Horn Growth

[Noel Arnold]

I have been hunting in the southern part of unit 32 out of Wilcox. I know that part of the state got some good late winter rain. Any One have any input on horn growth for that part of the state? Thank You,

Noel Arnold

[TAM]

I can't say anything for unit 32, but in unit 24b I've got a few pictures of bucks that have about 4-5 inches of new growth and appear to be ready to fork. I don't have any idea if that is big or small for this time of year.

 

Anyone else seen any new growth?

[CouesWhitetail]

I had a fun experience the other day while working in the Catalinas. I was walking up a trail and saw a WT coming down the same trail. So I stopped and tried to remain still. Eventually I saw 4 WT bucks and they came within about 12 feet of me before moving off the trail. Of course my camera was in my backpack and I couldn't get it out without spooking them.

 

Anyway, the lead buck was the largest bodied and had the most antler development. Still, that wasn't a lot. It looked like he was just getting his brow tines going. On average I would say the 4 bucks had 4-5 inches of horn growth. This was in a good area with lots of browse and some green-up of forbs and grasses. However, it seemed the antler growth wasn't much farther along than bucks I saw on the San Carlos about 3 weeks earlier.

 

But I think with the spring rains we have had, we should have good antler growth, like we did last year. While I was in the Catalinas we had rainstorms most everyday for about the last week. Not just sprinkles, some real rain that will do the mtn some good. Anyone else seeing rain where they are?

 

Amanda

[TAM]

I just went and checked one of my trail cameras this past weekend and one picture dated 6/24 had a coues buck with 3 inch eye guards and main beams that appear to go out to about the width of his ears and are starting to fork. I would guess the total length of each main beam to be about 8-9 inches. He is the best buck I've got pictures of so far this year.

[TREESTANDMAN]

Over the weekend in unit one I saw 6 muley bucks. The antler growth was not as far along as I expected. I would say the biggest one had only 6 inches! The coues bucks that I have pictures of from my trail cams had more growth. Maybe the bucks I saw were all going to be forkies and spikes.

[CouesWhitetail]

I saw a couple muley bucks this weekend that had about 12 inches of horn growth. They were branched out too.

 

Amanda

[300 wsm]

I saw a herd of 9 muley bucks in 3B last week and a couple of them were already 4x4's, I think they are some of the bucks that I seen last year that were toads.

[galiuro mountain man]

Saw a bunch of bull elk this weekend. most of them are growing big, saw one monster that was already close to 400" I hope I get drawn, my arrow has his name on it. As far as deer go, I only saw does, ond only got pics of does, but I am going to set up some cams this weekend in the area I hunt deer.

 

GMM

[Idahocoueshunter]

I just got off the phone with a rancher contact of mine in my hunting unit (hopefully, if the draw god smiles on me). He said he saw several nice bucks in relatively marginal country. He said one looked to be nicer than the other two. Since I live so far away, I have to rely on experience of the area, along with the word of the rancher. He did say that the unit did get significant rainfall this spring, keeping the pasture green well into June. Hope my big buck takes advantage of all the good feed.

 

 

Craig.

[galiuro mountain man]

well, set up ome cams. I hope to hget some good pics.

 

I saw 18 deer 11 were bucks, 8 were wt. I saw 3 that were big, and one monster that was over 100 easy already. I am excited about archery season, I have a good feeling about it.

 

GMM

[TREESTANDMAN]

Man GMM, a 400 bull and over 100 inch whitetail already!! Those are two trophys that most people will never see in there lifetime.

[bullwidgeon]

I jumped 2 carp bucks yesterday in 37A and one was giant already. I have his sheds from 2 and 3 years ago. 2 Years ago he was 180 with a 26 inch spread credit and 3years ago he was a 150 type deer. He is alot bigger now, his back tines yesterday looked like giant clubs so he may have gone NT this year. He is already pushing 30+ inches. I hiked 5 or so miles looking for his last years and this years horns yesterday and only got a nasty old 14 and 1\8th inch hog skull to show for my effort. I am going to try to get my buddy to bring his mules in over the next week or two so we can cover a ton of ground and get the last 2 years of sheds off of him...Should be a killer year for horn growth. I have seen several sheds this summer off of coues deer that would have been 120 plus last year, they should be absolute gorillas this year, I just have not been lucky enough to find any myself. The biggest coues horn I have found this year is from about a 70 inch deer. All the big coues sheds I have seen this summer are from the same unit, I am glad I put in for there first choice..

 

Bret M.

Edited January 1, 1970 by bullwidgeon

[Guest Ernesto C]

Ok Bret tell me where is the trick,there is no April now for "april fools day" so how come you put in for 37A white tail first choice? There is no whitetail hunt in 37A.

Or maybe I misread it,you put in first choice 37A for muley which is the unit with big white tail sheds??? God bless.

 

Ernesto C.

[TREESTANDMAN]

Wow Bret,

 

Several sheds that would score over 120 inches! You sure this was in AZ?

[Benbrown]

As many contributors have noted, there is not much antler growth in general yet. However, here in SW NM adjacent to 30A, I have seen three whitetail bucks that are out past their ears and beginning to fork. Most of the mule deer and just getting started. I have one little whitetail buck that comes into my yard to eat the irrigated weeds and he is just getting started on his antlers. If the monsoons finally develop, it should be a great antler year in SE AZ and SW NM. The rains we got in late March and early April kicked off enough forb growth and new browse to put the deer in very good body condition for this time in a drought year.