stanley

I'm with you John! If you'll look at my first post on the topic, I think we definitely agree there. When a non-hunter asks me if I 'caught 'anything or if I 'harvested' anything, I generally just give them the answer that they were looking for as opposed to getting stuck on termanoligy (sp).... My point was that as a hunter, I never purposely try to sugar coat it. If they ask me if I caught anything, I tell them yes or no. If I'm talking amoungst my buddies about hunting though, I just tend to never use the term 'harvest' as it relates to hunting. Seems like that's a term the G&F uses, but my buddies and I always refer to it as a KILL! LOL No big deal.... just differing opinions, which is what makes the world go around! S.

I gotta say Tucson John; I don't agree with you and/or Casey. When I fish, I catch. When I grow a garden, I harvest. When I hunt, I kill. Harvesting animals??? Huh??? So the idea of harvesting animals may be sound, and I recognize that the G&F uses that term, but when was the last time you and your buddy(s) stood over a dead animal and had someone proclaim 'nice harvest!'? IMO, that is a term reserved for publication.... I use the word KILL when referring to hunting! At the end of the day though, to me it really doesn't matter what other people say (especially non-hunters...) catch, kill, harvest, whatever..... S.

Yea, I've had folks ask me that way before..... 'What's the proper response?'??? There's not one single proper response IMO.... I generally chalk it up to ingnorance and give them an answer. I know the meaning of what they were asking, whether they worded it right or not doesn't much matter to me. S.

Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Huge congrats to your son! Out of curiosity, is that a 36A buck? I've got a friend down there with his son right now, and I'm hoping to join them this weekend. Can't wait to get my boys out on their junior cow hunt next weekend!!! Again, congrats!!! S.

Good luck to all!!!! Jeff, I just sent you a PM. You might run into my buddy Ken in 36A this weekend! My two boys can't wait for the 6A youth elk hunt next weekend!! S.

Pretty dog Jackshoe! We've got a 2 1/2 year old viszla that we hope to get out on some mearns this year! Great dogs!!! S.

128 7/8

Hey Amanda: Thanks for posting the whole run-down. You spent the entire time up there, so I know that your words only expose a small part of the experience. All good!!!! I really appreciated the chance to spend some time with you (and Chef) in the field. Work & personal life is CRAZY for me right now, and I truly cherish any & all moments in the woods. Sincere thanks for letting me tag along for a couple of days! This post should be an example to all! I spent time with Amanda during the opening weekend, and it quickly became apparent that she was NOT just there to kill an elk. She was soaking-up each & every moment in the woods. This is a woman who truly LOVES being in the outdoors, and LOVES all the outdoors has to offer. Always optimistic and never any malice towards anyone! Kudos to you Amanda!!!!! S.

Myself and a buddy both have the late Nov/Dec tags. We'll likely be camping-out for the opening weekend. Probobly camp along the Botemonte Ranch road, just a 1/2 mile or so from the Arivaca road. Same location that Gabe Paz (WM for 36A) has been hosting the youth camps & ranch clean-ups the past couple of years. You're welcome to join our camp if you would like.... Let me know, S.

Thirds, browtines, what ever.... AMAZING ELK!!!! LOL.... S.

Nice mess of fish, and great pictures! Thanks for sharing TJ! Nice to meet you the other day as well. S.

Happy birthday Chef! Regards, S.

VERY cool!!!! Congrats to you guys!!!! Good pics as well! I like the "1/2 skinned" picture! Field pics are cool, but I like to see them hanging as well! S.

Sincere congratulations on your bull AZ Ranger!!!! Sounds like you had a GREAT hunt!!! S.

Cheers redneck!!! Sincere agreement on that point! I definitely hope & pray the exact same thing for my family!!! Words of wisdom for sure..... S.

The fall of America as we know it now????? To me, that's funny! I suppose that when women were given the right to vote that many folks figured it was the fall of America as they knew it.... I also suppose that when black people were given the right to sit on any seat, as opposed to the back of the bus, that some folks likely figured that it was the fall of America as they knew it to.... Here's my take; Gay marriage? Do I support it? Well, I haven't been to any gay weddings so I guess I haven't yet. Do I think it's wrong for a couple of guys to get married? Not sure..... Do I care if they say their married? Definitely not... Doesn't affect me personally in the least.... "The fall of America as we know it?" How about the current debt & financial crisis that the government is dealing with? Bailing HUGE companys out of their mess with our tax money (money we don't have, by the way.....)! To me, that is a MUCH MUCH MUCH more pressing issue than if a couple of guys/girls want to get married to each other. How about how our children & grandchildren are going to deal with this debt mess???? How about how strong America is financially in the next 100 years & how we retain our position in the world so our offspring can prosper as we have? Again, to me these are MUCH more pressing issues! Freedom & choice are what has made this country great IMO. Not government control over what folks do in the privacy of their own homes.... My $.02.... S. PS: I sure hope Amanda gets a chance at a big elk!!!! She's been working VERY hard at it!

