TAM

The difference is probably a couple hundred feet per second and a bit more kick on the recoil. Probably about the same as compairing a .30-06 to a .300 win mag.

I've always been happy with the results from the 215's, but give them a try just for comparison.

I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he was ready to go home for the weekend and didn't want to leave his blind behind so he came in and got it?

Great job! Nice buck, I love the split/bladed main beam!

I'll be over there on the early hunt with Treestandman. I've hunted our area for several years now, so I know it pretty well. We did some scouting a few months ago and probably won't get back until the actual hunt at this point. Good luck to everyone!!!

Sitting salt in the late season is an extremly effective way of hunting coues deer. There has been a lot of discussion in the past about how to start a salt hole, where, when, and what kinds of salt. You may want to do a search. In my opinion the two most important factors are the location, and a good trail camera. The rest is easy. As far as the salt is concerned I like to start with 20-40 pounds of salt pellets with a bag of deer cocaine poured over the top, then doused with a gallon or so of water. Mix it all up and you're done. Before you pour out the salt make sure there's a good tree with clear shooting lanes nearby for you to sit in. Don't forget to put up the camera on a nearby tree so you get some pic's of all the animals coming in. If you did your scouting and found a good location you'll be really surprised how quickly the deer will find the salt. Don't worry if you only get does at first, once the rut starts the bucks will follow the does in. Good luck!

Cat, I don't have your same camera, but mine has similar features that I'v used from time to time. The video clips are cool but very memory and battery intensive. I'd only use that feature if you will be able to check on it often. The three picture bursts have never really done much for me except waste more memory and battery power on the same animal. I usually just set mine on single pictures once every 1-5 minutes.

MASSIVE!!! Congratulations!

Once I find a good spot I like to leave mine out almost year round. I will usually check the pictures every 1-3 weeks.

WOW!!!

Nice buck!!! My guess is no he won't go 90, but close. Perhaps 86???

First off to answer Ernesto's question. Yes. If I established a salt lick and came to hunt opening morning and found someone else hunting it, I'd move on. It's not "MY" spot, it's "OURS". Just because I put salt there does not make it "MINE". Now with that said, I personally would never sit a salt hole that was being maintained by someone else, and I think only a real looser would attempt such a stunt. Ernesto and anyone else for that matter, if you can find my salt holes then go ahead and hunt them. After all there not really mine. Two Guns, I opened a can of worms with a lot of different variables to which we may not have answers. Most people seem to assume that the "other" hunter knew that your buddy had spent many hours preparing the drinker and stand. How do we know the "other" hunter didn't think the drinker was working properly and was just full of water? How do we know that the other hunter hadn't brought water into the drinker as well? Many are also assuming that the "other" hunter saw the note. How do we know he saw it? For all we know the other hunter could have been spending equal time as your friend hauling water and scouting the area. Then on opening morning he walks into the tank and hunts. Then your buddy walks in and there's a confrontation. At that point who's right, and who's wrong? Probably a little of both. There are a lot of different possibilities. There's two sides to every story and all we have is you telling us what your buddy told you. I'm not calling anyone a liar but suggesting that sometimes versions differ depending on what side you're listening to. Let me also say that I've been told to F off a few times in my life and some of the time I deserved it. I'm not saying that it's right to speak to another hunter that way but I know there's been times where I've run my mouth and deserve the concequences. Now we have to look at some other factors that further complicate the matter. As I mentioned in an earlier post, many hunters and guides have the opinion that they can "claim" or "reserve" a tank, road, or entire area. They are doing this by hanging treestands for elk and deer hunts in June or July, or in some cases all year long. They are also posting signs claiming certain areas and tanks. This is wrong and as mentioned in some cases illegal. Perhaps the "other" hunter thought your friend was one of these individuals that was trying to "claim" the spot. I don't usually hunt over popular tanks, but at the same time I won't leave a tank alone just because there's a treestand on it. I know of tanks that have had treestands on them for easily 7-8 years! I know there not being used anymore, and even if they were I don't feel like just because there's a stand on a tank that it's off limits to everyone else. To sum it up, the other hunters ethics are certainly in question if he knew he was sneaking in on an area that someone spent a great deal of time and effort to prepare. But the law overrides ethics and the early bird gets the worm. I guess the lessons learned here are to be prepared and have a back up spot, and just get up earlier the next morning and beat the guy to the spot. Two Guns, no hard feelings on any of this. After all it's just my opinion.

