Ran across these while out scouting today....

Well the bulls are starting to bugle and wallow and things are starting to heat up! I watched a couple big bulls first thing this morn then decided to go for a walk. I'd been wanting to try a new area were I believe Big J sheds his antlers and since I have two of his sheds so far, I was hoping to run across the other sides. Plus, this would give me an excuse to check the rubs and wallows in this area in anticipation of the upcoming hunts. About a 1/2 hour into the hike I ran across a bunch of javelina. I never pass up an opportunity to stalk in on stink hogs and I quickly found myself in the middle of about 20-25 javelina. I got the video cam out and gave them a few squeaks to get them all worked up. I had pigs of all sizes within 10 yards and as I was done messing around and was in the process of putting my camera away I noticed a couple odd looking pigs coming towards me. I got the video cam rolling again and captured these twin yearlings. Not quite albino but as light as I've ever seen. They had more of a vanilla look to them. This is as close to an albino pig as I've ever seen.

These pigs might be better off when the snow starts to fly!!!

About an hour laters as I was making my way through the thick junipers I finally stumbled across a good shed. This shed has all the characteristics of the bull I was looking for and quite possibly could be his shed from about 3 years ago. I spent another 2 hours looking for the match with no luck. This shed is a beauty. Long tines that are still intact and great mass. I measured this shed at 175 4/8". Another great horn to toss on the bone pile.

"As it lays" Got lucky and caught a glimpse through the brush..



Check out the tine length!! Measured at 175 4/8"

Want to see what makes me pay attention to every step......

Even though it wasn't a rattlesnake, it sure made me watch every step for the rest of the day!!

ENJOY THE PICS!!!

One and done!! Opening day success in AZ's 2011 Archery deer season

Mossback AZ Guide Arthur with his opening day 2011 Archery deer

Ha ha!, it's gonna take me as long to do this post as it did to bring my archery deer season to a heart pounding start.  Since I spend so many days in the field chasing bulls, I'd figured out the bucks in this area but had yet to scout them this summer. Thursday night I made up my mind to start in this area as I have chased some nice bucks in the past. 15 minutes after first light, I spotted a nice buck feeding on a ridge 300 yards out. Knowing that he'd feed my way en route to the thick ridge behind me, I slowly kept myself in line with him. He was traveling with a spike but since he was leading the way, I thought my chances were pretty good. As luck would have it, he feed right up to me and I was able to get an arrow in him at 35 yards. Unfortunately he jumped my string and I ended up hitting him just a touch back. Knowing he needed time to bed, I backed out and went to pick up my wife and boys so they could help me track him. After 3 hours we picked up the track. With good blood on impact but a rapidly diminishing trail, I figured he was gonna need time. I tracked him right up to his bed and was able to get another arrow in him but I hit low on the shoulder and he sprinted off. Fortunately he ran right back towards my wife and boys so they were able to keep track of him as he walked over the hill. We left the area again to give him time to bed again. 6 hours later and with the help of a good friend Mike, we took up the trail again. Slow but persistent tracking led us right to  where the buck had bedded for the last time. I spotted the buck laying beneath a juniper so I had the boys follow the track until they found him, giving them a great thrill to find dad's buck. I was very tickled to harvest this deer as this is the first year in a long time that I did not draw a rifle tag. It also gives me the opportunity to hit the hills again in search of giant bulls. Enjoy the pics

My boys trying to drag the deer out!

Gonzales Family photo!!

Mike U. came out to help on the final track. Thanks Mike.

Future hunters!!!

HUGE 2011 AZ BUCK..Congrats Robert Kay

Here is a picture of Robert Kay with his 2011 AZ Buck.  This buck is a 13x14 that is 35" wide and scores 283 5/8".  Tory Brock and Team Mossback assisted Robert with this buck of many lifetimes.  Congratulations Robert and thanks for what you do for wildlife conservation.

Another GIANT AZ Bull!! Congrats to Pete Shepley!!

 



 



Congratulations to the 2010 Arizona Super Raffle Elk Tag holder Pete Shepley.

Well what can we say, the smile on Pete's face says it all!!

