Coues79

I was recently at a workshop hosted by the G&F and while the overall basis behind the workshop was to explain the effects on wildlife after wildfire, the wolf reintroduction did come up. In the meantime of the workshop, there was a bunch of college students that were there involved in what I believe was an elk survey. Over this time, they discussed the wolf program to these students; here is why it irks me. First, you have to understand that the game and fish is funded through tag, license and fishing sales; maybe there's more but that's what they were discussing in detail at this workshop. So, you have these g&f folks talking about how much decline we have seen in this state as far as hunting and fishing recruitment and retention goes. Something like back in the 60's or 70's there was 51% of the population in AZ that hunted or fished, now we only have 21% that do. I haven't ran the numbers to see what the ratio is comparitive to the population increase from the then until now, but they were pretty much shouting how we need to get more recruitment in; wonder what that reason is for? More money? Well, it doesn't too much make sense in that what they are trying to do with the reintroduction of this dang wolf is bringing in a predator species into areas that have been and are impacted by the drought that we are in. Heck, there was even discussion as to how there is opinion from well known scientists to suggest that this drought is equivalent to the one in the 1200's that drove out the Anasazis.... So, taking this idea into perspective, we have g&f expressing their knowledge of how animal numbers are down because of the drought (look at pretty much any hunting unit report and this is the overall reason for the decline in game numbers) yet, we have game and fish pushing to reintroduce an extremely efficient predator into these areas that have been severely impacted by the drought. The thing that doesn't make sense is this..... why in the heck are we reintroducing a species back into the state, albeit a predator, when animal numbers are down in general? Remember, the game and fish is funded by tag and license sales. What is going to happen if or when this species comes back full scale and begins to severly impact the population of animals? What is going to happen to those tag and license sales? Are they going to go up or down? Is the revenue going to increase or decrease? Are these game and fish folks that keep pushing for this animal to be reintroduced gonna have a job or not? Where are these folks that are teaching these college kids about how "wonderful" this species is gonna be, when these kids coming out of college push for more legislation and protection of these animals? You see, I just don't get the game and fish thinking when they are so "for" this idea, yet its the bullet that's gonna shoot them in the foot when the tag numbers decrease, license sales decrease and hunter retention/recruitment is basically down into the single digits. Doesn't make one dang bit of sense to me. I seriously wonder if these folks in the g&f realize what they're doing to their own with this..... stupid as heck. I have seen the impacts of lower animal numbers, hunter retention and recruitment first hand. I have a brother who has basically given up hunting because of the disgust he has had seeing his kids not be able to draw tags in areas that we used to hunt year in and year out. It takes a toll on a guy when his kids don't understand why they can't hunt like their dad did or in places that their dad grew up hunting. It sucks. Lookin' down the road a few years, I know I am looking forward to watching all of my kids take their first deer when they turn 10, just like my brothers and parents did with me. I hope like heck that these loonies in the game and fish would see what they're doing to the great hunting that this state has. These dang wildlife have enough to worry about in surviving. There's enough predation already as well as enough concern about the severity and long lasting drought that we are in. WHY BRING THIS BACK? WHY? If we're gonna pick and choose what we get to bring back, heck, let's bring the dang Grizzly back too. Why stop at wolves? Bring em' all back! Yeah, that's the mindset that some of these folks in the game and fish have. Unreal, when they are going to lose jobs because of the drop in tag and license sales when these animals get going full bore. On another note, Paxon was there speaking as well. I know a lot of folks dislike this guy but I can tell you that he pretty much told his view on how he feels about this whole deal. Expressed his desires to get rid of the environmental BS, go in and get these woods logged and thinned, put a sincere effort into hunter recruitment and retention, allow ranchers the ability to help with efforts to help make our forests healthy again and seemed to be one of the only people that really shared values that I have across the board. Not all of the game and fish folks feel this way. Unfortunately, what I feel is that the ones that do are the ones that really matter when it comes to making decisions. All of this wolf stuff is pure BS and won't do any good for any of the folks that frequent our land and pay the bills for the game and fish. It sucks cause I really hope I get to share the woods and my experiences of hunting with my children when the time comes. Shoot and shovel stuff needs to quit being discussed out loud... we're hunters and should abide by the laws that are in place. If you're gonna do it then sobeit. Don't give any more ammunition for the environmentalists to hold over our heads. If you think that you'll get to hunt wolves when all the other numbers of animals are down, think again. They'll be too much protection of them. They wouldn't allocate enough tags to even make a dent in their population anyways. Just all around a real crappy deal that has me losing sleep at night over this garbage.

where are you located.... interested.

Good work for your ol man to tough it out! sounds like he is made of nails; very cool to see his success. I hope to get my old man on an early muzzy hunt before he gets too old to move around in the woods. congratulations!

Lots of good information here. something to think about is the size of these deer as well.... they're small. consider the distance you're glassing and imagine what they're gonna look like in your glasses when you see them. if you're using lower magnification glasses and glassing long distances, the deer are gonna be small and more difficult to glass. a lot of times in late nov/dec, I can have a difficult time finding deer at that golden hour in the AM. seem to hold up for an hour or two then start moving and feeding real well. just overall lots of variables. everything on here is something to consider. pressure, wind, temperature, available feed, water sources.... lots of things. the best thing for you is gonna be time on the ground and time behind the glasses. glassin up coues deer can be a blast but at the same time a pain in the neck; especially when you know they're there. have fun. good luck.

