Swivelhead

Ford sells wheel well liners for their trucks. About $200 for each corner. Aftermarket, $100-$130. Not sure why Ford does not install at factory, all other manufacturers do.

Salt free conditioners aka "descalers" are voodoo. As mentioned above, ion exchange is the only economical way to soften water. Whole house filters serve a different purpose. If you desire soft water, get a quality ion exchange system and don't look back.

Older light green SLCs don't have Swarodur which is a hardened coating covering all other coatings beneath. Swarobright is merely a buzzword Swaro came up with for their multi coatings. Swarodur is very desirable as it does protect the coatings that do the work. Swarodur is on all Swaro glass from 2006 on. Fortunately, those with pre-2006 units can get upgraded to new objective & oculars lenses for $300 (so I've heard). SLC NEU should go for $1500 in very good condition, pre-2006, $1300.

Nice! thx for posting

Find yourself a class IV ram. Even if he doesn't score big, he'll be an old warrior who has survived to old age in a very harsh environment. IMO, any class IV ram is an exceptional trophy. I have no experience in the area but from what I've read, access & drinking water is "the" issue. I'd suggest making water cache's on your scouting trips. Depending on a cache could be risky if animals (2 and 4 legged) found your cache and you didn't have sufficient water to make it out. Have a backup plan for failed cache's. Congrats on the tag and good luck on your hunt.

Awesome thread!!!!!

My brother, an old friend I was in cub scouts with and I went to the Kofas quail hunting a couple years back. Enough birds to keep things interesting. We carried on like 14 year-olds. Sadly, it was my last hunt with my brother as he passed earlier this year.

Tonight, I will pray for you, your mom and your family.

62mm Leica APO is a top tier optic. Overlooked by most when shopping for a packable spotter. I have regretted not acquiring one on the used market as they rarely are available.

Point guard cut the cost of "point farming" in half. Likely, more people will do it from here on out. More $$$ for G$F ..... but I'm sure they thought of that when the plan was hatched.

This ^ 15 miles of dirt on the Stoneman Lake road can be a pain with a large/low trailer.

If we're going to have invasive species, let them be chukar & pheasant!

Good job Nick. Gorgeous place up there. Good place to be in July. Congrats.

Keep traditional access roads open. Close the "wildcat" roads created by the OHV crowd over the last 40 years. The anti access crowd has an amazing number of roadless/federal wilderness areas to use. Apparently, that's not enough, they want it all.

I've been told by a friend who is active with land use issues that there is a plan to keep it open. Initially, it will be closed until Congress acts on the plan (yes, Congress). Turns out even the Sierra Club wants it open as the road accesses a number of trailheads. Another giant tract of land that will become inaccessible is between Bartlet Lake and Sunflower. The power line road will be closed where it enters the Mazatazal Wilderness. The only other access to the power line road will be through the Log Corral road which is designated as a single track trail for dirt bikes. Lot of changes, I'd suggest you all study the final draft, its too late for input but at least you'll know what's changing. Link to the map detailing the changes: http://a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/11558/www/nepa/59232_FSPLT3_3087020.pdf

Good to hear somebody's seen some in that area. Grouse are really tasty.

Used to hunt Escudilla and down towards Hannegan Meadow. Spruce & berry patches were the key, that and 9000+ elevation. My friends in Alpine tell me they've seen zero grouse since the Wallow fire. North rim is likely your best bet.

Cut my teeth on an old .22 Benjamin pump gun. A fond memory. The single cock guns tend to have very heavy triggers, if you go that route, try to get one with an adjustable trigger. Have fun!

A coworker demo'd a set of 8X30 and 10X30's. I checked them out. Seemed to be very well made, the images were crisp, I did not get to use them extensively. IMO, you should do the demo and test them against the "big 3". If they measure up consider a purchase. Bear in mind they will likely not do well in the resale market as the brand does not have a reputation as of yet.

90 in AZ, waiting for: #1 Strip tag #2 Decent buff hunt (don't want to sit in a blind on a fence) #3 5B lope tag #4 Rocky Mtn Sheep (Got a desert 2010) #5 Another Goulds tag #6 " Elk tag #7 Got a few points for Javi & bear Not complaining, just waiting patiently. Had a lot of good tags over the years.

Congrats on pulling the tag. Hope to draw that hunt in the next few years, been waiting a long time.

Nice! Thx for posting the pictures.

Congrats on your tag. The piebald ram in 37A was estimated to be 14 years old last season. Probably not around anymore. Too bad he didn't make it to a trophy room somewhere. This photo, taken by Joe Sheehey, was on the cover of May 2015 Ram's Horn.

For hike in glassing, the walkstool is the bomb. I've used many different seating devices over the years, most lightweight options don't hold up. The walkstool does. A pad is good too ......... if your back can take it for hours on end. Personally, I like the large (not XL) as it adapts to uneven ground better than the taller version.

Fantastic! Congrats on your tag sir.