kwp

Wow, very scientific! Sounds like a great thesis.

Sounds like the rail is the wrong direction to me

I was on Midway's notification and a couple months ago they got a shipment in and sold out within 20 minutes and I missed it. I searched around and found some from 10x tactical outfitters. They were $2 per box more than midway and later that day raised their prices even more. I shot 20 a few weeks ago and have loaded up 20 more that I hope to shoot in the next couple weeks. I am working on developing a load for accuracy then will do drop tests to verify BC.

They have produced and sold some but they are in such high demand that they sell out within minutes. Use the product arrival notification on midway and act quickly when they get them. I was able to get some of the 30 cal 210 grain. Working on developing a load for my 300 win mag.

This app was created by a labratory at UCSD. The only thing in that labratory that I have respect for are the lab rats. Just another example of why that state needs to fall into the ocean.

Great job Andy!

What tomgobbler said is right on, I'll add that even in a poor antler growth year, 340+ is very achievable if you are patient. 310+ should definitely be doable. In my experience a lot of hunters say they want to hold out for a 340, 350, 360+ bull and have a really hard time passing on a 325 bull that comes in screaming his head off. There are a lot of bulls in the 310-330 range and that is why you will have to be patient for a 340+, but if you are you should have a good chance of multiple encounters with bulls of that class, especially being able to hunt the whole 2 weeks. Good luck in the draw.

It's been quite a few years since the early hunt has been "comfortable" while the sun is up. I would count on temps being well into the 90s. Two years ago my hunting buddy was setting up on a buck mid afternoon and when we got his wind meter out it said the temp was 103. That was in the sun and I know official temps are taken in the shade but when the only shade is a scraggly mesquite tree, temps in the shade don't mean much. You'll need to be at your morning glassing point well before sun up and prepared to have a very short window of activity in the morning. When it is hot, coues will head to their beds shortly after the sun hits the ground. Your mid-day should be spent picking apart the shady hillsides, if you can stand the heat yourself.

If you are planning on spike camping then your biggest concern will be having enough drinking water. It will be hot and when hiking around you will go through water fast. Don't count on having a natural water source that you can get water from. In the past when spike camping I have hauled water in during scouting trips. We're a lot more likely to hear about you on the news because of dehydration than a mountain lion attack.

Saw bits and pieces of the show. Anyone who does that has serious sanity issues. Plus the guy has kids. Don't see how he can put his family through that every time he pulls one of these stunts.

Those of you with iPhones or iPads have a reccomendation for a GPS app with maps that will work without a cell signal? Thx

Some guns shoot better with a pressure point on the barrel but most of those have a poorly fit action. Bed the action and then float the barrel and it should be more consistent. If you float the barrel with a poorly fit action it could shoot worse.

Was just driving down Ft Lowell in Tucson and saw two G&F trucks parked at the Nature Conservancy office. Makes we wonder what stupid ideas they are gonna throw at us next. Is dealing with these enviro groups a regular part of their jobs?

Wow, great info Ben. I always lumped them into the wacko enviro groups like Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, etc.

As many others have said, everyone hunts their own way and shouldn't be told how to hunt, but I really don't think that anyone is doing that. The frustrating part for me, and many others that strive to take "trophy" animals, is that the current management polcies make it much less likely that an animal reaches the age necessary to meet our standards. The fact is that "hunter opportunity" is the main goal of the department. The steady increase in tags is having a detrimental effect on the age/quality of animals. If a "premium" hunt structure allows some units to provide the quality that many of us desire then I don't see what is wrong with that. Unfortunately, depending on how this premium hunt structure is utilized, it could result in increased fees, further dividing of the hunting community, and not even give more premium/qulaity hunts.

Very well said on all aspects Devin!

And that sums up the Premium Hunt problem: pitting one hunter against another. That cow hunter has just as much right to be out in the woods as the Premium bull hunter. Do we really want to divide the hunting community like this? You are right in that we definitely don't want to pitt hunters against each other, but with the current structure of the bull and cow hunts going on at the same time, this is already happening. If the archery bull elk hunt were to be considered a "premium" hunt then there would need to be some sort of restructuring to make sure it does not overlap with a non-premium hunt, which in my opinion would truely make the bull hunt a premium hunt. There are definitely some hunts that have more "value" than other hunts as is evident with the number of applicants and draw percentages for the different hunts. In what other industry is a more valuable product not more expensive than a less valueable product? If you really wanted to make hunting an equal opportunity for all then the cost of deer should be the same as sheep. I find it interesting that there is this discussion about implementing different fees for "premium" hunts while there is another thread about "fee simplification". Kindof counterintuitive!

I haven't used a flatline map but they have some good info. Personally I like a finer scale than they offer. I use the 1:24k USGS quad maps.

Changing the biology of unit(s) even to accomodate a supposed majority of hunters isn't sound management either. It's pretty clear that biological factors are not the only thing AZGFD is considering when managing game. Is the addtion of another hunt along with the steady increases in tags good management? No, but it provides more "hunter opportunity". Everyones definition of a "premium hunt" is going to be different. For me it involves a number of things, not necessarily in any order; 1-time of year, typically rut hunts are better than non rut. 2-Having less hunters in the field to compete with. 3-Being able to hunt animals that aren't over pressured by hunt after hunt after hunt. 4-A unit with trophy genetics (pretty much every unit in AZ has trophy coues genetics). Personally I feel like the December Coues hunts are less "premium" hunts than they used to be primarily due to #3. I don't have any scientific data to proove it but in my experience I have seen a steady decrease in the buck:doe ratio and I question if the harvest numbers are sustainable.

Sweet finds!

That next guy was me. Got some much needed fed 215m and h1000. Thanks a ton! Murphy's has fed 215 primers but not the match primers.

When considering a bullet there are many things to consider, performance, accuracy, ballistic coefficient, cost, etc. You'll get many different opinions on what aspect is most important but for me it is the performance. You'll want a bullet that gives adequate expansion, weight retention, and penetration. Many of today's popular bullets will do one of these well but not all of them. You'll often hear the statement that with proper shot placement the bullet works perfect. Well honestly with proper shot placement you could kill a coues with a .22 long rifle. I want a bullet that I can be confident with even if the shot placement is poor. Obviously we as hunters need to do everything we can to ensure good shot placement but be honest, this is hunting and things happen. With the ranges you stated and considering coues, you have a little more room for error as far as bullet performance but there are still plenty of examples of people hitting but losing a coues. For my money, the 140 gr Nosler Accubond would be my choice for the .270.

I don't have any RL 22 to trade but thirdgenerationshootingsupply shows that they have 1 lb bottles available.

The Brownell's kit is tough to beat especially if you are new to the process. Has everything you need in it. It's really not that difficult to do, just take your time and follow the instructions.

Since it is spring practice time I thought I would add a little fuel to the fire. Rich Rod ranked the 4th best coach in the conference. Graham, well he is doing what ASU guys do best, bring up the rear. http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2013-04-17/college-football-coach-rankings-2013-pac-12-david-shaw-jim-mora