Code3

per·se·ver·ance persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Way to stay positive until a memorable end!

Second vote on the Remington Versamax. Never jams, shoots all lengths. While I’ve kept every shotgun I’ve acquire for family posterity, the Versamax is my only Turkey gun. Been using it stock from the factory 5yr now (5 Toms down). Remington often puts out a $100 rebate on this gun. But shop today (Black Friday), and you may get it even less cost!?!

Better yet, make the North Rim a three day weekend. Rim to Rim to Rim day one. Day two when you can’t / don’t want to walk any further… take a 4x4 scenic drive to Point Sublime for a picnic lunch, happy hour at sunset on North Lodge’s patio, dinner reservations inside North Lodge, followed by starry night watching before bedding in one of the many North Lodge cabins. 10/10 memories!

Years ago I bought a used Remington 700 .300 RUM off a friend. It was a stock trigger and he did not tinker with the pull weight. I later learned of the model 700 trigger recall. I went through the whole process of getting an RMA, stripping the gun, and shipping to manuf.’s third party labor. They put a new trigger in it and shipped it back at Remington’s expense. After opening the box I noticed cosmetic white paint (like a paint pen) on the replacement trigger. Several phone calls later to Remington and the third party labor, no one could explain the deliberate paint marking. To settle my conscious I bought a Timney, installed it myself, shot several hundred target rounds (and one pronghorn), never looked back with concern. Timney customer service was great and explained the trigger types avail. Go Timney and go forward with peace of mind.

Read the thread TURKEY: First Time Oct 26. Comments from members are spot on to hear, find, and draw in the Tom. You should also be watching for signs of bird presence when they aren’t make a peep (or gobble). Look for bird turd. White question mark shape means Tom. White popcorn shape means Hen. (Pics attached). Foot prints in snow or mud wil be obvious. Feed scratching of pine needles will look like someone took a leaf rake to a 1’x1’ area. Bunch of feathers at the base of tree indicates their chosen roost tree and preening. One last pointer… as hard as it is to be actively hunting 1-1.5hrs before sunrise… on the 6th day, do it. Those are golden hours. Good luck, it’s so fun!

4yrs using Montana Decoy (3) Miss Purrfect and (1) Jake Purrfect: collapsible, soft sided decoys, light weight, silent. While I haven’t used them every year I get a Tom, I have used them successfully and carry them every year I get a Tom tag. Soft fabric over an accordion like body. Wire neck and tail allows you to make unique presentations. If you have ever had a windshield sun protector kick your a** when trying to fold, you’ll know what I mean about how these fold down. After getting a hand of the fold, I carry (1) hen at my chest within a half zippered parka for fast set up when walking the forest. The balance of the flock take little room within a day pack if you want to set up in a blind. Can be used with the metal stake or simply placed on the ground/tree stump. Fabric has purposeful cuts in fabric to blow gently in wind like real feathers. It might not be THE BEST decoy avail and looks like a misfit stuffed animal… it does the job and is quickly deployable / packable. Here are some close up pics from our past hunts. Another tool in the toolbox.

I believe we will see more llamas, owned and rented, for backcountry hunting going forward. These nimble, sure footed camelids go many places horses can’t due to their soft cloven feet. They drink half the quantity of water than horses and can eat naturally avail vegetation at the spike camp. Alert and vocalize a high pitch warning to bear threats. Have been known to death stomp coyotes and cat predators during the night while you sleep undisturbed. Very social creatures to humans with short training needs allows the hunter to use without guides. However, you won’t be riding a llama or get the high ratio of weight carry capability that a horse can deliver due to it’s smaller body frame—but this could be viewed as a plus within limited camp space. Simple, go anywhere animals. I would definitely rent a couple for the backcountry.

What a great bond time with Daughter and CWT member! Family times like this will be retold for generations. I tip my hat to all three of you on the find, execution of shot, and time devoted to the hunt. Super!

Last day hunt success is such a rich reward! Well done.

Second the Mystery Ranch line. Super comfortable, expandable, meat shelf, American made, lacks small gear organization… but who puts meat and skulls in small pockets. 😝

I’ve been vicariously hunting through a couple Dudes with pronghorn tags, but little feedback. I know of (1) success in 19A. Anybody got pics of AZ 2022 to share?

