Dos Perros
WKR
Hi folks, every year I get the time off between Christmas and New Year's, and I'm determined to never stay home during this time. Last year my entire family vacationed in Scottsdale and I tried to sneak away for a few days of solo hunting to the northeast of Phoenix. Well, my father in law gave everybody the flu so I struggled for 1.5 days before throwing in the towel, I was just too sick. I feel like I had three good glassing sessions, like two mornings and one evening and I never turned up a single deer. I did see a few mule deer on the road at night and mid-day. I was looking lower, hoping to find the area where coues and mule deer might overlap, about 3600 feet elevation. There was a rifle hunt going on and lots of folks about, many of them with UTV's and they were going higher. There were roads going higher that looked good on OnX but I wasn't going to take a rental pickup up there. The general lack of water had me biased towards day hunting, especially my first time.
I'd like to do it again this year but I'm wondering if I should try the same area or a completely different one. I'd like to go somewhere I could hunt most every year. Bonus if someday I could draw a sweet rifle tag in there, or even a late season elk tag. My strategy on the deer was to go more north than most good coues units because the rut might be more likely to be better during that Christmas week. I'm not partial to either species, just want more stalking opportunities.
Any advice on if I should hunt further south, or stay where I'm at and hunt higher elevation? Unfortunately the week I can go is the week I can go, no flexibility there. Thank you for the help.
I'd like to do it again this year but I'm wondering if I should try the same area or a completely different one. I'd like to go somewhere I could hunt most every year. Bonus if someday I could draw a sweet rifle tag in there, or even a late season elk tag. My strategy on the deer was to go more north than most good coues units because the rut might be more likely to be better during that Christmas week. I'm not partial to either species, just want more stalking opportunities.
Any advice on if I should hunt further south, or stay where I'm at and hunt higher elevation? Unfortunately the week I can go is the week I can go, no flexibility there. Thank you for the help.
