AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Scouting-Dead Head Found

I have the privilege and honor of hunting and scouting for desert bighorn sheep with Ernie and Seth Meeske, of Payson Arizona. We have made many trips to the Arizona desert while looking for Ernie's ram for the upcoming hunt. Some of the trips have been scorching hot and some have been windy and cold. Some of the trips have yielded many rams and some have produced very few sightings like our trip yesterday but the journey continues and the search remains constant. We made a big hike yesterday into God's masterful creation and at 2:00pm we were positioned on a high bluff glassing the surrounding area. Seth got my attention and told me to just look through his binoculars. I thought he had found a giant ram, well as it turns out, I peered through his binos and saw a yellow horn sticking out from under a rock. I pulled out of the binos and the father son duo had a smile that was from ear to ear. Seth made a heroic attempt to get off the ledge to go inspect the find. Congrats to Ernie and Seth on their great trophy head. Quick measurements of the head are 36 2/8, 14 6/8, 14, 13, 9 4/8. Mid 170's ram that had been in this position for at least a couple of years.

It is so refreshing to see the love and respect that the Meeske's have for each other.  It is not hard to see the tight bond between father and son during any circumstance that we have encountered.  I look forward to our adventure in the search for the Ernie's once in a lifetime ram and feel honored to be part of the team.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Scouting

Posted by Jay Scott
Scouting in the Arizona desert for bighorn sheep is one of my favorite things to do.  It seems that with each passing day the anticipation of the hunt becomes more exciting.  Good Huntin' to those with a Arizona sheep tag in their pocket.  A new edition to my gear is the Schnee's Granite Boots (see pic below) so far I absolutely love the boots.  I will provide a full report once I have put them through the test over the next couple of months of sheep and coues deer hunts.  But so far they provide incredible support and stability while crawling in the rocks of sheep country.

Got Rams? AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Scouting

Talk about a bachelor pad!  How many rams do you see in this photo? AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep photo by Colburn and Scott Outfitters

For Sale-Docter 40X Binoculars and Danner Pronghorns

Posted by Jay Scott
I have two items that are for sale today.  My Docter 40X Super Wide Angle  Binoculars ($2750.00)and a pair of Danner Pronghorns 400 gram size 11D ($75.00).

The Docters Super Wide Angle 40X Binoculars just recently came back from Germany because I banged them up on the left ocular housing.  They replaced the part and refurbished the whole binocular.  These binoculars are flawless to look at and look through.  The lenses are in absolutely perfect shape.  I was super impressed with Docter Optic customer service and have a great contact with them if you ever need it.  Email me at jayscottoutdoors@gmail.com if interested or would like to see them.  I live in Scottsdale.  In an effort of full disclosure I cut the eyecups off of these binoculars while I used them for a great wide field of view.  When they came back from Germany they have brand new eyecups installed by the factory.

The paint on the bottom of binoculars is a little worn from being in the case.

 

The Danner Pronhorns GTX ($75.00) are size 11 D and have been worn two or three times.  The tread is perfect and I still have the box.  There are no major scuffs on the boots just normal stuff from wearing a couple of times.  Email me at jayscottoutdoors@gmail.com if interested.  I live in Scottsdale.

Video of Larry Spillers AZ Super Big Game Raffle Sheep Hunt

Here is Larry Spillers 2012-2013 Arizona Super Big Game Raffle Desert Sheep Hunt with Colburn and Scott Outfitters.  Special thanks to Fred and Mary Ashurst for their friendship and hospitality during the hunt.

Tom Gelastopoulos' Unit 10 AZ Archery Elk Hunt

Posted by Janis Putelis

September found me in Arizona again as I had the awesome pleasure of guiding "Tom the Greek" in Unit 10.  I can't say enough about the quality and character of Tom.  If I ever get the chance to hunt with him again, I'll be jumping at the opportunity.  Tom was prepared for the long 14 day hunt both mentally and physically.  He shot his bow daily to ensure he would not fail when the shot came.  During the the hunt we had a few lows, but mostly we experienced loads of "highs" that you can only get from lots of close encounters of the elk kind.  The bugling started slow, but by day 8, the bulls were ripping.  We enjoyed lots of great call-ins and overall good times.  Here are a few pics from the hunt.  Enjoy!  

The leftovers of a test rocket fired over us on opening morning.  I must admit, it was a bit intimidating, as we watched it's trajectory heading our way.

Our cowboy camp under a nice shade tree.  We enjoyed sleeping under the stars and listening to bulls bugle most evenings.  With the "cowboy camp", we were able to move locations easily and spend more time hunting and less time driving.

Shooting daily, Tom was ready.

Early morning glassing.

That smile says it: Wow!  Tom scoping a herd of 150 elk with lots of six points tearing it up.  That's what you come to AZ for.



The WA products kept us in tip top shape during our 14 day hunt.

Kuiu's Icon 6000:  I love how small this pack is when I have it cinched down, only carrying my optics and minimal items for the hunt.

Great Moon watching.

We were blessed with many a beautiful sunrise and star filled sky.

Tom enjoying some bouldering during his elk hunt.

Tom's fine bull killed on the 11th day of the hunt.

Tom made a great shot at 35 yards after the bull had come in to only 5 yards and then backed out to go around the tree Tom was standing next to.  The bull went about 100 yards before piling up.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Video-The Long Ram

Check out this nice nelsoni ram that was filmed by Colburn and Scott Outfitters guide, Darr Colburn, while scouting for the AZ Super Raffle Bighorn Sheep tag.  The whole hunt with Larry Spillers is going to be featured in its entirety on Thursday on our site.  It is being featured on Cabelas Out West.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Hunt Video-Flare III Ram

Watch this Nelsoni Desert ram lip curl and check scent during the rut.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Video-The Sluffy Ram

Check out this nice Nelsoni Desert Bighorn sheep that we filmed while scouting for Larry Spillers AZ Super Raffle Desert Sheep tag in Northwest Arizona. This rams right horn seemed like it was about to sluff off hence the nickname. We have tons of content from Larry's great sheep hunt that we will be posting over the next week or so. Enjoy!

Parker Coues Colburn's Coues Hunt on Cabelas Out West

Larry Spillers AZ Desert Sheep Hunt Pics II