I got a non resident combo native tag.
After filling the schedule with friends stone sheep, mountain goat and desert bighorn as well as my own deer tag in AZ, I tried to turn it back in after not drawing a LE tag, like I have done the last two years.
I found out I couldn’t do that.
I asked what changed and was told nothing.
I asked why I was able to turn it in before and couldn’t get an answer, so I had a combo tag.
I came home for Thanksgiving.
Turkey SUCKS so I went hunting all day on Thanksgiving.
Black Friday sucks worse so I went hunting then.
Between these two days I walked 18 or 19 miles looking for a fresh track and also glassing big country with big expensive optics.
I saw nothing.
Dropping down to the trailhead on thanksgiving I saw a track of a solo elk I jumped. Wind was shit and his direction of travel was not ideal considering terrain, time left in day and most importantly wind, so I let him keep going without following.
Friday was a big walk on a main ridge separating two drainages with beautiful fingers and saddles on either side. I was looking for a track to follow. I didn’t find one.
On both days, I had a great vantage to see a ton of great country, so I glassed it. Animals and even tracks were non existent.
So were other hunters, so at-least that was positive.
Admittedly, these spots were a bit exploratory to me.
Saturday found me sleepy from long walking through snow. My mom said she wanted an elk so I figured I’d hit the old reliable rag horn spots. Usually I can glass at least 100 elk from these locations and dozens of deer.
By mid morning I had 8 cows found.
On Sunday I went into a different general unit.
I saw a whitetail doe at the trailhead. ON THE BOARD!
I hiked into my old stomping grounds. This places isn’t necessarily great hunting but I know it like the back of my hand. I’ve hunted here my entire life. My mom has hunted here her entire life. My grandfather has hunted here most of his. My great uncle outfitted this country for decades. We know the country as good or better than anybody.
I spent the day still hunting through some dark saddles with fresh snow hoping to find a fresh elk track or a bull in his bed while also glassing melted S facing slopes for mule deer.
Aside from the trailhead whitetail,
I saw nothing.
The populations or lack of is not a “you just gotta hunt harder” thing. These places are a wasteland.
Best of luck in the muzzleloader season to ya’ll
After filling the schedule with friends stone sheep, mountain goat and desert bighorn as well as my own deer tag in AZ, I tried to turn it back in after not drawing a LE tag, like I have done the last two years.
I found out I couldn’t do that.
I asked what changed and was told nothing.
I asked why I was able to turn it in before and couldn’t get an answer, so I had a combo tag.
I came home for Thanksgiving.
Turkey SUCKS so I went hunting all day on Thanksgiving.
Black Friday sucks worse so I went hunting then.
Between these two days I walked 18 or 19 miles looking for a fresh track and also glassing big country with big expensive optics.
I saw nothing.
Dropping down to the trailhead on thanksgiving I saw a track of a solo elk I jumped. Wind was shit and his direction of travel was not ideal considering terrain, time left in day and most importantly wind, so I let him keep going without following.
Friday was a big walk on a main ridge separating two drainages with beautiful fingers and saddles on either side. I was looking for a track to follow. I didn’t find one.
On both days, I had a great vantage to see a ton of great country, so I glassed it. Animals and even tracks were non existent.
So were other hunters, so at-least that was positive.
Admittedly, these spots were a bit exploratory to me.
Saturday found me sleepy from long walking through snow. My mom said she wanted an elk so I figured I’d hit the old reliable rag horn spots. Usually I can glass at least 100 elk from these locations and dozens of deer.
By mid morning I had 8 cows found.
On Sunday I went into a different general unit.
I saw a whitetail doe at the trailhead. ON THE BOARD!
I hiked into my old stomping grounds. This places isn’t necessarily great hunting but I know it like the back of my hand. I’ve hunted here my entire life. My mom has hunted here her entire life. My grandfather has hunted here most of his. My great uncle outfitted this country for decades. We know the country as good or better than anybody.
I spent the day still hunting through some dark saddles with fresh snow hoping to find a fresh elk track or a bull in his bed while also glassing melted S facing slopes for mule deer.
Aside from the trailhead whitetail,
I saw nothing.
The populations or lack of is not a “you just gotta hunt harder” thing. These places are a wasteland.
Best of luck in the muzzleloader season to ya’ll
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