Kilimanjaro

Come guys.. Ya'll know I didn't have anything to do with this particular hill country buck that he found around Bear Grass Tank!!! For reals on this one...He is a purty nice buck for Kerr county though!! But the question is... who is the mystery man that calls himself Moosecoues?? You guys know that I would have come up with a more clever name than that.. Such as Prettyboy... or how about Cockyboy?? Those seem to follow me around quite often when I'm on here!!! Hey Chef, any guesses on where I'll be eating at lunch when I roll into San Angelo next Thurs when I get there for the annual turkey hunt??? That is pretty funny... we were just talking about that place yesterday when we were finalizing the plans. I am meeting the crew there and we were all taking about how much we miss that place now that none of us live there anymore... MMMMM!!! You AZ boys don't know what you're missin'....

Myself and Lark are just glad we could be of assistance to all those out there!!

You're right guys.. We got a little carried away in the match... Lark, I call a truce. No hard feelings and no harm done or meant. We were just givin' each other some good ribbing.... We will just agree to disagree and go on with it. Sound good? We'll play nicer the next time. I promise!

I am thinking of joining the local AZ chapter of SCI here in Tucson. I haven't been a member of a local chapter since leaving TX back in '03. I kinda miss it. We had the West Texas chapter back home. I know a few guys here that are in the local club out here and they say its a pretty good crowd. Just wanted to see if any of you regulars on here were part of either the AZ chapter here in Tucson, or in the Phoenix chapter. If so, what are your thoughts of the two local chapters here in AZ......

Naw, if we did that, Lark might get too excited with the thought of being able to roll around in jello with another man and ruin the jello a little too prematurely.. If ya catch my drift!!!

Thats an easy one to answer.. Umm, the BP are, ummm, Border Patrol Agents.. Its not called the U.S. Cop Patrol.. Wow.. that was so easy to understand, you might even understand it. But then again, I don't know,, cow turds can get pretty thick and hard... Do you think that by talking trash about my job in every response you give that you are getting to me or hurting my feelings?? Is that all you can dish on me about is my job? All it's doing is bring out your true colors everytime you type.. Those bleeding heart , rainbow striped colors of yours...But that's fine.. . Surely you got something better than that... That's WEAK, Lark, WEAK!!! But I know, jealosy is a hard habit to break. As far as the "immigrants" around your house, if ya didn't live in the ghetto, you might not have that problem.. Sorry bud, I can't help ya there.. Lark, I gotta say.. I think I've come to the conclusion that you've got a man crush on me!! You just can't get enough of me, can ya?? I don't blame ya, though.. heck, I would to!! And as far as the goes, I can hang with the best of them all day long!!!!!

Well, good mornin' Sunshine... You never cease to amaze me with the load of crapola that seems to spew from that mouth of yours.. I think your mama needs to wash it out with a little soap.. I never called ya a midget, or Anti- American.. But I did call ya a bleeding heart sympathizer. But I can't fault ya there.. I know ya need someone else to talk to while you dig those ditches for a livin'... As far as the quota, I'm not your local podunk sheriff.. heck, I'm not even a cop for that matter.. Where did you come up with that??? Qutotas.. You make me laugh!! And as far as the Brokeback stunts, sorry buddy, I only did stunt work in the sequel... But if ya didn't recognize me, thats because you could only see my backside in all of the scenes.. If ya catch my drift!!!

Ever heard of days off?? Its quite the concept.. you work 5 or 6 days, then magically you get a couple off in return! Wow, it's magic! Yeah, I admit it, this whole illegal problem is my fault.. Thanks for spillin the beans, Lark. I admit it, they only cross whenever I have days off. I'm so sorry, Arizona. I'll try to work harder... ( note the heavy emphasis on the sarcasim, Lark) The illegal problem in this state isn't my problem at all.. Its everybody's...I just try to do what I can while I'm out there, and then go home that night knowing I did what I could for the day, and that there will be PLENTY more for tomorrow.. I'm betting thats more than what you can say you ever did for your country. You just like to sit at home and complain and arm chair quarterback... If you don't like the BP and what it does, WHAT DO I CARE? There's plenty of your kind in this state who hate us already! What's one more?? Sounds to me like like we got another bleeding heart sympathizer on our hands! I never got mad or made personal attacks on you. Your ignorace is quite comical to me actually. It opens my eyes to see how "other" people precieve their world. And as for the " classic good looks" of mine, thanks for askin.. they have got me a long ways in this wonderful world. Beautiful is a beautiful thing... Watch that back end of that caballo.. it just might kick ya in the knoggin and put ya into the right frame of mind...

