**********Apache Outdoors **********
Updates and Reports
July 31, 2009
As I sit here and continue to develop my website I get the strong urge to "close up shop" here at home and head for the hills. By daylight tomorrow morning my big game guided trips will have begun. As od today, I have seen so much game since the close of the spring bear hunt in april. My season ended with a 400 pounder being harvested. This year the bear hutn is beginning earlier than usual but shows promise to be a good one. As for rains, we have not recieved much here in town but have gotten plenty in the mtns where the animals live. Still, though, we have not recieved the rains we are used to every monsoon but forecasts say it's coming. Greener grasses are abundant and good antler growth is expected. The quail have hatched twice again this year with the first hatch being almost full adults and the younger should mature near the middle of the season. The quail outlook should almost mirror last year's totals but some areas should show an increase in numbers. Near the antler dropping period of the coues and mule deers, some magnificent bucks have been seen and some mulies were well into the 190 to 200 inches mark! The coues have been plenty with some bucks I have seen well into the 120's with the largest being somewhere in the low to mid 140's!! The elk have always produced some awesome giants but of course they are all in the trophy units so "big bucks $$$$" are the ruling thumb. All the other species of big game should remain close to the same and producing some fine trophies. The lion hunting here has slowed down due to the heat but their numbers are on the increase so make sure you ask for the complimentary lion tag with every big game hunt you purchase. I will continue to add more information as time goes on and I hope you all bear with me as my website is only a few months old and still could use more information and pics. So keep checking back for more updates and if you would like more detailed information, please feel free to email me and I will do my best to be of assistance.....Bob Stevens
August 7, 2009
As of my last posting there hasn't been any significant rains to speak of here. Temps have been very hot and dry with several wildfires still burning throughout the reservation. Our hunt on sunday and monday yielded 3 bears in 3 outings with one bear being a definite shooter. We tried but to no avail and the hunters will return sunday for the remainder of the hunt. Saw some big bull elk in the unit and several deer. The landscape isn't quite as green as last year but showing some fresh green grass coming up. Last year we were over run with sunflowers but this year mostly grasses. Roads are very dusty and the day heats up fast so hunting hours are limited to early morning and late evening. Lots of young quail at several stages which tells me there was more than one hatch. Picturesque sunsets and cool temps make for memorable evenings and confortable weather. Hopefully this upcoming week will bring some good luck and more great times in the woods.....Bob Stevens
August 16, 2009 This first fall season bear hut went better tha expected. So many animals were spotted and most of them world class! We saw elk, coues deer, mule deer, javelina, mt. lion, bear, rocky mtn sheep, antelope, turkeys, coyotes and the coatamundi. We also so some temperatures falling down to the mid 40's at nights! despite the hot weather going on elsewhere in the state we enjoyed some very comfortable temps. The pears o the cactus weren't quite done but our unit proved to be the place to hunt. we saw a total of 9 bears and harvested 2 big bears weighig 325 and 350 lbs. Some great photo opportuities came our way and some new events witnessed by us. As i write this the pears are ripening and the bear must be having the times of their lives. Today is the last day of the season and I wonder how many hunters are still out there. We did our hunt and it was memorable to say the least. Great friends ad great times make for one of the best huting trips I have ever done. I will look forward to our next hunt together. The quail were out i force and the predators were abundant. The hunters tried some predator calling and had some good success. Young turkeys are almost full grown and the coues deer bucks antler growth is fantastic. We spotted some huge bucks that may end up scoring in the 100's easily. Overall all was a great success and this upcoming hunting season may be one of the best we have ever had here on the San Carlos. So this report holds some good outlook for hunters and fisherman planning their next trip here.... Bob Stevens
August 22, 2009 Today we are enjoying some much needed rain. It has been cloudy all day and I saw the sun one time today for a few minutes and that was it. It's still a bit warm but nothing like a few weeks ago. Barely in the eighties today. As we near the trophy elk hunt on the San Carlos, there is a bit of excitement in the air for the lucky ones who got drawn. During the past bear hunt we saw some great bulls but have yet to spot a 400 class bull. Some good prospects and excellent gene pools should produce some impressive bulls this year. The quail outlook continues to be fair to good but could be better than expected. Predator calling has been very good and my clients have done well calling in a coyote every set. As for the rain, it's expected to continue through next week so hopefully it holds out and turns out some very good days for quail hunting. The tanks have been holding water to some extent but many have also gone dry. The grasses have begun to turn green but very slowly as there is still some dry brown grass. The rains should help the grasses and hopefully fill some of the tanks or at least dump some water in them to hold for awhile. So for now I will end here until I venture out in the sticks again for some scouting and more great pics....Bob Stevens
September 7, 2009 Today I am finally sitting here at home trying to catch up with my personal business and emails. I have been helping my nephew with his trophy elk hunt in the R-100 unit. We saw a few bulls and it has been very slow with no bugling at all and very little moisture. He finally saw a good bull and trid but missed and we later foud out the scope was off the rear base. We resighted the gun in and will go out again in a few days. Saw tons of quail and lots and lots of coyotes. I even filmed 2 coyotes trying to take down a coues deer doe in a tank for about 15 minutes. They finally gave up but started yelping for other coyotes and they came in. About 6 others came in but never went all the way because they spotted my truck in the open. Either way it was great footage and a great memory. Our rains have begun again and hopefully there is more to come. Saw several big mule deer and also several coues deer bucks. Another good antler growth year for the animals...Bob Stevens
November 20, 2009 It has bee awhile sice I last posted as my schedule has bee very busy and full. Well here goes: The quail hunts have been a bit slow but still pretty decent. I have been having fair to good luck finding huntable birds but still when we do find the birds there were enough to hunt for a day. Most of my time has been hunting the coues whitetail on the rez here. One of my hunters harvested a big buck in unit D last weekend and I have several lined up for december and january. I finally got my big whitetail I have been hunting for 30 plus years and now I can say I am done with my quest for a big coues. Now I can focus on getting a big turkey, mt. lion and some of this fish species. The weather has been extremely dry and quite a few of our stock tanks have gone dry. We had some weather a week ago but nothing to replenish what we need. So the key is water. If you can find a permanent source anywhere, you will find game. A lor of the animals have moved from their usual areas this time of year to be closer to water. So if your next trip proves to be difficult, find water and you should find the game....Bob Stevens