elkmaniac

+1 and -1 good point, if you would of left the name calling out, they would of had nothing to say. Cause an ignorant fool could even see that its not fair someone gets to elk hunt based on his money. NOT FAIR AZGFD. Oh and if this guy is such a GREAT hunter, why does he need a guide to follow it 24-7? I normally would leave this never-ending argument alone......BUT....... biglakejake and cuztail, haven't you heard of the age old saying that life just isn't fair. Why is it that this thread got hijacked from showing off a giant bull which our great state produced to name calling and huge displays of simple jealousy? I have no idea how Mr. Hamberlin makes his living but if I were to guess he probably works his butt off. How he chooses to spend his money is no business to you or I. I for one am thankful that he chose to give our state the amount of money he did to kill just ONE bull. How many elk would have to die in our state each year at $121.50 a piece to generate the same revenue that this 1 bull created. I'm only guessing that Mr. Hamberlin spent $150k+ on this tag. And it all gets dumped back in to the improvement of wildlife so that when you or I get lucky enough to draw a tag we get to hunt a herd that is quality managed because of funds generated from these hunting opportunites like an auction tag. We should be thanking Mr. Hamberlin, not bashing him. STUD of a bull. Huge congrats to the hunter and Mossback AZ! Regards, Chris Jacob Wwww.sonoranghost.com

Hey guys and gals, After finishing up a couple of weeks with hunters down south this year I was able to sneak away for a few days of hunting for myself before the season ended. We left Safford Saturday morning and arrived at the ranch in enough time to throw a quick hunt before it got dark. Randy Barnes, a good friend of mine, connected on a handsome looking buck with about thirty minutes left of shooting light. Sunday morning myself and Trini (one of the guides that works for me) set off for a canyon that was about an hour and a half walk from the truck. We climbed to one of my favorite vistas and started glassing. I immediately picked up three bucks and a few does in a little saddle and put the spotting scope on the bigger of the three. He would have been a solid 105" deer had he not broke most of his G3 off on one side. I was messing around with my video camera trying to get some footage of him when Trini started going nuts. Trini is one of the most calm and collected people that I've ever hunted with and for him to be freaking out got me instantly pumped. He was looking 180 degrees from the buck I was trying to film on a dark nasty north facing slope. He told me to not screw around with looking at this buck through my 15's and to do what I needed to do to kill this buck he was looking at. I frantically got my custom built .300 win mag built by Western Precision Rifles set up on the oak thicket that he indicated the buck was chasing a doe through. It was one of those classic most uncomfortable set-ups you can imagine, most of you guys have been there. Feet pointing uphill, head pointing down hill, bipod fully extended and resting on my backpack to get enough height for the uphill angle. Basically, my boots and the rifle barrell were making a perfect V. I ranged the oak tree on the skyline that the buck was under, 511, ok, double check 511. I clicked my scope to 475 due to the extreme angle and when the buck stepped out in to the first opening chasing his doe I held on the front of his brisket and squeezed the trigger while he was walking. The report sounded very dull like a possible gut shot. Trini told me that he thought I hit him back. The buck bolted for about 40 yards and then slowed down. I reranged him at 485 and when he stopped broadside I held low on his front shoulder and squeezed again. I was able to see the impact on that shot and he buckled and rolled into some thick brush. Without being able to see him Trini and I played it super safe and stayed put for a solid hour. That litterally had to be the longest hour of my life. We gathered up our stuff that I had slung all over the hill trying to get to my rangefinder hiding in the bottom of my pack and headed down the ridge to cross the canyon. We ditched our packs at the bottom and started up the other side with nothing but my rifle and butterflies in my stomache. The image will forever be ingraved in my mind when we got to the buck and Trini picked his head out of the brush. I was speechless. I will never forget that sight. He is the result of a LOT of miles of boot leather and thousands of hours in the 15's. I have had hunters shoot bucks in the high teens and in the 120's but I have never been on the trigger end of those. This was different. Trini and I just sat there and enjoyed him for a good 30 minutes to an hour before taking him down to the bottom to take about a thousand pictures. After looking him over we found that my first shot hit him about six inches behind his shoulder and blew his lungs out and the second shot entered in his shoulder and exited behind his offside shoulder whiping out his ticker. I am a very lucky guy. He is an inline 5 on his right side with a sweet kicker off of his G2 and his other side is a big 3 with a kicker off its G2 also. He also has a double eyegaurd on his 3point side. He ended up scoring 125 3/8".

