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Obviously, I care or I would not have asked. Or maybe because I have lived in 35a for the past fifty-plus years and wanted to know if he needed any help.

I guess I’m next in line for a late 35a tag. hopfully who ever turned it in is ok.

Really? I didn't see another hunter the entire week I was out there. I did see some birders and bikers but 0 hunters. I scored on day 6, check it out.

Today I completed a goal of getting a Coues Deer with my pistol. It was a lot of fun and challenging. Thanks to everyone who assisted. FYI, its a Savage Striker with a custom Break and Barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Day 4 Update: TAG FILLED! My wife decided she wanted to head back up to the northern part of the unit to hunt today since we just couldn’t seem to make anything happen in the areas we had scouted pre-season. So we made the hour drive north in the dark and parked the truck, hoping that the early morning light might finally get us into some elk. We settled on doing a 4 mile loop out and back to the car since the area wasn’t too steep and it was a nice break away from the canyons we’d been hiking in and out of the last 3 days. About an hour into shooting light, after not having seen anything, a decent mule buck ran across our path about 30 yards in front of us. If only it was a bull instead of a buck haha. At least we had finally seen some signs of life. Another hour went by and we still hadn’t seen anything. We were starting to get a little discouraged that another morning had gone by with minimal activity but tried to stay positive. I found an antelope “shed” which was super cool cause I’ve never seen one and I’m pretty sure they fall apart quickly after falling off. That got us a bit excited for a while. As we approached a tank about 3/4 mile away from the truck, I looked at my map and realized there was a nice little bench just up ahead. From past experiences I’ve seen elk bed on little benches like these even though they’re only 30 feet tall, so I told my wife to keep an eye out. We hadn’t gone more than 15 yards when I spotted four oval looking things. I immediately thought how out of place they looked amongst all the jagged edges that are natural in the forest (branches, logs, etc)so I knelt down. My wife whispers “do you see one”? And I reply “I don’t know I thought I saw something weird but it’s probably nothing”. I pull out my binos and sure enough, there are two pairs of ears and I see two cows bedded in grass that’s almost blocking their entire bodies. I let my wife and father in law know and we slowly start glassing. The next cow I see was 80 yards directly in front of me bedded under a tree with a completely unobstructed view of me. How she didn’t spot us walking surprises me, but I have had that happen several times where I’m close to elk and they don’t know you’re there. I’m just glad I spotted them so quickly or they likely would have seen us walking and spooked. The longer we sit there we start finding more elk, maybe 10 total, but several of them are blocked by trees. I asked my wife if it’d be ok if I backed out slowly to try to glass them from another angle to see if there are any bulls. She agrees, and I move as slowly as I can but one cow spots me and stands up. Luckily the elk slowly start getting up one by one but none spook. I finally get a good look at some elk that were out to our right and there was a bigger spike in that group of elk. Then I look over to the elk that had stood up on the left and there was a spike there too. I try to look at the rest of the group and don’t see any other bulls so I tell my wife, 2 spikes and the one on the right is the bigger one. Thankfully they slowly start feeding down into a more open area off the knoll and I tell my wife to get ready. I lose the bigger spike between the trees but I know he’s coming out and will step out soon. Second later, I see him come out and my wife’s gun goes off! Perfect lung shot at 130 yards, slightly quartered away. I know people have reservations about spikes, but this bull was the best of them all for us. Not only was it my wife’s first elk tag, it was her first big game tag ever! Sure we were slightly disappointed we werent able to turn up/make a play on any larger bulls we had scouted earlier this month, but that’s ok. The look on her face and her excitement after her shot is something I’ll always remember. I wanted this so bad for her since she’s put in so much work practicing shooting, scouting, getting the right gear, and finally being drawn after 7 years. I’m so so proud of her and our family and friends that participated in the hunt couldn’t be more stoked! I’m glad I was able to end this “semi-live” thread with a success story! Thanks again for all the well wishes and following along! Until next hunt, John

2023 youth gun giveaway!!!! This is my second year of donating to get kids hunting. This year's first place gun is a savage 110 classic in 7-08 with a adjustable stock new leupold rings and a new sig buckmaster 3x12 scope The stock is adjustable from 12.5 to 14 inch length of pull. Second place is a new charles daly 20 gauge compact shotgun Third place is a pair of leupold 10x42 binoculars with the included binocular harness and a heratige rough rider 22lr pistol The rules are the same as last year . It's open to kids they must be able to apply for youth only hunts for 2023 .They must have a hunter safety .Per Arizona hunting regs youth can get there hunter safety at age 9 but can't hunt till they are 10 years old.The minimum age for kids is going to follow the regs and they must be 10 by the time of the youth only hunts .Same goes for the max age they must be able to apply for current youth hunts.All guns must be transferred to a legal adult no exception!! I will cover all transfers. You must be a resident of Arizona. Youth hunter safety will need to be shown to claim prizes. If your child has won a gun they are not eligible to win . To enter please email. youthgungiveaway@outlook.com It's all lower case and one word so no spaces. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME THE NAMES AND AGES OF ALL ELIGIBLE CHILDREN AND A PHONE NUMBER TO REACH YOU IF YOU WIN!! YOU CAN ENTER EACH OF YOUR KIDS !! THIS WILL BE A RANDOM DRAWING SAME AS LAST YEAR. The entry will run till the last day of August and the drawing will be the first week of September winners will be called and there will be a post with all the names of the winners. The contest is open to all Arizona youth Per the rules.

