Mark Kile called me in September and said he had just bought two leftover muzzleloader mule deer tags for Will, his 11-year-old son, and him. He was told by the Arizona Game and Fish that there were no good deer in the unit, but he had a plan. Mark had helped my two sons and me on numerous hunts in Arizona, so I was eager to help in any way possible. My time was limited, but I still wanted to go share the adventure.
During the hunt, we saw several does but no bone. We covered a lot of great country. I returned to Phoenix due to commitments, and Mark’s plan was to hunt the evening and one more day before heading home. Mark was glassing intently when Will said, “Dad, look at those deer!” There were three bucks, and two were definitely shooters.
They climbed the bluff, curled around the rim rock, and popped out 30 yards above the bedded bucks. Steadying Will on the shooting sticks and getting a fatal shot was a miracle as he was not tall enough to see the buck over the ledge. The commotion got the bucks up. Once the buck moved another 60 yards away, he could line up on it. Mark being able to reload and shoot a second buck as it began to trot off defied all logic. Not bad for a leftover tag in a unit that “doesn’t have any deer.”
Arizona Deer
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