Red Rabbit

We have bought some McKenzies from the BHH courses in the past, but have not purchased any Rineharts. The last target purchased was a buffalo, I believe. RR

Coconino NF had a meeting this morning and they decided to remain under fire restrictions and not close the forest. Apache Sitgreaves still shows fire restrictions, You might give em a call. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/news/2007/200...trictions.shtml

If you are considering a new bow, this objective report may help settle the ford vs chevy debate. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=509567 RR

OSHA is extending the comment period for its proposed standard on Explosives for an additional sixty (60) days until September 10, 2007.

My niece has had two cars stolen in the last year in Scottsdale and Tempe. Both were recovered in Phoenix, but were totaled.

Vini, I can e-mail you other pics. Doug 928-525-9804

The 2008 -2010 hunt guidelines are on the G&F website . Study these proposals carefully. More G&F medicine for increased OPPORTUNITY. Go to a meeting to express your reasoned opinion. http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunt_guidelines.shtml Propose up to 5 % of the whitetail tags as December. Last year the recommendation was to offer 5-10% in the late season. This year in 2007, about 9% of the tags are for December hunts in most units. So, let’s cut December tag numbers in half, crowd the early seasons even more to decrease harvest and validate increasing tag numbers (ie opportunity) further . Keep Whitetail units 6a, 23, 30b, 31, 36c for alternative management units to harvest older age class bucks with up to 30% of the total harvest during the late season. In 36C, 12% harvest in Dec. In 2005 16% harvest was in Dec. In 6a for 2006 16 of 76 deer were harvested in December for 21% of the total harvest. Does this mean that permits will be shifted from Oct and Nov back to Dec to more approach 30%? Don't overlook that the November WT hunts could be cut to 7 days. At least 2% of the general deer tags to juniors-only. Now, the recommendation is for at least 3% . Still need more Junior tags, in my opinion. Is permitting the Kaibab archery hunts in the future? Laying the groundwork. From page 9C of the 2008-2010 Hunt Guidelines: “Archery deer harvest will be managed not to exceed 20% of the overall harvest in a unit. When archery deer harvest meets or exceeds 20% of overall harvest, the Wildlife manager will recommend reductions in archery hunt opportunity according to the following prescriptions, to include permitting harvest. Permitted harvest once prescribed will be managed to meet demand by weapon type.†(2006 archery data not available) In 2005, archery harvest in 12a was106 and rifle harvest was 640, for a % harvest by archery of 14%. However, in 2004, archery harvest in 12a was177 and rifle harvest was 416, for a % harvest by archery of 30%.

More info from the NSSF http://www.nssf.org/news/PR_idx.cfm?PRloc=...PR=BP070207.cfm Have ya'll sent comments or planning on taking up archery?

Hunter recruitment and retention is a national situation that needs and is getting attention. http://www.ussportsmen.org/Families_Afield.cfm http://www.familiesafield.org/

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS Democrats by Rank Patty Murray (WA) Christopher Dodd (CT) Tom Harkin (IA) Barbra Mikulski (MD) Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) Barack Obama (IL) Sherrod Brown (OH) Edward Kennedy (MA) (ex officio) Republicans by Rank Johnny Isakson (GA) Richard Burr (NC) Lisa Murkowski (AK) Pat Roberts (KS) Wayne Allard (CO) Tom Coburn (OK) Michael Enzi (WY) (ex officio)

So how is trying to find ways to get the youth engaged in hunting and fishing, and looking down the road 30 years and still have hunting and fishing a bad thing?

If you need some insight into how this will severely restrict your ability to purchase ammo, powder and primers, read these: http://www.snipershide.net/forum/ubbthread...e=1&fpart=1 http://24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbth.../page/1/fpart/1 Here's links to contact your senators and representative http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Contact.Home http://www.house.gov/htbin/wrep_findrep OSHA comment period ends July 12 RR

Winners Choice is another good string. Ditto on getting the string replaced well before the season.

The Kachina bulls have no respect for the locals either.

Webber, Note the RR

They are talking about the San Carlos Apache rez.

Marv, Welcome to the site. Bunny loins on the barbie sure taste good. Will your possible article include your favorite recipe? Doug~RR

Devin, Here is a bullet test of various 150 grain 30 caliber bullets. RR http://www.gunsandhunting.com/bulletshootout.html

I will be up there, but will be shooting for fun this year. I posted some info about FS wolf closure in the thread down in the non-hunting trips section. Doug~RR

For those heading up there, a small area northeast of the rez, NF, and 260 junction is closed to camping due to wolf pups. Also remember that 273 is barricaded at the NF boundary going from Sunrise to Big Lake. The wolf closure area with map and fire restictions are now posted on the Apache-Sitgreaves website. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/news/2007/200...trictions.shtml "An area near Greens Peak on the Springerville Ranger District that is adjacent to Forest Road (FR)117 and is bordered by Highway 260, FR 117A, FR 117C, FR 8526, and FR 8577. FR 117 is open. This closed area is called the Beehive Spring Wildlife Closure and it should re-open in mid-July"

