Jimmer Negamanee

I'm #28 for this hunt. But I made it my 2nd choice because I really wanted to get drawn this year and only had 2 bonus points. I probably would have been drawn if it was my 3rd, 4th, or 5th choice but I didn't want to trade a 100% of getting drawn for even a 90% chance. My brother made this hunt his 3rd choice with 0 BPs and he got skunked in the draw. I wonder if the lack of leftovers will change people's draw strategies going forward and if that will effect the bonus points required to draw various hunts. (Maybe decrease BPs required for the highly desired hunts and increase the BPs required for the less desired hunts? Not sure.) I remember when we could drive to the AZGFD office and buy an OTC tag for this hunt the week of the hunt. Those were the days...

Happy Independence Day! Sure, I’m posting this on the 2nd of July but July 2, 1776 was the day when the Second Continental Congress passed the resolution of independence which severed the legal ties between the U.S. and the monarchy of Great Britain. In fact, John Adams thought July 2nd would be the day recognized and celebrated as our Independence Day. The day we celebrate our independence, however, is the Fourth of July. As we all learned in school, that’s the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. Basically, the Declaration of Independence was a statement of the reasons why the Continental Congress passed the resolution of independence. (Because it was Congress, there was a fair amount of debate, negotiation, and compromise to reach the agreed upon verbiage so it took them a couple days.) The final product was almost poetic. We all remember this part: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” To those of you who have worn the uniform of our Country, I thank you for your service. For those of you how have stood up for human and civil rights in order to make “a more perfect Union”, I thank you for your service. To those who have served in the legislature or answered the call to jury service or willingly paid your taxes (notice I didn’t say “happily”), that’s also important service. Thank you too. I’m amazed that 243 years later, we’ve persisted with this crazy idea that “We, the People” can govern ourselves. One last interesting Founding Father fact. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both signed the Declaration of Independence and both served as President and both died on the exact same day, the Fourth of July, 1826. Fifty years, to the day, from the day they signed the Declaration of Independence.

One hit for deer here in our house! Congrats to everyone who got hit and to those who didn't, there will be more hits early next week!

I’m always open to being persuaded that I am or was wrong about something. And I’m not ashamed to admit it when I believe I was wrong. As the poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) said “No one should be ashamed to admit he is wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.” @ AZLance: Characterizing my comments “Worst and most useless post of the year!” and saying that I’m “being part of the problem” are conclusory statements. Those bare conclusions, without any arguments or reasons to support them, are not persuasive. @ trphyhntr: You actually make my point for me. “why dont you just not click on the threads if you dont want to read it” is precisely the reason the “Non-hunting related Politics” forum exists. I’ve never asked for a password to enter that forum because don’t want to read it because I remember the stuff that used to be posted on there before that forum existed and I’ve seen the threads that have been moved there. The Campfire is a place for all of us and we all click away on it looking for something interesting, enlightening or funny. The Campfire can’t be ignored. The Non-hunting related Politics forum, on the other hand, is easy to ignore. @ AZLance & trphyhntr: I’ve always enjoyed your posts which include your commentary and the pictures you’ve been generous enough to share. You’re both welcome around my campfire any time. And if either of you show up, and there’s one last beer in the cooler, it’s yours.

