Is the rut here yet?

[desertbucks]

Well guys it's my favorite time of the year to hunt muleys here in the AZ desert, anyone seeing any rut activity yet? I am headed out scouting tomorrow and getting pumped for Decemeber 10th!!!

 

[KennyT]

I saw 18 does all by them self last week.

 

[maddglasser]

One thing is for sure....It will happen when it happens!!

 

[creed]

I am seeing does being bred already. This is the earliest I can remember seeing any real rutting activity.
Rutting bucks and dry hot weather is a perfect storm for killing a good one this year.

 

[msolocam]

glassed up 2 good bucks this morning both chasing does pretty hard. central arizona

shoot straight

 

[desertbucks]

We glassed up 32 deer today and the bucks are begining to show rut activity. We watched bucks chasin does around all morning, good sign to have a early activity!! Good luck!

 

[mike111]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-10 AT 01:14PM (MST)[p]Glassed a group of a 3x4 hanging around 10 does. Also a 27" 5x5 starting to rut, he had his nose up and moving does around. Looks like the rut is just starting in Arizona.

 

[mesquitehunter]

I don't know about the rut right now, but the deer are pounding water over here in my parts. I've set out a few of those evil trailcams to see what I come up with.














Gun control is a good aim and a steady rest

 

[HullinPhx]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-13-10 AT 03:29PM (MST)[p]

 

[roadhunteraz]

All I'm seeing is lots of does every where I go. Not seeing any bucks with the does yet.

 

[Whitegoat]

TRAIL CAMS!!!! Are you kidding me! Obviously you have no idea, the deer herd out in those desert units are going to go to crap now!! Havent you heard of Kaibab?? If you kill all the big bucks, then what are the lions and crows going to eat on when they die of old age or become to old to outsmart/outrun a Lion...GEEZ no consideration for the predators..

On a real note..Good job on killing all those stellar trophys this year..with or without cameras who gives a SH$T..

JB

 

[greatwestern]

came about 20" from filling two tags i ain't got this afternoon when some young scrapper run a ragged lookin doe across the road this afternoon...that dumb little buck was running that poor girl haywire

looks like it'll be coming on soon around here...but no big dudes on the chicks around here yet

for whatever the hell that's worth to you all, as i'm in southern california

hey T-Rex, give me the heads up when you got that 200" dude dialed and i'll be headed your way....

though i might need to rent me a desert Buck Wagon, eh?

 

[mesquitehunter]

LAST EDITED ON Dec-14-10 AT 10:04AM (MST)[p]Thnx for the comps WG. The one water hole I have a camera on is about five miles to the closest glassable vantage point. This particular hole only has about 10-15 deer hitting it. In some BIG, BIG desolate country that is flatter than a skillet.

Now do to the extreme circumstances I'm faced with. I have found a large track on this hole. Every big racked buck I've seen has had a big track. Not every big track has had a big rack. So now I'm faced with a few options in determining if I wanna try and hunt this buck without the use of a camera.

Option #1: Get up high and glass him up. NOPE!!! there aint no mountains around for about five miles.

Option #2 Get on his track and follow it. NOPE!!! what if he's traveling about five to seven miles from the water and I accidently blew him out after following his track for five hours.Now he's gone for sure.

Option #3 Just sit on the water for the next week or so and see if he comes in. NOPE!!! how about I put a cam there and continue to scout other areas that are more glassable because I don't have all the time in the world to just sit on a water hole 24-7 hoping this track is the buck I want.

Option #4 Put a cam out. YEP!!!! If the track is a buck I want to hunt I'll just have to figure out how I'M gonna kill him not the camera. Just remember kinda like "Guns don't kill people, people do"
Well I have a new saying "Trailcams don't kill big bucks hunters do"
Once you know he's there you still gotta find him and kill him, right???

Sorry for high-jacking the thread I just had to get that off my chest.





















Gun control is a good aim and a steady rest

 

[desertbucks]

Mesquite hunter well said.....I was out this morning and got right in the middle of a herd of 25 mule deer with 4 bucks in the herd. The bucks have swollen necks and they had a good 10 min round fight this morning, it was awesome.

 

[denny]

was out last week saw couple does no bucks yet n/w tucson area hunted 4 dfferent areas last year during th rut all within 30 miles of each other rut started at different times in each were r some seeing the rut starting located. denny

 

[massey_muley]

This is my favorite post of the year.
It is also my favorite hunt of the year, so I figured I would share a few pictures from the last 2 years I have hunted it to get everyone excited, including myself.

It isnt the portfolio that BOHNTR has from the desert but give me some time, I am really hoping to finally make it happen this year.

got within 80 yards of this buck and never could make it happen.

I ended up missing the buck below and he still haunts me. I called him switch because he was a 3x3 but his fork is on the back on one side and the front on the other.

Can't wait!

Good luck to everyone.

 

[AZWALKER]

Good stuff, thanks for the pics.

