stanley

OTC spring turkey tags for kids is an outstanding idea!!!!! Terry, my boys & I are heading-up next Thursday afternoon! What time will you all be set-up??? Amanda said the 16th, but the flyer says 17th..... If you're there on Thursday afternoon, I'll stop by on our way to say hello! We might stop in later in the weekend as well, depending on how our hunting is going.... Kudso to Terry & helpers to doing the youth camps for the spring turkey hunts!!!!!! S.

As far as 'where are the turkeys.....', I would say that you should try to get to the unit a day early (at least....). Listen down into drainages & canyons in the morning & evening for gobblers sounding-off! That's going to be the easiest way to get a bead on their general where-abouts! Good luck novice!!! Basics; Lots of good camo, NO movement when you're on a stand/set-up, and DON'T call too much! Less can be 'more'..... Listen to the woods..... I'm generally a novice also, and I'm finding spring turkey hunting to be GREAT fun!! S.

I'm in the IT industry for a living. The teams that I manage build custom computer systems. This type of thing is always a tough problem to solve for because you have to make assumptions when designing the system. One of the assumptions that always should be accounted for is the 'load' that will be placed on the system during peak & non-peak times (and every time in between...). Depending on the criticality of the system you're building, you sometimes plan for the worse vs. planning for the average..... The wise thing for NM to do would be to use the data this year to help guide their assumptions for next year's capacity demand. Then they will obviously have to make a decision as to whether to fund enough capacity (servers, etc...) to handle the peak, or if they want to plan for the average again. Again, not an easy problem to solve for. All that being said though, I don't think they should have extended it. What will happen if on the last day of the 'extended' deadline the system overloads again?? Will they extend it again? I say that they should have held fast to the deadline, and then account for it in next year's system build (if they see fit....). S.

Yes Ernesto, I've fished off the beaches at Las Conchas before..... I always take my rod and lots of Kastmasters!! Nice & heavy so I can heave those suckers WAY out there. Usually catch lots doing that, but I've found the fishing is much better if the water is a little warmer. A couple of years ago my kid's spring break was a little early (varies cuz of Catholic school! LOL Always around Easter... & the water was a bit chilly and I didn't catch as many.... Gotta be careful though! 4 years ago we were there and I was having a GREAT time fishing...... That was until that pesky stingray decided to have his way with my ankle! That HURT big time!!!! S.

Awesome pics Ernesto!!! I've been to that place to relax many times. We're usually in a house down at Las Conchas though... I'll try to dig-up some old pics of some of my favorite other places to relax and post! S.

Start's next weekend, the 17th! Easter is for hunting eggs I suppose..... S. PS: For those that don't know, the junior turkey tags are OTC starting this year. What an AMAZING opportunity to get the kids out for a good quality 'big game' hunt! With two boys of age already and a sweet little girl turning 10 next month, I don't know if I'll hunt turkeys for myself for several years now! Sitting in a blind with the children is WAY better anyway though!!

Thanks Chef! The camera & guitar will both be packed for sure! Along with the camo!!! I just hope I can get those wiggle worms to hold still long enough to get a gobbler in! Either way it will be a good time.... S.

Thanks for the report from up north Brian! I'm hoping for a good weekend with the kids! Pretty nice that they get first crack at them before the general hunt!!!! S.

Chupacabra (sp)!!!!!!

OK, so the last time there was a big problem with the draw they blamed it on the 'on-line' system. I wonder what there excuse will be this time!!! Due to many issues discovered with the antelope & elk draws this year, they are going to re-do the entire thing!!! If you got drawn, then apparently TOUGH for you! All apps go back into the hat for the re-draw! I just checked the G&F website and it is confirmed. Bummer!! Good luck the second time around people! S.

Yea, I know you did Lark! I remembered that! I was surprised that by 10AM on April 1st, that you or nobody else posted anything crazy so I couldn't resist! S.

Bummer that nobody bought it!!!! I absolutely LOVE April Fools day! This morning I had my kids convinced that their school had to cancel their spring break this year! Almost had my sweet little girl in tears! Later in the day I had my nanny freaking-out cuz I told her I lost my job and hence she was out of a job!! She cussed me when I then asked her what today's date was! S.

Glad to see you back Lark!!! The place isn't the same without your humor/wit/sarcasm! Hope the healing continues well!!!! Best, S.

As has been mentioned, in New Mexico the ES tag is for ANY elk! Cow, bull, raghorn, calf, big boy, what ever..... I love the fact that they offer those tags! My son had a Junior ES tag a couple of years ago in NM. He ended-up taking a nice bull, but we knew that a 'last day' cow was always an option! S.

