Red Rabbit

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.

Post Deleted. (Didn't want to be splattered with flying urine)

Rent a boring movie some night and enjoy the plucking. A fine tooth comb may help on the burrs

Great story of a first hunt to go with the pics. Knowing Richard and Gabe, I can only imagine how happy they are for Jori. Her encore is gonna be tough though. I believe Gabe said he scored it at 116 2/8 gross. RR

I started with the bulky Bushnell YardagePro 400 and 800 models, which maybe were good to 2/3 of the max range. I now have the Leica 1200 non-scan. Looks like Doug at Camera Land has some good pricing on this model. http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=4737 RR

Some interesting reading on brakes and hearing loss. http://www.chuckhawks.com/muzzle_brakes.htm http://keepandbeararms.com/information/XcI...tem.asp?ID=2052 http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml http://www.elcaudio.com/decibel.htm From elcaudio.com: "Here are a few observations: The blast noise emanating from a rifle with a muzzle brake is measurably more intense than the same rifle without a muzzle brake. The .300 Win Mag bolt action (using xxx ammo—see Table 1) measured 7.3 dB more intense with the BOSS than without the BOSS. Note: A 7.3 dB increase in PPL is a 2.3-fold increase in sound pressure, as shown below: 20log [2.32P] = 20log 2.32 = 20 x 0.365 = 7.3 dB P 1 Similarly, the Browning .22/250 (40 grain) measured 7.8 dB more intense with its BOSS than without it. Other comparisons can be made using Table 1. Note: When comparing firearm peak pressure levels using Table 1, remember that a 1 dB difference can be heard, a 3 dB increase is “quite a bit” louder, and a 10 dB increase is “twice as loud.”

Bownut, I have a constant ringing in my ears. Probably from shooting my Hoyts without ear protection for too many years Actually, I think the ringing is due to the last two seasons of quail hunting. Have some digital muffs for this year. Seriously though, brakes are good to reduce recoil for the bench. I don't notice recoil when shooting at game, though. None of my rifles have a brake, but some friends' rifles do. I find the increased noise and blast may also cause flinching, just as recoil would. Reducing jump to see bullet impact and game reaction is a definite plus. A good recoil pad like the Sims, and a bench setup like the Caldwel lead sled also help make bench shooting tolerable without a brake. Can also use a Past shoulder pad. When shooting prone, one might consider a brake like the Holland with the ports to the side so dirt is not blasted up at the shot. However, one friend shot a braked 300 win mag at a bear 4 times, without plugs, and his ears rang for months. How can you spell hearing damage? Would not consider shooting in the field without ear plugs. IMO, possible hearing loss is not worth the recoil reduction via a brake. Doug~RR

NeoLaquachi, et al The number of 615 permits increased for the general season is due to and increase of 620 general bull tags and a DECREASE of 5 general cow tags. Archers are to get 110 more bull tags. RR

My 300WSM gives consistent .308" groups measured outside to outside, at 400 yards . . . . . . . But then again, that is with one shot groups to make me feel happy

As noted, the allocation % has now separated the bull from the cow tags. G&F looked at the demand for cow elk tags based on first choice applicant numbers. Significantly more hunters, 5 wise, apply for rifle cow than achery cow vs bull, hence the shift. The department used first choice to judge what and how hunters want to hunt. The department was also directed by the commission to increase the elk herds from 17,000 estimated to 25,000 objective, which would result in less cow permits total being issued. With fewer cow permits, coupled with the shift to rifle cow, it seems that archers took it in the shorts. Rifle cow hunters lost permits in order to increase herds, but gained them back due to the shift from archery. G&F had a series of open houses at the regional offices before Saturday's Commissioner meeting to ask questions. This was also discussed on Bowsite before and after the meeting.. http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/regional/thre...71&state=AZ http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/regional/thre...22&state=AZ RR

Jeremy, Welcome to the site. Looks like you did not waste any time putting that guy in the skillet by getting him opening morning. Is his right G2 forked?-can't really tell in the pic. Your top photo is well taken. Congrats. Doug~RR

Tommy, Thanks for the info, pics and link. Doug~RR

Head down just above the left deer Doug marked, and right behind the cholla in the upper right. RR

Tommy, That line of ringnecks indicates lots of fun was had. I haven't shown the pics to Rica, but I'm sure she'd want to hear some details on the pheasant hunting. Public v private lands? Big pushes w/ lots of people, or small groups? What part of Kansa? Contact info? costs? Rica says thanks. Doug~RR

Can't be any coues in 5BN cuz there's no whitetail general season in 5BN. Now someone will be saying there are coues on Mount Elden north of Flag. Nope, ain't believing it. The Anasazi in Walnut Canyon probably wiped em out 700 years ago iffin the coues did make it this far north. RR

Sierra Trading Post has the Eberlestock X-1 pack on sale for $80. Just a heads up. http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/315,782...ickdraw-X1.html RR