Since the archery hunts are over with and Mexico has come to an end for me this year. I thought it would be time to start doing some varmint calling. My buddy and I called this bobcat in yesterday morning and I was able to kill my first bobcat. The 17 HMR did a perfect job.

Hey guys, Thanks for all of the positive comments! I've never posted pics or stories before but I have always enjoyed reading all of yours. I might have to put a few more up of some other sweet bucks. Amanda, it was great meeting you and Paul. Yes, I should have a house full of sick kids after taking them to play in the snow today. Again, thanks for all of the congrats, it still hasn't completely set in. Chris

Gary, I have absolutely no idea what bobcat pelts are going for this year. I would be curious to know though. This one will be used for a lifesize mount but if there is more to come I would deffinitely sell them. Chris

HOLY MASS!! Kevin, it looks like droptine bucks follow you around in Mexico. Congrats on a freakin stud of a buck.

Hey TJ, As much as I would love to throw my name out there and talk about my operation in Mexico, out of respect for the guys who pay money to advertise on this great site, I better wait until Amanda and I get my website up on here. Until then, I just feel that it wouldn't be fair to the guys who have spent the money. I hope you can understand.

chillcoues, If it is the same Mababi that I'm thinking of please tell Ted hello for me. He is a dear friend. Chris Jacob That would be great if there is a secure palce to park. Yes, I may have someone drop me off, but since I don't know when I am comming back it would be better to have the truck waiting for me. I just want to make sure its there Thanks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There is a parking lot east of the border crossing I will check to see if they still have security guards there 24/7 I will let you know. When do you need to know by and what ranch are you hunting in mexico? We are hunting Jan 9-15 at the Mababi. CM <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Congrats JH on getting out there with your daughter and smoking that nice buck. Keep it up and she will be as good a hunter as your son is and you wont be able to keep up with her. Chris Jacob

Ya, that's him. I wish I could say that I killed it but in fact was one of my dad's clients. When I get a chance I will put up a couple field shots of the bull. This photo really shows off his thirds (24"). There deffinitely was a lot of work put into this bull. As with most elk taken in that kind of country that 27 has a reputation for. And yes, the red mark below his ear is an exit. The hunter shot him in his bed at 480 and on his final shot (obviously) he may have pulled it a little. Thank goodness it didn't hit the beams or something. Chris Jacob

Congrats on a movie star looking bull. Very symetrical. My dad and his partner had four hunters this year and one of the guys killed a 393 gross bull on the same hunt. Not sure where the toad was you saw but when I can get a couple pictures posted of our client's bull you can see if it is the same one that you saw or not. When you say miles from the nearest road, that's right where we're at. In 27 you can sure as heck get away from people if you want to. Again, congrats on a solid bull. Chris Jacob

Its G1 were around 3" per side=6" Its G2 on the one side was 13" The other was about 9 with 3" kicker=25 Its G3's were about 6" each=12 Its beems were both right at 22"=44 Its inside spread was 16 7/8 It has roughly 15" of mass per side=30 total=134 From what I was told by the hunter it grossed roughly 134 inches. When I first saw it and was asked by him to guess it I told him 132. The deer really is that big. The cool thing is, it is 100% coues deer looking. No doubt. Chris Jacob

Amanda, A lot of people think that a 50mm will gather more light than a 40mm but it all boils down to the main tube of the scope. It doesn't matter how big the lense is on the end of the scope that is letting light in but rather the part of the scope that is transfering that light to your eye. The 30mm main tube of a scope with a 50mm lense will gather/transfer more light than a 1" main tube will with the same 50mm lense. Sooo if your heart is set on the VXIII then I believe they offer that scope with the 30mm main tube if you buy the long range version. If they don't, go with Leupolds LPS 3.5-14. That scope is awsome. You can still do your MOA adjustments and click it back to your exact zero point everytime, just like you can with the target turrets that way you can utilize your drop charts. Chris Jacob

