Whitesheep

Tires require compromise. What is best off road rarely gets good mileage on road. On road tires can be down right dangerous off road when they self destruct miles from anywhere. This is especially bad when you ruin your spare and you only carry one. Ask me why both my trucks carry two spares. Whatever you do, don't put "P" tires on any truck that sees any 4x4 duty other than snow only. "P" is supposed to stand for "Passenger," but really is the first letter in POS when used off road. Even if the tread depth looks good, they can be so bruised from even moderate 4x4 work that a patch kit will not help. Ask me how I know. For a vehicle that sees mostly pavement and you desire more than 30,000 of tread life you really have to pick an AT over an MT. I have run both AT's and MT's on my '04 RAM 2500 diesel. When my son had it as a daily driver we ran AT's. They did OK off road, but in the end succumbed to the bruising as one finally burst a sidewall. Now that the RAM is back to occasional duty it runs GoodYear MT/R's as it did before. I'll only get 30,000 miles at best on these tires, but that is OK with me as this is probably more than three years of driving for this truck. By the way the MT/R's have fantastic grip in decomposed granite, mud and on rocks. With three ply sidewalls they also put up exceptionally well with aggressive low pressure 4x4 work. Good luck on your choice. It will require a compromise. Make the one that is best for your situation and buy 6 of what ever you choose so you can carry two spares. It is even better when they are easy to get to.

Thank you Bill for the detail and clarification. Too bad your talking to the choir. For those here who really care about hunting I suggest you join Safari Club International. SCI is a premier supporter of hunting rights in the world including the USA. SCI is not just for international hunters. I joined a year ago at the suggestion of a international hunter I know (not Bill Quimby) and I am glad I did. While it is doubtful I will ever get the opportunity to hunt internationally, SCI is a great organization I am proud to be a part of.

There are many good reasons to have an AZ CCW. These include simplifying firearms purchases and being able to carry in a bar/restaurant that serves alcohol if you are not drinking. The reciprocity with other states is valuable as well. I didn't take a formal CCW class as my Hunters Education served instead. However, I did take a basic one on one pistol training program that focused on fundamentals. I can read the AZ Statutes myself. A formal course is a good investment, but not necessary.

azcoyote you should be happy with 8x and will be set with a good spotter and tripod to accompany them. Consider getting a combination binocular and range finder if your decision isn't already final. This reduces the gear you carry and is very handy. Personally I like 10x binoculars for the detail and longer range and am not bothered by the narrower field of view. I also carry a spotter and spend most of my time behind it when really looking things over. I can see small birds and even insects and amazing distances with this tool. Sometimes I even see deer or javalina, usually the opposite of what I am looking for. The binos are best for quick peaks and initial scans of places that will get a close look with the spotter. Like what you have, have what you like.

Good for you. Everyone should do this. My recommendation is Susan Sandys http://www.susansandys.com/. She set up my family trust and POA's for finances and medical. She is an attorney, but reasonably priced. More importantly she communicates in English and not jargon.

Drawn with three buddies for 20B and am looking for a good spot to park a 23' travel trailer. My trailer is only suited to graded gravel roads so nothing way back in. We don't mind being with another group, especially if they are CWT members, and would appreciate suggestions on where to set up. Not looking to encroach on anyone. We don't run quads, run a generator at night (if at all) or stay up late with loud music. Just a group of four middle aged guys that don't take Javalina too seriously, but appreciate spending time in the desert and having a drink around the campfire after a day's hunt. Thanks in advance

Thank you all. Wasn't thinking about coming in from the East off 17, but that sounds good. Scouting planned to happen in a couple of weeks.

Nice stuff everyone has found. Thank you for sharing. Once a friend and I found the proverbial Prince Albert tin in a 3' high rock cairn with a barely readable mining claim inside. This was in unit 23 and we left it there glad for the experience. Clearly others in the past had done the same and hopefully everyone else has as well. Sorry no pics has this was before cell phones and I wasn't carrying a camera.

Well I now feel better about not getting out to hunt Quail.

Yeah, that is a hunter cave special if I have ever seen one.

Thanks everyone. A friend and I are trying our hand a predator calling and haven't had much luck close to Payson where he lives. Sounds like Rim Country is worth the drive. Any other tips would be appreciated, other than burying a wolf collar

Check out the Turbo Diesel Register here: http://www.turbodieselregister.com/forum.php There are separate forums for the different generations and a wealth of knowledge on each.

