Red Rabbit

After scanning the survey results, seems there are lots of contradictions. Getting to go hunting ranked highest in importance, but 32% did not hunt other species if not drawn for big game. 38-47% said they did not hunt small game in the last 5 years. (They chose not to hunt, in other words.) 50% did not hunt out of state in the last 5 years. If hunting is so important, then why did they not apply or simply go? Some out of state deer hunts are relatively easy to draw. Colorado elk is often over the counter, and those surveyed said that elk is their number one species. Most think they should get to hunt deer and elk 5 of 10 years, and turkey every year. ( Let's just wipe out the game and be happy for the opportunity?) 40% ranked getting a shot a 10 on the scale of importance for hunt satisfaction, but only 24% gave harvesting the animal a 10. ( I guess it doesn't matter if you can shoot well and hit your target. Just be happy blasting towards the game?) Doug ~RR

Robin Hoods are cool. Guess you can put the Robin Hood on the wall for posterity. Might suggest that you paint five spots on the target and shoot ONE arrow at each spot. Saves on busted nocks, ripped vanes and cracking the knock end of the shaft. Maybe stack some tightened bales on a pallet behind the target to protect your arrow from the fence when that miss occurs, or shoot towards your house which gives a bigger backstop. Would hate to see a gunch launch an arrow over the fence to who-knows-where in the neighborhood. Archery's a lotta fun, even more so with the hunting. Doug~RR

Tell Virgil and Penny they did very well. They earned a couple extra treats. Spoil them dogs Doug~RR

Now that buck has lotsa character. luv the dropper. Wish I recognized the background. Nice rifle too. RR

Real nice! Were you or they able to find any sheds from prior or subsequent years? Draw a tag in that unit? Doug-RR

Interesting about the spline on the carbons. Similar to finding the high side when rolling your own fly rod. The word for the new carbon weave arrows is that this spline is minimized. I surmise that most archers are not good enough to notice the orientation of the spline, and would be better served to take lessons from a pro to improve form, technique and mental focus. True about the aluminums fatiguing and losing their stiffness. Good info, GMM. RR

Last year, the guys at Bull Basin Archery in Flag did a penetration test into a new Yellow Jacket target with various broadheads. The Shuttle T penetrated the best. They fly like field points out of my bow. Sorry to say that I cannot give any on-game performance results as my kills lately have been with Nosler Accubonds. Doug~RR

I have a CD caller from Lohman. I've only used it a few times as I like the personal gratification of a mouth call. www.predatormasters.com should have the info you desire. RR

KP- Cabelas has them for about $369, but I found a NIB pair for 200 in an internet forum's classified section. Midway has an inexpensive pair on sale for 25 bucks. Read the reviews. http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/...leitemid=142725 Doug~RR

For those of you who entered the contest and were or will be successful, remember to post your story and send your info and pic to RedRabbit. I have put the pics of the successful entrants in the contest thread in the Miscellaneous forum. http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=3742 If you do not see your photo, please let me know. These are also the photos to be used for the "Best Photo" category of the contest. If you have other, better pics, send em to me. Good luck to you in January south of the border. Doug~RR

For those of you who entered the contest and were successful during the fall seasons, remember to post you story and send your info and pic to RedRabbit. I have put the pics of the successful entrants in the contest thread in the Miscellaneous forum. http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=3742 If you do not see your photo, please let me know. These are also the photos to be used for the "Best Photo" category of the contest. If you have other, better pics, send em to me. Congrats to you successful rifle hunters. Doug~RR

Had the pleasure and enjoyment of hunting mearns for four days after Christmas in the oak grasslands surrounding Sonoita. The adventure started by meeting Mark from Flagstaff, James and his wife Terry from CA, and their boys and Griffons for a day of hunting near Sonoita. Mark took us to his better spot somewhere (I was blind-folded and my GPS was confiscated). We located five coveys on a day after four inches of snow the prior night. A good lunch on the tailgate and some clay shooting made for a great day. For the next three days, I hunted with a friend Jim, who lives in Williams, AZ. He brought his GSP's to help Rica, my GWP, find some mearns. First day we (more correctly, the two dogs we hunted behind, Rica and Abby) found 8 coveys walking the bottom of the oak lined draws. Almost got our limit, but we were held back by some shooter errors Most of the coveys were found feeding near the bottom of the sunny, southern exposures. Jim and Abby after a morning's hunt. The day was capped by walking back to camp with a horizon of snow-covered mountains turned pink by the setting sun. The next day uncovered some more six more coveys in some side canyons. I even got a double from a sizeable covey that flushed under Rica's nose. Jim's young GSP named Rabbit pointed a covey at the end of the day with a solid lock-on, and was rewarded with a beautiful male Mearns. Rica and Doug with a male Mearns The final day, New Year's Day, broke with a beatiful sunrise that illuminated both the easternand western skylines. We hunted only the morning. Right off the start, Jim found a nice coues skull. We ended the hunt with both Abby and Rica both pointing the same covey. Birds flushed and lead flew, and the birds kept going. We must have stuffed our chambers with PETA loads that time as nary a feather was touched. Another trip to southern Arizona is being planned to cap the quail season. Doug~RR

