12A West help

[Devil Diver Down]

First time drawing a Kaibab hunt in about 30 years (I was 13 last time I hunted up there!) and I've been sidelined with a lung infection for over 2 months, which blew my plans for scouting all to pieces. My dad is in his 70s and has had 2 knee replacement surgeries, so he will be hunting near roads.

 

I'm not looking for honey holes obviously but any helpful bits of info via PM on where the deer move when pressured, good spots to start, etc. is much appreciated. If you take a look at my posting history here, you'll see that I've been willing to help people and give out solid info on elk in 6A (pretty much my only unit with much experience) when I can. Had planned a few days of scouting 2 weeks back but I was hacking up my lungs and no condition to head north. We're headed up Wednesday, so there will be one evening plus a full day of scouting before the opener.

 

Thanks in advance!

David aka DDD

[lancetkenyon]

The burns are a good start, but they will be crawling with hunters too. But good deer are EVERYWHERE in 12AW. I have seen bruisers from Jacobs Lake to the Park boundary. I missed a true brute during archery season years ago that still haunts my dreams.

With the warm weather the Kaibab has been having (41°-72° this past week), I would look up top first. The Junipers always hold s a few big deer, but few and far between at this time of year.

 

Deer move to cover and canyons where there are no roads when pressured. And the big bucks are almost totally nocturnal. So seeing on in the daylight is rare. But you can catch them at very first and last light if you know where they bed.

 

Good luck, I will be in 12AE at the end of the week.

[TexAz]

i was there on the youth hunt a few weeks ago. Saw a lot of deer - mostly does. I would hunt the ridges and canyons within a 5 mile radius of Burnt Corral. We saw deer everywhere we went so any area on top will hold deer.

[muley224]

Thumbs up on Burnt Corral area. Also Little Mtn area. Pine Hollow rd. Good luck and have a great hunt !

[Devil Diver Down]

Thanks all for the advice - it is much appreciated. We were thinking we might check out the burns after the weekend - if we still have tags - because I figure the pressure might be a little less. My dad hunted up in 12A west quite a bit between 1950s and mid-80s and has been sticking with his old go-to spots (Burnt Corral and Big Saddle) for the pre-hunt plan. I pretty much always get one scouting trip in and hate going up blind, but I guess it's like any hunt - the animals are where you find them and when pressured, will become pretty scarce. I'll dive off away from the roads as far as my lungs allow, but will have to work pretty hard to find my dad a shooter closer where he can walk.

 

Thanks!

[lancetkenyon]

Two of the biggest bucks I have seen off the Bab have come from guys in vehicles being in the right place at the right time. My buddy took a big 7x8 non-typical at noon just driving down the road. Stupidest buck I have ever seen. Seriously, 30 yards off the road and just stood there.

[roninflag]

DId you shoot??

[Coach]

Sowats Point, Indian Hollow, The gooseneck, bone hollow - off the roads two ridges further than where everyone is.

[trphyhntr]

Indian Hollow, The gooseneck, bone hollow - off the roads two ridges further than where everyone is.

Fixed.

[bigorange]

Saw a text that David killed a buck and was still working on getting his dad a buck. That was Wed I think.

[Devil Diver Down]

Forgot that I never updated this - sorry for the wait and thanks again for all those who tried to help with info. As Big Orange wrote, I did kill a buck. Here's a recount of it:

 

Scouting through some of my dad's old haunts in the unit turned up some does, fawns and forkies. Areas nearby turned up more of the same, but in greater numbers. My dad and I strategized our opening morning - he'd hunt draws near the road, while I'd pack a mile in to a pocket that had no roads if I could, inhaler close at hand. My doctor warned me to take it easy, but what do doctors know about watching the sun rise in deer country?

