AZ Archery strip hunt 09

[Huntnup]

Did anyone hear of what bucks where taken this year in 13A or 13B this year durning archery?

Huntnup

 

[mike111]

I heard it was a tough year up there, but if someone has pics please post em up!

 

[DonMartin]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-20-09 AT 09:08AM (MST)[p]I was up on the Strip with two hunters, and while it wasn't an easy hunt--it never is, both hunters had opportunities and one of them did take a nice buck, a 25" 5 X 4. There was a larger buck with this one, but he couldn't get a shot, so he took this one, which is the largest buck he's ever taken either with a bow or gun. The other hunter bagged a mountain lion but no buck. We saw 6 lions in 7 days!

One other hunter up there also bagged a lion (nice tom) after we left, but came home with an empty deer tag.

Here are some photos.

Towards the later part of the hunt, the monsoon storms came in and we had a full moon which just hammered us. Also having all those lions prowling all over our waters didn't seem to help.

From what I heard, I'll bet they had a 30-40% hunt success out of the 30 tags, and those I spoke to that didn't fill, including my other hunter, all could have taken bucks, just not big ones.

Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

P.S. This was the first year that Chris has applied for a Strip archery tag, He had a early rifle westside Kaibab in 2008, so he went into the draw with just his application point! Residents can obviously draw with few bonus points. Non-residents on the other hand..well you know the bad news there....

 

[DonMartin]

Here is a photo of Craig Thomas and the lion he got.

After Craig shot this one, three more walked out of the brush and he had to wait for them to drink before he tracked this one down.

Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

 

[DonMartin]

Here are a few photos of a couple of nice bucks that were visiting our water.

I also got pictures of turkeys, foxes, doves, owls, feral pigs, coyotes, bats. We saw chukars, eagles,and tons of passerine birds while we were there. It is truly a wildlife paradise.

Don Martin
AWO

 

[DonMartin]

LAST EDITED ON Sep-20-09 AT 08:56AM (MST)[p]Here is a photo of what was the largest buck I saw up there. This guy, and his buddy walked in on Eric Hawkinberry and I as we were checking out a trail cam on a water. Initially he was just 60 yards away. I got him at 32 wide, and think he'd conservatively go at least 190 P&Y.

That's why you apply for AZ Strip tags!

Don Martin
AWO

 

[DonMartin]

Here is a photo of a real nice buck we got on camera just once and never saw him again..

Note he came in the night BEFORE the season opened.

Nice buck, not great forks, but I think he was a shooter! Chris Massashos was waiting on this buck--or one like him--when the other two bucks came in and shot that 5 X 4.

Some neat deer up there.

Don Martin
AWO

 

[DonMartin]

I hate to keep posting, but no one else is, so here is my last photo.

This was a really neat "cactus buck" that came in to a water one evening, he is a five on the right side with two large points and three other smaller stickers on the left side.

Of course he wouldn't score nothing, but what a neat buck.

If I was sitting there with a bow in my hand, I take this guy!

I just am fascinated by what I call "Freaks and Geeks" and the Strip has 'em.

Bummer to wait for years and years to draw a tag there--and if you're a non-resident you are not getting an archery or rifle tag there unless you are in the max bonus point pool, but the place does have some awesome bucks!

Don Martin
AWO

 

[mike111]

Nice photos Don, thanks for posting them!!! Congrats to your hunter that's a real nice buck!!!

 

[Huntnup]

Don,

Thanks for the pics and info..I was in A and that rain sure changed things!!I only heard of 4 buck killed in the first week that I was there in A 2 forks, a 4X3 and a 5X4 that went in the 190s. All the deer were killed berfore the rain hit.

Sure love those game cam photos...It amazes me what comes in at night that you never see during the day!!

We also had a lion visiting our tanks.

Good luck this season!!

Huntnup

 

[fatrooster]

Great pics Don Martin. Thanks for sharing. fatrooster.