coueshunter

I dont have any answers and like many people on here, I am tired of never drawing a tag. Nine years and no Elk,Antelope, etc. Sure hope this is the year. I have drawn two coues tags in my nine years of applying but would love a Elk or Antelope tag. Maybe some sort of change within the draw process is called for. I know each year we have more and more people wanting to hunt in AZ and moving to AZ so the odds just go down for many of us............Allen........

I havent kept track, how many have volunteered for helping out ADA with their time? I know new board members are necessary. CHD, you would be a great addition, how about Mr. Quimbly? AZguide, Redrabbit, Desertbull? any and all people would definitely be welcomed and appreciated. Thanks to all who have committed their time to AZ wildlife.........Allen.........

I sure hope it picks up. I know there are many many people on here and Monster Muleys that can help out. Until I started helping out a few years back, I just assumed there were plenty of people but that is not the case. Donating your time is the best thing a person can do. The annual membership money really doesnt accomplish much nowadays. AZGFD wants to see active people out at the meetings, fundraisers etc. and hopefully we can get more people involved. Thanks again to those who have stepped up............Allen Taylor........

I live in Mesa so if AZguid doesnt want it then coosefan you can swing by and look at it. It is in fantastic shape, weather treated, green but not regular military green, in great shape with a floor. I have just picked it up saturday and havent went over it with a fine tooth comb, but from all I can see it is a good tent. I just put it on Monster Muleys as well, but figure I would rather sell it to someone here on CW.........anyone can shout at me at work tomorrow if they want to.....602-454-2146...............Allen Taylor..........

Hunting does not lend itself to competition "catch and release" stuff like the Walmart Bass tournament stuff. I dont see how hunting whitetail on private property from a stand can even compare to finding a monster muley on the Kaibab or a monster coues deer. I think this will probably be popular with the armchair guys who watch Bill Jordan or guys like bill who tree stand hunt or hunt from blinds on private property but for hunting out West I doubt any show could recreate hunts on premium areas like the Strip/Kaibab/Pauns etc. The difficulty in drawing a tag for premium units in itself is a major problem for most good hunters......Watching guys bow hunt elk on a private ranch versus doing it in one of our own premium public units would not show me how "great" this hunter is................Allen..........

Jdavid: Those 15x45 conquest are a very good glass. They dont take the place of longdistance glassing with 15x56 or 15x60 glass but for the price/performance they are very good. Make sure and use a tripod. Whenever I can afford getting another toy, I am getting the 15x45's to wear around my neck in place of the SLC 10x42's. I used a buddy's 15x45's Zeiss a couple years back and they are really nice.........Allen.......

This tent doesnt have a port for the stove. This is just a nice canvas wall tent that would be a good first tent for someone or a great cook tent outside your bigger wall tent. I know when I was first looking for a canvas tent, I couldnt find anything less than 700.00.

I thought I was bad with about 40 videos. The last couple years I have only looked for coues/blacktail videos and left the others alone. Great collection you have there..........

Who can/will volunteer their time for the ADA? ADA needs help with board members, committee members etc. I have seen alot of discussion about "problems with AZGFD" and thought maybe somebody would step up to Muley62's request for volunteers to help with ADA. Talking on the computer is one thing, donating a $100.00 for a membership is another thing, but where the real sportsman/sportswomen can shine and help wildlife is donating time. Most of the prior board members end up burning out and with all the people on this board, hopefully some can step up and get involved with ADA. Thanks again to Amanda, Stanley, Muley62, wetmule, .270 and the others that donate time/money to our AZ wildlife............Allen.........

CHD: the newsletter is in need of articles right now. Maybe you get ahold of Amanda or Cathy Cimellaro and volunteer to head up the organization of each issue. I know help is very much needed to keep the Deer Times rolling each issue....................Allen.........

Jamaro: Call Duwane at 520-385-4995. Basically he will get you a map marked out with where/how you access different specific areas within the unit you are looking to hunt and he has such a vast knowledge of AZ and big deer, that you cant go wrong. Call him and talk it over with him and see what you think.............Allen Taylor...........

For what its worth, I currently have a Kifaru, a badlands 2200 and the Eberstock gunslinger. For me personally with tripod/binos etc and extra room without feeling like I am packing the kitchen table on my back, the Ebberstock has/is the most versatile and best pack of the three. For elk or packing in, the Kifaru is probably the most sturdy "pack Frame" type of the three.............Allen.........

Thanks to those responding (and hopefully more) I cant stress enough that actual time either at meetings, at commission meetings or on projects is really really really where the battle must be fought. Just sending in our membership dollars almost is useless. Those memberships are really only good if your face and voice is heard. Thanks for letting me post this and thanks for your voluteer time............Allen......

Kevin, I dont know much about 27 but it did seem like generally in unit 1 that the big bulls were bedded down before first light and there were tons of smaller bulls running around. I only hunted a few days during archery but only saw one big bull in all the bull encounters. Glad you had a great hunt and I couldnt agree more about sleeping under the stars/trees/temperatures the mountains have to offer............Allen.......

put my family/myself in a couple days ago. Been praying to the draw gods that this is the year........hopefully we draw a tag or two................best of luck to everyone else..........Allen Taylor.....

