AZcoues_addict

Now that's more like it! Great find there, thanks for posting!

No more stealing trailcams!!! Ok, jk, but really, I believe you are incorrect on this as well. As far as the law goes and I understand it at least, you cannot take anything found worth more than $100 on public land or it is considered stealing. It has to be turned over to police and left for a grace period and the original owner to claim. If never claimed, then the finder can retrieve the item. Also, I've never heard of a silent compound bow? Where can I buy one, because I paid way too much for the last top of the line bow I bought! To the original post, if I'd hunted an area for that long I would continue to hunt it, but I'd never sit the salt unless given permission by the originator. I might start my own lick somewhere else or even a 1/4 mile away or so, or find a new spot, but I personally wouldn't hunt their lick. I agree with some others, water is a different story and first come first serve.

Haha, that was Jim aka Coosefan! Well, that was my crappy cam, since I was worried about someone stealing it off that tank! I don't use it often, but guess I should change it to one of my better ones!

Beautiful mount! Who did the taxi work? I think I remember reading the story you posted when you took him? He's an impressive buck with great character, congrats and thanks for sharing!

He looks like he'll be very good buck! I think you're seeing the right ear in the first picture. Thanks for sharing and keep posting, we want to see what he turns into!

Great story, that's intense! Thanks for sharing.

I don't think that is the law. This is my understanding from what I was told, but I'm not 100% sure. The police told me that the law states that anything valued at over $100 dollars and found must be reported and turned over. Then a lost and found period awaits a claimer, and if it is not claimed I believe you will then be returned what you found. It cannot be kept or it is stealing.

I'll most likely be there, competitive. I just got a new string and have been trying to tune it, its close so we'll see how it goes.

Wow, now that's beyond cool Mike! If you ever need someone to volunteer a Sat. or Sunday to assist with the work, I'd be more than glad to ride along and help out in any way I can. We need more people like you in the world these days, and less worrying about drawing their opportunity tag.

I was just making a sarcastic poke with the "below average antler growth", because I don't have a tag and I'm jealous as well as tired of hearing it as well. This post was about not wanting to hear it, remember? If I had an elk tag, I definitely wouldn't be complaining and I too would be totally excited just as everyone who draws ANY elk tag in AZ should be. Now, Lance or anyone else surely might find a 400 inch bull, I'm sure one is running around and I've already seen a few that will probably end up near 360-370. That is a trophy bull, and I'm just saying IMO you probably shouldn't pass on anything near 350 unless you know where a bigger one is at or already have one on the wall. But, if you're kidding yourself and thinking the growth is not below average then I have some investments for you! I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic and hoping when I finally do draw an elk tag that Noah and the Ark come through Arizona! Finally, do you think the drought hurt the prong size and growth this year for my antelope tag! Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

I'd say he's over 90. Good buck, a shooter for archery for sure!

My father has had a permit for a few years now. He has a wrist that he broke badly when he was younger and it never healed correctly, and in fact bones joined that are not supposed to be joined, it is unfixable. His doctor told him he'd have to give up archery. He tried a special formed hard brace and other things despite doctor's orders, but it was difficult and its not like he was competing in the special Olympics, he just wanted to go archery hunting. He couldn't practice or shoot consistent which all archers need to do, and it will bother him and he'll have to stop shooting for a couple weeks until things subside. His wrist would swell, he couldn't even use it, and it constantly bothered him. Before with no practice and his wrist, he could not shoot over 30 yards, wide groups, and I had to sight it in, get it tuned, and set it up for him. The crossbow allowed him to hunt and practice and enjoy the things he loved. He bought a Horton compound crossbow, you can't hardly draw it by hand but it has a separate crank-pulley that is very simple and draws it into position. It is heavy, it shoots very fast and somewhat consistent, but not as much as you'd think. However, with practice and experimenting with different bolt combinations, you should be good up to 70-80 yards. He shot carbon bolts which seemed to give him the best performance. The crank is slow and a bit loud to use, so he only plans on getting one shot, but that's all that he needs and all most archers get anyway. http://www.crossbow.com/ He loves hunting, but really just wants to shoot a bow like the rest of us to take game. I somewhat convinced him to buy a Hoyt Vectrix and I'm helping him get it all set up, and I think with his wrist brace and sporadic attempts he just might try the new bow out this year. He is shooting much better at 30 yards, and I'm proud of him for trying since that is really the way he wants to hunt. However, if things don't work out, I just might have a new bow next year Just for the record, I am totally opposed to general crossbow hunting during the archery season! This is in response to the crossbow debate currently going on. However, I feel special exceptions are valid with special G&F approval and permits, espcially for physically disabled or challenged individuals, and this is my only exception. Some of the recent heated crossbow debate info is below in the link http://fieldandstream.blogs.com/gunnut/200...reat_cross.html

11 BP for me, but that's OK because I didn't want to draw a tag this year with the below average antler growth anyway It is getting old, but congrats to all who drew. I'll probably be assisting on an early rifle bull tag in unit 9, so I'm sure I'll have pics and all the excitement but without getting bloody!

