Gr8 White Jr

My thoughts exactly! -Tracy

After the fall draw results came out last July I had been very much looking forward to Jackson's first hunt. For those of you who don't already know, Jackson is my girlfriend Angie's son. He passed his hunters education course in July and just turned 10 at the end of September making him 100% legal. We were able to pick Jackson up a javelina tag that was good for the same unit at the same time as his deer hunt so we would be 'double dipping' on this hunt. What a great opportunity to have on a first hunt. Our plans were to hunt opening morning through Monday night but unfortunately after 81 years of a good healthy life my Grandfather passed away about a week before Jackson's hunt started. Plans changed after that. My Grandfather's funeral was on Saturday, the second day of the hunt, so plans were changed to us leaving early on Sunday morning. We were up early Sunday morning and headed out of town in hopes of making it to our hunting area in time for the morning hunt. David, Jackson's dad, fallowed us down in hopes of being there to witness his son take his 1st big game animal. My best friend Jon and his son Zach also followed us down. Zach just turned 10 in August and although he didn't have a deer tag he was able to get a javelina tag. We made it down to our hunting area right at first light and spent the morning glassing for deer and javelina. After a few hours of glassing and only a few does and a spike being seen we hiked back to our vehicles and went to look for a good place to set up camp. After setting up camp and getting everything situated we headed out for the evening hunt. Only some does and a few spikes were seen that evening and all were too far for Jackson to shoot. Early Monday morning Angie had to leave and head back to Phx to be at work by 9am. Jackson, David and myself went to an area I like to hunt and glassed for deer all morning. I glassed up a nice 2x2 so Jackson and I headed out to make a stalk while David stayed back to watch through the binos. Jackson and I hiked our buts off to get into position for a shot only to have the buck top over the ridge just before I could get Jackson set up behind the rifle. The morning was pretty much over by the time we hiked back to David so we headed back to camp. David had to head back to Phx later that night so for the evening we hunted an area that would be closer to the highway to give him a jump start on his travel home. All that was seen during our evening glassing session were does. The hunt was half way over at this point and I knew we needed to step it up if we were going to get these tags filled in the next two days. Tuesday morning we headed to an area I have hunted in the past. I have always seen deer in this area and although I see a lot of javelina sign I have never actually seen any javelina in this area. I told Jon that him and Zach were more than welcome to go with us and glass. I told him that I was going in there mainly for deer but you just never know, we may get lucky and see some pigs. Jon and Zach decided they wanted to go with Jackson and I so the four of us were off for the day with 3 tags to fill. Right off the bat as we hiked in to the first spot I wanted to glass I spotted a big 3x3 walking down the same hill we were on. He was only 80 yards away and had no idea that we were there but was headed for the thick bottom. I immediately dropped to the ground and told everybody to get down. I pulled my rifle out of the scabbard on my pack and told Jackson to crawl to me. I got the rifle set up on my tripod with the Gun Claw and then tried to relocate the buck. I searched and searched but could not relocate the buck. As I was glassing the thick bottom below us, which is where I thought the buck had disappeared into, I heard a loud roar come from further up the ridge to my left. I looked back at Jon and told him, “I know that sound, that was a javelina!” Jon looked at me with a big smile on his face and nodded. I turned in the direction of the sound and started picking apart the brushy hillside. Sure enough, there was a big herd of pigs milling around on the same ridge that we were on just 430 yards away. I told Jon and the boys that I had located the herd but I wanted to leave them be and keep trying to relocate the buck. “They are pigs, they aren't going anywhere so I lets try to find the buck first” is what I told them. After 15 minutes and no sign of the buck I could tell that Jon and both boys were getting antsy to go after the pigs. I decided to call off the search for the buck. Before we made our stalk on the pigs I wanted to get a few land marks noted and range a few locations that I thought the boys could shoot from. As I was making my mental notes the entire herd started to head away and topped over the hill and out of sight. Of course! Right when we are getting ready to stalk the herd they decide to top over. I noted where they topped over and was just getting ready to put my binos down when I saw the big buck we had seen earlier heading up the same hill the pigs were on. That must have been why the pigs moved on. I got Jackson behind the rifle immediately and dialed the turret for the shot. I asked Jackson if he could see the buck and he said “yes”. “Are you steady? Are the crosshairs bouncing around or are they right on the buck”, I asked. “They are right on him!” I told Jackson that when he was ready to slowly squeeze the trigger. BOOM! I watched the vapor trail as the bullet hit inches in front of the buck. I chambered another round in the rifle and told Jackson to get on him again. The buck walked slowly over the ridge and never presented us another shot opportunity. I was very disappointed that Jackson missed such a nice buck but at the same time I knew it wasn't over yet, we still had pigs to go after. We