Sam

Wow! Congratulations. And yes, I agree about being blessed to have taken such a grand elk. Way to go.

Incredible Bull and congrats!. Alaska is simple amazing. You guys had some real patience. Along with some crazy warm weather. I just got back from a DIY hunt with a friend who lives in a small village along the Yukon River. We had rain and 25 degree weather, low 40s in the day. I shot a 40 inch bull with broken tops. The best meat I have brought home to date!

Great pictures. Congratulations on creating some great memories and finding some great bulls.

I debone the meat first and fit what I can in the refrigerator. Then I leave in their for a few days. I have also used coolers for aging meat. However, I have a steady supply of frozen bottles (2 litter soda bottles or milk gallons) on hand and replace them every day - this keeps the meat dry. If it is warm out, I wrap the cooler with an old comforter or sleeping bag. I keep elk like this for 2 to 3 days after I get home. Of course, the meat may have hung at camp for a few days prior. My first priority is to debone the meat as quickly as I can. If you grind meat into hamburger or sauage, no aging is necassary. I have used this approach for 25 years and every cut of meat is great.

Crap - my daughter found it before me!

I had the same thing happen. Received a survey in the mail for the HAM Javelina hunt instead of the spring turkey hunt. But, I filled it out online and after putting in my code, the correct survey came up for turkey. Filling it out online saves on the postage too.

This is horrible. I have been in education for over 18 years and I have never heard of such a thing. The school nurse can't even give a kid asprin without calling the parents. How on earth can a dentist attempt to perform root canals at school. Something is not right. Go to the School Board immediately and also call the Superintendent and insist on a meeting. Do not take no for an answer. On some other comments about a dentist not allowing a parent in the room when they work on their kids - I can't believe that. I have held my daughters' hands through every dental exam and cavity. We are paying for their service - if you don't like what they are doing - leave and go see another dentist or doctor.

Nice video. Congrats on the turkey. They are not easy to come by and any bird is a good bird!

Well, after trying to trick these birds one more weekend, I realized I must be doing something wrong. Both Sat. and Sunday, there was no gobbling at all until 7:15. The woods were very quiet. At 7:15, same spot as the previous weekend, we had a tom gobble. We set up 2 hen decoys and called softly and sparingly. We waited for 1.5 hours, the tom never came in. Same thing the next day. Except, Sunday, I thought I would call more aggressively. Still did not work. So, I couldn't figure it out. I did realize that the turkeys you see in the fall, are not around in the spring. For the past 3 years during the deer and elk hunts, we see turkey everywhere and at all times of the day in this area. I guess the hens are sitting on eggs and the toms are held up this time of year. Good luck if anyone tries this weekend. It is warm, dry and windy.

Do you guys still think the turkeys are talking up north? I was up in 3C last weekend and heard very little action. I did get a Tom to come in up to about 80 yards and I blew it. He was very wary to begin with and I think I called too much and spooked him. I didn't have time to set the decoys out. He may have been looking for a hen and when he didn't see one, he probablly decided to take off. My daughter wants to go back up and I would love for her to get a turkey. But, it is not easy getting a teanager up at 4:00 am. And then it is even worse if the turkey are quiet. Any input or advice for this warm weather, late season hunt.

Lakeside is a nice place to be, you're lucky to be able to work up there. Thanks for the pics of the turkey, looks like a great spot. Not sure if the birds are still coming in to decoys, I struck out again this past weekend. We had a tom calling on Sat. and two others on Sunday, but could not get them to come in. Oh well, looks like we will have to wait until next year.

At least you found them in on the roost. That is always exciting. Sounds like you don't have very far to drive......that makes it easier. I've got a 3 hour drive to our turkey spot.......

We will be headed up after school today. My plan is to sit tight with a few decoys out. Call softly and try to get a Tom to come in. Hoping for the wind to be nice and calm. Good luck to everyone if they give it a try. My daughter is excited to go - not sure if she just wants to get away from her little sister or actually sit in the woods all morning .

