Coach

Been away for a while - I just have to say, this might be the very best CWT hunt story EVER. I loved the story, the pix with the kids, just 100% everything I love about this site. Huge congrats, and thanks for an amazing "ride-along".

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AZ Lance, with all due respect, what was your prediction of the UofA vs Oregon game?

Wow, just freaking WOW - this team - I've known these boys since they were little kids. Nobody thought they had a prayer this year. I'll tell you this, the fine young men on that team I know very well, and their parents, and the coaching staff - all top notch, inspirational individuals. The unbelievable win against Show Low, last week provided the inspiration for such a young team to go all the way - and my hat is off to Show Low, I can't remember a better team - man for man, talent against talent, excellent coaching for both teams, Show Low has built an amazing team. Had they won in the semi-finals, they would have taken home the state trophy. I'm super proud of these young men and what they have accomplished. If you don't know, Blue Ridge football is an obsession goes a long way backl Huge kudos out to Dain Thompson, Bill and Bob, big shout out to Pual whom I considered a mentor. Coaching goes a long way, and making a state championship team out of young players is very hard to do. The young men who just won the right to be called champions are just kids, but I have seen them work extremely hard, I've seen their parents working equally hard, My hat is off tonight to every Show Low cougar player, parent and coach - your sons played with incredible heart, and made our whole community proud. And for the jackets, wow, you little guys continue to amasze. So much heart. So much heart. That's how little guys keep on winning - by believing you are 7 feet tall and 400 pounds when you are 5'10 and 140 soaking wet - wtih the heart of a lion. That is true inspiration, and you young men have earned some serious respect.

Great looking buck! I'd love to hear the story. Congrats to Lauren.

Awesome job, Ernesto! Huge congrats to your daughter on a great looking buck.

Nice job! Congrats to your son on his first Javi!

Wow, who saw UofA standing a chance against Oregon, let along stomping a mud hole in them? Nice job, cats.

Buy more bullets.

Wow, what a dream hunt - three STUD bucks with the ocean in the backdrop, looks like heaven to me.

Yup - you can't use the envelope provided by G&F with the PO box. Got my boys in for leftovers today - hopefully they'll draw.

Denker had the game of his life, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Huge congrats to him and my alma mater. I'll still be rooting for ASU tonight too. Gotta love the AZ schools.

Yup, I've got that game recording tonight. A buddy of mine has a son on the team - local kid. He's injured, so he won't be playing but I gotta root for them too.

I haven't been impressed with the radio on the Rhinos. Neat feature but really-really bad radio performance. I've had good luck with these. http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MT352TPR-FRS-Weatherproof-Two-Way/dp/B007UKVO3U/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&srs=2529943011&ie=UTF8&qid=1385250631&sr=1-4&keywords=motorola+two+way+radio Don't let the 35 mile claim fool you, I don't know how they can justify these bogus range claims, but it's at least consistent across all brands. For the price, I think these are a very solid radio with better range than I've seen from any of the others I've used. Takes some time to turn off all the unwanted beeps and noises, but these can actually communicate several miles away depending on terrain. I've been over a mile away from my boys with a pretty good mountain between us and still had good, clear communication.

Welcome! You've come to the right place.

Awesome job, Scott! Great write-up too. Looks like you and Hunter had to work hard, but it sure paid off. Thanks for sharing the story and pictures - I really enjoyed it! Please pass on my congrats to Hunter.

I've been wondering this a long time, and just thought I'd throw it out there. I'll start with Mule deer. Of course, the North part of AZ, along the strip is the home of giant bucks. The Navajo Nation on the N/ NE portions of Az, the Jicarila in NW NM, Southern Utah, SW Colorado, extreme Southern AZ and into Mexico are all destinations for monster mule deer. Even unit 27 in AZ, at one time was loaded with big mulies, and huge numbers of deer. I remember one of my first hunts in AZ ever, I went to Alma NM, then back into AZ, and there were deer everywhere, and some really nice bucks. I had no glass, and no idea what I was doing but I still saw huge mule deer and had opportunities at some bucks I would love to see again, with a little more knowledge to go on. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like whenever I travel to Southern Utah, SW Colorado, West New Mexico, even NE AZ, there are tons of mule deer, and great genetics, that spread down into Mexico, but the central portions of AZ seem to have low-to-medium density, and modest trophy quality. It seems like much of AZ is almost a void compared to all of the areas around us. Same habitat, same feed from what I can tell, just lower numbers and smaller bucks. And to Antelope/Pronghorn. Yeah, we've got some, and sometimes a monster shows up, but the same kind of country you see in central/eastern AZ that is rolling hills and grasslands that has some decent herds of antelope pale in comparison to what you seen in the exact same country in neighboring states. It seems every time time drive to NM or CO, I know I've crossed the border when I start seeing antelope everywhere. It's the same country - but something is clearly different. Anyone else notice the same thing?

Lots of valid points raised here. I spent today looking for Grouse up around Green's Peak. My brother-in-law and I walked miles up and down the hills and saw not a single grouse. The habitat is perfect for them, and I know they are there because he has taken a few this year. I think this is key to my original question. When we have the habitat, the feed, in most cases a minor predator impact, why don't we have more success in recuperation of the species that could and should prosper here? Clearly, it's somewhere between habitat and management - I'm leaning toward management. I think this state has the ability to host healthy coues, mule deer, elk, turkey, grouse, predators like fox and bobcat - and it does - no question about it, these are all things that hard working hunters can achieve. But they all can be managed better and made more abundant with some more insight into the way laws are written, quotas established, by the people who actually are out there day-to-day and really understand the land and the animals.

It's always fun to read all the great hunting stories out there, and follow along like you are rigtht there with the hunter. There's been a lot of great stories out here lately that are documented with some amazing video to go along. Clearly, part of this has to do with just being very aware of the little things - the dew drop here, the sun setting, the tired hunters, the worm munching on a leaf, the way water flows through rocks. It's all the stuff I love about a hunt - all the types of things I notice, but have no clue where to start to incorporate into documenting a hunt on film with all the subtle camera work and music. It's something I would really like to learn how to do, but I don't even know where to start. There is no shortage of these vids - I recall one from Utah last year (backpack trip), another on a youth deer and javi hunt recently posted, of course, Addict's Ibex hunt. Any steps in the right direction are greatly appreciated.

Neat - never seen that before.

That's pretty neat! Thanks for sharing!

Nice job! Glad to see you guys were able to get them both on deer. Congrats to your boys.

Happy belated birthday to Peg. I hope you and TJ had a great day.

I'll get this started... When... Everyone has an old "football" injury. Everyone confirms that whiskey and whatever will give you less of a hangover than beer. Everyone remembers the old days when things were "WAAAAY Better". Everyone has a crude joke that is a little too close to home. The younger cats, you know, fresh out of school, newly married, some with kids have some advice they feel it is their duty to share with YOU, Everyone has a recipe for everything. Enough garlic and red pepper, a piece of rubber off a tire is edible. We used to talk about girls, and how to attract them, and now we talk about weird hair and how to stop it. Belly fat is no longer about beer, it's about what we eat after 7 PM. We start to tell you something really important, then remember we need to take a wiz, then come back and realize, it wasn't that big of deal afterall. You guys willl figure it out.