mattys281

Irresponsible hunters are one that really gets my goat, but in all honesty I think that even if we all went to the woods wearing golden halos of dictated ethic, the anti's would still find cause to slam us. Regardless of any positive image that most of us may present, they still make more noise than us. I'd have to jump on the lack of habitat band-wagon here. I lived in the Prescott / Prescott Valley area for about 13 years before moving to the "Valley of the Scum" and have seen it first hand there with both the mule deer herd & the antelope. You can't hunt when there's no game or land.

The Zeiss's are about half the weight of the Minox. I've ordered a pair of 12x45 Conquests & they should be here Thurs. Which means that I'll be able to give you a first hand opinion on Friday.

Their probably still trying to figure out how to hoist that tank of a new Vectrix (or whatever it's called) into their trucks. That thing had better be quieter than a mouse fart for all they weight it has. That's my biggest pet peeve - doesn't matter how cool it looks or how good it shoots, I can't stand a heavy bow.

I shot a Q2 for a while. It was an awesome bow.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear about people having problems w/ the x-force or any other of these bows making claims above the 330 mark. I don't care how many rubber dampening thingy ma-jiggies you put on your bow, when you start shooting feather lite arrows to try and achieve those speeds the left over energy has to go some where and it's going right through the cams, limbs and riser. Sims may have found a way to quiet the shot, but you have to keep in mind that doesn't eliminate the energy. It still has to go through the bow to reach those little rubber products. When they say they "dampen vibration" all that means is that they've quickly elimated the oscilation of the parts. If you want your bow to have touchy accuracy, mechanical problems, and probably not last more than a couple seasons, shoot 5 grains per pound. Want it to last a while, shoot a moderate arrow. I've probably owned a dozen different PSE's over the last 14 years and have never had a problem with one of them. My 2 cents. That having been said, I still can't wait to shoot the demo. Kind of like test driving a Ferrari! I wouldn't spend my money on it, but that doesn't mean it aint fun to play with.

My next one is going to be the Diablo. It's 33" ax-to-ax, but has over 8" of brace height. I'm shooting the Mach 12 right now. It shoots really well, but has a short brace height (6.5") and I notice it in my arrow flight if I punch the trigger a little. Need something more forgiving and I'm stepping up in draw weight. Want a little more punch for my elk hunt this year. I've shot a few Matthews and would never knock their performance. Their fast, quiet, and can drive tacks at whatever range you like. The only thing that keeps me away from them has been their weight, but teh Drenalin fixed that problem this year. It's incredibly lite and faster than a raped cheetah. Unfortunately, the price tag is still too heavy, especially since I'm not a dealer for them. That's really the primary reason I opened my own shop, I can buy top of the line bows at wholesale. Gotta love that.

Price listed on their website is $799.99. At 350, it'll smoke any other factory claim I've seen. Of course, the key word there is "claim". As far as I'm concerned, 290, 305, 320, 1000, whatever, it's all too fast for a trigger punching hack like me. I'm a 260ish with fixed blade broadheads kind of guy. I've already shot the Matthews Drenalin & Switchback XT, so I'm curious to shoot this thing & see how it compares.

I'm planning on a DIY hunt for some of those over-the-counter elk & mule deer in Colorado this fall. The areas I'm researching are the San Juan Wilderness, the West Elk Wilderness, and the Weminuche Wilderness. I choose these for their size & the fact that they're in the southwest corner, which makes it more accessible for preseason scouting from Az. Does anyone know these areas? Any tips would be appreciated. So would a carpool partner, if someone can swing it. Thanks.

I'll cut the handle off my toothbrush, buy lithium batteries, ditch my spotting scope and everything else to lighten my pack, but still throw in a bulky leather bound journal for a backpacking trip. That's the only time I do write in it though, while on the trail or just before. Never seem to find time afterwards, and I don't really know why. Seems like real life hits you with a vengeance the minute you get home.

Let's hope that it's prophecy and not just a great joke.

With country that beautiful and remote, I don't see how you could have a bad trip. Really seems like a win/win, even if you only come home with some great photos and good memories. I appreciate the tips and thanks for sharing the photos.

Now that I know it's a draw, I'm going to put in for those three, the Weminuche, West Elk, & South San Juan. It'll be up to the draw gods from there. If unsuccessful, then Idaho is the back up plan. I much prefer Colorado though, for it's close proximity. I'm not sure how many selections you get to put on an app. up there, but I know they allow a couple choices. Didn't you say you're familiar with the WEst Elk Wilderness? Could you post some pics from there, if you've got them. Also, which area do you think is likely to produce the largest populations? As I said before, antler size would be nice, but I'm mostly concerned with just seeing lots of game. Thanks for the info.

You're right on the deer tag. I've been reading through both the Co. regs & the Idaho regs & got them mixed up. What do you suppose the draw odds are for an archery tag? Guess there's one way to know for sure. I've got it set in my mind that I want at least two scouting trips. I'll go early just to learn the land a little bit & then again in August, a few weeks prior to the hunt. I'd like to check out the San Juan Wilderness too. It's not nearly as large, but I've read that it's the only place in Co. where they think there are still Grizzlies. Supposed to be real remote.

