coues

That is a cool mount, and you don't have to feed them!

Hi guys, I just want to encourage anyone in the market for a trail cam to take a look at the ones offered on here. I ordered one from Amanda, and received it the very next day! I couldn't get it to work (my fault) and Amanda kindly walked me through the whole process over the phone. I couldn't be happier with the service, or the camera. I will post pics when I get some. Right now, all I have is my pointer standing on his hind legs staring at a nest in the tree in my backyard

The pic of Julie is priceless. She scored!

I've been around a long time, but I don't post too much. I think Amanda has done a fabulous job with this place and I feel like I know quite a few of you even though we've never personally met. I hope it's OK to ask for prayers for my self, seems kind of selfish, but this is the safest place I know to come to. If I come across too whiney. please cut me some slack and move on. I'm never comfortable talking about myself, but I need to give a little background... I've lived in Arizona since I was seven (1967). I've been here my entire life with the exeption of 4 years at a small bible college in California. All my life I've been totally in love with the outdoors. My dad started me out on quail and some deer hunting occasionally, although we never got one. After college, I met a guy who I considered to be the ultimate hunter. That year, he'd just finished guiding the governors elk tag and had vacation time to burn. A mutual friend introduced us so I took him into an area I'd been seeing a lot of bears. I hit it off so well with him and his partner, they started inviting me along on there own hunts. By the following year I was guiding with them as an aprentice. We stayed pretty busy between the guide trips and our own hunts. We spent many many campfires together, and enjoyed alot of success on elk, mule deer,whitetail, antelope, bear, and even a few sheep. Both my partners were within a few years of retiring when they where tragically killed in a small airplane on Nov 16, 2003 while scouting for elk. The odd thing about it, is most years I would have been with them, Tom had drawn the tag himself so we didn't have any clients booked. I was in the middle of moving so I begged off the preseason scouting. Otherwise, I might not be here today. I lost my 2 best hunting buddies on 11/16/04. I had to drive up to the Williams airport and drive Toms truck back to his widow. That was such a painful experience seeing his half empty soda can on the center console, his jacket draped over the seat, and his binoculars were in the back seat. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that they are gone forever. Tom was truely a master with optics, and shared his knowledge with me and a few other well respected guides around the state. In short, he taught me everything I know, and I went from never filling a tag, to filling every tag every season. Our relationship evolved, and he then taught me the real meaning of hunting; Helping others discover the true pleasure of harvesting a trophy, and most importantly, the friendships cemented around the campfire. Losing them forever changed the course of my life....until... Feb 5, 2004. That is when I found out that my baby girl had been living in he11 for four years. Her step-father had been viscously molesting her daily from the time she was 12. As a father, I had let her down in the worst possible way, and my baby girl will have to live with it the rest of her life. I would give my life in a heartbeat if I could take the away her pain and memories. Before the disclosure, she was involved in her church youth group, and school band and choir. She went to college but dropped out, and now works in a minimum wage job. She's extremely smart, and actually had a scolarship to NAU which she lost. I can't seem to get her motivated to follow through with her dreams. I went to drinking everyday just to kill the pain, but thank God I realized where that was headed so I've quit, which is where I am today. I've lost the one and only true passion in my life, and I can't seem to get it back. I used to devour all the AZ, NM, NV, and UT regulations as soon as the came out. I was constantly dreaming of my next season, and spent all my time practicing and gearing up for my next hunt. I've let my health slip, and paid for it dearly last year on my elk hunt in 21. It's a painful pill to swallow when you realize you're losing your passion. Hunting has been the one constant thoughout my entire life, and now I have to talk myself into even applying. I still love hunting, but more and more find myself without the energy and enthusiasm to actually go. If you've ever experienced anything like this, please tell me how you got your passion back. Prayers are always appreciated too. Thanks for listening.

I really appreciate the kind words and prayers.

A friend of mine found a backpack with some high dollar optics, etc in it. Please contact me if you know who it is. He's looking for the owner.

That was it. 10x swaros, 15x swaros, rangefinder, etc. Thanks for the tip.

He didn't pay for this elk, or any elk for that matter. He paid for the OPPORTUNITY to hunt elk as prescribed in the regs.

