Another Arizona Coues

Here are a couple of photos of Dan Kasprzyk with a nice coues deer he harvested early in the late season in central Arizona.  Dan took this deer with one shot at 670 yards with his 7mm rem mag with a long range scope mounted on it.  According to his dad, Dick, the deer was in country that looked more like sheep country with all the bluffs and steep slopes.  Dan's buck grosses over 100".  Great buck and great photos.  This is a good example of how well your field photos can turn out if a person puts a little thought  and effort into it.  Congratulations Dan!

Another Massive Coues

Here is a buck that Ty Goodman of Goodman Outfitters guided a hunter to in central Arizona a couple of days ago.  He is super massive and grosses over 130".  Ty guides his hunters to some great bucks each year.  I believe the story is or will be posted on the Rutnhard website, as Ty sent me this photo and it is already marked with Goodman Outfitters and Rutnhard.  Congratulations to Ty and his hunter on a great coues deer.

Old Nelsoni Ram

Here is Steve Hovik with his Nelsoni desert ram he harvested a couple of weeks ago.  This ram is quite old and has the most chipped up horns I have ever seen on a desert sheep.  He definitely did his share of head butting over his lifetime. 

Niece's first deer

My niece Megan harvested her first deer a couple of weeks ago.  She hunted with her three cousins and it was the first time hunting for all of them.  Even though Megan was the only one to get a buck, they all had a lot of fun and learned alot.  She is pictured with her dad, Tim, and her brother Gage.

Old Warrior Ram

Here is Brian Johnson with his desert ram he took on opening day of his hunt.  This ram is 10+ years old and has the horns and scars to show it.  Brian and friend Mattew Phillips watched this ram for over a week before the hunt and he stayed within a quarter mile area the whole time.  This ram has 15" bases and carries the mass well, with a gross score of a little over 171 B and C;  He should make the minimum for B and C after the 60 day drying period. 

New Mexico Ibex

Friends Dick, Tanner and Shelley Henry just returned from New Mexico where Dick had an Ibex tag.  Here is what tanner writes about the hunt:
Dad, Shelley and I just returned from my dad's Persian Ibex hunt in the Florida Mountains of southern New Mexico. For those of you unfamiliar with the state, the Florida Mountains, (pronounced Flooreeda) are extremely steep, jagged, inhospitable desert mountains, just south of the town of Deming near the Mexico border. Dad was one of 15 successful applicants to draw the coveted "once in a lifetime" tag to hunt Ibex. Dad spent a significant amount of time researching the hunt early this fall and requested the help of Shawn Choat from Animas in southern New Mexico. Shawn made many trips to the Florida Mountains while Dad and I were on other local hunts and a Whitetail deer hunt in Missouri. Shelley, Dad and I arrived the day after Thanksgiving (last Friday for our Canadian friends :) ) and set up camp. We spent the evening checking on some Ibex that Dad's research had led Shawn to locate. We luckily found the Ibex we were after. Let me tell you, I have never seen a more courageous, perhaps mentally disturbed animal in my life. During the rut, these things seem to defy gravity and have a perpetual chip on their shoulder. We watched the males (I don't know if they're Rams, Bulls, or Billies) fight, push around females, and generally take their agression out on anything vertical, whether it be mammal or plant. Their ability to maneuver the sheer vertical cliff faces  and boulder piles just left us awestruck. If you ever have an opportunity to hunt Ibex, DO IT! Anyway to continue, Shawn showed up that evening and we planned the morning hunt. The plan was to have me deliver Shawn and Dad to the base of the mountain so they could climb in the dark for an hour to a planned ambush site. The following morning, Shawn and Dad arrived at a small oak tree at the base of a 200 foot cliff where the Ibex were sleeping high above predators reach. As daylight broke, the Ibex bounded down from their perch and paraded toward a small mountainside spring and in front of Dad and Shawn. With one well placed shot from my borrowed .270 Dad downed his 41-inch Ibex. Shelley and I were out on the desert floor in my truck watching as the Ibex fled the scene over the cliff faces to safety. Shelley and I climbed up to help pack the Ibex off the hill only to find that these things are only about 27 inches tall and weigh about 60 pounds.

California Blacktail

Here is Randy Stalcup, art director/graphic designer for Western Hunter Magazine, with his California blacktail.  Randy writes, "I got to take a wonderful trip with my Dad and took a great buck. He's a typical 4x4 with eyeguards and scores 132 3/8"! I never dreamed of shooting a buck this big".  Way to go Randy!

