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My boy did great in the draw this year drawing elk, deer, javelina, crane. He was on fall break, and I had the time off so we loaded up and headed to camp on Wednesday. My buddies parents were there so we hung out, enjoyed the weather and waited for the rest of the crew. Everyone got there and we waited..... for the rain. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. We stayed in my buddies dad's tent and got absolutely soaked. I was legit worried about my son. We ran the wood stove all day and night and eventually got stuff decently dry. With some borrowed bags, we survived. Threw a tarp over the tent and all was good. The mud was absolutely insane. We got atleast 4 inches and the roads were insane. We didnt hunt much the first couple days, but did help a friend's son pack one out. Sunday morning heading out, the voltage regulator got caked in mud in my rzr and absolutely fried. No luck Sunday morning but had to tow it back to camp. Sunday evening we walked from camp (truck batteries are dead too). Walked out from camp, the wind was bad but was hoping we could see something on either side get the wind right and circle. We got to as far was we were going to go then circled with the wind in our faces to slowly hunt back to camp. Glassing as we went, I immediately found a cow. As I was carrying the rifle, I extended the bipod legs and jacked one in. Levi asked me "dad what are you doing?" "There are elk up here buddy, and atleast one is a cow!" We got behind cover and snuck up about 100 yards. Peaked around a bush and saw the bull, a really nice 6x6 let out a bugle. Put eyes on his cows and got back behind cover and closed another 40-50 yards. We peek out and there is a lone cow, broadside shining in the sun. I range her, 281 yards. Turn the dial on the scope and tell Levi to get on her. Hes on her. Im ready. "Let her have it buddy, squeeze that trigger." He lets one rip. THUMP. "Good shot buddy, you hit her. Reload hit her again." My boy racks another round like a seasoned vet and lets it rip. "You rushed that shot, reload hit her again." THUMP. Great shot buddy! I put two more in his gun. She steps out. "She's still standing, hit her again!" THUMP. She lays down right there. I can hear her labored breaths. "Reload buddy, stay on her but dont shoot unless she gets up!" Needless to say she doesn't. She made it about 10 yards. Three shots in the boiler room. The supressor absolutely made the difference as they had no idea where we were or what was going on. Money well spent. I can not put in to words how proud I am of this kid. Hes persevered hunts with no luck. Lots of rain. Being cold. Not seeing much (these were the first elk we had seen). And then, during crunch time he handled his rifle like an experienced hunter. Not to mention trying to control blood sugar through all this. Writing this up and reflecting brings tears to my eyes. Rifle info: Bergara B14 in 7/08 shooting 120 TTSX, all 3 rounds blew through.

Got to share youth deer camp with some good friends, with three youth tags in camp. My son had killed a spike last year and was looking for forked or bigger this year. One of the hunters was looking for his first deer and was first up to bat. Opening morning a buddy located a couple small bucks, including a shooter 2x2 with a small forky. They bedded them, and we watched them a few hours, waiting for them to get up and offer a shot. They finally did, and a first deer was harvested! The forky stuck around and even though he was bigger then a spike, my son decided he was too young and let him walk. Day two, another buddy showed us a new area. We worked a ridgeline glassing fingers on the ridges to the east and west. After a mile or so and the 3rd glassing spot, this guy was spotting working up a draw and feeding. We knew he was a shooter in an instant. He wasn’t in a hurry, but sure wasn’t gonna bed for us. He was moving towards a small saddle. He was at 650 yards, and we could maybe shave 200 yards getting to the next ridge but wouldn’t be able to get there before he was over the ridge and gone. It was a now or never type of thing, and the deer was broadside, slightly quartering to. I trust the gun and dope, and my son can shoot. We made sure he had a solid rest, dialed for distance and had him hold for a slight breeze. Kid was cool as a cucumber. At the sound of the shot, the deer hunched and I knew we had a hit, but he ran over the saddle so we couldn’t confirm. It was a long 30 minutes to hike down the one ridge and up the other but we found him about 20 yards from where he was the shot, piled against a tree just over the crest. Entrance was middle on onside shoulder, exit just behind off shoulder. His smile says it all and I couldn’t be prouder! The third hunter is still looking for something special, so send some big buck vibes his way this week!

