stanley

For every one person who speaks-up and makes a stand, I suppose there are 100,000 who will say nothing. Not saying I agree with him or not. Frankly, I think he's a bit of a nut job.... But at least he's speaking-out. He'll pay the price (or not) for that, but at least he spoke his mind. My $.02 only. S.

No way. Really???? :blink: Conspiracy theory in the elk/antelope draws??? Too funny!!! Um, I'm thinking they're just trying to get through the process and handle everything..... I agree with Tines. No way! S.

They DO set a date. It's in the regulations on page 12. It says: 'Hunt permit-tags and refund warrants mailed out by: April 20, 2012' In all seriousness though, for anyone who knows anything about computers (specifically as it pertains to large 'batch' processing), it is hard to determine the exact day/time that a process that is run once a year will complete. It's easy to play armchair quarter back, but there are things like server space/capacity, database size, etc. that come into play. Many people get VERY antsy this time of year, but the bottom line is that we'll all know when we know...... You have to figure that G&F isn't trying to keep us waiting on purpose. They are just trying to get it right and final with no errors. Remember the days of waiting for the white or pink slips in the mail???? Patience my friends! S.

Awesome update! Catfishing is one of my favorite things to do! I think you just inspired me...... S.

Amanda, you wrote earlier in this thread that the ADA remains opposed to the bill 'as it is written....'. But what does the board think about the overall concept? I really think the majority of opposition on this site has not just been to the way the bill was written. People in general, just seem to be opposed to the concept in general. Also, folks are opposed to the behind the scenes political lobbying, not just the verbiage of the bill. That is my opinion only of course. At the end of the day, this thing is a big mess. S.

Wow, thanks for sharing Brian! S.

VERY, VERY AWESOME!!!!! Congrats to Allison! There is absolutely nothing like hunting with kids! Thanks much for sharing the story with this site! S.

Have fun everyone. I would have liked to attend, but unfortunately I'll be out of the country working. Best of luck to AES on the banquet! S.

VERY awesome Darrell! Congrats on a great time! Also; BIG kudos to Bobby, Michael, Scott (and anyone else who contributed time/support)! I know that Bob and Michael have always done plenty to help the kids on the youth hunts in AZ (I've shared many camp fires with those two, and they are the real deal when it comes to volunteering!, and it's awesome to see all supporting this great endevor by SCI! Great job, Scott and all! S.

Allen: I happen to have a friend who is a lobbyist here in AZ (NOT related to this! He represents a completely different business group.......) I'll try to call him today to see what he knows about the process! Will post if/when I find anything. S. Allen et al; I spoke to my 'source' at the Capitol. He gave me the skinny regarding what he knows about the general law making process, and in particular THIS bill. His take was that lobbyists/reps frequently meet with the Govenor's office to feel-out bills and the vibe as part of the process. His take was that likely the pushers of this bill clearly are still trying to make a go of it, and were wanting to run it by the Govenor's folks to try to get a feel for support if it ended-up making it through the House to her desk. That being said, he also indicated that the 'word on the street' at the Capitol and in the House is that this bill is POISON/TOXIC! He has talked to several Representatives and Lobbyists, and his take was that it will not get anywhere based on the amazing response from the 'average joe' sportsman! I'm not trying to paint it like there is no reason for concern, and I'm not trying to make it like he knows anymore than anyone else. It was just an off the record conversation with a friend of mine who is in that three ring circus everyday for a living. Good job to everyone for making your voice's heard! S.

Allen: I happen to have a friend who is a lobbyist here in AZ (NOT related to this! He represents a completely different business group.......) I'll try to call him today to see what he knows about the process! Will post if/when I find anything. S.

Cool! Good job on the bobcat!! I have a question though (and I'm serious, not trying to be funny....): How in the heck do you release a skunk? Have you ever been 'nailed' by the sucker when releasing?? S.

Just sent an e-mail to the Govenor and Scott Smith. S.

Amanda, I use my 15X56's with the eye pieces as close together as they go. Do these covers limit the binos from closing all the way? I like them, but if they restrict them form closing all the way, I can't buy them. Thanks. I was thinking the same thing, Jimmyc. I think I'm going to give them a try though. Take a look at the quote below from BigWave regarding this exact same question. Seems like you can still close them all the way..... S. " Diamondbackaz, on 24 November 2011 - 09:48 AM, said:Question, what purpose do they serve? They wouldn't work for me as I have to have my 15's all the way closed because of my narrow IPD. I even had to narrow my adapter just to get them closer together. They are solely made to provide an extra layer of protection from accidental drops, scratches from carrying your binos on a tripod thru brush, etc. They are designed to stay on all of the time and work with the factory rubber lens covers. Some guys will put their binos in their backpack along with other hard items in it, hike several miles with the binos rubbing against another item and get wear marks on the binos. I like to keep my gear in great shape and looking new for as long as possible and this will help me do that. These binos are not cheap! I dont understand the second part. These work perfectly with the tripod adapter in place and fully closed down to the narrowest position. Did you have the hinge assembly on your binos customized to close further down? Could you explain? Again, thanks for the input! I know that these are not for everyone, but I know that I looked for something like this for my Swaro's when I first got them and if it had been out there, I sure would have bought a set! Thanks! "

