Eli's Blog

Facebook

2009-10-05T12:23:00.002-07:00

For anyone looking for me on Facebook I believe this is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Eli-A-Grimmett/710073017

Twitter

2009-06-10T12:26:00.003-07:00

I'm on Twitter. Still trying to figure out it's place in the hunting industry, but it could be cool. Perhaps being able to update the world from your cell phone the moment a giant buck is taken will provide some fun and excitement!

Find me on there - user name: EliAGrimmett

Oregon Tag Again

2009-05-26T11:45:00.002-07:00

According to Oregon's website the antelope auction tag sold for just $5,000. Still not sure who bought it.

Oregon Auction Tag 2009

2009-05-17T13:02:00.002-07:00

The Oregon Statewide Auction Antelope Tag was auctioned last night and we did not have a bidder for it. I'm looking into who purchased the tag, but as of right now I don't know who bought it or how much it auctioned for.

The Best Online Maps!

2009-04-14T14:39:00.002-07:00

ACME Mapper

Check it out, I think you'll agree.

Not only do you get to see everything full screen size, but it also has MAP, SAT, HYBRID, TERRAIN, TOPO, DOQ, NEXRAD, and MAPNIK!

This is the best online free map service I've found so far.

The Arizona Hunter Forum

2009-04-03T19:54:00.002-07:00

For those of you who read this blog, but don't visit The Arizona Hunter Forums I wanted to let you know that I post a ton of photos on that site. Terry, one of our guides, runs the forum so it's kind of like my "home" forum. If I'm not posting on here, I'm usually posting on there and vice-versa.

If you haven't yet, you should definitely check out the antelope forums on the site:
The Arizona Hunter Antelope Forum

Arizona Draw Results!

2009-03-27T15:15:00.003-07:00

The draw results for Arizona were made public sometime today around 10 AM. Unfortunately, you have to call G&F for your results right now. They should be online sometime soon, though. The G&F phone lines have been busy all day, so I have no idea if I drew a tag yet.

AZ G&F:
602-942-3000

Wyoming Freak is Official!

2009-03-26T19:53:00.005-07:00

This information was taken straight from B&C's website.

New Wyoming Record
March 25, 2009

Photos of this heavy horned pronghorn have been circulating under a heading "Monster WYO Antelope."

As it turns out, this buck is now tied for the Wyoming state record with an official B&C score of 91-2/8. It was taken by Michael Wheeler on 10/3/08 from Natrona County. The other record pronghorn was taken by Bill Boatman from Fremont County in 1988.

The largest base circumference (9-2/8) on record is from another Wyoming buck taken in 1966. Wheeler's buck has base measurements of 7-5/8, with 2nd quarters of 9-1/8 and 8-5/8. Horn length is 14-2/8 and 14-5/8.

Update

2009-03-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

I tried to update our website recently, but for some reason none of the photos are showing up. I'll try to get it squared away soon.

2nd NM Combo Auction Tag Sold!

2009-03-12T11:46:00.004-07:00

The 2nd NM Combo Auction Tag was just sold at the Dallas, Texas RMEF Banquet last Saturday.

It sold for a measly $60,000!

Amazing. This tag brought in about 170K and 140K last year and even the 1st tag this year brought in 135K. On average that's about 60% off retail price! The prices of the most recent tags reflect the state of the economy pretty well and it reminds us that almost no one is exempt from feeling the heat.

The man who got this beautiful deal: Mike Gallo. I believe he will be hiring us again for the antelope portion of the tag. I can't wait to go scouting!

Antelope Transplant Canceled

2009-03-09T16:04:00.003-07:00

The antelope transplant in 19A that was supposed to happen has been canceled two years in a row now. It's my understanding that it was canceled both times due to weather problems. Hopefully we can get part of this herd moved before anymore houses are built and the population decreases further.

1st Arizona Auction Tag 2009

2009-03-08T23:04:00.005-07:00

The first AZ auction tag sold at the AZDBSS Banquet last night for $21,000 to Bill Dunbar. Bill purchased this tag in 2007 as well and took an 89-inch (roughly) buck out of 19A with his guide Larry Heathington. I assume they'll be hunting together again this year.

It's interesting to note that this tag hasn't sold for a price this low since 2000 when one of the two tags was bought by Robert Petersen for $16,000. And before that you have to go back to 1997 when Robert Petersen bought one of the tags for $20,000.

We didn't attend the banquet but I imagine it had a lot of people scratching their heads!

Print Prices Slashed!

2009-02-13T10:54:00.006-07:00

I talked to some folks and they convinced to slash the prices of the prints...so I did! Now, you can get a beautiful print of your favorite buck for as little as $59 for an awesome 16x24. And still, because I don't know what I'm doing there are no tax or shipping charges!

To access each print you can click directly on the link of your favorite buck at the top right of the page.

And remember - the little pics online are rubbish compared to what they look like full size on photo paper.

Arnold Print

2009-02-12T11:56:00.003-07:00

Here's one that I particularly like of the buck we hunted with Dr. David Meyer on the 2008 Arizona Auction Tag. This was the very first time we saw this buck and we were quite surprised by where the buck lived as you can see parts or a city behind him!

This shot shows off the larger of the two horns and in a pose that suggests that Arnold may be watching over the city.

Doc took this buck on August 15th and the buck officially scores 97 5/8 SCI and 94 4/8 B&C - making it the number 3 buck in B&C and number 2 in SCI!

King Kong Print

2009-02-10T20:55:00.006-07:00

Here's a photograph that I've always thought was pretty amazing. It's of a buck we named King Kong. We found him and hunted him in 2007 with Roy Lecy, but he escaped onto a private ranch and we "settled" for just a record book buck.

Roy was fortunate in 2008 and drew again! Fortunately King Kong made it through the season and this was one of the hills he liked to hang out on top of. We had him better patterned this year and closed the deal opening morning.

King Kong officially scores 93 3/8 SCI and 91 B&C.

The Prints are Here!

2009-02-10T14:30:00.013-07:00

Let me start by saying that this has been a dream of mine for a long time! I think I've finally racked up enough great photos to pull it off.

It's going to start small and hopefully grow from here. I have several prints I'd like to unleash, but I'll be starting with the one you see at the bottom of this post.

This is a buck we found in 2007 on one of our Gold Hunt ranches. We didn't name him then, but thought he'd score about 86 even though we only believed him to be about 14 inches long (maybe even shorter).

We relocated him in 2008 and were amazed by his growth in one year. We thought he'd easily top 90 inches and we still thought he'd be under 16 inches long.

We tried like crazy to get good video footage and good photos, but we didn't have much luck early in the year. Then we got lucky!

We spotted him behind some trees and I started stalking while my Dad waited at the truck just in case the buck went towards him instead. I only got about 75 yards from the truck when my Dad quietly yelled out to me, "He can see you. Stop." I stopped and got behind a tree. I waited for about 30 minutes and the buck made his way all the way over to us. We both got great looks, me with my camera and my dad with his camcorder. The image below was taken at about 35 yards and unfortunately was one of the few that I got from that distance. I first got a side shot, then he heard the shutter, and I got a couple front shots. And then he split!

We named him Titanic because of his EXTREME MASS! He officially scores 92 5/8 SCI and 92 B&C.

And the FIRST PRINT EVER offered by Eli Grimmett and Pronghorn Guide Service is: TITANIC

Nikon P90

2009-02-10T13:42:00.003-07:00

For those of you who have always wanted to take close up photos of your favorite pronghorn...this might be the camera you've been waiting for!

