Red Sparky

I would be tempted to use one. I know with elk they can pretty much pinpoint where a call came from. They get to a point where they can see and try to get visual confirmation, hence they hang up. If you were trying to call a bull across a canyon, popping a decoy out from behind a brush every now and then might be the ticket. Hunting solo I usually look for a place about 50 yards towards the elk, that is where I am going to set up but I bugle where I am and haul to the set up point. That way they will either come by me or when they hang up they will be in bow range. As far as deer I think a deer decoy would only be beneficial during the rut. I would just use a elk or even a cow decoy deer hunting and try to make them think I am another animal. That's my .02 cents worth.

Well, don't tell the wife, I bought a rifle today and the safe is already full. Cabela's was having a sale on the T/C Compass rifle. I watched a lot of review videos online since the Compass came out and it is suppose to be a heck of a gun. T/C guarantees MOA with quality factory ammo so we will see. They cost of the gun was $299 on sale and then T/C has a $75 mail in rebate, so for $225 I will have a brand new 6.5 Creedmoor. They had to ship from a different store so I will have it by next Friday. Plenty of time to look up load data and dust off the reloading bench. Also to figure out how to tell the wife.

No, not by a long shot. We must have very different expectations in life.Youve never even been to a topless bar so how would you know Maybe he went to the drag show? Rodney Carrington "Show them to me"

This is going to be my 14 year old daughters rifle. I got my older daughter a Savage 7-08 with the accutrigger about 4 years ago. With all my wife's firearms, the kids rifles, shotguns and muzzle loaders, my firearms, and my dad giving me all of his firearms, hence the reason I have two full safes and getting a third. When the kids move out I plan on them each taking a safe with them. Then I get to start over .

That was as disappointing as going to a topless bar and finding out it is a drag show.

I think you would be in a lot of trouble if you charged. Teaching somebody to shoot and be safe with a firearm as a friend should not be a problem. Oh yeah....I thought it was going to be a different kind of post with that title.

Nice buck. Congratulations

What would have happened if somebody else was there before you? I can understand your irritation. I have been in the situation bow hunting where I had a deer tag and archery elk was going on at the same time. I was sitting in an old ground blind and saw two hunters walking in. When they saw me they were going to take off the other direction until I waved them over. I found out they were elk hunting and I was deer hunting. I offered to share the blind with them if they wanted but I got first shot at a deer. They chose to go to a different spot but appreciated the offer. This year I ran into them into a central area of the unit and we all had elk tags. They were hunting another part of the unit and we both ended up in the same area for a break. They told me of a wallow they found over the summer in the area I was hunting. The same blind the year before another hunter got there before me. He was older and from out of state, hard for him to do much walking as the steep hills were taking their toll on legs and lungs. I knew the tracks at this natural mineral lick were quite fresh so told him to hunt it and kill a big bull, I had other places I could hunt elk. The best part was he was guided and the guide tracked me down. He had a bunch of antelope jerky because his antelope clients didn't want the meat. I think I ended up with about 20 pounds of antelope jerky as a thank you. Not meaning to sound holier than thou or my ethics are better than anybody else's. We are hunters and need to get along. Public land hunting sucks if you let it. I love to eat wild game but I am at a point in my life where I have killed quite a bit and don't have to kill an animal to have had a great hunt.

My dad's K-bar is a skinner from the early 60's late 50's. I will have to ask him when he got it but I know it has Made in the U.S.A stamped on it.

My first advice is go check it out for yourself. How well do you know these other hunters? I know several hunters, myself included, that might downplay and area because we hunt a certain unit and basically have it to ourselves. The only way to know for sure is first hand.

Only one knife? Now I know for a fact you are loco. If I had it and could only carry one knife I would carry my dad's k-bar I think. Looks like a buck 119 but has stacked leather for the handle. It is old and worn but still takes a razors edge and keeps it.

You can either be mad or not. Public land is public land and I think people should be polite enough to go someplace else if somebody is at a spot already. Usually if somebody gets to a spot first I will talk to them and then go to a different place. I expect the same in return. That is one problem with the draws. It does limit the number of hunters but on the other hand, if this is one chance in 10 years many might push the boundaries to fill the tag. I have gotten good information from other hunters because I was just hunting for any elk, archery here is ES, and they were sitting water hoping for a big bull to come in. We weren't competing and I was getting into elk. The only reason was we talked and worked things out. I have also given information to other hunters to help them out, it helped me out as well. Then there was the one time muzzle loader hunting. I was sitting a waterhole in the east end of a dead end canyon. The road came in from the west, the direction of the evening wind and the elk dropped into this canyon and down the road from the west. Some idiots came in about 4 PM and were bound and determined to sit the waterhole I was on. Since it was public land and they were being idiots I said I would go hunt some where else. Imagine their surprise when they drove past me after dark and I had a bull down since I put in the time to pattern the elk. I did have to go retrieve my socks, t-shirt, and base layers I hung in the trees so any elk approaching the waterhole would be downwind of them. I did not live up to my mentors advice on that time-- Better only one A-hole than two.

