Red Rabbit

Congrats to your buddy Mark on that big bodied buck with lots of fine tablefare. Not bad wallfare also. I notice his rifle has the Sims SVL DeResonator on the barrel. Did Mark notice if it made a difference in his groups? I tried it on one of my rifles and it made no diff. Doug~RR

Amanda, I'll be waitng for the last picture . Till then, thanks for the updates and good luck. The weather should be good for ya till the year's end, according to weather.com. Did you digiscope the deer pics? Doug~RR

Congrats to you and Craig on such a nice buk. Thanks for sharing the pics and story. Good luck after Christmas-maybe you can find one of Santa's reindeer that is resting after the long flight. Doug~RR

Scott, Keep the story and photos coming. Doesn't look like you'll have to contend with any nasty weather throuh your hunt (but any rain/snow is really needed). PM sent. Doug

I would say around 85", but I would like to see you smiley face behind that 4 point in a photo. Good luck. Doug~RR

Lance, I believe G&F is already working on getting the Archery in the Schools program into FUSD. Call Jim David (former science teacher) here in Flag, as he was working w/ G&F. I do not recall the name of the G&F officer. The last I recall was that there was not enough $ for equipment. RR

That is totally cool. Looks like the cape is cut a little short; did your client not want to mount it? RR

Have an enjoyable hunt. Are you packing in with your goats? RR

In the handful of December rifle hunts that I've had, I have only encountered two archers. The first wondered why I was back in so far, and the second had a felony so he could not use a firearm. Can't say that there's been much competition out there from my experience. RR

Surprised that no one has mentioned the 257 Weatherby. Could be about optimum, IMO, for coues. For long range, you want an acurate rifle and one light in recoil. A heavier kicker would require a heavier rifle, and that may not be what you want huffing up the mountains all day. RR

Kristen, Congratulations on your first deer ! The memories of this hunt will be with you for the rest of your life. Enjoy. Hope your next hunts are rewarded also. RR

Mr. "Eppinger" Before you made this post, I was figuring why we saw so many "monsters" in 36c back in Nov. This year, due to the rain and the increase in the number of yearling spikes born last year, there were 725 whitetail tags issued for the approximate 36 miles that the Babos stretch. That's about 20 hunters for every mile of range. Last year there were 675 permits, and figuring the hunt success, there were 230 bucks taken. (I won't estimate the wounded and later dead that may have happened based on the barrages of multiple shots that were repeatedly heard, nor the natural mortality.) Spread out, there were then 6.4 bucks killed per mile of range last year. I have serious doubts about the longevity of quality coues in 36c. If you want a buck to survive 5 years to trophy status, but there are 30 bucks killed per mile in that time span, you can see the basis of my concern. Sir Joshua, If you happen to be driving the back roads of unit 7 or 9, and happen to see two bucks, rejoice in the fact that you may have witnessed the last of the survivors. RR

Mace, Fantastic coues!!! Seeing bucks like yours being taken throws a big pine knot on the hunting fire of desire. Knowing that bruisers like yours are out there helps keep the hope for the rest of us. Sincere congrats on your buck. Doug~RR

Dent & Sayer tank east of Moqui seems to have a lot of elk traffic whenever I look in 9. I'd key on water, as was said earlier. RR

I don't know the story, gut I wish I was the one telling it. Monster for sure. RR

I like to consider the "hunt-ability" of the area/terrain. Is it so thick that 75+% of the time a deer will be behind a tree or brush? Are the canyons so wide there is no way to shoot or hike across? Is it so thick that by the time you make your stalk, the chance of relocating the buck is near nill? Does the terrrain offer routes to make a stalk, or is there no contour to allow you to get close? Wouldn't it be nice if the game, not the hunter, was required to wear blaze orange for easy location? RR

Matt, Glad the experiences you had during the hunt were the greatest rewards. RR

Amanda, I just put that scope (VXIII 4.5-14x40 B&C) on a new 22-250, but have not worked up loads for the rifle so have not had a chance to use the B&C system. The large triangle is marked at 14 power, so you cannot turn it higher to match a flatter cartridge and use the 200 yard zero. As was said earlier, you would have to zero at 200 yards with your load and see where the bullet impacts at longer ranges when using the lower aiming marks. If you had a load in between the A and slower B groups, you could determine through trial and error where to turn the magnification ring between the two triangles to match your load. With big game shots around 400 yards, I would not bother with the parallax adjustment. If you were to shoot small, long range targets like prairie dogs, with your 270, I would get the PA. I'd get the 40mm objective. Depending in the barrel contour and scope positioning, you might be able to use low rings and get your face down and reduce recoil slap to the cheek. BTW, Leupold is coming out with a new Eclipse scope in 2006 where the bottom of the objective bell and lens is scalloped out to fit closer to the barrel. The option I would consider (in addition to or in lieu of the B&C) is to use the elevation adjustment dials as target turrets. The adjustment dials on the new VXIII are finger adjustable. With any load and a ballistics program, you can determine what elevation to adjust your scope for any range and condition. Turning the turret/dials can be done quickly in the field. A scope with target turrets is not necessary. Doug~RR

Coati season runs from Sep 1, 05 - March 31, 06 statrewide. See page 34 in the 05-06 AZ hunt regs. RR

I like his markings, dark and distinct. RR

Sounds like you have yourself a great opportunity. Give couesnut a shout. RR

Great story, Ernesto. I definitely herded those monster bucks your way, cuz I saw no monsters. Maybe you can arm wrestle Casey for teeniest buck honors. Be sure to send me your score sheet. RR

Scott, You got me pumped up for a trip after Thanksgiving day. Hope the weatherman is overly optimistic about rain this weekend. Virgil sure has grown. Did you work with him on the backing, or is he a natural wonder? Doug

Todd, Congrats to you and your friend on a nice pair of bucks. Were both bucks together when you and your friend shot them? Doug~RR

Jim, That's a heck of 2-point. Nice photo, also. Good luck to you and your wife on the 'bab. RR