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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/05/2022 in all areas

  1. 11 points
    Tessa and myself just got back from a quick trip to Kansas we both took good bucks but mine will need some fixing
  2. 7 points
    I haven’t shared a story in a while, been trying to find the time to write this one up and finally taking the time today. I didn’t draw a tag this year but my 2 youngest boys did. My 16 year old, Rusten found a spot he wanted to hunt and made a couple trips in there and scouted it pretty well. He found where we could get water and got a good lay of the the land but never found any big bucks. The first few days of the hunt we decided to go to an area we were already familiar with. After a pretty brutal hike we set up a quick camp and started glassing. We quickly found a cool 2x3 buck bedded at 600 yards but while we were trying to decide if one of the boys wanted to shoot him, he got up and disappeared into the brush. By then it was mid-day so we decided to drop into the canyon and filter some water to get us through the next couple days. After filling up we made our way back to our glassing point. At around 2pm, Rusten glassed up two bucks bedded at 800 yards. We took a good look at them and thought the bigger one might be close to 100”. My 14 year old Camm, decided he wanted to shoot the bigger of the two bucks so we made a plan. Rusten stayed on the hill while Camm and I moved closer. While we were getting into position the bucks got up and started feeding. We got to 415 yards and found a big boulder to get into a semi-prone position. He was able to make a great shot and put down his 3rd coues deer and his biggest buck yet at around 97”. By the time we got him broke down and back to camp it was 830 and we were pretty exhausted. We got Camm’s meat cooled off and hanging in the shade and we were back at it the next morning looking for a buck for Rusten. He had his sights set pretty high on an only shooting a big buck. He has been lucky enough to kill two bucks around the 100” mark already. One of them was on the same hill that camm just killed his buck on so we were hopeful of finding another good buck. Unfortunately, the next 2 days the wind picked up big time and we only turned up some small bucks and a bear. We decided to pack Camm’s deer out and move camp to the area Rusten scouted After a few hours at home we were back at it the next morning in a new area with high hopes Monday we found around 10 bucks, nothing big, but that evening we saw a couple that were too far out that looked promising. Tuesday morning we glassed close to camp at first light but by mid-day we were over were we saw the bucks the previous evening. We were on top of a the biggest hill in the area looking down into some shaded cuts. At around 2pm, I found a buck up feeding about 600 yards below us. As I was trying to point him out to the boys, he disappeared behind some trees. We were waiting for him to come out and another buck appears that was noticeably bigger. I wasn’t sure how big but I could see he had long beams and decent point length. Rusten decided pretty quickly he wanted to shoot him. Normally, I would help my boys find a place to shoot from and get the rifle set up for them but this time I just told Rusten to make it happen. We weren’t able to get any closer because of a big bluff below us so I gave him the dope for 613 yards and he knocked him down. I was pretty surprised when I walked up to him to see that he was a better buck than I thought. This is Rusten’s 5th coues deer and also his best at close 106” We were beyond blessed on this hunt. My boys impress me so much with their willingness to put in the hard work chasing these deer in the backcountry. We had a lot of laughs especially trying to stuff the 3 of us into a 2 man backpacking tent. Good memories for sure.
  3. 4 points
    So after chasing mule deer in Dec/Jan archery my wife decided she wanted to try her luck on a desert mule deer during the general hunt. We’ve chased these deer only during archery and had decided to keep tabs through the years. We finally felt we had a solid plan so off we went. We got to her u it the afternoon before and set up camp then went out to glass. On our way to our glassing spot we came across a groups of 4 bucks hanging out in the area we were goi g to focus on. We got up early Opening morning and my wife and son got ready and headed to the area we had chosen to be at sunrise. I went to the glassing spot. At about 0611 I glasses up a group of 5 bucks, one of which was a definite shooter. Once they had formulated and approach everything just worked out perfect. I was bummed I couldn’t be with her when she shot but having just had hernia surgery a week earlier I was relegated to glass duty. 312 yard offhand shot with her 300WSM and the rest is history. Super proud of her!
  4. 4 points
    the 2022 NM youth season was good to us. My son harvested an off range oryx and a nice mule deer, and my daughter harvested a coues deer and a cow elk.
  5. 3 points
    You should have helped on the late 22 north and south hunts this year. Would probably cure you of the late hunts haha.
  6. 2 points
    I had the fortune to shoot some Snow Geese recently. The meat is awesome. I know that tradition for most is to just breast the birds but I wanted to share that the leg meat is delicious. I just brined, rinsed, and used a modern Confit recipe. Confit is an old technique where the meat is slow cooked immersed in fat (preferably from the same animal). Duck Confit is a classic. Anyways, my geese had very little fat so I used what I had, bacon grease. I lightly peppered the meat and vacuum sealed with a good dollop of bacon grease. I then sealed that bag in a second bag. Then placed the bag in a crockpot of water and cooked on low for 24+ hours. It was probably done sooner but I did it over Thanksgiving and was otherwise occupied. The meat came out falling off the bones, extremely tender, and delicious. Very mild flavor and nice texture. Think a good slow cooked pork butt. The bacon grease did add a slight porky flavor. Very good eats and doubled the yield vs. just breast meat. We did shredded goose taco's initially and the whole family enjoyed them. I have since been taking bowls with beans and rice to work. I have enjoyed the chance to extend the satisfaction of a successful hunt over many meals. This method worked so well I plan to try with other game meats. I think slow cooking in fat will yield a very tender meal.