I know it's not a Coues, but wanted to share my Wyoming Antelope I got with my pistol. Super fun hunt with my best friend. This was my 6th trip to Wyoming. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it!!!!! We saw hundreds of Bucks!!!! 642 yard shot with my Savage Striker in 6.5 Creedmoor.

Pay for the convenience and experience of a processor, or invest in hardware to last your (and your buddies’) entire hunting life and never again wonder if you got back YOUR meat.

Super Proud dad here! Hunted down south day after Thanksgiving. Suppose to meet up with other hunters but went to the wrong pin. It was sketchy with the trailer and didn't want to back out in the dark. So we went solo and took off with the Ranger. Found some good hills and started glassing. A few moments later a solo hunter drove by on his Ranger. We glassed for 30 min and moved to the next vantage point. Minutes later I ran into that other hunter on the Ranger. I haven't been to this part of the unit and he told me it doesn't go any farther. I said is it ok we glass over here. I don't have a tag and its just my 10 year old son who has it and will shoot the first thing with horns. He said yeah I love helping out young hunters. We started talking a bit and getting to know each other. Then my son said 10 feet away on the binos " I see some deer". He glassed up 300 yards away and the other hunter Mark said those are bucks. We were about to hike to them for a shooting position and Mark said they moved east. He has been hunting this spot of his for years. He said follow me I know where they are going. We played cat and mouse with these deer all morning. He then glassed up a nice little 60" buck and we watched him for a bit. 600 yards out my son cant shoot that. Soon we lost that buck and then relocated the bucks my son found earlier. Same thing cat and mouse and then finally he bedded down behind cat claws. We moved north and south trying to get a good shooting spot. Found a 400 yard shot open vitals but we looking into the sun so the glare on the scope and the deer on the north slope in the shade he disappear in the scope. The binos we can see him though. So the shot was blind. I told him Mark since its so windy around 15 mph wind i bet he will let us walk up close. We got up to 250 yards and couldn't get any closer. My son stayed on the gun like below for about an hour. The deer got up and he had it in sights and bumped his gun. I got up to help him and he relocated it. I was next to him when he shot and Mark yelled out right over his back. The buck went behind bushes again back and fourth. A couple times I had to get up and relocate it for my son. I tell you this was hard with a 10 year old. After another hour of this he stepped out and I told my son you need to shoot him now or he will move again. Right through the neck into the vitals since he was quarter facing down hill. He dropped like a sack of potato's. Mark and I were shouting, hoot and howling. My son turned and said did I get him? I said yeah that's why we are screaming with joy lol!!! I have yet sat on my gun that long for a shot and he didn't complain once!! So proud of him. So thankful for the other hunter who wanted to see him get one. True sportsmen right there. I got his info and Im planning on sending him a 100 gift card to Texas Road House for thanks. I don't think Ive could of made it happen on that buck with out his help and locating and relocating the deer. He texted me today he glassed up a 110 and trying to find him again. Best of luck Mark! Thank you.

Good shape. Price Drop again Asking $950 Should be covered by the Zeiss Lifetiime Transferable Warranty https://www.zeiss.com/content/dam/consumer-products/united-states/service/limited-lifetime-transferable-warranty.pdf

Items found in 24B, looking for a Richard F.

I changed the chassis on my rifle this year to something a little more modern as you see here. Yes, I will be leaving the suppressor home. But, will the modern chassis cause problems with the border crossing? I can throw the old one back on if I need to but ideally would like to keep this ☝️ on it. Thoughts?

Will it hold a cow bison euro? Can you check shipping to KY 40342 for 2 mounts like the very 1st picture, (AZ flag/state). I really like these! Might need 3 or 4 actually if shipping isn't too wild. THx! eta: just re-read it and saw you're working on bigger ones for elk etc.

I have one of these on my trailer and love it!

Ridiculous. The number that are for sale is based on the average they have sold in past years in 365 days (when it was unlimited), so there should have been plenty to last the entire year. A perfect example of making something seem scarce and everyone has to have it. I'm guessing a lower percentage of those purchased will actually be used than in previous years when people just waited to buy them until they knew for sure they were coming. That's probably a good thing for residents.

He got his buck Tuesday even. A nice 80 inch buck

Von Hansons in Chandler is good too

I don't mix headstamps in a rifle. But I have loaded different rifles and used them each. There is a bit of case capacity difference. So you will have to tune your loads accordingly.

isn't soccer a communist sport?

