Wanted to update this post now that my hunt is over. I scouted several days throughout the summer to learn more about their behavior. HuntTalker
@Lv2hnt was a massive help beforehand and on the hunt. Monsoon rains were great this year, so the grass grew and was really green into the beginning of the hunt, making the goats really stand out from distance. It started getting hot (mid-80s to mid-90s) again as the hunt began and is browning up more now.
Since it's a 2-week hunt, I'd decided I wouldn't sit a blind until after 5-7 days of spot and stalk. It was a bit naive, maybe, considering how little cover there is. Plus, I had knee replacement surgery right before Christmas 2019 and the time spent on my knees (insert joke here), crawling or kneeling was brutal even with the knee pads.
We watched some really cool rutting behavior on Day 2. We saw two of the 5 guys with tags for the hunt start thundering hooves of a herd of 35 does and a buck about 2 miles after they approached from open ground, not using contours at all, with a decoy held out front. Those same 2 guys ran a different herd about 2 miles after trying to work the herd buck. Not so cool, since it pushed most of the antelope deep into the territory.
We decided to work travel paths and use contours more than our legs. Tom was working the decoy and sometimes a call and we had a few close calls in the first few days - including one really nice buck at about 30 yards - but no arrows flung. We had a really interesting encounter where Tom and I were laying down in the grass with a buck walking in to us. Unfortunately, I didn't really have a good gameplan for what I would do when he was within shooting distance, since I didn't practice shooting from a prone position.
It looked like 14 days might not be enough but we were starting to get a better feel for bucks' patterns, etc.
Tom coordinates hunts for a great program in Arizona that gets disabled AZ veterans not only coveted big game tags that have been donated, but hooked up with people who can help scout and on the hunts. After the 4th morning, he had to get back to Phoenix to take care of tag transfers and work the phones to make sure things were lined up for dozens of upcoming hunts for vets. I was exhausted by the heat and long days and shut it down for the afternoon.
Solo had the benefit of having only one person's profile/noise/scent but probably offset by not having help spotting, thinking about setups, working the decoy, etc. I had a couple of close calls but got busted when I drew my bow.
The 6th afternoon, I got a short rainstorm that turned things humid and I decided to work the edges of bushes where I'd seen lopes in the distance that morning. I quickly got within 60 yards of a herd of about 20 does and fawns with a good buck who kept his distance on the perimeter. The wind shifted and got me busted but they just trotted out a few hundred yards. When they did, it uncorked several single bucks from different directiions - looking to pick up a straggler doe or two. I crept to the edge and laid down, kept the sun and brush at my back and finally a good buck started feeding toward me from about 800 yards. I had to range cholla cactus because there wasn't anything else to get a range on.
It took an hour for him to close to within 100 yards. When he put his head down to feed, I sat up and realized there were hundreds of tiny red ants all over my arms, legs and torso. They were crawling between by sleeve and gloves. A few were biting but most were just exploring. The buck was close and starting to look harder in my direction, so brushing them off wasn't really an option. When he closed inside 80 yards and put his head down, I raised into a kneeling position. He closed to 60 and then 50, but looked more frequently and for longer in my direction. I was worried he was starting to catch on that I was there. He put his head down but I decided not to draw my bow. He had that look of an animal at water, ready to bolt. Then he relaxed a bit and turned, putting his head down. I drew and released ~ 52 yards. The hit wasn't great and after he bedded about 120 yards away I had to wait before creeping up on him to finish him with one through his neck.
Apologies in advance for my crummy field pix. I didn't have my big pack with me and the sun was fading fast. Not the tallest buck we saw by far, but I really like his mass and hooks. I feel fortunate and grateful.
Worse pic but gives a better idea of his hooks.
I texted Tom, just to let him know I'd gotten it done. You know you have a good buddy when he unexpectedly drives up 2 hours just to see the end of the packout/journey.
And, of course, the next morning we couldn't resist the urge to toast to
@Big Fin with one of those rare Arizona August Blizzards.