129" Coues

Check out this giant coues deer killed by Thomas B.  He is a 6X7 with good mass, length and width and grosses 129 and should net all time B and C as a nontypical coues after the 60 day drying period.  Thomas was hunting with his brother Seth when they found and harvested this great buck.  I will post photos of the finished mount in the future that will show the antlers a little better.

First Mule Deer

Here is Shad M. with his first mule deer.  He rode horseback for two hours with his father and uncle to reach the area where he found this nice buck.  As you can see in the background he was in some boulder-strewn desert terrain.  Shad took his first whitetail last year now has this nice mule deer to go with is. 

Utah Muley

Here is a great buck taken by Rayne R. on a general hunt in Utah.  Rayne was hunting with his Dad, Roger, and got on the bucks track and followed it for four miles (1.9 as the crow flies) before catching him in his bead where he was able to shoot him as about 130 yard.  He has deep forks, good mass and is very symmetrical He will gross about 203 and should net around 191 B and C after the 60 day drying period making him an all time B and C buck.  This is one of the hardest trophies to find these days; Congratulations to Rayne on a super buck.

Big 3 Point Coues

Steel Armstrong brough his buck in today that he harvested this morning.  Steel located the buck a year ago and was finally able to get him this year.  His friend Luke has video footage of the buck from last year and also this year in velvet.  He is a big three point with good mass and great length.  With just a 12 inch inside spread, he still grosses 118"  which is very impressive for a three point.  Congratulations to Steel ona a buck of a lifetime.

Load of Whitetails

I thought some of our viewers might find it interesting to see what a busy day looks like at the shop during hunting seasons.  This load of deer was dropped off last week and it took five hours of caping to get them to the point they could go into the freezers.  There were some great bucks in the group.  I will try soon to post some photos of some of the nice Coues being taken in the current season.

Droptine Buck

I just finished Tom L.'s great droptine buck he harvested in January.  This was Tom's first coues deer and I think we will need to drag him on a few more coues hunts before he can fully understand what he has.  Anyways, I will be sad to see it leave the shop.

B & C 27th Big Game Awards

I just saw the listings on the trophies entered in the 27th Big Game Awards that took place this summer in Reno Nevada.  The top trophies entered in the last awards period are invited and undergo a panel scoring.  The trophies are meticulously scored and either the entry score is upheld or changed depending on how the panel scores the trophy.   I had scored three of the trophies entered and the scores were upheld on all three and to top that off, they all took first place in their categories.  I always feel good when I score a trophy and a panel score agrees with how I scored it;  It shows me that I am scoring accurately and within the strict guidelines of the scoring system.  Duane Chapman's San Carlos bull scored 404 1/8, Larry Landes's New Mexico antelope scored 91 4/8 and  Brian Balmer's typical Arizona coues scored 127 0/8.  The photos of Brian's antlers don't really do it justice, but I don't have a field photo at present.  There were many great trophies entered in the 27th Big Game Awards.  For more info on this and the Boone and Crockett club, please visit http://www.boone-crockett.org/ .

Unit 10 Bull

Here is a bull taken by friend and client Jimmy Johnson in Unit 10.  He saw it on opening day but couldn't get a shot at it.  The second day he was able to get close enough for a good shot and harvested him.  We will be doing a lifesize mount of this bull and will post photos when it is completed.

Clifford's buck

We recently finished mounting Cliiford's big Arizona buck.  This deer had a very large body compared to what most bucks this age have in that area.  We will miss looking at this giant hanging in the shop.

Yukon Stone Outfitters

Here are a couple of photos of a Stone sheep that friend Tanner Henry emailed me.  The sheep was taken with Tanner's good friend and outfitter, Mac Watson, of Yukon Stone outfitters. 
Mac writes: 
George Lawrence just took this great Ram on our second hunt. All of our clients tagged out early thanks to great weather and a hard working crew. I'll try to get some more pictures out soon. This ram is 13 years old and the unofficial new world record Stone taken with a muzzle loader!


