CouesWhitetail

If you know any deer hunters who haven't taken the survey yet, please call them and ask them to take it. It only takes 5 mins or so and it's important to reach as many hunters as possible. If you haven't taken the survey yet, go to The Arizona Deer Association webiste As far as the commission meeting goes, here is the date, time and location. Please go to this meeting and express your opinion. The final recommendations for the fall 2006 big game hunts, along with a proposed schedule for the hunt application process, will be presented to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission for approval at the commission's public meeting on Saturday, April 22 in Phoenix. The meeting begins at 8 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn/Phoenix Midtown, 4000 N. Central Ave. Amanda

Casey, The large CW.com stickers are free. So technically I donate them to everyone. You just have to ask for one. The smaller stickers require a $10 donation (not $25 as someone else listed above). Here is a link to photos and info about the stickers in case anyone is interested. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/bookstore/stickers.htm Amanda

Looks nice Casey! Amanda

Those are the kinds of images that make it hard sometimes for me to sleep at night alone in bear country. Amanda

The bill is set up so that the commission can change the NR cap if they feel they need to. But it requires a unanimous vote by the commission to do so. Amanda

Here is a statement from the Montebello High School website. MONTEBELLO HIGH SCHOOL WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A CORRECTION We have received many phone calls and E-mails about the reports that Montebello High School students put up a Mexican flag and took down the American flag this past Monday. MONTEBELLO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS DID NOT TAKE PART. Students from the El Rancho HIGH School District and the Whittier Union High School District took part in this action. Our Administration, Staff, and students do not condone this action. We hope this clarifies the situation. Here is an article about that event. Teen disciplined for flag flipping Schools beef up security on Chavez holiday By Tracy Garcia Staff writer An El Rancho student was given an unspecified punishment Thursday in connection with flipping an AMerican flag at Montebello High on Monday. PICO RIVERA - A student protest that resulted in a Mexican flag being flown on top of an upside-down U.S. flag at a local school has prompted disciplinary action against one El Rancho High School student. El Rancho Unified School District officials said the unnamed student was punished for being involved in the flag incident, which took place Monday at Montebello High School, about four miles east of El Rancho High School. The punishment was consistent with the California Education Code, officials said. They did For More Info Photo Galleries: ? 03/28: Student protest ? 03/27: Student protest | ? 2 | ? 3 | ? 4 Video: ? 03/27: Bystander video ? 03/27: Student Protest not give further details because of legal and privacy issues. But Montebello Unified School District administrators said they were glad the neighboring district investigated the incident and took the proper action. "We appreciate the diligence that \ district has taken in identifying the student who allegedly committed the infraction with the flagpole incident," said Assistant Superintendent Robert G. Henke. Monday's image of the Montebello High flagpole sparked an uproar locally and across the nation after it was posted on various Web sites and featured in East Coast newspapers and national broadcast media. The incident took place about noon Monday, when a group of about 1,000 students from the El Rancho and Whittier Union High school districts marched through Pico Rivera to Montebello High, where students had walked out of classes in the previous week to protest proposed immigration reform legislation. By the time they reached Montebello High, the campus was on lockdown, district officials said. That's when the protesters ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- took to the flagpole, added the Mexican flag and turned the U.S. flag upside down. The school's California flag was stolen in the process, Henke said. Rumors that more student walkouts were scheduled for today, the official Cesar Chavez holiday, has prompted Whittier-area police and sheriff's agencies to step up their efforts, with authorities threatening to give $165 tickets to any student who is caught protesting during school hours. In addition, El Rancho officials have scheduled an after-school forum today where they will be "encouraged to air their concerns and opinions in a safe, structured, well-supervised environment," the district's statement said. "For the next several weeks, as the pending legislation works its way through Congress, the situation will be closely monitored by district personnel," El Rancho officials added. The Montebello Unified and Whittier Union High school districts have encouraged faculty to organize activities and dialogue to teach students positive methods of expressing their viewpoints. tracy.garcia@sgvn.com (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3051

Yes, they are reputable. You can stop by their office in Phx and check out the gear before you rent it (if they don't have it loaned out already). The office is part of a some other equipment company they run. The phone number and address is on the website. Amanda

