Red Rabbit

SOLD

SOLD Remington 1100, 12 Gauge, 2 3/4" chamber, 26" VR Improved choke. I fell once and bent the vent rib (see pic). I have taken 0000 steel wool to cut the stock shine. 14" lop. Pachmeyer Whiteline pad. Uncle Mikes Sling studs added. Extra 26" vent rib barrel, 2 3/4" magnum or 3" mag steel shot. Rem choke. Full, Imp, Mod tubes. $500 shipped, or f2f in Phoenix over Easter. Doug~RR

Last year there were a total of 64,508 big game permits issued for deer, antelope, sheep, elk and buffalo (not counting turkey and javelina). There were at least 97,931 hunters applying, so limiting the draw to one species does not guarantee a tag. Species;# permits; # applicants Deer; 38,682; 90,378 Antelope; 959; 27,640 Elk; 24,766; 97,931 Sheep; 93; 16,332 Buffalo; 8; 1998

I think you would need to look at why some draw multiple tags and some draw none. Is it the unit choice? number of bonus points? How many years since they have drawn? Some people beat the odds and get lucky, but I think some want to make the exception the rule and think many people get multiple tags. Utah has that you can only apply for one species, but this is for limited entry hunts and one can still apply for the general hunts, and Utah has more game. What are the number of hunters and total lnumber of tags? Does it work out that there would be one tag per person? If it went to one species only, I think you would see a greater choice for elk initially since it is the most popular/desired species. No, I'll take my chances and wish to apply for all species, and hope for one. Would like the hope that I could draw elk, sheep and/or deer and not be eliminated by having to select just one species. Would your friend want a preference point system for each species, knowing it would be 5-10 years before he will draw a bull elk tag and cannot hunt anything else in the meantime? Doug~RR

Hooked on Coues, I would tend to agree with you. If the first two hunt choices were seperated into seperate draw passes, it would more likely reflect peoples first desire. But G&F has used the first choice as expressing desire to validate shifting of archery cow elk tags to rifle cow tags last year. Isn't what people put down first choice what the really would want? I would be one that would still put a December Coues or Kaibab hunt first choice though, even if the choices were run separately. Under the current system, I have sometimes put a November hunt second choice to help assure that I would get to hunt, but I would still prefer a quality December hunt over a more crowded November hunt that has less deer movement and bucks not out beginning to find does. G&F has the conclusion that people prefer the opportunity to hunt over the preference to hunt quality/trophy, but I still feel the draw chooices do not support that conclusion. If hunters' first preference was just to hunt, then their first choice more likely would be an Oct or Nov hunt. Perhaps the reason also that many put in for the October and November WT hunts is for the chance to go hunting once each year, considering the low draw odds for elk and antelope and sheep and buffalo. If AZ's game population was higher and people had the chance to hunt some species every year, I bet the survey results would not be what they are. But we should face the fact that AZ is arid and cannot its habitat cannot support the populations (game or people) other states have. For the same aridness reason, snow skiers suffer in our state. Looking at the declining buc:doe ratios shows me that the population continually cannot support the number of hunters. Maybe we need to realize that we cannot hunt every year in AZ. G&F wants us to be able to hunt each year, but to do so would mean hunts that give lower success rates, like the idea of having an archery elk hunt in Dec as was originally proposed a year ago. Doug~RR

Thanks for the heads up. I should be able to attend in Flag. I have a differing viewpoint regarding the "opportunity" survey results. I have added up application numbers for the 2006 WT hunts. My feelings are that people will put in for what the would like to hunt for their first choice, and what they would settle for their second choice. Third through fifth choices are almost a futile/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. December hunts will be considered quality/trophy 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 trophy 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 = applications speak louder than surveys. I realize that having 51% of the permits in Dec to reflect demand (or 35% to reflect the survey) will not result in a quality hunt due to crowding, and the buck population could not support such a shift in permits to Dec 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 seems to be the trend. One can look at the buck:doe ratios and see the steady decline in the last 60 years from 66:100 in 1946 to 27:100 in 2006. It would be interesting to see the data showing the numbers applying for unit 12 and 13 mule deer tags (quality) vs south of the river (opportunity), and what people applying north of the river first choice did for second choice. Would this data support the survey results of opportunity over quality? Doug~RR (I posted this on other forums)

The Shuttle T-Loks fly to the same point of impact out of my LX as field tips. The new NAP HellRazor should be a good penetrator, but those elk shoulder blades will stop a lot of arrows. http://www.broadheadtests.com/ RR

I started in about '72 going to Greer every August with a high school friend, Robert Tolone. His family had two cabins just up the lane from Jack and Rusty's cabins. Our first stop was to drive in to Tunnel lake and look at the water level. When they paved the roads to the lakes, we thought the place was ruined. Used to camp at Benny Creek Campground, just a road to camping spots with no tables or outhouses across from Hoyer, for free when the Tolones were not in town. Could drive the truck down to the shoreline of Tunnel to launch the boat for a night of brown trout fishing. Gas was sold up the hill at Northwoods. Charlie and Sue Tripp had the Circle B- great people and shared many times with each visit. Thanks for letting me think back. Doug~RR

