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Old Buck

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Posts posted by Old Buck

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Cool photo of the license. Lots of history there.

     

    I got my first Arizona hunting license in 1963. It cost $5 and another $1 for the OTC deer tag. I also picked up an extra box of 30-30 shells for $2.95 at the Govway store on McDowell Rd in Scottsdale on the way out to the Beeline Hwy. Fun times and lots more hunters in the field then.

     

    TRKHNTR it looks like you have applied for sheep longer than me. I have been applying since 1968 unsuccessfully. If my math is correct and 11 of the max bonus point holders again only pay for bonus points, we have 19.5 percent chance of drawing a tag. How could you not draw with odds that good. Good luck in the draw, hope this is the year.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    I really like sheep and sheep hunting. I have only been on 5 desert sheep hunts, 4 in Arizona with family and friends and one in Nevada when I had a tag in my pocket. I am still trying to draw my first ever Arizona sheep tag and even though I have been applying since 1968, I haven't given up. Each year I spend a considerable amount of time going over draw, survey and hunter checkout data. I have learned some interesting things. Contrary to what I thought, there are more applicants per permit for Rocky Mountain Sheep(159.5:1) in Arizona than Desert Sheep(132.5). Another interesting thing is that you don't have to hunt units 22 or 24B to kill a 180 inch ram. They seem to pop up here and there throughout the state. I even got to watch my son shoot one a few years ago in a unit that had lost favor with sheep hunters and had much easier draw odds. He drew his permit on less than maximum bonus points. It was a fun hunt and my son even let me carry half of the sheep off the mountain!

     

    Now my 2 cents on sheep hunting and guides. If you can constantly glass and kill whitetail deer in Arizona, you don't need a guide. Get one if you want, but my guess is that you will do fine. On the 5 hunts that I have been on, the hunter killed a nice ram in 3 to 5 days.

     

    I encourage all you future sheep hunters to look at the draw odds and apply in a unit where you have a chance of drawing a permit. Also look at Nevada and Utah next year. The more applications that you have in for sheep the better the odds are that you will draw a tag.

     

    As for me, I will continue to apply for Desert Sheep in Arizona. My plan is if I can draw a Desert tag in the next few years, I will start applying for Rocky. If I can accumulate 25-30 bonus points maybe I can draw a Rocky tag before I am 95 and am forced to slow down on hunting.

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  12. Posted · Report reply

    I just reviewed my bighorn sheep bonus point reports for 2012, 2013 and 2014. I found that all permits in unit 22 went maximum point holders all 3 years. In units 44BN and all 3 sub-units in 24B some of the permits went to applicants with less than maximum points during the last 3 years. Does this mean that any of these hunts are a good choice for someone with less than max. points? I don't know, you will have to decide that.

     

    In the most recent bonus point report that I saw, there were 134 max. bonus point holders for sheep. In the 20% pass there will be 23 permits given this year. At this rate, I am guessing that in 3 or 4 years a few permits will be given in the bonus point pass to applicants with one less than max., as some applicants will continue to apply for those hard to draw units.

     

    Remember, those of us with max. bonus points got to where we are by persistence and because we are very unlucky! My guess is that a number of you without max bonus points will draw Arizona sheep tags before me!

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I have had the pleasure of hunting antelope in Arizona a number of times and unrelated to hunting them have spent many days watching antelope. I will answer your questions from my perspective:

     

    1. Yes antelope migrate in Arizona, but a more significant factor is seasonal movement in response to a summer green up. They can easily move 5-15 miles to take advantage of a green up.

    2. I have seen lots of one horned bucks bucks at the end of October, I think this is the peak of the drop season in Arizona. Their horns seem to grow back quickly. I have watched bucks in late winter thinking that they will grow 2-3 more inches before the hunt and have been disappointed every time.

    3. Antelope need free water. However antelope can casually stroll five miles in a very short time.

    4. Yes antelope are primarily diurnal, they are up and down all day long. This along with the open country that they inhabit makes them fun to hunt.

    5. Spot and stalk is my favorite method of hunting. I like to hike up onto a high point and glass and then come up with a plan to move into range. The most common method of hunting in Arizona is road hunting!

     

    The two biggest factors affecting your scouting today compared to September will be summer green up and other hunters. Good luck on the draw!

  19. Posted · Report reply

    WOW! This topic hits too close to home! I had a .260 Remington built this past July and spent way more money than I thought possible. I ended up with a rifle that shoots great, is fun to shoot and has already accounted for 4 one shot kills this season. It is going to take me a year or two for my bank account to heal up, but I can't wait to have another rifle built!

  22. Posted · Report reply

    I have 2 go to elk rifles. My long range rifle is a custom Remington 700 in 300 win mag with a 5.5-22 nightforce scope. It shoots those good 200 grain accubonds in front of 73 grains of rl 22 at 2975 fps. It has accounted for 3 bulls from 435 yards to 650 yards with my last 3 bull tags. The sad thing is that it has been silent for almost 2 years.

     

    My other rifle is a standard out of the box Remington 700 in 7mm RM with a 3-9 leupold scope. It shoots those good 140 grain accubonds in front of 69 grains of rl 22 at 3100 fps. It is a much lighter rifle and is nice to carry when tracking elk in the snow where shots are 300 yards or less. It has been silent for 10 days.

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