lancetkenyon

Go down just south of Gila Bend. They are EVERYWHERE! We built a site out there, and the first day we grubbed the site area clean and left a nice smooth dirt area for the construction. I beat the crews there the second morning and saw literally 20 different sidewinder tracks all across an 80'x80' area. Made for a very watchful rest of the project. I think I relocated about 10 different sidewinders, and a big western diamondback from the area. Saw a Mojave Rattler too....

Nothing wrong with lap dogs!!! Big....60# lap dogs.... No one is safe from the "Ninja cuddle" Sometimes the tables are turned... But they earn their keep around here.

I am ALWAYS finding snakes. I work a lot of remote locations, and they seem to seek me out sometimes. Here are a few. Black King snake (Pima County) Western Blind Snake Sidewinder One of the MANY Gopher (or Bull) snakes Everyday Western Diamondback Not a snake, but a cool opportunity to touch a wild Gila Monster He was a biggun. And really calm too. Pink Speckled Rattlesnake The biggest Gopher (or Bull) snake I have ever seen. Over 6' long and super friendly. I almost brought him home as a pet. Another Western Diamondback Another skinny Gila Monster, about 14" long or so. Another grumpy sidewinder Desert Nightsnake My wife freaked just looking at this photo...

Personally, I found the Razors quite disappointing in comparing the 10x42s with almost all other high end brands. I was quite surprised. I am saving up for the 15x56 Meopta (Cabela's in house brand) myself. At $1599 new for the 15's, with a transferable lifetime warranty, and the clarity they provide over the Vortex, it is a no-brainer to me. Right there with the new Swaro SLC HDs. And built like a tank. I am not worried about the weight difference of the Razors, as my 15s will always sit atop a tripod.

http://www.dvor.com/ sometimes. You have to be a member, but it is free.

If you need a 1" tube ring, I have a set you can have, no charge. Just sitting in my reloading desk. Let me know.

Nothing a quick dose of lead won't cure.

Saw this topic and had to go check my gun safe to make sure it was not my rifle. I have a near identical set up but a black scope, and mine shoots 1/2 MOA with 52gr. SMKs at 3740 FPS. Amazing varmint round. Good luck with the sale.

With the "being deployed until mid-Nov" statement, a huge THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE is thrown your way. I cannot agree more with the quality glass and tripod statement. Best of luck.

If what is said about how he died is true, he took the chicken shoot way out. This might not be the popular statement to make, but I have been touched by this type of situation. It has a devastating effect on family and friends. I loved most of his movies, and most of his comedy too. He was a brilliant actor and it is a shame what happened. He will be missed by many. Heartfelt condolences to his family he left behind to deal with this.

Zeiss. Better clarity than Vortex.

100 gr. TTSX in my .25-06 AI dropped a large mulie in it's tracks at 488 yds. Not a single step. 100 gr. TSX in my .250 AI dropped a large mulie for my daughter. Ran 40 yds. and piled up within sight. Not the absolute most accurate bullet, but works like a charm. I have found loads for most of my rifles that are sub-MOA, so plenty accurate for hunting.

My daughters and I always carry our molded ear plugs when hunting with rifles. Might not have time to put them in, but if the opportunity presents itself to get prepped, they go in. I am 60% deaf in my right ear from a near miss hunting accident, and I don't want my kids to have hearing loss because of firearms. They also know the story about how EVERYONE needs to be aware of other hunters at ALL times. I almost lost my life as a kid due to a new hunter, lack of situational awareness, and a shotgun.

Off road travel is not allowed for the recovery of deer from all that I have read. Bring a frame pack.

Why can't people just leave stuff alone?!? I am sure it was "lost" hanging on a tree.

Saw this guy last archery season. Chased him without ever spooking him. Good luck.

My younger daughter started her big game hunting this year. She took a javelina in February, and now has an upcoming November elk hunt we are prepping for. Here are my answers to your questions: She carried her own rifle except in very steep and loose terrain. She shot her pig with a .223, and she will hunt deer with a .250 Ackley shooting 115 gr. Berger VLDs. I would opt for the 100gr. .243 bullets myself. Better kinetic energy at all ranges. I used to be a lightweight bullets at faster velocities proponent. And while I have never lost a game animal to that school of thought, I have started shooting heavies for the much better wind bucking characteristics as well as retained energy downrange. But for shots under 500 yds., the 80-85 gr. bullets perform just fine. Practice practice practice. Put the bullet in the right place and it will do just fine. I cleaned her first big game animal, and will help with her elk if she gets the opportunity, so she does not have to crawl into the chest cavity (she is pretty small). After that, she will be on her own.

