azbighornhunter

Thank you very much Ben!!!!!! We'll see if the taxidermist still has the whole cape. I'm afraid he may have already cut it. If not, we'll try again after August 2nd. Thanks again!!!!!

My Dad has a lifesize Desert Sheep cape for sale. This cape is beautiful and was cut using one dorsal cut last December. There are NO accidental cuts in the cape. It was skinned by very knowledgeable outdoorsmen and was taken care of well. The cape has been tanned for a lifesize mount but the hunter only wants a shoulder mount. If you harvested a ram, and made the mistake of cutting off the back half and now regret it, he would like to make a deal. He does not want to sell the cape without a shoulder mount cape to replace it though. Please give him a call to discuss it. XXX-XXX-XXX

I looked in the AZGFD 2012 -2013 Hunting and Trapping Regulations and did not see ARS 17-371 in there. I wonder why? Perhaps AZGFD needs to add it for next year's printing so nobody makes the mistake by ignorant accident. I'm assuming it's in effect because I found it on the state legislature website. If anybody knows differently please let me know. Here's the link: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/17/00371.htm&Title=17&DocType=ARS FYI

Thanks to a friend of mine we did not make a terrible mistake! Whew!!!!! According to ARS 17-371 Transportation, possession and sale of wildlife and wildlife parts "E. Heads, horns, antlers, hides, feet, or skin of wildlife lawfully taken, or the treated or mounted specimens thereof, may be possessed, sold and transported at any time, except that:" Here's the important part: "2. It is unlawful to sell the heads, horns, hides, feet or skin of bighorn sheep taken on or after October 1,2005, but the department may sell heads, horns hides, feet or skin of bighorn sheep that were illegally taken and confiscated by or donated to the department" The way I understand it, as long as the animal was legally taken, Deer, Elk, Antelope, etc parts can be sold, but NOT BIGHORN SHEEP!!!! So, please be aware of this law if you need a sheep cape! If you have a tag take very special care with yours and I recommend a lifesize skinning job even if you don't plan on a lifesize mount. It will be hard to replace. FYI

I recommend this to all people who successfully draw a sheep tag. GO TO THE ADBSS SHEEP CLINIC!!!!! You will learn a lot about sheep hunting. You will meet lots of good people who know a lot about sheep hunting and would probably love to help you find a good ram. You will also have the opportunity to meet with guides to see if your personalities would sync. Many of the people in the ADBSS have already harvested their Desert sheep, (like me), and since it's a once-in-a-lifetime tag, they would do anything to help you and experience the hunt again. Even if you don't draw a tag, if you want to know more about sheep hunting, go to the clinic. It is free. Sheep hunting is very similar to Coues hunting in many ways.

My wife and I are going. I'm going to RSVP right now.

How many of you have been wandering out in the forest and discovered one of these guzzlers,drinkers, catchments with no water in them? Often times, it's a result fo a faulty valve. I have seen the valves freeze, be bitten by bears, and tampered with by humans. (unfortunately, human tampering is usually the cause of the issue) To solve this problem, a small group of folks in Payson have been working with the Mogollon Sporting Association (MSA), USFS, and AZGFD to retrofit the system with underground valves. The new valves are buried at the same elevation as the above ground drinker trough.That way the elevation of the water in the valve box underground matches the elevation of the water in the trough. These valves solve the freeze, and tampering problems. This weekend we just fixed a catchment that was dry for several years. Once we got the valve problem solved, we hauled 1400 gallons of water to it with the help of the MSA water hauler trailer. I'm going to try to attach some photos for you to check out. FYI, we have installed this system on several water catchments over the last 10 years and they have worked flawlessly. Here we're digging down, uphill from the trough, to find the feeder line and set the valve box. You can see that someone or something has removed the float ball. Without a functioning valve, all the rainwater that gets caught will just flow out. Here we're cleaning out the old watering trough. Tapping into the feed line for the valve. Here's the valve that will be buried. The MSA donated all the parts for this. THANK YOU MSA!!!!! The valve and the watering trough are starting to fill. Full valve box. Now time to add another 500 gallons. Thanks to MSA for the water hauler trailer. Thanks to the anonymous entity that supplied the water free of charge! You know who you are. Got the hose on top ready to pump. Good Job Well Done!!!! The Elk, Deer, Birds, Rodents, etc. all thank you! If you ever find a pile of rocks above a water trough, you know what's under there. PLEASE DO NOT MESS WITH IT. FYI, we saw tracks of Elk and Deer the following morning. The Elk tracks included a good sized bull track. As dry as it is, they must have smelled it and came running overnight. We had a little extra time so we went to another catchment that we filled with 500 gallons this weekend. This one had a lot of Elk use. Lots of mommas and babies getting a drink. If you want to volunteer in the Tonto National Forest around Payson (Unit 22), please send me a message with your contact information. My Dad and I maintain over seven of these and are looking for more people to volunteer. We're not a formal group and we can't handle too many. We usually do these on the weekends as we find problems. I'm employed so I can only squeeze in time on the weekends. If you would like to adopt a catcment, there's many out there. They all need periodic inspections. If you find problems with a catchment in Unit 22 feel free to let me know, (preferrably with pictures and gps coordinates) and I can forward it to the AZGFD and USFS. Perhaps we can get it fixed. Since the whole HB2072 fiasco, I hope there are more people out there who want to get involved. Thanks for your time in reading this!

