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Weston

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Posts posted by Weston

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I got an archery spring tag for the 35s and have not spent much time in the units at all, obviously I've got my work cut out for me. I've never seen a bear in either unit and am anticipating a challenging hunt and a plethora of scouting trips. I began my E scouting and marking waters to try to gauge some of the more heavily populated areas.

     

    I was curious as to if anyone else has this tag and would be interested in doing some scouting and setting cameras. Will probably be a lot of just figuring out the area as well.

     

    Furthermore the cliche (shameless) plug inquiring about any areas people would recommend starting in terms of places to start focusing my search. Certainly not looking for any honey holes but it seems as if the AZGFD info is vague at best and apparently the warden is new to the area.

     

    Thanks, and happy hunting!

  5. Posted · Report reply

    I have backpacked (about half the time solo) for all of my coues hunts the last 5 or so years. I can't imagine doing it any other way now, I used to get up very early (like 0200 or 0300) in order to be at the bowl or hillside I wanted before light. Now I can sleep until the grey light starts to come up and hike over a small ridge and be where I want, not to mention make a lot less noise getting there. The biggest advantage backpacking for me is the ability to literally hunt until the sun goes down. I know there are some hardcore guys who hike out by headlamp every night 3 or 4 miles. It only took me two good spills down a rocky canyon side to realize that method was not going to work for me.

     

    I usually set up a "spike" camp, and then hunt a couple miles outside of it each day, I still go ultralight but once I'm set up I leave quite a bit a camp and actually carry less than I would on just day hikes, sometimes I'll just bring my optics, tripod, bow, and GPS if I'm less than a couple miles from camp. Which really makes for more efficient stalks.

     

    The hardest part about backpacking in AZ is water. I consistently clog pump filters because the water sources around where I hunt are muddy and or full of algae. I usually pack 2 gallons in and attempt to filter 2 more in the course of the 4 day hunts I typically do. Sometimes I worry about getting water especially when my filter starts clogging, I have bought a new filter to try this year, I always carry iodine tablets as well though, just in case.

    • Like 1

  9. Posted · Report reply

    ARS 13-3101 and 13-3102 are the statutes to be concerned with.....

     

    Some agencies are charging people with the class 4 felony for manufacturing others not. Owning the precursor ingredients is not illegal per se although it could be if they can prove "intent" to manufacture. Once the components are mixed statute wise it is a destructive devise and prohibited.

  11. Posted · Report reply

    You can't stake a claim, its public land.... This isn't a place of employment or residence. He has just as much right to use public land as you do. HOWEVER, if you do cross each other's paths the order must be enforced (to the terms which is likely a 500ft or similar barrier). If you have a working relationship with him and can talk to him (many orders prevent that) an agreement of where you will be hunting on what days would likely suffice, otherwise treat it like you treat every other hunter, observe ethics. As stated 6A is a big unit, you will run into other hunters during your hunt and if one of them happen to be him, walk the other way and treat the order like you would any other time.

     

    It's my opinion that knowing this was the unit he was going to put in for (and has drawn 3/4 years) and choosing to put in for the same unit shows something about the relationship you have. If an encounter was truly feared you could have chosen to put in for any number of other units.

     

    Another note; you didn't mention if there were orders against each other (which happens often in these situations). If he has an order against you you are also bound to the terms in the order.

    • Like 1

  14. Posted · Report reply

     

    FWIW my results are no longer posted, same thing happened to me on my 2012 elk tag, I'm sure they were doing a test run and everyones results will be up shortly.

    What if the test run failed. :(

     

    Well considering I drew the unit I had better odds of drawing, my card was hit weeks ago, and I've had this same thing happen on a prior draw. I'm daily confident that the results are legitimate they just don't have everyones ready so they take them back dow.....to prevent the thousands of phone calls asking why everyones results aren't up.....

  16. Posted · Report reply

    I linked old data, doesn't show me any not drawn, went to "my applications and tags" (or similar) and it has a gaggle of hunts I have been drawn for in prior years including this years goat tag. not sure where unsuccessful draws show up

     

    Edit to add: seems to show not draws on the next pages, but the dates and tags haven't been uploaded yet.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Although I do not support the reintroduction of the wolf, I would support the reintroduction of the grizzly in AZ. Although I am no expert I did a fair amount of research comprised almost entirely of "scholarly sources" about Southwestern grizzlies around the turn of the 20th century in one of my wildlife management classes in college. I think there would be some serious issues as far as carrying capacity with the development of civilization. I can't imagine any of the Chiricauha grizzlies coming back, however I think the Gila/Blue wilderness would be a fantastic area to support a moderate population of grizzlies. I think it is imperative to realize the success of reintroduction and stabilization that wildlife has seen since the 1930's and sustainability is very important, after all once a species has been eraticated theres no going back. Grizzlies should not be classified in the same category as wolves, they are very different animals and their hunting styles differ immensely, it is ludicrous to compare a predominately vegetarian omnivore to a strictly carnivorous pack animal that kills just to kill. Furthermore, there is little question that biodiversity benefits many other species of animals and plants which could in turn promote the population increase of our beloved deer and elk (ever see bear scar thats full of seeds in an area with no real ground vegetation).

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Typically I don't like to get into caliber conversation because so much more than bullet diameter plays a role in a DRT. When I hunt predators I want a DRT, unless its a bobcat I really don't care at all about pelt damage and won't spend much time looking for a wounded predator. That said, there is a level of ethical responsibility. Although I hunt coyotes for sport and "depredation" I still don't like making an animal suffer. Which is why I rarely hunt predators with anything other than a shot gun. I've killed hundreds of song dogs and I will be the first to say that I personally feel a .223 is not an ideal cartridge for putting song dogs in the dirt. I've lost substantially more coyotes with my .223 than I have with my 22-250 or even 243..... I've played around with different loads of coyotes fairly extensivily and I'm not ashamed to say that I have little confidence in V-max bullets for killing coyotes out of an AR. I've shot hot rodded 40 grainers -moly coated 55 grainers and a ton of 53 grainers and honestly I will say I've probably had more than 30 percent of the dogs I shoot with V-max bullets that I thought I put a good shot on turn into a "non-recovery"

     

    That said, I've shot coyotes with a .223 and had plenty of DRT's I have lost confidence in that caliber for being a one and done round, I typically like to hunt in terrain that is much thicker than most people consider "coyote country" and if I have a coyote run more than 100 yards in this country it takes too long to try to find.

     

    Furthermore, I've found the .223 to be much too rough on cat pelts (were not even going to bring up what a .223 will do to a fox). The aforementioned experiences I have had have lead me to do one of two things, hunt with a shot gun all the time if the fur is prime and I'm targeting bobcats, Hunt with a larger or faster caliber if I'm letting cats walk and go out to put the hurt on the coyotes.

     

    Obviously this is my experience and your experience may differ, but I really tried hard to like the .223 and have hunted with bolt guns and two different AR's I built specifically for hunting Ol Wiley and I have decided that for me it just isn't the caliber I would choose in hardly any circumstance, too rough on pelts on thinner skinned cats and not enough knock down to reliably kill (for me) coyotes. I do still have an AR that I built as a "walking rifle" that has been turned into my "truck gun" or the gun that goes on my quad when I'm trail caming or scouting and if I see a coyote I will shoot it, but when I go out specifically to hunt predators I take a different gun. Theres a lot of merit to Hyperwrx point of competition hunters not using .223, Scott puts down a lot of predators consistently and has for the 8 or so years I've known him and you would be hard pressed to find Arizona predator hunters with more rounded experience than he has.

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