Just had to post a word of thanks to Tim (Coueschaser3) for helping me pack my elk. I didn't know him before the hunt (execpt on here) but he generously helped me pack an elk out of 21 this week. I think he weighs maybe 140 and I swear he packed out 100lbs. Then he got to do it all over again the next day on his own elk! Thanks again Tim, and congratulations.

I carried the horns out just to look busy. I can definitely believe he's only 110. It's hard to judge when he uses a dog collar for a belt.

Nice buck!

I went through EXACTLY the same thing about 15 years ago. I found myself on a solo WT hunt in 21 and just couldn't get motivated. It took me a LONG time to figure it out... I was putting too much pressure on myself. I was on a roll, and had filled every tag I had for several years. I had to rethink why I hunt. It's very easy to get wrapped up in scores, and for me, it took away from why I love to hunt. The magazines, videos, and websites can skew a guy into thinking he's got to kill a big one to feel succesful. Maybe it's age, but I can honestly say I could care less if I fill my tag, and I really don't care what the other guy has to say about what I wrap my tag around! 2 of my 3 hunting buddies were killed a few years ago. I miss the campfires with those guys, but the "zen" of hunting will always be there. It's fun to see all the internet trophies, but let's face it, there just aren't 400 inch bulls and 110 coues behind every tree. I get more of a kick out of the kids with cows, or wives with spikes than I do the guy who dropped $35,000 for a giant bull. They actually SMILE in the pics!! OK, off my soapbox. I wish you the best.

Hi, Please don't "dis" me for asking... it's not for me. I volunteered to take an 11 year old boy on his first ever hunt. He drew the juniors tag for 3A/3C. He is absolutely crazy about hunting, but his dad doesn't really hunt. His dad tells me this kid lays in bed at night practicing his bugling driving his sisters NUTS! He's been practicing with a pellet gun, and will start working his way up at the range. I plan on scouting, but if anyone has any suggestions where to start looking in either of these units, we would REALLY appreciate it! Thanks in advance, Gary

I've hunted them a few times in 31 and finally took one a few years ago. A couple things I noticed is that they can be active anytime throughout the day. Makes for long glassing, but I shot my bear at 1:00pm. The other thing is to hunt later in the season rather than earlier. There are more bears out and they have more time to become active again. When they first come out of the den they don't move around much at all. Good Luck!

I've been a Farmers Insurance agent in Glendale for 21 years and do a little guiding on the side. Glad to help anybody with insurance questions. ~Gary (602)866-7876

I've never touted a piece of equipment, but this tent is so well made and so well thought out I thought it was worth mentioning. It's made by Kodiak Canvas and I found it at Sportsmans Warehouse after looking at everything Cabelas had to offer. It's a 10X10 cabin style tent made of the best materials available. Every detail was considered and it's ridiculously easy to set up. My wife and I set it up in a driving rain for the first time in less than 10 minutes. It only has 2 legs and a cross beam, but boy is it strong and tight. I've had virtually every size and kind of tent including full blown wall tents and nothing compares to this one as far as quality and practicality. I find it's perfect for one or two cots with ample room for the rest of the gear. I'm not affiliated with the company at all, but I just can't say enough about this tent. Check it out for yourself at www.Kodiakcanvas.com BTW, if you're interested I have a picture of it with my wife's 362 bull beside it.

I tried posting the pic, but it's too big. I sent it to the tent company and they put it on their site under "testimonial". It's her first hunt ever, she's very proud. She did a good job, too. Toughed it out in the rain and we made her carry out the horns. (She was glad to do it) Amanda, I've only had it out once, so I can't honestly say I've had it in a severe wind, but it did get quite windy. I'd guess 25-30 mph gusts. We also got a fair amount of rain, and it definitely didn't leak. When you see the material they make this thing with, it won't surprise you. The pole system is very ingenious. The roof has a set of "T's" on each end that's tied to a center piece that locks with a sleeve. It's spring loaded so it's always tight. The verticle poles lock into the bottom of the tent so that stays tight too. Hard to explain in words, but when you see it you'll know what I mean. It is heavy; surprisingly heavy for a tent it's size. The poles are much heavier than I've ever seen. The floor is exceptionally heavy vinyl. I don't mind the weight, it's not a backpack tent and that's the price for a solid, dry tent. It has a full size door and a full size window on opposite sides. You can vent the he!! out of this thing. It has a modest awning that covers one door and window if you don't use it....again, quite ingenious! Even the stakes are heavy. It doesn't look much different than 1000 other tents until you examine it close.