Nikon just released it and it's got an incredible 24x zoom ratio for an equivalent 26mm to 624mm focal range! To my knowledge this is the longest focal length offered in any non-DSLR camera.

For comparison, most of the photos you see on here (or on the forums) are taken with a 500mm Sigma with a 1.6x crop factor for an equivalent focal length of 800mm. At 624mm with this camera you wouldn't be far behind and there may even be a 2x teleconverter you could add to stretch it out to 1248mm!

I have no idea what the image quality is going to be like - I'd imagine it won't be quite as good as a real DSLR with a real BIG LENS, but I'm betting it's still going to be pretty darn good. And with a MSRP of only $399 it will be a tough camera to beat.

1st NM Combo Auction Tag for 2009

2009-02-09T11:32:00.003-07:00

The first New Mexico combo tag was auctioned in Salt Lake this last Saturday in conjunction with the MDF and FNAWS convention. I'm not sure who bought the tag, but it sold for about 135K.

The Arizona Deer Tag sold for 137K and guess who bought it... Doc. :)

The Utah Deer Tag sold for 205K! They must have bigger deer than we do. Either that, or somebody knows something (I'm guessing the second one (and maybe part of the first one)).

That's all I know so far.

Plowboy

2009-02-04T09:59:00.004-07:00

This is a buck we found, I believe, in 2004. The person who told us about him had named him Plowboy for some reason. We guessed him to score maybe 84 or a tad more.

If you guys like videos more than pictures let me know and I'll try to get some more videos rolling! :)

Hunts Available!

2009-01-30T13:24:00.007-07:00

We still have a few GOLD hunts available for this coming season. If you want to get in on a chance to take a world class pronghorn, now is the time!

Last year on these ranches we took a few 90 inch bucks and several in the mid to upper 80's.

If you've been thinking about it, but putting it off...remember...with our new president hunting may be gone soon... ;)

Call 623-566-8708 for more info on our GOLD hunts.

Disclaimer: PGS is in no way affiliated with any politcal statements posted on this blog.

(even if we did post them...just kind of ignore it if you're offended because it's probably just a joke...maybe.)

MIke Little's Buck

2009-01-26T15:12:00.002-07:00

This is Mike Little with his buck from 2008. The buck scored 87 5/8 SCI with horn lengths of 16 4/8 and 16 5/8. Dave Brown was his guide.

19A Pronghorn Capture Details

2009-01-19T21:37:00.013-07:00

This is straight from the G&F website:

Trap construction and Pronghorn Capture

When: Feb 7-8, Sat-Sunday trap construction
Feb 10, Tuesday trap construction
Feb 11, Wednesday capture
Feb 12, Thursday trap breakdown, if needed

Where: Prescott Valley, AZ. Specific times and directions will be sent in a later email.

Description: This project involves the construction of a pronghorn corral trap on Sat, Sun,
& Tues (Feb 7, 8, 10) and a pronghorn capture on Wed, Feb 11. Trap breakdown will follow
the capture, if there is enough daylight, or occur on Thurs, Feb 12. If you are interested in
volunteering for the pronghorn capture we ask that you attend a construction day.

Special notes: This project involves building over a mile of fence and a corral trap with
working parts. It is labor intensive and may involve some heavy lifting. Gloves and closed
toed shoes are suggested

Dress appropriately for cold temperatures or rain showers. Several layers are suggested.
Volunteers will be transported to the capture
location; vehicles will be left at a parking location.
Volunteers will need to pack lunches, snacks and drinks for themselves, these items will not
be accessible once at the capture location. Last year this capture was cancelled due to
weather, so please check your email before leaving for the project.

Contact: Erin Riddering, Game Specialist: eriddering@azgfd.gov (928)692-7700 x 2330

AZ: Unit Review 2009

2009-01-19T11:16:00.006-07:00

In 2008 we had listed the 5 best units in Arizona as Unit 10, 5A, 18A, 19AN, and 4 A/B.

The only difference this year is the removal of 19A from the list.

We guided 3 hunters in 19A last year and had good success, but it wasn't without headaches. The private ranches are sometimes difficult to work with, but there are a couple main factors in our decision to remove 19A from our list for 2009:

1. G&F allowed 80 archery hunters into the north side of the unit - something that hadn't been done in years and by doing so a lot of extra bucks got taken.

2. Word on the street is that there will be another transplant where G&F will remove a large portion of the population and place them elsewhere in the state. I'll double check this when I can to make sure I have my facts straight.

3. This is one that 19A's historic genetics may be able to overcome, but, then again, maybe not - In 2007 after the seasons were all done there were probably 20 bucks left standing that were over 84 inches. In 2008 after the seasons were over there were maybe 2.

As for the other units:

Unit 10 definitely stands alone at the top! We guided 3 hunters in that unit last year and they all took bucks that gross scored over 90 inches. The year before we were 2 for 4 on 90 inchers with the other 2 bucks scoring about 88 and 85. It would be almost impossible to do that in any other unit. The only caveat is that it's a very difficult unit to hunt and scout for some people, especially out of state hunters. Mostly because the antelope are few and far between and the amount of country to cover is enormous. Prepare to spend a couple full weeks if you want a giant. And then don't be surprised if 10 other hunters are camped on your buck opening day! Ugh...

Unit 5A is great for a few reasons. One is that the country is beautiful and fun to hunt with almost unrestricted access. Another is that there always seems to be a bruiser hiding somewhere. Finding the big bucks is another matter altogether.

Unit 4A/B is similar to 5A.

Unit 18A is one of those units that is tough to put on this list, but also tough to keep off the list. It's riddled with private land in much of the prime antelope country, but also home to some of the most beautiful antelope country. The trophy bucks seem to be alternating the years they show themselves, but with the 4 distinct hunt areas within the 18A boundary there is usually at least one boomer to go after. Planning and scouting are major tasks for an 18A tag if you want to cover all 4 areas with any type of thoroughness. Unfortunately you can't narrow down the 4 areas without actually scouting them because all 4 have produced 90 inch bucks in the past - which is also a good thing!

A unit that could take 19A's place...how about 19B? Huge bucks are showing up there once again, but access is possibly even more difficult than 19A. Maybe 17A? Great access, but a very small area to hunt. You will run into the few other hunters in the unit. Good bucks, but not usually the top end. Maybe 18B? A 90 came out of there last season and the unit could definitely be hunted by 1000 people and still there could be a 90 incher that remains hidden. Unit 9? Always a great unit with tons of country, but perhaps one of the more difficult units to dissect. For some reason very few 90's have been taken from this unit - probably due to the difficulty of finding and then relocating bucks. Dylan Woods 95 incher came from here though. Unit 7? I wouldn't put in for here if someone paid me, but that's just my personal opinion. Big bucks are in here somewhere, I know they are. Unit 3A? Nice unit, but some private land and roads that all seem to dead end - very annoying. Unit 1? Someone likes this unit, but it isn't me. Unit 5B? Rumors of giants every year make me wanna go and look...the roads make me change my mind.

Personally, I'm applying for Unit 10 rifle first choice and Unit 10 archery second choice. I think my Dad is applying for Unit 10 and 5A rifle.

New B&C World Record Pronghorn

2009-01-11T08:40:00.002-07:00

We were informed that Dr David Meyer had his Arizona auction tag buck scored yesterday.

The official B&C score is 94 4/8. Unfortunately, it's not a New World Record.

Random Bucks Usually Aren't This Big

2009-01-05T10:29:00.004-07:00

A couple live photos are posted below in Ty's story. Here are the field photos.