Pete Shepley, a resident of Tucson, AZ, and owner of PSE Archery was fortunate enough to have his name pulled from the Arizona Super Raffle barrel last year and has had this elk tag in his pocket for just shy of 365 days. To say Pete and Mossback AZ put their time in and deserved a bull of this caliber would be an absolute understatement. Pete tallied over 50 days in the field in pursuit of bull he felt was worthy of this once in a lifetime opportunity and was willing to hold out "Until they turned the lights out" (These were his exact words). Mossback AZ guide Jay Lopeman located this bull in June and instantly recognized him as the caliber of bull that one would be happy to hang their tag on opening day of a year round tag. However, this bull Jay dubbed Corky, proved why he has been able to elude hunters long enough to grow a set of "drop-jaw" head gear as he took Mossback AZ and Pete on a 3 month long game of cat and mouse.

In an attempt to pattern Corky, MBAZ guides sat water, slow stalked ridges and valley bottoms, glassed, and scrutinized every topo we could get our hands on just trying to figure out any type of pattern this bull would have. Unfortunately this humbling experience continued week after week. Jay was able to get trail cam photos and videos but finding this bull in daylight seemed to be impossible.

                                                                                                  Mossback AZ Guide Jay Lopeman and Pete Shepley 

  

Throughout this chase, Pete passed many absolute giant bulls with bow in hand. One morning, Pete had a bull we've named Donkey come in to water. Unbelievably, Pete had the will power to hold off on this estimated mid-390s class bull while he drank 25 yards away for several minutes. Even though thoughts of doubt crept in as the hunting continued to get tougher, Pete remained persistent and patient while waiting for the right bull and the right opportunity.

As these bulls are now beginning to rub, they all head to the thick cover and are rarely seen in open country in the daylight. These bulls are starting their big moves to their rutting ground and will spend countless hours rubbing their velvet off and strengthening their necks. Over the last few days, Jay and Pete seen very little elk and even went 2 entire days without seeing a bull. When most others would have settled for lesser bulls in order to fill a tag, Pete kept hunting with his bow, but with only  few days left in a year round season, he now began carrying his rifle for that "Just in Case" moment. Well on the morning of August 11th, 2011 that moment finally presented itself. On  a hunch, Jay decided that he and Pete would approach one of Corky's water source from a previously untried angle hoping that this would provide an different outcome from the countless unsuccessful previous attempts. As daylight crept in, Jay's jaw just about hit the floor when he spotted Corky with two other bulls. Pete had seconds to get set up as the wind swirled and the youngest of the bulls caught Jay and Pete's scent and went into full alert. As big bulls usually do, Corky and his other giant buddy did not stand around long to see what had the younger bull nervous. Pete made a split second decision to get behind his rifle as Corky made his way back into the heavy timber. Call it fate, luck, curiosity, or whatever, but Corky made the fatal mistake of pausing for a fraction of second and Pete wasted no time is dropping the hammer. Pete said everything happened in the blink of an eye but the end result was exactly what Pete Shepley, Jay Lopeman, and Mossback AZ had set out to do almost a year ago, have an exciting, rewarding hunt with the chance to hang this special tag on a special bull.

We had score estimates from the high 380's up in to the 400" range but despite having trail cam photos and video clips, this bull was a very tough bull to score. From certain angles he looked 420s then he'd turn and look 380's. Now that we get to compare the real deal with photos its easy to see why he was difficult to judge. Look at the size of this bulls body. He's an all around giant. His body was so big, it made judging antler size tough. Range conditions had Corky in prime condition and the amount of body fat we encountered while field dressing this bull was incredible. Hopefully this means more giants will fall if body conditions are any sign of what the rut may hold in store. Once again, a huge congratulations to Pete Shepley on harvesting a true AZ giant bull. Pete spent more days in the field on this hunt than most folks have done in a lifetime of elk hunting. Enjoy the pics and we'll update the blog with more pictures in the near future.

 

Corky's body was huge making him a difficult bull to judge.





The amazing conclusion of a 3 year quest!!!!

