JustinB

Great bull! Way to go.

I heard a story of a young fellow first time hunter that knocked a 404" over. Thats all I know. Have not seen any pics or heard any more of the story

killed my archery bull in 7e. shoot me a message if your still coming up empty and I can make a suggestion or 2.

I have walked past my arrow SO many times! It is usually a busy that seems to find that for me. No blood? Should be pretty available most of the weeks. Good luck and don't hesitate to give a call if you need a hand. Justin 928-606-0000

You get one down and need a hand give me a call. I am in Flagstaff. Pretty flexible schedule. Happy to lend a hand if need be. No charge. Just happy to be part of it! Live for being out there. Justin 928-606-0000

Glad I dont own a car wash. Hazards of the industry I guess!! A lot better than the elk parts and pieces all of the side of the house after the first time i did it. Little lady was not happy at all!!

I have used the pressure washer when back in town. Did it once at the house. Made a friggin mess! Since then I just go to a car wash. It works well

Bag it hang it in a tree just outside of camp. It will be fine.

congrats on a greta buck and sticking to it!

So being a Dad of 3 young girls life is obviously busy. The season opener came and went getting kids to school and daycare. Too busy Friday night to make it out. Saturday rolls around and the morning starts of with a soccer game then a soccer party. Take care some of the chores around the house and off to a kids birthday party at 5:00. Well I wasn't going to miss my opportunity! Told everyone to load up and that while one kid was at the party the rest of us were going to go take the available 2 hours and hit the woods. through my bow and my bag in and off we went. At 6:30 as we were about to wrap it up and head back to pick up my daughter our path crossed with this little guy. Standing there in my flip flops, shorts and a t shirt this little guy fed past at 43 yard. With my wife and 2 other girls behind me (and encouraging me) I let the arrow fly and CRACK. My wife and oldest start getting loud and excited! He went 30 yards and piled up running. My daughter who gets to try and hunt herself next year keep saying how awesome it was. At 9 years old she jumped right in to help me clean him up and drag him back to the truck. The best part is we were only 5 minutes late to pick our other daughter up from the party (all be it covered in blood from my elbows down). My families excitement was incredible and contagious. Stilling laughing about how it all played out. Best part I think I sealed the deal on at least 2 new hunting partners. My wife picked up the sport last year with me and missed a deer but now thoroughly seems excited about it and My oldest daughter! Cant wait to spend many days in the field with each.

The guy I hunt with is 66 and will walk circles around me all day long with a smile. I have learned a lot from him. Part of what I learned is we are out there because we love it whether we find a shed or not. There is always something that makes the day worth it.

My point is similar to the one your making. It doesn't matter how many laws or rules are in place. The people doing this stuff are going to do it either way. The chances of getting caught are slim and they are lazy. so they are going for risk it. As for your question about unit 9 you would need to ask forest service and g and f. I couldn't answer when they will start in other units. I can only attest to the fact that there has been a noticeable difference in the amount of off road traffic since they started enforcement there. I would say that though there are problems in other states those same states seem to take wildlife management much more seriously and try to put the game first by establishing seasons to TRY and limit the pressure on already weakened animals coming off a tough rut and even tougher winter in most cases and in these states there are far fewer pushing animals through the snow in February, March and April. My posts were more make the best out of a bad situation . These same quads that upset so many can also work to your benefit if you figure out where the animals get pushed to. Further back deeper thicker cover. Get in those areas see fewer quad tracks and find more sheds

it stinks guys but it is what it is. There are laws in place. It doesn't make a difference. People are going todo what they do. Every year i pick up at least 1 shed within 5 yards of quad tracks. They don't get them all and I would put money on the fact that I and anyone else moving slowing through the woods putting their time in get more. Yes it is unfortunate that "sportsman" on quads don't have a problem pressuring the animals that have struggled through the winter. They obviously cant see beyond themselves. If they push animals out of one area change your strategy look at maps get an idea of an adjacent ares with "thick" cover that you think they moved to. The animals are still there. They haven't left the unit and probably have not left a 2 mile radius. Stick at it and when the guy on the quad pulls up while your humping 50lbs of horn on your should back to the truck watch him scratch his head wondering. Guarantee at that point he's gonna try and be your best friend. When he asks my favorite question "where did you find all those" tell him by the the over there. There are plenty of horns out there… old chalk, hard white and brown. It takes a lot of miles, sweat, sunburn, sore feet and legs and many hours to find them. Don't be discouraged by quads. They can help you. You just need to figure out where the animals go when the quads come through.

Was able to get out for the first time this season yesterday. Can't believe the number of troops that have been pounding the woods for weeks. Boot tracks everywhere! Was able to pick this one up 4 feet from fresh boot tracks. Not sure how it was possible for them to have missed it but was happy to have found it myself. Saw a good number of big Bulls still packing their horns. Bumped into a couple of guys hat had been out since Tuesday and had only been able to pick up 2 sets between the. Pretty sure most of the horns in this area are sti walking around. Nonetheless it was a great day to be out and key in on a few spots to keep going back to.

No one set predates easily the other set 4 feet away was way after the storm and after the elk had shed. The elks tracks were 6 inches deep in mud when he left them. The boot track was crisp in the dust. Just goes to show if your looking left and the shed is on the right your gonna miss it.

