Brian Payne

rabidapache, We found all those sheds in 1998 before everyone and their grandma was out there hiking and riding around. It was me and four other guys so that averages out to about 20 sheds per person and that included deer sheds although about 50 of the total were good elk sheds. I think only 15 or so were fresh browns. We hiked into a spot about four miles from any road that hadn't hardly been touched. The crazy thing is that we found all the sheds in a day and a half and spent the next day and a half packing them out on our backs (two trips). We had a blast but man we were we tired!. We have had some decent trips since but havn't done near as well as we did that spring break and don't hope to again. Last spring break my brother and I came out with 16 elk sheds in about 3 and a half days of looking. I am ataching a photo of the our sheds from last year. Brian

The girlfriend/Rocky Pt. thing is one of Lark's strategies to give him a head start to the horns. He'll need it to keep up with us young guys. I once used my spring break antler hunting money to pay for my prom date. Should have spent the money on something more productive like a new pair of binos. Would have gotten a lot more out of them. Don't know where that girl is and don't care but I do have some nice shed photos in my hunting album from that spring (76 sheds in 3 days!) Brian Payne

I've definately got the shed fever. Got a four day trip planned over spring break. Havn't been in elk country since November but saw a lot of bulls then and some nice ones. All this weather ought to keep them in their winter country allthough I guess the snow elevations have been pretty high. Brian

I have only been archery hunting for a couple of years but I am completely hooked. I missed a pig at 30 yds this year (blew an easy shot) that we used the spot and stalk method to get close to. Luckily my brother (KWP) was able to connect on another pig in the group. My coues story is similar to that of rabidApache's. I spent 3 hrs creeping 600 yds to a giant bedded 4x4. I got within 60 yds. with two junipers between him and I providing perfect cover for the rest of the stalk when I felt the heartwrenching feeling of the wind at my back. It had been blowing steadily in the same direction all day and for 30 seconds switched directions before returning to the original dirction. The buck never saw me but stuck it's nose in the air, gave a snort and took off. Even though I didn't even get a shot, this was just as exciting as killing my October buck with my rifle. This was our first look at a buck that we have been seeking for over a year now. We've found two of his sheds from two different years but havn't been able to put him on the wall. Hopefully this year. I had a great view of my brother's stalk on a buck this January. Wish I would have had a video camara. Even though I wasn't the one putting the stalk on, my heart was racing the whole time. Nothing beats spot and stalk!!! Nothing against you stand hunters, but with the way I do the head-bob in my college classes and while I'm glassing in the middle of the day I would probably fall asleep in my stand and wake up as I hit the ground! BP

AZOnecam, I have spent a lot of time in 27 and havn't seen very many pigs in either places that you mentioned. The only place I have seen very many pigs has been on the road along the Blue River. This road takes off from Alpine and heads south. It should be accessable. Brian Payne

My in-laws hunt coues deer on quads. They are actually pretty decent people except for that. They don't even own optics. They just drive around on any half beaten path untill anything with bones on it's head pops and start unloading. To me there is no sport in this. They don't seem to understand why I always come home with better trophies or why I won't put in with them. We may have the same tags and be carrying similar rifles, but to me what we are both doing is about as similar as football and badmitten. Hopefully one of these days I will have the opportunity to teach them the beauty of a coues in it's undisturbed environment like a trophy buck raking a tree hot on the trail of some does or a fawn splashing around in a water hole that doesn't know I'm 500 yds away watching. I could never be proud of a buck I took while speeding down a two-track road no matter how big it was. I had an Oct 33 tag this year. Each day about half an hour before light a loud and steady hum could be heard in the valley below us where most the camps were. In Alaska during the big salmon runs the banks are packed with wall to wall fisherman and they are litterally elbow to elbow on the river bank. This has come to be called the very fitting name of "combat fishing." I couldn't help but think "combat hunting" when all these guys were racing around trying to be the first ones down the road to the water hole. After the "combat hunters" started flinging led at the bucks that were too young to know that the "hum" meant get out of town, deer starting flooding through the saddles that we were glassing including several nice bucks. I can't say I've had very many encounters peiod with other hunters as one of my main criteria in finding a place to hunt is that it is at least several miles from any road. I have used an ATV to save the truck before but I will never be near one when I shoot an animal. Brian Payne

Way to go Devin! Gotta love the 4 pt genetics in that area. You can't shoot a big one if you shoot a small one so good job on holding out for a keeper. Congratulations and we'll see you around school. Brian

