IA Born

Fyi, just saw this posted. Looks like conditions have improved enough to open the burn scar mostly up. From what I gleaned, recreation sites (developed camp grounds) still closed. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd806614.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3XB-2CB7RNkPk9yerjVCYX3GKbTk2L8x0C6x1D2m3pam8gNyFW_fjwjaw

There are a few good ones and everyone has their favorites. I use Coconino Game Processing for all of my stuff I don't do myself. Dennis is great.

Hey Mike, MH did change their packaging. We picked up a couple for Jacob's deer hunt in November and the packaging had been changed. And I can keep an eye open here for whatever you want. We have an REI and Sportsman's Warehouse with easy access. Can get what you want/need and ship it down.

Our NWTF Chapter in Flagstaff is raffling a Canyon 65-quart cooler We have less than 30 chances left for a great Canyon Cooler. Get your chance at a Canyon Pro 65 qt cooler now! Only $10/chance and only 70 chances sold! We use the money we raise for habitat improvement projects, wildlife research funds, Hunter Education, and getting youth outdoors, including helping sponsor youth turkey hunting camps. https://www.naznwtf.org/product-page/canyon-cooler-raffle

Its far from a lib/hippie angle. Most every colleague I work with in the condor recovery program are die-hard hunters and far from liberals. And I can provide you all the peer-reviewed science papers on the lead poisoning/eagle issue you want from reputable scientists.

I texted my condor recovery program colleague at AGFD a little while ago regarding the disposition of the gut piles. Its an excellent question that I should actually know off the top of my head. They are taken immediately to either the Kanab or Flagstaff landfill and buried immediately, so as to not have them available for consumption by anything. To everyone who has made the switch, even if for that hunt alone, or packed out gut piles, I want to say THANK YOU! It may sound cheesy, but you guys and gals are truly my conservation heroes. The lead poisoning goes way beyond condors, though. Every year, 1000s (yes, thousands) of other raptors, including bald and golden eagles, are lost to the same lead poisoning as condors. All kinds of other scavengers, both mammal and bird, are killed by lead poisoning from bullet fragments every year. I was asked to take over the condor recovery program for our office because I hunt and use/understand nonlead bullets in all of my hunting rifles. My predecessor was neither and didn't think highly of hunters, especially those who didn't use non-lead ammo. That's not me. One of the biggest arguments I ever hear is that copper bullets don't expand on small game. My son shot his first buck last October (Coues) at 375 yards with 140gr Barnes TTSX in his 7mm-08. The exit wound was at least two inches diameter at that distance. Last January, he shot his javelina using my M1 Garand, loaded with Barnes 150gr VOR-TX ammo at 75 yards. The exit wound was softball sized. Both small-bodied animals with gaping exit wounds, indicative of full expansion, no matter the velocity. Anyone that is ever traveling through Flagstaff and wants to talk condors, conservation (in general), and non-lead ammo, just hit me up and I will buy the coffee (quit drinking 7 years ago November). All I ever do is present the science as we know it and encourage you to do your own research after that to make your own informed decisions. No judgement, no name-calling; just a good discussion about how we, as hunters, can truly be the ultimate conservationists (and free coffee for you at a good coffee shop). In something related, everyone is (or should be) aware that the EPA has set lead levels for what constitutes lead poisoning in humans. The following is the abstract of a study that was published in 2009 regarding lead fragmentation in the venison we eat. Keep in mind that lead poisoning is considered cumulative and builds up in our bodies over time and that several studies have documented lead fragments in game carcasses through x-rays over 20 inches from the point of impact. If you are interested in the whole article, I will gladly send it to you. Again, this is not intended to start an argument or even a debate; just to merely present some data and, hopefully, get people to think about the issue. I would like to point out, again, my offer for a good cup of coffee. Hunt et al.: 2009 Lead Bullet Fragments in Venison from Rifle-Killed Deer: Potential for Human Dietary Exposure "Human consumers of wildlife killed with lead ammunition may be exposed to health risks associated with lead ingestion. This hypothesis is based on published studies showing elevated blood lead concentrations in subsistence hunter populations, retention of ammunition residues in the tissues of hunter-killed animals, and systemic, cognitive, and behavioral disorders associated with human lead body burdens once considered safe. Our objective was to determine the incidence and bioavailability of lead bullet fragments in hunter-killed venison, a widely-eaten food among hunters and their families. We radiographed 30 eviscerated carcasses of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) shot by hunters with standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets under normal hunting conditions. All carcasses showed metal fragments (geometric mean = 136 fragments, range = 15–409) and widespread fragment dispersion. We took each carcass to a separate meat processor and fluoroscopically scanned the resulting meat packages; fluoroscopy revealed metal fragments in the ground meat packages of 24 (80%) of the 30 deer; 32% of 234 ground meat packages contained at least one fragment. Fragments were identified as lead by ICP in 93% of 27 samples. Isotope ratios of lead in meat matched the ratios of bullets, and differed from background lead in bone. We fed fragment-containing venison to four pigs to test bioavailability; four controls received venison without fragments from the same deer. Mean blood lead concentrations in pigs peaked at 2.29 mg/dL (maximum 3.8 mg/dL) 2 days following ingestion of fragment-containing venison, significantly higher than the 0.63 mg/dL averaged by controls. We conclude that people risk exposure to bioavailable lead from bullet fragments when they eat venison from deer killed with standard lead-based rifle bullets and processed under normal procedures. At risk in the U.S. are some ten million hunters, their families, and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations."

