lancetkenyon

Either you have been married a long time, or you got off easy on the rings! I have been married 22 years, and my wife's rings cost about the price for a Schmidt and Bender or Tangent Theta scope! Shoot, new trucks cost what my first house did, and I only bought it 22 years ago. A new top quality scope costs almost what my parents first house did.

I was sincere in my statement. It is great to aid other hunters in the field. That seems like a dying sentiment in a lot of younger hunters, just like common courtesy is dying in society.

Fixed it for you.

I have 3 Vortex rifle scopes. A 3x9 Diamondback on an AR, but it will be moving to a 10-22. I also have two 4-16x50 Viper HS on different rifles. One on a different AR, and one on my .250AI. When I first got them, I thought they were great. After using them for a couple years, I will be phasing them to lower end weapons over time as money allows for better optics. For under $600, they are decent. But like many, even though they have great CS for the warranty, it seems to be getting used very often. Mores than what I would have thought.

Really great to hear they caught the idiot. Good job.

Awesome story, good lessons taught to a new hunter about ethics and courtesy. Congrats.

I would get waterproof insulated gear for sure. I HATE being cold and/or wet on a hunt. I just dropped $600+ on my daughter for her elk hunt in November. Last time I had a late elk hunt (16 years ago), it was -4° to 20° and snowy for a week straight. It sucked. But the meat was tasty.

See my "Knotts" deer in another thread and avoid a mistake....

Just signed up. Can't wait to see what is available. Sale starts in 7:00 minutes.

That is not only an amazing buck, but a true success story to be shared with all. The tenacity and perseverance is uplifting to say the least. That is a once in a lifetime 4x6. Congratulations to the hunter, for not only taking a magnificent animal, but beating the ailments and following through. Outstanding young man. He will go far in life with this attitude.

Varmint bullets are frangible and pretty much explosive on game. They dump all of their energy almost immediately, and come apart like no other. Causing massive hydrostatic shock and internal damage upon expansion. Have you ever shot a jackrabbit with a high power round with varmint bullets? It is a sight to see. I would highly doubt ANY manufacturer of ammunition for the specific purpose of taking game would load an FMJ bullet. If it says "for light thin-skinned game", I would bet it was either a small hole hollow point bullet or a lead nosed bullet. Not all 5.56 rounds are FMJ either. I have seen plenty of boxed and head-stamped 5.56 (not .223) that are either hollow point or lead nosed bullets. Those would be perfectly legal and ethical to hunt with. My last comment would be the fact that an FMJ bullet does not expand and dump energy into a game animal. I am not saying that it will not kill the animal, but not quick enough to ensure a humane and ethical kill. Which is every hunter's responsibility to the game we pursue. Unless it is a headshot. Back to the subject at hand. A .223 with the correct bullets will work fine for fox. I would think a 36-40gr. varmint bullet would be fine. Or a heavier hunting bullet designed for penetration and not explosiveness, like a Barnes, Berger VLD, etc. in a slightly higher weight. My daughter shot a javelina with a .223 this February using a 69 SMK, and it has a 1/4" entry, with a $.50 piece sized exit hole. Pig went 30 yards.

I would like to revisit this topic. After my recent deer hunt this year, I added about 60 hours behind my 10x42s, and probably another 15 behind my 15x56 Meoptas. Hands down the best money and most used item this season. They are leaps and bounds better than my Cabela's Alaskan Guide Series 10x42s, which were $500 12 years ago. And those are still a great set of glass! I had zero eye fatigue, which is amazing with the time I spent behind glass for 5 days straight. One concern I have. The 10x42s rock for glassing out to 1000 yards and being able to identify bucks and the caliber of antlers. And for glassing deer out to a mile is easy. The 15x56s pick up from there. The 15s are too powerful for glassing stuff under 800 yards unless you are picking out details or want to really identify antler size. Also, even on a high quality tripod and head as low as I could get, in very high winds (20+mph), the 15s shake a bit. Making glassing more difficult. With that being said, I think a high quality pair of 10x42s is a must for any hunter. Buy the absolute best you can afford. Even if it means saving up for a year or more. Don't think about buying a set a month before your hunt unless you are wealthy or have a high limit credit card. The amount I used my 15s was quite a bit, but about 25% of how much I used my 10s. And the deer I found with my 10s was about 95% of all deer located. The 15s were for closer inspection, or picking apart the thick cover looking for bedded deer at long distance. I would not change the glass I bought, but my advise has changed a bit. But the highest 10s you can, and if you need to skimp a little, do it on the 15s. But a cheap ($200-300) pair of 15s might not be worth the money at all. Midrange is as low as I would go for decent glass.