packed up our gear and headed off to find the herd of pigs. As we got to the hill where I last saw the pigs top over I told Jon and the boys to stay back and let me sneak over and try to relocate the herd. It wasn't long before I spotted two pigs bedded down laying in the sunshine. I waived the boys over to me and told them to come slowly and quietly. The pigs were right at 171 yards across a small cut and the shots would have to be taken from where we were at. The plan was to have Jackson shoot first off of the claw and then immediately move and let Zach get behind the gun and shoot another pig. Jackson got behind the gun and found the bedded javelina in the scope. I told him to aim low right behind the shoulder and slowly squeeze the trigger. BOOM! All I saw was a pig go belly up and then roll down the hill. Pig number one DOWN! Jackson moved out from behind the rifle and Zack quickly moved in to take his place. The herd didn't move much and all the pigs were up out of their beds. I got the rifle on a pig standing in the open. Zach got behind the gun and I told him the cross hairs were right on a pig. I asked him if he could see it and he said “no, I see a rock”. I asked him, “Does that rock have a white stripe on it?” “Yes” he replied. I told Zach, “Shoot that rock right in the stripe.” BOOM! Missed! I quickly got him back on another pig, BOOM! Missed again! The herd was scattering around the hillside at this point. Finally they started to settle down and I was able to get Zach on another pig for one last shot. “Make it count”, I told him. BOOM! Whack! I see a pig spinning in circles and running down the hillside toward the bottom and then disappeared into the brush. Awesome! We high fived and then headed to find the downed pigs. Jackson's pig was easy to find, laying right under where it was originally bedded. We tagged it and went looking for Zach's pig. We fallowed the very heavy blood trail right to a small cave where Zach's pig had expired and was laying with just its head sticking out. We drug it out of the cave and started the pack out. What a great morning! Two Jr hunters tagging out on their first big game animals at the same time! The boys were very excited and Jon and I were very proud to say the least. After a photo session we skinned the pigs and got them on ice. Jon had to be to work the next morning so him and Zach headed home while Jackson and I went out for the evening hunt to try to find a buck. Of course now that the pig tags were filled all we glassed that evening were pigs. The next morning Jackson and I were up early and at a new glassing point at first light. It was our last day to hunt so as I glassed and glassed I was desperate to find a buck. After two hours of glassing and seeing about 20 does we moved to a different glassing point. Right away I found a spike so we wasted no time and we headed off to make a stalk. We got to 339 yards and I was contemplating having Jackson shoot from there. After weighing our options I decided that we could get closer so we moved in closer. We got to a predetermined spot and were now 220 yards from where I had last seen the small buck but could not relocate him to save my life. The hillside was pretty open so there weren't too many places for a deer to hide. After scanning the entire hillside over and over again for a good 30 minutes I figured the buck must have topped over the ridge so we headed back to the truck. With the morning hunt over I was feeling the pressure as we only had one evening left to get Jackson his first buck. After a good lunch we packed up most of our gear and headed out for our last evening. We got to our glassing point early to give it our all for our last chance. I sat down and started glassing thinking it was still too early to really see anything yet. Just as that thought entered my head I spotted a deer topping over ridge toward us. It was 3 ridges away so even through my 15's I could barely make out that it was a spike. Right behind him came a 75” to 80” 3x3, and right behind him a BIG 3x3 and then a BIG 4x4. Holy smokes! I've never seen a true 4x4 on the hoof so I was very excited! I told Jackson that I had found four bucks but they were really far. I explained to him that this was our last chance and that if he really wanted to get a buck that we were really going to have to hurry and cover a lot of ground quick. I told him, “this is what we have been waiting for.” All the practice, all the hiking, all the glassing was all for this very moment. “Lets make it happen!” I asked Jackson if he was ready and he gave me a big “yes” so we were off. We made really good time and dropped into two canyons and topped over two ridges in just over an hour. As we topped the last ridge we crawled slowly down side of it. The bucks had moved down lower in the canyon so we were trying to get as low as we could to cut as much of the distance and the angle off of the shot. We found a nice flat spot and I set my rifle up on the Claw and had Jackson get behind it. I picked apart the opposite side of the canyon trying to find the bigger bucks. I glassed and glassed but could only find the smaller bucks and about 10 does. It was really neat watching the smaller 3x3 chasing does around, neck stretched out lip curling and he even tried to mount a doe at one point. I have never seen that kind of full rut activity that early in the year so it was definitely a surprise. After about 45 minutes of glassing and not being able to find the bigger bucks I asked Jackson if he just wanted to get a deer. Of course he said yes. It was getting really late and we had less than an hour of shooting light left. With a 75 to 80” 3x3 standing right in front of us I thought we better just take what we have presented to us on the last evening. After all, we would have been ecstatic to shoot