Alan Hamberlin and his giant 2011 6x6 Arizona Bull



 



2009 Photo of Button

"And thats how it's done...." Alan Hamberlin, July 23, 2011. Those are the words we at Mossback AZ have been waiting 3 years to hear. On July 23rd, 2011 at approximately 7:30 pm, Alan Hamberlin dropped the hammer on a bull we named Button (When we were out scouting bulls before they started shedding antlers, this bull already had buttons on his head before the other bulls started dropping), an absolutely giant 6x6 Arizona bull that we have followed over the last 3 years. This bull could not have fallen to a more deserving hunter as Alan is as dedicated to the conservation of Arizona's wildlife as anyone that we know. Alan was able to obtain a special Arizona permit that allowed him to hunt any where in AZ for an entire year. Last August, Alan came down to hunt with our team but Button was able to prove why he has outsmarted many hunters over the years.  

2010 Photo of Button

After a few days of searching, Button was no where to be found. We believe this bull makes a big move for the rut. This spring, Alan contacted our team again and asked us to find Button for him. This entire summer found us pounding the hills in search of this great bull and our hard work paid off as we were able to relocate him and learn his daily habits. This bull was very habitual and kept a daily routine until a few weeks ago as more and more folks began scouting. This activity forced Button into a new area and after a few days of searching, we were able to learn his new stomping grounds. Our team was able to capture some unbelievable HD video of Button.



Button 1 week prior to being harvested



With this news, Alan arrived to continue his quest of harvesting Button almost a year after his first attempt. Over a period of 4 days, Jay and Alan attempted stalks on this bull on all but one evening. Button liked the thick cover and was usually bedded only a few minutes after sunrise and didn't come out til just before sunset. This kept Alan, his brother Jim, and Jay making mad dashes to try and close the distance before Button would melt back into the cover. Although they were often within a few hundred yards of Button, the cover was too thick to allow for any attempts at a stalk in the trees. Their patience paid off after closing the distance once again on the morning of the 23rd. The hunters let the heat of the day set in before backing out knowing that Button was bedded only a few hundred yards away. That evening, Button finally presented a brief moment of opportunity when he was out of his bed with enough light to allow Jim and Jay and close the final distance. Alan was able to bring this cat and mouse game to a close with a well place shot. Alan and the Mossback guides finally fulfilled the 3 year quest of harvesting Button. Alan has seen many giant bulls over his hunting career but was overwhelmed with emotion when walking up on this giant. Any scoring system and field photos cannot do any justice to the size of this bull's body and antlers. Jay was set up to video the conclusion of this hunt and captured amazing footage seconds before the hammer fell. Unfortunately, Alan needed a higher shooting support and had to use the camera tripod to steady his rifle. Even though the shot was not captured on video, the camera was still running and captured the quote that started this story. Congratulations to Alan Hamberlin on harversting a true world class bull. There have been very few 6x6 bulls that are in the catergory that Button is in and although many have claimed to have chased this bull, Alan and Mossback AZ were able to seal the deal. Keep checking back in as we will create a video that follows this bull over 3 years all the way up to the conclusion of this great chase. Enjoy the pictures.

Alan was accompanied by his brother Jim.

Alan and Mossback AZ guides

Alan and Mossback AZ guides

Arizona Elk Update

The scouting has been intense, with lots of great bulls being spotted.  Those with 2011 elk tags in AZ should be very excited for the antler growth.  If the monsoons can hit good the rut will be awesome. Its been a while since a post, so I'll throw up some a few pics from scouting.

Huge AZ Elk Sheds

Mossback Guide Drake S. found these sheds off a bull we have watched for 5 years.  He picked up the first shed in March, and was not able to make it back out until this past weekend..  After 10 minutes he was able to find what he was looking for. He realized he had walked a close 100 yds from this shed the first time out. Just goes to show, you never know what you are walking by.  Congrats Drake..
This bull with a 40" inside spread will gross just over 390".  I will add some trail cam pics and video shots over the years of this great bull.  He changes some from yr to yr, but stays pretty consistent for the most part.  Congrats Drake!

As it lay.

Huge top end.