Coach

Maybe it's just bad reporting, but it sounds like most of his injuries came from sliding under the truck. I haven't been up-close and personal with a cougar, but I've taken on 2 inch scratches from a nasty batch of inert scrub-oak and manzanita. The few "Wild America" episodes I've seen of Mt. Lions taking down prey, I'd say the claws were digging in 2-3 inches deep and curling under the flesh. I think it's the shock created by that level of trauma that makes the prey go limp and fall. I bet we've all shot a buck with a few branches buried beneath the flesh, deer can bust through all kinds of bad stuff taking the brunt of it and going on about their business like nothing happened. But get 2 fistfulls of cougar claws in them and they all of a sudden go limp...I just don't see how this guy could get seriously attacked by a cougar and have a couple of scratches. My wife's flu-flu-inbred Himalayan house cats used to do that to me all the time and they weighed in around 4 pounds. It's a little hard for me to swallow a 100-200 pound cat pouncing on ANYTHING and leaving a couple 2 inch scratches. Just call me Mr. Skeptical, but I think joe schmuck is looking for some sympathy medical leave.

I'd call that pretty darn impressive at 1000 yards...That's over 1/2 mile.

Shhhhhh! Don't give away the secret! BTW, anyone want to lay down a Benji that I draw my first choice???

Heard about this today - I'm hoping more details come to light soon.

Ok, admit it, you said, "Hey, if I post a bunch of pix of me in heaven catching huge Marlin and drinkin' Tecate's in Mexico, everyone will be SOOOO jealous..." Well...... YOU WERE RIGHT...Awesome story, great pix, congrats. You've earned it 100 times over by putting guys in hunting situations they probably would never have been in without your help. Enjoy the gloating, , I'm still green with envy.

Ya know, we're sandwiched right in here between Mother's Day, Father's Day, not sure when her Birthday is...but for whatever reason, this part of the year is flat-out crazy. I've got an anniversary in 3 days too. Not sure if it's 14 or 15...life gets in the way. Find a way to do something REALLY special for her...pampering, gifts, attention...then she'll hope you forget every year 'cause if you ask my wife, a little pampering is way better than any on-time gift.

On the San Carlos side, your permits are for 24 hour periods. On the Ft. Apache side, they are for individual calendar days, meaning you'll have to have a permit for each day regardless of how late you arrive or how early you leave. I've heard the water level is still quite high, and it's still murky. Haven't heard any specific fishing reports yet though. Have a good time.

Congrats on the weight loss! Hey, she still looks better than you do. I've lost a good 20 - 25 lbs this year too. It's a good year for trimming the spare tire, I guess. I'm thinking my 45 pound pack *should* feel more like 25 when elk season rolls around. Kinda nice to have everthing fit baggy, but my kids have already commented on my new "gangbanger style" with my shorts low and underwear sticking out. Hit 184 and change this morning. This time last year I was prolly 208-210. At 6' that's a place I haven't been since I got married about 150 years ago - lol.

For the first time in my life, I'm applying for a bonus point! C'mon 12AW - NEXT year. No time this year given my Unit 1 Bull Muzzle Loader tag (just had to rub that in one more time). And my two oldest have cow hunts in 3A/C. Anybody need some elk meat??? Archery coues and leftovers will be the only thing on the plate for me. For the boys, 3C youth muleys if the we luck out in the draw.

Mine is a picture of me and all 3 sons (quite a while back) walking into one of our favorite spots in the woods. On the back of my shirt is are pictures of walking boots, and we're all holding hands...a very special picture to me. Man those little boys have grown up so much since that picture was taken. I'm so proud of my sons and the little men they are becoming.

Definately a chupacabra

I'm surprised that no one has jumped on that Switchback yet. So many good new bows out there I guess.

I'm holding off until next year, hoping Bowtech will offer a Destroyer in 34".

MattMan is right on, AZGFD is gill netting lots of the lakes up here to try and get them under control. They have pretty much taken over Rainbow, and I've heard of several over 20 lbs. caught in gill nets. The only pike I've caught were from the McNary mill ponds, but last I heard, the tribe doesn't allow fisthing there anymore. Anyone know the scoop on that?

My condolences to his family. Sad to see such a tragedy. If you get any details about what happened that might help avoid similar situations, it would be much appreciated. I'm very sorry for your loss.

+1 for Vortex DiamondBacks. Good glass, not too expensive, great warranty.

