savagman

There are several nice spots along Weber Creek just before you get to the scout camp. Take the control rd 6 miles to the weber creek/geronimo road and make a left. Head back and watch for a spot to your liking off to the left. If you go too far and see the totem pole and gates for geronimo you will have to back out - no way to turn a trailer around. Several real good options before you get there including a spot about a 1/4 mile from the gate. Eric

My rabbit, quail, dove, and squirrel hunting partner is getting up in age and I would like to breed him one more time and keep a pup or two. I have hunted with Bailey for 15 years now and look forward to our upcoming squirrel hunt together. Bailey is still in good health but is almost deaf and can't take the AZ heat anymore. We are pretty much limited to high country hunts or late season dove. If you have a female and are interested let me know. He is a great family dog, had a great nose in his prime, and is a natural retriever. He is a bigger beagle standing at 15 inches and weighing a trim 28 lbs. He has fathered 3 other litters of 6,8,and 7 pups. He has no papers. Please PM me if interested. Eric

I have kept him active and the weight off. I think that is the key. I forgot to mention fishing companion and shed hunter...

7/19/2011 2:12PM

Boil a pot of water with a liberal dose of old bay seasoning. Drop the live crawdads in and boil for a few minutes. Peel and eat - dip in garlic butter if you like. You can get fancy and boil potatoes, corn, sausage, all in the same water. Yum.

Glad everyone enjoyed the pictures and recipe. It is fun to combine the bounty of the hunt with the fruits of our labor. Somehow it tastes better having hunted/gathered/grown it yourself. Amanda and TJ let me know how it turns out!!! Chef - The fresh tomatoes are great! We have been getting nice brandywines and a large handful of assorted cherry tomatoes daily. Used up a bunch along with some basil in a bruschetta last week. Amazing how fast the basil grows. Must be very profitable with the prices they charge in the store.

The hot Arizona sun has me inside more as of late and in my quest to use summer's bounty I came up with this recipe. At Chef's urging I have taken pictures this time. Hope you enjoy and try the recipe. I have a large garden and try to use what is fresh and available rather than dashing off to the grocery store. The only limit to this recipe are your imagination. I used patty pan squash because that is what I currently have an abundance of. In the past I have stuffed zucchini and yellow squash as well. The stuffing is also the product of what I have on hand. My eggplant, basil, tomatoes, and peppers are also doing well so I used them. You could also mix in rice or quinoa but I am trimming down so left it out. Wash and cut the tops off of the squash. Mince the good portion of the top and throw away the stem. Using a small spoon scoop the seeds out and create a cavity for stuffing. Take care not to go too thin on the bottom or sides. Place them in a glass casserole dish and pour 1/2 cup of water in the bottom. Set aside and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet brown your favorite game sausage. I grind my own using LEM seasonings. In this recipe I used hot venison (Italian) sausage. While the sausage is getting started chop your veggies. I used several eggplant, tomato, an onion, and a bell pepper. Mince a couple cloves of garlic and chiffonade a healthy bunch of fresh basil. Add the veggies to the skillet in order of longest cooking time to least. Onion, minced squash tops, eggplant, peppers, garlic. Don't add the basil yet. Saute until veggies are crisp tender. Add the basil and turn off the heat. Add 1/2 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Place the squash in the oven for 5-10 minutes. The squash will steam lighly and you are looking for them to be cooked 1/4 of the way. Remove from the oven, drain any remaining water and stuff with the prepared sausage veggie stuffing. Top with parmesean cheese. Back into 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until toasty brown. Enjoy!!!

