Rough Day in 24A

[Coach]

I played "hookey" today to do a little deer hunting and pig scouting in 24A. For the first time I can remember, I spent the entire day hiking, glassing, checking out new country and saw not one single deer or javi. I was checking out one of the few places in 24A I hadn't yet explored and found some country that seemed like it should be crawling with coues, mule deer and javelina.

 

Thinking maybe it's just the fact that we're right in between cold fronts maybe things aren't moving today, I still can't account for the lack of sign. This place had it all - plenty of food, water, forage and cover - even seclusion. Some of these spots can't be glassed from above without a lot of hiking, and I saw not one shred of evidence of hunting pressure. No beer or tuna cans at prime glassing spots, no human tracks, not even an old gum wrapper.

 

I've had slow days before, but that usually means a few spread out does with fawns, but I can't remember in many years of hunting, not seeing a single deer or pig - given the amount of country covered and some serious glassing. This place isn't remotely in a spot that gets "hammered" but seemed like a moonscape. Aside from a couple bunnies, I didn't see a thing moving that didn't have feathers.

 

I even went back to an old stand-by place that always has pigs and found only coyote and what appeared to be a huge bobcat sign. Not a single confirmed pig track.

 

Anybody else seeing a bizarre lack of game, or was this just an off-day?

[oz31p]

Its not always a bad thing to not find any thing while SCOUTING. At least you can eliminate it as a possible spot

[480 stu-ffer]

I too noticed the lack of evidence when going back into the wilderness unit in 22 after Marks sheep hunt, I was cleaning up a spike camp -food -water we had stashed while scouting. I was feeling a little naked, as I wasn't able to take my goats in there where the sheep where .. a little like not taking your dog while bird hunting, and reminiscing back to the 60's when I was back there in my 66 bronco with the cut out fender wells, stout helper springs & 12 ply a/c tires, before the advanced suspension sys's,lift kits & radial o/road tires, you carried two bias ply spares in those days. W was still running cattle and tending the water supply and those canyons where teeming with deer tracks. Found very few back there this year even though there seemed to be more burrow sign, I guess maybe I was more aware of the burrow sign because I was recalling the time I was calling predators in there and one of those big black devils "snuck> from behind and nearly toppled me over the rock I was sitting behind. We spent several days in there while scouting and I can only recall us seeing a few burrows, one rabbit, one gnd squirrel and a solo old boar codi beside the many sheep. Mark tried to get to the codi, said the darned thing ran looking like a monkey and almost 3ft tall, but those cathedral peaks where to much for him and he was carrying a 300 short, he had seem what happened to the two his bro Mike and the kid he was taking deer hunting shot with 300 shorts last year.

Anyway the lack of water and sign was noticeable. Not necessarily a bad thing I guess as the sheep and burrows seem to be thriving. I was also reminiscing about the changes to hunting .. back then size wasn't necessarily gauged by points ,mostly by pounds .. and it was more adventuresome & opportunistic than targeted and scientific .. you could buy over the counter tags for several species and could hunt state wide with longer seasons so you spent more time just seeing what was over the next hill rather than getting up well before day light trying to get it done before the other guy , more folks , more competition, tighter situations, less freedom, less water the old timers say they haven't seen it this dry since the 30's, times are changing.

[bonecollector]

I dont remember the last time I was in 24a and havent seen at least a deer. The pigs are what is getting hard to find. I did finally find 4 pigs last weekend while deer hunting and they were on someone's ranch property.

[Coach]

That's for sure, Gearsnagger. I was fortunate enough to hunt 24A several years in the "gravy" days when there were only 350-450 tags per year total, and they were all in late December. It doesn't even seem like the same unit these days. Anyone could have told G&F that slicing the rut tags to 50 or less and adding 700+ tags in November would wreck the unit. As you mentioned, instead of seeing the destruction and responding to it by decreasing tags, they've increased to over 1000 per year, which is pure madness.

