GreyGhost85

i have noticed a huge spike in successful archery hunts. I have heard rumor that the days of OTC archery deer are going to come to an end because of this. I think that a lot of what's happening is more and more people are hunting now, and people are actually getting pretty good at it. Everyone has high end optics anymore and have figured out how to glass. The amount of big animals being killed across all hunts is astonishing, Times are changing, people are able to find animals better and shoot further than ever before. I witnessed a virtual elk slaughter in the 27 late bull hunt this year. Out of all the hunters i talked to, i would say the average shot was 600 yards. Times are changing, and the way that the hunts are structured is going to change a lot. I guarantee we will see a huge cutback in rifle tags, an increase in muzzleloader tags (and muzzleoaders being changed to open site and traditional like many states are now doing) and archery deer going to a draw statewide. congrats to all the hunters that have capitalized on taking trophy animals as of late, but things will have to change if we expect Arizona to keep producing so many trophy class animals. Sorry if i hi-jacked your thread with this post, but i think that there are a lot of things that have gone into play the last couple of years which amount to a huge number of mature animals being taken

where i run my cameras i have never seen a mature mule deer outside of the rut. only lots of does and yearlings. when the rut rolls around the area is flooded with mature bucks, but i have no clue where they are for the other 10-11 months of the year. i make my brain hurt from trying to figure them out. i see the same deer every single year in january but have no idea where they are in the august archery hunt or the rifle season

sure you don't mean a 435 grain arrow?

i'm going to go out in my KUIU camo, while using my SWAROVSKI binos and shooting my GUNWERKS precision rifle. I'll probably be wearing DANNER pronghorn boots, and my optics, that i have down btw, will be mounted on my OUTDOORSMAN tripod. i hope my BERGER bullet finds it's way home and my NIGHTFORCE scope is all dialed in

I'll save everyone else here the trouble Javelina (Collared Peccary) Javelina inhabit the entire unit, but herd densities differ geographically. Javelina are more abundant at elevations between 2500 ft. and 4500 ft. Javelina are small in comparison to many other big game animals and they blend in very well with their surroundings. Javelina spend a majority of their time resting and feeding and tend to utilize thick brush and caves or overhangs for bedding areas. When feeding, javelina prefer succulents such as prickly pear, barrel and hedgehog cactus. They will also take advantage of early winter and spring green-ups in the bottoms of drainages and open slopes. When searching for javelina, you should spend a majority of your time looking for them with binoculars from a good glassing point where you can see a large basin, canyon or drainage with food, water, and cover within close proximity to one another. Concentrate your glassing to sunny hillsides and slopes in the early morning and evenings. The proximity of 20B to a growing Phoenix metropolitan area makes it a very popular destination for a number of outdoor recreational activities. The further one can get from some of the more popular and used roads into the unit will increase hunt success and should provide for a higher quality hunting experience. As always, hunters are strongly encouraged to make pre-season scouting trips into the unit. During pre-season scouting trips, concentrate your efforts around water sources such as springs, potholes, stock tanks, and game catchments to check for recent javelina activity. You do not necessarily have to locate the herd itself, but if you locate the herds feeding, bedding, and watering areas you will increase your chance of harvesting a javelina during the season. Suggested areas to hunt include: Wickenburg Mts., Swallow Mt., Silver Mt., Buckhorn Mts., Black Canyon Creek, and Bumblebee Basin.

i have had a .17 fireball for years now. it is crazy accurate and everything i have shot is DRT, even a couple javelinas. what kind of bullets do you shoot? the only reason i don't shoot the fireball more is because it is so dang hard to reload for. i have a very hard time holding the bullet on the neck while seating them, being that all the bullets are flat based and not boattail they don't balance on the end of the brass very well. do you have a secret to making this easier?

motorola CP200. if you can get your hands on a set for a decent price. i gave up on buying the cheapies that break and get lost all the time.

