donniedent

20a has a lot of deer but can get pretty thick where they live. Crown King area will bounce back as soon as it greens up. Big Bug mesa has a lot of deer but a lot of hunters as well, not a waste of time if you can figure out where the deer are pushed when pressured. The areas around Lynx Lake hold deer but you gotta watch for other hunters and private property just to the south a ways. There are always a few deer in the Walker area but that's all private. There are pockets of public land in Walker but still too close to cabins to hunt with a rifle. There are some areas between Groom creek and Spruce mountain that hold deer. If I had a tag in there I would research the southwest portion of the unit.

Oops forgot. I spotted another one at Sportsmans on I17. Silver F-250 or 350 pulling a car hauler with a red compact on the trailer.

You'll do well up there Ryan. Take all that knowledge about the desert and apply it up there and you won't have any problems at all. If you can hunt the desert, you can hunt anywhere!

Thats awesome! Lets use Jaguars that don't even really live there for a reason to stop a mine project. But... they could live there! I loath these environuts!

Eeeeeewwwww! I have been that guy. I can't help it!! I have literally done everything i can possibly think of to have my feet not stink. Odor eaters, powder, gold bond in the blue bottle.... I've tried everything!

I don't hunt with very many people. Only two really and funny enough, they are both named Bruce. One is my bro-in-law. He's a New Zealand transplant, tough as nails and climbs like a billy goat. The other is a friend I met online and started hunting with. The most generous guy I've ever met and a great mentor. Both are always on time, bring great snacks and have great attitudes. I've been very lucky to make the freinds I have. No complaints what so ever. Nope... Can't think of one bad thing about either of them. I've actually argued with both of them at different times about who was gonna go after an animal that was glassed up... The twist is, I want them to go after the animal and they want me to go after it. That's a friend!

Lmao... Awesome! I'll sign on for that arguement! "We want pre-seasoned meat!!!!!"

Excellent points. I agree that there are bigger issues. The overall point I guess I'm trying to make is that everyone wants to preserve percieved "rights" based on principle instead of science. If we walk into a commission meeting with an arguement for baiting based on pure principle and the dept provides scientific facts based on the mule deer working group studies (which is exactly what they will do) then the commission will laugh at us. Everyone wants to sit and use these arguements based on principle and "more laws"... Guys, that is not what will win this battle. Get on muledeerworkinggroup.org or read some of the elk studies and battle facts with facts. What I would do is along the same lines as the last posters comments. I'd hit them back with predator issues and show how much more of a problem it is than baiting. That's where we need to be pushing the dept. The dept avoids the predator problem like its cancer. We need to keep pushing them on it.

This is a funny discussion... I am sorry. I lived in Wyoming for a minute and they don't allow baiting of anything but bears and it didn't feel like the Soviet Union when I lived there. Now, more rules are not an answer to anything but, if there are valid points about good management of the herds then they need to be addressed. I see the same guys that complain about too few deer defending baiting. Here's a fact for you, there many animals taken every year that wouldn't otherwise be taken if not for bait. That means it is an advantage and anyone that denies it is kidding themselves. If we are so dang concerned about the fact that the herds are down then why not make it as fair chase as possible? If we don't focus on good management ALWAYS, we look selfish and we prove our detractors correct in their judgements. Its like this attitude I see all the time, "cut tags as long as I still get one every year". If we are killing more animals over bait than we would without it we should seriously look at this. Deer numbers are way down but we still want every advantage at our disposal to fill a tag. Educate yourselves and find out what is best for the wildlife and make that your number one priority... you will always be on the right side of an issue. If baiting does not effect success rate or promote CWD then fine but I doubt very highly those opposed to a baiting ban have done the research to support their veiw. I personally have zero issue with salt licks but I don't like actual food. That's just me. But I will readily give up salt licks if I knew it was better for wildlife... for whatever reason.

Yeah, I'm guessing it costs money to make the plates. If you don't like the idea or where the money goes that's your perogative, I'm just saying what I know. I don't nor have I ever supported AZSFW or AZSFWC, I'm just answer a question sprinkled with some opinon.

Sh!* ton better than auction tags IMO.

Its supposed to go to the HPC fund, minus costs.

The licence plate program is a good program, I wouldn't let anything deter you from renewing it. AZSFW and AZSFWC are legally two different entities but shared board members and the same basic vision. The point is though, the plate program is a good program.

This is yet another step toward Fabian Socialism. Control the food, control the money, take away a peoples ability to defend themselves and you can control them. That is what we face with these liberals in Washington. I'm a Christian and I don't usually like to post from that standpoint but we as men (and women) had better get on our knees and pray for this country. "we battle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers". That means we can sit here and talk about all this and get mad and liberals but the true fight and the best way to fight is with prayer. "Watch and Pray". Its says that in Revelation. Lets start doing it!

Desert Muley tag for Donnie.... yaaahhhooooo!