Only when your equipment starts causing issues for you in the field. The Switchback is an iconic bow, IMO. Probably the best bow Mathews ever put out, and my first Mathews was a Conquest Light, which I'd also rank up there with a few bows that were obviously advanced for their time. I'm now shooting a 2005 Bowtech Allegiance, and while they have put out some good new bows in the last few years, like the Mathews Switchback, most of the newer offerings have been less of improvements, than experiments in new technologies. If you've got a bow that shoots well for you now, there's no reason to plop down another grand for something that may be the next best thing, it's probably premature to take on a new bow that might be the next bow dropped from their line. There's about a zillion used 82nd Airborne bows for sale on the various sites, along with Mathews Monsters, etc. But the bows people regret ever selling to have the next new thing are the Bowtech Allegiance, and Mathews Switchback. Funny that way. I guess if you are into bowhunting tecnhology, it's prudent to try out the newest thing each year, but of all the offerings from the biggest names, only a couple will stick around as the building blocks for their next "best of breed" bow. I am really interested in shooting the Hoyt Maxxis, Bowtech Destroyer and Mathews Z7, just to see if there is really an noticable improvement over the older bows. For me, chasing new technologies in bows/arrows/broadheads is not something I want to be an "early adopter" type of consumer. There are plenty of great offerings out there that can outperform my shooting abilities. I just want to find what's comfortable and makes me feel confident in the field that where I aim is where I'll hit. The rest is just marketing hoopla. Not to take the thread off track, but I've found the best performing broadheads on game to be Muzzy 100 grain, 3 blade broadheads. They run about half of what the so-called premium heads cost, and I've bought them all. I've got G5 Montecs, Montec SS, Magnus Stingers and BuzzCuts, Slick Tricks (which fly awesome), G5 Strikers - which are really just "Wac'em" clones - the most "cloned" broadhead out there, a few expandables I haven't taken to the field yet because I don't trust them. I have NEVER lost a hit animal with the basic 100 grain, 3 blade muzzy that you can pick up at WalMart for $17 a 3 pack, and I killed a nice coues and nice muley last year with them. They fly exactly like all other broadheads I practice with, but they have an amazing ability to kill everything they touch, and do it quickly. Not sure why, but short bloodtrails speak for themselves. Lost game is the worst possible thing that we deal with, IMO, and when you have a bow that you aren't confident in, or broadheads you aren't condfident in, you might just be crawling hands-and-knees looking for one more blood spot, and that is an ugly feeling.

You should always be suspicious of someone helping you remember to get your apps in . Before you get reeled in and filleted, you *might* want to double check our resident, Good Samaritan's dates.

I know CRB will probably be happy to take them - he has a VERY impressive antler collection.

Nice stategy CactusJack! Personally, I would go with a lever gun if I were buying another .22 or maybe a gallery pump-gun. The browning lever is nice, but I like the looks of the Henry a little better - just personal preference. I've always liked the browning semi-auto take-down too - very much a classic gun, but I have 10/22 international - stainless with the full-length (Mannlicher-style) stock that goes all the way out to the end of the barrell, that it pretty much the only semi-auto .22 I'll ever want or need. Nice of you to be putting lots of thought into a present for your dad. I'm sure he'll be very happy with whatever you choose.

Don't EVEN go there...

I talked to someone at Chasin' A Dream in Payson about some bowfishing gear, and was really impressed with that guy's knowledge and willingness to help, even though he didn't have in stock what I was after. You just get a certain feel from a bowshop that they are there to be helpful and I got that feeling from one call - Made me want to do business with them in the future, FWIW.

Great job finding a bear honey hole like that!!! I sure want to arrow one big bear somewhere down the line. Have a good spot, but it's not exactly in "friendly territory". That big boy is awesome - keep us posted for sure!

Truly touching - thank you for sharing it with us. God bless our troops, and I sincere "Thank You" from the bottom of my heart, to all who have served and continue to serve our country. It is men and women putting their lives on the line, every day, that make our Nation strong, not politicians or corporations. God bless you and your family this Memorial Day weekend. Please take a few moments to think about and talk about what makes this day special. Men and women have been fighting and dying to preserve our unique and special country for decades, yet, somehow, we all seem to take their sacrifce for granted. This isn't just another 3-day weekend - we need to take some time to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who came before us, and those still on the battlefield are making each and every day to protect something good, and sacred and special. America still is the bastion of hope, an example to the world of strength, kindness, generosity and hope. And the men and women serving on the front lines are still the best and brightest we have to offer the world. They ask almost nothing in return, but they deserve our gratitude and our respect. Next time you see a vet or active-duty member of our armed forces, please, don't be shy, just say Thank You. You'll be surprised how they respond.

How does the Maxxis 35 compare with the Bowtech Destroyer? I was dead set on a Destroyer until I found out I had a ML bull tag instead of an archer tag this year. I already know my Knight Long Range Hunter is the best ML out there, so I can hold off another year on a new bow -