thegunsmith2506

I have a rifle tag in 21 this year as well. We have been scouting hard all summer and have not seen a lot of bigger bucks. The ones we have seen are getting a lot of pressure from the archery hunters right now. I doubt the few big bucks in the unit make it past noon on opening day. I am not very good at judging antelope, but I don't think there are very many bucks over 80". My goal was to try and shoot an 80" buck, but I think I might have to settle for something smaller. It doesn't really matter tho, I have my whole family coming up for the hunt. I will be happy with any nice looking goat. Good luck! Hope you guys can find a big one.

Only found a few this last weekend, but it was still nice to get out. I never put trail cameras on water close to a road, but I risked it for 2 weeks and it almost paid off. I had a cow elk come in and move my camera after only 2 days. I did manage to get a few Antelope on trail cam before she moved it.

I just started using Strelok to get me close, and then I dial things in on the range. It has worked pretty good for me out to 650yds. That is as far as I have tried it.

Here are a few from 2 weeks ago.

Here are my biggest. 38lbs, 39lbs, and 44lbs.

We just got hit for deer tags this morning. Or at least that is when the charges showed up.

I always hunt the first week when I have an archery cow tag. I think most of the hunters only hunt the weekends and the woods really clear out during the week. The elk seem to settle down during the week and go back to their regular habits. Just my opinion.

Braved the wind and the snow flurries to get out and do a little scouting. Here are a few pics. Sorry about the quality but I had to zoom in a lot on a few of them. Total we saw over 40 elk, 35 antelope, and 10 pigs.

For the first time since 2005 none of us drew an elk tag. Last year our 2nd choice had left overs, so it was kind of a surprise. The good news, I drew tag number 15 for unit 21 rifle antelope. I only had 9pts so I am pretty happy about it. Can't wait to get out there and start scouting! good luck to all still trying to get through!

The wife and I are getting away this weekend for a trip to Alamo Lake. We are mostly interested in trying to catch a few catfish. I am not a very good fisherman, and have never fished this lake before. I have looked at a few maps but I don't really know what I am looking for. Anyone willing to offer any advice on this lake? We will be stuck bank fishing since we don't have a boat this trip. Thanks in advance.

It was a lucky picture, there were carp jumping all over for part of the morning.

Well we finally got a charge for a lope tag! There are 5 of us that all put in seperate, I can't wait to see who got the tag!

Thanks for all the tips! We didn't catch any catfish, but we did catch a few others. The wind was pretty crazy on Saturday which made for some tough fishing.

Thanks for the tips guys! I can't wait to get out there and see what we can do.

I usually hunt Javalina during the archery hunt, but this year I just couldn't get the time to go. I really had no intention of hunting during the rifle hunt, but my wife talked me into it. My wife and my sister decided that we should all get leftover tags. Next thing I knew, my sister was calling from G&F needing my sportsman ID. All said and done we had 5 tags to fill. Me, my wife, my sister, my sister's boyfriend, and my dad. I was shocked when I found out my dad had bought a tag. I guess his only daughter was pretty persuasive.My dad hasn't hunted big game in the last 15 years. When I was growing up he hunted with my Grandpa every year, but he lost interest after my Grandpa died. I continued to hunt, and he tagged along on a couple of hunts, but never seemed into it. As the hunt approached I found myself more and more excited. I knew this was going to be an awesome hunt no matter how it turned out. Thursday night found the wife and I headed to Tucson. We arrived late and hit the hay for a few hours before we had to leave. I woke up at 5am, loaded the truck, and went to pick up my dad. I don't think his old Winchester had been out of the case in 10 years. He dusted it off and checked the bore. I brought him a box of Barnes 130gr Triple Shocks for the old .270. We filled the ice chest and headed over to pick up the rest of the crew. Five of us piled into the truck and started the hour long drive to our hunting grounds. Sun up found us glassing the hills where I grew up in Unit 32. We saw a few deer and a coyote before the wind got really bad. The 2 mile hike had us all ready for an early lunch, so we headed for the truck. We found a spot out of the wind and enjoyed a great lunch the girls had prepared the night before. A plan was made to move to an area we had killed pigs several years back. It was a dusty, hour long drive. We spent that afternoon and evening glassing, but never saw a pig. Day 2 we were a little slow getting started. Then we took a wrong turn trying to go in the back way. We finally got on the right road and headed toward our spot. It was just light enough to see, and I spotted a bunch of pigs on the edge of a big hay field. It was my sisters first hunt so we decided to try and make a stock for her. Just a few feet into the stock, we realized there were 2 other hunters already stocking the pigs. We backed out and watched the show, They made a shot, but missed, and the 25 pigs high tailed it out of the field. We were back in the truck and headed for our spot by 7am. I pulled the truck off the trail and started to glass a ridge about 250yds away. In less than a minute I had 3 pigs picked out. They were moving away from us, and seemed to be moving fast. I told everyone to head out after the pigs and I would pack up and lock the truck. Jason and the girls headed up the ridge opposite the herd, and my dad took off down the bottom of the canyon. My dad has the uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. I thought he was nuts heading down the canyon, but off he went. I packed the truck, and headed out after Jason and the girls. I was only 200yds from the truck and I spotted a lone pig trotting up the other side of the canyon. I sat down and got the scope on him. I looked over my shoulder to see the girls aiming at the same pig from further up the ridge. I passed on the shot in hopes they would take it. When I caught up to them they had lost the herd in the thick brush. We now had a big nasty canyon between us and a herd of fast moving pigs. It was decided that the girls would stay and Jason and I would go after the herd. The chase was on! We bailed of the side of the canyon and were huffing and puffing by the time we got up the other side. I could hear the pigs in front of us, but it was too thick to get a shot. The wind was perfect, so we just took our time and eased in closer. It seemed like an hour, but was probably less than 10min, when I finally spotted them. Two pigs stepped into a clearing about 100yds from us. I pointed them out to Jason and we both got ready to shoot. When the bigger of the two turned broadside, I touched the trigger on the .243 Ackley, and sent an 80gr Barnes through both shoulders. Pig Down! A half second later Jason's .243 barked, but he hit some brush and missed. I instantly got on the Primos "Raspy Coaxer" and started screaming. All heck broke loose! We had pigs running everywhere! Several pigs came within 20yds of us, but Jason was focused on a few that were farther out. By the time I got one of the closer ones pointed out, it was 20ft away and closing fast. We had to take a few steps back before Jason could finally get a clear shot. At less than 5ft! He hit a little far back and the pig took off down the hill. He took off after it. Next thing I know, 3 shots ring out down the ridge from us. Like I said before, my dad has an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. When he heard me shoot he crossed the canyon and waited for the pigs on a fence line. Sure enough they came right to him, and he hit all 3 shots. Not bad for a guy that hasn't shot a rifle in 15 years. I hiked over to my dad and helped him drag his pig over to where mine was. We found Jason, and after a quick follow up with the XD his pig was down. After a few pics we all headed down the canyon with a pig in tow. By 11am we were headed toward Tucson with an ice chest full of boned out Javalina. My dad had the biggest at 50lbs. We didn't weigh the other 2, but they were a lot smaller. All 3 were boars. We hunted Sunday morning to try and get the girls on a herd, but didn't have any luck. There is nothing better than spending time in God's creation with family. This is a hunt I will remember forever. Sorry for the long read. Here are a few pics.

