IA Born

Just like Willie said. Showing that you are worrying about it now is a great sign. When I found out our first kid was a girl, I went into full panic mode because I'm "that dad". I was raised in a rough and tumble world by a combat vet and I had raising a boy down. I had to rethink everything and I can say that raising a girl first (one of each now) has been the BEST thing I've ever experienced. Its taught me more about being a man, a dad, and a person that I ever thought possible. We had her out camping at 2 months old and I carried her in a Kelty kid-backpack until she demanded that she walk on her own. I've taken her hunting and fishing with me every chance I get and she LOVES it. She has her first elk hunt next week and she is SO EXCITED! She plays competitive soccer up here and, like Willie said, she's fiercely competitive. One piece of advice that was given to me that I found worked was that, when the time comes to take them fishing and hunting, leave your stuff at home and make it 100% about them. I will also say that, in my experience from having one of each, girls are much easier to teach to fish and hunt. They listen better, hang on to every word you say, and have much more finesse and patience. Good luck and CONGRATS!!! And she has a very pretty name!

I was out helping a buddy Thursday night/Friday morning in 6B and lost my soft black Swarovski case. It had the eye piece covers (for 10x42 ELs) and a lens pen cleaner. We were near Sterling Tank and then down across from the Scenic Overlook (near the garbage can) Thursday night when I'm sure I lost them. Didn't find them at either place so I'm hoping someone here may have picked them up.

Hey buddy! Great to finally meet you and Heather in person. No need to thank me. It truly was my pleasure to help you get that cow out of there! Besides, its the least I can do for your service to provide me and my family with the liberties we enjoy! Next weekend is going to be crazy with my daughter's soccer tournament, but I should be able to get away at some point WHEN Heather fills her tag!

Absolutely correct and no, you do not need your old one in possession. You only need your current valid hunting license in possession. As I understand it, it was done (in part), to help alleviate the need to go buy the next year's license to put in for the spring hunts. I can't remember if it went into effect with the January 1 license structure change or if it was before that. I'm pretty sure it went in to effect last January 1. I do remember AGFD telling me that my 2013 license was good for the 2014 spring draw, but I ended up buying my 2014 license early anyway since I had to get my daughter a license to put her in for the spring hunt (10th birthday a week too late for the OTC turkey hunt).

I have both an M1 Garand and a Springfield 1903 (from 1918) that I have every intention of hunting with when I get a chance. I know if I ever make it back to Texas for a pig/deer hunt, they will be the only rifles I take with me.

What an awesome story! Cpngrats on a great hunt and a great buck!

What happens when you are in open range and there is not a right of way fence? I can think of several highways with out right of way fences, hwy 191 thru most of unit 27, catalina hwy in unit 33, highway 289 in 36b, hwy 83 south of Sonoita, and I'm sure there are more across the state. That's an excellent question and next HE Instructor's meeting I'm at, I will ask for sure. For now, the best I can tell you is that the definition of a road is a maintained right of way. Really wish I could give you a better answer for everyone's sake!

Been thinking about this thread all day. Good luck!

In Hunter Ed, we teach the definition as "maintained right of way." In AZLance's example, as explained by the WMs who help teach the regs section, you must be outside of the ROW fencing.

I'm going to be in a meeting in Meadview Friday, which means leaving here early and getting back late. This hunt and thread will be on my mind all day and I look forward to seeing an update when I get back!

Exactly what I do and why, except I may go 2-3 paragraphs depending on what I'm reading. Although when those magical hours (dawn and dusk) come around, I'm extremely vigilant. Of course, when my kids are with me, there's always "I spy" and dirt drawings in the bottom of the blind!

This has been great to follow. I agree with Amanda, I love your thoughts about spending time with your boys! Filling your tag will be icing on the cake! Good luck!

I'm totally with you on both points. If I'm going to sit in a blind, I have to take a book to keep me occupied and from getting out and walking. I don't dove hunt, but the first couple of times I took my kids deer hunting and quail hunting, it was more walking and talking, but you are absolutely right: wouldn't have it any other way because they love to go with me regularly!

BBA in Flag is the only place I'll go. They have taken great care of me, my family, and a couple of friends ever since I first walked in there almost 7 years ago. I'm proud to call everyone of those guys a friend. My 10-year old daughter has told me that when she's old enough to get a job, she wants to work there!