Thanks Amanda! I'm very proud of the MSA. Thank you for your donations to them. Your donations help us to fund projects like this. It doesn't take much money, but it does take time. I'm just happy to have an excuse to be outside and spend it in God's country helping out our wildlife. Of course, now that theres viable water at these locations I may put a camera on them to see what's coming in. Perhaps a big buck will come strolling in this summer.

Well it finally happened!!!!!! I drew a tag in Wyoming for Rocky Mountain Bighorn!!!!!! This is the last one I need for all four. I've been walking to work to stay in shape in hopes that I'd draw. Now I'll really have to get serious about getting in shape. I'm stoked!!!!!!!!

My Dad needs some cold weather gear soon. He is interested in a used Cabelas Trans Alaska Elite Trail Suit. He would need an XL. If anybody has one they would let him use or sell please let me know. Thanks!

Thank you for posting this!

I had 15 points stacked up. Of course you know, but that represents 15 years of hoping and praying!

If you look at the bottom of the letter you will see who also signed on. There are 19 groups including the ADBSS. FYI

I've checked the maps and it looks like the elevations will range from 9,000 feet to 12,000 feet. I've been keeping my horses and mules legged up but I guess I'll have to haul them up to Flagstaff this summer and ride around on the San Fransisco Peaks to see how they do at altitude. I've spoken to some friends in Wyoming who have told me that non-residents have to be accompanied by a licensed guide if hunting in a wilderness area. Thankfully, I've spoken to several of them at the Wild Sheep Foundation "Sheep Show" in Reno over the last several years. Next step is working out logistics with one of them. So much to be done, so little time!

I shared it on my Facebook page!

Thank you very much for starting this post! I have some input that I would like to share. I have already attended 3 Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) water catchment projects and 1 Arizona Elk Society project this year (AES). I have already brought new people to each of these projects. Sometimes it's hard to DRAG people out of their comfort zone to go on these projects. However, if you succeed, they are always happy they came. I have personally hauled over 600 gallons of water to local water catchments, and repaired livestock exclosure fences, on my own dime, to support our wildlife this summer. I have done this independently as I have had time and resources. You don't have to be with a group to help conservation. For those of you out there who don't know these things are going on, I have some advice. All of the ADBSS projects this year have been posted in advance on their Facebook page. Also, I have posted info about at least one of them on this site. The AES projects are always on their Facebook page and their website in advance. They have also posted them on this site under "Wildlife Project". The ADBSS and the AES are trying hard to get the word out. There are other groups trying also. For instance, I know the Arizona Antelope Foundation and the SWSA have upcoming projects that they're trying to accomplish. PLEASE "LIKE" SEVERAL CONSERVATION GROUPS ON FACEBOOK OR CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITES IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS. You can even subscribe and get email blasts that will tell you what's going on. The information is out there if you look. All of that is FREE! More importantly though, if you are a MEMBER of these groups, you will get a flyer in the mail to let you know what's going on. PLEASE JOIN SOME CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS!!!!!!!!!! Your membership provides influence when these groups have something to say to support you. These groups NEED your membership!!!! I personally don't care which ones you join, but pick the one that you can afford, with a mission you agree with, and join. I'm sure Donnie has a group that would like to have you! I'm a member of many organizations because I truly believe that conservation is the key to our outdoor opportunities in the future. I guess I'll get off my soap box now. Like I said. Thanks for starting this post. We all need to accept the challenge!

Hey Gary, I installed a cross member steering stabilizer onto my 06 Dodge because I understand that with the larger tires, the front of the frame can flex and cause wander and wobbling. I've never had a problem with the "death wobble". Maybe it's just luck. Here's the website. http://www.solidsteel.biz/ I've got 35 inch tires and a leveling kit and never had a problem with the steering. If you want to stop by and take a look at it, I have it at the office today. Good luck, Tanner

I've had great success with Hanwag's Alaska GTX that I bought from Lathrop and Sons. Lathrop and Sons can do custom boot fitting for you. The boots are very similar to the Kennetreks IMO. They're VERY STIFF when you get them. It takes a while to get them broken in. BUT,,,,,,,once they are broken in you can go for miles in rough country. I've had Danner boots in the past of varying styles. I do like them in general. They break in quickly and will fulfill MOST people's needs. Most people do not go for extended mileages. I will probably stick with the Hanwag or Kennetrek from now on though.

