Heat

Straight up the front leg about a third of the way up the body is the best place to aim. Too many guys aim too far back. Keeping your aim low probably helps when they jump the string as well. Dont worry too much about the shoulder blade. Most set ups have plenty of energy to get it in the good stuff even if you hit the bone. Too high happens a lot. Don't fret too much on a lost deer. Nothing goes to waste in nature. As long as you gave it your best and learned from your mistakes, you have nothing to feel bad about. It happens to everybody who hunts with bow long enough. Good luck this season!

I like the Magnus Snuffer SS and Stinger 125 grain heads. Very durable heads that are guaranteed for life. Free replacement if you mess them up too bad. That's a deal I can't refuse!

Hey Bowsniper, Did you guys go to the Kofa quail camp in January? I believe we met and chatted a bit there. Either way Congratulations to KidBowHunter! That is so cool! I just found out today that a friend since jr high got a sheep tag in 41E. Looks like I get to help this year, which is nice cause I think I still got the fever!

I got checked last fall in 13A pronghorn hunting. Ran into the wm supervisor on opening day and stopped to chat with him. He checked my license and tag and we parted ways. Two days later while driving back out to one of the main roads with my buck I just killed, he was there waiting for me at the junction. He checked my license and tag again, took some data, gave his congrats and I was on my way. Very professional IMO. I do think he was watching me the day I killed my buck to be right there as I was leaving the area. Kinda suprised to see him then and there, but I was with a guy that wasn't hunting so maybe he was just making sure I tagged my buck and there was no funny business. I've been checked by the feds dove hunting in Yuma and I'll deal with the AZ guys anyday over the feds. That guy wanted to write one of us a ticket in the worst way. He dressed up like a hunter went out in the field near us and waited till we were about done then came and checked our group. I kinda wondered why he wasn't shooting much. Only checked fishing once on the canal near Yuma again.

Any way you look at it I am one of the luckiest SOB's in AZ. Good news for you is I only have 3 sheep points and I'm now applying for Rocky. Good news for me is I killed a desert ram last year with 8 Points going into the draw. Bad news for you and me is there is no guaranteed draw for sheep based on bonus points. There are just too many applicants with max points and not enough tags to go around. I still am encouraged that while remote, it is still possible to draw sheep tags as a resident with little or no points.

Very cool. Met Mr. Patterson and his son at the clinic. Nice guys for sure. We hunted the same unit. I wish I would have captured my hunt on video like that. Great work guys!

Congratulations on drawing a coveted desert bighorn sheep tag. Get ready for a once in a lifetime experience (for most of us at least). The hardest part of your sheep hunt is over. Let the fun begin! Good luck and most of all have a good time! If you have any questions by all means fire away!

Not so fast there Lance! Yuma voted overwhelmingly for Ruth McClung! We just don't have enough votes to make much of a difference. Pima County is mostly responsible for his re-election. I too despise that man!

I might need to use a taxidermist this fall I want to start doing my research now. Can anybody recommend any top quality taxidermists that work in AZ or nearby? The lion thread has me scared to death about using someone I know little about. I have my eyes on one, but I would like a lot more opinions. If you don't want to post it here, a PM would be great. Thanks, Nick

Awesome video Jake! Glad you got Jim's hunt captured. Good folks all around right there!

Hi Everyone, As many of you know, I was one of the luckiest hunters in Arizona this year. Not only did I get to participate in a great turkey hunt this year, I was drawn for pronghorn and desert bighorn sheep. I fulfilled my lifetime bag limit on desert bighorn sheep in Arizona on Wednesday December 1st, 2010. I shot my ram at 9:30 in the morning on the first day of the season. I could not be more proud of the rare accomplishment. One of the best parts of my hunt was that I was able to share the experience with many of my closest friends around. Most of them got to see me harvest the ram. I made a 500 yard stalk and a 94 yard shot with my .270. He was hit good on the first one, but I put a finishing shot into the ram to keep him from tumbling down the mountain any more. I really want to thank everyone who contributed to this success. This truly was a team effort, not only from the guys there at the mountain, but the ones on other hunts and other places far away who helped me throughout this process. I could not have accomplished this without all the encouragement and information that was shared with me all fall. Thank you all so much. My ram was aged by the Game and Fish Department as 9 years old. His horns scored 158" gross and 157 4/8" net. For a DIY ram I don't think anyone could complain. I am super proud of him and he is by far my greatest wildlife trophy. Nick

That is fantastic! Congratulations! Nick

I've been on quite a few boats out of SD. My favorite by far is the Success. It is a really nice, smaller, FAST boat. It is for 12 anglers and fishes much more like a 6 pack boat with a few more guys aboard. The rails are low, the crew is tops, and did I mention the boat was fast! I've also been on a couple of great trips on the El Capitan. There are lots of other good boats in the fleet, but these boats stood out to me when you take the whole experience into account. I'm not sure how much they fish in the spring on the Success, but the Point Loma is also a good boat if you just want a 3/4 day trip that should be running during your timeframe. Nick

