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Hey guys, Have not used a rifle since 2009. Decided that practice is key, so I started practicing for the shot, only a few shots at a time. Mostly sitting once I got sighted in, and never more than ten shots at a time. Usually, two to four, doing the thoughtful practice as they call it in archery. Became comfortable out to 130 yards, in the sitting position, with open sighted 30-06. Took this deer first day out, 132 yards, sitting. Light was perfect for open sights. He is kinda big in the body, with a smaller rack. Nice to carry a fine rifle in the mountains. Wanted to shoot one of the bigger ones that live up there, but work is work, and incoming gusty wind was the weather. Overall, a great rifle hunt. Practice paid off.

I've been a part of this site for a while and have spent most of that time looking for a deal or reading about someone else's hunt story. (This was when I wasn't out chasing every buck I could find around with my bow.) I don't have an epic story here but I figured I'd contribute given how much I've enjoyed your all's stories. It's been a few years in the making, but I'll keep it to this year. I've spent just about every Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning (other than around the holidays) since mid December in the hills chasing deer around home. Around home is near Prescott (I'm typically in 17B or 20C). I had missed three shots already this season. One being about 10yds (held at my 20pin and shot high after bumping an oddly curious buck while I was looking for a decent glassing spot on the side of a hill), the 2nd being at 70yds (just low on one of the nicest bucks I've ever gotten close to) and the last being at 50yds just this past Friday (came down with a real case of buck fever here after the stars absolutely aligned when a doe brought a buck in on a string to 50 from 250yds). Not considering my shooting performance, I was completely satisfied with the season and could have given it up for the year after how much fun I'd had. (Here's the nice buck I missed low on at 70) (3x2 with the doe that brought him right below me at 50) I'm typically out by myself, but every now and then (especially when they've got a javelina tag) a friend or two will come up and hunt with me in the spots I've found around home. We always get on deer and have a blast. While in the meantime, one of them is telling me about how he hunts 10min from his home in Phoenix and always sees bucks and how I have to come down and have to hunt with him sometime. I always shrugged this off, not because I didn't want to hunt with him, but because I couldn't imagine missing a weekend hunting at home as opposed to within city limits. All I could picture was getting smug looks from hikers and sitting on a hillside wondering why I came down to this place where there are no deer. After missing a shot Friday morning and not seeing a buck Saturday, I decided to make the trip to Phoenix and hang out with them. They're big UFC fans, I was really going down there to have a good time Saturday night and spend Sunday morning with buddies in the field. We got up Sunday morning, drove 5 minutes before getting a call from by buddy's buddy who we were meeting at the trailhead that we'd been beaten to the spot. A father and son were planning to be on the exact glassing spot that we were planning on posting up on. I never, ever, never have this problem around home. I've come across one other group of hunters while actually hunting around Prescott this season. I was already wishing I was a couple hours away. We go a mile down the road and find this puny pile of rocks that barely allowed us to see out into the smallest, flattest chunk of ground I can remember ever hunting. I can glass up a 4 lane road and a golf course not too far in the distance (turned out to be a mile away). This spot supposedly had deer shuffling in and out all morning the day before. I am really looking forward to a nap at this point, the sun had just come up and I have already glassed everything we could hunt 10 times by 7:45. Not to mention I was really feeling the night before. I was giving a spot one last look before I was planning on laying back and seeing my luck at a nap when I can't believe my eyes. I see a deer feeding on a little knob a mile away, 200yds from the road I had mentioned. The deer feeds its way into an opening, limping terribly and I see the glimmer of a rack. It's a buck, I'm really dreaming now. My buddy's buddy tells me to get after him, I'm relieved because I was the new guy here and wasn't sure what protocol was and how it's decided who goes after the first buck. We typically draw straws when I host and take turns stalking after that. I keep my mouth shut and appreciate the comment. We watch him work into a thicket and not come out, figuring he bedded down. About 8:30 I start the easy hike towards the knob. The other hunters in the area were looking around the corner and couldn't have picked up the buck, I was in no hurry given the amount of people within a square mile of us. The wind's perfect, I worked around the side of the knob and come up around the backside in my socks. I traveled a little further down the ridge than I was planning on and didn't see the buck where I thought it was going to be. Right before I back down to travel further down and pop back over the ridge, I see the buck looking right at me 45yds away. I thought it was over. I dropped slowly to my belly and watched his head through a bush, he was onto something but didn't have me pinned. After about 30min I decided that I was in a terrible spot to stand and shoot from so I slowly back down the other side and come back over where I'd have some cover between me and the buck. I'm able to get back to 45yds with cover, then 35, then 30yds sitting behind a bush. The buck was still facing where I had originally come over the ridge but he didn't pick me up and had even put his chin to the ground napping for a bit and that really allowed me to slip in close. The wind was still perfect, but I could see one of the buck's eyeballs and had no more cover to try and get a shot at him in his bed. It just wasn't possible. I ran every scenario that I could come up with to make a move on him but I was in a good spot as long as the wind held up and didn't see any of my moves working out. I'm behind this bush, it's now noon. It's been 3 hours since I had first seen the buck at 45 yards. I'm texting my buddy how sorry I am because they're just sitting there watching me, watching the buck, watching me, watching the buck. It had to be excruciatingly boring for them. I was having a hard time myself, I couldn't find a position where my back wasn't just killing me, but there's nothing more fun than being close to a buck like that. (My view of the buck from 30yds through my bush through my 10's) (The buck from 30yds as I peek around the bush) I kept giving myself deadlines for when I'd have to make a move because I could envision the wind shifting, and him getting up and taking off in the blink of an eye. I let several of these deadlines come and go. At the 3 hour mark, I was really getting itchy and was feeling the pressure. My buddy's buddy had a million ideas of what I could've done, I heard each one of them after the fact. But I kept peeking around the bush and remembering how close I really was and could picture myself screwing everything up. Nothing compared to him getting up and shifting beds or getting a mid day snack like I've seen thousands of deer do before. But this buck wouldn't budge, as you can see in the picture he's in the hot Phoenix sun and had been for hours at this point. 12:30 comes around and I'm fidgeting around, laying down, sitting back up, closing my eyes, opening them. I have my head down and all of a sudden sense the buck's movement. He's standing up staring right at me in this bush that I'd been in for 2+ hours. Something changed, it wasn't the wind, but this buck was onto me. The bush I was behind wasn't the best cover so I didn't want to stand and draw with him looking right at me. He takes a few steps, positions his body right towards me and stares again. I stay still, drawing back while all I could see was his chest wasn't going to do me any good. This goes on for a couple minutes. Then, he drops his head and takes a few steps to the side, maybe trying to work downwind of me and ends up walking broadside to me. I crouch up, draw back, figure he's still around 30. He stops when he sees me come up over the bush and looks at me broadside. I let it fly. And the sound of that arrow hitting its mark was the sweetest sound I've ever heard and don't think I'll ever forget it. He turns the opposite direction, runs several yards obviously wounded and slows down around 80yds away. He works into some thick stuff and I don't see him come out. He was going down. I couldn't believe that all that time I'd spent driving myself insane behind that bush had paid off. My buddies come hiking down, the dad of one of my friends comes out to meet us from home. He waits for us in the car for a while, not wanting to get stuck with a bag of meat for the hike out. But it was okay, he had cold beer and sandwiches waiting for us. (Not a bad first buck) (Me with the buddy that brought me to his spot. He has yet to take a buck out of this place. But we're even, he took a good buck in my favorite spot back home in October) (Post 5min pack out celebrating with a few cold ones) I've been hunting deer with a bow for about 5 years now and still can't believe the way it all came together. Not even close to how I had ever pictured it.

