stanley

Wow, Eilieen! What an amazing trip! Congrats on the great adventure, and thanks for sharing with the site! S.

Nice to hear the urban chicks are hatching! I'm a little pessimistic regarding the Gambels in the desert this year though...... Dry winter/spring almost always results in not many young birds next fall. Weather girl on T.V. this morning said rain fall in general, is WAY below average so far this year. I know that the measure at Sky Harbor, so different places have different amounts of rain but I think in general it might not be good for the Gambels chicks. If you're a bird hunter, cross your fingers for monsoon rain for the Mearns! S.

NICE SunDevil!!!! Makes me wish I was down there wading right now!!! Life, I think you should have a good time! S.

Do you how much for the pang fishing? Not sure how much it would cost now..... Three years ago, a buddy and I paid $150 (total.... between two of us) for 4-5 hours out on the boat. We found the boat by questioning one of the 'bannana boat' towing pangas one afternoon. He was taking the kids for a tow off the beach and I chatted with him about fishing. He only wanted to tow kids around, but had a buddy who owned a panga. (Disclaimer: Not bonded/insured! Hire at your own risk! ) He sent his buddy around and we arranged a deal. The guy took us out to some rocky areas a bit off shore, and we had lots of fun on Covina and Trigger Fish. As from the beach, we used nice heavy Kastmasters as opposed to live bait. We just wanted to have some fun with our spinning reels, and we definitely got it! S.

I've had some luck on the beach along Las Conchas throwing Kastmasters. Last time I went it was awesome until I stepped on that darn Stingray. Sucker got me good! Good luck and have fun! S. PS: Depending on how much time you have, you might consider paying one of the panga-boat guys to take you out for a bit?

Why create a law that is an ethical issue and is unenforceable. You can't police ethics! Nothing in life is 100% and to think that just because someone is unable to recover game that they made some unethical choice is not realistic. The best hunters in the world, meaning lions, tigers, wolves etc. are successful maybe 10% of the time, to think that human hunters should never wound something is silly, its just part of hunting. Umm..... I would disagree with the "unenforceable" comment. Seems like Alaska enforced it just fine. S.

For every one person who speaks-up and makes a stand, I suppose there are 100,000 who will say nothing. Not saying I agree with him or not. Frankly, I think he's a bit of a nut job.... But at least he's speaking-out. He'll pay the price (or not) for that, but at least he spoke his mind. My $.02 only. S.

No way. Really???? :blink: Conspiracy theory in the elk/antelope draws??? Too funny!!! Um, I'm thinking they're just trying to get through the process and handle everything..... I agree with Tines. No way! S.

They DO set a date. It's in the regulations on page 12. It says: 'Hunt permit-tags and refund warrants mailed out by: April 20, 2012' In all seriousness though, for anyone who knows anything about computers (specifically as it pertains to large 'batch' processing), it is hard to determine the exact day/time that a process that is run once a year will complete. It's easy to play armchair quarter back, but there are things like server space/capacity, database size, etc. that come into play. Many people get VERY antsy this time of year, but the bottom line is that we'll all know when we know...... You have to figure that G&F isn't trying to keep us waiting on purpose. They are just trying to get it right and final with no errors. Remember the days of waiting for the white or pink slips in the mail???? Patience my friends! S.

Awesome update! Catfishing is one of my favorite things to do! I think you just inspired me...... S.

Amanda, you wrote earlier in this thread that the ADA remains opposed to the bill 'as it is written....'. But what does the board think about the overall concept? I really think the majority of opposition on this site has not just been to the way the bill was written. People in general, just seem to be opposed to the concept in general. Also, folks are opposed to the behind the scenes political lobbying, not just the verbiage of the bill. That is my opinion only of course. At the end of the day, this thing is a big mess. S.

Wow, thanks for sharing Brian! S.

VERY, VERY AWESOME!!!!! Congrats to Allison! There is absolutely nothing like hunting with kids! Thanks much for sharing the story with this site! S.

Have fun everyone. I would have liked to attend, but unfortunately I'll be out of the country working. Best of luck to AES on the banquet! S.