Brian, Sorry to here about the miss. I know you have waited a long time for that tag and I was curious to see how you did. We had five clients this year. One went home with tag soup, one killed a little rag horn on the last day. We had 3 bulls that went 335, 350, and 370. Send me an email to elkmaniac@hotmail.com and I well email you some pictures. How did you do on your deer hunt?? Chris Jacob

Couesnut, You've got to tell em that was your first coues deer. Props to Shane for helping. I was pumped when you guys called me during the middle of our hunt in 31. Our didn't turn out as good as your did. But there are not many that turned at that good. Congratulations again. Chris Jacob

Looks like a bumper year for fruit on the pears again this year in the Safford area. Already getting big and red. Good thing we dont have to draw a bear tag cause as brutal as the draw was for me this year, I would have probably been blanked on that too. Good luck. Chris

Mike, I'll tell ya where not to waste your time and that is on the North side of the mountain from the Swift Trail road all across towards West Peak. If you insist on hunting there, buy some black pants and shirts and use those for camo cause you'll blend in real well with all the burnt trees. Just kidding. Didn't know if you were aware of the massive fires we had on the mountain this year or not. If you are still looking for a guide, check us out at www.dcoutfitters.com. Might be able to work something up for ya. If you decide to do it on your own, and know how to glass, you will do just fine. Good luck. Chris

I didn't draw an AZ tag last year but my best buddy drew an Oct. tag. Knowing that if we spent the time at it and patterned a good buck he would have the chance at killing a whopper. We spent 39 different days out in the hills locating bucks that we wanted to pattern and once we narrowed it down spent a lot of time filming and patterning the bucks. I don't think a person can spend too much time scouting as evertime you are out you may learn a new thing, i.e. we found springs that we never knew existed that for years to come will be "honey holes". Chris

There are quite a few things that have a direct impact on deer population as well as other species. They are: Drought (which affects browse, range, and water sources), Disease (CWD), Space, and Predators. We as hunters are in the catagory as predators. I haven't heard of anybody but the Almighty create rain. We aren't out there spreading diseases to dear heards. We do take away a little space every now and then, but there is still a whole lot of it. However, we do impact the population by hunting. Since we are in the same catagory as predators we compete over the same animals available to hunt. It has been said earlier that everything needs to be in balance, this is true. Since we cannot control at all how much rain is going to fall or how many deer are going to obtain a disease we are obligated to do are part in how many deer are killed by predators. Remember we are predators also. This is the battle that the Game and Fish fight every year. It should be obvious to everybody the decrease we have seen in the distribution of tags that we apply for each year. The way I look at it is like this. Since we can't control the uncontrollable impacts, we need to do our part in controlling the predators, and that includes us as hunters. IF a lion eats 52 deer a year and we kill that lion, there will be 52 more deer on the field officer's deer count which MAY directly influence the amount of tags given for their unit. Us as hunters have a huge responsibility in helping control the influence of predators. If we said to the Game and Fish "give us more tags in this unit and we will kill three lions so that the numbers stay where you need them to be", they would just laugh, but if we kill the three lions and they do their deer counts and notice the possible increase in deer population for that area, we MIGHT see more tags available. That is just what I believe, it makes sense to me, but I may be way in right field. p.s. I'm just using the lion as an example of a predator. We all know there are other predators out there that have an effect. Chris Jacob