Hey guys! Been a while since I’ve been on the forums, but I wanted to share my 2019 buck this year! This is a buck I found in the summer of 2018. Saw him in July scouting and got 160yd of him opening weekend of early archery. I didn’t see him again the next two weekends, didn’t see him scouting this year when I found out I drew the late tag, and didn’t get him on camera at all. This years hunt comes around and I packed in enough food and water and winter clothing for a 4 night backpack hunt. Get camp set up early Saturday morning, top the ridge to my area and the hillside is covered in deer. A couple good bucks, a couple small bucks, and a few does are milling about and this guy I dubbed Mr. Eyeguards from 2018 is in with them pushing everyone around! Spotted them at 500yd, moved in to 350yd and then had to wait him out a few times as he was either behind a tree, skylined, and once he even topped over and I thought I would lose him. He finally came back over and stopped quartering to me and I put one shot through his front shoulder. My 2019 hunt was done in just a couple hours! Velvet pics are from 2018, he lost an extra on his right side. He’s my first rifle buck, first time filling a tag on day 1, first time getting a “target” buck, and my biggest buck so far!

Too many whatever it is. Unit 1 has gone downhill hard.

I like you Ben, but ima slap you like Nobulls daddy should have slapped him.

Looks like a good truck gun....

Not what it was 10 years ago that's for sure. We used to see 380+ bulls on the archery hunt every time we had a tag. Good luck with that now.

Too beautiful to shoot! Work of art.

If it's wild, yes. If it's feral, no.