a buck like this on the first day, let alone the last day. The decision was made to take the 3x3 we could see so Jackson found the buck in the scope and prepared for the shot. The buck was 365 yards and perfectly broadside. I dialed the turret and told Jackson to hold right on him. “Take him when you feel solid”, I said. BOOM! I watched the vapor trail of the bullet as it went right under the bucks chest. My stomach sank as I watched all the deer start scattering all over the canyon side. I helped Jackson get back on the buck for another shot. I told him not to shoot until I found the buck in by binos so I could watch the shot. As I was sweeping the canyon side with my binos I found the BIG 3x3 from earlier. “Don't shoot, don't shoot!” I told Jackson that I had found one of the bigger bucks. I helped him find the big buck in the scope and then talked him through the shot. “This is our last chance, remember the trigger control we practiced so much before the hunt and take your time and kill that buck”. The buck was quartering away and standing with one hind leg up forward like he was frozen in the middle of a step. I told Jackson to put the cross hairs right in front of that hind leg. BOOM! WHACK! The shot was a little far back but the buck was hit hard. I told Jackson he hit the buck but he had to get another round in him. Jackson's nerves really got the best of him at this point. He was shaking pretty bad and really had a hard time finding the buck again. Once he got the buck back in the scope he tried over and over again to put another round in the buck but missed four times because he was so nervous. With every miss the buck would try to run and by this time had slowly moved down the canyon side and was now at 475 yards. Way out of Jackson's range but we had no choice but to try to put this buck down. Still standing the buck was perfectly broadside. I had Jackson take a few long deep breaths as I dialed the turret to 475. I explained to Jackson that his buck wasn't going anywhere but he needed to try to calm down and make a good clean shot to finish him. Jackson took his time and took one more shot. BOOM! I watched that bullet as it hit the buck perfectly, low right behind the shoulder. The buck kicked and went on a 200 yard death run tearing through every bush and cactus in its path down to the bottom of the canyon. He disappeared over a small berm so I made a mental note of where to pick up on his trail. Light was fading fast so we gathered our gear and moved quickly to where we last saw the buck go over the berm. It took us about 20 minutes to get over there and right away I found blood. We fallowed the blood right to Jackson's buck. The buck seemed to get bigger as we walked up to it. We were both so excited that we had pulled it off at the last minute. As we looked at his buck reality started to set in as I thought about how far back in we were from the truck and it was getting dark. I set Jackson up with his trophy real quick for some pictures. I didn't have time to set up my regular camera as I was racing the fading light so I just snapped a couple pics with my cell phone. I got to work quick and caped and quartered the buck. With all the gear I was carrying I could only take two quarters, the hide, head and antlers out with us that night. My pack was loaded down and I knew we were in for a long hike out in the dark. When we got to the top of the first ridge I called Jackson's dad, David to let him know that we were going to have to stay another night. I was supposed to have Jackson home Wednesday night so he could spend Thanks Giving with his dad. I explained to David that we were going to have to leave the rest of the buck in the bottom of the canyon and come back in the morning to get it. He completely understood and was so happy and so proud of Jackson. We continued our long hike out. By the time we reached the truck and got something to eat it was 11:30 before we got to bed. The next morning came quickly and at first light we were headed back in to retrieve the rest of Jackson's buck. After getting it all back to the truck we took a few more pictures and headed home. What a hunt! I was just hoping that we would fill at least one of Jackson's two tags on his first hunt and not only did we fill both tags but we filled both tags with trophy animals. Jackson's Javelina was an old grey boar with a HUGE head. Definitely an old pig that had lived a long life. Jackson's buck was an old warrior as well. He had pretty worn teeth and was probably on the decline. The buck will score in the low to mid 90's. This was one of the most meaningful hunts I have ever been on. After the very hard loss of my grandfather, getting to spend such a great time with Jackson out in God's country was exactly what I needed. I know my Grandfather was watching down on us with a big smile enjoying our success with us. Thanks to David for coming out and hunting with us and for being understanding about me getting Jackson home so late on Thanks Giving day. Thanks to everybody who stuck with me through another one of my long stories and of course thanks to Amanda for this wonderful site where we can share our adventures with each other! -Tracy Out practicing shooting with Jackson before the hunt. 1st morning of the hunt. Angie called my name and snapped my pic right as I looked into the sun. Jackson and Zach. Hard to believe they are the same age. Jackson had quite the crazy hair going that day. Angie and I at camp. Jackson playing with the camp fire. Jackson with his 1st big game animal. Wooohooo!!! Zach and Jackson with their javelina. Jon and I with the boys. Packing the pigs out. The boys sure got off easy on this one! Jackson's 1st kill stripes! Jackson with his 1st buck! What a great 1st buck! And last but not least, Jackson wanted to do a silly pic.

