kidso

Anyone ever shot this rifle or have any familiarity with it? I can find zero reviews on this rifle. Thanks.

Either one. I have always ran into other hunters in the area and they always have rifles. I am not concerned about tagging. Just want to get out for some fun, which is why the first shot is up for grabs.

I have the 37B general have tag for the last week of February, I believe. I am flying solo, but would enjoy having someone in the field with me for safety issues (tag or no tag). I hunt near Gonzales Pass towards Superior and have gotten into pigs the past two years at that spot. I plan on hitting the opening Saturday only. So, if anyone wants to join me for a day hunt, I am game. Teenagers or first timers welcome. The first shot will be yours.

Classic fun! If there is any hole, crack, crevice, or cave within a mile, a wounded pig will always seem to find it! Well done!

My twins just turned four and I feel that I can now host a Christmas family gathering over at my place on Saturday, December 13th from 6-11pm in Chandler, AZ. Come and go, drop by for some hot cocoa and roast marshmallows and hotdogs over the fire pit and check out our yard display. I decorate with vintage Christmas décor and love the holiday season. This is a non-alcoholic family event. PM me if you are able to attend or if you want to come by on another evening. Santa will be there with stuffed animals for the kids. Have a Merry Christmas!

For years, the allure of predator calling large color phased bears on the San Carlos Apache lands have beckoned to me in my dreams. Being a poor school teacher and a prudent family man always kept me from purchasing this relatively high dollar tag in the past. However, after suffering through three years of heck with an addicted spouse and recently cutting all legal ties with her through the proper channels, I decided to celebrate by chasing my dream. Anyone who is a single dad knows how tough it is to break away from your children, especially when they are young, for any extended period of time. In the past three years, I had only been away from my young twins once a year for a single evening for a state side bear hunt. Well, I cashed in all my favors to plan a three night getaway for my San Carlos hunt, but knew that the sooner I could return, the better off the situation would be for my sitters and my daughters. Last minute politics with the tribe found my buddy and I having to hire a guide that was not in our original hunt plans. We had a nice area picked out to camp near a large water tank that had bear activity according to people in the know. More importantly, the nearby mountains had lots of oak filled cuts that were perfect for predator calling. I drove up solo the afternoon prior to my hunt, only to discover that my intended camping spot had been staked out by a dozen cowboys who were staging a cattle roundup in the valley. Chainsaws, hoops, hollering, and the noise of braying horses and mooing cattle filled the quiet valley. I knew that this could not be a positive angle when it came to calling on the south side of the hills, which was my intended morning target. At bear thirty in the morning, my guide pulled up and I encouraged him to glass from camp after sunrise while I worked the mountain calling into its various ravines. On my way to the foothills at the mountain base, I came across a huge pile of fresh bear scat full of juniper berries. The odd thing about it, however, was its location on the cedar and juniper flats before the hills. Weird. I had never come across bear scat on the flats before, so imagine my surprise when I found a second plop a few minutes later in the same topographic area. Well, I called my first ravine at 6am, and by noon, I had already called my away around to the north side of the mountain with nothing but a tricked coyote to accompany my efforts. I was puzzled and perplexed. Was the cowboy camp with its permeating bacon scent really a hindrance to my hunt? I returned to camp and my guide mentioned a cinnamon bear they had found on a deer carcass the week before. He showed me a phone image and I nearly wet my pants. I told him to take me there for a stand or two. As we drove away, we climbed the mountain and hit a narrow road in a steep walled canyon. After a few minutes, I screamed at my chauffeur to stop his jeep so I could check out a pile of beat scat on the road. Again, it was fresh and full of juniper berries. Fifty yards up the road, we found another. Within a half-mile, we must have found nine piles of bear scat, all fresh within a day or two and all juniper berries. I lost at least an hour calling off the road and was perplexed when a big old boar did not come ambling over to investigate. We drove on and wondered where these road walking bears were coming from and where they were going, as not a single juniper tree was spotted in this long, narrow, and steep-sided canyon. We drove on to the deer carcass spot and I called a few cuts, but cinnamon friend must have left the area. I told my guide to go back to the narrow road with the bear scat and when we returned, about two hours had elapsed, and a new still smoking bear scat greeted us in the middle of the road. It was then that I noticed a small high cut perpendicular to the road. I quickly began to navigate its passage and came across three more piles of juniper scat in the next quarter-mile and a sly grin crept across my face as I finally put the puzzle pieces together. It truly was the best mind game that I have ever had with bears. But, after 10 hours of scratching my pounding brain, I had solved the riddle. Certainly Oedipus or Odysseus would be proud! The bears were hammering the juniper berries and literally vacuuming them off of the heaven laden trees so much that they were gorged on their calories. Now, this was happening on the flats. However, with the cowboys nearby and all their stock and activity by the water tank, the bears had to head into the hills to find water and bed down. They were actually using this cut as a thoroughfare to one of those destinations. Their bellies were so stuffed from their fruity smorgasbord that they were indifferent to the call and had no desire to chase down a wounded mammal that was not a guaranteed meal. Anyways, they would exit this cut and swagger down this road dropping plops as plodded along. I found a little rain cache down off the side of the road and saw multiple sets of bear tracks on it. Thus, I decided to swallow my pride and bury my predator calls deep within my pack. I set up in a few oak trees about 20 yards from the water at 4:00 that afternoon, with the anticipation of having a shot at dusk. I cleared away the crackling oak leaves from off the native soil, and lay down on my back to relax and listen to the sounds around me. Imagine my shock just 10 minutes later when I heard a thump and huff above above me. I sat up like springboard rising and saw this chocolate face staring me down at 10 yards. She was about five feet higher in elevation than I was, but all I saw was a beautiful brown head. In one fluid motion, I reached over, grabbed my rifle, pulled it up to firing position, and let one round push through her chest cavity. In the blink of an eye it was over. I radioed my guide who arrived with his jeep in just two minutes and parked it 10 yards from my bear. We picked her up and gently laid her down on a tarp for skinning and processing. She was not the big old color phase boar I was dreaming about, but she was an amazing sow with thick and full chocolate fur free of rubbing. So, it was a bitter sweet moment I will treasure forever. Bitter, for it was my first bear taken that I did NOT call in, or have to pack out of a rugged and steep canyon. I actually felt a little guilty over that, as predator calling is my niche and I had stepped away from that for this bear. Sweet, because she was a nice color phase and I would be back in the valley by midnight to be home again with my girls.