I really like my Kifaru Express (military version of the Spike Camp) pack with the cargo chair. It will easily carry everything I need for the day plus some and carry a first load of meat (elk quarter, half deer, or whole javi) back to camp. I loaded up a whole gutted pronghorn on the cargo chair and walked it to where I could get the truck. The pack was fine but my skinny legs weren't so strong. My pack will probably outlive me. Some models to consider are the Spike Camp (day pack with some extra), Late Season (a bit bigger), Siwash (bigger still 1-3 days overnight), and Longhunter (more for backpack style hunts). They also have a new ultralight line and beefier military line. Also look at Mystery Ranch's stuff, especially the Crew Cab. Both of these companies build their packs right here in the good ol USA! The picture attached is me packing my buddies sheep head out in the cargo chair of my Kifaru. Nick

If you want to hunt bears on WMA res, try to hook up with Marty Gatewood. He's a native guide and really knows his bears. Nick

Hi Steve, I remember chatting with you at the clinic and sharing our excitement of the hunt. You are absolutely right that the number doesn't really mean a whole lot. You killed a great mature ram on your own terms with only the help from your friends. That is an excellent outcome. I am happy for you man. Hope to be able to share stories and pics at the banquet this fall. Hope to see you there. Again, congratulations on a great Arizona Desert Bighorn. Nick

Well, Had a hot streak going of filling 4 tags out of 4 during 2010. I was hoping to have that continue this past few days on my just about annual archery javelina hunt. I guess the hot streak has ended, and the drought on the javis continues. Javelina are my nemesis when it comes to game animals. Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of encounters and have had a few shots, but I have not harvested one. I hit one once and didn't recover it. I've had a tough time finding them most of the time. This year I decided to get a tag for the west side of the state since I live in Yuma, and wasn't sure how much vacation time I would have after my sheep hunt. Normally I would hunt in 33/37B. This year we decided to try 16A. After a few phone calls and lots of scouting on the web with maps and anything else I could find about the Hualapai's, we went there. Got there opening day and went looking for a place to set up camp. Just as we were leaving town, we saw a herd of pigs right off the side of the road about 100 yards away not more than a mile down the road outside of town. My bow was all packed away and it took me a while to get it unpacked, but my buddy was more or less ready and jumped out and went after the pigs. I saw one going up a small hill that was surrounded mostly by flat ground. I eventually caught up to my buddy and we were right near the pigs, close enough to hear them sniffing the air, but the cover was too dense to see them. I figured I was close but couldn't tell where they were. Next I hear my buddy shoot and then nothing. I decided to work down the little ridge I was on to see if anything was coming my way after the shot and noticed javi legs under a tree about 15 yards away, but way too thick for a shot. Waiting for the pig to make his next move, I think he winded me and got the heck out of there. I consider us pretty lucky for even having that chance. That was the last of the javelina we saw in 3 days of hunting. We glassed like crazy and covered lots of country but couldn't get back on those or any other javelina. The last day I finally found an area with obvious new and old sign of them, but by then it was pretty much over and time to pack it up and head on home. I still have a few more days over the weekends to try it, but won't have time to make it back to the Hualapais. I might try some of the river bottom near me, where I found some (heard them within 100 yards but couldn't see them) a couple of days before Christmas. I figure with a little luck, I might catch them coming back from or in the fields before they make it to the salt cedar infested river bottom so thick you can't even walk through nevermind get a shot with a bow. Recovering one in there might be a challenge as well. If anyone has any hot tips on the hunt that includes most of the west side of the state, I'm all ears! Nick

Really nice buck! Way to go! Nick

Nice one!

Way to stick with it and get your pig. Talk about a dedicated javelina hunter. I could learn a lesson or two from you I'm sure! Congratulations! Nick

Actually he shot too high and missed. I guess I left that part out. I have tried the predator call but may need to try it again. Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes. Nick

Very Cool! Good luck on the pigs! Nick

Go west! Colorado River has a bunch of refuges with a bunch of ducks...Havasu, Topock, Cibola, Imperial. There's also lots of water that's not on Refuge land. Nick

I have the Slik 340EZ. It will fit all of your needs except the one about standing to glass. I use the stock head for it, but you could put the RC2 head on it if you want to upgrade. I went with the 340 over the 330 EZ because it packs down smaller than the 330. I also use 15x56 Vortex Kaibab's and the Vortex tripod adapter. Very solid and affordable system. Nick

A pair of 8's on the neck and 15's in the pack for the tripod is a great combo. I also have a set of 10's which I use when I only want to take 1 pair. Works fine on the tripod and handholding. I think 10x is a lot easier to handhold than 12's and they probably won't weigh as much if you get a 42mm lens instead of 50's. My all around go to binos are my 10x50's but if I feel the need to cover it all I use my 7's on the neck and 15's for the tripod. Nick