Kaibab Plateau Early Rifle Hunt

[Sask hunter]

Good luck! Odd on the lithium battery I find they do better In the cold then other batteries

 

[marksjeep]

You need a cold rated lithium battery. Else, it will not charge below a certain temp (varies from 32-50 F by manufacturer) and it will have a cold temperature cut off. Cold rated batts will have a built in heater to warm the cells prior to allowing them to charge, and the low temp cut offs are much lower, usually 0-10 below-ish.

Sorry for the derail...

Best luck on the hunt. What an awesome season!

 

[npaden]

I think the battery was doing what it could but running the furnace all night just zapped it and then we weren’t paying attention to other things and had the inverter turned on all day and the solar panel just didn’t keep up.

We’ve been paying attention today and I think things are going to be fine. Our battery does have the cold temperature shut off but it’s at like 20 degrees or something like that. When it went dead it was above freezing still so I think we just ran it out. I think it must have a low voltage shut off so when it got there it just turned off.

Afternoon hunt was kind of a dud again. Getting along better with the guide but still not seeing many deer. Just saw 7 does within the last 30 minutes of shooting light.

They did get the 84 year old on a small 3x4 and he got the job done. The buck his friend shot was probably a mid 150s buck. Really not a a bad buck, real dark antlers.

They never did find the 170s buck the 15 year old shot in the back leg. Sounds like they are going to let him keep hunting.

Plan for tomorrow is pretty much the same. Lots of glassing. The wind was a bit breezy today and supposed to be worse tomorrow. This evening I was in my guide jacket with a puffy over it and my best gloves on when it was all said and done. It does get chilly. We’ve been hunting around 8,500’.

Have a few pictures I think I can share today.

A group of 6 does. They sure blend in good.




Sunset this evening.

 

[Silentstalker]

Keep at it! At anytime a good one could materialize!

 

[npaden]

Really windy today. Actually saw more deer this morning though. About 20 does and 6 bucks but all of them were small.

Sitting at camp during lunch is driving me crazy so going to make a quick sightseeing trip with the wife to the North Rim instead of just sitting around.

Wind is supposed to be bad this afternoon too and seems like the deee are hunkering down. Guides are not getting worried, I still have 6 more days I can hunt. I was told before I got here that it tends to get better as the season goes one. Hopefully that is the case!

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Really windy today. Actually saw more deer this morning though. About 20 does and 6 bucks but all of them were small.

Sitting at camp during lunch is driving me crazy so going to make a quick sightseeing trip with the wife to the North Rim instead of just sitting around.

Wind is supposed to be bad this afternoon too and seems like the deee are hunkering down. Guides are not getting worried, I still have 6 more days I can hunt. I was told before I got here that it tends to get better as the season goes one. Hopefully that is the case!

Yeah sitting in camp would drive me nuts too, especially if I was paying for a hunt. Good luck, hope you get a big one.

 

[WapitiBob]

Buy a LiTime self heating lithium battery(s).

 

[WNC2500]

Good luck @npaden
I know you are ready to be seeing the big ones.

 

[npaden]

Did the math and the Grand Canyon was going to take too long and the main overlook isn’t open right now.

Might go driving around and show the wife where we’ve been hunting.

Forgot to add the sunrise picture from this morning.

 

[WNC2500]

Absolutely LOVE the sunrises and sunsets in the West.

 

[F250]

Enjoying the photos and write up. Seems like a lot of down time at camp. Is that normal for this type of hunt in that area ?

 

[npaden]

Enjoying the photos and write up. Seems like a lot of down time at camp. Is that normal for this type of hunt in that area ?

Seems like it. All of the guides and clients have been coming back around 11:00 and leaving back out around 2:00.

About to head back out now.

Today the wind sucks and nothing is moving. Middle of the week it is supposed to lay down. I would think if we were seeing deer we wouldn’t be coming back to camp.

 

[oilcan]

Seems like it. All of the guides and clients have been coming back around 11:00 and leaving back out around 2:00.

About to head back out now.

Today the wind sucks and nothing is moving. Middle of the week it is supposed to lay down. I would think if we were seeing deer we wouldn’t be coming back to camp.

I don’t know what outfitter you’re with, but that seems pretty typical for the early hunts. I have a buddy who hunted 12AE early last year and they did the same. He ended up shooting a pretty nice buck, but it wasn’t till the very end of the hunt. All you can do is keep at it.

 

[npaden]

I don’t know what outfitter you’re with, but that seems pretty typical for the early hunts. I have a buddy who hunted 12AE early last year and they did the same. He ended up shooting a pretty nice buck, but it wasn’t till the very end of the hunt. All you can do is keep at it.

Thanks for the encouragement.

We saw 1 doe this evening until we hit the highway to move to a different spot right before dark and saw 8 does right along the highway.

The guide doesn’t seem worried. I’ve booked a 7 day hunt but can stay for 2 more days and pay a daily rate for the extra days if needed. I could probably stay that last day of the season if it really came down to it but would like to drive home Sunday to be at work on Monday. Season ends Sunday.

Wind is supposed to be a little better tomorrow and then supposed to be really nice Tuesday through Thursday.

Hoping things start to pick up with the wind dying down.

 

[TheTone]

Enjoying the photos and write up. Seems like a lot of down time at camp. Is that normal for this type of hunt in that area ?

From some live hunts I’ve followed on instagram it sure seemed that the guides in northern Arizona really enjoyed there mid day camp breaks

 

[cgasner1]

From some live hunts I’ve followed on instagram it sure seemed that the guides in northern Arizona really enjoyed there mid day camp breaks

Another thought on that is the guide can burnt the client out with 10+ hours of glassing. Probably a lot more effective to hunt a few more days at prime time than burn the hunter out. Not saying that the case here but as not all guides are created equal neither are the clients

 

[bigsky2]

Unless you’re an expert at still hunting, I don’t think hunting mid day on the Kaibab would be very productive. I would think guides asking their clients to still hunt in the timber is basically unheard of.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

The action is the first 30 and the last 30 of the day, especially for the bigger ones. About the only thing to do midday is to sit water somewhere if you don't want to sit in camp.

 

[npaden]

Oh yeah I forgot, I did see a Kaibab squirrel today. It was really pretty, very dark body and almost white tail. Didn’t get a picture though.

I agree with everyone that hunting mid day would most likely not be very productive at all. I’ve just always been one of those kind of guys that is going to sit in the blind all day long on the less than 1% chance I see something worth shooting at 1:00 in the afternoon. Not sure I’ve ever shot anything in the middle of the afternoon except maybe a pig but I still sit there all day.

I trust my guide for sure. He is amazing behind the binoculars. This hunt seems to be all about persistence and glassing. We still have plenty of time left to find a good one!

 

[Irrelevant]

You don't sound like you're having a good time?