Turbo Diesel Register is a great resource as well. Information on their forums has saved me money and helped me solve problems on my Cummins Ram. There are separate forums for all generations. Find them here: http://www.turbodieselregister.com/forum.php

Sectional density is the ratio of your wast size to your inseam and is directly related to your historical life quality. The bigger the ratio the more beer you have drunk and therefore the greater your quality of life has been in the past. A greater SD also allows you to drink more beer in the future so that as it grows so does your quality of life. However, there is a limit to this function as you may die if it gets too high. Each person has their own SD function, but it is hard to determine. However when it is smaller the second derivative of the function is positive while at a certain level the second derivative turns negative and the SD asymptoticly approaches a limit that is unique to each person. Doppler beerdar is helpful in this endeavor (sort of like what Hornady used for their new LR XLD bullet), but it is still mostly art rather than science. Cheers!

Didn't see it live, but saw the contrail this morning. Figured it was a rocket and then saw this thread. Thanks for helping keep us safe.

Good thread. Another trick is iodine suspect water then run through a charcoal filter to take out the taste. Generally I have enough water for a day hunt, but do carry a Bota Bottle with filter for emergencies. It has been used to supply three hunters with water from a contaminated stream and while some work, did the job. The Sawyer inline filter works great as a main filter as it can filter while you do something else. Beats the heck out of a pump filter. However if it clogs up during a trip, you may be screwed. Good to have at least one pump in the group for backup, especially one that is field serviceable like the MSR I use.

White is a great choice for the desert. As everyone else said it needs some AZ pinstripes. You also should add an Elk Society sticker along with a AZ Wildlife conservation license plate. Then you will be ready for the Elk mountains. A Cousewhitetail.com headliner sticker could be cool too, but I like looking at mountains out my windshield not the backside of Amanda's sticker. In fact my '84 F-150 doesn't have an inside rear view mirror for that unobstructed view.

For those who routinely practice shooting at long ranges where to you find ranges beyond 500m?

Thanks Lance. My son and I used to paint ball there, but I forgot they have a 1000 yard range. $35 for a day isn't bad at all. I'll give them a call and see how you arrange time. Mulepack, The desert is always a good option, but mine is pain to get around in. My 500 yard range requires backpacking the target and gong over two drainages, but it can be done. Another area I know of provides about 700 yards of range, but it requires an overnight trip from Phoenix to be practical. I certainly would not expect you to give up your range location as I wouldn't mine.

The dummy lock is used by ranchers and others quite a bit. I learned long ago to verify the padlock was actually locked. On an Elk hunt a couple of years back my group found ourselves on the NF side of a locked gate in my friend's truck. Had a heck of a time finding a way out because access to the NF was locked even though there was public land on both sides of the gate. One side NF the other a public street. We were on public land the entire time. Had we been in my truck I would have cut the chain as I always carry a master key, my friend doesn't. It is understandable why people lock these gates. If you had to put up with the trash and bad behavior near your property you would probably do the same if not worse. As usual, the few ruin it for the many.

This is the one I have also. It appears to be made for much larger men then me, especially in the nut department, but it works.

Great thread. One thing not mentioned that helps me slow down when glassing is to silently name objects in the grid I am currently looking at. For example when holding on a grid section I scan that section with my eyes holding the optic still and internally identify each rock, plant type, bird species, bug, etc. This requires that I stop to think and this slows me down. Once everything in that grid is named I move to the next grid. It can take a long time to cover a hillside this way and I often do it several times. When I finally silently say "pig," "deer," "bear," it really wakes me up. Before I start this slow grid approach, usually with a spotting scope, I grid scan the entire hillside or clearing I can see with binoculars so I don't miss something obvious right off. Even with this method I can go days or entire hunts not seeing any game, or if I do it is of the wrong type. So, as they say just keep at it. The best hunters are the ones who hunt longest.

8 points for a AZDBHS hunt. You're killing me. I remember reading about an 11 year old who killed a record book Bull Elk and Desert Big Horn Sheep his first year hunting. So what is he dreaming about at night?

No problems here. Used the portal and will be hunting Javalina in 20B this coming February. Sorry you guys are having problems, but the old paper method was worse and way to expensive. Give G&F feedback and I am sure they will do their best to fix the online draw system. They are about the only Government Agency that really does work for us.

Anyone tried Filson's pants? They are really pricey, but not so much so compared to the really high end stuff from Sitka..