AFscout80

haha, the deer? at night look up in the sky, find the north star--then head due east, know what that is? URANUS! lol...gitterdun

knives are all personal preference to the hunter but take the time to learn how to sharpen well. it took me a very long time to learn to sharpen well. that's because i am a dumbass. one of the biggest tricks whether you use the draw method or the circular method, is to make sure that the angle you use is the same on both sides of the blade. if not, you are going to dull it out. for the field use a diamond sharpener, it won't get your knife any sharper than a whetstone however, it will do it with less effort and much less time.

haha that's a great pic red rabbit. remember this guys, the more you know the less you carry. i agree there are a lot of great things out there on the market, especially for backpacking...msr stoves, water filtration devices, super small tents, etc, etc. but, i think the best thing you can take with you is knowledge. i've spent a year in the AF in the Survival (SERE) program and read every survival/wilderness/native american literature i can find. by far i am no expert but i pack very little in a 3 day pack...no tent, a sleeping bag, food, water and cordage. i usually make natural shelters without raping the environment, using deadfalls and maybe a small tarp. i highly recommend any books by tom brown jr. for survival skills, especially tracking. he was trained by an old Chiricuaua Apache Scout and he is very reputable and has an excellent survival school in New Jersey. let me know if you have any specific questions.

thanks for the advice guys, good luck to you and yours on your hunts

thanks guys, that is about what i'm expecting to do. however, is the terrain habitable by the coues? it seems really tough and rough, specifically the deep cross-cut canyons and ravines but that might be why the like it...good cover.

Howdy folks, the Air Force just moved me down here to Arizona and I got drawn for 36B for next weekend. I went scouting, took a drive down Ruby Road and was a little shocked at the terrain. I imagined slow-rolling peaks, saguaros and sparse vegatation. What I saw was thick vegatation, steep cliffs, deep valleys, canyons and wash-outs. It was hard to find a reliable water-source so I took to foot (I didn't bring a map) and quickly found a creek that was dammed up just east of Ruby (Ranch?). Seeing how coues deer are small, I assume they can't hold water to the extent larger white-tails can so my plan is to glass for them within a mile of a water source. I also covered a lot of ground and saw very little sign of coues deer. Is my plan of action good, am I looking in the right area? Do you know somewhere better in that area? I'm not after a trophy buck, just to take any buck will tickle my pickle. Any and all input is appreciated. Thanks. Tim "Simplify, simplify, simplify" (Henry David Thoreau)