IA Born

Seriously, dude? I was going to go $255. $265?

Jeff Knorr, Jeff Knorr Construction (https://www.jkc-inc.com/about-us-jkc-inc-in-flagstaff-az) is solid, so is Mike Furr Construction (https://mikefurrconstruction.com/). I'd have to dig for the other names I've worked with/dealt with here in town that I'd feel good recommending. Mike Furr did our loft addition several years ago and got us a quote for another back room addition a couple of years ago. You won't go wrong with either one in town I will tell you, though, that most contractors are booked out about a year, maybe more. That could have changed, but be prepared for that answer. Mike Furr wasn't booked out that far in advance, but the cost of lumber and concrete at the time made our addition cost-prohibitive, so we passed.

Thanks! That's one of the best compliments Jacob can get! I'm a diaphragm and pot call guy. My diaphragm is always my go-to, especially for when they are coming in close if I'm calling for myself. I use my pot calls just as much, especially if I'm working them into range. I love to use my diaphragm and pot calls simultaneously to sound like two different hens. Its very much a rub your head/pat your stomach thing, but it got easier with practice. Every since my son started making calls, I only carry his. I have 4 or 5 of his in my vest now, including slates with different wood, frosted glass, and copper calling surfaces. I don't carry a box call anymore because I can't use one worth a crap. My daughter learned to use one from an awesome box call guy and she makes fun of me when I use mine because of how horrible she says I sound.

I'm selling my custom 6.5 WSM. For those of you not familiar, its a wildcat round (.270 WSM necked down to 6.5mm). When the round was first developed, it was referred to as the 6.5-300WSM because most folks used .300WSM brass and went through a 2-step process to resize the neck. That caused me all sorts of problems as I learned to load for a wildcat round and I had to have it re-barreled a couple of years ago. Now everything is much simpler process necking .270 WSM down to 6.5, leaving out the intermediate step from .300WSM down. Its built on a Winchester pre-64 Mod 70 action and has a Pac-Nor 25" barrel with a 1:8" twist and a Vais brake. Its on a McMillan stock. I've put less than 50 rounds down the new barrel to break it in and do load development. I've never had the rifle/barrel in the field on a hunt; only to the range for sighting in and load development. It currently has two different loads of H1000/Barnes 127gr LRX that shoot 1/2" or less. Custom Hornady dies, all once-fired/annealed brass (66 pcs of Winchester.270 WSM resized to 6.5 and neck turned to fit perfect), 13 un-resized/turned pieces of .270 WSM brass, Leupold Dual Dovetail bases, and a custom Hornady Lock-n-Load modified case for seating depth measurements. All load data for Barnes 127gr LRX included (both H1000 loads). Also willing to carve out the time to resize, neck turn, trim, and anneal the remaining 13 pieces of brass. Its been a fun rifle after I figured out the brass and nature of it being a Wildcat, but I realized I want to go to Mexico to chase Coues in the near future and can't take it with me since the barrel and brass don't match. I'm going a different route, so I figured I'd offer this up to another Coues chaser here. In Flagstaff, but can meet halfway or make a special trip to the Valley if needed. Hoping to be down there mountain biking after javelina season. I'm taking a loss on this after re-barreling it. Asking $2300 OBO for the whole package.

Taking my SIL to the airport Wednesday afternoon (3/13). I can bring the rifle and reloading stuff with me for anyone interested.

Peregrine falcons reach up to 200mph in their dives, but they aren't considered land animals. That category is for animals that are pedal (bipedal or quadrapedal) in motion. As a long-time studier of evolutionary biology, I can confirm that the pronghorn antelope is, in fact, the 2nd fastest land animal in North America. The fastest land animal in North America is the person ball-pointing while running to the bathroom! Sorry, I couldn't help that one. I'll sit in timeout now.

All I'm going to say is that I'm glad I wasn't taking a drink when I read this...

The only time we've used BB guns in Flagstaff in my 10 years as an instructor was one online field day that we made a last-minute switch to do the field day indoors at AGFD office in Flagstaff. It was a crazy 2-foot snowstorm in January, so we administered the final test in one half of the conference room and had a "range" set in the other half of the room. Otherwise, we've never done anything but have them shoot .22s. I know that when it gets too hot or is raining, the instructor group will use BB guns at Ben Avery if they need to stay indoors. IHEA allows it simply because all we're looking for is safe firearm handling and making sure the kids follow TAB+1. We can do that with a BB gun just as easy with a .22. I'll be perfectly honest and say that I've had multiple conversations with parents about the need to work on firearm safety with their kids. I've been a part of failing kids from the class because they pointed a firearm at me during the walkthrough exercises. Granted, they were either unloaded or dummy/non-functional firearms, but the idea is the same with TAB+1 and firearm safety and we tell them upfront that safety is paramount and they can be failed/asked to retake the class for unsafe actions.

It has been for sure. Holler if you need help getting a kid in a field day

Its not a law anywhere I've been made aware of, but it is, in fact, a requirement (policy) of AGFD Hunter Ed program. All good. Sorry if I caused more confusion. I figure we're all in this together trying to make sure everyone has the right information. Coffee is on me next time you're in Flagstaff!

No, taking HE through another state is not good for a point in AZ. Couzer and I were saying the exact same thing, just worded differently and I misunderstood one aspect of what he was saying. You can take another state's HE course online with no field day and meet the needs of AZ through IHEA reciprocity among most of the states; however, you will not get an AZ bonus point. You have to take HE (online or in person) in AZ to get the AZ bonus point. Clear as mud?

Sorry, I misunderstood. Yes, you are correct. Several states' Hunter Ed certifications, including CA's are valid in AZ due to the IHEA reciprocity. Sorry if I caused any confusion.