Very awesome pics, Doug! A guy who works for me is actually a Hot Air Balloon pilot. He often flies in this event, but didn't make it this year. He flies in 4-6 events per year, and often comes back with some great pics! Thanks for sharing! S.

VERY cool! I loved the 'run & gun' quail hunting too!!!! Thanks for sharing! S.

+1 on bloodydecks...... Check last year's reports if possible to see what is realistic in April. Good luck and take some Dramamine!!! S.

AWESOME!!! Congrats to Josh! There is nothing like hunting with kids! Thanks for sharing with the site! S.

Nice pics, Amanda! Nice to see a few flowers out there, given the slight rain we've had this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Spring storm or two to hopefully bolster the Gambel's popoulation this fall..... Again, great pics! Love the pic of the two little ones! S.

Love the pics and write-up, Amanda! Very bummed that I could not be there this year! Such a great bunch of folks. Glad that all the mentors were there to help, and glad that Woody and crew didn't dissapoint! Thanks for sharing! S.

As has been said, it was nice to see some old and new faces at the meeting last night. Unfortunately, I showed-up a bit late for the meal before hand and hence didn't really get a chance to personally meet many folks. I agree with the comments made that the meeting was fairly productive with plenty of room/time for all to voice their opinions. I appreciate the cordial and professional nature of John and the rest of the board. I also appreciated many of the comments from the attendees. Several folks were clearly more prepared than I was to comment, and I think that was a good thing. Unfortunately, I'm not ready to re-embrace the ADA yet. I was very frustrated that the board was not prepared to make an 'official' positional stand on ASZFW. (Those that were there likely heard the frustration in my voice....) While most of the board members expressed individually that they didn't agree with what happened, they were not willing as a group to put out an official statement renouncing their support of AZSFW and the bill. The response was that they wanted to get input from their membership prior to finalizing that position. I thought that was what last night's meeting was for??? In addition, I have a problem with them wanting to get input from their membership prior to renouncing the support, because the fact is they did NOT get input from their membership PRIOR to supporting AZSFW in the first place. Just seemed like a cop-out to me. Finally, I heard Pete C. use the reasoning that 'giving up these 300ish auction/conservation tag' is better than continuing to loose 2000 deer tags per year. As I thought about it on the way home, it smelled like great hypocrisy to me. I was part of the ADA board for a few years, and I continually heard the vibe that the ADA wanted LESS tags issued. So which is it??? Does the ADA want more tags, or less? The other problem I had with last night's meeting was that I felt the general vibe was that the ADA was continually defending the situation through the night. I saw John and Pete continuing to defend the bill/AZSFW. Maybe it was just me, but that was the vibe I was left with. Given the positive posts on last night's meeting, I hope that I am not coming across as a nay-sayer or too negative. Just my personal observations...... I will continue to support hunting through my own pet projects (youth camps, hunter education, trash clean-ups, etc....), but I just don't feel like I can support the ADA financially or otherwise at this point until they officially take a different position on this issue. S.

Pole dance???? Now THAT is funny!!!! :lol: In all seriousness though, I've never really had a problem with the center pole either. Makes for a nice high ceiling in the tent. S. PS: Keep your daughters off the pole, guys!!!

+1 for the Alaknak! I have a 12x12. Love it. Relatively light and easy to pack/haul. SUPER easy to set-up and take down (That is now my kid's job when we camp..... ). The biggest complaint that I've seen/heard on the Alaknak is that it doesn' t breathe like canvas. I experience condensation on cold nights/mornings. FYI...... S.

Plenty of bigotry and hypocrisy on all sides of the political scene, for sure..... If he really threatened his ex-boyfriend, then shame on him. Likely a witch hunt, but who knows.... He seems like he's a good sherriff and public servant though and that's what should count, IMO. S.

Yep, I'm with you! Unfortunately, due to family comittments I could not make it there this year. Last year was a blast though, and I'm sure they had a good time this weekend. I want to see a post with stories & pics!! S.