IA Born

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 That blue Rattlesnakes of AZ poster is way outdated on taxonomy.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!

They are in every mountain range along the border. Chiricahuas to the Pajaritos. I miss seeing them!

Everything says Elegant trogon to me, especially when I click on the pic and make it bigger. That's the only bird I know that looks like with that kind of green on its back. I"m guessing you are down southeast AZ somewhere and they are fairly common in canyons down there. Their call sounds about like a barking pig or sick seal. Cool pic!

Thanks for continuing to keep everyone honest on the use of the term "critical habitat." :-) My pleasure. Its great being able to talk to you guys about it all. This is nothing compared to the congressional inquires I've had to deal with because a politician somewhere created a major stink...all because he/she didn't know what they were talking about (imagine that)!

I agree with the consensus that the '06 will get the job done. I have a strong bias towards that round, but I've also done quite a bit of research on it and its original development. It was developed for longer-range use in combat (keeping up with the German 8mm Mausers), specifically in the Springfield 1903s. The development of the round eventually lead to the 176 gr match load sitting on top of 4064 (max or close to max charge). Battle sights on a Springfield 1903 (open sights) are set at 540 yards and soldiers in WWI were picking off Germans across the battlefield at 500-800 yards. Their ladder sights actually allow for much longer shots, but form and accuracy goes out the window quickly with the angle you need to hold the rifle to make a 2000 yard shot! Along with that, the .30-06 was the original open-sight 1000 yard round being fired from both 1903s and M1 Garands with open sights. I've got one of each and I'm fascinated by their capability. I consider myself a good shooter, but those rifles can definitely shoot better than I can shoot them (for now). A good friend of mine (like a 2nd father) was on the Army's National Match team when he got out of Vietnam and used to clean house at competition with a Garand at 1000 yards. There are many more rounds out there today that shoot faster and flatter than the .30-06, but that doesn't mean the .30-06 isn't capable. Admittedly, a human is not an elk, but my point is that, with the right load and practice, the 30-06 is more than capable of killing an elk or deer at 500+ yards.

Yep, its the Oak Fire in.near the Galliuros. I'm good friends with the FS biologist and she's been sending good updates. No structures are threatened at this time and the FS is allowing it to burn for resource benefit. From all of the reports I've seen, its a good cleansing burn that should result in some good deer hunting after the rains hit that area! And if any critical habitat (from an ESA standpoint) is in the path of the fire, the FS can easily let the fire burn through it and help improve it. Presence of CH is not a reason to stop a fire's progression. I've worked many fires in CH and I've worked with NPS, FS, and BLM on fires burning in critical habitat. Really no big deal.

Heel pad and symmetry of toe pads (can draw a perfect "X" or "W" b/w toes) tells me its a K9. Either a big coyote, someone's dog, or a feral dog. Tracks always look bigger when they are splayed in the mud, no matter what animal. And there are no wolves in 6a.

If you need the load data for Barnes for that bullet and that powder, let me know. I loaned my manual to a friend, but I can get you the min and max charge for 4350. As I said earlier, Barnes recommends starting 0.050" off the lands and adjusting seating depth from there. My personal load data won't help you, but I can tell you that with RL-15 at 97% max, 0.050" off the lands was right on. Good luck!

I'm loading 140 gr TTSX with RL-15 for my daughter's Savage Axis youth in 7mm-08 for her cow hunt. I can probably get you the recommended OAL for standard 7mm-08 per Barnes Manual #4, but if you are looking to customize the load to your son's rifle, you'll need to measure the seating depth of the bullet to get a good starting point 0.050" off the lands (per Barnes' recommendation). I use the Hornady OAL guage ( the modified case and the Hornady Comparator to measure off the ogive. There is an old school way to do it with a sharpie or lighter and just putting a bullet in an unprimed, but prepped case. I've done it both ways and definitely prefer the Hornday guage. If you were in Flagstaff, I'd say come on over and we'd get it figured out in about 5 minutes!

X2 on the Thermacell. I got one halfway through my early elk hunt 2 years ago and it is awesome! You can even get the fresh earth cover scent wafers for it.

I'll throw my hat in for a 7mm-08. My 10 year old daughter has been shooting one since she turned 9 and loves it. Savage Axis youth with a Vais muzzle brake. That thing shoots lights out!