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Over the last 20 years I have drawn a lot of limited opportunity tags. Always 5th choice and every year I say never again. I call it the M effer hunt. Filled a couple rifle cow tags and killed a rag bull on the achery hunt. . This year I had to miss the first three weeks while I was away working out of state and thought I wouldn't even make it out for the last couple weeks of the hunt. Was able to make it out this weekend for three days and had a great time . Spent all day Friday sitting water and had three elk come in at around 430 pm. At the same time I hear a vehicle coming closer and closer when finally a green van with a Jurassic Park sign on the side pulls up through my scope.. off road and drives halfway around the tank. So I switch my safety off and the hippie steps out of his van and proceeded to start preparing to urinate in front of me. I informed him of my presence at that time. Not wanting to get in a fight and having elk in my sight I grabbed my gear and took off after the elk. Never cought up with them. So the hippie decided to camp 10 yards away from the tank all weekend. Test of my old self not wanting to be confrontatinal I decided to build a blind up the trail from the tank and have another family member make a report to fish and game about the hippie violating the quarter mile rule. Two days later 6 elk come in shooting range of my blind and hippie gets a rude awakening with rifle fire.elk down. Had an amazing time and got the biggest cow elk to date. Plus size is on the way out I passed the game warden headed in to give hippie a ticket for stupidity. It was a good day.

I could have not have scripted this hunt for my buddy from Texas any better. Opening morning I dug up 3 great bulls in a nasty canyon. After running out of real estate we settled in for a shot my buddy makes pretty consistently at 736 yards on the best bull, a 6 point probably around 300-310”. After cutting hairs on his back twice the bull had enough and moved into thick timber. We never could pick them back up that day. He was heartbroken. Fast forward to day 3…..I locate 2 giants in some cedars and we sneak in to 50 yards and he hammers the biggest a 6 by 7 with devil point!!! His first elk! What a dream hunt for him and this is a bull of a lifetime! Only 4” broke off him, beams just under 55”, and mass all the way up 😬😬😬

Here is the information to virtual join the meeting Friday morning 12/6/24. https://azgfd-portal-wordpress-pantheon.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/27095451/Rev1-December-6-2024-Commission-Meeting-Agenda.pdf November 25, 2024 A public meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will be held on December 6, 2024 at the Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 W Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086. The public may attend the meeting in person or view the meeting at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam or may listen to the meeting by calling 404-397-1516, Access code: 280 046 234##. Members of the public may view the meeting from any Department Regional Office. Members of the public attending in person wanting to speak on a specific agenda item may submit Speaker Cards (Blue Cards) if they wish to speak to the Commission. Members of the public may only address the Commission by attending in person or from any regional office. Copies of any presentations, documents, etc. discussed during the meeting will be available by contacting sprice@azgfd.gov. Unless expressly provided otherwise with any matter, the Commission may discuss and may vote to take action on the following matters: Friday, December 6, 2024 Meeting location opens at 7:45 a.m. Meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. Lunch Break at 12:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance Welcome/Introductions Awards and Recognition 1) Call to the Public. Those persons wishing to speak on a matter not on the agenda should complete a speaker’s card and present it to the host. No discussion or action will be taken by the Commission. This currently isn't on the agenda they way I understand it. The CBD has petionited the AZGF on this topic so it will be discussed as the first item and I believe you can only make a comment if you are in person and fill out the blue card to speak.

Not only should it not be further restricted but trapping on public land should be brought back and predator competitions. I hunt because I love to pull the trigger and see stuff die, not going to lie. Sure I spend days at a time hiking miles and seeing something different every footstep. Camping alone, setting up the tent and camp, marinating meat days ahead to be cooked over a fire followed by too many beers. I've killed plenty of stuff and at 72 hope to keep doing it for another decade at least. Never gets old. Each sunrise and sunset is a blessing to be enjoyed. Up and out an hour before dawn and a few times back to camp hours after dark. For some reason I keep going long after my hunting buds have all moved away. We need more opportunity not less but there is a plethora of it out there if you are motivated. You can literally hunt something every day of the year in Arizona if you have the gumption to do so. If you don't care for some methods then don't participate, but as a sportsman it's every hunters obligation to support it. Don't be silent. First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller

Story on ch-12 news last night: AZ conservation groups petition to ban dog hunting for some animals | 12news.com 1st I find it Ironic that newscaster call CBD a conservationist group. No, they are an anti-hunting group. 2nd It's odd that CBD main argument why we need to ban hunting with dogs is because of the GPS systems on dogs is unfair and has adverse effects on wildlife. If that's their argument, then why not just petition G&F to get the use of this technology banned? At least debate that issue. I think we all know that is not the real reason. All hunters need to ban together and stop this. Reach out to all your hunting and non-hunting friends and family.