Deer tag here!

Speaking of humidity.... I need to buy stock in Gold Bond!!! Serious risk of "Baboon Butt" these days!

I had a feeling you'd get it back. Thats awesome man. Good ol TLH, he'll give you the shirt off his back but he's still a knot-head.... . You're a good dude Terry!

This healthcare bill will end up burying Obama in Nov. Mark my words. 70% of Americans don't want this and they will prove it when they vote. Obama won the battle and lost the war in decision of the Supreme Court. This just psiied a lot of people off. I'm betting O'reilly and Hannity will have record veiwers tonight. Their arrogance just cost them the whitehouse, more of the house and possibly the senate.

This whole thing got a little off topic. Sorry about that. As for the anti's and our battle with them, here's my take. We must always battle back with logic. They operate on pure emotion. If we approach this fight with a list of "rights" we will bomb. We need to always approach this battle with data. 1+1=2... Can't argue that. When you go up against antis you beat them up with logic. They don't care about tradition or the fact that people make a living in California guiding with hounds or that you and I have hunted a certain area for thirty years, all any of that is is opposing emotions. Pound them back with research, data and logic. I completely respect the guys and their reasons for going and fighting for the McDowells, never give up ground, ever. But have the right game plan. The soccer mom out their hiking in her yoga clothes just looking for a cause does not give a sh!t how long you have hunted those mountains, I can promise you that but she cannot argue that 1 and 1 equals 2.

I get that it has been a place that many have enjoyed and I absolutely understand that. But, let's not lose focus of why we do what we do. We cannot put our own desire to hunt above what is best for wildlife. The antis will smell it like a fart in a car and we will be cast as heartless killers. Everything we do has to start with sound management otherwise it can and will be perceived as bloodlust. So, as it pertains to the McDowells, the first thing I would do is show a good reason for wildlife management in the area. Time and geography is not on our side. In 10 years or sooner the McDowells will look no different than the Phoenix mountain preserve and that's a fact. I don't think Game and Fish is going to put up much of a fight at all. If we get a bunch of emotional guys in there fighting for their right to hunt instead of showing why there needs to be hunting in that area, we will look like bloodthirsty rednecks. Just a suggestion. Good luck with that job.

Lmao... That's funny. People complain about all the californians moving here. I figure they can't be all that bad, they were smart enough to leave at least.

There is no side to my issue Terry, something is either beneficial to wildlife or its not. Your take on politics is your opinion and you are welcome to it. There is a huge difference between being poltically active as a culture and fighting for our rights and playing politics amongst ourselves. The politics being played amongst ourselves is what I am refering to. Teddy Roosevelt was a politician but what he did and what we still benefit from was an ideology not his politics. He ended up being a progressive liberal in the end. I gave quick examples of what I'm talking about and you're trying to disect what I was saying ie... The McDowell Mnts. You don't think I know there are more than mule deer there Terry? Really? I was using it as an example. And... Our right to hunt should never supercede the welfare of the wildlife we have claimed to love and be responsible for. You're the regional director for MDF so you should know this, especially if you're going in to fight for the McDowells. What's the estimated mule deer population in the 33 square mile area? What's the buck/doe ratio in there? What's the hunter days for the area? We'll keep it about mule deer since you're with the MDF. This is all information you should probably go in knowing so please share it with me. Convince me why I should show up other than we have the right to be there. Point is Terry, that's the important stuff, not selling tickets to a banquet. That's what SWSA was supposed to be but we noth know what happened there.

Politics are for politicians. I'm not fond of either. Politics has been the downfall of wildlife conservation. If our true desire is to have healthy herds and a stable situation for wildlife then there shouldn't be any need for favors and backscratching. When you start focusing on anything other than wildlife and the health of that wildlife, you've lost focus and you become a detriment to wildlife. Politics is nothing more to me than comprimising and there should be no comprimising with wildlife, it should always be about the animals. Case in point, the McDowell mnts. The first thing that should be considered is whether or not there are enough deer to support a hunt and is a hunt in there a good thing. If there are enough deer and there is a need then by all means we should fight for our right to manage that population. If not, then why would we fight for it? Is it about a healthy deer herd or about us?

Well I can certainly the point audsley is making. Making waves can cause us heartache and not making waves can certainly cause us heartache. My main issue with what was said was that we/I were playing to the masses with the aerial gunning push. It is truly about the health or our deer herds in the desert and not about membership is some org. The fact is, whether its popular or not something large-scale needs to be done. Going in and taking out 3 or 4 coyotes is awesome but isn't near enough. Even a big contest won't do enough to knock them down enough to make any real difference. It will makes us feel better at best. Make no mistake though, I'm not nor was I ever demogauging to get more hunting opportunities. A healthy deer herd at or near carrying capacity is all I've ever wanted. Nothing personal audsley, I think your caution is justified and you make a fair argument.