MOWhitail

Thanks guys, that kind of expands my horizons for my first Archery Coues hunt I guess. Since I drew a fall Muley tag in AZ I won't be able to come down until after January 1...

Ok. So does SCI or Boone and Crocket have any stipulations on where they have to be taken from in order to be considered a Coues? In WA state, where I live, a Blacktail can only be listed as a Blacktail if it is taken west of the Pacific Crest Trail... if it is east then it is considered a Muley. Which is always funny, because I can literally be hunting on the PCT (and DO), so if I see a deer on the east side of the trail it is a Muley, but if it jumps across the trail to the west side it suddenly morphs into a Blacktail. Kind of the same with Roosevelt vs Rocky Mountain Elk...

Another vote for the Nikon Omega... But looks like you had GREAT luck with the Leupold.

Sweet! Now if I could find a good kidde cart for my mountain bike, cheap....

Great pics! It's not easy to get good wildlife photos.

I've had cards "cancel" on me for fraud alerts twice in my life. Once was a legit charge, out of state while I was on vacation, so it was kind of a hassle to lose access to the card when I needed it (Cabelas never called me to ask what was going on with the charge, and when I called they told me "we just figure if it was a legit charge, you will call us..."), the other time was actual fraud. Someone in NYC used my card to buy a big screen TV at Best Buy... US bank called me during my kids Baseball game in the Midwest to ask me if I was in NYC... So, US bank treated me right. They canceled the card and I never saw a charge, they just took care of it. I guess I can see a potential situation where you could have a legit charge for your tag declined by the bank's fraud protection system, even though there was plenty of available credit on the card. In that case it would be nice to get a heads up to fix it.

Awesome buck and great mount! Who was the Taxi?

I can see it both ways. Personally I like Arizona's system. Not perfect, but ticks me off less than the old days, sending a check to WY and them waiting while they held on to everyones money for 3-4 months before issuing refunds. I don't think you want to get the state addicted to that extra interest income as a revenue stream. That won't lead anywhere pleasant. Most units in Arizona are hard enough for a non resident to draw that to me it makes a little more sense to charge your card after you draw. 800 calls is a lot though, seems like a nightmare. Maybe if they let you put two card numbers down, a primary and a secondary, then it would solve the problem. Or, it would be fine with me to just kick your card number out (and restore your points to not punish the few that might be victim of a situation beyond their control). I keep a card just for the draws every year, so it makes no difference to me. A little diligence by the hunter would solve most potential problems I think.

I'm curious what condition 6B is in now. My cousin lives in Sedona, but she doesn't get out and travel the FS Roads at all. I hunted in there a couple years ago with my son, so we were just wondering how it looked now. Chad

Thanks everyone. I will be in Sedona to visit my cousin late this summer, at some point. I thought we might camp a few days while we are there. I'll post a report later, if we end up there before the season starts.

That is seriously funny! I wonder how you score a triceratops?

I agree that you want to make sure if you call the "office" you get what they say in writing. But I don't know why you would call the office, other than to get the phone number of the specific game warden for the unit you are talking about. All the office is going to do is quote you the regs and give you a literal interpretation of them. I call the warden responsible directly, pretty much every hunt I go on... even f I don't have a question or grey area to ask about. Being proactive solves a lot of problems, in my expierience. For the most part, they are the one you are going to be dealing with anyway... so as long as they say it isn't a "violation", then what ever amount of "interpretation" is involved in making the law a "grey area" has already been addressed. After you get their answer, shoot them an email thanking them for their help. Give them your phone and cell number, and summarize your understanding of what they told you... If it isn't their understanding, they will respond. If not you are covered. At least that is what I always do. On DIY hunts I make sure I touch base with the game warden. I usually tell them where I am planning on camping, and invite them to stop by. I even get their cell numbers in case I have problem (I do a lot of solo back pack hunts). I always ask them if I can give it to my wife, in case she has an emergancy and needs to get ahold of me... Heck, I've made pretty good friends out of wardens in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana that way. The Game Warden in Arizona I have dealt with in the past was super friendly. The very few "guided hunts" I've been on I've called them as well, just to ask what they think about the guide I was thinking about, and if they have had any problems. If they have, I don't want to go anyway. I never worry about asking questions, at least myself. The wardens I know have their hands full chasing people who have something to hide. Think about it in reverse, why wouln't you call them? I mean, you obviously have a question about it, so you at least think it is possible to interpret the law in different ways. So, unless there is something to hide (which I'm sure there isn't), just call and figure it out. If they say it is a problem, you don't want to do it anyway. Otherwise, Tines is right, "compensation" is like "road hunting" or "possession limits", if they want to get you they probably can. Just make sure you call the field personel you are likely to deal with and not just the office ... And document it with a followup email. Then, if you run into them, and you start the conversation by shaking their hand and saying, "hey, my name is ____, I'm the guy that called you and asked ___" then it is pretty much a non - issue.

