CEI

Great Year! Thank a predator hunter, you non-predator hunters... It's matters!!!

pushing 400!!! Just a few days left to voice your opinion & to help the little guy out! I have had calls from a taxidermist, meat processor & a guide service because of these awards last year. They all got business, so it makes a difference! It's like I said before, this isn't my vote, it's our vote & when someone calls me & thanks me, I tell them they need to thank you guys! We have 5 Top Picks advertising with us from last year & they all received a 10% discount because they were voted as such! I actually lose money, but I want the Top Picks in our publication! MY WIFE LOOKS AT ME LIKE I AM CRAZY!!! VOTE ARIZONA!!!

Do any of you guys/gals ever go in Barnes & Nobles? How about Borders? I didn't know what Borders was, MY WIFE DID!

We want to celebrate the UNLUCKY!!! I drew 2 Premium Permits last year, but I had to wait awhile for one of them. I know some guys/gals have waited a lot longer than I have & it can sometimes be a little depressing. A friend of mine just drew his FIFTH ARIZONA BULL TAG in a ROW, but we aren't here to complain, we want to reward 1 LUCKY LOSER! Below is a link to the rules & information: Lucky LOSER Giveaway!!!

I knew it was coming, but the facts are there are just too many Arizona Guides & Outfitters for us to continue to list for FREE. Next year we will only be listing advertising Guide Services & the Top Picks! We will continue to list guides for free on the voting page, as we STRONGLY believe this is THE BEST way to get a well rounded opinion. So, the 2011-12 Top Picks will basically get FREE advertising & be endorsed by 300-500 outdoorsmen. VOTE AZ!

Congrats to the LUCKY ones!!! Should see some GREAT antler growth, especially in Central & Western AZ this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0mQ1rPi0GM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6agbKITwQJA

Terry, I agree with you on the land swaps, but do you think it will ever happen? Look at 18A (Double O & Denny) & 10 (Seven's), they will sell off the private stuff to a developer & then still be able to graze cattle. 90% of the Ranches around Kingman have done this same thing! It's slowly but surely eating us away... Is there away for the conservation groups, G&F, State Land & the ranchers to all gather in a huge conference room & have a sit down. (I am a little ignorant & this may have already happened.) Bottom line is if they all subdivide, they won't hand a beautiful ranch down to their kids & our kids won't be able to hunt this country. The Game & Fish will lose revenues or probably not because they will increase the price of tags to make up for the difference (supply & demand). So, I personally see the ranchers & hunters as the one's losing, because we can't work together. We have bad apple's on both sides that make this tougher than it should be! I ain't against the rancher & I hate to see them dang subdivisions worse than keeping the gate locked. I mean we can access those places now, but in the long run it's killing habitat & our kids & grand kids won't be hunting there. It almost seems like the ROOTS are in too deep & it's a domino effect.

As Creed mentioned in the Antelope hunting section State-Trust Land is not considered Public Land. To be on State-Trust Land you must have a PERMIT. Your hunting & fishing licenses does count as your permit, but only if you are ACTIVELY hunting or fishing. You can purchase a special use permit, if you are camping, scouting or shed hunting on State-Trust Land. Nobody usually enforces this, but its a law. Checkerboard land & access is going to continue to be an issue in Arizona & other states. I don't blame a Rancher for trying to make a buck or two & I get a little jealous, but that's human nature.

I agree 100% with you!

Somebody once told me & this is true... "Anyone can give me a problem, I need REAL solutions!" I will say it again, LAND USE & access is our #1 threat & I don't have a solution. The COST of hunting is at an ALL TIME HIGH & you have to travel further to do it. PLACES are more crowded than ever, with less hunters because there is less area to hunt! Unit 18A, Unit 10, 19A & others all have LOTS of checkerboard & land access issues. It's not going to get better, the game & fish or state is not buying land, heck people (ranchers) are selling it & it's getting subdivided & the first thing that goes up is a NO TRESPASS SIGN (lots of times by hunters). I don't think you can stop it, YOU have to ADAPT & I believe we will continue to LOSE more hunters, more votes & we will see increase tag fees because ONLY the guys who value it will be left. I reported a so-called outfitter this year for harassing me while on Stat-Trust land. 4 phone calls & it's not resolved & I reported him because if I was just an average joe-blow with my wife or daughter, it would have scared the crap out of me. I was told that I did the right thing & I was harassed. A few year's back a Squater shot his pistol at my dad while driving down a sub-division road. My dad is 6'3" 230 lbs & was born & raised in Arizona will not even go around that area, even though he did nothing wrong. This was reported & nothing ever happened... SORRY, I will step off my soap box!

So, how do you stop it? Make landowner tags that are only valid for private ground only? How many acres would qualify someone for a permit? Would this led to ranches like Babbits & Diamond A being closed down to public access? Just some thoughts, what do you guys think... I know Ranches have petitioned for years to try & get landowner tags. BINGO!!!! We have a winner!

Red Rabbit is correct.... Checkerboarded lands are a mess & is slowly but surely shrinking our everyday guy hunting areas. Below is something I posted on another form & basically got little response. What do you guys think... I live in AZ & I have never hunted outside of AZ. I started applying for NV, CO & Utah 5 years back. I apply for some quality hunts because if I am going to spend the money I want a quality tag. I also have started participating in several larger coyote hunts that will eventually led me away from AZ. Now with that being said we have a problem in AZ with human encroachment, developed checker board land & many of the bigger ranches have closed their doors. Do you guys have these same issues? AZ has very hunter friendly laws, as a private property owner must post such land properly. I know in several other states it is up to the hunter to know where he is & where private property begins. If we had these same rules, it would be a NIGHTMARE & the G&F would be buried with trespass pass cases. Honestly, many average hunters would probably turn it in, as many places are checker boarded & developed. So, what is an average hunter? Too me an average hunter is a guy that hunts local & does not stray to far from home. Maybe he shoots his rifle once or twice before the hunt & heads out to his general deer hunt the night before season. Bottom line is he doesn't make it a priority... I have several friends that over the years have also begun applying for out-of-state hunts. I would not call these guys average, as they are some of the best hunters I personally know. If you look at the stats we are losing hunters & I believe it's the folks that don't value it like us. At some point I think applying out-of-state is going to be average because we will be the ones left & the ones that value it enough to fork out that kinda cash. In Arizona I believe the two biggest land access issues are rural development of checker boarded land & a few ranches trying to close access to public land & not just their private property. Again, private property is private & I don't pay their taxes, so I have no problem with these guys charging fees to gain access. Here is what my home county looks like on a GIS land status overlay: Mohave County HOME of the Strip & Unit 10 General areas around my home town are getting piece milled too death! We can't all draw strip tags or unit 10 elk tags every year. The local areas that once held decent deer, pronghorn, elk, desert bighorn & predator hunting opportunities are getting developed to death. It's my opinion that this is major force in driving the average guy out of hunting & is taking the more serious guy to a new level. I did not apply out-of-state until 5 years ago & some of my friends are now also applying because the general units all have issues. Access, crowding & low deer densities... My question is, as we lose more hunters (1990's AZ 165K, now 148K) are the guys left the ones willing to travel further & spend more money? Basically, what was the average hunter 10 year's ago, may no longer be the average hunter because the other guys aren't willing to adapt & spend the money.

We will be at the Arizona Game & Fish Expo this coming weekend. Hopefully some of you will stop in & say hi, maybe even order next year's Outdoorsman's Resource Guide. We are up to 250+ voters & we are still hoping to reach 500 voters by April 15th! You can't email me & complain or call me & wine if you don't vote... VOTE AZ TOP PICKS!

Watched it yesterday. Good job Eric & congrats on the archery buck! They may have changed the show times because on cox cable , magnum nosler comes on at 11:30am tomorrow , I didn't check the other times.

I wanted to give out some more information, as to who I am & what the CEi Outdoors is about. I also want to point out that I am not anyone special, I am just a guy who loves to hunt, just like most of you. I LOVE CARP, I am sorry, but I do... I really like the challenge & idea of hunting coues, but I have yet to do it for myself. Soon... Soon... I hope! the history & thought process behind the Outdoorsman's Resource Guide… Craig Steele was born & raised in Kingman, Arizona, where he still resides. He grew up hunting & fishing local areas, just like the majority of outdoorsmen across the country. His family wasn’t upper class & for many years his father would forego applying for hunts, just so his son & daughter could apply. Craig’s parents checked him out of school & sports, for weeks, on more than one occasion, in order for him to go on a hunt. “My sister & I both drew Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep permits, before we were 13! We were blessed to hunt a lot as kids.” Craig After Craig graduated high school, he married his wife Richelle & became a career firefighter. After several years of marriage & school, he finally graduated community college with a fire science degree & had two wonderful kids. Inspired by his Grandfather & Gordon Eastman, from 2002-2005, he produced three AZ hunting DVD’s. Most of the footage consisted of diy type hunts, which was different from many of the other DVD’s being produced at that time. In 2006 Craig found hunting & filming travel expenses were inflating, the DVD market was flooded & it took more of his free time than anticipated, so he decided to stop producing DVD’s. Craig had been applying for unit 9 & 10 archery bull elk hunts since he was just 14 years old, but like so many others, he had never drew one of these permits. It was frustrating, so in 2006 he chose to apply for an easier to draw hunt & with a high amount of bonus points he drew the tag. They hunted hard, but did not get it done & had plenty of EXCUSES. That same year Craig also started applying for out-of-state hunts. He wanted more chances to draw QUALITY tags because he valued a quality experience. “I used to be ignorant as I thought only wealthy guys applied out-of-state. But a lot of applicants are guys like me who value QUALITY hunts & realize if they are going to spend the time, money & effort, they want a quality experience. It’s no different than my parents applying us for Desert Bighorn as kids, most local hunters thought it was crazy, but my parents valued it. Heck, I grew up in a double wide & my parents drove used cars, but we went hunting because they sacrificed & made it a priority.” Inflation, fuel prices, cell phones & lack of resources… After the 2006 season, Craig began to notice subtle things that made for issues while in the field & in his wallet. They were inconvenient at the time & all of these happened while less than 2 hours from his home town. “In 2004 we were hunting in Arizona GMU 8 during the Archery Elk season & we complained about $1.79 per gallon gas prices. We really thought it was bad back then... During that hunt, the water pump in my travel trailer took a dive & we didn’t know where to get another one, so we drove to the biggest city & wandered around until we found an RV part store. You don't think about that stuff until it happens.” “One year, I thought I left my wallet at a rural convenience store 30 miles from elk camp. We hopped in the truck & made the 60 mile round trip once again, only to find out it wasn’t there.” “2007- My dad broke all of the fiber optics on his pins the last weekend of his archery elk hunt; we didn’t have a number to any of the bow shops & really didn’t know if they were open on the weekend. We stayed at camp & rigged something up, which didn’t work very well at all. That same year, my dad got some bad fuel & broke down in Seligman, AZ, before the hunt. We didn’t know they had a part store in that little town. My dad called my brother-in-law & had him get a fuel filter in our home town. My dad missed that afternoon of scouting, got into camp late & was tired as heck the next morning.” “2009- While hunting in a unit 30 minutes from my home town, my good friend needed a battery for his range finder. The rural convenience store was an hour drive. We decided to pass on driving because we didn’t want to waste the time or money to drive there. What if that 190” buck would have stepped out at 320 yards, maybe they had the battery?” “2008- We got back to camp late & my buddy decided he wanted to eat at the local restaurant. We drove 35 minutes only to find the restaurant was closed for the night. We wasted 1hr 10mins, plus fuel! We had M&Ms & Dr. Pepper for dinner.” It was apparent to Craig that these experiences, along with many others proved he could have saved some valuable time & money by having these resources with him. His cell phone was a tool, but he wasn't putting it to good use. He figured since he was paying cell phone providers 100 bucks a month & fuel prices where killing his hunting budget, it only made sense to believe that other outdoorsmen could benefit from having resources with them while in the field. During the summer of 2008 Craig began writing thoughts & different experiences down. It soon turned into nights of phone calls, debating & lots of brain storming. He eventually gathered as much information as he could & then published a free digital publication in 2009 called, “the Outdoorsman’s Resource Guide.” It was a step, but it wasn't complete & he wasn’t satisfied with the product. It needed more information,it needed to be updated, because businesses were always going out-of-business & outdoorsmen could also benefit from having more information while in the field. In early 2010 Craig purchased a Garmin 1300 GPS, he wanted to compare & use it as a tool. He & Chris Chavez drove every inch of highway across Northern Arizona. They found the GPS to be a great tool, but the business information was not built for outdoorsmen. Lots of out dated business information, the majority of the rural gas stations were not to be found & it did not have 90% of the current hunting related businesses listed. Again, it was a great tool for knowing where you were at & for getting you somewhere, if you had the right information. That winter & spring, these two guys went door-to-door handing out brochures, searching for motels, restaurants & gas station owners who valued the outdoorsman’s dollar. Arizona outdoorsmen spend millions of dollars on food & lodging in just Coconino County alone! Craig felt it was important to at least inform these businesses of what outdoorsmen spent & what they were doing. They covered over 7,000 miles in Northern Arizona plotting & searching for businesses... In July 2010, Craig published another digital version & the first print edition of the Outdoorsman’s Resource Guide. The response was good & even better from guys that spent a ton of time in the field. “It’s the resident hunters & guides that are spending a lot of money & time in the field, getting the ORG's philosphy. They understand there is nothing like it & you can know the terrain & animals like the back of your hand, but you don’t have the number to the rural gas station or the most up-to-date list of bow shops around your unit. It is very satisfying knowing that a well known guide or a hardcore diy hunter understands the value in it.” BIGGER & BETTER in 2011! November of 2010- Craig resigned his full-time career firefighting position & is now running CEi Outdoors, their publishing business full-time. Craig is dedicated to building a quality product that can help make a difference for any outdoorsman. "I realize I have worked my butt off to put out a quality product, but I want to make it better! We have taxidermists, meat processors, guides, diy resident hunters & native land tribal members helping us with next year’s publication. I really want next year’s publication to be viewed as a tool that will help NEW hunters & any outdoorsmen willing to absorb & use the information. We don’t discriminate; we list as many taxidermists, meat processors & other businesses as we can. We want QUALITY information that is relevant for a given state & unit.” 2011 will be another year of challenges in order to put together a better product. Businesses are always changing, finding more relevant resources & searching for businesses that truly value the outdoorsman’s way-of-life, is a challenge. The inflation & cost of fuel is driving the cost of hunting & fishing to extreme levels, now more than ever. Craig hopes people understand that the Outdoorsman’s Resource Guide, looks like a magazine, but it’s really a tool & one he believes can help save you some time & money.

