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What an ordeal today was. I left camp at 6:30 this morning with an Outdoorsmans Optics Pack fairly loaded down with 10X EL's on a Manfretto Carbon tripod in my hand. My destination was just over a mile into the Wilderness are to locate the two pigs I saw last weekend. I was about 400 yards in when I stepped on a baseball sized rock on my right foot and lost my footing. Next thing I knew I was laying flat out and my ankle hurt. I looked over and saw my foot bent at 90 degrees to my ankle and thought god don't tell me I just broke my ankle! I laid there for a minute to regain some composure and then sat up, grabbed my foot by the ankle and bent it straight. After a couple of more minutes of cussing myself I thought, I hope I have cell service. I did and texted my son. A few minutes goes by and I call him but it went to voicemail so I called his mother and told her what just happened. She was out making her rounds on the Salt River Res when they farm cotton and went and woke up my son. The left Mesa about 8:45 and headed my way. I used my tripod as a hiking stick and started back toward the road. About an hour and 100 yards later I found a large flat rock and sat down to rest. My ankle was really uncomfortable and felt like it had pressure on it. After 30 minutes I got up and lost my balance and came down on the ankle. I then figured that it might be best to wait there and took my pack off and drank a little water. I was concerned that if I ate anything and had to poop I might not be able to. They text me when they were leaving Wickenburg and then a while later when the left the pavement. When they got to my camp my ex stayed there and packed it op including a 10x14 Kodiak. When My son got to me it was about 11. He gave me some crutches they borrowed from a friend and he took my pack and out we went. It took 90 minutes to cover about 300 yards not having a clue on how to use crutches. The last 50 feet was downhill and my son went ahead to get his truck and move it closer. I was about 20 feet from the fence and one crutch slipped on the loose gravel and I crumbled like a house of cards landing on my side and sliding about six feet. It took me a few minutes to get up but at least I didn't do any more damage to my foot. I finally made it to Banner Desert about 4:30 and after about a 30 minute wait go in to see a doctor. They managed to get the Under Armour boot off but cut the Smart Wool sock. My ankle was pretty swollen and there was a black and blue streak in the arch but I could move my toes. They took a few xrays and then gave me an IV so naturally since they were doing an IV i thought I was getting admitted they also took some blood. They were going to give me morphine but I said no as the pain was bearable. They did give me saline and Toridol for the swelling. 90 minutes after the xray the doctor came over and said the foot was fractured on both sides and was either dislocated or broken on the top, I don't remember the actual term. He also said I would need to have surgery and gave me the name of an orthopedic surgeon to call o Monday. I finally got home at about 10. My son stopped and bought a LIttle Caesers Pie and helped me get settled in. The pizza was the first thing I had to eat since last night. Glad to be home and my niece is flying down in the morning to nurse me for a couple of days then my sister will come down for the rest of the week. Definately stinks but on the upside I didn't make it all the way back to where I wanted to go and get hurt because there isn't cell service there. Thanks to Big Browns, Del, Flatlander and One Ugly Dude for reaching out.

he appears mia. last post 2/4, i sent a pm on 2/6 and again this morning, not being read, no responses-i hope he is just out of the country. lee

I’m in the west side and it’s far from me. It’s a nice lake that’s easy to read. It’s also slab city.

I think I’ve got my limited space reloading room figured out. And it only took me 46 years.

Very happy with the mount. Big thanks to Will for doing a great job!!! Wish you were still here in AZ. Good luck to all in the upcoming elk draw.

I got my 2020 javelina on January 20th during Fort Huachucas archery javelina hunt. I had hunted every weekend and free day all month without seeing any javelina. I had been hunting areas that had produced javelina for me before, usually glassing from dawn to dusk. All the areas I was hunting had javelina sign in them, but I just couldn’t find them. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t fill my tag this year. After glassing all morning in a spot where I had taken a javelina every year for the past three years, and still seeing nothing, I decide to try something different. Two years ago I had been predator calling in a place a few miles away and called in some javelina. I decided to quit what I was doing and go check out that spot. The spot was near a pond in an area that seemed like a good bedding area. I set up on the north side of the pond and started blowing on a predator call. After a few minutes I saw a lone javelina in the brush on the other side of the pond. He kept coming closer and stopped on the far edge of the pond. He stopped just outside of my comfortable range so I decide not to take a shot. He milled around for a little bit and then left. I tried to follow after him but had to give up because the brush was too thick to stalk trough. I headed back to my spot on the north side of the pond. I waited around for a while contemplating my next move feeling disappointed. Just then I spotted something moving in the brush on the other side of the pond. It was a lone javelina coming around the east side of the pond and heading north. When he disappeared from view I nocked an arrow and headed in his direction hoping to intercept him. I hadn’t moved very far when he popped up less than 10 yards in front of me. He froze looking in my direction as I fumbled with my release trying to hook it to my bow string. After what seemed like a long time I hooked my string and drew my bow. Just as he started to leave I put an arrow in him and he dropped a few feet away. I’m pretty sure this was the same javelina I had called in earlier. He weighed 38 lbs dressed and is the first boar javelina I’ve ever taken. I thank God that I was able to take this animal after a long hunt that I didn’t think would work out. When what you usually do isn’t working don’t be afraid to try something new.

