IA Born

I LOVED shooting those accelerators out of my '06! But yes, EPIC FAIL!

Beautiful pics!

I just saw this post. You will be in our prayers for sure. If you need someone to help you or your wife get an elk out, I should be around that weekend. I"m waiting to see if a buddy needs me to call for his hunt, but if he doesn't I'll be there and I might be able to round up a friend or two to help. I'll PM you to make sure you get this message and know how to get ahold of me. if you need some info for where to head in 11M, I'm happy to help out there, too.

If your dog gets bit, get it to the vet immediately. I've seen the immunization shots work, but I'm not a big fan (I've seen it not work). Its too unreliable. I think there are better ways to prevent snakebites on dogs. Back when we lived in Tucson, we had both of our GSDs trained in rattlesnake avoidance because of my propensity to go out of my way to find them and always having our dogs with us. Best $100 (for both dogs) I ever spent in that regards. Not sure if there is anyone here in Flagstaff that does avoidance training, but there are places down in the valley. $50/dog (then) was way better than a $3k-$4k vet bill! As for rattlesnakes on the North Rim, more than likely it was a great basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus). They are the only ones I know of regularly north of the Grand Canyon in AZ and they can be yellow and in the pines. And they are still a member of the western rattlesnake complex! Blacktail rattlesnake is possible, but not likely.

Arizona Black. Part of that aforementioned Western Rattlesnake group. I've seen them as high as 7,200' in elevation. And before someone tries to correct me and say it is a timber rattler those only occur east of the Mississippi. I can't remember how many times I've seen someone say this on this site. Heck, even my Dad used to call these timbers. The only correction I have is that AZ blacks are now their own species (Crotalus cerberus)and not part of the western group anymore (since 2009). They are definitely around Flagstaff! Good call on the "not a timber rattler"! All of the local vernacular is why my major professor in grad school wouldn't let us use common names for ANYTHING! As for the diamondback not rattling, Jim, I've seen rattlesnakes rattle many times right after shedding! I think it was being coy!

I've heard that story several times and it usually includes a large rattler from south Texas, but I don't put a great deal of buy-in into the theory. Snakes evolved rattles as a defense mechanism against large ungulates and such 20,000+ years ago. Rattles are what kept them from being stepped on and, thus, killed. In all of my studies and actually looking for various species of rattlesnakes, I've only ever seen a couple of species that aren't as inclined to rattle. Most are still very eager to rattle when they need to (key phrase "need to"). At the same time, passive defense (just sitting there quietly) has always been their best defense. I've seen plenty of diamond-backed, black-tail (notoriously quiet in AZ), rock, and tiger rattlesnakes that just sat there while an entire group walked by them. When they were finally discovered and we were moving in to collect data or photos, they rattled like crazy. Rattlesnakes are highly evolved, but their brains are still small. Its like Mr. Miyagi said: "Best defense no be there!" Catalina Island rattlesnakes lost their rattle (over 1000s of years) because, originally, there were no ungulates or other natural predators on the island after it split from the mainland that forced the need for a rattle.

When I was in Tucson, our office was right along the Santa Cruz between Congress and St. Mary. It was always impressive to see the Santa Cruz running. Every so often, we'd see a kayaker and I'm pretty sure there were always police officers waiting for them. You contribute good stuff to this site. I'd hate to see you prove Darwin right...

Catalina Island rattlesnake: Crotalus catalinensis. Bucket list species for me!

Hey Christian! I'll be up there with my daughter for the same hunt. Kaffer said it best, but I'll PM you when I get a chance with some areas I know of. Hope to run into you there since we missed each other at the turkey camp! Good luck, buddy!

That's pretty much what it takes to understand it and I've been involved in it for 15 years!

