mattys281

I stand corrected. Archery deer went 19.50-34.75, a 78% increase. Apologies to anyone else I offended with my shotty math, but it's still steep. That's the one that primarily caught my eye, because due to my great luck in the draw, it's usually the only one I have in my pocket.

I could be wrong, but I think I paid about $17 for over the counter archery deer this year year & next years it's $35. THat's 100%. Again, I don't have the regs right in front of me, but I think elk went from 80 to over 120 (50%). I understand an increase, etc., but that still seems steep. Game & Fish is a gov. agency, but that seems like a commercial price gouging move to me.

I also am very much a novice, but have to second his statement. Glass, glass, glass. Wear out the seats of you pants & your tripod before your boots. That's particularly difficult for me, being impatient as I am, but I think the self restraint will pay big dividends. This last archery season I saw deer in a wide variety of terrain, from wide open slopes dotted w/ rock outcroppings to drainage bottoms that were so thick you'd have no chance of stocking w/in bow range. I think, looking back, that my biggest mistake (& I have to admit it was one that I made over & over) was hiking too much & trying to glass to much country instead of glassing smaller areas more thoroughly. Just find an area that you believe has a good concentration of deer & look everywhere. If I have the choice, though, I prefer more open terrain on south & south-east facing slopes near the tops of ridgelines & the rockier the better (as long as it's not a sheer cliff face). I've had better luck getting close in on those types of hills.

Archery pigs, 33 & 37b. Looks like time to start planning my next backpacking misadventure. BRING IT!!!

I noticed that on 105 & 106. Neither were supported by the Arizona Education Assoc. or the Az League Of Conservation Voters. I don't know a lot of specifics on either of those groups, but one represents our education system (who the sale of these lands is supposed to benefit) and the other's goal is to preserve our open spaces, so if they don't support it, I don't see how it can be good for either of those ends.

dave & kgaines: I've often wondered too, why it seems like we're always voting down initiatives attacking hunting, but it never seems that we're voting to support pro-hunting legislation. Maybe we need to start organinzing a letter writing campaign to our state house? Everyone bring it up to you local archery/shooting clubs? I paid more attention to this election than I ever have before, so honestly don't really know where to start. It does seem, though, that hunters have been more reactive than proactive in the past, and as long as we let them minority of people be louder than us, they will continue to get their way. Any suggestions people? I'm willing to do whatever I can to keep hunting alive. I think a simply worded prop that states any public lands open to outdoor recreationists must remain open to them regardless of transfer of leasing rights or ownership. That way even if someone did buy the land, they can't build because they have to leave it open to hunting (one of the recreation groups) and in this state it is illegal to shoot w/in 1/4 mile of an occupied structure. Seems way to simplistic, but does something like that have a prayer? Everyone in here brings up great points & you guys really've got me thinking on things now (& worrying! ). Take care.

I agree that this movement is something to be fought, regardless of the motive. I know that the humane society was behind the 204, but from what I've heard &/or read I was under the impression that 105 & 106 were aimed more at devolpers making money off of public lands than as a push against hunting or trapping. Could be wrong though. The radical anti's are devious and very good at sneaking in where they don't want to be seen. If you want to see the mentality of what we're up agains, just go to the link below & look at the supporting statement by Jackie Winsor, of Phoenix. I don't know who this person is or if they are an elected official, but everyone who reads this should watch for that name on ballots & keep her out of office. Who knows though, probably just some overbearing, self-righteous college coed with nothing better to do than eat soybeans & blast those who don't share her views. She's nutty, at any rate! http://www.azsos.gov/election/2006/Info/Pu...ish/Prop204.htm

I'm no lawyer, but I did read that prop & all it's definitions word for word and I saw nothing that I felt could even vaguely be construed as being applicable to hunting. If there is a prop to restrict any form of hunting in the future (which we all know there will be at some point), I don't believe it will spawn from this. I also checked very carefully for any text in the prop that described "inhuman" methods of killing, harvesting, or whatever word you want to use. I found none. In fact, section B specifically said that this amendment was not applicable to the killing of pigs or calves. The prop dealt only with the confinement of live calves and pigs specifically. Not even animals in general, mind you, but PIGS & CALVES specifically. I don't see anything to worry about. P.S. 105 & 106 looked like development land-mines getting ready to go off. Good job on voting those down, everybody! I love how they try to pretty them up by promising to preserve 600k acres. What about the other couple million of blm acres?! Strip malls & home-owner-associations if they get their way.

P.S. I'm in the same boat as runningbird. I can't stalk a rabbit with out getting excited & having my heart pound out of my chest!

From what I've read (about mule deer, elk, coues deer, etc.) an animals breeding cycle is not typically triggered by current conditions, but timed in response to future conditions. For example, deer in the dry south western climates, like ours, are advantaged to have their young born during summer rainy periods while new forbs & grasses are growing with the abundant water, which is why our deer breed later in the season. Contrast that to animals further north & east that breed in the fall so that their offspring will be born in spring when snow melt-off is making everything green. Conversly, consider that if deer were born 2 months earlier here (as they are back east) they'd be taking there first steps in the heart of fire season when the browse is dried to being nearly valueless & water is almost nonexistant. Thats what I read, at least. Maybe we should get a field biologist to chime in with his/her opinion.

