Late Season Kiabab East and West

[balz]

Posted this in the Mule Deer Forum but thought some would like to see it here as well.

Here are a few of the bucks that were taken in Duwane Adams late camp this year. A couple of them are going to have articles written about them so none of them pics are real good sorry.

Jordan

 

[pigsntoads]

nice buck balz. Where can I pick up the great shirt you're wearin?

 

[Bura Nut]

Those are some monsters. You need to smile more.......lol........Duwane always puts his clients on big bucks. Didnt you guys kill 5 over 180 this season?.......... Thanks, Allen Taylor......

 

[TRC]

PLEASE DO NOT BASH ME WITH MY COMMENTS - I absolutely DO NOT mean any disrespect to anyone or anyone's buck on this post. It is very hard to write something meant as a question/observation and it not sound like you are bashing someone, so again I DO NOT MEAN ANY DISRESPECT OR TO AFFEND ANYONE!!

As the above pictures are truely nice trophy bucks, I really expect more out of an area that takes 13 plus years to draw. I have max bonus points for deer and I am considering Duwane as a guide when I am ready to apply and get drawn. But these above bucks and others I have seen from the Kiabab areas are the same class bucks that you see and have a chance at about every other year in Colorado. I expect a few bucks to be taken every year like the biggest bucks on Duwane's website. Maybe this year was a bad year for antler growth or the true MONSTER bucks avoided getting shot?? I know that MONSTER bucks are not under every tree, but as I said above "I expect" one or two net B&C typical, Nontypical, or mega trashfactor bucks to come out of these areas. Maybe I'm way off track and I just haven't seen the pictures of these MONSTER bucks that have been taken this year. Just a little worried that with max points and all these years waiting, when I do get drawn, my chance will only be at an above average trophy buck.

 

[ducksbucksandbulls]

post up some pictures of your wopper bucks from colo.
Every other year, bucks like these,
what unit?

 

[TRC]

Unit 75, the north part of this unit and unit 40. I do not have the ok to post the pictures from the two that hunt these units. One or the other draws these units with a muzzleloader or bow about every other year. The last buck I scored was taken with a bow and grossed 192 1/8 and netted 180 4/8 pope and young.

 

[Chef]

>PLEASE DO NOT BASH ME WITH
>MY COMMENTS - I absolutely
>DO NOT mean any disrespect
>to anyone or anyone's buck
>on this post. It is
>very hard to write something
>meant as a question/observation and
>it not sound like you
>are bashing someone, so again
>I DO NOT MEAN ANY
>DISRESPECT OR TO AFFEND ANYONE!!
>
>
>As the above pictures are truely
>nice trophy bucks, I really
>expect more out of an
>area that takes 13 plus
>years to draw. I
>have max bonus points for
>deer and I am considering
>Duwane as a guide when
>I am ready to apply
>and get drawn. But
>these above bucks and others
>I have seen from the
>Kiabab areas are the same
>class bucks that you see
>and have a chance at
>about every other year in
>Colorado. I expect a
>few bucks to be taken
>every year like the biggest
>bucks on Duwane's website.
>Maybe this year was a
>bad year for antler growth
>or the true MONSTER bucks
>avoided getting shot?? I
>know that MONSTER bucks are
>not under every tree, but
>as I said above "I
>expect" one or two net
>B&C typical, Nontypical, or mega
>trashfactor bucks to come out
>of these areas. Maybe
>I'm way off track and
>I just haven't seen the
>pictures of these MONSTER bucks
>that have been taken this
>year. Just a little
>worried that with max points
>and all these years waiting,
>when I do get drawn,
>my chance will only be
>at an above average trophy
>buck.

TRC,
In AZ, you have a few select units that are known to have a healthy population of quality bucks. Many monster bucks are harvested every year with these highly sought after tags. Yes, the units in the Kaibab are amongst these premium AZ units, as you already know.

Year after year, hordes of applications flood the draw. A large percentage seeking out the Kaibab tags. This is why it has taken you 13 years so far without drawing your tag. Now for you to "expect" to see the monster bucks that come out of this unit is ludicrous at best. It's no ones obligation to share their trophy with everyone that buys a magazine or reads the forums on the web. Much less with all the badgering and bad mouthing that seems to follow. If it weren't for BALZ (really?) to share these pictures, we probably wouldn't get to even see what came out of Duwane's camp during the late hunt.

Trust me, there were some gaggers taken this year. If you have yet to see them, don't blame the unit.

Now when you do draw that coveted tag, I believe you want to increase your chances at a trophy MONSTER buck. That's when you go with the guys that consistently kill big bucks. Call the Ranger station where the deer get checked in...Ask them who consistently "brings it"...Ask them about the gaggers. After all, they see every deer with a tag on it. That may ease your mind a bit on the unit. Heck it may solidify your decision, in hiring whom you were already considering at first.

I know Colorado has some absolutely gorgeous trophy mule deer. I've seen a few up there myself. In the Kaibab, you do have to work for them. Sometimes very hard. They are there, everyone knows that. ;-)

Good luck in this year's draw.

 

[flycrewsupe]

Chef
Great post. Yes many great bucks are killed every year that you don't hear about. I spent 10 days in 13B during the rifle and killed the best buck I saw, a good 1. I know of a guide who's hunter killed a 42 in buck during the 12AW late hunt another monster. Again lots of big bucks are killed you don't hear about or make the magazines.

 

[TRC]

Thanks for the last two replies as this is some great information and exactly what I was hoping to hear about the Kiabab units.

I REALLY appreciate not being bashed and for you both taking my post for what it was...a question and observation by me only! Thank you both again for the information!


Terry

 

[DonMartin]

Hear is my 02. If you have max deer point, put in for the Strip (Unit 13B) for your first choice, 12A West Late as your second.

Draw either and you'll be alright.

Not nearly as many bucks on the Strip as there is the Kaibab, but if you compare the number of boomers taken each year, the Strip holds its own, even though there is just 55 tags.

About the same number of boomers are taken on the Late Kaibab, but with 175 tags.

Been hunting them both for a long time, and that's what I've seen.

Whoppers in both places.

Don Martin
AWO

P.S. The bucks shown above are great bucks!

 

[ElmerFudd]

Looks like the top pool dropped in 12AW this last draw (2009). The 20% pass shows 7 applied for 1015 with 12 points (max in 09), 5 tags were issued. The two had to be issued something else as their first choice. The 10% nonresident cap is 17 tags, leaving at least 12 nonresident tags for the max -1 pool. So the max points for 12AW late is in the -1 point pool this year for nonresidents, -2 for resdents. Above that is a sure deal (assuming the points only and strip only guys stay put). Looks like strip only guys below max still have considerable waiting to do to have a chance under the current draw rules, I imagine most of the top pool nonresidents 162 left) are applying strip only now. Likely will take considerable wait to clear that at 5 tags per year, adding in those -1 nonresidents (400 or so in that status) moving up through education (some of those might snag 12AW late tags too).

 

[chug]

TRC, just be prepared to go home empty handed if you are not willing to shoot bucks of that caliber. Like already said there are some true monsters shot every year, but if you take into account the amount of tags both early and late and do the math on what you are talking about as a true Kaibab buck you are looking for (and everyone else) there are just not that many killed.

I don't know how many hunters Duwane had on the late Kaibab this year but that's only 4 bucks, just a guess but probably 20 plus hunters total west and east early and late, you can do the math for a % of trophy bucks, and those are trophy's.

Good luck with your deer tag when you get it.