tomgobbler

it took me awhile to get the first cat of the varmit calling season, and then got 2 in a row, one last week when i went out, and got another today, very pretty cat. good luck tommy

it took me long enough, but was finally able to break the ice with this cat, i've been getting quite a few dogs, and been waiting for a cat, and finally got it done today.

so no recovery on the frist pig? that sucks i hate it when that happens, and arent kids fun to try to get on animals, can be really frustrating, but cudos for sticking with it, and taking them back out. they are great to take, and the reward in the end is worth the frustration. great job

i've been checked probably 10 times in the last 10 years.... was out squirel hunting with the kids a few weeks back and they had a truck in the middle of the road with the officer standing and checking everyone that went through....

you looking to have your camp packed in? or just your elk packed out? I can do both, assuming it is on days i have off from work. i've got 4 horses, 3 that pack really well, packed out a mule deer 3 weeks ago, and went to flagstaff and packed out a bull elk for a guy this last friday. and will be packing out an elk this friday, after mathewp's wife shoots it let me know what you need, and if it works out an my days off, i can help ya. also assuming there isnt a foot of snow over the rim, that i can/cant get a 4 horse trailer up and over.... i'm located in taylor. thanks tommy

went out this morning and this is what i ended up with for my efforts. a nice badger with white toes on his back feet, anyone ever seen this?, i've only skinned about 3 dozen baders, so havent see all that many but never see white toes before. kins of cool anyway thought i'de share. tommy

and took all of your money up front and so now you dont owe a remaining balance when you pick these birds up! If you missed Mathews story from last spring it was one great hunt, he shot a bird around 6:15 or so and then his dad shot one around 8:00 opening morning, we were having breakfast in springerville by 8:30 opening morning all tagged out! awesome hunt, with 3" of snow on the ground.... the 3rd bird is his daughters.... the pictures are a little dark, sorry i need to get more light. good luck to all who drew tommy

yea you dont know how much i'm looking forward to the san carlos hunt as well as another great az spring! yea these will look really good in there with everything else yawl have!

Yea there are a lot of people that use the borax.... my trapping buddy, uses borax on the cats and not dogs, my other buddy uses it on both, and my other one like me doesnt use it at all....... so no right or wrong... yea for sure, would be nice wouldn't it.....or even a few years back on the cats.... they got up pretty decent ..... standman, we need to get together and go call soemtime, i didnt realize you were in pinetop, i'm in taylor....

Lance, dave and sadie came and picked up there bull a week or so ago, been waiting on them to post some pictures of it and her together, i took some while there were here at the house, but waitin on dave It was a pleasure getting to meet the family, and what a sweet young lady. Dave said when he got home at midnight sadie wouldnt let them go to bed until it was hung up on the wall. thanks again to those who contributed, and made all of this possible. May the Karma come back to you all 10 fold tommy

Ok guys here's the deal. I'm Mounting the Buffalo that Sadie was able to havest a few months ago. (free of charge) I don't want any of this expense to go to the family, hopeing their money will go to a transplant at some point for her. Sadie wanted the skull boiled and the real horns put on the skull and she wanted replica's made for the mount. So i was able to get a guy off of taxidermy.net to do the replicas for her (free of charge) he donated them, not knowing her from adam, He just read my story and called and told me he would do them for her. He had a little girl pass away several year ago from liver disease, so he understood the situation personally. I've already recieved them back from him and they look great. I also contacted My supply company and they are going to donate a shoulder form, and eyes for it. SO the last thing is the Tanning. I just got the bill for the tannying of the cape for $400.00 So what i'm asking for is some donations to cover this bill. If 400 of us would put in $1.00 , or 200 of us $2.00 , or 100 of us $4.00..... we'll you get the picture. So anyway i'm going to covering everything not covered in this, but what ever any of ya could do would be great. You can either mail a check to dave anderson... i'll have to get him to post his address.... I've already got the skull cleaned and ready, and the mount will be mounted in the next couple of weeks, with several weeks of drying, then finish work, so within about a month, the mount should be finished. ( dave you need to plan some time to figure out when to come pick it up in a month or so) looking forward to meeting you and sadie. or you could mail one to me. tommy hancock po box 679 taylor az. 85939 Thanks tommy