The upside is that those who applied in NM will know those drawing results posted June 20, before the new, later AZ deadline of June 26. This could prevent some hunt date conflicts. Doug~RR

The Tusayan Ranger district/Grand Canyon reported 0.05" yesterday and 0.14" for the month. Keep dancing. Nothing last night in Flag, but it is sprinkling now. Doug~RR

I prefer a ladder stand over a hang-on, as I fret the awkward transition from the steps to the stand and vice-versa. Picked up a Double Bull to use this archery season, as the proper tree is not always in the right location, and those stand seats are mighty uncomfortable after a few hours (could try a lounger type seat). RR

"Bump" means to bump or bring the post back to the top, sometimes as BTT. There are also fire restrictions on the Kaibab NF and the Red Rock district of the Coconino NF. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/news/2007...trictions.shtml There are no smoking or fire restrictions on the Apache-Sitgreaves, according to their website. Doug~RR

http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/draw.shtml

Plug CARMEN into the search feature. There have been a couple of threads in the past few years. RR

Noticed in the fire news about a new 2000 acre fire a couple miles NW of Lochiel. 0% contained. Don't know if it is in anyone's coues hunting grounds. http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html Fire season could be a bad one this year. We have already had several small fires this past weekend around Flag, including one of about 100 acres at Lake Mary. Also the Promontory Fire along the rim above Christopher Creek.

I have always used the horizontal pins, and prefer the fine 0.019" fibers. I have not used the Trophy Ridge, but can envision trying to pick a pot with one of the center pins and have the shaft of the pins above and below surronding the pin. I would be looking at and only seeing two sides of the pin, as opposed to three with a horizontal setup. I have not had a problem with the horizontal pins covering too much target as the trophy ridge ad implies. I have replaced all red and yellow with the green fiber on my Montana Black Gold sight, as I see them better in failing light. I have not had a problem seeing the pin at last light, just the target, so cannot personally see a need for long wrapped fibers. Some say they can be too bright in daylight and the resulting halo makes for difficult pinpointing. Doug~RR

Casey, What unit has your dad put you all in for? I am assuming your dad's friend also. My first choice will be late Kaibab, then Dec coues. If we don't draw, we will have bow in hand. Doug

The 405 is the total number of first and second choice applicants. The draw odds published in the regs are based on only the first choice applicants drawn. Yes, the draw odds for 1st and 2nd choice applicants combined is 24.69%

Is this finalized? June 8&9 (Fri, Sat) at Marshall Lake? Let's hope the forests are still open. I am thinking that there may be fire restrictions before Memorial Day. Doug~RR

The Conetrols get my eye for looks, but I have none on my rifles. Otherwise, I like the looks of the Leupold dual dovetail bases (no rear windage screws to give problems like loosening or a weaker connection under heavyrecoil) coupled with the Burris Signature rings with the synthetic inserts. I like the better finger access into the receiver with the two-piece bases over the single-piece base. RR

There is a campground and RV hookups at Sunrise. http://www.sunriseskipark.com/rvpark.shtml You can drive a couple of miles past Sunrise Lake and be back on National Forest land, or you can go west on 260 past the turn to Sunrise and be in NF

Josh, Not I. I still have that pewter Chevy with shell. Could be Casey? He has a white, jacked-up chevy with grey lower panels. Doug~RR

I read on another forum of an impending closure of Molly Butler Lodge, so I called. All that the lady could tell me was that it is for sale and is open. Bill, do you perhaps have any more information? Doug~RR

Have had tags every other year in 36C and have not had a problem yet at camp or in the field. Have glassed illegals running across the flats below. Still, I am more concerned about the truck left behind at the trailhead than about meeting someone up in the Babos. Did have some illegals walk through camp one night last quail season in 35A, but I was camped next to a north-south dirt road. RR

Advantages and disadvantages to both ways. For elk and turkey or treestand hunting, I would prefer to have a pair of lighter 8x or 10x alone. For antelope, I would still want the higher power of 15s or spotter along. For coues, would want 10 and 15 and spotter preferably. Cost wise (new prices from BearBasin): 10+15 Duovids = $2500 15x Swaro @ $2000 plus 10x Swaro @ $1450 = $3450 total Weight: Leica Duovids - 45oz Swaro 15s - 47oz Swaro 10x50 - 41oz 10x42 - 27oz I would highly recommend anyone look at the IPI Bino Manager over the Crooked Horn Harness, especially if carrying heavier Duovids, 10x50s, of 15s around the neck, or if you crawl/lean over and don't want the binos swinging out away from the body. The wider elastic neck strap also helps with the weight and gives less bounce. Doug~RR