Remember when Mark Norris was hunting with Dave and I showed Dave several bucks right before dark that I thought him and Mark would be interested in? One of them was the same buck that I saw while talking on the phone with Ty, but that night, because of time constraints, we opted to go after the buck Mark eventually got. Ty opted to hunt a different buck as well based on the photos and information I gave him the evening before the hunt.

Weird side story - we were hired by another hunter who was willing to wait until after Dave or I was done guiding to be guided by us. I was in contact with him each day for several days before opening day and relayed to him the evening before opening day that I thought Ty would be done around 9 O'clock and that I'd be giving him a call and hopefully meeting up with him around noon.

After I dropped Ty off I couldn't reach him on his cell phone so I wandered around until I found him. He and his sons had already killed an antelope. They found one they thought was good and went and got him. The buck was about 78-79 inches. I congratulated them and decided that I would try to find Dave and Mark as quickly as I could now that I had several bucks and no one to hunt them. What happened with Mark's hunt is below.

The night Mark killed his buck I slept in the back of my truck at Dave and Mark's camp with Rocky and his son Travis. I headed home early the next morning under the assumption that Pronghorn Guide Service was done in Unit 10 for 2008. And we had had a great year taking two 90 inch bucks.

Now, I don't remember all this exactly so I'll just post what I can remember and if it's incorrect, oh well.

Mark's buddy, a taxidermist named Patrick Newman, showed up at Dave and Mark's camp either that second day or maybe the third day of the hunt and he was bummed. He said he couldn't find any good bucks and only saw very few antelope. Dave, being the incredibly nice guy that he is, decides that since Patrick isn't having any fun and can't find a good buck, takes him to hunt this buck that both Ty and Mark passed on for various reasons.

When they get there they park the truck and wouldn't you know it, another guide pulls up right behind them. Since Dave and Mark and his buddy were already out of there trucks walking they just continued to do so, but another minute longer and this other guide would have been the one to hunt this buck.

We have no official score and my Dad and I never actually got to see the buck as the hunter took it home. Dave said it would have been over 90 inches and you can see that from the comparison photos with the buck sitting next to a 90 incher. This buck clearly has more mass, but a much shorter prong.

Ty Goodman, Unit 10

2008-12-29T09:02:00.005-07:00

Earlier that day...

Ty Goodman, Unit 10

I picked up Ty in Valle about noon on Thursday. He brought enough stuff to camp for a month. On Wednesday he called me to tell me when to meet him in Valle and during our call I was driving down an old two tracker in an area I don't usually scout much. I hit the brakes and said, "Hold on just a sec!" There was a buck a mere 100 yards out my window standing there - this never happens on the Plateau. I could here Ty yelling though the phone wasn't next to my ear, "What do you see? How big? You're killing me man..." After just a short peak I grabbed the phone and quickly rattled off, "I'm looking at the buck you're gonna kill. I gotta go," and I hung up the phone. The buck started trotting off. I grabbed my back up camera, a Panasonic FZ30, and put it up to my scope to try and get some evidence before the buck disappeared. My pictures weren't very good.

The buck cleared a ridge and I hiked after him. I spotted him at just over 200 yards and took some pics with my real camera, though it wasn't quite made for this distance. The buck had short prongs, but great bottom mass. I thought he was about 16 inches. And knowing what I know about top mass I figured his tops were pretty big as well. I guessed him at 86 to 88 inches.

The night before the hunt I sat down with Ty and we reviewed all my photos. I showed him several bucks over 84 inches, 3 serious candidates for us to chase opening morning. One was in Aubrey Valley and the other two were on the Plateau. Our camp was right near Tin House on the Plateau so I hoped we wouldn't have to go to Aubrey, but I didn't tell Ty where the bucks were as I didn't want that to influence his decision.

I told him all 3 bucks were 86 inches on the conservative side and just told him to pick the one he liked the best.

He chose the buck in Aubrey. Ugh. With the road going through Rose Well closed we would have to drive clear around and it could take several hours. Looks like we were going to be waking up EXTREMELY EARLY in the morning.

And we did. I had an energy drink to get going and Ty helped keep me awake during the drive with more elk hunting stories than I'd ever care to remember! :) Turns out that Ty knows Chipper Jones and had guided many of the same hunters we had.

We got to Aubrey at exactly the right time surprisingly as we weren't sure exactly how long the drive was going to take. We plodded down the dirt road and stopped to glass a few times before we spotted him. He was within a few hundred yards of where I had seen him last. No hunters in sight which was unusual. We started hiking. Two miles out and the buck herded up with some others and rutted his way clear to the other side of our truck. We hiked back. When we got to the truck we were both dripping with sweat though the morning was still a bit chilly. We replanned, but while we did the buck made tracks right back to where we just were! Gr...

We hiked on him again as there weren't any roads in this area. This time, when we got to where the buck was, he decided to move away from us another two miles. We kept after him. We also noticed several hunting trucks just beyond him and wondered if anyone was chasing him.

We knew the buck was just on the other side of the ridge about 600 yards from us. BLAM! A gunshot rang out and Ty exclaimed, "They shot him!" We didn't even know who "they" were at the moment, but we knew "they" were very close to us and most likely firing at the buck we were after. The herd bolted and appeared directly in front of us running full speed without the herd buck! We scanned, no buck, all does. Our hearts sank and then it happened - the buck appeared, unscathed, nearly 300 yards behind the does. The buck paused on the hillside just 311 yards away. Ty dropped him.

The other hunters walked over to us afterward and they were very cordial. I wish I could remember their names, but one of them was a guide for Diamond Outfitters. Both were genuinely happy for Ty's success. Definitely an exciting hunt!

Ty waited (like most people) well over 20 years to draw this tag! We had a blast hunting together and hopefully we'll get to do it again real soon.

Ty's buck officially scores 90 3/8 SCI. Not much length or prong with those coming in at 15 3/8 and 15 4/8 and 5 4/8 and 6 1/8, but HUGE mass with his bottoms measuring 6 5/8 and 6 7/8 and then 7 5/8 and 7 6/8 under the prong. His tops were unreal at 5 7/8 and 5 6/8 just above the prong and 3 5/8 and 3 6/8 on his last measurement.

The buck I saw when I was on the phone with Ty

The buck Ty chose!

Ty's Buck Again

The Official Rundown for 2008 - One Buck at a Time

2008-12-26T09:48:00.004-07:00

Dave Brown with buck

Mark Norris with buck (pictures taken next morning)

Mark Norris, Unit 10

We hooked Mark up with Dave Brown and, quite unaccustomed to how we normally do things, Mark and Dave scouted many times together. This isn't a bad thing, it's maybe even a good thing, just not how hunts normally happen because usually hunters are coming in from out of state. Since Mark lives in Arizona and he knew he may never draw this tag again he thought he'd make the most of it by spending as much time in the field as possible.

Together they scoured most of the unit and decided to chase a particular buck up on the Plateau on opening morning.

I was guiding Ty Goodman, but having a lot of cell phone troubles so I couldn't contact anyone the day before the hunt. However I ran into several hunters (never did see Dave and Mark) who were all telling me of a giant buck that supposedly everyone was going to chase and, of course, it was in the same area Dave and Mark told me their buck was!

Ty and I were done opening morning around 9 and I high tailed it to where Dave and Mark were hunting hoping that they were done, but that if they weren't that I might be able to help out.

My phone finally worked and I talked to Rocky (who came to help and have fun with Dave and Mark) and he said they weren't done yet. I told Rocky that I might have a buck for them stashed away and with only about 60 minutes of light left Rocky said to meet Dave where their camp was ASAP and to see if we could figure something out.

