Pine Donkey

Best post of the month! You rock Jared

You will hear bugles, and see some post rutting activity. The cows will be pretty much shut down, but the bulls aren't ready to give it up yet. You will also see a lot of driving. This is a very popular hunt with road hunters. The cows will be really stirred up so get off the roads, burn some boot leather and you will be fine.

Darwin in action.

My meat packing pillow cases are from when our kids were little...we have 101 Dalmations, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. They all work equally well.

Oh, I see...it's a list of Obama's accomplishments.

Very nice! Love seeing a kid put the smack down on a trophy.

Tom, it's that one day that you can justify Peg waiting on you like her king. It's your day my friend, hope it is a great one!

Hope it was a great one Casey!

Very nice!

You should be fine re freezing since it was still very cold. One problem you will face is that entire freezer of meet might re freeze as one big chunk held together by the blood that dripped from the top. Do yourself a favor an move the pieces around each hour or so until everything is refrozen.

Today I met Jim at his shop in Scottsdale. The shop is filled with some great mounts; he truly incorporates the artist's eye into his work. We had a quick conversation about hunting, animals and trail cameras. Although his shop was very busy, he made time to welcome us and talk for a bit. Jim runs a class operation!

Great bucks! Brag away anytime.

Awesome!

Love those color phase bears! Thanks for posting.

Bait???

How true. I've been a counselor for 20 plus years. I have never had a kid not qualify, but, then again, I have been on top of things. Rules have changed for the class of 2016 and beyond as to what it takes to get cleared for Div 1. See this link - http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Quick_Reference_Sheet.pdf Check the 48H form at your son's high school. It will list all of the approved courses offered at his high school. If the class is on the 48H form it is approved, there is nothing to worry about. But, not every course offered by a high school is on their approved list of classes. Ten of the 16 classes have to be completed before senior year starts. Plan early, he'll be fine. Good luck! Thanks for picking up the slack Sam. Our counselors are gone for the summer so I was going to try and find the link as well as for number. TAM, Sam is much closer to this than I am and his info is spot on.

I like owls, but...first disappointment of the day!

Get with his high school counselors now and map out a four year plan to make sure his eligibility equals his talent when he graduates. Don't accep them just saying that he will get the correct classes, demand to see his academic plan charted out on the NCAA clearinghouse work sheet. I have some experience in this area and have seen students and families have to scramble their junior and senior years to be eligible even though the kid received top grades in every class taken. In particular, ask to see their clearinghouse certification on the lab science courses...this area seems to cause more problems than any other. Classes that many high schools consider lab sciences, do not meet the NCAA definition. Enjoy the next four years, you will love them, and they will fly by so fast.

I don't drop below 4500' unless it's a must!

60 yards, that's the ethical limit for me and my trusty bow...we have had a lot of success within that range, but I did wound and fail to recover a stud bull I shot at 8 yards...still have bad dreams about that one. Inside 60 yards, I will shoot for your knock every time, and I am pretty good at it. My son on the other hand, is much younger, his eyes are better, his shoulder doesn't hurt, his lifestyle allows him to practice all the time, and he spends all his money on top quality, cutting edge equipment. His groups at 100 yards are tighter than my groups at 60. He is confident and capable at that range, and he is always a very ethical hunter. Now, I am pretty confident with my long range rifle setup at 1000 yards and will take that shot when conditions are right. A bullet fired at 3000 f/s over 1000 yards will reach the target in the same amount of time as an arrow fired at 300 f/s over 100 yards. Sure the animal could take a step or fall over or who knows what in that time period. There will always be variables in hunting. What is important is that an individual does not have variables in their ethics. My ethics are my ethics. I may want others to adopt them, but I can only control me. If someone does not agree, it does not mean I am unethical, it means I value things differently then they do. Recently a hippie in a Prius chastised me for driving my big diesel truck. Is he an ethical person and I not??? Not the way I see things. I hope everyone keeps posting their pictures and stories. I enjoy most of them, some piss me off, but that is my problem not theirs.

Scalping it will work, but don't forget to pull the ivories before you pack out.

Actually none of these Bulls is a 350. This was not meant to be a trick question, but rather reinforce the idea that a 350 bull is a BIG bull. 1) scores 338. This is boosted by the 17+ inch 'extra' point on the base of his left antler. Without that point, he is a 320 bull. 2) scores 325 3) scores 326 All scores are gross, and would drop quickly when looking at net scores. Several people were on top of this, but we sure could have passed any of these off as a 350 to many people. Regardless of score, each comes with great memories of a hunt with friends and family; that can never be measured with a tape. Also, each has fed the family. If I see any of these bulls breaking clear and turning broadside this September, in unit 1, there will be a broad head in the air! Thanks to those who made guesses, hopefully it was a fun way to kill some time while we wait for the season.

That's pretty cool.

1 and 3 were both pretty tasty and tender. 2 was skinny and tough...you can see how drawn down he was in the photo. His hind quarters were quite thin.

Here is a test. These are three Bulls we took in the last two years. Which one is a 350? 1) My 2013 Septeber Archery bull 2) Garrett's 2013 November bull 3) Chrystie's 2014 November bull Be careful, photos can be deceptive.