Arizona Mule deer

[Shadow Cat]

This was a buck I took in January 2000 in Arizona during the late archery hunt. When I took him, it was the last day of hunting season and the only day I got to go out. My hunt lasted all of 2 hours. What a way to end the season! I went back there 3 years after I took him only to find that it was now the 13th hole on a golf course!

[boneaddict]

Dandy buck!  I hate all the developement that is going on everywhere, but thats progress right?

[GoldTip]

Good buck, congrats!  Too bad to hear they turned your hunting pot into a golf course.

[Guy]

Dang, he's got some long tines! Nice... Yeah, some of my old hunting areas are paved parking lots and shopping centers now. Phooey.

[Ray]

Looks like a winner to me

[Shadow Cat]

A friend of mine is a biologist and I had him look at this buck. He figured that he was about 9 years old and is a regressing buck. I had never heard of that. I guess when they reach a certain size, their antlers start to twist like this one and they loose mass and points. He said if I had taken him about 3 years earlier, he would have been a definate record book buck. As it is, he scored 133 1/4.

[WAcoueshunter]

Looks like a desert buck...what unit did you hunt down there?  I've gone down the last few late archery seasons in unit 33 for coues/muleys.  We've seen some dandy muley bucks, but spend most of our time chasing coues.  But I'd gladly take that guy any time!

[Shadow Cat]

I took him in unit 42 just west of Phoenix in the Whitetank mountians on the old Catipillar proving grounds.

[Ray]

I thought it had a red baseball cap on it? Or is that the other one 

[WAcoueshunter]

Cool.  Unfortunately not surprising that the area is getting developed.  Without water or mountains to limit the development, seems they just keep going further and further into the desert down there.  Amazing how far out the sprawl has gone since I started visiting down there 15-20 years ago.  

I always love to hear about how guys take desert deer with the bow...how did you close the gap?  Spot and stalk?  Sit on water?  Give us the story!