WHat needs to happen is that as many people as are willing should carry a little pocket notebook & pen to keep track of the number of deer they see, time of day, activity (i.e., are they bedded, feeding, traveling, etc.), and a description of conditions, such as temp, wind, & cloud cover. Then it could all be compiled in a table to run stats. I have a lot of experience with building data bases, so if people want to send me their observations, I'll compile it & post it on the discussion board in Feb. It'll be in excel format.

I could be wrong, but from what I understand on these the magnet is only in the front of the arrow, so as soon as the front portion of you arrow breaks the field, gravity takes over & the front end begins heading for the ground before your arrow has even left the string, where as on a fixed position rest you arrow is supported by 2 points of contact until it leaves the string. Even drop aways (per the instructions I've read at least) are supposed to be tuned to keep contact until an inch or two before the fletchings, thus providing that support. These might work great for all I know, but I'm not interested in one.

I'm not opposed to the test. I see it as being the same as testing to get a drivers license. You should be able to demonstrate your proficiency with a weapon (regardless of what type you use), even though the target/hunting scenarios are different. Besides, being tested may not apply the same pressure as shooting at a buck, but the pressure of having someone watch and evaluate you is a lot different than flinging arrows at the range with your buddies. I also have known rifle hunters who bought bows & archery tags just to get an "extra season", so perhaps a test would keep them out of the woods & leave more deer for me. Greedy, I know!

Look on e-bay too. I've got a couple of clearance ones on there from my shop (pse's). Seller i.d. is lmarchery. Have two novas & a dakota. Just sold a firestorm lite on there for $305. Another thing to keep in mind on the price end is your own ability. Some people shoot 1" groups & some people shoot 8" groups. Not much point in paying a thousand bucks for a bow that can drive nails at 40 yards if you can't. Besides, if you put a lower end bow in a shooting machine it would still shoot a better group than most archers do.

Okay, I've hunted coues deer a couple times now, but have not yet been successful. So far I've just played the spot & stalk game, but would like to try my luck w/ treestands and/or ground blinds this winter. I'm well acquainted with the physical differences between coues deer & their full sized cousins, but how does their behavior compare? Will coues deer pattern the way a normal whitetail does? I've heard (or read, rather) people on here talking about working rubs & scrape lines. Is a dominant buck going to check these on a regular basis the way eastern whitetails do? Thanks. P.S. what about patterning muleys for that matter? I don't know so much about open country bucks, but I've found muley trails in thick cover that are so well used they look like hiking trails. Will muleys pattern in heavy timber? Thanks again.

That's kind of what I figured. I've read some of the magazine "experts" claim that neither coues deer or muleys patter and so, "the only way to hunt them is to spot and stalk." That's an actual quote I read in an online article recently. I also know of a bowl that I've glassed 7 or 8 times and always seen deer in it. The bucks are gone now, but I think the does are the same ones I saw there in Jan. Like you said, they've got everything they need there - food, cover, & waters just on the other side of the ridge. Thanks.

No problem. I'm by no means an expert bear hunter, but I do a lot of hiking & backpacking & will be happy to relay what I see. You should definetely check out AZGFD's websit if you haven't already. Click their Hunting & fishing link & then click the where to go link. They have pretty detailed data on each unit. Good luck. http://www.gf.state.az.us/h_f/hunting_units_31.shtml

I was in 27 for the first week of archery deer. There was a huge 6x6 working the fingers leading into the Bear Wallow Wilderness on the north end. I had a treestand in a saddle on the ridge just west of trail 62 & he came by at about 6 yards chasing a couple of cows. Good luck.

Unit 32 is #2 in the state for total number of deer harvested (by rifle hunters). If you want to see lots of deer it's a good place to go based on the numbers, although according to azgfd access through private lands can be a problem. I haven't hunted there yet, but am researching it now. I hunted 31 a few years ago & glassed up 24 whitetails in 4 days. It's also a great unit. I'll be in one of those two areas this winter.

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Yeah, I know. The two sharpest arrows are patience and persistence. I actually had a great season, even w/out taking one. Saw deer every day & had two shots, both of which I missed. One deflected off a branch I didn't see in my window & dove to the ground, the other was a clean cut case of buck fever & me shanking my shot! Oh well, that's what makes the good shots so sweet, right? All the ones you blow leading up to them.

OK, I'm jealous! Beautiful buck. Am I the only one who got skunked this season?!

1st week of deer season I had a massive 6x6 walk by my treestand at about 6 yards and then stop and stand broadside at 12 with his head down. All I took away from the encounter was a smile and great memory. He was buggling like crazy (as were his brothers around us). I hope you have a similar experience with a better outcome! Fingers are crossed!

They are the Shasta Ridge 10 x 42. MSRP is $330 & they're only a couple weeks old. Since they're not technically "brand new" I'd probably sell them for $250 or so. I'm an Alpen dealer though, so if you're interested in any of their products, let me know. Thanks. Matt S. Lonely Mountain Archery