az41mag

Just wanted to say thanks to Ammon and Craig for putting on a great seminar last night. Lots of good information, and it was really nice having some hands on training with pot calls and box calls. I learned a lot, and picked up a great sounding box call that I look forward to using on my upcoming turkey hunt. All of these calls are hand made and the craftsmanship is top notch. Thanks again.

I thought I should post a little follow up on my situation and a few things I have learned along the way, just incase it could help somebody else someday. So after many calls to different insurance companies and asking lots of questions, I ended up with a separate policy for sporting equipment (guns, hunting gear, optics, etc.). It seems like every insurance company has different limits on what a homeowners/ renters policy will cover in the event of theft. Somewhere around 2k minus your deductible seems to be the average. To compound that situation, some companies do have limits set on firearms and such, (as mentioned earlier by a couple of posts). Adding a rider or a separate policy were my choices to get the amount of coverage that I needed to cover my guns and gear, (again the choices varied by insurance company). One other thing I learned was that your full coverage auto insurance may not cover things in your vehicle if it's stolen. This is where your homeowners or renters insurance could come into play. So once again, you want to make sure you have enough coverage. I did want to mention that Amanda's suggestion of talking with Luke Adam (sponsor of CWT and is with Farm Bureau), was very helpful. Luke answered a lot of questions I had and also understood how hunters can accumulate a lot of expensive gear, (something that other agents I spoke with had a hard time understanding). Joeeden, I'm sorry but I didn't see your post until today, otherwise I would have given you a call too. There's a lot to know about your insurance policy and it takes some time and effort to figure it out, but I think it's worth it to make sure that you're covered incase something happens. Thanks to all who offered their advice and input. Yet another reason why the CWT community is so helpful.

Recently a good friend of mine had his travel trailer stolen along with a lot of camping/ outdoor gear he had stored in the trailer while his trailer was in storage. After hearing about the red tape and countless ordeals that he had to go through with his insurance company, it made me question how good my insurance policy was. After talking with my insurance company today about coverage, I learned that my policy has good coverage for items that are lost to fire, flood, etc. However, items lost to theft are a much different story. My policy will only pay up to $2000 for stolen items. Now I'm sure that if anyone else who hunts were to start adding up the expense to replace your guns and gear, you could easily reach that 2k point in no time. Heck, that may not even cover a pair of Swarovski EL's. Needless to say, I am now in the process of looking into different insurance companies that hopefully will have a more suitable policy for me. I hope that I never have to deal with my gear being stolen, but I see posts on here from time to time about that sort of thing happening to other people, so I'd like to have a little more protection just in case. I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced this sort of thing before? What kind of policies are out there to give you more protection against theft? I'm not very knowledgeable about insurance and my current agent wasn't much help either, so if anybody has some advice on this subject I would be glad to hear it. Thanks in advance.

I have one of the smaller Pelican coolers ( 45 qt. I think ), that I received as a gift. I'm very happy with mine and have had no problems with it in the year and a half that I've had it. It keeps ice for a long time as long as you keep it in the shade. I'm not sure how the plastic latches will hold up a few years from now, but so far so good. The only advantage the yeti might have is that the rubber latches stretch and would keep some tension on the seal of the lid. The Pelican uses a latch that closes well, but doesn't seem like there's much tension on the lid seal. Maybe it doesn't matter much, it's just something I've noticed, and I don't have a Yeti to compare it to. Hope that helps a little.

Sounds like an insurance rider is something I'll need to be look in to. From what I've gathered about riders, they're basically an add on to your existing policy to insure additional items. Is there anything special about a rider that I should be asking an insurance company about? And yeah, as some have mentioned insurance isn't always what it's cracked up to be, but I guess it's a little better than getting nothing back if you don't have insurance. Thanks for the input guys.

My vote would be for the Jim White head. It works very well and is lightweight. This is just my opinion, but I think the "roughness" that people describe about the tilt movement is more a misunderstanding of how the head is supposed to function. Keep in mind that the Jim White head is different from a fluid head. If you glass on a grid pattern, that is, if you pan from one side to the other, tilt your binos up/ down, and then pan back across the other way, tilt your binos up/ down again and then pan back across, etc., then it will work great. The pan function is silky smooth, and when the tension adjustment is adjusted correctly, I can move my binos from side to side with just a bump of my nose. Availability may be an issue as Jim has recently passed, but I would still consider it an option. Hope that helps.

