mattys281

Great pics. Next time be sure to include a photo-copy of a topy or perhaps GPS cord.s. I'll be hanging my cams over in 27 Memorial day weekend. This is my first attempt at it, so I'm keeping the fingers crossed. Maybe the beginners luck will net me a couple good shots.

I probably missed at least that many rabbits before nailing my first & am getting close to that w/ deer!?! Fortunately, I learned how to calm down when aiming at things w/ a pulse. I guess it's not real fortunate for my local rabbits, though. I'd stick one of my ole' aluminums in it, but that tree aint getting one of my Radial X-weaves.

I think that's her husbands dog.

I'm, personally, getting quite sick of those darned trees jumping in front of us like that. It's hard enough getting w/in bow range without having to deal with that kind of crap! I missed a deer opening day last Sept. because of that same thing.

I was offered a job there a couple years ago & looked into it. They base it on a point system, & due to my job category, age, years of experience, etc. I scored well over the minimum. Plus, if you have an employer line up sponsoring you then you get bonus points. Anyway, it was a joke. Even if she did make it, I can't imagine her lasting a full term before someone JFK'ed her.

If you're interested in the Superstition Wilderness, you'd better make sure you boots are broken in. At over 160,000 acres, there's a couple hundred miles of trail in there. Some of the western end trails get hammered hard by backpackers & day hikers from the Valley of the Scum, but there are trails in the middle & eastern portion that only see a couple of people per year, if that. Last December I hiked about an 18 miler (round trip) & once I got past the first 2 miles I didn't see another boot print. There's deer in their, as well as a few bears & the last time I was out I ran into a guy running hounds for lions.

I don't think she's got a shot, but just in case... I hear Australia is nice, but New Zealand has looser immigration laws.....

I carry the Nikon 400. I like the fact that it's small, accurate, & doesn't eat batteries like their free. Down side is that it's square/smooth exterior make it somewhat difficult to handle one-handed (for me at least) and I personally find that 8x magnification is a bit too strong for the close ranges I deal with bowhunting. My next one will be a 4x model of some sort.

Based on the caliber of bottom feeders.... excuse me, I mean candidates, that have thrown their name in the hat so far, I'll likely just write in Trey Parker & Matt Stone. They at least have the cajones to address every sensitive issue that hits the media and then totally slam and morally debase the people behind it. I did get a kick out of hearing McCain use the phrase "tar-baby" in a televised speech. That had brilliance written all over it!

I killed one last summer, but only because he was gaurding the trail I had to use to get back & forth to my treestand. I figured that if I let him go, he'd just end up biting me later. Generally, though, I also leave 'em be. I did start carrying a snake bite kit with me though, having ran into several last summer. Have heard conflicting reports as to how well they work, but it still makes me feel better to have it & it only cost $12 at Wal-Mart.

I tried to get my older brother (he's a marine) to keep a journal when he went to Kuwait a few years ago, & he didn't do it. The following year, after being home only a couple months he was deployed again to Afgahnistan. This time I threatened him (probably w/ physical violence - don't remember for sure as I didn't write it down) that he'd better not get off the plane w/out a journal in his hands. He did keep one, which I now have. Being attached to an airwing, he wasn't real thick in the poop so to speak but it's still great to read about what things were like over there from a family members perspective. Stories about how they killed time by making a golf-course out in the bomb dump, using empty oil cans for the holes. Other stories about the "natives" who hung around & they got to know & even a few instances of spending all night huddled in a bunker because they were taking artillery. The point being that it's not just a good reflection tool for yourself, but a great way to let others share in the experiences they couldn't join you on. I also think it's a good indicator as to what's happening in your life. If you read your own journal, and find yourself getting bored, that probably means you're spending too much time at work & not enough time outside.

I have to respectfully disagree on this one. I also shot all three (vectrix, drenalin, & sb xt) & would take the vectrix. It's heavier than the Drenalin, but I liked the way the shot felt better & it was super quiet. It is necessary to point out, however, that any bow equiped w/ one of those string suppressor rods would probably feel & sound about the same.

Shot one side-by-side w/ the new Switchback & would take the Drenalin over it hands down.

Don't know how much weight they add, but can tell you this..... My arrows fly great with them.

I hear ya there. Costs me over $40 to fill up my compact! At 1.5 tanks per week, I feel an extra few cents per gallon, not to mention the 80 cents/gal over the last couple months. Our express stop out there was at 2.20 forever (even while it fluctuated in town) then all of a sudden it shot up like everyone else. Think it 2.90 now. Give me a fricking break people, we only get something like 5% of our oil from that region, so where the heck does a 32% price gouge come from?! If we lost all that oil, they still couldn't justify that increase. They do it because they can, & we keep paying. End of story. The funny part is that you don't even have to do a gas out. All you have to do is get everyone to buy from just one supplier, say Arco or 76 for example, & after a couple weeks (if that long) the competitors price would plummet to try & regain market share. They key is to make them lose revenue, not to simply postpone them getting it. Unfortunately, as buyers we have the power to control the market, but what we lack is the unity & discipline.

