1uofacat

Vehicle fire? I used to fly fish Reservation lake back in the late 70s/early 80s in float tubes and it was absolutely awesome (east arm of the lake). Haven't been back since then having moved out of state after college to follow work etc. While "away", I got to fish Montana and Wyoming though so was truly spoiled wetting lines in rivers like the Beaverhead and Big Hole in Montana, the Snake in Idaho, and the Madison in Wyoming. Also lived in Northern NM for a while and fished the San Juan a lot which was a mere 45 min away from home. Planning a trip to the White Mtns early October and trying to figure out where would be "best", so feedback is much appreciated. Big lake is "free", but Reservation Lake is not only a lot prettier IMO, but I'm sure it's better fishing too, especially fly fishing. We were considering Sunrise Lake too, but by the sounds of it Sunrise Lake is out givena probable fish dye-off, which is truly sad. We used to fish Sunrise a lot back then too with a lot of success. Those sure were fun trips...

Riggs Flat Lake... it's been quite a while since I was there, but the fishing was absolutely awesome as I recall, and actually got better (if you can believe that) the following day when the G&F backed up and stocked it! That sure was fun... but it also happened when I was just a kid about 1966! (I'm getting old... haha).

I'm sure everyone knows now it's basically over with the monsoons hitting. That said, spend time Saturday filling/tying/carrying sandbags, we estimate about 7,000 were picked up/delivered... Hopefully the rains will come slow and not like is sometimes does (as in early Aug '17 or Oct '18). At least the fire danger is/should be just about over...

the bull/pic in my avatar was from a 2010 archery hunt. Lots of good bulls, that one was not that large though, a bit over 300, but taken on day 10. It was a fun place to hunt once you got over the rocky terrain. I also lost a tree stand in that unit, taken/cut off a tree (it was chained/locked). If I ever see it in the field again not sure what I'm going to do, but being home-made it won't be hard to spot.

I read about the miss-information on the size of the fire and spread. The rain certainly did seem to put much of this fire down, although there likely remains a lot of fuel and it's reportedly not yet near being contained. From what I recall of the 2010 Shultz Fire, the response was inexcusably slow whereas this fire appeared to have an immediate response. The 2010 Shultz Fire was basically observable out my back door and I watched it that Father's Day wondering why nobody seemed to be taking is seriously. I'm sure we've come a long ways since then, including learning from past mistakes (like those made during the Yarnell Fire). It seems however that communication still has a ways to go. It would be "nice" if the incident team would regularly take a moment to update us on exactly where the fire is at on reasonable intervals. I'm sure they're busy doing other things, but come on... please take a moment and post current status. If they feel they are too busy to do this then hire a "laborer" to write it up and take 5 minutes to proofread it before posting it! The communication on this fire is terrible and nowhere near timely. When a fire of this size is costing millions, a $15/hr "kid" to help write up communication is nothing. I'm confident more is wasted on unused food in a day than what this position would likely cost in a week. That said, we all appreciate the efforts of those fighting it!

Agree with the above, the crews are here certainly appear to be doing what they can. Burnout operations were canceled Sunday night due to complications, and now I'm guessing it's perhaps 2500 acres. What I was glad to see was the immediate response from the fire management team getting on it right away. That said, it still ballooned from 200 acres to 800 acres in a matter of hours, so props to helping contain it as much as they have. Spotting has been the biggest issue so far that I have heard, but time will tell. Rain today has been more of a light sprinkling so not sure just how much that is helping. at least there is some moisture and that certainly helps. I've heard it said today that this is the most critical fire in the US today due to structures in jeopardy, but that's also from the local newspaper so take that fwiw. Hopefully no additional issues from lightning, which we've had some of out of these "storms". Almost threatening like monsoons, but that hasn't really happened yet. The incident team was just changed to a Lev1 team I believe (replacing the team what was handling the Newman Park Fire which burned the west side of Upper Lake Mary), but updates from them hasn't been all that great to be honest. We'll see if this "rain" helps much in the next few days. BTW, if I had a tag and planned on hunting in the Dry Lake area, I'd be looking elsewhere...