I agree it's a touchy situation and both sides have a clear arguement. My personal opinion is that a drinker or a water hole is public. Here's an example: Treestandman and myself went scouting a few weeks ago. We looked at no less than 10 different tanks. By the end of the day we would start joking to each other as we were walking into the tanks about "where will the perminant ground blind be?" Just about every tank we saw had some sort of ground blind constructed of sticks and branches, even tanks that were a 1/2 mile from the road. So if we wanted to hunt these tanks and took time to set up our own blinds or set up cameras, or even haul in water we would have to compete with other hunters. Even if we left a note to another hunter we can't assume that they ever got the note, and even if they did get the note it's still not "our" tank. For all we know they could have spent a lot of time and effort scouting the same exact spot. We have to respect other hunters and share. I think it's equally important to have a back up plan. Now salt on the other hand is a little different in my opinion. Most tanks are public knowledge, while most salt holes are not. I think a person would have to be a pretty big looser to sit a salt hole that is obviosly being maintained and hunted by someone else. But regardless, I think if they beat you to the punch it's still better to just walk away and get there earlier the next day. Put your salt in areas where no one will find them! The problem is that these days lots of people are trying to "claim" water tanks by leaving signs and putting up stands months in advance or even all year long. I saw a sign while scouting for an elk hunt in unit 8 a few years ago that said something like " I will be hunting this stand for elk during the week of.... Please stay away." The persons sign was left out several weeks before the hunt even started. I had another guy put surveyors tape across a road during the hunt with a sign that basicly said someone was hunting in that area and to please be curtious and stay away. Both of these clowns were completley out of line thinking they can "reserve" the areas. You can't lay claim to hunting areas. They're open to everyone! Ps. Sorry for hijacking the original post.

That's a great pic Josh. It should be a good year for the fawns with all the tall grass to hide from predators. I was up north this past weekend and there is knee high grass everywhere, where just a few months ago it was ankle high. Good feed and good cover.

Two Guns, If I'm understanding you correctly your buddy was wrong to think that just because he hauled water, scouted the area, set up his blind, and left a nice note that he had first dibs on the tank. AZ G&F clearly states that the water tanks are on a "first come" basis. If this other guy beat your buddy to the tank on opening morning then your buddy should politely back off. I know that would be a difficult thing to do because of all the work and scouting he did, but we all have equal right to the hunting areas and if someone else has beat us there we should move on and go to plan B. In your post you ask the question: Why do some people act like they have the right to a spot, and totally throw out all courtesy and responsibility and ruin hunting experiences for others? I think it's your buddy that thinks he has the "right" to hunt this spot just because of his time and efforts, and that he's the one throwing out all courtesy and responsibility by expecting others to stay out of "his area". Regardles of how much time and effort we put in to scouting an area, any reasonable and ethical hunter would move on if they discover someone else has beat them to it.

From my experience establishing salt licks for carp, coues, or elk the number one most important factor is LOCATION!!! Salt is salt, it comes in different sizes, flavors and shapes, but if you put it in a poor location you will get poor results. Look for areas with lots of sign, bedding, water, feed. Before you just dump your salt on the ground make sure you have a good tree for a stand nearby. Once you have your location my preferred salt recipe is as follows: Take a shovel or a big stick and clear away debris from salt hole. Try to dig out the dirt 6-8 inches deep and 2-3 feet in diameter. Next pour in 20-40 pounds of salt pellets, then pour 1 bag of deer cocaine over the top. Next pour at least one gallon of water onto salt. Use a stick or shovel to mix the salt, water and dirt together. If you have a salt block then set it right in the middle. Up north in the pines I like to use the acorn flavored licks, but the larger mineral blocks work just fine as well. The next step is to set up your trail camera on the salt, then check back in 1-2 weeks to see what you got pictures of coming in. Without a camera you have no idea if it will be worth hunting. Replenish the salt pellets and block as they get absorbed into the ground. I only use the deer cocaine when I first get a salt lick started and right before the hunt. Also remember that the older your salt lick gets generally the more action it will recieve, so keep replenishing the salt year after year and you should always have a nice spot to sit a treestand during the hunt. I've also noticed that salt usually works better in the pines than in the desert. I'm not sure why but that's just what I've noticed.

What's the date those pic's were taken? I'm just trying to compare horn growth on some bucks I've been watching.

Here's a couple pic's of a buck I just got off one of my trail cameras. He's got pretty good eyeguards and seems to be past his ears. Hopefully he'll come back and I can monitor his progress.

That unit is loaded with whitetail!!! They've been getting lots of rain up there in the last month and perhaps it's washing away a lot of your sign? I was up there this weekend and most of the tracks have been washed away from trails and from around tanks from all the rain. All of the areas mentioned are good places to start.

Very nice!!! Cool little character point off the tip of it's left main beam.

If you zoom in real close to the back of his belt I'll bet you can find out what his name is.

Unfortunatly I think you're going to deal with clearance issues. I don't think many of the pop up type blinds have ceilings that are high enough to clear your long limbs. You may want to try some of the blinds they sell that don't have a ceiling? They've got a few on the Cabelas website that are kind of like a fold up camoflauge wall that you place in front of you and sit behind it. I have a pob up that barely clears the limbs on my compound while I'm sitting in it. There's no way you could shoot your bow in it, it's just to long.

Some people swear by the October hunts. The bucks are still bachelored up and if you can locate them in the summer and get them patterned there's a good chance you can get a crack at them during the October hunt. Often by the time the November hunt rolls around the bachelor herds start breaking up and the big bucks are more difficult to locate until the rut.

Classic!!!

Thanks guys. I didn't even realize this post was here until a few minutes ago. I guess I'm a day late and a dollar short to my own party!