Red Rabbit

Lark, The show airs this afternoon, so you came in out of the elk-infested woods just in time.

Josh, Thanks for the heads up. I just looked at the on-screen guide and the show "Guide to the Outdoors" on OLN airs at 1PM, Arizona time(AZ iz not on daylight cavings time). Doug/RedRabbit

Younghunter, Those 150 coreloks shooting that well @ 300 yards will work well on coues. And the good part is that a box is relatively inexpensive. Have fun practicing those long shots from field positions. Doug/RedRabbit

Hey Coues Addict. That's the same exact load that my 270 prefers . It's taken a couple of whitetail. Do you have those cock pheasants penned up? The way my GWP jumps for Frisbees, I won't need a shotgun on birds . Take care. Doug/RedRabbit

Here is a survey to give input on various proposals that G&F is considering. Please support the 90/10% resident noncommercial/nonresident commercial tag split as it is the only option that will satisfy the interstate commerce clause and still give preference to residents. www.azgfd.com/nrm/no_cap_comments.shtml Doug /RedRabbit

Hornady offers a 150 grain SST Interbond load (also 150 SST) that is flat shooting. Federal has a 165 gr Noler Ballistic Tp and 180 Accubond loads that would be worth trying. Winchester offers 180 gr Ballistic Silvevertips and 180 Accubonds. I'm suggesting the polymer tipped bullets for their higher ballistic coefficients for use at the longer ranges coues hunting sometime necessitates. The 150's offer less drop, but the 180's will drift less in the wind at longer distances. Stop by Sportsman's Warehouse(or your local gun shop) and pick up a box of each to see which flavor your rifle prefers. Yes, it's easy to spend over a c-note just to find the preferred brand. If your rifle scatters a couple of 5-shot groups, use the extras for practice.

Dave, Scott, Allen, Richard-It was good to meet you. Amanda, sorry we didn't have the pleasure... Next time. Yes, it was a good evening to chat with fellow hunters and to see awesome antlers. Doug

Is there anyone from the Flagstaff area that wants to carpool? Call me; Doug @ 928-525-9804

How has the scouting been? Looks like some rain may have been through the area. Are the tanks in good shape? Doug/RedRabbit

I have a 260 in the Remington laminated stainless mountain rifle. It's light and handles well, and is actually good looking for a stainless and laminated stocked rifle. I have a load for the 129 grain Hornady SST that is around 2800 fps. I figure it has the energy(retains 1200 ft-lbs) and velocity (maintains 2000 fps) for good bullet performance out to 400 yards. Trajectory is slightly less than the 270 winchester. While the 7mag and 300's may be flatter, the 260 has noticebly less recoil and is more pleasurable to shoot. I used the 260 on a Utah antelope hunt a few years ago to take a buck at 385 yards. Had good bullet performance and the recoil was not great enough to lose the sight picture. Also took it coues hunting one year, but didn't pop a cap. It's a great cartridge, but not the optimum for long distance game shooting,IMO. For coues and antelope hunting, and at the expense of some recoil, I'd consider the 25-06, 257 Weatherby, 270 Weatherby, and 270 WSM. Doug/Red Rabbit

Has anyone received their tags in the mail yet? The regs say they would be mailed out by July 23, but with the court case, was it delayed? My mailbox has been empty. Doug/RedRabbit

Finally, today! I was starting to think that the cc messed up, but then again I was not contacted either. A friend got his tag for the same hunt on Monday. Doug / RedRabbit

So much for the saying of leaving nothing but footprints and taking nothing but pictures . Actually, as I understood it from G&F, it is required to have a permit to establish a salt lick on national forest land, also. Land of the fee and home of the paid. Thoughts of the Red Rock Pass to park on the side of the highway in Oak Creek Canyon come to mind .

