lancetkenyon

I cold not agree more, total dick move if it is true. I hope they throw him under the jail.

You have some freakishly long toes....and a killer rifle.

Here is the real question....WHAT THE heck WERE YOU READING ABOUT OBAMA FOR???

You poor guys, getting kicked out of your own homes into the garage. I almost feel guilty about getting an entire room to myself for reloading....almost. Actually, for years, I was banished to the garage too. But when my older daughter got married and moved out......I got my reloading room! (plus, my wife can just close the door when she wants to). I have a bench, a rolling tool box, and a rack of school lockers for all of my stuff, plus a closet for large items like gun cases, tripods, tackle boxes, and clothing, and a cedar chest for all of my camo. It helps with the wife when I keep my room clean and all of my toys put away when I am done playing for the day. I actually have an awesome wife of 23 years (plus another 5 of dating before), who likes antlers and mounts and venison. You should see my TV room! School lockers that are completely full of stuff. Rolling toolbox full of more stuff and tools. Like my minnow bucket light?

My hunt begins when I turn in my application. It continues all spring/summer as I practice, practice, practice and scout, scout, scout. It continues as I prepare in the months before a hunt. It keeps going in the fall as the air turns crisp and the animals are being watched and photographed. Then, after about 7 months into my hunt, I can actually pursue the game animal I have been dreaming about for years, months, weeks, and days. A few days before season opener, I am out again scouting in preparation for opening morning. Then, God willing, I get to take a game animal sometime in the next 7-10 days. Is my hunt over? Absolutely not. It is now just beginning my hunt for the next time I draw a tag and get the blessing to be out enjoying what I love. Hunting is not just about the kill. It is the entire experience, anticipation, frustration, exhaustion, elation, and satisfaction of knowing you did everything you could for that one chance at filling your freezer and feeding your family, and also possibly hanging some antlers on the wall and some bragging rights and giving thanks to God for His creations. And if you get to spend it with family, the hunt continues when your kids are born. So my daughter's hunt began 12 years ago. And so far during her hunt, she has taken a javelina at 18 yards, and a bull elk at 160 yards. We hope to get her another tag in the next couple years. Until then, her hunt will continue with pursuing coyotes, shooting long range, getting some doves and squirrels, maybe a duck or two, bunnies, and whatever else we get the opportunity to chase and harvest. If it takes being 30 yards from a game animal to get my blood pumping and adrenalin flowing, I might as well quit hunting. Personally, I get a rush seeing does in June, let alone a big buck or bull during hunting season from a mile and a half away.

Happy birthday. An elk tag would be a great birthday gift!

I have a lot of family that lives in Douglas/Bisbee. My Grandad worked for Phelps Dodge as the foreman in the smelter in Douglas. He ate breakfast at the Gadsden Hotel 3 times a week for over 30 years. Everyone knew him there. It brings a tear to my eye to see photos of the place. Thank you. Great memories of it. Did you know Lee Marvin got into a bar fight with a Douglas local in the Saddle & Spur Tavern?

You could always paint it.....

I love Manners stocks. On par with McMillan. Top tier stock for sure.

From AZLance: "It is closed to discharge of any weapon including bow" Glassing is not "Discharging a weapon". How can FS restrict you from glassing? Then the birdwatchers and game watchers are screwed too.

Hilarious! I just played the tones, and started with the 15,000HZ. My 12 year old in another room asked me what the annoying noise was. I couldn't hear a thing. Tried 14,000HZ too, nothing. My daughter can hear 18,000HZ just fine. My dogs right next to me slept through everything.

Thank you for your service.

That is called "selective hearing". I definitely have that as well. I blame my real hearing loss for those times, and my wife knows it is BS.

It is weird. I am legally deaf in my right ear (only 30% hearing left) from a nearly fatal hunting incident when I was 16. Story for another time. I have a really hard time hearing clearly and deciphering what is being said in a noisy environment (restaurant, public places, etc.), but I can hear a deer walking through the woods in the bottom of a canyon from 200 yards away.

Unless you see the animal pile up, how else are you going to find the game? And since 1/2 mile is only 880 yards, you are still 120 yards from the game animal, unless it ran straight towards you for that 1/2 mile and then piled up within view. I would think it is much faster to follow a blood trail than perform a grid search for a downed animal that you are unsure where it went. Even at close range (as close as 6 yards), I head to where the animal was standing and follow a blood/tracks trail. Even when I see the animal go down. It is always a learning experience in the woods to follow a trail. From a pin head size drop every 10', to a fountain of gushing arterial blood that looks like you painted with a mop. With that being said, I prepare for long shots year round, whether I draw a tag or not. But...my longest shot to date on big game has been a measly 488 yards. Deer was DRT, and did not even take a single step. I saw him drop where he stood, and started after him. When I got to where he was, he was gone (or so I thought). I looked for about 5 minutes, and then ranged back to the rock outcropping I shot form....whoops. I was still 60 yards from where he dropped. Kept going, and there he was. I have also helped others track game after they could not find it. Always following the trail after finding out where the animal was initially shot. It took a little bit, but I have been extremely lucky and have not lost a game animal yet. Even my 12 year old daughter followed her javelina last year from the point of impact to the pig 30 yards away. She has a really god eye for blood. I was quite proud.

