forepaw

Kev I hope your friend is successful with his new shop. Always good to have a choice in where to buy shooting stuff. However, Sierra Vista could do a better job of supporting the existing stores if we had a decent place to shoot. There are thousands of gun owners in this town, and they seem to buy stuff. But then they go out to Dry Canyon or the pit, and risk getting in an argument or having some idiot shooting over their head. Guys have told me they won't go out there by themselves. This is a result of the public shooting range being horribly mismanaged, and mostly a basket case for years. Game and Fish knows about it, but won't do anything. So basically, unless locals want to register their guns on the Army base (I do not), we have nowhere to shoot. If the new gun store owner is serious about staying in business, maybe he or she can launch an effort to recall and replace the current officers and board of directors of the S.V. shooting range. I can pretty much guarantee there will be a lot of support.

I will take it. PM sent.

Deer, elk, antelope - long odds, but premium hunts - now on AZGFD website.

See and hear them every day. They are all over.

Thanks for the corrections, Based on the way the subject was presented at the commission meeting in Dec.? it sounded like a new program.

This is new this year. Testing the waters.

Don't forget about the hunter survey from 15 - 20 yrs. ago that was intended to determine management direction of the department for at least the next generation of hunters. I don't recall the name of the survey, but it was a big deal at the time and considered to be a watershed decision point with respect to what did the hunting community want - a wildlife resource managed for trophy potential (older age class animals, less opportunity), or more opportunity overall? The vote from all of us hunters was pretty decisively in favor of more opportunity. Of course this was before anyone could anticipate the trail cam issue, OHV issue, or Arizona's exploding population. Anyway, some of the others on the forum can weigh in a provide more detail but that is my recollection.

No HATE but discussion always good to try to understand a thorny topic. Remember, the auction tags started in 1984. It was a different world then, different problems, different values, different recent memory of events that seem ancient history now to many of the younger members. Computers were rare. There were no cell phones. The country was recovering from high interest rates and high unemployment, and other problems thanks to the social and economic programs of the Carter administration. The war in Vietnam was a recent memory. The conservation-minded critter groups (mainly ADBSS and a few others) thought that the money brought in by auction would benefit not only the species auctioned, but all wildlife, and would also eventually provide opportunity for all hunters due to habitat improvement, translocation, research on wildlife diseases, better access to public land, etc. This all turned out to be mostly true, since there were so few tags, they were out of reach of almost all hunters. Fast forward to 2024, and raffles look more attractive as they are available to everyone (residents), and don't require justifying why some ultra-rich person was just allowed to buy one of the most coveted tags in the country, maybe in the world. This has become socially unacceptable, and there is some justification for that. The tradeoff is, in return for equal opportunity to acquire a super scarce lifetime tag (which are now more plentiful than ever thanks to the auction system of 40 years ago), we may need to tighten our belts in terms of programs for wildlife (some not all). It is what it is, and history will refresh our memory.

They could have solved this just by limiting auction tags to one purchaser, for one species, every x number of years, or maybe once per lifetime. As it stands now, it will be gone. The elephant in the room, which no one is mentioning is sure, the raffles come close to the auction amounts, but for how long? The auction tags would have been a high demand item among wealthy hunters for years to come, but what kind of support will the current gen. Z kids provide? And the generations coming after, given the financial shape of the country, and looming international uncertainty? Overall not an easy call, but I think it could have been adjusted to allow the auctions to continue in some form. Let's face it, just because someone is wealthy, and maybe a snob, does not mean they don't value a lifetime tag as much if not more than joe hunter. There are plenty of citizen hunters, some right on this forum who I believe, don't put in the effort, are marginally ethical, and for whom getting their story and photo on social media is valued as much as the hunt. I am hopeful that it will work out. I think they only focused on two dimensions of a three dimensional problem.

