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| 13B One of the largest typical bucks ever killed with a bow! |
With the application period closed and credit cards being hit for the successful, here is hoping you are among the lucky. As everyone has been talking, 2019 is going to be a special year. Mainly because the month of May was the wettest on record in the last 150 years in many places across the state, especially northern Arizona. What does this do for the 2019 season? Arizona antler growth can make some wild swings from a dry year to an average year to a extra wet year. Antler growth is a fickle thing that is affected by a number of different factors, all of which revolve around precipitation amounts, timing of moisture, or lack thereof of either. The 2018 season was a lacking year as far as giant animals in Arizona was concerned.
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| This 13B buck was the biggest buck killed in Arizona during 2018. |
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| 13B 288" and 226" |
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| 13B 288" |
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| 13B Another one of the biggest typicals ever killed with a bow! |
The main reason for this was that the state basically received no measurable moisture in most areas from September of 2017 until July of 2018. When the bucks shed antlers in the early spring of 2018 they were forced to survive on dry old feed and brittle browse that had not been green for 6 months. This stresses and depletes the body condition and puts the animals into maintenance mode. Antlers don't grow very well when the host is in maintenance mode. All the dry feed that they work so hard to intake goes into just staying alive and antlers are secondary to survival. The summer monsoon season sets a buck or bull up for his antler growth the following year. A good monsoon brings the world to life and allows the animals to store fat and energy prior to the rut. Post rut it provides a stable and abundant path back to health as they go into the winter. If they go into and through the winter in decent body condition they can start putting growth into their antlers much quicker after they shed their antlers. A poor monsoon provides hardship going into and throughout the winter. This depletes the body condition and puts the animals behind as spring and new antler growth approaches. This means they will be restoring body condition instead of putting much energy into growing antler. resulting in the 2018 situation.
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| 13B 215" |
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| 13A 226" |
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| 13A 199" |
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| 13A 216" |
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| 13B 210" |
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| 13B 230" |
Enter 2019. As stated, 2018 was very dry up until July. We did have a decent monsoon that helped the deer bounce back in body condition but this was far to late to help antler growth in the fall of of 2018. This was determined by the prior 6 months. But, the summer did green up well and the animals returned to health by summers end. They came through winter well and heading into the wettest Spring anyone can remember. Which leads us to today and the unreal hunting season Arizona is about to have.
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| 13B 206" |
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| 13A 246" |
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| 13B 222" |
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| 13B 254" |
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| 13B 240"+ |
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| 13B 208" |
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| 13A 214" |
A3 has been pounding the Strip for 15 years straight. We pour our heart and soul into the planning, preparation and hunting of this very special mule deer haven. Over time, A3 and the guides we are so proud to call our own, have guided our clients to some of the biggest bucks to have ever been killed on the Strip. From giant archery bucks to giant general season bucks A3 clients harvest more truly giant deer. We live here and our life is here. If you are blessed to draw one of these golden tickets, you owe it to yourself to do your due diligence in selecting an outfitter. Sales pitches and trail camera pictures are common tactics used by some to instill confidence and get hunts booked. Beware of this. We have always said... "A trained monkey can set up a trail camera and get pictures of big bucks on the Strip." In fact their are a few trained monkeys running around out here! But, it takes a well prepared and seasoned guide to help turn a trail camera picture into a dead buck picture with a happy client. This is where we have proved our worth over and over annually. Year in year out consistency is what you want to look for when selecting an outfitter for your Strip hunt.
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| 13B 205" |
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| 13B 264" |
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| 13B 224" |
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| 13B 219" |
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| 13B 228" |
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| 13B 207" |
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| 13B 240"+ |
We invite you to look through our pictures here, both older and recent, and see for yourself the consistency A3 clients enjoy. We spare nothing when it comes to success with our clients. We fully understand the wishes, desires and concerns a Strip tag holder has. We know that what our clients really want is an outfitter and guide that will treat their once in a lifetime tag as if it was their very own. We have a very long list of happy clients that have trusted us previously and in turn have had their dream hunt materialize before their eyes. The Strip hunt is never easy, even under the best of conditions. Under hard conditions, unprepared guides wither and wilt and their true lack of preparation is on full display. A3 doesn't have these issues. We scout the entirety of both 13A and 13B each and every year. This means that no matter what the hunt throws at us we are prepared to adapt and overcome. We always find more giant bucks than we have clients. Many years we find 5 times the number of giant bucks than hunters we have to hunt them. This means that every client has bucks, backup bucks and backup backup bucks to hunt, all of which are huge. This allows us to switch gears and bucks on a dime during the hunt if for any reason we need too.
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| 13B 224" |
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| 13B 209" |
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| 13B |
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| 13A |
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| 13A 212" 35"+ Wide |
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| 13B 250+ |
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| 13B 225" 37" Wide |
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| 13B 239" 5x5 |
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| 13B Mass for days |
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| 13A 216" Double Drops |
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| 13B 232" |
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| 13B 271" 41" Wide |
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| 13A 240"+ |
A3 and the guides we are blessed to have working with us understand the meaning of integrity and work ethic. If you book a hunt with us we give you a guaranteed level of excellence and professionalism that will exceed your expectations. Every guide we employ on our Strip hunts has several Strip hunts under their belts. We operate a coordinated and thorough scouting program across the entirety of 13A and 13B and all of our guides take part in it. We don't "save" bucks for anyone special and we are constantly striving to kill the biggest and oldest bucks that are alive on any year. Please don't hesitate to call and talk with one of us if you have drawn one of these very special permits. You will likely only get one chance at a Strip tag. A3 will take every proven measure possible to ensure a highly successful hunt and an overall experience that will exceed your dreams. Thank you for reading and good luck this special year.
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| 13A |
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| 13B 224" |
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| 13A 234" |
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| 13A 240"+ |
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| 13A 202" |
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| 13A 200" |