Some soap and Borax in the water will help remove the meat, fats, oils while boiling. You can get some stronger hydrogen peroxide and whitener at a hair salon supply store. After brushing on the whitener, put the skull in a plastic bag. http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php?board=17.0 Doug~RR

Tommy, Have you tried those chemical pocket handwarmers stufffed in your boots, pockets, kidneys, neck gaiter? Good luck this friday. Doug~RR

Sometimes we all suffer from verbal diarrhea Doug~RR

December 29 was evidently a very good day to be a coues hunter and not a coues deer. Nice trifecta. Doug~RR

I don't know what constitutes making them dumb. I have not heard them call or respond to calls and give their location away like Gambels. Mearns don't seem to give off as much scent as Gambels as the dogs have needed to be on top of them before pointing, unlike detecting Gambels from fifty yards away. They also hold tight and will let you walk right on by. The coloration makes em real difficult to spot on the ground. Was told that the Mearns population was vastly underestimated until dogs were used. Doug~RR

I have been starting to use Walkers Digital Quad Muffs this year while quail hunting. I get decent direction from the sound, and some amplification if neeeded. They don't bother the gun mounting, but are warm on the ear while walking for quail. Also used them during spring turkey season. I tried the baffled ear plugs and did not like the wind noise. Also tried a Radians behind the ear, but the plug did not stay in my ear well, nor went well with sunglasses. If you have the money, or put the value on hearing, these molded, in the ear aids from are noted to be real good. http://www.earinc.com/p1-electronic-hunting.php KP- Was your friend the shooter, or was he beside someone with a braked rifle? His experience should be mentioned in the thread on muzzle brakes. RR

Alex did well again. Congrats on your hunt sucesses. Next year she will likely be asking to play hooky to get the big one. Doug~RR

Glad to see you finally connected after countless hours on the stand. Gonna revert back to the Oneida? Casey said he got a new bow, so y'all can practice missing together Doug~RR

Amanda, I like the snow on the agave with the red sandstone backdrop. RR

I like the pic of the bobs on the saddle. Can ya shorten the stirrups a little more for em, tho? RR

AG, LOL. Gonna hafta train Rica to sniff out those antler sheds in addition to quail. RR

While hunting Mearns on New Year's Day, my friend Jim found this head in the bottom of a draw. The buck was better than our shooting yesterday. Doug~RR

I just received this e-mail: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Beth Ruth (614) 888-4868 ext. 214 Dec. 22, 2006 Fox Television Joins Movement to Ban Trapping (Columbus) - Fox Sports Net, which provides regional sports programming to 85 million households, has refused to cancel a gratis anti-trapping advertisement produced by the nation’s largest animal rights group. News Corporation, the parent company of Fox Sports Net and other Fox Cable Networks, approved a 15-second anti-trapping commercial, produced by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), as a public service announcement. Fox Sports rejected a request by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the nation’s leading sportsmen’s advocacy organization, to immediately pull the spot. The company will run the ad through the end of December at no cost to the anti's. The advertisement features HSUS leader Wayne Pacelle and a second animal activist urging viewers to support trapping bans. To add to the sensationalism, the spot opens with a loud clank as a foot hold trap with teeth - a trap that has been banned throughout the country for decades - snaps shut. A senior official for Fox told the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance that he and other associates had reviewed the ad and believe the content meets their criteria for public service announcements. “This is not a public service announcement; it is a free political advertisement for a movement that wants to eliminate trapping, hunting and all other forms of animal use,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance President Bud Pidgeon. “Hunters and anglers must understand that the Humane Society has repeatedly stated that a ban on trapping is merely a means of softening public sentiment to clear the way for a ban on all hunting and fishing. Hunters, trappers and anglers should generate a flood of complaints from friends, family and everyone they can reach out to.” Trapping is recognized by every wildlife agency at the state and federal level as a viable and important conservation tool. It helps keep furbearer populations at healthy levels and is important in stemming the spread of wildlife diseases that threaten animals and humans. The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use, including trapping, hunting and fishing. It has a multi-million dollar budget that it invests in legislative and ballot campaigns to ban trapping and hunting. It also has a legal arm to challenge sportsmen’s rights in court. Sportsmen can make a difference in this fight. In 2002, Jeep raised the ire of sportsmen when it aired a blatantly, anti-hunting commercial called the “Deer Hunter.” After a flood of sportsmen contacts, Jeep pulled the commercial in three days. Sportsmen nationwide should contact News Corporation and demand that the spot be cancelled. Let the company know that outdoorsmen object to the network acting as a mouthpiece for the animal rights movement. Explain that state wildlife professionals support trapping and see it as a necessary tool for managing furbearers. Inform News Corporation that trapping has proven to be a critical element in the comeback of waterfowl populations, and that managers see it as extremely important in protecting the public from outbreaks of diseases such as rabies. Contact Rupert Murdoch, Chairman/CEO, News Corporation, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor, New York, NY, 10036. Phone (212) 852-7000. Fax (212) 852-7147. Sample letters to News Corporation are available using the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.