lancetkenyon

Kind of a "last minute, throw the stuff in the truck" trip.

Went out today for one last LR verification. I think Taylor is ready. She smoked a squirrel @ 741 yards on a cold bore shot with her 6.5SLR, on video. Shot the rifle from 545 to 910. All very good. Also shot the 25SST and 6.5SS. Out to 1250. AZGFD came out to check up on us. Super nice officer. Said they heard the shooting, and thought, "Either someone is a REALLY bad shot shooting at deer, or someone is shooting a lot of deer." I explained we were tuning up on jackrabbits and squirrels at long range getting ready for deer season. Checked our licenses, asked how the shooting was going, and left with a smile after watching us for a bit. Said they felt sorry for any deer that comes within 1/2 mile of us. I almost corrected the officer to "3/4 mile"....

Went out for one last long range verification on the rifles today. The 131 Blackjack @ 3190 (I went with a slightly lighter load than the 3250 I was shooting before to save some brass life) are freaking insane. Accuracy is second to none. And they seem like they get there quick and in a hurry. Drops are miniscule. Shot them @ 545, 741, 910, 1181, 1250 today. Shooting conditions: 55-80°F 27.19-27.25 barometric pressure 5-9° up look angle Yargage=Drop (in inces) @ Elevation Dial 545=36" @ 1.9MIL 741=86" @ 3.2MIL 910=149" @ 4.6MIL 1181=300" @ 7.1MIL 1250=351" @ 7.8MIL

Good scopes.

There is some weird horizontal line in front of your "6". Not sure what it means.... But 6° is freaking cold!

Yes, all AZ, and several more that are Euro/skull caps elsewhere as well.

Hope you degreased your firing pin! Wait....that sounds kind of weird on a trip with two guys headed to the frozen north....especially after seeing the picture of you cuddling on the plane...

Wiiiiiiiiide coues!

Awesome buck!!!

These should fit more like a 32". I read a bunch of reviews that said they run small. I wear a 30" waist, and ordered a 32", and they fit like all my other 30" Kuiu pants. Awesome pant though. If they were a 32", I would take them in a heartbeat.

I think I told the story in a previous thread. Not a great elk hunt. But, we were out on the very north side of the unit on a 2 track glassing hills and flats. Oncoming truck, I pulled over to let him pass. When he did, I had my window down and threw up my hand with a smile. He barely even looked at me. As he passed, I looked in the back of his truck in the camper shell...."That sumbitch has a mule deer in the back!" Just the head was all I saw, but saw the left antler, ear, hair, etc. I snapped two photos in my rear view mirror, and told my cousin to call G&F. I checked the photos, and could not read the plate, so we started to turn around to get the plate. He took off! I mean, Baja 1000 took off. We gave chase. We would close the distance, I would stop and glass his plate. We finally got all the numbers, and told G&F. Well....the last turn, was a dead end. I knew, because we had just been down it an hour before. I stooped, and we could see he was at the circle at the end, and I saw his shadow walking outside of the truck. Told my cousin and son-in-law that deer was not worth dying over, so I turned around and we departed....about 100 yards down the road....my son-in-law says, "shoot, here he comes." He tailgated me for a couple miles. I didn't drive fast, but I had my pistol in hand, one eye on the road, one on my rearview mirror. My son-in-law had his 7RM out, my cousin had his .300RUM out. Luckily, we didn't hit any gates. Finally hit a main dirt road, I turned right, and he burned it left in a hurry. Called some buddies who were up there too, and sent the photos and a description. 45 minutes later, he bombed past them too. The unit manager called me back that evening, we told him everything again. He went and looked on the dead end for a deer head. Nothing. He said he knew who the truck belonged to. The next day, I got a photo from the game manager, of a deer at the guys house. Skinned and dried out but still had dried tissue on it, and was absolutely 100% not the same deer. The guy said we had seen THAT deer in his truck from a few weeks before when he legally took it up on the Kaibab. Said we scared him when we turned around and that is why he ran.... Reading about his criminal history, makes me glad it did not get more confrontational, and that I was not with Taylor, but had another couple guys with me.

It got real tense when the guy turned down a dead end road.

Because the guy I saw, that looked similar, had a nice 4x4 mule deer in the bed of his truck during elk season....and took off and we gave chase. Got the plate # and Called G&F on him.

I am not 100% positive, but fairly sure I have seen this guy in 7W during late rifle elk season..... Anyone know if he drove a white Dodge Dakota 4x4?

6.5 SS w. 131, Fed GM215M 25 SST w. 121, Fed GM215M 6.5 SS w. 127 LRX, CCI BR2 6.5 SLR w. 124, Fed GM210M

Good price.

Mine too Harley. I have never drawn a late tag up there. She has drawn twice....in 7 years....plus an early tag.

Yep, the gate at Tortilla Flat is now locked again. Meaning access between Tortilla Flat and Fish Creek hill is basically cut off unless you take long dirt roads. Sucks for any upcoming deer/sheep hunts.

I am checking with MCSO...

My only advice....Don't shoot a spike in the face on the last day....

What a tease. Pics or ban!

I had guys working at the rest area last week.

All the time for work. It is closed past the Fish Creek Hill rest area for a rock slide right now. Also, was closed past Tortilla Flat for months after the fire, but has since opened up until Fish Creek Hill. If you want to get to Apache Lake area, have to go in from the Roosevelt side. Unless you have a helo available...

That buck looks like he is smiling... Great buck.