galiuro mountain man

Scott, it is hard to tell from the picture, but he looks good. If I had to guess it would be over 350, probably closer to 380. Just remember my rule, when you tell people about it subtract 10" for every hour he has grown in your mind. But it is a very good bull, maybe you can get drawn next year and locate him. Good luck

I have been handgun hunting for a few years now and I still havent been drawn for anything with a rifle yet so I guess I would be considered new to this. I have done a lot of coyote hunting with pistols though, and let me tell you, it is fun. (I even got my wife into it, she is shooting my 357 mag!) Start off, pros and cons. Pros you have both hands free at all times unless you are shooting. Less weight, I feel it is more convenient, more challenge. I like it because you have to get closer than a rifle, but unlike bows, its hard for them to get away from a well placed shot. After I shot a mulie running from right to left from me at 300 yards with a rifle, I decided to try something else. That is when I went to pistols. Ive bowhunted since I could pull a 40 lb bow back and that is my most favorite, but pistols are a close second, I havent shot a rifle in over 4 years now. Cons way less range than a rifle, no special season for them- you have to use them during rifle season. Also it is a little more room for error, it is at the end of your hands instead of having an anchor point, rifles have a stock that gos against your shoulder, bows have the string and a wider spread between hands so it is more stable. Now, what gun? I shot my wifes 357 for years. That gun has taken out many coyotes and rabbits, a lot of those coyotes were from 70+ yards. Now I shoot a 454 casull which is basically a 45 long colt magnum. It has some range on it. I can shoot accurately to 200 yards. It is set up with a 2x6 scope so I can pinpoint those longer shots. At 200 yards I can group 10 rounds into a 3.5 to 4 inch circle, but I need a good rest and no wind, across flat land(rifle range). The hangun you want depends on what types of hunting other than deer you will do. For deer a 357 mag or better will do the job fine, but for bigger animals, bears, or elk, I suggest a .41 mag or bigger (these animals have thicker skins and more power is needed, reason I own a 454 casull). How would I hunt with them? I do the same things as archery hunting, still hunt or tree stand. Yes, you are shooting a gun, but remember you must get within your comfortable shooting range. A pistol has a very limited effective range as stated before, unless you shoot a TC which is a pistol that shoots rifle rounds. It is great fun and anyone looking for a good challenge and doesnt archery hunt should try it at least once, even if you barrow a pistol and chase rabbits, there is nothing like it. Good luck everyone

Rimhunter, you are exactly right. My Dad and I have been quail hunting with dogs since I can remember. You described exactly the way we trained our brittanys to retrieve quail. It didnt matter how old they were, you could train them easily by keeping their interest in it. The only thing that was different was that when they started doing good with pointing and holding on our quail sock, we started throwing a frozen quail around the yard and let them bring it to us. This method will work very well, but just remember, dont give up because they dont get it right away, be patient with them. Eventually they will pick it up. The hardest part is keeping them interested, if you turn it into a game they will get it. Also like Rimhunter said, used a word or phrase that lets them know that they are looking for something. Example: for birds we used find dead, then the dogs would look for the quail. Good luck

I just wanted to tell Amanda Thank You for adding a handgun hunting section. I enjoy handgun hunting, and figure that some of the other people that visit here do to. And for people who dont but would like to, this would be a great way to answer any questions. Thanks again Amanda Good luck everyone

I dont know the other two units, but 32 is a tough one to hunt. The deer have all moved to mequite flats because of lions. I went to a place where I knew I would see deer, and no people. I saw no deer, no people and a bunch of lion sign. Unit 32 is a good unit if you can locate the deer, but they are very wild because of the lions, and being easier access to people while out of the wilderness. But I have seen quite a few mulies this year. In unit 32 I heard 1 grunt and 2 bleats so it looks like the rut is beginning. Good luck

no, if you get a deer anytime during the year, you have to wait untill Jan 1 of the next year.

If you buy an archery tag in Jan it lasts till Dec 31. If you get drawn for a rifle hunt you can still hunt it if you havent got a deer yet. If you get drawn for a rifle hunt (results go out before Aug archery hunt) and get a deer in Aug with a bow you cannot go with your rifle or anything until Jan 1 of the next year. I hope the deer pop. comes back up so it will go back to 2 deer per year. It used to be this way when I first started hunting deer. Good luck

sorry cant help you in northern az, good luck

Hey Griz, all I was getting to was the rules were going to change eventually, and people are making a big fuss about it. I do agree there has to be rules. I didnt put this on here to make anyone mad, It is very good info. All I have to say is things change. Good luck everyone

Why care about all this stuff? Isnt hunting about being in the outdoors, being with friends and family, getting away, the love of nature, and the memories the outdoors bring? Then I ask again, why care about this stuff? You know what, this is just my opinion but, if all you worry about is the rules to what is considered a trophy buck, or who is a real "bowman" and who isnt, you have lost sight of what it meens to do this kind of stuff like hunting. In my experience if all I look for is the perfect buck or bull it isnt as much fun as if I just go out and see what I can. Most of the time I see bigger animals when Im not focusing on seeing the "big one". You know it was good info to know and I think it is great, but is this what hunting is about??? Good luck everyone

We hunted hard today, but got skunked. Its ok, at least we got to spend time in the mountains. We hunted the same place as we did in Aug. where we saw over 30 deer a day (over half were bucks), today we saw none, and hardly any sign. We talked to the rancher and he said that there were a bunch of lions there now. Explains low deer count. There was one lion got on thanksgiving weekend and there is at least two more in the same canyon. If anyone hunts lions let me know, I know where to find them, and the ranchers will let us know where to find more. Maybe we could get together and chase them around the mountain together. Anyways that is how my hunt went, hope everyone did better. Good luck everyone.

