Viper

My buck had similar webbing. What I understand is you take the mass measurements between each point, and half way between G4 and beam tip. The G3 and G4 point measurement is taken from a projected line between the webbed "valley", not from a projected line along the beam...so you don't double dip on the mass/point measurements. Maybe someone else has some more accurate input.

I've hunted in there for several years. It is very rugged country and seems to generate it's own nasty weather, so you must be prepared and in good shape. The lower foot hills are most accessible, with some roads and hiking trails. The higher you go in elevation, the mountains/canyons get steeper/deeper/taller. You can spot a decent buck across a canyon, but can't get to him. I was in there Monday and got snowed on...wore three coats all day. I love the ruggedness and remoteness of it. Not a ton of deer in there, but seem to be increasing a little each year. Over the coming years, the manzanita and catclaw will make a lot of it unhuntable. To the list of wild animals in those mountains, I will add pot growers...so I've heard but not witnessed.

I had a Coleman Westlake for 12 years. It held up quite well, although as mentioned in the previous post, you do have to keep up on the loosening screws/brackets and such. But this is typical with any trailer that goes offroad. Mine was a big one with toilet, shower, heater... The toilet is a comfort thing, especially if the wife/girl friend is along. One really handy item is an outside shower, so you don't steam up the inside. I never had an issue with the water heater and I never drained it. I sold mine because I hadn't used it much over the last couple years. If I buy another camp trailer it will be a small travel trailer. The pop-up can be a pain due to having to pop it up and down to load/unload. If it is put down wet, you have to pop it up at home to allow it to dry. Oh, the main reason I chose the Coleman was ground clearence of the hanging plumbing, leveling jacks, etc... I bought mine at the RV show (usually in Jan or Feb). I was able to crawl under each model to look at the clearence issues. At the time, Coleman had the best clearence and quality.

+1 That is my thought as well. Also, it could be a lone, old boar that lost his alpha-male status and was "kicked out" of the herd. This was the theory we agreed on one year when our youth hunters killed a large, old boar that was all by himself. His canine teeth were worn way down, he had a scar near his eye, half of one foot was missing, but healed, one ear was torn.... It seemed he was on his own for a while. Good catch Bill...that's funny right there.

Thanks. I did download the Hunt AZ Harvest Data, which has the data through 2010. It helps to see trends in the units. I was particularly interested in 2011 data for 4B. It is the hunt I had last year. With all the rain and standing water through the entire archery hunt, the success rate had to be low....just curious. I agree, the success rate numbers are probably not accurate, but they should be relatively accurate compared to past years, figuring folks that submit the survey, and those that don't, do the same each year. I still apply for the hunts I like anyhow.

No hunter success rate numbers for last season, just ***. That's helpful I didn't see any documents on the G&F site. Anybody able to find the info?

I really like my X2, which is the older model. This one is the newest model, with the frame and other improvements.....even better. Great pack!

I have always been a fan of the 12x binos. I carry my Leica 12x50's in the Badlands bino pouch/harness and my Zeiss spotter in my pack. I consistantly spot deer quicker than my buddy using 15's. I feel it is due to the wider field of view. They are quite steady rested on a "Moses pole" (walking stick), steady enough sitting with elbows on knees, OK freehand for short/quick looks. Of course they are best on a tripod, which is the majority of the time. IMO, 12x is the best all around magnification. It has been my experience that 15's are not enough to see size/detail at long distance....you still need the spotter. So, I opt for lighter binos.

Read the "Good Habitat" post below your post. Lots of info.

I've hunted 37B for the last 10 years or so. The last few years has been tough to find pigs, in our usual places. Last weekend we did find an old herd we hunted in the past. After glassing them up and following them for nearly a mile, we finally caught up to them where they wanted to bed. They out-manuvered us and ended up down wind and busted out of there. The sign around the area was quite plentiful. One strategy is to cruise the washes and look for a lot of tracks, usually crossing the wash. Follow them out of the wash to see where they go. Several times we've found bedding/feeding areas this way. Then you can roam the area or glass from a high point to find them. It is especially effective right after a good rain. My theory is with the mild temps we've had the last few years (at least when I've been hunting) keeps them nearer the brushy bottoms and harder to spot. When it's in the 20's in the morning, they are more apt to be on the sunny hillsides, feeding all morning. Don't overlook small groups of feeding cattle. Quite often, we have spotted pigs feeding with the cattle. It's become kind of a joke...."there's cows, better take a look". Picket Post Mountain, near Superior used to be good. I haven't been in there recently though. All along the Gila River, west of Kerny holds a lot of pigs, but can be hard to hunt. They have a lot of pig problems around Oracle (as well as most small communities), but haven't figured out how to hunt around the houses. A local, last weekend, told me to hunt the road near Mammoth that runs along the San Pedro River. I didn't get a chance to check it out. We haven't even touched unit 33 yet. IMO, they are more fun to hunt than they are after they're dead...so have fun with it and good luck.

WOW! Great buck! He looks to be perfectly symetrical. Pretty amazing to bag one of that caliber on day one. Congrats!

