Arizona Strip

A

azdave48

Guest
Next week I start my hunt in 13A. I have scouted the unit considerably - thanks to all who have helped with info and tips. After $1000 in gas, miles of hikes, spotlighting, stomping tracks at waterholes twice a day, and lots of hours behind the binos it is as they say......a mental challenge! With the snow that has recently dropped I can't decide whether to hunt the east side for deer coming off the Kaibab, or, hunt the southwest for deer coming off Mt. Trumbull and Mt. Logan. I was going to work a few spots I found in the Hurricane Cliffs area but think I'm better off hunting the deer coming down from the snow. Am I over estimating the "snow factor"???????
 
Have you spied a great buck during any of your scouting trips? If you have, that's the buck to hunt. Lacking an honest to goodness sighting, you're pretty much left with "deer hunting" the unit until you do. Roll the dice and hunt the country to the east off Trumbull. Good luck and post a pic of the toad you'll eventually find.
 
Best I have seen was about 27 inches wide, tall and heavy symmetrical 4 point. Call me crazy but I will pass on this buck everyday as I am still looking for one of those bucks that the strip is famous for. I know with hard work and good luck it is still a slim chance but I have passed up very good bucks before and have no regrets going huge or going home empty handed.

Thanks for the suggestion. The majority of the feedback I have collected suggest the bulk of the Mt. Trumbull deer drop to the southwest. There is a bit of a problematic issue with access in some of those areas (hunting by permission of landowner only) so I did some poking around to the west and found some interesting spots but not the kind of tracks I have found other places. This was in mid Oct so maybe those bucks were not there at that time?
 
Good luck on your hunt; get a monster. Will be down there ourselves as we have the 12B West late tag, and will be down there Nov. 18th-28th. I'm hoping the snow up on the hill has them down in the sagebrush for us to look at a lot of bucks. Please post some hunt report info and weather reports when you get back.
 
If you have seen a 27" heavy and tall buck he is a good buck unless he has no tine length. I know the bucks on Kaibab are down and some good ones were killed last hunt. I will be up where blank is on the west side for the late hunt and cant wait. The snow and weather sure hasnt hurt and the bucks will be moving around chasing. Hope you find what you are looking for ....... Thanks, Allen Taylor......
 
Thanks Blank and Bura Nut...BTW I have hunted your unit and my buddies have also hunted it. When the snow flies like it has this year the deer are definitely down where you guys should be hunting. Two of my buddies got nice 4 point typicals right in the very bottom of Snake Gulch when only 2-4 inches of snow fell on top. If you have horses you can ride some of that sage and cedar country and kick up some dandys. Even the best glassers with the best binos can't spot some of the bruisers that lay out there.

Best of luck!
 
I went with a friend last year in muzzleloader hunt in the beginning of Nov. Well it did snow about 3 inches down low and 6-8 inches up high. The snow fall didn't affect the hunt either way for the better or worse. good bucks. good luck
 
Thanks for sharing your experience nmhs. Maybe I'll get lucky and have some snow down low where I can get on a nice track early in the am. Heard about a storm coming in this weekend, not sure what the snow level will be. I'm leavin Wed am early so I'll get a last chance to scout before the hunt. Let's hope I don't get run over by USO!!!! :)
 
The snow should be down, My buddy is/has been hunting 12a east and west and from what he tells me the weather has been cold and the snow is blowing. I just got up to check and the temp is below 55 here in Mesa so its got to be cold up north.......you will have a good hunt on the strip............ Allen Taylor......
 

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