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Found 75 results

  1. Coues Stew

    A little of everything

    Intended for this to be a new elk spot but wouldnt you know!
  2. Coach

    23 Youth, where to start

    The bad news is, 3 out of 4 of us got skunked on the deer draw this year. The good news is, my oldest son, Matt drew a 23 youth tag. I'm no stranger to 23 and have been hunting it for years - but usually for pigs in the early Spring. Many of the spots I know are really great for deer at certain times of the year, but during the youth hunt, a lot of the bucks are higher than where I normally hunt. I'm not looking for a monster buck here, but given the potential and Matt's abilities I think we should be able to find either a nice mature coues or mule deer buck. I'd love to PM or email some ideas back and fourth about strategies for this hunt. I recognize most folks won't want to start shouting out unit-specific advice over the WWW and I respect that, so if you want to talk 23, I have as much to give as get. I know the lower parts of the unit very well, but the upper portion, not so well. I would love to get some advice for hunting this unit for a youth hunt, and will gladly reciprocate with some detailed info of my own, more catered to the later hunts. Thanks, Coach
  3. Bowhunter480

    Opening day luck!

    After getting comfortable in my blind this guy pops up. Luckily he wasn't spooked because I hadn't put my release on yet. Ooooops After a controlled scramble I was able to collect myself and put the shot on him at 25 yards.
  4. Hello CW, I am currently the Secretary for the Mule Deer Foundation Phoenix Chapter, our first annual banquet is being held on May 18th at the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. We need your help to make this banquet a success. The purpose of the Mule Deer Foundation is to ensure the conservation of mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat. MDF is dedicated to the following goals: To restore, improve and protect mule deer habitat (including land and easement acquisitions) resulting in self-sustaining, healthy, free ranging and huntable deer populations. To encourage and support responsible wildlife management with government agencies, private organizations and landowners. To promote public education and scientific research related to mule deer and wildlife management. To support and encourage responsible and ethical behavior and awareness of issues among those whose actions affect mule deer. To support regulated hunting as a viable component of mule deer and black-tailed deer conservation. To develop programs that focus on recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation. Although this is a website dedicated to Coues Deer, the projects that we undertake benefit Antelope, Coues/Mule Deer, as well as Elk. We recently completed a fence project in Unit 21 off of Dugas road. Click the link to see pictures of this event: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.454547187959858.1073741825.366535600094351&type=1 The banquet will feature: dinner, raffles, live auction, and many other games. We need your help to preserve the animals we love to hunt for generations to come! You can purchase tickets online at http://www.muledeer.org/node/2087 . There is a 6% fee for purchasing online, if you would like to save the 6% I can meet you somewhere with the physical tickets. I live in central Phoenix and I get off of work at 6pm. I am flexible so just call or text me during the day and we can set up a place to meet. I am also in the store 9am-6pm, Mon-Fri. if you would like to come in and purchase them there. Please contact me if you have any questions about the banquet or the MDF in general. Thank you very much for your support! Josiah Richards Cell: 602 908 2757 Email: Josiah@RossOutdoors.com
  5. Here are my three bucks this season all DIY. Story to come... Colorado Muzzleloader Velvet Mule Deer Arizona October Rifle Coues Oklahoma Rifle Whitetail Thanks for reading, Connor
  6. Well, since I'm getting ready to head to Mexico I figured i would share the year we had. We had limited tags in our family this year, but we had some great hunts and had a great time. I shot this Mexico buck on the last day last evening after passing up many others broken or not exactly what I wanted. There was 16 bucks on the hillside and this was the dominant buck. Others would have scored better but this one gave me a bedded shot at a long range, and here he is on my wall. Next was my UT buck at 33 yards NM antelope Son's first Coues I had the privilege of helping out on quite a few elk hunts, some big bulls were killed, but none of my family had tags (0 for 3 on cow tags) and so we are having to buy beef for the first time in 10+ years. For many years we use nothing but elk for all our burger. I am lucky enough to be headed to Mexico in a couple days to start off 2013, hopefully we get a few more tags and can be blessed again. Thanks.
  7. matt burke