Great advice right there! Back during my Mojave research days, I had to collect venom from individuals to go with their blood samples. One day I was working with the pure crystalized venom (all liquid removed) and accidentally inhaled a few crystals of the Mojave toxin venom (neurotoxin) from three different individuals before I realized what was happening. My nose went numb for three hours and I had sporadic reoccurences of losing feeling in my nose (it would get all tingly) for about 10 years after that, just like my immunology professor said I would. I was fortunate that it was localized in my nose and didn't spread and I learned to always work in a vent hood! I'm sure we all know someone who has been bitten by a rattlesnake and that should be deterrent enough, but I happen to know the actual protein make-up of many venoms, including Mojave rattlesnake venom (neurotoxin, hemorrhagic toxin, mix of both), and what those individual proteins do by themselves, let alone in conjunction with each other is nasty. That knowledge alone is enough to know I don't want that stuff in my body!

I can't really add more than what others have said. I will turn 41 in October and this year my daughter has 3 tags. My whole year is about her. Over the last couple of years, I've watched my motivation turn from getting out hunting no matter what to spending time with my kids no matter what. Fortunately, both of my kids (daughter: 10, son: 7 in Dec) love to shoot their bows with me. My daughter goes to the shooting range with me and my son will when he's 7. They both love to sit at the reloading bench with me. But when I find myself longing for that "me time" to do things for myself, I ultimately can't imagine doing it without them. Two years ago, I was on my way to go archery deer hunt one evening and ended up skipping it because I was engrossed in a backyard game of badminton with my wife and kids. Hearing my kids laugh and watching them play was worth every minute of that unfilled tag. Absolutely no regrets. Someone else said it best: Its parenting and its unselfishness at its best. As they get older, I find a little time to fish for myself, but most of it is still about them. Its how we get them interested and pass on our passions. Someone else said it, too: they are our PASSION! You are doing it right, Coach. It is an honor to share that "dwindling self-passion" with you in favor of developing our passion for our kids and developing their passion for what was ours!

Yep. Tail pattern and blotches on the back say Mojave. They were my research subject in grad school and I can assure you they're not all green. I hate that "Mojave green" common name. Also, that other diamondback looks more like a young C. cerberus before its color change to black. Where was that pic taken?

I looked and looked for the pink rattlesnake post and totally forgot you were the snake man.. from now on I will just txt ya pics. Thx for the help. mom and sis always have little 6 to 9 inch snakes that look about like worms, what are they? 3rd street and cloud, desert hills.. and they love expansion joints If they look like worms, but have kind of a metallic sheen to them, they are blind snakes. The one species was recently split into two and they are now officially called "thread snakes". If that's what your mom and sister are seeing, its a western threadsnake (Leptotyphlops humilis). Cool find! IN all of my searching, I've yet to find one. Many years ago, a friend of mine was up late watching some sci-fi movie and went to the garage to get a coke and one of those was in there. He freaked out at first!

Yep, desert night snake (Hypsiglena torquata). Cool find!

I need RL15 for my daughter's rifle. How much and what are the chances of getting a pound or two to Flagstaff?

Yep, and I just saw that P&Y or B&C finally realized that lighted nocks gain you no advantage and will let records be submitted where lighted nocks were used. There are other states (CO, for one) where they are illegal, though.

I put my wraps on under the fletching and quickly realized why I should have put them on in front. When you ding up your fletching (and you know you will), you will have to replace the entire wrap to have your arrows re-fletched. I have three arrows that need re-fletched, but I'm waiting until its worth the money to have them all redone with the wraps in front. I also agree with (and use) the lighted nocks, but from my experience, Nockturnals have dropped in quality since I got my first set 4 years ago. The Nockturnals I've tried in the last couple of years have quit working within a handful of shots and I'm talking 2 out of 3 in the pack with multiple packs. I started researching it and I have several buddies back in Iowa who have had the same experience ever since Rage bought them out. One of those buddies put me into Two Guys and a Bow (TGB Archery) out of Wisconsin. They produce their own lighted nocks that are exactly like Nockturnals, but are cheaper (6-pack for price of Nockturnal 3-pack) and work 100% of the time. Worth a look: http://www.tgbarchery.com/home.html

There is a storage place, some covered, some open, just off I-40 in Bellmont. If I had the room in Flag, I'd let you. Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of storage places. We've looked for covered storage for our pop-up for winter, but Bellmont is the only place I've found. I've never called for prices because I don't really want to go to Bellmont to get our camper. http://www.r66storage.com/

I'll be honest...I love that he's excited about homework! That show's his true character to me!

Good luck on your hunt! I put my daughter in for the 18B youth deer hunt as her first choice at her request. Unfortunately, she got her second choice and was bummed! I had to remind her that she's still deer hunting, which is more than I'm doing this year. I spend quite a bit of time over there in December/January doing the archery deer/javelina hunt and she usually goes with me. We've seen some big bucks in there, which is why she wanted that deer tag badly! She did get the youth javelina tag, though. The areas mentioned above should be good! Only advice is be careful if you get near the boundary to the Baca. They get really protective of their area and I've heard stories of less than pleasant encounters with hunters who were legally hunting on public land outside their area.