Jay Scott

Connect Yellowstone from Marshall Cutchin on Vimeo. View the full article

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Check out the first 28 seconds of this video! Now that is one way to do it! View the full article

I just got my good friend Steve Chappell's new video Extreme Bulls 7. It was action packed with tons of good elk hunts on it. If you like good archery elk hunts, muzzleloader hunts and rifle hunts this is a must have DVD! Click here to order View the full article

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I picked up a couple of these little Pelican 1910 LED lights at the Safari Club show in Vegas last weekend. The flash lights measure 3 1/2 inches in length and weigh just a few ounces. The lights run on 1 AAA battery and are very bright (39 Lumens). The run time for the light is 1 hour on the AAA battery. The lights have an anodized aluminum body, removable clip and an on/off/momentary switch. These lights seam like the perfect partner/backup light to the headlamp I carry in my pack. One thing I have learned the hard way is to put the battery in backwards when you are not using the light and it is in your pack. View the full article

Here are some pictures of the properties that Colburn and Scott Outfitters will be hunting in Sonora, Mexico for the 2012-2013 Coues deer season. If interested in hunting with us give us a call or shoot us and email. View the full article

Janis, Jay and I just got back from the Safari Club International and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation shows in Las Vegas, NV. We had a great time at both shows meeting some new people and chatting with old friends. It was nice to see a large group of outdoors people at both shows. Here are a few pictures from the shows. More to come on both of these shows. It was good to see friend and Elk legend Wayne Carlton at the Hunter's Specialties BoothJay Scott, Chris and Mark Denham at the Elk Hunter and Western Hunter Magazine Booth The Outdoorsmans booth was busy selling optics and tripods. There was lots of buzz about the KUIU Gear and the booth was packed. View the full article

Erik Swanson's ram was officially scored at 168 5/8 inches net and 169 2/8 inches gross. That is a touch bigger than what we had scored it back at camp. It is definitely a welcomed surprise! Congrats to Erik Swanson on another Boone and Crockett animal. The official measurements are L-35 3/8, 14 5/8, 14 0/8, 8 5/8=84 5/8 R-35 2/8, 14 4/8, 13 7/8, 12 0/8, 9 0/8=84 5/8 Total 169 2/8 gross 168 5/8 Net View the full article

http://feedtheobsession.elkhuntermagazine.com/ http://feedtheobsession.westernhuntermagazine.net/As many of you know I am an editor for Elk Hunter Magazine and Western Hunter Magazine. Both magazines have new blogs and have some great information. Click here for Elk Hunter Magazine Blog and click here for Western Hunter Magzine Blog to subscribe to the magazines click here View the full article

HATCH - Fly Fishing DVD Trailer from Gin Clear Media on Vimeo. View the full article