I compared both binos side by side (15x swaros and the 10-15xduovids). The duovids are excellent glass as are the swaros. Both are sharp and clear and provide great images. The real question is which pair feels best for your eyes. I found the duovids didn't work well for me. In addition, I considered the duovids because I thought then I could only carry one pair of binos rather than a 10x and a 15x. However, I think the duovids are still too heavy to wear around your neck all day and so you may end up wanting to carry a smaller pair anyway. There is another guy on this site who uses the duovids and loves them. Hopefully he will come and give his input. Amanda

I tried the 10-15 leica duovids and didn't like them. However, other people love them. They just never fit my eyes right no matter what I did. I have pretty narrow eyes though and the duovids might work great for you. I rented a pair to try them out for awhile from Ross Outdoors. I found that pair difficult to adjust the diapter and I am not sure if it was because their was a problem with that particular pair or if it would be true for all 10-15 duovids. You can also rent the 15x swaros from them: http://rossoutdoors.com/CMS/rentals.php I suggest you try out a pair before you decide to buy one brand or the other. Maybe borrow from a friend or rent them. Amanda

In case you aren't aware there have been some sportsmen pushing for a legisative bill that would provide for the 10% cap on Nonresident tags. The bill recently made it through the state house and senate and now the governor will sign or veto it. Some of the AGFD commissioners oppose the bill because they feel it is unneccessary to have a state statute protecting that cap. But many sportsmen feel that more protection is needed based on what happened to the 10% cap in the recent past. I have attached a letter that explains a little more about the bill and below is a letter from Pete Cimellaro asking people to contact the governor about the bill. Good News: This afternoon the full Senate voted on HB 2127,( the 10%nonresident permit cap and resident hunter protection bill). Final Senate vote 20 votes YES, 9 votes No, one did not vote. Final House vote was 47 votes YES, 8 votes NO, five did not vote In the next few days the bill will be sent up to the Governor for signing. I think it is safe to say we do not know what the Governor will do. At this point three Commissioners continue to oppose the bill. Last week Mr. Golightly said they will continue to oppose it, no matter how many sportsmen support it. This includes asking the Governor to veto the bill. Below is the Governors web address and phone number. If resident sportsmen want this legislation signed by the Governor, they need to let her know they support it. Please don't delay do this now. Ask Her to SIGN HB 2127 and protect resident hunting opportunities. Go to Governor Janet Napolitano's website www.governor.state.az.us Then go to the left side of the home page to: Contact the Governor Governor's office number 602-542-4331 Please do not delay, contact the Governor immediately. Protect resident opportunity to hunt in Arizona. Pete To_all_Arizona_resident_hunters__1_.doc

Good question Lee. I believe the 10% cap applies to all permits by hunt number, not just north of the CO river. Here is the wording in the rule change by the AGFC: The Department shall not make available more than 10%, rounded down, of the total hunt permit-tags in any hunt number to nonresidents for antelope, antlered deer, bull elk, javelina, or turkey. If a hunt number for antelope, antlered deer, bull elk, javelina or turkey has ten hunt permit-tags or fewer, no more than one hunt permit-tag will be made available to a nonresident, except that if a hunt number has only one hunt permit-tag, that tag shall only be available to a resident. I found this language in the PDF of the actual rule which is on AGFD website. It says the effective date for the rule change is march 11, 2006. Here is the link to the page for that: http://www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/rules/ru...g_updates.shtml Let me know if you have some other info that doesn't seem to mess with that. Amanda

Very nice! And an interesting looking buck. Amanda

Looks like you had a great dog there Jim. Sorry you had to say goodbye. Thanks for sharing the pics and story. I love that leaping into the water photo. Amanda

Yes, Coues deer eat manzanita. And my guess is the shift in behavior is most likely related to changes in what is available for them to eat. With the recent rains/snows there may be some plants greening up nearby that weren't available previously. Or, perhaps they just aren't as interested in your salt this time of year. Amanda

