IA Born

My pleasure! If I can use my connections to get the right answers, I'm all for it!

Just heard back from my friend in the condor program. You're good to go. "If he got drawn in 12A or B he will get info with his tag. If he chose Etag he will get the same info in the mail in a tag envelope."

They should be doing it. I was the Federal lead for the Condor program up until Oct 2021. Getting supplies through big-name companies was difficult at one point due to bureaucratic BS from the companies not wanting to deal with state contracts, even though the process was simple. I'll reach out to the new AGFD Condor lead and confirm, but it shouldn't be a problem for any hunt (youth, Champ, or general). You can always call the R2/Flagstaff office and verify, but the AGFD Condor lead is a good friend and I've asked.

That's very true. The Hunter Ed program is funded by excise tax $$ through the Pittman-Roberston (Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration) Act. A huge requirement is that there has to be an in-kind match to those Federal dollars, and AGFD uses our time as HE Instructors (volunteers) to log person-hours into the system as the in-kind match. The biggest hold-up for getting more classes is that there was a mass exodus of instructors (~70% drop) two years ago, right as we were allowed to start the in-person classes again. There were training requirements (online training classes related to managing PII and harassment) that are mandated as part of the Federal dollars. Many of the instructors decided they didn't want to go through the hoops, so they left. Every training we have to take as HE volunteers is almost exactly the same as what I have to take annually as a Federal employee. I was upset because I have to do it every year for work and then again every year to be an HE instructor and that's time away from my family. My wife encouraged me to not quit teaching, or I'd have been done two years ago, too.

TTT

Scope is sold

Sold

In 10 years of teaching, I see a huge difference in information retention with kids, especially the younger ones, who take the in-person class vs completing the online class.

I think at one time, it wasn't required, but I think they changed it. Keyword is "think" in all my knowledge (or lack thereof). Get him our July 2-23 class here in Flagstaff! I see you're over in Williams.

I think Texas requires a field day now, unlike in California (online class, no field day). It will meet the requirements for all states, but you won't get a bonus point. You have to take an AZ HE class to get the bonus point.

Edge getting me to post my great grandpa's WWI uniform got me thinking about my dad's stuff from Vietnam. Most everything he has is a replacement/exact replica of everything he carried in the jungle as an infantry mortarman. I've told the story of his company being ambushed by a battalion-sized NVA element on Nov 11, 1967. Most everything dad had was left behind or had been taken/rummaged/looted when the NVA closed the horseshoe-shaped ambushed and surrounded dad's company (often breaching the perimeter). Dad was medevaced out Nov 12, 1967, when they could finally get helicopters in. Everything he had was in his rucksack and his fatigues were cut off at the hospital. Fast forward to Nov 19, 1978. Our house in our small Iowa town burned to the ground the night we moved in. We lost everything we owned. We barely got our alive and it was a total loss. We were living off donations for absolutely everything (clothes, place to stay, food, etc). I was 5 years old and only have two memories of the night. I vaguely remember dad being upset about the few things he managed to have from Vietnam that he shipped home prior to Nov 11, 1967. He had his original purple heart, with yhe plastic melted, and one of his bronze stars w/ "V" device, covered in soot. They were in a metal lockbox and that was the only thing to survive the fire. Fast forward again to the late 1980s. I was in high school, maybe finishing junior high. A friend of the family found one of dad's original jungle fatigue shirts in a footlocker of his. Nobody knew why this guy had it or where he got it from, but I'll never forget the look on dad's face when he got it back. I used to wear it all the time and was super proud to do that. I look at it now, and it's a grim reminder of just how small my dad was when he was 19/20 and all of the stuff he carried. Every time I start to complain about a load being heavy and a hill too steep, I find myself thinking of dad carrying all of his gear, plus 5 mortar rounds for his 81mm tube, including up triple canopy slopes in high humidity. Anyway, thanks for indulging me again.

I have some of the "souvenirs" he and a couple of friends brought back too. I have a pair of Ho Chi Minh sandals that he took from a VC soldier who didn't really need them anymore, and some Montagnard bracelets, chop sticks, and knives that one of dad's medics/good friends brought back. When I was in jr high/high school, I used to wear the sandals around in the summer. Way before Chacos or Tevas. I thought it was cool, knowing the history!

Classroom class in Flagstaff July 20-23. I'll be one of the instructors for all but one night (might still be there for that night): https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/198443

Yep, that was 2nd battalion/503rd PIR, carrying on their lineage from Corregidor in WWII. Dad was in 1st battalion and did the air assault via helo for that operation.

A while back, Edge posted about finding a dog tag and getting it back to its owner's family. Tim (Edge) is 1000% a great guy. I chimed in on the dog tag discussion about having my Great Grandpa's WWI dog tag and full uniform. Tim asked to see pics, but I had to wait to get into my safe after the keypad died. Access happened yesterday, so this post is for Tim/Edge! My Great Grandpa on my mom's side was in WWI and he passed away when I was in 8th grade. He was 92. He had 12 kids (that survived, 14 total) with my great grandma. As everyone was going through stuff, they came across his original dog tag and full uniform. My great grandma asked what should be done with it. My grandma knew I was a military history buff at 14 years old, so she grabbed everything and said "I know who will appreciate this!" and got it to me. It wasn't until a few years ago when my grandma's sister passed away that I was able to get the original helmet to go with everything. As promised to Tim/Edge, here are the pics. Full set of leggings (plus an extra), helmet, oversees cap (dad had a different, nsfw name for those), pants, jacket, and helmet.

Well, we'd be in that training together, so it would be fun!!

I don't know if that's what it was called in WWI, but dad never beat around the bush on what he called it in Vietnam. See what I did there??

Bump for those of you who got Coues tags.

Bump for those of you who got Coues tags. $2400...

Chris truly was that "give you the shirt off his back" guy. I was devastated when I found out last week on vacation. He was so great and encouraging with both my kids and always had a hug for them.

The "Ducks" part of "Ducks including..." is lumping all ducks, including teal, wood ducks, and wigeons into one general category without listing every species. The "including mergansers, coots and gallinules..." part of "Ducks including..." is lumping those taxa into/as ducks for the sake of classifying legal wildlife. Taxonomically speaking, mergansers, coots, and gallinules are not ducks in the traditional sense. They are in a different family group from ducks, but they are still huntable waterfowl under Federal waterfowl regulations.

I love my Ritons and that's a bada$$ scope! If I could sell the NIB Zeiss I have listed, I'd buy that from you. $500 shipped is about the same, if not a little better than, I can get through my prodeal by the time they add the extras. Someone should definitely grab this up.

Will be at a hotel near Phx airport Saturday (6/3) night if anyone wants me to bring this.

Will be at a hotel near Phx airport Saturday (6/3) night if anyone wants me to bring the Rem 700 or Savage Axis stocks.

Redington youth size 6 wader boots. Used, but in solid condition. Rubber soles. Will ship on buyer's dime.