Actually, you're absolutely right. They go one day w/out sales, but make above average sales the day before & the day after. Even the 3-day gas-outs never usually work, because everyone fills their tank all the way to the top, just to pull in empty a few days later & fill up. If you guys want to get them, then you have to carpool, take the bus, ride your bike, or walk. That way you take the money out of their pocket permanently. I drive from Superior to Tempe, Mon thru Fri in a car that gets 30+ miles/gal. If someone in the east valley wants to carpool just let me know, but I'm at work at 6:00a.m., so you gotta get up early.

Had a similar experience last Sept. during the archery deer hunt. Walked right up w/in about 3 ft of an ill tempered Mojave rattler before he started buzzing. I "encouraged" him to move away with a few tossed stones, but he refused to abandon his perch along side the hiking trail. Had no choice but to charm him w/ a broadhead.

If those wolves have the same impact that they "estimated" they would have in the Blue Range, I can gaurantee you'll see much few deer tags for you rifle guys & archery hunters will be applying to hunt that area in the very near future.

Spent last week in Ca hanging out with my older brother. We made an attempt at a public land wild hog hunt, but it mostly turned into a road/backpacking trip. The areas I'd found good feedback on turned out to be so thick that even if you did glass something up it'd be impossible to stalk within bow range. We got some good pictures while driving & hiking though, so figured I'd share. These are some shots from the trail leading into the Ventana Wilderness area. The coastal mountains are beautiful & good glassing country for blacktails, but once you drop over the ridgeline it gets real thick real fast. My brother having a breather. This is my ugly mug. Here's my first herd of blacktails. I'll be heading back this summer w/ an archery tag in my pocket to try my luck before elk season starts over here. These are elephant seals that were along the pacific coast highway. They seemed pretty curious & a couple swam right up to us. [attachment=3160:seal5.jpg

I don't have any plans for that weekend, and it sounds like a good excuse to get out of the desert for a couple days. Should we bring something besides bows, arrows, & beer?

The Ventana is south of Monterey. It's pretty big, around 260,000 acres, so you really can't miss it. If you drive south from Monterey on the Pacific Coast hwy it's right outside your driverside window.

I spent a lot of time talking to people on the phone before heading over there & it was always the same story. They say there very difficult to find on public land, especially now due to the drought for the last few years. The piggies are all holed up on the private ranches where there's reliable water and plenty of easy food. As for public land, I was told that the Laguna mountain area between King City & Coalinga is decent, but as I said, it was so thick that spotting & stalking within bow range would be difficult to say the least. There's lots of open land around there & a large reservoir, but it's all privately owned. The only public land in that area is a small patch of BLM land that is really overgrown. We did find some pig sign in there where they'd been rooting, but since it's in Ca I obviously didn't get to scout for any stand locations prior to going. A rifle hunter may do alright in there as long as you've got a partner to play spotter & help you find the pig after it's hit. In the Ventana Wilderness, there is actually a road called Coast Ridge Road that goes right into the wilderness probably 15 miles or so to some private homes. This road is gated, however, & only accessible to the people who live there or the people they give the combination to the locks to. After a five hour hike in which included 5 miles and an elevation gain of over 2500 ft. during the first 3, we were on that road & ran into a couple of the "locals". They told us there were pigs in there, but they hadn't seen any in 3-4 months. We also spoke to a Forest Service ranger who turned us onto a tank where he had seen some, but the tank was literally right on the road & had no cover for a blind near it. Actually, the road dead-ended there and it was in the middle of a big cultisac/parking lot for a hiking trailhead. The nearest cover was 45 yards away, which would've worked except that it put you shooting directly across the road. A big no-no in Az. & I'm sure that's the case in CA too. I've heard from some backpackers that there's a lot of sign around the south fork of the Big Sur river in the wilderness, but we didn't get that far in. It'd be about a 10 mile hike from the parking spot on hwy 1. I'm planning on going back, though, next month for a 4 day weekend & will try to get down to the rive & check that out.

I never clean the bases of the fletchings. Both AAE & Bohning recommend cleaning the shafts w/ abrasive cleaners, but no chems. like acetone or alcohol. I've personally had trouble w/ both the AAE & Bohning instant glues on aluminums & wraps. Think it's due to the smooth finish, where as the carbons have a more porous surface & those glues bond like cement on them. I use the Goat Tuff for inserts, but haven't yet tried it on fletchings.

I'm using blazers on wraps for my new rig. Don't seem to bond as well to the wrap as they do to the arrow using the Bohning instant gel. Have had several come off already. When I make my next batch of arrows I'll cut the back couple inches off my wraps & fletch right to the shaft.

Great story & glad you hound made it out in one piece (mostly). Sure could've ended worse for him. Congrats!