I got to camp and Dave quickly explained their morning adventure and 12 miles worth of hiking and it seemed that those "other" hunters were right as there were a lot of people hunting that same buck.

I showed Dave some video I had of two really good bucks and Dave agreed that we should go after one of them, but the problem was they were both an easy 30 minutes away which wouldn't give us any time to hunt them once we got there. I then remembered one last buck that I found last year and just the day before opening day found again. He lived about 2 miles from any road, but could be scoped up with enough patience and luck. I flipped on the camera and Dave about jumped out of his shoes. Mark agreed. Let's go kill that buck!

We got to the spot where I saw him the day before and we found a few bucks in the distance and then finally found the one we were looking for. With only 30 minutes of light left Dave and Mark went for it! Rocky, Travis, and I stayed behind and watched through our spotting scopes. After about 20 minutes we could still see Dave and Mark and it appeared that they hadn't walked very far - they were still a long ways from the buck! 5 minutes more passed by, the sun has been gone for a few minutes now and the remaining light was fading fast.

And then it happened - the buck and his does took off running! Uh oh! It appeared that they had been spooked by something. We didn't know if Dave and Mark saw this or what or if they were the ones who spooked them.

And then a good thing happened, but we weren't sure how good it was going to work out - the herd bolted straight toward where we last saw Dave and Mark! And then...a few seconds later...we heard the gunshot!

Mark recounted the story when we got to them - complete darkness by now - and the shot was only 80 yards away! How's that for a perfect ending to the day.

Mark's buck officially scores 90 0/8 SCI. It's 16 4/8 on both horns with prongs of 6 6/8 and 6 5/8. Awesome bottom mass of 6 7/8 and 7 0/8 at the base and 7 4/8 and 7 5/8 at the first quarter. The tops were this bucks only slightly weak point, but they were still about average for a giant buck at 4 2/8 and 4 1/8 and then 3 1/8 for the last measurement.

Arizona Regs!

2008-12-17T08:07:00.003-07:00

They're finally here - get the PDF version HERE.

I'll go over the worst and best units for 2009 sometime after Christmas.

Also, there's a field photo on the cover of a great buck taken by one of the regular readers/contributors of the Arizona Hunter Forum! And, on this rare occasion, I happen to have a few live photos of this buck that I'll post either tomorrow or Friday.

Amendment

2008-12-16T19:16:00.002-07:00

I need to make a correction to my thoughts on the Arizona Antelope Recommendations. I misread the 19A hunt. It appears as though the rifle hunt south of 89A is still active, but that the G&F is just going to combine the hunt south of 89A with the hunt north of 89A. So, basically they just eliminated both individual hunts and combined them into one hunt...and added 15 tags to the overall equation.

Antelope Transplant

2008-12-14T11:06:00.002-07:00

Here's the LINK.

I'll find out where exactly the were released and where they came from in Utah - I'm guessing the Plateau Unit.

A Buck we Named "Buddha"

2008-12-12T11:49:00.004-07:00

We found this buck in Unit 7 in 2002. He was running with a buck we thought was about 87 inches and Buddha clearly dwarfed him. We didn't have any hunters for this unit, but we went up to locate the buck the day before opening day and to hopefully see the buck on the ground if someone took him. Unfortunately the buck was nowhere to be found the day before opening day or anytime during the hunt. We never saw the buck again.

Whatever You Do, DO NOT CLICK THE BUTTON!

2008-12-08T12:09:00.048-07:00

Our DVD, Size Is Everything will soon be sold directly from our blog...along with a lot of other really cool stuff that you won't be able to resist! But for right now, whatever you do, do not, under any circumstance, click the button below. You'll scream obscenities, you're head will spin in circles, and you may indeed vomit pea soup! Don't do it, it's not worth it.

This is just a test to see if I can work the buttons.

2009 Arizona Antelope Hunt Recommendations

2008-12-08T10:22:00.003-07:00

Click HERE for the link to the 2009 antelope hunt recommendations.

The major changes that I see are:

Unit 19A Rifle Hunt: No rifle hunt south of 89A. This hunt was instituted in the late 90's I believe. This hunt was a bad idea from the beginning.
Unit 7 Archery Hunt: This is a new archery hunt! Looks like they're going to issue 5 tags. I won't be applying for this hunt. If you're a long time reader you know how much I love Unit 7.
Unit 10, 18 Archery Hunt: They're excluding Unit 18B from this hunt now and they dropped the tags from 100 to 85. On the flip side they opened Unit 18B for a separate archery hunt with 25 tags. Go figure.

Cool Post

2008-12-08T09:48:00.001-07:00

I saw this over at the Bowsite.com Forums and thought it was cool.

New Number Two in SCI

2008-12-06T14:57:00.003-07:00

Apparently there's a new number 2 buck in the SCI record book!

Check it out here.

If anyone knows anything about this buck or has any pictures we'd love to be informed so send us an email!

The buck scores 97 4/8 and was taken by Reade Taylor.

Unlikely Unit Spits Out GIANT!

2008-12-06T13:10:00.008-07:00

This buck was taken in Arizona's Unit 18B and scores just over 90 SCI (hunters buddy Tom Smock poses with the rack above.)

Unit 18B isn't known for producing 90 inch bucks on a regular basis, but it does have the genetics to grow mid to upper 80 inch bucks each year.

We actually guided Tom Smock in this unit a few years back and he took a great buck that scored in the mid 80's! (it would have been 87+ had it not broken a tip.)

I'm not sure about the name of the hunter who took this buck but there are a few more pictures of the buck posted over at the Coues Whitetail Forums.

We don't recommend this unit for a few reasons:

A large portion of the unit is the BACA Float which no one can hunt without permission and a trespass fee.
The unit is divided, rather oddly, into three distinct sections for antelope. Traveling from one to the other is very time consuming during scouting.
Very few 90's have ever been recorded from this unit. Obviously, from the photos, you can see that it can produce 90 inchers, but the past says it's more an exception than a rule.

New Mexico Screws Up Everything!

2008-12-05T17:54:00.002-07:00

The way permits are allocated and ranches used will be changing soon.

Not in 2009, however. Phew. That was close.

We're not sure whether or not these changes would be good or bad. Our initial reaction is that trophy antelope will be gone within a few years! This is not good!

They cited in one paper (can't remember where) that they were trying to make the state more like Wyoming! Huh? As many of you know, if you want a trophy pronghorn you don't go to Wyoming! You go to New Mexico or Arizona.

Fortunately, at least for now, the changes won't take effect until 2010 at the earliest.

I saw on one forum where everyone seemed to be for the changes while every rancher we've talked to seems to be against the changes.

You can decide for yourselves. Let me know what you think and comment below!

Here's the link to the proposed changes:

Proposed New Mexico Rule Changes

New Video Test

2008-11-12T00:44:00.008-07:00

Arizona Auction Tag Buck 2008

2008-11-10T18:54:00.016-07:00

Here's the gang posing with the buck we named Arnold. From screen left to right sits Tory Brock, Dr. David Meyer, Me, Tony Grimmett, and Chad Smith. The buck was taken on opening morning by Dr. Meyer at just over 200 yards. The buck is due to be officially scored sometime very soon. I'll let you know when we get the final verdict. I've held the buck next to Meyer's world record buck named JoeBoo and this buck is clearly bigger, but we'll have to wait to see what the tape says.

Wyoming? Really?

