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First off thanks to the good Lord for the time I got to spend with my boy, it was a heck of a time with plenty of ups and downs. Can't say enough how cool it is to watch your kids slowly become young men. Second thanks to @M@tt for coming down to help the first couple days. Great guy for sure. And of course @zackcarp for squeezing room in the walk in to hang the kids buck. This hunt started with high expectations, Kiki said he wants to hunt muley's, and so we did. Started off in an area I thought was a slam dunk. As usual (for me anyway) hunting mule deer made me humble. Spent the first couple days glassing up only forkies and does. Moved the camper closer to home, glassed up more forkies and does. Luck turned Sunday morning when we spotted a couple decent coues bucks and we went for it. As they do like ghosts they disappeared while on the stalk. Thought for sure they were heading for thick cover but in retrospect that phrase got me.. "coues are always where you last saw them". Looked up to see them high tailing it away from us. Next morning got off to a 15 minute late start, my fault but it could a made the difference. Got to the glassing point and immediately picked up a herd of muley's. Saw one that I knew right away was a stud. Bailed off the hill to give chase. No biggun where I thought he should be though. Had a doe and a spike walk right in front of us and that was it. I decided to pull out to not ruin a future chance. Came back that evening and no deer to be seen. Talked momma into coming the next morning, promised her we were close to sealing the deal. The next morning she was not as gung-ho when 330 rolled around, but she still came. Got breakfast at Denny's (part of the deal we made) and off we went. Got to the spot early and started glassing in the dark. No deer... Kept glassing... No deer.... Kept glassing... A couple does.... Oof. I told Caliche even if it's trash deer we should probably go for it since momma don't come out often. He agreed. Well once the sun was up I spotted one lone coues over a mile away verified he was a decent buck based on overall frame but we kept glassing for a closer opportunity. Suddenly like clockwork several white rump patches started appearing very close to the coues buck. We all converse quick and decide there is a chance the big one is nearby and if not we still got the coues. Bailed again off the hill, while in route momma said the big one is out there. We got to where I felt comfortable stalking and started to glass and could not find any muley but the WT buck was right in front of us under 200. The wind also started to shift. Momma said where the big muley was but due to the wind shift and not knowing the location of the rest of the muley herd we quickly decided let's kill this coues buck. Texted momma we are on the WT and getting ready to shoot. Well momma was so mesmerized by the muley she didn't keep eyes on the buck we were actually shooting and she didn't realize what I meant by WT. So we set up for the shot in a quick and quiet rush, Caliche looks at me and says "dude, this is so exciting!" and a minute later bang! I see the buck in my binos fly backwards and drop. Clearly we are full of adrenaline and I tell him he dropped, I texted momma "he dropped him". She responds I'm still looking at him??? I'm like no babe he shot the whitetail buck! So we rack another round and creep in just in case. we were in tall grass and sure enough the hit was a spine shot. Saw him up flailing and told him put one through his neck high and he did but for good measure had him put another in his head. Hence the bulging eyes. Once we really stopped and got to look him over I was pretty stoked at the buck he just killed. I assured him this buck was an old stud. Pretty gnarly horns and big body. Rack had some serious character and we had no regrets shooting this guy over the big muley. Called momma for the pickup while I showed Kiki how to quickly gut a deer. We earned ourselves some deer dragging sweat and met momma for some more pics. As per usual my new hunting partner Bucky the Boston terrier was there for the entire hunt, although not on the stalk he still put on the 12+ miles with us for the rest of it. Can't say as a dad how proud I am of Caliche.. out of all of my kids he's the one that seems to be bitten by the hunting bug the most. He was all in and fully immersed in this hunt. Even being the first one to pick up deer behind the glass a few times. This kid has grit and he sure makes me proud. He even caped his buck himself and measured him. He did dam good too on both fronts. Buck grossed 94" and netted like 88 and change. Can't wait to do it again. Got another youth tag this Friday and can't wait. It's my youngest boy Enoch. I don't think he's gonna embrace the suck though so probably forkies are on the menu, but if he's happy I'm happy. Thanks for reading. Ps. Not gonna lie, we had a hard time not laughing while taking the first few pics. Them crazy Steve Buscemi eyes

My 2 older boys 14 and 15 were lucky enough to snag a couple unit 23 deer tags. Heading up up today, so excited to spend this time with them.

RedBilly, catch some bait fish and throw one out and let it hang out…put a bell on that pole and have a couple beers!