I hunted bear there for three days with a spring archery tag about six years ago. I would park at the hatchery and hike out along the AZ Trail each day and hunt all day until after dark. At the end of my third day, I came back to a nasty note left under my wiper blades. It said, "You are a selfish fish hog beating us each morning to the creek and catching all the trout out of our favorite holes. Why don't you leave some for the rest of us!" Of course, I enjoyed a huge laugh from that note!

Looks like the main hunting party will be on the 20th. Others may still come on the 10th.

Ok, it is that time of season again. My lights are on and hot cocoa is brewing! I can host another year of hotdog and marshmallow roasting for anyone who wants to stop by to enjoy the vintage decor and some holiday cheer. I have December 10th and the 20th open if one date is better than the other, but will have the lights on through Christmas every night and fires on most weekends. Kid friendly with Rudolph or Polar Express projected on my garage door. Movie starts at 7pm.

Forget about the deer, that bear is equivalent to a 120 inch buck!! Sweet!!

"But the magic of San Carlos surely lives." Quote of the hunt. Way to keep your head in the game with finale wracking your brain.

Great job Dan! Is that two in a row now?

Glad you were able to hit the call. I love your persistence and long-term dedication to the pursuit of bear.

Sweet deal. Nothing compares to your first bear.

Love the line....."I need the meat." Words to live bear, especially for those of us that salivate over bear meat. Great job!

Sweet double!

Great seller. But, don't be fooled by his Mesa address. This lucky retired guy hangs out on FR 300 all day watching elk and fishing bass out of Roosevelt!

Just a heads up, the Phoenix Predator Callers group just asked me to present a free Bear Calling Seminar at their August 2nd meeting at 7:00pm somewhere in Phoenix. I do not know the level of promotion this seminar will receive due to the short time frame window, but the location can be found on their website or Facebook page if you are interested in attending. It is somewhere in Phoenix on Greenway Road in the Avenues. I believe I presented for them two years ago as well. It will be tailored to beginning hand callers and novice bear hunters. Hides and skulls will be available for youth to handle. Thanks!

Thanks guys. It was fun to present and great to meet each of you. I only wished there were more youth present to kindle their hunting spark. Good luck to a fantastic fall bear calling campaign!

Reevis Ranch?

Si. Mi gusta carne de oso, es muy rico!

Beautiful brown face on that bear!

I will wear a CWT shirt too. We can represent together.

Mine are wrap around with three buckles made by Whitewater. Before those, I wore soccer shin guards in the front and rear of my hunting socks and they did fine!

Very cool that dad is pitching in the $50 and not the $750. His son will value what he purchases.