    Best Unsuccessful Hunt

    Best Unsuccessful Hunt Bow hunting is said to be challenging. This in-your-face action is what I like. Unfortunately, sometimes we get outdone by our quarry. Taking the advice of a successful archer I headed to a location in the Tucson Mountains. After the first several days of finding only doe’s, I headed in another direction. After thinking on it for a while I decided to head back. With the pre-rut getting started I figured there may be some bucks in the area. I researched some off the trail areas via Google Earth and headed into the field. After a short climb I set up and immediately saw a nice buck. He was chasing a doe. He finally bedded down about 0900hrs. I slowly and methodically headed his direction, being sure not to spook the doe’s which were bedded above and below him. When I got within 100 yards a doe popped out below me about 60 yards away. I hung tight against the ridge and watched as four other doe’s worked their way past me. I knew it was only a matter of time before the buck would follow. As I watched this open area, I heard him moving. I glanced over to see him going towards the doe’s, but heading the other direction. I watched them bed down in the wash as I hung tight to the ridge for almost 3 hours. I knew if I moved forward or back they would see me. I didn’t have a choice, so I decided to back out; thinking I would come back a different day. As soon as I began backing out they got up and headed up the ridge. I saw an opening to cut them off, but it’d be a tough hike. It’s now or never to Cowboy Up! With the wind in my favor I maneuvered around to position myself in their path. I closed to within 90 yards when I ran out of cover. I thought about taking the shot, but ethics got the best of me. I figured they keep heading the direction and I’d get a cleaner shot. Instinctly, they headed the other direction. I watched as he bedded down a third time around 1500hrs. Instead of waiting I figured I would try a different approach from below him. I didn’t realize my route took me through a rock slide until I was in the thick of it. One wrong hand placement and a man-size boulder gave way. I looked up at the buck in discuss as he jumped and ran out of sight. I kicked myself all the way back to the truck. Wow, what a chess match! I can’t believe I got my butt handed to me by this big ol' buck. I’ll be back… Returning three days later with a different approach in mind (southern style ambush); I almost chose to sit on a shelf in the lower area of the ridge. However, the wind direction led me to choose a higher location opposite their “trail”. The morning brought 5 doe’s out of their bed right below me. When they headed around the mountain away from me, I thought my hunt was over. I figured that I had hiked all this way; I’ll at least stay until 1100hours. At 1000hours I began hearing footsteps on the hill directly in front of me. I couldn’t see anything though. I continued to watch the area until a large bodied deer formed in front of my eyes. It didn’t take long for me to verify it was him and he’s heading directly towards me. I began thanking God for a second chance at this marvelous buck and trying to calm my nerves. It was finally going to happen. When he got within 100 yards from me at the wash he hung out munching on the trees. I thought about sneaking forward, but the terrain would have given away my position. There were two routes for him to take to get to his bedding ground…make that three. He took a sharp left and headed right past the spot I was going to sit. With a sick feeling of helplessness I began trying to close the distance. Every time I would move he would stop. I didn’t make it very far when I decided to get back to my pack and try calling him in. I blew on the bleat a couple times but couldn’t turn him. I grunted and rattled, but he’d cleared the ridge at this point. I thought he may come back around, but he never showed. I headed up toward where I thought he had bedded down, but after an hour of slow stalking the ridgeline bedding area, he was nowhere to be found. AGAIN, I had a long painful walk back to the truck. Beat a second time; some hunter I am! I’d like to clear up the point of bow hunting be challenging: IT’S JUST PLAIN DIFFICULT IN AZ!!!
  8. COOSEFAN

    "My" Hunt!

