bowsniper

A week ago I finally took my dog and went up to Pintail Lake near Show Low to hunt up some ducks for the first time. No surprise, mainly it was coots and only a very few ducks because it has been so warm. I was surprised how mucky the water was and I noticed on the forest service map that it labeled the ponds "sewage". So my question is: It really sewage and if so, do guys really send their dogs into it? I was camping and really didn't have a way to clean up my dog, not to mention that my dog sleeps on my wife's side of the bed. So what the story about Pintail? Thanks, Mark

Happy Birthday Hog Hunter, Mike Misker. With Christ for two years now. You are missed very much! https://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/93511-sad-news-hoghunter/

Congrats! This permit is even much harder to get than a sheep tag! I have done the Grand five times in my home built 16' cataraft, three times as trip leader. What month is your put-on? If it's not Summer, the days will be shorter, and it will be a challenge to get down in 16 days. Hermit rapid is always just fun waves, Crystal and especially Lava have become easier runs over the years due to floods. You will do fine. The monsoon should not affect you too much, just be careful when hiking the side canyons. The Monsoon will also trash the fishing. Here are a few things in no particular order: Make sure you have adequate raft space for all your gear. The Grand is big water, but there are a few technical moves and some must "catch eddies". If your raft is overloaded, these moves can be difficult. (Crystal and Mother Rock to name a few). It's always a battle at the put-in to get other stuff on someone else's raft. The fishing is generally pretty good up to the LCR (little Colorado river). After that the water gets pretty murky. For drinking water you will need a Katadine filter or equivalent. When the water gets murky, the filter clogs up fast and you really need to decant the sediment out before you filter. You can let the water settle in buckets for hours or there are products you can add that will settle the settlement quickly. Good organization of common equipment (kitchen) and food is critical. Have specific meals planned for every meal and stick to it to keep the food organized. There are companies (PRO in Flag) that sell this service. I have done both ways, and paying PRO or someone else to organize and pack the food is definitely worth it. Packing out the trash is always challenging. Burn what you can in your fire pan, keep crushed cans in a separate burlap bag, and have more trash space than you think that you will need. Establish a duty roster before the trip, and assign specific people to cooking, water, toilet duty for each day of the trip. I have done it both ways, with and without, and even when everyone is good friends, a few people (especially the TL) will end up doing most of the work unless you have and established duty roster. If you are a small group (under 8 people), be careful where you park you boat overnight. The water can drop a lot overnight. If you are parked on a long shallow beach and don’t have enough people to drag your boat to the river, you may have to D-rig to move it. No matter how low and boring the water level is, do not run mile 209 rapid. You WILL flip! PM me if you like. Mark Raft.bmp

I'll tell you how "public comment" worked a few years ago when they voted to ban baiting, I was there at the meeting. They let all the speakers who were not talking about the bait ban talk for as long as they wanted. Sandra Bahr of the Sierra Club got 23 minutes to speak. For the baiting issue comments, they made all of us wait until the end of the meeting to speak. Then one commissioner stated these rules specifically for us: 1) three minute limit. If you exceeded that time limit, the big fish cop in the back with a gun on his hip would remove you. 2) Don't bother to repeat or reiterate any reason or point that has already been stated. 3) The "public comment" period ends in 30 minutes. (basically after lunch) When we began to speak, the commissioners began to eat their bag lunches. While we were speaking, one commissioner left and did not return (until after "lunch"). A few commissioners kept busy texting. Two commissioners engaged in a private conversation ignoring the "public input". We took our turns speaking while none of them listened to a word we had to say. They had made their decisions far in advance. THE ISSUE WAS NOT BAITING, THE ISSUE WAS THE COMPLETE CONTEMPT THE COMMISSION HAS FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS AND INPUT. I have never seen such a lack of respect or contempt for the average person. As a result, I have no respect and COMPLETE contempt for AZGF.

I'm not joking here.... I bet the fish cops will attempt to use DNA to prosecute a game camera violation. You leave your DNA all over the camera.

Found this out after driving 2.5 hours yesterday! (Total 5 hours!)

This has turned into a retirement thread. This May, after 39 years at Honeywell, I was laid off. I just decided to make it my retirement. Just in time for my hunts. After my strip tag, on the way home I'll stop off in 7E for an archery cow tag. The hunts are back to back. It's a new feeling not having to limit your hunt because of work! Mark

I have a good idea what Hoghunter would say. God bless him!

I AM SHOCKED! I got a 13a strip August archery tag! There are only 15 tags. I had a tag up there 5 years ago and scored a good buck. This should be better because the are fewer tags this year. Let me know if anyone else scored this tag, it's nice to have a friendly neighbor way out on the strip. Mark

I verified the Go Fund Me account for Mike's family. I texted with Heather, and Guy Hill, the person that started the fund, is a friend of Mikes. He did start the Go Fund Me account without contacting Mike's family, but that's OK. Mike's wife, Heather Misker, is listed as the beneficiary on the account, only she will have access to the funds. So if the "Go Fund Me" account is easier for you to use than mailing, use it and don't worry. Mike's family Go Fund Me Account: https://gf.me/u/ydd9i5 Mark

Here is the link to the Go Fund Me donation page to benefit Mike's wife and boys: https://gf.me/u/ydd9i5 Mike's biggest wish in life had nothing to do with hunting. His biggest wish was to be a Daddy.

Here is the link to the Go Fund Me donation page to benefit Mike's wife and boys: https://gf.me/u/ydd9i5

Here is the link to the Go Fund Me donation page to benefit Mike's wife and boys: https://gf.me/u/ydd9i5

Mike's biggest wish in life had nothing to do with hunting. His biggest wish was to be a Daddy. And what a great father and husband he was! Mike leaves behind a wonderful wife and two awesome boys. I have heard that his military disability pension will end with his passing and will not support his wife and kids. A Go Fund Me page is in the works to help them. I'll post a link when available. We have lost a great father, husband, friend to all, and hunter, but Mike's faith was endless, and he is with Christ now.

Someone just suggested to me that I should deflate the tires and run them on the rims (carefully) for 20 yards, if they don't crack, they should be ok. Any thoughts on that? Mark