# Arizona High Country Hunt



## Mark Steinmann (Jan 28, 2014)

As we rolled onto the dirt road on Friday morning we had already talked through a game plan for this familiar, yet endless country. We were back in the area where we took our first Mountain Lion out of last year and just that in itself will forever make this land special. Our plan for this trip was to get boots on the ground and hike into some remote parts of the boulder filled hills. Also, we were hoping to get up on the flat mesas as long as the wind was calm as to get into some Coyote country. We wanted to max out our chances of seeing the most variety of predators as possible in our 2 day hunt. 
We got into camp about 4:30pm and had just enough light for a short walk down a nearby creek that fed into a large water tank. We did 3 stands along the way and the first stand produced but caught us all off guard. Our buddy Jeff started his e-caller with Fox distress and within 30 seconds a Fox bound down out of the rocks took a look and got a whiff of us...and was never seen again. We setup in tight cover with 2 long guns and 1 shotgun and Jeff(shotgun) was in the 1 spot where the Fox wasn't visible. The following 2 stands yielded only a cool breeze and a beautiful sunset. We strolled back to camp and cooked up some trout and baked beans for dinner and talked over the fire for a couple hours. Our plans the next day were to hike into 2 seperate ecosystems about 8 miles apart. The first was tight boulder strewn hills at the base of a large mountain, the other being a bit more open country in a large basin.
The morning came quick as we all slept well under the stars and it was time to hit the hills! As we made it to our "trailhead into the wild" we saw the presence of Fox pretty regularly. Tim called the first stand and was able to work a Fox right in between himself and Jeff but I was the only one that saw him come in. As he stood there I had no shot as I would've been shooting over Tim's head(by 10 feet) and within 20 yards of Jeff....with a 12 gauge. I lip squeaked to let them know it was there and pointed it out to Jeff, but he only saw it as the Fox caught Jeff's movement and tore off into the trees. We made 4 more stands in a 3 mile loop with only a flash of a Fox as it ran away as soon as we started calling. Even though we saw Lion, Bobcat, and Fox sign nothing seemed interested. 
Right before heading back to eat lunch we drove out to an area that has produced Fox in the past and made a stand. Once again Jeff was playing the e-caller and about 8 minutes into it I was just starting to daydream as Tim's shotgun blast brought me back to reality! Jeff called for another 3 minutes but no other Foxes were spotted. Tim had also been dozing off when all of a sudden he caught movement, pulled his shotgun up, and hit the Fox while it was running through the brush to backdoor Jeff. First animal down! We headed back to camp to skin it out and cook up the Dove stew Jeff had brought along. We also took the backstraps from this Fox and pan fried it as well as a squirrel we found bouncing along back at camp! Quite the variety for lunch, and I was very surprised that the Fox was so tasty!
Our evening hunt was a bust as far as calling in any predators. We had noticed the wind shift multiple times in the drainage we were hiking and chalked the lack of success up to the wind. We did however discover an oasis in the desert which was littered with Javalina and Deer tracks. We are hoping to get drawn in this area for archery Javi so if we do then we'll be back. For dinner Saturday night we feasted on my Bull Elk back straps, corn on the cob, and chips. This trip was definitely the best as far as tablefare goes. We had a great discussion on the reintroduction of Mexican Grey Wolves into AZ and the current struggle on the Wildcat hunting ban the anti's are attempting to bring to our state. The night proved colder than Friday as it dipped to 36° and we all woke up a bit chilled through the night except for Jeff...who had brought 2 sleeping bags and kept repeating throughout the morning about how nice and toasty he was. That never got old to hear(rolls eyes). 
Sunday morning led us up onto a nearby mesa as the wind was almost nonexistent today and although we've wanted to call this on past trips it had either been too wet to traverse or too windy to make sense. Our first stand was a bust so onto the second stand, my favorite of the day for some reason. I tend to have to most predators respond on the second stand of any given morning. We parked the truck just before a rise and walked over the top. To our right was a big drainage. Out front was a large dip in the landscape with another rolling hill 500 yards away which led into more hilltops that were only a hundred yards out on our left. I got setup overlooking the big dip out front and Jeff and Tim would cover my sides. The wind was blowing 2mph to my 2 o'clock position. I gave the crisp morning air a few serenades of raspy cottontail and waited. Out of nowhere a Coyote materialized directly in front of me approximately 160-180 yards away. As I pulled my scope up all I saw was a Coyote covered up by the tips of the tall weeds that were in front of me. I lip squeaked hoping that the Coyote would move up a few feet giving me a clear shot, but he just stood there like a statue squinting into the sun . I tipped my stool over on two legs and hung over to the side. I finally got an angle that looked like I could thread the needle through the weeds. As I squeezed the trigger the bullet reported back with a "thump" and then the Coyote yipped for a few short seconds. I jumped on the open reed and shrieked along with him and then did another couple series with the cottontail. None others would show and upon retrieval we believed he was most likely alone.....that sucker had been sprayed by a skunk within the last 24 hours and smelled to high heaven! Jeff still wanted the fur though so into a trash bag he went to somewhat hide part of the smell for now. We ended up ranging the shot at 167 yards. Another quick kill for the 17 Hornet!
We drove about a mile and came upon another hill. Stopped the truck and walked over the top of the hill to find a perfect stand setup on the edge of a 20 foot cliff. The country beyond was visible rolling hills that fed into a nasty thick wash bottom. The ultimate setup! We spread out along the edge with the sun still glaring behind our backs and the wind at our 2 o'clock. Tim did 4 or 5 sequences of Jack on an open reed and a loud shot put a smile on my face about 6 minutes into the set. A Grey Fox had come bounding over the rise below us and Jeff shot him at 10 yards directly below. Unfortunately a follow up shot was needed a few seconds later and nothing else showed on the stand. 
We made 2 more empty stands before going back to pack up camp. What a perfect trip all around. Got to taste some new meat(never tried Fox or Squirrel) and hang out with some great buds in the process! 3 furs in the cooler to go towards Jeff's bed throw made for a great time we'll spent.