2008-11-09T20:55:00.030-07:00

I wasn't planning on posting this, but since I've seen photos all over the internet I guess it's OK. We were told this buck was taken in Wyoming during the last weekend of the season. It was rough scored at 94 inches.

Here's the email we received:

"Here are a few photos of a tremendous Wyoming buck killed about a week ago north of Douglas, WY in hunt area 26. I took a few rough but relatively accurate measurements of the right horn and the buck grosses around 94 B&C. The right horn had a lenght of only 14.25" but nearly 8" bases, 9.25" second quarter mass, 6.5" prong, 6.25" 3rd quarter mass and 3+" forth quarter mass. I enjoyed your video and the photos you post on your website are nothing short of incredible. I apologize these photos are not the best, but assumed you would enjoy hearing about this buck regardless!"

I'm not sure who the hunter is, but if I find out I will surely give him credit for taking such an amazing buck! If you have any information about the buck or the hunter post a comment below and let us know.

It's About Time!

2008-10-17T15:09:00.009-07:00

We just took a trip to Wyoming and had quite the adventure! Almost plowed into another vehicle that spun out on the icy road, got stuck in the snow (fortunately someone drove by within an hour), and shot at a different buck and missed twice before even locating this buck. In the end, my sister made a 555 yard shot on this buck on the very last day of the hunting season! The buck rough scores about 87-inches and was by far the largest buck we saw during our trip.

On another note, we're heading to New Mexico for one last hunt - the second of the two New Mexico Auction Tags. The first buck was taken by Mike Gallo in August and now his son, Peter, is coming back to take his buck. With any luck we'll be back in a few days.

Back-Quarter Views!

2008-07-28T07:26:00.003-07:00

There's something about a "Back-Quarter View" of an antelope! It's almost always the view that makes the buck look it's absolute biggest! If the buck doesn't look big from this angle then be careful - the buck may not be very big. But, if the buck looks HUGE from this angle, also be careful because the buck may be fooling you into thinking it's bigger than it is.

Like the buck above - it looks (in the words of Jeff Foxworthy) Stupid Big! But from the front view it looks to be not much longer than 15 inches with only average top mass.

We're leaving today - our FIRST HUNT is upon us. Stay Tuned!

Tank?

2008-07-21T09:50:00.003-07:00

Here's a cool big buck! We call him Tank. There was a buck a couple years ago that Blake Lanoue and I posted pics of on the AZOD forums. This buck looks similar to that buck so we just transferred the name. The original "Tank" is the buck below and we have no idea where he disappeared to. (the pic below was taken in 2006)

Arizona Auction Tag - The Second One

2008-07-20T12:37:00.002-07:00

The second Arizona Antelope Auction Tag was auctioned last night for $67,500 at the annual Arizona Antelope Foundation Banquet. In semi-related news it appears that a buck scoring over 93-inches was found dead a few days ago. Apparently the buck was found caught in a fence crossing. I'll report more as I found out information.

Hunt Openings!!!

2008-07-10T13:44:00.003-07:00

We have TWO HUNTS AVAILABLE! These hunts are for the north east corner of New Mexico near Springer. Typically we take bucks on this hunt between 78 and 82 inches. Of course, we do take bigger bucks and we do take smaller bucks - sometimes it depends on just how patient you are and how itchy your trigger finger gets! Last year our biggest buck off this hunt scored just over 86 I believe. The hunt starts August 23rd and is 3 days long. Contact us quickly if your interested at 623-566-8708.

The picture below is from a scouting trip we took to our ranches in that part of the state earlier this year!

Family

2008-07-10T13:38:00.001-07:00

Crisp?

2008-07-08T12:55:00.003-07:00

Tack sharp photos are a photographers dream! Here are a few tips to get them:

1. Always use a tripod, even if you think you don't need to.
2. Use a cable release so you don't have to actually touch your camera when taking the photo. If you don't have a release then use the timer function.
3. Use Mirror Lock-Up
4. Get close! The closer you are the less the aberrations in the air will affect your photo.
5. Use Photoshop!

These are the things I do. I don't always take tack sharp photos, but it's usually because I neglect one or more of the tips above.

100-Incher - Not Again?!

2008-07-08T12:47:00.004-07:00

I've seen a few pictures of a buck that would clearly and easily score more than 100-inches. In fact I field judged the buck at close to 102-inches with a horn length of 22 1/8-inches and a prong length of 6 6/8-inches and mass totaling 22 1/8-inches. For a long time now I haven't been sure if the photos were real or fake. I'm still not sure, but I've analyzed the photos on many different occasions and I'm leaning towards REAL. I have no idea where the buck is. Do you?

Running Man

2008-07-06T20:55:00.002-07:00

Here's a pic I took while in Unit 10 - you know the place...where the antelope are always running whether you're chasing them or not. It's not a whopper buck by any means, but since he wouldn't stop running alongside the truck I decided to photograph him and I "accidentally" got a few good ones.

Hunter Days

2008-06-29T21:40:00.003-07:00

The number of antelope permits issued in Arizona since 1974 has steadily decreased from 1213 down to 473 in 2007. The number of first choice applicants has increased from 6435 in 1974 to 28042 in 2007. All this is cool information you can find in the 2008 edition of the Arizona Survey.

I was wondering if hunters were really prioritizing their tags - if they were really believing that these tags might be the only ones they ever receive. One way to take a look at this is by calculating the average number of hunter days in the field over the years. I would guess that hunters nowadays would spend more days in the field then they may have in the past. The average number of hunter days in 1974 was 2.07 per hunter. The lowest number recorded since 1974 was 1.97. In 2007 the average per hunter was 2.70, the highest average since 1974! The correlation coefficient when comparing the years to the hunter days in the field is .49 which means that the number of days in field per hunter have been steadily increasing.

This could all mean that hunters are definitely realizing that their tags are very rare and that they need to take all the care and time in the field they can. Or, it could just mean that antelope are getting harder to find due to the drastic decrease in the pronghorn population over the last 30 years.

Sunset

2008-06-28T11:15:00.003-07:00

Here's a semi-cool picture. I tried my best to capture a sunset shot with an antelope in it, but this was the best I could get. I trotted to the north to try to line the buck up with the orange glow in the distance, but he kept running and got a bit too far out of range. He also never got skylined like I wanted, but he'd have been way too far by then anyway. Next trip out I'll try again. Does anyone out there have any cool silhouette/sunset shots of antelope?

Wings?

2008-06-24T08:16:00.002-07:00

An image to hold everyone over until I return with even more pictures! I'll be back Friday or Saturday and hopefully with good news.

Page 10

2008-06-19T09:06:00.002-07:00

Here's page 10 from the Oregon FNAWS 2008 Spring Newsletter. What's wrong with this picture? Well, for starters none of those antelope were photographed in Oregon. In fact, all 5 of those bucks were seen in Arizona's Unit 19A. At least 3 of them were taken last year. Also, and more importantly to me, is that all 5 of those photos are mine and no one asked my permission to use them!

AAF Clinic 2008

2008-06-17T10:03:00.003-07:00

The annual Antelope Clinic is tonight at Sportsman's Warehouse and starts at 5:15 (doors open at 4.) Click HERE for more information. I'll be there and so will TLH from AZOD fame! :) Hope to see you all there.

King Kong Front View

2008-06-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here's a front view of King Kong.

King Kong

2008-06-16T12:14:00.002-07:00

Here's a buck we named King Kong! We think he's pretty big. Hopefully we'll be able to hunt him this year. What do you guys think?

