metau

Big enough...

Should be an awesome seminar Keith. I'll be out of town next week or I'd otherwise be there. If anyone can video this I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

His podcasts are awesome. I download them and listen while driving around scouting and out of cell range, looking for areas to apply the topics he discusses.

I'm not that far behind you. We will be heading out at 0600 Saturday for a week in Yellowstone NP. Picked up some flies and tippet on the way home and will be loading up the truck tomorrow. Spent the last 4 nights pre cooking all our meals so we can roll back into camp after dark, dead tired and just reheat the meals in some boiling water without having to worry much about dishes. Plan on fishing the Lamar Valley, and contemplating bringing a spinning rod when we float down the snake on our raft in Grand Tetons NP. We are also stopping at Zion NP on the way up and the Moab on the way back. I'm not sure how refreshed I will be (I'm doing all the driving), but I know I'm looking forward to no emails, no meetings and no mandatory overtime for the next week.

The good thing about hunting in 30A is that you will be hunting instead of sitting on your butt at home watching reruns wishing you were hunting. And yes, pending means you drew the tag.

If the terrain and weather allows for it, I much prefer to build a natural ground blind, especially if you pack into an area. I have a few commercial blinds, and have used them. I've had deer and elk look at me before in a commercial blind that wasn't brushed in well enough, but I've yet to have a critter look at me in a natural brush blind. With the amount of brushing in that I do on commercial blinds to blend it in I might as well just do a natural blind. The commercial blind does allow for me to move ALOT more though, which is extremely helpful with my ADD. Both are equally suitable for napping, just one I'm in a chair and the other I'm on the ground. Also need to account for the different shot angles and if in a chair, drawing your bow while seated and aiming at all possible angles. I missed a bull of a lifetime on my first archery elk hunt because my arm was into my chair at full draw and rotated all the way to my right.

Some folks suggest staying away from the hoocie mama. I have one, let my niece use it when we are in the park. Why don't you like diaphragm calls? If it is difficulty calling then I highly suggest getting Steve Chappells CD and practice while commuting to/from work. Otherwise, I have about 3 dozen calls, 10 or so of which are on me when I leave the truck. I'll use whatever I'm getting the best reaction out of (usually the diaphragm).

I think you need a bigger brake...j/k

Or your binos, or boots, or a tripod, etc... Soooo many other things to get or upgrade that will get you within range to use what you have more frequently.

That's easy. OTC deer, turkey, bear and lion. Throw in some fly fishing for good measure. And volunteer as a mentor at a couple of the youth camps. Should keep you busy until sometime in March.

FYI, Sportsmans off Yorkshire had 1k of these in stock last night. Don't remember if they were the 129gr or 142gr pills. -EDIT- They are the 129gr pills.

So I'm putting together an order so I can finish the changes that I want to make to my 300 win mag. At the same time, I want to switch from the 180 Accubonds to something with a much higher BC. Everything I am reading is pointing me to these two bullets. Has anyone used both of these in one of the large 300's, and if so, what were your thoughts? I'd like to get the order out by Friday so that way everything is waiting for me when I get back from Yellowstone. Thanks.

Looks like they made some progress today. Only 211 deer tags left across 4 hunts.

It's actually had decent success rates the last few years. There's not a ton of deer, but the core ranges are much smaller.

BTT Glock is SPF, 20ga is still available.

Finishing up my man cave and have a handful of firearms that I have either moved on/upgraded from or just never shoot and need the space. 1--SOLD-- 2--SOLD-- 3--SOLD-- 4- Charles Daly 20ga semiauto. Gun has ran perfect since I bought it new 10 years ago. Have ran slugs, buckshot, turkey and goose loads through it with no issue. Comes with full, IC and mod chokes. $250 5- Glock 34. This was my 3-gun pistol for over a year. Selling as a package, just add a belt and bullets! Grip has been stippled, trigger guard double relief cut, extended bevertail, mag well, Vanek Classic GM trigger kit, 13lb recoil spring, lone wolf extended mag release and slide catch, warren tactical sights, red FO front, plain rear, 2 factory mags(4 shown, only 2 available) with black TTI +6 base pads & springs, 1 ProMag mag(not shown), Bladetech revolution holster w/tek-lok attachment and a Bladetech revolution double mag pouch. Shoots 147gr HP's the best. Just over $1400 into this, asking $700 -SPF 6--SOLD-- 7--SOLD-- Prefer FTF here in the valley. Must see AZDL or CCW. Will ship at cost to any free state.

They will have plenty of tags left. Turkey tags, that is.

Or at least not the unit you have a tag for...

I'm hoping I can get the either bullet shooting good in the 2950-3000fps range. Barrel is only 26" though so I know I will be getting close to max pressures. I'm thinking of trying H1000, Retumbo and IMR7828.

What kind of velocities are you getting with the 215?

BTT, added scope.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Never hunted the area myself. My comment on the decline was based off my review of the data from the 2015 AZ Hunt Statistics book. Looking at the 2009 book, there was a similar year in 2005 with low numbers and after a few years the %'s picked back up again. Hopefully it is the same this time around.

Of course it is real. Just two opposing trains of thought. Makes the hunter analyze what his expectations and goals are out of the hunt. Is he looking for meat, a nice bull or a trophy of a lifetime? Judging by his trail cam pics, and his admitted previous elk hunting in the unit, I'd say he has a decent grasp on what to expect from the unit, as well as the topography, roads and boundary. As such, the only things left to help him are discussions on gear/practice/etc unique to archery equipment and being mentally prepared for hunting bulls in the rut, with said archery gear. Calling a bull into less than 10 yards and having him thrash a tree, while bugling in your face, pissing everywhere and generally being pissed off that he cannot find the cow that he knows should be right in front of him can wreck havoc on a hunter that is not prepared. With it being as difficult as it can be to draw an elk tag for a rut hunt, the more prepared you are mentally for your preceived expectations of your hunt, the more satisfied you will be with the outcome. There is so much more to helping someone with their hunt then telling a guy "go here". My comments were nothing more than to get him thinking about what his realistic expectations were for the hunt.

35A will be a tough hunt. Much better access than nearby units, which is nice, but buck numbers have been trending down as has hunter success. But as with any hunt, if you put in the work you will likely be rewarded. Don't forget a lion tag.