Flagstaff — As fire danger increases, additional fire restrictions go into effect on the Coconino National Forest Friday, June 22, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. Campfires—including charcoal fires—are prohibited across the entire Coconino National Forest, including developed campgrounds and picnic areas. Pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns and heaters meeting safety specifications are allowed. Also prohibited: Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building. Operating a chainsaw. Operating any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arrester. Operating a motor vehicle off National Forest System roads, except when parking in an area cleared of vegetation, and except in the Cinder Hills Off-Highway Vehicle Area north of Flagstaff. Welding. Using an explosive. Fireworks are always prohibited on national forest lands. Violations are punishable by a fine of not more that $5000, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. These restrictions will remain in place until enough precipitation is received to decrease fire danger. For further information about fire restrictions on the Coconino National Forest, visit www.coconinoforest.us or call 928-527-3600. The latest fire restriction information on public lands across Arizona can be found at http://gacc.nifc.gov/swcc/ or by calling toll-free 1-877-864-6985. At last weekends 3D shoot, they we requiring us to park nore more than 10 feet off the road to camp and had to rake pine needles from under the vehicle. RR

Many say to get the Double Bull Matrix and don't look back. Look for one with a material that does not have a sheen like polyester, has a dark interior, and is taut so it does not flap in the breeze. RR

I sent this e-mail in today: Sirs: I have added up application and permit numbers for the 2006 WT hunts to help analyze and support my opinions regarding the hunt guidelines. My feelings are that people will put in for what they would like to hunt for their first choice, and what they would settle for their second choice in order to have a tag and hunt. Third through fifth choices are almost moot choices as not many permits remain in the second round of the draw. The department uses this same first choice rationale to allocate archery vs. rifle hunts and bull vs. cow hunts. Permits have been shifted to the November and October hunts and these will be considered "opportunity" hunts for the sake of discussion. December hunts will be considered quality hunts. 15,345 permits were issued in 2006 for the Oct/Nov opportunity hunts. 1875 permits were issued for the December Quality hunts. In other words, 89% of the permits were allocated as opportunity hunt permits, and 11% for quality hunt permits. For the Oct/Nov hunts, there were 10,097 first choice applicants for the 15,345 permits. For the quality Dec hunts, there were 10,474 first choice applicants for the 1875 Dec permits. In other words, 51% of the applicants applied for the quality Dec hunts and 49% for the early opportunity hunts. 51% of the first choice applicants would like to draw for only 11% of the tags. 51% of the applicants would like a quality trophy hunt over an opportunity hunt. 10474 hunters applied for only 1875 permits, for a mathematical draw percentage of 18%. 10,097 first choice hunters applied for 15,345 permits for an overall draw average of 100% (more permits than applicants). The percentage of hunters applying for a quality trophy WT hunt (51%) (and in my mind saying they prefer a quality hunt), does not coincide with the survey results that showed that about 35% said harvesting a trophy was more important and 65% said having more frequent opportunities to hunt was more important. Actions may speak louder than words if one considers the number and type of applications versus the survey results. I realize that having 51% of the permits in Dec will not result in a quality hunt due to crowding, and the buck population could not support such a shift in permits to December and still maintain an age class of quality WT. But I do feel the analysis of applicants support the concept of having some WT hunt units managed for quality rather than all for opportunity, as I have mentioned before. The proposal to reduce the number of December whitetail permits to 5% or less of the total goes against the demand by applicants, and also against the fact that most October and November hunts approach a 100% draw anyway. Hunters that seek opportunity can make these hunts a second choice on their applications and get to go deer hunting nearly every year. I would recommend maintaining the current 10% December tag allocation Declining buck:doe ratios are another concern. The whitetail ratio in 1946 is published as 66:100, but declined to near 24:100 in ten years ago and was given as 36:100 in 2005. The desire to maintain current harvest rates does not seem wise in the face of this overall decline, increasing human population, access issues and continuing drought. Arizona does not have enough deer, elk, turkey, sheep and antelope to satisfy the number of hunters. It seems the game populations are decreasing (aside from elk) and we sportsmen must realize that hunting will be limited. Arizona has had a high level of quality and I hope that the game populations will not suffer, and this quality that many value, perish in the department’s quest to supply opportunity. Regarding the junior hunts and hunter recruitment, I support the increase from 2 to 3% of the permits. If increasing the number of permits 50% still does not help the youth draw a tag, how about an increase to 4%? And finally to archery. I am an avid archer and have been a board member of Flagstaff Archers since moving to Flagstaff in the early 90’s. I have mixed feelings about placing the archery deer hunts under a draw. However, due to the low hunt success by individual archers, I would not like to make the draw an either or situation regarding weapon choice. I support placing the Kaibab on a lottery, simply to reduce the number of hunters, as it is often a frustrating experience. Perhaps a lottery among OTC archery deer permit holders for archery deer hunts (in units like 12, 13, 17 where the total deer harvest and hunter numbers are significant) could be implemented. This would still allow archery deer in other units and the application for the rifle draws. This lottery would limit hunter numbers in specific units, and not pit rifle against bow and have a detrimental effect on the archery community/industry like reportedly happened when Utah went to an archery draw. Doug Koepsel Flagstaff, AZ

Jim White had the Vortex carbon fiber tripod at the 3D shoot this past weekend. The tripod was tall enough to stand behind and stiff enough to use a spotter. the legs are adjustable for different angles. I believe Jim will be at the Sunrise shoot this weekend iffin one wanted to check out some equipment. http://www.vortexoptics.com/tripods/view/vortex_summit_cbx For lightweight heads, consider Jim Whites head, Outdoorsmans 2-way head for over $300, or the relatively light 1.1lb Bogen 700RC2 fluid head. RR

Ready for the "Summer Velvet Tour" and giving away front row seats at the meadowlands. Doug~RR