2010 Aristocrat travel trailer - $9,750.00 7zero2-37eight-9nine07. $9,000. Excellent condition with limited use, and includes weight-distributing hitch rated to 10,000 lb. w/ sway control. ½ ton towable at 4,800 GVWR. Ideal for the solo hunter or adventuresome couple, as well as group or family outings where a little more privacy is desired. Trailer has 13,500 BTU air conditioning, and 13,680 BTU Atwood Hydro-flame furnace with auto-ignition. Interior is comfortable in snow, wind or rain. INTERIOR: Queen bed in front, dinette booth that converts to bed, multi-mode 4.5-cu.ft. refrigerator/freezer, 2-burner range, microwave w/carousel, range hood w/light and fan, 6-gal. propane water heater, water pump, full bathroom (no tub), wall recess for TV/DVR with jack for digital cable and TV antennae (adjustable from inside). Outlets are GFCI protected. Fixtures and appliances work flawlessly except for AM/FM radio. Manuals for appliances are included. EXTERIOR: Front diamond plate, electric brakes, E-Z lube dual axles, 4 ea. stabilizer jacks, 2 ea. propane tanks w/cover, patio awning, tyvek RV cover with storage bag. Fairly new plumbing vent, new roof vent, and new Timken wheel bearings and seals. Tires, brakes, and battery are in good condition. Has 4 ea. aftermarket HD steel wheels. Spare tire is new. Has 2 new stab. jacks in front. Faucet in bath is new. Awning will need to be patched or replaced. Wheel bearings repacked in May, 2023. Photos are from dealer lot - can provide current ones upon request. Maximum sleeping capacity: 4 Length: 16’ Width: 8’ Interior height: 6’6” Base weight: 3,340 lbs. Carrying capacity: 1,460 lbs. Hitch weight: 480 lbs. Number of axles: 2 Fresh water storage capacity: 35gal. Gray water storage capacity: Unk. Estimate 18 gal. Black water storage capacity: Unk. Estimate 18 gal.

Sold.

Your rifle and scope combination is GTG. You have a proven cartridge, and a good all round hunting outfit, but a little trickier to keep clean than a bolt action. In order to clean a 99 without chingering up the lands on the muzzle, you need to be very careful with your cleaning rod. You can get a muzzle guide that just fits in the bore, and those help, but if you have any issues with buildup of copper fouling, you will probably need to remove the buttstock and clean from the chamber end. For a quick pass through after a few rounds, a .30 cal. Boresnake might be good to try. The advice included here with respect to shooting from field positions is sound. I would add that you might make or buy a set of shooting sticks. These are very portable, and make all the difference when you are sitting on a hillside trying to line up on a target with knee-high grass or brush. One more piece of advice - see if you can find via interlibrary loan the book by Jack O'Connor "The Hunting Rifle". You may have to buy a copy from Amazon or E-bay, but it has a ton of helpful advice. Read, read and read some more, and don't let the so-called long range guys impress you or intimidate you with 600+ yard shooting. That requires a heavy investment in equipment and practice in order to avoid making a poor shot and wounding a fine animal. Last, when you are practicing, take your time, and let the barrel cool between shots. It is not a target rifle. Make sure you know where the first round will hit from a cold barrel, using the ammunition you plan to hunt with. On an undisturbed, unsuspecting animal, the first shot is generally the best one you will get.

Gila Monster: Facts and Folklore of America's Aztec Lizard Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com › Gila-Monster-Folklore-Ame... Very good read by David Brown and Neil Carmony, for anyone interested. This is probably also available at AZ university bookstores if you live close to one.

This. Or the fire hazard.

Batteries are heavy!

I couldn't agree more. The problem is, in many states, we have too many people who are not paying their share. This shifts the burden to other residents, but also to other US taxpayers in the form of federal funding that could otherwise have been generated locally. Nevada has a much fairer system IMO. There is no personal income tax, but fuel taxes are very high. Everybody bitches about it, but it causes the pain to be spread to everyone who drives (except for EVs). And NV has nicer roads and infrastructure, so at least you feel like you are seeing some results for the higher fuel costs.

This scam has been around for years. There used to be a website, something like www.taxcheat.com to report these people. Montana had, or maybe still has, vehicle and business laws that allow folks to start a phony business with nothing but a P.O. box and name, then buy vehicles (mostly high dollar RVs) with no sales tax, and low vehicle registration fees. Reprehensible.