    So miraculously, after only spending 1 bonus point on it, I drew a coveted Kaibab muzzy tag! What made it better was a bunch of friends and family had also drawn archery and rifle tags for the same unit as well so I would have a ton of scouting knowledge prior to my hunt! The bad thing with everyone drawing tags is they wouldn't have any vacation time to spend on my hunt, so I would be doing my hunt solo. The first couple hunts came and went and the outlook wasn't as good as I had hoped. The antler growth wasn't great, deer were scattered and there was very little activity. The only thing going for me for my hunt was a dark moon and several areas that supposedly held a big buck. What i didn't anticipate was 60mph winds!!! And to make it more interesting I planned to spend my first couple days in the burn with all those dead trees! I had my first camp set up in the middle transition to make travel easier while hunting between there and the top. I had been running cams for several days and was disappointed in the results. Even though it was a dark moon, most of the deer were nocturnal and I wasn't seeing the mature bucks at all. My first day started off with a huge hike planned in a roadless section of the burn. The winds were incredible and I heard later that they were around 60mph! What made it more fun was all the dead trees that were falling and it sounded like bombs going off! Anytime I stopped to glass I had to make sure I wasn't in line with a tree! My plan was to hike up and down all the fingers glassing tight into the un-windy sides and cuts. This turned a mile long section of rim into 5 miles because of the zig zagging but in theory it was the best way to find the giant that supposedly lived in there. I did this for the entire day and unbelievably found only 2 does!!! I couldn't believe it and that's when the frustrations of the hunt kicked into high gear! I did find a broken arrowhead on that hike so it was just a little highlight to the day.. My biggest problem with the wind, other than the crazy cold and falling trees, was that my camp consisted of only a Jumpin' Jack trailer and it's not exactly designed for high winds! I'd lay awake all night listening and watching as the beds lifted up and the frame twisted and creaked. I actually had to brace the inside with tripods and a walking stick in hopes it would take pressure off the beating it was getting. Plus, every morning I'd have to drop it down and put frozen 5 gallon water containers on it so I wouldn't have to worry about it all day! That's basically how the first handful of days went. I transitioned into less hiking and more glassing trying to cover more ground and still couldn't find a decent buck, actually, nothing bigger than a forkie! Most everyone else I saw or talked to road hunted and stayed warm and I heard most of them were seeing way more deer than I was! I just kept at it thinking any second I'm gonna find the giant buried up under a tree but that never happened. I did get to fully enjoy the upper elevations of the unit for the first half of my hunt. I have never spent much time up top so a lot of it was new to me and it's a beautiful place! So now, after a little bit of snow fell and still no sighting of any decent bucks, I decide it's time to move my camp for a 3rd time and hit the country that I'm familiar with. I was excited to hunt the low country and after making a mid day run down there I saw enough sign to know there were mature bucks down there and it would be my last move. The temps were in the low teens and it was crazy cold! I swear Jumpin' Jacks are the worst trailer to have in cold weather!!!! It's gotta be because of the air that circulates under them, but this is how I spent most of my time at night while outside of my coveted Butler Bag! If it was 15 degrees outside, I guarantee without the heater on, it was single digits IN the trailer!!! BUT, I was fine with it because the winds had finally subsided! First thing on the first morning of glassing down low I finally found a true Kaibab beast! This buck was moving and acting rutty which was bad because he was way up high in the wilderness area and I knew it would take me several hours to hike in there. I watched this buck walk nonstop up and over the highest peak and could only hope he stopped to bed. I could tell that he had a huge frame and possibly an extra inline on one side, a definite 190" plus deer even if he didn't have the inline! I sent a text out to my family and friends letting them know where I was headed and to come help if they didn't hear from me by nightfall. I spent several hours hiking up there and just like I'd expected he was nowhere to be found. The views were awesome and yet again I was seeing country I hadn't seen before so there was a silver lining to the adventure. So now it's the 5th day of the hunt and the 8th day of the adventure. I set up glassing the same country where the beast was the day before. I never found him but I did find a small group of does with a forkie and a small 4x4 in tow. I watched them feed for a while and then drop into a cut where i figured they would bed. These deer were yet again way up in the nasty stuff and it would be a long and difficult stalk. I texted my family and friends again and told them I've had an incredible experience but I'm tired of the cold and I'm sore from the previous days hike. I told them that if I could pull off this stalk, I'll be excited to smoke this 4x4. It would be a huge effort getting to him and an even bigger effort packing him out of there by myself! That effort, plus the fact I'm using a muzzleloader, would make this a great trophy in my book.. so off I went! It took me almost 2 hours to get where I planned to do the final stalk. I basically was just guessing that they had bedded in the cut and picked a tree out on the rim to sneak to. As I got closer I realized that my adrenaline was starting to get a little crazy! I kept laughing to myself because this wasn't a big buck but I was losing it!! I actually had to stop about 20 yards short of the rim to try and compose myself! I figured with all the planning, effort and frustrations leading up to and during this hunt, it had just built up to this point. I knew then that it didn't matter how big this buck was, I'm killin' em! So, after calming myself down I moved up to the tree. As soon as I rounded the tree deer started blowing out below me. I dropped the pack, threw the gun on it, found and ranged an opening ahead of the trotting buck at 135 yards, waited for him to get there and then I yelled to stop him.....Snap.......BOOM...Whop! I knew I hit him but for some reason my muzzleloader delay fired and I knew I pulled the crosshairs off him a little. I noticed he was humped up and still standing and that's when I REALLY lost it!!! I had reloading stuff flying EVERYWHERE! My primers went flying, I spilled half the first speedloader that i used, it was crazy! I finally got the gun loaded again, ranged the buck and lined up....Snap.......BOOM...Whop! I hit him again and he went down but again there was a delay fire and I pulled the crosshairs off. I saw he needed another round and this time, after frantically getting it loaded again, I shoved shooting sticks under the butt of the gun and made sure to get much steadier in case of another delay but finally the last shot was a BOOM..WHOP! Here's where the circus took place.... And here's my hard earned trophy!! I completely boned him out and was able to get it all into the Outdoorsmans frame pack. I don't know what that pack weighed but carrying it out physically sucked while emotionally it was very gratifying and I kept thinking the whole time that it will always be one of my most memorable hunts and cherished trophies! No doubt, the harder you work for something, the more it'll mean to you! My favorite part was realizing that I still get all worked up like when I was a kid, even when it's not a giant! I had cell service right where I shot from so the first thing I did was call my dad and he thought it was just as funny that I lost my composure and was having to pick up reloading items that had flown all over the place! Great times! Thanks if you read thru it all! JIM> .
  9. rschaumb

