Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

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GRV01
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Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by GRV01 »

So some of you may know i just moved from Miami, FL to southern AZ near Tucson for a new job (career?) and id like to get into hunting. I wanted to start back east where ive lived up and down the coast my entire life (and managed to go a couple times with then-stepfamily as a kid but to no success) but it wasn't in the cards but next year im doing it. Ill be a state resident after six months whichll save me quite a bit of money, but also give me time to settle in and finish up our move etc

The targets will be Javelina with my 357 m92 shooting 158gr coated LRNFPs from MBC infront of ~20-22 grains of 4227 (dont have my load data with me) for general hunt season. If i take to the sport well enough against stink pigs then Im thinking the same load for the HAM (Javelina Handgun, Archery, or Muzzleloader) season or alternatively HS6 at ~14gr with same bullet from a 4" Taurus 66 but im getting ahead of myself

Speaking of getting ahead of myself id like to try my hand at mulies if i can ever get a RG in 45-70 though since most big game hunts in AZ are by lottery that may have to wait some time

I know tbis thread is premature but really looming forward to trying to get into the sport, but with no family to mentor me its a steep learning curve, but i figure im 31 and the kids are still young enough that hopefully in a few years when theyre tweens i can be skilled enough to take them along. Starting a tradition from scratch is gonna be tough!

In any case, anyone here been hunting these parts? Especially against 'stink pigs'?
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by HarryAlonzo »

Feral hogs! Pest! Varmint! Wily adversary! No season!
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by 9x80Drilling »

Congrats on moving out here. I moved from the east (Pennsylvania) in 1969 and have Never Looked Back.
I've hunted southern Az dozens of times for all 3 quail species and doves. On many days I've been up close to javelina. They are quite curious. Lots of times I've crept close then sat and imitated their grunts. Up they'll come searching for the intruder piggy. They're not dangerous and are easy to scare away when they get right up to you. I'm talking 10 feet away.

My first Australian shepherd was javelina colored, ran along with her head down as they do, and could "get out among 'em" seemingly without them recognizing that she was not a piggy. Once I was under a mesquite canopy waiting for her to return from a foray. She was getting blind with tunnel vision at that late stage in her life. As she came trotting back one trail towards me, a javelina was trotting parallel to her on an adjacent trail. It certainly looked unconcerned as it glanced over at her. I actually lowered my shotgun muzzle at it as I was standing on the trail it was traveling. Naturally, when it got about 12 feet from me it realized it was better to leave the trail and avoid trouble.
I got quite the laugh when Sally, the Aussie, came up to me and picked up the javelina scent.
So, get out in the Sonoran desert and enjoy the most diverse desert on the planet. I used to have a t shirt that said "Home is the Sonoran Desert" with a Saguaro and palo verde on it. Investigate the road that connects Nogales with Ruby and beyond. Also the land south of Sonoita down to Patagonia.
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by Ranch Dog »

If I didn't live in Texas, my next stop would be Arizona. I would probably find an AZ hunting forum and start reading as much as I could about hunting in the State. Mule deer don't need a lot of power from a rifle; I would not hesitate to hunt them with a 30-30 Win especially if that 45-70 Govt is not going to be forthcoming. What you do with that 30-30 Win after you get comfortable with it, is send it to JES and have it rebored/rechambered to 38-55 Win.
HarryAlonzo wrote:Feral hogs! Pest! Varmint! Wily adversary! No season!
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There seems to be some in AZ, but I would suspect that javelina would be easier to find.
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by GRV01 »

Hah, whats funny regarding that map is i live and work in the one 'empty' county at the bottom of the state.

But yes, i didnt know this myself til i started doing the research was that javelinas arent even pigs, theyre Collared Peccaries and theyre originally from South America and theyve migrated this far north in the past 400yrs so no true hog hunts for me for awhile until i head back east, maybe to visit my FIL and his 71acres back in GA (relooking at that map i think the inlaws live in one of Those empty counties outside of ATL, doh!)

As for research on forums ive found quite a few
http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/ not just about Coues, has subforums on other game here
https://www.arizonahuntingforums.com
http://javelinahunter.com
And ive been digging through threads and reading up on everything, aswell as AZDGF site and publications. I need to get a forestry map from USFS as theyve got all the little access roads.

RE hunting rifle: i think what i may do is get a cheapish 92 in 45LC and develop a nice load with this pound of 4227 ive got and when i get a 45-70 guve the 45 to wifey to hunt big game with me. She mentioned wanting to come with, so that may be something to think about. I was thinking of getting a a Judge polylite to pack out with me anyway for snakes or coyotes (2- and 4-legged varieties) and it would help having a common caliber to work with. One thing ive done with 357 is reload 38SPL in nickeled brass only for load differentiation. Could do dame thing for light Judge rounds vs brass hunting loads. Anyway, just thinking 'out loud' here

Also nees to get an optic to glass with, any recommendations on a cheap starter model?
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by Ranch Dog »

GRV01 wrote:RE hunting rifle: i think what i may do is get a cheapish 92 in 45LC and develop a nice load with this pound of 4227 ive got and when i get a 45-70 guve the 45 to wifey to hunt big game with me.
Dude, you are better off with a 30-30 Win. You can buy a NIB Rossi Rio Grande for at least $200 less than a 92.

Hate to get under your skin, but IMR or H4227 is a very poor choice for a revolver cartridge hunting rifle. Why, because it is going to produce very low velocities compared to powders like Lil' Gun, H110, 2400, etc. I'm talking about velocities that are at least 100 FPS slower. In short cartridge levergun hunting rifles, velocity is everything. 4227 is a great powder for the short barrel Taurus M85 38 Spl you just bought.
GRV01 wrote:Also nees to get an optic to glass with, any recommendations on a cheap starter model?
If you are talking 92, that is another dollar issue as scout type scopes are typically more expensive than others plus the cost of the mount. I did just buy a Chinese scout for $25. A friend of mine bought one, a Leupold guy, and has been shooting it without issue. Time will tell but that is as cheap as it gets.

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The newest rage is 2-7x32 scout scopes. I've spent the three-digit dollars on these and the bottom line is that they suck. The higher power settings are super critical as far as eyeball to eye bell alignment goes and the field of view is awful. The scout concept excels at 1 to 4 power.

I do dig me some desert mule deer hunting here in Texas. Same kind of country you will be hunting there.

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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by HarryAlonzo »

I do not recognize your cheap Chinese scope. Not Simmons, not NC Star. Pray tell?
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by Ranch Dog »

HarryAlonzo wrote:I do not recognize your cheap Chinese scope. Not Simmons, not NC Star. Pray tell?
Don't know, coming straight from China.
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by GasGuzzler »

So cheap no one had a chance to put their name on it. I dig trying stuff like that out.
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Re: Hunting Arizona -- or hoping to

Post by GRV01 »

Sorry i wasnt clear, i meant the kind of optics people set up on a tripod and watch the sides of mountains with for hours. Ive sren hunting shows and they all have what look like very expensive optics, just wondering what a 'normal' hunter would use? I have a pair of binos but theyre very cheap -- $30 at Harbor Freight and theyd probably work since im not in Denali gladding for moose 15mi in every direction but just wanted a second opinion
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Currently reloading: 38 SPL, 357 MAG
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