Coyote calling huh? I used to be a member, back in the day, of the Southern AZ Wildlife Callers, a breakoff of the AVCA (AZ Varmit Callers Association). Haven't done much coyote calling for a long time, but it was fun. A few of us were also avid DU members too. We've also been known to call in bears, bobcats, and even a lion (or two), but as I said it's been "a few" years. Now I've just focus on elk mostly, and turkeys when I can get a good tag which are/have been almost as much fun as elk. I also used to shoot at Usery starting about 20 years ago too, but moved up north to get out of the heat and live in the pines... that's unfortunately burning right now just north of Flagstaff. The fire is nearing the backside of Mt. Elden now and mostly in the Dry Lake area, hopefully won't go too much farther north. AZ has everything except griz and moose, but coues whitetails and the size bulls can get to here more than makes up for that! congrats on your move!

hunted that unit for years before moving on from Jaycox to Twin Arrows, from Grapevine to Marshall Lake. Roads? hahaha... more like some "relatively" flat rocks in between dirt/mud that you drive over. The problem is not all of those rocks are flat! Better have very good tires if you go off a "main" road! Probably qualifies for some of the roughest "roads" in any decent elk unit. It's rocky to walk in too... & yes, they'll probably never post again.

Don't bother putting any out... BTW, you could also just turn in your tag back in too!

I bought a badlands 2200 pack in 2005 and still use it as my main "day pack". I can cinch it down so it doesn't feel like it's taking up too much room or cram it full of "stuff" if I'm on an all-day jaunt in bad weather or going a long way. Regarding pirogue's zipper comment, I've had the pull tabs break on some of the zippers on my 2200, Aside from putting small key rings on the zipper heads to pull with, they all still work fine after 14 years of heavy use. Note that I am careful with my equipment which may lead to having fewer problems with it, but with all manufactured things, there are some lemons out there. The Badlands 2200 isn't a one-pack-does-all pack, but IMHO the best "day pack" I've ever used which can carry about 50# comfortably if need be. I've used it on rifle deer hunts packing my Zeiss 15x60s and Manfrotto tripod as well as the rifle in the rifle "pouch", and have used it extensively on archery elk hunts. I have an old Gerry internal frame backpack for carrying meat as well as a Kelty packframe with a "shelf" I added when needed. The Gerry is clearly the most comfortable for carrying a lot of weight (in the form of just meat), but the Kelty is best for tying on things like pigs, whole or half whitetails and the like, Here's my recommendations: 1) Decide how much you really have to spend 2) Decide what you need most as in a pack for weight or a day pack 3) Figure out your limitations... not everyone can strap on 100# of meat and head for the truck... 4) For any pack you get, make sure it fits your frame. Even the daypacks should have the ability to keep the weight off your shoulders (internal frame), because if not, you're not going to be liking it very much after a long day on your feet. 5) Remember, carrying meat is likely only 1/10th of the time (or less) you're spending in the field. You may be able to get by with a good external frame for carrying the load if it has a very good waist belt system and good shoulder straps. Your focus may need to be on what you really need on a daily basis as that's going to be the bulk of your time in the woods. One pack can do it all, but as Lance and others in the past have (accurately) identified, they're not cheap to get that all-in-one. Those are great for sure, but when you're in line at Bashas and you want to purchase groceries with a single $10 bill, you can't walk out with $20 worth of groceries. my two cents...

so. with 30-50 animals, has anyone here heard reports of bugles? There's got to be bugling bulls with that many animals, albeit they may be harder to find and you still have to be relatively close to hear them.

yes it is, plus there are those who are taking advantage of this system getting multiple tags in just a few years. IMHO, the G&F should do away with point guard and stop the abuse.

maybe that's what it is, not the $148 plus the $48...

because the G&F gets the extra $13 or $15 for an app fee for anyone who sends in a letter... not to mention the privilege of donating either an extra $48 or $50/tag so you'll be "special"... edit... I was thinking about doing this in the past, but an elk tag up there, where you'll likely never see any, just isn't worth $200. If I was seriously going to consider this, I'd probably spend the extra $s and go hunt elk where I can find them in Colorado with an OTC tag. I know that's more than 2x the cost, but at least you'd hear and see elk, probably every day if you knew what you were doing.

The odds of getting hit at this point are probably akin to the odds of drawing a September rifle bull tag! Some will get those tags, but even when someone says to you, "May the odds be ever in your favor...", it's total BS...they aren't! haha

Totally agree. There has been a lot of "questionable" things some of us have personally seen in the electronic draw processes the G&F has used over the years. It appears on the surface that those of who "applied for a tag", and then get a hit on a CC believe the system is working great! Those of us who have experienced "abnormalities" in the past and have yet to have indications of a tag are naturally more skeptical. The "draw progress" meter on the G&F site says they're at 60%... and while I don't believe that is a true indication of actual "completeness" of the entire progress, it does indicate they're still working on it for what it's worth.

I'm guessing 340-350ish. Looks like the right side will limit the left. This is a really nice bull, a shooter first light, first day. Not bigger than two bulls I've had shots at going back to the early 80s, but I missed so those are just a stories (one in 1980, one in 2006). maybe not that big...