Lark, your ignorance shines like a beacon.... And I can see it all the way from here. What grade are ya in again?? 2nd, 3rd??

Take 'er easy on who your callin an "ex Texan" I'm a Texan through and through... the only reason I moved out here in this desert is to protect "your" state from the very illegals that you love to talk about. I didn't have a choice on where I got to go on the first go round. Trust me, it wouldn't have been here...And as soon as the gov't gets its head out of its you know what and the traffic slows down, which it will, I'll be leaving this state and headed back to God's country.. either Texas or Montana... And as far as you thinking that I only hunt over bait, heck, I didn't even know it was legal out here till this disscussion came up. I haven't hunted over any "bait" since I was in Canada in '01. And I damned sure haven't done it out here. I've taken my coues deer and pronghorns out here the same way everybody else does.. Hiking and glassing.. I have never said once at any time that someone HAS to hunt over bait.. Ever. And it is Napoleon Syndrome... And I learned the language out here just fine.. Why don't you try to learn a little English typing skills, instead of the " i Lurned to tipe in kintuky" style that you tend to use around here... And BTW, I'd smoke ya through any terrain or country you'd like to give me a go in!! Remember, I play in the cholla everyday... You bore me. It's like trying to reason with a 3 year old.... I'm though with this topic..

I think .270 has a bit of what I like to call " Napoleon Syndrome" or "little Man's syndrome" I'm pretty familiar with the complex, cuz I work with a bunch or dudes that have the EXACT same mentality ... The 'ol "I can out hike you, my state is thicker and rougher than your state, I don't hunt like this and either should you" always one-up you type of attitude... Its always a pissing match with people who have this type of attitude.. I see it everyday! If you think that because I have hunted deer over a feeder makes me less of a "man" and that your 80 year old dad could out walk me, sir, you are sorely wrong. I gaurantee that I could outwalk or outhike ANYBODY who is up to the challange.. Nobody ever said they didn't enjoy getting out into the rough stuff and having a good time hunting and glassing. heck, it's one of my all time favorite things to do!! But for God's Sake, open your ears... its just like you said.. if its legal, then its ethical.. And if someone wants to do it, then its none of your business to tell them otherwise.. If you don't, fine, but don't patronize someone else for doing it. Oh yeah .270, food isn't the "weakest instinct" an animal has.. its water.. he can damned sure go ALOT longer without food than he can without water. But, thats perfectly fine to hunt over for you, isn't it??

peloncillo, freakin awesome.....

Doug, you mean I-10.... Yep, I know the exact spot your talking about. And if it works out, I'll be eating lunch there come next Sat after taking a few boss toms near Roosevelt. I have a buddy with a piece of heaven there that is covered with deer, turkeys, and axis out the wazoo. Let me know about that BBQ.. I might make it if there is an open invatation!!

BBQ??? HMM, did I miss something, or is this some closed-door kinda get together??? What's with that Doug!! Not inviting your hunting buddy!! J/K!! Bill, sounds good. When ya make it back down this way, we'll hit one of the local chapter's hooplas, and crack a couple of sodie waters..

I feel for ya. I dread the day I have to do the same with my pups.. At least you know he had a good life and he got to do what he enjoy best.. hunt with his best friend in the whole world.. you. I think he'll be happy in that place you picked for him.

Bill, we need to hit the next meeting out here and have a few cold ones..