I keep replaying Friday afternoon, Oct 6, in my mind and am so proud of our son, Jacob. I'm also thankful for the friends (family) that helped make this happen. Grandpa Goose and Christian made this hunt even more special. We were glassing in Unit 10 Friday afternoon, looking for a cow elk that we (Christian) spotted that morning over 2000 yards away bedded between two junipers. A bull bugled to our right down in or across the canyon immediately east of us. We knew he had to have cows with him. While making a plan, I decided we didn't need three people going in. That was too many bodies and, therefore, too many chances for something to go wrong. I stayed back with the gear while Jacob and Christian went in to look and, hopefully, make something happen. I know when it's time to let go and time for someone else to lead him, especially someone I trust wholeheartedly. 10 minutes later, at 4:40 pm, I heard the shot, followed by the wracking of the action of Jacob's 300WM. Then dead silence. Nobody answered my radio or text inquiries. This dad was shaking, but confident. Jacob is an ice-cold shooter. My radio went off at almost 4pm letting me know Jacob hit a cow solidly. She entered a thick clump of junipers and never came out. I grabbed the gear and headed down to Jacob and Christian. I got the full download. Jacob made a perfect 357-yard shot on a slightly quartering-away mature cow. Christian kept eyes on the area while Jacob and I picked our way across the canyon. Christian guided us in perfectly after seeing her fall and tumble down the canyon side. Jacob paid his respects to his elk and helped me drag her 15 yards down the canyon to the wash where we could process her easier. We got some great trophy pics before we ran out of light and began the hard work. Fortunately, Christian and Goose were able to drive Christian's Pioneer right up to the elk. The ride out on the tailgate of the Pioneer was beautiful under the stars. I got my chance to say thanks to all those above who watched over us. That's when my emotions caught up to me. I lost track of how many times I hugged Jacob.

Third time is the charm for me . This is the third time I've been in 6a for turkey . Dropped the wife and daughter up at elk camp Saturday and headed back to work Sunday . I was back to hunt Sunday afternoon and was on 5 or 6 birds before the thunder and rain shut everything down. Got a late start Monday morning about 730 and headed towards where I called a bird and the bear the last time. I made it about half way there and caught movement . I thought squirrel and rolled forward another foot or two and turkeys ran out in front of me . Out of the sxs and boom hit a bird . Had to chase after them a hit the bird again. Just a small Jake but I'm happy after 2 other unsuccessful trips. I'll have to post a picture later when my signal is better. For the guys from Tucson my wife was talking with at happy jack lodge when getting ice . I'm sorry but we don't give her real names for where we hunt . Wickenburg camp was named for the poor guys from Wickenburg that were ill prepared to hunt all those years ago . Elk camp is just that it's elk camp where we go when we're drawn for elk ,deer,or turkey. We tend to re- name the waterholes as they earn there names .

Dinner is on the way! My son’s Boy Scout buddy tagged out Sunday. This was his first hunting experience. Big thanks for the help goes out to hunting machine, Cody Bigelow and his brother, Johnny! Now my son and I will spend the next five days trying to find this one’s grandfather!

For no good reason, I haven't done it in years but I LOVE flathead fishing!!! Grew-up in Kearny and hitting the upper end (Salt) of Roosevelt was an annual tradition in the old days. Gotta make it a point to get out next spring/summer!

Realized i never posted this. Nothing too fancy, just a jake but FINALLY my first turkey. Walked up the hill to us calling, all while gobbling his assss off. Had to lean around a tree for the 45 yard shot and sent him tumbling down the hill. Had other toms around us so forgot the field photos as we continued to hunt. Had my son with me and he took the photos. He loves to carry a safe and empty weapon for dad.... And I don't hate it!

