MT_Sourdough

That rifle and caliber are a perfect match in my opinion. The three calibers I continually consider in the Featherweight - 257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser and 7mm-08, with 7mm-08 being the most practical and 257 Roberts being more nostalgic (in my opinion), 308 is classic in that rifle as well. Any women would be proud to carry that rifle into hunt camp. Very cool.

I ended up with a ticket to see Slayer on the 2nd of May. Though it might be fun to throw some elbows at some millennials, it's still not worth a drive down to Phoenix (yuck). A person can sit at assigned area or general admission lawn area, but because it's a lone ticket, it's not worth trying to sell it, so I'll just send it to anybody who wants it.

one lucky grandson gets it. Slayer says it is their last tour, but they usually keep at it until they are pushing up daisies,

I remember leaving a friends house, in town, at about 3am after some beers, As I walked out to my car, I noticed a big Rottweiler standing by the back of my car. I had to walk around the Rottweiler to get to my car door. I didn't look directly at it as to ignore it and not excite it. As I passed by within arms reach, it started to run away. My ears noticed the sounds of pads and claws against the pavement as it ran. I looked up to see a big black bear running away and then climb a tree on the other side of the road. Without paying much attention I walked right up to that bear and I was less than three feet from it before it decided to run. There was a school a block away, so I decided to call the sheriff to tell them about the bear and that there will be kids showing up in a few hours. The lady on the phone said "Your in Montana sir, There are wild animals here." Oh, I was so p. o.'d at her and I tried to explain to her that the only reason why I am calling is because of the proximity to the school, but she remained snooty and uncaring. Up in the gulch where I grew up, little old ladies would giggle while sharing stories of chasing bears out of the kitchen with a broom or ladle or whatever they had in hand. I always found those stories amusing because the little old ladies that told the stories. Baking cookies and whoopin bears.

Our Game and Fish can seem unprincipled at times. One moment, they are asking us to surrender prized tags to be auctioned to the wealthiest hunters, because they said it was to educate the public on the wildlife management philosophy that uses hunters to generate the necessary funding and to manage populations. Then! Then, they go and cave the first time they are challenged. Coyote hunts ARE about population management. The argument can be a slam dunk, but instead the Department is going to use our funds to advocate for anti hunting. WHAT? There is no state that could better defend predator control programs than this state. With a state that has so many "island" populations that can be eradicated entirely by predators. This state can make the most compelling argument with the examples of sheep, antelope, and other populations that are, as we all know, vulnerable. Then they can point out that once the animals, that predators prey upon disappear, than so does the predators disappear. Instead, they appear to be advocating against hunting. This makes the AZGFD look both weak and suspicious.

Have you put this to work yet?

I agree. It is very disappointing how far people will go to beat the system. Even more, I hate the idea that game and fish have to start acting like an extension of the nanny state all the way out to the backwoods. I think the game and fish probably do all they can, but they can't be everywhere all the time. On the other hand. If people are repeating the described tactics, I hope they get caught and brought to justice. I still believe that most of my fellow hunters are good and honorable people, but when you have so many people in the equation, there is inevitably going to be a few buttheads among them. Add money into the equation and things can get funny real fast.

The arguments posed here are as dumb as teets on a boar hog. Cams or no cams. going to water sources is a primary function of hunting in AZ. If you took the cameras out, the people are still going to go to the water sources. The amount of traffic to water sources is related to the number of hunters not the presence of cameras. Second, if people do not respect the fact that somebody is already at a water site and still come in regardless, then, they are jerks and that has nothing to do with cams. If I am checking cams and see evidence of another hunter at the site, I immediately turn around. I'll say it again, nobody has truly posed a legitimate reason for a ban. Not a single reason, NOT ONE! Stirring

I am in my 4th year of running trailcams and in those 4 years I have had a grand total of zero bears on cam. Now I am working a new area where I have had cams out for a couple of months now. I was expecting to get bear pics where I am running my cams, but for two months, zilch. Now, today I find 4 bears in 4 dayz on cam. I am so jacked that I decided to share these pics with you My very first bear on cam The other two came in yesterday I think I am buying a bear tag this year

I have still not seen a single place where this is an issue. I have not been everywhere in the state and I imagine there are a few places that this is an issue, but it is very limited and seems to be really about competition between hunters and not anything to do with fair chase or animal behavior. More faking of the funk.

