WampusCat

Awesome. Good for him. You are lucky to have a man like that in your family. When guys like him talk, I listen. They are literally leaking at the seams with experience and knowledge.

I'll add one more thing to the list. Once you have flipped your coin or thrown your dart and arrive out in that unit, dont write it off so quickly. Just because you dont see anything right away doesn't mean they are not there. Arizona is a tricky place and hides its animals well. Once you know what to look for you will see animals appearing out of nowhere. You have been given some freebies that I would recommend you capitalize on. Don't throw in the towel too early as that is what sets apart most of the successful hunters. All units mentioned match your description of what you are looking for. Now you just have to go get it. If you dont see anything in those units its because you quit looking.

It's a toss up between this one and the hoyt buffalo takedown. I want them for different reasons but only gonna get one.

On the original topic, for me, shot placement is a big factor in the animal dropping or running a bit. And to that, there are factors that effect where I aim. What I mean is my aiming point is different for specific situations. I grew up hunting whitetails in Kansas. There, my normal point of aim is just behind the front leg. I am hoping to puncture both lungs and maybe get a piece of heart while messing up the smallest amount of delicious corn fed venison. A mortal wound no doubt but if he doesn't do the flop, it is likely the deer will run somewhere inside of 150 yds (maybe more, almost always less). This is no worry to me as it will normally be easy to drag him a short distance to a place where I can access him in a vehicle. Minimum meat wasted, and ease of recovery are deciding factors. On the other hand, in beautiful AZ I seam to always find myself in an extremely rugged locale, an incredible distance from my truck. Here the order of the day is to drop the animal where he stands in order to prevent him from running up over the ridge, or off the edge in some cases. Essentially aiming for a high shoulder shot. These hard hitting shots seem to transfer a lot more shock/energy to the animal resulting in the proverbial "sack-o-potatoes" drop. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of shoulder meat with a different aiming point in hopes that I will not have have to chase him down into the next canyon and carry him back out that much further or risk a tumble down a slope that could damage antlers. When the terrain is cooperating the first option is the preferred. That is the biggest difference in animals running after the shot when talk east vs west for me. Not saying this is what everyone does or what anyone must do. Just my observations and your mileage may vary.

I find that turning necks, or just touching them up will reduce your Extreme Spread and Standard Deviation numbers. Normally that means less vertical in your groups and distance. I usually sort batches by neck thickness and then just barely trim enough off to make them uniform. I only remove the minimum amount needed. Doing this will help ensure consistant neck tension which is a big deal to me.

wdenike hit the nail on the head. Just convert your actual drops into mils so you can hold over accordingly at the designated madnification. I prefer aimimg center mass and will spin a turret before holding over. Being familiar with your gear (reticle in the case) just gives you an extra option if you needed to glance and your drop chart and make a quick shot without spinning turrets. Making a drop chart from actual range time will help you. Different conditions (weather, altitude, humidity, temperature) all change the point of impact. Especially at longer ranges. That is the downfall of range marked turrets and something guys like huskemaw and gunwerx dont mention when selling you a turret that seems so simple. A good ballistic program will help you but it is important to confirm those numbers with rounds on target. I prefer knowing the conditions and dialing accordingly with a normal turret. Example- My range cards for ringing steel in Yuma all summer at 200' elev. and chasing Coues in the fall at 6,000' elev for the same rifle are very different past 400-500 yds. Bottom line is be familiar with your system, whatever way you choose to go.

Great pictures and a cool spot you found. Which covert cam are you using?

Thanks for the reviews Joe. I sold my old 15x Swaros in order to fund a pair of 12x EL I bought used. This was right before the new HD 15x came out. The 12x are awesome but I am constantly wondering if I would be better off with the new 15x for pickin apart those far off ridges. I wont be hunting in the states this year so I cant get a fair comparison at the same places I used my old 15x. I have heard great things about the Zeiss including their mounting design and the quality of glass at that price point. One thing is for sure though. If you take care of your Swaros they will hold their resale value if you decide on a different route later.

Wow, great bull, great story, and great job on the video!

