Coach

Looks like there will be quite a few of us down there with leftover tags.

Midway USA has some Norma and Nosler 300 WSM but it's pretty pricey.

Awesome! Great job Braedon. What beautiful country that is.

Thanks - he is #9. Looks like Prescott and Sahuarita are both 4A (Grand Canyon and Kino) conference, whereas BR is 3A, so I was confusing conference and division.

The list I saw of Sahuarita was a couple years old, so if they've moved to D4, my apologies. http://www.maxpreps.com/division/az/7YzrH1oD8Um3oy9pU4Dxxw/football-fall-12/standings-division-iii.htm Regardless, both teams in numbers and physical size were way larger than us. My son is one of the sophomores playing varsity for BR this year.

Awesome as always. Thanks for sharing!

Keep in mind they are a very young team this year. Also, both Sahuarita and Prescott are Division III schools, BR is division IV. We've got a new coach, and a lot of sophomores and juniors playing against older and more experienced guys from much bigger schools. No doubt there's going to be some rebuilding, but the boys really like their new coach and they are working really hard.

Hey guys, kind of an abstract thought. I'm in my 40's now. In my 20's & 30's I was absolutely addicted to anything hunting and fishing. When I wasn't tying flies I was reloading ammo, or out shooting and trying out new loads, or starting new salt licks and checking out old ones, or driving thousands of miles of every back road I could find for days on end just to see what was over the next ridge. I wanted to get my 3 sons into it too, and they all took to it their own way - I've coached little league baseball and NAYFL football since my boys could have a ball bounce off their head - I've watched them grow and learn along with a bunch of other kids I'd gladly call my own. Somewhere along the way, I lost my own passion for the things I used to love. I no longer tie flies, haven't gone fishing by myself in years. When I hunt, it's my boys' hunt, or if it's mine I don't give it much effort since I've usually used up all my time off on coaching or doing kids' hunts. I don't reload or shoot anymore the way I used to, or build arrows. I've lost my passion for archery, photography and writing, starting a business of my own... Is this just a normal "middle age rut" or what?

Hey Keith - good insight there. While we're constantly running and so involved in all the activities centered around our kids, my wife and I go for a 4 mile walk every day and the topic of conversation lately has been how little time we have left with them. My kids are now 17, 15 and 12 but in the next couple years, we'll have 2 kids out of school - one more to watch follow his brothers' footsteps, and then we'll be back to where we started with just the two of us. Having spent so much time and energy on parenting, it's going to be weird to not have that wonderful chaos.

Nice job! That's a beautiful animal - congrats on the hard work and getting it done on an amazing trophy.

Wow - what an amazing buck. Great job finding and staying with him. And what a great shot - 902 yards - that's simply amazing.

Darn. Bears are very tough - Especially with a high shot. Lots of muscle and bone up there. I hope you guys find it.

Nice!!! That is one pretty buck! Congrats.

Hope you guys find him. Kudos.

I remember this coming up a couple years back in unit 27. The officer patrolling wanted the tag for each species taped to the weapon. So you're gun had to have your bear tag taped to it and your bow had to have your archery deer tag taped to it. I highly doubt there was any legal basis to this requirement, but who wants to spend a few days in court defending their legality to have both a rifle and bow in mixed seasons?

What does that mean?

Check SlickGuns daily: http://www.slickguns.com/category/ammo?caliber=3 So far the prices are still very inflated, around 8 cents per round for powderless Colibri and 10 cents per round for standard velocity. I did get a good deal the other day from Cabela's. I got 100 Winchester Super X, 50 Rem Cyclone and 10 rounds of 00 buckshot for $17.50 shipped. They had a deal where any Herter's ammo shipped free and the .22LR had a limit of one per order but it worked out pretty well. Occasionally, you'll see standard bricks for around $50 which IMO is $30 too high, but still cheaper than gunbroker or swap meet/gun show prices. I still have a hard time with guys paying $160 per brick of .22 LR. But as long as they do it, the prices will stay inflated. You can buy .223 cheaper than what some are wiling to pay for .22 lr. It defies logic.

I really like the responses here, and truly appreciate the perspective you all bring. Honestly, I wouldn't trade a minute of the time I have invested in my boys. All I want to do is give them the opportunity to find out who they are and who they want to be and help them get there. Totally appreciate you great dads. It's a hard row to hoe, but you guys are living up to the demands, and my hat's off to you for that.

I don't do too much calling. I bought a pricey e-caller a couple years back because I needed an excuse to get in the field between regular seasons. IMO, it's alright - I've never killed any yotes or cats calling with it, but I hardly ever use it. From an ethics standpoint, I don't have an issue with electronic calls. What I do have is respect for are the guys who use mouth calls. To me it's more like tying your own flies, reloading your own ammo, building your own rifles and arrows. When you learn the art, as you have, you have a distinct advantage by being able to tweak each call based on the animal you are after. It's a more skill-based approach that electronic calls can't duplicate. IMO, don't worry about the e-caller guys having an advantage. I think you have the edge by knowing what sounds to make and when, and having full control over that crucial part of the hunt.

These days all I put in for is the strip and count on OTC archery or leftovers since my boys always draw something. How do you guys normally approach left-over tags? I had one last year in a VERY heavily hunted unit and actually saw some decent bucks, and went after them but came up empty. My take is these areas get pounded in the areas that are easy to get to, but nobody ever hikes even 2-3 miles in. I'm ready to do the whole backpack, short night, get away from the crowd thing this year. I think there's a ton of opportunity for left-overs for those who want to really get out there and hunt.

I would suggest a #4 shot in the hottest load you an find. Any chance of borrowing a gun that will take 3" shells.

Any CWT members out there yesterday? My family was out there and had a GREAT time. Honestly, I was a little intimidated at first but it really wasn't any harder than you choose to make it. A friend of ours had the shortest time of the day - 26 minutes. It took us about 4 times that long to get through, and some of the obstacles were too tough for me and my wife, but our oldest boys did all the hard parts - our youngest has a broken toe, so he was a little limited. My wife's mom, 65 is darn tough but she slid off one of the few obstacles that didn't have mud underneath and tore a ligament in her ankle. Overall, a really fun time. It was nice to see a lot of the kids from Show Low out there in teams working through it together. Hopefully next year, we'll get the Blue Ridge football team involved. It would be a great team building experience. The guys and gals who put this together did a great job setting up the course and keeping it fun and safe. If you've never done it, it's a really fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Awesome bear, Congrats!

Wowser. Just picked my jaw up off the floor.

It's a house spider, about as scary as guinea pig. Glad you're a good sport.