Devil Diver Down

While you're all out chasing bulls, if any of you spot some cows near Flat Top or Coon Canyon right south of Eagar - I'd appreciate if you could shoot me a PM. Scouted up there 2 weeks ago and the title "Limited Opportunity" doesn't fully describe it. Did not cut a fresh track or fresh dropping after a whole lot of walking and glassing. Hoping it will improve by early October.

You're the guy with the tag - it only matters what YOU think. Lots of guys eat their tags after passing on small bulls and there's nothing wrong with that - that's how they want to spend their tag if they can't hang it on a 360+. I shot my first archery animal last year (a bull smaller than the raggie you posted above) and you couldn't get the smile off my face for... well, still can't. Before my hunt - even after scouting some real nice bulls, including a 7x8 that I got within 20 yards of during the hunt - I decided I just wanted to 'get on the board' and I would be fine with shooting a spike. When the hunt began and I was into big bulls my strategy changed. I passed on bulls bigger than the one I ended up shooting. I had opportunities at big bulls and messed a few of them up and sometimes just had some rotten luck. As the hunt progressed and the elk seemed to be feeling more pressure (so was I!) I ratcheted my expectations back down to any antlers. I was working a small 6 point with about 12 cows and he chased my raggie away from the girls, in the direction of my wind. I figured I would be happy with the first one to offer a shot. It wasn't the 6! Draw, aim... release. Next time I draw a tag, I'll look to improve on my technique and my bull. Good luck with your hunt!

6A is an opportunity elk hunt - that's what it is designed to be. There are some quality bulls in the unit for sure, but there are also a bunch of hunters/tags. There is no mystery as everyone knows that going in. If chasing trophy bulls with few hunters in the unit is your choice, don't put in for 6A. There's a bunch of elk units in the state that afford different opportunities - put in for one of the units that is managed in a style that fits your preference. Pretty simple. Back to the pictures!!! p.s. 6ANut, is your family looking to adopt a middle aged hunter? They sure do kill some nice bulls and a whole bunch of them!

I hunted it last year - my first AZ archery elk hunt and my first tagged bull (the one in my avatar - 'calf with antlers' as my dad called him) - and was really nervous about the high number of tags. If memory serves, there were 825 for early, with 50 or 75 of those being cow tags. There were people all over the unit. It seemed like each tag holder had his/her own posse of 6-10 people. Water was everywhere in the early part of the hunt, so I doubt there was much haggling over water holes (at least early) but everyone had a quad or side-by-side on every road, trail and track - open or closed. I had a blast and was into bulls every day, including some toads. The crowds were kind of a downer but I had some close calls with some big boys and by far the coolest hunting experience of my life. From what I could tell, a bunch of people left after the first weekend and came back for the last weekend and full week. Hope you shoot a big 'un!

There's not a better wildlife organization in the state - even the national ones, IMHO - to support financially. I have memberships to 4 or 5 because those dollars are critical in preserving habitat and fighting for sportmens' rights. My oldest son and I have joined AES for work projects, youth hunts and seminars. The AES dues are probably about the best $40 I spend all year for myself, $20 for my son. We have to take care of our own interests because the huge amount of dollars pushing against hunting. Good folks taking time out of their own busy lives to put their boots on the ground instead of just talking a good game while digging into your pocket - or worse, into the tag pool to profit a bunch of guys who want to privatize wildlife. Best of all, the money stays local and helps in our state and the AES folks are not the quiet types when standing up and making Arizona hunters' voices heard. Plus, I had a great time and won a .300 Weatherby at the 2012 banquet - even if I am too chicken to shoot it. p.s. Anybody looking for a good, brand new never-fired elk rifle?

You got me on why a bull would be hard-horned this early/late. I heard a couple bulls from an elk herd bugling while chasing toms in unit 23 this April. My buddy and I looked at each other - neither of us realized they would bugle so early.

+1 on the notepad. A little alone time is good for the head - at least that's how I've found it. Campfire conversations are great for fishing trips, etc but when hunting I'm usually too tired by the time I get back to camp and eat to do anything other than crawl into my bag and recharge for another day. Almost all of my hunting is solo although I hardly ever tag anything, so packing out isn't my big worry. Make a plan to head into town after Day 4 or 5 to kill some time and refresh your brain if you start to get buggy. I've got a tough solo hunt coming in October on a limited opp archery cow tag with low (to no) densities and I know how tough it can be to stay focused when things are going against you. Motivation can be found in tracks, droppings or a set of dark legs walking through timber. Think about the years you sat home with no tag during elk season. I FINALLY killed my first bull last year with a bow and though he's no monster, I can certainly tell you it's worth every effort. Best of luck on your hunt!

