Red Rabbit

Congratulations Vini. Calling Gobblers can be as exciting a calling elk or yotes. Gotta love that verbal interaction. Doug~RR

Now that the April 8 application deadline has slipped away, what did you apply for? For deer I chose 2C, 2B 1st hunt, and 23 WT 1st hunt. I did not put in for antelope due to the screwy assignments, nor archery elk cuz of the nearly $800 non-resident fee. Doug~RR

Might look at some Filson Double Tin brush pants. They're not camo, but a nice tan brown. During quail season, I wore Wrangler brush pants, but the claw still got through. http://store.yahoo.com/forestandfield/dotinpaoilfi.html Or bibs http://www.filson.com/product/index.jsp?pr...rentPage=family RR

The proposed hunt guidelines/recommendations for 2006 are posted on the G&F website , in the big game memo. These are to be voted on Sat April 22 in Phx at the commish meeting. Some changes I noticed are: * 570 more whitetail tags, mostly due to the implementation of early seasons in the central units where tags are to be shifted from Dec to October or Oct&Nov hunts. * Archery deer will end 1 week early in Jan for the junior Javelina hunt. * October whitetail seasons will be 10 days. * Most archery deer seasons begin Sept 1 instead of Aug 26. * 500 less early season rifle deer tags in 12AW and 350 fewer junior doe tags in 12AW.

Quarter-bore/25-06, I've been using mouth calls- wooden Arizona Predator Call, or a Circe jackrabbit. I like the tones out of the wooden tube better than the plastic. I have an electronic CD caller, but prefer to use mouth calls for the reason of personal satisfaction. RR

PM sent RR

Those pics make me start daydreaming and thinking back on some great trips to the Ferry. Like you said, the scenery is awesome. RR

http://www.lakemarie.com/ A friend and his wife-to-be spent a working summer in AK at a lodge while in college, had a great time, but lost a lot of sleep as the time after work was spent flyfishing. Have a great time! RR

David, Looks like you'll end up with a nice hunting rig. With the price of a new Polaris Ranger, one can end up with a nice jeep or Samuri with heater, AC, stereo, and not be much bigger a vehicle-maybe 6" wider. RR

Dave, My gut feeling says by this time, the department has had time to evalute the results from the survey and public meetings, listen to we the hunters, get recs from the GM's, and interact with the commission members, such that the changes they deem necessary to meet the commission's directive and expected approval have been made to the hunt guidelines dated April 4. As such, I see this commissioners' meeting as a rubber stamping meeting. I hope I am wrong, though. I do not recall why there is the need to put the junior javelina hunt the last week of Jan, rather than pushing the spring javelina schedule back one week, as there is room. Junior Javelina is scheduled Jan 26- Feb 4. HAM javelina is Feb 9-18. Rifle Javelina is Feb 23-March1. The next hunt I noticed is the Spring bear from March 23-May 1. Doug~RR

In the recommendations, I notice a page of fall javelina hunts in units 28-37, which would overlap the archery deer season and the Nov rifle muley and whitetail hunts. So much for quality hunt experiences and juvenile peccary development. RR

Amanda, When does the survey close to responses? Have results been tabulated and analyzed? When will the results become public? Doug~RR

Treestandman, I think they reversed themselves as it's listed from Dec 15 to Jan 25. I believe they originally wanted to begin Dec rifle and archery deer on Dec 22. While the dates are one week later for the archery deer start, the units above the rim were also extended one week. I do not know the stated reasoning behind the later start. Anyone? RR

Maybee sumwon hoo noes dat casey shuldnut of mentchunned Bare grass tank and cumz phrum Taxuss round Sandangello?

Nice outing with your son , but the season on Gunnison pririe dogs is closed from April 1 through June 15 (no kidding). Guess they figure the pd's need to breed and we need time to reload a bunch of rounds. RR

The Duovids would save you about 43 oz (2 1/2 lbs)over two separate pair. At 15x, the field of view of the Duovids is the same as the Swaro 15x56 (230' v. 231'), but at 10x, the Duovid's field of view is less than 10x42's; 295' v. 330' at 1000 yards. It would be worth putting the 10x, 15x, and 10+15x binos on tripods for comparison. I briefly looked through the 10+15's at the Bowhunter Happening, but did not see any diff in sharpness over the Swaros. Doug~RR

Scott, I was refering to a Greer gathering mentioned in the off season hobbies thread. Yep, some brisket smoked over mesquite sounds good. That BBQ place right on I-10 in Junction,TX has great smelling smoke that alone causes salivation . The brisket ain't bad either. Doug

Bill, Alcohol is really a depressant; that's why people are always crying in their beer. Either way, many of us would like to tip a soda once Bret gets the BBQ organized. Doug~RR

do you have the cameras set up on a trail leading to water? probably less water useage this time of year. same might apply to salt. a good freeze may have killed their forbs, so they may have moved/changed the travel routes.

Next time you get to shoot, show us a 5-shot group. Looks like the rifle was moving to your scope adjustments well. I like the 280; it was the chambering(called 7mm Express back then) for my first rifle. Like that sentinel Gambel. RR

All of this talk of Greer brings back fishing memories. We'd go up for a week in the summer and fish all night for the browns. But that was back in yesteryear before the road to the lakes was paved and undeveloped camping across from RC Hoyer and atop the hill was undeveloped camping and there was only one Mercedes prked under the carport at the bridge. Does anyone know what Charlie and Sue Tripp from the Circle B are doing these days since they sold? Doug~RR

Archery (trad and compound), flyfishing, whitewater kayaking, shooting, scouting for fall hunts. RR

Pretty neat hunt for the young hunters to succeed on . Did the dads get to pack the trophies out from the canyon bottoms? RR

Tines, I looked at bigameinfo.com's ballistic calculator and liked that it showed how many clicks were needed for elevation and windage at various yardages. RR

I got a fish hook stuck in my finger once . . . . . Scott, the things you'll go through to get a sponge bath from a pretty gal.