I'm looking forward to Jan myself. I can't hunt till then because of the date that I moved back here from Wyoming.

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan

 

[huntazido]

Going to either 18B or 17B this Sunday - Wednesday. I might even make it out for a few days between Christmas and new years.

Sure hope the boys are chasing the girls. Last year in 18B I saw a lot of does by themselves during this same time.

No matter what I plan on having a good time.

 

[ruthunter]

Glassed this buck up today all by himself, watched as he raked his horns on an ocotillo. Sorry pic isnt the best, i took the pic with my cell up to my 15's.

 

[ruthunter]

Different angle.

 

[desertbucks]

I stalked the buck above for 3 1/2 hrs and got 50 yards from him as he was bedded, but couldnt get the shot. He is a nice 3x3 that will score in the 160's!!

 

[Screamin]

Does Does Does Where Are The Bucks????????? The Cold Snap Knows.

 

[desertbucks]

How is everyone doing on the January Hunt? Lets hear the stories of success and the ones that got away?

 

[kennyazman]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-29-11 AT 08:46PM (MST)[p]here is my 4th mule deer but my first archery style. I know he aint the biggest muley ever, but I sure am proud to finally stick one with a bow. I've been chasing them around the desert for a few years now trying to get one and it finally happened. I shot him last monday the 24th, the day after my birthday (not a bad birthday present). Pictured with me in one of them is a buddy of mine from high school who just happened to be out there hunting in the same spot I was. While I was tracking his blood trail, I saw my buddy walking and whistled to him to let him know I was there. Then he said to me " Did you just shoot a deer?" I said yep, then he said " Hes right here man!" . He was walking back to his truck and almost tripped over him. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[ruthunter]

Congrats on your first archery buck. The rest should come easier now.

 

[AZWALKER]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-31-11 AT 07:40AM (MST)[p]I messed up a shot on a 170 class buck then got to see the biggest deer I've ever seen in my life on the hoof. 200" mainframe typical with no trash. Still seeing him when I close my eyes.

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan

 

[creed]

>LAST EDITED ON Jan-31-11
>AT 07:40?AM (MST)
>
Still seeing him when
>I close my eyes.

Yeah Donnie, I am seeing him too. There aren't many deer that size anywhere.

 

[AZWALKER]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-01-11 AT 07:22AM (MST)[p]Yeah I can't believe a buck like that, that close to town hasn't been plastered all over the internet or made it long enough to grow that big.

We should name him the "Cantalope" buck. LOL

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan

 

[elkwhisperer]

was this buck in 24b?

 

[maddglasser]

We got on a monster like that this year as well. Only found him once though. The buck was 34-36 wide. Typ, clean 4x4 with 18-20 G-2's, G-3 were around 10 and 18" G-4's. Man he was an absolute GIANT. I use the ears as 10-11 inches to judge the length of the tines. This buck was the biggest typical buck I have ever seen!
The hunter ranged the buck @ 50 yards as the buck kept feeding. When he stepped out from behind an ocotillo he drew! I thought OMG, HISTORY in the making! Wouldn't you?

String came off the idler pulley on the top. All he could do was stare at the largest buck he will probably ever see @50 yards. Heartbreaking for us both!

 

[AZWALKER]

WTF?? What kind of bow was it? AND how often does that happen? That sucks. I never even got to draw on the toad I saw. Creed saw him first, then I saw him a mile away from where he did....running the other way, then after lunch we found him and watched him for about 2 hours but with wind and does' there was no way to get close. Like I said it was happenstance that we found him and didn't expect to see him where we did. I couldn't begin to give you measurements, I just know he was feakin huge and Creed said he was crowding 200" without a mass measurement! And mass he had! Oh well, next year... if there aren't houses there...lol!

The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan

 

[creed]

This buck reminded me alot of madglasser and mesquitehunter's Houdini buck. Maybe bigger. A dedicated deer hunter only see's a handful of bucks like this in a lifetime. And the thing that I don't understand is the proximity to the metro areas and nobody has ever mentioned him.

Travis, Troy, you guys did your usual excellent job. If your hunters didn't tag out it certainly wasn't your fault.

 

[AZWALKER]

I know there's a hunter out there that is pissed we found his buck. Its possible though unlikely that that guy has stayed hidden, or people are just driving by there to get further out and never considering hunting the area. Either way, the fact that there aren't any pics out there (that I've see) means he's not being hunted, not till later.... by me.

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan

 

[mesquitehunter]

Welp the cat is out of the bag now!! I thought I was the only dude to know about that buck..DANG IT!!!! I guess shoulda quit fartin' around and just shot him.























Gun control is a good aim and a steady rest

 

[AZWALKER]

I'd love to spend 10 min in you and your brothers heads and know what you guys do!!!

"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, US Army
"Most men go through life wondering if they made a difference, Marines don't have that problem." President Ronald Regan