The events leading up to this hunt started out like so many before – application time arrives, apply for highly-coveted units to continue building points, and know the odds of getting drawn are not favorable. Word got out that Arizona Game and Fish was charging credit cards, and with little optimism, I checked my card. To my surprise, there was a charge in the amount of an Arizona deer tag. Though I wasn’t sure what unit I was selected for, based on my application choices, I knew it would be great.
Before I had even logged out of my account, I called Lee Hop, one of the guides who works for Hunter Weems, owner of Arizona Custom Hunts. I told him I drew a tag for one of the units in Northern Arizona. Lee was very excited about my news, and when I asked if he was available and willing to guide me on this hunt, he agreed immediately. I had met Lee and Hunter a couple years prior at their deer camp when my brother-in-law, Curtis Ballard, drew the exact same tag and was guided by Lee. After spending a weekend at Hunter’s camp and watching Lee operate, I told myself if I was ever lucky enough to draw a tag in this area, I wanted to have the Arizona Custom Hunts team in my corner.
Prior to the start of my hunt, Northern Arizona had been hit with a cold front and was blanketed with snow. I arrived at camp a day early and was met with a very enthusiastic and helpful group of people. Once my tent was set up and equipment and supplies were stowed, Lee asked if I would like to go out and see some of the country we would be hunting. “Yes, absolutely!” I responded.
While touring the unit, Lee asked, “What do you want out of this hunt? What type of deer are you hoping to harvest?”
I told him I just wanted to have a fun, memorable hunt and hopefully harvest a deer that represented the potential of this unit. He seemed to be very pleased with my response and assured me we would have a great time and see a lot of deer.
Opening morning was met with cold, clear weather and a lot of excitement. Lee and I headed out to a vantage point he had showed me the night before to start our morning glassing. We saw deer almost immediately, mostly does mixed with a few nice bucks. There’s an indescribable feeling when watching such magnificent animals early in the morning in their natural environment. We spent the day glassing several different areas and looking at a lot of deer.
The morning of day two was another cold one with a lot of wind forecasted. Late the prior evening, Lee’s son, Luke Hop, and his good friend, Jarod Buffington, arrived at camp to spend a couple of days in the field helping us glass. These young men were an absolute pleasure to get to know, and their glassing abilities were top notch. The weather forecast was correct, and we braved strong, cold winds all day but still saw a handful of deer.
Late that afternoon, Lee spotted two really nice bucks about 200 yards out, a 180"+ typical 4x4 and a large 3x4 that wasn’t much smaller. This was an impressive sight to have deer of this caliber so close. It was a tempting consideration, but with so many days left in my hunt, I really wanted to stick to my plan of letting the days pass so we could see more new deer. With hopes of less wind for tomorrow, we called it a day and headed back to camp.
Day three, much like the previous two, was cold and met with enthusiasm. I was surprised to see a new truck in camp. Lee’s good friend, Stuffy, had arrived in the middle of the night to help us glass. I had previously met Stuffy when I met Lee and Hunter and learned of his deer hunting passion. Lee had told Stuffy about me drawing this tag and he offered to come up and help. We now had five people in our group looking at a lot of deer. The rut was still not going strong, but bucks were starting to push does and curling their lips a lot. This was exciting to watch as we knew things were going to continue to get better and more bucks would be showing up to chase does.
Luke and Jarod had to head home to start their work week the morning of day four, which left Lee, Stuffy, and me to look for new deer. We spent the morning watching a lot of does and a few nice bucks, but no new bucks stood out to us. By midday, we were fairly close to camp and hungry, so we decided we would take a little well-deserved break and go to camp for some lunch.
While at camp one of the spotters, Jake Richardson, told Lee about a deer that he had seen earlier that morning but only got a quick look as it was heading over a ridge. He didn’t have a lot of detail due to the limited viewing time but said it was a really good looking deer. After a little more discussion, our interest was piqued and Lee asked me if I wanted to try and put eyes on this deer. “Absolutely!” I blurted out instantly.
I was eager to see more of the unit and possibly this new mystery deer, so we headed out that afternoon to glass for the remainder of the day. We never spotted the mystery deer but still enjoyed a great afternoon watching deer and appreciating the natural beauty Arizona has to offer.
Arrival back at camp was upbeat after seeing so many deer, but there was still the question of “What did this mystery buck look like?” Our question was soon answered when spotter Jake and his fellow spotters, Hunter McGaughy, Brian Bence, Ty Bobieo, and Levi Mercer, arrived back at camp with photos of the elusive buck. This was the caliber of deer this unit was capable of producing and a deer worthy of pursuing. The plan was made to be back there in the morning.
My alarm sounded at 3 a.m., and I exited my sleeping bag with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. The drive from camp was nearly an hour and a half. Lee, Stuffy, and I talked about past hunting adventures and hunts we would like to do in the future. We gathered up our gear and headed out to a large outcrop of boulders that allowed for viewing in all directions. It didn’t take very long before we started seeing does but no bucks. We continued glassing with enthusiasm and then the enthusiasm turned into sheer excitement when Lee and Stuffy, at almost the exact same time, said “I’ve got him.” Nearly a mile away was the marvelous mystery buck!
Lee pulled out the Swarovski BTX scope and verified this was indeed the buck in question and was a phenomenal deer. The plan was quickly made that Lee and I would start our stalk while Stuffy hung back. The buck was chasing does in the foothills, not paying a lot of attention to much else. We had to cover at least 1,000 yards with limited cover to get within shooting range. After closing a majority of the distance needed, I was able to set up for a long shot. The deer was broadside and standing facing uphill. I ranged him and dialed the scope on my .280 AI. With me in the prone position and my rifle resting on a backpack, I sent the round. As soon as I squeezed the trigger, a doe that had been out of sight started coming up from below and caught this big buck’s attention, causing him to turn his head downhill to look at her. The end result was the bullet nicking the base of his antler and causing him to bolt to another hill. Lee had been watching though his scope and called it a miss, thinking the debris he saw fly was the rock right behind the deer, not debris from a nicked antler. My heart sank as the deer took off at a very quick pace.
Luck must have been on my side as the hill the buck ran to was closer to us and allowed us to close more distance without being seen. The buck settled down a little but soon started heading away from us in an uphill direction. With adrenaline running overboard, I managed to get my rifle set up and execute a clean, effective shot. When the big deer hit the ground, the hills came alive with cheering and celebration. When I made it up the hill to see this magnificent animal, I was amazed at his physical size and the beauty in the antlers he wore. The spotters from ACH, Lee, and Stuffy were over the moon excited and congratulated my success. As I recall this whole experience, I can’t imagine having a better time, meeting nicer people, or harvesting a better representation of this unit.
This was truly a hunt-of-a-lifetime, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my amazing wife, Cindy. She supports my passions and encourages me to chase my dreams. Thanks to my guide and now friend Lee Hop, Stuffy, and all of the amazing folks at Arizona Custom Hunts. Thank you to Huntin’ Fool for giving hunters a platform to share their adventures.
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