mattys281

Guess we know where you'll be setting up your blind. Great pics!

I'm definietely with bobby on this one. I don't even own a fire arm. Everything I hunt is with a bow & arrow, and I think it's crap that archers have to give way to gun hunters, particularly when we're a faster growing portion of the sport. According to what I've read (Bowhunter, Petersons) the number of bowhunters grows every year, yet the state of Az is having a problem with hunter retention & recruitment. Ok, so lets take away from the group that's growning in order to accomodate a group that's not even holding it's current number. That's logical. If anything, they should be doing the opposite.

I don't recall getting one for deer either, but we did receive & return cards for the javelina hunt.

Somebody already made the suggestion of not issuing a new permit unless the survey card from last season was turned in. Seems like an effective & simple way to enforce the harvest report to me. Then the only variable they would have is that some hunters will lie on the card, but there's really no way to completely eliminate those who are determined to buck the system.

This may be true of certain units, like the Kaibab & those around it. The unfortunate parts is that if they institute a draw for archery on those units alone, it'll be a stepping stone to putting them all on a drawing basis in the very near future. Harvest objectives, as someone already mentioned, & mandatory physical check in points are a much better solution for hunters. I can tell you one thing for sure, the first year that I fail to draw any tags and am subsequently not allowed to hunt any big game in this state will be the year that you see a real estate sign in my yard and the rear end of my truck as I haul-butt up to wyoming w/ AZ4Life. And I'll be taking my 3 kids that I'm teaching to hunt with me. How's that for hunter recruitment & retention? You can't retain hunters if you don't allow them in the field. Period. Also, I don't believe for a minute that the wildlife managers or wardens in specific units are all about money. I've met some of these folks & they left me with the impression that they really care about the animals & what's going on. The commission is another story, & unless I'm mistaken, it's the commissioin who has the final say in these matters. Taken as a whole, the dept. is a business not a charity, and every business wants their balance sheets to look good at the end of the year, including government agencies.

It seems funny to me that I've read in several G&F newsletters, articles, etc. that the number one threat to hunting in Az is new hunter recruitment & hunter retention. This implies that the number of hunters as a whole is declining, yet the number of archery hunters is increasing every year, across the country. So why, if you're looking to recruit more hunters, would you take the one method of hunting that seems to be successfully attracting new faces and make it more difficult for the newbies to participate? The OTC tags have always been a staple for bowhunters as a "back-up" plan. Didn't draw an elk tag - ohh well, there's still archery deer. Take that away & some of us will end up going years without being allowed to hunt anything at all, & that's obviously no good for hunter recruitment or retention. Bowhunter magazine usually publishes a deer forecast every year, & it seems that the numbers I read were some where in the ball park of fewer than 30,000 bowhunters in Az with a success rate of less than 5%. That equals, at most, 1500 deer harvested. If 10% of that all came out of one unit, you're still only talking about 150 animals. I'm not seeing the logic here, unless its a ploy to either a.) reap in the extra $7 application fee for drawing the tag & then give us all tags anyway, or b.) weed out archery hunters in order to increase "opportunity" for rifle hunters, as that's where they perceive there's a higher demand & more potential dollars. Either way it smells like the numbers being calculated here are dollars, not deer.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Fling away! Here's one that I hope to take a whack at in 27: & here's a few deser deer I'm watching. Late bloomers, but the guy on the right seems promising:

I bring an empty gatorade bottle, wide mouthed of course. I've heard of lots of people whizzing right off the edge, but I'm too paranoid to give it a shot.

My kids have been joining me on rabbit hunts this summer. They've yet to develop the patience or stealth to effectively sneak up on a sandwich, but enjoy going anyway & they've been right there to see me bust a couple bunnies. They'll also be there for part of our deer & elk hunts this year. Besides the rugrats, I'll also be toting a new set of Zeiss 12x Conquests and a PSE Diablo.

