COOSEFAN

I will say tho, when I was younger I lost a bull that I had already stuck once because I "tried" to get a second arrow in him. Had I stayed put and not tried stalking that bull he likely would have died where he stopped but I pushed him and he stopped bleeding. He didn't go very far from where I pushed him but I couldn't track him up. We later found where he ended up and all that was left was my initial arrow and the boned out carcass. Sucked but at least somebody found him fresh enough and took him. Not sure if they shot him again or not but my arrow was a fatal hit. So, what I learned after that and my advice would be to always keep shooting if you have the ability to do so without just scaring the animal off. Each scenario will be different just use good judgement.

There's no reason NOT to take a follow up shot if presented. I was able to get a second arrow in my bull last year, albeit it wasn't great placement but it provided a second blood source for tracking and maybe slowed him down more than the first hit would have. 2 holes are always better than 1! JIM>

Montec's suck! Just had to throw that out there

Looks like a blast! I used to bow fish a lot when I was younger and miss it, hopefully my daughter will drag me back into it when she's older! Great job! JIM>

Nothing yet for me either but last year it wasn't until the 2nd or 3rd day of hits when I finally got the pending charge, and it was for tag#1 of my second choice! Still hope! Good luck! JIM>

Thanks all and awesome pics! Mattys281 that is so cool she goes backpack hunting with you! Good job with the puppy, I bet your willingness to leave early to help that little guy left a lasting impression on her! Great advice NatureBob! We had a close call on a health issue with my dad a long time ago and ever since I make it a priority to spend time with him, especially on the hunts! I'm fortunate to have a bunch of great experiences with my Pops, not sure what would be my favorite as they are all special, but here's one that stands out. Pops and I shot our biggest Coues bucks back to back on the same hunt years ago in the snow, it was an amazing time! Both bucks actually scored within 1/2" of each other too! JIM>

Howdy all, I recently just got back from this amazing trip and here's a couple short videos of some of the action. The first is where I checked 2 items off my bucket list and the second is some of the bonus action. JIM>

I did see recently a friend's son has started a skull cleaning business and has beetles. He's located near 91st and Pinnacle Peak. His name is Garrett Kauffman and business name is Dead Head Skulls.

I like the beetles because the skull stays stronger then being cooked. If they get handled a lot they don't break as easy. I had western skulls do a mule deer a few years back and it didnt get properly degreased and its all nasty and oily and grey now. I had another guy with beetles that worked down toward cardinals stadium do a few and they turned out awesome, anyone know who I'm talking about. Forgot his name but I know he's on here. Might have been Bret with Game Trail Taxi. His shop is just a few miles from stadium. He no longer has beetles tho.

Beautiful buck Keven! Walking up and running your hands over the antlers for the first time on a great buck you just hammered and worked hard for is a special moment for sure! Congrats! JIM>

Awesome bucks! Congrats to all! JIM>

That groovy Lava lamp is a little distracting! Ha! Great mount, no surprise coming from Sven tho. Congrats! JIM>

Thanks guys, it wasn't very challenging but always fun flinging arrows at pigs! That last pig did move a bunch prior to impact, kinda expected on a long shot at an alert critter. Doesn't always happen but makes us wonder if it's best NOT to stop an animal for a shot. I see it with elk a lot, but moving shots aren't any better. I agree about stopping at 2, I coulda shot more and the ranch is overrun with pigs so it wouldn't have made a dent in the population, but I didn't fill my AZ pig tag so I figured I'd scratch that itch while I had the chance! Ha! Thanks, Jim-

Here's another short video from my recent trip. Here's a link to that initial thread: http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/55562-knockin-out-the-bucket-list/ So basically, while waiting in the stand hoping for a big buck to show up I kept having these pigs come in and stick around which I figured made the deer uneasy. I didn't want to disturb everything by shooting the pigs but after watching some does come in and then run off because of them I figured it didn't matter! I had the camera sitting in my lap so it's not the best video but it is cool watching the lighted nocks fly!

Thanks SD, I was happy, I actually edited out some of my excitement because it was a little over the top for that scenario! Ha! I've been fortunate over the years that even tho I was a full time guide I usually found a day or two to fill a tag for myself. I just didn't have much time to do full hunts or especially out of state hunts like that. JIM>

I've missed a couple over the years as well and each time I missed one it moved higher on my "Bucket List"! It was really tuff trying to video and shoot, I had to glance down to the camera in my lap while drawn and try to point the camera by twisting my body. I lost my first chance at my buck the first time he came in because I was trying to twist and get the camera on em instead of just shooting, that's why the second time he came in didn't focus on the camera. Wish I had tho!

I've got a long list! Ha! The obvious top 3 have been the hardest to get my whole life, just need some serious luck! Those top 3 are the archery rams, Desert and Rocky, and an archery Buffalo on the Kaibab. Some more of the different deer species would be cool too

Diamondback... Blacktails... Az Black...

This AZ Black was close to shedding, blended in really well, took me a second to realize what I was looking at...

Diamondback...

Here's my nemesis, the Sidewinder!

Back to topic, finally dug up some pics... Here's a Mojave that was quite photogenic...

Mr. Boa got a backpack ride and enjoyed a nice warm night at the ranch house that night. I took him back the next morning and let him go right where i found him. I had to take him back and scare the heck outta my Mexican friend who I knew hated snakes. I asked him to get something out of my pack, which was sitting on the dining room table...I'll never forget that scream and dance he did!!! :-)

I never noticed a noise in mine, awesome pack! I fit an entire boned out Kaibab muley in it, prolly one of the heaviest pack loads I've ever hauled and down some nasty country, it held up and carried it great. Love the top post of the frame as Phil mentioned earlier, to hang the rifle, or muzzleloader in my case, and keeps your hands free but easy access to the gun. JIM>