I can't say that I have seen any brush here in AZ that comes remotely close to the South Texas brush country. Sure, I've hiked into thick patches of oak and manzanita, and mesquite thickets that are tough to go through, cholla patches that were big, and so on, but nothing here in AZ compares to the 10 ft. wall of thorns growing so thick you can't find a hole to get into the brush, much less go all the way through it. And, even if all of you macho dudes out there could get into it, you damned sure couldn't go all the way through it cuz it goes for miles and miles...not just in isolated patches. Thats why its called the brush COUNTRY, and not the brush patches.. Ya know, I get sick and tired of everyone saying that this and that is wrong and unethical and unsporting and such and blah, blah, blah.... How the heck would you even know if you have never even tried it? Seems to me that if it doesn't involve a 12 mile hike through the thickest brush, climbing the highest peaks, travesing the deepest canyons, then by Golly, you ain't gonna do it and you're gonna make sure to bash and put down anyone who is going to hunt in a manner not approved by you, the Almighty hunter... Get a grip guys.. there are people stating their opinions on here who have no basis to in which to compare it to. Seems to me that most people who deem a certain type of hunting as wrong and unethical and such are the same types who will never in their lives stop hunting the same little areas that they have always hunted, in the same state they grew up in, hunting the same species they always hunt. They are set in their " one track mindset" that was passed down from their father, or whoever it was that introduced them to hunting. That is just absurd to pass judgement on something you know absolutely NOTHING about! And if you have tried something and just didn't like it, HEY, don't set there and tell someone else it is wrong just because you didn't like it. Let them make up their own minds on what they think consitutes an enjoyable hunt. I for one enjoy it all.. From glassing from the highest peaks in New Zealand for Tahr and Chamois to hunting the dry arid mountains with my eyes for the little coues bucks out here in AZ with my Swarovski 15's..... to sitting on a tripod in Nuevo Leon Mexico over 10 thousand acres of impenatrable brush during the rut, waiting for that 170 class whitetail buck to come back into the only shooting lane I have within my shooting comfort zone..... From watching bear after bear come to my bait in northern Manitoba and being able to select the biggest, baddest dude in the woods for a close 20 yrd shot with my bow, to sweating my butt off in Greenlee county in late August watching one lone bruin eat pear fruit in the FOV in my 15's out there at 2000 yards and planning a stalk that might put me within spitting distance of him..... From glassing a B&C class Pronghorn out on the high desert from the comfort of my truck and then figuring out a good stalk to get with poking distance with that bean field rifle, to sitting in a pit blind near a water hole all day in the middle of the Mopane thickets of South Africa waiting on that big warthog I happened to see there the day before... From chasing sharptails on the prairies of Montana in 2 degree weather to stepping into an exploding covey of Bobwhites on the Coastal grasslands on south TX in a t shirt with sweat dripping down my brow....Thats the fun in it!!!! There is so much diversity in hunting... And almost all of it is a great thing to try to expirence at least once.. I never understood why hunters are always the first ones to jump on each other's asses just on the way someone hunts. Aren't there enough people out there already who don't give a dang HOW or WHAT you hunt. They hate you just because you hunt period.. I for one go into every hunt with an open mind and the understanding that each hunt is unique and no two are the same.... And I enjoy them all.....

And we all know what opinions are like....... cuz everybody's got one.......

And what if one of the "Pavlov's dogs" was a 130 non typical with a 6 inch dropper off the main beam under the feeder. I would be willing to bet you'd be more than willing to pull the trigger then.....