It will damage a fox to death. I love the .223 for varmints. As for pelts, take a look at some of the recent "triple" threads.

Yep, that is the place. Off Central and south of I-17.

I love deer. But, deer is so lean. I like a fat marbled rib-eye. Sitting here atop a mountain in Indio, CA reading this and drooling...

Seems like dogs and cats are the hardest to get looking real. This is a great example of how to do it! Awesome mount.

Thx for the suggestion. Ha I could just about run it back up to camp verde.. bummer nobody takes over n. phx customers! 4peaks was horrible when at 19th and bell and not sure what they are like under new ownership and location but really no desire to find out considering a backyard sheep butchering video some crazy nut at va hospital showed me... he was wearing a t-shirt or hat with tye name on it and video was of someone repeatdly stabbing and cuting at an animal while it stood there not happy about it. the owners decided it was a bit much to watch and I decided I probably wouldn't try the place out. 4 Peaks was a husband and wife team. They got a divorce. The husband still runs 4 Peaks, and the wife opened Sanchez. I took my last deer in 2012 to Sanchez, and was very impressed. The deer I brought was less than clean from having to skin it in a canyon and pack it out with no way to protect or clean it at the time. I did not find a single hair or other forest item in any of the meat. They did chorizo, green chili breakfast sausage (my favorite), jalapeño sticks, roasts, steaks, and ground with suet added. It only lasted about 2 months. I would have taken this years deer, but I did it myself saving some coin for when my daughter gets her elk in a month.

Also, make sure you KNOW it is 300 yards. Don't just look and guess. Across a canyon might appear like 300 yards, but if it is actually 375, means a wounded animal. Get a rangefinder if you don't have one.

Congrats! Good eating soon to follow.

Good luck with that.

2000 to 5000 elevation will make a big difference. So will temperature changes, barometric pressure (will change with elevation AND weather fronts), humidity, powder temps, etc. All that info will need to be put into the ballistics program. Out to 500 yards, you will see a difference up to 14" or more depending on conditions. I just was PMing a guy with some of the differences and what to expect fro changes in drop. You would not believe how much of a difference conditions can make at extended ranges. Same bullet and gun combo at 1500 yards can be as much as 48', yes 48 FEET, or more difference in drop. 1000 yards as much as 11' too, and that is in a flat shooting cartridge. What bullets (brand, weight, etc.), velocity, etc. are you shooting? I am sure a lot of guys here can get you close. DesertBull has a very valid point. A lot of guys (and girls), myself included, shoot year round at long ranges to help during the hunting season. A 500 yard shot is not a close attempt to make on a living animal when you are not used to it. Most rifles are very capable of making the shot. A lot of shooters are not. 3 weeks prior to a hunt is not the time to start practicing and sighting in a rifle.

Crazy big. Congrats to the hunter for a trophy of a lifetime!

The week of Jan 1 through Jan 31. Seriously, there is always a lot of people out during the New Year's weekend, so hunting the middle of the week is what I like. But guys that have been scouting from now until Dec. 31st will get first opportunity at the bigger bucks come the morning of Jan. 1. Good luck! Seems to be a great year for Coues antlers.

^ This. Awesome app. Also Strelok Pro. Free Strelok should work out to 500 easy. I have all three on my phone. I use Shooter the most, and seems to be the most consistent for me. But NOTHING beats shooting your own gun and learning your own dope. Remember on the apps, garbage in, garbage out. If you don't input all of the correct info, you will not get correct drops.

native? Posible' un venado burro? Looks like an AZ tag though hard to tell.