I got the 12x14 from Davis Tents this year and ran it in September so don't need a stove yet. The one suggestion I can make is on your tarp when you tie it with rope use heavy duty bungee cords, what we call rubber snubbers, on one end of the rope. It will stretch and give in the wind and helps keep from ripping grommets out of your tarp. I can't see in the pictures if you did or not.

What do you mean put them up? I never take them down just change the bulbs for the holiday. All red Valentines day, all green St. Patty's day, red, white, blue, Fourth of July, orange with some black lights, Halloween.

Heads up to everybody! Today I was at Wal-Mart here in Los Lunas and they had Tasco 6MP game cameras on sale. Probably white flash but they had video mode and took 32 GB cards. The best part is they were $24.88. I found them in the center aisle between sporting goods and automotive. Looks like Christmas stocking stuffers so you may want to get there before everybody sees them. If one grew legs I would not be as upset as a $100 camera walking off. Just thought I would let everybody know.

Turning 50 I realize my birthday is not about me but my parents. They took the family camping, fishing, wood gathering, sightseeing, and showed me the great outdoors. They made me connect with the land. I was raised in The Church of Christ but as I grew older I realized where my religion was. The vast mountains and plains, the sunrise and sunset, the moon and the stars,.....this was and is my church. The sound of the wind through the trees, the call of geese migrating, the yipping of coyotes, the scream of a bull elk, and all the other sounds in nature are my hymns. This is where I recharge my soul. The one thing that meant the most was me was hunting. My mother supported it and this is where I bonded the best with my father. Hunting is a very personal decision. Until you participate you will never understand the connection between you and the animal you hunt. When I go to the grocery store I am so distant from the animal that gave it's life for my food, I feel nothing. I am very fortunate to still have both my parents alive but they are 75 and my dad is in failing health. I went out and got my first tattoo today that is very sentimental to me. I call it "First and Last". It is the first bull I killed with my muzzle loader, and the last hunt my father ever went with me on. I remember all the hunts I went with my father on, this seemed appropriate to carry on my body for the rest of my life. Here are the photos I gave the tattoo artist. Here is what I got and I am extremely happy about it.

I am in the opposite boat. I use to hunt with a group then my dad quit hunting and my uncle also quit hunting and passed a few years ago. I have solo hunted for the last 10 years. I am all about the hunts because it is not just about the present but the past. You can better understand when I post on Saturday on my birthday. I love to hunt with my daughters but the hunt is all about them, I go archery hunting solo by myself for 2 weeks. Every few days I will go to get cell service or video chat with the wife and kids over the web. The thing I like about solo hunting is nobody else is counting on me. If I am far from camp I can just camp out in the woods and nobody is worrying. If I feel like sleeping in, I do. I am on my own time schedule.

I use 200 grain Hornady SST for deer and 250's for elk. I shot many deer using 240 grain Hornady XTP's and they bled from the moment hit and only one dropped out of sight. He was running when I shot him so he went about 100 yards. Those heavy bullets probably didn't expand and it was like using a FMJ bullet.

I would do like Edge said but with my dyslexia I would put them on the wrong tires. I guess I could just lock the differentials with the air lockers and be all right. It depends on the situation, with my Jeep if I need to chain up they go on the front first and 4 wheel drive. Usually that is all that is needed. It has gotten bad enough one time we then had to chain up the back. We were the only 4x4 that could go anywhere. In mud I chain up all 4 before needed then I don't get dirty by having to winch out of some mud hole.

Doesn't everybody carry super glue with them? Goes great in door locks.

Check out Jana Waller (?) on her skull beading. Do a Google search for Jana Waller art and tons of pictures come up.

Sorry to hear about the loss.

In high school I made a grill out of 1x1 square tubing for the frame and 1/4" stainless rod for the grate. When camping open fire coals or briquets on the ground is all I do. I do have a propane stove for coffee, eggs, stews, etc. .

First it is legal now so the cows born in bulls bodies can now hang out with the ladies year round. Second I shot a bull in mid October with my ML bugling his head off and walking around a bedded cow. He was not the only bull in full rut in mid October. In early archery ( Sept. 1-15 here) I have seen 6x6's herding about 30 cows, bigger bulls were solo. They were just starting to bugle. Late archery last year ( Sept. 15th-24 here) bigger bulls were solo and looking for a fight or to steal the ladies from the smaller 6x6's. They were very vocal. Never want to figure it out 100% since then hunting them would be no fun.

Hope everything is all right! Hoping it is nothing major on the reason you can't go.