Another trick I've read, but not tried yet, is to put your treestand (if you're using one) a little closer & higher. For example, instead of setting up 12 ft. high at 30 yards, you'd set-up 15-20 ft. high at about 15 yards. The theory here is that scent travels on the wind much the same way as debris floats on a creek, the further from the source it gets, the more it disperses, so if you're sitting higher & closer, your scent is more likely to blow over the animal before drifting to the ground. I can see where this would be beneficial in a spot with swirling wind (& we all know those are reeeaaaaalllly rare in Az. ), but it also comes with an obvious problem: the increased shot angle. When you do the math, though, a treestand hung at 20 ft. & placed 15 yards from the expected shot translates into a shot angle of only 24 degrees. That's certainly no worse than most of the inclines on hill sides around my house. As I said, I've not tried it & I've yet to shoot anything other than targets out of a treestand, so take it for what it's worth. p.s. My javelina I shot this year was standing at 8 yards, directly down wind, staring right at me & sniffing like crazy, but didn't spook until after he had 28 inches of carbon in him. That was from washing the clothes in nothing but baking soda & cold water, & using unscented Scent Shield spray & soap.

I haven't tried it yet, but I got this recipe off of AT.com. A bunch of those guys swear by it. Here is my scent-elimination spray “home brew” recipe: ED NOTE: Though all of the ingredients listed below are considered basically harmless and can be purchased anywhere, the author of this article makes no guarantee that the end result of the mixture to be safe. If you want to make your own “home brew,” do so at your own risk. · 1.5 quarts hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) NOTE: Do not use the product contained in brown colored bottles from the supermarket. · 2 quarts distilled water · 0.5 cup baking soda NOTE: I use Arm & Hammer brand baking soda · 1 ounce of unscented laundry detergent NOTE: I use Sport Wash laundry detergent Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl and then pour into a clean, white-colored plastic bleach container. Don’t use a clear plastic milk jug. You will understand why as you read on. Also, let the container sit for a day or two with the cap off. Some oxygen will be released when the ingredients are mixed and the build up of pressure could blow the cap off. The contents must be allowed to equilibrate before tightening the cap. Fill spray bottles that you take into the field when needed. Baquacil brand Shock and Oxidizer is nothing more than 27-percent strength hydrogen peroxide (read the label). It can be found at most swimming pool supply stores. Hydrogen peroxide slowly breaks down to water when exposed to light, so store your home brew in a dark place such as a closet. This is why hydrogen peroxide is often sold in brown colored bottles. This next part is very important: Do not use ordinary hydrogen peroxide that comes in little brown colored plastic bottles. The stuff at the supermarket has stabilizers in it and contains a slight odor. Pure hydrogen peroxide is odorless. I purchase pure hydrogen peroxide from a local swimming pool supply store. Baquacil brand Shock and Oxidizer is the product I use. It comes in a one-gallon size blue colored plastic container. It is pure 27-percent hydrogen peroxide (no additives or stabilizers). You will have to dilute it with distilled water, down to 3 percent strength in order to use it in your home brew recipe. This equates to nine parts distilled water and one part Baquacil product. WARNING: Pure 27 percent hydrogen peroxide can burn or irritate the skin, so be careful. A jug of this stuff should cost less than twenty dollars and should last for quite a while. In fact, one container should produce about twenty-six (26) batches of home brew. I spray home brew on my boots and apparel, on my hands and in my hair. It works great for deodorizing deer decoys! However, I do not spray it on my bow or other equipment. The home brew formula effectively kills bacteria and chemically deodorizes malodors and can also be used around the home for cleaning and sanitizing surfaces.

