AZ Late Season Deer

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Nov 25, 2016
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Utah
Getting excited !!!
My last 2017 Hunt is about to come and go.
Az Unit# 43a Archery Mule deer.


I was down there in Jan on this same tag for my first ever Az hunt.
I heard the locals talking about this bruiser that migrated up off a refuge to rut with the local does.
The hunters in the area were busy sharing bits and pieces of their encounter stories.

Never hunting there I quietly listened and spoke little.
Near the end of my hunt, one evening I was sitting off an hay field, with some back waters behind me.
It was almost time to head out. But then this large bodied deer comes out and starts feeding.
Some does were already out in the middle where it was safe. I glassed up this new deer and to my surprise it was a 4 pointer. Not a little 4 pointer. This thing was as tall as anything I had ever seen.
I dropped down into cover and ran, I mean ran, to where I felt I could get a decent shot. I popped my head up thru the cover and there he was.

Right at 70 yards, sun setting, more does coming in all around me, I got pretty nervous.
Would a doe bust me, would this bruiser wind me.
He fed a few more steps some what in my direction, the turned to head out to the middle of the field.
I ranged one more time- 68 yards.
I drew back and shot.
 
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mfllood3800
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Right after the release he flinches, turns and does an incredible matrix move. I heard a loud crack and instantly thought "crap". For those of you who know what a shoulder blade hit sounds like you can understand what was running thru my mind. I knew it was bone.
I hoped I got enough of the lungs, but it was now a waiting game.
I sat there watched him as he ran thru a hay field, into a cotton field across another hay field and it was too dark to see him any more at the distance he put between me and him.

I gave him about 30 minutes, and then went to find my arrow. Never could find it. Went back to where I shot, reset, and went back to where he was standing when I shot. Still no arrow. By now another half hour has assed and it is well into the evening.
 
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mfllood3800
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I looked and looked for blood in that hay field, but it was difficult. I could actually see where he ran by the knowledge I had of watchimg him flee and the path he left in the hay field.
I finally found blood when I got the beginning of the cotton field, as there was a dirt road the farmers utilized divided the 2 fields.
I got excited. It was ok blood, not great, but not bad either.
I went in about 10 steps, and the blood stopped. Another 10 and decent drops, but only on one side.
My fears were beginning to become more real.
It wasn't a pass thru.
 
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mfllood3800
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I called a nephew of mine to come help track.
He and a friend showed up and we were well into this part of the journey.
We tracked blood for a long way, never enough to restore my hopes that it was a fatal shot.

At one point we split up and I hear a shout from my nephew who had gone in a different direction.
I take off running. Being so dark I was running based on where I heard him and he was about half mile away.
By the time I caught up to him, he said he jumped him. We were about 3 hrs into this ordeal by now.
He said it was a definite shoulder hit, but that he wasn't bleeding anymore. He had gotten to 15 yards from it when it finally got up and fled.

I'm kicking myself for not staying with him as I would've had a shot, but I thought if I was a wounded deer I would go over here.
Where my nephew kicked him up was an unbelievable place. The deer had crossed a river at low tide, and went into some thick tullies.

At that time we simply backed out for the night.
 
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mfllood3800
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I continued to hunt for my last 2 days. But I wasn't hunting any other buck but this one.
Looking for vultures, groups of ravens etc, but never seeing them.
Talking to other hunters asking them if they had seen the bruiser, which none had.
I retraced all my steps several times those next 2 days. I went back to the tullies, and even went in all the areas around the river.
He was not to be seen again.
I didn't punch my tag, but I also didn't hunt any of the other bucks. I passed on 2 decent bucks in those last 2 days.

I knew I had the month of Dec to return and hunt this area again.
That's where I hope to pick up on the rest of this story in a few days.

I will have 5 days to hunt, this buck.
I will try to update this thread best I can with pics and info.
 
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mfllood3800
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I will add thru out this summer, this buck has been on my mind. You know, kind of like pestering me.
I was fortunate to draw an elk tag here in Utah. I also drew 2 more deer tags here, and a cow tag. On top of that 2 turkey tags, so I have been busy.
But always present in the back of my mind, is this buck.
I am really hoping to close this chapter of the book with him in my pack. But with a short season, I will not be holding out only for him.
Plus the AZ rut can be delayed to end of Jan if temps are warm enough. Time will tell

I followed Rokslide member Travis Bertrand on his Az Coues deer hunt. I was pumped following his reports and just hope to be able to provide as much excitement as he did.
Az deer are incredible, especially the desert patriarchs that roam the washes in some of the harshest areas in the State.
 
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mfllood3800
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Flyguy- thx
By the way I love your signature tag line - so true
You cant cheat the Mountain- awesome
 
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mfllood3800
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Made it to Az

It is warm... 67 today. This wont help speed up the rut.
I only say that cause I need the rut as that is what brings my big bruiser back up to this area.
There was a rifle season here a manth ago or so, and the locals shoot everthing up- cops are usually called to wreckless endangerment....haha
My nephew is a Dep Sherriff here and my AZ hunt buddy.

Anyway, not making excuses before the hunt even gets going.
Will enjoy seeing what made it thru the rifle season and which bucks may have come up early to check out any hot does, before the biggin's get here.

My house had flooded here in the summer. The work crews just got done so this is also a chance for me to inspect and reset furniture etc....

I also will be working as we start our new contacts here and I am getting new employees on pay roll, etc...

Busy busy.

But priorities first... hunt in the AM.
lol
 
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mfllood3800
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Yea sorry to hear about the dog.

I'm pretty blessed to be able to work, hunt and vaca down here.
 
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mfllood3800
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Day 1 in the books.
I sort of passed on a 3 pointer today. Decent buck and if my fridge wasn't already full I would've taken him.

I hit the go pro button but something is wrong with this piece of junk. I originally thought I had a defective battery, but twice now it has failed me. All the footage of my elk vid was not activated. The footage of this morning again not activated. It will run for 10 seconds and then shut off..

I really wanted to get some decent content up here for everyone too dang it.

The does were all around me and I could hear this buck coming. He was grunting for 10 minutes less than 40 yards out in front of me.

At one point I went to get a better angle and 3 does locked eyes on me.

They then left and I got busted by a couple more does.
Finally he comes sniffing a group of does, and at about 60 yards. I would've had to work my way thru a bunch of does, but decided he wasn't worth it.

I did follow this herd to see where they bedded and have that dialed in..

I talked to a guy I had coached in Jr high football and he said there was a new 3 pointer in the area, I replied yea I was on him. He is telling me it's th biggest one they are seeing.
Oh well.

I have tomorrow AM to hunt, then work and chores.
I have never seen this many deer in the area.

Shaping up to be good I feel.

Maybe I should've went after this guy. oh well- I will if tomorrow presents itself again.
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mfllood3800
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Day 2
What a day !!

I spent the good part of the previous night exploring and it paid off. I was able to see the deer's routes from food to bed.
So this morning I set up between the feeding areas and the dozens of washes that head back to the mountains. It literally looked like an interstate system in there.

Boy did I pick the right wash. When they started coming thru the salt cedars they just kept coming.
I had deer to my left, right front and eventually behind me, all at the same time.
I had checked the wind when I set up and it was minimal, but blowing steady in one direction.

When these deer showed up- it was chaos. Does fighting with front feet, bucks snorting, sniffing and sparing.
I had a front row seat. They were 60 yards away at first and the bedded down within 12 yards all around me.
You how your feet and legs go to sleep when you sit still for so long. Yea, I'm still trying to get feeling back lol

I had eyes on me the whole time. but I gotta say the First Lite Cipher is pretty stealthy. I still cant believe they didn't wind me. They sure acted like something was wrong but went about normal herd activity any way. There was over 40 in this herd. 4 were bucks, only one was a maybe shooter, but I never got a clean opportunity on him.
He stayed in the does all morning.
I gotta say the sounds a large herd makes is pretty vocal. I heard does snorting thinking they got me, but none of them ever ran. Kind of like a horse clearing its nostrils to get a better smell.
2 does went at it pretty serious and the slapping of their front hooves sounded pretty violent.
 
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