When: Saturday, Apr. 29th , 2006 at 8:00 am. Saturday will be the main event with Sunday for morning ?mop up? on loose ends for those interested, if necessary. Contact: RSVP- Dana Warnecke Arizona Game & Fish Dept., Region VI 7200 E. University Ave., Mesa , AZ, 85207 480-324-3547 or dbayer@azgfd.gov Where: Canyon Creek below the OW Ranch on the Tonto National Forest- Participants will meet at the FS campground on the northeast corner of the junction of FS 512 & FS 33 (maintained dirt roads). See the detailed directions below. Project participants that are planning to camp Saturday night can plan to use this campground or camp down in Valentine Canyon. (Campsites open to the public in Valentine Canyon may have temporary closures due to adverse weather and road conditions, in which case the upper campsite would be available). Activities: Volunteers will help deconstruct a barbed-wire livestock fence within the new elk/livestock exclosure and make repairs on exclosures in the area that need maintenance. This will entail cutting and rolling barbed-wire and hiking scrap materials to trailers. Recommended Gear: Long pants, long sleeve shirts (or layers), work gloves, hiking or outdoor boots, protective eyewear, and hats are strongly recommended. Be prepared for cold evening and morning temperatures and possible rain or snow. Yes..it?s possible we may have some early spring weather! Participants are responsible for their own camping provisions, meals and beverages. Directions: Take SR 260 east from Payson up onto the Rim, to the Jct. with FS 512 (road to Young). Go right and drive south on FS 512 approximately 3 miles to the Canyon Creek turnoff and turn east (left) on FS 33. The group will meet at the campground to the left of the intersection of FS 512 & FS 33. Project signs will be posted. To get to the worksite from the campground proceed east on FS 33 to the Jct. with FS 34 (Valentine Canyon & OW Ranch) and turn right. Proceed down into Valentine Canyon to the Jct. with FS 188, stay to the left on FS 188 and proceed to Canyon Creek and project area. To note the project area is downstream of the hatchery and the OW Ranch respectively. See a Tonto National Forest map for reference. Tools will be provided

Neat pic Jim. Thanks for the hint or I might not have picked it out. Amanda

Just a reminder that if you are not happy with the proposed changes, please attend the AGFD commission meeting on April 22 and voice your opinion. That is the date that they approve or disapprove the proposed changes to the hunt regulations. Here is the link to find out the commission schedule and agenda and meeting places. http://www.gf.state.az.us/inside_azgfd/commission.shtml Amanda

Wow!! those are some seriously hard times! Glad you guys all pulled through. What a mess..... Scottyboy your story reminded me of the guy who fell into a crevasse on Everest and he had to crawl back to camp. His crawl was a lot farther but I am not sure his injuries were as bad as yours. And Desertsheep that is one ugly photo you posted there! I can't wait to hear what Quimby has for stories along this line..... Amanda

Looks like a sweet ride Jim! I am jealous! Let us know how you like once you give it some time on rough roads. And just let me know the length you want for a new CW.com sticker and color and I will get one custom made for you. Amanda

Thanks guys! That sure is nice that you would think of me. I don't know much about the award, but I am sure there are lots more qualified people than me. Amanda

Once again CouesWhitetail.com has purchased a corporate table for the Arizona Deer Association banquet which is April 8. There are 10 tickets at the table, and I have 6 of them left to sell. If anyone wants a ticket, they are $55 each (same as individual tickets). CouesWhitetail.com covers the extra $250 to have a corporate table. The banquet will be at Rawhide Western Town at Wild Horse Pass, 5700 W. North Loop Road in Chandler, Arizona. April 8 Email me if you want to go. Amanda

Phil, Yes, I emailed you yesterday about your request. Maybe the email was delayed? I am holding 2 of the 3 tickets left for your second request. Amanda

Have a great birthday Scott!! Amanda

Good luck Scottyboy! Hope you make it home in one piece! And congratulations on your engagement! Amanda

The main guide Javier is a good guy. The place I hunted is his father's ranch. They have a lot of deer there and some very nice bucks. Have you spoken with Javier directly yet? He speaks english fairly well and it's a good idea to talk with him and tell him what you are expecting for your hunt. Some places on the ranch have good bucks, but limited glassing. Yet you can hunt them by moving slowly through the area. But if you don't like hunting that way, you can tell Javier you want to be in more open areas where you can glass. You can also choose to spend your whole day out in the field or come back to the ranch to have lunch and relax a little. I suggest if you go that you aim for the last week of January since the rut seems to peak around then for that area. Javier has some other ranches that sound good, but that I haven't been to. You can email me directly if you have more questions about Mexafari. Oh and Javier is donating a Coues hunt to the AZ Deer Assoc auction April 8. And he will be at the banquet/auction, so if you are planning to go you could meet him there and talk about your hunt. Amanda