What a beast of a cat! Congrats to your dad! -Tracy

+1 BML pretty much sums it up. You know where their home is now so you will have the upper hand once your hunt starts. Keep in mind though that just because you found them there on more than one occasion doesn't mean that they will be at that EXACT spot every time you go there. You can bet money they will be close though. Next time you're out scouting and you spot them, watch them all day if you can. Watch to see where they feed, drink and bed. If you learn their routine you will really be set. Although most pigs will be in herds, loan pigs are not as uncommon as most people think. I think the reason that people think a loan pig is so uncommon is because spotting a single pig can be very difficult so in turn you may not see it very often. You spotted a single pig so don't doubt your ability to find them. You are on the right track so feel confident. Good luck on your hunt! -Tracy

Technology has come so far with archery equipment since the original law was made so I think this is a good change. A lot of youth hunters struggle to pull the 40 lb legal limit which in turn affects their accuracy. Taking a few pounds off to improve accuracy seems like a good trade and with todays bows there will still be enough energy to make a clean ethical kill. -Tracy

Congrats again buddy! Thanks for the play by play during your hunt. Felt like I was right there with you. Wish I could have been there to film it. Next time! Congrats again on a true accomplishment you should be very proud of! -Tracy

Awesome! Congrats to the hunter! I can't imagine the adrenaline rush that would be to sit out there in the dark predator calling. -Tracy

