Heat

I agree with Casey. There is too much hunting pressure on too few deer. We are pushing the lower limits on the buck to doe ratios. Extended drought is also a huge factor. Predators have an impact but their populations are cyclical, and you would expect a rebound from the deer given good conditions. We have only had a few actual good years of rain in the last 14 years or so. That makes it awful tough on critters, especially the ones that live in this arid county like the Desert Mule Deer. I can recall my DBS hunt in Region IV where that I saw literally hundreds of sheep and less than half a dozen deer total in the entire 4 or 5 months of scouting. That my friends is pathetic!

Kifaru Duplex or Bikini Frame and whatever combo of bags, slings, pockets, pouches you desire. Their suspension is excellent. Worth a look for sure!

Wow!

That bull on the right is a monster! Look at the difference in the skulls! My word! The other bull is a great one too. Great job to the hunters! Nick

Unit 1 over 3B any day! There are a lot of tags now hence a bunch of people but there will always be virtually unhunted pockets of country. Good luck!

Here's an article that describes the upcoming transplant. Your Welcome Region 5! LOL! Just Kidding of course! http://www.yumasun.com/articles/bighorn-90354-sheep-tucson.html

After blowing it on my Unit 1 Archery Bull hunt last year, I was looking forward to a cow hunt with my wife this year. This was the first time either one of us hunted cow elk with a rifle. I usually hunt with a bow, but I want to start my family hunting with me, so I put my archery addiction aside for a year and put in for cow. Luckily we drew the last 3 tags of the hunt, Numbers 48, 49, 50. Her son was going to come with us too but school comes first and he didn't perform so he had to stay home with my mom. This was Amanda's first big game hunt. She was pretty pumped after scoring 100% on her Hunter's Education class and learning a ton. We found a killer spot to camp and got settled in for the opening day. We found a pretty nice area to hunt, but didn't see anything that morning. We took a drive to another part of the unit to hunt in the evening. After a very short walk into the woods down an old road we were on elk. They were unaware of us so we had a good opportunity. I wanted Amanda to get the first chance since I've killed an elk and other critters before. Amanda took one shot and they didn't even react. So rack another one in and boom. Nothing. Still standing there. We probably should have been away from a road because we had someone drive down the same road we were near and that spooked the elk. Instead of just stopping when they saw us, they turned around and drove off. Could of just stopped and turned the truck off but whatever. Day two we jumped a cow and calf out of camp in the morning and got close but no cigar. Afternoon spot we shadowed a herd that had a bull bugling but couldn't get close. Day three AM same as Day Two, just the other direction. We saw them, but they saw us first. No time for a good shot. We decided to take a break in the evening. My wife is pregnant and I didn't want to push her too hard. Day four morning was really cool. Within a hundred yards of camp we see a cow and calf with a couple more elk together. Amanda wanted me to shoot at this point. Waited a few second to clear an small oak and boom. Miss, crap. Rack in another and she just did a do si do, facing the other direction broadside. Boom, smack! Oh ya! We went back to camp and got the truck. By that time she was stone cold dead, and only went about 20 yards after the shot. Nice and clean, no tracking necessary! Called my cousins to see if they could help and they were on the way. We cleaned and bagged it up and got it cooling in no time. Family kicks butt! We hunted one more evening but no more elk spotted. We made a mutual decision to not get greedy and headed home. Classic elk hunt. Loved every minute of it! Thanks for reading!

Thanks guys, daren sent you a PM.

My buddy killed a freak buck in velvet during the rifle season a few years ago with no nuts. Maybe that?

Wow what a year! That picture of the boys on the mule and the horse with the lion is priceless. Good job Dad! Nick

Good stuff. Nice bull! Sorry to hear about your meat, but very cool story on how you found him. Thanks for sharing.

Way cool! Congrats!

Great Job guys!

As long as you don't take our Region 4 sheep to transplant into Region 5 its all good! Just kidding! Good luck guys! I initially had concerns about this project, but I support what Ben and the guys are doing. Nick

Sent you a PM.

I remember when I was a student at the U of A in Tucson all the Slick Willy gun ban stuff was going on. I went in to a smaller mom and pop type place to buy an sks. They had it, I wanted to buy it but they guy wouldn't sell it too me because I was 20 and not 21. I politely explained to the guy that the law was 18 years old for rifles and shotguns. He didn't go for it. I went down the street to Jensen's and bought what I wanted and was on my way. Some people are either way too paranoid or straight up idiots but it sounds like the poster didn't know the policy. Pretty cool for the owner to come on and set the record straight, even though I personally disagree with his policy on 10 days in Arizona and 20% restocking fee. I get delayed on 4/5 purchases and it has never, ever taken more than 3 business days to clear NICS. Nick

Way to work together guys! We owe it to the resource and the future of our sport to give everything we have to recover an animal that we draw blood on. Sometimes it's not in the cards, but when you put all your resources together things can turn out well like this. Awesome all the way around! Congratulations to all involved. Sounds like there are still some honest and gracious men left in this State! Bravo!

Great looking bull! Congrats on your success!

I don't agree with the proposal. I think the hunt should remain 2 full weeks. You never know when the rut will peak and with that longer time frame you are much more likely to catch it during your hunt. I am pretty much opposed to any proposal that would decrease success to increase participation except in extreme cases.

Pretty cool to see the Ghost Towns in Arizona book still floating around. It was written by one of my distant relatives. Nick

This is such a cool story! Dogs really are man's best friend!

Nice work Lance! Heck of a buck!

Hey Fulch, saw your buddy out for a morning stroll today!

Actually like some other guys mentioned its a Canada Goose. Canadians are those old people that show up in RVs in November and fill up trailer parks, drink Canadian Mist, and watch hockey games.

Ok enough suspense, let's hear the rest! LOL! Great hunt so far, thanks for sharing! Nick