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Mornings seem slow. Roosted a bunch of gobblers this evening all alone. Seems like it could be just getting ready to start going well. The evening has been more productive than the mornings the last few days on San Carlos.

The GPS apps that you can get for your phone will do everything the high-end Garmin will do and then some. Maybe the only exception being 2-way radio on the Rino's. I've used BackCountry Navigator for Android the past 10yrs and purchase the annual Pro package to get a variety of upgraded maps which includes a hybrid CalTopo w/ Accuterra. Can't say enough good about the app and it's reliability, functionality, customization, compatibility w/ Google Earth and on and on... Blows the doors off anything else out there in my opinion and is a fraction of the cost associated with the dedicated units. Everything you get with OnX is also available on the app and was offered long before OnX.

roads open manana! lee

+1 for OnX maps. no need to have a handheld gos anymore.

Getting ready to rebuild Taylor's favorite rifle after 2300+ rounds. The 6.5SLR. I have about 430 pieces of brass already fire formed, so sticking with that cartridge. Sending 2 pcs of fired brass, 2 loaded rounds, and a resized case with 140 HVLD seated to max mag length to help in chambering the new barrel to exactly the same dimensions. New Manners PRS2 w. Gen 2 mini chassis & AI mags 22" 1:8" Proof Sendero Light Area 419 Hellfire brake R700SA will be reused with some PT&G bolt upgrades (spiral fluting/skeltonizing handle by LRI, Inc. and alloy shroud, carbon fiber knob) Cerakote in H-series Copper Brown Swapped the Kahles K624i for a S&B PMII 3-20×50 Ultra Short already. Dropping everything off at Phoenix Custom Rifles tomorrow. Hopefully have it back in a month or so to start load development. I hope to lose about 4lbs off the rifle, and make it a little more compact to carry. Losing 6" of Rem Sendero contour steel barrel length should really help in both areas.

This has been my hunting rig for the last year, and I put 6,000 miles on it. It has very low miles, at only 98K. I have owned this Jeep for one year, but have moved on to another Jeep. The 4x4 on this Jeep is incredible and had taken me to areas where Razors and quads are the norm. Engine and tranny are strong. No oil or fluid leaks. No interior rips or holes in seats. Interior has some carpet stains that came with the Jeep when I bought it, but they never bothered me. Likewise, the hood and driver's side front quarter panel are from another Jeep, as they have red pin stripes on them. Again, this never bothered me in a hunting rig. The lower interior trim underneath the steering wheel is cracked, as they are in most Cherokees. My ONLY concern is that it runs warmer than my other Jeeps and I can't get over that! I put a grand into my Jeep last summer with a new CSF 3-row radiator, radiator hoses, thermostat, water pump, and temp sensor. I put in an aftermarket electric fan and a more robust ZJ clutch fan to bring in even more air into the engine, and still no temperature change. In spit of that, it has never overheated in the summer, and I have driven it to Rocky Point twice and up to Payson and south to Santa Rita's bear hunting a dozen times...hence the 6,000 miles I have driven and it has NEVER failed me. In the winter, the engine temp is fine and I can drive all day and never hit 190. November elk and January javelina trips have not raised an eyebrow with me. However, in the summer, it has risen as high as 230, but I never stopped or had anything other than my own panic attack over watching the temp creep up past vertical. That being said, it is a great Jeep with super low miles that perhaps someone with more wrench knowledge than I can cure the "summer time warming" that I have experienced. I would keep at it this summer, but Alaska calls! Feel free to call with any questions. I am straight up and honest. For sale on Craigslist for $4500, but $4000 for a fellow hunter on CWT. Keith 480-231-4654.

Great topic, I spend a lot of time in the back country and have used Garmins in the past. Now I get by just fine with onX and Gaia GPS apps on my phone. It's nice to have one less piece of tech to carry and keep charged.

I have an S8 that is about 18 months old and has 64gb.

That is the one! I won't geek out on you with it all... But one cool feature is that you can mark a waypoint and also take a picture that will stay with that waypoint along with any notes you want to include. Awesome for marking any bedding, water catchments, reference for glassing spots or whatever. I've tried over and over to spend money on a Garmin and just haven't been able to justify it outside of durability and the fact your not using your phone in the field. Only real thing you'd want to be sure to do is upgrade your microSD card to at least 64gb or 128gb if you haven't already. You can also use an old phone and still use the app. I have an old Samsung S5 that I still use for my PhoneSkope and as a backup GPS.