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a javelina nut. I absolutely LOVE hunting javelina specially with a bow. This year it was over way too fast. Opening morning found me at one of my most favorite places on the planet, the rock point where I love to glass from for javelina. Frank (Kaffer62), my traditional javelina hunting partner, couldn't make it out so I was hunting solo. I sat up on my point glassing until about 9:00 when I spotted several javelina feeding on a ridge side about ¾ of mile away. What a sweet sight, game on! I gathered my gear and was off for the long hike to get into position for a stalk. The terrain is very steep and there is quite some elevation change that had to be made to get to the herd of javelina so it took me a good hour and half to get down wind and underneath them. Once I was in position I started my stalk up the steep ridge toward where the javelina had been feeding. I took my time and made sure to be very quiet as I moved in closer. When I got to where I had last seen the javelina they were nowhere to be found. I kept sneaking forward glassing into the think junipers for any sign of the herd but their were no javelina to be found. I was confused and wondering where the herd slipped off to so I circled around and got on top of some cliffs just above where the herd had been feeding. I sat down and glassed below me trying to relocate the herd. After about 10 minutes without seeing anything I heard some brief crying from a piglet. The sound was right below me a couple hundred yards so I stayed put and stared into that direction until I caught movement. There was the herd right where I had just come from. When I passed them to get down wind and then started to make my way up to them, they had started to move down to the creek bottom to get a drink. We must have passed by within 75 yards of each other without knowing it. Hahaha! I'm surprised I didn't hear them as they moved down the canyon side, but the wind was blowing pretty hard and would have muffled any sound made. I watched the herd move up the opposite side of the canyon hoping they would find a place to bed down so I could plan a stalk. They never stopped. They slowly headed away from me stopping every so often to feed briefly before continuing on. I lost sight of them after about an hour as they moved into some thick junipers toward the top of the ridge. I figured they were going to top over into a big bowl on the other side of the ridge where I have seen them many times before so I circled around to get a better vantage point. An hour and a half later I was over looking the big bowl where I thought the herd would be but after glassing for quite some time it was getting late and I decided I better start heading out. I knew the herd would most likely be in the big bowl in the morning so I was confident that I could find them then. I headed out and got to my truck earlier than expected. There was still about an hour of light left so I decided I would hit a few spots on the way out and do some quick glassing. After glassing two locations on the way out there was only one more place I wanted to check before heading home. I parked the truck, got out and started glassing the opposite side of the canyon. As soon as I through my binos up I saw a javelina right in the middle of my field of view. There was a small group of four feeding in the open about a half mile away. My first thought was that I would never make it to them before it was dark. The sun had just set so I had maybe a half hour of shooting light left. I decided to go for it anyway. I took nothing but my bow and I literally sprinted along the canyon side toward the feeding javelina. Because of the wind I had to pass them and then approach them from the opposite side. After getting passed them I dropped down into the canyon and made my way up the opposite side. I moved very fast, staying on my tip toes and taking long strided steps, almost lunges up the hillside. I really was expecting them to hear me coming but I had no choice, there was no time to move in slowly being that I was racing the fast fading light. Once I was level with the small herd and perfectly down wind I started moving toward them. One of the javelina was much bigger than the other three so I kept my eye on him hoping that he would be the one to give me a shot. I closed the distance to 49 yards from the biggest in the group. He was broadside and in the open so I drew my bow back. When I got to full draw he moved behind a bush and started walking directly away from me. I let down my bow and I thought it was over being that I was down to the last 5 minutes of shooting light but I kept with it and moved in closer. One of the other javelina walked by the biggest of the group and there was a small “disagreement” between the two. The biggest pig growled and snapped at the other one chasing it for about 10 yards straight toward me. The chase ended but the pig being chased kept walking in my direction. I knew this was my opportunity so when the pig got to about 20 to 25 yards and turned broadside I drew my bow and settled my pins. He turned and looked right at me but it was too late. I followed through with my release and my arrow was on its way. WHACK!!! He let out a roar as the rage broad head zipped right through him. He ran about 10 yards and stopped. I knew it was over as he started to do the “wobble dance” but he was still on his feet so I sent another arrow through him. He ran forward again and into some bushes. I snuck over to where the first hit was and recovered my arrow and placed it back in my quiver. I moved quietly toward where I had last seen the pig go and there he was, still standing. Man these animals are tough! He was quartering away so I drew back and settled my 30 yard pin right at the last rib and released. My arrow hit its mark and zipped all the way through exiting in front of the opposite shoulder. He took tow lunges forward and did a cart wheel piling up between two bushes. He was down for good and thankfully because another minute or two later and it would have been too dark to shoot. As I walked up to my trophy, all I was thinking was “I can't believe its over already.” This is the same thought that goes through my head every year when I'm putting my tag on another javelina. I wait all year for that special time when I can pursue these amazing creatures with my favorite weapon in hand (bow and arrow) and as always it seems to come to an end way too fast leaving me wanting more. This javelina was an average size boar, probably 3 or 4 years old. I know you really cant tell in the field but I always hope to take a boar instead of a sow just for the reproduction aspect of it. I was aways from the truck and since I went light and left my pack behind I had no flash light. I grabbed my javelina and started my way out. When I got back to the truck I took a few pictures and headed home, thankful for another successful hunt but sad at the same time that it was all over. I usually take pictures through out my hunts but since I was hunting solo and was into action most of the day I didn't have time to take any other pictures but the one with my trophy. Thanks to those who took the time to read my story! I know to some its “just a javelina” but I like to share all my adventures regardless of what Im pursuing! This is my 9th javelina, 6th one with a bow but to me its just as special and just as exciting as the 1st javelina I ever put my tag on. I can never say it enough but a big thank you to Amanda for such an amazing site where we can share our passion and adventures with each other. -Tracy Sorry about the bloody pic. I usually try to clean things up for the pics but it was dark and I didn't realize how bad it looked until I got home and was uploading them to my computer.