  7. 2 points
    Yes Definitely! We have water jet and laser sources. With the elk mount we are having to machine pieces. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as increasing the size of these current mounts due to the angle it needs to sit with antlers that sweep back. We definitely want these done asap but want them done right.
  8. 2 points
    Finally harvested one.
  9. 1 point
    Had a very quick thanksgiving with my Wife and her family and slunk out of there after finishing my plate and made it down to camp Thursday afternoon with an hour or so to go look around and make a game plan for the morning. Picked a spot I had seen deer in the past at while glassing for pigs and opening morning came with us spotting a few does in this area and no bucks. Decided to go check some different spots that afternoon and found a great looking spot and glassed up a little spike right off the bat inside of my comfort zone for shooting. Decided to let him in hopes that something else would appear. No luck glassed till it was dark with only a few more doe sightings and took headed back to camp for the night. Next morning headed into the same spot I was at the night before where we found the little spike and we were seeing deer everywhere. Must have seen at least 30 different deer. Once the sun finally rose high enough to expose the hill I was concentrating on deer were coming out of the wood works. I finally spotted a decent 2x2 with Eye guards and decided if he stuck around I would try to make a play on him. He went over the hill out of my sight for at least 15 minutes and just as I was loosing hope he came back over the saddle and I spotted him again. Now I was confident he was going to stick around so I made a plan to get closer and moved in. He was about 800 yards from where I was glassing and 500 yards is about the range I felt I needed to get to. Without many options I figured the nob below me would get me close to that range. Made it down the hill to the best spot I could find and found the buck up on the hill and ranged him at 515. Got my gun set up for me to shoot in a prone position but had to crawl out in front of where I was going to shoot from to bend over all of the tall grass over so I could see. The grass is crazy out there this year, great to see. First shot, right over his back, second shot went right under him, he had enough and trotted to the right a little bit. Found him again and the third shot was true and he dropped.
  10. 1 point
    Hey Guys! Over the last year a couple local hunters and I set out to design a simple yet visually pleasing mount for our trophies. We wanted to represent our state in the best way possible. Our first test batch has come in and we are overall pleased and are ready to make them available to our community. While we have some ideas to improve these mounts for our next batch we do have inventory ready to sell. This test batch is perfect for coues deer, small to medium sized mule deer, and any other game you can hang on it. We are excited about these designs and hope you guys like them and would love feedback. We are working on mounts for larger mule deer as well as elk. Our price is $25 for CW members! I didn't want to overload the post with pictures so if you want more pictures of the other designs reach out! Call txt or reply to this post for my questions or if you're interested! Noah 602-885-5308.
  11. 1 point
    Posting for my buddy who doesn't have an account. Scope is brand new in box, never opened. He bought Mil by mistake and nightforce wouldn't return it for whatever reason so he went and bought the same model in MOA. Hes asking $2100 Save on price, shipping and tax. Bad butt scope! Pm me for his information
  12. 1 point
    These are NOT the Tracking Assist model... Purchased last year and never used in the field... Pristine condition...Comes with factory packaging and unused warranty card ...Located in Tucson... Now asking $2,500 OBO... Only seeking cash offers to address medical issues...
  13. 1 point
    You have been hammering some big stuff lately! Congrats to you and Tessa!!
  14. 1 point
    Don’t expect that on late archery hunts haha. I got my butt kicked this year on late hunts so I could just be tender still!!!
  15. 1 point
    It’s tough for sure. There are limited bulls and lots of really good hunters out there with really good help. People will tell you to go and enjoy the experience but if I was sitting on a handful of points I would opt for a good hunt over an opportunity hunt. After you enjoy a good hunt, then come slum it with us late hunters haha.
  16. 1 point
    Congrats to your boys and you! Awesome bucks!
  17. 1 point
    Thanks for sharing that story. What barrel is on your m700? Also, is that a VX-5 or VX-6? CDS or turret? Lucky kids right there!
  18. 1 point
  19. 1 point
    Not sure what your budget is - but what Nate said with a proof barrel. I have a couple of their ULs and am very happy with them in both weight and accuracy. One I did bottom metal and bedded stock (added about 15oz) and one is standard UL. They shoot!