I have a tag for the limited opportunity antlerless elk in the multiunits 17a, 17b, 18b, 19b, and 20a. So it's time to pull my cams from unit 8. I took a ride the long way over Perkinsville Rd to check conditions one last time before I switch my focus to the multiunits. I decided to take some pics out the window so if anybody is interested in seeing how things are looking in north part of 19a and south side of 8. First pic is from the intersection of Perkinsville and the Narrow Gauge Rd (70 AND 318A) looking east towards Woodchute and Mingus The main reason for this pic is to show ya the kind of food being produced for the antelope in unit 19a. The valley looks great for the month of March.

I like talking about the weather and such. When I was a young man on a ranch in Montana, I loved to get the old folk in the gulch to talk weather because it always turned into cool old stories. Some stories were like from the area 90 years prior. A guy can just look out along the landscape and picture in your minds eye, the story as they told it. I loved them old stories.

As far as I know, The gate at the entrance was open and the road has dried up now The road is good. The biggest hazard in 8 was the bottom of MC Canyon on Drake Rd. , where the run off was enough to wash a vehicle into the canyon. The problem with that canyon is if you are heading west, it means you have to drive down the sideslope of the canyon on a road that gets slippery and spooky in it's own right, but a person has to drop all the way down before they realize they cant cross. This pic is that crossing. It has just a small amount of run off that is still ongoing.

I hope I haven't broke any rules about posting all them pics. but I thought people might be curious how things are looking around these parts Should be a good year for the goats, The foothills in the north side of 19a could use more water as some smaller tanks are starting to dry up, but there is plenty of food for this time of year.

The DT tank at the top of MC canyon on Rd 44. Water practically right up to the road. Notice all the elk track.

The Bear tank that is right where the pavement starts/ends depending on what direction you are going. The tank is completely full, plus the tank before the tank is full. Critters on the south side of 8 will have water through to the Monsoons.

North of Verde looking back at Perkinsville

Here Is a pic from the Perkinsville Bridge. There is a side channel that is good size as well.

This pic taken at Perkinville looking towards north side of Verde River

Here's a pic from the Lookout, looking towards Sycamore Canyon

WooHoo!!! Antlerless elk in limited opportunity multiunit (17a, 17b, 18b, 19b and 20a) for the rut, 3 week hunt. It may not be a highly sought after tag, buy I am stoked. only 35 tags plus 35 bull tags. That's 70 hunters spread over 5 units for 3 weeks. I dig it.

One heads up as you decide. The state of Arizona does not like mesh on the sides of backpacks. Cats claw and other poky things tear at mesh. Holes in mesh pockets can lead to lost items. Pockets on sides of pack or on hip belt are best when they are made of tough tear resistant materials like Cordura or ripstop.

I have not hunted that area, but I do hunt the other multi-unit limited opportunity hunts. I start by studying it on maps and google earth. Read the azgfd "Where to hunt". Focus on water sources. Then go up there and visit those water sources while you look for elk sign at those water sources. Try to discover the directions they approach and depart from water source. When you find an area with lots of sign, look around for high points in the area that offers a high place to glass from, Then get to that view point sometime before sun up and in the evening to glass and look for elk and learn their travel corridors. The problem is, whatever you discover during the off season can change the first time they get pressured. So, learn much as you can about a broad swath of area and it's water sources, because it will help when those elk get pressured, start getting dodgy or split out of an area altogether.

Midway USA has the Badlands Summit pack is normally $400, but is on sale for $178.. That's $222 or 55% off it's regular price. The Ascent pack is normally $250, but Is $133 right now at Midwayusa. The Badlands HDX is like $70 right now at 50% off it's regular price of $140. I am not trying to push Midway USA, but those deals are incredible.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if the guy put in for an elk tag and didn't draw than he has a bonus point now.