Jeff Welker

I'm hoping Messrs. Quimby, Mandile, and others can help with this one. Like many on this forum, I enjoy reading books that recount hunting and fishing adventures - especially in Arizona. One of the reasons I enjoy Bill's "Sixty Years a Hunter" and Tony's "Coues Deer" is that many of the wonderful hunts they chronicle occured in Arizona. I've heard that Bob Housholder wrote a few books and I assume they involve hunting in Arizona at some level. I've looked in the usual places and can't find much in the way of a bibliography for Mr. Housholder. Any suggestions on how to determine what Bob Housholder actually published and where copies might be purchased would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

I had a tremendous opportunity come to fruition today. I got a very early call offering me a chance to photograph A-10's in a live fire exercise at the Barry Goldwater USAF Range. I was able to rearrange a few appointments and quickly headed out the door. Hearing those Hogs firing their 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-type cannons within close range of your camera position is quite an experience. These Hog drivers are sharp shooters with those cannons and I would definitely not want to get caught in the open desert with one of these bad boys on my tail. Here are a few images from the morning.

Here are a few more for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments. @Doug: I shot most of my images at 1000th to 1250th shutter speed and f/4 to f/5.6. I was also shooting at ISO 100 with an EV of +⅓. I was using a Canon 1DMk4 camera and Canon 100-400L zoom lens. It was definitely a hoot

Thanks all for the kind words - it was a great experience. Got to handle a loaded 30mm round after the flights ended; it makes a 50 caliber look seriously small. When they fire their cannons the 30mm rounds go super sonic and make the loudest/wildest sound you've ever heard. Combine that with the very loud "buuurrrrpppp" of the cannon firing, and any self-repsecting insurgent would likely soil themselves

My son and I got our tags in the mail today

Congrats Bill. My son and I drew our first choice, Unit 22 North Bull tags, a late rifle hunt.

This is what it looked like in Payson on Sunday during the storm. Like others have said, I'm guessing the majority of this new snow is already melted.

Bill: Here is what it looked like at 9:00 AM Sunday morning on Hwy 260 just west of the Greer turnoff. Shortly after I took this photo, it became a complete white-out near the FSR 117 turnoff. I can be sure of the exact location because I could not see There was already a bunch of standing water in the forest before this storm. The rapid snow melt will only enhance that situation - a good thing IMO. A couple of days before the storm, I visited all the local lakes in Greer and they were completely full. A great change from August last year.

I had the great privilege to be invited join a small group photographing a Blue Angel practice session and naval aviation action at NAF El Centro. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day and the photography was challenging. Nevertheless, we had a great time and got a few keepers. Here are some photos from the days activities. Early morning practice begins with four ship launch. Opposing solo #6 launching for morning practice. Storm approaching while the opposing solos climb for the sky. VFA-122 Flying Eagles Super Hornet launching for afternoon practice on the range. CoNA Legacy Hornet practicing carrier landings.

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. It is a tremendous experience to be so close to these aircraft during flight operations. On more than one occasion, I had an F/18 Super Hornet launch with full afterburner within 20 yards of me. The pressure change and AB blast was so significant that it was often difficult to maintain a solid position from which to photograph. These planes are unbelievable. I'd hate to be a bad guy and have one of these headed my way. Here are a couple of my black & white conversions and some other aircraft.

As I contemplated my hunting opportunities for 2012, I got to thinking about adding something new to my regular dove/quail hunts. This past summer while spending some quality time in Greer I saw a few Blue Grouse while hiking with my son and grandson near the old Thompson's Ranch in Unit 1. It gets me to wondering if there are sufficient birds to justify the time/expense to make a proper effort? If I've read the regs correctly, it would be a fall hunting opportunity. My wife was raised in Alpine and her father tells me they used to hunt them successfully; however, that was many years ago and things certainly could have changed for the better or worse. Any comments or experiences that folks might share would be sincerely appreciated.

The cutting that happened almost immediately (adjacent to rights-of-way) is primarily intended to remove falling tree hazards from the roadways. I did see some it being delivered to the Reidhead boys; however, there is just not that much usable timber. There are also mills in New Mexico within reasonable distance that could join the fun if larger timber sales were allowed. Here is a photo of Escudilla taken shortly after the fire. The second photo was taken just the prior October. As you can see, it was hit very hard. In 1951, a similar fire hit Escudilla and caused nearly the same damage. They logged-off nearly the entire mountain very quickly. That is where the road to Terry Flat and the other logging roads on Escudilla came from. Not only did it generate timber sales, jobs, local economy boost, etc; it is believed it helped the mountain flora/fauna recover much quicker that it would have if the timber had been left to rot.

