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High desert hunt

5K views 15 replies 4 participants last post by  rcdinaz 
#1 ·
Coming out in a few weeks to hunt javelina, etc. on the Apache res......any suggestions about where to stay in Globe? The motel reviews are enough to make me pitch a tent. More importantly, can anyone recommend a place to flash freeze some meat to transport back east? PMs welcome.....and thanks a lot. :bow:
 
#2 ·
Stay at the Casino on the reservation at the end of globe. It is clean and very nice and has one of the top rated public golf courses in the country (if you like golf). I have stayed there and the rooms are very reasonable, and the restaurant is always open since it is a Casino. As for other food there are a lot of very good mexican food restaurants but not much else in globe/miami.

http://www.apachegoldcasinoresort.com/

You should have a great time the San Carlos Apache Res is one of the best hunting spots in the world for just about everything we have in AZ. Buy a lion tag as well I think it is $10 a day and pay for a small game tag which covers varmints. I took a lion about 5 years ago with a varmint call and there are a lot of them in this area. Also a lot of coyotes, foxes, and bobcats depending on where you are hunting.

Hope this helps, good luck!
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info rcdinaz......much appreciated. Just found out we can hunt ducks so we're gonna add that to the mix......a lion would be a HUGE bonus however unlikely.....we'll be keeping our eyes wide open for the big kitty.
 
#4 ·
What kind of ducks can we expect to shoot down on the Apache rez in a couple of weeks? We hadn't planned on duck hunting but someone suggested it and it looks like it's doable. Anyone know specifically about the SCATR and where to duck hunt on it? I hear there's a big lake.....any cattle tanks? Haven't been able to get an answer on limits etc. but the person at the rez said all we need is the rez permit......that true? Thanks AZ dudes.

Help us out and we have some birds up here known as sea ducks that you guys don't see too often.....I'd be happy to reciprocate.
 
#5 ·
youll probally see some teal, and mallard. there is a bunch of stock tanks spread out, go to a casino or a ski and sports lodge on the RES. and the will have the passes you need. I think it was less than 20$. I will tell you this I drove to almost every one and DID NOT see ONE duck, It was in early November, and in dec. we have finally had some fowl weather so it may have some birds now. Plan on a lot of driving and all jump shooting (which is real fun).

good luck and PM me how you did.
 
#6 ·
Hevi-D

The Lake is San Carlos and it is very low, more like a river. However if you can find a place you can get in and out of it there should be ducks. A couple of the other large lakes in the region (not on res) have a lot of ducks but they are SUPER skittish. You will drive out HWY US 60 through Globe to Hwy 70 when going to the res. The Casino I told you about has licenses and tags (for lion). The limits for duck/geese are the same as the state limits which you can get at the AZ Game & Fish site. BigJls1 mentioned all the stock tanks some of which are very big and hold a lot of divers, some teal, and mallards, and even some Canadian's.

If you drive past the lake on Hwy 70 past the Peridot turn and take route BA8, north (then east) you will see large stock tanks off the hwy for the next 20 miles. All of these tanks usually have ducks since they don't get shot at much, there seem to a lot more birds when you get to the high desert, rolling plains.

Use Google Maps and start by going to Globe, AZ and work east, you will see many of the tanks off the Hwy on Google and can get a sense for the ground you will need to cover.

Hope this helps!
 
#9 ·
Cant say about the Javlins but It can not hurt the duck hunting. Weather pushs more birds in and Jump shooting in the rain is alittle easier because the rain cuts some of the sound of you sneaking thru the brush, letting you get a little closer ...oh what a rush!!!
 
#10 ·
Javalina are not typically big fans of the rain. It you are with someone who knows where they are it could work to your advantage as the tend to huddle up and not move much so you could jump a bunch all at once. They really rely on sound and smell which which is cut down when it is wet, they can see (myth that they are blind) but not like a deer more like a humans eyesight. If you are doing a lot of glassing your best chances are going to be when the sun breaks through or when the rain lets up as they will move around and begin feeding again. The only other issue s going to be that they will not need to seek out water so a favorite water hole may not be used much for a few weeks with all the water available. However, tracking will be MUCH easier and if you find pig tracks they don't have a big range so be patient and keep glassing an area where you see tracks, scat, or diggings.

We have had a ton of rain so the roads will not be great but it is AZ so after about 2 days everything will be completely dry. At this point most of the clouds are gone so things will dry out by the end of the weekend.

It should be interesting for you to get out after the rain, the desert is a completely different place after the rain as plants grow and bloom very fast. Most people see the desert when everything is dry not when it is green, brig your camera!
 
#11 ·
More great info.....thanks rcdinaz.....we arrive Wed. at noon......hope to be able to post some good pics upon return. One last question if I may.....would you happen to know where we can flash freeze some meat and birds to bring a cooler home on the plane? We can handle the butchering chores, just need a freezer for a day or two. Thank you. I'd be happy to shoot you my cell no. if that works....just PM me.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Turned out to be a success after all...............this is the kind of place to hire a guide the first day, if only to gather information on where most of your target species are generally located. The quail were nowhere near as plentiful as advertised but I'm positive with some more scouting we could have found all 3 species and even some grouse.....managed to kill a handful of Gamble's. Saw a trophy Coue's while calling for javelina.....would be going on my wall if it had been in season. Plenty of lion tracks and a set of big black bear tracks......good for future reference. Although there were ducks around, we weren't in the right place......managed to kill a few including a bull Can, some teal, mallard and a Ruddy.

Killed a nice boar on the last morning in a bottom thicket adjacent to some farmed fields. Appreciate the input from you folks on here.
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#14 ·
Great job with the bow......definitely doable and I would have done the same if I had more time and a better lay of the land.....one of the days we drove for 8 hours and didn't glass a single pig. Glad I was able to shoot him up close in a thicket though.
 
#16 ·
Congratulations, Hevi-D! :clapping:

Glad you found them. Javalina hunting is always that way one day you cant imagine there is a pig anywhere in your area and the next you are wondering how 2 or 3 different heards all ended up in the same area.

Quail is much tougher on the res than it was 10 years ago. There are a lot of hunters coming from other states due to quite a few articles and one TV show covering the area. We used to have a couple of spots literally right on the side of the hwy that are pretty thin on birds now.

Good job on the Canny, I am still working on my first and will have it mounted.

If you make it back out to AZ let us know. Elk and Antelope draw deadlines are next Tuesday. If you have ever thought about it you should put in as we have a point system based on past draw results in AZ. We have some of the best Elk hunting in the world if you can get an early season tag.

If you get a chance please PM the name of the guide you used. If I do poorly in the draws this year I am going to try and chase down a bear. I would like to try and call one in with a varmint call to go with the lion I called in a few years back.
 
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