rk_az
Member
I had a memorable mule deer hunt in Arizona's unit 37B. It got off to a bit of a slow start, I had to work the Friday that was first day of the hunt. I headed out early Saturday morning, thinking I would just drive back and forth each day, since it is only an hour away. Saturday turned out to be quite warm and I ended up cutting the hunt short by mid-afternoon, partly because I ran low on water and had to return to my truck, and partly because the dried grasses that were in abundance were leaving an unbearable number of prickly seeds and debris in my shoes and socks. I did manage to locate several does, and collected a nice haul of shed antlers. The bottom two are a matched set found together.
I have been meaning to get myself a good set of gaiters for years, and this (the pointy grass seeds) was the last straw. So I was at REI Sunday morning as soon as they opened, and purchased a pair. Then it was back home to load up for 3 days, no more of that driving back and forth. I arrived and got camp set up by about 3:30pm, then headed out for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I located several more does, but still no bucks. The weather was much more pleasant, with cooler temps, a nice breeze, and a half moon out. That night was about as pleasant as it gets in the Sonoran Desert, with clear skies and a cool breeze. I roasted hotdogs over a cholla skeleton fire while being serenaded by coyotes and cattle.
Monday started out chilly, but the sky was clear and it turned into another beautiful day. I hunted a morning hunt and an afternoon/evening hunt with a lunch and nap break in between. I spotted more does in the morning, and again in the late afternoon. It was an enjoyable day so far.
The general area I was hunting is mostly state land that is leased by ranchers, and cattle are common. And it was roundup time, and I saw some of the local cowboys driving small herds of cows to some unknown corral at various times throughout my hunt. The specific area I was focusing on, however, had not been grazed in some time, and the deer seemed to be concentrated there. You can clearly see the difference between the grazed and un-grazed sides of the fence. I am not a big fan of over-grazing.
Monday evening, to my great disappointment, the cattle that the cowboys had been working so hard to round up were released into the un-grazed area. Fortunately, those cattle headed straight for the water hole, leaving me to finish the days hunt unmolested. I finally bumped up the first buck of the hunt, a nice mature buck that presented no shot.
Tuesday morning, the last day I planned to hunt, I chose to leave my favorite area to the cattle. I decided to hunt a flat where I had harvested a beautiful buck 3 years ago. When that didn't produce a single deer sighting, I crossed a major wash and ascended a small ridge. I was feeling a bit dispirited as I topped the ridge, but mule deer have a way of appearing when you least expect it, and a buck materialized in front of me as if from nowhere. He began stotting away as I raised the .270, but I rushed the shot for a miss. I recovered quickly for a second shot, a double lung pass-through, and the buck was down.
I decided to go ahead and have a mount made, the taxidermist gave me the skull to take home until he needs it:
I have been meaning to get myself a good set of gaiters for years, and this (the pointy grass seeds) was the last straw. So I was at REI Sunday morning as soon as they opened, and purchased a pair. Then it was back home to load up for 3 days, no more of that driving back and forth. I arrived and got camp set up by about 3:30pm, then headed out for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I located several more does, but still no bucks. The weather was much more pleasant, with cooler temps, a nice breeze, and a half moon out. That night was about as pleasant as it gets in the Sonoran Desert, with clear skies and a cool breeze. I roasted hotdogs over a cholla skeleton fire while being serenaded by coyotes and cattle.
Monday started out chilly, but the sky was clear and it turned into another beautiful day. I hunted a morning hunt and an afternoon/evening hunt with a lunch and nap break in between. I spotted more does in the morning, and again in the late afternoon. It was an enjoyable day so far.
The general area I was hunting is mostly state land that is leased by ranchers, and cattle are common. And it was roundup time, and I saw some of the local cowboys driving small herds of cows to some unknown corral at various times throughout my hunt. The specific area I was focusing on, however, had not been grazed in some time, and the deer seemed to be concentrated there. You can clearly see the difference between the grazed and un-grazed sides of the fence. I am not a big fan of over-grazing.
Monday evening, to my great disappointment, the cattle that the cowboys had been working so hard to round up were released into the un-grazed area. Fortunately, those cattle headed straight for the water hole, leaving me to finish the days hunt unmolested. I finally bumped up the first buck of the hunt, a nice mature buck that presented no shot.
Tuesday morning, the last day I planned to hunt, I chose to leave my favorite area to the cattle. I decided to hunt a flat where I had harvested a beautiful buck 3 years ago. When that didn't produce a single deer sighting, I crossed a major wash and ascended a small ridge. I was feeling a bit dispirited as I topped the ridge, but mule deer have a way of appearing when you least expect it, and a buck materialized in front of me as if from nowhere. He began stotting away as I raised the .270, but I rushed the shot for a miss. I recovered quickly for a second shot, a double lung pass-through, and the buck was down.
I decided to go ahead and have a mount made, the taxidermist gave me the skull to take home until he needs it:
