CEI

As application deadlines begin to close and draw results are released, it's the question some lucky tag holders will face. How do I find the right Outfitter/Guide? A giant desert mule deer taken by Eric Hunt (Arizona Desert Sheep Guides)! A short list of things to ask and look for: 1. Is the guide licensed? Permits & Insurance? 2. If you book with an outfitter, are you going to be JUST a number in camp or "subbed out"? 3. If you are subbed out, who is YOUR guide? 4. How many other hunters are in camp with you? 5. Has your guide ever hunted or guided in your unit? 6. How many days will your guide be scouting for you? 7. Are your expectations and your guide's promises realistic? 8. Does your guide have references & photos with clients? 9. Don't book on just a trail camera photo(s)! Ask questions! 10. Don't book on just the outfitter's name! Ask questions! Here is the deal, there are hundreds of outfitters and even more licensed guides in each state. There are some that just specialize on specific units and species. While some outfitters have a core group of guys that do well in a more broad spectrum, but the bottom line is... MAKE sure your expectations get discussed and don't by into bs! If you need some help in selecting an outfitter/guide and you want to make sure there is accountability, please feel free to email us or call 1.877.842.1258. Keep in mind, we have potential to send outfitters/guides lots of business, therefore our clients' expectations get met! View the full article

Brad Figy sharing a special moment with his daughter. Shortly after I got my kids to bed a few weeks ago, I received a text from a good friend, Nate Ragan. It stated his uncle was just diagnosed with a severe heart problem and needs a heart transplant. Nate then told me they have to raise $90,000 for his uncle to get on the donor list. I didn't really know what to say, other than, how can we help and we will be praying for your uncle. "Best to be Blessed" the story that Brad was a part of. Brad Figy was apart of a story titled, "Best to be Blessed", it was featured in the 2012 Arizona Hunting Edition of the ORG. I personally don't know Brad, but I know of his family and we send our prayers. We are going to try and help him and his family raise money. Life is short. We all forget we are only here for a short time and stories like these make us hug our kids a little tighter. God willing, Brad will get his heart. For anyone who would like to make a cash or check donation to the Heart for Brad account, you can do so through Chase bank. For people in Cottonwood, you can just go to our local Chase with cash or check at anytime and tell them you have a donation for "Bradley S. Figy Account," or if you would like to mail a check: C/O Hope Smith Chase Bank - Cottonwood, AZ Branch 1540 E State Route 89A Cottonwood, AZ 86326 All checks payable to "Bradley S Figy Account" A link where you can give to Brad & his family: GiveFoward-Heart for Brad Please join his cause on Facebook: Heart 4 Brad View the full article

Did you draw in Arizona for Elk or Pronghorn? We didn't! If you have any questions regarding reputable outfitters or scouting packages, please feel free to call us 877.842.1258. If you drew a tag & don't need any help, but want to talk about strategies, (especially archery hunting strategies) feel FREE to shoot us an email. I am still waiting on Utah results and I will be applying for Colorado & Nevada now. I also maybe applying for non-tribal permits on the Navajo Nation. I also have my token OTC Arizona Archery Deer Tag!!! No Excuses View the full article

Credit Cards are being hit for 2013 Arizona Elk & Pronghorn tag holders! If you are a lucky tag holder, feel free to call us with questions regarding qualified & ORG endorsed Arizona Outfitters. We will make sure you find the right one for your unit, hunt, and species. Results from 2010, not 2013! If you are a DIY guy, but don't have the time to scout, again feel free to call us. We have already had multiple calls, but keep in mind, we sell a very limited amount of scouting packages. Scouting packages just would not be of value if we did them for everyone that called. p.877.842.1258 View the full article

Bryce Goodman with his great Arizona Archery Bull! Tyler, Ty & Bryce Goodman with Bryce's Big Arizona Archery Bull. Bryce Goodman, son of Ty Goodman, owner of Goodman Outfitters from Payson, Arizona took a great Arizona Archery Bull this past season. Bryce also took a great mule deer buck last year on a late Kaibab Hunt, which was featured in the 2012 ORG-Arizona Hunting Edition. This young hunter is stacking up some great animals at a very young age. View the full article

Looks pretty good for a Coues. If you work at it hard enough hopefully you guys can put him on the ground. Great photos.

Great ram & story! Congrats to the entire family! He won't ever forget it!

I know a good buyer if you are looking to sell? Would you leave some for the rest of us that have to WORK for a living!!!! Nice finds man.

