Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Etter on December 29, 2016, 08:37:00 PM

Title: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on December 29, 2016, 08:37:00 PM
Driving from Atlanta. Leaving at about 3 am. 3 trad boys and a quail dog. We gonna chase javis and mearns for about five days. This is my second time going to 34 a. Hope to come back with three peccarry and 15 limits of mearns!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: highcountry on December 29, 2016, 09:24:00 PM
Oh that sounds fun. I hope to head south too for a few days. Warm, upper 60's down there. Lots of snow up here. Kids got new bows and really want to shoot down in the desert.  Hope you have a good time.  Trad Gangers need some pictures when you get back.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: trad_bowhunter1965 on December 29, 2016, 09:51:00 PM
good luck!!!!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Michael Arnette on December 29, 2016, 10:13:00 PM
Those are beautiful birds! You should post a picture of one for us to see
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: BlacktailBowhunter on December 29, 2016, 10:24:00 PM
Javis are fun to hunt. Best of luck. I hunted with 7th age years ago and missed a couple.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: oldgoat on December 30, 2016, 10:05:00 AM
Have fun if you coming out I10 I'd buy y'all a cup of coffee. Be safe
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Irish Archer on December 30, 2016, 10:26:00 AM
Best of luck to you Sean. That sounds like all kinds of fun!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: on December 30, 2016, 10:42:00 AM
Sounds like a fun time!

Good luck,

Bisch
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: elkken on December 30, 2016, 11:27:00 AM
Good luck    :campfire:
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Jerry Russell on December 30, 2016, 04:07:00 PM
Get em.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Chumster on December 30, 2016, 05:46:00 PM
Good luck, have fun and do post some javi pic kills as well.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: DesertDude on December 30, 2016, 05:56:00 PM
I used to hunt the area by San manual down the river road.   Good luck
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 07, 2017, 07:56:00 PM
It was a pretty pretty pretty good time. Mike pflander was a super cool guy to shoot the stuff with and talk shop as well. Ill get some words in when we finally get home. This ice storm has really hindered us.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Deno on January 07, 2017, 08:14:00 PM
Safe trip

Deno
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: CoachBGriff on January 07, 2017, 10:18:00 PM
Sounds like a blast!  Arizona may be one of the most beautiful states in the continental US!

Good luck and bring back some pics!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: twitchstick on January 08, 2017, 01:45:00 AM
Good luck
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 08, 2017, 10:10:00 AM
We ended up finding some javi groups in a place I knew from my last trip out there. On the second day I found a group of ridges they were working. I had also found about 12 coues deer and two were good bucks. That seemed to peak mike's interest so on the third morning, he went up the ridge before us (javis dont get up early right?).  As it turned out, he walked right up on a javi herd and killed a nice boar before we even left the truck. Lol

On the way out he bumped another group of javis and the three of us went after them. We couldnt relocate them with glass so we were descending back to camp to try again in ghe afternoon when we bumped into another group. They were running off so we dropped our packs and I started calling. One of them came running right back in to about 12 yards. My buddy Joe was standing right next to me and I told him to take the shot. He hit the boar low and back from their tiny kill zone and we began following some tough blood.....
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Warden609 on January 08, 2017, 10:24:00 AM
:campfire:
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 08, 2017, 01:48:00 PM
While following specs of blood, we spotted a javelina get up from a brushy creek draw and lay back down, we immediately thought that it looked larger than the one Joe had shot and I should try a stalk. Joe stood on the other rim of the draw and guided me to it. I crept along on solid rock up to the top of the wall and couldnt for the life of me spot him. I turned back to Joe for guidance and he pointed straight ahead. It was then that I bent down to look underneath the juniper in front of me and spotted him bedded at six yards. I tried to thread an arrow through the thick juniper but was rejected and it dove into the ground just in front of him.

Scrambling, I nocked another arrow and landed this one in the neck as he was moving at this point. He headed deeper into the brush and I sent another arrow as he bailed into the snarl. I thought this one hit perfectly.

He was emitting some growling/coughing sounds every few minutes so we decided to back out thinking we had two javelina wounded and wanted to give them some time
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 08, 2017, 02:51:00 PM
We met up with Michael back in camp and he offered to come up with us to track. I had them stand on the other side of the gulch and watch for me and I went in from the lower side. He stood up as soon as I entered the thicket and started walking away down towards the bottom. I shot again and hit him mid body quartering away and he dove downhill. He stopped in the water at the bottom and they yelled to me that he was basically dead on his feet. I came from behind him and shot him two more times behind the shoulder before he finally quit moving.

I have never seen an animal take that type of abuse. I would have thought for sure that my first shot quartering forward into his neck would have passed through there and into his vitals. I shoot a 57lb bow with 610 grains of arrow and a razor sharp vpa three blade.