Officer Hartzell, I am concerned about the story regarding packing out meat and am unsure if I have been 100% law abiding. I was fortunate to get drawn for elk last season and shot a nice bull at about 9am. I placed my tag on the antlers, sent a quick text to my wife telling her to bring the frame packs and help, took some pictures and got down to the business at hand. I quartered and trimmed all the meat and hung it in the shade to cool. I then hiked out to the road to meet my wife and kids and guide them as close as we could get. We packed all the meat out with the head and tag left for last. I had my license and the transport part of the tag in my pocket. Did I do anything wrong? If I had been stopped with the meat and no tag or proof of sex would I be in hot water? We finally pulled out after dark and headed for Millers at Clints Well. Unfortunately they had closed by the time we got there. We headed to my moms house in Pine. My wife had to head back the to get the kids back to school. So I sent her with the head and tag to take it to the taxidermist. I had the meat hanging in the shed with the transport tag on a hindquarter. I loaded it up the next morning and took it back up to Clints Well with the intention of getting it processed. The guy from Millers wouldn't take it as I didn't have a tag or proof of sex. I showed him the transport tag but he said that it was useless as it didn't have the tag # on it. He also said transporting the meat without proof of sex was illegal. I understand his position but how is one to handle this scenario? At what point do I no longer need proof of sex? The taxidermist wants to see the tag and I assume G&F wants it on the rack. I have never had a problem dropping a carcass or quarters off to processors in Phx - is the sensitivity due to being so close to the hunt? One tag for meat and rack has caused me this quandry before. Javelina head with no tag and taxidermist is not happy. Meat with tag and processor is happy. So a couple more questions. What is the right way to do it and if you and I had met up last fall would I be more educated or have a ticket? Has G&F considered a meat tag and trophy tag - both with tag numbers? Any guidance or suggestions that you have is greatly appreciated.

I had a craving for something different and decided to use some spices a Bangladeshi friend gave me. She makes the best fish and rice dishes and took every carp I could catch. I was truly amazed at how good carp can be. Anyways, I threw this together trying to recreate some of the flavors and was quite pleased with the result. Two packages venison round steaks (2lbs) One small can tomato paste One small can green chilies One jalapeno seeded and diced (two for more heat) Three dried chilies (red serrano or japones) 1 to 1.5 cups water Onion powder 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder 1 teaspoon Turmeric 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder 2 tablespoons Ground Cumin 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander 1/2 teaspoon Season defrosted meat with salt and pepper and place in single layer in Crockpot. (You could brown the meat in oil for more flavor) Cover with remaining ingredients and gently shake or stir to combine. Cook on high until bubbling then turn to low (warm for our hot crock pot) overnight 6-7 hours. Serve over white rice and top with chopped cilantro.

Warm days have me day dreaming about fishing and my stomach grumbling for crispy fried fish. Here's how I do it... 1. Catch a mess of fish - or be the worm on the hook fish off the hook guy for the kids. 2. Fillet said mess of fish while the kids watch TV or help out by telling you how gross everthing is. 3. Crack a few eggs and a bit of milk into a bowl. Scramble. 4. Season fillets with garlic salt, black pepper, and Old Bay. 5. Season 1 cup op Kellogs Corn Flake Crumbs with garlic salt, black pepper, and Old Bay. 6. Enjoy a cold beverage with a blue mountain on it. 7. Dip fillets in egg, then corn flake crumbs. 8. Fry till golden brown either in a deep fat fryer or a pan with a couple inches of oil or lard. 9. Plate the fish and try to get a piece or two before the kids devour it all. Take someone fishing and enjoy the feast.

A crappie tourney would be a blast.

Saturday started cold and windy but warmed up nicely. Spent the day in 37A and saw game all day including muley buck and does, jack and bunny rabbits, big coveys of quail, a reclusive desert tortise and finally late in the day a herds of Javi's. Didn't get a shot off as I walked right into a bedding area and they didn't wait around for introductions. I hope they continue to bed in that are and plan to try again Thursday. Anyone have experience with this scenario? Will they settle back into old habits and use these beds again? They looked well used with old and new (wet and stinky) scat. Good luck to all.

What areas have you been concentrating on? Are you still seeing fresh sign? I have seen many pigs around Roosevelt. Several roads off the 188 head away from the lake and toward a small Mt. range. Many places to glass from if you hike into the hills. There is quite a bit of brush so get high, glass, and be patient. They are there if you are seeing fresh sign. Good luck!!!

I really enjoyed the hunt in 5b. I was camped off the road to Long lake (211?) but hunted about 15 miles North of there. There were a ton of guys headed in and out off that road. The trucks coming in woke me up before my alarm went off. I suspect that anyone hunting that area had plenty of company. Where I was I saw a couple other trucks and no other hunters until after my bull was down. I am interested to hear anyone that was hunting closer to Long Lake.

