Cave Creek Deer Hunt

Dawn

Some of you may know that I took up the bow recently. I can't believe how much fun it is. I can't believe it took me 36 years to pick one up. Archery deer season began in January, and with it a new reason to get outside. Some people evolve from backpacking to climbing or mountaineering, but for me, I'm evolving toward self-reliance. That's what I've always loved about backpacking: relying on myself for everything. That's why I chose a recurve. It's simple. It takes skill and instinct developed though practice. Hunting, I think, is the next evolution in that self-reliance concept that I'm pursuing. 

Jim and I decided on the Cave Creek area of Tonto National Forest for our hunt. We both know that area very well, and that played a big role in our decision. That area isn't exactly known for an abundance of mule deer, but a trail cam nearby at Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area convinced me that it would bear fruit. I follow Spur Cross Ranch on Facebook and they post regular photos from that cam on their Facebook feed. Besides coyote, bobcat, javelina and mountain lion, I have seen plenty of deer on that cam, including at least one large buck. We hunted the area just north of the conservation area. 

Camp for the first 2 days.

It was exhilarating hiking under a full moon late Tuesday night. It was my first time backpacking that I've started at 9pm at night. The desert was alive with night sounds and the many creek crossings kept us on our toes. About 4 miles in we camped high on a saddle near Skull Mesa. The wind was roaring and I was concerned that my tarp would take a beating. I set it up in a simple windshield type configuration with the windward side nearest the ground. I didn't get much sleep with the wind pounding my tarp all night. I kept expecting it to collapse, but it didn't.

It was dark when we awoke. After a quick cup of coffee we geared up and hit a hillside that we expected would be a good position for glassing. We had great views into a large valley that the creek ran directly through. To me it looked like a perfect spot for animal activity, but we didn't see anything all morning. There was an even higher peak just to the south of us, so we decided to climb that to gain a different vantage point. Near the top we saw javelina sign everywhere. Holes in the ground. Half eaten prickly pear. Dug out beds under paloverde trees... And just like that javelina were darting about all around us. We saw big ones, small ones, and even babies. We walked right into a javelina herd that had bedded down for the day. Most of them just scattered, but one particularly large javelina stood 10 yards away from me staring at me. I clutched my bow waiting for him to charge me, but he didn't. Frankly I'm not sure he could even see me very well. I told James that if we had javelina tags we would have filled them the first day of the hunt.

Rusted out old Ford.

Our new vantage point on the mountain-top didn't reveal anything new. The valley appeared void of any animal life. We glassed until around 1pm, and not seeing any sign, we hiked down to the valley to get a closer look. Down at the bottom we saw some really cool Hohokam petroglyphs. Although I've seen them before, I always have to stop to check them out when I'm nearby. It still amazes me what the ancient people of the desert were able to accomplish in this dry, harsh landscape. We spent the rest of the day scouting the valley we had glassed all morning. We saw javelina and coyote sign everywhere. We saw bobcat tracks, and a rusted out old Ford that someone had dropped very purposefully over a drainage to presumably act as a bridge. But we didn't find any deer sign at all. We needed a new plan.

Jimbo glassing

That night I saw my first ever wild scorpion. It crawled out from underneath a rock when I was preparing to start a fire. It only took 2 and 1/2 years of desert dwelling to see one! The wind on that second night was even more viscous than the night before. But despite the 40 mph gusts I slept much better. I think because I wasn't worried nearly as much about the stability of my tarp. I just knew it would hold, and it did. 

The next morning we moved to a spot that Jimbo had picked out from the map. It was closer to the conservation area, and we reasoned that maybe the deer were staying closer to the park because they just instinctively knew it was hunting season, and of course hunting is illegal in the park. Hiking up a hillside Jim spotted a large buck not 30 yards in front of him. He said later that it was the largest buck he'd ever seen in Arizona (and he grew up here). The buck was onto us immediately and literally the second Jim stopped and whispered "buck", it dropped into a wash and out of sight. We came up with a plan of action right away. I would flank high up the hill and try to drive the buck down the wash into Jim's position below. I nocked an arrow and crept up the hill as quietly as I could. It's hard sneaking in the desert with all the pokey plants everywhere. I was stuck by multiple cacti during my maneuver. I reached the top of the wash and spotted Jim below. We both looked at each other and raised our arms as if to say "where did he go?" We spent the rest of the day trying to track that buck to no avail, but the good news was that new spot we were in was full of deer sign. We decided to move our camp lower so we wouldn't have to make the hard hike up and down the mountain the next day,

Our new camp was near the creek and the wind was nill. Some critter made a racket in a wood pile nearby, and the entire area was covered in Javelina tracks. A spider the size of a mouse scurried through the sand near my tarp, and I was briefly concerned that I would be sharing my sleeping bag with it or one of its friends. We enjoyed the peaceful night as we sat by the fire and planned out the next day. Even though we had come up empty so far, we felt good about our prospects for the next day in this new spot.

It's me.