in the past the globe guy has made a 2 day trip i think 3 times a year, he leaves on a saturday and makes several stop out in new mexico, ending the day i think in gallup, and then on sunday he comes back through, i'm not sure were all he stops, but snowflake is one of them..... i NEVER felt the guy gave me fair prices and i WONT sell to him again..... i feel the fur auction is the same way, NOT the best plave to get the best dollar.... BUT there are lots of guys that both sell to him, and sell at the auction... Standman.... if your getting $175 for your big toms, and if they are from the high country, then i'll buy all of them from you, straight across the board for all toms, as long as there not yearling kittens. I have never used borax on any of my hides, you case skin, flesh ( scrape ALL fat, meat, ect off of hide), sew up holes, and wash ( i wash mine in a 5 gallon bucket with dishsoap or shampoo) rinsing really well. i leave them hang over a chair for a few hours or what ever until they are "dry" not really dry but exces water is off from the wash and rinse put it on a wood or metal hide streches fur side IN for abot 10-12 hours, then TURN it hair side OUT and restretch.... leaving for a week or so, then i pit it on wire and hang it from my shop, unitl i have enough that i'm ready to sale, the of course you can brush/comb it to make it look as fluffy and nice as possible.... Some use borax, some dont, i never have..... thats how i do, no right or wrong way , as they say there are several ways "to skin a cat" good luck in your hunting

I'm in taylor

The late elk hunt is just around the corner and and the elk are pushed farther from the road right now, hunt farther in and dont worry about how your going to get it out. i just packed out a deer last week, and ready for the late elk hunt. give me a hauler if your needing some help. good luck tommy

me ad my 11 year old drew 28 HAM jav's and i drew 27 turkey, will be buying the my son his first turkey tag as well, plus have a san carlos turkey tag, plus my brother drew 28 rifle, and him and his wife drew 4a/4b, plus mathewp drew unit 1 again.... so SPRING is going to be GREAT......

Well, i got down to shane's thursday night to do a little scouting, not that we really needed it, we always sit in one of two spots, we have a spot on the west side of the mountain, and one on the east side, its just a matter of choosing a side and going for it. Since Shane's BUddy, Ray had spent the week before my hunt, hunting mule deer, on he east side, i decided to look the west side over that evening. Ray had us some good bucks located, but i wanted to see what was hangin out on the west side. So i glassed from 1:30 or so, until dark, locateing 6 different bucks. 3 nice 80is 3x3's one small 3x3 and 2 unknows, as they disappered to fast. BUt a GREAT sign the evening before the opener. However daylight found us on the East side of the mountain were Ray thought there might be one of the bigger bucks he had seen earlier in the week. As we pulled up in the dark to our glassing spot, i met Ray for the first time, and i also was able to meet his "baby" his custom 30-378, with turrets out to about 2000 yards....he says with a chuckle anything on the this mountian that you can glass we can shoot. ( and it was a BIG mountain) anyhow as it begin to get light enough to start to make things out we each faced a different direction to begin the process of picking apart the mountainside. Ray about 75 yards down the ridge, to be able to look back into some cuts, me looking out the front and right side, and shane about 25 yards to my left watching the ridges and bowls to the left. About 30 minutes into glassing i barely make out a buck 3/4 of the way up to the top behind some brush. The sun still hasnt topped over the edge of the mountain range behind us, so with the buck being so far away and no sun to highlight his rack, i couldnt really make out what he was for sure. i knew he was out his ears in width, and he had a good body size, so i was thinking he had to be a decent buck. So i walk down to were SHane is sitting and ask him to come back up to were i am at, to take a look at the buck to see if he can get any better detail on him. As we are looking at him he moves out a little, and the sun finally tops out and so we get a little better look, but he is still a ways away. SO i radio Ray to come up and see what he thinks and to dig his gun out. In the mean time as Ray is making his way up a herd of pigs start up the mountain and run right into the buck, he didnt care to kindly to sharing the mountain and he ran the rest of the way to the top, SO now he is about 10' from the skyline and about 3 jumps from being gone for good. i tell Ray i think the buck is big enough to shoot, and show him were the buck is, and ask him what he thinks, and he says no problem, lets get him ranged and dialed in before he tops over. So he ranges him at 748 yards, and tells me how much to dial the scope so i lay down, rest the gun over Ray's pack, and dial the turrets to the correct yardage, ( allowing for the steep incline as well) he says you need to hurry, he's broad side ( very slight quarting away) and about 3 steps from being gone for good, so put a shell in and find the bucks shoulder in the reticle, hold steady for a split second and touch it off. ...... well what happened? is all i saw was smoke and dust with the muzzle break the gun has on it. SHanes says he down you nailed him, and i'm line no way, and Shane's like yep the big centry plant just shook a bunch as the buck layed and kicked in it. And i was like if you guys are just trying to get me to hike to the top of the steep mountain for the fun of it, i aint going to be happy, and Shanes says nope hes laying right there at the top. SO to make a long story shorter we hike to the top of the mountain and there lays my buck. an 85ish 2x2 with 6" eye gaurds, 13 1/2 inside spread and 15" main beams, but NO 3rd point, just a 2x2. BUt i'm happy with the buck, a 748 yard 1 shot kill opening morning at 7:45 or so. ANd it is my wifes birthday tomorrow, so i really needed to get home for that. ( Which i made it for) so what a day.... A BIG THANKS TO SHANE AND HIS BUDDY RAY, A GREAT GUY, THAT CAME ALONG AND GAVE A COMPLETE STRANGER A HAND. May all YOUR friends be like these 2 guys. Good luck tommy in the last picture you can barely make out the truck were i shot from

the gun is the 378 wthrby. necked down to a 30 caliber. so a 30-378.