I was going to try 23 for a day or so starting Tuesday - and maybe sneak some fishing in - but it seems like there's gonna be too much traffic in there just from the posters on CW!

Let us know what you decide and how it works out for you. A Montana archery elk hunt is likely in my future plans next year or 2015 and a little advance scouting on logistics never hurt.

Yes. It's not the entire unit - it's small portions. Limited opportunity to be sure.

I hunted the East Sunset/West Sunset rifle on a leftover a couple years back. You will figure out right away why it's a leftover. I had an any elk tag and when I talked to the AZGFD officer before I scouted, he told me to shoot the first elk (even a calf) I saw IF I saw one at all. I saw one cow while scouting for 2+ days. Saw one cow, a real nice bull and a twisted (old?) antlered bull in one group during the hunt but could not get in good position for a shot - then nada the rest of the time, except a couple flat tires. My dad told me that if I ever got a tag for that area again I was on my own. Quite a few antelope running around there, though. I always thought hunting elk - no matter where it is - is better than not hunting elk. That hunt may have changed my opinion. Of course, I don't have a tag for anything except dove and quail this year...

Congrats, I'd take that tag any year! Killed a small bull (my first and first anything with a bow) on that hunt last year. Get off the roads and away from the crowds (a TON of people in there for that hunt) and you will be into elk. I was on bulls all 11 days I hunted - probably saw over 80 different bulls during those days - and I would have tagged out on a nice bull early if not for a combo of my own bad strategies, quaddus interruptus (even in "roadless" areas) and wind shifts. I was thrilled to take one down - even a calf with antlers as my dad refers to it - but you should decide what you want before the hunt starts. Especially with Kid #1 on the way. I wouldn't scout until after 4th of July and I'd come up with 4-5 areas you think will hold elk and few people. Roads can and probably will be nasty, especially if they get rains like the last 2 years. That can work to your advantage. As stated, the north half will have the vast majority of people and maybe the majority of elk, but you only need one bull. Best of luck!

I have a hunter ed point and I've drawn 5 tags in about 30 years of draws - no premium hunts. I like your theory, ABW, and I'd like it even better if it worked for me but I wouldn't put any money on it. I think the system is fine as is, but I do hope it tilts in my favor for a while. Tough to be a very good hunter when you only get to try it every few years.

My understanding is that AZ cannot charge up front because of a law that prevents them from charging a credit card, without guaranteeing a service or good. I'd rather they charged up front, too. Then, if your bank screws up (sorry B of A customers) and declines before the correction period is up, you get it squared away without getting penalized. It would probably add up to a nice chunk of change on the interest from all that dough that AZGFD could put back into hunter R&R, habitat projects, etc. In Dobbs' scenario, I think Applicant B shout STFU, smile and hunt 6A. Better yet, they could send me any tag and I'll use it since I got skunked. I agree that it's problematic, but there probably isn't a perfect solution to an imperfect system. Pre-charging would solve a lot of issues, but it would eliminate the fun and excitement all of us have checking our cc charges every 15 minutes the last part of March.

Struck out on piggies. Got out 2 days - one day last week and again yesterday and saw a herd both days along with some Coues (1 potential shooter buck). The first day I caught them a half-mile away right about 30 minutes before dark and pushed too hard to get in position. Debated dropping my pack or shooting with it on too long and got busted by the one I did not see. Squealed on my call and an angry one circled back but kept a palo verde between us before huffing off to join the rest of the herd. Had a 27 yard shot (steep uphill angle) yesterday morning but I missed . That pig actually jumped the string and took off on release so I couldn't tell if I would have been on target or not. When I was moving in on them I spotted one boar mounting a sow. I thought that would be the perfect distraction to let me get in range but the sow was looking straight in my direction, so I had to wait out the process. Another boar came in and broke the mood, so to speak. It was fun, though, so I'm probably hooked from now on - at least until I have to field dress one of those smelly buggers.

I don't know thing 1 about hunting javelinas, except that I see them once in a while while I'm blasting quail. Anybody got any tips for what kind of habitat I should be looking for? Behavior? How water dependent are they? Cold call them or only if they scatter? Thanks in advance!

Ridonkulous! Very cool animal/trophy for you. Way to go.