Sounds good. Let me know which one you want to trade.

If we could figure out how to make it work between Flagstaff and Queen Creek, I'm open to it. I won't be down there anytime soon.

I have a bottle of Varget that is the same as the 4895. Tested 9 rounds for my daughter's 7-08 with not good results. I use 4064 for my '06 and my daughter's 7-08 and I use 4895 in my son's 7-08.

No problem. Also, from bullet point #4 of Optic Nerd's post above: "The youth hunter must carry a copy of their online certification (AZ Field Day Qualification Exam Certificate) during the hunt."

Mostly correct. The field day requirement is waived for a year. After that, the field day will be required if the child is 13 or younger.

Those full or partial bottles?

Good afternoon, Some of you remember a little over a year ago when my son was working on his 1st degree black belt in Taekwondo. As part of that process, he had to raise the $550 by himself. He opted to tie flies for donations to raise his money. He received his black belt at 11 years old last October and, in November, started working towards his 2nd degree black belt. He has two years to complete everything, which is a recommendation from our studio for kids his age. Once again, he has opted to tie flies for donations to raise the $550 for his 2nd degree black belt promotion, which will be in October 2021. This is an even more special black belt promotion because, if everything goes according to plan, I will be testing for my 1st degree black belt at the same time he's testing for his 2nd degree black. He has gotten good at tying several different flies since he started this and I've caught trout, or had great strikes (my fault on the miss) on both his nymphs (pheasant tail) and dries (elk hair caddis and royal Wulff)! Below is a list of what he can tie regularly, but he can also look up fly tying videos and create your favorite pattern. He can tie down to size 18 for nymphs with confidence. Dries he can tie down to 20 with confidence on most. They still aren't professional grade, but they look good and catch fish! You obviously won't hurt our feelings if you say no and pass this, but Jacob would appreciate any consideration. You can PM me or text me if you have my number if you are interested and want to place orders. And, since last year, my wife has Venmo and I have Zelle to make life easier. I can post pics of some of the ones he's tied if you want to see them. Dries Elk hair caddis Griffith's gnat Royal Wulff Parachute adams Blue wing olive Foam beetle Foam ant Nymphs Pheasant tail Copper john Prince nymph Bead head prince nymph Muddler minnow (weighted) San Juan worm Stretch tubing scud Bead head caddis larvae Other Bass poppers Wooly buggers Simiseal leach (Thanks Big Browns!) Mop fly

.45ACP I have two of those in matte stainless and they are just about bomb proof. Awesome pistol!

So did he get it traded up nicely? I was hoping he'd end up with a high-quality pair of hiking sticks to give you so you can keep up on the hikes! 🤣

We had a solid week of good rains in our neighborhood in Flag and then it went back to dry and hot. Latest report I saw was indicating that's it for our summer rains up here. For those who don't think hunters can be at fault, sadly, the Tinder Fire in 2018 down in Blue Ridge (30+ homes lost) was started by a turkey hunter who left his campfire, during red flag winds, burning.

So cool! I have a JC Higgins Mod 20 pump that my dad bought when he was in high school (graduated 1965). It has the original polychoke where the choke tube sits about an inch from the barrel. It shot great last time it was used for pheasants back in Iowa!

The Northern AZ (Flagstaff) Chapter NWTF is raffling another lifetime combo license. Must be AZ resident to win. Only 100 tickets being sold. https://www.naznwtf.org/product-page/az-lifetime-hunting-fishing-combo-raffle

I've fly fished the walk-in area once, last Father's Day (2019) and didn't have much luck, but it was also my first time and more of an exploratory trip. We fished the Paria Riffle mostly, with no luck, and saw another parking are north of there, but south of the boat ramp. We fished a little just below the boat ramp, but its tough to get any kind of good back casts in with a fly rod. I hooked too many trees and couldn't get out far enough shallow enough to avoid the trees below the ramp. I'm thinking its time to get out of the house again and head north for a morning of fishing on a day off. Any recommendations? Is there a trail that leads to good fishing up above the boat ramp? I know there's a trail that takes you part way to a cabin or something like that (wasn't really paying too close attention). Can you hike further up from the boat ramp, around that bend and fish? Maybe I just don't know how to fish the Paria Riffle area, but I was hoping for smoother, slower water, especially with my son wading with me. You've heard me mention him before; he's the skinny little turd that has to dance around in the shower to get wet!

We have about 45 chances left to sell for a lifetime combo hunting/fishing license!

That's awesome. Thanks!!

I finally found a couple of pics of a Royal Wulff Jacob has tied previously. I don't recall is this is a #12 or a #14, but he did pretty darn good for a first try.

Derek is definitely a good dude, and not just because his wife has family in Iowa, not far from where I grew up! Derek didn't hesitate to make a donation to, and fly request from, my son for his black belt promotion fee.

The $550 is the studio's fee for the black belt promotion. Its a 24-hour program filled with activities, including community service, on top if the non-stop training the candidates do. The money covers the cost of the activities they do, as well as supplies and the boards that are curmt throughout the night for the next day. Every black belt candidate in our studio has community service obligations throughout the year-long journey to complete in order to be able to even test in their respective October promotion.

Correct. We're doing it on donation. It helps him work harder to produce better products.