Coach

Yeah, I just saw that too. I hope they're just having a little fun at our expense.

I understand the motivation behind this idea, but I really think the chances of drawing back to back are slim. Sure, we all hear of it, but I still think it's rare. Most of us wait years in between. I was lucky enough to draw an archery bull tag last year but it took 10 years of applying. I know my chances are slim now, but I'm happy to have that slim chance of drawing again. It will likely be several years before I draw another archery bull tag, but that's just part of the game. I fully support any efforts G&F would make that increase the odds noticeably for those applicants that have high numbers of bonus points. Personally, I would like to see an even higher percentage than 20% go to max bonus point holders. It's only fair that your odds get much better each year, IMO. With regards to Antelope... where do I start? If you look at this state compared with some of our neighbors to the North (and NM) in terms of antelope carrying capacity, I just can't understand why our herd is so weak. I think it has a lot to do with predation, but if I were "King of G&F" for a day, one of my top priorities would be to rebuild the goat heard. It doesn't seem like it would be that hard to "import" a bunch of antelope from the NW states and get our herds to the point that coyote predation would not prevent them from flourishing here. When you have almost 0% recruitment rate from year-to-year, there's just not much future for the herds. That said, I think we could get over that hump by bringing in as many antelope as possible so that predation impact would be reduced and the herd strength could grow from year to year. Just some ramblings, Jason

I don't have one for sale, but I have a Savage 110FP in 25-06. It's a little heavy with that bull barrell, but man is it ever accurate - and I LOVE the accu-trigger. Lot's of gun for the $$ in my opinion. I'll post a pic later - I'm proud of my "custom camo" job

I wonder if I can just direct-deposit my paycheck.

Maybe someone can clear this up for me, but I'm confused. New Mexico clearly spells out its laws WRT picking up any horns attached to a skull. I've NEVER seen any mention of this in the AZ regs. Is it or is it not against the law to pick up and keep a skull with horns attached in AZ?

Here come a couple.... another a couple more bull

I got a lot of those last year too. I think the flash and the blinking lights on the trail camera get them curious. I'll try to post some of the pix later - they're pretty interesting.

Amanda, It's pretty clear how those of us active on the various forums have responded, but given that it has now gone out to the entire G&F email distribution list, do you have a sense as to whether the majority of those respondents are for or against the proposed changes? That is, if you are at liberty to discuss the results. Thanks, Jason

I can't speak from personal experience with a .223 on coues deer but I did some research a while back regarding 25-06 on long range shots. Many people tend to agree that for "deer sized game" you should stick to a round that will have anywhere from 700 to 1000 foot pounds of energy at the range you intend to shoot. According to Remington's online ballistics chart, a .223 50 grain Premier Accutip has only 380 foot pounds at 400 yards and an amazingly low 273 foot pounds at 500 yards. Of course, you can always get more energy by shooting a heavier bullet, but you'll lose a lot of the flat shooting ability of the .223 by doing so. Of course, shot placement is huge - a perfect shot with a .223 will drop just about any deer, but if it is off just a bit, which is highly likely at the ranges you mention, I think you stand a good chance of a non-lethal hit, or a very difficult tracking job to say the least. That said, I think a .223 makes a heck of a javelina gun, especially for junior hunters, and I've seen the awesome damage they can do personally, but both times I took javelina with a .223 it was well under 100 yards. Just some food for thought - good luck with your research. Jason

Younghunter, We were on the far West end of the unit near Dudleyville.

One more pic - can't resist

Great Job! Days like that with Dad are priceless. Here's some pix of my boys and my hunting buddy Doug's son with some other unit 31 piggies. We were flying totally blind, set up and my oldest son found these right under our feet while Doug and I were glassing way out.

Excellent job! I'm in the process of putting together a similar letter. There's no doubt that "increasing opportunity" can only be achieved by sound management practices that over time increase overall herd strength, not moving permit allocations around. The only permit allocation change that I can seem making a difference (in my humble opinion ) is reducing permits for mule deer and javalina in areas that are most affected by the drought. I really think that if they got mule deer, javalina and pronghorn herds to rebound anywhere near the carrying capacity of the land, there would be ample opportunites for just about everyone to get some sort of tag pretty much every year.

