Scooter

"It is always heartbreaking to see the shoes and clothes of women and children, knowing that families have to make this journey to find a better life." They don't have to... They CHOOSE to. And as far as the law is concerned it is still illegal to enter this country without proper documentation and so is littering all your crappy gear on the way! They could just stay where they are and fix their own country. It's sad, but not everyone can live in this country- or else it will end up just like the one those families left! Anyway, off of my soap box- That's a very well-written story, and a well deserved buck! I can only imagine how difficult it was humping that deer out whole (gutted) strapped to that pack! Great job guys and I hope that the Deer Gods smile upon you next year and forever after that ordeal!

Please tell me you reported the group...

Trust me, it looks good everywhere!!!

I will be a leftover lover this year in 35A. Already glassed up one buck- got me kinda excited.

I been up and down financially like this before... I NEVER would sell an heirloom gun- but I've run through quite a few guns. Now I only own the very basics of what I need... no Luxury guns anymore.

The grass is all grown back up and you'd hardly notice we had a huge fire to be honest. Don't look for deer first... find glassing spots!

Hey everyone! Coming from Texas, our seasons and hunting hours are pretty liberal compared to Arizona's... but I decided to make the best of it! I have never engaged in predator hunting before, mainly because there were tasty critters to chase this time of year (Doves/Ducks/Deer in Texas). Here's my story 10/10/2011 I went out early a.m. scouting for deer in a spot where I've seen them before. I climbed up onto the ridge and glassed the canyon below- and saw the buck I have been patterning. I watched him go off out of sight and decided to go back down to my truck and get myself some IHOP in celebration... That's when a siren from an emergency vehicle or BP echoed through the canyon from miles away. In return, the coyotes started howling all over the place! I usually have gear for quail, rabbits, etc. stashed in the truck- just in case. Lately, I have also packed my rifle and tactical shotgun and a few predator calls on a whim that I would actually try them out. So, I got back down to the truck, put my binos, spotting scope and junk away and grabbed the 30-06 and the 12 gauge, as well as my cottontail distress mouth call and the Flextone MIMIC that I got at Wal-Mart because it was the only call they had... I also had one of those Feather Flex rabbit foam thingy's. Made it back to the top of the canyon with all the gear and set the MIMIC at Cottontail Distress, and put the foam bunny out. The decoy and call were about 50 yards away downhill and upwind of me. Set my rifle and shotgun next to me and waited. 20 minutes goes by and nothing, so I thought I would change the call up to another sound- that's when I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye... Behind me, about 5 steps away, was a Bobcat stalking me, or so it appeared! I slowly moved my hand toward the shotgun and the Bobcat saw that and started walking away. When it turned, I snatched up the shotgun and aimed at the 'cat who was now about 15 yards away and trotting. Bang! The 00 Buck had a few sticks to get through but the 'cat did a cartwheel and never moved after! NICE!!! First time predator hunting and I shot a beautiful Bobcat! Gonna have it mounted as soon as I get the $$$. Here's the pic:

The only way to tag out is to find time to scout for yourself. You cannot expect to just drive-in, slam the truck door, and pick from the litter of bucks that will be right where someone said they'd be! Even if someone gave you the honey-hole, there's still a TON of work you have to accomplish in order to be successful. Yeah, people give you flack when you internet-scout... I make it out there on my own. That, my friend is the difference between a "hunter", and a "shooter". People who rely heavily on others for their success usually are of the "shooter" variety, and there's nothing wrong with that. The outdoors has varying levels of involvement. For instance: I've never Quail hunted before... so instead of going out there and scouting up some birds for myself- I tagged along on a trip with some experienced hunters and got skunked. Once bitten, twice shy- I went out and scouted/hunted for them myself and ended up finding a few. I'm a "hunter" with "shooter" tendencies. It's easy to piggyback off of others, but the real satisfaction in the outdoors comes from your own achievement, not from someone telling you where to go or what to do... It's 85%the "hunt" and 15% the "shoot" that is the gratifying event to the "hunter". Anyway, I tried not to be snotty- I hope it didn't come across that way. I am in the military too, and I feel your pain. I think that every outdoorsman has to look inside and figure out whether they are a hunter or a shooter, and then plan their trips according to the skills that they posess. If you don't have time to scout- get a guide and be a shooter. If you can budget some time- get out there and HUNT the deer you are looking to harvest. Hope it all works out for ya and that unit is in my back yard so let me know if youo encounter any problems! Good luck!

The burned areas are not that burned... tall grasses cover all but a few areas that got hit hard. Get out there and scout for yourself! The internet is not gonna tag that deer for ya!

I am a fly-fisherman... so I know and use the term "match the hatch" 100% of the time. I am not an experienced predator hunter at all, in fact I've only gone out once. But in the area I set up- there were tons of cottontail tracks and poop- I've even flushed a few of them on my way up to the top... Naturally, if there were bunnies there, use the cottontail sequences! It worked.

I've been using my Thermacell up in the mountains and it works fine. Takes 5-8 presses to get it going, but it lights and works like a charm!

I used to have a TRU-BALL Stinger, but have since switched to the Tru Ball Bone Collector Beast. I am having problems getting used to it.

Hey Yall, I got transferred to Ft Huachuca after being at Ft Hood, TX for almost 6 years... Not a stranger to hunting forum etiquette, so I'm gonna just say hi. I'm currently juggling time with scouting, pregnant wife, and my job. I've gone to the ranger station and bought a map, scouted on Google Earth, and I've hiked the more popular trails in the area. Hopefully, I can find some antlers when the time comes!

I shoot The X System heads from Mid Atlantic Archery... They fly great with my set-up and even if the expandable blades don't deploy or fail in some way, there's still a 2 blade with enough cutting surface to kill the animal.

What kind of points are you using on those arrows?

I don't think that there would be MORE poaching just because you could hunt at night... Poachers already DO that! I personally liked night hunting when I was in TX, and wouldn't be against it here if it passed. I just don't see why it would cause serious problems... I have not been here long, so maybe I'm just ignorant.

Nope, not a native Texan (but I really wish I was). We lived in Temple, and I did alot of waterfowling instead of deer hunting... I haven't applied for any tags on the Fort- Maybe next year I will. Thanks for the warm welcome fellas.

I'm looking to get a leftover for that same hunt... So, if I understand correctly- when a mining company comes in the area is shut down to hunting? or is it still under the 1/4 mile rule?