Gnarly

2008-06-07T11:09:00.003-07:00

A buck we named Gnarly. Not that the buck is very gnarly looking, but, compared to the other bucks in the area, he's got more knots and bumps on his horns than they do.

Prongs?

2008-06-06T13:37:00.002-07:00

One of those kind of pics that gets you excited!

And We're Off

2008-06-01T19:38:00.001-07:00

Heading out tomorrow to scout up some 100 inch antelope! Home either Thursday or Friday with pictures galore.

Philly

2008-05-26T21:51:00.002-07:00

I'll be in Philly for a few days so no new posts until I return. We're trying to schedule a trip in Arizona right when we get back, so with any luck we'll have some great news to post after the scouting trip! See ya then.

The Long Road Ahead?

2008-05-23T15:26:00.002-07:00

Another rascal from my first trip. The photo, though it probably doesn't deserve a title, will be called, "The Long Road Ahead." :)

First Trip 2008 - Part 2

2008-05-20T14:36:00.003-07:00

Here's another decent buck Blake (ArizonaOutfitter.com) and I saw shortly after we started our scouting for the evening. Good length for this time of year and decent mass. His prongs were short, however.

First Trip 2008

2008-05-19T18:45:00.003-07:00

I scouted for 3 days over the weekend and saw very few good bucks. However, I did see several that could have been good, but they were out in the distance. I would have normally walked to get closer, but every time I saw a potential big buck it was the middle of the day, extremely hot, and extremely sunny...and the bucks were running away. :( Oh, well. Maybe next time.

I did take a pic of at least one decent buck...

Horn Growth & Rainfall

2008-05-14T16:12:00.005-07:00

Let's take a look at rain and horn growth. A lot of hunter's are excited about the rainfall recently and some even believe that it will impact the horn growth on certain animals. I have no idea how it will affect the deer or elk, but several years ago I researched what differing amounts of rainfall might do to antelope horn growth.

How the research was done:

I am not a researcher or biologist and this is probably a crude attempt at determining any relationship of rainfall and horn growth, but I'll present the findings anyway for your amusement. First, I went through the Arizona Record Book and marked down the number of big bucks. This was several years ago and I honestly can't remember what my cut-off number was for what I was calling a big buck - it could have been 82 or 84 or even 80. I then marked where each buck was taken and what year. Next I looked up records on the rainfall in those areas in those years. I then compiled this little graph. More or less. The accuracy of these results are up in the air, but it's interesting nonetheless.

How to read the graph:

Obviously the number of big bucks taken is on the left side. The bottom indicates during what period I grouped together for the relationship of horn growth to rainfall. For instance - the first three bars represent the number of record book bucks taken the year after "poor rainfall", "average rainfall", and "good rainfall". This does not take into account the year that the bucks were actually taken. From the graph you can see that if the rainfall was poor the year before the buck was taken then there were only 5 big bucks taken. If the rainfall was average the year before the buck was taken then there were about 7 or 8 big bucks taken. If the rainfall the year before was good then there were about 17 big bucks taken.

The P/Y stands for the rainfall the Prior Year and Year of being taken. So, 1/0 means that just the prior year was taken into account. And 1/1 means that the prior year was taken into account and the year that the buck was taken.

I know this all seems complicated (even to me now), but when I actually did all this many years ago it made sense at the time. If I haven't explained it good enough just post your questions in the comments below.

Podcasts?

2008-05-11T16:56:00.001-07:00

I've been entertaining the idea of doing a podcast of some type for some time. I'm not sure what it could be or what I could do with it, but it's always been something that has intrigued me.

If anyone has any ideas for something like this, let me know.

Honeymoon Photos!

2008-04-29T14:53:00.003-07:00

Here are a couple photos from our honeymoon. We went through Yellowstone Park and saw a million buffalo! Then, just outside the park, we saw a few herds of antelope. This is officially the first antelope buck I've seen this year! Only one way to go from here. :)

Back...

2008-04-29T11:42:00.002-07:00

I'm back from my honeymoon and I've been moving into an apartment. I'll post some antelope pictures as soon as I get them loaded onto my computer. Probably later today.

WEDDING!

2008-04-16T10:20:00.003-07:00

This post will be the last post until probably May 1st because I'm getting married!

Bachelor party today, wedding rehearsal tomorrow, wedding Friday, honeymoon from the 19th until the 28th. After all that I'll be back online and ready to make more posts. And, of course, that should be close to the time where my Dad and I start our scouting for the 2008 season.

See you then!

(Notice the Grand Canyon and the camouflage :-)

Ken Ross' Buck!

2008-04-14T12:34:00.008-07:00

I was going through some archived emails and I stumbled across this one. The email was sent to us from Ken Ross on October 2nd, 2005.

"Tony, I bought your video (Size Is Everything), and watched it over and over again. Then, I took what I learned from it and put it to use on many, many scouting trips this year. Just had to let you know that I believe what I learned from your video made it possible for me to accurately judge and take a trophy of a lifetime. Many thanks."

"Gross score is 92 5/8. Deductions are 1 2/8. Don't know where he'll end up after the drying period, but he sure is great."

"Had spent weeks scouting, photographing antelope, trying to score them and then trying to keep track of them. Your video tape was invaluable. It made scoring much easier and although we had seen many good bucks, I think we made the best choice possible using your scoring method. Thanks again. Ken Ross."

That Just Don't Look Right!

2008-04-12T00:13:00.002-07:00

Along the same lines as the last post, I came across another picture that I've posted before - either on this blog or elsewhere on the internet. I thought to myself..."WOW!, that just ain't right!"

Things That Just Don't Look Right!

2008-04-11T22:47:00.005-07:00

I was flipping through some old photos, like I often do, and I came across the one you see below. I've seen this picture a million times, but every time I see it I feel the adrenaline rush and I think to myself, "That just ain't right!"

Arizona Auction Tag Dates?

2008-04-09T14:36:00.004-07:00

Arizona has moved opening day for the Arizona Antelope Auction Tags from August 1st to August 15th. I have no idea why they moved the dates. It's a raw deal for the potential bidders.
The Negatives:

1: Now the auction tag winners will actually not be the first antelope hunters in the field since the 19A archery season opens on August 8th! Considering ALL 3 auction tag bucks last year were taken in 19A this is something I wouldn't tolerate if I was a potential bidder.

2: The potential for horn breakage increases for every day an antelope has it's horns. The closer to the rut it gets the greater the chance for breakage.

David Clayton's Buck

2008-04-05T10:34:00.003-07:00

One of our readers, David Clayton, took a great buck last year in 18A! The buck net scores 81 2/8 with 6 6/8 bases and a 6 7/8 first quarter. He took the buck on opening morning at 6:20 AM. (He also took a great field photo - see below!)

19A History

2008-04-02T10:46:00.003-07:00

A reader requested our record in Unit 19A, so I dug up some stats. I think this is all of the bucks we've guided to in 19A, but I'm not 100% certain. The older stats were kind of jumbled up. If I find anymore bucks I'll update this list. As you can see we've had pretty good success in 19A with most of the biggest bucks being taken in recent years!

Did You Know?

2008-03-29T15:07:00.003-07:00

Many hunters have long believed most big game animals cannot see in color. While I have no experience or evidence to the contrary for most big game animals I do have some interesting information regarding pronghorn.

Upon investigation it's been determined that a pronghorn's eyes contain both rods and cones. For those of you unfamiliar with eye anatomy rods are the black-and-white receptors and cones are the color receptors. This means that it's highly likely that pronghorn, unlike most big game animals, can actually see in color! Pretty cool!

Also, for it's size, pronghorn have the largest eyes of any ungulate!

