NewlyMinted

A buddy has chartered a boat and filled it with 21 of his most available friends (and friends of friends) for the last 3 years. Total cost (including general tip for the crew) is just under $300 each for the 1.5 dayer. We have to buy our own food, and tip the guys for gutting the fish. First two years have been awesome, the 3rd year leaves port in a couple of weeks from San Diego.. I'm excited. It's a great trip and the poke bowls are amazing afterwards Your fish looks like a monster! Congrats and happy eating!

So I have a fairly basic questions for scouting and rain. Basically to understand if I should just pack up and head back to the truck, or stay put and wait. I've got a great glassing point picked out. It's about a 1.5mi hike up from the end of a rough looking double track (so might be a lot further). I was planning on using this hill to look at an almost 360 degree for as long as I can. My question is, if it starts to rain while I'm up there and it looks like it'll be 20-40 minutes, do I just wait it out and continue when it stops, or does a long drizzle/ rain generally mean the deer will be done for the day? What is their behavior after the rain stops?

Thanks! That was exactly the info I was after!

Thanks! Those sound like excellent additions!

Thanks! I recognized your picture on other threads! It's been a great resource! Feel free to release a 2019 second edition . Figuring out sign is my current quest... Found plenty of poop, but not sure if Coues rub, and if they do I'm not sure if what I think a rub is, is a rub!

What did you end up deciding? I have used Gaia on my phone and on the computer for the last 6 months, and with the fees being lower and the offline content syncing and working across all devices it's been great! They just added some hunting icons to the waypoints too.. so deer, tracks, trail camera (shh), etc. all more visual. I was using the dog for seeing live deer and the heart for sign.

Jim Heffelfinger sent me a copy of his "Tail of Two Deer" article that filled in all my other questions in figuring out Coues and Mule deer too! Really appreciate the help!

Thanks! That is super clear!

So no room for asking questions about something you're learning about? I'm just starting out and get my questions are basic, but to mix up me asking basic questions with me being safe in the field seems like a very exclusionary clique-like behavior. I get it. I'm Stoopid. But can you please explain the b&w features on the tail that make it a muley? And how is that right antler a 3 point versus a main beam with times and a nyguard? How are they different from this guy:

What about the right antler? Doesn't that show a beam with 2 tines coming off? Looks very different to the left one that's more fork and fork

One of the things that I can't seem to find desert specific info on yet is closing the gap when stalking up to a buck. I'm imagining I glass one up from fairly far away and get within 200-300yds if I'm lucky, but what are the main things to think about not doing (or just doing) when I'm trying to get close enough to a shot. At the range I'm really happy with my groups at 100yds (Accura V2 LR 112g Pyrodex RS and 300g SST), so I'm guessing with nerves, excitement and wind I'm really looking at 50-75yds as my longest shot. That's pretty close! Most desert hunts seem to be around juniper and open ground that I read or watch, but what about desert scrub mesquite. There can be so dense and so loud. If there's anything you think I can practice while I'm scouting this summer I'd appreciate it! Thanks, Ed

Dumb question maybe, but hiking around 36A I've found active wells w/ water troughs, orphan dry water troughs, dry wells and troughs, and tanks of all sizes. Which water types are the best to get familiar with over the next couple of months. I'm guessing the troughs are maintained by the ranchers as there's been cattle all around each time I've found one, but do the tanks fill and stay wet for any serious amount of time during the summer? Are the windmill wells activated by ranchers or AZGFD? Are the ones man made wells and troughs I find dry now going to stay dry through out the summer? My tag is for the early part of October, and there will hopefully be some good rain over the next couple of months, so should I get to know the areas around the tanks or are they too hit and miss for Coues bucks I'm trying to pattern? Thanks!

Thank you for all the clarifications. Everything is new to me, so I want to run a couple of cameras for a couple of weeks at each spot and figured water would be a good place to start to see if the right kind of wildlife shows up there to drink, while finding a back way in to glass the general area from up high. Sort of an inventory type thing mixed with scouting. With so many dry tanks, dry wells, and solar/windmill drinkers I'm wasn't sure where to start, or if I'm even allowed to place the cameras near the drinkers. After this week's rains I'm excited to see what filled up this weekend!

Sorry, new hunter questions will flow from me for a bit. The tag arrived today and it showed putting it around a moose like antler of a deer like gambrel. For Coues (if I'm stupidly lucky to fill my tag) does it need to be on the head gear or on the hind leg? Thanks!

thank you!

Awesome! Thanks everyone! I was out there on Sunday and none of the tanks had water .. After this weeks rain I'm curious to see which ones got wet. I know the mule deer are meant to be low and the coues high, but most of 36A seems to be a gigantic transition so am thinking it might be one of those mixed areas.

Tanks with big trees makes sense. Are the solar and windmill driven wells with concrete troughs owned by the state, or local ranchers? There's no signage either way and it's definitely state trust land.