Heat

Best of luck to you Brian! We're all pulling for you man!

Thanks for all the responses. Although I thought heavily about trying something different this year, I'm going back to the scene of previous attempts for another round with the javelina in 37B. I've found herds in a few different places in that unit and also killed a deer there so I figured that's the one. For those of you that don't know me, the javelina is my nemesis. I've shot at them a bunch and even hit a few, but have not recovered one and put my tag on it yet. I've killed elk and deer with my bow and other stuff with my rifle but the stinky, pesky javelina is my biggest challenge. Ridiculous huh? At this point I just laugh at how crappy I am at finding and hunting those things, but they are one of my favorite critters in Arizona. I'll get one some day and when I do, I will be one happy camper!

What a pain in the rear! Sorry to hear you had to drive so far Bruce. Hope things are going well otherwise. Nick

Thats a great ram. Congratulations to the hunter and your tio! Beautiful full curl and red horns. Hard to beat that!

Jeff and Tene' Miller did a euro mount for me. You could always just do the wet maceration method yourself, but your neighbors might not like the smell too much. LOL! Nick

Thanks for sharing about this hunt Jay! Those are some awesome photos. I don't know Brian but he seems like a great guy from all the stuff he's posted on this site over the years. As a fellow bowhunter, I'm pulling for him big time on this hunt to take his ram with his bow. This will be an incredible adventure for all involved I'm sure. Best of Luck to everyone, Nick

I was a little disappointed in the book too. I am not diappointed in "HabiMap" however. This takes electronic scouting/doing your homework to a whole new level!

Will definitely have a deer tag as well. I shot a buck on Jan 2 a couple seasons ago on a combo hunt, but still haven't gotten a javi! I live a good 3 hours or so from good pig habitat so scouting is a bit tougher to accomplish regularly. Might try to get out and poke around once I narrow down the units.

The boy is getting into the Scholastic Clay Target program and loves to hunt doves. He has graduated from his Mossberg 500 and wants a new gun for Christmas. We are thinking of getting him some type of semi-auto or over/under. He's just a beginner but is showing lots of promise so I don't want him handicapped by the gun. He shot a Browning BT-99 at the Club very well (20/25 first time with that gun, 3rd time on the range). I am thinking of a few guns like the Beretta A300 Outlander, the Weatherby SA-08, or maybe a CZ Redhead or Canvasback. The kid is huge and has been shooting a 12 gauge for a couple of years so no youth models or 20 gauges please. Does anyone have any other recommendations or ideas? Budget of $500 to around $750. Also would consider a used gun in excellent condition if there is something out there. Thanks everybody!

What slim said!

Got a couple of texts from Tom today... "moe and curly spotted 3 rams on the N side of xxx Mtn, 1 is NICE!" "they went out of sight W-A-Y up there - trying to figure out game plan." Sounds like things are starting to get good! PS - names changed to protect the innocent...

That's a good one!

Seldom Drawn, I appreciate your opinion and I agree with you if the kid was only going to hunt. I also should have mentioned that this was a 24" gun that was less than ideal for shooting trap which is what he is concentrating on for now, but he is learning to shoot skeet also. I have yet to see anybody who shoots a pump gun equal to an over/under or an auto on the skeet range. It really doesn't exist in serious competition. That is where I was going with the comment about the 500. I also should have mentioned that we have 3 other pump shotguns in the safe. thanks, Nick

What type of rest are you using? If its a whisker bisquit sometimes you have to do things opposite of normal to counteract the spring action from the bristles. This would be basically the opposite of what they tell you in the Easton tuning guide. Walk back tuning is my favorite to get broadheads to group. Looks like you are on the right track. Remember to make micro adjustment and always have a reference to return things to "normal". Good Luck, Nick

Thats a very nice ram. Congratulations!

Down where Tom is camped he probably has a tough time getting internet connection but he is getting text messages in and out from time to time. I was down there with Tom yesterday but unfortunately I had to come back to work this week. He has a particular ram picked out and he is probably going to be hunting that ram for the first two weeks or so. There are a few others on his hitlist that are very nice as well. He has a pretty big gang of folks down there from the Sheep Society and elsewhere helping him out. Its pretty rough country but there are some very experienced and savvy hunters there to assist. I'm sure they'll find one before too long. PS Comm1 killed on the first day. Maybe some of the guys that were helping him will go help Tom. Can't wait till Robbie's pics get posted on here.

Check RMSGear online, Trad Gang and Stickbow classifieds, and Ebay. I found an excellent $550 bow with a repaired riser for $200 on Trad Gang. Lots of deals to be found if you are patient and know what you want. Good Luck! It's like rediscovering archery all over again shooting my recurve.

Thanks for putting the word out guys! I haven't heard otherwise until this. Thanks!

Hopefully he will jump in here but I would recommend a phone call to Jim Hartsock. Not only is he an incredible taxidermy artist, he is a solid businessman, and a genuine pleasure to be around. I am confident he will steer you in the right direction whether he finishes your mount or not. Southwest Wildlife who is a Sponsor on here. Look him up. I sincerely hope this turns out well for you in the end. Good luck!

Thanks for the sound advice Larry. He's going to shoot trap at a fun shoot next week, but who knows, he may get more into skeet later. Trap will probably be his focus for awhile. Something versatile is probably a really good thing right now. I'm not familiar with SKB, so I guess I have some research cut out for me.

I agree with Casey. There is too much hunting pressure on too few deer. We are pushing the lower limits on the buck to doe ratios. Extended drought is also a huge factor. Predators have an impact but their populations are cyclical, and you would expect a rebound from the deer given good conditions. We have only had a few actual good years of rain in the last 14 years or so. That makes it awful tough on critters, especially the ones that live in this arid county like the Desert Mule Deer. I can recall my DBS hunt in Region IV where that I saw literally hundreds of sheep and less than half a dozen deer total in the entire 4 or 5 months of scouting. That my friends is pathetic!

Kifaru Duplex or Bikini Frame and whatever combo of bags, slings, pockets, pouches you desire. Their suspension is excellent. Worth a look for sure!

Wow!

That bull on the right is a monster! Look at the difference in the skulls! My word! The other bull is a great one too. Great job to the hunters! Nick

Unit 1 over 3B any day! There are a lot of tags now hence a bunch of people but there will always be virtually unhunted pockets of country. Good luck!