Happy Hunting
Mac Watson
Yukon Stone Outfitters
780-865-6368

Thanks Tanner and Mac for sharing the photos

Huge Velvet Coues

Here are a couple of photos of a great buck just harvested by Ty Goodman.  I Haven't put a tape on him yet, but he is sure to go over 120".  Ty has been hunting this buck for the past couple of years and was finally lucky enough to put an arrow in him.  Congratulations Ty!

Bonneville Speedweek

I know this has nothing to do with taxidermy or hunting, but I just returned from a few days at Bonneville Speedweek on the salt flats in Utah.  I had the opportunity to drive my dad's vintage, blown fuel roadster he built.  The record was open in this class and a friend of my dad's drove the car first, setting a record of 207 mph.  I then got the chance to up the record and drove it 221 mph.  Words cant describe what it is like to drive this fast but it is definitely an adrenaline rush.  I added a few photos from the trip.

NWT sheep

Friend and customer Doug H. just returned from the Northwest Territories where he was Dall sheep hunting.  This was Doug's third trip and he was finally able to harvest a great, old ram.  It was an all backpack hunt.  These are just some of the great photos Doug shared with us from his hunt.

Freeze Drying Antlers

Mogollon Taxidermy just acquired a freeze dry machine so that we can do our own velvet antler freeze drying in-house.  We are one of the few, if not the only taxidermy studio in Arizona with the ability to offer this service without shipping your antlers out of state. We feel that freeze drying velvet antlers allows them to retain the most size and fullness with less shrinkage than other methods of preservation.  This machine has a cylinder shaped chamber that is 24 inches in diameter and 52 inches deep.  If an antler will fit in within these measurements, we can freeze dry it.  It will fit average size elk as long as the skull cap is split.  Coues deer and most mule deer will easily fit intact with only the biggest mule deer having to have the skull cap split.  The best looking freeze dried velvet comes from antlers that are well cared for prior to reaching us.  Please call if you have any questions on the process or what to do with your antlers before bring them in.

Rocky Mtn. sheep poaching

 The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking for the public’s help in finding the individual or individuals responsible for the illegal killing of a Rocky Mountain bighorn ram in the Black River area, west of Alpine, during the July 4 weekend.

The wild sheep was illegally shot and killed in Game Management Unit 1 in eastern Arizona, adjacent to Forest Road 249.

“This mature ram was commonly seen, photographed and enjoyed by many visitors to the area,” says Tyler Richins, wildlife manager in Unit 1. “It was needlessly killed and left to waste with nothing removed from the carcass.”

“This isn’t the action of a hunter,” says Richins. “This is a criminal act of stealing wildlife assets and resources from the people of Arizona.”

This crime is further compounded by the fact that this ram was part of the Black River bighorn herd, which, although having a stable population, has not been increasing in number for the last several years.

“Removing this older age-class ram from the population may influence the department’s recommendations for future bighorn sheep hunting permits in this area. Bighorn sheep permits are highly sought after by sportsmen, who are a primary funding source for wildlife conservation,” notes Richins.

The department received more than 300 applications for the single permit that was authorized in this area last spring.

The department’s Operation Game Thief Program is offering a reward of up to $4,000 for information leading to the arrest of the subject or subjects who committed this crime. The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society and Arizona Bowhunters Association are each offering an additional reward of up to $1,000 for a criminal conviction in this case.  To report information on this incident, or any wildlife law violation, call the department’s Operation Game Thief hotline toll-free at (800) 352-0700, or report online at www.azgfd.gov/thief. Caller identities may remain confidential upon request.

We as hunters and conservationists need to keep a sharp eye out for the dirtbags that are doing this kind of thing and help bring them to justice.  This gives hunters a bad rap in the eye of the general public because they think that hunters are the people doing this when in fact they are not hunters, but pieces of trash.

Montana Trip

I just returned a few days ago from trip to Montana. My friend Gary has a place on Noxon Reservoir in western Montana and I went to see it. There is water everywhere and everything is super green. We saw sheep, deer, and bear from the road.

Gary built a very nice home on 15 acres with part of it bordering a finger of the lake.  It was only a short walk to go fishing.

We also visited the Boone and Crockett Club's headquarters in Missoula, Montana.  They had a display that included many of the current world records of each species.

We also visited a place that has these giant cedar trees.  The two in the photo aren't even the largest that we saw.  It was a great trip, but now back to the daily grind which I was reminded of when I got off the plane in Mesa and it was 108 degrees.  Let's hope the Arizona monsoons get in full gear soon.