bigbuckclub

Thanks guys! I know he'll probably shrink some, but we gave him a rough measure and have him at: Width: 7 4/16" Length: 12 12/16" Total: 20 0/16" Length (nose to tail): 6'4" Age (game and fish estimate): 14-15 years old. To me he is an AZ bear of a lifetime. An old bruiser who definitely mixed it up for years and was probably the boss in his area. He was around 4000-4500 feet elevation and feeding on the juniper berries all morning.

Post pics

Love those unique bucks.

Awesome video. I too have noticed that cameras in the same spot will often miss the same game... where one captures a photo and one doesn't. Interesting stuff! Looking forward to the next one.

A buddy and I decided to go out last Friday to look for bears. The wind made glassing tough... as I'm sure it was for a lot of deer hunters out this past weekend. As luck would have it, we glassed up a nice looking bear feeding away. We worked our way into position a couple of times in the morning, but couldn't get a clear shot. He would casually feed over a small ridge or into some thick cover and we'd re-position. I also wanted to cut the distance a bit more than usual considering the wind. I worked my way into a better position and found him feeding again right around noon. Worked a little closer and had a great rest at 223 yards. I couldn't be happier with this bear... he has battle scars and a big blocky head with character and a beautiful jet black coat.

I wouldn't count on the black bear season being open in Nov. Unit 33 usually reaches the sow limit and closes quickly. Just an FYI.

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive.... and there are many, many hunters - myself included - that have killed big, mature coues bucks via spot and stalk.

I simply brought it up because people mentioned how hard (specifically) self made 1%ers work... he's not self made. Good for him for keeping the business successful. There are plenty of situations where large companies fail when the next generation takes over. Re-read my post... I didn't say anything negative... just laid out some facts. My opinion though: being handed the keys to a profitable and well established industry giant isn't that impressive. Sam Walton is impressive... his kids are successful, good for them... not as impressive. Buffett, Bezos, Ellison, Gates, etc. had to work significantly harder and take on much more risk than the Koch Bros, the Mars family, and the Waltons who all inherited industry giants, just like Mike Gallo. For the record, I'd spend that money the exact same way and I have no problem with the governor's tag or raffle tags. I think it's awesome to see the world class animals they harvest. There is a giant difference between founding a company and inheriting one. There is so much more risk and significantly more challenges to founding a business compared to inheriting one. It's not even close. Keeping a business profitable is easier than building one from scratch. This is not an attack on anyone's character and I'm sure Mike Gallo is a good person and I hope he keeps spending money for hunting and conservation like he has been.

Not that it matters all that much but because it was discussed so much in this thread... Mike Gallo is from the family that owns E&J Gallo Winery. He didn't build the business and from what I can tell didn't become CEO until some time this century. He's actually a grandson of the founders from what I can gather. Just wanted to point out that he didn't build the business, he inherited it. A little bit easier than being self-made... although that doesn't necessarily mean he's an idiot either.

This is the biggest advantage of the early hunts.

Going to be a dandy.

Tons of places all over the unit that hold deer. It's a big unit so pick an area (I'd read the AZ Game and Fish description of the unit) and hunt that area your entire hunt. There are 4 hunts plus archery OTC hunts before yours, so it may be a little tougher to find deer than normal. Good luck, bring good optics, glass hard, and be patient. Coues are quite the challenge.

Late Kaibab for deer and hoping to get lucky (who isn't?) for sheep... I have 4 points I think. Most likely will be helping a buddy and my brother chase whitetail and see what (if any) leftovers are out there... maybe snag one of those. My mom and dad have a pretty good shot at the early Kaibab tag. I don't have to be behind the gun to have a kick a** time. Good luck to everyone.

I used Lacorti's when I was up there in 2016. We had two of four deer at that point so they processed the deer while we hunted for the rest of our deer.

Thanks for the feedback fellas.