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After years of waiting. I finally drew the tag. Opening day my wife and i called and got a response. He gobbled good but was moving away as he already was henned up. We moved in on him and saw he was missing a single tail feather. We played with him a bit and got some good footage of him strutting. I decided to pass him. If he had that feather he was a shooter for me. Wife and i continued on and found some fresh tracks and strut marks. So started call8ng and got an imediate response. H3 2as coming quick. I handed call to my wife and told her to keep calling. She could see him coming in. I drew back and he came ot facing me at about 15 yards. I settled pin on his beard and let it fly. Arrow sailed through him and he kept strutting. I missed all body and went through nohing but feathers. He followed his hens down the mountain. Found the arrow and nothing but a little wad of down feather on the broadhead. We ended up with our 2 year old grandson that night do tounfortunate events. So we decided to take him with us on day 2. We went anotber area that we have seen birds in the past. Not a single response anywhere in the area. So wife said lets go back where we were the day before. So we made it back to the ranger and hauled butt. It was late in the morning and getting hot. Went back to the first area from the day before and found the same tom i had passed in the exact same spot as the day before. This time i had the wife call and move up behind me with our grandson. The tom and his hens were moving out. She stayed put and kept calling to keep him talking. I moved up the ridge and around and in on him. They could hear me and moved away slowly. Good thing these guys are so uneducated. Hewas strutting and about 40 yards out. Knew it was tbe same tom but this time since my grandson was with us i decided i 2as gonna take him. So i did with 12 gauge and put him down. I took him to taxidermist and he weighed 22lbs. Taxi also told me that he was deffinately old and mature. Turns out he has a genettic deffect and never had that tail feather. He also looked at me like i was crazy and was like ahh this is not a passable bird. My grandson being there with my wife and i was the best. This was his first experience outdoors.

I have to start off with a big thank you to zaccarp and qcchevy for sending me some locations and Little Creek Calls for getting my calls done very fast and actually bringing them to my house. Sunday i got off work and headed down to hunt some Goulds. Best i could do with short notice tag. Monday morning comes and first stop i get into a bird and he is coming right for me then gets to 100 yards and i watch him walk around me. Stop one is done. Try different location and i get hammered and watch a hen walk him right around me and i cant make it happen again. Now i am starting to question myself. I know i can hunt turkey but i must be making some mistakes or just not finding the right bird. Drive around and see some birds and get a few responses but thats it. Now i am worried. Everyone talks about it being an easy hunt and it was seeming to be the normal grind of turkey hunting going on for me. I wake up Tuesday and get into a bird again and work him for a bit and then coyotes start barking and howling and fired the bird up but also pushed him out as i hear him gobbling and going away. I decided to go try a different area and find nothing. Drive to a differnt location and throw out some calls and boom two birds hit me. Its on. I work them for an hour it seems and cant break one off the knob they are on and dont know why. Didnt seem like they had hens. Decide i am going to try and get closer and blow out two deer and the turkey shut up. I think its done and move out to try a different spot. Not and the next spot so i head back to wear i the birds were that i thought the deer spooked out to pick hp a nice pile of fire wood a saw and i hear them again. Decided to try and work around them and come from different side. I get to a spot i can actually glass back and see all the glass up two strutters and a bunch of hens. I work into them while my buddy took some good pics thru the glass. Got to within 63 yards of two toms. When i get there i didnt have to do anything. i ended being surrounded by hens and two other toms. The hens started walking towards me and i take a shot at one of the toms and miss and he flys up and over a tree and i was about to shoot again but the two other toms run right in front of me and i shoot and i drop one. I could hear my buddy and son Cheering for me as they watch the whole thing thru phone scope and binos. Was an awesome experience. Cant wait to do it again. Thank everyone again who helped out it was a great experience.

Thank you for starting this tread. As the wildlife manager/ Field Supervisor in Unit 3C for 26 yrs. I saw the end of the horse capturing that the Heber Ranger (Black Mesa) Dist was doing, and the results. It saddens, and angers me to see what these horses have done to the habitat in not only that unit, but also Unit 1. Specifically, the Kettel Holes area. that area has been decimated and all those meadows have been converted from grass land community to noxious weeds. Any business in the white mountains that supports the horses should defiantly be boycotted, especially by hunters, or anyone interested in sound forest management. There is no place on public land for even one feral horse. Besides the habitat issues, thats a lot of high-quality protein on the hoof, that could feed a lot of people!

Here is my wife 2021 Goulds from unit 29. Fun hunt plenty of birds. Hopefully I can draw in the next few yrs.

