Str8Shot

Awesome Buck!!! It will be hard to top that but she has a lot of years to try... Congrats to Shelby!

You may want to look at this thread(http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/52844-scouting-101/ ) as to how some feel as well as pointers on getting out and learning the areas on your own... You ask about What Units you may get lucky in, and the answer is any and all. As far mentality goes, by reading your reply about bear in 22 it would seem you need to spend a lot more time putting leather to the ground and learning the trails and roads that give you access to get out and hike and discover new places.

If you want a good 24k Map to use for Arizona ... look at the onXmaps Hunt Az chip... http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com/hunt-arizona-garmin-gps I am not a big fan of the 100k topo

Congrats to the hunter and Dad... Nicely done!

Awesome Job.. glad you got it done and they filled their tags... The looks say it all!

Just try a few different loads and see what your gun likes ... There are so many good loads out there now for 300 RUM and going lighter even as low as 125 grain is fine especially shooting under 600 yards... If you are trying to really build long range , then look heavier as others have stated, but keep in mind that the load itself is not the only factor in accuracy ... things like barrel length and twist will make differences too. None the less you will have to find what works best for your gun.

I preferred using the 180 grain swift scirocco with 82 grs of IMR 4350 @ 3250FPS .... Though I was using 150 grain combined tech silvertips and swift sciroccos for coues.... But I also know a guy pushing 125 grain with RL22 at over 3800FPS who's gun loves the load and is what he uses for coues ... The lighter bullets seem to be tougher to find a load with as much accuracy as the 180 or 200 grain bullets but with patience you can find accurate loads in the lighter weights. !

An do not even mention SNAKES ON A PLANE

I agree with you 6ANut... I have no issue sharing with others in the sense of pointing in a general location and to be honest the G&F where to hunt gives ample starting points to anyone who takes the time to get out of the truck and put some leather to the ground ... With youth Hunters I have shared a little more specific info, and it is always good to hear back that the youth tag went filled... I would also add to the my list, that A good GPS , marking way points being combined with a journal is IMO a must for people starting to get out and learn were to hunt ... Also sticking to a unit even if unsuccessful often pays off better in the long run...

It is public land and while if I know that the majority of game I am looking for seems to reside in smallish area and I see someone beat me to a spot I do not feel will accommodate additional pressure I go to plan B... I always try to see where they are at or are going if going to push out in same area... If arriving about the same time I find that having a open discussion about how and where each wants a hunt can take away much of the animosity... Many hunters not just myself have benefited by other hunters coming in later from same area and pushing game right to them ... when you are a ways from the road for a couple hours in the morning sometimes who you think is messing you up sends game that slipped right between you and the road while you sat into your area... With that being said 3 years ago was the first time I got remotely upset and it was because these 2 hunters ( with coues whitetail shirts on ) were literally following My cousin and I every time and place we moved trying to glass from shoulders of the roads the areas that we were hiking into .... I was fine with even that until they tried to take a few of those 1000 yard shots over our heads at a group of 4 bedded bucks we had seen bed down in the general area the night before ... The bucks had moved all but a few hundred yards up from where we last seen them and we were just sitting down at our glassing spot about 200 yards from them, and well over a half mile from the two guys on the side of the road, when first light came up and they let the bullets fly sending all the bucks hightailing up and away... They missed and watched as we did, the bucks run up the steepest nastiest mountain far out of reach from anyone... They could hear us coming back pissed and high tailed it out of there, and that bachelor herd of Bucks we had seen the weekend before and the night before opening morning in almost the same area where not seen again on that side of the mountain the entire remainder of what ended up being a really difficult hunt once the weather and wind moved in... It comes down to respect and Ethics in my opinion and some things cross the line ... Down south I have had bullets from long range shooters come over my head on 3 separate hunts. Every time the shooter/shooters missed and all 3 times the deer that we knew were in the area were not seen there again during the remainder of the hunt... That is why we have plan B,C,D,E... you get the point

Seen a couple Sonoran Whips down in 36b pretty high up in trees , one was choking down a field mouse... but through the years I have had a few close calls with rattle snakes, the closest was having one go right over my boot when eating lunch on a hike back in by Reavis when I was in 6th grade... when he cleared I was blowing my whistle like a crazy kid ... Always on edge during this time of year as they are not hibernating and often looking for warmth in the cooler mornings ... My dad has twice taken the heads off Rattlesnakes while quail hunting when they literally put their nose right into the end of the warm barrel of his shotgun after shooting quail...

Never been to a unit this is my flow ... #1- Game and Fish Areas to hunt ... Easy to get primary areas #2- Next - Google earth ..... So much you can find by starting with G&F info and then using google earth to come up with a plan that will get you far enough away from the bulk of hunters that hug close to the roads ... I like using the ground view and walking the digital terrain as well as setting date and times to show actual sun locations on hills, draws, and canyons for hunt #3 Talk to friends not for specific details but if you know a few that know the area often you find agreed upon areas ( so good places to start) 1-3 can take all but a couple days before a weekend comes leading to .... #4 - get out and hit the hills , walk away from roads and be patient in your glassing .... I have done this every time and never had an issue finding game .....

I have seen a few double punctures back in the copper creek areas especially after the heavy rains and washouts .... Fun area and if you have a good 4x4 and some nerves you can always try to take the trail ( rug road) all the way to Klondyke

A good full size spare,A good jack, A Good Compressor/Pump, A couple bottles of slime and a good plug kit should be in every truck that ventures off road in AZ .... Glad you got the help and back home and for 36b if you have room for an additional full size spare it is never a bad idea... Shoot me a PM if needing any advice on areas to scout !