- Mark

































































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## Ruger (Jan 22, 2011)

Sounds like a great time and a great hunt. And maybe some good food.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

Great story Mark.


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## hassell (Feb 9, 2010)

Great write up.


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## Mark Steinmann (Jan 28, 2014)

Thanks guys, a few spelling issues in there but I hope it was a good read.

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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

It was ! Sorry for the short reply, I had an important call come through just as I finished reading. I always enjoy reading your hunt stories, they tell all the facts and give all the pertinent information in a clean precise manner.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

How was the fox and squirrel?


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## prairiewolf (Feb 19, 2012)

Congrats to all of you, it sure brings back memories of younger years when buddies and myself would get out for a couple of days calling. keep it up and your son , I am sure will enjoy all the write ups when a little older !


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Awesome... I don't know about eating a fox, it probably tastes like a pack rat.


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## youngdon (Mar 10, 2010)

How does a pack rat taste ?


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

Like a fox?


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## Mark Steinmann (Jan 28, 2014)

So the Fox backstrap had a hint of sweetness to it. Kind of a savory sweet combo. I'll admit that I was hesitant to try it, but when I did I went back for more. And I'm a pretty picky eater!

Ed, yes I hope he will enjoy them and I also can't wait to take him on his first hunt someday. Another good reason to have a suppressed rifle!

- Mark

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## Mark Steinmann (Jan 28, 2014)

azpredatorhunter said:


> Awesome... I don't know about eating a fox, it probably tastes like a pack rat.


Hmm....and you have eaten a pack rat? 

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## Larry (Dec 2, 2010)

Mark...your stories are top notch, dont stop!


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## Mark Steinmann (Jan 28, 2014)

Larry said:


> Mark...your stories are top notch, dont stop!


Thank you Larry!

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