azelkhunter69

This has gotten to be an all too familiar story line. I am totally sympathetic, as I hate thieves as much as the next guy. But, at some point you almost have to expect that if you put a stand or camera on water, you are going to have one(or more) stolen at some point. Just the risk you take. I am not rich, that is why I never put anything on water.

Must be nice. Unit 8 was crazy this weekend, people everywhere. Heard one bugle about 2am. Saw lots of bulls but not one bugle during daylight hours. But I wasn't calling either, just looking. Cool this weekend but supposed to warm up this week. This is an early start to the season also. I don't expect things to really get going good until the second week. But that seems to be the way it is most of the time anyway. Thursday morning I'll be back up there for my dad's hunt. Good luck guys. Edit- As the OP stated, I checked the weather forecast AGAIN. Apparently they changed it over the weekend. Supposed to be warm the first two days and then cool down into the low to mid 70's. That is much better than what I saw when I left Friday. 84 degrees in Williams for the opener, not liking that much though.

https://www.arizonaelksociety.org/shop/product/swarovski-15-x-56-binoculars/ Only 250 tickets and they are going fast. Money goes to build water catchments in 22 and 23.

Been hunting up in 8 for the last 2 weekends and have seen several bucks....just needed a rifle.

My dad says the same thing. He and his best friend wore jeans and plaid wool jackets for decades and killed a ton of deer and bears. Just think about all the animals that were killed by hunters before we were even born. If you do some research, you will find camo hasn't even been around very long. That being said....I wear it head to toe. I figure it can't hurt.

Nice to see the guys with class on this site outnumber the ones without. That has to be my favorite thing about this site. The willingness of others to help out people they don't know. This sort of thing happens all the time and I have never understood why people think they need to protect information on hunts that you only get to go on once every 20 years or once in a lifetime(sheep). It's not like deer or elk where you get to hunt semi-regularly. So I say bravo to those of you that were willing to help a guy out and give him a little info.

Their FB page says "The buck scores over 90 inches with 7-4/8 inch prongs." He is a giant for sure.

7:30 am two years ago.

You have gotten some really good advice so far that I definitely would agree with. Don't be discouraged about not seeing bulls yet. As pointed out, look for cows and old rubs. And get out there scouting the last 2 weeks before the season. You will hear them bugling early in the morning. I have had cameras out for 2 months and as far as elk go, all I've seen are some little bulls and cows. I mostly put them out for the deer and for fun. Where I hunt in 8 the big bulls don't show up until the rut starts so it is pointless to try to find them in July. I will put a camera on a wallow I know when the deer season starts in another week and leave that out until the elk season starts. Once they start using the wallow it will be nice to know what is around. Good luck and keep at it, they are there.

Should just call him "Kickers". Good luck, he is a good one for sure.

I have not bought a camera in a few years but one of mine died on me last season. My favorite camera that I have is a Moultrie D-55 but they don't make it anymore. The batteries last a long time, it has great range, and takes decent pictures. I also have a Stealthcam that works well but it goes through batteries a lot faster than the Moultrie. I am looking at the Stealthcam P22, the Moultrie M-550 and the Primos Truth Cam 57 HD. Anyone have any experience with any of these cameras?

Checked my cameras this past weekend and was amazed to see my 1st lion on camera. Pretty cool.

I'm definitely no expert but I thought so also.

Good call on the Browning cams AZ Ranger. I love them. I have 3 now. I have had one out for 2 months, taken thousands of pics and still has 100% battery. The Primos cam I bought turned out really well also. I followed a tip by a reviewer and covered up about half the bulbs with electrical tape and it works fine at night. There were some complaints about the night pics "whiting out". Here's some pics from both so you have an idea of what the pics look like.

Just got notification from my CC company... $90 from AZGFD. As you requested, we are notifying you of an online, phone or mail order charge. A charge of ($USD) 90.00 was authorized at AZ GAME & FISH DEPT on 07/10/2015 9:48:54 AM EDT. 2 deer tags for my dad and son. And no, I'm not lying and I'm not posting a screen shot...since I am not a techy and don't know how. Good luck.

scruffy looking thing

You guys are probably right. I guess the coloring threw me off. It is rough looking for sure.

https://www.arizonaelksociety.org/shop/product/swarovski-15-x-56-binoculars/ Only 159 tickets left out of 250

In 2011 they got 11 inches of snow the week before the season. As mentioned above, the elk all moved lower. As the snow melted, the roads got pretty messy but as long as you have a quad or a 4x4 truck, you will be fine. I have been on that hunt several times now and the typical weather is about 50-60 during the day and in the low 30's at night. But, the weather can be unpredictable in the mountains in November so you never know.