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Check out this disturbing group and their plans for Arizona. Do you think they are just kidding and playing around?? http://www.gcwolfrecovery.org/project.html OUR PROJECT Our Mission: The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health in the Grand Canyon Region. Project Accomplishments: 2009-2010 Project Accomplishments 2008 Project Accomplishments 2005-2007 Project Accomplishments Our Current Goals: 2011 Project Outlook Published Articles: Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project in the Press Why the GCE is the Last Best Place for Wolves in Arizona: There is low road density and a good prey base There are few opportunities for conflict with humans or livestock, because there isn’t too much of either. Plus, we even have a few wolf-friendly ranchers who have cattle around the potentially suitable habitat for wolves in the GCE (which means they are willing to practice good animal husbandry techniques and they recognize the value of wolves to the ecosystem) Note: Defenders of Wildlife, one of the GCWRP member organizations, has The Bailey Wildlife Foundation to provide support for livestock owners to help PREVENT depredation. In addition, federal funding has been set up as a compensation program, operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to pay ranchers whenever there is a loss of livestock due to depredation by a wolf that was reintroduced. Download the Defenders of Wildlife Livestock and Wolves Guide Here Finally, the majority of the GCE is national parks, national forest, and national monuments…it is our land, public land. Bringing the Wolf Back to Grand Canyon: By the late 1920's wolves had been almost completely eliminated from the landscape of northern Arizona. With the arrival of Europeans to the Southwest in the seventeenth century, bringing with them cattle and sheep, most wildlife endured similar persecution. Elk and pronghorn antelope were slaughtered, at first for their meat and later to reduce competition with domestic stock. Stockmen killed virtually any creature, from prairie dog to bighorn sheep, thought to compete with domestic livestock. No group of animals suffered as much as did predators, and none so completely as the wolf. This was particularly true in Arizona where the livestock industry and government hunters launched total war against the wolf in the 1890's. The exterminators did not understand and, therefore, gave no regard to the important role predators play in nature. Generally, little regard was given to nature at all. The complete extermination of the wolf in Arizona took 60 years and cost millions of taxpayers’ dollars. In the process, distinct subspecies were extirpated from the southwestern United States. Early wolf taxonomists (Young and Goldman 1944) identified two distinct subspecies in the GCE (C.l. mogollenensis and C.l. youngii); however, recent taxonomic revision (Nowak 1995) recognizes only one subspecies (C.l. nubilus), and current genetic research may show original occupation of much of GCE by the Mexican wolf (C.l. baileyii) as well. Regardless of which subspecies once dwelt throughout the GCE, it is certain that the region’s ecosystem suffers without the top predator. Wolves at Grand Canyon were targeted for additional reasons. In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed into law a bill establishing the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on the Kaibab and Coconino plateaus. Lacking insights into the ecological role of predators, the government immediately hired hunters to protect "harmless" game animals, such as deer and bighorn sheep, from predators such as cougars and wolves. Between 1906 and 1923 government hunters and others reportedly killed hundreds of cougars and bobcats, thousands of coyotes, and many wolves. The slaughter of most of the mountain's predators, including every wolf, contributed to the explosive increase of deer on the Kaibab Plateau. The deer population peaked in 1924 somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 animals. Overgrazing by deer and cattle, combined with a severe drought, brought disease and starvation. Thousands of deer perished. Incredibly, predator extermination continued. Now we skip ahead to 1998. Under the Endangered Species Act, an “experimental, non-essential population†of Mexican wolves, bred in captivity, was introduced in the Blue Range of eastern Arizona. Not without difficulty or compromise, however. One compromise was the artificial boundary imposed on the wolves’ movement away from the reintroduction area. If a wolf adventures (as young males and females are biologically required to do to form their own packs) beyond the boundary, then they are captured and returned. One such wolf actually made it to Flagstaff in 2004 before being hit and killed as it crossed Hwy. 89 on the east side of town. All hope is not lost. The Grand Canyon Ecoregion has been identified by wildlife ecologists as offering extraordinary habitat for wolf recovery. The region contains vast expanses of undeveloped land in national parks, monuments, and forests, and contains ample food for wolves. Scientific research* indicates that this region, extending from the Mogollon Rim all the way up to the high plateaus of southern Utah, can sustain at least 200 wolves Who Are We? Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project coordinates the efforts of our Coalition Partners throughout the Southwest, who have come together to help achieve the recovery of Mexican gray wolves in the Grand Canyon region. Wolves play a crucial role in sustaining and restoring the diversity of life in our nations wildlands. The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project advocates for the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf through education and public outreach. We participate in local and regional events and are often asked to give presentations on wolf related issues in classrooms throughout Northern Arizona. Educating the public and organizing local communities to participate in our work is crucial to our efforts in restoring the Mexican gray wolf to the Grand Canyon region. We effectively engage with public citizens and bring a strong messages to the government agencies charged with protecting wolves and maintaining sustainable habitat conditions for wolves and other wildlife. The organizations involved with the coalition have a long history of success with predator issues. Coalition members, including Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, and the Center for Biological Diversity were instrumental in returning the wolf to southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, through the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. Many of the organizations are currently working together on the upcoming forest management plans to ensure that lowered road densities, recovery of other native species, and extirpation of non-native species, are a priority, creating safe havens and safe passages for wildlife and paving the way so that some day we may hear the sound of wolves howling across Arizona. Goals for 2011: Current Programs and Activities: The Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project (GCWRP) is dedicated to bringing back wolves and restoring ecological health to the Grand Canyon region. One key management strategy is to eliminate all restrictions to wolf dispersal and movements. Occupation of areas outside of the current Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area will be required in order to achieve full recovery of Mexican wolves. Communicating and engaging with Grand Canyon National Park personnel and surrounding land management agencies is essential to achieving successful and meaningful wolf recovery in the American southwest. At the same time, the GCWRP and coalition partners are working to cultivate a new constituency of citizen advocates for wolves in the Grand Canyon region. Our strategies for wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region consist of several key approaches: 1) Influence a change of management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region. This includes encouraging the FWS to work quickly and concurrently on a new recovery plan and project rule for Mexican wolves, so that the policies prohibiting the natural dispersal of wolves in the Grand Canyon region are eliminated. Because officials in several counties in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area have come out in opposition to wolves, we will work to educate and influence local government officials in the Grand Canyon region and encourage them to demonstrate their support for wolf recovery. 2) Engage and influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region. GCWRP activities include meetings with the Superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, networking with key representatives of adjacent Forest Service lands, bringing land managers and scientists together for collaboration across political boundaries, and participating in land management processes that affect wolves. 3) Cultivate a constituency and build a base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region. Primary activities are tabling at area events and at the Grand Canyon’s North and South Rims during the summer, giving presentations to schools and organizations, public art installations to raise awareness about wolves, and hosting outreach/education events in regional communities, including Flagstaff and Grand Canyon. Current Goals and Objectives for 2011: Goal 1) Change management policies inhibiting wolf recovery in the Grand Canyon region. Goal 2) Influence the Grand Canyon National Park and other key land management agencies to support wolf recovery in the region. Goal 3) Cultivate a constituency and build the base of support for the restoration of wolves to the Grand Canyon region. View the full article

