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Live bait will be 2 to 3 times more successful, especially if you work them in a lift and drop pattern. Nightcrawlers, minnows, waterdogs, crawdads, if the fish are biting, you'll be catching. Bugpluggers always have an advantage. Kent

I will be headed up Thursday or Friday and can deliver the stuff to Mike. Ryan, if you need your money by Tues I can pick it up Mon and give you the money, Mike can pay whan I see him. I have to go to Cali tommorow and will be back Sun evening. I'm not trying to get inbetween anything but if I'm a solution fine. Kent

Not much of a pic, I put my reloading stuff in the garage while remodeling the house and haven't brought it back in yet. I think your primer tool is really cool, looks like you have 2 different size primer feed tubes. Any date on it? Kent

That is neat. I like old stuff like that also. Not nearly as old or cool as that, but I use a Herter's press and scale to reload with. Kent

Gino, I was teasing ya, like you said they all start looking alike. We do seem to hunt alot of the same units though. We'll have to sit down and shoot the breeze one of these days, I'll be spending alot of time up at Christopher Creek and Forest Lakes this summer, and working on some of the wildlife projects. Kent

I 2nd the ultimate game bag. I'm going to add them to my pack this year for boning meat out in the field. Cut to the size needed and lighter. Canvas is fine. I used to like the 72 in canvas bags Popular sold when they were in business, they would go completely over a deer whole after skinning and cutting the legs off. Handy and only 3.99. I have to make my own if I want those anymore. Kent

Amanda, truely amazing. Thanks Kent

Neat, my buddy put cams out last year and the elk would rub on them and push them around the trees, very funny. Kent

It's hard to say, you need to call probably. I can read the note 2 ways, one he's kinda a smart butt and the other he is just saying the spot is already salted and producing and 'please' take the other salt out because it might mess up the mojo. Hard to tell in written words. He didn't mess with your cam or remove the salt himself and left a number, so I would give him the benefit that his note was friendly until discovered otherwise. That spot looks familar. Kent

Great pics Doug, the GC is one of my favorite places. Kent

TJ!!! are you kidding me! That's one of those days that you can say," Let me tell you when...", till the day you die. Congrats friend. Kent

I looked at 36B and see what you mean at least with 2 of the hunts tags 1st & 2nd odds 36B Ant.WT 10/24-10/30 800 878 87 27 36B Ant.WT 11/7-11/13 800 777 97 23 36B Ant.WT 11/28-12/4 700 483 97 23 36B Ant.WT 12/12-12/31 40 733 6 74 You would think they would at least put 100% on the hunts that had less 1st and 2nd apps than tags. I do know that many hunts that have more 1st & 2nd apps than tags do have spill over to the lower rounds because they are drawn for other hunts first. This 36B is odd though. I can't believe only 3% of those apps drew another hunt, should be higher. Kent

It is confusing because they go by both first and second choice. They count a second choice that was drawn for their first choice before looking at their second choice, which happens alot, as an unsuccessful draw for that hunt #. Last year I drew my 4th choice, 24B oct. It showed a 90 something odds of drawing 1 and 2, I knew there would be tags falling into the lower rounds anyway and was able to get one. RoughCut, you ask some great questions and I see you really studying what's going on, you will go far my friend. Kent

Well I don't have an issue with rangefinders, GPS, flashlights to get in and out of an area with, all items with batteries that in some way help a little. I am irritated by constant radio or cellphone talking or texting, made the mistake hunting around that twice. Some states have laws against any use except in an emergency or after an animal is down, P&Y has to abide by the state's law also. Again it's about being attached to the bow, if it wasn't there wouldn't be many animals qualifying. Kent

Spine is everything. Once you buy your arrows and have them cut, everything else must match that setup. Bow poundage will only have a small window of correct stability and the head weight has to match also. That's why if you have your bow set at say 67lbs and you buy 3 different brands or weights of arrows and use say a 100 gr head, one arrow setup will shoot better than the others. Not because that brand is better but because it is 10.3 grs per inch and another is 8.7 and another is 9.6. That's the one that is spined best for your bow at 67lbs. Change the poundage and one of the others will probably shoot better. This is a simple example and there's alot into it. Here's why I mention it. You luck out and just happen to hit the perfect spine node right off the bat but decide 70 lbs are better than 67, crank it up, now you have fliers, you're under splned. You decide 125 gr heads are better, underspined. You decide to go with a heavier arrow but use the same 100 gr head, fliers get worse the farther out you shoot, overspined. Spine charts are setup for 100gr heads typically. If you are going to go with a heavier arrow out of your spine for your poundage you will need to use a heavier head to readjust the spine. Once you decide and buy your arrows and head weight, tuning a bow really is as simple as setting the rest and then the poundage of your bow to be optimum for that combo. Don't get locked in on a certain poundage, there's only one true weight for that combo. Incorrectly spined arrows will not hit square and lose penetration. Underspined arrows at closer range, stablizing out farther. Overspined continuing to move out horizontaly the farther out they go. Fliers, horrible wounding things. If your max distance is short, then overspined is not so bad but if you're going to try a longish shot it's worse than underspined. A correctly spined arrow will out penetrate and be more accurate than an incorrectly spined arrow going faster. Any arrow weight you shoot out of a bow set at the same poundage, will start out with the same KE and hit the target at the same distance with the about same KE. A heavier arrow will have a slight momentum advantage but not worth worrying about. Which ever one is spined correctly will out penetrate the other. With all that said the broadhead is what really matters, The bow's the engine. the arrow's the vehicle and the broadhead is what is being delivered. I like a good sharp fixed head that flies like my fieldtips and there is alot of good ones out there these days, your choice of G5's is fine. I like Slick Tricks but have seen good results from other heads. Unless you are going to use a head that is different than a 100 gr, go with what's on the spine chart and then poundage tune your bow. If you're going to use a heavier or lighter head you need to think ahead before you buy and cut your arrows or you'll be chasing tune forever. Kent

