Baby deer, desert deer and stink pigs!!

[JTeLarkin08]

He had me there to help pull that SOB over the boulders!!! JT made an unbelievable shot.



Have fun up north, there was so much snow in many spots I couldn't even pull into the trailheads and we were way south of much of the unit.

I owe this buck to your expertise in picking a camping spot buddy [emoji8]


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[TradAg02]

Have fun up north, there was so much snow in many spots I couldn't even pull into the trailheads and we were way south of much of the unit.

The snow was over the hood of my truck at the pullout I hunted last year. I am headed to Plan B at a lower elevation in the morning. Y’all drive safe.



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[Chad C]

Well it’s because I’m a non resident road hunter [emoji23]


Here is one more teaser. We’re back into cell service but I’m driving so one more teaser. I’ll post the story tomorrow




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Hurry up with it!!! Congrats!

[JTeLarkin08]

Ok guys we showed up Saturday morning around 11 to meet Treavor in Morenci. On the way into town we got sidetracked by a group of desert sheep and had to stop to take pics for 30 min.







After meeting Treavor and him telling us he hadn’t seen a single deer, he cracked a smile and said he was kidding and had seen deer every day. The first day he was there he almost got a shot at a really nice 4 point right by camp, and if it weren’t for a dumb cedar limb he would have already killed a really nice coues buck. We followed Treavor to our camping spot and saw one or two groups of deer crossing the road on the way to camp. After setting up camp we headed strait up the mountain. We hiked up to a glassing point and started to glass. As I was making my way to the other side of the ridge I had a spike mule deer come by at 70 yards but gave him a pass. After the mule deer passed by me I looked down and to my surprise found a desert sheep “shed” I looked for the skull and other sheath but couldn’t find it. Still a cool find. Treavor cooked us dinner that night and we planned out the next morning.


The plan was to hike into a burn that is 2.5 miles in the way the crow flies. We got to the trailhead,it was cold and snowing hard. The snow made it impossible to find the trail and onx was a little off. After 30 min we finally picked up the trail and we were headed in. After 3.5 miles we still weren’t at the burn so we stopped to make a fire and dry out. We hung out and had a snack before putting out our fire and trekking on.







We hiked another 2 miles in gaining tons of elevation and we still couldn’t see the burn. At this point it was almost noon and we realized that even if we got to the burn the hike out was going to be brutal and we were running out of daylight. We made the tough decision of turning around and hiking back out to the truck. About a mile from the truck we jumped our first deer of the day. About 50 yards across the creek headed up the mountain was the biggest mule deer I’ve ever seen. He was every bit of a 180+ giant typical. He lived in one of the nastiest spots on the mountain and it’s no wonder he has gotten so big. We got back to the truck after a 11 mile day of hiking at 2pm. After an hour of drying out our clothes we decided to just drive around and scout new areas the rest of the day. We went a little farther south and found some more glass able country but apparently that is where all the other hunters were too. Camps everywhere!! We heard back to camp for a good dinner and to plan out the next days hunt.


We wake up at daylight and start our drive and before we even get out of view of camp we spot a group of deer. They were in the same spot that Treavor had almost gotten a shot at the 4x4 the first day. We get in on them and Justin passes a shot on a spike. The group moves up the hill and he follows them. He stays with the does and ends up having a nice 4x4 tagging along the rear come within 30 yards. He has two trees between them and can’t get a shot. After the deer go over the next ridge Justin loses them and the stalk is over. At the same time Justin is stalking the group of does I notice a buck and a single doe off to the left. I take off after them and end up getting busted by the doe after getting into a really good position to cut them off. Oh well that’s bowhunting.

We head on up the mountain to a different basin and start putting the 15s to work. Immediately I spotted a coues doe, then another and another. Eventually we had 6 coues doe on the ridge but no bucks. We watch them until around 1 and meet back up to plan the evening.








We decided to use a old fishing saying for that evening. Don’t leave fish to catch fish. Well we had deer using a ridge near camp with multiple shooters. So why were we leaving those deer to find deer? We headed back to camp and made burgers and got ready to head out. While at camp I made a change to my sight allowing me to slide it down to 100 yards on my sight tape. I moved back to 94 yards and shot two groups. The first one was good all scattered in the kill zone. Then this was the second one. That prime CT5 is a shooter.