What are you guys doing now that the long wait has started?? As for me, aside from the bachelor party and getting ready for the wedding and the honeymoon to Africa, I really get a rush from climbing and hiking. For the last few years, a small bunch of us have been trying to cover all of the major peaks in the So AZ areas. We have just about knocked all of the ones around Tucson down and have started with some of the others. Just a couple of weeks ago, we did an overnighter and hiked to the summit of Chiricahua Peak. This was our first time in the Chir Mtns. And I must say WOW!! They are spectacular!! A real hidden gem in the desert. We saw Gould's turkeys, Coues, Mearns quail, and there was bear and lion sign EVERYWHERE! It was a great hike and the dogs had a blast. It was colder than a well digger's you know what, but we still had a good time. I usally only take one of my mutts at a time on the hikes, and this go-round it was Vigil's turn to go.... I just saw on the news last night that there is now a 400 acre fire burning in there. That sucks.. Here is Virgiboy with his doggy-backpack. The pups have to pull their own weight on the overnighters!! He packed 15lbs of water and food it it all day like it was nothing. He actually enjoys strapping that thing on cuz he knows that when he puts that on, it's gonna be fun for a good long time!! And here is Rich and I at 8,700 ft. You can't see it in the pic, but it was snowing like mad!! The other pup in the pic is Virgil's best buddy, Rich's mutt LabX named Bison.. They LOVE to go with us on these hikes although Virgil still thinks we're hunting!!! He spends all his time with his nose on the ground looking for Mearns.. Sorry for the fuzzy pics.. Our buddy who took them couldn't stop shaking for long enough!! So, what do you guys enjoy doing in the off-season?? Any other hikers or climbers out there? I think our next outing is going to be Rincon Peak again. I love that hike. And then later in the spring, we're gonna try to knock off Mt. Humphreys.

Jason, one of my best buddies went on a fantastic bowhunt over in SA last year. The property was bowhunting only, and took 12 animals ( Kudu, implala, warthog, zebra, etc..) . All were trophy quailty as well. I do know he had the time of his life and that he said that everything was first class... lodge, meals, PHs, bowstands, etc... The property he hunted was in the SW portion of SA near the town of Kimberly. I can get you the info if you like.

Or just do like we do every year.. put in for the ML hunt in unit 29. If you ever pull this tag, you'll kill a booner no problem. Put pulling the tag has proven to be somewhat of an issue!!

Tell the boys way to go!! I remember taking a Corsican ram when I wasn't much older than they are.. I thought I'd just killed the Chadwick ram!! Give'em a high 5 for me!!

Bill, I never got a chance to hunt them personaly, but I was on several hunts with clients who hunted them. We hunted them on the banks of the Limpopo, and in a few spots along a river drainage that spilled out into some farm country in the waterburg mtns near Vaalwater. They were some sneaky little devils! we had a blast hunting them in the thick reeds. And although I never saw it personally, rumor has it that the rams have a nasty little temperment and have been know to charge when wounded. I could see where they could do some serious damage with those 16" daggers on their heads. On one particular hunt on the Limpopo, we were sneaking along and heard the reeds rustle out ahead of us and then heard a small spalsh into the water. we all thought croc.. But when we got to the spot where we heard it, we saw the biggest snake we've all ever seen. It was a python that has to be at least 15 ft long. He crossed the river and slowly crawled onto the Botswana bank. I think he was Bushbuck hunting as well.. Everytime I think about hunting Bushbuck, that image pops into my mind. I was thinking of adding one to my list on this go round, but I don't know... If I ad on anything, it just might have to be a waterbuck.. (if I can cough up the dough). I just can't get enough of them. i love the way they look. I passed on several on my last trip over there. they were nice, but not over 30'. If I see one this time, its gonna be hard not to bear down.. BTW, Bill, have you ever been to Thornybush Reserve along the west side of Kruger? Thats where i'll be hunting in a few months. Its a pretty good sized place (30K acres) and is loaded with good animals. Tons of Big 5 that wonder in from Kruger as well. Just curious if you've ever been there. On this trip, I am going to be taking Kudu, Zebra, warthog, impala, duiker, baboon, and Giraffe. Thornybush has a surplus of big bull giraffe on the place and my outfitter asked if I'd be interested in taking one at a very dicounted price. He assured me that it was only the big, mature black bulls we'd be hunting. I'd mounted several before and I guess the taxidermist side of me answered that question. I said to sign me up!! Now, if I can just figure out where I'm gonna put the shoulder mount!! Thats my wish list of critters on this upcoming hunt.. Its gonna be fun !! I'll be shooting a .300 RUM for all except the giraffe. I'll be borrowing my PH's .458 LOTT for him!!

You better believe it!!