Those are two absolute gorgeous bucks! Makes me want to go chase muleys so bad. Congrats to you guys on two awesome trophies! -Tracy

Great idea but I still have a deer tag to fill. I have a special little place I have been wanting to hunt and after filling my pig tag early I will finally have that opportunity. I might head down to the 36's in early February to do a little scouting. I can't wait to help out on women's hunt again! -Tracy

That was #34. I killed my first one in 1976 and missed a couple years. TJ Like I said, you are a pig killing machine! I only hope to have that many successful pig hunts under my belt some day. Hats off to you TJ! I hope Peg can put one on the ground next month. Congrats again buddy! -Tracy

That is just awesome! What a great first buck! Congrats and thanks for sharing your pics! Is there a story to go with it? Spot and stalk, how far was the shot, etc? -Tracy

I completely agree! Let me add that the torque issue was 100% me and had nothing to do with the bow. I am just used to shooting PSE and something about the balance of their bows and their grips is what my muscle memory was built on. I shoot bullet holes with every PSE I have ever owned only because my form was learned on their bows. Everybody will shoot every bow differently so make sure you really test them before you spend the money. I wish I would have spent a little more time shooting the Destroyer before I bought it. I lost my butt when I sold it. Sold it for over $500 less than I paid for it. -Tracy

Woohoo! Way to go TJ! You are a pig killing machine! What does that make, 33 or 34 pigs you have under your belt now? You and I share the same passion for hunting these neat little critters. Great write up! Congrats to you and your buddy! -Tracy

