Arizona mule deer hunt
- Thread starter JOHNROHIO
- Start date
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I did make it here ! Of course with excitement, if I'm involved it's not gonna go per the script. Lol these were my wife's fears coming true, she couldn't believe that she was letting her fly by the seat of his pants husband go across the United States alone with no plan , to his uncle that he learned it from.
Anyhow our plane out of CBus was late getting into PHX by 30 min. As I looked down to my clock, I told the lady sitting next to my on the plane , my other plane is loading now . ( our plane had not landed yet!). Long short of it. I'm running though the airport and get checked and was running up the ramp to the puddle jumpers ramp they were shutting the door to the plane.
With a short 20 min. In the air we arrived into Yuma. I send my uncle a " where's the grass text " you would think that means come get my ass! Nope after standing around for 45 min. I had to call him and remind him that he needed to come get me!
After I was paraded around to meet some of his hunting buddy's , we had lunch and did some other stuff. Now we had to drive around and investigate the truth of the death of a deer he had picked out for me. Also to find out what deer were doing in the desert, from the guys drawn to hunt this week.
I did shoot at some ducks that were on the Colorado river! So I can't say I did not get to shoot the first day. I did get to get out and see a little around town but not out to the real dealer yet.
Here's a couple quick pics. It all looks the same.
Anyhow our plane out of CBus was late getting into PHX by 30 min. As I looked down to my clock, I told the lady sitting next to my on the plane , my other plane is loading now . ( our plane had not landed yet!). Long short of it. I'm running though the airport and get checked and was running up the ramp to the puddle jumpers ramp they were shutting the door to the plane.
With a short 20 min. In the air we arrived into Yuma. I send my uncle a " where's the grass text " you would think that means come get my ass! Nope after standing around for 45 min. I had to call him and remind him that he needed to come get me!
After I was paraded around to meet some of his hunting buddy's , we had lunch and did some other stuff. Now we had to drive around and investigate the truth of the death of a deer he had picked out for me. Also to find out what deer were doing in the desert, from the guys drawn to hunt this week.
I did shoot at some ducks that were on the Colorado river! So I can't say I did not get to shoot the first day. I did get to get out and see a little around town but not out to the real dealer yet.
Here's a couple quick pics. It all looks the same.
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
Oh and when you do eat at Cretines I recommend their beef chimichanga with a pitcher of margaritas!
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Scouting was the name of the game today. Put 200 miles on the buggy today in the Sonora , they claim deer live in the desert. I keep telling them there can't be, you need trees, corn and swamp to have deer. Lol
No deer today, but I knew it was gonna be tough as I signed up for desert muley, it's only about a 15/20% success rate. Talk about getting back to the roots of hunting, as your driving you glassing and also looking for tracks in the sand. We did find a good fresh trail that is being used going into an alfalfa field.
Just a little different than home!
Word on the street is that deer hunting is hard this year. The first season is in now and tomorrow will be the last day for them. Then my hunt will start Friday. Did come across some pigs today, but they can't be hunted where we saw them.
No deer today, but I knew it was gonna be tough as I signed up for desert muley, it's only about a 15/20% success rate. Talk about getting back to the roots of hunting, as your driving you glassing and also looking for tracks in the sand. We did find a good fresh trail that is being used going into an alfalfa field.
Just a little different than home!
Word on the street is that deer hunting is hard this year. The first season is in now and tomorrow will be the last day for them. Then my hunt will start Friday. Did come across some pigs today, but they can't be hunted where we saw them.
badger
*Supporting Member*
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A lot of the same today. Moved to another side of the unit scouting sign. Lot more green on that side. The one thing that I've learned is that we are scouting other hunters more than the deer, looking to find washes and roads that have not been traveled.
Tomorrow will be the start of my season.
Tomorrow will be the start of my season.
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Awesome, John! Keep the pics coming!!! It's a shock to hunt in such a different environment for sure. I don't think I ever did find enough grass in NM to feed an elk, but the dang things live there along with bears, Mtn lions, deer, rabbits everywhere, coyotes and snakes too. Just weird, enjoy it!