We are giving away x2 $50 Cabela's Giftcards this year. All you have to do is come cast a ballot and you will be entered to win these and some other cool stuff. VOTING ENDS APRIL 1st!!! http://OutdoorsmansResourceguide.com

Great desert muley! Congrats to your Son-in-Law.

Great deal. We need all the money we can get to figure out all of these access issues we are going to face in the next 10-15 years.

This year we are very excited to announce we are providing all of the story contributors with some cool base packages. Basically, all of the UnGuided/DIY story contributors will get the , an ORG T-Shirt, ORG Flex Fit Hat, & both copies of the new 2013 ORGs. All Guided Hunt story contributors will get the same package, but it will come with a different hunting DVD. 2013 ORG Story Contributor Packages We have some more product to give to story contributors, but we don't want to ruin the BIG surprise! We appreciate your story submissions and our product supporters. View the full article

Travis McClendon of The CactusBull Crew/McClendon's Guide Service sent us this video yesterday. This hunt took place in 2011 on public land in Arizona. Allen Jacobsen shoots a 435" Non-Typical bull that is currently #3 in the world with a muzzleloader. Unfourtunately, it took them a few days to find the bull, so they didn't get any of the meat or dead photos of this giant bull. Here is a link to Allen's Bull on The Great Elk Tour! Allan's Big Bull on the Great Elk Tour! View the full article

A recent storm system moved from California through the Rockies. Here are the facts...  Precipitation data shows where the moisture actually fell. Latest 30 day data isn't very exciting. March-May Precipitation outlook is not looking good for the SW. View the full article

This video is pretty killer! Elk Rut going NUTS in Estes Park, Colorado. View the full article

Your chance to endorse your favorite business. The deadline is getting closer... The Outdoorsmen Top Pick title is going to be placed on the winners' names inside the 2013 ORGs. This logo will proudly be place on winning advertisers' ads inside the 2013 ORGs. This logo is also going to be sent to all the winners for marketing purposes. Bottom line is, either you or your competitor is going to win and this title does drive business to the Top Picks! For those of you voting... We have x2 $50 Cabela's Giftcards to giveaway. ORG Branded Gear. Both NEW ORG Magazines & a pile of hunting DVDs! All you have to do is go vote before April 1, 2013! If you are trying to vote from your smartphone make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page and switch to "CLASSIC" view. 2013 Arizona Outdoorsmen Top Pick Ballot 2013 Colorado Outdoorsmen Top Pick Ballot VOTING CLOSES APRIL 1st!!!! View the full article

Sam Rohr follows a Giant Idaho Mule Deer for 38 days before picking up his sheds. This is a GIANT 230+" 35" Monster Mule Deer and it took a lot of dedication to follow this buck. Congrats to Sam and his partner for finding and documenting this once-in-a-lifetime experience. 230" Giant Idaho Mule Deer Thanks for sharing with us all! View the full article

Many DIY Hunters & Guides are the experts being overlooked! This past Sunday, I had a chance to walk around the RMEF elk camp show. I stopped at a booth for a moment to check out a call company. The packaging caught my eye, but once I got up close I recognized the calls. According to the sales staff they had just recently been bought out by a bigger company, thus the change in packaging. After a very brief conversation, one of the salesmen (who also has a TV show) proceeded to tell me how the dual chambered technology allowed him to call more mature animals. He then looked me in the eyes and stated, "the technology would allow me to call more mature animals in on the run!" Honestly, I was laughing inside, but at the same time pist! Of course I didn't say anything, I didn't want to be a jerk or arrogant. I kindly said thanks, and headed toward our booth. After thinking about his sales pitch, I figured out why it irritated me. He assumed I was a beginner. He assumed I was gullible. He immediately voided his honesty button and started tossing out the MIRACLE call pitch. I am not sure if he was desperate, but these sort of sales pitches only make it tougher for the rest of us in the industry. These BS pitches also provoke a lot of new hunters to buy crappy products. Local DIY Hunters and Guides are an untapped wealth of knowledge. I have the opportunity to visit with numerous hardcore DIY hunters and guides. These folks are the best hunters I know, PERIOD. Most of these guys are not on TV or in a magazine! Many are great people, but very cautious who they hunt with. If I could give one piece of advice to the NEW hunters out there it would be...don't get caught up in the the HYPE. I am not saying there isn't any quality hunters on TV or on magazine staffs, because there are guys like Randy Newberg, Ryan Hatfield and Nate Simmons. All of them are very smart and knowledgeable western hunters, but if someone's advice sounds to good to be true, than it is. In closing... I walked away thinking this was a gimmick product and the gentleman lost any credibility with me. View the full article

