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Climate change is real. The climate always changes and always will. But it is not human caused. The Great Lakes were formed from melting ice caps and glaciers way before I was burning gas in my V8.

Got the surrendered tag call again. This time my first choice, unit 9. Since it is a couple weeks from now, rather than 2 days I'm Stoked ! Going for sure ! Glad I turned down the last one in 10. Some things happen for a reason ! Thanks to the person who surrendered it for giving the next in line some time.

Love days like this! Opening evening, lots of action morning and then evening, bugling like crazy and 7 different bugles. Pulled this one away from cows and across a canyon in a bugle fest. Love having these experiences with my children. He wanted a branch antlered bull and to have a great call in experience rather that passing and waiting for a larger bull. Not always about the antler size but feeling great about the experience. Would not trade the hours in the woods with my man cub for anything in this world! Also picture of Daughters first elk, OTC. She was so excited! Love being with her on this hunt and look forward to many more.

I had posted this on some FB groups, so I apologize if it’s been seen already. I really wanted to post here as this forum is where I got my first bow last October, and the journey really started that led to a successful harvest 9/4/20 (Thx again mulie hunter!!) Lots of firsts this week: first hike in camp on my back hunt, first completely solo DIY hunt, and even better: FIRST ARCHERY KILL, and even better: FIRST ARCHERY COUES!! I got all my gear together and set up my Mystery Ranch Pintler pack to haul camp in a 55L dry bag, drove up Wed night and hiked in by the moonlight and set up camp. Saw a couple deers’ eyeballs checking me out-amazing how bright their eyes glow from just a headlamp pointed their way! I hunted Thurs morning, mainly still hunting the juniper flats somewhere in good Coues country in 21. Spotted 2 little bucks, a small 3X and an even smaller forkie, frolicking and feeding with a doe. I maneuvered around and walked into a small clearing between bushes at 72yds. Being an old guy I took a second to figure which was the 3X and as soon as my pin started to settle on his chest both deer quartered away and walked on. I underestimated water consumption and hiked/hunted a trip back to Jeep for more water, then still hunting again Thurs late afternoon bumped a nice buck but didn’t get a shot. I realized my experiment in hiking camp in (only a mile or so from Jeep) was gonna deplete my time and water I decided I’d pack up Fri morning and find a spot I could camp by my water supply. After getting everything packed up and on my back Fri morning, I figured I’d carry a nocked arrow on the hike because it’s my luck I’d get a chance if I didn’t for sure! About 1/4mi from Jeep I came around a corner to see a decent buck about 40yds looking right at me. I froze and when he turned his head a bit I went to hook my release and he whipped his head right at me, then show me his nice white butt, tail held high and was gone. I got to the Jeep, set my bow on the hood, dropped the 70lbs I’d been packing. I fired up the Jeep and turned on the AC, downed a god amount of water and when I started putting gear away. Then I saw him, or I should saw his rack-about a 100yds away standing broadside on the track I’d just hiked was a grey ghost with a rack as wide if not wider than his ears. I couldn’t believe it, he just stood there. I grabbed my rangefinder and bow and stepped behind the edge of a juniper. He was standing there looking tight at me. I ranged him at 94yds, dialed my MBG ascent, drew back and sidestepped into a perfect “at the range” form and he lowered his head to grab a bite and I let fly. Again, I’m bifocal old (53) so I can’t see where my arrow went, but he busted left and I heard what I thought was my arrow impacting the prickly pear he was by. I waited a bit then went down and didn’t see any blood, couldn’t find my arrow in the cactus or bushes, then saw it in the middle of the track about 25ft further down. I picked it up, and holy crap, there was blood on the 125gr Exodus, shaft, fletching and nock!! I saw no blood on ground where he had been and only two tracks where he pushed off. No blood apparent for about 10yds I looked in the direction he went, and my heart sank. My worst fear of not being able to recover an injured animal, and learning to track with no help for hours in 100* heat loomed before me. I went to Jeep, secured my gear, got pack setup for a lengthy search and recovery, feeling excited and sick to my stomach at the same time. I gave him an hour to not bump him if wounded and set at it. I was kind of gridding in the direction he went, looking in vain for any blood or tracks for about 10yds, when I looked up to see where the game trail in the grass and rock went when I saw a velvet rack poking out from behind a rock about 50ft ahead of me. I was amazed and grateful beyond words to find him with a perfect boiler room pass through that dropped him about 95ft from where he was when I hit him!! I have been practicing hard all year and shooting to 100 regularly-trust me, had conditions not been perfect I would have let down. Not huge, but a great old warrior with torn up ears, and an awesome older representative buck of mid-state high desert Coues.

