where I saw the first giant typical no luck, but I do find this. Sorry the field photos didn't take I get lost on parashant and have no idea where I slept.