Giant Strip Buck Hits the Dirt

With respect from so many requests to see the buck Linda Lopeman killed on the strip, I thought I would put together some highlights of the desert slammer she killed. We have a lot more footage of great bucks that we were watching and had passed up before she had the chance to pull the trigger on this 195" whopper! Enjoy the video and we would like to thank Kayle McCleve, Chad and his little boy Tate Rhoton for coming along and enjoying this hunt with our mom. She loved it all! Keep your fingers crossed that we will be back there soon!

Bull in Velvet

Here is a neat picture of a young bull just starting to grow his 2010 antlers. If you click on the picture you can really see the detail. We have spent a lot of time out scouting already, checking the water and feed situation throughout the state. 2010 is going to put out some tremendous bulls, I am certain of it. In fact, some records just might be broken. The bulls bodies look great for this time of year. They are starting to peel off their winter coats fast and furious, which is a good sign. One thing that mossback clients get when they book a hunt with us, is video still shots and trail cam pictures of bulls in their units all summer long up until their hunt. We do not show up and hunt the old standby spots, hoping to find something good. We like to be hunting specific bulls that we have scouted out.

Thunder Chicken Fever

Well, I was able to get out for a half day and go fill my turkey tag. Things were really slow in the morning (maybe that was because I was more interested in the elk), so during the middle of the day, I went to an old hangout for birds and was able to call in this bird. With limited time, I didn't hesitate and knocked him down. It was a great time. There is some more to this hunt, but I will save that for Art or Joe to tell. I was by myself so the pics didn't come out as good as hoped for, but they will do.

2010 Arizona Deer and Sheep Regulations

The AZ 2010 Deer and Sheep Regulations are available.  This is shaping up to be a great year for wildlife, so make sure you get your apps in on time.  The deadline for applications to arrive in department offices is June 8th.  Please contact us at mbazhunts@gmail.com for any questions or recommendations regarding Coues Deer, Mule Deer, and Sheep Hunts.  Good Luck in the Draw.

Finally was able to Hike to the Camera Lost in the Snow!

I have been wondering if one of our trail cams was destroyed or not by the Winter storms.  With the rapid storms that surprised us, we were unable to remove one of our cameras that we had locked up on the mountain.  So, I took a long road trip and went hiking after the camera in hopes that it wasn't already destroyed by the accumlative snow that we've recieved.  We had previously taken out the SD card months before so I knew there wouldn't be alot of pics on the internal memory of the camera.  To my SURPRISE...after being locked down for nearly 7 months, the camera read clearly...Image Full with still 22% battery life on our Moultrie trail cam!  I couldn't believe it.  I couldn't believe the camera was in perfect working condition after enduring the harsh winter months up there.  Of course, there weren't alot of pics worth bragging about, but I will post a few to show you how high the snow was.  The camera is about 4 ft from the ground.  Look at all the snow still on the ground in APRIL!  Enjoy.

Jay Scores!!! Big Buck Shed

Well this weekend was quite eventful.  Art and I took the kids out and found a few sheds while we were out scouting and checking out the moisture conditions.  That guy finds more antlers out his truck window than anyone!! Jay also found a great brown muley shed.  It is off a buck we saw many time while out scouting, and we never had our bows with us.  I remember us both laughing as we watched the buck stand and look at us at 45 yards before he ran off.  I am sure Jay will get to know this buck a little better this year.  This buck would score over 190" with his other side and a 20" inside spread.  This bucks friends are right in the same class of deer.  Congrats Jay 

We also found a few elk sheds.

We also were able to check a trail camera that had been out since the archery elk hunt last year, amazingly, the battery was still at 100%, and took a picture of us as we went to check it.  Here are some pics, we are also very excited to see several of the large bulls in the area that made it through the seasons. An interesting note is that most of the big bulls did not break up this year due to the lack of intensity during the rut.  We are not experts, but have many years of observing the water and health of the herds.  We believe the 2nd driest monsoon on record contributed to this, as the cows were not as healthy as they should of been and did not cycle like they typically do.   The scouting season is getting underway, and there are going to be some great bulls.  The bulls are in great condition, and are growin their 2010 antlers in rapid fashion!!  Enjoy the pictures, it is going to be an awesome year.

This is what we like to see!!! Moisture is a good thing.

Here are a couple neat pictures.

Weekend Fun

My brother and I took our sons out to do some fishing and do a road trip checking some new country out and checking a few trail cameras.  These cameras havent been checked in a while and we had some great pictures of all the snowfall throughout the winter.   We saw a great coues buck but were unable to get any video of him, hopefully we will next time.