tontotom

I'll start the bidding at $300 and pay Amanda the 10% to boot-

If you are serious I'd go to lower 27. We chased them with dogs all the way to the new year. Try pipe stem mountain all the way to Juan Miller. That is some serious country to turn a dog loose in, talk about committed. They were still hitting acorns and juniper berries. Of course most are asleep but there are a few goofy ones out. Is the season still open?

Cool pics and neat sighting. It really doesn't look like the wolves I've seen in 1 & 27 but it does look lean like it's living on it's own. I'm guessing feral but holding out for the expert to report back.

Give us more, what scope, mounts- How did it go together. Why did you choose Savage? The gun looks great and sounds like it will shoot as well. Great job.

I think you are right to contemplate her growing up with a rifle. I bought my son a 7/08 when he was ten and the recoil was more than he wanted. We reloaded some custom cartridges for him and had a muzzle brake installed. Hearing protection was a must but recoil was manageable. As he grew the muzzle brake came off and full power loads took over. As his skills improved he took longer shots and killed a wide variety of game. We bought a model 7 remington and I really love the gun. I've killed a bunch of game with it also. Here is the point, get a good gun that fits the smaller frame now. When she grows put a full sized stock on it and it still fits. Also, get the best scope you can afford for her. Don't cheap out on optics or any equipment for your kids. I had older brothers growing up and always ended up with the Model 94 and tasco binoculars with double vision.

Coues don't take a lot of killing. That said, shooting extended ranges is what can be required. I shot my deer this year at 402 yards with a 300 win mag and never felt over gunned. Whatever shoots accurate is what is needed.

How about a pic of his butt? The dark patch on the forehead is really muley like. Nice buck for sure.

A buddy of mine had a tag down there and they killed 3 for 3 in their group. Nothing over the top but nice bucks. They found some remote water and killed all the bucks during the middle of the day watching travel routes. They missed a lion as well. Said the area was loaded with coati as well. Good luck-

I've never been to that unit. However, I would look for water 1st and then find oaks and grassy hills. Mid-elevation is what most literature would suggest. Please post after the hunt as to what you found and where. Hope this helps.

I've used mouth calls, built electronic calls and the wife bought me a foxpro scorpion last christmas. All are equally effective. The only time I spend longer than 15 minutes on a stand is if I think a cat might come. I start out with a soft bird sound. This really gets the birds fired up. Jackrabbit is great for most things but if I'm targeting foxes the fox distress is killer. I love the electronic calls. Not only does it get the sound away from me they allow me to minimize movement.

Nice cat and a great photo.

The lion will stay around and feed on the carcass until it is gone or spoiled. It won't travel far until the kill is of no further value. The deer will move away but not out of the country, maybe just out of the close area, 1/2 mile range. Lions travel long distances and deer encounter them quite often. Lions average a kill for every 10-20 attempts. Keep hunting the area, get the lion and the buck. Good luck.

Gamehauler- Thanks, I don't live in Tonto Basin fulltime but we do have a weekend place there. Soon though, 6.25 years and I'll be more of a fulltime resident. I'll try to get up with you before I plunk down the money and preview the scopes. This place is great, tons of information. I'm way in the same position as Amanda. Old scope and I was really wishing for some more power. The light wasn't too bad and I could count his eyelashes with my 15x Leica duovids but when I went to the rifle mode I could barely make him out. Didn't have this issue with other species. The guys who like Nikon, do the circles clutter the sight picture? I really like the simplicity of the Burris but the glass on the fullfield isn't the greatest. I've looked at a lot of information but this feedback is the greatest. Thanks

Unless we get some moisture expect it to be dry. You can also expect a lot of Border Patrol activity. Weather can be super hot or cold so prepare for both. The breeding doesn't take place until January but you might see some good bucks making scrapes and following does or just hanging loose. If you haven't hunted the area before be prepared for a lot of private property, no hunting areas and locked gates. By your post you seemed most interested in the time of year, hope that helps.