Outdoor Writer

Right. But he already paid for both tags so the auction fee for the 2nd one is an additional cost if it had been legally taken. I've never been to the AGFD sale, but I believe it's auction style, and not per lb. So he might have one or more bidders to go up against.

Consider the price of buying them at auction as a "fine" for the oops. 😉

Yeah, I should have said the latest post was from both hunts. I'm going to add an "edit" to it.

Beautiful ram. Well done.👍

Done good, Augie. That'll be might fine eating. 👍

Well done young man. 👍

These are from the late hunt. EDIT: My bad. These are actually from both the early and late hunts.

Take/Hunt From A Vehicle (A.R.S. 17-301 B, R12-4-319) Pages 108 and 130 "No person may take wildlife from a motor vehicle, watercraft or aircraft, except as permitted by Commission Order, and under the provisions of the Challenged Hunter Access Mobility Permit Commission Rule (R12-4217). “Take,” as defined by law, includes pursuing, shooting, hunting and killing wildlife. You are unlawfully using a vehicle to take wildlife if you intentionally drive around until you see the animal you wish to harvest and then make an attempt to take. “Road hunting” is illegal; so is pursuing wildlife with a vehicle, chasing or heading off moving wildlife with a vehicle, and driving off-road to get closer to wildlife. You do not have to shoot from the vehicle to be in violation."

Excellent! Good job.👍

I'm reading "The Bitterroots" right now. Not a Picket one but another decent read by Box.

That's what it's all about. Nice job by all. 👍

FISHING REPORT Nov. 29, 2019 Arizona Game and Fish Department TIP OF THE WEEK It's winter trout time. With some calm and stable weather, it should be crappie time, too. Fishing for trout in Community waters can be some of the best fishing in the state this time of the year. See the schedule -- "core" waters are scheduled to be stocked again next week. With this week's storm, expect more skim ice -- and unsafe ice -- to continue forming on high elevation lakes (8,000-plus feet). Consider all ice at this time to be unsafe and not yet ready for ice fishing. Don't forget: Silver Creek is a spring creek that comes out of the ground at a constant temperature and does not freeze during the winter. Catch-and-release fishing for big rainbow trout with artificial lure and flies, with single-point barbless hooks, will continue through the winter. Late fall/early winter fishing is just starting in desert regions. More and more, expect bass to be scattered in many desert lakes, moving into warmer and deeper water. Wintertime bass fishing can mean fishing is hot one day, slow the next. Cover a lot of water and try numerous presentations. On calm nights, night fishing for stripers can be productive at places like Pleasant and Havasu. Don't forget to check out our new Fish & Boat AZ map to plan your next hook-and-line adventure. Avondale’s Festival Fields Park celebrates grand re-opening Saturday The public is invited to the grand re-opening celebration of Avondale’s Festival Fields Park on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 101 E. Lower Buckeye Rd in Avondale. The lake is our newest Community Fishing Program water. This free event is being held in partnership with Haydon Construction and the City of Avondale to unveil the massive renovation and 30-acre expansion of the existing park. New features include a fishing lake that has been stocked with rainbow trout, splash park, skate park, pump track, play courts, ball fields, multi-use fields, restrooms, picnic shelters, dog park, and custom designed play structures. Read more. Catch of the Week Send your fishing reports and photos to BFishing@azgfd.gov -- one will be selected for Catch of the Week Chaparral Lake (Scottsdale) Jared S. caught and released this nice largemouth bass at Chaparral on a top-water lure at sunset. What's been stocked ("Catchable" sizes only; water temp in parenthesis if available) Rainbow trout: Mesa Riverview (Monday), "core" Community waters (last week). Upcoming Family Fishing Event Saturday, Dec. 7 -- Youth Fishing Festival, 8 a.m.-noon, Discovery Ponds (Game and Fish booth will be located between the two ponds), 2214 E. Pecos Rd. Gilbert This family event is co-sponsored by the Town of Gilbert and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. AZGFD Sport Fishing Education Program staff and volunteer instructors will be on hand to provide loaner rods for the first 100 participants who don’t have their own rod, as well as bait, fishing information and instruction. Come on out and bring the whole family. The event is open to all ages. For more information please contact the Sport Fishing Education Program at (623) 236-7240. Attention future participants of the Youth Fishing Festival 2019: Fishing licenses will be required to attend/participate in this year’s event and will be checked throughout the morning. Thank you, anglers! Arizona fishing opportunities wouldn’t be possible without the Sport Fish Restoration Program. It was created through the Dingell-Johnson Act of 1950 (Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act) and the Wallop-Breaux amendments of 1984. Through a federal excise tax paid by manufacturers on fishing gear and motorboat fuels, it provides grant funds for fishery conservation, boating access, and aquatic education. Save time, buy online Grab a license online (that helps conserve all species of wildlife, not to mention provides funding that goes back into fishing opportunities) and go "Fish AZ". SEE MORE REPORTS

It's likely to get a lot worst. A huge front went through PHX early this morning, so it's likely north by now.

Edge nailed it, Bob. It's an H&R Topper.

🤦‍♂️But of course, H&R! Thanks you.

Nice thoughts, Jimmer. 👍

Is that a Savage or Mossberg?

