jeffpg
WKR
I was recently asked to share the hunt story of the buck shown in my avatar. I figured that the best way to do so was to dig up the story I wrote and had published right after the hunt back in '05.
This tag came my way via a very unique situation when USO Outfitters had sued the western states for discrimination against non resident hunters. They actually won the suit against Arizona and there was a brief window of opportunity for some hunters to get lucky due to an increased tag allotment and less restrictions against non resident hunters if I remember correctly. I will never forget that a judge actually awarded a hunter a strip tag the year before I drew, stating that if he were not discriminated against as a non resident that he would have enough points to draw a tag! Of course, this judgement was soon overturned and things went back to normal.
As a lifelong resident of Mississippi, this would be my first ever mule deer hunt as well as my first western big game hunt of any kind. At the time, I was working a job where I had very limited vacation time to take off for the hunt, and I had also drawn my first Kansas whitetail tag that merited some days off work as well, so the scheduling was a challenge. With only 10 days of vacation time, my goal was to hopefully tag out in Arizona in 5 days, leaving 5 days for Kansas. If the hunt ran longer I would do whatever it took to make it happen and let the chips fall where they may. I was excited about Kansas whitetail but Arizona mule deer was my priority. I was also going through a divorce after a 20 year marriage AND recovering from the devastations of Hurricane Katrina, so there was a lot going on but I was coming to a point in life where I had decided to go all in to make some dreams come true if I could, and let go of some things that I couldn't control. As luck would have it, I scored on the big muley on the 5th day of the hunt and went on to have a fantastic time in Kansas with good success there.
I soon thereafter began a new career that would not only afford me a work schedule that would allow me to take multiple hunting vacations each year but would also take me on travels around the world. I ended up working for 4 years in Africa and went on safari after safari there to my hearts content. I am based in the good ole USA now but I still enjoy a work schedule with ample free time for adventure.
I hope you guys enjoy the story of my Arizona Adventure. I'm pretty sure I was still riding the wave of excitement when I wrote it 16 years ago. I am now 60 years old and much more experienced and laid back in my approach to the hunt, but I fondly remember the magic of hunting the Arizona Strip!
This tag came my way via a very unique situation when USO Outfitters had sued the western states for discrimination against non resident hunters. They actually won the suit against Arizona and there was a brief window of opportunity for some hunters to get lucky due to an increased tag allotment and less restrictions against non resident hunters if I remember correctly. I will never forget that a judge actually awarded a hunter a strip tag the year before I drew, stating that if he were not discriminated against as a non resident that he would have enough points to draw a tag! Of course, this judgement was soon overturned and things went back to normal.
As a lifelong resident of Mississippi, this would be my first ever mule deer hunt as well as my first western big game hunt of any kind. At the time, I was working a job where I had very limited vacation time to take off for the hunt, and I had also drawn my first Kansas whitetail tag that merited some days off work as well, so the scheduling was a challenge. With only 10 days of vacation time, my goal was to hopefully tag out in Arizona in 5 days, leaving 5 days for Kansas. If the hunt ran longer I would do whatever it took to make it happen and let the chips fall where they may. I was excited about Kansas whitetail but Arizona mule deer was my priority. I was also going through a divorce after a 20 year marriage AND recovering from the devastations of Hurricane Katrina, so there was a lot going on but I was coming to a point in life where I had decided to go all in to make some dreams come true if I could, and let go of some things that I couldn't control. As luck would have it, I scored on the big muley on the 5th day of the hunt and went on to have a fantastic time in Kansas with good success there.
I soon thereafter began a new career that would not only afford me a work schedule that would allow me to take multiple hunting vacations each year but would also take me on travels around the world. I ended up working for 4 years in Africa and went on safari after safari there to my hearts content. I am based in the good ole USA now but I still enjoy a work schedule with ample free time for adventure.
I hope you guys enjoy the story of my Arizona Adventure. I'm pretty sure I was still riding the wave of excitement when I wrote it 16 years ago. I am now 60 years old and much more experienced and laid back in my approach to the hunt, but I fondly remember the magic of hunting the Arizona Strip!
