FALL/WINTER 2013
PAYSON ROUNDUP
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13
Fall Hunting Tips BY DENNIS PIRCH SPECIAL TO THE ROUNDUP
Payson is the hub of Rim Country hunting, offering a great variety of game animals in a 30-mile radius. The general season for whitetail and mule deer is right around the corner for those hunters who are fortunate enough to secure a permit by the early summer lottery drawing. Preseason scouting trips greatly improve the odds of placing a tag on a trophy buck during the hunt. Early morning and late afternoons are the best times to see deer on the move from the bedding grounds to the areas of food and water. Get a vantage point with a view of many side hills and canyons, which often requires gaining elevation by hiking up one of the many mountains and rims in the area. This is no easy task unless there was also some kind of personal exercise program that has you in shape for the rigors of the many uphill hikes needed to find that perfect glassing spot. Improve leg and back strength with a simple three-times-per-week, 30minute program of walking the many hills within the city limits of Payson. Begin gradually by choosing level ground and have a target distance of 20 minutes for every mile covered. When this becomes easy, then
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increase the speed of the walk and the difficulty of the program by adding a few hills into the routine. Remember, a deer hunt usually means carrying a rifle, optics and other essentials for a day in the wilderness, which adds weight to the hike in pursuit of the game. Practice by carrying a weighted daypack after a few weeks of the exercise program. An established routine will create a healthier lifestyle. Being familiar with your rifle often means going to the range before the season and target shooting at various distances. That routine will prepare a hunter for that one special moment when the animal is seen within shooting distance. Obviously, practice at the distances you are comfortable with and know the rifle’s capabilities. There may not be too many opportunities in a seven-day season to have a deer or other big game in the crosshairs. Optics may count for just as much as good shooting. In the West’s wideopen spaces, a good pair of field glasses is a must and a spotting scope an extra benefit. Let your eyes do the walking by scanning and picking apart every canyon and hillside within a mile of your position. Once you spot the game, then devise a plan to get within shooting range
for the perfect shot. The first two days of most seasons yields the greatest number of tags being filled by successful hunters. In most cases, these are the deer in the canyons or ridges near the roads. By day three, most animals will go deeper into the wilderness to avoid humans. Success in the second half of the season usually involves longer hikes into the more remote areas of the unit. Walking in the dark can be tricky, so I would recommend a headlamp with strong candlepower over a conventional flashlight. This keeps your hands free for balance just in case you trip over the terrain while walking to the hunting area. If everything comes together and an animal is harvested, then the real work begins after the tag is placed on the antlers. A backpack should have all the necessary items for field dressing the animal, including a sharp knife, ropes, and game bags for keeping the meat clean. Of course, you also need simple provisions for a lengthy day in the field. In this day and age, you can get cell phones with service almost everywhere. A quick call to a couple of friends can make the pack out a lot less work. Good luck on your upcoming hunts if you have a permit, and if you don’t, then join in with someone else who needs an extra set of eyes looking into that next canyon. Hunting big game in the Rim Country has been an important part of Payson’s heritage for well over a hundred years.
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