Chris, I didnt want to cause any problems or throw out anything accusational. I appologize if I offended anyone. I do understand about gov. tags, I just dont want lobbying for additional tags that would go to MDF or ADA , I think we have enough around. Secondly with a written position statement from AZSFW showing everyone that landowner tags and additional Gov. tags are not on AZSFW's agenda, many of the questions will stop and full support will be given to AZSFW. I think AZSFW will fill the void on lobbying against things like landowner tags and be heavily involved from here on out in issues that us average joe's just cant help with. The 10% issue recently is just that sort of example. I also hope Pete and everyone continues to keep their eye on the commissioners. I think that we all have seen how the commissioners have the power to ignore the general public and if AZSFW keeps the pressure up, we dont have to rely solely on the commissioners anymore. Thanks................Allen..........

Dave, I respect your dedication. I have concerns about SFW only because of the past track record in Utah, Colorado & Wyoming. It appears that super tags, landowner tags etc. for auction are a big part of Don Peay/SFW's method of raising money. In addition to this, SFW was aligned with Conservation force during the USO fiasco and it appeared that SFW supported the non-resident issue which sat wrong with alot of us AZ residents. I would be totally comfortable with AZ-SFW if there is a legal position statement that assures me there will be no landowner tags nor additional auction tags to raise money for their lobbying efforts. I am pretty sure that any money necessary for ongoing lobbying/operational costs can be covered by the 10% fee SFW charges to all member conservation partners like ADA, antelope foundation, sheep group, yuma groups etc...........I havent went to SFW's website in a couple months, but until today, I have not been able to find any written information about AZ-sfw. Thanks Amanda for posting the above brochure..........Allen............

I am real scared that the next major issue will be landowner tags. One of the guys on the commission (Hembrode) I believe is from Colorado dept of wildlife and worked for years putting the Colorado landowner tag system in place. I really feel this will pop up later this year and will go through if we dont show up at meetings and politic against it. Landowner tags have been brought up over the years and there already is a plan in place, system in place being pushed by people and it wont take much for our commissioners/governor to support it to gain the votes of the farming/ranching community and political clout. I come from a ranching family so I have nothing against that segment of our society, I just dont think in Arizona the landowner tag program is a reasonable program............Allen Taylor.......

Deer 3 Elk 8 antelope 8 Sheep 8

.257 weatherby mag with 115 ballistic tips. 10x42 & 15x56 SLC's tripod that I have found the most durable is the Velbon EFL4. I switched packs to the ebberstock gunslinger and it fits all my junk in better than the badlands 2200 and has better compartments to carry the tripod/bino's etc. One of the best pieces of gear I carry is a good butt pad........LOL........cant glass long periods of time effectively if you are uncomfortable...........Allen........Hopefully I can get a tag this year to use all the junk I have............

By pure definition, I understand Mr. Quimby's point of non-scientific survey. Unfortunately because of this or just a whim of the commission, the animals will be affected along with us, the hunters. Arizona needs the hunters to step up to the plate before laws/judgements are enacted instead of after the fact and disecting "what happened". If reform is necessary within our commission, AZGFD, the processes, or just sound biological management, then we must step up and change things for the betterment of the wildlife and the hunting community. I know of many people who derive their living off the wildlife but are not as active in the process of change, conservation etc. as they probably should be. Currently it seems that many of the most involved are passionate hunters who have an occupation worlds away from the outdoor industry. I truly believe that if we dont get more and more people involved, speaking out at commission meetings, volunteering for various projects & just generally being involved, then our hunting heritage will slowly dwindle. I will get off the soap box, but just want to re-emphasize the importance of getting involved whether someone wants to or not................Allen Taylor..........

After going to countless commission meetings during the USO fiasco I received an eye and earful of the ways things are run by the commissioners. It truly is important for people to go to the meetings because as I mentioned in other posts, the commissioners think that when ADA speaks its only a select few people regardless of the truth. I think the commissioners should be a voted in position and not appointed. My major fear is that the behind the scenes lobbying is going on between groups like PETA, Biological diversity etc. and the commissioners. I think since someone like Napalitano can appoint whomever she desires, the demographics of the current ruling party "commissioners" will change and the weight/power they hold over AZ wildlife is scary. I am done ranting, but get out and show up for the meetings, be vocal not only on the internet but to AZGFD and demand that the commissioners/Schroufe et al .... behave in an accountable fashion..............Allen Taylor............

One important issue in this whole situation is sometimes overlooked and that is that the Commissioners sometimes go in a different direction than the AZGFD and us the customers. I truly believe that personal agenda's and politics play substantially more in many of the Commissioners decisions than we as hunters may see. Recent proof is that the commissioners feel/felt that ADA was not a group but only a few people speaking for the whole group. Basically the commissioners are/have discounted ADA's position on a few recent situations which without the help of the Bowhunters group, the recent proposed Elk changes would have went into place. Many of us need to get to the commission meetings and let our faces be seen in addition to emailing and writing letters. Basically what I am saying is just because we respond to internet surveys to the AZGFD and ADA does not mean the Commissioners will go our way, many times we must be at the meetings so they BELIEVE there are truly more people in the various organizations like ADA than just a few vocal people. Hope this made sense.............Allen Taylor.........

I had the Swarovski and ended up selling it. I have the Leupold varixIII 4.5 - 14 with a premier reticle in it now and love it. As for those distances, I have hunted antelope quite a bit and agree with the other people that you will be able to sneak up into the 3-400 yard range in most situations..............Allen.....

Great job J-rod. Only picture I have a problem with is the last one, looks like two pigs in the picture and one pig is wearing a headlight.............LOL...........all pigs have bad eye sight...........seriously, great job and dont give any slack to Kirk...............Allen...............