Red Rabbit

I have been using TR Taxidermy since moving to Flag 15 years ago. Tim Rajsich has done 10 mounts for me. That Polar Bear he did for a local hunter is a neat mount. Stop by his shop when you come up on a scouting trip. Three of the mounts Tim has done for me. He has also done two elk. RR

Sorry that I don't have any coues running around in the back yard here in Kachina of which to take pics. RR

Jim, If you split the skull plate, I'd suggest that you saw the plate with a sideways V as opposed to straight line between the pedicles (helps the taxi align the antlers on the form). Pieces of garden hose help protect the antler tips. Check w/ your taxidemist how he would prefer them. Figure maybe one pound of boned meat per quart of ice chest. RR

Scott, You coulda lashed it to the top of her car like in that Montana elk picture. I figure a mid-week trip to Cabelas in about a month will be in order. The only thing I "need" is a set of light, packable rainwear for Alaska. Saw some at SportsmanS, but would like to see the offerings at Cabelas. RR

Love2hunt, Those bulls are around the Kachina Village/Forest Highlands area for most of the summer-till the rut starts. Seeing them is fairly common if one gets around to look. RR

Lightweight supplex nylon sometimes come in camo. Not the quietest for walking though. Caped vented-back like the tarpon fishing shirts. Just in a sage color may work instead of camo. I found a camo set at WalMart a few years ago. I also use lightweight camo thermax polypropelene undershirts. Something like this. http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pr...&hasJS=true

Got about an inch up here in Kachina. As you can tell from today's pics, those elk just swelled right up RR

Tony Grimmett's video on scoring antelope should be worth the investment, considering that antelope tags are so difficult to get. RR

50 pounds? he'll barely have spikes! Wait... ding ding ding ding... another winner in the CWT "tiniest buck with milk on its lips" category contest winner. Glad there are no Kalifornicated condor aborted cow fetus-eatin'buzzards that might eat the gut-pile and die of lead poisoning in southern Arizona. Wait again...News flash....Phelps Dodge is expanding operations into extracation of Pb southeast of Arivaca . RR

What kinda beer is in the chest? None of them with cheap twist-offs or pull tabs, I hope. Iffin ya want quality glassin', ya gotta provide quality hobst. RR

Last season I tried the Blacks Creek Jim Horne Alaskan. Has a pouch for a water bladder and unzips to expand for loading a deer quarter or two. http://www.blacks-creek.com/jimhorn.php The Eberlestock Just One J105 is good and has received good reports. Available at Sportsmans Warehouse. http://eberlestock.com/J105%20Just%20One.htm This year I will be toting a Mystery Ranch NICE Frame with load carrier and 5000 pack. Reportedly a very comfortable pack under heavy loads. http://www.mysteryranch.com/catalog/index....;products_id=21 One thing that I really like is the Kifaru Gun Bearer (sure beats a slipping shoulder strap, frees a hand, and can be attached to about any pack with a waist band). http://kifaru.net/GUNBEAR.HTM Kifaru makes some awesome packs also, as endorsed by Scott Adams. http://kifaru.net/BACKPAKS.HTM RR

I thought an RX IV would be nice. Not so sure now. http://longrangehunting.com/ubbthreads/sho...rt=all&vc=1 http://longrangehunting.com/ubbthreads/sho...p;page=0#115485 RR

Lazy e-scouter

Federal loads a 150 grain Nosler Partition. That is what I would run with in the 270. RR

Rich, Back when I was teaching high school, and not enjoying many students, being a wildlife photographer was one profession I thought that I might enjoy more, albeit with less pay (less than a teacher's $ almost pays for the mac n cheese). But I do like to eat and have a nice German beer or two. Today's pics were almost snapshots and did not have time for a good setup or take time to set the depth of field as I scurried around the neighbors' houses. Tony Mandile has posted some nice professional pics, as has Tony Bynum over on Monster Muleys. He has posted some good camera and tech info in the photography forum on MM. I took these with a handheld Panasonic FZ-20 digital. Doug

They were all bedded when I first saw them, but I impinged upon their comfort zone to get closer pics in order to get trees and fences out of the viewfinder. Probably was 30-40 yards away. Had to leave Rica in the house as she would have been flushing them quicker than a running covey of Gambels. Doug~RR

No draws for me. But I'm looking on the bright side that there is archery deer, turkey and bear starting Sept 1, rifle bear starts Aug 11, and Rica gets a lot of quail and grouse hunting. Not to forget the fall fishing in the high country. Doug~RR

Just when y'all about had me convinced to get a good spotter, it appears that there will be no coues tag for me this season. RR

AG, I ended up getting the trailer in Apache Junction. It should work great, and is nice and light to put behind the ATV and haul out that elk. Thanks for the tip. While I was there, another guy was looking at the ATV, but do not know if he got it. I suspect he may have, since after a test drive, he hung around and never said he was not interested. Doug~RR

I just got a lightlly-used ATV, so am looking for a 4x8 trailer w/ loading ramp gate to haul it around. (My other Honda ATV and trailer took a night-time trip without permission to Mexico? a few years ago.) Doug~RR

sold

Leica 10x50 BA Binoculars $770 shipped/insured http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/s...0&page=0#891652 Doug~RR

Matt, I do not know what type of vanes you are using. When using FlexFletch vanes, we had to clean the base of the vane with MEK or acetone, otherwise they stuck poorly. The AAE Plastifletch Elite vanes are prepped on the base for use with their fastset gel super glue. You might give the base of the vanes a quick scrub with denatured alcohol to remove any possible mold release. Doug~RR

North of the Grand Canyon on the Kaibab National Forest, the Sowats Fire is burning about halfway between Big Sowats Canyon to the north and Big Saddle Point to the south. The fire had burned about 250 acres by Monday afternoon. About 566 acres this morning.