So is it a 1/4 mile from paved surface, or .6 mile? That is more than double the distance. .6 miles is about 1056 yards vs. 440 yards for 1/4 mile.

Website shows dimensions for the 1720 as: Int. Dim.42.00" X 13.50" X 5.25"

That is a BIG cat! Good job on taking out a deer killer.

Older Hoyt UltraTec, but still works like a champ. Used to be my 3D bow, but works so good, I usually use it for hunting now too. My Dec. 31, 2013 buck (and a nice Coues pick-up rack that was half buried in a wash upside down in some mud).

I have been deer hunting for...holy crap....30 years in AZ. It took me a few years to get my first deer, which was an archery kill. Not sure if there are more or less deer in most units. Seems like I see more in some, less in others. I do know that in 12A, it seems like there are quite a bit fewer deer than 20 years ago. It was common to see 10 mature bucks a day easily. And at least one monster every other day. Now, not so much. I hunt pretty hard, and in 2012, got lucky and got my buck opening day. Last year, it took 5 days of hard hunting to find a mature buck! Money talks. G&F needs it just as bad as everyone else. More tags=more money=more pressure=less deer.

National forest lands... Coronado nat' forest... The Canyon used to be(20+years ago) open hunting anywhere, except for the 1/4mile from a building rule, then it was closed to be 150yards from paved surface, now closed 1/4mile from all paved surface(10+years)... One of these blinds is in a location that has brought AZG&F 1000's of dollars in fines and cost "hunter's" years in licence revocations... As guy's drive into the Canyon to the trailheads, Coues Deer/Bear are seen down lower, in super prime terrain, near oaks/water/etc, so instead of doing things CORRECT, well, as we all know... There are those among us who only care about "getting their's" and screw the laws... Yes, I know AZG&F, Forest Rangers, etc read these forums, They know who I am(hint: in early 2015January, while the road was closed due to snow, I walked a Fed. Game KNine LEO to a where a treestand was hung 75yards off the road)... It is NOT my Job to enforce any laws, but when things of this nature happen, I will say something, either to a persons face, or report to LEO's... Thank you for the clarification. I applaud your efforts! Seriously. I have turned people in to Operation Game Thief on a few occasions, or directly to LEOs/G&F if they are available. It goes a long way in keeping the hunting traditions open for future generations. A thief is a thief, whether it is taking game illegally, stealing a car, or some 2x4s from a house under construction (there is a house under construction across the street from me, and I stopped some would-be thieves on Sept. 1, 2014. Dove opener had me up at 3:00AM, and two whistles had them running for their truck empty handed.).

As with archery, the key to LR shooting, whether it be at game or steel, is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! Also, as with archery, is performance of your projectile on game at distance is very important. I routinely practice my LR shooting out past 1400 yards with a rifle. But my own limits vary with conditions. High winds? Maybe 500 yards. Calm, high altitude, cold weather shots? Out to 1000 depending on rifle being used. I would also have no problem letting my 12 year old daughter shoot a deer or elk at 800+ with a rifle if conditions were good and we had time to prepare for the shot. I have shot coyotes out to 1326 yards, and passed on deer at only 350 yards due to my own hesitation of taking the shot at a bad angle. I have also passed shots on deer at less than 200 due to poor shooting conditions. I would think 80% of hunters would have taken the shot, but I did not feel comfortable with it. Archery? I used to be very proficient at 100+ yards. Now, not so much. Why? I used to shoot 200-400+ arrows a week, and a lot at long range of 100+ yards. I took a deer at 96 yards with my bow back when I was shooting competitively. Now, 60 yards would be my max range. I do not hunt Coues very often, but for my muley hunt in 2014, we practiced a LOT prior to opening day, for months, in anticipation of a long shot presenting itself. I almost took a shot at 688 yards with a mild crosswind, but the deer was not what I was looking for on day 3. On day 4, I wound up taking my buck at approximately 150-160 yards, off hand. I think that shot was just as difficult as an 800 prone shot in my opinion. Was it ethical? The buck jumped a bed and stopped on the opposite canyon slope. I felt comfortable I could make the shot, with no time to sit down to get a better rest. The deer went all of 10'. I feel pretty proud of that shot. Just as much as if it had been a bedded buck at 800 after taking 5 minutes to settle in and work up my ballistics. So LR is all in the eye of the beholder. 100 for some is the same as 1000 for others. Just as 10 for some with a bow is as easy (or hard) as 1000 for others with a rifle. It is the people who do not practice nearly year round and take a medium distance poor shot on game that gives LR hunters a bad name. Same with archery and guys that pick up a bow 2 weeks before season opener. I would think that 90% or lost game is from poor shot placement due to poor marksmanship and practice in the off season. But for someone to say it is unethical or unsporting to take a deer at 1000 yards after years of practice is just poor sportsmanship on their part. It is not for everyone, I get it. But respect the guys that CAN do it ethically.

http://www.reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=183