    First Archery Deer

    I appologize in advance for the long story... I started the year out with a great bang, or shall I say a fling of an arrow. I got my first bow toward the end of last year. January 1st started with a javelina on the ground at 8 in the morning. Man was I excited. First archery kill on the first day out with my bow. The fall archery deer hunt was very exciting. Seeing deer everyday. Drawing back several times but never feeling comfortable with the shot or distance to let an arrow fly. That hunt ended with mixed emotions as I was so close yet I had seen so many great bucks and even followed a nice 4x4 and an even bigger framed 3x3 on the last day until dark. I wasn't expecting much for the December archery season until my brother was within archery range of 2 different whitetail bucks while scouting for and hunting during the rifle hunt. Then two weeks before the December hunt opened I was within archery range of two nice bucks. I though, This could happen. Friday comes and I can't wait to get out there. The temps were dropping, new moon, and I had high hopes. My brother and I get out there and it is cold, raining, hailing, foggy, and windy. All morning we only jumped one small spike. They next day came with a wedding to go to in the afternoon and I was waiting for Sunday to roll around, forcasted with mostly sunny skies, which would be a relief from the previous day. But that afternoon it was only drizzling out so I decided to run out to a closer spot where I would find some mule deer. Just before arriving to my parking area my truck got stuck in the mud. I called my brother and told him to get me out before dark, I would be out hunting. Not even 5 minutes into walking to the area I wanted to glass I jumped a buck. He ran off and stopped over a hundred yards away and just stared for a little bit before running off again. I followed him around the hill where I jumped 5 does and a fawn, which all ran off across the flats. Just then it started raining. So I got up high to try to glass for that buck, hoping he had bedded down. I finally found a deer bedded across the valley but couldn't tell if it was a buck or not. I decided it was my best shot so I planned my stalk in the hour of light left. As I got close I ranged the closest tree line I could sneak to and also the tree the deer was bedded down under: 50 yrds. I had been practicing out further than that so I was preparing myself for that being the case. I got to the tree line and saw that it was indeed a buck! Only then he started staring at me. It was getting darker by the minute so I figured it was now or never. I got down low and inched my way to the edge of the tree. I ranged him once more before coming to full draw and standing up over the jumping cactus that stood between me and him. I took my aim, made sure of my grip, and let the arrow go. I knew I release a little high and time stood still after the release. But as soon as I released, seeing as he had been watching me, he jumped up to take off running. He ran twenty yards and started walking, looking around. I didn't know if I hit him or if he just got scared from the sound of the bow...until he started catching his balance and fell over right there! I couldn't believe it. My first buck at the end of my first year with a bow. I couldn't have been happier and thanked God for a perfect shot despite my poor release. Thanks for reading. (no picture in the desert due to it being dark and only had my bad phone with me.
  10. WildHeritageTaxidermy

