CouesWhitetail

Nice finds Josh! You rock! Thanks for sharing the pics with us. I don't even think I own an orange shirt...guess no Club Gitmo for me....you crack me up! Amanda

Hi All, Went on a quick campout last night with my husband. We went up to a place north of town on USFS land that is loaded with a plant called Algerita (or Berberis). It's a shrub that gets fairly large, like 5ft or more tall and just as wide or wider. This time of year it gets in full bloom and the whole bush looks yellow. If you haven't ever noticed this plant before, it's worth a trip out to find some. The scent these flowers give off is HEAVENLY! We went to camp there just so we could be surrounded by that smell. The place where we went has these bushes about every 5 meters and so it's just packed with floral scent. Now is the time for those plants at around 4200 feet elevation. It grows in with mesquite and hackberry and other desert plants. Had to come back early this morning for church and work (my hubby works on weekends). Or else I would have done a bunch of glassing this morning. Sure is tough to drive away from a prime deer area at the golden hour around sunrise! here is my dog enjoying the sunset on our walk (I had stopped to glass some and she laid down) and here is a curve-billed thrasher nest in a cholla cactus that we found on our walk and here is the Algerita plant with flowers: and here is th crazy fire we had with 6 ft flames! Hackberry sure burns great! Thank goodness we were in a sandy wash. and here is the fire after it calmed down and with the almost full moon in the background. (this looked alot nicer than the photo shows!) I love this time of year! Hope everyone is taking advantage of the great weather and getting out there! Amanda

Hi All, Found a pile of deer bones (or I should say, my husband saw it and pointed it out to me) and started searching for the head. Found this one. I would guess it was archery wounding loss rather than mtn lion kill due to the location and position of the bone pile, but it's old enough that I don't know if I could tell for sure. Anybody here arrow a buck like this in the Pinals and not find it? If so and you can tell me where you last saw it, you are welcome to the rack. It's not a very large buck, but it's nice just the same. Amanda

FYI - there still are tickets available to the banquet, but the CW.com tables are full. But if you still want to attend, you can buy tickets online at http://www.azdeer.org It's a lot of fun and it raises money for wildlife projects! Buy a ticket today! Amanda

It's not hard to get a permit for a use AGFD deems appropriate. I do many educational presentations a year for adults and kids with lots of skins, skulls, scat, bones, etc that I have collected. I don't know how hard it would be for an average guy to get a permit. Probably easier for me since I am wildlife biologist. They require strict reporting on all your activities and a proposal for what you intend to do. Call AGFD and ask them for details if you are interested. Amanda

Just an FYI - I am legally allowed to pick up this skull since I have a scientific collection permit which allows me to salvage all kinds of wildlife parts for educational purposes and I also notified the local Game Warden about it. Amanda

Yes, I saw that too, but I am guess it's post mortem....but who knows. Several of the bones were scattered, so I think some predators got to it, but I just have a a feeling it was after it died. I have a sheep skull that has it's nose chewed off exactly the same way and it's from my dog doing it after I cleaned it...... Amanda

You might call someone at Dinosaur National Monument and ask questions about rock formation and the tracks you found. maybe a geologist or fossil specialist there can help. http://www.nps.gov/dino/ If you haven't ever gone to Dino. Natl Monument, it's well worth a trip! I took my nephew a few years ago and it was great! Amanda

LOL!

Great story Gino and nice pic TwoGuns! Good luck with those two wild ones! Amanda

I don't know how long it takes a rock layer like that to form. Anybody here a geologist? I think the rock that I found those tracks in was some kind of sandstone and it was fairly close to a river bed. I wish I had taken pics of the ones I saw. I took some measurements but I didn't have a digital camera at the time. I suppose I could always go back and find them again. Could your extra large bear track just be one that slipped in the mud so it looks huge? Amanda

No, I don't have that as an option. Maybe someday I will just set up an informal poll on the site and see what people say. I used to collect some of that info in the first couple years of the site, but that was before the stickers got popular. It sure would be interesting to know. Amanda

Wasn't me, but I did have a guy wave me down in Tucson. He seemed very excited to find out about the site from the sticker on my jeep. He said he was an avid hunter and would visit the site, but I don't know if he ever made it. I hope so. Amanda

Ok, we have now filled those three seats (again). Thanks to all! See you on the 7th. I think Allen is getting a table with Duwane Adams and so we will likely have three tables of Coues Fanatics sitting together And again, those at the 2nd table will have to pick up their tickets at the event. I will be giving the people at the door a list of names so you should be able to get in without any trouble. Amanda

That is hysterical!!! hehehehe Amanda

I think it does depend on how the light is hitting them. Here is a photo of "Miss pink ears"

Coosefan, I have seen tracks in rock like that on the san carlos. If I remember right it was like turkey tracks, and canid tracks and elk or cattle tracks. And some of the tracks clearly went underneath the upper rock layers, meaning they were made before the upper rock layer formed. I don't think they were that old given the tracks looked like modern animals, but I never figured out how they formed. Interesting stuff for sure. Amanda

hey KGAINES, nice link...that is my husband's website! He works at BTA and I remember when he put together that page on the snakes. AManda