After the ruckus finally ended, we trailed from Joe's initial shot and found that it was indeed the same javelina. So it was a team effort after all.

We found javelina the next day as well and my buddy Bunyan made a perfect stalk and got a shot as well but could not end up filling another tag. They really are something else to hunt with a bow. And they do smell just like a skunk.

Anyway, great trip. And with my buddy's gsp, we were able to find about a covey per hour on mearns quail. Absolutely amazing trip. We had some drama driving home in the ice storm but we all made it safe in the end. I cant wait to go back. Thanks again for your generosity Mike and congrats on your boar. We will meet up again for sure someday.

If someone wants to drop me a cell number, Ill send some pictures to post but Im too comp illiterate to figure that out. Thanks
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: M60gunner on January 08, 2017, 04:16:00 PM
Glad to hear your group scored. Been out this past week Area 22b. Saw a few tracks so far but area is heavy hunted, near Phx. Might have to take advantage of the small group running around our neighborhood!!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 08, 2017, 06:44:00 PM
We got very lucky to find extremely fresh rooting the very first day after the sorm last week. My buddy Joe jumped another small group while bird hunting on the last day. They are extremely tough to glass in our unit
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: M60gunner on January 08, 2017, 10:24:00 PM
Tough to glass anywhere it seems. Darn things seem to melt into the desert. Going at it agian this week. I prefer to go out when most everyone is at work. Going to try higher up as well.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 09, 2017, 06:39:00 AM
The two times Ive been out there, I have always found the freshest sign in rockier areas along the bases of big ridges. In the santa ritas they seem to root more than anything and dont really mess with prickly pear at all. We found freshly shredded yucca plants as well
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Michael Pfander on January 09, 2017, 08:55:00 PM
Shaun:  Next year I expect Joe to kill his with a sinew backed osage self bow.  Since you guys left we have put 4 more pigs on the ground.  The PBS guys got 3 and my hunting buddy and I added 1 more.  My folks enjoyed the quail.
MAP
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 10, 2017, 09:16:00 AM
Awesome!  I think its gonna be his winter project
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: elkken on January 10, 2017, 10:19:00 AM
this story would be better with pictures    :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 10, 2017, 07:12:00 PM
Id love to. Dont know how. Somebody drop me a cell number and ill get em over right away
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: South MS Bowhunter on January 10, 2017, 09:24:00 PM
Sean's pic's

  (https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/471/32238686635_6a31d39932.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R7PGmK)  IMG_1825 (https://flic.kr/p/R7PGmK)  


  (https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/531/32238665545_653b1e8622.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R7PA68)  IMG_1826 (https://flic.kr/p/R7PA68)  

  (https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/488/31862808200_82dbb3589b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QxBdN5)  IMG_1827 (https://flic.kr/p/QxBdN5)
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: South MS Bowhunter on January 10, 2017, 09:29:00 PM
 (https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/389/31397458124_e6e77aab8e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PQubqU)  IMG_1828 (https://flic.kr/p/PQubqU)  

  (https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/333/32119861071_a67cf480b4.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QWjFE8)  IMG_1830 (https://flic.kr/p/QWjFE8)  


  (https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/257/32239175475_43e328018e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R7ScF2)  IMG_1829 (https://flic.kr/p/R7ScF2)  


  (https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/342/31397555814_8a327acea9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PQuFtd)  IMG_1824 (https://flic.kr/p/PQuFtd)
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: South MS Bowhunter on January 10, 2017, 09:33:00 PM
Trails end....

  (https://c5.staticflickr.com/1/664/31397419684_0fe0df0495.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PQtZ19)  IMG_1831 (https://flic.kr/p/PQtZ19)  

  (https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/281/31429083463_709de445ac.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PThgxn)  IMG_1821 (https://flic.kr/p/PThgxn)
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: glass76 on January 10, 2017, 10:25:00 PM
Congrats, great pics too!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: centaur on January 11, 2017, 07:20:00 AM
Those Montezuma quail are every bit as cool as the javelina. Looks like a great hunt!
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Gib on January 11, 2017, 07:46:00 AM
thanks for the story......and pictures....makes a guy really want to go....congratulations...gib
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Etter on January 11, 2017, 09:46:00 AM
Soon as we got back, my buddy sent me a gofundme link for a guy who got shot during a shootout with a group of border jumpers who were trying to steal their RV.

Its a bit wilder down there than my Appalachian home mountains.
Title: Re: Headed to AZ!
Post by: Bernie B. on January 11, 2017, 10:31:00 AM
Congratulations, sounds like a great time!  Very nice pictures also - looks like beautiful country!

Bernie