Mike I could not agree with you more on your comments. It is a feeling only those of us hunters who have been in that situation can explain, the fact that you are set up on an animal who is either feeding or sleeping and you are about to squeeze the trigger and take its life, and it has no idea. I mean, there is absolutely no doubt that this animal is a gonner, and you control its fate in your fingertips. If that animal does not absolutely pump me up, then I don't put those few pounds of pressure on the trigger. Just knowing that I could be holding that deer/elk rack if I let the lead fly is sometimes satisfying enough if it is an animal that does not make my heart race, I don't have to kill them just to get that personal satisfaction. My dad has taught me about everything I know about hunting and the outdoors. A couple of the most important things he has taught me is to respect the animals we pursue and when it quits getting exciting, then you need to hang it up and find another hobby. There will probably be a day when I hunt with a camera. And that is fine with me. You know, (for example) Josh is an avid hunter and spends a lot of time in the hills, its obvious by the amount of sheds and skulls he picks up, and I would be willing to bet, because it is the same way with me, that he gets just as much satisfaction out of finding a giant shed or skull as he would if he actually shot it. Both take just as much effort and require the same amount of boot leather. I am a long way from hunting with a camera, as I have too many desires and goals not yet met that I have set for myself, but I know that day will come. There are extremes in all aspects of life, especially in the hunting arena. I think the reasons some of these threads get heated up is because we are dealing with people who are 100% passionate about what they do and they only see it there way, ie. people who would rather beat brush instead of glass. Either side would argue that they have the best method because it has worked well for them. That doesn't make the other guy wrong for the techniques he uses. I know I'm getting off on a tanget but when it all comes down to it, we are all in the same boat. I was in the wrong for going after Josh's decision 8 years ago, and I admitted and apologized in front of everbody, after reading others thoughts I realized I was in the wrong. We have to realize that hunting is a privelage that can be taken away, just as being a member of this site can also be a privelage that we can loose. Let's not fill it with offensive content. Just my two cents. Oh and since this is still a thread about lion experiences, Death to Mt. Lions!!! (I couldn't help myself) Chris Jacob

First of all, I am offering an apology to Josh and his friends who obviously support him and what he does. I didn't intend for the assumptions and speculations that I made to upset anybody, just trying to make a point about my feelings on the importance of shooting all the cats we can. Amanda and AZ guide you are absolutely correct about personal choices when it comes to hunting and the type or quality of animals we choose to harvest. Like the saying goes, "To each his own". It is obvious what my "own" is but I guess it doesn't have to be that way for the next guy. I guess I must be a little jealous about their opportunity to shoot a cat since I have never had a chance like that and I've glassed 18 cats in the last 8 years. I have not been able to kill even one of them. Hopefully my time will come. I spent some time with Jim Reynolds this weekend and he told me that Josh would love to smoke a cat. I hope he gets another chance to. As bad as I want to kill one, I would have to say they are about the prettiest critters out there in the hills, I think they would still look just as pretty in my trophy room though, he he, he. If anybody with dogs is interested in running some of these areas let me know. I would love for somebody to start thinning some of them out. Chris Jacob

As far as I'm concerned the only good lion is a dead lion. After reading Josh's "wonderful experience" with a mountain lion in which the person with him actually had a tag and a gun and a lion within 15 yards while they ate lunch, that story made me sick to my stomach. They were basically given a gift of an opportunity to hose a cat and instead they took pictures. The pictures were cool but would have been a lot better if they were followed by a "hero shot" of the hunter holding the dead cat. A true coues deer hunter would have blasted that cat without even thinking about it. I'm glad Josh gets his jolly's by finding sheds and skulls because if he keeps letting cats walk like that, then that's all he's gonna be finding. I know that took place about 8 years ago and hopefully Josh's mentallity has changed a little bit. If not, Josh, I would go back to the same spot you were at and you would have a good chance at finding a few skulls that you can add to your collection. Anybody else reading this, I hope to God that if you have the same opportunity, you hammer those coues killing machines. Chris Jacob

Amanda, just wanted to take a second and thank you for giving some help to me a few months ago. I had a Carlos D west tag with some buddies and the info you gave got me started in the right direction. I killed a buck that grossed 102. It was a great time and saw some nice deer. Anyways, thanks again for the help. Chris Jacob

A couple buddies and myself were lucky enough to get January "D-west" coues deer tags for Jan. 2004 on the San Carlos Res. Has anybody ever had that tag? Does anybody have any help to offer as far as information of where to start looking (We cannot start scouting the unit until 3 days before the hunt starts because they consider this unit a "closed" unit so any information will help so we at least know where to start scouting). If you have had the tag, how did you do? Any help would be appreciated!!! Thanks, Chris Jacob

Amanda, Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my request for help on the Res. The information that you gave me will be a great help as I can look for common factors that all those places have and look for other areas that contain the same things in case the places you told me about are being hunted real hard. I think there are only about 15 tags so it shouldn't be that bad. We are going to attempt to do it on our own. I live in Safford, and have hunted some of the country on the white-man side so with that and the information that you gave me, we might have a decent chance at a boomer. Thank you again, that helps a lot!!! Chris Jacob p.s. You have done an awsome job with this website! Keep it up...