This is why I have gone in the opposite direction for the most part. I shoot recurves with 50's era technology. Not much has changed with a recurve since then. Ya, theres ILF and different materials for strings and bows but as far as performance goes I'll bet my 1960 Kodiak will spit arrows as well as any trad bow made in this century.

Like beating a dead horse.......they aren't wild, they aren't regulated.......they are a problem that is being ignored!!!!

My kids use a 7mm08. I have a Savage Axis Compact and AR10 in 7mm08 that they both shoot comfortably in the field. For practice I load a reduced recoil round that they both enjoy shooting. Most of their shooting is done with a suppressor, which also helps keep them comfortable. Last week I bought a new Tikka T3X Lite in the compact size and also chambered in 7mm08. It has a 12.5" LOP and 20" barrel, and comes with a 1" spacer to increase LOP when they grow. If you're in the east valley I'd be happy to have you swing by and take a look at it if you can't find one at a gun counter somewhere. The complaints against buying a rifle that they will grow out of are pretty unfounded, in my opinion. When the kid is done you can sell a youth sized rifle for darn near what you paid for it if you originally purchased it on sale. Watch the youth rifles that get posted on here, they never last long. As for the posts complaining about catering to kids, that's some of the stupidest stuff I have ever seen posted on CWT. Keep your kids comfortable. Do whatever it takes to make their first hunting experiences as positive as possible. My first rifle didn't fit me and kicked like a mule. I hated shooting it and I shot like crap. Thank goodness I shot so poorly that I always straight up missed instead of gut or a$$ shooting everything. It took me a long time to overcome my flinching. If I didn't love being outdoors and the thrill of the hunt so much, I wouldn't have stuck with it. With kids who might be on the fence about hunting, you can really win them over for good with a little bit of extra effort and equipment tailored to their needs.

just walked up the street, walked by my chair while i was drinking a wine cooler 6 feet away, hopped the fence and started eating my weeds. the backyard is 2" deep in acorns but he likes weeds. surreal. lee

Lee Marvin went on a guided elk hunt back in 1963 on my grandfather's ranch in South Western Colorado. Here is a picture of him and my dad and granddad and the elk that he shot. There is an article, supposedly written by Lee Marvin in Gun World Magazine May of 9164. My grandfather is right behind Lee and my dad, 18 at the time, is sporting the tactical plaid shirt and glasses. Just lost my dad last week, but photos like these keep him alive. https://culturepulp.typepad.com/culturepulp/2008/08/elk-hunting-with-lee-marvin.html

with extra chokes , very nice wood, located in mesa ,2700.00 or trade. 480-392-9210 5.2 lbs

I am selling my Starcraft Meteor pop-up. This small trailer is in excellent condition. Sleeps 4. The canvas, windows, screens and zippers are all flawless,no leaks and has never had one. It has indoor/outdoor stove, fridge,heater and sink. 2 attached awnings, good tires and spare . Trailers well and can be pulled with any car or truck,it's super lite. This trailer was only used a few times since new and is ready to be hooked up and taken out. Has current registration and clean title. Asking 2,300$. Call for more details (480)203-7883 .located in Ftn Hills,thanx for looking

Any news??

Call me. I owed one for several yrs. lots of info. Dave 602-228-1719

Yes you can releasing a shell from the mag tube while the bolt is forward and have the shell under the bolt. Thanks!

Those Lazzeroni rifles were pretty cool and way ahead of the times. I'd be leery of buying one now because there are so many cartridges that will do the same thing without the headaches of trying to find brass, current load data, etc.

Yeah I understand the physical demands but I think I am mostly prepared for that. The lack of humidity is obviously way way different than here in N.C. I’m planning to take a gallon of water per day (temperature pending). Would you guess that’s about the right amount?

TTT - make me an offer!

Doubled up on crossmembers, 12" on center now. Welded strakes on the center toon before I put it under the boat to help getting on plane (oxymoron with a pontoon boat). Pushed the motor back like the newer boats are. Much more stable in the water. picked up 3mph. turning diameter decreased by 50%. Need to build furniture now. Can't wait for flathead season now.

Its funny when you set your standards high! Lots of guys have taken great bucks and have a goal to beat their next buck (im not knocking trophy hunting) but man these guys happen to see tons and tons of animals tons of bucks that the rest of us would love to get a crack at and they get frustrated about the that hunt. Ha ha ha Why is it always like that? You say Ill shot the first thing with horns, you don't even see a buck, when you are cow hunting you only see bulls. When you are bull hunting you only see cows. When you are looking for a 100" buck you see 50 60"-90" bucks. When you put your gun away in the case and drive out of your unit thats when a big buck jumps in front of your truck. Got to love hunting!! Congrats on a fine buck. That is some fun action to see that many animals.