Kevin

First rule should be that Apache7mm and Josh have to wear a patch over one eye and tie both feet together. We just can't compete with those boys! Kevin

Doug, I didn't gut him, just took the meat off the outside. There was an area around the entrance and exit that was bloodshot (4 or 5 inches in diameter). I guess what suprised me most was that there was no "bang-flop". I wasn't even sure I hit him until I found blood. He died out of sight so I trailed him out. I killed a mule deer several years ago with same load and he never wiggled after the shot. The difference may be I hit ribs going in on him and not on the coues buck. Believe me, I'm not bashing NP or SGK. I just want the best and I think a bullet that will expand better than the NP on smaller game but, will not fragment is what I'm looking for. Possiblly the Accubond? I'm going to kill an Oryx with a NP this weekend! Kevin

Congrats on the pigs, but more importantly the day spent with your old man! Kevin

Don't mean to get in a personal conversation, but Shane just what the heck is "nad knowing someone"? Sorry I couldn't resist! Kevin By the way, I think Barbary sheep don't exist, at least in my experience!

Bass, I'm not sure I see your logic! Just what do you mean by let it run off? Why wouldn't someone that "sticks" a big bull not take the horns? As long as he doesn't pursue another elk I don't see the problem. Unless your talking about wasting the carcass on purpose then I think your way off base calling an archer that wounds and loses, then later finds the animal and tags it a poacher! Kevin

I've got a tag for an escorted oryx hunt on the missle range for the month of March, other than that it's pretty slow. Kevin

Ben, Intresting you were there when you were. Were you working on the lion survey? I completed a turkey habitat annalysis there in 91. One of the things we looked at was archeological records for the area to determine whether or not turkey were native. While doing that, I also noted that coues deer did not seem to occur there. These observations were based on bone fragments etc. found in digs as well as petroglyphs, written accounts etc. From what I can tell they've never existed on the Organs. The mule deer herd in the foothills in the early 90's was tremendous compared to today. Between lions, drought and probably CWD there are very few deer around here these days. Kevin

No Casey, I call that SGK not properly matched to the velocity. As I said, they are a great bullet if you keep them under 3000 fps. Sierra engineers will tell you the same! I'll continue to shoot them out of my 30-06 as they have performed flawlessly in it for deer and an oryx. The problem of the NP not mushrooming is not unique to a 35 yard shot. I'm curious if it would mushroom at any reasonable distance on a coues deer. They are my favorite bullet for elk and oryx but I'm not sure they are the best bullet for a small animal just like I (emphasis on I) don't think a SGK is the best bullet for high velocity guns! Kevin

GameKings are a great bullet if you keep them under 3,000 fps. I shoot them out of my 30-06 at around 2800 fps and get great accuracy and the bullets mushroom beautifully! Loaded some for the 25-06 (3,300 fps) and still got the accuracy but hand grenade size holes and copper jacket all through the deer. Resulted in a very dead deer but that type of meat damage is unacceptable to me. I've stuck with Nosler partitions (going to give the Accubonds a try for deer) out of my 300 Win Mag. The buck I shot this year was only 35 yards and the Nosler Partition punched a hole without nocking the 85 lb buck down. He died 50 yards from where he was shot, but I've knocked elk flat on there you know what with that same load! Maybe the accubond will mushroom better on small critters like coues deer? Kevin

Shiras, Only the major populated areas are high resolution- you can zoom in to 1 meter res in some areas. However, very little of the unpopulated areas are that detailed. It's not your computer! I believe that every time they update google earth they include more high res imagery. It will take some time to get the boondocks in high res though. Too bad! Kevin

Trick tanks are cathment units or 'aprons' that collect precipitation (I know, you've forgotten what that is since you we haven't seen any in forever) and store it in above ground tanks. The stored water is then gravity fed to troughs. The "trick" is to get rain to fill them and keep them in some decent state of repair. Kevin

Organ Mnt. Bowman will hold our shoot the third weekend of June at Camp Thunderbird (Mimbres, NM). Mangus Bowman usually have shoots every month at Ft. Bayard. I hope to make some of them myself this year. Kevin

I'd put a McMillan synthetic stock (Phoenix, AZ) and a Pachmeyer decelerator pad on the existing 300 and have a qualified gunsmith do the trigger. McMillan stocks are worth the money if getting rid of recoil is your goal, plus they can be custom made to fit you and your gun. Remington has one of the best adjustable triggers available today in a factory rifle (change the spring to a lighter one if you know what you are doing). Also, I've shot 7 mm mags that will absolutely beat you to death! The above table might give some insight but from my experience it doesn't explain felt recoil worth a dern! Finding a stock that fits you is the best way to reduce recoil and McMillan can make one fit! Kevin

25-06 are you trying to bait BP agents with those 1 gal jugs? My best piece of new equipment this year was the Bino-sheild from Crooked Horn Outfitters! They do a great job of protecting both the glass and exterior of my Swarovski's--much better than the caps that came on the binoculars. Crooked Horn's website has a video of the system. It was a great investment and I highly recommend them. My glasses still look new and I didn't spend any time this year backtracking in the brush to find the eye piece covers that had been snagged and come off! Also, Badlands packs are worth the money! Kevin