SOLD

I really haven't had many chances to get out and do much calling this season due to work and other hunts. We finally got to hit the hills for a couple of days this past weekend, and had a great time. We had a few coyotes come in, but just wouldn't come in to shotgun range. At about 9am on the first day we were exploring some new country and found a great looking dry river bed. It looked like the perfect spot for a fox. Sure enough, less than a minute into the bird distress and I saw this pretty Grey running through the brush. She checked up at about 25yds in the only shooting lane I had. One shot of 3in lead BB's and she went down hard. On the second day we had to be back early so we hit some of our favorite spots close to home. It was the same story as the day before. Coyotes were there, but stayed out of shotgun range. At about 9am we discovered a great looking stand that we have passed by many times and never even knew it was there. It took about 15min of DGS Cottontail, and we had another pretty Grey running towards the call. I think she caught me lifting my gun as she cleared the last of the brush. She stopped at 37yds and looked like she was ready to bolt. It took a load of 3in BB's and a follow up shot of 3-1/2 #4 buck to put her down for good. This was the biggest fox I have killed yet. She was 11lbs and had awesome fur. I can't wait to get back out there..... Day 1 9lb female New stand from day 2

For some reason 8 years ago I decided I was going to kill a bear with my bow. I have dedicated many hours to this pursuit. Calling, glassing, sitting water, I tried it all. I have yet to fulfill this goal. About 3 years ago my sister's boyfriend mentioned that he would like to start hunting. I figured he would be like most beginners I know and lose intrest after a few trips. I was amazed at his dedication! I have a passion for hunting and calling predators, he seems to share that passion. From the very first hunt , he was determined to kill a bear with a bow. We have spent countless hours in pursuit of these animals. Although he has made a few gun kills, Jason had never made an archery kill until this day..... This year we didn't have much time to bear hunt due to other hunts we had drawn. We hunted for 7 days in the spring, and for a few days in August, but just didn't have the time to get serious. I guess its safe to say that if the season is open, and we are in the field, we are always bear hunting. This wasn't a dedicated bear hunt though. Heck, we hadn't even had a bear on camera at this spot. There was a little sign, but they just wouldn't come by the camera. This had been our deer spot in August. Jason had sat in his stand for 9 days with no bucks and no bears back in August. Deer season was over now, and I don't know why we decided to sit these stands but here I was. It was 4pm on a Saturday and I was tucked away in my groundblind on a good trail. Jason was 400yds behind me sitting in a ladder stand over looking a little basin. Shots are limited here, so we usually just carry a bow. I was just sitting there enjoying the fresh evening air when I glanced at my phone. I had a txt from Jason. I was sure it was going to be a pic of turkeys. The turkeys were in his little basin every night tearing up the acorns. He had been having a blast watching them from his stand. Instead of a pic, I had a txt. "Get over here now! I just shot Yogi!". Huh.... Jason can be a bit goofy at times. Don't get me wrong, it does keep things interesting, but its hard to know what he is thinking. I thought he was kidding around, so I txt back asking if he was serious. "Get over here now!" was all I got back. Huh..... I guess he actually saw a bear. So about 20 txt later I talked him into meeting me back at the jeep. I still didn't believe he had actually killed a bear. He was at the Jeep long before I got there. He proceeded to tell me how this big bear had walked up the trail behind the camera and looked straight up at him. Took him a couple of trys to get his bow drawn, but he finally made a shot. He wasn't sure of the hit, but he had found blood when he got down from his stand. "What? you found blood?". Now I was convinced he had actually shot a bear. We dumped most of our gear at the Jeep, and headed up to his stand. Light was fading fast, but we found blood and started trailing. Almost an hour later we were 200yds away with no trail, and things were not looking good. Jason was unsure of the shot. He thought it looked good at the time, but was