Black Rifle Coffee makes an instant...similar to the Starbucks Via I think. I haven’t tried it but I’ve heard good stuff about it.

I certainly get the DIY perspective, and I was ready to do it DIY, and in fact scouted it with my buddy before opening. My buddy did it DIY for him and his father. He had other people do it DIY, with some information. I love to do as much as I can myself hunting, and even though I suck, I still go out by myself. Its just in my nature. So, I am not saying this as someone who is all about Russ. I was prepared to do it without Russ, and had a negative sort of feeling about the COOP. It just felt weird for a hunt. But, I understand why it works and why it is like no other hunt. For my hunt, the funny thing is, after a hard day of scouting for fresh sign, we ultimately came up with the exact same plan as Russ just gave to everyone. And, I shot my bison in the meadow because of Russ on multiple levels. Day before opening, my guide friend and I had scouted to a salt Russ had out and was less than 100 yards where @Flatlander was set up by Russ. We knew they had been there from the sign and smell and I was going to walk my blind into the location. On opening morning, I was just 5 minutes behind Russ and the coop when they were following the buffalo on foot. I caught up with them, and Russ didn't interfere with what I was going to do, but he did his best to make it a good hunt for everyone. All it takes is one hunter to drive around or walk around and force the buffalo onto the park. I've heard of other things guys try, but really, the options to hunt are really slim if you want to get an opportunity and also have some courtesy to the other hunters. Ultimately, I knew I would be sitting a blind most of the time because I didn't want to be the maverick running around. People that want to be a maverick won't like Russ's coop, and probably won't like sitting in the blind. Now, a really good hunter might be able to still hunt the park boundary, but I'd think twice for lots of reasons. Believe me, one day in the blind was rough enough. But, I would have stuck it out. The second morning, since I was hunting where everyone else was, I went to the Coop, got my radio from Russ, and planned to go sit the same salt. Yeah, it really sucks just sitting, but that is the best chance all hunters have. If you get yahoos running around, then the buffalo just stay on the park. It a terrible way to hunt waiting in the blind, but it is the best for everyone. Ultimately, as Flatlander and I were pulling up to park and walk into our blinds, Russ called and told all of us to head to the meadow. Rather than drive my truck solo into the herd, I asked Russ where he wanted me, and he said jump in with him. I rode up on the bison in his truck. I was asking about when to shoot, and he said, well, you have a suppressor so feel free to shoot whenever you want. I was standing near Russ on the side of the highway, and he was calling out cows trying to get people to shoot. Had it not been for Russ, I would not have shot my bison that morning. He didn't care who was out there on that meadow, and in fact as far as I know, everyone in the coop was told to go to the meadow. His boy would have helped gut and dress her if we wanted, but I had all the help I needed. Yeah, blind sitting sucked. But, my own scouting got me no different information than Russ's coop. And, I had the fortune of an experience Kaibab bison hunter to do the scouting. If you don't know anything and you choose DIY, there is a good chance that you'll be like the guys I saw driving around and seeing nothing because they hadn't participated in the coop. Imagine being those guys, and seeing a non-paying coop participant drive by with a bison head on top of coolers in my truck bed. They didn't get a chance on the hundreds of bison out in the meadow that morning because they were DIY. I don't know if they went to the coop later, because I was only up there for two nights and three days, but we told them about it. Take all that with a grain of salt, but I figured I should share my experience. IMO, if someone chooses DIY, if they don't have significant experience, intel, and understanding, they will be at a massive disadvantage. Talk with Russ and educate yourself before making a decision.

The Manfrotto 290 is Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think that permafrost levels have been changing forever or just the last 30 years

Nescafe Clasico......not packets, but in a jar.

Good question! Ive always taken the freeze dried folgers crap and it never fails, always makes have to take a forest poo.

Lots of bugles and called this bull from cows opening evening for my son. His first archery bull!

I was just working on of the big fires in Oregon. Most of the big fires that started Mid-end of August, were lightning started fires. As far as the climate change causing them..... last year, there was a less than average wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. So I find it hard to believe its climate change

Good luck. Better weather for sure.

Congrats on a really nice buck. Wont be your last archery buck, that's for sure.

Not bagging on ya, like I said, just jealous. I really do hope you get what you're looking for. Let us hear the story too.

Let me know what you think of it....

My understanding is 5g and 4g will run concurrent and not a direct replacement. But my understanding has been known to be suspect...

This is a good summary from my observation and research. I was on the Houserock July/August cow hunt this year and drew it with 9 points. It was dry this year, but other years it rained every day. For me, it wasn't about a bull, it was about the experience and the meat.

It’s so good I try to save it for backpacking trips only and TRY my best not drink it at home. Just read Amazon reviews.

