CouesWhitetail

hehehehe....good guess...it was actually the backside of a rock squirrel. The tails are a little different from an abert's, plus it's too low an elevation for the abert's to be in there. Amanda

Those sound like the ones I bought and had to return because they were so bad. I must have gotten a lemon pair. Amanda

That is very cool!!! Care to share how you did that? Amanda

Battery life is a definite plus on these Covert mini cams. They take AA's and last for several months. You can also set it up with a solar panel for even longer use if you wanted to. Amanda

Doug, You might explain that this is for 2nd place, right? You already selected a first place winner based on everyone's reaction to Jim's photo (which is not shown here in this thread), right? Will we have a third place also, or just 1 and 2? Amanda

Covert will be coming out with a cheaper model but it won't have the bells and whistles of the current covert cams. But still might be a great cam for lots of folks. DLC thinks perhaps the beginning of April they will be available. I wasn't expecting the bobcat and lion, but of course was very happy to get them! There is a wash that has water in it not far from where I have the cam and I figured the lions and such would travel that wash and not use that little spot. But I guess they go where the game goes and obviously the piggies, rabbits and turkey use that other area. Amanda

Clay, That's about the quality of the radios I used on my hunt with Scott this year! Amanda

Yes, I was pleased to get the turkey, but I thought they would feed in front of the cam on the green stuff and not just cruise right on by. So I was kinda bummed to get the headless turkey pic, rather than little flock under the tree. I should have angled the cam a little more to the left to get the larger feeding area. That's my first lion pic!! I was excited about that, although it's not a great pic. And nice to get another bobcat. Amanda

I always wanted one of those! Not sure I can swing the price now, but sounds like great deal!! Amanda

You all might remember that several months ago I turned off the feature that allows you to have a separate login name and display name. Apparently that conversion was only partially completed and so I ran the SQL database queries to finish it. So now some of you may notice that your login name is the same as your display name. So if you want your login name changed so that it displays differently, let me know. For most of you this change means nothing, but some of you will probably want to contact me to make a change. I am making this change because it makes my job easier because people seem to forget their real login name but remember their display name. Then they contact me saying they can't login. This way, everything is the same and it's easier all around. Amanda

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Gamehauler, I may take you up on that. Please keep the suggestions coming. If you have a radio that works great, let me know what kind you are using. Amanda

Good idea Doug. I renamed it for now. But you guys can continue to make your case for a whole separate dog training section if you think we need it. Amanda

I added in photos of some more great prizes on the Coues Buck Contest page. Thank you so much to all who donated. Hopefully the list is properly updated. If I missed someone, please let me know. The generosity of everyone who donates never ceases to amaze me. Thank you! http://www.coueswhitetail.com/Coues_Buck_C...t_2008-2009.htm Amanda

Yes, the Buckskin chapter has some people very dedicated to this project and they have spent years pushing for change on the Kaibab. No, the other data wasn't presented. I believe the final report which will include the other data is due out in June. They did talk about about some of the habitat projects that are ongoing which are part of an overall effort to improve deer habitat on the winter range. Amanda

Doug, According to Brian Wakeling during last night's meeting, they are expecting to recommend a decrease in doe and buck harvest on the Kaibab. Those recommendations have not been set yet, however and will be based on population data (fawn:doe, buck:doe ratios, age class in the harvest, yearling weights, etc). They still want to have a doe harvest for youth opportunity, but he said there was no biological justification for a large increase in doe permits. This is what the ADA has been saying for years. The recalibration of the model that Brian referred to was done after the ADA pushed for and helped fund a double count helicopter survey to get a better count of the herd. At that time, the AGFD population model said there were a lot more deer than the helicopter survey showed, so they recalibrated the model based on those flights. It is encouraging that the model and current helicopter survey flight done (I believe he said last month) were in agreement. One of the biggest points of contention between the ADA and AGFD has been with their reliance on cliff rose data to determine if the herd needed to be reduced. Basically if AGFD found that cliff rose utilization was greater than 50% then they would increase doe harvest in order to reduce the deer herd. The ADA has several members that know the Kaibab very well and it was clear to them that the deer herd was not above carrying capacity and could grow without harm to the habitat. So it seemed to us that the AGFD's reliance on cliff rose data was not the best way to make decisions regarding management of that herd. So the ADA helped fund a collaborative 3-year research project that has now made clear to the dept that cliff rose monitoring is not a reliable method to use. Quote from their press release: "Although the final analyses have yet to be completed, one thing is clear: The cliffrose monitoring is not adequate to detect effects of mule deer abundance on winter range. " The three year research project is studying far more than just the cliff rose and will reveal a lot about the current quality of the winter range and the current condition of the deer herd on the Kaibab. Amanda

