Posted on: January 26th, 2012 Arizona Double
Jon Yokley Mule Deer 2012
Jon Yokley Javelina 2012
Arizona bowhunting guru Jon Yokley sent me these photos of his January archery successes. Jon is a very accomplished archer and I don’t know of a tag he has left unfilled since I met him. From bears, elk and deer to javelina and turkeys, Jon finds a way to zip an arrow through it.
With these two animals, Jon is closing in on 100 critters with his bow. Good luck Jon, I’m sure you’ll get there in no time. In addition to being a die-hard bowhunter, he also is on several pro staff and is the director of pro staffers for S4 Gear. Check out more of Jon’s bowhunts on his website www.arizonaantlerjunkys.com.
Congrats Jon on a great start to 2012!
Bill Latronica Coues’ 2012
Bill Latronica Javelina 2012
Connie Latronica Javelina 2012
Connie and Bill Latronica recently returned from their trip to Arizona, where they enjoyed the nice weather and the excellent hunting opportunities. If you have followed weekendbowhunter.com over the past couple years, you no doubt recognize the Latronicas. They have spent a lot of time over the past several years chasing animals around and always find a way to bring one home.
This was Bill’s first Coues’ with a bow and he took a very nice one. Congrats Bill, Coues’ bucks are not easy to come by with a bow! And Connie never leaves Arizona without filling her pig tag.
Congratulations to the Latronicas on another great season. Look forward to seeing what you guys do next year! If anyone has outdoor or hunting photos they would like to share from this past season, please send them to zwalton5@hotmail.comand be entered in the monthly photo contest.
Zack Walton Coues’ Deer 2012
What can I say? It has been an unbelievable season. After arrowing two big Columbian blacktails with my California tags, I had been hoping to get away for at least a few days during January to chase bucks in Arizona.
I have made the trip to the southwestern desert almost every year for most of my life. Last winter, after changing positions in my career, I was not able to get away for the hunt. Needless to say, I have been thinking about it all year long. After very limited time away from work this year, and a 2012 work calendar that was quickly filling up, I doubted I’d be able to make it work.
But I found a string of a few days that I could sneak away and I quickly hit the road. I left after working on Thursday and drove 15 hours, getting to my hunting spot just in time to squeeze in a 30-minute nap and go hunting at daybreak. I saw only a few does and no bucks that morning.
Midday I met up with good friend Troy Elam and we scoured the area, checking every bit of water we could find for deer sign. After looking at a dozen spots without much luck, Troy and his dad, Bruce, thought of one more waterhole we should check. It was a long way off—more than an hour by quad—so we headed toward it hoping to arrive before the nightfall.
We made it just as the sun was dropping below the mountains to the west. I circled the water and found a decent amount of tracks. Figuring this was the best spot we had found, we quickly set up a ground blind and brushed it in with nearby foliage. We finished at dark and headed back.
I finally got a couple hours of sleep before my alarm went off ridiculously early. I wanted to be in the blind by early morning and knew it would take a while to get there. After packing a lunch, a good book, some water and other items, I drove away in the dark for what I figured would be an all-day sit.
The road, if you could call it that, was pretty nasty and it took me until sunrise to reach my parking spot. From there, I made the ¾ mile hike into the ground blind. I took my time setting up my blind openings and clearing shooting lanes, until it was just right. By 8 a.m., I settled in and tried not to start “watch watching.”
The weather report was calling for temps in the low 70s and I knew deer would be very tempted to visit the water hole. At about 9:15, I got movement and saw a deer moving toward the water. I picked up my binos and saw two 4-inch daggers poking from the skull of the small buck. For those of you who have not hunted Coues’ deer, they are a beautiful deer to watch. Especially up close.
The spike dropped his head and spent about 10 or 15 seconds slurping away before turning and trotting back to cover. In my experience, Coues’ deer rarely spend much time at water and he was no exception. However, before he left, I snapped a couple pictures of him.