I had an experience on my November bull elk hunt in unit 27 that left me frustrated and confused. I know it is something that every hunter has to go through but it continues to huant me and I would like some insight from some of you more experienced hunters. After hiking about 5 miles in the dark into my favorite elk hunting hole my luck was really looking up when after five minutes of glassing a giant 7x7 370 class bull revealed himself across a canyon at about 500 yds. The closest I could get was 446 yds. according to the range finder. I had sighted in my Remington 7mm magnum to be dead on at 250 yds. with 150 grain Remington core lokt bulletts. I put quite a bit of time in at the range before the season and put together some pretty decent groups. I downloaded a computer program by remington and made a printout of the ballistics for the ammo and rifle I was using which I committed to memory. I used a bi-pod on my rifle. I felt confident I would be able to make an accurate shot up to 500 yds. According to the ballistic chart at 450 yds. my bullett should have dropped 24 inches. I put the cross-hairs about 8 inches over the bull's back and squeezed of a shot that I couldn't have felt better about. I shot at the bull six more times, carefully adjusting the height of my aim a little with each shot, only to watch the bull disappear unscathed. I passed on several 6x6 bulls and my hunt ended with out me being able to find another "keeper" bull. I waited 8 years for that tag and with the way legislation is going it may be a lot longer untill another comes. In the mean time I would like to feel like I could make a 400 yd shot on a coues buck if needs be which I'm not feeling too confident about after what happedned. I havn't had the chance to go shoot the gun at long distances which I'm sure would be the first thing I should do. Any other suggestions or sympathy would be appreciated. Brian

Thanks again for the replies everybody. I forgot to mention that I looked for the bull for quite awhile that same day I shot and for a good part of two other days, so I really don't think he was hit. Brian

Thanks for the ideas everybody. What it sounds like is I really need to get back out to the range and see what is going on and just put in some more practice. The program I was using (remington shoot) allows for adjustments in alltitude which I calibrated to the elevation where I was hunting. The bull was slightly down hill which may have been a factor I didn't think about. As far as the cross-hairs being 8 inches over his back, this was just an estimate. I was about 3 horizontal cross-hair heights above his back so maybe it was more like 10-12 inches. I was using a 12 power scope so I really don't think I was way off but how far over his back I was as I could see him pretty well with that magnification. Does a muzzle break effect scopes in any way? Brian

What I've seen seems to be pretty consistant with what has been said so far. The does hang pretty much in the same areas and the bucks move in. I have noticed that the groups will some times get larger in number, especially if there is a large buck with them. Brian

I spend a lot of time in unit 27 between 6000-8000 ft in elevation where bear populuations are very dense. We actually saw five in two days on my Nov. bull elk hunt. I often see tracks in the fairly deep snow and even found some poop on a frozen tank. I don't think these bears are doing much serious hibernating. Brian Payne

Bryson Bendall, That is a sweet buck your dad killed. Drop tines are few and far between on coues bucks or any deer for that matter. That looks like a fresh chip on the tip of his G4 on the left side. Did he do that when he fell after being shot? My buck from Saturday lost 1/4" of his G3 when he tumbled after the shot. Bummer! Brian Payne

My brother kevin and I both had a very successful hunt in unit 33. Kevin shot a nice 4x4 at about 150 yds opening morning. I continued hunting friday and saw close to 100 whitetail before the day was over including a very big buck at over 800 yds. that disappeared while I was trying to get closer. Saturday morning I glassed up two bucks at 800 yds and with my brother on the radio was able to get within 250 yds and take the larger of the two. He is a 3x3 with 4" eye guards. We are both very excited to have two bucks headed to the taxidermist. We will have photos up soon. Brian Payne

I have spent a lot of time in Unit 27 including a seasonal summer job this past summer doing stream surveys. Unit 27 is about the most rugged, brushy, unforgiving unit that I know of in Arizona, at least the whitetail part of it. We took a Californian hunting in 27 for mulies and he was so worn out he decided he didn't ever want to hunt in Arizona again! So be in shape and be very patient glassing into all that cover. Some control (some what out of control!) burning was done around HL saddle and Rose Peak. The forage is coming back great and these new burns should be loaded with dear. These are typically some of the best deer areas in the unit anyway. You probably won't see large numbers of deer but be patient and remember it only takes one. Brian

The words "his forest" were my words not his. I was simply implying the forest over which he presides as district ranger which happens to be a forest with no entry fees, not even a campground fee on the whole forest. He is a good friend and a heck of a hunter and has used his trailcam to scout for some of my hunts. I owe some of my hunting skills to him. I guess what I'm trying to say is that he does't compare to some of the government officials previously mentioned in this topic and that he is a "good guy" in an agency that isn't popular with many hunters, so no, I won't be turning him in but I may have him go to bat for me if I ever do get in trouble for a trail cam some where else. Brian

I seem to have had a little bit different experience with my trail camara and the times that deer were coming to water compared with what has been commented. The fact that very few deer are coming in at night is consistant, but the majority of the whitetail coming in to the water where my camara is set up have been coming between 6:30 am and 11:30 am with the most popular time around 8:00 am.

I personally know a district ranger for the forest service that is an avid hunter (I won't mention a name of course) and sets up trail cameras on his forest. How about that!