I believe you can't use a rangefinder that attaches to your bow. "or by the use of a bow or arrow to which any electronic device is attached." Hand held are fine. You can also use radios/cell phones to call/text a hunter over to you and take him to the animal or give updates of what you're seeing, just can't guide their steps to an animal. Kent

Found a better video of what it looks like now, from the same pygmy guide service. It's so strange from the many times I've been in there. But Havasu falls still seem to be there as does a brand new set of falls and mooney falls seems the least effected. If the plant life hasn't been totally desimated and makes a comeback then maybe it'll be kinda neat. I may have to make a quik trip in there if it's open to see. If you can call 12 miles one way a quik trip. Kent

Havasupai, before the big flood last summer. Practicing my photo+music and adding an attachment link. Kent Visit My Website Edit to add this link.

May God watch over you and hold you close. Mike, really nice video. This is an older one but still a favorite of mine. Kent

Well, it doesn't work for me either, I was trying to practice linking to a download but I guess it didn't work permenate. I put it on you tube and here's the link. I wish I didn't have to. Kent

Gary, that's exactly right, there's too much country out there to be giving away secrets by saying X deer was killed in X unit or even X mountain range. There are always big deer in every unit and mt range, that's not a secret either and the one in the pic is not there anymore. I understand the frustration of more tags in a unit when you are glassing areas that are easily accessable, it's more of a race to the deer than a hunt. I just decided to get out of that rat race, won't go back. I could post a pic of google earth to some of my spots, I still wouldn't see anyone there. The trophy glassers aren't going to invest/commit all their time into scouting/hunting an area that may or may not produce the biggest buck and the meat hunters will not pack an animal out that far. There may be others that also just want to hunt and explore new country, if they happen to come into where I am, more power to them. I go for the adventure and always want to see what's over the next ridge. Kent

nlacost, you're doing it right in all ways. Kent

From what little I can find Havasu falls were damaged, Moony falls not so much but lost it's trees in the bottom I think. Here's the only thing I can find from after by packers. The beautiful camping on the creek has changed dramatically according to this video. Kent

Gary, Hey you just gave away every secret spot in 22........... well you forgot 3bar. Bob, I will go anytime, even if you want to just go out and check some areas out to see if you're interested in hunting them. I hunt the Mazatzals, don't worry, you'll get scatched up plenty. I used to strictly hunt down south but once my wife became interested in hunting herself, she wasn't too comfortable hiking into some high saddles and having IA trash everywhere. I had hunted these same remote saddles before but had never seen evidence of IA's before this, only down low. More general thoughts. 22 has some big bucks for sure but if that's the #1 reason a person picks a unit, the units down south have a bigger percentage of deer and big bucks. The first WT I ever killed was the early 80's when it was any antlered deer. Unit 22, less than 20 miles as the crow flies from Mesa, 2000 ft elevation. Just to show their range even in the old days. Backpack hunting isn't about big bucks as much as about the trip. First you have to scout the country and most importantly the water sources. Can it support you for an extended period of time. Is there at least a possibility of taking a mature animal. Are there secondary water sources close just in case. Are you willing to hunt whatever animals happen to be in your range once you commit to an area. Are you willing to go home empty if you just couldn't connect on 'the' buck, because it isn't worth packing a meat buck out that far, and still be more than pleased with the trip. Are you willing to be totally isolated, without the possiblity of even an occasional hunter coming through in case of an emergency. Is it wierd that you can see your footprints from previous scouting trips for months but you have never, in many years, seen another's footprint. Lately I've hunted the wilderness in 24B and the same applies. I haven't even scratched the surface of unhunted country in these units. Kent

Thanks, Doug. Kent