idgaf

I got it now. The nanny state is okay if you agree with a particular aspect of it. "Some peeople are tooo stooopid to be trusted with just being there, so nun of you can use da forest" Da, I gonna go plaay widh my poop now! I'm glad you got it, but you are also missing the main point. There is a precedence that has been proven over and over with the closings (see wallow fire). The point your missing with your poop playing is when its something you can agree with you can do it at the top of our lungs and justly you can disagree at the top of your lungs as well. If they keep the forest open for you to use I am not going to stop you because I disagree. You can complain about the "nanny state" or you can doing something about it.

Forest Service leaving the Forest open for this weekend is a concession to the public. The Comparison to a military base and the forest is the thought process, "that I am a tax payer I can go where I want." (see reese witherspoon.) I do not think the Forest Service wants to close the forest to deny you your constitutional rights as an American, but to save a dwindling resource we all enjoy. A fire would hasten the process. Personally, I think the Forest Service hierarchy is full of bunny hugging ego maniacs with a bunch of personal agendas, but in the case of closing the forest because of fire danger I agree with them totally. This has been a very dry year and we all need to make some concessions to that. The good news is in Show Low as I write this it is raining just a bit.

You guys don't get it. It really, really sucks when your everyday life is completely altered when a couple of absent minded valley/Tucson residents forgets to put out a fire(wallow) or a camera team wants to catch the dramatic effect of a stranded motorist rescue (chedeski). AZKiller with that train of thought go to the nearest military base and jump the fence the public owns that too.

I'm another one that is glad they are closing the forest. I have witnessed and been part of two evacuations due to man caused fires and it is not something I want to go through again. Fortunately, I live in the white mountains and our forest have already cooked.

No 50 LBs but made some great steaks, from my step dad late last summer. Caught on either an overnite or day and half out of H&M Landing

Friday after work 6 pounds or so. Saturday at Lunch. I have a great amount respect for Catch and release fisherman, I wish catfish didn't taste so good.

I have not had time to go after the air breathing kitties like I want, my overlords, um bosses, have some unrealistic expectations that I need to meet. That is one of the three animals I am missing for my big 10. Catfish are in the top 5 of favorite fish to eat in my household edging out native/naturalized trout. Stock trout according to my youngest daughter taste like ground.

I once new a gentlemen who won the lottery twice. I would like to change the lottery system until I win. Congrats Brian that's cool.

The one and only time I did a 3d shoot (smoker course Bh happening when it was at sunrise) I scored horribly. I did not know to shoot at the 10 ring on angle shots and aimed to where my arrow would go through the vitals which did not score well. My 7.5 GPI arrow has yet to bounce off an animal and even has a few pass threws on big game animals. If I am aiming at the shoulder on a large bodied animal than penetration is very important, but I will not do that intentionally.

Your just as dead either way. What is not taken into account with any of this is bus/ferrari placement. I will take a fast flat shooting arrow with a forty yard pin and a 45 yard animal any day over the same circumstance and the slower looping trajectory heavier arrow. Arrows kill by slicing and creating blood loss in vital areas not by crushing its intended quarry.

I'm feeling a little like the last kid picked at Kickball. I got one of the last tags available in the state. Limited Opportunity unit one archery cow in December. Can't wait at least I get to kick.

Yes

Totally understand that one. A friend of mine got his desert after 17 years of applying and his rocky 17 years after that. I told him that's fair he got two tags in 17 years. I get under his skin just a bit when I tell him that.

Well my wife just got done yelling at me about what I spent 148 dollars on. Apparently, I got real lucky.

Thanks for all the replies, Let me rephrase the question just a bit. Horn style is certainly one of the most important parts of a trophy, but not the only part. Which style is harder to hunt, rarer, harder to get to, ETC. Whenever I look at one of my animals on the wall I think back to that hunt and when I finally get my once in a life time sheep tag I want the memory to be a strong as the mount if that makes sense.