"they" say, a cat will make its rounds every ten days or so.... would be interesting if you get any other pictuers, and if it matches that pattern or not.... if you could "pattern" him then you'de have a better chance of what day to go back and call... up your odds a little.... having said that, yes he will be around somewhere close, and yes there will be other cats.... he made a pile there, is that a "cat toilet" meaning was there other old cat scat there, or was that the first cat scat you see at that spot... if there is old there, then it is a regular toilet that they WILL be back to at some point. if it is new, then i'de still say when he makes his rounds again he will do his thing there, and so will other passing cats.... and if there was a cat there at some point then there will probably be one there every year, unless drastic drout or fire or something happenes. there is food, water, thick cover... there is cats.... i have caught a cat in the exact trap, in the exact location 3 years in a row, and in a month or 2 i'll garuntee ya i'll catch one this year in that exact same trap and set up..... give me a week or 2 in your spot and i'll have that cat for you good luck it is a nice looking cat, if you give him time to fur up. tommy

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anyone have the paper that the game and fish puts out or know to look up last years spring left over javelina tags.... i cant seem to find it. thanks tommy

Ok here's the deal. My brothers wife drew her first elk tag after about 15 years of applying. an EARLY rifle tag, we've been out looking quite a bit and have LOTS of NICE (330-350) bulls located, and a few BIG AND NICE ones located. (350-380)but of course the archery hunters are messing with / killing several of them and several others are getting busted up. I found a bull that i think with go a true 380.+...(my buddy watched it for 20 minutes @ 250 yards wed night and again thursday morning) NICE BIG 6x6, with its whale tail i think having a 1"-2" point actaully making it a 6x7... but its BIG.....perfectly semetricle, just a beautiful bull, we went out last night to look in another spot that i had seen some good bulls in to see what else we could find. and i told my brother i think we should sit on this "380" bull this week and let her shoot it opening morning and his reply was no its not 400..... and i said well Do we have any true 400 bulls that we have scouted that isnt broken ( i think we had 2 that would go 400, but both are broken) and he said no... and i said well, then.... of course we are going to still be looking the rest of the week, to see what's left..... and NO we aint going to hire a guide..... So yawl know how hard early rifle tags are to come by.... is the 380 class bull "big enough" would you wrap you tag around it opening morning if you had the chance.... ??? OR would you try and hunt a few days for a 400....just curious what yawl would do.... Hopefully pictures to follow after next weekend

of course this is her hunt and she is going to shoot what she likes... we are just going to glass, let her know what we think of the bulls we see, and gut, load/haul it our for her... she just gets to have the fun she is going to decide when and what to pull the trigger on :) i think she would be REALLY happy with this bull, there are 2 other 6x7's in the same area as him, and he puts them to shame. HE is BIG..... me and my bro were just hashing it out last night as we were looking at other bulls.... i was saying i would shoot the sucker in a heart beat opening morning, and he was saying naw i'de hold out.... just two opnions on what ya would do if the tag was YOURS... but i really think he would have a really hard time passing this bull up and looking for bigger.... but you wont ever kill a 400 shooting a 380.... i may never shoot a 400 casue i'de shoot a 380 everytime, i couldnt pass it up.... just me though it will be fun regardless

congrats , nice goat.!

Got ya, i know augar canyon very well, generally chase turkeys in there somwhere every spring. didnt know those houses / subdivision to the west was called that. congrats again tommy

Cool, i thought i was pretty close, glad to hear i wasnt way off.... although for you sake i wish i would of been 4 inches off and he would of been 18" Just kidding, Congrats again glad you were able to take the one you wanted. It is always fun to go watch an animal take pictures video andthen hunt for that exact animal and be able to close the deal. i drew last year after 20 + years of applying and took lots of pictures of my buck and killed him with in 20 of the hunt.... but the hunt was really all those hours scouting and looking.... glad you were able to find and take the one you had spent time on. He will make a great mount and those cutters will make up for what lenght he doesnt have. He's a very nice goat. yea 1 and 27 are parts of my stompin ground, so yea hope we can run into each other some time. were exactly is dry valley.... thanks for sharing tommy