I’m glad Amanda came up the “Non-hunting related Politics” forum. It’s made the site more enjoyable for folks who just want to share information and experiences on hunting, hiking, fishing, shooting, backpacking, etc. because we can now do so without having to wade through numerous overtly political threads. I’ve learned so much by being a member on here for more than a decade. Sure, politics are important. I’m glad people hold political beliefs. I certainly hold them. I’m glad people discuss politics publicly because that’s the market place of ideas where we can critically scrutinize and pressure test our own ideas and those of others. We can change our views if convinced we were wrong about something or we can have more confidence in our convictions if, when exposed to challenges and different viewpoints, we emerge more convinced of our position. So we win either way. If someone wants to talk politics with me, I’m happy oblige. If, however, someone wants to talk politics at me, well, I’ve never found that useful. Often, the political topics in the Campfire forum devolved into simplistic, intransigent, name-calling full of logical fallacies. That’s not helpful, not productive, and not fun. I go with the premise that we are all Americans and that we all want what’s best for America. I also believe that we have different ideas for how to best keep this Republic humming along in the most efficient and sustainable way. Throughout human history, Democracy has been the exception, not the rule. The fact that we have, for the last 243 years or so, governed ourselves without a monarchy, without an oligarchy, without a plutocracy, is pretty remarkable. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” can and, indeed, should have direct, thoughtful, and serious discussions about our society and politics. It’s our enemies that want us to see our fellow Americans with different ideas as “others” who represent an existential threat to our way of life, not worthy of being treated with dignity and respect, and to have us be divided by stereotypes, tropes, and simplistic name calling. I guess I took the long way around the barn on this but I’m glad Amanda came up the “Non-hunting related Politics” forum.

Awesome finds! Great way to spend time together and get to know the daughter's boyfriend better. When asked about his experience he'll say "Shed hunting is easy. Just walk ten minutes then pick one up. Then walk another ten minutes and pick up another." Thanks for posting.

Great sheds and a matching set to boot! That's awesome. Thanks for posting.

Hmmm. HP tech. support might know or at least they might be able to let you know if it's a warranty item if you need to get it professionally fixed. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Great post! Thanks for sharing.

Great information. Thanks for posting.

That's A LOT of growth on those bulls! Thanks for posting. Also, if you don't mind, post some pics of the sheds you found.

What a cutie pie! Looking forward to hearing about (and seeing photos of) your adventures!

I totally understand and agree that if a person makes a commitment they should keep it. I've bought and sold some stuff on here but am by no means a frequent flyer on either end. I've given stuff away to. My experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. I've met some cool members. If the offer to sell is accepted, the deal is done. No further discussion needed. But, in my book, if the offer to sell is met with an "I'd like to come look at it next week." and I say "Okay" then the item is still for sale and I'll accept any full-price acceptance I get in the meantime. Of course if I get such an acceptance, I immediately PM the person who wanted to kick the tires (so they could presumably make me a counter-offer) that the item has been sold. That only happened once and the person PM'd me back a tad bit put out, thinking that his offer "to look at it" should have put him in front of the person who explicitly and unequivocally accepted the full-price offer. Bottom like though is that I think "I'll take it. PM sent." means "I accept your offer to sell at full-price and agree to your shipping terms or will pick it it up myself."

I'd say this is an "oldie but a goodie" post. I miss Silent But Deadly. Haven't seen him on here in a long while. It reminds me of this article called The Art of Tracking, the Origin of Science: https://www.cybertracker.org/downloads/tracking/The-Art-of-Tracking-The-Origin-of-Science-Louis-Liebenberg.pdf An old post, yes. But interesting, to be sure.

I like your boxing idea. I think that will have the most immediate impact. It won't take long for her to be punching hard with great footwork and balance. Plus, light sparing will get her used to dealing with incoming strikes and realizing that the incoming punch doesn't need to miss by much to be completely ineffective. It's also something that she could do by herself with a heavy bag and/or one of those cool "Bob" punching forms. I bet you could find some former boxers in your area who would be willing to train her on an hourly (or 1/2 hourly) basis. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is great too but for different reasons. It takes a little longer to feel competent but it has the advantage of being a group environment which would offer her a different, positive, peer group. MMA may be a blending of both. Maybe you can both train together? But don't take self-defense advice from me: As a parent, you're doing the right thing by trying. When my son was younger (like middle school through high school) I used to say that he never wanted me less but needed me more. (My daughter was much easier.) I think the point is to try to get girls to about 22 years old and boys to about 30 years old without them having made any life-alteringly stupid decisions. For some people, parenting is smooth sailing, for others it's maneuvering through one storm after another. Our kids are not "our" kids after all. They are their own, autonomous humans. Control is an illusion. All we can do is be indefatigable and have the "I love you and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it." attitude. My daughter was my first born and when I first saw her I realized that from that day forward my heart would be wandering around outside my body for the rest of my life. It's stressful at times but it's what you signed up for. You got this.

