This story starts on July 21, 2016, a few days before my 50th birthday and no doubt one of the best days of my life. My first surprise was when my wife, Kathy, informed me that we were going to Las Vegas for the weekend. Not only were we going to Las Vegas, but we would also be traveling by private jet and stopping in St. Louis, Missouri to pick up four of our good friends. That evening, when I thought things could not possibly get any better, they did. I received a voicemail from John at the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle stating that I had won the mule deer hunt. I didn’t quite know what to think since I had not purchased a ticket. I live in Michigan and was not aware of the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle. I called my hunting buddy, Gerald, who lives in Arizona and asked him if he knew anything about it. It turned out that he had put my name on a few of the tickets he had purchased. What a friend! I went to bed that night not believing everything that had happened.
After our amazing weekend in Las Vegas, I returned home and it was time to find an outfitter. It didn’t take long to decide on A3 Outfitters. After talking to Matt Schimberg, I made arrangements to begin my hunt on October 19th.
Matt and I put on a lot of miles hiking and driving while several other guides for A3 were busy glassing miles of terrain, looking for a buck to fill my tag. We saw some really nice bucks but nothing Matt and I felt was worthy of the raffle tag. After six days of hard hunting and with the regular Arizona rifle season around the corner and due to other commitments, I would not be able to return anytime in 2016. Matt and I decided I would return in August 2017.
I used the time between hunts to get in better shape and sharpen my ability to shoot my .300 Win mag at long distances. Finally, the time arrived to return to The Strip. I was picked up in St. George, Utah by Woody, one of A3’s outstanding guides. We got into camp the evening of July 31st. My tag was valid until sundown of August 14th. That gave me two full weeks to find my buck.
At camp, we met up with Matt and came up with a game plan for the next morning. We would be going after a buck named “Logs.”
The first day of the hunt was uneventful as nothing was spotted. The second morning, we again searched the area. After glassing for a few hours, Matt decided we should take a look at the trail cameras. We were joined by another A3 guide, Cole. The first camera we looked at showed that Logs had hit the water just before daylight. We began tracking the buck, and after several hours, we discovered that he had crossed over into one of the few areas in the state that my tag was not valid. With thunderstorms moving in, we decided that Logs would not be huntable for several days and that it would be in our best interest to move on to another buck. That afternoon, we picked up and moved camp to another area to look for a massive buck called “The Ridge Buck.”
We spent day three checking water tanks and looking at game cameras but had no luck. Day four began by checking more cameras where we got pictures of our target buck. A3 guides Asher and Cole picked up his tracks, and we tracked the buck for the good part of the afternoon. We felt we were closing in on him when we got a text from Matt that said to hold back. Matt met up with us and told me that David, another A3 guide, had spotted a giant and it was in an area that Matt knew very well. He was confident it was a buck I would really like. I trusted Matt’s decision, so we went back to camp where we made a new game plan to get up at 2 a.m. and go hunt the new area.
On day five, 2 a.m. rolled around very quickly with the rumble of thunder in the distance. We began our trek to the new area with a very light sprinkle. By the time we got about halfway to the new area, it was pouring. We reached our destination at daybreak and met up with Woody and David who had been scouting the area. The morning hunt went by without any sightings of the target buck. That afternoon, Woody, David, and I stayed and glassed the area while the remaining guides went back to move camp again.
On days six and seven, we saw a few nice bucks in the 200" range but still had hopes of finding the giant buck. On the morning of day eight, we got a report from Woody that he had seen our buck but only for a few seconds. Matt and I, joined by guide Hunter, made a long hike to the area only to find the wind was not in our favor. Playing it smart, we backed out to a safe distance and waited, hoping the afternoon heat would get the wind in our favor. We laid low all day. Late in the afternoon with only a half hour of legal shooting time, we started to make our move back towards the last spot where the buck had been seen. Once we were up and moving, we got another text from Woody that the buck was moving to our north. We covered as much ground as possible, but we were only able to catch a quick glimpse of him as the daylight ran out.
On day nine, we headed out well before daylight to the area where the buck was last seen. When daylight came, we got word that the buck was up feeding but moving toward some heavy cover. Matt and I took off at a controlled jog, while Hunter headed for high ground to assist in spotting. We used the terrain and wind to close the distance and go undetected. After about a two-mile hike, we popped up on a large, flat area where Matt spotted two bucks feeding, but the buck was not with them.
We continued for about another half mile and came up on another plateau. Glassing the area, we saw two more bucks about 350 yards away but not our buck. Matt decided that we should stay where we were and set up the tripod to scan the area. The wind was perfect, but the sun was getting higher and we feared the target buck had bedded for the day.
After about half an hour of glassing, Matt calmly but intensely said, “There he is walking up the ridge.”
I began to look through my scope, thinking he was with the other two bucks we had seen at 350 yards. As I tried to find the buck in my scope, Matt told me to shoot when I was ready. A little panic set in since I still had not located the buck in my scope. I started to turn my head to ask Matt where the buck was when all of a sudden I noticed this giant buck walking straight at me at only 42 yards. I placed the crosshairs on his left shoulder, and the deer’s body filled the entire field of view. I adjusted a little, took a quick breath, and squeezed a round off. The buck dropped in his tracks.
The next thing I knew, Matt was giving me a giant bear hug. It was a very emotional moment as we walked up to the massive buck. After a moment to give thanks to the Lord and a couple of deep breaths, the reality hit me that my year-long quest had just been fulfilled. The emotions were awesome when everyone arrived, with high fives and congratulations all around. What a group effort! The buck measured 35" wide and had an official final score of 247".
I returned to Michigan exhausted and overjoyed. I want to thank my wife, Kathy, for her love and support. I also want to thank Gerald Kahl for entering my name in the Arizona Super Raffle. I wish he had been able to make the hunt.
Also, thanks to the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle. Without them, I would never have had this opportunity. I cannot say enough about the excellence of everyone associated with A3 Outfitters. Special thanks to Beth, Woody, Asher, Dean, Cole, David, Hunter, Colter, Ryan, and Matt Schimberg for their dedication and focus to help me have the adventure-of-a-lifetime.
Deer Hunting AZ
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