If it were me I would call the game warden in the area(s) you are going to scout, introduce yourself, and talk to them directly. I'd probably even tell them a general area I was going to put out cameras and ask them to "keep their eyes out" for anyone walking around with "cameras with my name on the inside of them". Not that they are going to spend a lot of time guarding your cameras, but when you ask for their help and treat them like one of the "good guys"... They treat you like one of the good guys as well. It's been my expierience that when you are totally up front with them and don't act like you have anything to hide, they don't typically think you do. Most of them I've run into, in most states I hunt anyway, are pretty good people... I've made life long friends in F&G Departments around the country by just trying to be a nice guy. Tell them the situation, assure them you aren't making any money just putting out the salt and cameras that your friends bought, and see what they think.

Wow! He make actually make it! I don't love snakes (though I have to say I've known a few in my life, two legged ones), but I don't hate them either. Spiders, on the other hand, creep me out... eight legs!

Hi everyone! I just joined the forum, and thought I would post a hello, and introduction. I'm 51 years old, life long hunter (there is picture of me Duck hunting with my dad and grandfather in Oct of my first year, born in January, so not quite a year old). I enjoy rifle hunting, muzzle loader, and love bow hunting. I really enjoy history, and one of the things that drew me to join the forum was the "Vintage Picture" thread, I like that stuff a lot. I grew up in Missouri, and three years ago moved to Washington State where I pastor a small church just outside Mt Rainier National Park. I've hunted the mountians for deer and elk since the early '80's and try to make it to the mountians most years. My favorite states to hunt are Idaho, Wyoming and Arizona. I've got a cousin that lives in Sedona, so I visit her down there when I'm hunting in the area. I've been wanting to hunt Coues for quite a while now, and really appreciate all the information and experiences that all of you share here. I was planning on going Coues hunting this year for the Archery season in Dec. with some friends, but just discovered that my Card got hit for a Mule Deer tag in 12AW for me and my 16 year old son (I'm sure it is the early hunt, don't have enough points to have drawn the late hunt as a non res, though I did put it down as first choice), so I guess that will have to wait until next year. Anyway, thanks for a great site and allowing a new comer to join in.

I appreciate the welcome everyone! I spent lots of time yesterday reading through the pinned threads. There is some great stuff here. It will be fun trying to figure these Coues deer out and get on my first hunt!

Hi. I saw your post, and even though I'm new around here I thought I'd throw my .02 cents in. I backpack hunt about 80% of the time I guess, and always struggled with my standard issue backpacking packs... getting them tweaked just right for mountian hunting. I've had two different Mystery Ranch packs (a 6100 and a NICE Frame Metcalf) and liked them both but they are heavy, and I find the NICE frame a bit uncomfortable (except with a heavy load, then it carries very well). I moved to Kifaru Bikini Frame T1 and it is capable of doing every thing I need for a 10 day hunt no problem, plus carry very heavy loads. The only draw back to it is it is a large bag and you need to compress it down to make it work well for day pack hunts. It can be done, just kind of a pain. It is a light pack though. They are also kind of pricey. This year I am using an EXO mountain pack by EXO Mountain gear, as well. They claim it is 3500 ci, but that is without counting the pockets on side and front, and the pack loads more like a 4500+ ci pack to me. It works great as a day pack or multi day. I used it this spring while bear hunting and honestly can say I will easily be able to get 5-7 days full gear and food in it, and am probably going to use it elk hunting Idaho this year. It is very light and carries well. Also, it is not too bad price wise (for premium type packs). It is a titanium frame. You should at least look at that pack and see what you think. I like mine. They have some good youtube videos showing the features of the pack.