JakeL

Chances are slim you see either one unless you put in good specific effort to. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

You guys sure do have some nice bucks!

Holy Heck. Thats a nice buck.

Great buck!

I'll be in a situation very similar to yours this winter. I'll be doing my first solo hunt, and it will be my first time actually holding the tag. I've found a few online resources for showing how to take care of game after the kill. I'll post them up here. But since I want to keep things simple, and its my first time without somebody helping, I have come up with the following game plan. First I'll kill an enormous Muley about .5-2 miles from my car (not truck...). I'll take a couple photos, and then get to work field dressing him. I'm planning on trying the gutless method, since I'll have to quarter him anyways to get him back to my car (no buddy to drag with, so 2 miles of dragging ain't happening). I'll get him all dressed out and the meat I can't carry hung in bags on a nearby tree, marked in my GPS, mind, and with Toilet Paper flags. Then I'll take him in 2-3 loads back to the cooler and ice packs waiting in my trunk. After that I'll be processing him myself. I've assisted others in this, and figure I've got to learn sometime, why not on my 1st? Between my prior experiences tagging along on hunts when I was younger, and google, I should be able to do at least a passable job on my own. I may learn a few things the hard way, but I'm planning as much as possible to minimize any stupid mistakes. Worst case scenario, I call one of my more knowledgable buddys to come bail be out of any tough spots I work myself into. But it can't be that hard right? (famous last words... ) Here's some of the resources I've found. http://rule-303.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-process-your-own-deer.html http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2067691/How_to_Process_Your_Own_Veniso Hope those links work. I'm no expert, but hopefully I'm smart enough to get the job done. Just have a can-do attitude.

That got my blood pumping for sure.

I've been scouting a desert area for hunting this coming fall. Its public land, with no roads nearby. Today I found a great little (very little) canyon, and smack dab in the middle of it was a pop-up blind. It has been sitting there for at least a month by the look of it (could have been much more for all I know), with no signs of people coming or going. I sort of doubt it gets used much, if at all. Heres my problem. I don't want to just assume its empty all the time, because one of these days there may be somebody in there and I don't want to find that out once I've hiked through the area they're hunting. But I can't just make the area off limits because somebody left their blind in the middle of it and might use it 5 days in a year. What practical ways do you guys all deal with this? This is the first time I've encountered this sort of thing in this neck of the woods. Usually, forest service removes these. But I am pretty confident it will be a long time before anyone with authority (govt or owner) removes the blind.

Yup. Good to see. You guys find any significant changes yet?

Great tips on finding good browse, and then finding deer. Thanks guys.

Thanks for those excellent pics BOHUNTR. That macro of the buckbrush is especially good. Have you guys noticed any pattern to finding areas these plants tend to grow thicker? As in, partially shaded north slopes, or more open clearings, steep canyon bottoms, etc. Or is it more just random? I'm learning more in this one thread than in years of hunting and reading hunting material. Keep it coming.

Haha. August... ya I didn't mean to say August. I meant December... God help the bowhunter so addicted he'll brave the low desert heat in august for a 5% chance at a buck... On the other hand... 5%... that might be good enough for me

Thanks guys. Theres a lot of great information in here. I like what I'm hearing too. Its getting me excited for august... how many days?...

Have you had much trouble with other hunters at the water? Most guys up there are usually civil and polite, but it still can be a rat race to be the first come and first served. (maybe I hunted the wrong water

Well its public land, just inside the border of a national forest. So I know it could technically be considered littering and removed. But I wouldn't want to do that if the person really does use the blind. I'll keep an eye on it, and perhaps leave a note if its still there this fall. Its on a travel corridor, which I hope to spot and stalk hunt. So it may not be much of an issue.

Hey Everyone, I have been lingering around the forum pages for a while, and figured I better finally jump into the waters. A bit about me, I'm a college student, and getting married in June. So life's busy, and wonderful. I mostly hunt quail and dove in the desert around the Valley. With occasion stalking of muleys down in the cactus. My real experience in muleys is in central Utah. I've been running around those mountains with a bow since before I can remember. Seriously. I had a fiberglass bow with what must have been a <10 lb pull, and my Grampa's old Easton aluminums. I'd chase squirrels and chipmunks, or when we were recovering deer I'd take the lead point with my trusty weapon ready, in case the deer wasn't quite dead. (I never had to finish one off with my toy bow...). As life would have it, I haven't ever been able to connect drawing a tag, school scheduling, and successful stalks together into my own bow killed deer. (A few lost bets have had me gutting my smug buddy's deer though...) So this year I have some pretty serious goals for my archery season. I am planning and preparing to take a high country buck from central Utah in August-September. Then I hope to stalk rutting desert bucks in december somewhere a little closer to my home in the Valley. My fingers are crossed, and my back is already getting sweaty making these goals happen. I'm glad to be part of this sweet forum. Jake