Resting on the bench I targeted, I could see deer filtering across 20 minutes before shooting light, without a good idea about their gender or size. A flock of turkeys had dropped from their roosts - clucking and an occasional gobble rose from the draws below. As the morning grew, a group of 9 does and fawns, with a single fork-horn buck fed up a draw within 15 yards of my position. I could've killed him with a throwing knife if I'd wanted. Fawns were as close as 2 yards. I slipped my camera phone out to take a picture, but gloved hands prevented the touch screen from firing. After several minutes of watching this, a kid decked in orange and apparently unaware of this fine scene, came downhill toward us (from upwind, of course) and the deer scrambled past me, some at distances I could've reached out and touched.

In the late morning, I had a herd of about 12 or more deer almost trample me in their stampede to escape danger. I was surprised to see a decent 4x4 with does - and coming right at me - but since he wasn't quite what I was looking for on this hunt, he never got so much as a scope check. Pretty much any other hunt and he'd have gotten serious consideration. And maybe a bullet.

There had been quite a bit of shooting in that area, but on the drive back to camp at 12:30 a nice 4x4 stepped into the road from a water hole. This was my dad's deer and we both knew it. But somehow even though the buck stopped about 30 yards off the road in the short jackpine, my dad couldn't get out of the truck cleanly enough to manage a shot. This gift from the Deer Gods waited a moment while I tried to direct my dad to hurry, then bounded away over a hill, with a bigger 4 leading the way and a monster buck in the middle - zero shots fired.

Day 2 had my dad hunting near that water hole and me dropping into a small canyon that runs west from it. A little after daybreak I caught movement to my right. Eyeballs told me it was a buck right away and binos showed him to be a young 4x4. Not quite the buck I was looking for, but I was hoping he had a partner. Watching him move, he had a severe limp - someone had shot him low on the rear right quarter the day before. I have zero love for coyotes and even less tolerance for animals suffering - even with such a primo tag in my pocket. I sent a 30.06 round through his chest and he dropped right there, but the buck's strong will kept him trying to get up. A round in the neck sent echoes rebounding off the canyon walls and ended my hunt 1.24 miles from my truck.

 

 

Frankly, my gutless method breakdown of this buck needs a lot of work. It took way too long, with several stops to catch my breath. I hope to get that practice as soon as archery season begins in January. Hopefully the Draw Gods are kind and I can practice on an elk, when my fitness level is better.

 

 

Rather than pack out to my truck, I elected to go straight uphill the half-mile to the road, drop my gear there and bring my truck closer. Two friendly G&F employees encouraging hunters to use non-lead ammo, saw my purple face and gave me a ride to my truck. They even offered to help me retrieve the rest of my buck, but I declined. Two trips and one tired guy. It's okay to work hard for something, even if you need some occasional help from a little 2 1/2 inch hero. No more than 6 uses per day? What do doctors know about hauling a mule deer out of small canyons?

 

 

A gimpy guy shoots a gimpy buck. All hail, the Inhaler Buck! Not the buck I was dreaming of tagging, but I know I couldn't sleep at night if I'd let him suffer. I don't want anyone to get the idea I'm not happy with this buck - I'd 100% do the same thing every time, regardless of tag.

 

 

A little love for my Sun Devils on the way out! Forks Up!!!

 

 

I was able to help my dad get several chances at very nice bucks up by the burn and down where I killed mine, but unfortunately we couldn't make it happen for him this time. Mother Nature has given him so many positives over the years, growing up in a wild Arizona that will never exist again. Now she is routinely taking back every skill she ever lent him. It was pretty tough to watch him be a step too late or a hair late making a decision on a shot several times. I tried to hurry him along a few times when I felt we were "losing daylight" or letting a shooter buck walk, but finally realized that we were measuring success of this hunt differently and just let things unfold at his speed. We had a great hunt together and that's what it's really all about in the end.

[bigorange]

Great read. Thanks for posting the update and congrats on your buck and a great hunt with your dad.

[lancetkenyon]

Awesome read. Makes me envious to be out with my Dad just one more time.

 

A decent buck, and a very respectable call on putting him down. I have done the same on the Bab more than a few years ago.