That was a good range estimate of 450 from 465 yards. I would hate to look across a canyon and guess 100 yards long, and miss or wound a coues. Those cross canyon distances are deceiving to me. Yes, I cheat repeatedly with no guilty conscience . While I can range fairly well at archery distances after years of practice, my eyeballs are not calibrated for those multi-football field distances. Doug/RedRabbit

For reasonably priced 15X binoculars, try the Minox or Docter brands for around $700(half the price of the Swaros). Binos are a lot more comfortable to glass through for hours on end than squinting through a spotting scope. I have the Velbon Chaser EFL-4 tripod which I got for around $130 with head. I really like that its legs are adjustable outward and it is easy to sit under. Slik came out with a good tripod with outwardly adjustable legs that is about a pound lighter. Stay away from the $30 walmart specials as the plasit leg brackets break too easy, and the legs don't swing out wide enough.

Ther is a company that will put a velvet like material on antlers. This is done a lot to caribou racks after they have been stripped. The same could be done to a deer rack after it has been stripped and scored. No need to worry about formaldhyde or insects.

The 150 SST interbonds did not group well out of my 300 WSM for the loads I tried. I am going to give the 150 Sciroccos a try this weekend. 300 WSM- could you pm or e-mail that load to me so I can try it? Thanx Doug/RedRabbit

Albert, Hornady's Light Magnum load with the 130 grain SST Interbond would be my first trial of factory ammo to see if it shoots well. Federal and Winchester offer loads with 130 Ballistic tips. The 140 grain Nosler Accubond load by Federal should work well also. Once you get sighted in, be sure to practice offhand at long range to determine your maximum effective range. Have fun in Mexico. Doug/RedRabbit

Talk about a misrepresentation of numbers. If I was flying, the bag on the seat in front of me would be filled. Does he mention that over 45% of the applicants to 13B are nonresidents? How about unit 9 & 10 numbers for elk? BARF!

ATVs are no longer permitted on the Boquillas. In many ways, I approve of this regulation. In regards to the Las Vegas Ranch, they generally wanted antelope hunters to donate to the local fire department as an access fee. Same with the Long Meadow Ranch.

Your 30-06 will work just fine. If you want a flatter trajectory, you can try some of the Hornady Light Magnum ammunition in 30-06 with the 150 grain SST Interbond bullet. Doug/RedRabbit

The southern end of the unit opens up nicely for glassing. The area around Paradise is productive. There is a burn up high above the research station. Have fun on those scouting trips.

I have given out info, and received info, (some very specific; if an e-mail could have red circles, it would), but this has been on the private side. I doubt that hardly any of us are giving information about our own honey holes or those of our friends(if we still want to be friends with them). When giving info, I factor in if I will be hunting that unit again, or how long until the next time I get to hunt it. For example, I doubt I will hunt unit 29 again, so I am more apt to divulge more specific info. On the other hand, if someone wants info about 36C, then my lips will be pursed tighter, as I still apply there(Stan, you did burn that map, didn't ya??? ). Still, it depends on who is asking and how long they have been posting on the board. While many of us have never met (and may or may not like to share a camp together if we really knew each other), I think a link develops between us through the board that makes us more inclined to help each other. As a community of hunters in general, I hope that we are inclined to help each other. Is there much difference between going into the local sporting goods store or callling the game warden and asking for help, than asking on the internet. Is the info divulged here so widely used that a spot mentioned will be inundated with subsequent hunters. Really, how many people that read a post are actually drawn for that unit and will hunt that particular canyon mentioned out of the other spots that have been suggested to them? Some of you are guides and have spent a lot more time and effort learning many good hunting spots to take your clients. I wouldn't expect you to give info about a spot to which you will return with clients or friends. Tonight, I talked on the phone with a first time poster about elk in Unit 9. I told him where I had hunted my previous hunts and made some suggestions. Turns out, he had just graduated from the high school I have been teaching at. Sure, my first choice every year on the application is Unit 9 archery bull, but I may not be drawn for ten more years, so does it really matter if I point him in a certain direction. I was happy to help him out, and hope he gets a nice bull. Next year, there will be another crop of hunters in the unit who probably have never been drawn before, and probably never will be again in these high demand units. Are there really any "secret" spots? I think most are really spots(and all are on a map) that require more research and boot leather to find than the glassing spot on the side of the road that lazy hunters park their 4x4 at. I put my 2 cents into the parking meter and it's expired. Doug/Redrabbit

Since I changed jobs recently, I have a new e-address- dkoepsel@aol.com I have changed the address listed here at CWT, today, so any previous e-mails will not get to me. Thanx, Doug