    3 Mule deer bucks finished up

    The velvet antlers on this buck were partially stripped and consumed by the clients dog. Thankfully the client had "before" pictures! The right front fork was completely rebuilt and the bulbs and webbing were also built back up before artificial velvet was applied. A custom upright wall pedestal mule deer with 80 degree turn. Big 3 point, this was an older buck, also on a wall pedestal.
  11. The "Agua Blanca Ranch" in Sonora, Mexico has produced this MONSTER mule deer. Ranch sits close to Puerto Libertad just SW of Caborca. The ranch owner, Vicente Contreras is very happy with his hunters' success. The Canadian hunter, Dennis Dale, is one lucky man. Big time congratulations to him and a big thank you to the Agua Blanca Ranch for sharing these with us. (I got these photos in an email this morning from a couple CW members, and it's been a flurry trying to get permission to post these. Amanda had us working overtime so we could share with you all!) Preliminary scores range from the 250" to 270"...WOW!!! These are all the photos we have as of now. Please excuse the quality of the second. *click on the first pic for a larger view*
  12. A good friend of ours has been chomping at the bit all year for his son's Kaibab hunt. I know Greg put a lot of thought and effort into making sure his son Carsten enjoyed his hunt. Not only was he hoping for a good buck, but he wanted Carsten to enjoy the hunt in it's entirety. All of Greg's hard work and scouting paid off! Congratulations Carsten! I wish I could have been as cool as you when I was twelve years old! Here is the story in Greg's words: "What a super hunt... We use several hunting tactics that Carsten learnt from. We set up and spotted with tripods and binos...I was able to get a couple large 4 pointers chasing does in the field of view for Carsten to watch, he also saw a smaller buck come in on a doe and a large one chase it off. We went on a pretty good hike and did some spot and stalk. We followed a monster buck on our hands and knees in the juniper trying to get a shot. We set on a water tank and had over 30 deer come in one evening...we were within 20 yards and could here them drinking and bleating with each other, several were bucks I would have taken on any other hunt. And we finished it up with Carsten calmly adjusting his scope power, making sure he was on the right deer, while I am screaming shoot beneath my breath as the Buck was taking his last step into some oaks, and most likely disappearing forever, Carsten shoots and calmly says, I got him... At the shot, the buck jumped and took off...we walked/ran to where the buck was and put a piece of paper towel marking the spot. (I didn't see any blood at the time) We then waited for a very long 30 minutes before searching around. Carsten actually was the one that found the blood from the shot, and was better at trailing the blood trail than I was...spotting little specks of blood on sticks and rocks. The buck ran about 100 yards where we found him. Carsten hit him right behind the shoulder and double lunged him. One shot was all it took! We had an all around amazing time, and I think Carsten is hooked on hunting!" 29" outside width...
  13. WildHeritageTaxidermy

