stanley

So I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days south of Flagstaff with Amanda and Chef. She is up there on her archery bull elk hunt and invited us to join. No bull had hit the ground as of yesterday afternoon, but lots of fun has been had for sure.... The bulls in the area we were in have definitely NOT started the rut in earnest yet. VERY quiet & a little 'stand offish'.... No bugling at night, and hardly any bugling during the day. Tough archery hunting to say the least.... Most bugling we heard was in response to Chef's calls! It was just enough to keep us busy however, and Amanda is optimistic that the rut will kick-in at some point during her archery hunt! Highlights of the last couple of days for me; 1) Getting back out in the field with Amanda and meeting Chef. I always like spending time with her, and he is a great guy who was a pleasure to meet & spend time with in the field! 2) Hearing Chef describe how a 4X7 bull walked-up on him (10 yards.....) from behind while he was sitting on a log eating a granola bar!!! Those elk can be quite sneaky when they want to be!!!! (I was off in the woods answering mother nature at the time... ) 3) Eating some great food around the fire with Amanda and Chef (They don't call him 'Chef' for nothin!!!!). I can cook a steak just fine, but there's something about having a bonified 'CHEF' cook your meal for you! 4) Sitting there with Chef while watching a VERY nice 6X6 bull from a couple of hundred yards or so, thinking how nice it would be to be on a rifle hunt at that particular moment! Incidentally, Amanda's standards are WAY higher than mine and I think she would have passed on this 330ish bull. She's holding-out for a BIG ONE! So in summary, they're still up there chasing bulls and I'm here..... Amanda is planning on being there for the next week & a half, and I'm pretty sure she'll get into some good rutting action before it's all said and done! I'm hoping to get up there for a couple of days this weekend! Hopefully she'll call me sometime this week with a report! S.

Outstanding!!!! Congrats on a fine bull! S.

Great bull! Great story! S.

Well, no bull for Amanda yet!! Optimism still VERY high though! It's easy to be optimistic when you've planned on being there for the entire hunt! (talk about dedication..... ) She has had some more excitement, but hasn't drawn on a bull yet. Based on her persistence, I'm thinking it's only a matter of time.... S. PS: Chef, I was thinking about the 6X6 we were watching from that ridge on Saturday morning (can't get him out of my mind...). Maybe that would have been a great time to get that decoy out???? Hind-sight.... live & learn....

I think he's still around, but just doesn't post much (or at all....). I think he's hunting archery bull elk as we speak, so maybe we'll see a report from him sometime in the future.... S.

Too bad for your son's pain, but OUTSTANDING antelope hunt!!!! Congrats to you and he both!!! Both of my sons play Pop-Warner football (talk about a hectic fall schedule.... with hunts & all... ), and I don't often think about the potential consequences..... Once in a while one of their teammates goes down, and I suppose it could happen to them anytime. In the meantime though; they're enjoying it and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll stay safe! Again, best regards to your son on a great hunt!!! S.

BIG congrats to you on your success! Nothing like being amongst a bunch of bugling bulls!!!! S.

Outstanding Dodgerboy! Thanks for sharing, and welcome to the site!!!! S.

VERY cool Doug!!! Thanks so much for sharing, and your eloquent words really put a nice touch on the pictures you shared...... I was with Amanda for a bit this weekend, and we were wondering how you were doing. No surprise you filled your tag! Congrats on making it happen! S.

Hey Scott: I used to run lots. Did three marathons in the early 90s. Of course this was before I had kids, and hence had LOT'S of time!!! LOL Seriously though, it's about 50% mental, and given your like of adventure I'm sure you'll do fine. Don't short yourself on the training. Prior to my first marathon I thought I was ready by running 5-7 miles a day & 10 or so on Saturdays. I was WRONG! 5-7 miles per day is fine for a 1/2 marathon, but you'll want to get used to running 12-15 at least every other day for the few weeks leading up to the race IMO. These days my workouts are limited to Bikram Yoga 2-3 times per week. Don't laugh unless you've done it though. It will kick your _ss!!! Good luck!!! S.

Who, me doc????? :D Like I said, I'm sure that spotNstalk will have a GREAT hunt! S.

So what's the judge's story? Did he elaborate on the sentence???? I haven't heard or seen any press on this..... S.

Yeah, I would put all other hunts/events/interests on hold! Well, if he's anything like me he might have other stuff that is a priority as well. I've got a job that keeps me VERY busy, plus three kids that want, need, and deserve my attention as well (and I'm all to happy to give that attention....). Once you have kids, you realize that pop-warner football & ballet/jazz can be pretty special as well. Putting all other events/interests on hold is not an option that I would choose, even if I had a sheep tag. I live by the motto; "to each their own" and I'm not going to pre-suppose how he should be spending his time or money. I'm sure that spotNstalk will have a fine hunt either way! S.

Sweet pics! Thanks for sharing!!! S. PS: If you see Christian, tell him hello!!!

Liberal media or conservative media? Doesn't matter if it's Fox, CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, AZ Republic, CBS, etc, etc.... None of them is any better than the other..... seems like all sides will slant things to their agenda IMO. No surprise here... S.

Yep, exciting for sure!!! Not tag for me this year, but I'll be creeping around the woods (and tending camp.....) for Amanda next weekend! Good luck all! S.

Hey Nick: Welcome to cw.com! Thanks for posting the summary of your hunt. I didn't hunt up there this year, but have been up to the Kiabab archery hunting 5 out of the past 7 years. I was in the habit of meeting a buddy from Utah there, and we always had a good time. I'm glad you were not too discouraged given your results. The deer are DEFINITELY there, and after you figure out some special spots and tactics, I know you'll find some success up there. DO NOT be shy next year, and be sure to PM me prior to starting your scouting. I would be more than happy to share an idea or two on a couple of spots & tactics that have worked for us in the past. Best regards, Stan

AWESOME!!!!!! Check-out the hooks on that thing! Beautiful nose as well!!! Story???? S.

Gamehauler, that picture + caption is OUTSTANDING!!!!! Love it!!! Word's of wisdom????? I wish I had some wisdom to share... Seems I'm better at listening lately. "Do unto others" maybe??? But Clay has already hit on the karma thing... Wise words for sure! S.

Outstanding Kid!!!!! HUGE congrats on your first archery coues deer!!! S.

VERY, VERY, VERY cool!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing a great story Bursh Buster!!!! Congratulations on a true hunt of a lifetime! S.

Sincere congrats Allen!!!!!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for Travis! S. :-)

Holy #&^%# Roy! Another amazing buck! Congrats!!!!! S.

Way to go Mark!!! Can't wait to hear the 'kid's' story!!! S.

Something tells me that Lark will understand the "4 bits" reference.... Can you say 'stop loss'???? I know that the company I work for is ALWAYS looking at that kind of stuff! If in order to NOT take a $10 loss, you have to send-out a $12 letter, then you might as well take the loss.... Our government at work!!! S.