Personally, I think it might help the draw odds for archery hunters because all the guys with a bunch of points are going to put in for the early gun hunts to get first crack. There are a lot of people that have picked up a bow for the first time just so they can hunt early. As far as what drives these decisions....I firmly believe it's $$$$$$$$$$. The AZGFD does a lot of wonderful things but from what I've seen, the driving force behind many of their decisions is money. No matter what they do, I will continue putting in for the archery hunts. Hopefully, I won't be chasing bulls around when it is 90 degrees then.

https://azgfdportal.devaz.gov/PortalImages/files/hunting/draw/bonusPts/antElk2015/2015%20Pronghorn%20and%20Elk%20-%20Bonus%20Point%20Report%20-%20Bonus%20Pass%20by%20Hunt%20Number.pdf

I agree with every single person on this thread that has said 350" is definitely not average and/or that we are spoiled here in AZ. Personally, I don't think even 300" is "average". I was told many years ago that anything over 300" is a big bull, anything over 350" is a monster, and anything over 400" is just absolutely ridiculous. From what I have seen, this is true. I would be willing to bet that most bulls that are killed don't hit 300", even if you are only talking about AZ. You have to remember that "average" includes all units, all states...not just Unit 1, 3A/C, 9, 10 and 27 here in AZ. Most people don't have the skill to field judge accurately(I know I don't) and more importantly, in the heat of the moment most people don't have the patience or the will power to pass up a 300" bull. And for those of you that have killed a 350"+ bull, I think you would all agree that is exactly what it takes...plus a little luck doesn't hurt. Just my thoughts on the subject.

My favorite hunt, at least in recent memory, was my wife's 1st bull hunt in 2011. The first morning was a total bust. We went to my favorite spot and didn't see a track. You see, almost a foot of snow fell a week before the hunt. The elk moved. I saw no point in going back to the same spot that afternoon so we went to a different area that was at a lower elevation. Tracks everywhere and we saw a bull but she never got a shot. We decided to go back there in the morning. We were sitting in a good open spot where the elk had been moving through when a hunter comes along the fence. We alerted him to our presence and he just hung around. Within the next few minutes, 2 other guys join him and they proceed to stand 50 yards away from us holding a conversation with normal speaking voices. Obviously didn't care we were there and probably were doing it on purpose. Well, my wife was deflated...and MAD. She just knew that they had "ruined it" for her and that she would "never get an elk". It was cold and I knew she was mad/frustrated so I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She grumbled "yeah" and off we went. We were sneaking along in the junipers on the edge of a big dropoff, trying to be a s quiet as we could when I spotted a bull laying down. He was 102 yards away and she couldn't hold the muzzleloader steady enough offhand to get a shot. If she tried to kneel she couldn't see him. The snow was crunchy and there was no cover between the bull and us so what do we do? I looked around and about 15 feet away I see a big pine tree with a broken off branch about the perfect height for a rest. I got over there and checked it out and saw it would work, called my wife over and got her set up. The little stub of a branch that was left gave her a perfect rest. The bull had a little dark spot on his side and I told her to hold just to the right of it. Boom !!! The smoke clears and the bull goes down. She would probably kill me for saying what happened next but she was so excited, she fell to her knees and started hyperventilating and said "I can't feel my hands!!!" LOL Hugs, kisses, tears followed and she had her elk. I may have been when I was younger, but I don't think I have been as excited as I was when she got her bull. To top it off, Game and Fish used her picture on the cover of the regs the next year. Also, a guy at work tried to downplay her accomplishment and said she was lucky. Well, she showed him when she got drawn for the same hunt and killed a bigger bull last year.

I love to chase after bugling bulls, but more times than not that is all it is...chasing. It is hard to get close, especially if they have cows with them and/or won't come to a call. A few years back, I ran all over the hills and it seemed I couldn't get closer than about 70 yards. I finally got within 50 yards of one but had a branch in the way and never got a shot. Hunted for 2 weeks and went home with a tag in my pocket. When the season ended, I was already thinking about the mistakes I had made and what I would do different the next time I got a tag. Well, 2 years later I was lucky enough to get the same tag. In the year in between, I had been hunting the area during archery deer season and found a nice wallow. I marked the spot on my GPS so I could check it out the next time I got an elk tag. I went right back to that wallow the year I drew my next tag and it was all torn up and there was a giant track there. I vowed I would try to shoot what laid down that track. I put a camera on the wallow and much to my dismay, got there and the battery was dead and I had no pictures. The camera went in the trash. Still, I HAD to see that bull, so opening morning I was sitting 27 yards from that wallow. Before too long I had bulls bugling all around me, and just as I had planned/hoped, he walked right in to the wallow. A minute or so later, I was able to make a good shot and I had my bull. It's the one in my avatar. He didn't score worth a darn but he was an old bull and had the biggest body I have ever seen. I guess my point is, try different tactics. I know it can be really boring sitting a stand but it can give you a great opportunity if a bull comes your way. Let them come to you. I have been hunting for 35 years and hunting elk for almost 15 and I am constantly learning and trying new things. The guys above gave some excellent advice when you try getting close.

Most juniors elk hunts haver harder draw odds than normal cow hunts. The only advantage of the jrs hunt is that they try to put them on holidays where kids do not have school. If i had a kid i would not be putting them in for jrs hunts. It is ridiculous how hard it is for kids to get drawn for the Jr. hunts. I have expressed my frustration over and over to the G&F. I quit putting my kids in for them. I will pay the extra money so they can actually get drawn.