m gardner

That's a pretty deer! Congrats. Mark

This is my first year hunting them too. From what I've seen the tracks from a mature buck look the same as normal whitetails so you can locate them that way. They are hard to see and you need good optics. The spot I hunted yesyerday is steep broken country and glassing is limited to 150 yards or so. I just barely stuck my head over a ledge and picked up my glasses and a doe was looking right at me. I had the wind so she just looked. I let her see the antlers I had with me and rattled them a bit. She went back to feeding and I backed out. I circled and saw some other does and some indistinguishable deer, then they just vanished in the brush as they fed. Later I was studying the tracks and found the tracks of a large buck. They were bigger than the rest and the rear feet were inside the front as he walked. If I can figure it out maybe I could kill him. It's thick , steep and the wind changes every 30 minutes. Probably why they like it there. Good luck on your hunt. Mark

I believe that gravity acts on the arrow for the horizontal distance to the target. Think of it as a right triangle with the distance to the target as the base of the triangle and the distance along the hypotenuse is what your rangefinder will show. As was stated before high angles will give you the most trouble. I put my left foot forward and bend at the waist so I am drawing and anchoring the same as if shooting on the flat. If not shooting form problems will affect point of impact. Practice and experience will show you what to do. Remember that you must put the arrow higher on the animal when shooting down so it comes out low and centers what you were aiming at. The opposite for uphill. If you shoot where you normally do you will miss the vitals on high angle shots. Good luck. Mark

I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Went and ran 3 miles this morning. I'll go to Usery Mountain and shoot the burlap couse for a few hours. We've located the doe groups in a few places and expect the bucks to do the same shortly. Probably put up my wall tent in the Pinalenos. I brought a half cord of wood back from my Colorado hunt. There's nothing better than being cold and wet and drying out next to a woodstove. Hot coffee helps too. I'm getting pretty old but the feelings are still there. God bless you all. Good luck. Mark

With Him all things are possible, even for old wrinkly guys! I've gotta laugh because I've done the wheelbarrow thing myself, but when I was younger and not so wrinkly and gray. Mark

Mulies, AKA Karp, are unmistakeably trusting and slow to make a decision until they get to be about 3 1/2 years old. Then they change. I hunted them in Colorado a short time ago. We went 4 days early to scout. (I've scouted it for 5 years and finally drew. Figured it was a no brainer.) Instead of 3 to 5 feet of snow pushing them down off the higher peaks there was no snow and temps in the 50's and 60's. They were still at 10,000 to 11,000 feet with the sheep. I actually had a 7/8 curl ram come in while rattling my antlers. No mulies though. Two days before the season temps fell and it snowed and rained. We saw some monsters that day, one pushing does. It went back to 60 degrees and they laid up and didn't move during the day. Just watched us pant and probably got up and slipped around us without our knowledge. We could've shot some little ones but that's not why we went there. I've shot some pretty good ones and none of them seemed too stupid. They taste good during bowseason or later if they are gaining condition and eating pinion nuts or acorns. They aren't born paranoid and spooky like whitetails. They usually don't duck an arrow either like whietails. But you know what, I really like both of them. Mark Here's a Karp we call Droppy and his friend. They are at 12 yards. Two and a half years old and used to seeing me walk up to them.

It was weird but beautiful this year. There was usually 3 to 5 feet of snow but there was none this season. Mark.

I'm from Colorado, just got here last february and was amazed that there was a road every 1/2 mile. Was more amazed that people were worried about survival equipment and getting lost. I've been finding animals in the more rugged spots where atv's can't go. I went back to hunt the Flattops just to remember what it felt like. Mark

Lions take alot of deer off the winter range or seem to just because the damage is concentrated to a smaller area. I saw this when I lived in Colorado. Another predator that doesn't get enough credit for it's efforts is the eagle. Since they reintroduced them the open country deer herds have taken a nosedive as well as the antelope populations. They get alot of the fawns. Here's a photo of a fresh lion kill at a seep at 10,000 feet. Mark

Here's another way some folks hunt them at waterholes (illegally and yes we reported it) where I went in Colorado. It seems that if you dig a hole and put mineral in it near the water then put a flat rock over it the mineral seeps out and the deer paw and eat the dirt around it until it looks like a large mushroom. Some guys will do anything. Mark

I've actually rattled up mulies during the rut in Colorado. You can't hunt them then, but it was fun. I also will hunt the late bow season for my first time (got here last feb.) I'll definitely take the horns and my glasses. I run alot so I'm ready to hike a bit. I'll pitch my outfitters tent and stay out. I'm older and work infrequently at best so I can hunt more. Funny thing is I hunt more but don't kill as much as I used to. I let two pass last week during a hunt in Colorado. I want a Booner. Mark