Groves Ward, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I was going through some of my Dad's photos and found this one from his Antelope hunt in 1966. Dad is in the middle. No B&C bucks; however, they had all four tagged by 8:00 AM opening morning. Note the hunting car and tent in the back ground. Their hunting hats and interesting camo shirts/pants tell how things certainly have changed in the nearly 50 years since this photo was taken. As best I can tell from Dad's notes, they were hunting in what is now Unit 3B. Dad shot his buck with a pre-64 Mod 70 (no big deal back then) that my mom bought him for Christmas in 1959. It was originally a 30-06; however, he had it chambered to a 30x338. Strong medicine for those speed goats. I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

+1 - Geof Moss knows units 22 and 24 extremely well.

Great tom - congrats for your father. I hope I'm not out of line; however, would you please share the name of your father's guide and where this lion was dispatched? My son and I have been considering a guided lion hunt and don't know any guides with dogs. It would also be cool to know the area where this tom was working.

As I noted in the HB2072 thread, I was disappointed that Rep. Weiers did not reply to my email questions. This mass email memorandum does not address any of my questions and only convinces me of one thing, this is definitely not over. I don't agree with this proposal and think that Arizona already has plenty of auction and raffle tags. That being said, I still think we/you/us are going to take this in the shorts in the long run. These folks are organized and well funded. Time is on their side. There are many ways to get this type of legislation approved - including incorporating it into a completely unrelated bill. Unfortunately, it will take some serious day-in-and-day-out diligence to make sure any future attempts are properly vetted by the AZGFD and via public meetings throughout the state. I wish I could be more positive; however, I've seen these things up close and personal. The well organized/funded groups have the influence/horsepower and usually get what they want. I hope I am wrong. From my perspective as an old hippie from the '70's, it is just another example of THE MAN putting us down

I'm getting back into serious big game hunting after many years away while I was focused on competitive rifle shooting. In the competitive disciplines, Lapua was/is considered the very best brass commercially available. Accordingly, I've become addicted to Lapua over time. While Lapua makes brass in many popular hunting cartridges/calibers, they don't cover everything. For example, they don't make brass for a 338 Winchester or 264 Winchester - two rifles I'm seriously considering. Besides Lapua, what brass would you rate as high quality for reloading and accuracy? I've been leaning towards Norma brass; however, I wanted to hear from others who've been reloading. It is my experience that high quality brass makes a difference in accuracy. Because of my competitive background, I want the most accurate hunting rifle(s) I can muster. You input and comments are sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

Holy Smokes Bill - I never new about these charges. I remember as a kid going to Phx Suns games at the purple palace and seeing Bob's animal displays. My dad used to tell me Housholder was the best hunter in Arizona. Unfortunate for everyone involved. Sorry to hear that things did not end well for Mr. Housholder. Certainly taints his Grand Slam and Arizona Big Ten contributions.

Thanks Bill, I will contact Norden next week. Besides yourself, Housholder, and O'Connor, are there other authors that have published tomes chronicling hunting exploits in Arizona? I have a couple of Bob Hirsch's pamphlet/soft bound "books" on fishing the rim, etc. just wondering what was out there. Arizona has such an interesting hunting history/heritage, I would think someone (how about you Bill?) would write a history; or do you consider the "Arizona Wildlife Trophies" books to be a form of that history/story telling?

Death is the universal circumstance all on this earth share in common. When the time for separation comes, we all experience much sorrow. However, I hope all are comforted with the knowledge this is not the end of their relationships. Sincere condolences to you and your family.

WOW - What a tremendous buck. Great story, wonderful pictures, it does not get any better than that. Congratulations.

Did you ever get a response to your email to Rep. Weiers? I've been watching for you to post it but have not seen it. I ask because I sent emails to the contact listed for AzSFW with questions that they have not answered. The silence from those pushing the bill has been deafening. Thanks. Unfortunately, I have not received any response from Rep. Weiers. It is very disappointing. I've communicated with several legislators over the past few years and most respond very quickly. I came into this completely open minded and ready to listen. My email to Rep. Weiers was respectful and sincere. I asked him 6 specific questions about HB2072. While I know he has been busy with all the excitement, I believe he still needed to send me some type of response. If nothing else, one of his staffers could have sent me an email explaining the delay.

Kevin, what a great ram - congratulations. Thanks for sharing the report and photos. You put in the time, the hard work, and harvested a super 170's ram. Those horns have great character - just like the hunter. It is also wonderful that you could share this hunt with good friends - well done. I am in total awe that soon you will have both bighorns hanging on the wall in your home - you're in a very elite group. I think it is wonderful that we have these great animals in our state and have an opportunity (however remote) to draw tags and hunt them. What rifle and scope combination did you use?