rossislider

Same story as in the other thread, but this one was my son's third buck. It was also the smallest, but the situation made it the most memorable.

Semi unrelated, but I thought it worth sharing...

I'll be hoping for the best, but given my luck, not expecting much. My son should probably draw a tag or two. Also, my brother-in-law has never hunted and has asked me to take him. He should probably draw the nearly 100% draw odds tag we put him in for, unfortunately it is looking like that unit may burn to the ground before his hunt. Regardless, between those hunts and a couple of others I plan to tag along/help out on, I should get my fill for a year, even if there isn't a tag with my name on it. Good luck with the draw everyone (except for those applying in my same units ).

Welcome! Hard to say on spotting scope size as they tend to differ a lot. But I know it won't hold my Razor 85. Card charges will likely start Friday morning between 7:30-8:00. Results will likely be posted 1-2 weeks after.

I'm still waiting for you to get and post a 6" nickel Python that you are practically giving away.

I (head held low in shame) have yet to have a coues tag with my name on it and wasn't bitten by the coues bug till my son started hunting with me a few years ago. That will be changing VERY soon (coues tag with my name on it). My son on the other hand, has already killed three of them with me. So I am going to give myself a little credit for the assist.

Make sure you bump this to the top on the list early this Friday morning. I have a feeling lots of people (regulars and non-regulars) will start checking in on here Friday morning early and often.

Nice! Make sure he has your 28 Nosler ready for me by the end of the year!

One suggestion, decide where in you pack or on your person your ear protection will be kept, and never deviate. The same goes for all equipment you will need in the heat of the moment. If it is always in the same spot, you can grab it quick and instinctively. You don't want to be having to rummage through all your gear when you should be watching your target. It took me way to long and to many screw ups to figure this out.

Question about the Quiet Bands? Do you smash and squish the ear pieces down and let them expand in your ears like traditional foam ones, or do they just slip in your ears? I've thought about giving them a try.

I use hearing projection while hunting with all my rifles, muzzle brake on not. I know too many guys in the generation or two a head of me with hearing issues that contribute much of it to not using sufficient ear protection when shooting or hunting. I carry the little foam ones or the little plastic ones on a string in my bino case which is always on my chest. You don't need anything fancy. In 95% of the shots people SHOULD take, there is plenty of time to put the plugs in. Not worth the risk. I would definitely wear them.

Please let me know if that refrigerator falls through.

Bumbs me out that so many of these great seminars are on the west side.

We bought our lab pup a bunch of dried smoked dried pigs ears from the Pork Shop in Queen Creek. Those and my arms/hands kept her pretty busy with the chompers through most of her chewing phase.

I'm going to have to save this picture as a example for a future mount. Awesome work! Congratulations.

With the credit card update deadline looming just over a week away (7/6/17), I thought it might be a good time to remind everyone of one of the great benefits of our relatively new Point Guard program. What most everyone knows is that for a $5 fee you can buy Point Guard (essentially bonus point insurance which allows you to surrender your tag and get all of your bonus points back). Yes, this can be a very controversial topic, but I would really prefer we not get into that here. Rather I would like to point out one of the great options available to you if you end up needing to surrender your tag. Should you be unable to use your tag, you can donate it to Arizona Elk Society's Disabled Veterans “Hunts for Heroes” Program. They will issue your tag to one of our disabled veterans and provide the needed resources to make sure our veterans have a fantastic experience. If you purchased Point Guard, you would get all of your points back and would also be doing a great thing for one of our heroes. I have spoken with the Hunts for Heroes program director, and he encourages you to get in touch with him, prior to contacting AZGFD, if you are looking to donate your tag so that he can make sure your tag goes to the right place, and that you get your points back. He will guide you through the process. It is not too late to purchase Point Guard if you did not do so at the time of submitting your application. You can still add it through your AZGFD portal now through the credit card update deadline. While I am not directly affiliated with the Hunts for Heroes program, I do know most of the individuals who run it, and be happy to direct anyone to where they can find the answers to any questions they have. Also, check out the link below. Thanks! www.arizonaelksociety.org/hunts-for-heroes You can also read some of these veterans letter here: https://issuu.com/aes_trackers/docs/tracker_q1_2017_web

Ouch

If you don't mind going further back in, I'd steer clear of the lakes you mentioned this time of year. There are people everywhere to the point where you can't enjoy it. I like Knoll late. It is about another 25 miles on the rim rode and will take an additional 45 minutes to an hour to get there, but well worth it. You will still run into other people, but nothing like you would experience at Woods Canyon or Willow Springs

^^^ I hear that feral cats have become a big problem down under (Australia) to the point where they are now hunted. Now that would bring the lonely cat ladies out of the woodwork.

They do have a few lanes. Probably an area 10-15 ft wide by 25 yards?

AES president, Rich Williams, addressed this issue in the latest edition of The Tracker (AES's magazine). Worth a read. https://issuu.com/aes_trackers/docs/tracker_q1_2017_web

I won't be buying new camo for a while as I have a pretty substantial amount of real tree stuff in various brands and don't plan to invest in new stuff till this current stuff is old and tattered. Also, with everyone coming out with their own proprietary patterns, you can find the older stuff at a fraction of the price. But if I were to invest in higher end fabrics and camo I would look into First Lite. Great products and a great company that is highly committed to conservation.

Glad to see you over there JR. Looks like a solid team you guys have together.

Wow crazy story! Glad you came out of it okay. It makes me grateful to have my little hunting partner now that is always more than eager and ready to head out with me. Stories like yours have caused me to give a lot of thought to this type of stuff before going into an area, and making sure my son knows the way back out to the vehicle and or road in case he should ever have to leave me behind to go for help. It is also a reason that I have made sure that while he is only 12 (almost 13) has practiced and knows how to drive my truck well enough to get help.

+1 for Jared, but if we are talking about the same Jared, I think he works there on a pretty limited schedule.