I had shot nothing but PSE since I started shooting archery 14 years ago. In 2010 when Bowtech came out with the Destroyer I shot it and had to have it. It was the most smooth drawing, smooth shooting bow I had ever shot. I ended up buying it only to find out that I had EXTREME torque issues with it and I was never able to overcome it. When I shot paper I had a 3 inch rip up and to the right no matter what I did. I had to move my rest over to where the tip of my arrow was pointed more than a half inch out of line just to shoot a perfect hole through the paper. I shot very well with this bow but the fact that I knew that my bow was tuned incorrectly just messed with my head. I tried EVERYTHING from new grips to no grips to different coaching and nothing worked. I spoke with many people who said that they have had the same problem when they went from one bow manufacturer to another. After battling with this issue for over a year I had to through in the towel and I sold the bow. I went back to what I know and bought a PSE Dream Season and my torque issues are no more. It was a feeling of defeat and I hated to get rid of a bow that was such a pleasure to shoot. Although my Dream Season isn't quite as smooth as the Destroyer, I shoot better with it than any other bow I have ever owned. If you are thinking about buying the Destroyer or any bow for that matter, I would strongly recommend shooting it A LOT and making absolute sure you don't have any issues before buying it. -Tracy

Hats off to you out pursuing coues with traditional archery equipment. Getting a shot is a success in itself. Congrats on sticking with it and harvesting a great coues buck! -Tracy

What a monster of a cat! Congrats to you and your dad on such a beast! -Tracy

Way to go Clay! Congrats to you and your dad! Memories of gold right there. -Tracy

Awesome! Great pics! Hunting javelina with a bow is about as fun as it gets. Congrats on getting it done! -Tracy

Awesome! Sounds like you had quite an eventful day. Way to stick with it and find that pig. Congrats! -Tracy

Woohoo! Congrats on a beautiful buck! Its going to be a LONG year for you now, but well worth it. Great write up! -Tracy

What an awesome buck! I love the character. Great write up, thanks for taking the time to share your hunt with us! Congrats! -Tracy

Count me in! Cant wait, last year was an absolute blast! -Tracy

aRT, I'm not one to get involved in these kind of topics but since you can't seem to let this one go I will give my two cents(even though it probably worth a lot less ). It is apparent that you have an agenda, just wondering if it consists of being confrontational. Dave (azhuntnut) took a legal lion by legal means of take. "Small female barely out of spots" or not, he needs no justification. Just because you wouldn't take a young lion or a female lion does not mean that other hunters shouldn't or need some kind of "justification" to do so. I know many guys who would never shoot a spike buck/bull, they would rather come home empty handed in hopes that those younger bucks/bulls will grow up to reach their prime maturity ages. These same guys however, would be very happy for another hunter who chooses to take a spike. I am happy for Dave and congratulate him on his first lion. Whether its a young female barely out of spots or a huge tom like the one recently posted, a trophy is in the eye of the beholder and if he chooses to do so Dave has every right to "boast" about HIS trophy. I think it is unfair of you to try to take away from his success just because YOU don't view his lion as a trophy. I don't think most people on this site would advocate the "total slaughter" of lions. Would they support keeping them in check? Absolutely! Just as all other predators do, lions have their place. I don't believe that lions are going to wipe out every deer on the planet but they sure can devastate the deer numbers in an area. I don't think deer or elk hold any higher value than a lion but on the same token the lion sure doesn't hold any higher value than the deer or elk. I don't want to see every lion slaughtered but at the same time I don't want to see deer numbers in areas take a hard hit because they are being "slaughtered" by lions. Try looking at it this way, you like to hunt lions and you are concerned for their numbers. As you stated you "would like to think that their will be a viable lion population for your kids and grandkids to enjoy." Well, a lot of guys like to hunt deer, elk and sheep and would like to think that there will be a viable population of those game animals for their kid and grand kids to enjoy. If lions weren't a problem then AZGFD wouldn't have just passed new laws to try to help keep their populations in check. There will be plenty of lions for your kids and grand kids to enjoy, I assure you that! Deer on the other hand, who knows? Anyway, don't take this lion stuff so seriously. Its going to work out, okay? -Tracy

What are you trying to say? :lol: