unit 9

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pigbulls

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Ok so I got real lucky and finally drew the tag, my question for everyone is.
I always have been a D.I.Y. kinda guy and probably cant even afford a guide service if I wanted to,"BUT" if I could pull the money together what would you recomend? A couple of things to keep in mind.
1. I have hunted elk
2. I can call elk
3. I dont know the unit at all and probably wont get the chance to visit the unit untill the hunt.
Thanks to everyones responses in advance.
 
Congrats on the tag! There's plenty of good outfitters to choose from but some of the better one's are the McClendons and Steve Chappell. I would recommend going with a guide if you don't have the chance to scout. You can get it done DIY, but a lot of the guides will know right where the bigger bulls are hanging. I think the first 5-7 days of this hunt are the best and from there on the elk bugle good but it's gets very hard to harvest bigger bull. The units not what it used to be IMO but there's still some great bulls and even some giants! Good luck and let us know how it goes!
 
If your confident on how you hunt, then starting your scouting on the first day of the hunt in this unit isnt a bad thing. A lot of bulls will move when the rut kicks in anyway (if your archery or early rifle during the rut).

Your biggest challenge will be your knowledge of how to get around, but you can get past that in a couple days. If you plan on hunting the entire hunt, I think you may do fine.

Not sure how far away you are, but theres a lot of time before the hunt starts. Who knows, maybe you can find a weekend in there somewhere that will allow you to get up there and learn it a little.

It could be a little tougher if your planning on hunting a late hunt up there.

Good luck, keep us posted on what happens and post us up some pics if you do any good.

www.muleybulloutfitters.com
 
I live in oregon, so the odds of getting down before the season on a working mans budget is out of the question. I will be able to do a lot of MAP scouting and I hope to get some decent info from biologist regarding certain areas to focus on. The good thing is I will be down for the entire hunt, the bad thing is I will not be able to coach my son in football this year and this breaks my heart......
Thanks for the info guys....
 
come in 2 days early and learn the road system and find a bull or two to start your hunt, Watch and glass alot. I think it's a DIY hunt if you can do it like that. Nice Draw and a good tag. Hope you find and kill a monster.
You know alot of other hunters and guides will be running around on the 2 days too.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
No brainer, steve chappell is your man. Just talked to him a couple of days ago and he was in 9 shed hunting. The guy cant stay away from 9, and 9 is a unit he knows very well. He has been there year after year and watches these bulls as they mature. On top of all his experience in the unit, he is one of the best callers you could find. If that isnt enough he is as nice of a guy as he is a awesome hunter. Good luck on the hunt.
 
i would say it depends on what you are looking for. there are a handful of outfitters that can provide and cater to specific needs one better than the other. IMO, if hunting/killing a big bull is more important to you with your unit 9 tag than hanging out in a nice camp, having the best caller, eating the best food, "hanging out" with great people, etc. than you will be better served by some outfitters better than others. most of the good ones will be acceptable in all aspects of a hunt but some will stand out in their own specific way. my reccomendation would be to call and talk with at least five different guides and hear what they have to say, analyze what they have to say, and do what works best for you. IMO the outfitters i would call would be in no specific order:

1. Cactus Bull
2. Mullins
3. Mossback
4. Big Chino
5. Steve Chappel
6. Jay Scott
7. Marvin James

like i said before, some of these outfitters are better at one aspect of the hunt vs. the other. this is a tag of a lifetime for many hunters so i would treat it like that and make some crucial phone calls. good luck. with a little rain in april and may you should have some big bulls to chase.
 
I hunted unit 9 several years ago as a DIY hunt. I had a great hunt and killed a very nice bull with my bow. If you can hunt elk you can DIY. That unit has some great elk hunting and if you can find the water holes you will do well. Hiring a guide can take a little of the pressure off if you get a good one. But it can also take something away from the hunt if you are normally a DIY guy. Either way you choose, congrats on a great tag. I wish I could do that hunt again. Well worth the wait.


It's always an adventure!!!
 
I agree with AWHOLELOTTABULL. 9 is a great DYI unit for an experienced elk hunter. Ive got 25 years of running around the unit with a camera and a rifle and a bow. I can narrow it down for you if you go unguided. I will be in unit 8 and 9 the week prior to your hunt. Im learning unit 8 due to advanced age and lack of points.:-(
 
RE: unit 9u

>come in 2 days early and
>learn the road system and
>find a bull or two
>to start your hunt, Watch
>and glass alot. I think
>it's a DIY hunt if
>you can do it like
>that. Nice Draw and a
>good tag. Hope you find
>and kill a monster.
>You know alot of other hunters
>and guides will be running
>around on the 2 days
>too.
>
>"I have found if you go
>the extra mile it's Never
>crowded".
>>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>>the MM green signature club.[font/]

I've been drawn for this hunt two times now. You have an opportunity to kill a monster. If you don't invest in either a lot of time scouting, or a guide you'll be disappointed. There are a lot of quality elk, but if you're not very familiar with the unit you will be one of the 60% that go home empty.

I've been drawn for this hunt this year as well. If you want to meet sometime up there I'd be more than happy to help you along.

Yates
 
My buddy and I drew archery tags in 2009. We had 14 NR points that year. We scouted in July for 4 days, but it ended up being a trip to learn the roads. I arrived 7 days before the hunt too. My advice is don't scout, just get there 3-5 days early.

I know every year can be different in unit 9, but in 2009 they were barely bugling. The hunting was much tougher then I expected it to be. In fact I didn't see as many elk as I thought I would have seen. In 2009, many of the traditional spots where many unrelated guys told me to hunt had very few elk. We ended up hunting Skinner Ridge and shooting these two bulls off water on day 5 and day 8. I tried to hold out, but after day 7 and the lack of bugling I shot the bull on the right at 27 yards. My buddies is a 5x6 and the other a 6x6. They're not the giants that unit can produce, but a product of my first archery elk hunt, which was unguided. If you can afford the guide go for it, but I always love trying to it unguided. I probably won't even hire a guide when I draw a desert BHS tag.

I did find a spot that I wanted to hunt in unit 9, but I was running out of time to try it out and then shot my bull. I told a guy I met in the unit about it. On my way out I ran into him and he had a 380" bull from the exact spot I mentioned. Oh well, congrats to him.

28428230_135012717321_712272321_2636171_3853861_n.jpg
 
Nothing wrong with those 2 bulls.
Sure would be nice to get the same tag for that unit 2 years in a row.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
More picts and info. I couldn't find them on my computer earlier.


If you go early and scout you'll see things like this. Then when you get there someone will already be on the spot and you'll be pissed off. These first three are not from a trail cam. I took them with a handheld.

7596az_2009_scouting3.jpg


9438az_2009_scouting4.jpg




If you go a few days before the hunt you'll see stuff like this.

7960p9072862.jpg




You'll also see a ton of these on the west side.

4321p7172748.jpg


584p7172745.jpg


If you have any talent (I didn't and don't) you'll easily do better than this.

7110p9183038.jpg
 
Fin Little,

I spoke with Conch before my hunt in 2009 via email. He shared many of those same videos when I chatted with him back then. He was super helpful and provided me with quite a bit of info for my hunt in unit 9. Tell him there's a happy hunter out there because of his help.

Thanks

Bwht4x4
 
fin,

those are some amazing clips of awesome bulls. every time i watch the video of the big triple brow i can't help but get a big cheesy grin.... he's a monster and i get to look at him everyday. you guys have that area figured out.
 
Wow,,,,those are some amazing videos!
I can't even imagine being within bow range of a bull that class!
 
Well the verdict is in,,,it wont be a DIY! My stubbornness wanted to diy but My Old Mans generosity has led us to a guided hunt.....
He sent in his $ to the Mclendons.
Cant wait, I have heard nothing but great things about these guys and as thorough as my pops is I'm comfortable with his decision to go with John....
Should be a blast/ now I'll keep my fingers crossed for a good wet spring and a hot rut.
 
You need to load the video of that last bull near camp last year. You know, the one with the guy going nuts on the cow call by the road.

Pruney
 
Here you go Pruney. You cant hear the cow calling on the video. I dont know why, it sounded painfully loud that morning. This was one close call of many on Pruneys 2011 9 hunt. The hunt was down to a couple of days and I thought we had this bull . my other brother Conch also with tag was unaware we were there and was trying to cow call the bull to him. Bad luck for us lucky for the bull. http://www.monsterhuntclips.com/video/1813/cow-call-bull
 
Pruney, is the bull in this last video (the cow call bull) the same one that you and I tried to kill the last morning of your hunt last year? I never did get a chance to see what he looked like, so I'd love to know.

I expect that I'll be there next year. Will be applying with 15 points.
 
I just wanted to add to my initial recommendation of elk guides for unit 9 or units 10, 23 or any elk unit for that matter, jay scott and darr colburn to the mix. I have known jay since grade school, and darr since 1995, and these guys are also some of the best elk guides i have had the honor of knowing. Just like steve chappell, darr and jay also know these units like the back of their hand. I also know that jay and darr and steve chappell take tremendous pride in the bulls that their clients harvest, and it shows by the amount of time and personal sacrifice that all these guys are willing to put in for their clients. I have hunted with them all, and spent time scouting with them also, and you cant go wrong with either steve chappell or jay and darr for your precious elk tag. I have never been on a guided hunt, but if i was to go guided i would hire any of these guys who i call good friends. Good luck to all in the field this year, but you wont need any luck if you hire steve, jay, or darr.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-13-12 AT 11:33PM (MST)[p]No,this was a different bull and not even the biggest bull we saw that morning. I think this was either 1 or 2 days before we got into the two bulls on the last day. Same class of bull as the one we go close to though. Not even close to the big boy we were looking for.

Pruney
 
3 weeks to go! Anyone got any good recent scouting photos. I would love to see how green it is up there. Getting lots of rain it seems. if this keeps up into September will it make for tough traveling on the FS roads? Never been there and looking forward to it.
 
Big Tom , I have a feeling Things are setting up for a spectacular rut for the hunt. The hunts starts a week later than last yr and Its been a strong monsoon season . If it drys up a little in Sept and cools down hang on its going to be a show.
 
I hope you right,,, Either way I'm getttin way pumped!
My truck pulls out of the driveway on the 10th....
 
hope every tag holder has a awesome hunt, Hope to see some great pictures.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
Good luck Pigbulls. You should have a good hunt with the McClendons. If you get teamed up with David Rhodes, say hi to him from Tom in Mn.
 
7 days and counting!!!! cant fricken wait!!
Leaving Oregon on tuesday morning, and crossing my fingers for a hot RUT....
 
Pigbulls, the McClendons are great. I hunted with them back in the 1990s when I last drew that tag. He's a great man, and runs a very good outfit. You're going to have a great hunt.
 
Hey guys how good is FS road 307 that runs through the upper basin area in unit? Will be traveling the route from Cameron and want to know the best way to get to central area of the unit. Is there a better way?
 
I was reading about your hunt and was curious how it went got 16 points and looking at 9 , I'm from the big town of Joseph , Or been in Iraq and Afghan since 2004 but coming home and off to Az hopefully in Aug to get some hunting in . Any info would be helpful.Im hopping to have a month to scout but want a starting point not yoking but still feel it some days.
 

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