Apatkelley

I've used Leica for years because the quality of service I've experienced. I've sent my 10x42 Trinovids in twice in the 15 + years I've owned them and was never charged a cent even when they replaced major components. Another time, I sent in a 6 year old LRF 800 for calibration and they sent me a brand new CRF 1200 back in the mail.......no charge!! I'll never change to another brand.

Sent you a PM

I'm at 14 points and counting, I plan to wait for the early rifle bull tag in unit 1. What I worry about is that things will change somehow with the whole draw process and I'll end up getting the short end of the stick. At least I can buy an over the counter bull tag here in Idaho every year, but it's nothing like Arizona hunting. When I left AZ two years ago, I bought a lifetime hunting license and someone said that because of that the 10% non resident rule doesn't apply to me. Is that right? I still have to select non resident on my application, so I'm not sure?????

I've got a 15 cubic foot Cabelas soft cargo carrier that can be used on cars, trucks and SUV's. It's in great shape and I've only used it a few times. They run 179.00 at Cabelas, I'd like to get 80.00 plus actual shipping.

looks like your long wait paid off. I'm in line for the same tag but only have a total of 14 points, so I'll just have to keep waiting. Congrats on your tag and good luck!! The point system works if you wait long enough.

I've also got the 60mm Nikon in the ED version and love it. Hard to beat the quality and price of these scopes and you can pack them better than some of the larger scopes.

Put my application in tonight. Unit 1 early rifle bull first and only choice. I'm only at 13 points for this draw and understand it usually takes several more, but you never know.

Have any of you tried the swift Scirocco II bullets? If so, how did they do on the game you shot? I got a box of the .25 100 grain bullets and need to develop a load for my 25-06. Thoughts??

I agree with what's been said so far. I don't skimp on my binos, because I'm glued to them all day. I get my spotter out when I need to evaluate something and look thru it long enough to determine if It's a shooter or not. Although I love the Swarovski and Leica spotters, I ended up buying a 60mm Nikon ED fieldscope 3. It may not be quite as good as the others, but it's not far behind and about half the price. It's not too big to pack and I've been super happy with it. I wouldn't try to replace the spotter with the super high power binos. I would suggest a top quality 10, 12 or 15 bino and a nice spotter. Good luck!!

Yotebuster, sounds like you've got a good load worked up for your STW. My 25-06 is pushing the 100 grain bullet just over 3200 with 51.5 Grains of IMR 4350. By the way, thanks again for the trade on the Zeiss scope, I've got it on the 25 and love it. Hope the Binoculars are working out like you hoped.

Thanks for the info guys, I did get a chance to shoot a few and I had three shots under 1/2 inch I can't wait to try them on a hunt!!

Very nice, that must have been a rush.

Great looking buck and super cool video......nice job!! Sent you a PM

This is what it says in the regulations Take/Hunt From A Vehicle (A.R.S. 17-301 B, R12-4-319) Pages 110 and 128 No person may take wildlife from a motor vehicle (including watercraft and aircraft), except as permitted by Commission Order, and under the provisions of the Challenged Hunter Access Mobility Permit Commission Rule (R12-4-217). “Take,” as defined by law, includes pursuing, shooting, hunting and killing wildlife. You are unlawfully using a vehicle to take wildlife if you intentionally drive around until you see the animal you wish to harvest and then make an attempt to take. “Road hunting” is illegal; so is pursuing wildlife with a vehicle, chasing or heading off moving wildlife with a vehicle, and driving off-road to get closer to wildlife. You do not have to shoot from the vehicle to be in violation. So, the way I read it, Game and Fish officers are able to determine your "intent" while you're out driving around, and if they "feel" that you're intentionally looking for animals, they can write you a ticket. How in the world can this type of law be enforced? Game and Fish officers are now able to know my intent before I do something.......Sounds crazy to me, a lot like the movie Minority report!!! We don't have to actually shoot to be in violation. I've heard they can stop you if they feel your driving too fast or too slow, or if you stop a lot and look out your window. Or maybe they stop you because you drive up and down a road a few times.........according to G&F, this type of behavior must mean you're intentionally hunting from the road, and they can write you a ticket if they feel like it. This a bunch of crap!!! Maybe I'm driving slowly because my shocks are bad, or I've got a really bad headache and don't want to hit the bumps so hard. I'm not one to bash the Game and Fish officers or department, In fact I respect and support them, but this kind of BS needs to go away. There's no way to enforce it, no way to exactly outline whats legal and what's not. It leaves most hunters confused and worried that they may get into trouble for something they didn't even do, and their fate rests in the hands of someone else who has been empowered to determine intent. My advise to Game and Fish is to save the citations for those who break laws, and don't get caught up in determining the thoughts and intents of hunters' hearts.

