hunter4life

Congratulations, nice lion! It looks like he ate well recently. I have found the big tom's usually have fine flavor but are quite chewy and tough. However, I just killed one last week and ate some backstrap last night, it was slightly tough but not bad. The rest was made into sausage.

Nice lion pictures. Bill, I cannot agree more. I think many lions kill far fewer deer than the oft quoted "one deer a week."

Both of the draw hunt areas have huntable numbers of sheep on public land. I think they are about equal in terms of quality of hunt. The OTC areas have fewer numbers and are more hit or miss. They are getting more difficult to find every year because many people go out and kill the ewes in these areas, but I guess that is the goal of G&F and making them OTC. Texas also has some self-guided hunts that are in the 2K range that people seem to be having good success on. I have not done any of these myself.

Securing the border is more about a mindset and multiple layers of protection than an actual physical barrier. I too think the wall being an actual physical barrier is unrealistic. It is bad for animals and their migration/dispersal routes. In populated places near cities it probably needs to be a physical barrier. In the mountainous border sections of NM, TX and AZ it should be a technological barrier with sensors, drone surveillance and human surveillance. In the remote flat sections, make it something that will stop a vehicle but animals or even people could walk through. In the entire country if you want a job you have to be verified to be a citizen or a work visa holder. Give large fines to employers who employ people without doing this. If on any government assistance you have to prove you are a citizen and have a negative drug screen (and continued drug testing while receiving assistance, which will help get rid of the freeloaders who are US citizens). You get caught for any crime whatsoever, even jaywalking, and if you are not a citizen (or green card, work visa, etc.) you immediately get deported. Show up in a hospital, get whatever emergency care is needed but also get arrested and deported. Verify citizenship status when signing kids up for school. Make people prove they are here legally to open a bank account or get a loan, mortgage, car loan, etc. If illegal aliens cannot get jobs, government assistance, schooling, free medical care, cars or property they will stop coming.

Here is the B&C statement on long range shooting. http://www.boone-crockett.org/about/LRS.asp?area=about&ID=6B455080&se=1&te=1 The last sentence from the B&C statement. "The Club finds that long-range shooting takes unfair advantage of the game animal, effectively eliminates the natural capacity of an animal to use its senses and instincts to detect danger, and demeans the hunter/prey relationship in a way that diminishes the importance and relevance of the animal and the hunt. The Club urges all hunters to think carefully of the consequences of long-range shooting, whether hunting with a rifle, bow, muzzleloader, crossbow, or handgun, and not confuse the purposes and intent of long-range shooting with fair chase hunting. " As you can read, it has nothing to do with how proficient someone is at shooting. Even if you are more accurate at 1000 yards than the average weekend warrior is at 150 yards, the animal has essentially little to no chance of using its senses to detect you. That is what makes the difference.

Just over a week ago I was on an elk hunt with my uncle. We glassed up a good bull at 600 yards hanging out with a busted up bull. That distance is not a go for him (or me) so we snuck in and killed him at 120. Awesome stalk down a canyon bottom, through 2 cliff bands and having to back out at 130 yards and change positions because we could only see the busted bull from the first position. It was then an hour wait for him to get up and move into a clearing to clear some brush. A much more fun "hunt" than having just shot him at 600 yards. We had to play the wind, stay hidden from view and keep quiet. IMO that is what hunting is all about. I am all for practicing at longer ranges. Inevitably you will make a bad shot and end up with a wounded animal if you hunt long enough. In that situation it can really help to be proficient and know your rifle for those longer shots. Remember, the deer/elk/quarry you are pursuing is not your enemy. It is an animal that is giving up its life for our food and sport. A true hunter gives his/her quarry great respect. Unfortunately, I too seem to see a lot less of that nowadays. If it was an ISIS terrorist about to behead some poor civilian. Then by all means give it a shot at whatever range you are at. That is an enemy and a wounding shot is as good or better than a killing shot. The "sniper" mentality has no place in hunting. About a year or so ago B&C published a statement on long range hunting. I thought it summed everything up quite well and fits with my philosophy. I will have to try and find a link to it.

Awesome!

Awesome deer. I do not know how much a deer in velvet shrinks, but I would guess quite a bit. The Governors tag elk that are killed in velvet shrink between 30-60 inches.

Sleep in the same base layers you hunt in. In southern NM and AZ it is usually warm enough that I do not even wear them when I leave camp to hunt, or you are taking them off within two hours or so.

Contact AES. Usually the organization who ran the raffle will refund the money because it was their fundraiser. They should then go after him themselves. Oryx capes are not that rare. A good taxidermist should be able to find a replacement for you.

The typical frame is 405. Nontypical is 446.

Here you go. Before anyone tries to tell me about NM law on deadheads. I contacted G&F before packing it out and have the receipt of purchase from the state so it is all legal. Enjoy!

Here is my favorite.

I have seen plenty of "gym" shape guys really not perform well in the mountains. They have a lot of extra bulky muscle to feed and carry up the hills. Nothing beats hiking and backpacking in the summertime to get in shape for hunting.

I count all the points, including eyeguards. I was born and raised in the west, so it is not really an East vs. West thing as posts above would make you think. Here is the definitive answer straight from B&C scoring instructions: http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/bc_scoring_typmuledeer.asp?area=bgRecords&type=Typical+Mule+Deer+%26+Blacktail A: NUMBER OF POINTS ON EACH ANTLER To be counted a point, the projection must be at least one inch long, with the length exceeding width at one inch or more of length. All points measured from tip of point to nearest edge of beam as illustrated in Figure A. Beam tip is counted as a point, but not measured as a point. Per this definition you count all the points and eyeguards for the total. The beam tip is accounted for in the main beam measurement, which is why it is "not measured as a point". Your mule deer is a 3x5 by this definition. I think this should be the standard way for reporting.

Awesome bulls!

Congratulations, great goat. I know what you are saying. I am probably a similar age and at a similar point in life to you. I went Tur hunting in Azerbaijan 2 years ago and thought about a lot of the same things you mentioned. One slip and it would have been all over. I still plan to go on my bucket list hunts. Driving on the highway is probably just as dangerous.

Dagestan Tur was a great experience. It was at the top of my list. I don't think I would call it the toughest hunt in the world. Actually I think North America has some of the toughest hunts. The big NZ red stags are all high fence game ranch animals. You can hunt free range ones but they are a lot smaller.

Awesome. I have heard lions calling like that several different times. Usually late evening or at night. However, I never did see them.

A muley fawn I saw a few weeks ago.

Nice pics. I saw their truck when heading in to go turkey hunting on the last weekend of the season.

It should work fine. I have a .45 cal muzzleloader and have used SST's to good effect on deer, elk and antelope for many years.

NM_Shedder I personally think the numbers of sheds found will be lower this year. Contrary to what the G and F think (based on their very flawed survey method), there are fewer elk in Unit 36 and 37 than in years past. Since the big burn the elk have been easier to spot and have been hammered during the fall hunts. Couple that with the private land hunts that run from September to March and there are fewer elk and much fewer mature bulls. Good luck. I don't usually even start looking until turkey season. Most of the raghorns will still be packing until mid April and they make up the majority of what is left.

Here are the distances of my 8 coues deer: All in yards, some are approximate based on ranging after the shot. All with a muzzleloader. 64, 210, 154, 30, 20, 40, 91, 50

Congratulations! That is one of only a few decent sized toms I have ever heard of anyone killing without dogs. Usually it seems like it is the juvenile cats that are called in or glassed up and killed.