GAME AND FISH NEWS Nov. 27, 2019 Arizona Game and Fish Department AZGFD investigating poaching of black bear north of Woods Canyon Lake Reward offered for information leading to an arrest PINETOP, Ariz. – The Arizona Game and Fish Department is investigating the poaching of a female black bear that was killed between Nov. 1 and Nov. 6 north of Woods Canyon Lake in Game Management Unit 4A. The bear was killed and dumped off of Forest Road 169, east of Forest Road 300. The poacher attempted to hide the animal and left the meat to waste. Physical evidence was recovered from the scene. “Someone may have information about this case,” said Arizona Game and Fish Department Wildlife Manager Seth Sheer. “We need assistance from the public to find the individual(s) responsible. This is the action of a criminal — it’s theft of wildlife resources from the people of Arizona. No true sportsman would leave game in the field to rot.” At the time the poaching occurred, there were active hunts, many hunters were scouting for upcoming hunts, and other outdoor recreationists were in the area, meaning someone may have seen something or have valuable information about this crime. Anyone with information about this case can call AZGFD’s Operation Game Thief hotline at (800) 352-0700 or visit azgfd.com/ogt/ and refer to case #19-003917. Callers may remain anonymous upon request and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,500 in this case upon arrest.

Steak tartare on the hoof. 👍

Man, I bet they're gonna have a real slip-&-slid on Kaibab in next couple days. Hopefully no one gets caught in the backcountry.

As I said -- UNBELEIVABLE. I'm sad that you didn't get to close the deal after all the effort you put into it. 😡 About the only time(s) I have seen lots of good bulls were on my many trips to YNP to take photos. But I consider that more of zoo-like atmosphere. Yet even then, there were never that many together in one area. I would have to drive around the park to all the usual gathering places and most times would find one good harem master and several smaller satellite bulls. In my other reply I mentioned that I started elk hunting in the 1960s. Ironically, that first hunt occurred in Unit 1. Below is an excerpt from a more general article on AZ elk hunting that I wrote at least 30 years back. *********************** My grandfather and I both drew permits for Unit 1. I hadn't been in Arizona very long and knew nothing about the area. Fortunately, two friends invited us to tag along with them. Both Bill and Ed had hunted there two years earlier. On the second day, my grandfather shot a bull that had two-foot long spikes. After four days of hard hunting I put my tag on a small 5x5 bull. The most interesting thing about the whole hunt, though, was a humorous incident involving Bill. He decided it was time to clean up after traipsing through the woods for four days. So he climbed into his camper that afternoon, stripped to his birthday suit and gave himself a sponge bath. As a final touch, he shaved his gnarly beard and doused himself with deodorant and after-shave lotion. Ed watched him go through his ritual and couldn't resist needling him about his odorous elk lure. His comments included, "An elk will never come within a mile of you. You smell like a ladies' temperance meeting in church," and myriad other jibs and jabs. That evening about an hour before dark, Bill walked a few hundred yards from camp to an old logging trail, sat down with his back against a stump and shot a magnificent 6 x 6 only 15 minutes later. As if trained, the bull fell in the middle of the trail, where it was an easy task to load it and bring it to camp for skinning. Of course, Ed became very quiet for the rest of the night.

GAME AND FISH NEWS Nov. 25, 2019 Arizona Game and Fish Department State Employees Charitable Campaign raises money for charities Public can enter raffle for 2019 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS Premium through Dec. 1 PHOENIX — The State Employees Charitable Campaign (SECC) annually provides Arizona state employees with an opportunity to voluntarily contribute monetary donations that support more than 400 nonprofit organizations. Now there’s an opportunity for the public to participate as well. The campaign announced that proceeds from the raffle of a 2019 Polaris Ranger Crew© XP 1000 EPS Premium will equally benefit Wildlife for Tomorrow and the Arizona Elk Society, both independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit charities that work closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Together, the organizations provide additional support for habitat projects, water for wildlife, education, and mentored activities, where traditional resources aren’t adequate. In addition, Special Olympics Arizona, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been named as the third designated charity to benefit from the proceeds to help assist more than 22,000 Arizona athletes who participate in the program. RideNow Powersports has generously donated the 2019 Polaris Ranger Crew© XP 1000 EPS Premium (valued at more than $18,000) to be raffled as the grand prize. The Arizona Elk Society is hosting the fundraiser on behalf of the three charities and has donated six additional prizes to increase the number of winners. The deadline to enter the raffle is 11:59 p.m. (Arizona time) Dec. 1, with a live drawing scheduled for Dec. 7 (time and location to be determined). Cost is $20 per raffle ticket. For more information, and to participate, visit https://secc.az.gov/ and click on "2019 Prizes and Rules," then click on "Polaris Ranger Raffle hosted by AZ Elk Society."

Those are decent reading, but they are fiction -- about what they teach for history in the schools now. 😖 This set will not only entertain but also educate!

I didn't want to interrupt the flow of your thread while the hunt was in progress, but I will now. I was a bit incredulous as to the number of big bulls you had available. I started hunting elk in the 1960s and have done so many times since in AZ, CO, ID, WY, NM and Alberta. During all those hunts over all those years I have never seen as many shootable bulls in TOTAL as you had pictured in just one of the larger groups. That had to be a mind-blowing experience. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. 👍