Arizona

[Sumpfmann]

I'm going to Arizona week after next on an archery deer and javelina combo hunt. I feel pretty good about the odds for taking a javelina with trad gear, but I'm having second thoughts about my chances on deer (yes, I do have a compound). Looking for a little encouragement, I guess. We will be hunting near Tuscon, to the NE of there. Any tips/words of wisdom?

[bowhunterfrompast]

I haven't hunted javelina. I would think if you feel comfy with your odds of taking a javelina you should feel the same comfort zone with deer. JMHO

[highcountry]

Sunny Arizona!
 

 

[Flatshooter]

Hey Sumpfmann, up until last year I lived in Tucson and hunted Javalina and desert mulies for five years. This is a spot and stalk hunt and it ain't easy! If you're after desert mulies be prepared to glass for hours and be able to shoot out to 60 and 70 yards... not practical for a trad hunter. That's why trad hunters are almost unheard of in southern AZ. Javalinas are a bit easier since their vision is very poor. However, their sense of smell makes up for the sight disadvantage. DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE WIND! Be sure to hunt with a buddy. You will see plenty of illegals and lots of trash where they slept in the desert. Drug smuggling is a big issue down there so you have to be real careful. You will be surprised to see what comes up in your binocs while you're glassing for animals. Don't mean to be negative about this opportunity of yours but it's tough hunting and potentially dangerous. Best of luck and be safe

[Flatshooter]

Oh,on a positive note, I did shoot a beauty of a mountain lion with my bow. AZ Fish and Game aged him at 12 years. He is a full mount in our great room.

[highcountry]

I just drove my Mother down the hill to her winter place today. What a change in weather.  I left here on the mountain, it was 4 degrees. Tee shirt weather down there(Buckeye), 60's. Northbound on I-17 was a train of city folk coming up to play in the snow.  There is a little change in the regs here for deer. An area by Williams is open which is great for us. Don't forget a shotgun to chase some birds.

[Jimscol]

I hope this photo copies.  This is Coues deer  that I shot in Jan '08 south of  Tucson with my BW PSR.  My two hunting  buddies each  killed bigger  bucks  with their  longbows.  It looks like work  will keep me  from going in '09.  Good  luck and enjoy the weather.   Jim
 

[Smellslikeskunk]

Dont put down your trad gear..you can do it.  A friend and I are about 50% success with recurves and longbows in AZ coues deer...

[Jeff D. Holchin]

I hunted coues and mule deer with my recurve several years ago in late January, south of Tucson on the Mexican border.  I hunted alone which was stupid, as I saw lots of illegals and even had a great morning hunt ruined by a roundup of illegals by border agents on horseback and a helicopter herding them down a canyon....I think it is now legal to carry a sidearm and I would highly recommend it, plus don't hunt alone.  I also found many stolen and burned out vehicles, which were stolen in the US, loaded up with illegals in Mexico, and driven north until they got stuck or ran out of gas, then were torched.  And there I was, driving around in my relatively new F250 SD diesel.  Dooh!

In spite of that, I still saw both rutting coues and mulie bucks, and had several chances at both with my recurve.  Beautiful country and I'd love to return...

This is the higher country where I saw the most coues deer.  I saw about 10 does and 4 bucks, all chasing does, from this perch.  One little spike kept running a doe past me through a gap in the rimrock, and I probably could have killed him if I wanted, but the other bucks looked better and I ended up with nothing.  I didn't realize then what a trophy that spiker was...
 

I did some exploring in the higher elevations and found some coues deer and javalina in these oaks...
 

However, this is where I found the rutting mulies; that is Old Mexico in the distance...
 

[Sumpfmann]

Hey, thanks everyone. I will be hunting with an outfitter, hopefully they are up on the security issues. Believe I'll leave the wheeler at home, so I won't be tempted. Going to be quite different from the swamps I normally hunt!

[Jack Shanks]

I hunted with an outfitter Northeast of Tucson near the town of Oracle two years ago. It was a combination hunt for Mt lion, javelina and coues deer. As it ended up we spent the entire time trying to find a lion and didn't get a chance to give the deer much of an effort. We saw a number of them but they were usually headed in the other direction when we did. Spookey as they are it was kind of hard to get close to them on horseback with a pack of dogs in tow. Beautiful country I hope to return to again.

Good luck,

[bowhunterfrompast]

Jimscol, nice buck.

Sumpfmann,  just hunt and have fun, you won't regret your choice.

[Jimscol]

Thanks Rick, you know what they say about the blind squirrel  and  the  acorn.  If you live in snow country, there is something  special about hunting AZ in January.  Jim

[jhinaz]

Jeff wrote "I think it is now legal to carry a sidearm and I would highly recommend it, plus don't hunt alone."

Yes, it is now legal to carry a sidearm while archery hunting.  FWIW, no Arizona resident hunter would even consider going into that part of the country today without a sidearm and a hunting partner. - John

[blueline]

Swamp don't let them fool ya, the area you are going to be in is great for javy and deer, dont let them see ya move and you can get in great with trad gear. Not much to worry about in that area but if you head south you will be the hunted!!!


blueline

[grizz]

Don't overlook central AZ for both mulies and javelina, the stick will work just fine, javelina, nineteen in a row, till I moved north!

[donpatch]

Sumpf,
Don't worry too much about the illegals. I have lived and hunted here in southern AZ. for 21 years and have never had a problem with illegals. I do run into them down close to the border but get 20 miles north and it is a lot less common for me to see them. 99% of the time they run the other way because they don't want to get caught and sent back. I do carry a sidearm but have never felt the need to even draw it from the holster.  You will have a blast hunting Javelina. Javelina were made for the traditional bow.  
I love to hunt Coues with my longbow but I will be honest with you, they are like stalking a bobcat.  Your chances of success are directly related to your physical conditioning and your stalking abilities. They are not impossible to hunt though and if you are hunting with an outfitter he will get you on quite a few stalks if he is decent.  The Coues population is doing good and there seem to be lots of bucks to chase this year so far.  So come on out and have some fun and don't worry about the illegals, unless you see bales of green stuff on their backs. Those are the ones to stay away from.  Good luck!

Don

[DELTA]

Sumpffmann,dont chase an animal that could out run you by five times.You need to outsmart him.Take your time,watch and patern him,watch the wind,the time he moves.Set up an ambush with groundblind,treestand,even make a natural blind.Take on the challenge,tell yourself if other hunters can do it so could I.Ther isnt an animal that you cant get within twenty yards to.Shoot straight and good luck.

[KSdan]

For what it is worth:  Been 15 years since I saw Coues deer.  Never harvested one. . .  Being originally a MI guy and finding myself with some South CA boys in AZ. . . I found that the Coues were just like MI whitetails. . . the key would have been in the scouting, not stalking.  

My heart was set on a mule deer so I did not even mess with the Coues.  Even then, naturally from my MI hunting I had them patterned in a few days and had fun with them. In January they were in rut.  There were easy trails, rubs, and scrapes.  I did not even know that the ones I was messing with were trophies. . .  wish I had known.  Even their timing was predictable.  Had I realized it quicker that I was daily having encounters with trophy Coues, I am sure I could have had a shot.
 
Some things you learn too late.      

[Sumpfmann]

Thanks again everyone for the responses. This what makes Trad Gang a great site. Now if ya want to know about hunting river bottoms down south...