I am trying to figure out how Coues 'n' Sheep spends 15 - 60k Daily on trucks, OHV, and tents ... Still I can see why many use guides especially those from out of state that often spend many years waiting to draw... I am sure if they put aside $500 every year they do not draw , by the time they do draw a tag the cost is nothing to them. I would also say that we often use guide/outfitter as a blanket statement and though the term is used most of us never clump every guide/outfitter into the mix... even the good ones know of the bad that tend to bring up soured conversations. I reside in the camp of Mulepackhunter as to wanting to do it all myself... I have been on more hunts without a tag helping family and friends just to be out there and learn, The thing with Mother nature is she can teach you something new every time you go out... I was and still am against baiting and not because I am worried about disease ( that is secondary). I am against anything that tries to alter the animals behavior and habits to the hunters benefit .. I am not against guides/outfitter as a whole, but those guides that seek to maximize their profits in our passion of hunting by working with property owners to shut the rest of us out of public lands are IMO disrespecting and doing a disservice to all of us... It does happen and seems to be happening more in the last few years...

Thomc Most the roads that lead to public lands were not built by the ranchers, My family has hunted this state for over 70 years and many of those roads existed long before land was sold off... That does not mean all roads, some have been constructed and maintained by property owners, where others were cut and maintained by tax dollars. I am not taking into account primitive roads that have also existed for decades of use. Fighting for an easement is expensive, there is no doubt about that, but the game and fish does have the type of revenue needed to fight to open up some areas if they really wanted to. Instead they prefer to save the cost , while trying to negotiate with land owners often at the expense of the rest of US hunters. Guides and outfitters paying for while also asking landowners to limit access into public lands does go on and is getting worse, it is in these cases that things need to change. I do not want to hunt a persons 140 acres and if a guide wants to pay for that I see no issue, but I want access to the 1800 acres of our public lands that all are entitled to and that he or she is denying. There are many reasons that lead to lend owners locking gates, in the Mercers case it was public dumping on their land from residents of Mammoth and surrounding areas that they were fined for and forced to pay to clean up. It was not hunters. Someone says you can now pay $100 for access through Mercer's gates, and if that is true then they have raised up the price and changed it, since several years ago they had stopped even paid access. It is my opinion that the public should have access into any public land, that BLM and and G&F have access to and areas including private properties that deny access to us, the ones buying the goods and paying the taxes, should be designated as non hunting areas and the heard size in the areas should not be factored into the number of tags for the unit. Ranchers already reap a great benefit with grazing their herds on all our public lands and the rest of the taxpayers should not be locked out from being able to enjoy what is all of ours. I just hope they get some Traction on the HUNT act and that it starts making the changes needed for all to enjoy what belongs to Us !

Nothing better than catching Big Browns ... Congrats to your friend on an awesome catch !

Technically and legally you are required to obtain an FCC license and call sign to use channels 1- 7 if transmitting at more .5 watts ( many do transmit higher even though Still used as FRS but also GMRS) Channels 8-14 transmit at .5 watts and are FRS and require no license ... Channels 15 - 22 are GMRS and require a license and often go as high as 5 watts in hand held units. All channels are affected by obstacles and get max range line of sight ... So basically all Hybrids that claim longer ranges are in fact counting the channels you legally need to have a license for , at least until they do away with it, but that bill to do so has been sitting idle since 2010...

The reviews look good... Not sure what you are looking for and the price but for the range have been using one of these for under 200 on amazon.... http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Trophy-Waterproof-Compact-Spotting/dp/B004I8U2GC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412804028&sr=8-1&keywords=bushnell+trophy+xlt+20-60x+65mm

That picture is a kingsnake subspecies only found in far southern/southeastern AZ. I'm assuming you are in the Phoenix area, but I could be wrong. Coachwhips are another species that is highly varied in its coloration (red, brown, black, red/brown) and are common in the Phoenix/Tucson areas. If Its a coachwhip, it is nonvenomous, but will bite the snot out of you (multiple times) if you try to catch it. Kingsnakes aren't as quick to bite. If it has yellow stripes mixed in and you are in the Valley or Tucson area, then its more likely a kingsnake. If you are in those areas and its black, its probably a coachwhip. They won't attack your kids and are also known to prey on rattlesnakes. Coachwhips are awesome looking snakes ... Of course we called them red racers growing up and caught them often. The Sonoran Whipsnakes down south are IMO way cooler with the varied colors .. either way if it is not a rattle snake I just let them be

What wdenike Said ... If you shoot the .270 best that is the gun you go for since shot placement with either is going to determine how far you have to track .... My dad has used his .270 for dozens of elk over the years switched one year to 7mm rem and spent most of the hunt cussing the gun after a few missed shots ... He pulled out the .270 he has shot 30 plus years on the second to last day and filled his tag with one shot... Part mental, part mechanics of putting so many rounds through the .270, but none the less it took him from cursing to smiling.

Tempe dicks had no love, no shipment

King snakes are harmless , and do a lot to help with reduced rodents and rattlesnakes as stated above.. just let him do his thing and do not fear him ... they will run from even the children with out issue !

I loaded up 2 loads for my 300 ultra mag using the combined tech silver tips ... They performed excellent .... in the end I was using only The silver tips ( 150, and 180 grain ) and The swift Scirocco 2 in 165 grain ...

AWH .... I think the Obama team could use a guy like you to help be a spin doctor and help rebuke all the previous lies ... If we see Obama using an excuse that he was merely testing the masses and we all failed ... I will give your backdoor excuse credit .. It is in fact that legit the idea may be stolen !