That is an absolute gorgeous bull... love the straight 6. congrats.

ha! nice one.

Beautiful bulls and good story. congratulations.

dang good price on those.

Spotty. I've heard of places where they're going nuts and places where it goes well for the morning up til about 830-9. saw a bull just come out around the 350-360 range over the weekend. dang nice bull IMO.... id love to have it on my wall. Good luck.

Was up there this past weekend and it is indeed spotty and not goin real good in spots. guess some are hot though.... they shut up real quick after daylight. Did see quite a few elk in the burns.... one herd with around 20 cows and not a bull with them. seemed to be lots of folks up there; hard to get away. Brother just shot one this AM; a satelite bull. he told me he saw the herd bull chasing cows around but wouldn't he wouldnt make a peep. they get perty smart when all the folks start showing up on the weekends. He had seen Amanda and Scott at some point during the hunt but I think it was pretty early on. should be a kick butt hunt for the muzzy/general hunt up in those neck of the woods.

Sorry. this has been sold. Thx for the inquiry

Here are a few things I am needing to sell. Call or PM. 480-686-0618 Trail Cameras 2-Stealth cam (sold to a good guy) 3-Moultrie Game Spy D40- Sold. (Thx Buddy) 1-WildviewExtreme2- $40. Camp Chef Expedition 3-Burner Stove-(SOLD) Cot (SOLD) Arrow Rest RipCord Rest. Came off my bow when I purchased it. I never used it but it has been used. $25 OBO.

Heck of a bull man. big congrats!

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help. I'll give you a hollar tomorrow Chompy.

I'm looking to buy a rear bench seat and mount for the box of an 09 Polaris Ranger. If you have one or know a good place to order one I'd appreciate the information. Thanks!

I haven't owned a pair of kiababs but I have glassed with them. If you plan to do a lot of free standing glassing then you'd want the lightest of the two.... however, you may not want to sacrifice quality. there's a big price difference between the two because the kiababs are better glass. side by side comparison in low light conditions will tell you what you want; make sure to do this on a tripod where you can switch back and forth very quickly. I have done side by side comp on kiabab and swaros during the daylight hours. IMO and for my eyes the kiababs were not very close in comparison to swaros. edge to edge clarity on the kiababs lacked. center image was OK. However, I did like the ergonomics of the kiababs.... felt very good in the hands and the focus was easy to use. kiababs are good glass for the money. get the best that you can get at the time of your purchase. I love good optics and I know its exciting to be in the process of a purchase. have fun and good luck.

I don't know 34b at all or i'd help you out... hopefully someone can pm you and give you some information. I appreciate you serving our country in the military... thank you for what you do.

Does anyone know which units they are considering implementing the late mule deer hunts for? Those would be some primo hunts to draw!

I've got the exact same pack and love it. eberlestock makes another pack that is basically the same design as the tred barta.... don't know offhand what its called. also have the j-104 and love it. imo, eberlestock makes some great packs. I've had badlands packs before (2200) and found the waistbelt to be very squeaky against my clothes; it was very comfortable, but very noisy. noisy doesn't go too well with coues huntin so I opted to change. bull-pac makes a great frame pack. if one is hauling heavy heavy gear, you couldn't go wrong with one of them either. nice selection in your pack. you'll like it.

Like with quail, I personally prefer them to be battered and fried. I like to take the birds, dip them in an egg mixture, flour and drop into hot oil. getting the oil to the correct temperature is key. if its not hot enough, your batter is gonna end up too greasy. too hot and it'll burn the flour before you get the middle part of the bird cooked. with dove being so small, it doesn't take too long to cook them though..... season the flour with whatever seasoning you prefer. I've learnt myself that you can be pretty liberal with the seasoning if you have a bunch of flour that you're using for your concoxion. I personally prefer crushed sea salt, garlic powder and FRESH ground pepper (lots of it). if you're not used to fryin it like this, it'll take some trial and errors to get it right. just remember that the oil temp is big when your fryin em. have fun. good eatin to ya.

Sold

2007 Honda Rancher 420 Electronic Shift 4x4. Hasn't been used much since we've bought it new in 07' and especially since getting a Ranger in 09'. Garage kept, 660 miles. 145 hrs. Factory tires have over 50% tread left. Gun Scabbard, Bags on the rear rack. Runs excellent. Has a few scratches on the plastic but otherwise in good shape. Brand new battery put on yesterday. Pictures aren't the best. Almost everything I've seen for comparable has been over $4000 for a 4x4 on ATV Trader etc. It's a great running quad, just don't use it much and could use the money. $3500 obo. Thank you.

bump. reduced price. to $3500 obo. put a new battery in too.

If you go the Dry Ice route, depending on how much you have, be careful with it if you plan to keep it inside overnight. Open up some windows or vents. It can be a deadly gas once sublimation occurs from its frozen state... also try to keep it in as big of blocks as you can... it'll last longer.

+1. these are excellent units.