Congrats! My suggestion, along with the great info herein, is get at least 2 very good/loyal friends who own and have used good pack frames to help you get your elk out! Offer to and feed them well so they feel committed to you, and they'll more than make up for it. It helps if they can actually help "guide" you, but that's not necessarily a requirement. While perhaps on the funny side, it's also a serious suggestion! If you haven't been on an elk hunt and helped take care of a downed animal, you're in for a big surprise as they can be huge animals, especially when you're on your own. Don't underestimate what it takes to get one out and care for it properly.

not really, certainly not for those still checking their accounts and/or hope that the hits keep on coming.

While what you're doing is not necessarily worse, you are IMO no better than the guys who "sold" their points in the past. I'm not going to pass judgement on whether or not that makes you "evil", but you are knowingly abusing the system in a way it was not intended, and to myself that's wrong because by so-doing people who abuse the system are potentially stealing tags from other "honest" applicants, loophole or not. Here's hoping it doesn't work out for those who knowingly abuse the system! I'd personally rather see someone with no bonus points get a tag than someone who is knowingly abusing the system to increase their odds against others who aren't. This comes down to morals. If there was a loophole that allowed "buddy hunting", would you do it because you could legally "get away with it"? If you found a wallet on the ground with a lot of money and someone's ID would you return it? What if they were robbed at gunpoint and the "thief" by accident dropped the wallet on the ground and you found it? What if it was your wallet? Would you want someone to return it to you? There's no law that says you have to... It comes down to right & wrong... we all know what that is. & BTW, we all love to hunt, so don't justify your reason to abuse the system just because you love to hunt where it is increasingly hard to draw, and you can get away with it. BTW, there is no law that says you can't legally take a game camera left on a tree in the forest either, but I believe most of us know the "unspoken" law that it's wrong to do so. Would you take game cameras too? Is increasing your odds "unfairly, but 'legally'" and therefore potentially taking another hunter's tag any different? If by chance you do get drawn, I sincerely hope you take your daughter out and let her hunt with you. The benefits of even a few days in the field with her will likely more than outweigh any benefit you get by abusing the system we have, regardless of whether or not others do it. just my thoughts...

The system we have now is what it is... some say better than before, others won't agree that it is. Hopefully they continue to reduce the opportunity for some to take advantage of the system "flaws" allowing those who will find ways to abuse the "intent". I don't know what that is, but would also willingly help the G&F figure out how to make it better. For now at least it's still a lottery that I feel for the most part works in spite of those who take advantage of it. My wife didn't want to hunt this year and is sitting on a fair number of points so she didn't put in for a tag just so I could go out and say, "Look through here and pull the trigger." Unfortunately I'm sure there are many who do just that. When she wants to hunt again she will apply, but not before. She likes going out, just not being a shooter (at least not this year). She has taken elk before BTW.

every year since 2008 edit... he did draw another juniors tag in 2012 btw, his last year for a junior's hunt.

Well, I do have two of my sons in w/CCs, but my app was paper so I won't know for probably at least a week. I have found in the past few years hearing everyone else who doesn't draw helps ease the pain somewhat when I find out I haven't draw a tag, especially if one of my kids pulls a tag with a CC app. I recommend trying that strategy, it's better than anti-depressants!

That's "mostly" true IMO, but not always. When my 13 yr old son took a cow at 30 yds in a 6A juniors hunt, with a nice bull bugling 20 yards away from us, he specifically asked me to put him in for a bull tag for the next year. When applying the following year, he reminded me that he wanted a bull tag, so I reluctantly went ahead and put him in for a Sept. rifle bull first choice, juniors cow second choice knowing his odds were 1/100 of drawing the rifle bull tag. He not only drew the rifle bull tag, but took a nice 6x with it! ... his one and only bull tag to date btw.

it is reasonable, and for the few that "abuse" the system by putting in grandmas and grandpas or their wives who will never set foot afield, I'm sure there have been tags wasted every year when multiple tags are drawn by those who don't hunt. They used to require the tag holder to accompany the youth hunter, and that stopped some of the abuse perhaps, but for the kids who do get to hunt, well we're all probably better off for it in spite of those who abuse it. That said, when signing over tags started we didn't have the pointguard system so some of the "wasted tags" are probably reduced some nowadays. Too bad we can't see how many tags are signed over to junior hunters every year. It may a lot fewer than we think. As Saguaro said though, kids don't need a big game tag to hunt. As a kid growing up I certainly looked forward to a dove hunt more-so than a deer hunt. As a "junior", elk wasn't an option. For "us" however, there is not much that compares to an elk tag and why we're here online talking about it in February!