Im tellin ya I thiink they are here.. the 1 I saw at lake pleasant was super pink it was also july but of last year. im learning that crittters dont always mind their borders. if it is not a western than what pink rattler lives here that fits this description and these 2 sightings are only maybe 10 miles apart if that as crow flys and the arizona rattler poster above says 5 subspecies here in arizona Both tiger rattlesnakes and speckled rattlesnakes have that pink color variation and both are found in the area of Ben Avery and Lake Pleasant. That blue Rattlesnakes of AZ poster is way outdated on taxonomy. The red one was printed to reflect the taxonomic changes. Many former subspecies of the western rattlesnake complex are now separate species. Many great herpetologists have chased and studied the rattlesnakes of AZ for decades because of their high diversity and high color variation; we know where which species are located pretty well. That poster doesn't show all color variations of speckled or tiger rattlesnakes. Even my Mojaves have wide color variation, which is why I hate the name "Mojave green"! Not all have the green coloration. Check out "A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Arizona" by Brennan and Holycross (2006). Its an AGFD publication and has the most up to date range and taxonomic descriptions of all herps in AZ. I've seen plenty of speckled rattlesnakes at Lake Pleasant. Of all the color variations of the former western (viridis) group, I've never seen or even heard of a pink variation and I've chased rattlesnakes all over this state and many others in the name of research over the last 15 years.. Would love to sit down and talk snakes with you over a beer sometime! I can also email you tons of literature on the break up (genetically) of the entire western rattlesnake complex if you are interested.

Definitely not Crotalus viridis. There are only two, maybe a third subspecies of the viridis group in AZ and they aren't found anywhere near Ben Avery or central AZ, for that matter.

That attitude right there will see you well into many anniversaries and hunting trips together!

I was recently looking for good camo without breaking the bank for my daughter (10). Prois was mentioned as a top-of-the line women-specific camo brand by a guy I highly trust (http://www.proishunting.com/). I personally believe in spending good money on quality that will last vs. buying cheap and having to replace it over and over. Were my daughter not 10 and far from done growing, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the $$ on Prois. If my wife were to get into hunting, I'd get her this, too. IMO (only my opinion), guys don't spend the same amount on their wives/daughters that they do on themselves, but want them to be just as interested and enthusiastic. Get her the good stuff, for what its worth. Of course, there is also King's women's line and She-Safari. There is also the Under Armour women's camo line, too. All good stuff! Online shopping is probably your best bet for having a larger selection.

Former herpetologist here (still practicing, I guess; just not research oriented). My M.S. project was studying Mojave rattlesnakes and their venom. That's definitely not a Mojave. Mojaves don't inhabit rocky areas, they are a grassland/creosote flats species. Its either a speckled or a tiger rattlesnake. Both of those species have that color variation, can be found at Ben Avery, and inhabit rocky areas. Tigers have a very small head proportionate to their body. Its hard to tell from that pic, which one it is. Its definitely not from shedding its skin. When snakes shed their skin, they stay the same color they were before shedding. When I lived in Tucson, I relocated dozens of rattlesnakes from peoples' yards to avoid bites and to give the snakes a chance to live happy somewhere else. I try to be level-headed and, as much as I hate the idea of a snake being killed, I understand and respect those of you who have killed them in your yards. I know more about venom and both its short- and long-term effects than the average person and I you definitely don't want it in your body, your kids' bodies, of your pets' bodies. I accidentally inhaled pure, crystallized mojave toxin (neurotoxin) once in grad school. My nose went numb for three hours and I had sporadic re-occurrences every few months for about 10 years. I ALWAYS support personal safety first and that includes safety of the whole family! It is true (generally) that the adult snakes have a high occurrence of dry bites (no venom injected) and that juvenile snakes tend to inject a full load. From an evolutionary point of view, venom is expensive to make and they don't typically (emphasize TYPICALLY) waste it on non-food items. There can be residual venom in the fangs that can cause problems, though. If a paramedic is only treating venomous snake bites with Benadryl to keep the swelling down, that paramedic is not doing their job properly. Antivenin is used for a reason. It is expensive, but it sure beats the alternative (mostly massive tissue damage internal bleeding). Very few people die of snake bites anymore, due to advances in medicine, particularly antivenin. It is typically those who leave a venomous snake bite untreated that have a higher chance of dying. Anitvenin, in and of itself, has pros and cons as to its effectiveness and cost (that's a whole other topic, though).