Great pic, thanks for sharing! If I ever get another cat, I hope its that big.

I used the word "trophy hunters" in my previous post and I admit it was the wrong term to use, but it has been perceived and stated this way for my whole life so that is what i am used to hearing. The true term should be something like "high demand" hunt or "high quality" as Amanda states. Now we can argue the "high quality" terminology, but over the years the data shows that hunters in these high demand hunts have increased success rates and therefore are higher quality in my mind, yet maybe not in term of the size of the animal. I'm using the term quality hunt, independent of the age of the animal. I think the high demand hunts are exactly what is stated by Desertbull and Amanda, more desireable conditions. Not only for the hunters, but for the animals which are moving around more during daylight hours. They may not even be rutting, but they are not solitare nor bedded all day due to the hot temperatures of October either. For the simple reason that the bucks are moving more during daylight, the opportunity is better to see more animals, and the more you see the better your chances are of harvesting one - "trophy hunt". After all, the trophy is in the eye of the beholder right? I'd be for shortening the Dec. hunt if needed be, but the only thing the department wants to due is sell more tags, and the only way to have more tags is to reduce your success rate! They can call it whatever they want and disguise it as they wish, but reducing success rates of certain hunts is the goal. If shortening the season doesn't reduce success rates, then I feel the only thing that will happen will be the shortening of the season first, and the reduction of tags in Dec a few years later down the road. This is the same fear I have of trying to balance supply and demand of archery hunts vs. rifle hunts, or balancing late and early season hunts. Who's to say that the departement will not change their objectives later down the road? They want to reduce late season hunts to 5%, but in 10 years they could be reducing it futher Then they will drop the archery hunts from 20% harvest to 10% to sell even more rifle tags. The #'s look like there are approximately the same # of applicants each year with variance of +/- 10%, and a steadily decreasing # of tags over 30 years to about half of the original # of tags. Also the harvest of deer has increased until 1986, and then steadily decreased until 2004. Some of the lowest harvest ratios ever recorded in AZ, and they want to put more people in the field with even less of a chance at harvesting a buck? Also they want to decrease buck to doe ratio? Stop running that computer model to give all the answers, and start building a couple more water catchments! Maybe larger ones, repairing ones that are cracked or insufficient, or build tanks that maybe need to be filled every 3 months during the dry months? I know this won't help the forage, but at least the deer won't have to travel to the only water source within 5 miles every 3 days in some areas? I've already emailed Ben the unit manager of 37B who has water project posting, and I don't even hunt in that unit!

Its funny that I was just discussing the oppportunity over quality, and why the 2006 survey was every created. The draw data is available and every applicants choices are on record, why not use that as complete data for what hunters want?... Here is most of what I had on AZOD with a few modifications... What hit me most at last nights meeting was in direct conflict with one of Dave's thoughts..."5. Do not accept recommendations that do not promote the quality of wildlife in Arizona". However, they want to reduce the buck to doe ratio in most of the state in this time of drought, are you kidding me! Also, they recommend reducing the bull to cow ratio as well! Why alter one of the best hunts in the world, elk hunting in AZ? They are trying to appease the complainers that do not want to sacrifice the price for what is best for the wildlife??? They just want to sell more tags and give more opportunity but the sacrifice is reduced success and that is obviously the only way! Why couldn't they just ask,"would you rather have a 50% success rate hunt on nice bucks and draw every 4 years, or a 10% success rate hunt on spikes and fork horns and draw ever year"? The G&F makes it sound more political and like it will help get kids involved (which I am for), but I feel that is the smoke screen. Manage the heard best you see fit regardless of what others want, and the sales will be there, don't become a business supply and demand manager of wildlife, be the conservationist. The thing I find the most obvious, is that what the hunters wanted before the 2006 survey could've been interpreted by application data every year! Why even have the survey? IMO just to pave the road toward selling more tags? The G&F has the application data, and could've made the conclusion based on applications, that many hunters are trophy hunters based on their 1st choice, right? Well the first choice is the only data they need to determine if you're an archer or rifle hunter and adjust the tag % to reduce archery opportunity according to what I heard at last night's meeting! Humm?