Some great bucks on the ground there. Congrats to Allen and Travis. Awesome to see the good guys getting the win.

Just curious - how many pounds of boneless meat should a small bull (2x3) be? The skinned carcass weight was 240 - yeah, not huge, I know . My wife picked up the meat today and it seems a little light to me. My buddies and my dad think it's light too. I'm using this formula, which I found online: Whole weight = 1.42 x field-dressed weight Field-dressed weight (viscera and feet removed)= 0.70 x whole weight Skinned carcass weight (skin and head removed) = 0.83 x field-dressed weight Boneless lean = 0.50 x field-dressed weight Using that, I was expecting in the ball park of 140 lbs. I'm WAY short of that - like 25% - at 108lbs. I know there will be variance, but this bull had some pretty good fat storage built up and we were able to keep him very clean. Thoughts? Also, feel free to recommend a processor as I don't expect to be using this company again. I'd rather not throw their name out there now, considering I'm still in the questioning stage. I appreciate all input... even 'shoot a bigger one next time!'

My oldest has his first elk hunt starting Friday - the junior cow hunt in 6A. I know the unit pretty well - scouted and hunted it hard during the archery season. I'm afraid my son is starting to come down with a chest cold, so I'm hoping some of the bulls are still bugling that will make it easier to locate cows.

Thanks all for taking the time to respond and I appreciate the detailed explanation, Mike. Maybe the carcass wasn't as clean/hair-free as i thought - we finished in the early dark - but it sure looked pretty clean while hanging on the processor's platform scale. I had planned to quarter with the gutless method, but chickened out since I'd never done it before and thought I could get him in the truck whole. In hindsight, I may have been better off leaving the hide on until I got him to the processor (the evening after I shot him in the late afternoon) but wanted to get him cooled down asap since it was an archery hunt. I'll look into doing it myself, but it's a longshot as I usually have to scramble to get back to work as soon as my hunt is over. I believe good, honest meat cutters are worth the money. I butchered my own deer several years ago and I lacked the proper tools/knowhow to do a good job. I'll be MUCH better prepared beforehand next time if I decide to go down the DIY road. Maybe if I tagged out more often , I'd get more practice and have it down to a science like it sounds a few of you do. And I definitely need to shoot a bigger one next time.

It's a pretty terrible feeling to shoot and lose an animal. I imagine it's just as bad or worse to shoot an illegal one on accident. You're definitely better off reporting it - right when it happens - G&F gets your tag, the animal (which will help feed folks rather than be left to spoil and go to waste) and the hunter is no worse off. In my experience, G&F officers aren't looking to be punitive - they want people to follow the rules and have a good time in the outdoors.

Couple of nice bulls - congrats to you both! Was that an archery hunt?

I would have shot him on the first day, but that's just me. Still working my way up to the big boys, I guess. Congrats on getting it done later that day with a great bull! Was it fairly late in the hunt or did Chad just have to leave early? I was lucky enough to be into bulls every day of my hunt, but after about the 4th-5th day it was really rare to see a bachelor. Even the smaller bulls were in small herds with the cows and herd bulls. Once that happened, none of them came in to cow calls like they were coming in when they were by themselves, the first few days.

Pretty scary deal and makes you wonder what some people are thinking: Saturday evening about 6:30pm my oldest and I were sitting an area, listening for late bugles, where I had a lot of success locating elk during my archery hunt. We see light colored movement in the dark heading north (into a roadless area). It took a moment before I realized it was a kid in light colored pants, and I told my son he must be lost so I blew my cow call and flipped my headlamp on and off a couple times and got his attention. Kid about 16, in a short-sleeved shirt and no jacket (or gps, headlamp, etc) about a mile from the nearest road and heading the wrong way. Tells us he got turned around (no kidding) and is trying to meet his family at a tank (a mile south of where we found him). I offered him my jacket but he didn't want it (lost people always feel warm, from my experience) and we walked him to the tank until his family showed up. The kid was pretty freaked out and explained to his dad what happened. The dad just said 'nice meeting you'. No 'thanks' or anything of the sort - not that we're looking for that, but if someone found my kid I'd be pretty appreciative. Also, who sends their kid out in cold weather without a jacket, light, etc.? They were still missing 2 members of their party (who had light and apparently a gps) who we encountered on the way to my truck. After we pointed them in the direction of their party, someone of the lost boy's party started firing the boy's rifle into the air. We couldn't get out of there fast enough. I guess I have too high of expectations of people...