VERY awesome Darrell! Congrats on a great time! Also; BIG kudos to Bobby, Michael, Scott (and anyone else who contributed time/support)! I know that Bob and Michael have always done plenty to help the kids on the youth hunts in AZ (I've shared many camp fires with those two, and they are the real deal when it comes to volunteering!, and it's awesome to see all supporting this great endevor by SCI! Great job, Scott and all! S.

Allen: I happen to have a friend who is a lobbyist here in AZ (NOT related to this! He represents a completely different business group.......) I'll try to call him today to see what he knows about the process! Will post if/when I find anything. S. Allen et al; I spoke to my 'source' at the Capitol. He gave me the skinny regarding what he knows about the general law making process, and in particular THIS bill. His take was that lobbyists/reps frequently meet with the Govenor's office to feel-out bills and the vibe as part of the process. His take was that likely the pushers of this bill clearly are still trying to make a go of it, and were wanting to run it by the Govenor's folks to try to get a feel for support if it ended-up making it through the House to her desk. That being said, he also indicated that the 'word on the street' at the Capitol and in the House is that this bill is POISON/TOXIC! He has talked to several Representatives and Lobbyists, and his take was that it will not get anywhere based on the amazing response from the 'average joe' sportsman! I'm not trying to paint it like there is no reason for concern, and I'm not trying to make it like he knows anymore than anyone else. It was just an off the record conversation with a friend of mine who is in that three ring circus everyday for a living. Good job to everyone for making your voice's heard! S.

Allen: I happen to have a friend who is a lobbyist here in AZ (NOT related to this! He represents a completely different business group.......) I'll try to call him today to see what he knows about the process! Will post if/when I find anything. S.

Cool! Good job on the bobcat!! I have a question though (and I'm serious, not trying to be funny....): How in the heck do you release a skunk? Have you ever been 'nailed' by the sucker when releasing?? S.

Just sent an e-mail to the Govenor and Scott Smith. S.

Amanda, I use my 15X56's with the eye pieces as close together as they go. Do these covers limit the binos from closing all the way? I like them, but if they restrict them form closing all the way, I can't buy them. Thanks. I was thinking the same thing, Jimmyc. I think I'm going to give them a try though. Take a look at the quote below from BigWave regarding this exact same question. Seems like you can still close them all the way..... S. " Diamondbackaz, on 24 November 2011 - 09:48 AM, said:Question, what purpose do they serve? They wouldn't work for me as I have to have my 15's all the way closed because of my narrow IPD. I even had to narrow my adapter just to get them closer together. They are solely made to provide an extra layer of protection from accidental drops, scratches from carrying your binos on a tripod thru brush, etc. They are designed to stay on all of the time and work with the factory rubber lens covers. Some guys will put their binos in their backpack along with other hard items in it, hike several miles with the binos rubbing against another item and get wear marks on the binos. I like to keep my gear in great shape and looking new for as long as possible and this will help me do that. These binos are not cheap! I dont understand the second part. These work perfectly with the tripod adapter in place and fully closed down to the narrowest position. Did you have the hinge assembly on your binos customized to close further down? Could you explain? Again, thanks for the input! I know that these are not for everyone, but I know that I looked for something like this for my Swaro's when I first got them and if it had been out there, I sure would have bought a set! Thanks! "

Very awesome pics, Doug! A guy who works for me is actually a Hot Air Balloon pilot. He often flies in this event, but didn't make it this year. He flies in 4-6 events per year, and often comes back with some great pics! Thanks for sharing! S.

VERY cool! I loved the 'run & gun' quail hunting too!!!! Thanks for sharing! S.

+1 on bloodydecks...... Check last year's reports if possible to see what is realistic in April. Good luck and take some Dramamine!!! S.

AWESOME!!! Congrats to Josh! There is nothing like hunting with kids! Thanks for sharing with the site! S.

Nice pics, Amanda! Nice to see a few flowers out there, given the slight rain we've had this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Spring storm or two to hopefully bolster the Gambel's popoulation this fall..... Again, great pics! Love the pic of the two little ones! S.