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All red for me but I just found out yesterday I drew a Rocky tag in CO so I ain’t complaining!!!!

Sissy wanted me to make rubens so i decided to corn one of necks from the last 2 bucks i killed. Started the brine today. Never did anything with a neck except for grind so im kind of excited to see how it turns out. Probably gonna smoke it saturday. Now the waiting game...

Have been absent the forum for a while. I came down with heart issues 3 years ago (corrected via stent, no damage), and mom came down sick. Haven't stepped foot in AZ dirt in 3 years, except for the time I took the future wife of last 11 years to Sedona to propose. Had to turn my U10 deer tag back in unused in October as I couldn't leave mom alone. Didn't apply for elk this year either. Grew up in Parks and Flagstaff. Left my home at 18 years to join the Army for a few years, with an eye at that time of getting out after three, and putting in application with Flag PD. One thing led to another, and I would up doing 10 years in the Army. Korea, Fort Ord, CA, Germany and South Carolina. All those years longed to be back. We moved around a bit as a kid, but the one spot I always thought of as "home" was our secluded campsite up in the Hobbles in U7w. Didn't matter where we lived in AZ, we were up there often for camping, elk hunting, etc. Got out of the Army and got back to AZ briefly for about a year in the midst of a nasty split and custody battle. Then it was off to Kalifornia to stay with family while I continued the battle. Got my son back, but never got AZ back. Wound up staying out here due to solid work, 50/50 custody, and stability. All those years, and countless trips back with the boy to show him what AZ had to offer. Elk hunts, deer hunts, predator hunts, trout in the white mountains. We had a great time, but it was just never enough making those 3 to 6 trips a year out. We had toyed once or twice with the idea of moving, but an elderly mom here kept us pretty much locked in. I'm the only family she had close who could help. Mom passed 6 weeks ago. Then a few weeks later, out of nowhere, the woman texted "want to move to AZ?" I said "sure". She didn't think I'd take it seriously, but I was. Two weeks later, the deal was sealed. Her company offered a transfer to their Tempe office. She accepted. No cut in pay from her current CA salary, which is quite nice. Walking away from a 25 year job that pays nicely - with nothing lined up in AZ - is nerve racking. But worst case, I've got enough to live off of for a few years. Not that I want to do that, and dig into part of the retirement nest egg. Will be looking for work as soon as we get fully settled in. Almost said "no" due to the anxiety of walking away from a 25 year job, but knew I'd kick myself the rest of my life if I didn't make this move. Opportunity may never come up again until retirement, and the timing couldn't actually be better. So, I'm back as of July 1st. Getting house emptied and up for sale (good time to sell!), and packing up. Won't be applying or hunting as a resident this year, but next year, good to go. Almost biggest concern at this point is saving a sufficiently nice bowel movement to deposit on the west side of the Colorado before I cross over for the last time.😀

A very good Shooter, this is a 1985 Remington 700. I’m the original owner. It’s first 35 years, it spent most it’s time in the safe. I probably put about 40 to 50 rounds down the barrel during those years. (With 2 Deer down) Two plus years ago I got into precision reloading. I decided to see what I could do with this rifle. So, I upgraded the the trigger to a triggertech. I had the barrel threaded and a muzzle break installed by Axisworks custom gun builder in Tempe. I’ve put another 70 to 100 rounds down the barrel developing a load with 160gr Sierra bullet and Reloder 26 powder. This is an excellent hunting rifle with factory ammo or hand loads I’m offering this up as a package deal: Rifle with bi-pod, 20moa rail. NO SCOPE INCLUDED Asking $1100. The following can be included in the sale for an additional $225; 50 rounds of ADG brass (35 cleaned, sized & primed w/F215), Redding 2 die FL reloading dies, 130 rounds Sierra 160gr. Bullets. Plus 100 No.215 Federal primers. No components will be sold separately unless the rifle is sold separately. So why am I selling this, I’ve become fully invested in the 6.5 PRC and am in the process of having a custom rifle built.

My 14yo daughter drew NM unit 27 December coues!!!

My Condolences to you. Welcome back to AZ. Close the gate on your way back here. We cant take many more californians. Lol

Got it. Thx.

