mattys281

Wow thats a big cat! Dang impressive!

That sucks. Deer are pretty strong swimmers, he had to have been in there a while to drown. Terrible way to go.

Wow! Monster!

Thats sucks. I hope somebody catches them.

Yes, I am. Just made me wonder, cause I hear most people using around 500 grains for elk. They're entitled to their belief. My belief from personal experience is 12-20" of penetration and you hit all of the important stuff in an elks vital area. Lighter arrows generally mean flatter shooting which lessen one very important variable. I.E Is it 47 yards or 53? That being said, i have switched to a slightly heavier arrow because my practice time is less, they seam to fly a bit better. So if you are hitting where you are aiming at than don't mess with it. This is definitely a variable that should not be overlooked. Even if you range the animal, they can still move a couple yards this way or that way changing the range slightly by the time you put your range finder back in your pocket, click your release on your string, draw and aim. A flatter arrow would be very useful here. For me though, it's a question of balancing accuracy, trajectory, and your own personal shooting ability. I've been shooting compound bows for almost 25 years and am novist level at best. So I like a moderately fast, more forgiving set-up. I intentionally shoot 270-280 fps with an arrow that runs about 12% FOC. For me this is a very forgiving set-up that still hits pretty hard and has a pretty flat trajectory out to 60-70 yards. I can see the gap between my 50 & 60 yard pin is slightly greater than between my 40 & 50 but not much. I've played around with set-ups that were faster, closer to the 300 fps range, but I did not shoot as well with them at 50+ranges. I don't know any real serious competitive field archers, but I've read that these guys often shoot 20% foc or more, due to forgiveness and accuracy, but for them at know yardage a flat trajectory is irrelevant. They don't have to worry about misjudging. You could really drive yourself crazy messing with different arrow recipes, but there is certainly a point of diminishing returns, especially for a working-guy class recreational bowhunter. If you have a good set-up that shoots well and you're accurate with it, I'd leave it be. There's more important things to worry about, like finding animals and learning how to get close to them. Virtually any arrow coming off a 60# bow is sufficient to kill an elk. Remember: women and youth hunters kill lots of them with 250 grain arrows off 25-27" draw length 40# bows! If they can do it with that tackle, than arrow weight and KE is really not a profitable thing to waste your time thinking about when you're pulling 20# more draw weight and shooting a couple extra inches of draw length.

Ive yet to put one in an elk, but my 380 grain arrows at 278fps are making something like 65#ke and they blow through coues deer mule deer and Nebraska whitetails like they're made out of paper. The only change I'll make before elk hunt is to put on a fb head instead of a mechanical.

Like stated before, its not that far to drive to co. If you absolutely have to hunt elk every year. Now if you like a little variety, you can 100% hunt every year archery deer, archery turkey, archery & general bear, mountain lions and archery javelina. I've never hunted small game in another state so I dont know how we compete there, but ive killed probably 30 cottontails or more with a bow and well over twice that with a .22, and theres a lot of quail and dove here. There is something legal to hunt every day of the year and you can hunt at least 5 different big game species every year. I think this is a great hunting state if you have enough time to take advantage of all the opportunity.

Had to Google it. Ms. Kimberly phillips. I dont care what the issue is, as long as her position on it is reverse cowgirl.... or some variation there of.

Yeah, I know. We just signed a contract to buy another cnc mill. I figure it'll take a year to pay it off, then we'll be shopping for our lot. It would be too much of a hit to our liquid assets to do it now, but that extra machine will turn into some serious gains in the savings plan.

Sweet sight. Black gold makes some real nice stuff.

And I would name him Lamont. That deer would actually make a fair Napoleon dynamite too, we dont have to pimp him. Dammit, the more I think about it the more I want that deer!

Being admittedly a bit of a smartass and no where close to politically correct, id shoot that buck just so I could stick him on the wall with a couple gold chains and a pair of funkyfresh oversized sunglasses.

we were looking around phoenix, we both aren't a fan of cities so we feel like we'd be in the city traffic/life that we hate. We both grew up in small towns, me a lot smaller than her but we're trying to find towns where it'll feel more like small town living. We're flying over there in january to check out areas near phoenix and the prescott area. I also don't know if I/my lab could do the summer heat lol Id say youre on the right track. I lived in the prescott area for 10 years, and wish I'd never left. Moved down to this hellhole 12 years ago to escape the ex and make more money, but now the wife and I are ready to head back up the hill. We'll be shopping for a lot next summer and plan to start building in 2018.

Ive only been able to draw 2 elk tags in the last 8 years. The last couple years I've put in for early bull 1st and 2nd choice and filled the other choices with late hunts. Still nada. I would not expect to draw a bull tag here every other year, much less every year. Some people have better luck in the elk draw, but not most of the ones I talk to. Take your az tags when you can get them, and drive some where else when you cant.

Seems like anywhere you go has crappy neighborhoods and good ones. I drive used vehicles and avoid debt like a plague so we can spend more on housing to get away from the garbage. Those street trash people dont seem to be particularly mobile, so if you're not within walking distance of their hoods you're probably ok. I just went to Colorado for the first time a couple weeks ago and was amazed. I had no idea places that pretty existed in the u.s. Good luck to you and your family, I hope it goes well for you.

Way cool! Id give just about anything for my wife to catch the hunting bug. Congrats to you two.

My best one so far was taken at 8500'. Spent two days up there and didnt see another person. Only deer, turkeys and cattle.

Really? I can't get away from them. Yep, sad but true. Only one I ever saw was on the way to san diego a few years ago, there was a big ole ram standing on top of a boulder right on the side of the highway. No idea what score, but he looked pretty big and lots of horn. Yet to see one in az though. Im told theres a few in 37b and 24b but i lived in superior for about 4 years and hunted, hiked and backpacked in those units like crazy every chance i had. Never saw 'em.

Spears are for girls. I hunt bears with a fresh cut springy willow switch. Whip his arse up into a horse trailer, haul him home and mean mug him into submission, then I drink beer and fart while the women skin out that freshly tamed pussycat of a bear. I also have an impressive set of tools, luxurious thick patch of chest hair and sport a five oclock shadow by 9am (unless I dont feel like shaving again on lunch break, then my beard sits idle and waits for me to call it). Lets see some pansy twatter/facebook hunter out man that.

Helluva shot! Congrats on your elk.

Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing. I've still yet to see one in person. Someday I guess.

I'll actually be doing this next month in the colorado otc elk hunt, for the very reason you described. Going with a good friend that rifle hunts, but I only bowhunt. I'll wear the orange and try to get close enough for the arrow, and if not I'll go home with my tag. I hold nothing against any legal hunter using any legal tool, but i personally have no interest to shoot anything with a gun.

I never did it, but thought about it just to get some more time in the field. If you want to kill one with your bow, go for it. Its your tag, use it anyway you want. Might consider wearing some orange though...

Buck of a lifetime, no doubt. I love those big muleys!

Really awesome buck. Congrats, he's a trophy of a lifetime.