My son drew his 2nd choice 12aw antlerless for his first deer hunt. Due to the weather we got a room in Kanab for the weekend. We had just enough time to drive through the unit Thursday before dark but didn't see any deer. We were joined by his cousin and my brother in law. Friday morning had mom spotting bucks all over the place up high. Between glassing and driving we saw 17 bucks and no does by lunch time. After lunch and some exploring we changed elevation and started seeing some does. We got busted on our first stalk but right before dark we spotted this doe moving through some oaks. Jase and I made a quick stalk and I stopped her with a bleat in a small opening. He made the most of it and shot her at 150yds off my tripod with his 300wsm. She jumped at the shot and ran out of sight. Everyone came down to help us track. Before we even found blood i glassed down the hill and saw an ear in the grass. I handed Jase the binos and told him to look where he last saw her. It took him a min but when he saw her he got the biggest smile I have ever seen. After pics we navigated the new etag app and got her gutted. While we were skinning her G&f stopped by and said he would tell the check station to wait for us. We got her checked in 15min late. It was nice of them to wait for us. Back home Saturday we got her cut up and Jase cooked us steaks for dinner. Great memories were made!

Got it done before the storm came in today. Found a rut fest mid morning and the action was hot. Daughter got it done with 1 shot from 25 SST at 360 yds. Hunter was there helping, it’s hard to believe he’s nearly grown. Seems like yesterday he was following me around these same hills begging for snacks. This one got me a feeling a little sentimental.

Our family made plans this year to go bear hunt on my buddies ranch South of Colorado Springs the first week of October. My boy and I were sitting on a couple antelope points so with a little research I found a unit close by we could draw and had decent harvest 50-60%. The kicker was the very limited public access. I talked to the G&F officer and he said the unit does not produce many bucks over 70” and on public we better shoot the first bucks we see over their ears. I decided to go for it. My boy is a Sophomore in high school and I want to experience as much as I can in the field with him before he grows up. Just hunt….reasonable expectations….work hard to capitalize on the opportunity. Oh, we also could only hunt opening day 😬. Fortunately, we were there a couple days before opener so I spent two days putting miles on the tires and boots looking at every piece of available ground, walking to every high nob I could to get every angle I could to not miss anything….this is where it got crazy. I could not believe my eyes as I found not one but three bucks over 75” one of which would go easily over 80”. Was I dreaming?! Nope I filmed all them….watched them over two hours each of the two days before season. I was so anxious the night before opener I could barely sleep. Opening day arrived and we put together a team of 6 of us to try and locate our top two bucks. As it broke light the hunters started rolling in, and they kept coming. Where are the bucks? I could not find them. Guys were now pursuing does, shots fired!!! Were they dead? Wait, we found buck number two…my buddies are watching him from 1300 yards away. I am still 3 miles away desperately glassing and moving trying to find buck 1. I am passing a couple small bucks as I can’t get him out of my mind….i edge around a large bowl to avoid being skylined and catch movement 800 yards away. I throw up the glass…..it’s HIM! I call my buddy who was about to take my boy after buck 2 and get them headed to me. They arrive 10 minutes later and I tell them how to approach. I am watching them belly crawl cactus to cactus. I range them..906…I range the herd 740. They still can’t see them bedded. Another 10 yards on their bellies…they see them. My buddy sets up the Bogg to get him above the 18” grass and he locks the gun in. A doe sees them and stands….he stands!! BOOM! The buck runs 40 yards and stops…I see blood on his side…BOOM!! He’s down!! I can’t believe it! I literally run for almost 750 yards and tackle my son! We are in tears! We stand over him in disbelief! Bucks this big are not supposed to be here said the expert! Hunters were everywhere, yet we out worked them! We take dozens of pictures! My buddy texts us….buck number 2 is still there! Time to go. We quickly gut him and carry him a couple hundred yards to an access road we can drive to. We load him and off to buck number 2. My buddy and I head in. Topography and brush allow us to cut the first 700 yards quickly, then it is 400 yards on our knees. We are almost out of cover…wind is howling 15-20 so we agree that 400 yards is the max I will shoot. We get to 285 and set up the Bogg to clear the brush. I lock my gun in and ease up to shoot. A doe sees us and starts moving. He follows her and they are running. My buddy ranges….370. I dial and tell him I’m taking the running shot. I swing with the buck and when I’m about 4’ in front I squeeze it off and he cartwheels!! Buck 2 is dead. I am in disbelief! We came out for an opportunity hunt in a subpar unit and kill two giant bucks. We get pictures, gut him and haul him to the road. We butcher back at the ranch and hit the road for home early this morning. I still have not taped them. I am quite certain my buck is between 77-80 and Max’s buck is low 80’s. His buck is over 15”, heaviest mass I have ever seen and cutters are 10” up beams. Truly unbelievable!!! I don’t think we could ever top this experience again…but we sure will try!! Sorry for the long read but it was to incredible to leave any details out. Scouting video buck #1 IMG_7420.mov Scouting video buck 2 IMG_7415.mov Max’s buck #1 My buck #2 Our bucks!!

