hawkeye

As the wolf war continues, so does the decline in the elk, moose, and deer herds of the Great American West. We continue to support and promote the delisting of wolves through SFW’s (Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife) new affiliate organization called “Big Game Forever” . This organization allows people to become educated and show their support in this cause by simply signing the online petition and/or giving a donation. I hope that you will take time to visit the website and learn about the importance of delisting wolves. With an organization as credible as SFW in the driver’s seat, we can all climb aboard the bandwagon and assist in overcoming this political speed bump on our way to conserving America’s big game. Be sure to read the Big Game Forever press release below. BIG GAME FOREVER LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO REMOVE WOLVES FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST As a judge in Montana considers whether to permit Montana and Idaho to continue hunts to manage mushrooming wolf populations that have decimated big game herds, Defenders of Wildlife has sought to triple the number of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming and the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned Interior Secretary Salazar and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide for expansion of wolf populations across the entire United States. In response to these actions and the strong grassroots desire of sportsmen, outfitters, ranchers, and many others all across the US to insure that wolves are de-listed from the Endangered Species List and managed by all states where they are found, Big Game Forever, a political action arm of nationally-respected organization Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, has drafted legislation to remove wolves from the Endangered Species List. Big Game Forever is now working with a growing number of Congressmen and Senators to have the bill introduced early in 2011. The bill will allow needed wolf management measures to stop the decline of some of the West’s and upper Midwest’s most important herds of elk, moose and deer and help rebuild those herds. “The decision to remove wolves, one of North America’s most abundant and successful predators, from the endangered species list by both the Bush and Obama administrations will not be respected by animal rights and a handful of environmental groups, even though excessive predation on big game has caused at least $100 million damage to the economies of states where wolves are found,” says Ryan Benson, National Director for Big Game Forever. “Wolves are being exploited in an attempt to remove the rights of sportsmen to have access to and use of renewable wildlife resources. Notwithstanding the experimental nature of wolf reintroductions and repeated declarations that wolf populations have expanded far beyond recovery objectives, these groups continue to make millions of dollars suing the federal government on technicalities within the Endangered Species Act. It has become clear that there will be no end to the litigation despite the unprecedented damage to wildlife, surplus killing of livestock, and attacks on pets and guard dogs in the West and Upper Midwest. Ultimately those most affected by the ongoing litigation continue to be Sportsmen and wildlife, including the very wolves the anti-sporting groups proclaim to protect,” Benson says. The federal government is currently spending $3.7 million dollars yearly to remove problem wolves that kill domestic livestock in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. This is money that should be used for wildlife conservation, including restoration of elk, moose, wild sheep and deer that have been decimated by rapidly-expanding wolf populations in many areas, Big Game Forever asserts. The proposed legislation will provide assurances of agreed upon wolf population numbers in states where experimental reintroductions have reached sustainable populations spelled out in original enabling mandates. “State wildlife managers can either manage for abundance or scarcity,” explains Benson. “In the last 10 years, sportsmen have contributed $20 Billion in federal wildlife funding in an attempt to restore healthy big game populations and waterfowl populations. In addition to federal funding, State wildlife agencies, which are largely if not exclusively funded by sportsmen’s dollars, spend hundreds of millions annually in the West to restore and protect habitat, and manage wildlife populations.” “Sportsmen have worked tirelessly and put their money where their mouth is in an effort to restore healthy wildlife herds to the West,” says Don Peay founder of “Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife”. “Decades-long recovery efforts by states and sportsmen’s groups are being erased in herd after herd. We will not stand by and watch our efforts wasted by an anti-management agenda that has proved to be a failure for elk, moose and even the wolves they proclaim to protect.” Congressional intervention provides a mechanism to ensure that states can fulfill their mandate to manage all wildlife populations for the use of its citizens. Benson explains, “Wolves are here to stay. The same state agencies that successfully manage balanced numbers of mountain lions, bears and other large predators are well-positioned to maintain balanced numbers of gray wolves while protecting abundant prey populations.” To document the groundswell of support for wolf de-listing, Big game Forever has launched an online petition at biggameforever.org that has already drawn thousands of signers. Some of the early supporters of the petition include entertainer Jeff Foxworthy, former NBA all-star player Karl Malone, Hall of Fame baseball player Wade Boggs, President of Hoyt Archery Randy Walk, Randy and Coni Brooks of Barnes Bullets, and David Allen, CEO of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.[/size]

Only in Arizona would the Game and Fish Dept. spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in elk and antelope re-population and management and then throw it all away by getting involved with the tree hugging wolf lovers. If you don't think the AZGFD has become nothing but a political tool for the tree huggers this is a prime example. Almost everyone employed by them are either non hunters or from Seattle or California. I used to support the AZGFD but not anymore. It makes me sick to think that my money is going to an effort to destroy the elk and deer populations in eastern Arizona.