Good luck to all! I'd hoped to draw my first NM tag in 3 yrs, but not quite, I'm jealous of you lucky ones! Unsuccessful, Unsuccessful, Unsuccessful, Unsuccessful! Maybe next year.

HOLY CRUD! Awesome buck of a lifetime for sure! Thanks for sharing!

The december coues tags they proposed will be no more than 5%, with the exception of the alternative managment units. I suggest you write the G&F if anyone does not support this!!! As for archery: The archery deer permits would be sampled for a 4-5 year term average, and not on a yearly basis. Therefore, archery permits would be on a draw only basis for specific units with an average harvest over 20% for this term, not yearly. My issue with this proposal is that they stated only around 33% of archery and 52% of rifle hunters return surveys, and this is the data and "model" they use for harvest data, which is not accurate IMO but they state it is statistically representative? Proposals to change hunting structure, with nowhere near complete data, can EASILY have a statistical variance to create a draw unit vs. a non-draw unit, especially when most of these units are only in the 20-30% harvest. Also, don't you think if they propose to create such a fine line in the sand, then they should also propose a better way of collecting more accurate data? I saw many other units in addtion to all north of the grand canyon that would fall into this category as they proposed. If I remember correctly, I saw units 1, 3A/3C, 7, 12's, 13's, 22, 23, 17A?, 35A, 42? I could be wrong, and there were definitely more units I have left out! I think the most agreeable compromise or solution was an archery harvest quota per these units? I'm for this solution if a change is a must. Bottom line is they want to control the archery harvest in these units. My alternate suggestion if a draw is inevitable (my last choice) is an separate archery draw, limiting these tags in these units the same way they propose, but therefore not restricting rifle draw and bonus points? I think the main issue is that their proposal will limit opportunity and contrasts what they state their goal is, and I think the current system provides an abundant opportunity by providing us with the option to hold two tags? In my proposal, the archery bonus point would be totally separate from rifle, and this archery tag would still apply statewide in other hunt units that are not restricted by harvest. You could then possess two separate tags the same way currently, you won't have to be restricted to choose between archery or rifle and waste your bonus points on archery in these units, and they would have their harvest management tool? It seems like a compromise, but I haven't got much feedback yet?

Really good looking mounts there to be proud of! The differences in look are probably due to the taxidermist in the nose, eyes, and special attention areas. However, I'd bet most of the hide and facial coloring is natural and untouched, so it is most likely natural differences there or due to the time of year when they were taken? Thanks for sharing your trophies!

Awesome buck, tons of character, I'm jealous! Thanks for sharing, and tell your aunt I'll start another degree for a buck like that!

I don't seem to draw december coues hunts very often, and I've taken quite a few coues so I was holding out for the big guy I knew was in the area. The buck I was after I had estimated at 113 and I estimated this buck at 94 due to short g1 and g2's. The larger buck was shot and just shy of 110 according to another hunter, while this buck turned out slightly larger than I thought and closer to 100. Oh well, the following year in Oct I shot a 104 that is at the taxi now, and I was glad my pops got this buck. I seem to be repaying him for all his assisting years while I was younger, but that's OK better him than anyone else in my mind, just like last years archery antelope where I ate tag soup as well and pops shot a 81 incher. You can't shoot what you really want if you always tag out too soon, right? I don't mind trying to get them the next year in Oct if I have to, that's what I did the following year after this December hunt, I shot another coues buck I'd seen the previous Dec that I knew would go over 100 if I let him live another year. Call me crazy but when you set your mind to a certain caliber, nothing else will do and that's how I choose to use my tag, even if it means going home empty handed. That's where scouting kicks in, and Karma repaid me the following year I guess?

I passed up this buck twice earlier in the Dec. hunt, and dad ended up jumping him in thick cover from his bed and shooting him on the 31st at 2:00 pm. He made a great mount, beautiful buck, very symmetrical and with only about 1 inch in deductions from my measurement, just shy of 100. I hope my mount turns out as nice as this

Sounds like he got sued for threatening the lives of the hunters and their children. I'd be suing his butt too if it was me and my family. It also sounds like he may have tried his forceful tactics on the wrong group of people this time? Bottom line is they were granted the money in a court and by a jury of their peers, I don't know all the facts the jury does, but I'm assuming the rancher got what he deserved and it sounds like he had it coming for a while. I trust the court decision. I'm not saying that maybe he hasn't done good by stopping border-crossers, but there is a line and he was convicted of crossing it in this case.

Awesome, thanks for posting the link!