TAM

That looks nice! Do they have an option for another seat or seats in the back?

Redline, I'm always game for comparing notes, but I've spent very little time on that side of the unit(s). In fact 24b used to be one of my top units, but over the past several years I've really seen the numbers of coues, muley, and javelina go down hill fast! I spend very little time there anymore. I'n my opinion way to many tags are being offered.

This time of year the rutting activity is probably hit and miss. My guess is the rutting activity that younghunter saw over the weekend is the second rut. If a doe does not breed during the first rut in January she will come into cycle again in about 30 days. Usually the second rut is not as wide spread as the first rut and can often times be focused around a single doe that has gone into heat. From my experience with 24b most of the serious rutting is occuring the last week of December into the first week of January.

Congrats guys those are some nice looking porkers!

Here's a couple pic's of the javelina that my 6 year old son Kade helped me find, stalk, and shoot on Saturday. We glassed him up at nearly a mile away before making a difficult stalk through the cat claw and rough terrain before shooting him with my rifle at 88 yards. Kade helped me gut him and then led the way on our pack out. We were hunting with Greg McBride and his 19 year old daughter Bethany. After several attempts we were able to get Bethany and myself lined up on two pigs, we then waited for them to stand still long enough for us to count to three and shoot. One....two....three......BOOMB!!!! We both had pigs. Kade was thrilled! As usual he had a million questions but learned alot as well. Things like what catclaw is, they don't call them stink hogs for nothing, and of course everthing gets to take one last crap when it dies! The worse part about the entire hunt was that I had to be the one to pull the trigger. Kade is already counting down the days until he's 10 and can get his own tag. Kade with our pig. Kade taking a nap in the sun after a long day. Notice the cool Batman skull cap!

I've definatly seen this in units 22 and 24b. Areas that used to hold mostly mule deer now hold coues. Even though coues are smaller than muleys they are more aggressive and are the more dominate species. They also seem to sustain themselves better during times of drought and cold.

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue , where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton " The Marine replied, "Sir, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn't reside here." The old man said, "Okay," and walked away. The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton". The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mrs. Clinton is not President and doesn't reside here." The man thanked him and again walked away.. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Hillary Clinton." The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mrs. Clinton. I've told you already several times that Mrs. Clinton is not the President and doesn't reside here. Don't you understand?" The old man answered, "I know, I just love to hear you say it!" The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow."

Red Rabbit, with the turrets you still re-zero your rifle/scope if you change loads right? I think for a guy like yourself that likes to change loads a lot the turrets would be the way to go! I always worry that on those longer shots where your adjusting a lot of clicks that I'm going to loose count of my clicks during all the excitement or worse yet forget got reset back to zero. Although I think many of the target turrets have ways of marking your zero so you can always go back to it. For a guy like me that has just one load, I like the BDC. For the most part my coues hunting is done around 5,000 foot elevation and anything plus or minus a thousand feet will not have a huge impact on my BDC out to 600 or even 700 yards. For my rifle and loads at 800 yards there is only a 1 click change going from 5,000 to 6,000 elevation. For me I think it's just easier to set my BDC to 800 yards and then make the 1 click adjustment for the altitude. I just like the idea of having all the drop chart data build in to the BDC, and if I were to have to pay for a couple of them for different loads and such I think I'd be ok with that too. Thanks!

Casey, I agree with what you're saying about the elevation. I'm not sure what lines you are talking about though? Are you thinking of a TDS Reticle? The extra cross hairs they put in the scope? The Kenton Industries knobs are machined knobs that fit onto the target turrets of your scope. You send them all of your ballistic data and load information and they custom build the knob to your loads. Now instead of looking at the drop chart taped to your rifle stock, the yardages are built into the knobs of your scope. Are we talking about the same thing? Look at this website. http://www.kentonindustries.com/