    Floor Pedestal Mulie

    Nice Mule deer mounted on a custom floor pedestal.
  14. bowhunter4life

    Jared 2012

    Sometimes, you just have to be lucky! Today was one of them, with Jared’s Varsity football game on Friday night and his and my daughter’s home coming dance on Saturday, plus an after party an my house for the Juniors. We left at about 11:30 pm to arrive in Skull Valley this morning at 2:15 am. With just a few hours asleep. Jared woke me as the sky had a tint of grey. We hurried up the mountain as we could start to see across the canyon. About 10 minutes of glassing found me looking at this buck about 450 yards away. After sneaky to about 300 yards he feed out of site. We made it another 100 yards to see him about 10 yards from going over the rise. With a quick yell, I set the tri-pod and Jared laid the 30-06 upon it, I hear, I got him and as I look through my bino’s BOOM and see the buck fall! WOW! Mike
  15. Work has kept me busy all summer and I haven't had much time to check in here at CWT but I did find a few days last week to escape to the high country of Colorado for a solo, backpack, muzzleloader, mule deer hunt. I had never been to this unit or even attempted this type of hunt before so I really didn't know what to expect. I've spent more than a year loosing weight and working out to get in better shape so I could be ready to hit the 12,000+ peaks above timberline looking into alpine basins for big bucks. The hard work paid off as I hit the first trail into a wilderness area. After a short 2 mile hike and 700 vertical foot climb I found myself at 11,700 feet of elevation the day before the hunt looking into a large basin. It didn't take long to glass up several groups of does, a pack of coyotes, and a couple badgers chasing each other. After about an hour I finally saw my first buck about a mile away and he looked big! The only problem was that he was running across the mountain side like he was being chased. I never got a good look at the details of his rack but even from that distance I knew he was a shooter. A few seconds later and he was topped out over the ridge and gone from view. On the one hand I was happy there was a shooter buck in the area. On the other I was dissapointed that he was boogered. With this in mind I decided that I would back out of this spot and drive to a different area and spend a few days there while the first spot could settle down for a few days. So I packed back to the truck and drove to another mountain to see what I could turn up there. This area was a little higher in elevation and after about 2 miles in I found a clump of scrub pines at 12,200 foot elevation to make my spike camp. It was was within a couple hundred yards of two vantage points which gave me excellent views of two different basins one on the north and one on the south side of the ridge I was on. After setting up camp I went over to the edge to glass the north basin. It was still early in the afternoon and the hunt didn't start untill the next day. I glassed for an hour or so and was getting a little frusterated, I hadn't seen a thing! But all that changed when I moved my glasses to a small finger ridge a little over 300 yards in front of me that had a little string of scrub pines. Laying right on the edge right in the open was a buck... a good buck! It didn't take long to determine that this was exactly the type of buck I was looking for and I spent the rest of the evening watching him and never even attempted to find anything else. After an hour or so he did finally get up and fed but never moved more than 20-30 yards from his original bed. I kept my eyes on him till I couldn't see him anymore and I knew if he stayed put he would be in grave danger the next morning. Back at camp I downed a Mountain House meal and hit the sack. Sleep wasn't easy I was excited about finding this buck in the morning. About 4am it started to rain. Even as it started getting light it was still raining. I had to wait it out in the tent until about 7:30am when it finally stopped enough to go hunting. I quietly moved into my glassing position and set up the binos and tripod ready to pick apart the finger ridge this buck was on the night before. Fully expecting something of a challenge to relocate him I was somewhat surprised when not more than 5 or 6 seconds after starting to glass I found him bedded in the same scrub pine patch not 30 yards from where he was the night before! I couldn't believe it was that easy. After watching him for a half hour or so I worked my way up and around his position so I could set up from a boulder about a hundred yards above him. Everything went as planned and now the wait was on! I could see the tips of his velvet horns sticking up above the brush but had no shot. I waited for two hours through the drizzly rain and fog before he finally stood to stretch. He took a few steps and as he cleared a small pine he stopped and looked up towards me but it was too late, the 270 grain Powerbelt bullet from my TC Encore was on it's way! As the smoke cleared I wasn't sure what happened so I quietly looked and listened. I saw nothing and heard nothing. Being by myself I had no spotter to confirm a hit or miss. Not knowing what to do next I just watched and waited. After several agonizing minutes I caught movement at the edge of the trees. It was him... he was hit hard and hunched up walking down the steep mountain side. The shot looked to be in the back of the lungs and liver. He continued down the hill several hundred feet before bedding up. I watched through the binos and within several minutes he laid over and died. Getting down to him was going to be easy but getting him out was the most difficult pack out I've ever had to do. The steep mountain side was not going to let me out of there without a fight. In the end I was completely exhausted but I had done what I set out to do and now the buck, the experinece, and the memories were mine and I had accomplished what I set out to do! The view from my first glassing point at 11,700 foot elevation Where I saw the big buck running below the pointed peak in the top right This was my view on the hike in to the second area My spike camp at 12,200 foot elevation My buck when I first found him the night before the hunt Mine at last! Looking up from where the buck died to where I had to go (top far left rock point) Packed up and heading back to Prescott
  16. I'm new to this site and to New Mexico and am looking for some guidance on NM Unit 23, first rifle hunt in November for FAMD. I've been looking at maps and reading through these forums and am hoping someone who hunts unit 23 on a regular basis (for coues or mule deer) can point me in the right direction of where to hunt. I live in Albuquerque and with gas prices the way they are and an upcoming wedding in just a few weeks, it doesn't look like I'll be getting to scout before my hunt. I'm planning on getting down there the day before the hunt opens and I'm ready to spend the day hiking in (no animals or ATVs to help me out) and camping that night to get away from the road hunters (I hear there is a good possibility of seeing quite a few) into the wilderness where the good mule deer are. I have that entire week off of work, so I'm not afraid to really get into the backcountry. From what I've seen with the maps, it looks like the area north of Mule Creek would be promising but probably full of hunters. I'm also pretty interested in the Whiterocks Mountain area and from there up north along the AZ border. I would guess these are my best bets for getting away from the road hunters where the good deer hide. I would love a shot at a big deer, but I recently graduated from college and haven't been hunting in three years, so this year I'll be happy to get what I can get. Anyone have any suggestions? Where are my best bets to get into the deer and any other suggestions would be very much appreciated. Since I'm new, I wasn't sure whether to post this in the Mule Deer forum or the NM forum, so if I would get a better response elsewhere, I would appreciate your help. Thanks much!
  17. JakeL