My oldest son Parker just turned 10 years old a few weeks ago and is now old enough to hunt big game in Arizona. He took his hunter education class last summer. Yesterday morning Parker and I met Jay for breakfast before we headed out to look for some pigs. Our good friend Glen Hall told us about a spot where he had seen some pigs a couple of weeks ago so that is where we headed first. We climbed up a little hill and glassed for a couple of hours. We saw lots of deer but no pigs. The wind was blowing pretty hard and it was still pretty cold. Finally the sun started to warm things up and Jay whispered "Darr I got pigs"! Parker and I gathered up our stuff and drove around to the mesa where the pigs were. Parker took his bow and rifle on the stalk. We eased up to the top of the mesa and peaked over a rock rim. The pigs were 50 yards below and moving towards a little cut that came up onto the mesa. We backed up and moved over to the cut. I peaked over the rim again and the pigs were 24 yards. I told Parker the range and told him to put his 20 yard pin at the top of the pigs back. The pig turned broadside and Parker drew his bow. The wind started gusting and I could see Parker's bow moving all over. He held at full draw until the wind settled down and then took the shot. The arrow sailed an inch over the pigs back and he ran closer to us. The pig was standing behind a rock at 10 yards. I handed Parker the rifle and the pig stepped out. Parker made a perfect shot and had his first big game animal. Parker was so excited and so was I! Jay came over and joined us for some pictures. Jay was able to get the shot on video. We shared a lot of laughs and Parker told the story over and over again on the way home. I had so much fun on this hunt and seeing my son so excited about hunting is what it is all about. Hopefully we will get to do it all over again in a few years when my youngest son Paul is 10. Take a kid hunting or fishing! View the full article

MEATEATER.COM This shows rocks if you havent seen it. View the full article

Watch Darr's son Parker harvest his first Javelina. Great job Parker! View the full article

Jim-I love rehashing after the season and trying to learn as much as I can from my experieinces and th experiences of others. This should be a good discussion. We went to Mexico twice, first trip was Dec 29th -January 5th (took two hunters and that timframe worked best for them), we saw over 130 bucks. Saw some chasing the last couple of days but mostly small bucks. Our location was in the Arizpe/Baochochi area. We thought the feed look good but the antler growth seemed to be off. Kit harvested a buck right at 110 and his father Paul made a great one shot kill on a 85 inch buck. Antler growth seemed to be down across the board from everyone I talked to who hunted mountain ranches. I have heard of a few good ones in the desert. Border was a smooth as usual. Checkpoints were as smooth as normal. We had just a few ticks on the capes but pulled them off and crossed just fine. Second trip, just scouting different ranches for next season. January 19th-22nd. Warm temps 75-82. decent rutting activity but it seemed to be really tapering off. I think due to the warm temps. Overall consensus from everyone I have talked to is just a mediocre year. The postives are there should be some holdover bucks that made it through this season and Lord willing with good moisture this spring/summer they will be looking good next year. (that is the optimist in me. I am anxious to hear others insight and input. Here are the pics of Kit's buck.

Sweet pics Jim looks like you guys had a good time! KOWA's are the ticket aren't they?

Phil I couldnt agree with you more on hijacking Tim's thread. I think I am to blame for that. should we move this to a new post? Some good insight and observations Phil! Tim once again great buck!!