Look at the Meopta 15x56 at Cabela's. I did a long comparison on the 10x42s. Borrowed, begged and cheated to get friends glass before my purchase. Plus sat down at Cabela's for hours with the staff and different glass. I am in the market for 15x56s too, and will be doing the same type of testing on the 15X glass as below. Here is what I found with the 10x42s. I have done a bit of research by browsing threads like these for people's preference. I have looked through various glass owned by friends. I have compared, side by side, 8 pair of glass on tripods at three different times of day/night at my local Cabela's. Great guys/gals to let me take them out of the store and look through them for a couple hours. I was looking to replace my 15 year old Cabela's Alaskan Guide 10x42 Roof Prism binoculars (cost 15 years ago was $500, my max back then). They have performed amazingly over the past 15 years. A truly great pair of $500 glass. They did not hold a candle to Swaros, Leicas and the other $1K+ glass from that same time period, but I can still easily see and size up potential game from over a mile and a half with them, and I would say I honestly spend thousands of hours behind them each year. This year I have over 8000 hours behind them already. My criteria was simply the best glass for around $1500+/-. Here are MY findings. Vortex Razor HD 10x42 @ $1199. I was very disappointed in these. Optically I could not tell a difference between these and my current $500 glass, and I am a huge Vortex fan in other cases. Clarity and crispness was way off the others listed below. The warranty is the best in the business though, No ask 100% warranty. Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 @ $1000-1200. Noticeably better than my $500 glass. Good color, fairly crisp with just a bit of edge blur. Bright at dusk, but not as much as others. Zeiss Victory HT 10x42 @ $2299. Amazing glass. Very close to the Swaro ELs. I could barely tell any difference. Leica Trinovid 10x42 @ $1495. Great glass, color, crisp except for the very outer edge, clear, bright. My biggest pet peeve is the eye relief. My eyelashes kept brushing the lenses every time I blinked. That would drive my nuts for hours on end. I have also heard nightmares about Leica customer service if anything should go wrong. Leica Ultravid 10x42 @ $2299. Not quite as good as the Zeiss Victory HT, but still amazing, and noticeably better than the Trinovids. Again, my biggest pet peeve is the eye relief. Same as the Trinovids. Also the CS issue. Swaro SLC HD 10x42 @ $1799. Great glass. Crisp to the edges and very clear. Good color, very bright until full dark. An improvement even over the older SLCs, and that is a compliment. Barely beat out by the next level of glass at additional costs of $500-800. These were my #2 choice even though slightly above my price range. Swaro EL 10x42 @ $2579. The mother of all glass. Near perfection in a set of binos. Unparalleled clarity, crispness, color, and brightness. But almost twice my budget. And here is the surprise glass. Meopta Meostar HD 10x42 @ $1199. Cabela's in house glass or you can get them for the same price without the Cabela's logo from various places. Clarity is right there with the new Swaro SLC HDs, and better than a buddy's 2012 SLCs (non-HD version). Truly amazing for glass that is $500 cheaper than Swaros. Crisp right up to the edges. Brightness was only beaten by the ELs. Easily viewable in full dark like the SLC HDs. Color is amazing, only beaten by the Swaro ELs. Second least expensive (notice I didn't say cheap) glass that compares to higher dollar glass. I ordered mine on Monday from Sportoptics.com, as they have a no tax/free shipping deal right now, which saved me another 9.5%. Here is the kicker that sealed the deal. Sportoptics.com had a demo model like NIB for $949. Saving me an additional $250.

I recently picked up a used SWFA SS 5-20X50 and I was instantly amazed at how much better the glass is than my 6.5-20x50 Leupold VX-III LR. I have a few Vortex too, and the SWFA blows them away. Tracks perfectly, crystal clear, FFP, great reticle, but heavy. Close range focus leaves just a bit to be desired, but 35 yds. at 5X is clear as anything else I own. And you don't buy a 5-20 to shoot at 25 yds. anyway.

And non-hunters complain about the legal and ethical taking of game by hunters to feed their families.... Proper game management would have done a much better job of controlling the deer populations in these areas. Plus, at the first shot of season opener, half of those deer would head out of the area anyway. Your tax dollars and elected officials at work....

Glass for deer, you might find a lion. I was talking to a hunter up there 2 years ago when I got my mulie, and he saw a cat in the next canyon over from where I shot my deer. He saw it the same day I shot my deer. I shot my deer at about 10:30AM, and he said he saw the cat at about 2:00PM, which means I just started packing out my deer....

I have the RCBS 2-set of dies (FL & bullet seating) for my .250 Ackley Imp. and I like it. It is a really old set but still performs flawlessly. I also have the Redding 2-set for my .25-06 Ackley Imp. and it is even nicer than my RCBS. Better bullet seating die for sure.

My younger daughter got her hunter's ed class last year at the YOU camp. Great time and even better people.

Awesome! To read about it is one thing, to see it on video is another...but seeing it live would be a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you for sharing the video.

Cabela's just got a huge shipment of ladies and kids camo. I have been looking for months for my 11 year old daughter and her upcoming elk hunt in November. She has some basic lightweight camo, but needed some good wind/waterproof/warm stuff. Cabela's has a line for ladies, the "OutfitHER" series. Cut is for the ladies with the shapes. Good quality stuff too. But pricey. I just dropped about $400 last Saturday on a set of kids waterproof insulated over pants, waterproof insulated parka, and a set of wind shear pants. I got a wind shear jacket to match about 2 months ago for another $140. Plus she has sweats, gloves, beanies, good boots, etc. already. I would much rather spend some money and have my daughter be able enjoy her hunt in the cold/snow than be miserable (or even uncomfortable) and learn to hate hunting because of it. If the temps are milder, she can wear one or the other depending on conditions. I have always been thrifty on my hunting clothing, but have learned over the past few years I would rather have 2 sets of GOOD outerwear than 5 cheap sets. But, on warm weather hunts, I can go for 3 weeks and never wear the same outfit twice!