Late East Kiabab

[bobberdown]

I have this tag does not like there has been much snow yet but there is time. Tag holders for the early hunt seeing any good bucks? Thanks counting the days

 

[Bwht4x4]

Had the tag in 2008. My recommendation is to hunt on top and don't pass on anything bigger than 160". I did and came home empty handed. I hunted low and even when it snowed 10 inches the deer never came down. Stay on top and hunt the burn unless you get a lot of snow.

 

[DonMartin]

Good advice!

Don Martin
Arizona Wildlife Outfitters

 

[bobberdown]

So is the the burn on the south end of the unit. Do you need a foot or more snow to get them off the top? Thanks

 

[azhuntin]

The burn is on the north and west sides of unit. I have hunted the unit before and from my experience the real cold weather will push them down faster than a couple of snow storms. I have hunted them low with no snow on top. Like has been stated, start high and work down until you find them. Personally I would not shoot the first 160 buck I see, for me that's not what I am looking for when I hunt the Kaibab, especially on the late hunt, you could run into a monster anywhere up there. If your not seeing deer move until you find them. Good luck on a great tag.

 

[Bwht4x4]

During my hunt in 2008 I hunted hard every day. I hunted down low almost every day and glassing is out for the most part due to the trees. I still hunted and it seemed to work. I was seeing 20-40 deer everyday I hunted, but just no big ones. This hunt will make you feel like a 200" buck could walk out at any second. Because of that feeling I held out until the end. My hunting has changed recently and would shoot a 170" buck on any day of the hunt if I had that tag again.

 

[CAelknuts]

My son had that tag 7 years ago and killed a 188" buck down low with no snow. It was a very tough hunt, as that was the only trophy buck we saw in 9 days of hunting, but he got it done when it mattered. That buck was shot 5 days after his 19th birthday, one heck of a birthday present.

We looked up high, but found way more deer down low. There was no snow, but temps got as low as 4 degrees, and when combined with a strong north wind, the wind chill was brutal, well below zero.

One thing you might try is getting up on the lower hills of the escarpment and glassing out toward the east at first light. It is not easy glassing as you're looking toward the morning sun, but we found a lot of deer coming back from way out on the sage flats to the east. We went up the east side game trail a bit and then walked south to find glassing spots.

The loop road will likely have plenty of deer in that area too.

 

[bobberdown]

Thanks for all the replys heading down there Tuesday 2 day drive so only have 1 day to look around but have the whole season to hunt. Good luck to everybody this year

 

[CAelknuts]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-16-13 AT 04:47PM (MST)[p]Be sure to look around the canyons out in the sage brush to the east, there'll be bucks in that country. Also, the Coxcombs. Only one road out there, I believe 221 if memory serves me, has tanks on it. There should be good numbers of deer scattered along that road system too.

 

[couesmagnet]

Bobberdown, i would hold out till the end for a 180 plus. Yes the east side doesn't have a bunch of big bucks like it used too, but it still has it's fair share. There is only a 2 mile diff between the top and the low stuff. A big buck could easily rut down low at night and be in the burn up high so to speak in the same night. There are plent of 160 to 170 bucks to go around still. Please don't settle for one of these bucks early in the hunt because of what others have said here. Of course it takes a little luck to get a huge one, but there aren't just a few of them. Good luck to you, but i would be hunting right where the main slope hits the bottom for bucks using both zones to rut in.

 

[bobberdown]

Thanks couesmagnet waited 20 years for the tag just spend a lot of time behind the glass last tag I will get in Arizona. Looks like they may get a little weather by the end of the week. Thanks for all the info

 

[Ed]

I helped a friend who had the tag last year. We hunted high and low for eight days plus a few days scouting. He ended up shooting the largest buck we saw which was a 172. He shot it down low and there was no snow. Good luck.

 

[couesmagnet]

Bobberdown call me i left my number on your pm.

 

[forest_freak]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-13 AT 09:24AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-13 AT 09:22?AM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Nov-22-13 AT 09:19?AM (MST)

I had the Muzzy Tag last year which ended a week or so before the late hunt started. I saw lots of deer everyday. Killed a 200" 7X9. Best advise I can give you is get on the East Side Game Trail (its a road but best driven on a side by side or ATV) and drive south towards the Coxcombs. Drive a 1/2 mile and glass back to the west up in the burn. Drive a 1/2 mile set up and glass again. The bucks will pull off the top as the rut starts and they move all day. Be paitent and glass till you find what your looking for. There are huge deer on the East side, just not many. I missed a buck bigger than the one I killed and saw several 160-180" that I didn't persue. Hunt all day though, not just in the mornings and evenings. I killed mine at 1:30 in the afternoon rutting with 12 does.

 

[couesmagnet]

Forest freak sent you a pm, i'm pretty sure that's the buck we were chasing on the early hunt, just curious if he made it or you got him. Congrats on a dandy.

 

[azhuntin]

Great buck forest freak congrats! They are definitely there, but got to patient and have a good plan of attack which you did.

 

[AZ8]

That's a great buck! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mike111]

Forest Freak that buck is AWESOME!!