Early the next morning we were glassing from a hill at the same location we spotted the buck the day before. We spent all morning out there searching in vain. The desert mule deer is not easy to find, and we reckoned that the deer were even closer to the park then we originally thought. All in all, our hunting trip turned into a 4 day scout, as we only spent one day doing any real hunting. We simply could not find the deer. But it wasn't time wasted. I learned a ton... The desert is an excellent teacher.

Jim crossing Cave Creek

Skull Mesa/Cottonwood Loop

Skull Mesa

 There I was, back in action in a familiar place. The 4th time I've backpacked into the Cave Creek region of Tonto National Forest. I planned a route that would take me to the most remote sections, on trails completely unfamiliar to me. A good way to keep things fresh when you consistently return to the same place. All in all I connected 5 trails for a 27 mile long loop. This plan was a little ambitious for me, but I wanted to challenge myself. Plus I wanted to see what kind of difference my newly lightened load would make. In fact, my pack only had a 10-pound base-weight. At 16 pounds with food and water it was by far the lightest load I've ever carried backpacking.

 Friday was mostly spent on Cottonwood Trail #247 as it wound east along Cottonwood Creek then north on Bronco Creek going the long way around Skull Mesa. This trail is aptly listed as a "primitive trail" by the forest service, and I had a tough time following it, especially when it dropped down onto the creek-bed itself, where I kept losing it minus any trail markers or obvious trail. That's one of the challenges of desert hiking is that the dirt trail you're following doesn't contrast well with more dirt, so trail finding can be tricky. Multiple times I found myself erroneously hiking up a wash, or seeking out a high point to look down and spot the trail. Needless to say, I did a lot of backtracking. 

At one point while walking along a creek-bed I wandered into a narrow canyon that I suspected was not the route I should be following, but the natural beauty of the place drew me on. Amid high granite walls I ran into a huge bee swarm. Now, if there is any desert critter that I am nervous about running into it's bees, mainly because Arizona is home to Africanized Honey Bees (aka Killer Bees), and I for one can't tell the difference between a regular honey bee and a killer bee. I passed within a foot of that swarm. The buzzing of so many bees was so powerful I could almost feel it in my body. I moved as quickly and as passively as I possibly could by them, and luckily wasn't stung despite the close proximity. I would be lying if I told you I wasn't nervous walking by that swarm. Especially being in such a narrow canyon, I would have had literally nowhere to run if they would have attacked me.

Cottonwood Creek narrows, right before I encounter bee swarm.

 Eventually I made it out of the canyon and back on some high-ground. I was relieved to see some dark clouds creeping over the desert foothills toward me. Any reprieve from the heat is welcome in the desert, and believe it or not, it actually rained! I busted out my new Outdoor Research Helium hard-shell, and actually wore it for a half-an-hour while I got dumped on. It was refreshing to say the least. After nearly 14 miles of hiking (not counting the backtracking) it was getting late and I was exhausted. I pitched my shelter relatively near Cave Creek about 20 feet from the fence-line of a private ranch. It was the only flat spot I could find that was both elevated and relatively separated from the creek itself, which I didn't want to camp by because of all the animal sign I saw. In fact I was awoken multiple times in the night by snorting javelina coming from the direction of the creek. I knew I had made a smart choice by staying away. When they got too close I would loudly clear my throat or yawn, just to let them know I was there. Of course they left me alone. 

Rain is coming

After a restless night of sleep I broke camp at 7am and hit Skunk Tank Trail #246 headed west. It was pleasant hiking in the cool morning air under a still rising sun. Eventually though it got hot, and by the time I connected with Quien Sabe Trail #250 the heat was bothering me, and my feet were getting brutalized on the especially rough trail. By the time I made the ascent of Skull Mesa my feet were killing me, but a heavy wind had appeared and the 20 mph gusts were keeping me cool. It's the nature of the desert, and hiking in general. You have to take the good with the bad. Even when you're tired and hurting and miserable, you have to hang on to the positive. I had no luck finding the Hohokam ruins I had heard were on top of Skull Mesa, but the view of the surrounding desert made the hard climb worth it. 

I was exhausted and feeling like hell by the time I returned to my Jeep after a near 14 mile day with tons of ups and downs and elevation changes. Honestly, it wouldn't have been as bad if it wasn't so damn hot, and the terrain so rocky. It made me miss the Pacific Northwest. Overall, I can confidently say that this route is by far the best in this area. Sure it's challenging, but its remote ( I saw zero people on Friday, and 1 group on Saturday), there are plenty of views, and a good smattering of high-and-low desert ecosystems. The only drawbacks are that water is very scarce, trails generally suck and are hard to follow, and there isn't any good place to camp when you reach Cave Creek near Seven Springs on day 1. Other than that, I had a blast.

Horton Loop

View south from The Highline Trail.

Rim country can be such odd country below the rim. Something I notice every time I visit. Last weekend's overnighter was no different. We started in the shade of towering ponderosas and gnarly alligator junipers on the Derrick Trail heading North/East. The ground was dry and the vegetation sparse, like if you had to go off trail for any reason, it wouldn't be terribly hard to do. But the scenery changed, and by the time we reached The Highline Trail the forest looked quite a bit different. 