If you haven't tried the MRE's with the heaters, you might be pleasantly surprised. They're kind of like canned food... Chili, Spaghetti, etc. They come with all kinds of goodies like candy bars, gum, crackers etc. to carry around and snack on. They are heavy, but so is water and if you're using freeze dried foods in AZ you're probably going to have to carry enough water for your meals anyway. I carry one for each day as my "big" meal, and light snack for the rest of the day. At least you're getting one hot meal with minimal effort.

Man this hits a nerve with me!!! Two of the things I'm most passionate about, public land being locked out to the public, and child molestores. This idiot woman owns 9 friggin acres and thinks she has the right to keep thousands of acres of public land closed?!?! My daughter was molested and let me tell you I have no sympathy for this little fhead!!! Let him rot along with his mother!!!!!!!!!!!

I've done some research, and I plan on getting a Kimber in the 270WSM. You can get a ton of info at www.shortmags.org.

There is only one taxidermist in the world, as far as I'm concerned... Marc Plunkett!

Do yourself a favor and check out www.shortmags.org. I think you'll see for yourself the advantages of the short mags over the traditional mags. For instances, the 270wsm out performs the 270 weatherby mag in every way... accuracy, shootabilty, and efficiency. These little calibers ar making most of the "ultramags" obsolete, including Weatherby!

I lost 2 of my very best friends on November 17th in a plane crash near Drake, AZ. They were scouting for elk when there plane crashed around 4:30pm. They had hunted and guided elk in Arizona for over 20 years. This was the first year in over 20 that they didn't book any clients because Tom finally drew a tag for himself. They were always very careful to comply with all laws, especially those pertaining to flying. This was to be their last flight before the 48 hour rule came into effect. I guided with them alot, and this was only the second time in 15 years I didn't make it up early for the scouting. Tom was one heck of a hunter, and taught many of us alot, especially about elk. I'm only guessing, but I think he's probably been on at least 200 elk kills for himself or clients. He was very generous with his knowledge, especially with young hunters. He loved the outdoors more than anyone else I know. He often reminded me that the campfires spent with friends were far more important than putting a tag on an animal. He really lived by those words, too. I had to drive his truck back from Williams. It had his Leica binos sitting beside the seat, and a folded map on the dash. His jacket was tossed over his gear in the back, and there was a half empy coke can on the cosole... all just where he left it. I've spent countless hours on some windy mountain top standing beside him glassing. Time with him always seemed special, like it mattered, if you know what I mean. Dan always found something to laugh about. He'd notice something funny, and bring it into the conversation for days. He was one of these guys who never forgot any road he'd ever driven down, or knob he'd ever used to glass off of, even if it was 20 years ago. He loved to joke around. The last "battle" we had going was over coffee. Dan was always the first up to have coffee going. He'd be standing there in the lantern light with a cup in his hand, raving about how good it was before getting around to offering a cup to anyone else. One time, I set my alarm 15 minutes early so I could turn it around on him. When he saw what I was doing, he never missed a beat. He said, "yea, but I bet it's not Starbucks, like mine... I'll wait for the good stuff!" God, I'm going to miss these guys. I heard once that the average person really only has 4 true friends in their entire lifetime! People who like you with no stings attached for who you are, faults and all. I lost 2 of my 4 when that plane went down. It's hard to think about the hunting future for me. I won't quit, but there will be 2 holes missing everytime I go out. The next time you find yourself standing around the evening campfire with your buddies, look around, take notice, and tell them what they mean to you. I'd give anything to be able to do that one more time with Tom and Dan.

I just received a pic of a 118" buck killed by a 10 year old girl! Dad is a Phx firefighter, and nothing short of a first class guy! He had the tag and let his daughter shoot it. My hats off to daughter and dad!