That's pretty amazing you guys got pics of the same buck. I've found scrapes in my hunt area and thought of hanging a camera. What time of day are they hitting your scrapes?

Archery javelina is a blast for sure. I love glassing for them, then circle in down wind, put on the "sneaky feet", then sneak right into the middle of the herd. Their vision is poor, but they can pick up movement, so slow and quiet is key. Once the herd busts, I blow the pig distress call and usually, the boars come charging back, especially if there are little reds in the herd. Makes for some instant excitment We've had a lot of fun on the many junior hunts we've "guided". There's nothing more fun/comical than watching a youngster in the middle of pigs. We've hunted the same herds for 10 years, until a few years ago. For some reason they have become very scarce...drought/predators maybe. This is my younger son's first pig about a dozen years ago. dad & shane.bmp

I don't anymore, except for stump shooting around camp. I started out with traditional gear many years ago. I took a buck and small game growing up back in Indiana. The wide open space and longer shots in the west makes it very difficult. Traditional is a whole new game which requires a higher level of dedication and practice. I thought about hunting javelina with my recurve, but there's always the chance that a nice muley will present a 50-60 yard shot....maybe a bit of a stretch for a stick bow. Don't let it discourage you from trying though. Pick up some decent used equipment to start and go from there. You'll have to practice..practice..practice...and build up those back muscles along the way. I am of the opinion that all new archers, especially kids, should learn the fundamentals of traditional archery before moving on to the high-tech stuff. You will develop eye-hand coordination, learn the trajectory of the arrow, and good form. Heck, if something goes wrong with my high-tech compound in the field, I know I can shoot instinctively, no sights, and finger release if necessary. Good luck and have fun.

I know wild turkey doesn't turn out well when prepared like a traditional store bought one. Any good recipes would be appreciated. Thanks.

So, it appears to be a model 870? 12 ga? What choke?

I have the Minox DCM for my Zeiss scope. Outdoorsmans had a sale on them a couple years ago. It doesn't work very well. It takes good pics, but the magnification is fixed because it replaces the eyepiece...30x I think. It is very difficult to find a distant object on the viewer. You have to target a larger landmark/feature near the object you want in the picture. Maybe I just need more practice with it, but it wasn't what I expected. I find myself using my Flip Video with my scope more than anything, but it is handheld and not HD. I would like to get an HD type and a bracket.

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I purchased some Russel APXg2 stuff last spring. It is similar to the lighter Sitka gear but half the cost...at full retail. I bought mine from Linton Outdoors when it was all on sale. If you can wait until spring, you can get it for 1/2 to 1/3 of retail. I used it on my turkey hunt, elk hunt, and the jacket on my deer hunt. It performs quite well for most AZ hunting. Sportsman's has quite a selection now, if you want to put your hands on it. As far as boots, I bought the Meindle Perfykt hiker from Cabelas....most comfortable, supportive boots I've ever worn, for a resonable cost. The Perfykt hunter might be better as they are a high-top.

I sent you a PM regarding the Vipers. Do you still have them?

The X2 is great! Mine is the older model. The new one is probably better, with the improvements they've made, especially the external frame. Each time I hunt/scout with it, I am amazed at how comfortable it is and how dry my back stays.

The title of the post states they are Doctor 15x60.... Good glass!

This is good info. It all makes sense. Any particular "pack rattle" and "doe call" you would recommend? I have the little coues buck grunt, made in the west valley (don't remember the name). The pack rattle I use is the smaller pack rack by Barnes and Hale... I have tried the bags and I personally have found them ackward to use and hard to "tickle" them together. Using a tickling technique seems to me more productive for me than making it sound like a full on fight. I use a Ridge Runner grunt by Quaker Boy. I leave the expandable tube compressed and not extended much, as it keeps the tone a bit higher. Keep your grunts to one or two in a sequence. I have never heard a Coues rip out three or more grunts in succession. (It may happen, I just have never personally heard it)... The thicker the cover, the more likely they will come into your call... if you are near an opening, most likely they will come only to the edge of the covering and hang up there. Oh, the doe call I use is a small can call, EZ Gravity Bleat, but I have modified it... I took a leather punch and punched a couple of small holes in the center of the orange silencer cap. I always use the cap on it and it produces a nice, softer and quieter toned sound. I will turn the bleat can all the way over for a second or two then turn it back right side up. Dont allow your bleats go too long, it is not a natural Coues sound. I just got all set up to film our hunts. Once the pre-rut really gets going, I will try to get some rattling action on film and post up a link or something, even is we dont kill what comes in... Hope this helps! Yes, that is a big help! I think you ment KNIGHT & Hale....I looked it up online. They make the smaller Pack Rack and the EZ Gravity Bleat. I will check Sportsman's for them. Thanks again!

This is good info. It all makes sense. Any particular "pack rattle" and "doe call" you would recommend? I have the little coues buck grunt, made in the west valley (don't remember the name).

Yes, there still is a lot of pigs in that area. We got into a decent size herd last year. It's just that we like the Tiger Mine area due to the big muley bucks in there and the possability of getting a crack at them while hunting pigs. We've been seeing whitetails there too.