I shoot a Mathews, so I am not a BowTech or Hoyt guy trying to make fun of them. I saw this commercial on the web a few weeks ago & thought it was one of the worst commercials I have seen for a hunting product. What do you guys think? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kaqLgdWmfg

I guess Tom Miranda, when he says, "it's the hot ticket" really bugs me. I am not a huge Dave Watson fan, but I have nothing against him, I just don't like his expressions. Stan Potts is always goofy but at least he is consistent. The younger guy who shoots for them knows how to shoot & he is the only one to me that doesn't seem corny. I guess it bugs me that they are trying to make a serious commercial & it seems corny... I understand others make corny commercials, but they are trying to be funny. It's not a big deal,it just made me wonder why MATHEWS with all of their resources would release this commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8X7fWsPFUU&tracker=False I have deleted many comments cursing me for having my wife pass on this bull because I felt it was too far. If I was the one with the tag, I would have shot no question, but it was my wife's first archery elk hunt & she was only pulling 48-50 lbs. My point is, everyone has different skill levels & abilities. I don't delete the comments unless they have down right mean intentions & hopefully you guys will enjoy!

I will say, there is always two sides to every story, but the whole deal from his perspective is wrong without question. Hurting his reputation is going to hurt him somewhat, but legal action is the only method that generally stands out in all of our PEE brains. Truthfully, we see all kinds of rumors & stories floating around on forums & via other communications & I tend to get numb to it after awhile. It's clearly wrong what he did, I don't question that... I still can't believe someone paying that much for a tag wouldn't have a better legal contract or have the resources to find another quality AZ guide. By saying this, I don't think it is his fault, I just can't believe he didn't protect himself.

We have hit 200 VALID voters, with just over a month to go! Hopefully, some more folks will see the value in voting, as we have some businesses getting 25% off Ads with the Top Picks discount included.

Vote ARIZONA!! We are approaching 200 FAST! Make sure your voice is heard, it's not about bashing others it's about promoting quality businesses!

If they have 70k for a sheep hunt, I would hope they would have enough sense to hire a lawyer to look over the contract details before hiring. I would also believe they would consult a lawyer after he bailed, further more they should turn him into the better business bureau. I would think he would have a commercial liability insurance policy & a good lawyer with time & money on his side will dig the spurs in on that, if the contract is poor or if there wasn't one. Obviously, that was a dumb move on behalf of the booking agent! It's called customer service & there are many Guides here in Arizona that could have done a great job for their dad.