Another shout for OE4A! I donated an archery javelina tag to Eddie a couple of years ago and it went to a young girl battling cancer. I never felt better about not being able to use a tag in my life. I work with Eddie at our youth turkey camp (Happy Jack) every spring and he is an absolute great guy dedicated to making lives better.

Friend of mine is the district biologist for the FS over there. She posted some photos and the burn severity map on her FB page a while back. It looks GREAT. There is NO damage. It was one of the best cleansing, resource benefit burns I've seen. There should be some great deer hunting in that area this fall/winter!

Hey All: A friend of mine back in Iowa drew a 5B early archery bull tag and is looking to rent an ATV down around Flagstaff/Happy Jack, etc. He contacted me the other day and I said I'd put some feelers out for him. He doesn't want to mess with bringing his own due to the need to switch out carb jets every time because of the elevation difference. I'm planning on calling a couple of local places this week, but if you know anywhere or anyone who might be willing to rent him an ATV, let me know and I can put him in contact with you. Below is a snippet from his email to me. Thanks for looking and considering his request! I would probably put around 100-150 miles on it and would treat it like mine own. Doesn't need to be a brand new one, but I also don't want to spend two weeks working on it. Mine is 2004 Sportsman 400. I have to change the carb jets everytime I come out..PITA.

I grew up there and have followed the Iowa deer herds for quite some time. I have a couple of family farms that I still hunt every few years. That looks like a yearling or 1.5 year old up and comer. Despite what most people say about Iowa, there aren't 170" deer hiding behind every tree. When I was living in Tucson and took my parents to Madera Canyon, there were a couple of WT does feeding on the side of the road. My dad got excited and said "Look at the yearlings!" I had to explain to him that they were mature Coues whitetail does. Yep, a yearling deer in Iowa is about as big as a mature doe down here. A mature doe in Iowa is bigger than most Coues whitetail bucks down here. Mattys-Eastern/NE Nebraska got hit pretty hard by EHD the last couple of years, as did parts of Iowa. If you make it, don't get too bummed if you don't see the numbers you think you should see. It was bad. Johnnie-Knock on some doors and you'll get access to some of the farm ponds. There are some big bass in some of those farm ponds!

There are currently 4 or 5 resource benefit burns, all lightning strikes, that are burning on the Coconino NF right now, including the one you mention in the OP. I work with one of the biologists who helps with management issues and they are all burning light to moderate and cleaning up the areas they are burning in. They are all boxed in and unless a major wind gusts causes a spot fire, they aren't going anywhere. You can't compare this (or these conditions) to what happened at Los Alamos. Those were red flag winds combined with super dry conditions. That fire should have never been put on the ground. These conditions are actually pretty good for resource benefit fires.

Sorry, life got away from me over the weekend. Going to have to pass on this. Truly Sorry to drag it on for you. Bump for a great deal.

Have to check finances, but definitely interested. Where are you located? Also, is shipping an option?

I've been running a couple of cameras for my daughter's first elk hunt (cow tags) for a couple of months and got these pics on last weekend's card pull. My daughter loves them and they could very well be three of my favorite trail cam pics ever. Of course, she has declared these two off limits come hunt time! Its certainly fun to go through the pics with my daughter as we get ready for her hunt.

CAL-Ranch had a pound of IMR 4064 and IMR 4350. Also, Pistol Parlor had several 1-lb cans of IMR 4064, several H333, and a handful of others I don't recall off the top of my head. If I hadn't just split an 8-lb keg of 4064 with a friend that got lucky and found some, I would have cleaned up on it! I got their last IMR 4895, though. Sorry. At least I thought I would share some info for those looking. I can probably swing back in there mid-next week if there is anyone from the Valley looking for any of that and we can figure out a trade for what I'm looking for or I can sit on it until my next trip to the Valley.

I don't know...looks kinda sketchy! Awesome group!