Jason- I would have to know the number of bonus points you have to make a valuable suggestion. We like 9, 10, 23. But you need 13 plus points to get those units. You are welcome to email me if you would like: js43560@cox.net

It was awesome just to be there and watch father and son in action. For you Coues lovers out there Darr's first born is named Parker Coues Colburn. Ever since he could talk he has wanted to hunt with his Dad and like his Dad. It was one of the highlights of my hunting moments to be involved. I can tell you the apple does not fall far from the tree on this deal. Congrats to Darr and his son Parker Coues! I look forward to many more adventures with the Colburn boys! BTW, I cant agree more with take a kid hunting or fishing!

Jay, to me the feed seemed about the same as last year but there was a lot more water. Tanks that were dry last year had water this year and tanks that were low last year were full. As far as the rutting action goes it was "Game on" every day! I watched bucks running does like antelope, and I don't think I saw a buck that was either not with a doe or didn't have it's nose to the ground looking for one. One of the biggest challenges we faced was that the bucks wouldn't stay put long enough to stalk or get set up on them to get them killed. There was no doubt that the rut was on everywhere we looked. We also saw nearly as many bucks as does... very close to a 1:1 ratio. I think we hit the rut perfectly!!! - Tim Tim, cool insight and report. We have always found that hunting during the rut is good and bad! Just like what you said you see tons of bucks but they are constantly moving and dont stay put very long in order to put a move on them. This makes for good discussion. Couple of questions, what were the exact dates that you were there? We usually see the most activity in Mexico for rut during the period of January 10-25th and if I had to be precise it would be the 12th-18th. Another question, have you seen those dates be a bust because of warm weather? My answer would be absolutely I have seen it "on" then get hot and it shuts down until it gets cold again. Thoughts? Darr and I debate this stuff all of the time, would be great to hear some other insights and observations. Congrats on a fine buck! Jay, we were there the 19-26th and our ranch was located about an hour south of Hermisillo. I give the ranch location because I think how far north or south the ranch is plays into the prime rut dates. Other ranches I have hunted further north have usually had earlier rut dates. I agree with what you are saying with regards to warm weather but I also believe the moon phase plays into how the deer are acting as well. Just my opinion but cool temps and a New Moon phase make for the best rut hunting. I also think that the rut will seem "spotty" at times because of the presence or lack of presence of a hot doe. You can hunt a spot today with a hot doe and see several good bucks. However when you return the next day and she's been bread all the bucks are gone! When this happens I think a lot of guys will say the rut stopped, or that the moon or warm weather slowed things down. But the truth is that the hot doe in the area got bread and the bucks have just moved out looking for the next doe to rut. Or in other words the rut is still in full swing but the hunter just needs to move and find another hot doe and he'll find more good bucks rutting hard. Jay - I'm sending you a PM. - Tim Totally agree on location as far as a north/south line goes. But in theory shouldnt the does come into cycle around the same time? Seems the last couple of years the rut has been all over the map and very spotty. Lack of Nutrition? Warm temps? Drought? I agree certainly on the "hot" doe comments! Its pretty cool to watch a group of bucks dog a doe til she finally just lays down and wont get up. Good Stuff....any other observations out there by you Couesheads?

Jay, to me the feed seemed about the same as last year but there was a lot more water. Tanks that were dry last year had water this year and tanks that were low last year were full. As far as the rutting action goes it was "Game on" every day! I watched bucks running does like antelope, and I don't think I saw a buck that was either not with a doe or didn't have it's nose to the ground looking for one. One of the biggest challenges we faced was that the bucks wouldn't stay put long enough to stalk or get set up on them to get them killed. There was no doubt that the rut was on everywhere we looked. We also saw nearly as many bucks as does... very close to a 1:1 ratio. I think we hit the rut perfectly!!! - Tim Tim, cool insight and report. We have always found that hunting during the rut is good and bad! Just like what you said you see tons of bucks but they are constantly moving and dont stay put very long in order to put a move on them. This makes for good discussion. Couple of questions, what were the exact dates that you were there? We usually see the most activity in Mexico for rut during the period of January 10-25th and if I had to be precise it would be the 12th-18th. Another question, have you seen those dates be a bust because of warm weather? My answer would be absolutely I have seen it "on" then get hot and it shuts down until it gets cold again. Thoughts? Darr and I debate this stuff all of the time, would be great to hear some other insights and observations. Congrats on a fine buck!