Not Guard but half way to retirement in the Corps. BOTTOM LINE: If serving his country is what he wants to do then do it. He should see the recruiter as a way to facilitate what he wants. Recruiters are good folks but they have a mission too and will try to fit him in where "they" need him. It needs to be his decisions for his reasons. He will get out of it what he puts in. Keep an open mind and make the best of what or where happens to him. He'll learn a lot about himself and meet some great guys that will literally go to war with you. Lots of disgruntled types out there, but there is likely a different tale then the one they like to tell. There are two sides to a story and most trouble makers I've seen come and go never had great things to say when they left. Sure I've had a couple bad experiences, a few bad jobs, and some real knuckleheads for bosses but I could say the same thing if I worked at Circle K. In my experience the good far outweigh the bad. I commend him for considering serving in any capacity.

Two statements. Both very true.

Runninfool, I was just stationed in Yuma and wore out a couple sets of boots in the AZ hills chasing Coues. If you are looking for specifics send me a PM. I have some questions for you so I can set you up better. You will find the Coues doesnt give up his hide as as easily as his cousins to the north and east but you will be hard pressed to find a hunt that yields a better outdoor "whole experience"

You can load ammo on an RCBS or Redding press with a quality Redding bushing die that will out shoot most factory guns and most everybody capable of pulling the trigger. Get good quality stuff the first time. Does not have to be the best or most expensive. What is the best for one discipline of shooting is not always best for everyone else. Great thing about reloading is you can get in as deep as you want. Just get the very basic to save money and make a few rounds that go bang that are capable of pluggin a deer lung at 100 paces or you can fine tune a meat missile that can center punch the X-ring (or deer vitals) at 1,000 yds with the right driver. More important than what gear you pick... Make sure you understand the processes involved. Basics - Setting up your Dies/Press properly Trimming when needed Seating Depth Learn how to identify the beginning signs of overpressure Reducing a max load to get a safe starting point Powder burn rates (which one for xxxx caliber) After the basics if you choose to get deeper - Methods of obtaining the perfect load for your gun - Optimal Charge Weight, Ladder Tests, etc Case neck / projectile runout and how to control it. Neck tension Primer seating uniformity Sorting cases and projectiles by weight or bearing surfaces Meplat trimming / pointing Internal ballistics

Lots of good points here. Great thread. I believe there are strong merits to both as well. If we are talking about just having a buddy along just so you arent alone, my vote would be to go alone and appreciate the challenges it brings. Learn a bit about yourself along the way. If talking about hunting with a like minded person who shares your passion for the mountain and the whole experience of hunting, then I would say without a doubt I prefer to share those memories with a good friend. In the past ten years Ive learned there is but a handful of people who fall into this category for me.

We used the 208 on an elk at an incredible distance. Launched by 300 win and it put him down no issue. Heard complaints about poor performance at real close range but never had an issue. Like everything else in hunting, it matters where you put it more than which tool you pick.

Glad you got some. I not anywhere I can use them now but almost grabbed some on principle.

Just saw some on Midway a couple days ago.

Is there anything specific that feathers require over regular vanes? Different glue? I just ordered some Easton axis traditional shafts. I had similar questions about shield vs parabolic cut.

Made one last trip through my favorite part of AZ before I headed overseas in June. Just bought my point this year so not scouting. Just enjoying being out there. Finally had a chance to settle down and look through the pictures. How many does do you see? Enjoying the trip just as much as me. This place will be calling me back for years!

Looks like you got the cost info so I'll just give my .02 worth of experience. I have the stud installed on my 12 ELs and really like how compact and out of the way it is. You will never notice it when not using it. My only complaint is since it is forward mounted on the binos the weight is not centered on my Jim White head (weight extremely biased toward the rear). Feels rather awkward panning around up, down, left, right. Maybe I am just used to my old 15s and outdoorsman pistol grip head. Maybe someone has an idea to counter that.

There are 8... Well I saw seven that day and after looking at the picture I can definitely see 8. Either way, I enjoyed looking at them again. I never saw the far right doe. You can clearly see her back nose and two big ears sticking up.

Those tricky does blend in so well, no wonder its so easy for a group of em to bust you. Not the right number yet.

I didn't have a choice and left my big safe in a non climate controlled storage unit for a year and then in my garage (also no A/C) for a year and a half. The only negative effect was the Yuma heat did a number on the "Browning" decals. When I came home the stickers had slid down the front of the safe. I don't keep any ammo or electronics in there so there wasn't any other issues.

I love those Mearns. Great photos.

Excellent bear and a great experience for your son I'm sure. Thanks for sharing. Did the arrow pass through?