Hey Jim, just saw your post. A lot of good info. My family and I use Southwest Wildlife and am very very satisfied with the work. Jim is a true artist and I would trust him with my most cherished trophy. Dave

I have been putting in for Elk for several years in New Mexico, without being drawn. I don't ever remember my credit card being charged before the draw. Maybe I just don't recall. I just checked my credit card and it was hit for $760 by New Mexico Game and Fish. I asume it is too early for the draw, but when do they usually draw. Thanks Dave

been using one since they came out several years ago. I love everything about it. I was in the same boat and tried 3 or 4 different sights until I bought the 7 deadly pins. I have shot several elk, deer, pigs, and cyotes over the years.

you didn't post prices on the new items.

I support this bill, one hundred percent

Nothing new. I have been trying to get a Jan. tag for several years the last three years we stood in line for 6 to 8 hours only to get an early tag. Good hunt but nothing special. I see a lot bigger deer where I hunt on public land. The same thing has been happening for years. All of the locals get the tags by cutting in line. I quit trying this year. I'll better spend my time and money somewhere else.

I have shipped a couple of guns back to the factories for repair in the last couple of years. I have shipped them in a rifle box, and took it to a UPS shipping center. The one I did last week was shipped back east for 20 bucks and that included 600 dollars insurance. Dave

Good Luck I have 13 acres just north of Pie Town, and spend my summers there. I love it there. I plan on moving there in about 5 years. I have been trying to get drawn for Elk in unit 15 and 13 for over 5 years with no luck. I have elk hanging around my place all of the time. I found a nice 5 point shed about thirty yards from my steps. Maybe I will have better luck when I become a resident. Dave

Sold Pending Funds

.45 cal. I never use this and thought I would try and sell it. I am more of a revolver guy. I have shot about 4 clips through it and it has just been sitting in my safe. Stainless steel action with aluminum frame. It is the DC model with the de-cocking lever, which drops the hammer without un-cocking the action. This lets you cock the hammer and shoot with an easy trigger pull. Comes with holster, two clips, clip loader, and case. I am not sure, but if I have some amo it will go with it. $400.00 firm.

still for sale

What the****?

If it could go wrong, it did go wrong. After 30 years of bow hunting I had more trouble getting into bulls than I ever have. The hunt has been pushed up so much, that with the late rut it was hard to get into them. I was hunting in 3c and never have seen so many hunters. On the 7th day of the hunt I shot a nice bull about a 340 calss bull. I hit him high and the blood petered out after about 200 yards. We continued to track most of the day, and had to stop at about 4:00 due to a lightning storm hitting very close. Well we looked some the next morning and lost all track from the hard rain the night before. That evening we went back to the same area and hunted. When we got back to the truck a Game and fish officer named Erik checked us and I told him I had hit a bull the day before and didn't find him. He told me they had found a dead bull not very far from where we were and told me if I could describe the rack I could have it, as they had cut the head off. I told him exactly where I hit him and he told me to describe the rack. I told him I was looking for a shooting lane and that I didn't get much time to take full stock in the rack, but that with the shot placement and location of the bull I was very sure it was mine. He told me I could buy the rack at auction. I told him to kiss my a$$. He told me he would e-mail me some pictures of the bull. He lied about that too. He didn't do crap. Well that put a bad taste in my mouth, but it gets better. On Thursday night on the last day of the hunt, my son and I were hunting about a mile below Black Canyon Lake and We were set up in a thicket and after sitting until about 30 minutes before dark, my son did some cow chirps and got an answere about 50 yards behind us. After sitting a few minutes he bugled. Then it happened. An arrow came slamming through the brush just above my sons head. We yeld and crawled about 30 yards. We never got an answer and we couldn't glass up the culprit. We walked the 2 mile walk back to the truck very upset about what had happened. After the amount of people we encountered and almost dying I think my archery hunting career is over. I will be selling my new Admiral bow and most of my equipment on ebay. If I do anymore hunting I will go out of state. I can't believe the game and fish wanted me to kill another bull after agreeing to tag the first one. I guess they would rather get the money from the antler auction. With the amount of hunters in the field it is just a matter of time before someone gets shot, and my son and I came close. Archery hunting has been a very large part of my life and I am sad to see it end. But the amount of enjoyment recieved compared to the greif and dealing with the all the crap it's time to call it quits.

