flagstaff

Used to live in Tucson back 15-20 years ago.and hunted 35B quite a bit. Shot a 97" coues in the canyons southeast of Harshaw. Mearns were fun to hunt too - ore to the east of Harshaw. Haven't been down there in 15 years. I heard the illegal immigrant problem has worsened. Looked at buying property in Duschene (sp?) - liked the area but was worried about vandalism being I couldn't live there and the illegal problem (I lived and worked in Tucson).

for budget numbers for $1000 bucks: $200 on a rifle scope (maybe look at Burris - decent quailty without spending big bucks) $100 on a tripod $400 on binos (maybe look at Nikon, Pentax, Burris or Minox - get around a 10 power) $300 on a spotting scope if you really think you need a spotting scope (I wouldn't - not for a cow hunt - you are not judging antlers or something) You'll spend 80% of your time looking through binoculars mounted on a tripod - spend your money there (again, maybe even spend the spotting scope budget on really good binos) Look at Ebay - lot of people selling their stuff because of the poor economy (I just bought a pair of Swarovki 7X42 SLC for $620 delivered) Just my 2 cents

354

I about pissed my pants - after almost 27 years of applying, I finally drew an antelope tag here in Unit 7. Maximum bonus points down the shi___er, but I finally made it!!! Going out scouting again tomorrow - already been out several times these last few weeks. I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight....... And to top it off, I drew a Unit 9 general season bull tag too - 3 points well wasted. I was blessed. Sorry some of you weren't drawn - been there, done that, and it sucks.

18B? 10?

I have seen whitetails does this same thing to other does. It was like they were playing tag or something. I didn't see anything disturbing them. And they did it for several minutes. Standing fairly still one moment, then chasing each other faster than heck seconds later. I am thinking it has been a long time since the last rut

A tripod for a 15X power is about a must.

I stay out all day.

Of the ones you list, I beleive Minox are the best. I have a pair of the 20X60 Pentax I no longer use if you are interested.

just got back from the north side of the Peaks - spotted 7 bulls in a bachelor group - no cows. Biggest bull was in the 360 range.

Used to use the Leupold that did all you mantioned. I now use a Swarovski. I can't imagine ever needing a better one even if they invent one.

I think I finally figured out how to upload pictures (I am technically challenged - thanks Tyler for the advice). Anyway, just wanted to show you guys my combination bino/spotter gizmo I put together some time ago. It works well. Cost $7 for the parts (wing nuts, galvanized angle, and all thread studs) from the hardware store. It weighs a whole 4 ounces. I know Jim White markets a similar gizmo, but his costs a few dollars more. My bino and spotter doesn't look at exactly the same spot, but so darn close, it isn't a real issue. The gizmo sure makes glassing more enjoyable - just turn your head to the spotter to closer inspect what you were looking at through your binos. If you are using a digiscoping adapter though, you have to have the spotter in the vertical position (not horizontal as shown in the photos). Thought this gizmo idea might help some of you this Fall. If you make one, bring extra wing nuts and studs in case you drop one after in the cracks of a rock and can't get them out during the "big" hunt (this is from personal experience). Hope the idea helps. Ted

I was blessed - GOT A UNIT 6A LATE WHITETAIL TAG!!!!!!!!! Congrats to those who were drawn and condolences to those who weren't - we have all been on both sides of this issue. Didn't draw a sheep tag.

When I got mine, I thought I died and gone to Heaven. I own the 10X42 SLC, but the 15's sure made things so much more enjoyable.

I take my Lab all the time. I bought him a dog backpack so he can carry some of my load. My pack was 26 pounds (with the water, tripod, optic gear, and stuff), I gave him 12 pounds of it. Now we are both happy - he goes with me instead of staying at home, and I don't have to carry as much up and down all those hills.

I blew out a disc in my lower back back in 2000. The pain for the next year and a half was bad - I can take pain but it was bad and never wasn't there. It got the point I couldn't sit, the pain from turning over in bed when sleeping would wake me up, the pain in my right leg was incredible, driving was painful, always short with family members because I was in such pain all the time, I lost weight, ect. In 2001, I had the disc removed. The doc said it was the worse he had ever seen (and he had been doing it for a while). As soon as I woke up from anesteshia, the pain was gone. I was out of the hospital the next day (I hate those places). I was back to work 2 weeks later. My back isn't as good as it was before I injured it, but far better than those years after the injury. I still feel it sometimes, but the doc said the disc is kinda like a pillow between two bones, and without that pillow, I have bone on bone, so it isn't gonna be like before. But I can walk for miles (my hunting backpack weighs about 20 pounds with all the optics and gear I pack), work out everyday, can quad and 4 wheel with the best of them, and have helped packed out 2 deer and 2 elk and helped a couple people move since then. One bull elk (he was a 6X6) last year was all by myself a mile from the truck up a steep hill. Bottom line, try to avoid surgery, try physical therapy and their exercises first, but if it gets bad, I mean bad, get it done. And if you get it done, it ain't the end of the world. You can still hunt and do just about everything you did before - just be careful and know your limits. That was my experience anyway. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I wash them under the faucet when i get home. Out in the field, I use a lense brush and try to always keep the lense covers on.

Well, I got another elk tag for unit 9. Pulled a 363 2/8 out of there a couple years ago and now I want his big brother. I've gone up there so often with my hunting partners and brother when they've gotten drawn that I always see big elk. Don't hunt the water holes though, nothing there during daylight except cows and dinks. Antelope? I've got 19 bonus points now. huntin' hard

Those are funny looking prob holes on the side. Buckhorn My daughter found a chard with holes in it like that on our property up here in Flagstaff (we have LOTS of chards on the property). We don't have Anasasi, but Sinagua (or so I'm told). When she asked, I couldn't explain what the holes were for. Any ideas???

I appreciate the info, RR. Still, with each of us having a 20% draw rate last year, and at least that this year, and whatever smallish chance we had the preceding years, that neither one of us applying on seperate applications for the last almost 30 years and can't get drawn is hard to swallow. Being the two of us, we should be doubling our individual draw rates. Looking at the probability, it should have happend for one of us by now. But with the luck I/we have, it is about par for the course. I dread that we may both will be drawn next year. That would be my luck too. I would prefer spreading it out because just going (even if you are the spotter and not the shotter) is the best part. I understand the probability and math involved, but it is hard to explain to yourself sitting on this side of things. I promise you, it makes you doubt the system.

They say it does , but all I can tell you from my personal experience which is my brother and I each had 18 points heading into the antelope draw for Unit 7 this year- neither one of us were drawn. Yet last year, we both put in for Unit 7, and a 14 year old kid we know put in for the same Unit with with only his hunter safety course bonus point - the kid was drawn. At least we helped him get a really nice buck (which was fun), but it was a jagged pill to swallow to wonder how we are unable to get drawn - we have been applying since the late 1970's and have yet to be drawn for antelope . Does it work? Well, somebody is going to have to explain it to me REALLY SLOW - A COUPLE TIMES to get me to believe it does .

Didn't get drawn for elk or antelope. My brother an I each had 18 points heading into the draw for antelope - we put in for Unit 7 on different applications to double our chances one of us were gonna get drawn - neither application were drawn. I was so confident one of us were going to - I have already been out a couple times and found the buck I had been watching for 2 years now - making sure he survived this past winter. Guess I jinxed myself...... Congrats to all of you who were drawn.