wannakillabigbull

Analog, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't get your money back for the tag?

Got my first AZ elk tag this year after moving here a couple years ago. Late rifle bull for a mid tier unit. Putting more effort into this hunt than any one I've ever had and hoping to take a bull bigger than I have before (smallish 6x6). I've never held a particularly good tag before. I think I'll hold out for a mature one throughout the hunt, but frankly being from Colorado, a 280 bull is huge to me. Anything north of that and I would be the happiest hunter alive!

Legitimately one of the most messed up things I've seen from a wildlife service. And it's totally legal for them to do...

If you are considering a Kifaru I wouldn't hesitate to call up their office. Aron was super helpful when I was getting my pack. Tell him what you're looking to do with it and he will give you his recommendation of frame and bag. They even build the frame and adjust it specifically to your body measurements, which you give when you order. Can't ask for much more than that as far as I'm concerned. I guess you could ask for it to be made in the USA but they've got that covered too

Is the Kifaru worth the money, is it THAT much better than the other packs? I would say yes, with the caveat being that it would depend on the application of whether it is worth it. Kifaru and Mystery Ranch are top knotch, Exo supposedly is as well though I don't have first hand experience with one. Those packs are unbelievably durable and will stand the test of time with heavy loads. I'll say this: if this was a question in the elk hunting forum I would strongly recommend one of those top three. If you see yourself backpack elk hunting or packing out elk consistently over long distances and tough terrain I would spend the money on one of those 3. They all hold their value incredibly well, also. I'm not sure of your intended uses over the long run, but if it doesn't involve tons of heavy weight packing then perhaps a Kuiu would be more appropriate. I've put on a couple and they would likely suit you for a mule deer hunting pack.

Can you give me an example of what that would mean compared to an average growth year? Say a bull on an average year grosses at 350". Does that mean, based on the low rainfall, he would gross maybe 20" less?

I was up there scouting over July 4th and it was almost entirely out then. Only a handful of small areas where you could see light smoke.

I stand corrected.

I've heard many rave about the swift scirocco ii, and I would imagine it would be a better choice for elk if your rifle shoots them straight. You would have to reload them, though. Doubletap Ammo also loads 140 grain accubonds, which would also be an excellent choice

I've hunted a number of areas around there, recently. It'll be a sea of hunters whichever season you choose. Tough to get away from people in that corner of Colorado because there's so many roads and almost no wilderness. And the wildernesses are packed because that's where everyone goes that want to avoid other hunters. But there's definitely elk to be had! Can't kill one if you stay home.

The reasoning by both Rinella and Newberg is that since bones transfer heat faster than muscle tissue, they can essentially transfer heat from the meat on the bone and cool it from the inside out, in addition to the rest of the meat cooling from outside in. It's certainly better than deboning and then bundling up the meat. Meat, like anything, will cool fastest when the surface area to volume ratio is highest. Volume of meat will remain constant, so increase your surface area and you'll increase your rate of cooling. So if you debone, lay the meat out so it's got lots of surface area to transfer heat out and cool quickly. All of that is assuming the air temperature is lower than the meat temperature, which is usually the case.

When hunting solo, this has always concerned me. One can only get an elk on ice so fast by yourself. The key is to get it hanging in a tree in the shade with no hide. Randy Newberg took two couple full days to get his Colorado bull out last year, and he had no issues that I'm aware of. Early November he had it quartered and hung in a tree in the shade. He always tells people not to debone immediately, saying that the bone helps cool the interior meat.

I also have a 7W late rifle bull tag. Good luck to the brave firefighters.

Great film as usual. Keep it up!

I agree with wish2hunt. I just can't find any more inches on him than 310ish. He sure is a pretty bull, though. I'd drop him without a second thought

I have the Nat Geo Trails Illustrated map for this unit and love it. It's number "856: Flagstaff, Sedona" and it shows all the trails, public/private, and topographic features. Looks like it's $12 on Amazon right now. Good luck and stick a good bull

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Colorado is the land of opportunity for decent bucks. I missed a 160s buck last year in a unit that only takes 1 point to draw as a non-resident. Missed him four times....but I've taken a 182 buck there and my family has taken maybe eight or so 150+ deer in the last dozen years. My best buddy took a 163 incher last year in a tag that you can draw like 90% of the time with 0 points as a non-resident. Take a look at CPW's website and start figuring out what units are available to you. Every one has the potential for great bucks if you work hard and get lucky. If I were starting from scratch I would go to the hunting statistics page for mule deer on CPW's website, then start looking at Estimated Harvest as well as Draw Recap Reports. I would link to the webpage but I can't copy paste. Cross reference which units you can draw with zero or one point with the % success people have on those hunts. Also make sure that unit isn't mostly private. That's maybe the best way to start out.

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I looked into the same thing about a year ago, and found that it wasn't for me. Sorry for suggesting because I imagine you've already thought it through, but have you considered hunting Colorado OTC? You could do either rifle or bow and you have most of the state to choose from. If you're in Flagstaff you're only a few hours drive, and western and south-western Colorado have lots of elk in OTC units. The bull in my profile pic was taken OTC rifle and he's a decent 6x6 by Colorado standards. Likely bigger than most bulls on the AZ OTC hunts. Let me know if you want any info about OTC Colorado as I may be able to give you some pointers if you're interested.

One little thing I do that not a lot of people I know do is practice shooting my bow with a full quiver minus 1 arrow. My quiver fits 5 arrows so I leave 4 in there at all times when practicing, that way the bow is weighted and balanced exactly as it would be in the field on a first shot opportunity. Easy to do and works for me. I'm surprised more people don't do it

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