I got a copy of their regs from the website & for '06 the deer tag was still o.t.c. Haven't seen the regs for the '07 season yet, though. Thanks for the advise. It's appreciated. I'm already planning a scouting trip for this summer. How early do you think I can get in, without having to trudge through five feet of snow? Thanks again.

Mattys, I lived on the edge of the Weminuche at Vallecito Lake for 3 years and guided hunters in the wilderness. I know it very well since I've traipsed over about every mile of trail in it on horseback at one time or another. I also guided elk & deer hunters north of Durango in the Hermosa Creek area of the San Juans behind the ski area. I don't know anything about the West Elk, though. If you hunt the wilderness areas, do you plan to pack in and camp, or....? -TONY It kind of depends on my girlfriend at this point. If she goes, so does her son (8 years old), so we'll be setting up base camp just outside of the wilderness area & making 2 night probe trips in & out with a day or so for the boy to rest between. Obviously, we can't get very deep like that, but you make accomodations where you have to. If I go alone, I'll be hiring a packer to haul meat & heading in as far as I like. I'm not real concerned with seeing huge antlers, I just mostly want to see abundant game and scarce hunters. Can I get that out of these areas? I've read that the Weminuche gets hammered w/ backpackers, but at half a million acres, I don't imagine it could possibly be crowded?! As far as I know, your allowed to camp in the Nat. Forest for 14 consecutive days and I'll be there for every bit of it, so time isn't much of a concern. At least I'll have that on my side. Thanks.

Sorry, but couldn't pick just one. I introduced my girlfriend to both bowhunting and backpacking this year. We didn't shoot anything on our fall deer hunt, but she had a close encounter with a bear and bobcat from her treestand on the same morning. Good times. Bear Wallow Creek My girlfriend in her first stand Packin out.

The problem is that when it comes to hunters, we're generally just a small group making noise and drawing attention, where as they're organized on a national level. PETA boasts over a million members! Don't remember the bit..... the lady's name who is their president, but her exact words were, "we're media sluts." They'll do anything to get in the headlines. If you want our side to be hear, join some kind of organization that promotes hunting & start making noise.

I like it. Very well put. The thing that really scares me is that the "granola crunchers" don't just want to get rid of hunting, but end all "exploitation" of animals. That includes commercial raising of animals for all food products (including milk & dairy), clothing, & entertainment (circuses, etc.). If they have their way, we'll be the ones on the leash with our dogs taking us to the "human park". Check out PETA's website, it's full of interesting stuff. P.S. this was written on lunch break over a big bowl of javelina stew. Take that, "Crystal gazers"!

I tried to apply for my elk tags today online & kept getting "fatal errors" & then kicked off. Good idea on their part to charge and extra $1.50 convenience fee for a system that doesn't work .

I spend some time crunching the numbers G&F provides us with in the back of the regs. Take the number of tags issued & multiply it by the success rate to get the number of deer harvested from a particular unit. I use that harvest number as a relative indication of deer populations. I've nailed down a couple units I'd like to scout this way, but as of yet have not taken the time to follow up with the foot work. Good luck.

I'm a machinist by trade, with a knack for making hard parts right & for reworking other peoples boo-boos. This knack got me roped into quality control and then into engineering and management (although the management gig has met much resistance on my part, the bosses keep pushing it anyway). I also have a small machine shop in my garage that includes a Hardinge chucker for precision turning, a small engine lathe and a bench top Akra mill. Toyed with the idea of buying a full blown CNC machine, but am leaning more towards going back to school & finishing a degree instead. About 7 months ago I opened a small archery shop out in Superior, but it has mostly flopped, so now I just sell to people when they call & ask about something. As it's mostly just a hobby for me, let me know what you're interested in - I'll probably be able to smoke anyone else's price, since were just a small group of close friends here, after all. I'm a dealer for PSE & Alpen optics, but can also get about a million other items through my distributors. Lonely Mountain Archery (602)908-2931

Congrats. That's a great deer, especially for you first.

If anyone is interested, I've got my Mach 12 for sale on ebay. Item # is 130074568528 Comes w/ Quiver, Stabilizer, Wrist Sling, & a Winner's Choice bowstring. Also including a dozen of the arrows that I've been shooting. It is a 60 lb. bow & set at 29" draw length. The equipment is used and being sold as is.

In addition to checking the condition of your tree, also take a look at trees around you. This year was pretty wet, but the last several years of drought & bark beetle infestations have a lot of timber falling. I've seen a lot of dead falls leaning against live trees. If a dead tree falls on a hunter in the woods, and no one's there to hear it, does it still make a sound? I don't know, but it will still hurt like heck.

He doesn't show a lot of interest in hunting, but he's always really interested in eating whatever I shoot. Maybe when he gets a little bigger I'll tell him that if he wants to eat it, he'll have to shoot his own . I have to credit the lad for the hike in, though. When his mom & I first got together he couldn't cover 100 yards without belly-aching over it. This one was between 1.5 & 2 miles in & he never whined 'til we were almost out. Not sure if he's getting tougher, or just accepting that it's not worth complaining to me.