Early Kaibab Success!

BGbasbhat

Very Active Member
Messages
1,068
All,

Was a tough but good hunt on the North Kaibab (12AW) this year. I've hunted there 3 times in the last 11 years (2 early and 1 late) and each one was a challenge for one reason or another?.as all good hunts are.

My brother-in-law and I were both drawn, but he wasn?t able to come up until late on opening day. I left early Tuesday a.m. prior to the Friday opening to reacquaint myself with the unit.

Notes:
- Up on the plateau there are roads everywhere. Try as you might to find an empty few miles of canyon or ridge country?but you will be disappointed to have a quad/razor/truck drive through at any point. There are more open/wilderness areas in the flats, but deer won't be as plentiful down there on the early hunt.
- Up on the plateau, it is a zoo. Trucks on every ridge and driving through every canyon. Had guys tromp down on the hillside I was on, see me and wave, and continue hunting/glassing within a couple hundred yards. Everybody I met was nice, but not a lot of courtesy or etiquette?.but then again it's public land?oh well.
- AZ doesn't have an orange law?.which boggles my mind with 450 tags in that area. Don?t know how many times I saw camo?d up hunters tromping through the thick stuff trying to flush out deer.
- I came to the realization that hunting up top in the early hunt is just a matter of chance. There are so many people/smells/noises/etc. the deer are being pushed all over the place. There seemed to be very little tactical hunting or few strategies which would work when there are trucks driving everywhere and shooting all the time.

Tuesday-Thursday: Lots of driving and finding glassing spots on top of the plateau and in the transition area. Again, I tried to hike every day, but just found more well-used, unmarked roads?Saw deer up top, a big boy way down south by the park, and some out in the flats.

Opening Day: Got up a few hours before glassing time to hopefully beat the crowd to a spot I had picked out. Glassed the morning to pass up a couple forkhorns. Saw a bunch of does and a few small 3x3s running through. Finished up the morning session to find a half dozen trucks parked around mine. Guess I beat the crowd alright. Saw more does and fawns that evening on a different hillside, but made my way back to camp late that night.
Brother-in-law had brought his camper and was already well worn from his work week and the trip up. A warm place to sleep and a shower was pretty nice!

Second Day: Again, woke up way early and set out for the same hillside as prior day. The brother-in-law and I setup to glass ready for the sun to come up. I was positioned looking South and East and he was to the South and West. There was a little intermediate hillside I told him to keep an eye on, as most of the deer I saw during scouting and opening day would run over it at some point.

Glassing along, at 7a.m, the BIL yells at me, ?Buck, buck buck buck?get ready?..!?. Without turning my binos, I hopped over a downed tree and prepped in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, on that hillside, were 3 bucks skylined in the sun, like right out of a movie. Knowing I had to be quick, I saw big bodies and horns, so aimed??and click?..my dumbass didn't have a round chambered?..Finally got a round in, aimed, let my breath out and fired. When the scope settled, it settled on one of the bucks, who was calmly trotting off into the close thicket. $HIT!!!
The BIL wasn?t ready to spot when I shot, and the weird position I was shooting from didn't let me see what happened. $HIT!!! $HIT!!! $HIT!!! $HIT!!! $HIT!!! The only thing we saw was at least 2 of the bucks? butts heading to the thick stuff and nothing else. No running, jumps, alert looks, etc? So, in my mind, I missed?I need to stick to bowhunting?What the hell. Practicing all summer and fall and I miss?.

So there I was (which we all have been), down in the dumps for the next hour and a half. We figured I blew it, but wanted to make sure, so headed off to the next ridge to glass another area, and check where the bucks were, just in case. Hike over there?.alright, I'll go check for anything?.blah blah?can't believe I missed?what an idiot?.WHAT THE HELL, BUCK DOWN!!! Somehow, as I replayed the shot positioning, I damn near tripped over the buck! Laying uphill from where they were, when his buddies ran downhill. He didn't go 10 yards from a ?well-placed? 280 yd heart shot.

Wow. I was in shock. Couldn?t believe I made the shot. Couldn?t believe we didn't see him for over an hour. Couldn?t believe any of it. Called down my BIL, exchanged high fives and tried to figure out what happened?Best we can figure, I shot and by the time I settled, my buck had stumbled off and his buddy came into view and ran off with the other one. Since I figured I missed, we were just focused downhill, instead of uphill, where my buck ran.

Oh well, luck shines every now and again. We quartered him and packed him out to the truck, really still in shock the rest of the day??and still am?.scored around 150?but don't really care. He was fat as hell and my best buck to date. Couldn?t be happier!

Camping Spot
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My 2018 Buck!
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I tend to end on a high note, so I'm not sure I'd hunt the early 12AW hunt again. I've gone 2 for 2, but felt I was lucky in doing so on both. Too many people and too many roads makes me yearn for the wilderness?..but who knows?..may not say that after a few years of tag soup?.

Sorry for the book?.Hope Don and Buckjunkie did alright.




"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
Thanks all!

Congrats Largebull. Hope they get some snow for you up there.



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
Fantastic write-up and pictures. Congratulations! I have a late tag as well and have been eagerly waiting to hear reports so I appreciate yours.
 
Very nice buck congrats! I enjoyed both your story and your photos thanks for sharing!

Horniac
 
Thanks all. Still surprised it all came together and can't get the grin off my face.

Good luck to you late tag holders. Hope you get some cold/snow up top and you'll have fun!



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
Great work! I'm pretty sure my two buddies and I watched you pack out your buck, we were talking with your BIL when you walked up the hill with your pack, and we all gave your BIL grief for taking the light load. :)

Did your BIL fill his tag?
 
Haha, ahhh yeah, that's awesome! Yeah, that's what brother-in-laws are for, right? He crapped out the next day, so nothing for him. He's not super serious about it anyway, and had been working like a dog up until the hunt. Oh well.

Cool to see guys from the site, even though you're new! How did you guys do? I thought my BIL said you were chasing a big boy. Hope one of you guys found him.

"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
Not sure why it shows just the one post. I've been a member for 10+ years, but I haven't posted in awhile so maybe it deleted my prior posts?

Anyway, I wound up getting my buck that evening. Just south from where you were. He wasn't the big wide one I saw run towards you guys...that's why we were there, looking for the big one that ran over the ridge towards you about 9am that morning. But he's a great buck, and I certainly wasn't going to pass when he walked out of an aspen thicket at 20 yards! I'll get a couple photos up.
 
That's awesome man, congrats! Let's see some pics! Did your buddies have tags?



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
Congrats on your buck it's a nice one. Last time I had the early hunt in 2006 I think there were 1000 tags.
 
Thanks Ed. Super happy with him. Yeah, too many hunters, but if you can put up with the crowds, the deer are there, just gotta take what you can get.



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
>Very nice buck congrats! I
>enjoyed both your story and
>your photos thanks for sharing!
>
>
>Horniac


Exactly what I was thinking!
 

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