ready2hunt

Those are some great looking bucks. I am on the fence about alternative management. I know it serves its purpose but i don't like all the hunts becoming limited trophy draw. Some of the best memories I have are grabbing a tag and bow and heading up to kiabab for an over the counter hunt. Those days are long gone. Again, I see the purpose but I cannot say at this point that I want this to happen to the whole state.

The size of that deer is just unreal! Amazing job on the mount, you do some great work.

Did you apply online or by paper?

I have seen it at about 3-4 weeks. I have not really paid attention to the time frame though.

Those are some impressive goats!

I love seeing that! Thanks for sharing!

Sent PM. Hope your daughter recovers quickly!

Ya hopefully this dies out quick. Was up there bow hunting last year and the ground was just pure ash.

what a great looking antelope. Looks like a great place for archery season. Good luck!

I just read this article and it just goes to show the stupidity of some people. It speaks of saftey issues and how hikers have seen animal populations dwindle...seriously??? It also says they are looking to expand the preserve....so where does it stop if they change the city ordinance to ban archery there? Here is the text: Bow hunting in Scottsdale preserve met with concerns A little-known rule allowing bow hunting in Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve will take center stage during an upcoming public hearing, when preserve leaders are expected to debate the practice amid concerns about trespassing and hiker safety. The hundreds of thousands of hikers who visit the nature preserve to explore each year share the vast desert with bow hunters tracking deer or javelina. Critics have questioned the practice, saying it poses a threat to hikers' safety and animal populations, which are already down due to abnormally dry conditions, wildlife officials said. Hunters have been known to cross over illegally onto private property, drawing complaints from nearby homeowners, said Kroy Ekblaw, Scottsdale's preserve director. "We know we have had some concerns from various neighborhoods adjoining the preserve," Ekblaw said. The Arizona Game and Fish Department regulates hunting in the 33-square-mile desert refuge, which requires a license and a tag to track deer or javelina during the bow-hunting season, said Jim Paxon, a Game and Fish spokesman. "The hunting in the preserve is minimal," Paxon said, adding that it is "very rare" for an archer to actually kill and remove an animal there. Most bow hunters go out before daybreak but the preserve is only open from sunrise to sunset, Paxon noted. A ban on bow hunting would require the city to change its preserve ordinance. James Heitel, chairman of the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve Commission, said he was surprised to hear about bow hunting in the preserve. Some 300,000 visitors came to the preserve last year. "There are clearly some safety issues," Heitel said. "The preserve is a fairly unique piece of property, and there is a lot of the public that is utilizing the preserve. We expect visitors to increase substantially over time as we expand the boundaries." Heitel said the hearing will include an information session with Arizona Game and Fish. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve spans 21,400 acres across eastern Scottsdale, encompassing mountainous terrain east of Pima Road and west of McDowell Mountain Regional Park. Scottsdale voters passed sales-tax increases in 1995 and 2004 to bankroll land purchases for the preserve. So far, the city has spent approximately $800 million, including debt service, to acquire the land and build trailheads and other improvements, Ekblaw said. Scottsdale plans to buy another 6,400 acres of state trust land later this year for the preserve. With the expanding preserve and growing numbers of hikers, resident Michael Mayer has pushed to ban unfettered bow hunting. A frequent hiker at the preserve, Mayer said he has watched animal counts decrease there since 2003. "I started raising the issue of how it doesn't make common sense to promote thousands of hikers and spend almost a billion dollars on developing the preserve and still allow unlimited bow hunters," Mayer said. Unlike hikers, bow hunters are allowed to veer off of trails in the preserve. Residents want the unlimited policy stopped, Mayer said. Paxon said the Game and Fish Commission would work with Scottsdale if the city chooses to end bow hunting. 

Correct me if I am wrong but FR300 is the Mogillon Rim Rd....goes all the way along the rim east to west....that would make sense becuase the elk are still up there before the snow hits.

