HighschoolHunter

I don’t think I posted about having this tag before the hunt (maybe I did and forgot) so posting about it now because I feel like I’ve at least learned something. I hunted 6 of the 7 days (had to go home Monday for an in person exam ASU) and scouted the Wednesday and Thursday before the hunt. Saw 2 spike bulls from the road while scouting and probably 2 dozen cows but once the hunt started couldn’t find anything. Mostly glassed the Coconino rim for the first and last 3 hours of light every day, sat water a couple mornings, spent a couple days just bushwhacking the canyons in the rim, and never saw a single elk during legal shooting light until the last day when I decided to just walk through the junipers down in the basin where I had seen some fresh sign the day before. I guess I got lucky because I just happened to bump a herd of 8 with a small 5x5 bull after about a mile of walking but I got excited rushed the shot and missed. I had a great time on the hunt and really want to do it again next year even though it was probably the toughest hunt I’ve been on since I know it can be done now but just wondering if anyone else had this hunt this year and was successful, how you unusually hunt the unit (glassing, water, stumbling around until you get lucky). Biggest takeaway is obviously that the unit is crazy thick and crazy flat (other than the rim) but even the rim is so thick I felt like I had to be looking in just the right place at just the right time to even spot something while glassing it. Everyone I talked to on the hunt hadn’t been seeing anything but I know the Coueswhitetail guys are like another breed of hunters Thanks in advance

Thank you kaffer, that kind of response is very encouraging. It was definitely a tough hunt but I’m glad to hear that I’m not too far off with my tactics.

Wondering how your hunt went. I had the same tag. Hunted 6 days without seeing a single elk during legal shooting light until the last day and got bull fever and missed a small 5x5. Tough hunt to say the least but can’t wait for next year.

Can someone explain this to me? 10 is a regular elk unit for my family (cow hunts not bull) We’ve never hunted on the Boquillas but I’m just confused as to what is/could be happening up there? None of these posts make any sense to me maybe I’m just not reading thoroughly enough. Is azgfd planning on cutting tags for the elk hunts for the whole unit because they think the ranch won’t allow hunting up there anymore or what? Or is everyone on this site worried that 750 tags will be too much for the non-ranch part of the unit to handle (Which I would definitely agree with) I just want to make sure we’ll still be able to draw cow tags for the unit every 1-2 years. Thanks in advance

Very cool! Nice buck. I feel like the antlers always look darker after bleaching due to the whiteness of the skull but it might just be me. Great job either way

Stud buck! Love the velvet

Sweet buck and what a cool story! If you already bought the access permit you might as well use it right? Theres elk all over the unit but that ranch covers almost half of it I think.

I really want to hunt pronghorn in the worst way. Sitting on 5 points for AZ and ready to look at other options for the near future. I was looking into Wyoming cause of high draw odds and lots of opportunity but a guy at work suggested NM private land was a better option. What is y’all’s opinion of the easiest states for a nonresident to hunt pronghorn in? Not looking for trophy quality but a buck tag would be nice. Thanks in advance

Thanks for all the responses! And yes—Adam (bigbrowns) was very helpful. I bought the point in Wyoming for 30$ and am doing all the research I can to find easy to draw units with more public land. I’m finding out it might still be a couple years out but better that than 20+ more years waiting in my home state

Thanks for the response. I’m noticing on the draw odds report for Wyoming the draw odds are basically split between units with lots of public land vs those with very little. In the easier to draw units with little public land, is most of the private held by one rancher? How difficult is it to get permission to hunt the private land? Or did you wait longer to hunt units with lots of public land?

Dang that sucks. Didn’t realize everyone had the same bright idea

I applied for that leftover muzzy hunt too thinking I was pretty much guaranteed it given there were over 200 tags left. And same as OP I don’t even own a muzzleloader. Don’t think I got it cause it’s still not showing on my portal. Would be cool to know if OP got it tho

Dadof3 You are correct that if it is the youth tag then it is good for any antlered deer, coues or Mulie. And yes you can pick up corresponding population management pig tags for that hunt. Congrats on the tags. I’ve never set foot in 35a so can’t help you much but I’ve heard great things about it. If it’s anything like the nextdoor units that I have hunted there will be plenty of deer and opportunities. Good luck

Ya she said they figured it was mainly due to the fire and the drought

I was up there for the spring hunt this year for 3 days. Never heard a single gobble let alone seeing any birds, and we did a ton of hiking, calling, driving, sitting water, all over the plateau, from the park boundary to Jacob lake. The Warden we talked to up there said she’d heard of one successful hunter all season. The other guys are right, if you’re going to do it, just enjoy the kaibab, seeing some nice deer, and the cookies and the views. Maybe you’ll even see a turkey.

I know they have been getting less and less over the last few years but is it really possible that there are no leftover tags this year? G&F woulda posted the list by now given the results are out right? Theres nothing on there website on the apply for draw page saying anything about leftovers or a mail-in application date for them.

I'm headed up to the kaibab this afternoon for the last weekend of the season. Are the turkeys still talking or is their mating season pretty much over by mid may? Hoping to get into so gobbles but we will be willing to hike or sit water. Also assuming theres no snow left is it best to just hunt the highest elevations? Everything I've read makes it sound like the birds are spread pretty evenly across the plateau. also Is the 67 highway open yet? Thanks for any answers

That is all great news—thanks guys! If we’re successful I’ll try to post an update

That is awesome! My brother has a pig head still in the freezer from his hunt earlier this year cause we weren't sure what to do with it. The guy who used to do our euromounts doesn't do them anymore. Where are you guys located?

Sorry if there’s another thread on this somewhere else and I didn’t see it. Just wanted to make sure I’m not the only one that hasn’t gotten their tag yet

Just called azgfd. Lady said they extended their deadline for mailing them out til April 9 this year

Did you call or check the portal? I just called and mine aren’t updated, it’s the same as it was before the draw. my portal hasn’t worked in a few years so I don’t bother checking it anymore

My younger brother has the yth 12AW doe hunt this weekend and we are stoked! was wondering if they are still doing the youth camp they usually do this year tho? Its in the regs but we didn't get anything in the mail from g&f like we usually do and with everything getting cancelled these days I just don't know anymore. thanks for any info

Hey ya’ll. As you can probably tell I’m fairly new to the site but NOT asking for any spots, just miscellaneous advice. I drew my first late elk tag, bull elk at that, and am a little nervous given I’ve only ever had early cow tags before and was only successful once LOL. The biggest gun I own is a .243 which I obviously won’t be using for bull, so If anyone has any advice on what kind of rifle to get I’m happy to hear it, I was thinking of getting a .270. how far a shot should I be expecting to take? Specifically for 7W? From what I’ve seen on maps and the couple times I’ve been in the area there aren’t any major canyons to shoot across but seems like I’ll be shooting down Pinyon Juniper lanes or across open meadows. Also, since this is my first late hunt in a non-desert unit, I’d just like to know how cold to expect it to be. Does it snow out in the lower elevated parts of the unit to the north? Lastly, just any ideas on what kind of bull to expect. I’ll probably shoot the first legal animal I see but I can’t say I’m not excited for the possibility of something big. Thanks for any advice on any of these questions, I’ve already got a great pair of binos and a great tripod and know how to glass, and I will spend a weekend or two over the summer scouting just to get another lay of the land since I’ve only really hunted it once and it was for someone else’s hunt a few years ago. And I (hopefully) will head up the Tuesday before the hunt so I have Wednesday and Thursday (thanksgiving) to find where the elk are at before opening day. thank you!

Oh okay I did not know about chains or that kinda stuff thanks!