Kevin

John, I have no clue what you are talking about Maybe you posted in the wrong section? I'm not aware of any kind of antlerless bonus tags in New Mexico. Hopefully you'll figure out the answer to your question. Kevin

Congrats Travis, that's a nice bird! Jeff, I think, hit the nail on the head. I've killed a bunch of Gila birds and none of their spurs have hit the 1" mark. I'm almost sure that the steep hills and rocky terrain wear them down as fast as they can grow. I know genetics play a role as well but I truly think its the wear and tear that keeps them short. It must have been really cool to watch them mate. Never actually seen it happen in the field. Also tells me they are a little behind schedule. Usually hens are nesting by now. I'll post up my 2010 adventures when the season is over. Kevin

I drew the nanny hunt 2 years ago. My advice to you is get in great shape, have some very good boots and lose any fear of heights you may have. They are an absolute blast to hunt and are amazing to watch. You can glass them up on just about any part of the mountain from the bottom. My girls and I spent a lot of hours watching them during the summer before my hunt. The hardest part of the hunt is drawing a tag. There really isn't any reason not to kill one if you draw. There are tons of animals, you just have to get within range of them. Kevin

Stanley, The area your son killed his bull in holds tons of turkeys; however, like PSE said, it is still under a couple feet of snow. Hunting pressure is pretty high there early in the season as well, but there are plenty of birds to be found most years. I'm not sure what this late snow pack is going to do yet as far as turkeys moving back into the high country. Let me know if you need a hand. Kevin

Results are up for oryx. My wife drew again for the offrange hunt. Guess my luck is saving up for the June drawing. Kevin

Congrats Derrick, I'm assuming uncle Nate? TJ, the odds are the same for residents as it is for non-residents for oryx, just costs a lot more! Good luck if you apply, I'd be more than happy to help you out on the range if you draw. Kevin

My hunting partner sent his 12 year old 10X42's in last year to have them cleaned and a couple of minor scratches polished. He ended up with a completely refurbished set of glasses when they returned them. New armor coating, new eye cups, polished all four lenses etc. All for what it cost him to ship them. Yeah, I'd say it is worth it. Kevin

Well the way I look at it, in order for me to apply in AZ as a non resident it costs me a $150.00 "application fee" in the form of a non refundable license fee before I can apply for deer. I think the $27.00 your complaining about is pretty cheap, thats about 6 app fees you would have to pay to catch me. I agree that increasing license and application fees is tough, especially in this economy, but honestly NM is still pretty decent to non residents. Consider this; you have as good a chance as anyone else to draw over here, even in our best units. It'll be a cold day in you know where before I have enough bonus points, at $150 a year, to draw a quality rifle elk hunt in AZ right? No sour grapes from me, it is what it is, I'll continue to hunt there as I draw or until I can't afford it. Kevin

121 2/8" Kevin

Nice, nice buck Scott! But dang, did he even stand a chance with you, Amanda and GRONG after him? I sure look forward to the story! Kevin

Never watched much Bugs Bunny did you Bowsniper? Kevin

From running trail cams on several known water sources last year, I figured out that there had to be other sources of water. Most of us focus on the tanks and springs that are marked on maps. The area I was scouting held a good number of Coues deer that we would see, but rarely did they water at the tanks or springs, where I had cams. Neither did the 217" non typical Muley that we were after. By moving our cameras to travel areas (saddles and trails) we started getting a lot of pictures of deer that we weren't seeing on the waterholes. After spending 2 years moving cams we located a seep that came to the surface when a large tree blew over. The water, barely a trickle, was in in the hole that the tree roots created when it fell. We hung a camera at the seep and there were tons of pics 2 weeks later, of both Coues deer and the big buck we were after. Even after the monsoons came, that big buck was watering at his little seep regularly. The coues deer were less reliable but still came by occasionally. My point is, there is more water in the hills than most of us realize and finding the isolated spots that aren't widely known is where most of the deer water in my opinion. Kevin

Wish I was free next weekend, I'd go with you. I've got rifle tag the next weekend. Sending you a PM. Sun Devil, yeah it's pretty bad. I've heard some stories that would make me nervous being there by myself. Kevin

