huntswnm

Here is 1 more picture of my buck. I had taken a small digital camera in with me that had a self-timer function on it. The timer worked well, but the camera was not focusing very well. This is the clearest picture that came out, but the worst as far as shadows go. Had my buck officially scored by 2 scorers. SCI score put him at 98 4/8" and the B&C score had him at 98" even, gross.

Yup thanks for sharing the info! I signed up today and so has several of my friends! jeff

Nice buck! Jeff

Thanks everybody! Amanda, I will put it in the contest, although I think the general drawing is the only one he has a chance in....ha ha! Maybe if NM had its own category, but I am sure that you dont get many entries from over here and although I know that there are some NM bucks that can hang with the AZ big boys, they just dont get seen very often. I am getting him scored at the end of the month....SCI....hope that works? Good to see fellow FD members on here as well! azcoues, maybe will see you out there someday, however 3 years ago I promoted into administration so I am not out on the streets very often any more. cflores...we are 2430 - SCFD - I have promoted out of the unit, however held the presidents position of our Local for a couple of years. Reading this morning as I write this of our brothers shot in western NY state. Sad morning. Jeff

Gonna have to stick with my original score.......105"-110"

That looks awesome! Mind sharing how you did the Euro mount on the skull while still keeping the velvet intact? jeff

Hey guys looks great! Couple of tips that I learned from a co-worker when I helped him make tamales before: Instead of using chicken broth or water to mix your masa, use the stock/broth from where you cooked your meat. Gives the masa a really nice flavor that compliments the meat. Also, I didnt see anyone using, or mention using a strainer for the red chili? Once you boil the pods and blend it it is best to pour it through a strainer to remove the little bits of seed an skin. The traditional device is cone shaped and uses a wooden pestle. It is amazing how much skin and seed parts you can filter out, leaving only the red chili juice behind. I find that if that step is omitted that the red chili will have a very bitter taste due to the seeds and skin. Makes me hungry for red chili! Jeff

Bump

7mm-08 Bullberry blue 24" heavy sporter profile barrel with black painted wood forearm and hanger bar and weaver style base. Has typical frame marks. I shot only a few rounds from this gun, but have decided to stick with my .270 instead of switching all my gear and reloading stuff over to this caliber. I bought this barrel used from another web site earlier this year. Previous owner stated that he was getting 5/8" groups at 100 yards with factory Hornady ammo. Brand new from the Bullberry factory this barrel is around $440. I am asking $280 shipped or $265 face to face in SW NM. Reply or message me with any questions you may have. Jeff

I recently purchased an Aplen rifle scope from an online optics store. I recieved the scope, mounted it, bore sighted it and headed to the range. First shot was a little high, adjusted elevation appropriately, shot again and even higher. Hmmmm I thought well maybe I turned the elevation screw the wrong way. Readjusted back to where I was and shot again, good elavation but way left. Hmmmmm, maybe I pulled that one. No adjustment, shot again now high and right. WOW now thats not good. Target is at 100 yards shooting Premium ammunition through a 7mm-08 barrel on a T/C ProHunter frame. To make a long story short I removed the scope at the range, double checked all the Torx screws for tightness, remounted scope, re-tightened everything and went through a box of ammo with no change. Every shot was in a different place no matter the circumstance. Left me with only 1 conclusion, bad scope. I bought this scope based on good reviews, some here on CW as well as from others who had used them first hand. The other thing that sold me on them was the great customer service people talk of. Well guess I was gonna find out what their service was like first hand. With a quick phone call to the tech at Alpen and after relaying my story he gave me a return number and asked that I Fed Ex my scope to them. I gave it a week or so and gave them a call. Spoke with another gentlemen who looked up my work. He apologized and said that my scope had not yet been evaluated due to it being a busy time of year with hunting seasons going on. I told him that I understood, however I have a rifle elk hunt coming up in about a month here in NM and that I really needed to get my repair done so as to have a chance to sight in the rifle again. He said he understood and that he would put a rush on my account. This was last Friday the 14th of Sept. I called today just to see if there was any progress and the lady gave me a Fed Ex tracking number and told me that a brand new scope was sent out last Friday, the 14th of Sept. That was the same day I called to check up on things! Needless to say my scope is set for delivery either today or tomorrow and I will have plenty of time to get comfortable with it before elk season next month. I cannot say enough about Alpen's No Faulty No Problem Warranty. Sure there is better glass out there, but for Alpen's reasonable prices, wide range product line, customer service and a warranty that covers repair or replacement of any of their items no matter what the cause FOR LIFE is tough if not nearly impossible to beat. jeff