Rumor Mill - WR5

2008-03-29T12:58:00.003-07:00

We've heard through the grapevine that "WR5" may have been taken last season! We have no specifics. This was one of the bucks we were excited about finding this year, but if the buck is no longer alive there's no reason for us to spend a lot of time looking for him. If anyone has any information about this buck or any leads please let us know.

The rumor has the buck scoring around 93 after sixty days of drying.

Unit 10 and 18A History

2008-03-26T23:41:00.004-07:00

Awhile back an Arizona Game & Fish officer asked us about our Unit 10 and 18A hunters - he was wondering how many big bucks we had taken in those two units. I prepared a little list for him and emailed it to him. I've been keeping track of the list ever since then and I've posted it below.

We've had quite a bit of luck since we started guiding and have been fortunate to take as many big bucks as we have. So far, in just Unit 10 and 18A we've taken 10 bucks that score over 90-inches out of 30. Our average B&C score has been 86 4/8! If we looked at only what we've done since 2000 the results are even better with an average B&C score of 87 4/8 and an average SCI score of 90 1/8!

If you've drawn one of the coveted Arizona Unit 10 or 18A pronghorn tags this year you may have a chance at a whopper! Good luck.

Arizona Draw Results Out!

2008-03-26T22:08:00.003-07:00

I didn't draw anything. Neither did anyone in my family. :(

If you drew a tag then post a comment and let me know where, I might be able to help.

Things You Don't See Everyday

2008-03-25T12:25:00.004-07:00

In New Mexico last year on one of our ranches we were hunting and came across this - I couldn't help myself, I had to take a picture...

First Arizona Auction Tag 2008

2008-03-22T21:12:00.004-07:00

Dr. David Meyer bought the Arizona Auction Tag at the Arizona Elk Society Banquet on March 22nd. The tag was auctioned for $62,500. Dr. Meyer hunted with us in 2001 and 2002 and took four giant antelope in that time period - 0ne of them was the 95-inch B&C World Record! Two of the other three were over 90-inches, including the one picture below.

What I love more than anything about this auction is that it usually signifies the starting point for us - the time when we begin to plan our scouting schedule, get our equipment ready, and wonder about what's hiding out there for us to find. Also...the rumors start to find there way around.

Baseball Stuff

2008-03-22T14:33:00.003-07:00

This post has nothing to do with antelope or how to kill a 90-incher. As many of you know I'm a huge baseball fan and an avid "Fantasy Baseball" player! XM radio 175, baby! It keeps me going when I'm in the middle of nowhere scouting for 90-inchers. A few of my gut feelings for the 2008 baseball season are below...

Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena, and Ryan Braun hit fewer than 100 HR

Ryan Zimmerman, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Hanley Ramirez hit more than 90 HR

Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira duke it out for the HR crown

Rickie Weeks becomes a 2nd round draft pick

Eric Byrnes repeats last year

Alex Rios and Ryan Braun switch ADP's

Miguel Cabrera hits under .300

Stephen Drew becomes a Top 10 SS

Rich Hill and Tim Lincecum K 400 batters

Ben Sheets is mentioned mid-season as a Cy Young candidate

That's all I've got for now. I always look back at last season and say that I knew Prince Fielder was going to hit 50 HR and that Andruw Jones and Travis Hafner and Jason Bay were going to flop, but I had no proof that I said any of that. That's why I posted this...just in case this stuff does happen I'll have proof! If everything happens the exact opposite of the way I say it will...hm...I think I'll just go back and delete this post. Haha! ;)

The Biggest Antelope Ever!

2008-03-21T18:06:00.002-07:00

I got to thinking (as I occasionally do, but not too often, my fiance says I might hurt myself) how big could an antelope possibly get?! As far as weight goes I'd have to say around 250 and it would probably be a corn fed monstrosity from Wyoming, but I'm more interested in horn size.

Would 100-inches be attainable? Heck, there has already been a buck that big. It was taken in 1878 and currently stretches the tape to 101-inches. What about 110-inches? Is it possible? How could we know?

If we did an impromtu survey of the largest measurements from each of the top 90-inch antelope in the world we might come up with a reasonable expectation for an absolute maximum size. Those measurements are:

L: 21, 20 7/8
P: 8 5/8, 8 5/8
B: 8 2/8, 8 3/8
1: 8 6/8, 9
2: 7 6/8, 7 3/8
3: 4 7/8, 4 4/8

T: 118-inches!

Although some of these measurements might not be the absolute largest in the world, they're probably not far off. Also, we have to realize that the traditional "above the prong" 2nd quarter measurement would have to be taken "below the prong" to achieve a measurement over 7-inches.

Outside of a potentially farm-raised genetically engineered pronghorn we can believe that a buck with a score like this will never really exist, but it's fun to think about. Even more fun than what the actual measurements might be is to think about what the buck might look like and how the horns might be shaped. I'm picturing a giant heart shape about 20-inches wide!

Gisi's Auction Tag Buck

2008-03-20T18:13:00.002-07:00

This is the buck John Gisi took in 2006 on one of the Arizona Auction Tags. The buck officially scored 93 7/8 SCI, but would have scored higher if not for the broken prongs!

Remember This Buck?

2008-03-19T11:15:00.001-07:00

If any of you read AZOD's forums than you may remember seeing the buck photographed below. I've been told that the buck scores 93 and is 18 inches long. I'm not 100% positive that the two pictures are of the same buck, but it looks reasonable. I know the buck was taken in New Mexico, but I'm not sure where exactly and I don't know who the hunter is or I'd give him credit. I'll try to find more information.

Arizona Draw Results?

2008-03-19T10:52:00.002-07:00

It's been rumored that the Arizona Draw Results may be released as early as March 24th. Keep your ear to the ground. More likely it will be a little later in the month or in early April.

The Yukon

2008-03-09T09:36:00.003-07:00

I saw this at the ISE show yesterday. It's a Yukon Spotting Scope featuring a 6-100 power lens with a 100mm objective. My Dad and I looked through it at the show indoors and it looked good, but you can never really tell indoors. It retails between $300-$400, so it's relatively inexpensive. If anyone has actually used one outdoors in a hunting/scoping situation let us know what you think. At that price it's might tempting just to get one to try out - you almost can't go wrong.

Hunts Available!

2008-03-03T11:48:00.003-07:00

Usually we're booked solid by now, but this year we've got five hunts available. These five hunts are in the northeast corner of New Mexico near Springer. The area is loaded with antelope and vast country side. If anyone is interested contact us at 623-566-8708.

Is This The Buck?

2008-02-26T12:01:00.003-07:00

A reader asked about a buck taken by Eric Gardner with a bow in Arizona scoring 88 2/8. I haven't seen the picture he's looking at, but I believe the photo I took below is the same buck if the Eric Gardner photo is the same field photo I remember seeing (I don't remember the name of the hunter in the photo I saw.)

Blast from the Past! (Jaksick, '93)

2008-02-23T13:12:00.005-07:00

Sam Jaksick Jr. hunted with us and took this buck in Arizona in 1993. We named the buck "Righty" - the official score after the 60 day drying period was 93 2/8 B&C. For the original story of this hunt click here for PART 1 or here for PART 2.

