Swivelhead

Yes, it's never cool to block a road.

You ARE a dirt bag if you think a trail cam, salt pit or tree stand gives you a claim on a hunting spot.

Appears that moose was "yarded" on the trail. Note droppings in the trail when the shooter/photographer advanced on his machine. Likely that moose was stressed from a tough winter and deep snow, it certainly was not willing to abandon that hardpack for powder. Just a bad deal. I've got no problem with the shoot but self reporting and meat salvage is a must.

During Malay elk hunts only.

Some of AZ's best sheep herds are in high density lion areas (22, 24, 31, 32). Sheep evolved with lions. We are witnessing Darwinism within the recently released sheep in the Catalina Mtns. Sheep from SW AZ have little experience with cats. These recently released sheep don't know their turf just yet, many have likely never even seen a lion. I am confident that predator evasion in rooted in sheep DNA. Sheep in 22, 24, 31, 32 ARE from transplants from SW AZ and they are making it. I believe most people are rooting for the sheep, even the Center for Biological Diversity. G&F ALWAYS gets drug through the mud when predator control is the issue. Suspect that with each lion killed sheep the G&F gets closer the green light from the preservationists to suppress the cats proper. Likely, when the next group of sheep are released there will be a lot less lions. That and the remaining sheep will have street skills. This restoration project is far from over IMO.

Although there may be fisherman hitting Black river at Ten of Diamonds and fellow elk hunters in the area, you will need to be self sufficient. It really is a remote area. Bring lots of fuel for the truck. You'll be 80+ miles from a fuel source. Cell service is non-existent to really poor.

Ever since I started boning Javi's out at the kill site the quality of the table fare has gone way up.

Dang, missed another one ......

You are asking a lot for less than $300. The height you want = heavy, even if you spend $$$. Super smooth pan heads are $200 & up. Which Manfrotto tripod & head combo do you currently have?

I'm not a fan of transporting binoculars connected to tripods. Not sure how you guys do it but my experience is that it stresses adapters, studs and the bridge between the optical barrels, especially on heavier binoculars. The bino bib looks solid. A plastic shower cap works too.

How much weight will you be stacking on your leg/head combo?

Anytime it rains the roads get juicy. Bring the chains as the monsoon thunderstorms likely will occur during your hunt. San Carlos has a clay soil that is world class slippery. I've hunted turkey in the spring around the Malay area. See elk occasionally but not many. There are elk rubs here and there from the previous Sept. Not a lot of sign. I'd say you'll need to give yourself as much time as possible in your hunt area. Likely, you've got a tough hunt on your hands. FWIW the elk I've encountered in the Malay area are wired like whitetails. They move out quick!

I've run 12.5 X 37 BFG A/T's on a F350 LB/CC with good results. Tried a set of KM2's, great traction but could not handle the weight. Front tires eventually separated.

As previously discussed, those of you who have concerns about AZ G&F have an opportunity to let them know how your feel at the SCG meeting Wednesday @ 6:00 pm. I'd bet you can submit concerns via the web if you cannot attend physically. If not this meeting, when? The department ought to know how you feel about the Catalina cat feed, ever increasing license costs, whatever chaps your hide. At least your opinion will be heard by people who COULD do something. Apparently, other than bellyaching on internet forums, many of you have broken off all contact with the department. All this hostility toward the dept. and you are unwilling to voice your opinion at meetings or email the commissioners? You're kidding right? Many of you have said your piece. What are you going to do about it?

unless you hit cable!! Then you cracked, leaking, and fu$ked!!Hammer drill will stop on a cable or rebar. If you hit one, pick another spot to set an anchor. Not a big deal.

It's up to us (outdoorsmen & women) to fund modern wildlife management. Unfortunately, everything is expensive in this economy. Whoever thought a 4X4 pickup would EVER cost 40K. As far as government agencies go, I think our G&F runs fairly lean.

No pictures, ram was about two miles away, the mirage was terrible. That and we were scrambling to get after him.

I had written an essay about my GF Tammy's 45B sheep hunt, then it all went away. So this time I'll keep it short. Tammy got her sheep on the 20th day of hunting, Monday 12/30. She made a perfect 230 yard shot on a real nice ram. G&F aged "Romeo" at 7 years and measured him at 157." Tammy worked really hard for this sheep and I am very proud of her. Everyone involved was ecstatic with her success. We saw a lot of sheep and Tammy got to turn down a number of rams. Her hunt was an absolute blast start to finish. We had assistance from our friends Joey, Valerie and Rick. They all busted butt to help make Tammy's hunt a success. In the end, they made the difference. Especially "sheep magnet" Joe Nochta. Tom Saad and Eric Hunt mentored Tammy and I on how to hunt sheep in the KOFA's. Both of these men know what they are talking about, Tammy and I are thankful for their advice. The largest ram seen during Tammy's hunt was a direct result of their advice. Unfortunately, for no apparent reason, this ram changed zip codes while we watched. We were unable to relocate the ram, I call him the apparition ram. He will forever haunt me. And then there's HEAT. I've never laid eyes on Nick but he's got to be a great guy. He always offers to help. Nick helped me when I had a sheep tag and offered again for Tammy's hunt. Nick has some photos of Romeo and will hopefully post them as I'm not very proficient at those tasks.

Feed the birds ....... Feed the birds ............ Part of growing up in Phx back in the day. A great memory.

Apparently the marketing team at Zeiss moved quickly to fill a niche that Swarovski has abandoned. Depending on the IPD range of the new Zeiss I'd say Vortex will take a hit too. Nice to have another choice in the 15X category.

Sounds like an awesome hunt to me. You did pass on a ram and spent the whole season giving it your all. Congratulations to you! The upside is you may get to do it again some day, for that I am envious.

Thx for the kind words. Opening morning at first light, Tammy spots a ram in the first 10 minutes of glassing. The ram is about a mile away right next to the road. We drive over and watch the ram for a couple hours. He'd bed, get up feed a little bed again. All within 200 yards of the road. We age the ram, likely a 7 year old. Seems short horned and we have aspirations for a class IV sheep. We figure we can do better, Tammy passes the opportunity. This sheep was broomed on both sides. His left horn was broomed to a very sharp point which we thought was cool. Never saw him again. Later in the hunt we had a ram drought and were second guessing the decision to pass on this ram.

G&F is in a tough spot, there is no pleasing us ....... or them, the non-consumptives. It's ok to be critical of any government agency if you've got evidence to back up your claims. Everybody screws up now and then. Unfortunately, it's not ok to admit you screwed up in this litigating society we live in. G&F, Forest Service, etc. are constantly facing that reality. Personally, I've found G&F personnel to be professionals. I appreciate G & F's mission. I believe they are my ally.

I've got one with fiberglass poles, no issues. Great tent. I have heard nice things about the aluminum poles however.

Somewhere between tractor trailer & railcar.