The unit we hunt has had some steady enforcement for the past three years. They have helicopters and airplanes up then radio in the ground troops. They have been writing tickets. It has had an effect. Many fewer guys running quads or bikes cross country. There are still a few but unless the "authorities" catch them red handed nothing will be done

Pregnant sows will den no matter what. Boars and non pregnant sows will roam long into the winter if there is a food source available. The last handful of years in the teton valley up in WY the last bears of the season were seen on the valley floor in mid January. Trust me it is a lot colder there than hear in AZ. That is both griz and black bear. I have had friends in flagstaff find bear tracks in the snow in their yard in late december and January. I don't think bears in AZ hibernate quite as deeply as other parts of the country. From time to time they will get up and move. Not far from their dens usually but they will move. The same has been observed in the far north of Maine where there is plenty of snow.

Today's front page news for Flagstaff. Whose feathers are gonna get ruffled? For those that blame the AZGFD for the mexican wolf sounds like there are bigger concerns as Gray wolves from northern states may be moving in. FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — An animal resembling a gray wolf has been spotted roaming the far reaches of northern Arizona, officials said Thursday, and tests are planned to determine exactly what it is. The animal has been seen and photographed in Kaibab National Forest north of Grand Canyon National Park with a collar similar to those used in a wolf recovery effort in the Northern Rockies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. The animal could be from that population of about 1,700 or a wolf-dog hybrid, said agency spokesman Jeff Humphrey. Officials will test its feces to determine further details. Humphrey said the animal should be treated as endangered until more is known about it. "Our immediate concern is the welfare of this animal," he said. A group of fewer than 100 endangered Mexican gray wolves lives in portions of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, but Humphrey said the animal does not appear to be from the Southwest population. Wolves in the Northern Rockies have fuller bodies and less pointed ears than Mexican gray wolves. Wolves largely were exterminated early last century across the lower 48 states, except in the western Great Lakes area. They've been absent from the Grand Canyon region since the 1940s. The Fish and Wildlife Service in recent years lifted protections for the animals in the western Great Lakes and the Northern Rockies. A federal judge recently ordered the protections re-instated in Wyoming after wildlife advocates sued. Grand Canyon Superintendent Dave Uberuaga said the park has received a couple of reports about an animal that resembles a wolf at the North Rim. He said park officials will be on the lookout for it. Wolves often roam vast distances in search of food and mates. Packs from the Northern Rockies have been found as far south as Wyoming. Environmentalists said the confirmed presence of a gray wolf around the Grand Canyon would be welcome news but remain concerned about a proposal to remove them from a list of protected species. "There's an increasing number of people who have learned about the pivotal role wolves play in natural ecosystems, know they have been persecuted relentlessly over decades and cheer the return of wolves," said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. "And there are people who are fearful, concerned and opposed." Nancy Gloman of Defenders of Wildlife said the group would like to see wolves in suitable habitat from Canada to Mexico.

wolves have been seen in the wasatch. its not that far of a trip. google the studies done on animal travel. The lion referenced above is one of them. There was also a bobcat and a few other that traveled insane distances. Willing to put my money on that there is no conspiracy here. what a great country we have here, we all have opinions and each one of ours really only matters to us!

Was out for a Sunday walk with my girls this past weekend and they scored on this little 5 point. First shed for either of them and the saw it at the exact same time. Fun to see them as excited as I get when you find one!

while we were hunting unit 8 the past few weeks we bumped into the game manager who informed us that unit 8 was no longer being managed for trophy bulls. He stated that in the last 3 years the have raised bull permits across the board in order to reduce the breeding population and herd size. He stated that the plan has worked and over the last 3 years the size of the overall heard has shrunken. As to why they were doing this he gave no answer. He stated that there were no longer any "big bulls" in the unit. That the bull population was a young one. Well we have hunted the unit for a long time and I can attest to the fact that there are still plenty of big bulls. Yes we did see plenty of smaller younger bulls too but there are still some good ones out there. A year ago during shed season we spoke with the manager in unit 9 that basically said the same thing about that unit. They were no longer managing it as a Trophy bull unit and were working to reduce the population. Again we never really got a straight answer as to why? Long and short I am wondering if anyone here has any insight into this new management strategy of G and F. Why are they taking this new course of action? There are still great bulls in both units. Why are they working to try and only have a young immature bull population?

I also hunted unit 8 for archery cow. ended up finding 6 camera's and salts within 3 tenths of a mile of one and other. Not one cameras was locked so kudos to all the trusting sportsman out there. Also found one with a treestand on it that had crushed corn poured everywhere, white powder substance and some other sorts of block type attractant. With all that salt out there it wouldn't be surprising if these critters start dropping dead from hypertension! I operate cameras but what happened to hunting? Seems like way to many are throwing out salt blocks and such. How successful can it be when there are so many in such a small portion of country. Sorry to hear that someone grabbed one of your cameras.

we hunted it for 12 days. It was on and off. One day absolutely on fire the next not a peep. Got into a lot of different bulls just still hunting. Would say about 50% were not with cows. Yesterday morning they were on fire again. With this storm moving in tomorrow might be what they need to kick it in to gear. It was a very warm hunt. Most years we have hunted early september we atlas needed a jacket in the mornings. That was not the case this year. Some days were down right hot. I think after the storm your going to be in for a good hunt. Good luck.

very slow in the portion of 8 where we are. they are barely bugling 30 minutes in the morning and 30 at night. Not really responding to either cow calls or bugling. Still hunting is working to find them and get in on them.

wow! what a toad. congrats on a great bull. 1st evening way to get it done.