We were excited to see that my son drew a junior deer hunt again but this time in an area we never been in. We put in some crazy hours scouting google maps and onX maps just to find an area that looks interesting. I hit up some friends that hunted the area before and they gave great advice. We did scout trips and seen 10+ bucks a day and was feeling great before the hunt. Thursday I parked right outside Colby’s school and when his bell rang, he came running out, jumped in the truck and I think I peeled out a little bit. We got to camp, my pops had things already set up and we ate dinner and were ready to roll in the morning. My son decided to go to bed at 7:30 pm which was a new thing. Opening morning was the exact opposite of scouting, basically saw a coati, 4 mule deer does, 2 small coues bucks and 5 coues does. At 10am we decided to move to glass bedding areas. Glassed for a bit and my pops and I told Colby that we have to glass at 11am, we cannot go back to camp for lunch. We told him that’s when bucks change their beds. Sure enough at 11:12 I saw a buck moving from one bed to another. Colby asked if it was bigger than his buck from last year (that’s his only goal, to get something bigger than his last buck)I said yes and he said game on. We waited til the buck bedded down again and made our move. Colby is real confident under 300 yards so we snuck in to 267 yards and the only place we could find a lane to shoot in was out in the open field. No shade, just dirt and sun and no wind. We waited 3 hours and 12 minutes and when the buck was ready he stood up, the buck was quartering towards us and Colby put a bullet behind his shoulder and the bullet went all the way to his opposite side rump. The buck hunched up, went a few steps and rolled down the mountain. Turns out that this buck is real old, can’t imagine how many lions, bears and hunters he evaded the last 9-10 years. Had some giant hooves and teeth were won down pretty good. We hung around the area for a few more days glassing, saw plenty of bucks but nothing in this caliber and headed back home today.

SOLD - Selling my Docter 15x60s. These are in great condition. I had them serviced by Docter years ago and they replaced the rubber armor, eyecups, columnated, and cleaned. Other than a few trips used with my kids, they have sat in the safe. Glass is perfect. Includes an original Jim White tripod adapter. Located in Tucson. $650. (520) nine 07-one seven 86. Thanks for looking. Chris

I'm looking to try and bank fish from Barlett Wednesday night. How has the fishing been there? I've never caught a flathead before, I haven't really tried too either. What should I expect or try over there? I was thinking of trying over at the flats!

Sale 1st Generation Colt Delta Elite .10mm manufactured 1989 $1200 —- SOLD

It’s like an enchilada casserole. I’ve been eating it my whole life but only ever heard it called king ranch casserole about a year ago.

I just got back from target practice with two enthusiastic, twelve-year-old deer hunters! Man, these kids can shoot! 300 yards? No problem! And with them being fortunate enough to have the full ten-day window to hunt, I'll issue this final warning to all mature mule deer in their hunt area; You'd better find a really good hiding spot ASAP, or they might be seeing you on their dinner plates next month... Like this one last year:

Never heard of it. Does Google provide good recipes?

Congratulations to your son! So great to see three generations in the field together. I remember leaving from my school parking lot in the 70s, nothing better.

Son got it done This weekend w a decent coues. Opening day we passed 9 bucks. Day 2 some more bucks but no shooters. Mid day we found this buck and waited till he got out of his bed. Son got it done w a single 490 yrd shot. Now onto his youth cow elk this weekend.

Great buck, congrats.

I hate to mention it but NM changed their rules regarding muzzleloader hunts. You can no longer use a rifle scope! As to other information. Most hunters do the spot and stalk approach to hunting coues. A good pair of binoculars on a tripod is essential. I think you should also do some preseason scouting if possible. Coues are not as prevalent in NM as they are in Az. NM only allows 5 days for the hunt which can add to the difficulty. I hunted deer near Alma and Glenwood twice with a centerfire rifle a while back. I scouted a few days before my hunt. I went into terrain that I thought would have whitetail. All I ever found were mule deer and bighorns! Hope you know of a good area that has whitetails. I once asked Dave Miller, the gunsmith famous for his many book coues, if he hunted for coues in NM. His answer was he didn't bother because they are very hard to find. Good luck!

What’s left of the Smoked tuna. I made a double batch of some dip using emeril lagasse recipe and it was like crack.

I just got back from Soldotna doing the same fishing trip. Had a blast. Weather was perfect, I think the highest temp we saw was like 74 degrees. We just packed layers and made sure we had some sort of rain gear. I honestly just wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt with my kings jacket for the early mornings on the river. I packed a back pack with an extra hoody and a pair of frog togs just in case we needed them. Never did. Seriously thought about selling the house, quitting my job and never leaving that place. It was absolutely amazing.

I wore frogtogg waterproof bibs and sitka rain rain jacket. It rained everyday for 6 days and I never got wet. For gloves I used insulated rubber gloves like they use in frozen food warehouses. Have fun! Its beautiful

Socks are optional, of course.

Been pretty busy but we had a fun HAM hunt. The piggies were very hard to find, but we glassed up a mountain lion, a coati and tons of deer. He was able to make a great shot at 35 yards with a .357 mag.