Dodger2

This is mine....Winchester mod 70 7mm WSM, Zeiss 4.5-15 x 50 with EGW one piece base (w/ 20 min of elevation), Leupold rings, action has been bedded, barrel free floated, Timney Trigger at just over 2lbs....

My 8 year old son and I headed up to Big Lake and Crescent Lake for a short trip to up to the mountains. Had a great time and the weather was just about as perfect as possible for up there. My usual wind, rain, wind, rain, and more rain was non-existent this trip and we were greeted by beautiful cool days with blue skies and just slight breezes. And the fish were biting....probably missed just as many as we caught. We had a blast... Son's first fish of the trip at Big Lake...nothing huge but he was having a blast Crescent Lake....couldn't keep the lines in the water.... My son took this picture of me....this is why I love to get outside....solitude On a sad note, the mountain on the west side of Crescent Lake has a fire going. The fire was started by some campers that decided to hike into a restricted area (due to the bald eagle nests) and had a camp fire going. The fire got out of control...the bald eagle fledgings were lost in the fire...the only good note (I guess) is they caught the campers.

I grew up fishing Crescent with my dad so its neat to take my son there...one of my favorite places in the state. I always have a hard time leaving. My son told me when we left that Crescent is his favorite lake to go to and is already asking when we can go back. Power bait (green, pink, rainbow, didn't really matter) and worms worked. I can hardly wait until he is old enough to get into a tube so that we can go flyfishing on Crescent together....he can't either.

That was me. Had to run into the Hallmark store to pick up the wife's anniversary card.

Ok I'm thinking about buying a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x50 with the turrets. I haven't been able to find one to look through some so I'm just looking for some feedback. I would love to go the Leupold Mark 4 route, but little too pricey and to be honest I'm thinking that is more scope then I need. Thanks

Thanks for all the comments. This is gonna go on my 7mm WSM that currently has a 4.5-14x40 Leupold VX III with the B&C reticle. The reticle is a good idea, but it doesn't match up well. I'm still having to do the "Kentucky windage" with it. So the Leupold is gonna go on my "new" pre-64 Winchester model 70 .270 that has a pre-64 Weaver 6x on it. I would love to be able to put a Nightforce or Schmidt & Bender, but the funds just aren't there and to be honest I just can't justify it. Thanks for the replies, the info, and the offers to look thru the scopes! Looks like I'll be purchasing a new Zeiss in the near future.

I have spoken with Mr. Krentz multiple times. My first hunting memories I have with my father where on land that we accessed through his property almost 30 years ago. The last time I spoke with him he told me that it had gotten so bad that he was not allowing anyone on his land due to the problems with the amount of traffic he was having. That was 5 years ago. It has only gotten worse. My prayers go out to his family. This is an absolutely tragedy! I practically grew up in that corner of this state that I call "HOME!" and this hit me hard when I heard the news today. My family has a cabin in the Chiricahuas that my grandfather built in the 1950s. At the beginning of this month it was broken into twice in a span of three days. All that was stolen was canned food, blankets, and jackets. It has now reached a point that I don't feel like it is safe to take my children down there to enjoy the mountains like I did when I was a kid. I spoke with another rancher on the west side of the Chiricahuas in December who is completely fed up with it is happening and discussed the issue he is having with smugglers going across his land. What upsets me more is that I don't see it getting any better any time soon....I only see it getting worse!!

Congrats! I took my first Chiricahua coues deer this year as well and my story was very similar to yours. Both my grandfathers hunted those mountains, and my dad introduced me to deer hunting in the Chiricahuas. Excellent deer!

While out in the Rincons today bowhunting I came across a chocolate lab and a black/tan hound of some sort. The two dogs were a long ways up a very rough road. Neither one of them would let me get close to them and they would not leave the area where I found them. Both looked healthy, but the lab had a limp (thinking thorn(s) its left rear foot). I could see collars and tags on them so I'm not thinking they were dumped there, plus it was a ways back into where I was. I was thinking the worse when they wouldn't leave the area but I checked it and didn't find anything out of the oridinary (other than the dogs). I felt horrible leaving them out there, but like I said they wouldn't let me get close, but when I started to walk away they laid right back down. I'm hoping somebody may know someone who is missing their dogs. I have the GPS coordinates and they weren't going anywhere. Figured I would post it here.....

Santa was good to me this year...got a havalon knife (and blades)...a new tripod and the best "gift"...my late grandfather's pre-64 Winchester Mod 70 .270 that my uncle gave me. My grandfather bought the rifle in 1952. My uncle told me to use it, but I'm afraid to even though I know my grandfather would want me to use it. I was speechless when he handed that to me. I worshipped that gun and the man who owned it. I'm hoping that I can have it ready to go for the '10 coues season to use it in my grandfather's honor.

This is just my opinion and I'm am no expert and never will claim to be one....I have a pair of the Kaibab 15x56s and my brother has a pair of the Swarovski 15x56s. There is a difference between them, but for me I couldn't tell you exactly what it is and I couldn't see spending the extra change for such a small difference. That's just me. I think the two are really close. The Swarovski's don't fit me as well as the Vortex do either. One thing I do like about Vortex is the warranty. On my last scouting trip my left foot found some ice on a rock face. I was carrying my binoculars in front of me. Ice + gravity = me on my face on the rocks. My binoculars cushioned my fall. They were damaged. I contacted Vortex and they will repair/replace them no questions asked. Their warranty is also transferrable.