Great write-up, thanks for taking the time to document and share. I know how difficult it can be to take photos during the stresses of the hunt, but it's all worth it in the end. Congratulations to the both of you. Ain't nothing wrong with that bull. Good eating for sure!

Nicely done. Congrats

Awesome! Thanks for taking us along for the ride with the updates and great job sticking with it and getting it done. Congrats!

Awesome, good work!

Nichols Guide Service, He has the only bait license on the rez. I'm not sure what time of year they do that but give him a call.

Before you disregard what I say, maybe take a minute to think about it. If you are new, there are a lot of things people will tell you and you will read, but is wisdom from the past. If you kill everything and have the skills you need, ignore below if you like. You don’t need it. Take it or leave it, but I will explain myself because I know my advice is strange to many. Right off the bat, I will concede that for many, it might not matter enough the difference in zero. And, that if you use another technique it can work and for your purposes you don’t need to change. My point is 100% prepare and practice for the field. It gives me confidence knowing that I tested it. I want everything I can get, and zeroing the way I shoot in the field is one more way to do it. Moreover, the more practice I get in field shooting positions the better. A simple rule to squeeze out the last of your performance is to zero the way you shoot in the field, and proof out your dope in the same position. This is now standard practice for many serious long range shooters. A perfect zero on the bench means little when it moves a couple tenths or nearly one MOA because you can not support your rifle under recoil as if you were on the bench. Shooting off the bench gets more hits on steel plates, but isn’t an indicator of how you will shoot in the field. It’s like someone said above, if you don’t have wind indicators, if you are testing and controlling, your don’t know and you are ignorant. I have gone shooting with enough people to see that they can shoot awesome from the bench but can’t shoot from a field position. Technique and position need to be repeatable. Every variable matters. It’s why I exclusively practice and execute shots off a tripod. It is the one method that I can use in the most varied terrain. Bench to field can absolutely make a difference, especially for new shooters to long range. Guys don’t like to fail, I t’s why guys love to measure and shoot tiny groups on the bench. Replicate it in the field, that’s where the test comes. Sure, zero on the bench, that’s where I do load development and other. But, you gotta end the way you will perform. Inside 500 yards it might not make a lot of difference, the margin of error gets absorbed. But, beyond that you gotta be much more careful. So the definition of long range might matter. In different conditions a 1000 yard shot can be easier than a 500 yard shot. Gear matters. The high recoiling rifles shift the most. Light rifles shift more than heavy rifles. It doesn’t matter how well you zero at the range on a bench in well controlled restraints. It matters how your boomstick shoots in the field. I break so many “rules”. I don’t use any pressure for a cheek weld any more because it adds pressure moving the stock to my right when recoil occurs, I put my scope in rings that push it higher, I shoot at 10 to 15 magnification out to 1000 yards, I don’t put the rifle butt in my “shoulder pocket”, but right on my collarbone as close to my neck as I can get it, I shoot a thin jacketed match bullet and avoid the shoulder at all cost, I shoot as light and as small a bullet as is effective to kill (I have no problem hunting with a 223 or 6mm bullet for elk as long as the terminal velocity is high enough), I believe nearly anyone shooting more than a 7 mag for long range hunting is over gunned and increased recoil creates worse shots, and So much is new and and goes against long held ideas. Few people believe in it so far, but if you shoot enough long range, you start to notice trends. The first couple of years I shot thousands of rounds and watched others shoot tens of thousands of rounds at long range and in as many types of positions as you could think of. I have since watched dozens of people shoot long range for the first time with my rifles. I see what I see. I am not the best, by far, that comes with more bullets down range. But, I have been to training with some of the best long range shooters in the world. I have talked with them and got advice from them. They have been to the best training in the world. Some are record holding in the AMU. I have shot with some of the best long range shooters in the nation. There have been massive advances and experience from the hundreds of thousands of bullets fired in the last decade of long range and precision rifle competitions. Many of the old rules of thumbs and ideas have been superseded by better rules. Hands down the most versatile tool is a stiff tripod and when possible a tripod or other rear support. The front support tripod and rear support sticks is a fantastic idea. I don’t use it much, but it works well for newer shooters. I shoot all the time off a tripod and get as steady as prone, but because of recoil and other factors my zero moves from my bench zero. Here is proof in the pudding to back up my take on it. Shooting off a tripod is nearly as good as it gets with the right gear and instruction. I don’t even bother with prone any more. Someone showed me how to use the tripod a couple months before the two videos below. He learned it from one of the first long range mountain shooting schools to teach it. I only repeat what the best in the business have told and right me, and everything I say I sure think I have seen. I can repeat the shooting off a tripod at 500 yards in nearly any terrain. I actually prefer ground that slopes away because it creates a shooting position with very little tension in the body and a lot of support. I have learned and modified my technique, my gear, and my rifle some since these videos. Just little tweaks to continue to develop.