Last years lost in found is getting worse every year, I found a cow last year that had 4 ulmers broadheads in it amognst the bones,2 years before that in 5 b I found 5 broadheads in the dead elk bones are you kidding me most of the people on this site I think are newbies I don't get pissed I just state the facts from my experiance,back in the day we use to have are hunters use 220 grain bullets so they could bust the shoulder and then finish it off.I have read the posts on past thru shots with a bow I have killed well over 30-40 animals with my bows only one of those wasn't a pass thru were the heck are you guys aiming.more elk are lost with a rifle then the drug store archery hunters it's a fact I once glassed a guy shooting a 30 06 hit a elk 6 times and walk away thinking he never hit it because it didn't fall over.once in the Dragoon mountains we watched 3 guys shoot at a deer 26 shots they hit it 16 times and still didn't kill it.I think people spend more time on these forums then they ever will in the woods. Once again, its not the equipment its the operator. A bigger gun, heavier arrow, does not make you a better hunter. First Coues was 80 is right if we shoot we need to follow up. Take the time and track.

In my opinion Kinetic energy does not kill animals, arterial hemorrhage does. I shoot a light arrow with a mechanical head and have taken seven of the ten big game species with it. I have also shot a Javelina at 20 feet with a 454 casul and it ran away and I have witnessed elk drop with a 90 grain 6mm bullet. Most of the animals that I have heard of being lost is because of operator error and not equipment issues.

These are wolves. Pic from my daughters elk hunt in 2011. I have some clearer pictures on an old SD card somewhere.

I think that would be the equivalent of inflation hitting the bonus point system. Our system is not the best, but it is better than anything else out there. There is fine line g&f is dealing with we have the biggest elk because of their conservative nature when it comes to tags we also have the most call for demand because of this conservative nature. We yell when their is to many hunters and then we yell when we are not one of those hunters.

The bull in my avatar was from the late archery hunt in 3c a few years ago. I hunted everyday of the season and some days I saw a dozen bulls and others I did not see an elk. I do not have the patience to sit water so I glassed and still hunted. Still hunted the bull releasing the arrow at 18 yards in very thick cover causing a stampede. I would do it again knowing this is NOT a rut hunt and the opportunity to not fill your tag strongly exist.

I have seen and experienced what a nine wolf pack did to my favorite hunting area in unit one. It is not good. The wolves would chase the elk herd for miles until one would drop back and then they would eat for the night. They would do the same thing the next day. Two season ago during the deer hunt we saw over a hundred deer in that area last year in the same area, same people, over three days we saw ten does and pack of really fat wolves. when the elk would startle the immediately go in flight mode and run in single file for miles. Mexican wolves can stay in Mexico.

honestly, I think the answer is yes all of the above to a point. The unit with the biggest bulls is a moving target, unit 10 one year and unit 1 the next, unit 9 the following. I think there is no one answer to the question. It is based on a couple of constants: genetics and pressure and a couple of evolving variables climatic conditions and food sources. In 2010 I saw pics of 420 bulls coming out of unit 10 in 2011 and 2012 I saw pics of 420-460 bulls out of unit one and 27. Last year I saw pics of giant bulls from everywhere, lots of rain, especially in 23n. Pick a unit and hope weather conditions and the draw favor you.

I mean no offense to those that are bitter about not getting drawn and maybe its my understanding of supply and demand, but I have no negative feelings (and am happy for them) to those that are luckier than me and have a tag coming or G&F for the draw methods. When 2500 people want one of 20 tags it may take awhile for you to be one of the twenty. Or usually in my case when 11 people want 10 tags and I am the one without the tag, I simply say typical and then I will get the next one. The draw is about percentages and luck, if you have a lot of luck put in for any hunt and win, if you have less luck (like me) play the percentages and eventually you will win.

Good news card just hit. Bad news its for my wife or daughter and not me.

I got to tag along on a deer hunt yesterday(raffle winner), we saw some coues rutting activity in 27.