Having a bit of a slow day, so I though I'd kill the boredom by sharing some pics I've gotten during July. Kinda gone nuts w/ this trail cam thing, I'm working 4 of them right now. Notice how fat the does are, can't wait to see some fawn pics this weekend when I go check 'em again. Hope you enjoy. Here's one of those fat bellys. Her & her spike are regulars at the diner... This pic is over 2 weeks old. I'm interested to see if he becomes a small 3x or if he's only got a forky in him. Not much mass, but still legal... Check out the junk on this guy. This is almost a month ago, so I'd say he was off to a great start. Unfortunately, he is not a "regular". Don't know if I'd still drink that after that pig was napping there, but his pals don't seem to mind Another fat belly. Here kitty, kitty, kitty.... This guy hit that spring 4 times that week, but has disappeared with the coming of the rain. I'd really like to thank G&F for changing the lion season dates on that one..... Great move guys! Hard to see w/ the dark, but he's got a little fuzz on his head. and another visit..... King of the mountain. I love seeing the babies. Here's a coati. Have still yet to see one in person.

Never mind. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see a piece of the rock behind it that's propping up it's head. What an awesome buck.

That's what I was wondering. Don't want to start an arguement, but that looks like some guy photo-shopped behind a picture of a bedded deer. Ears look kinda small for a coues deer, too. Does someone know this guy, or is this another photo from a friend of a friend, who knows this guy who has a cousin who met someone at the circle K, who saw this guy with his deer?

Up high, above 8000ft, where we'll be deer hunting. In the pears or oaks? I'm not hunting 27, for what it's worth.

I'm also pretty pumped about it. We've seen 3 blackies during our last 2 trips to 27 to scout.

I've also got some fox & a couple bobcat ones out of 27. They're not very good though, as they were taken at night & are at the edge of the flash.

I here the north wall of the lion pen is productive at certain times of the year. The wind is kind of fickle, though.

I voted against her last time & plan on doing the same during the next election. In the mean time, it's the squeaky wheel that usually gets the grease, so get as many of your hunting buddies as you can rounded up & go to that meeting to make some noise. I'll pm you my contact info, I'd be happy to go with you.

I couldn't agree more. I've met many of the users here face to face at the CW bbq Lance put on & a few others through buying, selling, & just plain socializing. This site is truly a rare collection of knowledge, experience, an willingness to help. Let's hope that any of the "key-board commandos" from other sites that do find thier way over here can appreciate what we've got going & try to assimilate & contribute rather than be argumentative just for the purpose of stirring the pot.

We must be buying from the same dealer, cuz that's what I'm seeing too. Great pics, sure looks like a good spot.

I couldn't have said it any better. but keep in mind if you have indeed found a good area then somone already knows about it. I would think finding "sign" would be a better indicator than visual sightings of deer. I've been focusing solely on spots that have no road access & require a minimum of 30 minute hike in. That may be nothing to the die-hard nuts on this forum, but it seems adequate to escape most of your average roadhunters that drive up to their spot & glass for an hour before moving on. We're staying close to the road for early deer because we'll be hunting elk in the same unit in Sept & I'm not interested in packing my cow out. In Dec. & Jan., however, it'll be all backpacking. Anybody that you'll run into after packing in a few miles is probably going to be someone you'd like to meet anyway.

To me, the quality of a spot is not determined only by the animals there. Of course I want to see antlers, but I also put a lot of emphasis on not seeing other hunters.

I think it's pretty sad that w/ 2 million + acres of public land in this state, hunters would rather screw with other hunters gear than find a different spot. I'm convinced that at least half the camera thefts & bait molestations are a result of people feeling that someone is intruding on their turf, more than it is genuine greed. Guess we should start sniffing trees to see who's pissed on 'em before hanging our cameras. Hunters have always been referred to as "sportsmen", which implies sportsmanship to me. I don't understand what's sporting about thieving from another participant in the sport you're trying to enjoy. If we were playing football, you wouldn't see us going over to the other teams side, tipping their Gatorade jug onto the ground & stealing their towels just because they scored the first touch-down. Yet, for some reason these guys seem to think it's okay to act like a jackass just because no one is there to see them. Good luck getting your camera back.

If my resources & family life allowed for it, I'd joing AZ4Life & change my zip code to somewhere much further north. Since I'm committed to being here for a while, I'll add a fourth to the motion for managing for quality instead of quantity.