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New to this game, could use some advice

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Hey all,

I am new to this forum and new to serious hunting. Small introduction, I hunted off an on since I was a kid but have been wildly unsuccessful. I am here to learn. I have fairly well developed periphery skills that contribute to hunting such as bushcraft, land navigation, physical fitness, etc. I just don't know what the heck I'm doing when it comes to finding and harvesting deer. I shoot a recurve bow (don't judge, I just like stickbows) and would love to eventually kill something with it, especially a trophy coues. So I have a few newbie questions:

1.  How do find good spots to hunt? I'm not asking for people to give me their spots, I really want to find some on my own. How do I go about doing that? If you were to pick a random unit you had never seen but you knew held coues deer, how would you breakdown that large terrain? What is essential for big bucks to thrive? 

2.  When you find deer, how do you close the deal? Do you stalk them while bedded or ambush them through a choke point in the terrain, etc? 

Like I said, I'm not new to the outdoors, I just suck at hunting. I got some 15's on a tripod now and I'm skilled with a bow, I just need to fill in the gaps I guess. I'll be cruising the forums trying to answer my newbie questions and soak up some knowledge. Any help from this community would be so appreciated. I'm pretty tired of wandering around on hunts, not seeing game. I gotta figure this stuff out so I can pass it on to my kids and keep it going. Thanks.

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My first suggestion would be to dig into everything that south cox has on podcast and video then maybe dig into Robby denning for the same including podcasts he has been on . Both guys are very patient and successful   

They don't hunt az much but the act is very similar. I would find a unit you either really want to be in based on feel or terrain or a unit you can get in allot and find a few areas that are glassable and just start glassing like crazy , other than that don't know what to say. 

Most of the areas I hunt were shown to me luckily but I do have a few of my own. 

Its very tuff to get started from scratch but what else can you do

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The best thing you can do is spend time out there.  Depending on where you live and how far you want to travel will decide where you hunt.  Everyone has their own method of hunting.  Some guys can't sit still for very long so they will cover lots of ground where the guys that can sit all day will set up and glass everything.  The units I have been hunting for years I can go out and see deer right off.  It makes it hard to go out looking for new areas but sometimes you need to.  One of the units I hunt used to have no one out there.  Now it is overrun with hunters.  But bottom line you have to get out there and figure it out for yourself.  Good luck

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As you know, shooting a bow well has nothing to do with hunting.  The mechanics of shooting a bow and the skills needed to hunt and be successful are two different endeavors.   One might be a skilled bow shooter but until one can be a skilled hunter, then one can call themselves a bow hunter.

So it seems you need to learn what it is to be a hunter, and a learned and successful hunter.    Remember, mostly we are part time hunters and we are after full time wild game that live, breath, and exist in nature 24/7/365.  Good advice from those above.  

There are tons of hunting information out there, Youtube, hunting plogs, magazines, books, vidoes, etc. that you can learn from.  Do not set your sights to high and if needed shoot a few small game animal before attempting larger big game animals like a "trophy deer", as you stated.   Boots on the ground is important but one needs to learn what to look for and where and when to look.    Not every square mile of any state holds game, so you need to find out the best concentrations.   The AZ game and fish website is a good place to start as they  described each game management unit, animals available and the best placed to start.    I have killed a lot of different species of big game including 5 Coues bucks in AZ, one in Mexico, and I live in Colorado.   I did my research, created a plan of action, scouted the area, looked for sign, and have been successful.  All of my hunts have been on public land and Do It Yourself hunts.    I will be heading down this January to hunt coues bucks again.      Good luck.   Paulpost-3072-0-55958900-1419567390_thumb.jpg

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I’ve found Coues in areas that I thought would hold no deer. Experience and good judgment will tell you what type of hill side to glass. It seems for now you have the good judgment part down. Pick your unit, drive every road in it, then find the hillsides you want to glass on a map. Walk to or drive to them and set up for a few hours. Not seeing anything? Move a hundred yards in either direction, up down, side to side. Get different vantage points on the particular hillside or canyon your looking at. If you don’t glass anything, slowly walk thru and see what jumps out. It’ll give you an idea if that hill off that road/trail in that unit is good, bad, or just wrong for that time of year. Then got scout the thousands of other places the same way. You’ll find “your” spot eventually. Also, with all your other skills, it sounds like any hunter would be proud to team up with you to learn your bushcraft/camping skills while teaching you their hunting skills. I would.