I agree with you. In Arizona especially, the early Elk hunts will usually have a collection of bulls herding cows around some sort of rutting area, like a big meadow with a water source. Most of those areas have nearby road access and many times it winds up being a "run and gun" situation where you're competing with vehicles, atv's and folks on foot literally running to get into position. I find that usually, the first guy there gets the big bull. A hunt like that can be exciting to compete in, but is not very conducive to horses. I usually only use them for packing on the early Elk hunts, but it is fun to use them for scouting. As I said, it's an amazing experience to ride them among bugling bulls. For the late hunts horses are much better to get into the "hidey holes" where bulls go to disappear and fatten up for winter. Horses are best in locations where roads are not pletiful. I have used them for both riding and packing on Coues Whitetail, Late Elk, Moose, Stone Sheep, Buffalo, Mule Deer, and Desert Sheep hunts. It's a lot of fun to track mule deer horseback. I don't have a lot of experience with it but so far it has been fun. Also, they're great for Mountain Lion hunting.

I have used the blood in the nose trick on every pack animal I use. The first time is a rodeo. After that it's usually not a problem. A safety trick for the blood on the nose is to tie a 1" diameter soft cotton rope loop loosely around their neck near their shoulders. Then use the rest of the rope to tie a loop around a hind foot to tie it up and forward slightly. It's like a parking brake. They're standing on three legs and can't kick. If the're prone to explosion, I'll hobble the front legs too. I'll wipe their nose with some blood and wait for them to calm down. Once they're relaxed, I'll untie them and give them some petting and love. I also hang a fresh piece of hide on the corral fence, near their feeder and water trough, whenever I harvest an animal so they get used to it. Sometimes they refuse to eat or drink for half a day, but always get over it. Also, when I'm starting a new pack animal, I'll pack them at home with some bells and noise makers tied inside the packboxes, and turn them loose in the corral for a few hours. They go crazy for a while but eventually calm down. Once again, lots of petting and love after they've calmed down. All of these tricks have proven to create a "bomb proof" horse or mule for me. There's a good book called "Horses, Hitches, and Rocky Trails" that has some good illustrations of the ties that I'm talking about. FYI

I use horses for Elk hunting all the time. I personally think they add a whole new element to the pleasure of hunting. To travel quietly and without much restriction into Elk habitat on a horse/mule, with bugling bulls surrounding you is amazing. With the horses/mules, you can access country that is further back than folks on foot and still feel fresh enough to hunt. I actually prefer mules over horses for my backcountry hunts. I can elaborate on that more if you wish later. To my surprise, many times I can ride my horses right up to a herd of Elk (within 40-50 yards) and they'll put up with it fine. However, if I get off, and try to walk, they'll scatter. I don't know why they put up with my horses/mules but they do. Especially in the spring when I'm riding around looking for sheds. My horses and mules live with Elk in the pasture at night so they aren't affected by Elk at all. You may have to sit tight the first few encounters with Elk. An absolute bonus, is when I harvest an Elk, my four legged friends can pack out the meat for me. I have many photos of large bulls packed on my trusty steeds. Last fall, I packed a 384 bull that my sister got on my horse. If you get interested in packing, I have some tricks that would definitely help a lot. I do have extra pack gear for horses that I'm interested in selling. Specifically, pack saddles, and packboxes if you're interested. One word of caution however, make sure to have some hunter orange on your horses when you're riding around. Unfortunately, some people are not as careful as they should be when they shoot. The biggest downfall of horses/mules is the feed bill. As long as you have that handled, you should be happy! Welcome to the club!

Here's a link to a Youtube video recorded at the 2012 Cipriano Pass Project campfire. The song is a fun summary of what the ADBSS goals are. It's a whole lot of fun when kids are there to participate in the song. Just for a smile.

Just letting everybody know. ADBSS has a wildlife water catchment project planned for March 23-25, 2012 in Unit 40B. They need lots of help with this one. This is a great chance to introduce people to conservation, and show what sportsmen do for wildlife. If you can attend, please do so! This is also a good opportunity to meet the board members at the Saturday night campfire. The flyer is located on the ADBSS website at http://www.adbss.org/2012_Cipriano_tank.pdf I'm also going to try to attach it to this post. We'll see how that works. Thanks! AZBIGHORNHUNTER 2012_Cipriano_tank.pdf

FYI,at the March 14th, ADBSS board meeting, the board voted to OPPOSE HB2072. If you are a member of ADBSS, please feel free to let the board know your opinion. The board represents their members.

To make sure that I make myself clear, I do own a quad, and I do use it to get around on existing roads. But, I sure hope that the new rules will provide some areas where a person with with a little physical ambition can get away from the massive hordes of people. I am sorely dissappointed with the amount of country that is being "motorized" each fall. With the increasing "hunter opportunity" tags that G&F keeps issuing and the lack of respect of many of todays hunters, I cannot seem to find very many secluded places for a QUALITY hunt. In addition, my observance has been that the wildlife are having a harder and harder time finding a safe haven to survive the fall. Maybe, limited access will help to pick up where our management fails. I just hope that if these rules are put into place I'll actually see a green forest service law enforcement vehicle in the northern Tonto National Forest for a change. I guess I need to get off of my soapbox now.