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Today, day 1 hunting. on the trail in we ran into couple other hunters heading the opposite direction on utvs. After a chat for a few min. We got the scoop on what they've done and where there heading. After a long ride up a wash, I was dropped off to start getting with it. As I walked away from the buggy my uncle told me " make sure you keep your reference. " going old school out here, had to dig deep and regurgitate that woodsman ship that we get so lazy with always being on the same properties at home.
With a mountain as a reference point and the sun and shadows for direction I was off.
As I found more and more recent sign than days of scouting the last 2 days. Life's looking up. As I'm making a spot and stock up through a was h I can't help but just stop and soak it all in. What a great place to be, in amazement that all the ground you can't see. It looks so flat as you look across, but thats far from the truth. There's so many valleys, washes and vegetation to glass.
On my travels I find myself looking at it all up close, just can't help but to check on these strange things and take pictures.
And this ones a chero? Cactus. All I need to know is its a jumping cactus, it will discharge on you like a dock plant, but bad as in painful.
Along with more sign that life is tough out here. Female desert tortious. ( I only know the sex due to she has eggs still inside)
As I made it a couple miles to the base of some mountains, I get a check up call from my uncle to make sure I'm alright. ( he is just my guide, he did not draw a tag this year. ) as I'm sure he and his dog X is hanging tight taking a nap. I felt it was time to make my way back to move on. I stopped to look at what I had traveled.
My buggys out there somewhere. If not I'm gonna look like the tortoise.
As the day is getting to hot to hunt, we decided its time to put in more scouting for tomorrow. As We make our way out of the wash, we catch two doe streaking out across the flats.
After a little travel we stoped to chat it up with a border patrol agent. Those guys have the scoop being out there for there job.
We ended the day with some good sign for tomorrow and a couple yotes that would not offer with a shot we called it a day.
With a mountain as a reference point and the sun and shadows for direction I was off.
As I found more and more recent sign than days of scouting the last 2 days. Life's looking up. As I'm making a spot and stock up through a was h I can't help but just stop and soak it all in. What a great place to be, in amazement that all the ground you can't see. It looks so flat as you look across, but thats far from the truth. There's so many valleys, washes and vegetation to glass.
On my travels I find myself looking at it all up close, just can't help but to check on these strange things and take pictures.
And this ones a chero? Cactus. All I need to know is its a jumping cactus, it will discharge on you like a dock plant, but bad as in painful.
Along with more sign that life is tough out here. Female desert tortious. ( I only know the sex due to she has eggs still inside)
As I made it a couple miles to the base of some mountains, I get a check up call from my uncle to make sure I'm alright. ( he is just my guide, he did not draw a tag this year. ) as I'm sure he and his dog X is hanging tight taking a nap. I felt it was time to make my way back to move on. I stopped to look at what I had traveled.
My buggys out there somewhere. If not I'm gonna look like the tortoise.
As the day is getting to hot to hunt, we decided its time to put in more scouting for tomorrow. As We make our way out of the wash, we catch two doe streaking out across the flats.
After a little travel we stoped to chat it up with a border patrol agent. Those guys have the scoop being out there for there job.
We ended the day with some good sign for tomorrow and a couple yotes that would not offer with a shot we called it a day.
badger
*Supporting Member*
It's truly amazing that critters call a place like that home. Have you seen any reptiles yet, like snakes?
- 2,851
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- 2,851
- 149
Day 2 the late start.
As we headed out to start our day all was going as planed...... Then we tried to leave the house.
As noted yesterday we had discovered a place with heavy sign we had left for today's hunt. With high hopes as we got ready this morning coffee was drank my back pack was ready the list of a hundred things you need, to hunt the desert were put in the buggy. Things were good till the key was turned and it went click. Shit! The starter went bad. Now normally not a big deal, my uncle has two, but the other one was in the shop. ( the desert is hard on vehicles )
So with a quick shift of items to his truck, guns, hundred items for the desert , dog
( known as the ugliest dog in Yuma , that retrieves everything from dove, ducks, quail to even bobcats and yotes ) check,we were off.