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Since you got the 15s and tripod really learn the technique. Dig up some threads on how to glass and where to glass etc. Also I always recomend taking Duwane Adams glassing class. It's money well spent. Ask him about food sources, water sources etc. He's already forgotten more then I'll ever learn and a heck of a nice guy. I took his class and it shaved years off of what I could have found out on my own.  It has actually saved me money.

Also figure out what type of terrain you want to hunt and what animal, Muley or Coues.  Muley may be a little easier starting out but maybe not.  I live in 35A, mostly rolling oaks and grassland  so pretty stalkable terrain.  Unit 23 though for example has mile wide canyons with thick nasty cover. Setting up mineral licks and sitting a blind in the summer for hours on end would be my approach there.

Another thought, go get a couple leftover pig tags.  Great practice for deer and sticking one will be a great confidence booster.  If you get a tag in 35a, or 30b I can point you in a good direction.  Good luck.

Oh, and as far as how to make a move. Generally guys will glass them at first lite watch them until they bed and then make a move. Typically by then the thermal currents will be pushing the wind / scent uphill so the approach is go waaaaayy out of sight go around the hill behind them and come up and over on top of them. Having a device to mark there location like a gps is a HUGE help here.  Also dont discount high foot traffic areas. I have two go to spots that have lots of trails with birdwatchers, tree huggers, mountsin bikers, hikers, hunters etc. Youd be surprised at how used they are to people going near them without bolting. One of the advantages is you can use the trails to quickly make a move much more quietly then you could without a trail. 

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16 hours ago, muledeerarea33? said:

I’ve found Coues in areas that I thought would hold no deer. Experience and good judgment will tell you what type of hill side to glass. It seems for now you have the good judgment part down. Pick your unit, drive every road in it, then find the hillsides you want to glass on a map. Walk to or drive to them and set up for a few hours. Not seeing anything? Move a hundred yards in either direction, up down, side to side. Get different vantage points on the particular hillside or canyon your looking at. If you don’t glass anything, slowly walk thru and see what jumps out. It’ll give you an idea if that hill off that road/trail in that unit is good, bad, or just wrong for that time of year. Then got scout the thousands of other places the same way. You’ll find “your” spot eventually. Also, with all your other skills, it sounds like any hunter would be proud to team up with you to learn your bushcraft/camping skills while teaching you their hunting skills. I would.

This is what I do^^^

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1) find doe trails in ambush-able areas.  (saddles, thickets, water holes, etc)

2) build stands and blinds with several options for varying winds

3)wait for rut to kick in and hunt from 8 am to 3 pm

4) shoot buck behind hot doe

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On 12/14/2018 at 3:40 PM, Flatlander said:

Find a friend and go with. Where do you live and where do you hunt?

I live in the Gilbert area and planned on checking out unit 22 and 23

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On 12/15/2018 at 9:18 AM, CatfishKev said:

Since you got the 15s and tripod really learn the technique. Dig up some threads on how to glass and where to glass etc. Also I always recomend taking Duwane Adams glassing class. It's money well spent. Ask him about food sources, water sources etc. He's already forgotten more then I'll ever learn and a heck of a nice guy. I took his class and it shaved years off of what I could have found out on my own.  It has actually saved me money.

Also figure out what type of terrain you want to hunt and what animal, Muley or Coues.  Muley may be a little easier starting out but maybe not.  I live in 35A, mostly rolling oaks and grassland  so pretty stalkable terrain.  Unit 23 though for example has mile wide canyons with thick nasty cover. Setting up mineral licks and sitting a blind in the summer for hours on end would be my approach there.

Another thought, go get a couple leftover pig tags.  Great practice for deer and sticking one will be a great confidence booster.  If you get a tag in 35a, or 30b I can point you in a good direction.  Good luck.