Thanks Terry & Doug for the info and the link. Not many tags left.... Not a big surprise there I reckon though... I'll try to get one (or all.... ) of my little ones a tag if possible! Scott, sincere congrats on your tag!!! That's a golden ticket for sure! Best of luck to you on that hunt. After Amanda's hunt last year, I know that not only can Chef cook, but he can call elk as well if he helps you out!!! S.

I put in for archery bull only, and as a result; Nothing for me! No junior cow hunts for my kids either though, which is kind of a drag..... My smallest turns 10 this May and I was hoping that she would get a junior tag. Oh well, a lesson in the 'real world' for the kids this year! Anyone know what the elk left-overs have looked like in the past? Maybe I can pick-up a cow tag for the kids..... S.

Regarding on-line vs. mail-in only, I'm not sure if that made a signifiant difference in the numbers of applicants or not. It seems like I remember a post a few years ago (when the issues were occuring.....) that published some application data. As I recall, there was not a significant difference in the number of applicants when it was available on-line vs. mail-in only. I would LOVE it if then went back to on-line applications. Much more convenient, IMO! Of course, assuming they could get any previous issues corrected. S.

Good for the boy azhunter85!!!! I never measure my animals (maybe because they never seem worth it.... ). I'm glad you posted the pic! Doesn't matter much to me what the bull scored, and I'm not sure why it matters to those that have critiqued it. (other than they are certainly entitled to their opinion when you post a pic on a public forum...) Those that post pics/stories must stand-up to that critique. Not saying they are right, or you are right. I'm just glad that the kid had a great hunt! My son shot a nice bull a couple of years ago in NM. It was his first bull, and it was a dandy. (Amanda was with us for the hunt!) I remember when it went down I could have sworn it was at least 300+, but as the hours wore on it was apparent that it was short of that. It didn't matter though.... All that mattered was that we had an epic hunt ending with a bull hitting the ground! If you put a tape to it, then only YOU know the score. 360 or not, it looks like that boy had a great day! THAT'S what counts!!! S.

Anyone who knows Muleyman, knows that this must be on the strip!!!! Exactly where? I don't know that..... S.

The owner of the site has given all of us extraordinary words of wisdom! As with most words of wisdom, it is simple; If you don't like a topic or think it should be brought-up, then DON'T READ or REPLY TO IT!!!! Amanda, you're a princess!!!!! (and a VERY wise one, at that....) S.

VERY cool Amanda!!!!!!! S.

Big Brother????? More like big Business!! Phone numbers and address's are public record. Nothing anyone couldn't have found out without Google. Google just makes it so you can do it from your desk (or living room, or Blackberry, or where ever....). The information has always been there. The internet just makes it easier to get. I'm not scared at all!! S.

Sincere good luck Lark! I know a couple of folks who have had joints replaced, and they have both been 100% satisfied with the results! One guy had hip replacement surgery and was playing golf 6 days later!!!! Said that he felt better 1 day after the surgery than he had in 2 years!!! I hope you have the same result! Modern medicine can be amazing sometimes! S.

I absolutely LOVE all of the second guessing by all of you experts! What the heck would you have done if you were a G&F officer who found this animal in your trap? (That's a rhetorical question BTW, because until you get out there an do the job, it doesn't matter!!) Is it a shame that the animal died? OF COURSE IT IS! Is it a shame that the so called 'environmental wackos' may use this to benefit their cause? OF COURSE IT IS? Is it a shame that you all are second guessing after the fact what actions the G&F took? ABSOLUTELY, IMO! G&F catches a rare animal in their trap (snare, box, what-ever...). They see what a rare find they have, and figure there may be value in collaring it to gather some Intel on it's habits & movements. The animal cannot handle the stress (of either the snare, the box, the collar, sedation, what-ever it was....) and then dies as a result. End of story! Go ahead and play arm-chair quarterback experts! That's the easy thing to do because you weren't there...... :wacko: I suppose if you had been there you would have just released it back and said "hey, let's just ignore it and not tell anyone....". What a joke... S. PS: Sorry for the rant, I just HATE it when "experts" come out of the woodwork and second guess the actions of those who are paid & trained to make the decisions they make!

Hey David, if you've never done spring turkey hunting before then you're in for a real treat!!! I went for the first time about 5 years ago, and I was immediatly hooked! LOT'S of fun!!!!!! If you can find someone with some experience to go with your first time, it will help GREATLY! Basics though are to get up super early, listen for gobbles (as indicated above), get set-up and hen call a couple of times, and hold PERFECTLY still!!!!! DON'T MOVE!!! Good luck! S.