Jimmer Negamanee

+1! Wild picture! (+ That big bull proves that Coues 'n' Sheep's advice about not pounding the hills too early is spot on!)

The card expiring is one reason AZGFD needs updated information. There are also situations where cards are cancelled by the issuer (not the card holder) because the account was "compromised" through a data security breach and the issuer cancels the old card and re-issues a new one with a new number as an anti-fraud measure. This happened to me on two different draws. (I don't use that card for draws any more.) Unfortunately, both times it was after the correction period but before the draw. One of those times I was able to call the G&F and beg them to update my card manually which they were nice enough to do. (Thank you G&F!) The other time I called the issuer and begged them to keep the old account open and accept any charges from the G&F and they did. That move didn't make me very popular around the old homestead but it worked.

Great sheds! I love the "as they lie" pictures. It's hard for me to have the presence of mind to take those pictures because my instinct is to jump on them and pick them up immediately. Thanks for posting.

Awesome! Thanks for posting.

Egads! That thing is ginormous! Great example of how shed hunting can be done productively year around. Thanks for posting the picture.

+ 1! I learned something new today! Great pictures and thanks for posting! You'll have lots of fun with it and keep posting your pics.

If it's not illegal, it most likely will be if people start doing it because of the high risk of injury or death to the animal. (Imagine the heartbreak of walking up on a buck or bull tangled up dead in a trap you made with his haunches eaten by scavengers.) To me, that ethical (and possibly legal) issue would make me choose not to do it. Plus, from a practical standpoint, I don't think they'd work out here in the West. I've seen the YouTube videos of various antler traps and they all seem to be back east where the animal densities are higher and the traps can be checked regularly (often from a farm house window). Out here, there are too many square miles with too few animals. Plus, checking the trap would be a long drive for most of us and a long hike to boot. You could make an awesome, fool-proof antler trap but you'd have to hike pretty far in to set it up and would probably find more sheds on the hike in and out than the trap would yield. So even if you took out the ethical/legal considerations (which I do not), I don't think the cost/benefit is there. Finally, there's the aesthetic rationale for not doing it. Part of shed hunting is wondering around finding cool stuff, seeing new sights and, if you're lucky enough to find a shed, knowing you are standing in the precise spot where a bull or buck stood, separated only by time. The vision of finding each shed is seared into my mind (helped by the fact that I've not found many, I'm sure). Time outdoors, time with family, time alone, that's what it's all about. It's like regular hunting that way. If it was all about the bone (or the meat) you'd be economically better off buying it. That's my $.02.

I think it looks awesome just like that! Great find! I suppose if you wanted to you could make a pedestal with some habitat features. That would look cool too. Thanks for posting.

Cool picture! (And the mineral supplement theory put forth by Firstcoueswas80 and Edge seems to make perfect sense to explain why.)

Well done! Glassing up a shed (or pick up) is on my bucket list. To me, it's a sign of reaching a higher level of glassing skill. A level I've not yet achieved. Thanks for posting. It's motivating.

I see spots. Clearly. Did the hunter see the spotted kittens? Maybe. Maybe not. The Judeo-Christian tradition has a maxim contained Proverbs 28:1 which says “The wicked flee when no one pursues.” It goes on to say, ironically in this case, that “But the righteous are bold as a lion.” Here, it looks like someone here was trying to disguise themselves and hide what they did. Proverbs aren’t proof. Draw your own conclusions. As far as predators hunting their prey to extinction it seems to be fairly rare. In fact, I can’t think of an example of that in the natural world, unless you include us.

Wow! Great pick up! Looks bigger that 100 to me though. (And Pwrguy, thanks for posting up-right. It helps my old eyes.)

Interesting question. “Ivory” is kind of a special term in antler-speak. It generally means “white-ish” meaning white with a hint of yellow tint to it. An antler can still be on an elk and have ivory tips, for example. In fact, that’s really cool. With that said, if by ivory you mean the sun-burned white of an old shed, I’d say it depends on if it gets direct sunlight or not. If it does, it can turn white in a couple of months exactly as Rageinthesage suggests. Maybe even sooner. If it’s in a shady spot, it can stay brown for maybe six months or so, maybe a little longer. I would say that, out here in the West, the sun is the biggest degrader of antler color and condition but time is a strong second. (I hear that back east critter gnawing is a biggie.) Great question though. Nice thing aging sheds in the field is that they're always 1 year (give or take a month) apart. But there are times where, depending on condition and location, it can be hard to pinpoint when they dropped. Others on here are much more qualified than I am to chime in though.

To color, or not to color. That is the question. To me it depends on how white they are. If they are super chalkie or have pretty big cracks, the answer is easy, just leave them like they are. They look cool that way. But if they are just a little sun-faded it might be worth it. You've got time to think about it though because they won't get worse on your wall!

Cool pick up! Thanks for posting.

My guess is that in the West, we were predominantly describing mule deer and mule deer often lack eye guards entirely (or have teensy ones) so it makes sense to ignore them. Mule deer also tend to be pretty symmetrical so calling it a “4X4” or simply a “4 pt.” worked pretty well because if it had 4 on one side, it was a pretty good bet it had 4 on the other. If it wasn’t symmetrical you could accommodate for that by calling a 4X3, for example. I think this kind of became the “western count” system and spilled over into whitetail. The result is that back in Michigan the same “eight point buck” would be a “three point” here. Is one better or worse? Naw, prolly just different. As the Frogs would say, "Vive la difference!"

Cool pictures! Love the roughed up coats. Thanks for posting.

Was this on NBC or SPIKE TV?

Wild pictures you have there! Thanks for posting.

Amazing resting place! Well done. May we all rest in peace in such a place.

Congratulations! You'll have a blast glassing with those!

+ 1! My favorite line: "Perry has been hunting since he was knee high to an Arivaca grass hopper!"

+1! Often times, if the price isn't exactly the same it's just spittin' distance apart. It's more than worth it to be able to shake the hand of the person who's putting their personal reputation on the line for the sale. If the profit margins are a little thicker for a local small business (and especially a CWT.com sponsor), so be it. If I want them to be around, I have to support them.

Glad you hopped on it and G&F let you charge a different card! Congrats on the draw.

If you are open to a different brand, Canyon Coolers is also a high-end cooler maker based in Arizona and just became a sponsor here. They are generally less expensive than Yetis or Engels and Ross Outdoors (also a CWT.com sponsor) is giving 10% off all Canyon Coolers in September for mentioning CWT.com. http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/42809-welcome-to-canyon-coolers/ I don't own one yet but I can say they are responsive to customers. I sent an email about where they're sourced and received an email back 62 minutes later (at 8:10 P.M.) with the answer. I was impressed. Hopefully, I'll be stopping by Ross Outdoors this weekend to pick one up. I know there's debate among the high-end cooler crowd about which is "best" but they're all an upgrade over the old Coleman with the warped lid that's in my garage and holding ice for 5.5 days vs. 6 days doesn't effect me. You may be in a different situation though. Good luck!