Yuma Outdoorsman

Thanks guys. Hopefully I can do another report here soon in the near future.

I keep hearing the "fair chase" argument for banning game cameras. Where does the line get drawn for fair chase? What about the high dollar binoculars that can see for miles upon miles when glassing animals or the scopes that can help a hunter shoot out over 1,000 yards? How is hiring a guide to take you directly to an animal they pretty much have watched it's whole life considered fair chase but a game camera that sits on a trail or water source, not following the animal, is not fair chase? I don't get it but the law is the law. Curious to see what happens in the future.

Well, it's full on down here in the desert southwest...bigger bucks are showing up.

These pics made the rounds down here in Yuma at the end of August. What I was told was it was found floating down a cement canal and pulled out by the water district. This canal has had deer drown in it before but usually it's does. Sad to see this buck go out that way.

These pictures were taken 6 days apart. One is of the buck in full Velvet and the other is him with it rubbed off. I was surprised to see noticeable growth in only 6 days. Also, what is anybody's opinion on how wide he is? I was guessing 26-27.

I have zero explanation and wasn't sure what to think between the 2 pics but it's for sure 6 days apart. I didn't try to make anything funny or create an illusion. For the "brush grew too" comment, I zoomed in on the first picture a bit because it wasn't as easy to see the andtlers in that pic. In the bottom one, I didn't zoom in much except to hide my info from my camera and it still looks bigger overall. I'm thinking if he would've had his ears spread out like the top he wouldn't look as big in the bottom pic as he does. I just put this camera up on 1st and pulled pics for the first time on the 6th and then went back again on the 12th to upload photos again and in that time he rubbed the Velvet off. Thanks for the tips and advice on some of the process of shedding Velvet. I'll keep an eye out for some of these other bucks and see when they start rubbing.

Had my previous camera stolen out of my truck so had to break down and buy a couple new ones. Decided to go with Muddy brand because they were only $79 at Bass Pro when I was in Phoenix last week. Set one up on a waterhole I haven't messed with in a few years and go good results for 5 nights. For some reason, I didn't get the bucks in the last picture on camera getting a drink, maybe they got skittish and something didn't seem right so they turned and left. The lead bucks looks pretty good sized though.

Trphyhntr- I do have a tag. This drinker is about a mile west of the border of 2 units, I'm hunting the unit where these deer are bedding, not where they are drinking These deer typically go 2-4 miles away from water on average to bed down. Most are going into the unit I'll be hunting to bed.

I have 2 good sized forkies that I'm really loving, just for their character. There are also a couple nice 4x4's as well. That picture where the big fork is in the back and there is an antelope looking buck was pretty cool to me, I thought I would share it with you guys. A little over 2 months out, curious to see how these bucks end up.

I am lucky to be living in Yuma where we have ag fields, citrus, date tree groves and water all over the place. I think our town doubles for the opening of dove season every year with all the out of towners that migrate this way to take advantage of the awesome dove hunting we have. Good luck to all that make it out!

Here are a few bucks I've found lately. They like to hang in about a 5 mile radius. Looking forward to November. The last one is pretty goofy. I've got a few more but the picture quality isn't as good. Hopefully I'll be posting a few more soon, depending on how my next few setups go. Thanks for looking.

That is one heck of a spot to hunt. That's sweet.

Some good looking bulls right there!

That was awesome man! Some good looking bulls!

1189 Dec 15 - Dec 31, 2017 (7,8,13) 39, 40A, 40B, 41, and 42 (excluding White Tank Mountain Park)(Special Restrictions Apply - See Footnote 7) Any antlered deer 50 This muzzleloader hunt is considered a trophy hunt for some of us down here in the desert. Lots of good bucks are shot during this hunt and you have a lot of area to hunt with only 50 tag holders. You have a good chance to shoot a 170+ buck on this hunt.

It has really picked up in my area. Heard from several people that the big boys have shown up and are running the smaller bucks out. If it's not full swing, it should be by the weekend.

It's getting closer and closer down south! Bigger bucks showing up searching...

All the farm land from Wellton to Dateland has had so many people hunting it that you would've thought it was dove season. I heard there have been guys chasing deer in jeeps and people surrounding certain fields, pushing the deer all over the place. Farm land is the easiest to hunt as there is always deer around it so it tends to get a ton of pressure. I am not sure how the hunting is in the area you are talking about but if it's farmland I'd guess there will be other hunters there to deal with as well.

More from the lower desert by Yuma, there are large herds of does with small forks and spikes. The bigger bucks were in bachelor herds yesterday with some having as many as a dozen bucks running together.

Seen this buck over the weekend in a field at Cibola down here in the desert. He was with 20 does and was the only buck in the herd. Typically in the fields there tends to be several bucks in a herd like this at this time of year so this was unusual to me. Was thinking we might get lucky and have an early rut then seen the weather is going to be in the 70's with lows in the upper 40's to low 50's for the next 14 days, not really great rutting weather.

Big or Bust, Appreciate the insight. So This unit borders up to a wildlife refuge that gets very little pressure 2-3 miles off the nearest road. Where this buck has been hanging is literally right on the border of the units. With all the pressure of the road hunters, they pushed him into this wildlife refuge and nobody is there to push him back out. In previous years, we have seen deer get pushed up into the refuge and then in the next few weeks they trickle back down in this area. We have put in for the refuge in previous years but its not as much of a guarantee to get drawn as it in the unit I got drawn in. The 90 degree weather really is not fun to hunt in as well and the deer are not moving very much. We will see what happens this next weekend if I am able to make it out. Will keep you guys posted.

Well been watching this guy since August and posted several pics in previous posts. Here is what he ended up finishing up looking like about a week ago. Hope I can find him.

Quick Update The area he was in before the season, was so over ran with people running jeeps and rangers that I believe he got pushed into a different unit. We have seen a lot of does so I think I will hold off on him and attempt to get him during the rut in January. He might come back to this area during the rifle hunt but I bet he is hiding safely in the other unit. Such is luck with public hunting.

Quick Update The area he was in before the season, was so over ran with people running jeeps and rangers that I believe he got pushed into a different unit. We have seen a lot of does so I think I will hold off on him and attempt to get him during the rut in January. He might come back to this area during the rifle hunt but I bet he is hiding safely in the other unit. Such is luck with public hunting.

If I get him there will be a story in the mule deer forum. Hoping to see him soon! Good luck to everyone else that's hunting this weekend!