Your dad just became my hero. Brilliant 👏

The Aspen Lodge in Alpine AZ has been purchased by a California couple about 2 years ago. They have become the epicenter of support for leaving the feral horses that have invaded the Apache forest alone. We, as hunters recognize the destruction that the horses have caused all across the state, but this business has refused to acknowledge the damage the horses have created and have welcomed the Salt River Wild Horse Management group to their facility. They are actively supporting leaving the horses alone and letting them continue to breed and multiply. There are other businesses where we as sportsmen can spend our dollars. It is my hope that word of their ignorant support of feral horses becomes a business detriment to them. If you are planning summer trips, a lodge to spend your evenings in during hunts.......Locate another business. This has been verified and documented by a number of people so I am not stretching the truth in any way. Please spread the word! AZSGWC - AZSFWC Humane Removal of Unauthorized Livestock on Apache National Forest Booklet (EMAIL).pdf

I spent most of December looking for deer up here in my neck of the woods and was quite disappointed with the quality of deer seen. Maybe January will be better. Here are a few pictures, some that I took with my camera, and some through my spotter and phone.

In this image, the milky way arches over Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Lee Mountain, Gibraltar, and Twin Buttes near Sedona. I had been wanting to make this night panorama for a few years, and finally spent a few hours in the dark. This is a blend of about 9 images for the starry sky, and about 9 exposures for the mountains taken about 45 minutes after sunset so some detail could be captured with less noise. The native file is about 27x54" without any enlargement. After a series of images to stitch into a long panorama was shot, the night was ended with this single exposure. The light on Courthouse Butte is due to the lights of the Village of Oak Creek Nikon D810, 24mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 20 sec.

Short and Sweet Chiricahua’s Goulds bird. Long time coming with tag #2 I think I finally hit the bonus point pass with over 20 points. Although the bird was missing 3 tail fan feathers 🪶 I am very happy with him. Full strut with his neck extended made for a good shot. 3/4” spur and a good beard to boot. A friend of mine said it looked like juniper berries and possible onions were on the birds diet.

I decided a while back to try canning meat. We were fortunate enough put elk in the freezer and have plenty cubed and ready to go. I bought a Presto Pressure Canner (a must to safely can meat and low acid food). Using tried and true recipes as my base, we rolled up our sleeves and got busy. We started with pinto beans and also raw pack elk cubes yesterday. Came out great. Plain it's a little salty but in a dish it should be great. The meat pressure cooks in the jar so it comes out fall apart tender. We are working on elk stew right now. This is a little different as the meat is browned 1st and broth covers everything from the get go. It is intimidating at first due to all the fear mongering online. But at the end of the day we felt comfortable. Be careful, follow directions, and only use university, cooperative extension, or other lab tested recipes. I will add pictures when the jars come out of the canner.

I kept mine in the garage for about 5 years but back in the house now that my son moved out. The only issues were some of the butt pads sticking to the thin cheap carpet in the bottom of the safe due to heat. No damage to them though.

I've had my safe in the garage for 5 years now. No issues. Not sure how hot it gets in the summer but I don't think of it as a big deal. I also have it so it can't be seen from the street. Inside the house is more ideal but I don't think it is a deal breaker.

Sorry I meant to answer the OP question too…my friend has had his safe in the garage In Tucson for years. Never any issues that I’m aware although I would personally be concerned with its visibility when he comes and goes or if kids leave the garage open.

Friend did the same when he built a house recently…built in a reinforced room in the basement for all his guns and gear. Come to think of it my uncle did the same in his basement a few years ago has 2 rooms…one is guns and ammo and the other is all his hunting clothes and gear.

You can always do like my dad did and just get the whole side of the house extended 4 or 5 feet .He's got a gun storage room the length of the side of the house .Three safes in the living room ,one in the addition,and two more in the garage to boot.The old man is a gun instructor,hunter saftey instructor.In the next house I'm going reinforced walls and door frame and vault door .Way more room and about the same cost as a few safes.

Ruby Ridge strike a bell?

this feels like some kind of fed post.... lol I lost all my guns on a boating accident!!!

Also bolt it down

I have had mine in the garage in Tucson for 10+ years with no issues.

Yes. They could do 3 hunts that are 7 days each. More opportunity, isn’t that one of their priorities?

Eh, I disagree. I've seen them all over out there. Even in the flats and in parts of 30A. Guys can spred out enough. Even driving down the road in the most popular area you'll see a dozen right off the road.

I second that...

Impressive persistence and detective work on your part. Well done.

Well I found their owner. It was a local. I did some door knocking and finally found someone that recognized the dogs. They were quite a few miles from home and on a grand adventure.

Great pics! That drop tine buck with the eye guards made me tent up a little.