IA Born

A new banner raffle is up on our website!!! Don't miss out on your opportunity to win any single in stock item from the banner or a $400 Reeds gift card! There will only be 50 tickets sold for this raffle. Make sure to grab one before they all sell out! Prize will be shipped to your door or your FFL. We also have another AZ Lifetime Combo License raffle open. Scan the QR code to see all in stock items. Purchase your tickets at: https://www.naznwtf.org/shop

Congratulations to Omar Perez in Gilbert for winning the Pick Your Prize/Reeds Banner Raffle! Omar opted for the $400 gift card from Reeds.

My son drew the late youth hunt in 33. Opening day was the Friday after Thanksgiving. We made a family plan to head down Wednesday, picking up our daughter up at UofA, and have a family camping trip followed by a deer hunt. Our good friend, Christian, drove down Thursday night to help out. He's like a little brother to me and a great mentor/role model for Jacob. Our daughter even asked me to throw her hunting gear in so she could help glass Friday before heading back to UofA to study Saturday. We glassed up a couple dozen does, a handful of spikes and forks, and a few 70s bucks Friday. We got chased out by rain Saturday morning, right as we found a buck Jacob liked. We watched the bucks bed down, so we went back to camp to wait out the storm. The rain let up a few hours later and we were back out glassing, quickly relocating the bucks from Saturday morning. I was sore from a steep, rugged hike the day before, so Jacob and Christian put a plan in place to stalk up into the steep area they were and I stayed back to glass and talk them in. Something in the canyon bottom spooked the deer as they were setting up and two deer turned into about 9 running all over. By the time they settled down, the objective buck was nowhere to be seen; however, this young fork presented a perfect broadside shot at 248 yards. As was told to me, Jacob said "I didn't hike all they up this $h!t to not shoot something!" Good for him! He ended up packing it all the way down the ridge and up and down the next three ridges. He earned every bit of this young buck, but now he says he's holding out for 80s or bigger moving forward. Again, good for him! 248 yards is officially his shortest shot at a non-javelina or turkey game animal. I'm super proud of his determination and grit.

As they were hiking back to me and the Pioneer, they jumped a 95ish buck 150 yards from where we were glassing. It jumped up 50 yards from them, so he got a good look. It was bedded on the opposite-facing hillside right below us the whole time!

We have three raffles going right now. AZ lifetime Combo license, "Pick Your Prize", and our annual Calendar Gun Raffle. With Calendar Gun Raffle, you purchase a calendar for $50 and get an NWTF membership and 52 chances (1/week) to win a great 2A item over the 2024 calendar year. With the "Pick Your Prize" raffle, if you're the winner, you get to pick any one item on that sheet and it will be sent to you. As of this posting (8:14pm, 11/21/23), we have 67 chances left on the lifetime license and 43 chances left on the pick your prize that need to be sold. https://www.naznwtf.org/shop

Driving to unit 33 and back for my son's youth hunt. Can bring the rifle.

Case is gone

Chris has the case

That dude in the red shirt in the first video: I SOOOO relate to him every day of my life...

I've told the story of my dad and his company (C/1/503/173d Airborne) as part of Task Force Black and their battle on Nov 11, 1967. I've shared his "famous" picture that was taken during his first tour and went AP/UPI world wide. Here are a few other photos from his 18 months in Vietnam. He brought his war home with him for all of us to fight, but he was my hero. Veteran's Day always meant something much different and deeper in our house. I miss him every day of the 19 years he's been gone. Thanks to everyone else for your service. During a break in a fire mission 1966 One of his bronze stars with "V" for clearing a tunnel Active fire mission. Dad hunched over in foreground with cigarette Fire mission near Tuy Hua October 1967, just before being sent back to Dak To for the Nov 11 battle. Dad in the foreground plugging his ear.

Bump. Tickets still available for these raffles.

I have a Triclawps and love it. You're welcome to borrow it and test it out before you buy if you want. You've always been good to me. My daughter's at UofA, but will be here this week for a few days. I can send it down with her if you want.

This right here. I asked my wife about tickets last night thinking it would be fun if it was within our budget. OP's prices are dead on with how they are selling now. Good luck with your sale!

