mattys281

He's already done something I like: he's been in Az long enough to see the good ole days the old timers lament over losing & he's witnessed the decline of our deer herd everyone talks about. I'm very pleased to see a local guy get the job. Matt S.

hehehe, yes, it was an adventure! But it wasn't that bad. Thank god for the bivy and tube tent we took with us. What's funny is my husband volunteered to carry our regular tent back in there, and I said "nah, the weather isn't supposed to turn bad....." hehehe, at least we had a carried some shelter in "just in case". The worst part was when my boots got soaked during the hike up the mtn to glass in the morning. At that time, I didn't have decent waterproof boots and that was really unpleasant since it was so cold. We tried starting a fire for quite awhile to dry the boots out and eventually got one started even though most everything was soaking wet. Wasn't much else to do since the fog was so thick we couldn't glass more than 30 feet away from us. I LOVE backpack hunting!!! I agree with you all on the sleeping bag ratings. I use a zero degree bag to keep me warm in 20-30 degree weather. I even have to use a sleeping bag liner to add more warmth sometimes. I am just a sissy girl after all..... Amanda THere's another lesson learned the hard way. Bear Wallow Canyon has numerouse opportunities to get your feet wet while crossing back & forth over the creek. It's common sense that once water gets over the tops of your boots they fill up & your feet are wet. What isn't common sense is that you can ruin your nice $160 light-weight, Gor-tex lined Montrail hiking boots by drying them too close to the fire. Get Gor-tex too hot - it aint water proof any more. Learned that the hard way. Those boots only had about 3 trips on them. I still use 'em, but only when it's dry now. The flooded east fork of the Verde was dang cold when I crossed it this Dec. in the Mazatzal, but my bare feet still dried a lot quicker than my boots would have.

I admit it, I'm a pant-dropper. Okay, I'm not that proud of myself, but if I stumble in front of it & trigger it you will probably find a picture of my smiling face waving at you. If I spot it before triggering it, I make an effort to not be caught on film, because I like thinking that no one else knows about my spot and I chose to preserve that feeling for other hunters. In case you think you may have caught me, here's a recent photo for comparison:

I've also found that. My 20° bag is good from around 30-50° & my 0° bag is good from the mid teens up into the 30's. I'm pretty thin though, so the absence of anything that resembles muscle or body fat is probably a factor. This leads back around to what's been said before, though: test your gear before your hunt so you'll know things like this!

I've got a good lite-weight tent. REI Quarter Dome. Literally takes maybe 3 minutes to set up & weighs less than 3.5 lbs. It's a great place to do your cooking & writing out of the wind. I also usually carry a little bottle of scent shield so that I can spray my clothes at the end of the day & put them between my bag & pad to dry overnight. Much more pleasant doing that in your long-johns when you can get out of the wind.

Feb. 15-17 HAM javelina hunt. Mar. 26-28 Lake Sonoma hog hunt. After that, it's never too early to start screwin w/ trail cams!

I've been doing a heck of a lot of jogging this last year. Did a seven miler yesterday in the rain. Fortunately, it didn't pick up while I was out, but that slow drizzle still had me soaked by the time I got home. The first pack in hunt I tried was last Dec. (2006) in the Superstitions. I got about 8 miles deep and was literally broken by the moutains. That trail was horrible & overgrown, I had cat claw scratches from my finger tips to my shoulders & those thickets even ripped off fletchings from two arrows & one of the rubber feet off my tripod. Two important lessons came out of that: 1.) what looks good on google earth & on topos is not always good, so scout or talk to some people who have actually hiked an area before wasting hunting days in it. 2.) Physical training is paramount. I was about 2/3 up a big hill on a trail that showed no eveidence of having been walked in years when I simply couldn't go any further. My head hung low & I felt about as tough as a ten-year-old girl on my way out. I was beaten, and not by a slight margin. One night & eight miles was all it took. I could hear Cameron Hanes laughing in my head. That trip has been strong motivation & the memory has kept my feet moving even when my butt's dragging on lots of hikes & jogs since then.

24B is definetely a hard stalking unit. Congrats to your friend, another awesome muley down. Matt S.

Got it last week & am reading it right now. It's a good read.

I looked into the Tejon & a couple others. Most said that they required a reservation months in advance. I really hadn't planned on a hog hunt, but I've recently accepted a job offer back up in Prescott, so I'll be taking off the week between leaving my old job & starting the new. Obviously, I can't take off an entire week without hunting something, so Lake Sonoma, here I come. Matt S.