I had the same issue last week with mine in 7w. I could not open my saved maps. Once I hit service and kept it open it held fine as long as I didnt close it.

I mostly used it to find my way back to camp, not sure I can do that with OnX in the middle of nowhere.

A saved OnX map needs no internet access or wifi connection. I will save a few maps if I know I'm going somewhere I don't have connection. I have T-Mobile so thats like everywhere.

Did some testing at 200 today. So far, so good. I can get the 140s up to 2856, with only 54 rounds down the barrel so far. I did not find max, but I bet I am fairly close @ 43.5gr. I think I hit max at 44.0 in the last barrel. I resized about 300 pieces, and bumped the shoulders back .002" more than the first chamber. They feed/chamber very smoothly now. A couple groups at 200 today.

Arizona had a wet winter and spring, so it finally bode well for wildflowers in the desert. Thus, I made a few photo trips down from Flagstaff to augment the desert portfolio. Bartlett Lake northeast of Scottsdale, the Superstition Mountains and Apache trail east of Phoenix offer plenty of floral candy. More than than just the images posted below can be seen in my spring desert gallery. https://www.plateaulightphotography.com/Landscapes/Arizona-Landscapes/Desert-Wildflowers/ Poppies above Bartlett Lake. Edelmann's hedgehog blooms. Milky Way over the Superstition Mountains and yellow brittlebrush. Lost Dutchman Leprechaun's Lair Towers of Bloom Thanks for having a look. The cactus blooms are just starting so there will be more to photograph soon.

I would take your firing pin out of your bolt and clean that real good and then I would clean your trigger with lighter fluid then blow it out with air, might fix it might not.

I’m 50 years old. These attacks on our freedoms have commenced less than 10 years ago. This new, younger generation is the catalyst. Unfortunately, it’s your generation that’s ruined hunting. You guys can’t piss in the woods without posting a status update on Instagram! Hunting and the outdoors was so much better before social media. It was shared with only those people that were important to us and not every Tom, Dick and Harry on Instagram or Facebook! We’d go out, kill a few coyotes, sit around the campfire and talk about the fun. And that’d be it! Fast forward to today, and every second of every day HAS to be posted on Facebook or Instagram so you poor snowflakes can get some instant gratification or base your self-worth on others’ opinions. If guys would just go out, kill some coyotes and STFU, this wouldn’t be an issue. Sorry, but that’s the truth. Hunting here was so much better in the 70’s and 80’s and before the addiction to phones and social media that we see today.

Me too

Heard some gobbles in 22 this morning.

I have tons of em. I miss the old ones that had the little glass bottle of Tabasco.

OK. A month to the day, and that was with waiting on a custom stencil for the barrel engraving, I picked up the 6.5SLR. I lost more than the 4lbs I hoped to. I actually lost 5lbs 1oz after all was completed. From 15lbs 9oz scoped to 10lbs 8oz scoped. Scale was bouncing between 10lbs 7oz and 10lbs 8oz. A couple quick photos after slapping the scope on and boresighting. I will hopefully get some better outdoor photos this weekend if I get caught up on reloading. I didn't do the bolt handle skeletonizing after all. But I think it turned out amazing. Feels like the new chamber is about .001" shorter than the old one. Pretty good, as the previously FL sized cases still fit and you can just barely feel the bolt close stiffer. A fired case will not close, but I didn't muscle it. So I will set my die about .001" deeper and go to town on FL sizing the 200 or so fired cases I have. I will test my other loaded rounds to see how the new barrel likes them and go from there. About 250 still loaded up. 100 @ 140 HVLD full power hunting loads, 100 @ 140 HVLD light target loads, and 50 @ full power 127 LRX hunting loads. I am anxious to see how much speed has changed by taking off 6" of barrel length. Phx Custom Rifles did another great job.

One heads up as you decide. The state of Arizona does not like mesh on the sides of backpacks. Cats claw and other poky things tear at mesh. Holes in mesh pockets can lead to lost items. Pockets on sides of pack or on hip belt are best when they are made of tough tear resistant materials like Cordura or ripstop.

Don't go cheap if you want your pack to be: comfortable, durable, able to do what you expect.

Take a knife, fork, salt, pepper and a months supply of toilet paper. Kent

Unfortunately there are not many "Packer" services in Az. In the past when I've needed help I've hired local kids to help pack out. Most guys will help for free if beers are included with a steak dinner. I've paid a few guys over the years as well. Once you have a bull down make a post stating you need help and you will have all the help you need!!!