man i love how bad and crooked taxi's get put on blast here. i feel terrible for the victims as i have been a victim myself. never had a head stolen, but have waited over 2 years for nearly every animal i've got mounted. keep stringin em up fellas. does anyone remember the post of the mountain lion mount and remount that looked so terrible? i believe it was done by McBride? if so, post up the link to that one

coues deer are browsers not grazers, which means they browse on the leaves, seed heads, etc. of things that grow above the ground. they do not graze on grass. this is why it would take a ton of snow to move them out of an area. coues deer are where they are. i have seen them at 2000' all the way up to 9000'. mule deer are the same. there is not set elevation that either of the two species lives. the tracks you saw i'm sure were just everyday movement of them, not any sort of "migration". if you followed them long enough, i'm sure that the tracks would eventually turn and head back up a ridge. and yes, you are definitely overthinking the situation. if you see coues tracks, that animal wil be within a mile or two of where the tracks are, in any direction. they are hard to hunt, "wandering" animals. very hard to pattern or predict, unlike their eastern cousin

i have never really noticed a so called coues "migration" they tend to stay in the same areas year round. it would take some SERIOUS weather to get them to move out of an area. mule deer seem to move a lot further in search of does in the rut. i run cameras 12 months a year, just to try to get a better handle on coues behavior. although i think coues do have a larger home range than what a lot people think ( i think it is closer to about 3-4square miles rather than 1), i get the same bucks on the same sets 12 months a year. some months they frequent the areas more, but they are always there

new model, or older model?

anyone been out to 27 the last week or so?

does any taxidermist consistently have a 12 month or less turn around? all of my mounts have taken 18-30 months....it's getting ridiculous

what tag was that? story time?

people have honey holes because they don't post where they are on public forums. if someone told you where pigs were, they would not be there after about 2 weeks. pigs are easy to find. start in the areas listed on the G&F website, look for water, find a tank with pig tracks and start hunting there. everyone on this site looking for info on where the animals also has very minimal posts. try becoming an active member of the site for a while, then ask for help. you might be amazed at the reults. until then, follow advice. get out there in the unit, and put your boots to the gorund. it is hard to bag an animal from your computer desk

Someone of "importance" found a unique, or huge bull after the hunts this year and wants to get first crack at it. we will probably see photos of a monster elk shot by that same person next year

if someone wants the camera they will get it, no matter what kind of precautions you take. i have been running cameras for about 12 years, i have never used any kind of lock box or cable and never had one stolen. i like to put mine about 8-10' off the ground using tree pegs to set it and check it, just take them out every time. it seems like doing this eliminates a lot of issues dealing with false photos do to sunrise/sunset and people don't tend to "look up" when walking through an area. if somene lays eyes on your camera, there is a good chance of it turning up missing. spend a lot of time on your sets, and try to make the camera look as invisible as possible. adding texture to cameras, and painting them also works well for doing this

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/54685-vortex-diamondback-nib-35-10x50-bdc-225/

those pics are much better. what a stud. archery or rez?

i would say on an average year, with pretty good genetics he should be around 320" next year. 280-340" would be a huge jump. unless the bull has absolute freak genetics, they will have to be pretty mature to reach 340". i would guess that bull is around 4 years old. bulls really start to get that "mature look" to them at 6-7 years old and seem to peak around 10. it seems like there is a year between a young bull and a mature bulll where they are usually 310-330" and the next year is when they jump up into the mature 340-350 bracket. i might be way off too, but have spent a lot of time around elk and feel that this is what i have observed

congrats. have any more pictures showing a different angle?

late rifle bull 27 1st, late unit 1 bull 2nd. 6bp. thanks flatlander, this is a lot of help to everyone.

welcome to the future. your posts in this topic make you sound like a man from the 1800's that has hopped in a Delorean and ended up in 2014. maybe we should all just use our ol' trusty flintlocks and stickbows and hunt buffalo on horseback. it's the way things are anymore. i run cameras every year, lots of them and will continue to do so, all the while filling my tags with mature animals. the topic that is being discussed is a slippery slope. the man was not looking to be bashed for using cameras, just looking for advice on what to use. water holes are up for grabs, first come first serve. if i found a camera and a salt lick, i would never encroach on that area. wear out a pair of boots, get off the trail, put in the footwork and find another dang spot. if a man has a stand and camera set up that is NOT on a highly accessible water hole, stay out of there. like has been suggested, maybe leave a note and make an arrangement on who can hunt when

i go on a ton of hunts every year and have considered getting mine, just so G&F can't mess with me. i have been questioned many times on whether i am receiving anything in return for my "favor" of going with them and lending a helping hand. i have wondered if being on the licensed guide list places you under a microscope?

looks similar to my 2013 buck. l love big, forked-in-the-back 3-points. mine scores right around 170", but who cares? i love big bucks with some character