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| Hunting Articles Kaibab Hunting Find the water, find the deer! Growing up in southeastern Wyoming chasing primarily elk with my father during the rut during archery season taught me many lessons about hunting, stalking, glassing and shooting. Of course we always purchased a mule deer tag just in case but first and foremost we were after elk and if we were unsuccessful we'd spend a weekend or two up during the later hunts with rifles in hand for another chance. But my first bow hunt for monster muleys in unit 12A west / east opened my eyes to the extreme difficulty of locating, stalking, and shooting at mule deer in the pined plateau of Arizona's Kaibab region. For obvious reasons, mule deer hunting is nothing like elk hunting, and hunting mule deer in Arizona is vastly different than hunting mule deer in Wyoming. Of course the two states have similarities depending on the region, but my first hunt in Arizona was an eye opening experience and taught me that I would have to seriously rethink my strategies to have a chance, besides blind luck, at success. Realizing the challenges that mule deer and the Kaibab plateau present I had to make a concerted effort to learn more about the area and glean what I could on how to effectively hunt it. Over the last few years, I've done a lot of research on the Kaibab, picking the brains of the Arizona Game and Fish Wildlife biologists, locals in the area, other Kaibab hunters and pretty much anyone that had a comment on the area (see our Kaibab Contacts page). I've surfed the internet, stared at maps for hours, talked to guides, found products specific to the area and personally scouted and hunted the area since 2002. And even today, I'm always on the lookout for new and helpful products, tactics and tid-bits of useful information to increase the odds of success for Kaibab hunters. The following information is meant to assist fellow Kaibab hunters in their quest for a monster buck. Some of the concepts and tactics mentioned may be old news to veteran Kaibab hunters and some of it may be insightful for those new to the area or those still trying to figure it - and some of it not everyone will agree with. In this articles, we will cover the main "KEYS" to hunting the Kaibab as well as other considerations that each hunter should take into consideration for planning and executing a unit 12A east or west hunt of a lifetime. That said, let's unlock the first step in Kaibab mule deer hunting. Find The Water As everyone likely knows, Arizona in general has been suffering through a drought for close to 10 years now, if not longer. Its effects have affected all species of wildlife across the state and the Kaibab plateau is no exception. Whether you're bow hunting in August - September or hunting the coveted early or late general rifle season, find the water and you'll find the deer nearby. The Arizona Game & Fish Department and other organizations have made considerable contributions to the water supply available for wildlife. Natural water sources are few and far between and have been supplemented with the likes of cement water aprons, dirt tanks, guzzlers, rain water caches, traditional water tanks and even temporary inflatable water tanks. While many are, not every water source is right off a forest service road. Some of these water resources may be almost side by side, a few hundred meters apart and some may be miles apart. The task of locating them is not always easy and may take some extra effort on your part. Also realize that not every water source is plotted on the official Forest Service map, in fact, hundreds of these water sources are not included - a fact I was not aware of until I stumbled onto the Top Secret Waterhole Map. I wasted a lot of time while hunting looking for water holes that ended up being bone dry and moved on to another spot, not realizing that a bristling cement apron was just 300 meters away and a good spot to hunt. The Top Secret Waterhole Map will open your eyes to just how many water sources exist in unit 12A east and west. There are literally hundreds plotted that are not shown on the Forest Service map and by this map alone you can much more effectively plan your hunts around water sources throughout the region that the Kaibab deer herd essentially have to use - eventually.
The first "KEY" to the Kaibab is water, just in case that has not been made clear. If you don't own the Forest Service Map, Top Secret Waterhole Map and a durable 1:24,000 scale Kaibab Series Topo Maps of your honey hole than you've already seriously hurt your chances at putting yourself within range of a big mule deer buck. So, after you've poured over your various maps at the kitchen table months prior to the actual hunt and picked out your Plan A, B and C hunting spots, try to get up to the north rim for some pre season scouting to confirm or deny these water sources. Whether they're full of water or full of dust, plot these water sources on your GPS as well as your maps. What was dry over a Memorial Day scouting trip may be full in September and vice versa. Whether you purchased the archery tag over the counter or drew one of the coveted rifle tags, you will have a much clearer picture of your hunting area. Identifying all potential water sources in your hunting spots, the trails leading to them and bedding and feeding areas in the vicinity will help you determine the best spots for you to set up. Finding the water is not a guarantee at a big buck but doing so may put the odds in your favor (with a dose of good luck) to cross paths with that monster Kaibab buck of a life time. If you have comments or questions about this article, please post them in our Forums section or contact us. We always welcome feedback! If you liked this article , you also want to read: The Kaibab Bowhunt, How to Prepare And What To Expect Sign up now to receive advanced notice of new articles, products, special discounts and site updates by email. Hunting Articles [back to top] |
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Friday 30 July, 2010 |