Based on discussion at the last Commission meeting, it appears they are going to allow them but only for CHAMP, and must also have a crossbow permit.

Those units can't stand that kind of harvest. Especially not with 2000 donkeys between Katherine Landing and Hoover Dam. Generally, it is a treat to even see a mule deer in the 15s. Between BLM and Park Service, the land managers are paralyzed in terms of taking action. Too many career bureaucrats and tree-huggers. I remember years ago at Grand Canyon NP, when the Chief Ranger discovered he had a backcountry or river ranger who could shoot, and also keep their mouth shut, the instructions were to sneak up the side canyons and kill every donkey they could find. Death Valley NP the same, though that is mostly in CA (and a little sliver in NV). Feral donkeys have a 20% per year rate of reproduction, and no natural enemies. They are pretty good eating however, as I have been told. AZGFD needs to get moving. They have too many frivolous programs catering to urbanites. These folks are not going to pay the bills when the boomers die off or age out of the outdoors. AZGFD has a lot of smart people, and I am sure they know that the cash cow that they have enjoyed for the past 60 yrs. (the boomers) is now drying up. and the gen. Z, gen. X and millennials do not have the same values, affinity for the land and wildlife, and likelihood of sufficient financial means over their lifetimes to fund outdoor hobbies and volunteer work, I know there are a lot of good, motivated kids, and parents who are trying to pass on outdoor ethics and values that they learned from previous generations, but overall, I do not see it happening. If hunting and fishing in AZ is going to survive in any form resembling what we have now, they better be planning to hire a LOT of lawyers. I don't know what business model AZGFD is planning on to keep themselves funded at the same level they are now, but I suspect we are in for some real changes in the hunting and fishing community.

Yep.

https://www.northerntool.com/ Northern Tool is your friend if you're putting used equipment back together. Discounts and gift cards available, nothing crazy but at least something. Great idea to show use of hand tools and how to refurbish still useable equipment. Research model #s and parts, cross-reference, learn to use charts, diagrams, read measuring instruments. We need more of that!

Man that's some good shooting right there.

. . . a military surplus store, I think the name was Laradas . . . I knew of it. The gunsmith (before it became military surplus) was Larry Beavers. His name was Larry, wife's name was Ada, thus Larada. His dad was Del Beavers, who owned Shooter's Haven in Phx. Both were crackerjack gunsmiths. Drill and tap heat treated receiver, alter bolt handle on mausers and springfields, install low-scope safety, convert to cock on opening, glass bed, trigger jobs of all kinds, recoil pads done right, match condition .45 auto, tune and triggers on Colts and S&W, old-fashioned polish and blue, engine turning bolts, floorplates, etc. Everything except checkering and engraving. Highest quality work, but not nearly as well paying as military junk. Even during the worst days of the Viet Nam war, and everyone sweating the draft, there were Chris Kyle wannabe types - nothing like now though. We can thank the GWOT and Hollywood for that, among other things. You could bring them a .22 rifle or shotgun in a box or bag that someone had taken apart and screwed up, and they would put it back together and it would work like new. Larry Beavers was a marketing genius as well as top gunsmith, and later moved the storefront down by Tri-city Mall. I guess he moved it to Chandler or Gilbert before he finally retired.

Post from a friend's e-mail who is way more knowledgeable than I am. "I know I would like to have any 405 of any kind. Its the 30-40 Krag case if reloading brass is needed. Craig Boddington claimed his daughter used a Ruger 405 to take all the big four in Africa no sweat. (no rhino) Said it was more than he would ever try. She claimed that with her no. ones in 7x57 and 405 she would never need another gun. Love to have sufficient experience to make that claim."

Not sure of that one - had been gone from Tempe for awhile by then. I do remember Livingston's Locker. Just W. of Mill Ave. near downtown. I believe the owner or co-owner was Ron Livingston. Skipped class and brought my javi in one cold February morning for cutting and wrapping. Still have the receipt somewhere. I think it cost me $7.50 or something.