Just as fast as I had company, I was again alone. I went back to watching birds play at the water’s edge and consistently checking for movement. After about an hour, I peeked out the window’s corner and saw legs moving through the mesquite trees. I leaned forward and picked up antlers. A quick peak through my binos showed a wide frame with eight points. A definite shooter!
By this time, the buck was already drinking water and I clicked the button on the rangefinder and saw 35. I hunkered down, drew and slowly rose to the point I could clearly loose an arrow without hitting the blind. The buck was quartering to me and I picked a spot on the point of the shoulder to focus my aim.
Suddenly, the three dozen birds that were bathing themselves flew from the water’s edge back to the nearby trees. That caused the buck to jerk his head up and focus his black eyes on the commotion. Perfect! I took advantage of the opportunity and aim low on the buck’s chest, anticipating him to drop at the sound of the bow, until the tension on the string disappeared.
I don’t know if I hit exactly where I was aiming or if he dropped and I shot a little low, but at the point of contact, instant blood spray dominated my eyes’ attention as the arrow centered the heart. The buck whirled and struggled to keep his front legs under him.
From the blind, I could see bright red blotches with my naked eye more than 40 yards away. I knew he wouldn’t make it far, but forced myself to wait 30 minutes before getting out. I spent most of that time standing. Have you ever tried to pace in a Double Bull blind? It’s tough.
Finally, I allowed myself to check the blood trail. It was thick, constant and short. Merely 40 yards later I found him piled into a bush. It wasn’t until and grabbed ahold of his antlers and yanked to free him from the thorny bush that I saw the giant eye guards. I knew the buck was pretty wide, with a nice frame, but I didn’t look close enough to see how impressive his browtines were.
I sat down, most of me overwhelmed with excitement, a small part of me exhausted from sleep deprivation, and the rest of me in disbelief that everything came together as planned. I also reflected on a hunting season that gave me two great blacktails and now a great Coues’ deer.
It took me most the day to take pictures, clean, pack and skin the buck. By nightfall, I was drained and hit my pillow with a heavy thud. I think a lot of people would not have tried to squeeze in a three-day hunt when they have to drive 1,000 miles each way, but it worked this time for me. And even if I didn’t shoot a buck, it still would have been worth it.
Special thanks to everyone in Arizona who helped out and made me feel as welcomed as family. It was, and is, greatly appreciated. Look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Here are some interesting numbers about my archery season:
- 101 = Hours from the time I left my driveway until I returned on my Arizona trip.
- 30 = Number of hours spent on the freeway that trip.
- 2,724 = Miles driven on three trips (not including during the hunt)
- 6 = Total number of days bowhunted this season.
- 3 = Number of bucks at which I shot.
- 6 = Total number of arrows shot.
- 3 = Number of Pope & Young animals.
- 5 = Inches of each eyeguard on my Coues’
- 240 = Total inches of Columbian blacktail antlers
- 86 2/8 = Inches of Coues’ antlers
- 1 = Lucky Hunter!
Good luck everyone this year in 2012. I hope it is a great one for you!
I hope everyone had a great 2011! Each year, after the calendar changes, I put together a review of all the bucks, bears, bulls, birds, and more, that everyone has taken and post them together. Click on the “Read the rest of the entry” below and scroll through the 2011 season on the Weekend Bowhunter website.
Personally, this was a great year for me. But there were some great animals taken this year by friends and family: Troy Elam’s 367″ elk, Dad’s 342″ elk, Shawn Wood’s 170″ mule deer, Paul Schultheis’ and Darin Ball’s 160+” California muleys, just to name a few. Thanks everyone for sending your photos and making this a wonderful year! Enjoy the Pics below…
Read the rest of this entry »
Photo of the Year 2011
Congratulations to the Reece Family on capturing the Photo of the Year for 2011. This is Adeline “Bucket” Reece drawing a bead on her first deer in the Reece Family living room.
There were tons of great photos sent in throughout the year and I greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to send them. Without all of you, there is very little to this website. I hope everyone continues to send pictures in this year!
Photos can be sent to zwalton5@hotmail.com where each month a new picture would be selected as photo contest winner. Good luck to everyone and happy hunting!
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