Yotebuster, The Outdoorsman does have a stud for the Trinovid's. I looked it up and it looks like the curent cost is just under $30.00. If you call them, they can walk you through the quick process of mounting it to the binocular. If you'd like, you can PM me and I'll let you know what adaptor I've been using. Is it an actual stud that goes into the hinge or is it that janky ring mount thing that goes around an ocular? I know my buddy had his EL swaros threaded by outdoorsmans and added a real stud, if that were the case with these, I'd be on them like a fat girl on a brownie pan. They make a stud that mounts to the center hinge. Check it out at http://outdoorsmans.com/ Once you're at there home page, select store, then on the left under products, select accessories for Outdoorsmans tripods. Then, look for the stud for Leica Trinovids. If you contact them, they will let you know what you need to do to install the stud to the front of the hinge. Call them at 608-944-7121 and they can walk you through the process.

I'm looking at a new Zeiss rifle scope and need to sell one of my Leica binoculars to fund the purchase. These are the olive green 7x42 Trinovids and are in excellent shape. They come with the factory strap and rainguard. They also have Eagle Optic objective covers that fit and work real well. $650.00 shipped. I wouldn't think of selling them if I didn't have another pair in 10x42. I know the pictures aren't all that good, so I'll be happy to answer any questions you have by PM or just call me at 208-206-3463. Aaron

I'm in, posted pictures and liked on facebook.

Yotebuster, The Outdoorsman does have a stud for the Trinovid's. I looked it up and it looks like the curent cost is just under $30.00. If you call them, they can walk you through the quick process of mounting it to the binocular. If you'd like, you can PM me and I'll let you know what adaptor I've been using.

Price too high, or power too low? If it's the latter, here are a few good reasons to consider owning a high quality, lower power pair of binoculars: Greater field of view. This helps when glassing a distant hillside because you may catch movement you wouldn't with a lesser FOV. I know the idea is to locate all animals on a given section of the hill, but there is something to be said for seeing more of the hill at once. I hunt alone alot, but when I hunt with others, we have a general rule that the person who spots the animal first gets to call the shots. In many cases, I find the deer first because with the greater field of view the odds are in my favor, because I'm seeing more of the hill at once. This really comes into play when you top a ridge. If for some reason the deer wind you, hear you or spot you, they head out. Sometimes they blast out, but other times they just sneak out. Either way, it's a goot thing to be seeing more hill than less. This is even more true in the early morning and late evening hours when deer are most active. As I reflect on my years of glassing with many top end binos, including Zeiss 10x40B Swarovski 10x42 and 10X50 SLC's, Leica 8X32, 7x42, 8X42, and 10X42 Trinovids, I would have to say that some of my best years were when I was using Leica 8X32's. I really think I did so well with them because the fantastic FOV. Large exit pupil for low light glassing both morning and evening. (7X42) Ease of glassing with or without tripod. More magnification helps in many cases, but I've found I can locate most deer others see with 8's or 10's and the fact remains you still have to pack a spotter to really evaluate an animal at long range. I happen to use a Nikon Fieldscope 3 ED straight body with a 15-45 eyepiece because it's really sharp and small enough to pack with all my other crap. Please keep in mind I'm not discounting how valuable high power binoculars can be, I've used them lots and really enjoy them too. I just wanted to point out a few reasons I've really learned to like using high quality glass in the lower magnification ranges. I'd like to sell these so I can fund my new scope, but I'd actually be better off keeping them and save up the money little by little to buy my new scope. A great scope in very important, but great quality binos are a must. I just think that with the new rave over the high magnification glass, the good points of the 7's and 8's are easy to forget. There, now I'm done Aaron