In my opinion the Zeiss is brighter than the Leupold's, and I've heard that they hold up very well. Red Rabbit, I'm trying to understand your comment about the Kenton BDC. You mention that a couple of it's faults are that it's load specific, and altitude specific. I agree that it has both of these limitations, but wouldn't a turret suffer from these same issues as well? Most people that go with the turrets use some sort of ballistic calculator to figure the ballistics for a specific load, bullet, altitude, etc. Then they tape a drop chart to the stock to refer to in the field. While in the field ready to shoot they may still have to make some adjustments for altitude won't they? For example: if there drop chart was based on shooting at 5,000 foot elevation and they are about to shoot at a 6,000 foot elevation, then there drop chart is off? It's not off by much, but at a long distance it could be enough to miss the animal. Right? The BDC's are basicly a drop chart built into a turrent aren't they? In most cases 1 click still equals 1/4" MOA. So isn't it reasonable to think that if you were shooting at a different elevation than either your drop chart or your BDC that you could add or subtract a click or two to adjust for your elevation? Seems like having all the drop info built into your turret would be quicker and easier than looking at a drop chart on your stock and counting clicks etc? Especially if your heart is racing? It just seems to me that which ever style you chose to shoot with that either way you may still have to account for elevation adjustments in the field. If a person understands how the BDC works those adjustments are still possible under field conditions aren't they? Thanks, Tim

Gino, You may want to take a look at the Ziess Conquest line up. They have a 4-14x50 and a 6-20x50 that are both priced under a grand. Also you may want to look into the Kenton Industries Tuned Tragectry Compensator (TTC). If you send them the info on the loads you're shooting they'll make you a knob for your scope that will allow you to adjust your scope to your desired target range. That way there is no hold over or TDS type reticle's to mess with. Here's a link to the website. http://www.kentonindustries.com/ Good luck!

Here's one of my favorite memories from 2006. Josh Epperson and myself with my January 2006 Arizona mountain lion.

No time to find sheds like the present. I can't say for sure, but I'll bet I've found antlers in every month of the year.

Hey Gino I just sent you a PM. Sorry it took me so long!

Great buck! Congratulations.

To me it's a no brainer............. Thanks, but no thanks!!!! The risk out weighs the return.

Thanks for all the great ideas! Now I can't wait to go........... only 3 1/2 months away!

Forgive me for discussing this topic here, but I figured some of you hunters may also be anglers....... I hope??? I don't know much about fishing, but every year I go on a atv trip in the whitemountains during the month of May. We usually camp along the Black River just south of where the east and west forks merge into the black. Every year I kick myself for not bringing any fishing tackle. This year I'm going to be prepared but I don't have a clue what type of rod, reel, bait, lures, hooks, etc that I should bring for that time of the year? I don't want to use a fly rod either. I'd just like to catch a fish or two? Any help out there? Thanks!

I agree, just because it's in a secluded area doesn't mean it will produce. Some tanks are just duds! I often wonder though, if things don't change from one year to the next. Perhaps because of rain fall, cattle, lions, feed, etc. Perhaps tanks that seem like duds this year will be great for next year? Don't feel bad Kevin, I've donated 3. Luckly they were cheapies that I've since replaced with nice home brew digitals. You live and you learn.

Yep, it's pretty secluded. I doubt anyone would find it if they weren't looking for it. Probably a half mile or so from the end of a real rough 4x4 trail. It's up a drainage on a desert mountian in unit 24B. It never got a lot of action, but there are a few white tail and muleys that use it along with a herd of pigs. I haven't been to it in several years now.

Here's a few more you're welcome to use if you'd like! Sorry I don't have more, but I've learned the hard way to not set up the cameras over water anymore.

That's pretty unusual to get a deer and a flying saucer in the same pic!

I just got back from hunting with them January 3rd - 9th. I have nothing but good things to say about them! Send me an email and I'll give you details and pictures. Tim tmaddock@fordycefloors.com

Nice buck Josh!

Just to let everyone know............ I just got off the phone with him. Yesterday Mike AKA Treestandman went to check his trail cameras. He hiked in about a 1/4 mile to his first stop and checked the camera and also climbed up a tree about 20 feet to check on his stand. When he got up to his stand he reached for the arm rest which broke and he fell to the ground. Lucky for him he only broke his leg, incurred several spine fractures, and dislocated his arm. He was able to hike the 1/4 mile back out to his truck and drive himself to get help. He said the hike out was one of the most difficult things he's ever had to do! I don't doubt it. He's ok and will be in the hospital for awhile, his leg requires sugery but he should make a full recovery. Everyone here should be sure and tell someone exactly where you will be hunting, and wear a saftey harness if you're climbing a tree! Ps. As far as I know there were no chute planes involved in his accident