Tommy, way to hang in there for a big one. It sounds like you had a great time. Do you know if anyone killed any big bucks? I know several folks that had tags but haven't heard how any of them did. Kevin

jasons, how did your hunt turn out? We saw a few bucks but no luck getting close enough. Kevin

There are several ways to tell, the best in my opinion is to follow through on your shot to begin with. If you pick a spot on the animal to aim or focus on prior to your shot, the pin (if using sights) should still be on that spot when the arrow hits. If not, you are not following through and your accuracy will suffer. Second, use a bright colored fletching on your arrows so they are easy to see, whether in the air, as it hits the animal or on the ground. White is very good in most all situations, as is any of the flourescent colors. You can sometimes hear an arrow hit an animal, especially if you hit bone. However, I've shot between ribs on both sides and not heard the arrow hit, even on a 12 yard shot. In my opinion, sound can't rule out a hit. When you shoot make sure you know exacly where the animal went out of sight if at all possible. Also make sure you mark where you are standing and where the animal was. Mark your location with an arrow or your hat, ribbon etc BEFORE you move. Having both yours and the animals location marked you can get a good idea of which direction the arrow should be. Look for cut hair and/or blood on the ground where the animal was standing. Almost always if you look close enough (on hands and knees if necessary) there will be both where the animal was standing. Blood at the shot location will be a fine mist usually. A spray bottle of peroxide will help find hard to see blood (white foam on blood). Make sure you remain quiet for at least 30 minutes so if the animal is down nearby but not dead it will not bolt. After waiting and you haven't found any hair or blood, follow the tracks. Sometimes an animal will travel quite a ways before losing any blood. Keep you eyes open for liquid of any kind, not just blood. If you hit a deer behind the rib cage, often the first sign you will see is just clear liquid or sometimes stomach or intestinal matter. As to what an animal does when it is shot, well no telling. I've shot 2 elk that never raised there heads (one from drinking, one from grazing) when they were shot. Both died within 30 yards and both were shot between the ribs (no contact of bone). However, I've had others bolt like their tails were on fire. It just depends on the individual situation. You need to go back out and look the area over again. You owe it to the animal, and just as much, to yourself. Try to find someone with more experience than you have to help you out. Also, consider taking a bowhunter education class (similar to hunter safety but geared towards bowhunting). Game and Fish should be able to help you find an instructor. In the class I took (and will soon be a certified instructor) we practice blood trailing. It really is a good class if you can find one in your area. Good luck, Kevin

I just figured out how to get a lion hunt of a lifetime! Piss off the houndsmen . How are you Tom? Kevin

Anything on the east side of the Rio Grande is considered an eastern whitetail by B&C, P&Y and NMDGF if I'm not mistaken. Units 34 and 36 have good populations of eastern's (judging by the size of even the does). Who knows when it comes to subspecies and the adaptability of these critters? Kevin

J- you sure Tommy isn't frozen to his treestand seat? Or maybe he is so facinated by the Javelina mating rituals he photographed he has given up on coues hunting forever? Come on Tommy, were counting on you! Kevin

The first bull elk I killed was bugleing and slinging snot. I was so shook up before and after the shot I was nearly sick. I remember focussing on making the shot and blocking out the rest. 25 yard shot, 25 yard recovery. An hour after I set down next to him I was still shaking. I think what helped me focus was shooting with groups of jokesters and dingleberrys at 3D shoots and indoor leagues. With all the commotion going on it makes me focus on my shot and practicing tuning out the noise, laughter etc. I think helped me focus during the hunt. Plus it makes the shoots a lot of fun. Most people take shoots too seriously for my taste! Good luck and like several others said, when you aren't excited anymore take some time off and take up golf. Kevin

singleshot, What a great perspective! The guns in my collection that mean the most to me are the old battered 22 I inherited from the old guy that lived next door when I was kid, the second hand muzzleloader I bought with money made from mowing lawns (first gun I ever bought and hunted with), and the 12 guage my Grandad passed along for my first turkey hunt. They all had a history when I got them and that history is more important to me than their usefulness (I still shoot all of them). Kevin

They are a great head in my opinion. I shot them until I started shooting a recurve. I've killed 5 elk and a mule deer with them, all were pass throughs except one. It hit behind the rib cage and broke the opposite front leg bone. I don't think they are as tough as a Muzzy, (ferrel tends to bend on hard impact=front leg bones, rock, rebar 3Dlegs etc.) but by that time they have done their job. I believe they are the sharpest broadhead out of the box that you can buy and they fly very well for me. I would recommend them anyday! Kevin

Matt, The license and tag is either $270 for standard hunt or $355 for quality hunts (Burro Mt.). Also there is a $5 habitat stamp fee and the new $10 depredation fee. However, it only costs $6 to apply. Your chances of drawing are fairly good for several of the units around Silver (21,22,23,24) other than the Burro Mt portion. That is tough to draw even for residents. Any of these units are decent for Mule deer. May I ask who your grandparents were? I grew up in Silver and hunting the Burros. Just thought I might have known them. Kevin

Here is PETA's latest campaign. Personally, I think this kind of extremism hurts their efforts; I hope so at least! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,176739,00.html Kevin