I can't remember if I have told this story on the forum or not...probaby have...but anyway, it's a pretty good one and some of you might not have heard it. Anyway I was deer hunting in the dragoons years ago when I saw a snake in the hiking trail. It was still early and cool out and so the snake was not really moving and I thought maybe it was dead. It was only maybe 6-8 inches long and I didn't recognize the pattern on it at all. Being a biologist, I thought I would try and figure out what kind of snake it was. So I looked at the tail and didn't see a rattle and figure it would be safe to pick up. And besides it really looked dead. So I grabbed it behind the head and started checking it out up close. Then I noticed it actually did have a little nub of a rattle on its tail and then it started moving and I realized I was holding a live rattlesnake! OOOPSS!!! hehehe, so I started thinking about what to do and eventually just gently put it down and moved my hands off it real quick. Thank goodness it was a cold morning!! Turned out it was a neat species. Anyone ever hear of a Banded Rock Rattlesnake? They are a really pretty. you can see a photo on this page: http://www.reptilesofaz.com/Snakes-Subpages/h-c-lepidus.html Amanda

Looks like we may have 3 more seats available at the 2nd table. Anyone else interested? Let me know ASAP. Amanda

I have checked out that website before and thought it would be great to have a trained antlerdog! Maybe it can be a new business for you Josh? Amanda

The AGFD expo is march 31-April 1st....see their article below.... Don’t miss the expanded activities at the Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo March 26, 2007 Come enjoy the outdoor recreation action at the FREE Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo on March 31 and April 1 at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. The event not only offers all of the target shooting opportunities of last year’s Shooting Showcase, but also has expanded to include activities, demonstrations, workshops and exhibits on hunting, fishing, archery, off-highway vehicle recreation, boating recreation, camping, wildlife conservation and more. Here are some of the fun activities you won’t want to miss: Try out the latest firearms in a safe, controlled environment on the shooting range. Manufacturers on hand include Smith & Wesson; Sturm, Ruger & Co.; and Glock. Some venues may charge a nominal fee for ammunition. Visit the Family Fun Adventures area to catch fish in the huge catch-and-release tank. We’ll provide photos of the kids as they catch their feisty sunfish. Then head to the firearm safety unit for beginning air gun shooting, or to a special supervised range for beginning .22 rifle shooting. Test-drive an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the new ATV course. View quads, sand rails, 4x4s and dirt bikes, and see exciting demonstrations by the “unstoppable” rock crawler. Learn where you can ride and what clubs you can join. Learn archery fundamentals or hone your skills at the archery range—geared toward archers of all abilities, from beginner to advanced. See live wildlife, including an eagle, great horned owl, hawk, bats, reptiles and more. Attend informative workshops on wildlife and wildlife conservation. Try out specialty shooting disciplines (cowboy action, black powder, rifle and pistol silhouette, and more) on specialty shooting ranges, hosted by local shooting organizations. Some venues may charge a nominal fee for ammunition. Have your child audition to be “guest host for a day” for a future episode of the Arizona Wildlife Views television show (limited to children ages 7-18). Watch two championship youth events on Saturday: the Scholastic Clay Target Program Commissioners’ Cup sporting clays state championships (at the Clay Target Center), and the Arizona Archery in the Schools Program state championships (at the FITA archery range). Check out the hunter field course/nature trail and see demonstrations of proper camp set-up, how to keep a clean camp, and tips on map reading, GPS and orienteering. Try out a Gatling gun on the range (fee for ammunition), or learn about high-power rifle shooting. Attend workshops and demonstrations on hunting with bird dogs, falconry, turkey and coyote calling, venomous reptiles, using science to catch more fish, improving your big game draw odds, and maximizing your outdoor recreation fun in Arizona state parks. Learn how to shoot trap, skeet and sporting clays, and international trap and skeet (Sunday only, at the Clay Target Center). Visit the air gun building, and experience the fun and challenge of Olympic-style air rifle and air pistol—for shooters of all abilities, from beginner to advanced. Get information on boating recreation, and attend workshops on watercraft safety. See exhibits on canoeing, kayaking and hang gliding. Try out the rock climbing wall. See exciting clay target shooting demonstrations by world-class shooter Emily Blount. Learn about Dutch oven cooking. Visit with more than 100 exhibitors—vendors of outdoor products and services, sportsmen’s/conservation groups, government agencies and other nonprofit organizations. The Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 1. Admission and parking are free. Free trolley transportation within the 1,690-acre Ben Avery complex will enable you to explore all of the action. The Ben Avery Shooting Facility is located at 4044 W. Black Canyon Blvd. in Phoenix. To get to the Expo, take I-17 to Carefree Highway (exit 223) and go west 1/2 mile on Carefree Highway to the entrance at Long Shot Lane. Click here to download a copy of the event program, or visit http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/showcase.shtml to obtain more information. Sponsors of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo are Sportsman's Warehouse, Winchester Tents, Rugged Gear and the Weatherby Foundation.

Great pics! Love that archery pic Keith! Amanda

here is a pic from gamehauler (he can give you the details on it)

This is a great thread....but just an fyi- we didn't lose your old thread. We really didn't lose much of the forum during that hijacking and crash. They did manage to login as an administrator but they started deleting threads from the classified ads and other topics near the bottom of the forum. But most of the interesting topics remained safely intact. Anyway, if anyone is interested, here is the link to the old trophy photo thread from last year: http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...?showtopic=3171 Oh and here is a photo of my buck from Mexico two years ago...I love him! Amanda