AZ Archery Speedgoats

[Devil Diver Down]

I drew a tag with a total of 4 others for the 2nd hunt tag (Aug 20 - Sep 2) in what I think will be a decent unit. This is my first speedgoat hunt with any weapon. I'm curious for input on what people with archery experience on them think I should be prepared for in terms of shooting range if I attempt spot and stalk. Typically, I practice out to 90 with pretty good accuracy but won't shoot past 60 for elk and deer (and would want really favorable conditions at that range) but I understand I might have to stretch here.

 

[Bluffgruff]

I feel like this thread got buried, never saw it.
In Wyoming, I was able to get to 35 yards using draws/hills/brush. Several opportunities between 40 and 60 in Colorado doing the same. About to embark on a much flatter unit in New Mexico, so I'm going to get an adjustable sight and try to be ready for 60+ under perfect conditions. I think I've seen juniper filled units, and frying pan flat open units in AZ, so it will depend heavily on topography and cover. Number of stalks x % = shot opportunity, but some stalks are definitely higher percentage than others. Try to maximize the number of high percentage stalks, which are usually animals in brushy or broken terrain, early or late in the day.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Thanks for the reply. I went up for a couple days this week to scout the units with another HuntTalker. We saw about 40-50 goats the first partial day and only a few the second half day, but that one was mostly spent getting a feel for the lay of the land.

Cover in the areas where we did see animals is minimal - not much at all in the way of trees or bushes. Almost zero. Even the grass is lower than a grasshopper's butt right now. Hopefully that will change somewhat with summer rains but I don't expect crazy growth. Because it's not far and my folks live close by, I'll be up there more than a couple times between now and the hunt. And working on increasing my effective range.

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Wanted to update this post now that my hunt is over. I scouted several days throughout the summer to learn more about their behavior. HuntTalker @Lv2hnt was a massive help beforehand and on the hunt. Monsoon rains were great this year, so the grass grew and was really green into the beginning of the hunt, making the goats really stand out from distance. It started getting hot (mid-80s to mid-90s) again as the hunt began and is browning up more now.

Since it's a 2-week hunt, I'd decided I wouldn't sit a blind until after 5-7 days of spot and stalk. It was a bit naive, maybe, considering how little cover there is. Plus, I had knee replacement surgery right before Christmas 2019 and the time spent on my knees (insert joke here), crawling or kneeling was brutal even with the knee pads.


We watched some really cool rutting behavior on Day 2. We saw two of the 5 guys with tags for the hunt start thundering hooves of a herd of 35 does and a buck about 2 miles after they approached from open ground, not using contours at all, with a decoy held out front. Those same 2 guys ran a different herd about 2 miles after trying to work the herd buck. Not so cool, since it pushed most of the antelope deep into the territory.

We decided to work travel paths and use contours more than our legs. Tom was working the decoy and sometimes a call and we had a few close calls in the first few days - including one really nice buck at about 30 yards - but no arrows flung. We had a really interesting encounter where Tom and I were laying down in the grass with a buck walking in to us. Unfortunately, I didn't really have a good gameplan for what I would do when he was within shooting distance, since I didn't practice shooting from a prone position. It looked like 14 days might not be enough but we were starting to get a better feel for bucks' patterns, etc.

Tom coordinates hunts for a great program in Arizona that gets disabled AZ veterans not only coveted big game tags that have been donated, but hooked up with people who can help scout and on the hunts. After the 4th morning, he had to get back to Phoenix to take care of tag transfers and work the phones to make sure things were lined up for dozens of upcoming hunts for vets. I was exhausted by the heat and long days and shut it down for the afternoon.

Solo had the benefit of having only one person's profile/noise/scent but probably offset by not having help spotting, thinking about setups, working the decoy, etc. I had a couple of close calls but got busted when I drew my bow.

The 6th afternoon, I got a short rainstorm that turned things humid and I decided to work the edges of bushes where I'd seen lopes in the distance that morning. I quickly got within 60 yards of a herd of about 20 does and fawns with a good buck who kept his distance on the perimeter. The wind shifted and got me busted but they just trotted out a few hundred yards. When they did, it uncorked several single bucks from different directiions - looking to pick up a straggler doe or two. I crept to the edge and laid down, kept the sun and brush at my back and finally a good buck started feeding toward me from about 800 yards. I had to range cholla cactus because there wasn't anything else to get a range on.

It took an hour for him to close to within 100 yards. When he put his head down to feed, I sat up and realized there were hundreds of tiny red ants all over my arms, legs and torso. They were crawling between by sleeve and gloves. A few were biting but most were just exploring. The buck was close and starting to look harder in my direction, so brushing them off wasn't really an option. When he closed inside 80 yards and put his head down, I raised into a kneeling position. He closed to 60 and then 50, but looked more frequently and for longer in my direction. I was worried he was starting to catch on that I was there. He put his head down but I decided not to draw my bow. He had that look of an animal at water, ready to bolt. Then he relaxed a bit and turned, putting his head down. I drew and released ~ 52 yards. The hit wasn't great and after he bedded about 120 yards away I had to wait before creeping up on him to finish him with one through his neck.

Apologies in advance for my crummy field pix. I didn't have my big pack with me and the sun was fading fast. Not the tallest buck we saw by far, but I really like his mass and hooks. I feel fortunate and grateful.

Worse pic but gives a better idea of his hooks.

I texted Tom, just to let him know I'd gotten it done. You know you have a good buddy when he unexpectedly drives up 2 hours just to see the end of the packout/journey.

And, of course, the next morning we couldn't resist the urge to toast to @Big Fin with one of those rare Arizona August Blizzards.

 

[Elkhunter24]

Great job and love you made time for DQ!

 

[Big Fin]

Great hunt. Congrats.

 

[NEWHunter]

Great buck. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TheTone]

Nice buck, congrats. I love his prongs

 

[prhunter]

Outstanding! Congrats and TFS

 

[rustednuts]

Great write up and goat

 

[Elmacho]

Nice work. Way to get it done! Nice storry too!

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Nice buck, congrats. I love his prongs

Thank you. I love his prongs, too. His right one has kind of a funky bend, almost a warp, to it. The pix I have don't show it very well, but I'll try to get better ones when I get the euro mount back.

 

[bts09]

Man, way to stick with it and not blow the hunt on account of those ants. I probably would not have been able to withstand the temptation to get them off.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Congrats on a great hunt, cool buck, and great friendship! Well done

 

[AZ402]

Congrats man! Nice assist Tom!

 

[CRAZYCARL]

Congrats

 

[Devil Diver Down]

Thanks for all the kind words from those who posted. Got my euro mount back today. Loving this buck and the way the black horns jump out from the white skull. That's the broadhead by his passenger side base.

Above in process before whitening and below final.

He's not real long but his mass is pretty good - here's how the guy who did the mount (not a certified measurer) taped him. Not sure I'll ever get him measured for book. Your mileage (tape) may vary.

 

[Brentc]

Thanks for all the kind words from those who posted. Got my euro mount back today. Loving this buck and the way the black horns jump out from the white skull. That's the broadhead by his passenger side base.
View attachment 194711
Above in process before whitening and below final.
View attachment 194712
He's not real long but his mass is pretty good - here's how the guy who did the mount (not a certified measurer) taped him. Not sure I'll ever get him measured for book. Your mileage (tape) may vary.
View attachment 194713

He's definitely big enough for a P&Y entry if you want it. It'd be kind of a cool certificate to hang next to your euro mount.

 

[Back Tines]

Congrats on the pronghorn! Anytime you can harvest an antelope, its a great accomplishment. I would definitely enter him in Pope and Young.