Red Rabbit

Next to unit 9

I would wait to see what the new Vortex Kaibabs are like when they come out later this spring. But by then, you may have set aside another $400 and could get a used pair of swaros.

Gino, Great post on aiming. Another thought on aiming low rather than the centerheight of the chest is the benefit if the buck "jumps" the string (why do they call it jumping if the deer actually drops down?). Less chance of hitting too high if the initial aim is lower when the buck drops at the shot to whirl away. I shot completely over a buck when he jumped the string at 20 yards about 20 years ago. RR

Jim, Congrats on a nice Coues on your first rifle hunt. Hope you and Mark get to do more coues hunts together. Doug

Also tried the Gametracker/stringtracker about 20 years ago and found it really increased the arrow drop. That said, I believe Mark/Bowsniper used it effectively for turkey recently. Another item I tried was the plastic ring that went on the back of the broadhead. This was to act as an airfoil and tighten broadhead groups- but not that I could tell in my testing. A third item that I could not get to work was a shaker gobble call by Cabelas.

AZhunter, Here are some more reviews of the Promaster ED. Seems the comments by Frank, Steve and Kevin on the other sites are fairly thorough. You could do a search on birdforum.com and come up with more opinions/reviews. http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/u...rue#Post2436743 http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/u...rue#Post2411041 http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/u.../page/0/fpart/1

Check out the special that Doug at CameraLandNY just posted. The Promaster ELX ED bino for a great price. Reviews of it are in the links above. CamerLandNY Promaster special

Yes (covering for Jim here. I deleted the copies of the AKC papers from my photobucket account, so can't post em)

Some one needs to grab these dogs. Does not get much better than to hunt behind your own dog and see him/her work those birds for you. Maybe Jim will chime in with their lineage and a pic of the other female.

OK, I could not resist for $359. A pair of 8x43 Zen EDs is on the way. These should be great for bowhunting elk and muleys in the forest with the wider FOV, and a little lighter around the neck than the 10+15 Duovids. Doug~RR

I'm not an outfitter, but You and your dad's bonus points would be averaged (and rounded the next highest number if the average includes a 1/2). If there is only one permit left for a hunt and you two are next in the draw, you will not be drawn. If you both want to be on the same hunt together and at least one of you hunting, the best chance will be to put in seperately for the same hunt and hope one draws and the other can help on the hunt, If you both want to have tags for the same hunt, it is better to put in together on the same application. The odds are a lot less if you put in seperately and hope both draw. Good Luck.

Just one or two pics? You better take a bigger SD card . Good luck and enjoy the hunt, Tim. RR

Ernesto, Sorry to hear of your taking of the wrong buck. I met a guy who mistakenly shot a small sickle horn desert sheep when the wrong ram rose from its bed behind a rock. Doug~RR

Unfortunately, it was not a pardon, so they still have the felony record.

I suspect there are limits on the objective size for roof prism binos, as too big would require too large of an interocular distance to fit some people's eyeball spacing.

Nathan's story was an enjoyable read. Some knowledge and good fortune are evident. Congrats to him.

http://www.azgfd.net/photos/details.php?image_id=806 Anyone have any background info on this buck?

Scott, You had quite a year to follow up on other great years. Good luck in 2009.

Started the year with a Mearns hunt with my best friend and a friend from Alaska Caught some trout locally and at Big n Crescent lakes Watched the neighborhood boyz grow up Chased some Speedgoats near Seligman Searched for the elusive gray ghosts in the Baboquivaris Looked for monster bulls in unit 9 Finished the year with limits of Mearns with CWT.com friends and my best friend. Each adventure was blessed with splendor from the heavens

Paul, Well done on a pretty archery Coues. I like the rust colored scalp. Doug~RR

Was a pleasant day here in Flag, but just in case some of you in the valley broke a sweat, here's a couple of pics from today to cool you off.

Mike, I would imagine that about half the price is due to cost of materials and production, as the Claw is certainly not being mass produced in China. Add the cost of developing prototypes, advertising, etc, and certainly the makers are not getting rich. A Harris bipod is $100 or more these days.

I had the chance today to take the Claw, Harris bipod and shooting stix to a gravel pit to shoot 425 yards. I could not finish as some one decided to drive past me and park at the other end where the target was. With the Claw and a light hold, I could keep the crosshairs steady on a single prickly pear pad at around 1300 yards (furthest I could get a reading was 1216). Using a shooting stick under the rifle butt decreased most of the small amount of up and down play allowed by the flexing of the tripod and head. A stiff tripod and head will be necessary to use the Claw. Flexing in the legs and head will be evident otherwise. A lightweight Slik Sprint tripod, or flimsy plastic tripod and head from WalMart, need not apply for the job. I found it best to have the tripod post extended as little as possible and extend the legs for more height. In the little shooting I was able to do, I found the Harris in the prone position with a rear bag under the butt to be steadiest, followed by the Claw with shooting sticks under the butt. The Harris extended and with Stix under the rifle butt, to allow using the sitting position had too much fore and aft movement. I did not get the chance to shoot off the tripod with Stix under the butt, nor prone off a pack. I shot the Claw with one tripod leg forward and the other two angled back. When shot, the tripod rocked backward and the rifle pointed upward after the shot. I was going to shoot with one tripod leg directly backward and the two angled forward to see if this reduced or stopped the rocking, but the lady drove out to the target area before i could shoot this configuration. The Claw is nice in that is will get you above most of the grass encountered at prone position, and will be better when shooting uphill/downhill angles than prone off a pack.

Thanks all. Rica said she would cook me a quail dinner , but we would hafta make a quick trip to Beaver Creek to shoot a few this afternoon. Can't turn down an offer like that Doug~RR

How about a Double Bull blind instead of a tree stand?