Sam

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!

So nice to see this type of view of the Canyon - thanks for the pictures. I was lucky enough to co-lead a science rafting trip a few years ago - 12 high school seniors. Great experience. I have also hiked most of the trails leading in and out of the Canyon floor - but these pictures are amazing. Everyone needs to spend some quality time at the Canyon at least once. Me, on the other hand, I need to go up a few times a year......

Hate to tell you this - most hippies don't smoke Meth. Pot maybe, but Meth no way. Still a bold move by some jerk.

Here is a link to the latest release of wolves - 80 miles south of Douglas. Now we have to worry about Coyotes and Wolves crossing the border....... http://azgfd.net/artman/publish/NewsMedia/Mexican-authorities-release-Mexican-wolves-in-Sonora.shtml

Check with the school districts. Pull up their websites. There is alot of turn over. Granted the pay is not great, but the benefits are pretty good. I've got 18 years as a teacher and counselor and haven't had a raise in quite a few years. But classified staff - custodians, electricians, plumbers, grounds guys, they seem to get regular raises.

Sad - I was in 6A on the fall turkey hunt and me and my kids spent part of one day cleaning trash from some joker's old camp site. Looked like they too tried to burn all their old trash. Not to mention the numerous beer and soda cans we picked up. I just don't get it - I wish I could give out tickets for littering.

Our 18 month lab has gone on 1 deer hunt and 1 turkey hunt. While my daughter and I hunt, my wife and other daughter stay at camp with her. She is great company for them and they enjoy going on more hunts because they feel safer at camp. Even though we all know a lab is more apt to lick you to death than bite you .

The On Line application Process is back for the Spring draw. I was curious as to what everyone thinks about it.

Lots of emotions ran through my mind as I read. Excitement for you, your brother and Dad for being successful of your hunt and staying with it after two very unfortunate events. Anger that two individuals could steal someone's elk. Sadness for the future of hunting. I too am not all that old, 43, but the good "old days" seem to be coming out of my mouth quite often. Not only in regards to hunting ethics, but in regards to society as a whole. Not sure what to think about the future, but everyone reading your post will have a little bit more morality instilled in them. Oh yea, also a little jealousy, I wish I had an elk tag this year:).

For quite a few years, we rented sea kayaks in San Diego every summer - made by Malibu. I thought they were great for touring around the Bay and for flat water. This past summer, we purchased two inflatable Kayaks by Sea Eagle. Not the best model out there, but, for $200 it is a nice set up. The paddles aren't the greatest, I'm looking for others. It has two skids so it floats pretty true and it moves quicker than a hard sided kayak. For transportation, it is so much easier than driving long distances with a hard sided kayak on the roof. And, it was less than half the cost of a used hard sided kayak. I think a sit on top model with a skirt is the way to go.

What a nice outing. Great pictures too. I think my lab Lacey would spend the morning trying to chew the boots off.

Here's a great recipe for dove, quail, rabbit and squirrel. Mix salt, pepper an flour. Roll birds in the flour, coat all sides. Saute in olive oil until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove birds from pan, but save drippings. Place birds in a glass baking dish. Then add the following to the saute pan and slowly mix with drippings - can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of milk and one can of beer. Scrape drippings as the liquids are being heated. Then pour liquid over the birds. Cover and bake on 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. This is best served with brown or wild rice and fresh Italian bread for dipping in the sauce. You will love this. I also make chicken this way once in a while. Enjoy.

Pulled into Blue parking lot around 6:45 with my daughter. Behind a white pick up with sticker in back window and Wildlife conservation plate. Thought I would see you in the parking lot, but you went straight and we turned south toward the stadium.