BOHNTR

Fox Fire in Alpine is also good!

Try the new place with a culinary chef......Mr. Zekes. Great food. Darby’s has had terrible customer service lately.....but good food. Red devil in Pinetop has pretty darn good italian food.......and of course Grumpy Jakes for smoked BBQ

I was there for the drawing and awards yesterday afternoon. Shooters that were there the entire weekend told me there were very few vendors throughout the week and the least amount of people they've seen. They finished the course in record time.....according to them. Not sure on the total number of shooters, but for the awards/drawings presentation, everyone fit in the food dining area (3rd floor) with plenty of room to spare. When we shot the fun courses during the week, we never saw another group of shooters in front or behind us. Nothing like last year, for sure. Was nice, actually, as we weren't rushed or slowed at all. Having said that, I won't attend next year at the current prices. There are other shoots in the pines that are far more reasonable, IMO. I sure hope they adjust the prices next year and listen to their customers.

There were almost no vendors there as of yesterday.....sad. Prices are way too high, but a stunning location to shoot. The tribe needs to replace the coordinator with someone that has experience in this area. JMO

Only shooting it for fun on one day this year......even a one day fun shoot is pricey this year. Won’t do it next year if the price is similar

I'm all for it.....especially since I'm retired and living full-time here now. 😀

Anywhere really. Pick a spot and go

Go with a bow and hunt 13B......you’ll have a fun hunt as well!

There's really no comparison between 13 A/B and 12B........the Strip is a far better hunt, IMO.

Same as the draw lock from some years back....or a glorified crossgun......they may have place in the hunting world.....just not in the archery seasons, IMO.

If he sees a REAL 320” net type bull (not internet 320” ) then he needs to let loose an arrow, IMO. That’s a pretty good bull for there.....even on a wet year like we have now. Stanley is spot on; Quiet areas are better as far as getting away from crowds, but they’ll be a few with the same ideas. There are a lot of elk in the unit, so having one spooked to you is a possibility. The ability to differentiate a real bugle versus another hunter is huge benefit......although that’s pretty tough these days with modern calls. Just keep in mind, if your buddy calls, the odds of calling in another hunter is fairly high, IMO.

Another half inch at my place last night........saw a bull elk yesterday already starting on his fifths.....amazing growth.

Retire early??? It's a young man's game, folks (LEO, Fire). When you call 911 for someone outside your house at night trying to steal something, do you REALLY want a 55-60 year old officer responding and trying to catch a 20 years old tweaker that takes off running and gunning? Just being a realist........the amount of worker's compensation claims would skyrocket as well..........IMO, it's a young man's game. For those in it, hopefully they'll get out while they can still function well. I did 30 years and maxed out........I'm still in good shape (physically), but can't do the things I was once able to due to on-the-job injuries sustained over the years. JMO of course.

Not sure about that.....I saw a four gobblers next to the highway between HM and the Vista last week in the snow.

Still lots of dirt roads barricaded/closed up high. Those few that are open are pretty muddy

From what I’ve seen, it’s not the cameras that are the problem, rather some owners who believe it’s THEIR private spot when something good is photographed. JMO

So what’s the alternative? Lose hunting opportunities based on ‘perceived’ numbers?

Actually it can be done on-line or at offices (like some other states). You simply cannot but a license/tag the next year until you complete the survey.

It’s my understanding (from G&F I spoke to) that when the harvest limit is above 20% for three years in a row then the OTC Archery Hunt changes to a draw hunt. The harvest in unit 1 was almost 30%, per G&F. I’m not sure how they quantify those numbers for 2018 season, as the questionaire just arrived? I was told they also look at helicopter count survey trends (not many deer observed in unit 1), license sales and number of field checked harvested deer as well. I’m all for sound scientific management and what is proper for herd conditions to reach carrying capacity and buck to doe ratio objectives. However, I believe it is equally important to base your conclusions on accurate data and not ‘volunteer’ reporting or formula based objectives.

Gorgeous

Where do they receive their data without mandatory reporting?

It’s a great edition to the collection I have of BIA record books! Well done, Marvin!

Bull archery elk tag coming my way

Still snowing hard!

Have only about 9" here at my place in the county area of Lakeside.....starting to pile up now.