 

Somehow 24A became the new 27 in terms of intentionally (or neglegently)decimating the herds. I remember back in high school there were something like 1700 mule deer tags in 27. There were always leftovers. My first ever hunt in AZ was over by Maple Peak. I didn't even have binoculars and saw dozens of mule deer every day including some really nice ones. These days, you're lucky to see a handful of deer in there on a good day.

 

All I want for Christmas is for G&F to stop over-allocating tags! Oh yeah, and maybe my hair back.

[papa]

I have hunted 24A for over 20 years and really looked forward to the december hunts where it was easy to find quality bucks with less hunters. Now there needs to be a traffic cop on dripping springs road on opening mouring.

over the last few years I have watched a steady decline in mature deer. this year we had October tags all the deer we did see were small. Not saying there are not goods ones still in there. I read a artical from the game and fish that they put out about the time they split the season. They stated that the hunt success ratio would be the same over 3 hunts verse the one December hunt I totaly disagree.

We will be up there tommorow in our old honey hole hopeing to find a buck and do a little scouting for the pig hunt.

[200"mulie]

Well at least it want during a hunt and wasted a day. Have done that couple times.

 

I wouldnt give up on it yet. Maybe next year it will be crawling with wildlife. Maybe the moved over a canyon or two.

 

And G&F need to reduce permits all over the state.

[200"mulie]

Well at least it want during a hunt and wasted a day. Have done that couple times.

 

I wouldnt give up on it yet. Maybe next year it will be crawling with wildlife. Maybe the moved over a canyon or two.

 

And G&F need to reduce permits all over the state.

 

 

Ok i should have said there were couple times that i went into an area that looked promising...but let me down....and then come back a year or two later and had seen a lot more activity.

[Coues79]

Could be a reason why you didn't see any human sign..... I've been in places real similar as you describe. It just doesn't make any sense why there's no animals. Might have been a real dry springtime that the area could not support animals and they had to move. If there was a lot of sign, might just be a few animals that stay put in that area. 4 legs and 4 hooves can make a lot of sign if they have been holding tight in one area.

 

I can understand your frustration though. I spent time in another unit this year and was skunked on seeing deer. First time ever not seeing a deer in that country. Sucks.

[Traveler]

Hey get out of my honey hole in 24A!!!!

 

I have been there. amazing the "desert" pockets that are uninhabited sometimes. I have spots that seem to dry up occasionally and then turn on again a few years later. I think predators also cause this as well sometimes.

 

 

I am a big believer in 1 weather impacting movement 2 Moon cycles (but to a much lesser extent than weather) triggering movement

 

Good luck on your next trip. Tomorrow looks like lousy weather so I am glad you were able to get out today.

[AZP&Y]

I never hunted 24A in the "glory days" , but Every time I'm in there I know there are incredible deer to be found.

 

Personally, I'd stick a camera in there anyway. If it looks good, I'll stick with it (even with some lack of sign).

 

Getting away into some more remote country , still beats any day at work -LOL

 

I have also seen some pig sign, but not what I would expect. In fact when I sit the deer blind in that unit , the pigs always come. But the deer don't =LOL

 

I have a pig tag in there in 2 weeks looking forward to some action and hopefully bucks chasing does

 

Good luck!

 

AzP&Y

[Coach]

Thanks guys, and good luck on your hunt AZP&Y. Sounds like there will be quite a few of us out there opening day.

[jmall]

I spent all day last saturday glassing in 24a. All I could come up with was 8 stink pigs. I was pretty dissapointed . It was not uncommon to see 30 or more deer in a days glassing in years past.

[couesobsession]

Well at least it want during a hunt and wasted a day. Have done that couple times.

 

I wouldnt give up on it yet. Maybe next year it will be crawling with wildlife. Maybe the moved over a canyon or two.

 

And G&F need to reduce permits all over the state.

 

 

+1 on that, don't give up! I have seen entire populations of Coues Deer up and move from one of a series of valleys and basins to the next one over (usually harder to get to ) in a period of weeks, even days. Dont know what causes it, sometimes those deer just know.

[JMP]

I think the deer migrated from all of the central AZ units. Pretty sure they can ONLY be found in southern Arizona now.