mattys281

I shoot exact year/model. Its a great bow and super accurate for me! I don't see a need to upgrade this one anytime soon... Yeah I hear that. I 'upgraded' to a fancier (2x more expensive) rig last summer and just couldnt make myself like that hoyt no matter how hard I tried. Sure it was a great bow, but I didn't like it. Ended up selling it off on ebay and bought a backup black ice just like my current one. They getting harder to find so I figured I better get another while they're still available. I may buy one more and put it away so I'll never have to buy another one in my life time.

I don't know what kind of drones you guys are looking at, but I was checking this out at Fry's electronics the other day and they all have the same basic parameters: hours of charging time get you 10 minutes of flight time. How much scouting are they really going to do with that? If you plan on shooting one, you better get real good at shooting them on the drop, cuz they aren't gonna be up that long anyway. Kinda like a 17 year old on prom night. Plus, how much ground are they gonna cover in that 10 minutes??? The ridge you spent hours hiking up is probably well beyond the 5 minutes these things can fly each way.

I tried one of the m's.november inflatable ones a few years ago. Scared away the first two deer that saw it, the second of which was a very nice 4x4 coues deer. After that I return it and haven't tried it again since. I did buy the mr.october one that can be either a buck or doe, but haven't tried it yet. I think they got spooked because I had it in a standing position and it wasn't moving. Probably be less unnatural looking if positioned in a bedded down position.

This is Tank, my 2008 Black Ice. He's starting to get a little gray around the muzzle, but so am I so what the heck. This guy's a deer killing machine and has several more in him I think.

19a HAM hunt. Allll-right!

I honestly dont see it making any difference, unless they start selling ones that shoot, gut, bag and drag for you. Guys that can't get it done now still wont be getting it done, and those who can will continue to do so.

Nice read. Very positive. Kind of unusual for yahoo, cant wait to read the comments section.

I've killed a few deer in 24b during the late archery hunt. It's very possible to find yourself lost in the crowd, but it's also very possible to hunt for days, see plenty of deer and never lay eyes on another hunter. My favorite ridge requires about a 30 minute drive off the highway, an hour and a half hike and then I have complete solitude. Never even seen another boot print on it, but I can hear the traffic on the highway just down the canyon. You can have any experience you want in there. Get off the beaten path and you'll do just fine.

Welcome to the site. I like hunting solo too. In fact everything I've ever killed with my bow has been on my own. For me the first couple days are a little rough but after that I kind of settle in and focus on the hunt. I hunt with a couple buddies every now and then but having said that we still hunt on our own and just meet back up at camp. Since you said you're new to bowhunting, I'll tell you whats probably the biggest mistake I made early on: finding a good looking spot and giving up on it too soon. Deer move around a lot, especially arizona deer. Even a fantastic spot may not have deer in it every day. If you think your onto a good spot invest the time to know for sure. If your spot and stalk hunting that means glassing the same areas at least two or three days in a row and if You're sitting ambushes that means at least three all day sits. Thats my .02 for what its worth.

Congrats on your deer! I couldnt hit the broad side of a barn at that range, much less a buck. The hit wasn't perfect but thats still impressive shooting to me.

Muleys can be tough in 24b but those memories are still worth the trip. My brother and I have been on a couple hunting trips together, but I've never been able to get him a shot yet much less fill his tag. Hes a lifer in the corp and we dont get together that often, but every time he brings up those ill fated hunting trips and how fun they were. I know you just netted the same memories with your son and your dad. Congrats on that and keep after it. Its the chase thats most important anyway.

Nah, she had about 20 years on me. Not a bad looking gal though, and had the right set of interests. If I'd been maybe 10 years older at the time, and single, I would've had a run at her.

i had a neighbor a few years ago that was an ER nurse on the night shift. She worked 3 12's and had 4 day weekends every week. I always thought that sounded like a sweet deal. She also said there were always extra shifts available if she wanted them, but usually she didn't. She had a little studio in Phoenix close to her hospital and a nice little 2 bedroom home in Superior where she spent her 4-day weekends gardening & hiking. Neat lady and she certainly set herself up right.

Little bit, but we're still talking about big racks and trophy hunting right? Or did I miss something... Christie's on Washington has some good lunch specials if anyone's interested, I'll buy the first round. You can even take the light rail there.

Small racks? I've seen some fair size ones around there, but you may want your doctor to be on stand-by with a double dose of penicillin. No crying, play like a champ.

Almost time. I guess a week or two after thanksgiving I'll have to blow the dust off it and fling a few. Want to be sharp for January 1st.

Congrats on a true trophy, earned with sweat and sacrifice.

37b? maybe. Can't see results online yet, but probably...

any change you can get us into some drones and possible stinger missiles???

The obvious one is money, but thats not the only answer. Lots of diy guys knock down big ones just by busting their tails and putting in lots of hours. The one skill that will make or break the deal though is being able to pass smaller bucks right up to the last hour, even if it means eating your tag. Thats the one I have trouble with. I like venison and those grip&grin pictures too much.

Can't see the results online yet, but my credit card statement says that my daughter and I have HAM javelina tags.

That's what I'm saying! I'm no good at eyeballing inches, so I use a simpler scale: little'en, nice'en, big'en & monster. Anything bigger than little'en = shooter. This guy is undoubtedly in the 'big'en' category.

is he dead? Doesnt have to be, even I can field judge that one.

I know his exact score: SHOOTER!

Nice bucks congrats!