  20. 1 point
    Hodgoden powder website shows a load for 150gr TTSX starting around 44gr working to 49gr. It shows a 140gr SP starting at about 46gr working to 51gr compressed. I would start around that 44gr area and work up. https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-data-center?rdc=true&type=54
  21. 1 point
    I will tell my side although it’s not a very gripping story. My 81 yr old father and I drove into a new spot hoping to find him a decent buck close to a road as he can’t hike very well anymore. We drove in saw a few doe, and on the way out passed 4 people and on the last stretch of the road I looked to my left and found them next to a small bush. They had been there for 24 hrs, that’s the story. My dad and I have been hunting coues together for the last 38 yrs, we have seen some cool things harvested many deer together. We have found knives, some ruins not many people know about but this was the first time we found another persons hunting gear. Needless to say he was the man that instilled the drive for me to do what’s right, so he is the really “hero” here. Just wished we could have gotten him a nice buck but the weather rolled in today and he wasn’t feeling it. But he did pass on 15 smaller bucks on the hunt, the memories are more important and this story will be shared for years to come.
  22. 1 point
    10x42 EL, razor rangefinder, garmin gps, in a marsupial case. He turned out to be a great guy and I am very happy to have meet him and return his items.
  23. 1 point
    Really? I didn't see another hunter the entire week I was out there. I did see some birders and bikers but 0 hunters. I scored on day 6, check it out.
  24. 1 point
    My 10 year old daughter was able to harvest her first coues buck here in NM last week. We spent a lot of hours behind the glass, battled the flu, got screwed by adult hunters on two big bucks, and finally put it all together to harvest this little guy. My daughter made a great shot to put this buck down. We have been very blessed this season!
  25. 1 point
    Day 4 Update: TAG FILLED! My wife decided she wanted to head back up to the northern part of the unit to hunt today since we just couldn’t seem to make anything happen in the areas we had scouted pre-season. So we made the hour drive north in the dark and parked the truck, hoping that the early morning light might finally get us into some elk. We settled on doing a 4 mile loop out and back to the car since the area wasn’t too steep and it was a nice break away from the canyons we’d been hiking in and out of the last 3 days. About an hour into shooting light, after not having seen anything, a decent mule buck ran across our path about 30 yards in front of us. If only it was a bull instead of a buck haha. At least we had finally seen some signs of life. Another hour went by and we still hadn’t seen anything. We were starting to get a little discouraged that another morning had gone by with minimal activity but tried to stay positive. I found an antelope “shed” which was super cool cause I’ve never seen one and I’m pretty sure they fall apart quickly after falling off. That got us a bit excited for a while. As we approached a tank about 3/4 mile away from the truck, I looked at my map and realized there was a nice little bench just up ahead. From past experiences I’ve seen elk bed on little benches like these even though they’re only 30 feet tall, so I told my wife to keep an eye out. We hadn’t gone more than 15 yards when I spotted four oval looking things. I immediately thought how out of place they looked amongst all the jagged edges that are natural in the forest (branches, logs, etc)so I knelt down. My wife whispers “do you see one”? And I reply “I don’t know I thought I saw something weird but it’s probably nothing”. I pull out my binos and sure enough, there are two pairs of ears and I see two cows bedded in grass that’s almost blocking their entire bodies. I let my wife and father in law know and we slowly start glassing. The next cow I see was 80 yards directly in front of me bedded under a tree with a completely unobstructed view of me. How she didn’t spot us walking surprises me, but I have had that happen several times where I’m close to elk and they don’t know you’re there. I’m just glad I spotted them so quickly or they likely would have seen us walking and spooked. The longer we sit there we start finding more elk, maybe 10 total, but several of them are blocked by trees. I asked my wife if it’d be ok if I backed out slowly to try to glass them from another angle to see if there are any bulls. She agrees, and I move as slowly as I can but one cow spots me and stands up. Luckily the elk slowly start getting up one by one but none spook. I finally get a good look at some elk that were out to our right and there was a bigger spike in that group of elk. Then I look over to the elk that had stood up on the left and there was a spike there too. I try to look at the rest of the group and don’t see any other bulls so I tell my wife, 2 spikes and the one on the right is the bigger one. Thankfully they slowly start feeding down into a more open area off the knoll and I tell my wife to get ready. I lose the bigger spike between the trees but I know he’s coming out and will step out soon. Second later, I see him come out and my wife’s gun goes off! Perfect lung shot at 130 yards, slightly quartered away. I know people have reservations about spikes, but this bull was the best of them all for us. Not only was it my wife’s first elk tag, it was her first big game tag ever! Sure we were slightly disappointed we werent able to turn up/make a play on any larger bulls we had scouted earlier this month, but that’s ok. The look on her face and her excitement after her shot is something I’ll always remember. I wanted this so bad for her since she’s put in so much work practicing shooting, scouting, getting the right gear, and finally being drawn after 7 years. I’m so so proud of her and our family and friends that participated in the hunt couldn’t be more stoked! I’m glad I was able to end this “semi-live” thread with a success story! Thanks again for all the well wishes and following along! Until next hunt, John
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