SunDevil

to bad he is only a 2X2 - got us distracted from our antelope hunt for awhile. busted at 75 yards without a shot.

so this buck's right ear appears to be pulled back a little but not the left one. he appears to be at least 5" (maybe more) outside his left ear. that would put this buck at 32" wide. is this correct?

does anyone know what the avg ear length of a desert mule deer is? I was wondering how wide this buck might be. let me know and thanks. chris.

Butler Creek for me as well but no experience with Vero Vellini.

that calcium is to intact for the master.

congrats - awesome accomplishment !!!

I have only heard of it being a major concern with high elevation and steep terrain hunting. that is why I mentioned mt goats and sheep. on a 300+ yard steep angle shot on a mt goat, the hunter may be tempted to hold over the target (give up hair) and good guides will be aware of this and educate/instruct their client appropriately.

Allen - taxidermists also have fake - spray on velvet. I do not know how much it costs but you might want to check with a taxidermist about it. just another option to preserving the real velvet. they strip the old velvet off and spray this other stuff on. the buck I saw that had it looked pretty real to me.

here was the thunderheaded sunset from Friday evening.

trajectory is not based on line of sight distance but rather horizontal distance effected by gravity. a 300 yard shot uphill or downhill at say a mt goat or sheep would not drop as much as a 300 yard flat shot at say an antelope. the same is true for arrows.

I usually ask the dog how she likes it done - one bark is medium and two barks is well done.

one of the best things is like Wklman said - if there is a buck you have taken that scores say 90" and you can remember the measurements of that buck, you can use it as a baseline to either add to or take away from the buck you are looking at. to accurately field score you will need to see the buck from front and side. from the front and looking at you - if he is out to his ears or beyond than he has good width - usually 13+" from broad side - if his main beams extend out close to his nose than you are good to go - usually 16"+ from broad side - if he has good 2nds and his 3rds are longer than his 2nds you are really good to go. like shortpants said about mass - ball park on mass is as good as you are going to get, if you know what avg mass is for a smaller buck vs a medium buck vs a large buck than you can plug those numbers in. it is pretty easy to tell if a buck has avg, below avg (spindley) or above avg (really thick) mass. good luck

one of the best things is like Wklman said - if there is a buck you have taken that scores say 90" and you can remember the measurements of that buck, you can use it as a baseline to either add to or take away from the buck you are looking at. to accurately field score you will need to see the buck from front and side. from the front and looking at you - if he is out to his ears or beyond than he has good width - usually 13+" from broad side - if his main beams extend out close to his nose than you are good to go - usually 16"+ from broad side - if he has good 2nds and his 3rds are longer than his 2nds you are really good to go. like shortpants said about mass - ball park on mass is as good as you are going to get, if you know what avg mass is for a smaller buck vs a medium buck vs a large buck than you can plug those numbers in. it is pretty easy to tell if a buck has avg, below avg (spindley) or above avg (really thick) mass. good luck

nice pics - thanks for sharing - I would guess around 84"

they did make a few changes to the '08 2200. overall it is not that much different but in comparing the old one to the new one I think the '08 2200 is a little bit better.

will be helping a guy in 31/32.

great pack - check eBay or craig's list. sportsman's and bass pro usually have them in stock.

a Rem Model 7 in 270 would be good gun for your gf

one of my 7mm mags is a ruger 77. I have killed several animals with it. the only thing I do not like about it is that the barrel is very light and after about 4 rounds the barrel gets to hot and the accuracy falls off considerably as the bullets start to wander all over the paper. IMO the remington 700 is a better gun.

I have taken 6 coues with my 7mm mags (yes I have 2) at ranges from 50 yards to 325 yards. I also have taken 3 antelope with them at ranges from 200 yards to 325 yards. they do kick a little more than a 270 but if you are looking for something you can also use for elk than you are going to need to get something that uses more powder and has more kick. I only mentioned the 300 wsm previously because they now have a 130 grain bullet for it. that would be super flat and fast. you could also use 180 grain bullets for elk. a 300 win mag would be comparable.

had a chance yesterday to canoe and fish a little over 10 miles of the shenandoah river in virginia. had a really good time. that is truely a different kind of country out there than the desert we have here in az. caught the big fish of the day and the biggest cat fish I have ever caught (have not done much cat fishing in my life). here are a couple of courtney with the pole and 'her fish' (sucker minnows we used for bait). the little one is the 'baby' and the larger one is the 'mommy'. little kids have amazing minds. anyone seen a pink croc around here anywhere? now where did my fish go? for some reason - she did not like the fish she caught. also caught the biggest bass of the day and my biggest small mouth to date (have not done that much bass fishing in my life). yes I have the jimbo picture pose going on in this one. those small mouth bass are aggressive little fish and good fighters for their size. it is possible this is the only picture out there of someone doing a sudoku puzzle in a canoe on the shenandoah river. after a few hours, she decided the fishing trip was marketed as a canoeing trip to get a few other people to go. oh well, the things we do for our kids.

well if you are looking for a flat shooter you can throw the 30-06 out. I was originally going to say to look at the 270 wsm but I do not know what the largest grain bullet that is offered for this caliber is (165?) However, I do know people that have successfully used bonded 165 grain 7mm mag rounds for elk. so then I would lean toward the 300 wsm. 180 - 200 grain bullets are good for elk and someone (federal?) just came out (last year) with a 130 grain bullet.

I think 14 days is the max and does apply to unattended trailers. the FS will fine people for exceeding this. I was in unit 1 turkey hunting a few years ago and there was an unattended trailer that had been there since before opening weekend. the FS ranger we talked to gave the guy a ticket.

hate to link to another site but this is way to interesting not to post http://www.monstermuleys.info/dcforum/DCForumID5/12505.html

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10098036