nateNAU

Was fortunate to help my father in law take a good buck on his unit 7/9 champ hunt. About the time I met him 20 years ago, he was diagnosed with MS. For quite a while, he had minimal symptoms, but these last few years it has gotten a lot worse. He has taken a number big animals with a bow in the past but with the progression of his symptoms, archery is no longer an option for him. He did draw a 7e bull tag a few years back but even with a crossbow it was still a struggle and we never even got close to tagging out. When he drew this tag he was really motivated to not just shoot a deer but shoot a really good deer. I had been scouting religiously before his hunt, primarily in 7e but really struggled to turn anything in an older age class up. Opening morning we decided to try 7w and right at first light found one of the widest bucks I have ever seen. He lacked height and had shallow forks so we decided to pass on him. We came back to the spot we found him at 10am and found him again bedded. We decided to sleep on the decision to shoot him, being opening day. It was a decision we regretted as we never saw him again. We hunted all over 7e and 7w but would return quite frequently to that spot looking for him. We did find a number of smaller 4x4s but nothing that came close to the wide buck. On day 4 we did find a better 4x4 in 7e but it was out of range and in some country my father in law could not traverse. This morning we were starting to contemplate lowering our standards a bit when we glassed up this nice buck in a new area. He was at 500 yards from the road we were on so we decided to get set up for a shot. I brought a shooting bench out for him to help with his shooting. As soon as we got set up the buck bedded behind a rock in a field. We waited an hour until the buck finally stood up and my father in law made a perfect shot at 500 yards with my 6.5 prc. He was beyond happy with the buck and it was great to see the joy he had getting out and hunting again.

Found a stud all by himself this morning. An old bull with a broken back leg. Looks like an old wound and not from an archer. When I got home I realized I photographed this bull last year less than a mile away.

Thank you guys. It is actually my second. My last elk tag was in 2019 and I was able to take a decent 5x5 with my bow. Any archery kill I am proud of. I have never been naturally good at archery like some people.

Super quiet all around flagstaff as well. Was able to shoot this bull today.

Rattler no 2 for the year here in flagstaff. Another hopi. Crazy how many are out. The only rattle snake ive ever seen up here before this year was about 25 years ago and this year I'm at 2 in less than a week. Be careful elk hunting next week.

It was between Wupatki and Sunset Crater.

Was out dove hunting today and saw this guy just outside flagstaff. I am thinking a prarie rattlesnake or a hopi rattlesnake but not sure.

My son was Liam. He had a red chiefs hat on all weekend.

I want to thank you and all the volunteers that put these classes on. My son just finished up the class in flagstaff and I was very impressed with the dedication and hard work of all the instructors. A way better class than the one I took 30 years ago. Also a shout out to the sponsors who gave great prizes to all the kids. AZ G&F, Bull basin archery and many others.

I took the kids to lynx Creek in Prescott yesterday to do some gold panning. Just about stepped on this AZ black. Very docile and not aggressive at all. Had a bunch of rattles but was fairly small so I'm thinking maybe a female. I gave another AZ black a hair cut with a 44 mag a few years ago that was very aggressive while hiking into one of my bear spots. The one I shot was jet black when I shot it but after a few hours the diamond pattern started to show.

I think demand has cooled across a lot of markets that use antlers. The dog chew market has so many people doing it that the prices are very competitive with not much margins anymore. I know a lot go to China and I wonder if the tariffs are going to slow their buying. I buy a couple hundred lbs every month for custom gun grips so I am looking forward an easing in prices.

Great, thank you!

Are there any other classes planned for Flagstaff this year?

The old vaquero had the larger frame and cylinder size as the post 62ish Blackhawks and super Blackhawks. The change in frame size all had to do with the advent of the 44 mag cartridge.The new vaqueros went back to the 57-62 sized Blackhawk frame and cylinder size to give a more colt SAA feel and weight. The only exception is new vaqueros in 44 mag still use the large frame, so either way, new or old vaquero, this is a large frame. The introduction of the vaquero was post 3 screw and transfer bar conversion, so all vaqueros regardless of new or old have 2 pins and a transfer bar. For anyone interested, the vaquero always demanded a premium over say a standard Blackhawk as they always had nicer features such as a steel ejector housing and grip frame. For the asking price this is a screaming deal.

Yup, and the shitters full.

They are still packing last year's head gear. How the heck can anyone predict what next year will bring.

11m first archery bull hunt

Exactly right. I love hunting them and get kind of stir crazy from lack of things to do in the spring so I always try and get 2 tags.

Was lucky enough to catch a lone javelina working through some cedars this morning. Had both kids with me again.

Boom! Just got hit for elk 5 min ago! Early rifle or early archery

I will be in the Phoenix area today 2/15 and have this pistol and ammo with me. I have for sale, a rare Dan Wesson 445 Supermag with around 100 rounds of ammo. All of the stretch frame Dan Wesson's are no longer produced and the 445 Supermag was one of, if not the most sought after calibers. Also capable of shooting 44 mag and 44 special. For a comp, there are two currently on GunBroker for over 2k each. $1600, now $1400. Located in Flagstaff. Face to face sales only.

Mesa but can travel to meet if interested.

Will be Phoenix today 2/15 with this pistol. Reduced price to $1400.

I was able to shoot a good pig this year on our first day of hunting in 19b with both my kids with me. We started by walking a canyon that always has good pig sign, with hidden water sources and "pig caves" that the javelina dig in the loose soil walls. After lunch we took a stroll down another canyon and caught a group of 5 leaving a water source. I aimed at the last and largest pig at 50 yards and dropped it. A fun family day out with my kids, and I am counting down the days when I get to watch them behind the trigger.