Alligator Lizard

Its like we entered some kind of transition zone. Now the forest was a mix of pines, junipers, and more of the plants you might associate with desert areas like manzanita and agave. In this area we came upon two Arizona Alligator Lizards duking it out in the middle of the trail. Amidst all the biting and squirming and teeth baring, I'm pretty sure it was just a male and a female making ready to get busy (if you know what I mean). I felt bad disturbing the festivities, but it was really awesome to see. It was the first time I had ever seen an Alligator Lizard in my life, and they are just gorgeous looking lizards. We ended up seeing quite a few lizards in this zone, including some really small Short-Horned Lizards that were about the size of a matchbox. They are very skittish at that size, which surprised me because the big ones I've seen are so calm.

Mogollon Rim

Eventually the Highline portion of this trip levels out a little bit, and some nice views of the rim and the mountains to the south open up. 

Ferns

As the trail drops toward Horton Spring the ecology changed again to one more of a purely coniferous nature. Ferns carpet the ground in spots, and lichens grow on the pine trees. I know I've mentioned this before in other blogs about my trips to the rim, but it really reminds me of the Cascades at times.

Descent to Horton Spring

As we neared Horton Spring I could hear the sound of running water and a giant smile spread across my face. Every time I'm hiking parallel to a creek, or nearing a crossing of one, it reminds of the northwest. I rarely ever hear moving water in the woods down here in Arizona, so when I do, I just really appreciate it. Like wind, water makes such a soothing sound, and I love to sleep near it if I can. In fact, that's exactly what we did Saturday night. We camped not far from the mouth of Horton Spring where fresh (and delicious) water gushed right from the side of the Mogollon Rim. 

Horton Spring

We followed Horton Creek all the way out the next morning. It made for a relaxing stroll, especially because the wind and the clouds kept the temps nice and cool. Overall, it was a great (albeit short) trip with some good company. This was my 3rd (I think) trip with the Arizona Backpacking Club, but everyone this time around was new to me. It didn't matter. It never does with backpackers. We all seem to get along pretty easily... Until next time.

John looking down at Horton Creek

Back In Action: Overnight on the Mogollon Rim

After a hectic couple of months, I've finally made it back to the woods. I was invited by friends to help scout a possible location for an Elk hunt at the end of the year. The spot they were looking at was none other than The Highline Trail below the Mogollon Rim. We made a weekend out of it, camping on top of the rim near Woods Canyon Lake. The entire area was overrun by people, and it took over an hour to find a spot. We didn't set-up camp until 1am, and since we were so excited with anticipation for Saturday's scout, we decided to build a fire despite the late hour, and stayed up talking politics and quantum mechanics. By the time I crawled into my tent it was 3:30am. 

We awoke at 5:30am to a bugling elk somewhere near our camp, and after a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee, we drove down to the Geronimo trail-head for our scout. This area of The Highline Trail is also part of The Arizona Trail, making it the most heavily marked trail I've ever been on. Between the white-diamond blazes of The Highline, the frequent Arizona Trail signposts, and the fact that the Mogollon Rim is always visible to the north, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to get lost here.

Arizona Trail signpost

The trail was a lot of up and down, but other than the heat, it was pretty easy going. Unlike further south, the Arizona rim country has tons of trees, and of an impressive variety. We saw big ponderosa pine, alligator juniper, and the alien-like manzanita, which I found to be really cool looking with the twisting red and white bark.

Manzanita

Since the goal of this hike was to scout terrain for a hunt, there was a lot of map reading, and looking through binoculars. I was definitely interested in the insights my friends were sharing about the area, and about elk behavior. The most knowledgeable woodsmen I have ever known have been hunters, and I am always eager to soak up any information they are willing to share. In fact, it made me want to take up the bow and give hunting a go. I like the idea of finding a good hide, and just waiting and watching. As a backpacker, it seems like I'm always on the go. Especially hiking in groups, I find that people tend to hike too fast, and rarely just stop and soak in the surroundings. I think that's why hunters can be so knowledgeable, because they are watching and studying their environment, instead of just hurrying through like hikers do. 

Adam scoping out the area.

After returning to camp, the rain set in. I honestly didn't mind, especially after the hell-like weather Phoenix has been having. It rained all night, and we got to witness a spectacular lightning storm overhead. The next morning we fished Woods Canyon Lake. Other then a crayfish, I didn't catch anything. This was the second time I fished on Woods Canyon Lake, and although beautiful, its overcrowded and littered with trash. I don't think I'll be returning. 

Overall it was a fun trip. The boys have invited me to any future scouts, and even the hunt itself in November. I am really excited for next week because I'll be driving to Spokane and spending 4 days camping in Farragut State Park for my family reunion, which is always an awesome time. Well, thanks for reading.

The Highline Trail heading west.