Flatlander

PM Sent

I like the second week. I actually kind of like the full moon during the rut cause bulls will bugle all night and you can locate the night before after dark and then come back a few hours before light. If they are bugling you have enough light to start following them back to their bedding area and be in position at first light.

This picture does a little more justice. Holy cow! Congrats on a stud buck.

Wow, I am impressed. And that is one big ole bobcat.

Sent . . . Can't imagine how that must feel.

Pretty sweet to watch them grow that summer coat as well.

Yup, that's the plate.

Wildlife license plate Hunt4Les I have seen this one several times while getting off the 202 @ Rural/Scottsdale

Don't you hunt 23? My guess it is not lion sign, but came from this guy instead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_William_Fisher

How does the December hunt make more $ for AZGFD? The archery hunt in 3A/3C is 200 tags and the December rifle hunts are only 10 - 25 tags in any given unit. Do you figure that there will be enough application fees generated by the December hunts to make up the difference? Or more hunting licenses sold? Not trying to be critical, just trying to understand your opinion.

20 bulls is a lot of road kill.

I will say that the spot and stalk on this hunt was an absolute blast. I learned a ton during the 11 days I hunted. My very first stalk was probably the best one, I slipped down a wash and popped up 45 yards from a great buck. I shot over his back @ 35 yards. Another time I belly crawled for 2 hours in the open grass and eventually got within 45 yards of a bedded B&C buck. My arrow fell off the rest when i stood to shoot. That was the single most deflating moment of my entire hunting career . . . and possibly my life. One day I sat in a huge cardboard box for 12 hours waiting for a buck to come in. That was the longest day of my life. I eventually shot a buck sitting in someone else's blind (with permission) but I think that I would have been a little more satisfied if I had let the air out of one after out sneaking him. Oh and be careful with the snakes, I had one crawl right over my legs while I was laying on my back in the grass waiting for a buck to feed within range . . . needless to say, that stalk was blown. Man, all this talk makes me wanna go burn my points.

I have been wondering if at 3 and 4 my boys are old enough to get started. I was 14 when I bought my first bow with summer job money. I have been looking around to see what set up would work best. Looks like that diamond you have for them is doing the trick.

BASS, on 25 May 2012 - 11:52 PM, said: Also, I know its hard, but dont buy into the magazine ads hype. While looking for a new bow I shot quite a few, some in the $1k range that were "the best. " Luckily I didnt like them for one reason or another, but fell in love with the Assassin; even more so when I saw the price! Also, last years bows are still among the best this year, and some go back even farther! Check out archerytalk and you can find private owners or even shops unloading bows way under what you'd expect to pay! For instance a shop in Wisconsin has NIB Assassins shipped to your door for under $550 pretty regularly, and some private owners are selling bows bought in January for $400! About a month ago I went on Archery talk and bought a Hoyt CRX32 that was originally purchased last January. It came set up with a Sword 3 pin sight, Boehner Quiver, 8 Gold Tips, Ripcord release, winner's choice string, tru fire release and Simmons stabilizer. I paid $560 shipped to my door. The thing is spotless, there is not a mark on it. I would definitely recommend checking out the AT classifieds. Just make sure you read through the post on the way business should be conducted, it sort of has its own culture that was not quite what I was used to.

I have taught that merit badge a few times as well. I always hate making the string. One of my favorite scout memories was teaching the merit badge with my Dad for a week. We had a boy with some physical and mental disabilities in one of the classes. Dad worked one on one with him all 5 days and when he did his shooting requirements at the end of the week, the grin on his face was ear to ear. His Dad came and talked to us that night and told us how much the accomplishment meant to the boy. We still keep in touch with their family. Working with kids is so rewarding. Kudos to you for taking the time to get kids involved.

You've got mine. We have been impacted by suicide several times in the last year as well. It is very difficult to understand, but I found some solace in the knowledge that for that person, they ended their struggle on their own terms. May God be with you, your family and all of those touched by this tragedy.

Hopefully if you have been bowhunting you have been stockpiling points for this type of occassion.

I have no BP for WY, but we should all be able to buy one still this year. Can we get a decent hunt with 1 point or should we make this a 2014 adventure?

I submitted my succesful sheep application today, so I guess I should be seeing that tag in the mail in about 8 weeks.

I like the idea of a few draw archery deer hunts. It creates some where for archers to go without being mobbed during the general season. I wouldn't mind if there were about 5 units that were archery draw. We are close now with the Kaibab, Strip and 3a/3c. Hopefully it will help increase trophy potential as well.

Sometimes I just hit them with rocks. Last year I whacked one with a rock but didn't kill it and it went down a hole. When I reached for a stick to get him with there was a second one under the branch I had lifted up. Once that one started buzzing and getting severely agitated I decided it might be be best to just get out of dodge. Those suckers get irritated in a hurry. Especially when you hot them with a rock. I have since decided a trecking pole is perfect for dealing with them.

I have eaten it. We just peeled the skin back, pushed the guts out like a fish and threw the whole thing on the grill. It tasted fine, but its kind of a lot of work for not much of a meal.

When living in ID I bow hunted in grizzly country and carried an XD45. To be honest, now I don't carry anything, I have had 2 close calls with bears, both in 7E and in both situations, we both wanted to just get away from each other, Even in ID, I just never had a big problem. For whatever reason, lions don't concern me all that much, I really don't think one would ever consider me @ 200 lbs as a menu item and anyone who has hiked with me will tell you that the chances of me surprising one are about as good as the odds of me getting struck by lightening and winning the lottery on the same day.

I wacked a Black Rattler yesterday morning, I skinned it and stretched out the hide when I got home. Those buggers are aggressive and this one was warm enough to have a real temper. In my experience if you are walking in the bottom of a canyon, you better be dang careful where you step particularly around pools of water.

Anybody got any pics of cool snake taxi? I just killed a black rattler and am looking for some ideas on what to do with the hide once it is done tanning.