Up for sale is a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14x40mm Boon & Crockett BDC reticle. Glass is clean, one spot on the body from scope ring. Comes with Remington rings, sun shade and Leupold cloth. Located in N Phoenix area. —SOLD— Prefer meeting face to face but will ship on buyers dime.

it looks like the screw was too long and didnt tighten it down bottoming out or you have a burr or junk between the receiver and the rail. Looks at the picture of the receiver and the radius of that rail they look extremely close. its showing you have air 360 degrees around the screw. a few thing to look at before you bed it on. put it on and look to see if it touchs any part of the receiver. look at the bottom of the rail to make sure there are absolutely no burrs or nicks,. hit it with some sand paper or scotch brite. if this is a Cheap non name brand rail you may have some issues with it matching the reciever not because its bent as a bent rail the screws will pull it down to the receiver . it could have a step from the machining process which nothing will help unless you have the rail re machined or you find the dia of your action get a pcs of metal .010-.025 smaller dia and lap the rail to it running wet dry 180 grit paper with water. what ever you do, bedding it to the reciever with help. unless your screw bottomed out then you will have to grind a tad of the bottom of the screw

So are you two hitched??

Highly recommend you get some devcon and bed it. Super easy to do, watch a couple youtube videos on bedding a scope rail.

You could bed it to the receiver with epoxy if your worried about it. They don’t all fit perfect but that one looks larger than normal from what I’ve seen.

Me too

Please....do NOT post a picture. 😁

I went back to a recurve in 1989. I shoot a hybrid long bow now.

Six feet under?

Because of the pitting on the end of the barrel or did you examine the gun and find more issues? Pitting is unfortunate but stuff happens, especially over 80 years. I have some guns with will no doubt be collectors items someday but I hunt them hard because that’s what they were made for. Natural disasters happen too, floods, leaky pipes etc.

Just saw this, hope she's doing ok.

Hopefully the roofer coming for the estimate found him too

Yea I've had Swarovski and doctor Optics as well in 15x56 and these zeiss are just better higher quality glass hands down my favorite pair of binos I've ever owned/used. But they are my dads binos and hes pretty much done with any serious big game hunting anymore, he just fishes more lol. He just bought a new $2000 trolling motor for his bass boat so he needs to sell these to recoup some money. Because otherwise I would keep them to be honest. Someone will see this and know what these are and scoop them up for the price, which is fair really.

February will be the earliest we've ever had credit cards hit. I'd say they've come a long way already.

I think to truly learn the craft of stalking game, you need to ditch the radio. Your hunting senses and patience will grow as a result. The sense of wind direction will become second nature, picking out the bush the deer is under will become better, stalking skills increase....etc......you will adapt and the feeling of accomplishment will multiply exponentially. Having someone to guide you to the animal creates a crutch.....your relying upon directions instead of your own brain to figure it out. You are smart enough to grow the senses on your own. Does it mean you may not make a kill for a couple years? Maybe, but that's just part of it....(the painful part) I do however like to have a spotter for after the shot if possible......I have recovered two animals that would have been worm bait if my buddy had not seen where he went from up high above us. One was a clean shot and he still ran 250 yards and disappeared from my view, the other was a not so great shot and he went 1/2 mile, but my buddy saw it all from above. My radio was off until after the shots, then I called with a WTF just happened? Best of luck

Got the skull up on the wall in the trophy/kids toy room! Can’t wait for the shoulder mount. Working on that 3D box. Got the wife putting something together.

Do a framed 3d shadow box with a picture of you with the animal and the penny and bullet in it. A picture framing shop would know what it is.

I started hunting elk by using a Browning BAR in .308 for my first 3 Arizona elk, then I picked up a Winchester Coyote Lite in .325WSM with a Leupold 4.5x14x50 scope. Shot my 4th elk in New Mexico in 2006 at 300 yds using factory Ballistic Silver Tip 180 gr bullets. Then I had my friend Bob camo it and I got this New Mexico cow with it in 2010. IF I ever get drawn again, I'm putting together another Browning BAR in .338 Win Mag, it's a Gold Medallion edition. Going to put a Leupold matte silver Gold Ring 4.5x14x50 scope on it. Yes, I like silver guns.