I finally drew a 3C turkey tag this year, and I'm pretty enthused since this will be my first attempt on a turkey. I wanted to see what you experienced turkey hunters recommend for setting up a shotgun. I'm starting out with a 870 Wingmaster Mag in 12 gauge, chambered in 3 in. It has a 28 in light contour barrel; is that going to be too long and awkward for turkey hunting? Also, what choke tubes and turkey loads can you recommend? I'm guessing that it's going to be different with every gun, but again, I'm seeking some input for where to start. I'm thinking a set of fiber optic sights and a sling will be a good investment too. Anything else I might be overlooking? Thanks in advance.

Excellent information posted so far. This will definitely help me get started out. Thank you all for your input.

Stumbled upon this thing while out exploring, and was curious if anybody knows what it is. I'm thinking some sort of trap, but I didn't see any mechanism that would close the entrance off. The sides are made out of what looks like nylon rope, and there was a flake of alfalfa inside and a trail of alfalfa leading up to it. Any thoughts?

Not sure why the link I posted doesn't take you to the page, but I was able to copy and paste the link to a browser and make it work that way. Sorry, guess I'm not a high-tech redneck, haha.

Apparently it is an elk trap set up by Game and Fish. Did a google search on elk traps. Here is a link that explains a little more and shows some pictures of what they're doing with them http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/research_elk_I17.shtml I still can't see a mechanism in this particular trap that closes the entryway, but maybe they're just getting the elk used to them before they start trapping to put radio collars on them.

Sold, please delete. Thanks.

Located in Maricopa, but occasionally make it to Mesa/ Tempe area if that helps any.

54" from floor to top of quick release plate.

Back to the top.

We occasionally have pigs on the farm, but I noticed one lone javelina hanging around a particular irrigation ditch here on the farm. After noticing her staying in the same spot for the last 2 days, I was curious to find out why. She spooked and ran into a milo field when I got to about 75 yrds, and then I realized why she had stayed there for so long. Two little reds that couldn't climb out of the cement irrigation ditch. Any guess as to how old these little guys might be?

Checked on them after lunch and they were out of the ditch. We put an irrigation check in the ditch about 100 yards down and shoveled some dirt against it. Sort of made a dirt ramp for them. The wooden board was already knocked in the ditch (I'm assuming by the Mom), who also dug out about 8 inches of dirt next to the ditch bank. Fortunately there was no irrigation water scheduled for this particular canal today. Which brings up another question; does anybody know if javelina can swim?

Thank you Amanda for shedding some light on this subject. Just to clarify, I'm not trying to put down the unit nor am I trying to whine about not tagging a deer, (hopefully it didn't come across that way). I had a great time hunting this unit and considering it was my first time hunting Coues deer, I came away feeling like I learned a lot about these little deer and where they live. I'm just wanting to further my education for the next time I can draw a coues tag.

So after my recent hunt, I have a couple of questions about the behavior of Coues deer for those of you who have had more experience than I have. This was my first time hunting Coues deer, and it was in 24a if it makes any difference. I never found a buck in 7 days of hunting and 2 days of scouting, but I was able to find lots of does (Coues), everyday. There were two separate groups of does that I watched for several days, and their habits of feeding on the same hillside, and at the same time everyday was amazing. I could nearly set my watch by their timing both morning and evening. I do remember reading somewhere that Coues deer are some what of a homebody that will occupy relatively small areas. So that along with what I observed made me wonder if all Coues deer have similar habits to what I saw? Or was it just an isolated coincidence? Also, whether or not Coues bucks will exhibit similar behavior of feeding at the same time and place from day to day? Thank you in advance. Clint

3C early hunt for me. Looking forward to it!

Great write up Wink. Getting to spend time in the field with your Dad will probably be more valuable than some antlers hanging on the wall. Too bad our paths didn't cross out there, but glad you guys had a fun trip. Clint

I have the Nov 1st hunt. This will be my first time hunting this unit, but I feel up to the challenge. Good luck to all!

I've always hunted them with a handgun, 41 mag and even 38 spl is what I've used. Been fortunate enough to take 4 pigs over the past several years, all 6 in barrel's with open sights. I think the longest shot I've ever had was 28 yards. It can be tough to get close enough for those shots, but that's part of the fun (and part of the challenge too). Either of your handgun choices should work. I'd say what ever you can shoot accurately and consistently to make a clean ethical shot. Clint

I certainly appreciate the help. Thank you arizonaelite. Also, I sent you a pm.

So I drew an early Nov Coues tag in 24A, and spent the past weekend scouting the area. One thing I noticed was the lack of undeveloped/ dispersed camping in the areas of the Pinal's. I know there are several developed campgrounds on top of the Pinal's, but the narrow winding roads leading up there didn't seem to be suitable for pulling my travel trailer up there. So my question for those of you who regularly hunt 24a is, are there any areas near the Pinal Mountains that might have decent areas for trailer camping? Do most folks who hunt that area just tent camp? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.