Dr. Don at al.
Well I am home for a day before I head out to sheep camp in Unit 15D. I wanted to share our experience with you.
I had the pleasure of hunting with a 13-year-old young lady from Maryland who was on her first Arizona deer hunt. She also had a pig tag. Her name is Allison Kilroy.
And what a great time we all had!
Here is a synopsis of our hunting experience.
On Wednesday a.m. I went out to scout. Found one group of 8 deer with a nice 4 X 4 buck. Allison and her dad got to camp about 1 p.m. along with my friends Mike Cobb/Jeff McCans and his son. We tried to relocate the herd that afternoon, and did find 4 does, but couldn't find the big buck.
Thursday a.m. I glassed up a herd of 10 deer, two nice forkies with them over a mile away. A long hike and stalk ended with no shot. I then glassed up four different groups of pigs, but they were a LONG WAYS off.
We decided to pass on them and on our way back to camp I glassed up another herd of pigs. The wind was blowing over 30 MPH, and the pigs seemed like they were headed to some caves, but we gave it a try. It turned out to be another long hike. I tried to use a varmint call, to get them out of the brush, but the group turned tail and headed out of the country!
Friday a.m. my friend Jay Chan came out and true to form he glassed up a herd of pigs over a mile away. This time the stalk went like it was suppose to and Allison got a shot a huge sow, but just missed. A young boar didn't get the message though and at 158 yards Allison tipped him over with one shot from her 243 rifle. It is her second Arizona javelina. She hunted with Mike Cobb last year in 18B and got her first pig on the second day of their hunt at 20 yards!
Friday afternoon Allison spotted a doe in a juniper thicket as we were driving down a two-track road. Turned out there were 10 deer in the group and a nice 3 X 3 with them. We hunted them for a few hours but she got no shots. Then near sundown. Jay glassed up three deer, including a forky, and we tried a stalk on them, but they were too far away (300 yards) and she couldn't get a shot before it got dark.
Saturday a.m. we tried a new area in the low desert by the Big Sandy, saw just four deer. No bucks. Saturday p.m. went to another area on top, saw 50 antelope, but no deer.
Sunday at daylight I glassed up a nice 3 X 2 buck about a mile away. Before the morning ended that buck was joined by a 4 X 4, a pair of 2 X 2's and two does.
Allison and I did a long stalk while her dad was our "eyes in the sky" only to get busted by (1) a large bull, (2) a herd of javelina, and (3) changing thermals.
I'm sure if we could have made it to the saddle just 10 minutes earlier, she would have had a 100 shot! But hey that's hunting.
She did get the 4 X 4 in her scope at 100 yards, but he had a doe behind him, so she passed on the shot. And as he ran up and over the hill she got him in her scope but I told her not to shoot at the running buck.
On our way back to the truck I found yet another herd of javelina and two coveys of Gambel quail.
We had an awesome time, she is one great young hunter! It is not a question of IF she is going to get a deer, it is only WHEN!
Despite being just 13, she never whined, complained, or asked for a time out during her hunt. What a trooper!
I hope she draws a deer tag again. I'd like to be there when she puts the smack down on her first Arizona deer!
Here are some general comments about the hunt. Seems to me the deer numbers in Unit 18B were down a little. Pig herds are generally OK, with most herds numbering 8-10 animals but then again with the archery season coming in January, I'm sure they'll get thinned out by the time I get there with my HAM tag.
This may have been my most enjoyable juniors hunt ever. When you hunt with kids who are just starting out it is so refreshing to see their enthusiasm about a sport we all love...
There is no worry with kids about the size of the animal; it is truly all about the experience with them. They like to spot and stalk, and when they see lots of game and make a number of stalks, even if they are not successful, they sure are excited!
For all of you that are taking the time to hunt with your kids, kudos to you all! These youngsters are the future of sport hunting in America and we need to keep them in the field!
Oh, just so you know, Allison's dad was there for every step of his daughter's hunt. He is from Las Vegas and doesn't know the unit, thus he decided to use us on her hunt. He is very supportive of her wanting to hunt, and is a great guy who no doubt could do this on his own if he knew the area better and had the camping equipment, etc.
And, before he left, Allison's dad gave me check for $500 for Arizona Hunt Of A Lifetime, so that we can continue to make disadvantaged children's dreams of going on an outdoor adventure come true!
Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters
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