For the money it’s still the outdoorsman. All the money you spend on every other item for a hunting trip is worthless if you do not have a stable tripod to find animals.

I texted my condor recovery program colleague at AGFD a little while ago regarding the disposition of the gut piles. Its an excellent question that I should actually know off the top of my head. They are taken immediately to either the Kanab or Flagstaff landfill and buried immediately, so as to not have them available for consumption by anything. To everyone who has made the switch, even if for that hunt alone, or packed out gut piles, I want to say THANK YOU! It may sound cheesy, but you guys and gals are truly my conservation heroes. The lead poisoning goes way beyond condors, though. Every year, 1000s (yes, thousands) of other raptors, including bald and golden eagles, are lost to the same lead poisoning as condors. All kinds of other scavengers, both mammal and bird, are killed by lead poisoning from bullet fragments every year. I was asked to take over the condor recovery program for our office because I hunt and use/understand nonlead bullets in all of my hunting rifles. My predecessor was neither and didn't think highly of hunters, especially those who didn't use non-lead ammo. That's not me. One of the biggest arguments I ever hear is that copper bullets don't expand on small game. My son shot his first buck last October (Coues) at 375 yards with 140gr Barnes TTSX in his 7mm-08. The exit wound was at least two inches diameter at that distance. Last January, he shot his javelina using my M1 Garand, loaded with Barnes 150gr VOR-TX ammo at 75 yards. The exit wound was softball sized. Both small-bodied animals with gaping exit wounds, indicative of full expansion, no matter the velocity. Anyone that is ever traveling through Flagstaff and wants to talk condors, conservation (in general), and non-lead ammo, just hit me up and I will buy the coffee (quit drinking 7 years ago November). All I ever do is present the science as we know it and encourage you to do your own research after that to make your own informed decisions. No judgement, no name-calling; just a good discussion about how we, as hunters, can truly be the ultimate conservationists (and free coffee for you at a good coffee shop). In something related, everyone is (or should be) aware that the EPA has set lead levels for what constitutes lead poisoning in humans. The following is the abstract of a study that was published in 2009 regarding lead fragmentation in the venison we eat. Keep in mind that lead poisoning is considered cumulative and builds up in our bodies over time and that several studies have documented lead fragments in game carcasses through x-rays over 20 inches from the point of impact. If you are interested in the whole article, I will gladly send it to you. Again, this is not intended to start an argument or even a debate; just to merely present some data and, hopefully, get people to think about the issue. I would like to point out, again, my offer for a good cup of coffee. Hunt et al.: 2009 Lead Bullet Fragments in Venison from Rifle-Killed Deer: Potential for Human Dietary Exposure "Human consumers of wildlife killed with lead ammunition may be exposed to health risks associated with lead ingestion. This hypothesis is based on published studies showing elevated blood lead concentrations in subsistence hunter populations, retention of ammunition residues in the tissues of hunter-killed animals, and systemic, cognitive, and behavioral disorders associated with human lead body burdens once considered safe. Our objective was to determine the incidence and bioavailability of lead bullet fragments in hunter-killed venison, a widely-eaten food among hunters and their families. We radiographed 30 eviscerated carcasses of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) shot by hunters with standard lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets under normal hunting conditions. All carcasses showed metal fragments (geometric mean = 136 fragments, range = 15–409) and widespread fragment dispersion. We took each carcass to a separate meat processor and fluoroscopically scanned the resulting meat packages; fluoroscopy revealed metal fragments in the ground meat packages of 24 (80%) of the 30 deer; 32% of 234 ground meat packages contained at least one fragment. Fragments were identified as lead by ICP in 93% of 27 samples. Isotope ratios of lead in meat matched the ratios of bullets, and differed from background lead in bone. We fed fragment-containing venison to four pigs to test bioavailability; four controls received venison without fragments from the same deer. Mean blood lead concentrations in pigs peaked at 2.29 mg/dL (maximum 3.8 mg/dL) 2 days following ingestion of fragment-containing venison, significantly higher than the 0.63 mg/dL averaged by controls. We conclude that people risk exposure to bioavailable lead from bullet fragments when they eat venison from deer killed with standard lead-based rifle bullets and processed under normal procedures. At risk in the U.S. are some ten million hunters, their families, and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations."

I have a Manfretto 290 and it works great for standing and glassing.

Would your blow-up doll really know the difference? Or did you mean you don't want your hand to slip off? 🙄

The only place that 2” would make a difference is in your bedroom. or mine for that matter

I’ll bite! I was fortunate to take this great buck last Friday on the Bab. It was a tough year but there were some great bucks out there. This was the last night of my 14 day hunt.