Red Rabbit

Nice bear for your dad. Congrats to him. Kinda puts the capital B in BRUIN. RR

I recall a pic that a friend took of me and my first coues. He had taken the pic such that a telephone pole was lined up and appeared to come out of the top of my head .....so be aware of the background with poles, fences, tree limbs, cactus, etc. RR

With the cows, coo, coos, cooz, fantail, Arizona and NM whitetail hunts starting this weekend, lets take some good field photos. Many of us have entered into the buck contest and there is a category for best photo, regardless of antler size. Even if your forky won't go into B&C, say cheese . I recall that Eastmans Journal had an article about field photos about a year ago that talked about posing and backgrounds. Remember to watch for distracting backgrounds behind you and the antlers, wipe off any blood, hide the bullet holes, cut off the tongue if it won't stay inside, sit behind the deer, not on top, tuck the legs under, take from a low profile. Gut or field dress the deer after the picture session. Take a pic that glorifies the deer and the hunt. RR

Desertbull had some great tips. Like he said, film is cheap, so take lots of pics. Or fill that 1 meg card. Also: Tip your cap back a little to reduce the hat brim's shadow and expose your face. Use the fill flash to illuminate your face and reduce shadows. The flash will cause the deer eyes to be martian green, so your taxidermist may have scratched glass eyes to give you that you can place over the real eyeball to eliminate the greenie-meanies. If the sun is behind you and the deer, definitely use a flash. Take some pics during the day to tell a story of the hunt Look at the photos in various magazines, like Eastmans, for ideas. RR

My neighbor is from France and teached French at NAU and she said coo, and the s is not pronounced since it is not between the vowels. If so, then it would be "coo-suh". Then she said I could say "coos" if in doubt. I asked another French teacher and she said said "coos" with an s, not z , nor like cow. Maybe like most Americans, he could not pronounce a foreign language name and bastardized it. My name Koepsel (said with a short e) is not pronounced like it would be in Germany. RR

Does the rifle have a good recoil pad like a Pachmeyer Decelerator or Sims? If not, that would be the first modification before shooting. I would try shooting the rifle with those pads before deciding if a eargesplittenloudenmaker is installed. My friend has brakes on three of his rifles and we both like the recoil reduction, but I disdain the muzzle bast and noise. Another friend shot a 300 Win Mag with a brake, 4 times at a bear without wearing ear plugs, and his ears rang for a month (ie hearing loss). I have heard of reports citing that even with plugs and muffs, those brakes can cause hearing damage. My friend thinks I'm crazy for wearing both, but I already have ringing in my ears. If you do decide on a brake, the Vias is the one to get. RR

That left brow is an awesome sword! RR

What's wrong with looking like George Burns? RR

Scott, Probably best to just set a place and time. Let's get'r dun. Rica told me she wants some hasenpheffer, spaetzel, and an Oktoberfest Brew . RR

The AZ Game & Fish website info is pretty general. http://azgfd.com/h_f/hunting_units_36b.shtml Duwane Adams' book recommends Warsaw and Sycamore canyons off the Ruby Rd., Summit Motorway, and San Louis Mtns. Good luck on your hunt. RR

The Coconino Rim overlooking the Upper Basin is real popular, so popular that it would be best to avoid the crowds. Look on the topo maps for openings that a road does not go through. That is how I found my nice bull two years ago. Most of the large openings have roads down the middle, so I count on people driving through before dawn, or road hunting after dawn and spooking the elk out. If it's dry, they will still be coming to water. The bulls are still bugling and with cows now, but will be separated in Nov. But it's still worth a scouting trip now to learn the country. The power line running East-West through the unit would be a good place to sit and wait for elk to cross. RR

Scott, I should be finding your camp that Friday evening. Call me with details of location and vehicles to look for. Doug

Great buck! What a way to get Steven's hunting fire stoked for life. Did you notice if the buck had any testicles? RR

Rica, my German Wire-Haired Pointer, and I hiked up to enjoy the fall colors. Yeah, I know it's opening weekend of quail season, but Rica can't read the calendar. I figure this weekend is the peak for the aspen colors, so oppotunity knocked. RR

Elk? There are no elk there; they migrated to unit 45 to their wintering grounds. Actually, there were fresh elk tracks and squishy droppings. RR

To set the bullet seating die so you do not crimp the neck, place a resized case in the holder, raise the ram, screw down the die till it contacts the case mouth, then back the die off at least one full turn, and set the lock ring. RCBS makes a video series on how to reload, which may be helpful if you do not have an experienced reloader to guide you. The directions in the Speer manual that came with your kit are pretty good also. RR

Not legal. You can use .22 and 5mm rimfire magnums on javelina, but not the 17hmr. But you can use the 17hmr on turkeys. R12-4-304 (page 62 in the regs) I'd use a 22 centerfire before a 22WMR, or use a bow to have fun stalking close. Welcome to CWT. RR

Bowhunt Coues, Were you up in CO on a pack in archery elk hunt? The San Juans in late September are a beautiful sight. The inner basin is AZ's closest to the Rockies, but its candle dims much in comparison to CO. I keep thinking that a relocation to Durango or Montrose is needed. RR

A SOLID CORE door makes a sturdy reloading bench top. A used building materials place may have one on the cheap. RR

Shiras, I hiked into the inner basin of the San Francisco Peaks just north of Flagstaff. It's a volcano that blew out its side hundreds of years ago, much like Mount St. Helens did. RR

Scott, You gotta teach me how to use that PhotoShop program you keep raving about. How you ever got a speed goat with those Bushnell Sportview binoculars and Remington 710 with Trashco scope is beyond me . Congrats to you and Kevin on two more great bucks. RR

The RCBS Rock Chucker Supreme kit is a good kit to start with. You will also want to get a case trimmer, powder trickler, dies, shell holders, caliper, and a chronograph. I do not know about saving money, since trying diff bullets and powders gets into your blood. Be sure you have the time to commit to trying the different handloads at the range. I have been handloading for 20 years, and still enjoy it. Hope you do also. Doug~RR

Take a close look at the Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44mm. Another good choice would be the Leupold VXIII 3.5-10 with the B&C reticle. I'd hesitate to say 4.5-14x, as you may catch an elk or deer up close, and 4.5x is really about 4.8x if you look at the Leupold specs. I have not found the 10x lacking for magnification. RR

AMEN.

I have heard rumors of a Sportsman's Warehouse coming to Flagstaff, but I don't see how our town and surrounding area can support it. Congratulations to you in Tucson on getting a nice outdoor store. RR