DANG Mark!!!!!! I think I looked at these pics for over 5min. Congrats to you for successfully calling in this monster & to your son for the accuracy to harvest this trophy. Elk burgers until next season! Again, Just incredible 🤙🏻

All Kuiu Rain gear on sale for another 2 days

Well… now I need to glass in the tree tops too! 😂 FullSizeRender.MOV

Nice Oryx! I can recall quail hunting out on WSMR with my Dad. Started walking up a gentle hill to gain spotting elevation when I looked up to see an all white Oryx looking down at me from 20yds. Talk about shock and awe! CONGRATS.

I’ve owned the CVA Optima V2 LR TH Nitride .50cal for 2yrs. Bought it new. It always go BANG & accurate for a secondary load without having to clean between every trigger pull. Break barrel works well. FUN rifle, even for the non technical hunters I’ve shared it with during HAM… I’m still waiting to get that elk muzzy tag. My ONLY muzzy criticism would be how much bullet drop I’ve experienced 50-200yrd. That being said, a .45cal might have been a better rifle choice— but this has nothing to do with gun manufacturer. I use Powerbelt and IMR White Hots (convenient).

Nice rack! Tenacity pays off 🤙🏻

Hunt of a Lifetime— terminally ill kids. Nationwide with Az presence. Phone, email, and pod cast below… https://huntofalifetime.org/media/podcast/amazing-hunt-of-a-lifetime-az-with-pat-beard

Drop Tine character!!! Incredible archery take. Was your mouth mouth on your boots as he came in?!? Well done composure to reap the benefits of waiting.

I enjoy the General Javelina hunts. It allows me to stalk with a bow and carry bullet as the backup. (4) Grey Ghosts out of (5) hunts, but all were taken with rifle or handgun; the one year I didn’t harvest was because I was so determined to take with a bow, I left the handgun at home. I pack lunch & snacks to hunt all day. Because those wiley piggies aren’t gonna be taken from camp, right!?! I glassed and walked and drove the Ranger all day—unsuccessful to find javelina. Driving back to camp at near dark, I found a herd of Jave 100yrds from camp! Quickly exited the Ranger, flanked the herd in the direction of their migration, and settled into my best Clint Eastwood handgun pose with the .223 Contender. Found the biggest one with my naked eye. It was walking with a stutter step. When I found it again in the long eye relief scope, I discovered it only had 3 legs. TRIPOD! Deem it unique or the weakest one in the herd, I decided it was the least likely to survive in the wild and double lunged it 75yrds from camp. The scar tissue on her chest where the front left leg should have been was healed and old. She must have had a ferocious defense to predators or the herd took care of her as their MaTRIarch. My wife thought it was too funny of a story to forget & insisted that Jave Sow be remembered… a rug with a story.

I’ll quote my daughter, “That Lope is Bad Donkey!” Great pic.

I have the Lightweight Kuiu Northridge rain set. Bought for the unpredictable Spring showers. It’s great. Pit zippers, hood, & full length leg zips are a plus. It packs down to almost nothing at the bottom of your pack. It can be worn for warmth the first couple hours before sunrise, as it breathes. It’s my experience to never pay full retail for Kuiu. They have multiple sales throughout the year, but not across all products. Check out this upcoming sale…

Speaking only for myself… I bumper pull a travel trailer as base camp with the SxS on rear of truck. I use the SxS for day trips and occasionally primitive overnight stays when I want to stay deep on the 2-tracks without disturbing game. A sleeping bag, dry food, and water is all you need.

Input from existing SxS owners and forums will reveal a lot of thoughts you might not know before getting your new toy. I don’t think your asking for input on brands (the old Chevy vs Ford debates exist with SxS brands too), but whether to own this kind of vehicle. Regardless of what brand you seek, all SxS share common ownership issues. Are you a DIY oil/filter/transmission guy, or take it to a service dealer? Will you be using this on pavement or ONLY dirt? This determines how often you will go through knobby tires. Or maybe you go with street tires? Registration is significantly cheaper if you use only on dirt roads ($31.00/yr plus OHV tag). Insurance from Progressive is $75/yr. I do my own servicing, with factory fluids— saving money and on my time schedule; Shop Amazon for best pricing. I own trailers but find it more convenient, less cost, less footprint between trees/cactus, etc by using ramps and driving the truck into where I want to go (see pic). Then unload the SXS. I believe both the Viking and Pioneer fit in width of a pickup truck. Do some research before making an impulse decision and you will be happy with this toy for recreation during the off season and getting you into the depths of where you want to hunt. There is no right answer. And you will become a better trailer driver, if you decide to go that route. Enjoy!!

Norteno- enjoyed the 23N archery video! Even more to hear you DIY!! Congrats