Coues WT Smack Down Blacktail Hunt. I like that title. Has a nice ring to it, I should have spoke to you before makin this post. I map quested it from Phoenix to Carrville Ca, the closest town I can find to the Trinity Alps & get just under a thousand miles. The Yolly Bolly WA is a bit closer & further to the south. The Trinity is supposed to be very popular with both hikers & hunters, but it's over 500,000 acres vs. the 180k of the Yolla Bolly. I'm leaning towards the Trinity's. As for the time frame , exact dates aren't available yet, but the season usually runs from the end of Aug thru the middle of Sept, at which time the rifle season begins. Bowhunters in Ca can continue to hunt during the rifle season, but obviously you're going to get a lot more company. I'm planning on taking the two weeks in Sept. I figure that if I take off two weeks, that gives 3 weekends for a total of sixteen days. Even w/ 3 or 4 guys tag-teaming the drive, we'll still lose a full day each way & when someone kills, they're going to have to get it to cold storage somewhere. I think 4 guys sounds like a good number. Everyone can fit easily into one vehicle. I've got a Nissan Rogue that I could have a tow package put on to pull a small trailer. It gets about 30 mpg, so w/ a lite-weight trailer I don't expect it would do worse than 25 which at $3/gal for gas would turn into about $60 apiece for a 2,000 mile round trip. Of course there will be extra gas consumed to get your kill to cold storage until everyone else is either tagged-out, defeated by the mountain, or just out of time. It's only fair to expect everyone to cover their own meat-handling expenses. Maybe a big cooler full of dry-ice could be an alternative, but you have to understand that if you pack back in & leave it at the trailhead, your counting on no tree-huggers coming along & screwing with it while your gone. Actually, that brings me to another point. You guys that say you're interested, are you interested in packing it in, or hunting from the road? I'm packing in regardless of what others do. I'm buying my Ca license this coming week & will be doing some more research. I'll post some more info later. Matt S.

Finally connected on one last night right before dark. Hit him at 50 yards. It was a great stalk, but will have to relay the story a little later. Gotta get to the butcher & taxidermist now. Enjoy the pics.

Got my antlers back today from the taxedermist. He scored 'em at 144 3/8 net, just shy of the 145 minimum. Considering that I was hunting under the "if it's brown, it's down" policy, I can't complain. Maybe I'll fare better on the blacktail hunt.

I've been swapping e-mails w/ a guy in Ca that is a bowhunting machine. He & a couple other AT.com users have suggested Lake Sonoma, so I'm planning on heading there. Supposed to be one of the better public land spots from what I hear. He's also one of the guys who suggest the Trinity Alps. He shot a monster BT in there a couple years ago. Matt S.

I've flung 'em at bucks w/ a heck of a lot less bone than that. He's one to be proud of. Congrats. Matt S.

I like the simpler the better mentality, but have trouble with it in the desert. Some of the places I've been in the last eighteen months would have you spending a heck of a lot of time fishing for fire wood, time that I'd rather spend hunting. There just wasn't much to burn & what was there was so small & dry that it burned as quick as a match stick. A single butane/propane bottle weighs ounces & the lantern/stove that screw on also weigh next to nothing. When I was in the Mazatzal in Dec. the temp. plummeted the minute the sun went down & I holed up right away. The lantern & stove made the tent toasty warm so I could slip off my glove for cooking & a bit of quick writing in my journal without freezing my fingers to death. They may not be for everyone, but they're staying in my pack. When the weather is nice, I don't pack a tent at all, just a heavy-duty rain poncho w/ metal eyelets around the edge so that it can be strung up as an emergency shelter if it rains. When I head to Ca. this Sept. for my blacktail, I'll be trading my tent for a bivy sack. As time goes on, you'll acquire a ton of gear so that you can adapt your load to the specific situation that you're venturing into. My May pack for the White Mountains was a heck of a lot different than my Dec. pack for the Mazatzal was. Matt S.

Nah, he can come to CA & hunt blacktails w/ me. I'm dang sure not waiting the 341 days, 12 hours & 51 minutes until I can hunt in Az. again. Matt S.

SEXY is right! That's a dang good looking deer. I love the one's with lots of junk too, but I really prefer the tall, symetrical ones. Me thinks I see a nice wall mount in your future...... Matt S.

That's a big pig. Congrats. I'd be doin pretty good to hit the ground with a longbow. Nicely done. Matt S.

Big congrats to your daughter & to you. I've got three little ones that are interested in hunting & can't wait until their big enough to tackel big game with a bow. Great job! Matt S.

Congrats. Great pig! Matt S.

That's what I was thinkin. They're trying to make those muleys look like elk. Great deer, though, no matter how far behind them you sit for the photo. Matt S.

You're not alone there. I really think that mental toughness is the #1 factor to a solo trip of any length. I can tent camp indefinetely on my own. It's easy when you can jump in your truck & head to town for a beer & burger. Being alone in the mountains is a different story. 4 days is my longest solo trip so far, but I'll beat that this year.

I lost the very first camera I ever set out, over in unit 27. Left a real sour taste in my mouth. I won't even set them up closer than a 1/2 hour cross country hike away from a road or trail anymore & that's kept them safe since then. At least so far. Fortunately, most thiefs are lazy, so they don't usually get to the places I go. Matt S.

I think it would be a shorter list if we asked who this didn't happen to. It's exactly why I put in for the HAM hunt this year, I knew if I ran into a herd of pigs during the archery deer hunt, I'd take one out & lose a day of deer hunting. Matt S.