We head out at 2:30 for the evening. I decided to go sit on the open ridge where I chased the buck and doe earlier in the morning. The plan was to glass from there and make a move once I spotted a buck. I hunkered in between two cedar trees and started glassing. I spot 5-6 mule deer doe in the first clearing I glass and watch them for 30 min or so. No buck ever showed so I started glassing other ridges. I find another group of 10 or so does a few hundred yards to the north. To my surprise there was no buck with them either. As I am looking through my binos I suddenly hear a noise. It sounded like a cross between a snort and a grunt. I slowly turn my head and a buck is standing at 5 yards down wind of me just up the ridge. As soon as I see him he bounds down the ridge in front of me. He stops just over the crest of the ridge and I lay back on my back. I move my tripod and grab my bow. My release is in my pocket so after getting it out and clipping it on the loop I mock an arrow. I do all of this laying down keeping me hidden by the crest of the ridge. I do a half crunch and range the bucks head and antlers. 74 yards. I move my sight and draw my bow as I sit up and while flat on my butt settle my pin. I watch the arrow flying through the air and hit my buck about 3 inches left of where I was aiming. After the arrow hits I see blood immediately. The buck runs down the hill and attempts to jump a fence crashing through it. He gets up and continues up the ridge blood spraying everywhere. A few seconds later i hear crashing rocks and then silence. I walk down to find my arrow completely covered in blood and a blood trail that began immediately. Of all the blood trails I’ve ever followed this one may have been the most impressive. After seeing the blood where he jumped the fence I had no more doubts about the shot. After a short blood trial I found him in the rocks exactly where I expected. I couldn’t believe how cool of an old buck he was. Blind in one eye, scars everywhere, a warrior. This is exactly the buck I came to Arizona to kill!!








I went back camp and got a fire going and waited on Treavor and Justin to get back. Treavor was the first to walk up and jokingly asked if I needed help blood trailing one. I said nope I already found him. He got a confused look on his face and then asked me if I was joking. I pointed to my arrow and he realized I was serious. After high fives and Justin returned we headed back to get my buck. When I gutted my buck I wanted to check and see what my arrow had hit. It caught the very back of both lungs as well as cut the liver in half. He died 75 yards from the road so we decided to gut him and drag him out whole. It’s a good thing Treavor is such a big boy [emoji23] We got back to camp, hung up my deer and had celebratory drinks while recording a podcast.











The next morning Justin headed in to hunt while Treavor and I stayed at camp to take care of my deer. Treavor headed back to Texas later that morning. I can’t thank him enough for coming on this hunt. It was a blast sharing a camp with you brother.


Over the next few days Justin got close on a nice 3x3 coues buck as well as passed on another spike mule deer. We saw tons of deer every day and I can’t believe how awesome of a hunt this was. If your not taking advantage of this otc Arizona opportunity your missing out!!


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[AZST_bowhunter]

Great write up and great buck! Congrats on the buck!

[El General]

Great write up!

[diamond10x]

Congrats! I love those old brute of mule deer that are covered in fat and beat up no matter the horn size. He will be a dang good eat! Again, congrats!

[TildenHunter]

Congrats!

[Chad C]

He never saw you coming! Heck of hunt JT! Congrats once again.

[JTeLarkin08]

He never saw you coming! Heck of hunt JT! Congrats once again.

Actually he was on my left. So he had his good eye facing me [emoji23]


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[Chad C]

Actually he was on my left. So he had his good eye facing me [emoji23]


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Great representative and DIY!!! You sir, are on a roll!

[Puncher51]

Did you use the Trypan or Iron Will? Congratulations! Heck of an accomplishment!

[JTeLarkin08]

Did you use the Trypan or Iron Will? Congratulations! Heck of an accomplishment!

Trypan. Those things keep impressing me.


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[RockTippedStick]

Awesome deer JT. Congrats

[kd350]

Congrats!