Bucks That Got Away - Part 3

2008-02-17T12:29:00.005-07:00

This buck didn't exactly get away. The photo below was taken in 2002 and we named the buck Crossover. He was one of our Auction Tag candidates that year along with a buck we named DW (see post below) and JoeBoo (see post below.) We decided that JoeBoo was bigger than DW and that Crossover - being in an archery only unit - would be too much of a hassle, though we thought he might be slightly larger. Jason, the rancher, found Crossover's shed in November of 2002 and gave it to us. The horn, if you doubled it, would have scored 95 6/8 B&C. We took JoeBoo that year and he scored 95 B&C. We took DW the next year believing that DW was slightly bigger than the year before and he scored 94 B&C. Then, in 2004, Arizona changed the rules for Auction Tag hunters and allowed us to hunt the archery only area with a rifle. We took Crossover that year and, though we knew he was much smaller, we thought he'd still score over 90. He scored 90 6/8 B&C. One more year and I'm sure Crossover would have been over the hill and not an option for us on the auction tag - he almost got away.

DW vs JoeBoo

2008-02-12T23:52:00.003-07:00

I was going through some old photos and thought this one was amazing! Some of you may have already seen this photo, but I thought it deserved another look. And remember, there was no photo trickery.

For those of you unfamiliar with the photo - the buck on screen left is DW and was taken by Pat Brewer in 2003 on an Arizona draw tag and scores 94 B&C and 97 2/8 SCI and has a broken prong and broken horn tip. The buck on screen right is JoeBoo, the current B&C World Record (tie) taken in 2002 by David Meyer on an Arizona auction tag and scores 95 B&C and 97 SCI.

Arizona Application Reminder

2008-02-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

Antelope and Elk applications are due February 12th! Don't forget.

(I'm posting this more as a reminder to myself - otherwise I'll forget ;)

Why 90?

2008-02-03T13:42:00.001-07:00

What's magical about the number 90? It was created by man and represents, although vaguely at times, how large a pronghorns horns are, but why not 85? Why not 95? Currently, we can say that 90 is significant because it represents roughly the top 33 of 1900 antelope entered into B&C's record book (12th edition). That's the top 1.7%.

Another way to figure it - if close to 3 million pronghorn have been taken by hunters since guns were invented then 90-inches means the top .001% for all-time!

For a method we can more easily grasp let's compare pronghorn with elk and mule deer.

The top 1.7% for antelope is 90-inches or more
The top 1.7% for typical elk is 419-inches or more
The top 1.7% for typical mule deer is 212 inches or more

The top 1.7% for non-typical elk is 450-inches or more
The top 1.7% for non-typical mule deer is 306-inches or more

Remember that these numbers are only relative given that the B&C Club has established their record book minimums on a relative basis across all species. Also note that these numbers are derived directly from B&C's record book, thus eliminating a lot of potentials trophies that were, for one reason or another, not entered.

I guess a more accurate measure would be to take the top 1 or 2 or even 5% of antelope, deer, and elk that have ever been taken.

One other thing to consider: I've mentioned this briefly before...an antelopes score is usually reflective of the horn's actual weight (which I believe should be used to determine absolute size), but sometimes there are bucks that score a lot more than others while the others weigh a lot more. This means that, though the inch measurements do give a good approximation of the bucks size, they are by no means the end all of measuring a bucks horns "true" size.

What does all this mean? It means that, in this world, the more rare something is the more valuable it is. In this case, the larger an animals horns are, the more rare it is and thus the more value it holds.

So...why 90? Because it's rare and rare things are beautiful to behold.

Arizona's 5 Worst Units That Have Giant Bucks

2008-02-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

These are the units I hate to scout even though they've all produced giant bucks in the past and may produce giants in the future. I wouldn't apply for these units if I were you. Unless you like them for some reason - I can't see any reason why someone would like them. ;) In no particular order...

Unit 9: Too many trees. Too few antelope. Dylan Woods buck in 2000 was GIANT!

Unit 7: Too many trees. Way too few antelope. AZG&F seem to think there are a lot of antelope in this unit. I haven't seen them. I guess if you're an elk or deer hunter you might have better luck finding the antelope. The buck we called "Buddha" (2nd column over, 5th row down - hooks forward.) was GIANT!

Unit 8: Too many trees. Too few antelope. There are outfitters who like this unit. In 2004 I found a buck we named "Bigfoot" in this unit. TLH of AZOD fame scouted for this buck several different times and never once saw it. He took the buck on opening day. That just ain't right with antelope - to know a buck is there and never be able to find it. If you like that sort of thing then by all means, go right ahead. Robert Petersen's buck (pic below) in 2000 was GIANT!

Unit 17B: Too many private signs! But...John Gisi's buck in 2006 was GIANT!

Unit 19B: See 17B. But...David Meyer's buck in 2001 was GIANT!

As you can see, though these units may not be the most fun to scout they have all produced many giant bucks throughout the years and will most likely do so again.

Hakuba Tripod HG-503MX

2008-02-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

It weighs only 4 lbs., can adjust from 11 inches high to 70 inches high, and can find antelope without even needing your assistance. What more could you want?! A few other reasons we prefer it over other tripods:

1. The twist lock knobs are quick and tight and if you're hiking with it by holding a leg and letting it hang down by your side the leg locks don't get caught on your pant pockets.

2. It comes with a tripod head. Not that it's a very good tripod head, but at least it's something if you can't afford to upgrade.

3. It has screws at the top of the legs that you can tighten just in case the leg pivot joint becomes loose - and it will. Some cheaper tripods don't have this feature.

4. You can get it at B&H for $289.95.

Is it the best tripod in the world. No. But it may very well be the best lightweight tripod in the world for your money. Hey, it's the one my Dad and I both use and we've used them all.

The Camera Lens I Want - Again

2008-01-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

I believe this is going to be the production model of the Sigma 200-500mm (w/ built-in 2x converter for 400-1000mm!) I like it! I still haven't seen a price posted anywhere. I highly doubt it will be feasible. Around 35 lbs...yep, I think I'll take two!

Arizona's 5 Worst Units for 2008

2008-01-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you're applying for any of the following units you might be in for a long hunt.

Unit 21
Unit 30A
Unit 31/32
Unit 34B
Unit 35A

These units, collectively, have a total of 56 available tags between archery, muzzle loader, and rifle. Four of the units are south of Phoenix and the other is the closest unit to Phoenix with antelope.

Why are these units bad? If you're a trophy hunter these are the units with the fewest recorded big bucks. In fact, we've scouted these units and found very little so we agree with the record books. A few years back we managed to find an 86+ south of Tucson, but that's more the exception then the rule.

The SCI Show 2008

2008-01-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

The show was fun, but all the pictures are on my sisters camera so I have nothing to show.

My favorite booths of the show:

Wilderness Whitetails - I know the deer are farm raised, but they're still amazing to look at.

IRP Outdoors - The coolest ice chests in a long time! (pun intended) They also have a tree stand blind thingy that looks pretty sweet.

Ed McBride - Awe inspiring steel sculpture.

When I Return

2008-01-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

...from SCI I'll post whatever it is I hear or see or get a picture of or...you get the idea. I'll post stuff from the Reno Convention. It's usually full of great things to talk about so hopefully I run into a few of them.

Muzzle Loader World Record

2008-01-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

I can't find a picture of Whitaker's buck - I'll keep looking. Until then I'll post a picture of the buck taken by Chad Corbin, the Arizona Super Raffle Antelope Tag Winner last year. He hunted with us and took this buck with a muzzle loader in mid August. The buck officially scores 94 3/8 SCI and 92 2/8 B&C making it the largest antelope ever taken with a smoke pole! I think a more appropriate name for this buck would have been Mickey Mouse - check out those ears! The buck had the largest ears we've ever measured, they were 8 2/8 inches long - his face was only 8 inches long.