+1 HAHA there is a "real hunter" for ya....he's using his head. Hope susie is on my side this year. good post!

This is truly incredible work! You all deserve these awards. I am mad I missed it. Congrats!

Yes as mentioned before its all about going where they shed them. We I go out with my cousin's they are going for elk shed and they find them in the winter grounds and transitional grounds where the elk are moving back up. Some of these guys even have dogs they have trained to pick up the scent of shed or the bone and these hounds just find them all day long. In my experience with coues they shed them in same places they hang out in the spring/summer. I have even had some hang onto their antlers until april. (Seen it on my trail camera's) Although IMO the larger/mature bucks shed them faster than the younger ones. Like everyone else though it involves a lot of walking and focus on finding them to see em'. Mice and other rodents usually eat em' up pretty quick.

+1 to the camera When it comes to water holes (personally) I have seen the most activity at dusk (Wish I could say that's when I have shot one haha). But it really just depends on the pressure from hunting along with many other x factors. Since they are not wearing themselves out in the rut yet they can wait until dark to drink. Clearly they can come into water at any time- any day but during those really hot ones, just like us, they will wait it out in the shade most often. IMO

+1 on the water source. You're obviously not going to be the only one who knows where water is (meaning other hunters) but don't be afraid to put up a camera. Look for game trails that lead in or out of a lush area....setting up a camera on a trail that leads to water can often times be more effective especially if others are already hunting that water hole. The fall (Oct. Nov.) can be very dry times of the year. One thing that I have done personally and have had excellent results doing is builing my own trail. I read about in a feild and stream mag. long time ago. I found trail and the used a rake and built my own trail leading away from it to some corn or a lick. Doing this I have led deer right to where want them to be without disturbing forest. I have a couple of areas now where I have coues coming into consitently and got a buck in one last year! Its been really fun but some other hunters followed my trail as well haha....(just the way it goes). I really like Primos Game cameras, they work great and for $100 I have been pretty impressed with the picture and preformance.

I really like Nikon products and you can get a pretty good pair for a decent price however if you are really considering glassing/shooting long distances it would be best for you to invest in high quality. I found it really hard to glass long distances with my Nikon however I used my buddy's Swaro's while scouting recently and it was a night and day difference. Only perfect practice makes perfect so I am going to coin a phrase that some ones else here uses...... Buy right or Buy twice.....its good advice....especially if you are planning on staying here for a while. You really can't go wrong with a Leupold scope either...you get what you pay for and they are high quality.

Welcome to the Coues club. You will be an addict shortly....I am biased. There is nothing like taking down a grey ghost. Just as was previously mentioned take your time to scout and glass and be prep yourself for long shots. I am jealous, the Fort Huachuca area has some amazing hunting opportunities for CWT and Mule deer alike. Make sure you post up any pictures! Good luck to you!

That's incredible. Sounds like a great hunt! Congrats

I see your point about murphy's law and do like the stability of a fixed blade. I think I will try both types and see how they stack up. Anyone shot the Grim Reaper? Opinons?

Sounds like a great weekend! I am sure the weather was perfect!

Ya post up those pics as soon as you get em'!

Nope your not, the blades don't lock open, but they do move open-n-closed as the arrow moves in and out of the animal. Remember those blades didn't get dull penetrating the animal cutting all they touch. The wing blades also do some of the cutting inside. I think my brother was think if the arrow came out that the wound would be open and bleed more rather than have an arrow plugging it. I will ask him about your observation I like that logic. Its clear that when an arrow is in and pushed around by the muscle that it would continue to cut. However, on the flip side I would actually prefer that if my arrow didn't go all the way through that it pull out to allow the wound to bleed....or if it was a poor shot then to pull out to allow the animal to bleed. It just my opinion but with the amount of research that goes into designing a broad head it sounds like this is something they (the manufacture) did on purpose. Elkhunter1- which broad head do you use specifically?

+1 Good Post! Long live the free, the brave and those who defend them!

Those are some of the best sheds I have ever seen from a coues!