Got a call from her day before yesterday. Nothing as of then.... S.

I hear your sentiment tjhunt2, but I don't think I completely agree that it has gotten too far out of hand. Last week around the campfire, Amanda, Chef and myself were discussing the topic of moderating on this board. When someone hits the 'report' button, I'm one of the ones (along with Amanda, Allen, and a couple of others...) who gets the notification. Frankly, there are a surprisingly low number of reported posts. Many of them are to report SPAM, etc... When I compare this message board to some of the others that I frequent, I'm continually impressed with the vibe that is present here. Generally a pretty cohesive atmosphere here. Sure there is the occasional flare-up, but in general it's pretty tame around here IMO.... That being said, I would encourage any & all to report anything you feel is inappropriate to post on this public forum. Private messages are kind of a different deal, but if anything gets too crazy there we would like to know about it as well. S.

So I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days south of Flagstaff with Amanda and Chef. She is up there on her archery bull elk hunt and invited us to join. No bull had hit the ground as of yesterday afternoon, but lots of fun has been had for sure.... The bulls in the area we were in have definitely NOT started the rut in earnest yet. VERY quiet & a little 'stand offish'.... No bugling at night, and hardly any bugling during the day. Tough archery hunting to say the least.... Most bugling we heard was in response to Chef's calls! It was just enough to keep us busy however, and Amanda is optimistic that the rut will kick-in at some point during her archery hunt! Highlights of the last couple of days for me; 1) Getting back out in the field with Amanda and meeting Chef. I always like spending time with her, and he is a great guy who was a pleasure to meet & spend time with in the field! 2) Hearing Chef describe how a 4X7 bull walked-up on him (10 yards.....) from behind while he was sitting on a log eating a granola bar!!! Those elk can be quite sneaky when they want to be!!!! (I was off in the woods answering mother nature at the time... ) 3) Eating some great food around the fire with Amanda and Chef (They don't call him 'Chef' for nothin!!!!). I can cook a steak just fine, but there's something about having a bonified 'CHEF' cook your meal for you! 4) Sitting there with Chef while watching a VERY nice 6X6 bull from a couple of hundred yards or so, thinking how nice it would be to be on a rifle hunt at that particular moment! Incidentally, Amanda's standards are WAY higher than mine and I think she would have passed on this 330ish bull. She's holding-out for a BIG ONE! So in summary, they're still up there chasing bulls and I'm here..... Amanda is planning on being there for the next week & a half, and I'm pretty sure she'll get into some good rutting action before it's all said and done! I'm hoping to get up there for a couple of days this weekend! Hopefully she'll call me sometime this week with a report! S.

Outstanding!!!! Congrats on a fine bull! S.

Great bull! Great story! S.

Well, no bull for Amanda yet!! Optimism still VERY high though! It's easy to be optimistic when you've planned on being there for the entire hunt! (talk about dedication..... ) She has had some more excitement, but hasn't drawn on a bull yet. Based on her persistence, I'm thinking it's only a matter of time.... S. PS: Chef, I was thinking about the 6X6 we were watching from that ridge on Saturday morning (can't get him out of my mind...). Maybe that would have been a great time to get that decoy out???? Hind-sight.... live & learn....

I think he's still around, but just doesn't post much (or at all....). I think he's hunting archery bull elk as we speak, so maybe we'll see a report from him sometime in the future.... S.

Too bad for your son's pain, but OUTSTANDING antelope hunt!!!! Congrats to you and he both!!! Both of my sons play Pop-Warner football (talk about a hectic fall schedule.... with hunts & all... ), and I don't often think about the potential consequences..... Once in a while one of their teammates goes down, and I suppose it could happen to them anytime. In the meantime though; they're enjoying it and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll stay safe! Again, best regards to your son on a great hunt!!! S.

BIG congrats to you on your success! Nothing like being amongst a bunch of bugling bulls!!!! S.