My 14-year-old son, Ryder, got it done on Sunday morning during his youth antlerless elk hunt. He and I stalked and bumped the herd of 20 or so that she was in for nearly 2 hours and 1.5 miles through the forest before he dropped to a prone position and shot through a thicket while they were trying to get away again and hit this girl in both lungs with his .308 Weatherby using a 165 grain Nosler Accubond, in what was likely his last chance at them that morning. I couldn't be more proud of him if I tried! Now we'll let the meat age for a few weeks, then butcher it up and head on out to our father-and-son deer hunt on the 24th. I can hardly wait! Special thanks to my 8-year-old son, Gatlin, for tagging along!

This past weekend was Jacob's last youth elk hunt. Any antlerless elk is the mark. We were camped with a great group of folks and saw elk every day. Unfortunately, they were all too far away and moving fast, or there was the one cow who ran across the road in front of us and kept on trucking. We finally got into a shootable group Saturday night; however, they were being pursued by another group of hunters on the other side of the valley. As much as I wanted it to work out for him, he says "All these young kids filling their first tags is a great thing. I have a lifetime of chasing elk in front of me." He's wise beyond his years, that's for sure. We woke up yesterday morning with the intention of relocating the rest of the herd from Saturday night. A good friend was with us this time. We found the bull and a lone cow in an area that we couldn't hunt, but watched their movement. Figuring on where they were going, we hatched a plan. Jacob took off and staged himself while we kept an eye out from our hilltop. Jacob has been wanting to do more solo hunting. Who am I to say no considering how much I was turkey and pheasant hunting on my own by the time I was his age. I trust him explicitly to stay calm and know how to react, even when there is no cell service. Will took over guiding him and they formulated a solid plan. I was texting Jacob that I can't see the elk and have no clue where they are. I was about to suggest that he work his way back to the truck. That's when it happened. We heard a series of shots ring out in rapid sucession. I gave it a few minutes and started texting Jacob. Nothing. No service. That's when I saw him in the opening. He walked out to where he could give me hand signals. Even from that far away, I could see his excitement and read his reactions. He'd done it! He filled his last youth elk tag on the last morning of the time we had to hunt. He did it on his own, too. We (mostly Will) gave him general guidance on how to approach the situation and Jacob took off to find success. As he told us, he was weaving through the thick junipers and, as he popped out around one, there was the cow standing broadside at 10 yards. Jacob jumped in to help field dress his trophy, realizing he needs to learn. I was sitting back beaming with pride at the young man he's become. Selfless, hard working, altruistic, compassionate, determined, and building integrity. I already know how badly I will miss these days, but I also know how little I will have to worry in less than a year. For now, though, its time to regroup and get ready for his upcoming last youth deer hunt this coming weekend. Sideways pics on my phone drive me nuts. Sorry!

