1uofacat

Two turkey tags here, unit 8! BTW, for those in-the-know/interested, I'll be posting about our bull hunt in 8 soon as work has been "draining" since! Both "highs & lows", but certainly a hunt to remember!

I don't know for sure about antler progress, but I do know that the monsoons have just about started which is a relief (reducing fire potential among other things). It's been dry up here for a while prior to the 4th. We've been shooting too & took this shot at 60 yds yesterday morning. The hit was a bit lower than I wanted, but that was more about my aiming. It's been fun, & can't wait until September!

So Ruby... Why now? Do you have a tag you're starting to prepare for now or are you referring to next year?

As Larry would say, "Now thet rite thar is funny!" (& coming from a "Wildcat") Congrats BTW!

sometimes it's better to be lucky than good... & I seemed to have that going for me this year with 2 back-to- back Sept bull tags in 8! I think someone screwed up & intended for me to get that desert bighorn tag with 23 as opposed ajo with 22! 😁

We got deer as well, but I guess 23 bonus points isn't enough for sheep!

Anyone using new equipment for this years elk hunt? After a month of looking (dating back to well before the draw) I decided on a Lift 33 & am setting it up. While I've done well with my 'old' Apex in the past, it was time for an upgrade. I will say the recoil is essentially non-existent when shooting it as Mathews has outdone itself with this one. The one thing I'm still deciding on however is a rear-facing stabilizer to help balance it (with a quiver of arrows). Is there much of a performance difference that should be considered other than weight & balance for this bow (above QD)? I imagine there's a lot of you here that have spent substantial time on this already and am looking for your thoughts...

It's still hard to believe it, two bull tags in a row, so I had to check them when they arrived. Even though I feel bad for those with a lot of bonus points who did not draw, know I'm not going to turn my tag back in! 😁

That's where I picked mine up from, & you are correct!

My 2nd son drew a September rifle bull with only a Hunter Ed point years ago & took a decent bull on opening day. It was a real fun hunt & you'll likely have the same. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!

Unit 8 September archery bull, this year for my youngest son & I (who took his first bull with a bow in 2017). Words cannot describe my feelings adequately here... I feel incredibly fortunate!!

If the average is 3.5 points between 2 applicants, it's rounded up to 4.

I've got to say I don't qualify for this group of unfortunate souls... that said, I belong to a similar group regarding a sheep tag though!

& that's what I thought last year, but was hit mid-afternoon. Honestly, there doesn't seem to be 'enough' hits posted for it to be over yet.

that explains the constant flow of elk tags... [edit]...and while you still have to 'get lucky', there's a big difference between how lucky one has to be when comparing a tribal permit app to a general draw permit app & getting 6 bull tags in 6 years. Good luck on your hunt! Antelope tags are apparently harder to get...

Unbelievable... another bull tag. Either early archery or November rifle for my son & I.

So you travel Lake Mary road at twilight & have a good brush guard on a strong bumper huh? 😁

I had fun this season. Although I never let an arrow loose on an elk, there were opportunities that just didn't pan out. Day 3 was perhaps the closest I came to cutting loose, but never got a clear shot. Letting this bull go on day 5 wasn't easy, but I wanted a much bigger amimal having taken larger ones. If it had been day 10 or later, probably different outcome... Bugling also wasn't near as prevalent as we'd hoped for either. There were days where it was also completely silent. The bull on day 3 was significantly larger btw too. Oh well, it was, as I said, a lot of fun!

Who remembers being able to get 2 whitetail tags/year? That was fun, taking a buck early for the freezer, then trophy hunting for the "real" tag! I miss those days...

You cannot use a dog to track wounded animals except for Mt. lion or bears in AZ...

Been scouting & hearing bulls in 8 until almost 8am. I'm sure as time goes on it'll get better. Camp is almost set up, & it's so nice to have a bull tag again! Lots of feed, water is not sparce, and the weather seems to be finally cooperating/getting cooler!

Mine is a 2003 GMC Quadrasteer 1/2ton HD 4x4 Denali crew cab. It currently has 170K & going strong (bought it used w/30K miles). It turns like a mid-sized & pulls trailers excellently with the quadrasteer capability. Personally I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's too bad GM got greedy with this option early on turning many sour on it, but I've had zero issues with it in 18 years. Good luck on your search.

Reading through this thread, everyone should remember that the G&F could have just ignored it, so give them credit for doing the right thing. While some may have figured it out concluding they should have drawn a tag, my guess is most probably would not have... Thank you G&F for taking ownership of the mistake & "correcting it!" (my two cents...)

Mapshare users can send messages first. I also have the Garmin Explorer + & have had it for several years. I've not had any delays in connecting to satelites etc. but this also depends on clear unobstructed access to skies. I like the gps feature because it confirms location etc. The only drawback is size/weight, but realistically that shouldn't be a concern for hunters who are likely carrying a bunch of stuff anyway (I'm hardly an "Ultralight" backpacker!). I like the overall operation though, zero complaints & zero concern for communicating whenever or wherever I need to! I send a lot of preprogrammed (free) messages too. I hunt with others who also have an inreach & its easy to send back/forth messages where there's no cell coverage. These things are great, but get something, whatever you decide. Nothing against the mini2, but its only $50 more for the added mapping feature. Personally, I wouldn't trade my Explorer+ for a new mini2 if you also gave me $100. Good luck on your choice.

Mormon Lake this evening looking east