Great Job! Congrats to you and your dad! Jason

I have some photos of my buddy Mark's awesome 4x4 from this year. He took it after about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour stalk that started about 12:30. I was fortunate enough to watch the whole thing unfold and it was one of the most exiting coues hunts I've ever seen. Congrats, Mark.

Thank you all for your responses. A couple of you have asked about the location of the hunt. Out of respect for Mark, I decline on giving more details about the hunt or where it took place. To be honest, we have been hunting this area since neither of us could legally drive. A combination of decades of experience plus good map work put us right on top of him. I?ve attached another picture of our friend Doug, who was also instrumental in this hunt. On a very serious note, if we want to see more hunts of this caliber we have to stand strong between now and the time that the 2006-07 regulations are devised. If the current proposals are passed, 90% of the prime coues rut hunts will be eliminated in exchange for ?non-rut? hunts in the name of ?increased opportunity?. Please, if you ever want to have the opportunity to hunt great coues deer during the rut, attend your local G&F meeting to state your opposition to the proposed changes. This is the time to get involved! Do it!!! And enjoy our special resource, the elusive coues deer. Jason

Yeah, he mentioned that it did help his groups. I haven't tried one but plan to.

One more picture - this one is closer.

Great buck and great story! Nothing like bagging a 108 while the "big one" is still out there

I think the best message any of us can send to the commission is that we absolutely do NOT want to trade high quality hunts for higher draw odds (for inevitably lower quality hunts). They seem to be under the assumption that this is not the position of the majority of hunters, but if you look at posts here as well as the Arizona regional forums on www.bowsite.com and I'm sure many others, the sentiment is overwhelmingly against this. Most of us think it's the worst thing we've ever heard wrt hunting in Arizona - even worse than last year's nonresident debacle. Now it sounds as if the commission only wants to hear alternatives, but from what I've heard, the alternative everyone wants is to leave it just like it is. Audsley. If you have the ear of commissioners, you have an opportunity many of us do not. If the Arizona G&F and its commissioners really want to act in the best interest of the sportsmen here, the best thing they can do is drop this for 2006 and use this year's application process as a voting tool. They can include on every application an array of choices ranging from leaving it as it is to the current proposals. They could even restrict voting to those who actually apply for the hunts that will be affected to make sure they are hearing from the people who stand to gain or lose the most as a result of their decision. There has to be a way to convince them that these proposals are not what Arizona hunters want. Please, everyone who feels strongly about this - send emails to the commission, send letters, and get a fire lit under everyone you know who also does not want to see 50-90% of the best hunting opportunities in our state traded for higher draw odds in poor quality hunts.

I just wanted to share a couple of experiences I had this year that I haven't encountered much in the past, and see if anyone else is noticing a trend in the wrong direction. Also, what do you do in these situations? I make a big deal of getting to the spots I want to hunt well before sunup. On numerous occasions this year (almost daily, in fact) my buddy and I had people pull up right next to our truck 30 minutes to two hours after sunup, park and walk right through us. Now, I know that no one "owns" a spot just because they got there first, but who in their right mind walks right up to where you are glassing, sees you looking over a particular area, then proceeds to walk right through the area they *know* you are glassing? I would think that once you find you've stumbled onto an area someone is already actively hunting, the polite thing to do is gracefully back out the way you came, and move on to a spot that doesn't appear to have someone already hunting there. What are your thoughts and experiences? Jason

The same thing happened to me two years ago. I was sitting up high on a rocky outcropping watching some hunters moving up the draw below me. Decided they looked a little "green" so I put a blaze orange vest up in the dead tree above me. Watched as the kid in the group put his crosshairs on me and says "Hey, what's that???" I hit the dirt, obviously, but the next time I looked that way he was being "sternly lectured" by dad. Scary stuff to be sure!

What an awesome buck! Enjoy the view from up there on cloud-9!

All I shoot in my guns are the CT (Winchester/Nosler) ballistic silver tips. I handload, so I can't render an opinion about the Winchester factory loads, but I know these bullets group more consistently for me than their close cousin the Nosler ballistic tips. My hunting partner also switched this year when his groups shrank considerably. They stay together well - not as well as partitions or other bonded bullets - but definately well enough for any deer-sized game.

Thanks Brian, I appreciate the info.