Can't express how proud I am of my boy. Ill do a complete write up when we finally get home. Truck batteries are dead. Rzr voltage regulator fried in the mud. Not sure i can get my diesel out of where we are camped, let alone the trailer and rzr. But, my boy put 3 through the boiler room on his first elk, first Arizona animal at 281 yards. Supressors rock!

My daughter was lucky enough to draw a 5B North Limited Twin Arrows cow elk and was able to fill her tag opening day at 10 AM. It rained quite a bit Thursday and then start sprinkling Friday morning, then let up and we were able to locate a small herd and she was able to fill her tag, but then sky opened up and it was just an absolute nightmare, rain storm…..mud up to your ankles, water drenched multiple trips to and from the kill site to the vehicle stuck vehicles, just an absolute mess, but a complete success. Me and my two boys have the same hunt starting this weekend. Looking forward to fill three more tags.

Lots of rain in 5bs this morning so we just drove prime country til we cut tracks. Started out on the tracks and had a bull bugle up a head. We snuck in the herd of 10 cows, spike, and good herd bull. Set him up on BOGG and had this small cow feed to 60 yards offering the perfect shot for a brand new hunter! Such fun seeing how worked up he was but kept it together to make the shot.

My son got it done, rain and all. He’s 2 for 2 now on youth hunts.

My Sister-in-law shot a nice bull. Unfortunately I had other commitments (kids hunts) and couldn't get the time off to tag along. My brother would send me pics and videos every day of the hunt. They found a huge unique bull and they spent 4 days playing cat and mouse with it. They passed on a few nice bulls trying to be patient to find this unique bull. Getting close to the end of the hunt they found this awesome bull. They had alot of friends and family helping out on this once and lifetime hunt. She made a great shot! Wish I could have been there.

October never fails!!!!

Here's a video, she was able to get about 200 yards from the bull for the shot. VID_20251001_053208.mp4

My favorite place to photograph fall colors is in Colorado, especially the San Juan Mountains. It had been a few years since 2022 when I was last in the mountains for the changing aspens. I had ten days for this trip and spent the first four days beneath Capitol Peak waiting for fall and winter to mingle. A storm on the third night made the fourth day memorable. It was nice hearing the elk bugle in the mornings, despite not having a hunt permit. Actually, I failed to draw any hunt permits this fall, so all shooting will be done with a camera. Afternoon spotlighting as the storm cleared. Sunset on Capitol. Along the Last Dollar Road near Telluride is an area of aspens which grow in many intersecting angles, an area I call the "wacky forest". I try to make photographic sense of it on each visit. Morning sunlight crept over the mountain to illuminate the tree tops.

The weather held out for us up north. Jase got his first deer right before dark.

Headed out.... about an hour ago! After getting fuel snacks ice double checking the straps on the razor and picking up a shovel we're finally hitting the freeway to head out of town!

Good luck to everyone who is about to head to the mountains with their kids for their hunts. Looks like it is going to be a wet wet weekend... Good thing the government is shut down and I have the week off, we might need it!

I dont think Globe could handle another flood. I hope they are wrong for the people in Globe/Miami area.

S&W Combat 66 snubby 357 SS fully engraved (Factory?). Stag grips. Made in 1975 $3,200 in Kingman

We will be camping out in 9.I got 3 grand kids with tags gonna be a little wet Lol .Good luck to all the Kiddos remember to have fun and make memories

Well guys it’s over. Had one chance when I missed. Worst rut I ever been one. 1 bugle in last 6 days. Was all glass and spot and stalk. Thx for following. But just didn’t happen.

No impact on San Carlos as most of the runoff went towards Roosevelt. San Carlos area had its own short-lived flood event but most people don't realize just how far the water has to travel to reach the Lake and most of that route is very sandy with big S curves that don't help. Current water level is 0.39%. On a positive note a bunch of our dirt ponds filled back up and should be ready for restocking immediately. DAN

I know this rut has been tough this year but wanted to share a successful harvest from my Az archery hunt. Day 11 it came together. Now onto sons youth deer hunt