Hammy I didn't make the decision in haste. It was a long thought out decision. I am getting older and the enjoyment of the hunts lately seem to be outweighed by the hasle. My whole life has been dedicated to hunting and fishing. I still have memories of years past when the hunting was very enjoyable, even if I saw no game at all. I will still hunt from time to time but I have given up on Arizona. I have spent years going to the Game and Fish meetings and voicing my opinions. I will pick and choose my hunting opportunities with a little more thought. I spent the summer in Canada and Alaska and will be doing some research for some hunting in the future. As for hunting in Arizona, I have a ton of antelope and sheep points and I guess I will eat them. Heck they might taste better than sheep or antelope.

Yea after the fact we thought the same thing. I think if we could have found him we would have beat the heck out of him. The guy sure laid low. We were in an isolated canyon and should have been able to find him but it was just a few minutes until dark. It was a long rugged two mile walk back to the truck in the dark. Our first thought was that he was shooting at an elk. Then we realized we were the elk. We didn't contact the Game and Fish because I know what would have happened. I could take them in to find the arrow but how would we prove who's it was.

I didn't say that he scored 340. I said he was a 340 class bull. If you have been elk hunting for any amount of time you can look and see in an instant what class of bull it is without describing every point. He could have scored anywhere from 325 to 350. The description he was trying to get me to describe was that he had an unusually large diameter 4th point on his left side. It looked like a stump. I was on his right side and could tell he had the type of rack I would settle for in this non rutting hunt. If you have ever had a non rut archery hunt you will settle for a lesser bull after about 7 or 8 days of hunting. The day before I had turned down a 320 class bull that I got a very good look at. He stood broadside for a few minutes at 50 yards. When a bull comes in from behind you and you are trying to get a shot at the kill in an opening you are concentrating on your shot more than identifying every point. I guess if I ever hunt again I had better take pictures of the bull I am going after. I am more angry at the way the punk kid game officer acted than anything else. I don't know what kind of training they are going through these days but I am tired of being treated like a criminal by these punk butt kids with a badge. He asked me for my e-mail address and told me he would send some pictures of the rack. The lying piece of crap probably didn't even write down the address. Because guess what? No pictures. Also he wanted the rack more than any type of game conservation. I was willing to tag this rack because I felt bad about shooting this elk and not recovering it. This is the first elk I have shot and did not recover. He would rather me shoot another one and keep the rack for himself. When I told him I didn't feel right about hunting after I had killed this elk, He had the gall to ask me if I was going to go home and not hunt anymore.

No he wasn't shooting at an elk. He was shooting at what he thought was a bull in the brush on the final minutes of the last day of hunting. We never heard elk running off. At that range and thick brush we would have heard the noise of elk after we yelled and all of the commotion. The arrow came through the brush about the heighth of an elk. If my son had been standing instead of sitting he would have been shot.

Oh after 44 years of hunting and 30 of it hunting for archery elk I have paid my dues. I am not quiting because of a hard hunt I am quiting hunting in Arizona. I have no respect for the game and fish dept. And after weighing the enjoyment with the hasle, price and disrespect the game and fish has for the sportsmen of Arizona, they can have it. I will save my money and do some research and start hunting other states. I have a coues tag on the SanCarlos and am looking forward to the hunt. I think my money will be better spent on other hunts out of state. You archery elk hunters should be happy about one less app. I hope you don't become the statistic we almost became.

Packed and leaving in 30 minutes. Won't be back till after elk season. I'm not going to miss the heat or all of the people at all. Hope it rains this weekend. GOOD LUCK to everyone. Dave

I'm using 100 grns of RL25 with Barnes 150 grn tipped tripple shocks. It's running out there about 3480 fps. Out to 600 yds it's still grouping. I haven't shot any farther yet, but will soon. I found for my Sendero the OAL was 3.692". That barely fit in the Magazine. I like this load for coues but would probably have to work up a load with a larger bullet for elk.

PM sent

You are right RHINO. The "L.C.S." as I call them, will tell you anything, when confronted with a situation. Don't believe anything they tell you on the phone. I have caught them in so many lies over the years, that I just don't call anymore. It is more productive to rant on this forum. At least it lets other people going through the same B.S. know that they are not the only ones. A.Z.G.F.D. L yers C heaters S tealers

I know it won't happen but I think everyone that has proof of AZGFD screw-ups or wrong doings should attend one of the commission meetings and present the evidence to the commission. Most people, me included, just call and complain to someones boss at the dept. Well you know they are going to cover up anything they can and make up different excuses. I think the commission is more honorable than people think. Most of the problems and down right lying comes from the directors office.