Anyone see this article ? I can't seem to get the story to upload the link .No hiding for that bird.

I saw this one in 2005

N. Wisc.

Sounds good. Let us know how it turns out.

Yup you can shoot there currently no fire restrictions or closures on the tonto yet this year!

I didn't see anything on forest closures

OTC turkey here!

I drew unit 23 muzzleloader mule deer! Can't wait for my first NM hunt. Already been escouting all morning and can't wait to start getting boots on new ground!

The results are up as of 0600 today. NM resident…. Going archery elk hunting Barbary rifle hunting and deer archery hunting. Good luck y’all !

After getting a hundred new hornady brass for my 7-08 and starting the prep process recommend by Lance .It was soon real clear that brass matters .The weight was all over the place and yes they were trimmed all the same .I switched to lapua and it was an instant difference in quality .Yes its more expensive but if taken care of it should last longer and preform better making for a more consistent end product and lower deviation.

Oryx over here!

To each his own I guess. I much rather put in the extra work and get a lot more firings out of my brass.

Sorry about your mom. Welcome back.

Yes. I have a should mounted mule deer and antelope that I’ve hung in drywall with toggle bolts. No issues for 5+ years.

Finally got around to making a short video of what happened. muzzymiss.mp4

Just to be clear, there is no such thing as "no man's land" underneath the spine. I hear it all the time but it is not anatomically possible. The lungs go up beside the spine on either side. There is no empty space, the projectile is either in the spine or in the lungs (or both). Take a good look at your next deer carcass and look at the chest cavity. All the smooth lining inside the ribcage is the pleural cavity and this space is entirely filled with lung tissue in a living animal. There is no dead space. Now above the spine, where the backstraps sit, there are the spinous processes and a projectile can go through this area without hitting anything vital. The animal can be stunned temporarily and then run off.

mearns are pretty simple once you figure them out. Most guys will pile in on each other in a few "hot spots". Personally, I think the spirit of mearns hunting is to explore new country with your dogs and enjoy the experience. Here is what you need to know about finding and killing mearns. Typically they will be found between 4000-6000 feet of elevation. The canopy should be about 50% oaks and if you aren't happy walking up and down the sides of the hills then that is even better. Grass is a huge key for mearns. The taller the better. If cattle have it chewed down then move to a different location. Moisture is your friend. If it would rain on a Monday I would plan on hunting on Tuesday. The wetter the better for scenting conditions. I would never start hunting mearns before 9am and later is better. If your dog (or you) can only handle half a day then start at noon. Look for scratching. If you see leaves all turned up everywhere then there are birds in the area. Mearns will hang out in the same area all the time. If you find a covey in an area one weekend they will be within 25-75 yards the next weekend. I have had dozens of times where I've shot at birds standing in the same exact spot more than once. Lastly but really important. learn to shoot your gun. You walk to far to miss mearns and with all honesty. Mearns are very easy to hit if you flush them in front of dogs. You should kill birds with the majority of the shots you shoot. If you don't then you need to learn to shoot the gun before you spend all day walking up and down hills to only miss birds constantly. Plus, your dog will not think kind things of you if you can't do your part. I would shoot a 20 gauge with #8 or 9 shot and the most wide open pattern I could get. There were many times where the gun would go bang, bang, bang and 3 birds would hit the ground. I know it seems obvious that shooting is important but most guys don't kill mearns because they can't shoot their gun. There is an old saying. "Go to Gardner Canyon and look at the mearns country. Then go somewhere else and find the same country and hunt them" The point being is Gardner has some great country and WAY to many people. Typically the places I would hunt birds would have no hunters. I would keep searching areas until I found good country and no people. Once you get away from all the people and learn how to hunt mearns they are a ton of fun. We would easily shoot limits of mearns with 3-4 guys every time I would go out. The amazing part......I have many places where I've never seen another hunter after hunting the locations for more than a decade. Learn to hunt them and get away from people. Once you find YOUR honey holes it will be a blast.......and don't tell a single person where you went.

Get an early coues tag in a southern unit, carry a rifle , and they will fly up your pant leg and cause you to poop your pants. Works every time for me. When I lived in Vail and went after them with my Brit , it was hit or miss for me. Beautiful birds.... good luck!