We spent most of her high school years not talking much unless we were javelina hunting or turkey hunting. Even then, it was pins and needles at times and she was well into the social life. I knew I had to let her go if I was ever going to get her back. Friends of mine with similarly stubborn, independent, strong-willed daughters assured me she'd come back around eventually and I just had to be patient. I asked her every draw cycle if she wanted to hunt and then bought her bonus points when she said no. I also told her UofA is close to several great Coues units, that she has enough points to get a good Coues tag, and that I'd rearrange my schedule to make sure I was available . That peaked her interest. Now to figure out 34B for pigs for her!

Got my usual archery stink pig tag and same for my son's youth sting pig tag. The big one, though, was my daughter getting drawn again. She's a sophomore at UofA and admitted to me this summer she misses hunting and hunting with me. After taking a couple of years away to pursue other passions in life, she wanted to put in for javelina again. She made it clear it had to be close to UofA/Tucson given the time she'll have available. No problem. She got a 34B general javelina tag and I can't wait to hunt with her again!

I keep replaying Friday afternoon, Oct 6, in my mind and am so proud of our son, Jacob. I'm also thankful for the friends (family) that helped make this happen. Grandpa Goose and Christian made this hunt even more special. We were glassing in Unit 10 Friday afternoon, looking for a cow elk that we (Christian) spotted that morning over 2000 yards away bedded between two junipers. A bull bugled to our right down in or across the canyon immediately east of us. We knew he had to have cows with him. While making a plan, I decided we didn't need three people going in. That was too many bodies and, therefore, too many chances for something to go wrong. I stayed back with the gear while Jacob and Christian went in to look and, hopefully, make something happen. I know when it's time to let go and time for someone else to lead him, especially someone I trust wholeheartedly. 10 minutes later, at 4:40 pm, I heard the shot, followed by the wracking of the action of Jacob's 300WM. Then dead silence. Nobody answered my radio or text inquiries. This dad was shaking, but confident. Jacob is an ice-cold shooter. My radio went off at almost 4pm letting me know Jacob hit a cow solidly. She entered a thick clump of junipers and never came out. I grabbed the gear and headed down to Jacob and Christian. I got the full download. Jacob made a perfect 357-yard shot on a slightly quartering-away mature cow. Christian kept eyes on the area while Jacob and I picked our way across the canyon. Christian guided us in perfectly after seeing her fall and tumble down the canyon side. Jacob paid his respects to his elk and helped me drag her 15 yards down the canyon to the wash where we could process her easier. We got some great trophy pics before we ran out of light and began the hard work. Fortunately, Christian and Goose were able to drive Christian's Pioneer right up to the elk. The ride out on the tailgate of the Pioneer was beautiful under the stars. I got my chance to say thanks to all those above who watched over us. That's when my emotions caught up to me. I lost track of how many times I hugged Jacob.

Congrats on a great hunt and hope your father-in-law is doing better!

Not sure how you're first weekend went, but they were bugling for us on my son's hunt last weekend. He tagged out Friday afternoon after getting on a bull bugling like crazy in the canyon off the point we were on.

Smoker sold.

Sold

Can meet up with a willing buyer. Will be traveling to El Paso Oct 12 or 13-Oct 15 and can meet off I-17/I-10. Will also be at McDowell Mt Park Oct 20-22 for a mountain bike race. $2300

Can meet up with a willing buyer. Will be traveling to El Paso Oct 12 or 13-Oct 15 and can meet off I-17/I-10. Will also be at McDowell Mt Park Oct 20-22 for a mountain bike race.

Bike rack sold

I remembered its @rossislider Sean and Draysen Hatch do great work. I didn't know Big Browns did taxidermy. I'd love to see some of your work, @Big Browns! You've always done right by me on this forum and I'd have no problem recommending you, too! I have a great taxidermist here in Flagstaff, but I'm never opposed to branching out, especially when I'm driving north from a SE AZ hunt!

Check out Great Hunter Skullz. I can't remember Sean's screen name here, but he and his son, Draysen Hatch (started it as a teen), do great work. I've had two done by Draysen and he does great work. They live in the Queen Creek/San Tan area. I'll even admit publicly that Sean is a good guy!