Nothing like Jerry Garcia and David Grisman when they played together in Old and In The Way. If you like Bluegrass, you have to listen to their stuff.

In the Paradise Valley School District, High Schools have not had a day off in October in years. I'm a counselor at one of the high schools and my kids are students. I always try to work my hunts around days off - but Thanksgiving and Veterans day are really the only options. Except this year, the bull elk hunt is after Thanksgiving - no good for high school kids. We do have 3 days off at the end of September - would have helped if I got drawn for early bull. I think the original intention was to have youth hunts centered around school holidays. However, there are so many districts now and they all have different calendars, it just doesn't work. They call our 3 day break in September a Fall break - school just started! Fall is in October last I checked. It is really there for Yom Kippur. Which is fine, but call it what it is - not fall break. The youth hunt for deer this year in 3C is after the general adult hunt. This will be tough for the kids.

In 1980, I was drawn for my first elk tag - Any Elk rifle in 5A (Sunset Mt.). Does anyone remember or know when the bonus point system was initiated in AZ? I have 18 points for antelope and have put in mostly every year since the early 80s - but I know I don't have the max points.

Sounds about right - thanks.

$50 on Monday - Youth elk tag for my daughter!

Congratulations!! I too have made the decision that if I do not get an early bull tag in AZ I will be going to Alaska this year to hunt moose.

As our minds drift into thoughts of drawing that early bull tag or antelope tag, I have an opinion type question to ask everyone. It involves the storing of guns in a gun safe. How many of you guys store your guns with the action open? I have heard that this is the best way to store a gun because it takes tension off of the trigger.......any thoughts? Is it really necessary to keep the bolt or action open?

Who would pay more money for an elk tag, if Game and Fish agreed to give out fewer permits? I would!! And yes, I would wait longer for a tag too, which is fine. If revenue is behind the number of permits allocated, why not just try to generate the same amount of revenue by increasing the permit cost vs giving out more permits. Thinking back over my last 30 plus years of hunting in AZ, I enjoyed many quality elk hunts were I never saw another person. Now, we have hunts to were we have to dodge bullets. Specifically units 5A, 5B, 3C, 9, 10 and unit 1. I know some of these units have decreased tag numbers this year, but there are still way too many tags. Let's not even start about all the Coues permits for the 30s and the 4 hunts each year.......

Hmmm.....I doubt that my comment will "mess it up" for anyone. I have no problem with competition and taking my chance on being drawn. Like every public service industry in AZ, the Game and Fish Department can use more funding. I did not mean to literally "dodge a bullet". I figured most people on this site would not take it literally. I just think there are too many permits in certain areas, thus too many people. I agree that the elk heard has increased in Arizona, but I do not believe the increase in the heard justifies the number of permits that are allocated for certain hunts. Show me how many more elk are in unit 5A that justified the permits going from 75 bull permits in 2002 to 339 last year - this is a joke and there is no reason for such a large increase in tags. Well, I guess there is according to the AZGFD - the reason is to manage this unit as a trophy unit in the future.

I agree, more people will be applying due to not having to write a check. It will be interesting to see how many more applicants there are. Yeah, we will all need more luck this year!

Way to go! My daughter is getting my next tag. She has been on a youth hunt for elk, deer and turkey and has come home empty handed. Funny, I was more disapointed than her. I think any deer is a prize.

After 16 years of marriage, I have missed many Thanksgiving dinners and a few Easter dinners. But not Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Even with a late whitetail tag, I come back for a few days. Mainly because I do most of the cooking! See picture below of our tradition Italian Christmas Eve meal - 7 fishes. No eel this year, but: linguine & clams, baccala (salted cod), smelts, calimari, smoked salmon (by my buddy in Alaska), shrimp, orange slices & anchovies (alici). Quail hunting on Tuesday!