The story is short….. I was so busy trying to finish up my cabin before our friends arrived from Texas that I only got out 4 times. Was on bulls every time but just never had the shot opportunity I liked. Day before season ended I decided this “trophy Spike 😂” would do. 58 yard shot and the track job was short. Awesome to have my boy with me on it and our friends arrived just in time to hang the first elk at the cabin!

Most places have 30 tags or so. For me it's alot more fun to see elk acting like elk. The road warriors and sxs,that go with September and rifle hunts, for me, make hunting less fun.

Breeze!!! I really don't have much to roast you on, because I know, you more than most have worn the soles of more than a few pairs of boots and been thrown from a few saddles in the quest for big game! unfortunately I don't know chit about those northern units for coues deer. But when in doubt don't be scared to pray for a big buck! I pray alot in my tree stands, and latley it's been working! Most know it must be divine intervention because my fat old butt ain't got much skills as Lark would say!

Thanks for the support and all who showed up…

Hello all it never hurts to ask so feel freely to roast me (I’m sure AZlance will be first in line with a flamethrower) I drew the Jan/Feb tag for the Northern units if anyone digs up a big one and wants to go hunt I’m your guy. My DM’s are open and thanks!

I’ve had two VX6’s that wouldn’t return to zero. I won’t own another. Euro optic had 3-18 Schmidt and Bender metas on sale then other day for $1999. Best scope on the market and a competitive price to the others. Of the two you listed I’d go Steiner in a heartbeat.

I think they have only been available for less that 3 years. I bought a pair about 2 1/2 years ago.

I’d be spending my time in 27. Should be amazing.

Got my 2024 coues. I am very pleased with it.

2022

Fantastic bull, congrats to you both

Some people are too stupid to see it, they aren’t trying to ban hound hunting, they are trying to ban ALL hunting. One little piece at a time until it’s all gone, we need to be smart enough to stand up against this sort of thing and speak up.

This whole conversation is crazy to me. I think you guys who are crying “fair chase” think that lions are an endangered species maybe because they haven’t seen one? If this ban goes through we probably won’t have to worry about our hunting rights being taken away. The game we hunt will disappear. This country is full of lions and when they aren’t controlled, the deer, elk, antelope,pigs etc. will be cleaned out! I’ve seen it happen in the area I live and hunt in. When the hounds men started working on them, the whitetail and javelina came back. Night and day!

Doing good Guy.

You are a complete joke. You couldn’t catch a lion in a zoo. You have no idea how difficult hound hunting is. It takes years to train a successful dog. Most hunts are failures, and are extremely difficult.

Gaslighting 1000%. Hoping it passes is you in support of taking away peoples livelihood away and opportunities away from people. I would also venture to say you probably have never been on a pursuit/hunt with dogs. Trailing a pack of good working dogs is watching natural art unfold. The shot of a treed animal is 1% of the hunt with dogs. There’s so much more to it. I’d suggest you try something and do it before you speak on something you have no knowledge of besides what you assume the hunt is. Regardless I hope all hunters can support this petition not passing as the last thing hunters need is more opportunities and rights being stripped from them because its something the uneducated public doesn’t support or know anything about. If you truly like hunting coues, mule deer, sheep, antelope, and elk id support the houndsmen as they make a big difference taking the lions and predators they do.

Ive used sleepy creek for just tanning, and they are reasonable. I think it was $50-75 to flesh and tan a bobcat, well worth that price…. Probably the route im going to go again

Back when I was Predator calling every weekend, we sent a lot of hides to I believe it was us Fox and fur in minnesota? They were extremely reasonable but this was 10 plus years ago. I had them probably do half a dozen Fox and about the same amount of bobcats their work was always outstanding and extremely affordable.

Its a pretty large female cat. Rug would be cool but not $1500-$2000 cool for me.