That is a very nice coues. This year in Aug I missed a buck with my bow a little bigger than that on private land. I estimated him at 110 to 115" after I subtracted 15" from my origional estimate (I was a little exited to see him at 40 yards, figure he grew a little in my mind.) But I hit a small stick about 3' in front of him I didnt see and it made my arrow hit about 2" in front of him. Last year in the same place I saw a bigger buck by far but could not get a shot! He walked by at 20 yards, and I was so excited I was shaking. Anyways, my grandfather worked at PD Chino for many years, he was a shovel repair foreman before PD went to teams, and I worked at PD Morenci for about 2 years, and I am jelous that we werent able to hunt there too. Anyways very nice deer, both of them. And good luck on future hunts.

my dogs never did any shed hunting, but one dog did a lot of shed chewing. She chewed up a realy cool palmated coues shed that I had found. Out of about 10 sheds she had to chew up that one, oh well.

nobody said anything about 31, Ive hunted there a lot and seen some great bucks, in fact that was where I killed my first arcery deer back when I was 13. Most of Mt Graham has good deer on it except around the major campgrounds, way too many people there from march to november. But, if you get away from the people you can do good. good luck everyone

Dave, the grunt you have is the same one I have and it seems to work pretty good. The can you have I have seen but have not used, it seems a little lower pitched than the deer I have heard in the field, but who knows, it may work great. Give it a try and see what happens. GOOD LUCK

I would look at azgf.com and check out the southern units like everyone has said. Then find out which units have what you want, IE: camping, types of campgrounds, accessability, and so on. Also another good idea would be to get topo maps of areas you are interested in and checking out the terrain, It can go from a nice walk in the forest to a cliffhanger instantly in AZ, especially in the southern part. So look for places you would feel comfortable hunting in. Also, I do not know where you are from but in southern AZ it can be 30 degrees in the morning, up to high 70s in afternoon, then back down in 30s by dark, so be prepaired. But for the most part most of AZ southern units have good coues numbers in them, and some monster bucks, so anywhere south is usually good. hope this info helps GOOD LUCK

any newer bow has the capability of shooting strong enough to shoot well over 60 yards, if it is set at 50 lbs or more, but it isnt about the bow. My bow shoots over 300fps and my span of pins is only 1/2" from 30 to 80 yards, and I shoot effectively at each range. My 10 20 and 30 yard pin are all on one, and I know my set up would pass through a deer at 80 yards (it passes cleanly through elk at 50), but I would never shoot an animal from that far. There is just too much time for something to happen. Even though I hit a 5" circle 9 out of 10 times at 80 yards at the range, I would never try it on a deer. My comfortable hunting range is up to 40 to 50 yards, depending on wind, angle, and so on. I will go to 60 yards if everything is perfect, how calm the deer is, wind, glare from sun, angle, and obstructions (twigs, grass, etc.) if all of this is good then I will try, but I try to get closer first. It all has to do with what you are capable of, but start short and move up slowly. Build your confidence and skill, then go to a place to shoot without markings for distance and see where you are most comfortable. Also shoot from your knees, standing on slopes, different angles, windy days, even rainy days, because being in the field is nothing like being on a range. Get to where you can judge distance well, even if you have a rangefinder you may not be able to use it on that buck of a lifetime. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

I agree with 300 wsm, if they are killing the animals you shoot cleanly and you are comfortable shooting them. On another note, I would not use them on anything heavier than a deer. Like elk or bear. I lost my first elk due to a weak broadhead. One of my friends ended up shooting it in rifle season, and the broadhead was bent up and stuck in a rib. Since then I switched to Vortex and havent had a problem since. Another thing I noticed is they shoot just like my field tips, and they stay sharp for a long time, I have used the same 3 fore target practice for 3 years, and I could still hunt with them. The only bad thing I have seen with them is the o-rings (CARRY EXTRA) they crack over time. I use the 100 grain 2 blade. I tried the 3 blade, and did not like them, they flew funky and I had one of the rings that hold the blades broke, now I use them for coyotes and smaller game only. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

One other thing I have noticed is if there are no people around the deer move most of the day, full moon, no moon, summer, or winter. I think the full moon only comes into effect when there is a lot of hunting pressure. I have cold camped at times it was so bright out at night I could see very well, and could walk around without a flashlight with no problems. Then the next day I would see deer all day long. So I am archery hunting this weekend and Im not worried about a full moon, I go to the most rugged areas in the galiuro wilderness and hike. Thats where the biggest bucks I have ever seen are. Any one worried about the moon sould give this a try also, you do have to work for your deer, but it is worth it. Good Luck Everyone

In my experience any mouth blown call will work if used properly, coues are small so use a higher pitched setting on your grunt tubes, and make them a little quieter. Also there was a website that had some of the noises coues make on it, and the dove noise or cooing noise was on it. I wish I could remember what it was. Any ways it is a wierd noise to hear.

I have never seen a doe with antlers, or even heard of one. I have seen one albino doe in the wild. Also I have seen a mule/coues shot. facial colors and features looked like mulie, rack and tail was white tail. JUst imagine trying to explain that to a game warden when you have a unit 31 mule deer tag.