mattys281

Where in the heck do you guys keep finding these toads? You all stink! JK, good luck on your hunt. Matt S.

Those pics were taken w/ one of the crappy old original widlview cams (I think 0.2 mega pix!?!), so the clarity isn't there. If you click on the pic where I circled the head & view it full size, you can see the face through the grass. I can at least. At least I think I can.... dang it!?! Starting to confuse myself on this one. Just click on the link to the .bmp file & you'll see a face - and no this is not one of those stare in the mirror & say bloody mary 3 times kinda faces! It's either a cat face through that grass, or I'm going completely nucking futs!

Sorry jim, don't think I posted that pic originally. It was the one in my last post, but it was taken at the same time as the others. Matt S. p.s. I'll arm wrestle you for it. I win = jaguarundi, you win = coati.

Here's a blow-up of one that they said was a coati. You can see a feline face in the grass. It has to be either a juvenile lion or a jaguarundi. I have another shot of javelina in the exact same spot & this critter is smaller than the javis. A lion that young would still have spots, so I think this is a jaguarundi. Matt S. P.S. sorry for hijacking the thread, that wasn't my intention. jaguarundi_face.bmp

I went back & looked at those pics more closely under magnification & I can definetely see a cat face in the one, but when compared to another pic I have of a javelina standing in the exact same spot, the cat is way too small to be a lion. I think we're both wrong. I think that's one of the jaguarundis that someone mentioned in the 'weirdest thing you've seen' thread. If you compare it to the pic of that coati, it's smaller, the coat is too short, & the coloring is wrong. Those things are really rare & listed as an endangered species. http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/edits/documents/Herpyato.d.pdf

Busted again! CURSE YOU HUNTN COUES!

Here's a coati at that same spring. Look at the tail & coat length/coloring. I blew those pics up 400% & studied them closely, as my GF & I had an argument going over them. I said coati, she said lion. She was right. On the third pic, when blown-up, you can see the cat's face through the grass.

You can't see what she's got, but base on the body position/posture, erect tail etc. looks to me like something just got pounced on. She was working the spring hard, back in July when it was so dry out.

I'm with Doug on this one. Here's my most recent 'camp site' from a scouting trip in Oct. The only trouble I had was finding a gap between the rocks big enough to squeeze my butt into. As far as I know, the fourteen day limit doesn't just apply to people, but to your gear too. If you see someone violating that law, feel free to call the ranger, or go find another spot.

I had a camera on a spring out by my place this summer & was getting shots of a lion, javelina & deer hitting it during the same day. Also have some pics of the lion pouncing on smaller critters! Anyhow, that cats presence didn't seem to stop anything else from coming in.

I've tried looking on the Coronado NF web page, google, ask.com & azcentral & can't find a word about the Deer Fire. I don't guess that it's much of a threat or else it would be making more news than it is. I hope it is in 33, cuz I'm packing into the Galiuros this weekend in 32 & don't need the forest closure. Matt S.

This is a post I copied from at.com. Looks like it's aimed at the import of exotic animals on game ranches, but as we all know, whether you agree with this type of hunting or not it's still a stepping stone for the AR whack-jobs. I signed the petition already. I created a petition that opposes H.R. 3829. Sign up now it's confidential and free. Dont let Anti's win! http://www.petitiononline.com/HR3829/petition.html You can go to www.house.gov to find your representatives! Tell them to vote no! Here is the link to the bill on gov track! http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill...bill=h110-3829 Dont let this one slip away from us! Anti Hunting organizations are trying to take away our Hunting rights. This bill currently says they are banning only exotics. Which will include all hog hunting! We all know that sleezy politics might get this bill changed to eliminate hunting all together. This is a US wide bill. Go out and fight for your right to hunt! Pass this on to every hunter you know. Let's get the word out across the U.S. in one day to bring the fight back to the ANTI's. If you want your kids to hunt one day then this bill must be brought to it's knees! Sticky if we can mods!

Party foul! You can't post a pic like that without at least telling us what state it was in. Great buck, lets hear some details man! Matt S.

and Jesse Jackson's already en route to Sky Harbor.

Don't feel bad guys, you're not the only two. I'll be working all weekend while all these other folks are out. Am going to try & do some glassing in 24b Sunday a.m. & maybe set up a trail cam. Take advantage of your break & take the Mrs. to a matinee movie or something that you don't normally have time to do.

I love it when people walk right by w/in a few yards of you & have know idea you're there. I think it's funny. Not sure one way or the other as far as the animals go, but I figure it's better safe than sorry & blending in can't possibly be hurting your odds. Matt S.

Years ago I got up to head out, threw my pack in my truck, started it & took off only to drive about 1/2 a mile or so before realizing that I didn't have my bow!? Real rocket scientist here. At least I hadn't gone very far yet. More recently, I packed into the Mazatzal Wilderness for a look around & got all the way to the trail head (some 3 hours our so from home) & was strapping on my gear when I noticed that I didn't have my knife. At least it was a scouting trip & not a hunt.

That's awesome. I wish they'd make it illegal here, at least for anyone with a Y chromosome.

Apparently I'm a democrat, and didn't know it. If that's the case, I'll be a closet one....

Welcome aboard. Matt S.

Beautiful country. You have a guest bedroom ready?

I feel for ya. I missed half my elk hunt this year because my GF rolled her car. Nothing less than that would have kept me out of the mountains, though.... It took me 4 years to get an elk tag; could find another job in a day or two....

Are you trying to say his story wouldn't have been better with an illustration or 2?

PM whenever you're ready & we can either plan a trip, or I can point out some roads I like if you want to go it alone. Matt S.

As a group we need to make a push to not only keep those non-hunters who like us where they are, but get those who could go either way on our side. You're not going to get that done by blasting critters away where they can see it from their porches, or by flashing around a bunch of photos of animals with tongues hanging & blood streaming from their wounds. We all know how things used to be a couple decades ago when it seemed like everyone hunted & it was common place to see station wagons driving down the highway with deer strapped to the hood or a pick-up with a big bull elk head hangin out the back during hunting season. Unfortunately, things are different now. Everyone's become to sensitive & easy to offend. I believe that's the natural result of living the life of relative luxury & convenience that we yanks all do, where we seldom have to get our hands dirty & do things for ourselves. Everyone's aware that cows have to die in order to grill our burgers on Friday night, but we don't have to see it. We just have to go to the Super Wal-mart & pick up some shrink wrapped ground beef. Show those same consumers some footage of how a slaughter house operates & most of 'em would immediately go to the "that's so cruel" card. Dwight Schue wrote an excellent editorial a few months back in BH mag on taking trophy photos. Among his suggestions were to carry a small piece of thread & some paper towels or napkins in your pack so that you can tie the mouth shut & wipe off the excess blood prior to taking your trophy photos. Another suggestion is to role the animal over so that you get a photo of the side with the least damage. One of the better tips I recall reading was in regard to animals that had already been field dressed or cut into pieces: save these pics for fellow hunters, not your neighbor who's sitting on the fence. I've personally fostered a lot of interest in my bowhunting with the people at work by showing off trail cam photos. We have a Field Quality Engineer from our customer who is in & out of our shop several times a week that was telling me not two months ago how cruel hunting was, but I'm proud to claim that I changed her tune. She now will ask me if I've been out or gotten any new pics. Showing people that you spend a huge amount of time & effort out studying & enjoying these animals and demonstrating the respect you have for them, that you don't simply view them as targets with a pulse, will go a long way. p.s. the non-hunters seem to really like the uncommon critter pics. My lion pics & cotamundi are local favorites. Keep in mind that most of them rarely see a deer, let alone something that's rare for us to spot.