As we set down an old dirt path through the alfalfa fields , the sun was far beyond daybreak. Scanning for deer in the fields as we arrive to where I was to be dropped off. We could see another truck down the way. After I was loaded up and given my orders I was set. Today was gonna be a little more Ohio style, a very thick area to be slowly still hunted. The plan was for me to work my way through due east for about 4 miles that was estimated to take me 4/5 hours then I would be picked up. Then more glassing from the truck and scouting. Today I was armed with there version of a brush gun. A ruger bolt action chambered in 7.62x39.
My uncle was gonna go see if the other truck had anything going on. After I started and then move east about 4 miles and find a rise to glass from.
The view as I stepped in.
As I made my way there was many times I would get a glimpse of a yote scampering out ahead of me, but never enough room for a shot. I did have high hopes for a cat, even had a jack rabbit call with me. But no such luck.
I did have plenty of luck finding these little gems.
I was hunting close to a Air Force testing and training grounds. Most of which are 50 cal brass left over from the 40s.
As I got about 2 hours into it I received a check up from my uncle. He had informed me that the other truck was loading up a very nice 4x4 buck. ( pic is on his camera, I will get it and post later. )
He ended up knowing the hunters and trusted them. That was there last tag for my unit and would be moving to another now. They informed him that there were 2 other nice 4xs with this one also.
With the heat reaching the 90s as I ended my trek. We chose to just do some scouting and call it a day.
Oh.. I did have deer sightings today with shot ops if they were bucks, but they were a couple of doe. So I snapped a few pics that didn't turn out and just enjoyed watching them.
Not many pics today as it all looked like above. Did take a few others in the volcanic part that we scouted today, to show the extreme difference there is out here. And yes if there's a tree or shade of some sort there will be deer...... So I'm told crazy!
More tomorrow .........
As we headed out to start our day all was going as planed...... Then we tried to leave the house.
As noted yesterday we had discovered a place with heavy sign we had left for today's hunt. With high hopes as we got ready this morning coffee was drank my back pack was ready the list of a hundred things you need, to hunt the desert were put in the buggy. Things were good till the key was turned and it went click. Shit! The starter went bad. Now normally not a big deal, my uncle has two, but the other one was in the shop. ( the desert is hard on vehicles )
So with a quick shift of items to his truck, guns, hundred items for the desert , dog
( known as the ugliest dog in Yuma , that retrieves everything from dove, ducks, quail to even bobcats and yotes ) check,we were off. As we set down an old dirt path through the alfalfa fields , the sun was far beyond daybreak. Scanning for deer in the fields as we arrive to where I was to be dropped off. We could see another truck down the way. After I was loaded up and given my orders I was set. Today was gonna be a little more Ohio style, a very thick area to be slowly still hunted. The plan was for me to work my way through due east for about 4 miles that was estimated to take me 4/5 hours then I would be picked up. Then more glassing from the truck and scouting. Today I was armed with there version of a brush gun. A ruger bolt action chambered in 7.62x39.
My uncle was gonna go see if the other truck had anything going on. After I started and then move east about 4 miles and find a rise to glass from.
The view as I stepped in.
As I made my way there was many times I would get a glimpse of a yote scampering out ahead of me, but never enough room for a shot. I did have high hopes for a cat, even had a jack rabbit call with me. But no such luck.
I did have plenty of luck finding these little gems.
I was hunting close to a Air Force testing and training grounds. Most of which are 50 cal brass left over from the 40s.
As I got about 2 hours into it I received a check up from my uncle. He had informed me that the other truck was loading up a very nice 4x4 buck. ( pic is on his camera, I will get it and post later. )
He ended up knowing the hunters and trusted them. That was there last tag for my unit and would be moving to another now. They informed him that there were 2 other nice 4xs with this one also.
With the heat reaching the 90s as I ended my trek. We chose to just do some scouting and call it a day.
Oh.. I did have deer sightings today with shot ops if they were bucks, but they were a couple of doe. So I snapped a few pics that didn't turn out and just enjoyed watching them.
Not many pics today as it all looked like above. Did take a few others in the volcanic part that we scouted today, to show the extreme difference there is out here. And yes if there's a tree or shade of some sort there will be deer...... So I'm told crazy!
More tomorrow .........
Sounds like an awesome time buddy! Keep soaking it in & best of luck putting a big muley on the ground.