Here is what we expect out of the 2012 season. As you know, the state of AZ is well behind the annual rainfall averages as of today. The drought monitor shows a terrible year in the making and there is no doubt that what little moisture left in the ground is rapidly drying up as I type. So....How will this relate to antler growth and expectations for big bucks on the Strip this year? In my opinion, the late winter/early spring storms Arizona did have were great. In fact the Strip received more precipitation than anywhere else in the state. There were a few different storms that were very heavy and wet and were staggered apart perfectly. In fact the timing couldn't have been better between them. As one was drying up another was lining up to drop it's load. The bucks had a relatively mind winter and came thru it in solid body condition and were healthy when they shed their antlers. They then had storms that brought the feed to life and they have been gorging themselves on it ever since. Combined with the fact that 2011 was a below average harvest year for big bucks and many of the bucks we expected to get harvested by others never did and they are alive and well going into this year. My hope and prediction is that the feed received adequate moisture early to carry it through the antler growth cycle and regardless of what rain we do or do not receive in the future, the antler growth will still be ok. I think a worst case scenario is that we will experience an "average" year on the Strip, which is still pretty darn good, and we fully expect to find and harvest several big deer between 210" and 230", hopefully a couple bigger... I think a best case situation would involve another storm in the next few weeks, although June is typically a dry month in AZ. This would cement a great year and provide the bucks the necessary good feed to finish their antlers strong and maximize the growth. This is all my opinion and I could be a bit off base, but I don't think so. We launch our full scale, full time scouting operation on June 28th this year and by July 10th we will be able to give a detailed and accurate assessment of where we stand. Until then we can only guess, but I see no reason to not be excited about 2012. I know we are going to find and take some GIANTS, just how giant they will be is the question...