What a bummer. Was it another charge for $135? I guess it's more proof that hunting makes us experience every human emotion there is. High highs, low lows, and everything in between. To put a positive spin on it, you got another bonus point! (That might be poor consolation but it's all I got.)

If you're seeing fresh tracks and other fresh sign you can often walk up on them. Pay attention to the sign and walk in the direction they went. Just be sure to keep the wind right (approach from down wind). They will bust if they smell you. They don't see very well but their hearing is good and their sense of smell is excellent. Also, great shed! I know you want a javelina but that shed is cool and you wouldn't have found it sitting on your couch and that makes your efforts worth it. Now get after it and let us know how it goes.

You make a very good point. I’d say man was part of earth’s natural cycle when we were hunter/gatherers. Then we discovered agriculture about 10,000 years ago. Since then we’ve been able to produce a surfeit of calories through farming and, soon after, the domestication of animals, without have to roam nomadically in search of those calories. With that overabundance of calories, we’ve been able to have large segments of the population that didn’t need to dedicate their time to hunting and gathering food to survive. So, we could have standing armies, inventors, craftsmen, etc. With that free time came an increase in technology and other advancements which lead to even greater population increases. So although we were part of the earth’s natural cycle, I’d say today we can have an unnatural (or at the very least disproportionate) effect on the planet. But we don’t need to worry about saving the earth. The earth will be fine. The Earth has been through many violent, sudden changes in the past and has always been fine. With those changes, numerous mass extinctions have occurred and the earth cared not. I think the point is making sure that the earth continues to be habitable for humans so that the next mass extinction is not us. It’ll take science, imagination, and work by all of us. Like Marshall McLuhan said, “There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” I think we hunters understand this intuitively because we live closer to our hunter/gatherer roots and are not alienated from the environment like so many people seem to be today.

Can you post pictures?

It seems that a lot of the 15X56s being sold are the older non-HD variety. I think that trend is being driven partially because some people want the Swaro 12X50s and some want the 15X56HDs. (Both of which are considered an upgrade from the non-HD 15X56s, according to some people.)

In the place you described, you are also 100% correct. That sounds like a great place for a wall or some other significant physical barrier. Your idea makes a lot of sense because it's based on the geographic realities of our border, is strategic, and is well-explained. But a wall from sea to shining sea? I don't think that makes sense or is in any way practical for a myriad of reasons. And having the whole shebang financed by the Mexican government? I think he knew that wasn't true when he said it. But in the end, I think we agree. The answer can't be to do nothing. So build the wall where it makes sense. Don't do it where it doesn't make sense. P.S. I got my CWT.com shirt order in just in time. Thank you Amanda!

We already have numerous walls in strategic places. A giant wall along the whole border, however, doesn't make sense to me. Just consider the case of Texas. Why build a wall when we already have a moat called the Rio Grande. And if you build a wall in Texas, it will necessarily be on our side of the Rio Grande so we would basically be ceding all the land on the southern side of it to Mexico. That just makes America smaller. I think the emphasis should be ports of entry. Keep the walls we have. Increase technology and boots on the ground where we walls are impractical. People with bad intent know that only a small percentage of trucks at the ports of entry get searched and they can afford to play the odds. The 1 load of 5 that gets seized is a cost of doing business because they know we just spot check.

Buen viaje. Post the story and pictures when you get back!

I concur. Healy Arms has great prices and incredible service. I've had more great experiences with Healy Arms than I would want my spouse to know about.

Wow! Awesome bucks! Thanks for posting.