First time I have drawn a bull tag. I tracked him for a couple hours, he busted me once and took off. Caught up to him an hour later. Saw him about 30 yards ahead through the junipers. A quick look with binocs and saw a good rack. Threw the 30-06 to my shoulder and he stepped right out and looked right at me. The bullet hit true, just behind the shoulder, and he ran 15 yards and went down hard. Elated, excited, then concerned as I had a horse sized animal down far from roads and on a solo hunt. After a quick text mobilizing help and a few pics I got down to work. Quartered, trimmed, and hung the meat then a quick 1.5 mile hike out to meet wife, kids, mom and dad. Another four hours to get the truck a bit closer and pack out the meat and head. Exhausted but still elated and looking forward to great meals and a magnificent trophy. 5b - November 27

Met some guys from Yuma at Clints Well last week. They had a yummy recipe. Filet meat off breast bone, pound thin with meat hammer, salt, pepper, dip in egg, favorite breading, then egg and breading again. Deep fry till crisp and brown. Gonna get the gun and dog out this weekend and give it a try.

Saw some geese in a field off of Riggs rd last week. Any updated reports?

Had a nice day in the woods with my buddy Chris and my Beagle, Bailey. Seems to be fewer squirrels this year. Maybe the snow and cold winter? We did fairly well once we figured out how to get em treed. Anyone willing to share their squirrel recipes?

Cottontail is great cut up like a whole fryer chicken and fried using your favorite fried chicken recipe. Jacks - I quarter them and keep backstraps for steaks. Steaks sliced thin and cubed is great or just tenderize with the Jaccard and fry in olive oil. Well done is reccomended. The legs I crockpot on low overnight with peppercorns, garlic, onions bay leaves, salt and water. I then debone and add 1/4 lb cooked chorizo (venison or javelina made by SW Meats is great) and Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce to taste (1/4 to 1/2 bottle for two rabbits). Cook till warm and use for taco's or burritos. No one I know has turned their nose up to jackrabbits cooked this way.

Fajita stew 1 lb stew meat browned 1/2 onion a bunch of green peppers or chiles (whatever is ready from the garden - mix of bells, hatch chiles, cherry peppers, etc.) half a can of unsalted corn 1 package fajita seasoning water Brown meat and throw in crock pot with water to cover meat, fajita seasoning, chiles, peppers and onion. Cook on low for 8-12 hours add corn and cook till warm. serve with tortilla or corn bread. Garnish with diced jalepenos if you like it hot, cilantro, green onions, etc. Yum.

Anyone ever hunted Tassle Eared Squirells in AZ Unit 31 or 33? I am thinking of a trip to 31 but don't know where to start looking?

I hunted hard and alone during the early rifle season in 12A West. The moon was full and the days were warm. They were bedded by 8 and I think the big boys were bedded before that. I glassed in the mornings and saw many does, spikes and a couple 2x2's and a small 3x3. By eight nothing was moving and I switched to still hunting the junipers. Tons of sign but didn't kick anything up I could identify. I watched some does and a spike at first light Wednesday morning when this buck came out of nowhere. They were about 400 yards out and I couldn't count points in the low light with my 10x42's. They were in a creek bottom eating acorns and feeding toward the thick green stuff. Four out of seven deer had already disappeared into the trees by the time he showed himself. I crept as close as I could and guessed the range at about 300 yards. A closer look and I counted at least three points on each side. By now he was about 1.5 body lenghths from cover. I decided that he was beautiful and that I wanted to take the shot. I had a bad case of buck fever and the crosshairs were bouncing everywhere. I couldn't go prone as there was too much low brush. I got it together and made a good enough shot to drop him where he stood. As we all know then the work began. As I mentioned I was alone. I was prepared to pack him out but was only a half mile from the road. After pictures I began proudly dragging my deer out of the woods. Wow - these muleys are a bit heavier than the Coues I have encountered. I reformulated my plan and went back to the truck and was able to get in about halfway to my deer. That was the longest quarter mile of my life. It didn't help that the creek was between the truck and my buck. It was a great experience doing this hunt solo and being able to harvest a beautiful buck. I read often and post little (talk less and listen more) and appreciate all the wisdom and experience members freely offer. Thanks!

I might be interested - would you be interested in a Kimber .45 in a trade?

5B late rifle - my first bull tag ever!!! Good luck to all.

I am planning to take my Nephew out in search of Javelina this spring. There are tags available in 37 and that is close to home. Anyone know this unit that is willing to share some general information? AZ G & F suggests the Silver Bells have mucho piggies - any idea on where to start? I ordered a BLM map but I would like to scout some this weekend. Any help finding water, glassing points, good roads, etc. would be appreciated.