Heat

My stepson was fortunate to draw a tag for the Kaibab Youth antlerless deer hunt. This would be his first big game hunt. We arrived late on Friday and got our stuff set up and hunted a bit. Didn't see anything that night so we were eagerly anticipating the next day. We had a nice walk in the morning and ended up with a chance or two but no shots. We went and called my wife and on the way back to camp some hunters asked if we were still hunting as we were passing next to them on the road. They said there were some deer down below us so we parked to check it out. Thanks again! Anyways Andrew got out to see where they were and I was right behind him. He took a quick shot and missed, followed by another. The deer were still in some cover so not leaving too fast yet. I saw a doe looking at us and not moving so I pointed her out to Andrew. He took a knee and waited until she stepped in the open exposing her vitals and he took another shot. It looked and sounded good to me and him so we waited a couple minutes then went to see what we could. After a short look in the thick blown down trees we found her and went to work. Andrew made a clean heart shot with my ol 30-30 with iron sights. He was really happy and I was super proud! I really appreciate all the effort and heat the Department takes to put on this hunt. Great opportunity for the kids to get a deer. We camped with AZBugler and his boys and couldn't have asked for better company. We all had a wonderful time. We give Thanks to the Almighty for His providence and grace. We are sure glad to live in Arizona where we can enjoy such a wonderful place as the Kaibab!

Outstanding photos! Great Advice on the bikepacking by the way!

Glad to hear the OP got his truck back! ctafoya that is like something out of a movie right there, Gnarly!

Really cool! Thanks for sharing those lion pics. The one with the kitten is awesome! Renee did great on her hunt. Congratulate her for us! Looks like you guys had an action packed hunt. Can't ask for much more than that!

Really cool story and pics Dan! Thanks for sharing with us. I'm very sorry to hear about the passing of your cousin Ronald! Peace be with you.

"a legislation change at the federal level that basically gave the states the right to manage their wildlife how they see fit" Bingo! We have a winner!

I did indeed! Thanks!

Kuiu stuff was designed with mountain hunting in mind where light weight is extremely important and there is a good deal of moving around, hiking, climbing etc. If you are going to be doing a lot of sitting still I would not recommend their stuff. I have the Attack Pants (olive green) and when I know I'm not going to be in cat claw or getting really wet, they work great. They are not as durable as Microtex. They don't dry as fast or shed water as well as Microtex either (DWR durability claims are very suspect IMO!) That being said these are by far the best fitting pants I have. Pockets in the right spots and they are cut to move with you and the stretch is awesome! I also have a Guide Jacket (major brown). Same deal with the DWR, but still nice. This jacket has pit zips so good for shedding heat without taking a jacket off. Collar and hood set up is super nice. Pockets high enough not to interfere with pack waist belt. A little longer in back to cover your butt. Sleeves long enough. Stretch of the softshell is great. Definitely a layering piece. Need a puffy or a fleece to go with if it gets below freezing. This stuff is cut for those with an athletic build. If you are a guy with no neck, and can't fit regular jeans because your thighs are too big you will probably hate the fit. I'm in the market for some rain gear, which in my opinion is the best stuff they have in their line. Their baselayers are good too. I would not recommend them for a tent, sleeping bag, or backpack. Much better options out there for that stuff. I have to say this Jason Hairston dude is a marketing genius...tell everyone their clothes were made in North America then ship them stuff from China and you still have fanboys and can't keep inventory...well he's doing something right that is for sure!

I've been up the 248 during archery season but never in the late season. It was fine early on, as most of the road on the plateau are. Sorry not more help but you should be OK based on my best guess as long as you don't have a ton of snow on the ground.

Dang man this sucks for your family and for the animals. Is there anyway you can put an electric fence up or something else to keep them in? I truly hope you can find a good home for these guys and that they stay together. My thoughts and prayers are with you man!

You are a dreamer! No way on Earth you are a worse javelina hunter than me...not even close! Lol!

That's awesome!

Great job to the young huntress! That is a well told story of a great hunt! Thanks for sharing and great job!

There's a used Savage 110 with bases and rings in .243 for $269 at my local store for a comparison. I thought seriously about buying it.

Going to be running around up there over the weekend Dave. I'll keep my eyes open!

That's a good one! Nice job! Thanks for coming back and filling us in.

Seems like you guys have had a great season. Kudos and congratulations to all involved. Especially the young lady who kept it cool when it was time to get it done! Way to go!

Nice work Josh!

Nice work!

Nice! Looks like a really fun trip! Can a guy spin fish that creek with barbless artificials or is it fly only?

Right on guys! Super happy for Jared! Kudos to all who made this happen! Blessing is right!

Congratulations to the happy hunter! Gotta love the hunter with his pearly whites in full display...the kid, not so much! LOL!

Some of you may recall that last spring I had some feelers out for hog hunts in Texas (and California). One of those seems to have panned out. I contacted a guy in California (Erik Smith) about his operation back then but he wasn't booking dates at the time (full). I checked into his gig on Jesse's hunting and people seemed pretty pleased with his hunts. His operation is outside Madera, California. It used to be called Cottonwood Hunting and his website is now www.smithadobe.com. Anyways long story short, I have been offered a number of hunt dates to book a trip with him for next year. He takes a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 hunters per party. The deposit and hunting fee we have been offered is $250 per person. This includes lodging, but food is up to us. This is a semi-guided opportunity on private land. The hunts are from Fri -Sun morning. $200 kill fee only if you get a pig. Hunters are responsible for their own California hunting license and pig tag. Skinning, gutting, quartering up to us. This is a pretty good opportunity to get a WILD Hog without having to drive to Texas. Dates I've been offered are as follows: Friday, January 8th - Sunday, January 10th, 2016 Friday, February 5th - Sunday, February 7th, 2016 Friday, June 3rd - Sunday, June 5th, 2016 Friday, July 1st - Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 Friday, August 5th - Sunday, August 7th, 2016 Friday, September 2nd - Sunday, September 4th, 2016 Friday, October 7th - Sunday, October 9th, 2016 Friday, November 4th - Sunday, November 6th, 2016 Friday, December 2nd - Sunday, December 4th, 2016 I'm most interested in the February date, followed by the June date, and maybe the July date. Not really interested in fall dates since they could interfere with fall hunts here at home. Let me know by PM if you are interested. Please list your top 3 dates in order of preference. If we can get consensus on a date and deposits from a minimum of 3 other people I think we can make this happen! Thanks, Nick

Tear it up Adam! I may have to join you on that next time. I love pulling on big fish as much as the next guy, maybe more!