Well I won't PM you, because I am not gonna give you any specific places to start. I know that unit fairly well as I guided for an outfitter up there for a couple of years. I would say that if you saw some does, that there are bucks somewhere in the general area. Coues tend to be in "pockets" so if you find a population of them they may reside in a particular drainage, or on a particular mountain, but over the next ridge there may be zero Coues sign. This differs from Mule Deer where they tend to be more spread out and roam different areas. The key to Coues is patience. I am assuming here that you drew a rifle hunt. What is needed is a comfortable seat, on a high point overlooking ALOT of country and decent binoculars or spotting scope. During the rifle hunt Coues tend to move at daylight and dusk hours, as pretty much any deer or elk would. The key is to be able to glass alot of country, hopefully finding a deer and either watching where he beds and plan a stalk or be able to get within shooting distance before he beds. If it is later in the day then you start glassing either North or East facing slopes and pick apart every tree and bush looking for bedded bucks. This can be very challenging and most people do not have the patience or the equipment to do this. I would be practicing at whatever you consider is your "max" shooting distance as it is possible to have easily 300+ yards shots. With this strategy going into looking for Coues I almost gaurantee you will also pick out more Mule Deer as well. Usually Mule Deer stick out like a sore thumb when you are glassing for Coues. So, that being said, 22 holds a good population of both Coues and Mulies so with some good glassing techniques and patience I would be willing to bet that with time and practice you can start to find more and more deer in that steep, thick unit.

Very cool Derek! Congrats to your brother! You guys sure are making the best of your tags for 2012!! jeff

Another option is to put some in the mail to someone in the Phoenix area who would meet up with you somewhere to get it back. Might be an option if all else fails. jeff

Good Job Derek! Your brother is lucky to have a brother like you! Good luck on your little brother's Ibex hunt! jeff

PM Sent

Info on this unit is tough to find, as you have found out. Mostly because it is a difficult unit. Very large unit and the coues are in pockets, not scattered through out. Difficult for rifle because there are not many places where you can glass for long distances from 1 place. Sorry I don't have any better info for you other than to try to find places to glass from. jeff

Took my daughter out this morning for NM's Youth turkey weekend. Didn't see or hear any birds, but found this awesome set of NM Coues sheds!! We were pumped, to say the least. Always nice to find something like this in an area little known, maybe not known, for having Coues deer in it!! Jeff

So the 1st picture is how we found the first one laying as we walked up on it. My daughter holding the 1st find How the othe side lay, about 10 feet away

The 2nd turkey tag is free, was last year as well

If our last one would have been a girl she would have been Merriam Elizabeth. Congrats on a girl!! Jeff

No, didn't even hear one that morning. Did call a coyote in to about 15 yards though.

Happy birthday!

Glad to hear this! I was looking at some of their rifle scopes today and the salesman was saying that they now have a new warranty policy that they will repair/replace any of their optics with a 'no fault, no questions asked warrany' for free. Do you happen to own a rifle scope? If not, what is your opinion of their glass, clarity, etc. Thanks jeff

This concept is more used on 'traditional' muzzleloaders such as flintlocks or sidehammers. May not necessarily be true for 'new' inline muzzleloaders that are sealed better. As stated above guns with removable breaches may be able to be unloaded at night and re loaded where with older guns using a ball puller is about you only option to 'unload'. Sometimes just shooting it each night is easier.

Anyone have any experience with their barrels? I am buying one for my Thompson Center ProHunter in 7mm-08. It is the heavy sporter model in 24". It is used but the guy said he has only put 2 boxes through it and was getting 1/2" groups at 100 yds. I am excited to try this caliber. Hoping to make it my all around gun for my daughter and I for local big game. Also gonna send my ProHunter frame off to get the trigger worked over by a highly recommended gun smith out of Oregon. Jeff