Mule Deer, Chukar, and Good Friends

Arizona Mule Deer
Arizona Mule Deer

My good friend, Austin, spent the better part of two weeks looking for a giant mule deer in northern Arizona in one of the premier mule deer units. I headed up the last weekend with my other buddy, David, to see if we could help out. Although we never found the big one that Austin was after, we spotted this old buck that was past his prime near the end of the hunt. After some consideration, Austin opted to pull the trigger and put his tag on this old warrior. We celebrated with tenderloins and libations, and woke late the next morning to start breaking camp.

On the long way out from camp, we set up a couple of unsuccessful coyote stands but our luck picked up when we busted a covey of chukar. We gave chase, and I was lucky enough to knock down my first Arizona chukar. I felt quite fortunate to put this trophy in the game bag and couldn’t have had a happier ending to the weekend.

Arizona Mule Deer
Teamwork
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Arizona Chukar
A trophy of my own – Arizona Chukar
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4 Responses to “Mule Deer, Chukar, and Good Friends”

  1. Robert

    That Chukar is a great looking bird! Not a bad Mulie either! Are Chukar that rare in AZ? I’m new to birding.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Thanks Robert. Chukars are only found in a few areas in Northern Arizona. They can be found, but are not widespread across the state. Thanks for the comment.

      Ben

      Reply
  2. Kevin

    The illusion wild chukar… It’s on the bucket list. I’m jealous amigo – that’s not easy to do. Didn’t see any dogs in the post, so assuming it was done hoofing it and getting a dose of some luck and good shooting. Assuming a 12 gauge too…

    I’ve taken some, but all preserve birds. Well done.

    Reply
    • azwanderings

      Hoofing it and Luck go together like peas and carrots when hunting without a dog for sure. I had a strong dose of luck on this one. Thanks Kevin.

      Ben

      Reply

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