In order to get the bonus point, you or your youth will still need to take the online portion for AZGFD. AZGFD Hunter Ed is only giving bonus points for students who take the local class. I don't think CA's online class is the same as AZ's. I can verify all of that to be sure. I could be wrong, but last I knew, all students had to take an AZ class (online or in person) with the field day to get the bonus point.

I can't believe you haven't sold that. If you can advertise that in Flagstaff, I'll bet it would go quickly up here. When I got mine a year ago (2022) the dealership only had that one and there was a list of people who were making appointments to come see it. PowerWagons are super popular up here. I love mine. Good luck!

I was a venom researcher in a former life (genetics and evolution of Mohave rattlesnake venoms). I always try to stay on top of some the current venom research all these years later because it still fascinates me and because I dedicated so much of my life to it. Gila monster venom is far from toxic or lethal to humans, and its a true venom secreted from venom glands. Years of research finally documented that for the Komodo dragons, too. The article made sense to me when they said suspected allergic reaction to the venom. There are so many different proteins in the various venoms that it doesn't take much to trigger that. Anaphylactic shock is not as uncommon as people thing from all of the various venoms (rattlesnakes, spiders, scorpions, and gila monsters). When I was younger, dumber, (supposedly invincible), and in the height of my research, I kept a sidewinder as a pet. That was probably one of the dumbest things I've done in my life and I can promise you there is some serious competition on that list.

More and more people are figuring this out, especially for their kids so their kids can hunt. CA, NM, and TX all offer an online course with no field day and it meets the IHEA reciprocity. Unfortunately, it doesn't get anyone the AZ bonus point, so if parents want that for their kids, they still need to take the online course or classroom course in AZ. We're getting ramped to hopefully offer one online field day per month up here in Flagstaff starting in March. I'm looking forward to meeting zslayer and his daughter there.

Banquet information is in the link, but its March 23 at the DoubleTree on Rt 66. We always have a special table just for the ladies and our JAKES (youth) table is always great for our future generation. Pre-registration is required so we can get an accurate meal count. Doors open at 5pm, with dinner and program starting at 6:30 pm. Only 200 tickets sold due to space limitations at the DoubleTree, so get your tickets now. https://events.nwtf.org/30020-2024

Very true. The Ethically Hunting AZ program gets them the AZ bonus point, but does not meet out of state requirements.

Correct, that class was an in-person only classroom class. It was canceled the day it was supposed to start due to 3 feet of snow and I-40, I-17, and 89A all being closed by Thursday afternoon. When we have in-person/classroom classes up here, we don't accept online students because we don't have the instructor capacity to maintain the required ratio of instructors to students. We're starting to get organized for our annual online field days up here in Flagstaff. There is potentially one 3/30 and we're hoping to get at least one every month from March-October. I have five names/contacts I'll be sending the lead instructor for the online field days. Shoot me a pm and I can add you to the list.

^^^mostly what they said. Its required for kids 10-13 years old in Arizona to hunt big game. Once a kid turns 14 its no longer required by law. Most other states have a "born after this date..." requirement, so it behooves every kid to take it regardless of age if they have long-term plans to hunt other states. This hits home. More and more we're seeing (through studies and questionnaires) that young people getting into conservation as a career do not have a hunting and fishing background. It was my love of hunting (specifically upland bird hunting in Iowa during the boom years of the 1985 Farm Bill and CRP program, followed by the bust years after it ended in 1995 that helped lead me to a career in wildlife biology/conservation.

My son, Jacob, has decided to take his love of turkey hunting and turkey calls, and fly fishing, and make it a side hustle. In the past, he's made turkey calls and tied flies for donations to help raise money for his various adventures (GCY river trips, TKD black belt promotions, etc.). Now he is stepping into the world of making turkey calls (pot calls) and tying flies to help him earn spending money. Jacob has kicked around the idea for a couple of years, but now he's committing to it. If you're interested, you can reach out to me or I can put you in touch with him directly. He's building his Instagram page, so please check that out and give him a follow @Wooldridge_Calls. He currently has one call for sale and has one posted he made for me showing their effectiveness. We're working with him on fair pricing to be competitive and still make money without being greedy. He's 2 weeks from turning 16 and learning that aspect with our guidance. He has access to various wood types for both pots and strikers and can make the calling surface and sound board slate, glass, copper, aluminum. He can work with you on a design or come up with one on his own. Jacob's pot calls are all I carry now when I'm turkey hunting and I always go for his flies first when I'm fly fishing. I've never been disappointed. Below are some pics of his earlier pot calls and some flies he's tied. He hasn't gotten any fly pics up on his IG page, but he's planning to shortly. Thanks for considering. Pot Calls Sound.mp4

Are you wanting a call? Its been a long day, so I want to make sure I know if there's an ask. If you're wanting a call, he can make it happen.

I'll message you, but your calls should be ready and shipped by the end of this week, hopefully mid-week depending on Jacob's basketball practice.

May actually be in north Phoenix Fri (1/26), mountain biking at the Apache Wash trailhead off Dove Valley Road/Sonoran Desert Dr. Can bring the rifle and reloading stuff it if someone wants it.

I have 3 extra stocks laying around, after being replaced. Not sure why I thought I'd keep them, but I'm spring cleaning now that we're finally above freezing in Flagstaff. Make me a fair enough offer on whichever one catches your fancy. I'll ship if you'll pay shipping. Discounts for kids' builds. Or trade for something cool. 2 long action Rem 700: 1 ADL (black synthetic), 1 BDL (wood). Both have Limb Saver recoil pads. ADL stock has seen use in the field. 1 short action Savage Axis off my daughter's 7-08.