starting to second guess himself. I wasn't too keen on tracking this bear with nothing more than a flashlight in my hands. It was time to head back to the Jeep for better lights, and a gun. I headed downhill towards a well used trail that would take us back to the Jeep. I had never seen that poor guy so down on himself. He was just sick thinking he had made a bad shot. I don't know why, but for some reason I shined my light off the trail about 20yds to my left. There was a big brown lump under an Oak tree. No way... I walked over to it and sure enough, there she lay. A beautiful brown colored Black Bear. Piled up less than 200yds from the stand, straight down a steep hill. His shot was good. The Copperhead broadhead had done its job well. Lots of backslaps and high fives and we were headed back to the Jeep. We were able to get within about 800yds of his bear with the jeep. Its a good thing cause I was beat by the time we dragged her that far. It was 2:30am when we finally got her in the freezer. I have never been so exausted! G&F aged her at 6-7 years old. Congrats buddy on a great bear! You earned it! We took pics after we got her down off the mountain.

Been using a Dead Coyote choke and it patterns #4 ok out to about 45yds. It shoots the BB's great inside 35yds. I really want it to pattern better so I need to put some more time into working up a good combo for it. I think I might start loading for it this next season. As far as the shotgun goes, its by far the best I have ever used!

I have used everything from #4 Turkey loads to 00 buck. I really don't like anything smaller than BB's for coyotes. In my experience it seems like the smaller shot just can't break bones as well. When skinning the ones shot with turkey loads I found a lot of pellets just under the hide. I know a lot of guys have great luck with them, but I prefer larger pellets. The last few years I have had pretty good luck with the Remington HD BB's. If you catch them on sale they aren't too bad, but normal prices is over $30 a box. I use 3in lead BB's for the really thick stuff where I know the shots will be close, and if I am calling for fox. If I am in more open yote country, I use 3-1/2 #4buck or 3-1/2 HD BB's. The last shot in the mag is always 3-1/2 00buck. I like the larger shot if I have to shoot at a wounded dog running off. I think the most important thing is to know how your gun patterns, and know your limits. I have been lucky a few times at longer ranges, but anymore I keep my shots under 50yds.

My dad, buddy, and I went to Showlow last weekend for a little fishing. We fished Big Lake on Friday and did ok. It was probably the worst fishing I have had there, but it was a great day with my dad. The weather was brutal on Friday with high winds and some snow! We tried Showlow Lake on Saturday and did a lot better. We caught all these fish trolling lures of one kind or another. This was only the second time my dad and I have fished together in the last 12 years. It is great to see him back out enjoying the outdoors. The highlights were a: 19in, 17in, and a few in the 15in range. Only a couple little fish were caught on Friday.

Nice Job! Took me a long time to call my first cat.

Rhondas did a terrible job on my elk last year. I will never go there again! All the meat was very dirty and not trimmed at all.

Finally got a chance to get out and start off the calling season. My buddy and I grew up calling coyotes in the southern part of Az together. He joined the USAF about 10 years ago and we haven't been able to hunt together too much since then. When we do get together its usually for a spring turkey hunt. Anyway, he moved back this year and drew a deer tag for this October. We got out to do a bit of calling and scouting. He had never killed a fox so our goal for the day was to get a nice Grey into shotgun range. About 9am after a little scouting I picked a stand that has produced a few foxes in the past. Less than 5min into the bird distress I saw this big fox slipping through the scrub brush. I had the gun up, and followed him in, but held off in hopes that my buddy would see him. When the fox was about 10 feet from the call I saw him lift his gun. A shot of 3in lead BB's and he was down for the count. Two stands later I called in a young male coyote with the Psyco Tweety. My buddy got him with some 3in #4 buck at about 20yds. It was a great start for the season.

I was sitting in my blind in unit 8 last weekend and heard a few bugles. Seemed a little early to me.