Several years ago my partner and I were perched on a hill that we liked to glass from long before daylight. As dark turned grey we could hear something approaching us from the opposite side of the hill we had climbed. Minutes later a fellow with his 8 year old son stood looking dumbfounded that we were on the rocks he has glassed from for 20 years. We invited them to glass and after a few hours went our separate ways. That night they stopped by camp to see what we were doing the next morning. Before the end of the hunt we had fed them and vice a versa and still email each other 3 or 4 times a year. My point is, not all is lost. You might even make a new friend. Kevin

Doesn't matter, whitetail or Mule deer, Bill has it straight out of the regs. As long as it has two distinct points, it legal. Kevin

I've heard a couple of bucks pushing 110 were taken this past weekend on the youth hunt in the Silver area, not to mention the muleys above 180. Hopefully you locals (Jason and Tommy) can persuade these young hunters to post some pics! Kevin

J, The buck Erick helped out with was one, then I saw a cell pick of one that should be abouve the 110 mark from the same area. A kid out of Cruces killed a 184 and change muley right behind there on the forest. Tell Don congrats and hey for me. Did you ever see the article on Boone's buck? It came out in August. Just curious. Stan, I wish your boy had the tag this year. I saw 4 bulls last Friday morning that went 320 or better, all within 1/2 mile of the area I told you about. I can't wait until my girls are old enough for big game. The oldest and I are fixin' to give the squirrels a hard time. Kevin

122 4/8. There, I believe that is between other guesses! Kevin

Apparently an Oklahoma elk hunter was killed near Quemado Lake by lightning. Bad luck for sure, but don't seek shelter under a tree when lightning is popping. Can't get the link to work, but you can copy and paste. http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_13327292?source=most_viewed Kevin

Never used the stuff, it might be great and work better than my method though. Peroxide in a spray bottle helps a bunch confirming blood rather than the 3000 other red things in the dark. Let us know how it works out for you, or better yet, make a great shot so you don't need it. Good luck, Kevin

Thanks for the info J. I'll let my folks know about it. My Mom's rose garden has been decimated by them and she's all for revenge! Kevin

Coues Archer, if your arrows are flying good now-with whatever grain field point you are shooting-most fixed blade broadheads of the same weight will fly good with some minor tweaking. Gaining mass (arrow weight) may actually cause less penetration if arrow flight is affected and becomes less than optimal. Imagine the extreme: If your broadhead is too heavy or too light the arrow will fly sideways, back and forth, until the fletching stabalizes it. If the arrow strikes the target (hopefully in your case a 380 bull) while in oscilation your penetration will not be as good as if the arrow was lighter and flying perfectly straight. Ever drive nails? Hitting the nail on the head with a straight blow will drive it deeper in the board than if you strike it from the side, no? I've shot through bull elk with a 390 grain GT 7595 with a 90 grain Wasp head. Not a lot of mass, but they fly straight and true. That's the key--besides the broadhead being shaving sharp. If you want to check how well your arrow flies, strip the fletching off the arrow and shoot it at 30 yards WITH A FIELD POINT. Do not, repeat, DO NOT try this with a broadhead!!!!!!! If your arrow oscilates from side to side you need to tune the arrow or bow. Also, the arrow should strike the target straight, not having the nock to one side or the other. Look up Easton's tuning guide on the web for details. Just remember, true flight and sharp broadheads are much more important than total arrow weight. Good luck on your tuning and your hunt and congratulations for doing this now instead of the day before the hunt. I'm sure it will pay off for you come September. Kevin

What Red said, heavier or lighter won't make a bit of difference if it's not matched to your arrow and it to your bow. Kevin

That's pretty slick alright as long as you've got room for it and 40 lbs of pellets for each night! Don't see it being packed in unless you've got one big remuda. Sure would be nice not to wake up frozen after the fire went out though. Kevin

Another site to check out is Hagshouse.com. SSS and yeti are both members and post on the forums. I've never used the SSS boards but have heard nothing but good about them. I've replaced my pix boards with Yeti's and am very pleased. Both links can be found on Hags house. Also, check their classifieds. You can come up with some good deals once in a while. Kevin