Don't take it so hard, they were just messing with you. I am always interested in new suggestions for improving the site. So thank you for your input! I don't mind a new section like that, but I guess that's why I created the small game hunting section, so I am not sure we need a new section for it. If enough people started posting dog training stuff, I might do it. But right now lots of people post their quail hunts and such in this section. Let's see what more people have to say. Amanda

Hi All, I am very excited to show you Jason Lewis' (aka Foundryman) latest donation to CouesWhitetail.com. It's a beautiful bronze that he created for the Coues Buck contest. It's a non-typical whitetail set on a full-size shed antler made of bronze. And all that is on a very beautiful walnut base. I can't say enough about Jason and his generosity to this site. Sorry the picture isn't great, but with the rainy weather, I had to take the photo inside and the lighting was poor. The bronze is about 14 inches tall and 13 inches wide. Wow, someone is sure gonna love it!! THANK YOU JASON!!! I know you had a lot going on this year and I know we appreciate the time and talent you put into this piece!! Amanda

Maybe I should. It will depend on when we announce the results of the Coues contest and when the winner wants the bronze. If I can bring it, I will! Amanda

I bought custom earplugs years ago at a show, and I always wear both the plugs and ear muffs when I target shoot. However, I frequently have not had protection in my ears when shooting at game. One thing I have thought of getting to make it more likely for me to use protection during hunting situations is to get those orange ones that the Jay Scott and crew use in the Extreme Coues video. The plugs are connected together and hang around your neck like a stethoscope so it takes only a second to put them in place. Mine are connected by a string and when I wear them around my neck sometimes they slip off and I worry I will loose them. Amanda

hehehe, yes, it's annoying that the forum doesn't accept formatting. Sorry for the confusion. Here is the signup info that's a little more readable: SIGNUP AT VALLE CHEVRON OR BY MAIL 317 S. ST ROUTE 64 WILLIAMS AZ 86046 FOR MORE INFO CONTACT WILLIE @ 928-380-0445

Valle Predator Hunt DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS: HUNT BEGINS MARCH 14TH AND ENDS ON THE 15TH. ENTRY FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY MARCH 13TH NO LATER THAN 9 PM . COST: 25 $ PER PERSON, 2 AND 3 PERSON TEAMS CHECK IN: SAT THE 14TH 6-9 PM SIGNUP AT SUN THE 15TH 4 PM VALLE CHEVRON POINTS: OR BY MAIL COYOTE=1 POINT 317 S. ST ROUTE 64 FOXES= 1POINT WILLIAMS AZ 86046 BOBCAT= 2 POINT FOR MORE INFO CONTACT WILLIE @ 928-380-0445 RULES AND REGS: ALL ANIMALS IN THE HUNT MUST BE CHECKED AND PASS INSPECTION ANY UNSATISFACTORY OR SUSPECT ANIMALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED . ANY SUPECT TEAMS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED PENDING REVIEW. IN ORDER OF A TIE, TIE BREAKER WILL BE DETERMINED BY WEIGHT . NO ANIMALS TO BE COUNTED AFTER SET CHECK IN TIMES.

Wow, that is interesting. I just spoke with Harold (the dept director) yesterday afternoon and he said the commission had not made any decisions yet. Amanda

I just got off the phone with Jason and asked him about the bronze sheds. He says he doesn't know when he will have time to make them. But he says he is still going to do it. So....I guess there is nothing to do but wait patiently for the artist to find the time! On another note, Jason is getting much more widely known through all his donations to this site and the sportsmen's banquets and such. Representative Jerry Weiers helped get Jason a contract with the State of AZ to do a bronze war memorial. That memorial was dedicated this past weekend and is at the state capitol. Jason is supposed to email me some pics when his mother-in-law gets them to me. Apparently it's a plaque and a Vietnam Vet in bronze. If you go the AZ state capitol building the memorial is right in front by the flagpole. Amanda

Doug is correct, there are many great prizes donated. I hope to update the prize list with all the new photos of prizes this week. I will make a separate post when I get that prize list updated. Amanda

Hey man!!! You gottat give us a bit more info!!! How bout a wine and price list???? Sounds like a Great place for a CouesWhitetail.com get together!!! Amanda