We don't take this lightly because it has always been a touchy subject with me. I am not into BS pitches and you won't hear me tossing out the miracle call or product pitch. When you see us promoting an ORG Endorsed Product, yes, it's because they are paying supporters, but it is also because we truly believe in the value of the product. You won't see us putting this title on every product that advertises inside the ORGs, but we PROUDLY endorse Hunting GPS Maps! For the record... en·dorse [ in dáwrss ] approve something formally: to give formal approval or permission for something support somebody or something: to give public support to somebody or something, especially during an election promote product: to give public approval of a product for advertising purposes View the full article

DIY Scouting Reports & Outfitter Screening We have officially launched our Western Hunting Custom Application Service. Over the past few months we have had a ton of inquiries on our DIY scouting services. We just wanted to remind everyone that we are limiting the number of scouting packages. We will have a few different options and price points available, so please call us or shoot us an email. a more custom approach... Many folks ask us about unit information and assume the ORGs are like a couple of other magazines. We DO NOT breakdown unit information inside the ORGs. We believe a couple of magazines cover some of the top units for non-residents and therefor we don't find the value in publishing this information. We also don't believe it is in the best interest of our application service clients. View the full article

Feel free to stop by our booth (#473 CEi Outdoors/ORG) at the 2013 RMEF Elk Camp/ISE Show in Las Vegas, NV! Western Hunting Custom Application Service-"a more custom approach" Pre-Order the NEW Arizona and Colorado ORGs! Stop by and watch 10 minutes of exciting Western Hunting Action! View the full article

Western Hunting Draw Odds We recently added a draw odds page to our website. Currently, we have links to hard to find documents that are published by Game & Fish Departments on an annual basis. These documents break down the statistics of the previous year's big game draw. They are extremely informative, but it's a very time consuming task if you are researching several different state draws. ORG-Hunt Draw Odds Page We tentatively have an entire website makeover scheduled for next year, so please be patient. This will include a helpful draw odds calculator. Western Hunting Custom Application Service If you need some professional assistance with draw information, quality outfitters, or limited DIY scouting information, please contact us. Western Hunting Custom Application Service View the full article

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwGK9pcjkX0/UQ0ITND_rqI/AAAAAAAAD0w/feIUMayDG2A/s1600/momma&son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwGK9pcjkX0/UQ0ITND_rqI/AAAAAAAAD0w/feIUMayDG2A/s400/momma&son.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unit 10 shed hunting during the spring would not be allowed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Arizona's world famous Unit 10 is more than likely one of best places in the WORLD to hunt trophy elk and pronghorn. Currently, threats are being made by the grazing rights lessee of the Boquillas Ranch (Diamond A Cattle Company) to shut down the ranch or charge a $60 access per hunt, per person access fee. The Navajo Nation owns the private property and the other pieces of land are owned by the state of Arizona. The wildlife that resides within the Boquillas Ranch and all of Arizona are owned by the PUBLIC of Arizona.<br /><br />I recently read a letter that was sent to the Arizona Game & Fish Commission from former Unit 10 Game Warden, Tim Pender. Tim's not playing politics and he is finally able to lay out the cards the way they are dealt. Below is a link to Tim Pender's letter:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cactusbull.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BOQUILLAS-RANCH.pdf">Tim Pender's Letter</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My final thoughts... </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I would be willing to accept an agreement if there was indeed an issue and it came from the private property owners (the Navajo Nation). This agreement is not the Navajo Nation's proposal. The Navajo Nation currently only charges a $32 fee to hunt small game and predators for 1 calender year on their OWN reservation. This is the proposal from a greedy cattle company that wants control over public wildlife, state trust land, and the people that access the private property. These are the facts! </div><br /><br /> View the full article

You may love them or hate them, but almost everyone has at least one trail camera. Here are a few great 2012 trail camera pictures of AZ Big Bucks from McClendons Guide Service/ Cactus Bull Crew. View the full article

I have had several emails and Facebook messages inquiring on this episode. Like many of you hardcore hunting addicted people, hunting consumes my life. When I am in the field, I want to go as hard as I can, for as many hours as I can. When I am out of the field, I can't stop thinking about getting back. I don't care to be known as a great hunter, but I do want people to know I work my butt off. I truly believe that is how you consistently succeed. The "No Excuses" series is not about a bunch of fancy graphics or killer editing. It's about being real and documenting the trials and tribulations of a hunt. Watch in HD! FYI-If hunting was a beauty contest, I think I would have won first place by the end of this hunt. Best, Craig View the full article