I put in for the unit I hunt for multiple reasons. Since I live in Tucson, I'm not far from a lot of coues units. I've hunted units that hold "bigger" and more deer, but I still go back to my favorite. Now if time is short and the bow is in hand, then one of the closer units works just fine.

I watched a group of 8 today for about 35 minutes. It was 6 does and 2 bucks. The bucks didn't show any interest at all, and the bigger of the two actually walked off and left all the does.

Thanks for the replies. My brother and I both agree that this was one of our most memorable hunts. Coueshunter, My son is 7 so we have couple of years before he gets a tag, but he is already talking about next year and how much fun this year was. I'm looking forward to when we are trying to find his buck.

This isn't my first or biggest coues, but it is probably the one I'm most proud of. I took this buck in the same mountains that my grandfathers and my dad hunted and the mountains that my dad first took me hunting when I was old enough to handle the hills. I have hunted in these mountains for close to 15 years without even seeing a buck so the last two seasons it has become sort of a mission for me to take a buck in these mountains. This was also the first year I was able to take my son. His first morning, Saturday, entertaining himself while dad is glassing. He is the fourth generation to be "hunting" in the these mountains. We were able to locate several does the first day, but nothing with horns. I knew they were there since I had seen them during one my several scouting trips. Later that morning my brother came down since he also had tag. On Sunday morning we located a decent buck, but unfortunately that plan didn't work out after having to call AZGFD to report a violation that my brother and I witnessed. We then moved to a second area that looked promising and continued the search. Sunday afternoon I had to take my son home so he could get back to school on Monday. He was crushed and I felt bad, but hopefully its a sign of things to come and I will have a hunting partner for life. I wasn't able to get back out until Monday afternoon and we returned to our "new" spot. That evening we glassed up close to 20 deer including 3 bucks. We lost the light, but the plan was to change our position slightly the next morning to see if we could find them again. Tuesday morning found my brother and I high up on a rocky point above two different drainages. Around 8:00 my brother picks up a buck in the bottom of one the draws. It appeared to be one of the 3 we located the night before. We decide he is shooter since its the second to last day and because of the family tradition of the mountains. The buck bedded down in some thick brush and the wait started. My brother stayed on the glasses while I went back and forth from my shooting position and my glasses. My brother glassing. The hillside. The buck is bedded at the top of the left side of the binoculars. The buck finally started to get up and I got into shooting position on top of the most comfortable rock I could find. When the buck stepped clear of the brush I checked to make sure my brother was on him and then pulled the trigger. Because of the recoil I lost the buck, but I heard my brother say I hit him hard. By the time I find him again he is down. When he went down he rolled and broke one of his tines. He isn't by best coues buck, but because of the family tradition of these mountains and sharing the experience with my brother he is my "best" coues buck to date.

I own a 7mm WSM and I would say go with 270 WSM. The 7mm WSM just never really took off like the 270 or the 300 and if you need to find ammo its limited and hard to find. I'm not saying the 7mm WSM isn't a good gun, I like mine a lot and it will shoot sub moa groups after some work. It just gets frustrating at times trying to find ammo if you don't reload.

OK call me paranoid, but I have the upcoming Nov hunt and I'm going through a 6 year dry spell. I was out scouting this week and in one of the areas that I have scouted (since June) there is a AZGFD sign in book. I counted 13 deer that were harvested and saw one more that was harvested in a camp; which is awesome for the Oct. hunters. Congrats! My brother was with me and he got all concerned and pessimistic. I talked to him and told him that there are still deer left. Then I checked my camera that been out for a month and got 39 pictures total, w/ one small 3x3, when I've been getting 150+.......so now I'm getting nervous... On another note, we did glass up a nice 3x3 (in the 50 mph wind) in a 2nd area and now its almost like I wish I didn't see him because now I know he is there and if I can't find him in 2 weeks....well I won't go there...........I'm losing it...I know it...I guess I'm an coues addict! I need November 6th to get here sooner!!! I'm going crazy......

Yep...I put in for a rifle cow elk tag 3 years ago so I could take my 4 year old son with me...He sat in the ground blind on archery deer hunts with me the last two seasons (with his Leapster video game thing). Only lasted about an hour each time, but that's ok. I still remember when he saw his first wild turkeys...and this year I was told to put in for turkey. He is going on his first rifle coues hunt this year at 7 since I figured he would be able to navigate the hills a little better....my daughter is fish catching machine at 4...I don't know if she is going to take to hunting as much, but I'll try....

pm sent

I've had my camera in this spot for about 3 months now. It was one of those "I guess this spot is as good as any" spots. I've been checking it periodically and have had some decent pictures. This guy showed up recently....

This is the best buck I've gotten pictures of so far this year...I'm hoping I can find him in a couple of months...I was actually surprised at the number of pictures that I got...this is a good travel route Also got these pictures as well... His little brother And the next generation...

I have had my cameras up in area for the last year and half that has a lot of bear sign. I have hunted these hills for about 20 years and have seen one bear during that time. I finally have a picture of a bear....just thought I would share...looks like a good size bear but I know nothing about bears

Went and checked the cameras today....Got a few pics that I thought I would share This ones neat...looks like you can see through him...this is the "grey ghost"... Wish he was a little closer to the camera... Found this guy too.....black-tailed rattlesnake

Singleshot, Been there done that...my last elk tag I had I had ACL reconstruction done in May...second surgery in August to free up the knee and remove scar tissue and was in the elk woods in September and climbing the coues mountains in November. It HURT but it can be done....

PM sent