Oh, and as far as how to make a move. Generally guys will glass them at first lite watch them until they bed and then make a move. Typically by then the thermal currents will be pushing the wind / scent uphill so the approach is go waaaaayy out of sight go around the hill behind them and come up and over on top of them. Having a device to mark there location like a gps is a HUGE help here.  Also dont discount high foot traffic areas. I have two go to spots that have lots of trails with birdwatchers, tree huggers, mountsin bikers, hikers, hunters etc. Youd be surprised at how used they are to people going near them without bolting. One of the advantages is you can use the trails to quickly make a move much more quietly then you could without a trail. 

I started listening to lots of podcasts like kifarucast, south cox, jay scott, etc....From there I ended up hooking up with Duwane Adams for some glassing lessons. You're right about money well spent. He made me realize how much I didn't know about hunting, there is just so much to learn. I like what you said about the hiking trails. Sounds like I need to start hiking a few trails and focus on one unit at a time to get familiar with it.

Where do you look for javelina? I've only ever bumped them on accident while fooling around in desert. I wouldn't mind putting some stalks on them.

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Good for you man. Duwane is a great dude. Spent the last two hunts on the kaibab with those guys and learned a whole lot.  As far as pigs go check online and see if game and fish has any tags left and in what units. Down my way pigs can literally be anywhere the deer are.  However they are also found in washes most typically I would say.  But glass for them the same way you would for deer. If there's tags left go to the game and fish site and look up that species in that unit, should be your best bet. Good luck man and make sure to post up any pics of your hunts. Whether successful or not.  

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I also would saw to start with javelina. Glass sunny sides of hills in the morning. I always see deer doing this also. when you do see something you want to go after check the wind direction. during the stalk, recheck wind, always keep the wind in your face.

Good luck

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On 12/14/2018 at 4:54 PM, paul navarre said:

...There are tons of hunting information out there, Youtube, hunting plogs, magazines, books, vidoes, etc. that you can learn from.  Do not set your sights to high and if needed shoot a few small game animal before attempting larger big game animals like a "trophy deer", as you stated.   Boots on the ground is important but one needs to learn what to look for and where and when to look.    Not every square mile of any state holds game, so you need to find out the best concentrations.   The AZ game and fish website is a good place to start as they  described each game management unit, animals available and the best placed to start.    I have killed a lot of different species of big game including 5 Coues bucks in AZ, one in Mexico, and I live in Colorado.   I did my research, created a plan of action, scouted the area, looked for sign, and have been successful.  All of my hunts have been on public land and Do It Yourself hunts...

Thanks everyone for the advice.  Paul, what you're talking about reminds me of bass fishing where it's said that 100% of the fish are in 10% of the lake. It's our job to find where that 10% is.  I imagine it will be very rewarding finding animals after putting in the hard work and research.  I'll start hunting small game in the off season and maybe pick up a javelina tag to gain some hunting experience in the meantime.  Any places online you would consider "good information" other than this forum? There's tons of "advice" online but not all of it is sound.

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Try these,    1 Bowsite.com      2, Youtube the subject (bow hunting for _deer, elk, pronghorn, coues wt, etc),    3. Google Earth (to check out areas),  There are a variety of hunting POD Casts, that address hunting of various species, using all kinds of equipment.      good luck,  Paul          I will be heading out of Colorado on Dec 27 and will arrive three days b4 the Jan opener in the same unit I was successful in two years ago.   This will give me a few days to re-scout the area looking for a concentration deer tracks along the 2 rut roads, along ridges, and creek crossings.  I will be looking for rut sign like rubs and scrapes, and doe WT concentrations.  Find the girls and you will find the boys.  I will set up a  tree stands and a natural ground blind if needed.  I will use rattling antlers, grunt calls, and doe bleats .        I have found that Coues seem to move later in the morning as the day  warms up some, especially if it was very cold that night.    Using the wind and staying down wind or cross wind is very important.    If the wind changes to my disadvantage, I leave the area or stand and come back another time or shift to another location.    Attached if the very best deer "sign".

P1050380.JPG

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