    Mule Deer Behavior

    I'm busy scouting out area for my first real desert muley hunt this december. I'll be hunting one of the OTC desert units and I am trying to get a good lay of the land, as well as try to find where the deer hang out. My question is what time of year do the does begin to herd up? And when do the bachelor herds generally break up? I am correct to assume that these desert bucks wont be in with the does until the rut kicks in right? Will they remain in the bachelor herds up till then? I guess another related question I could ask that may be even more helpful would be if you guys know of any good literature on the subject of desert mule deer, hunting them and their biology/behavior. Most of the stuff I've found deals mostly with deer at higher latitudes, and simply makes mention of some desert muleys existing. Thanks for all the info guys.
  18. On the second day of the archery season colton arrowed the buck we have been chasing for a year. Last year we both missed shots at this buck that colton named Buddy. This year colton found him in the same spot and he had put on a lot of mass. Colton watched this buck grow for about a month before the season. Opening day he was able to sneak to within 60 yards of Buddy bedded in some thick trees but could never get a shot. The second evening Colton was able to get a shot off and it found its mark. The buck ran about 200 yards downhill and died. This is one of the heaviest deer I have ever seen and the pictures don't do it justice. It is an awesome muley of a lifetime and it will be hard to beat. Colton put his time in and deserved to finally get this buck on the ground. Congrats Colton, I am glad I got to be a part of it.
  19. Condor

    My Colorado Mule Deer

    Just got back from Colorado hunting with my muzzleloader. Got within 150 the first two days, but couldn't get a shot off. On the third day he made a mistake and let me get within 50 yards. The deer only ran 250 yards before he died, but those powerbelts didn't leave a good blood trail. I don't think I would have found it if Joe didn't come and help me find it. That guy can track!!!! Got a turkey during the middle of the day when the deer hunting was slow. Also found 9 sheds on the trip. Special thanks to Joe Keys of Keys Outfitting. He has several private land leases and does unguided hunts and will put you in areas that have tons of deer, if you want a guided hunt he is very affordable too. http://www.canyonguide.com/ Thanks for reading, Condor
  20. Hanksaiditbest

    DIY drinker help

    I have a cam on a water hole that I have watched go from full to completely dry in the last 4 days. With no other water in the area, it is going to be tough to pattern the deer. I am thinking about setting up a DIY drinker and hauling some water. Any suggestions on set-ups? Pics welcome
  21. Just thought we would post some pics of some potential shooters for this year along with a couple of freaks. It will be tough year up on the Strip but there are still some good ones running around. If you or someone you know draws a strip tag and would like some help please give us a call. Thanks for taking a look and good luck with this years hunts. Kory Bundy 435-668-8063 www.atfirstlightguides.com
  22. Becker

    IF YOU LIKE BIG MULE DEER!!!!

    I had the pleasure of mounting one of the strip giants from last year. I believe its on the cover of Muley Crazy if you all want to read the story. Hope you all enjoy!!!
  23. This is the video of our close encounters in January. To sum it up on the mule deer, both my uncle and I could not get a decent break. It was hard hunting from sun-up to sun-down. The wind messed my uncle up on two mule deer stalks. A herd of cows screwed me up on my stalk on a 140ish muley buck. One thing we didnt film is a 170 buck that I made an immortal shot on. It was a stalk from heck with no cover and 2 does facing my direction. As I stood up to shoot a doe was going to bust so I rushed the shot and because of that, I made a bad one. I have taken alot from that season and believe me, I have learned from my mistakes and train accordingly so I am not likely to make those mistakes again. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy it!
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