I just got back from a hunt in the central mountains of Colorado and happened upon this accident site. It seems that this young man was a guide and he was taking his client for a ride. He thought he saw something and his attention was diverted from driving long enough for him to drive off a cliff. Sixhundred feet. It killed him and hurt the client. Be careful. Make sure the designated driver actually keeps his eyes on the road. Better yet get out and hike and glass. It's safer. Mark

My girlfriend and I both had our applications rejected because our license numbers were invalid? I thought they were supposed to call you if there was a problem. Our general licenses are for this year and we both got bonus points for deer and used the same numbers for them. Guess we'll hunt Colorado and Utah. They use online applications and will immediately tell you when something isn't correct. Arizona doesn't look promising except for over the counter archery deer. Mark

There are very few places in national forests that don't allow hunting. Call the U.S. Forest Service or visit them and ask. Some places have special rules for access and camping though. The nearest one here in Mesa is off Higley Road on Ingram, (just before McKellips on the left). You can get a waterproof map for 10 bucks too which is worth the trip. Mark

My girlfriend started shooting last year when I met her. She's a city girl. I'm from the woods. This is my first time in the city. She started out with a CZ scout in 22 LR and learned proper form etc. She's 5 foot tall but has desire. She likes the 270 win best because it doesn't kick much (me too) and is proficient to 300 yards now. We're waiting to draw a tag and she's bowhunting this year. I'll get her a proper size rifle for Christmas in 270 win. It is mangeable and has enough power to kill elk if need be. Mark

I'm too old and feeble to shoot anything larger than the 270 win. enough to be deadly. That's why I like it and use it for everything now. Too much arthritis from living a wild adventurous life when I was younger. I like the 30 caliber magnums for long range because they have lots of power and there are many good bullets to chose from, but that's a thing of the past for me. Mark

The biggest complaint I have against light for caliber bullets is penetration and penetration in a straight line. The heavy for caliber bullets will get me into the vitals on straight away or bad angle shots if that trophy buck of a lifetime is quickly disappearing. I know the ethics police are cringing now but everyone that really wouldn't shoot a huge buck at a bad angle please raise their hands now. I thought so. I like 180's and 200 grainers for 30 caliber, 150's for 270, and 160's for 7mm. And in a premium configuration like Speer Grand Slams. Mark

The flattest shooting bullets are the 165 to 180 grainers, especially when you get out to 500 yards or so. Do the math. Most 125 grain bullets except Barnes are designed for varmints and don't kill deer well in the 30-06 but do okay in the 30-30 because they are going slower and don't blow up. They do acceptably with rib hits in the 300 Savage and 308. I know this because I tried them and some 130 grainers. Mark

My dad started doing it as he aged and a few years later he was diagnosed with alzcheimer's disease and is in a home now. Shows the mentality out there. I pretty much avoid exposing myself to people and they don't scope me. An old habit I aquired through alot of free training I was put through. Mark

No. Camo for hunters is a big business and they have spent alot of money convincing people they need it. It's more like a fashion show. I've shot between 3 and 15 whitetail and mule deer a year for 43 years and I had to wear blaze orange sometimes. What I did was more important than what I wore. Mark

Try Barnes Tripleshocks in .338 in 185 grain. They are tough enough to kill elk and shoot flatter than my 270. They kill deer too. Mark

When they are hard horned they will scrape. It won't mean much at first because the does aren't ready to breed. Later on they'll scrape where the does travel to find receptive does. The does put scent in the scrape then the buck will check it and trail her. He'll check the scrapes continually. When the rut is in full swing it's best to just hunt the does because the bucks will go from doe to doe and not need to check scrapes. When things wind down they'll start scraping again to find does in heat. Mark

I've shot turkeys with rifle, bow and shotgun. I prefer shotgun as it ruins less meat. A 12 gauge with 1 7/8 ounce of no. 6 buffered hardened lead is my choice. The choke is up to you. Test it and be sure you get good consistent patterns . Especially the density at the center. The edges don't mean much. Sight the gun in to center the pattern. Know where it shoots at all ranges. It has a trajectory. I made my own choke and killed birds out to 47 paces with it. Mark

I like him. I like him alot! Nice bull. Great story. Mark

I noticed lots of talk about long range shooting and was wondering what methods you use to find the animal after shooting it? I've shot more than a few deer and elk at extreme ranges and in brushy cover or deep powder snow or across canyons it was a difficult task. How many have lost game because it was impossible to find after the shot? The last long shot I made (about a year ago), the deer jumped up and fell over backwards into deep powder snow on the other side of a canyon which meant I had to walk around to get him. I was alone and had no guide and it was a real problem but I found him. I had one roll off a cliff years ago and was never recovered. How do you guys do it? Mark