az_shooter

Sorry, I don't know anywhere to hunt up there. Not much help around the site either, I posted a topic about ducks down south and I didn't get any help. If I knew anything about your area I would try but I don't so i hope it goes well for you though, good luck.

I'm looking to take some friends and family on a duck hunt in southern AZ this weekend and I haven't been duck hunting in almost ten years. I was just wondering if anyone knows of any good ponds or spots around the benson/st. David/tombstone area. I'm not looking for anyone's secret spots or anything like that, just looking for some ideas. Thanks y'all

Those are a couple of really nice deer, please tell Taylor I said congrats, my name is Justin and I used to work with Taylor in Nogales. Congrats to the both of you.

Awesome job Robert and even better bucks, congrats on the deer

Thanks fellas, looks like a lot of good hunting going on so far with all the topics on the forum

This year started off just like any other year, with big dreams and even bigger anxiety. I've only been hunting Coues for three years, this year being my third, but I fell in love with it from the first tag i drew, that i ended up not tagging out. I started out hunting a buck that i glassed up while scouting but thing weren't going well. I found a real nice 3x3 the evening before the hunt but three days into the hunt I was left feeling confused and worried that i wasn't going to find him. The canyon that he was in was being pounded by hunters, including myself, and i just felt he moved out or maybe even worse, already killed. So the fourth day of the hunt i decided to start fresh and go deeper into a different canyon where I soon realized I was about to make the biggest mistake of the whole hunt. I glassed up three nice bucks at first light but one of them was just amazing, he was laying in the grass between two dead oaks and all i could see was horns moving around above the grass, and what a mess of horns they were, my heart went through my throat the second I found him. I was too far for a shot but when I tried to get in closer all three made thier way over the ridge and out of the canyon. I quickly decided to hike all the way around and get to a good spot to where i think he went. after about an hour of glassing for him again I wasn't having any luck. But ot of no where another hunter came over the ridge and was walking around through the brush occasionally lifting up his binos to look for deer. Luckily for me he spooked up the three bucks and he didn't even see them so I waited just long enough for the bucks to get up canyon from him before setting up for my shots. No need to embarrass myself with details but I missed the shot and the buck ran off never to be seen again, I was so frustrated with myself. On the fifth evening i found myself in a new spot again but still thinking about that beautiful buck I missed the day before. I was sitting under a tree glassing up the canyon when I found another buck, I couldn't tell how big but I knew he was a buck, so I started up the drainage being sneeky and hoping to get a chance to redeem my self. When I got to my shooting position I picked out from my glassing spot, I realized he was not anything close to the buck I missed the day before but still bigger then my first buck I shot last year. When I got all set up he was 330 yards and walking away so I let out a whistle, he stopped and turned to look and I squeezed the trigger. He dropped right in his tracks and I quickly grabbed my stuff and went to go see my second Coues buck. I didn't make a perfect shot but it was still good enough to get the job done. I'm already looking forward to next year and a new adventure, hope the story wasn't too long but I had quite an eventful hunt to share, hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks y'all, got the head all boiled out and now it sits on her shelf right next to her flower pictures haha

We set off early on opening morning with the rain coming down and the wind blowing. We got set up into our glassing spot just before darkness broke and waited for first light. It wasn't anymore then 15 minutes before i glassed up a little 3x3 about 900 yards out feeding circles around a yuca cactus. I told her I found a buck and decided to make a move on it. So we set off down the ridge to get into a good shooting position, with the wind still blowing pretty hard, which was good because it was blowing our scent down canyon and away from the deer. On our way to our shooting position I made a quick stop to pull up the swaros and just see if i could locate the buck again. Just as i did this we heard some rustling around in the grass no more than 20 yards in front of us. as I peaked over my binos I noticed that it was three javalinas feeding. I quickly shrugged it off and we were on our way once more. When we got down to our shooting spot I set up the glasses and began looking for the buck. Not too long after we set up again I noticed five deer just 60 yards from us also feeding and because of the strong wind they didn't even know we were there. I picked two bucks out of the group that was feeding 60 yards from us, a little spike and a fork horn, so I just ignorned them and turned my attention to finding the original buck we set out for. After scanning for about ten minutes i finally located the buck, which now was much further up the ridge and still walking. I told my GF that we could go after the small 3x3 but we would have to move around again and maybe take another chance at loosing him and not finding him and also spooking the deer feeding by us which had now fed to about 120 yards away. Just as this was happening my GF grabbed my arm and said something in a whispering voice that i couldn't understand but i could tell that she had been startled. I looked away from the glasses and noticed two things, one, she was still squeezing my arm and two, the javalinas from earlier had found us this time and mom was 15 yards away staring us down with a vengance. So i made a quick move to grab the rifle just in case and just then they decide to run off...in the direction of the deer that were feeding close by. But once again, thanks to strong winds the deer didn't notice anything. So after a 10 minute talk on what we were going to do she decided to let the 3x3 walk, which was now almost over the ridge about 800 yards away and still moving, and take a chance on the fork horn from the group feeding. So I moved her around just a bit to get into a better shooting position and waited until the buck gave us a shot. When the buck finally gave her a chance he was about 140 yards away and standing perfectly broadside. I told her to focus on breathing and just keep the crosshairs right on him and squeeze the trigger. as soon as the shot rang out i saw the buck jerk and collapse right where he stood. This was her first CWT and her first buck ever, she did a really good job and now has the deer to prove it!

Yeah, that was my new rifle I just got this spring, Remington model 700 in 300 win mag with a 26" barrel and leupold optics, looking to upgrade the optics next spring and start turning turrets and reloading. But it's a heck of a rifle and I'm really enjoying it so far

Congrats on a very nice harvest

Holy spread!!! Congrats on a great buck and nice write up

Shot my buck in the late October hunt and my GF got her first deer opening morning for the early November hunt, also had a couple buddies tag out this morning too, one of them with a decent 3x2 probable high 70's maybe low 80's. November isn't looking too bad!

+1 on the deer are evenly spread out through the unit

Nice buck! any story?

Guess well see what happens, either way ill be in there before first light on the 9th getting ready for another great CWT hunt

Congrats on a nice CWT! good write up

Well good luck on your hunt, my girlfriend has her first CWT tag coming up on the 9th so ill be back in the unit soon!

I think the hunt is up to the hunter and if a first time hunter or a long time hunter takes out a spike, oh well, that is is their accomplishment. A succussful hunt is a successful hunt wheather you tag a big ol' toad or a little spike. Also, as to the topic of deer qualitly, I've heard from many people and read that a buck with good genes shouldn't be a spike even in his first years. Personally, I've never shot a spike or a fork but thats because I had good people teaching me to hunt and have been in the right place at the right time I guess. But if AZG&F really wants to bring more quallity deer to the table they will cut the number of tags. Just thought i would add my two cents HAHA!

Congrats on your first CWT!

Awesome job, congrats to your daughter on her first CWT! what a sweet buck!

Sunnyside Canyon is still a good canyon, its just gotton so thick that its almost impossible to glass in a lot of areas

Congrats on your first CWT! 300+ yards with a .223 is a good shot.

Thanks Robert, i have a new found respect for people who do it by themselves every year, what a task! JeredMD; that was in 35A

Thanks! here is a picture of the head close up after I skinned it out

wow, very impressive, and congrats on a successful hunt, a buck is a buck now matter how you look at it and with a shot like that maybe even more impressive!