Way to get it done!! It sure is fun hunting with your kids......and they are great pack mules. I'm just glad I'm not one of the banished cousins

Reduced $600.00 shipped

Great buck, congrats

Very cool!! looks like you guys had a great hunt

BC this is the product of a department who is trying to limit the amount of funding they accept from the feds. Federal $ comes with a whole bunch of strings attached and I for one prefer not to answer to those bureaucrats if it can be helped. The simple truth is that it takes A LOT of $ to run the kind of department that AZGFD has. In order to achieve the same $ through a tag price increase the price of an elk tag would have to be raised roughly $20. Tag price increases are permanent and require a more difficult process to get approved, so therefore it is easier to simply increase the number of tags offered. My personal feeling is that hunting is already expensive, and I feel for guys who have 2 or 3 kids applying for 3-4 species every year, plus trying to outfit them with gear, fuel for trips, etc. so if a few more tags in units that are meeting objectives prevents raising tag prices, I think its the right move. If we look at tag numbers over the past several years the recommendations this year show a trend towards what the total tag #'s were at the end of the last decade. If these recommendations are accepted we would still be 1500 or so tags shy of the 2008 - 2010 totals, and there have been plenty of big bulls harvested since that time, so to say that AZGFD is a joke is a bit harsh. I grew up here in AZ but as an adult have lived in Utah and Idaho and hunted those states plus MT and WY, I will say this, AZGFD is one of the very best F&G agencies in the West. Look no further than ID, where public land is abundant, habitat is excellent and the state's population is a fraction of AZ's and you will see how bad things can be. There are more B&C bulls harvested in a single year in AZ than in a decade there, despite all the advantages listed above. AZ is a pretty unique place where we can hunt trophy coues units during the rut archery every single year, bear and lion tags are over the counter with liberal seasons, you can kill 2 javelina every year if you want, Spring turkey tags can be drawn every couple of years and archery is over the counter, and the elk hunting is without comparison, period. There are archery bull hunts that can be drawn every single year if that is what you want to do, or there are opportunities to wait it out and experience an elk hunter's paradise after years of applying, and every scenario in-between exists; hunts with tons of tags, hunts with very few tags, hunts in the rut, hunts late in the year, cow hunts, youth hunts, muzzleloader only units, archery only units, units that have tons of road access and wilderness only units. Late rifle bull tags can be drawn every 2-3 years if that's your thing, cow hunts very early in the year and close to the rut typically only take a couple of years to draw if you prefer that. I think the state has done a remarkable job of balancing quality and opportunity and I think we owe them a thanks. We in the state of Arizona have a truly unique opportunity and we are blessed. Am I disappointed about the tag increases? Yes. Do I think the AZGFD is a joke, nope, I find a lot more humor in the unrealistic expectations we as a hunting community continually expect them to meet. I know this opinion is likely to be unpopular, but dog gone-it I think its time someone spoke up and gave AZGFD some credit. I agree, I'm in Idaho now and I don't think I've ever seen so much awesome looking country with nothing in it. I never thought I'd say it, but I also really miss the bonous point system we had in AZ. Here I can put in for the controlled hunts year after year and never get drawn. At least with the BP system AZ is using, if I wait long enough I can get the tag I really want. I think AZGFD is doing a good job......I've been able to get drawn and kill nice deer in several units across the state for the past 30 years. As mentioned above, they must be doing something right.

Those hunts don't come along very often and sounds like you did it right. I had a 13A Antelope tag long ago and went by my self. As you talked about your preparation and trip, it reminded me of that hunt. I really enjoyed it, but it's kind of weird being all alone and in the middle of no where for so long. Your buck is awesome, and you'd have been crazy to let it walk. Way to go!