billrquimby

The photo of my first buck was ruined in a fire in our home, but the story about my taking it is in my book, "Sixty Years a Hunter." It was a typical three-pointer (3x3 plus eyeguards) -- nothing special, but it was my first whitetail and I was proud of it. It was in October 1956. I was 20 years old and a recently married sophomore at the UA. We had no vehicle, sol I got up very early and walked from where we lived at Park Avenue and Fort Lowell Road in Tucson to the U.S. Forest Service boundary east of the end of Campbell Avenue, found and killed my first whitetail just after sunup, and then walked home to get my wife's cousin to retrieve my buck with his car. I shot that deer with a .303 Savage Model 99 with a 2.5X Weaver scope with a post reticle. I'd handloaded the ammo with a Lyman "nutcracker" tool using a blemished (they were cheaper) Arizona Bullet Company (ABC) 150-grain .30-caliber bullet. An energetic young man probably could still find a buck where I shot mine, but it's doubtful that he could walk that distance in the dark carrying a rifle, past all the homes now in the Catalina Mountain foothills , without being arrested. Bill Quimby

As of this moment, I've passed the three-quarters of a century mark by a week and one day. Thanks, all. Bill Quimby

I like a lot of what Ron Paul says, but I am in the camp that believes he lacks the charisma necessary to be elected president of the United States, even with the sad state of our economy and the sorry opponent he would face. That said, he will get my vote if he is the Republican candidate. As for our government killing a traitor, my thoughts would be different if he had been killed without due process here in the United States. Killing him in another country while he was traveling with known terrorists and plotting to attack my country and my family is another matter. Whether we realize it or not, we are at war and the enemy includes slimeballs who also happen to be U.S. citizens. Bill Quimby

I used to enjoy the fall hunts, but it was before they were shotgun-only. Back then, I glassed the big cienegas above the cabin until I found birds feeding, then got to within 200 yards or so and used a light load from my .22-250. If I were forced to hunt turkeys in the fall now, I would have no idea where to start. Bill Quimby

An oldie, but still funny if you've not heard it: Two young men, both new to the sport of hunting, were in the woods when they came across tracks they couldn't identify. While they were bent over, inspecting them, a train ran over them. Bill Quimby

My first exposure to Apple products came in 1985 or so, when I convinced SCI to buy five Mac computers, desktop publishing software, and a high-end printer for its publishing division. The cost of equipment and software was close to $100,000, but it saved SCI about $20,000 the very first year over what it had been spending for professional typesetting and page "building" of its record books and magazines. I've had Mac computers ever since. PCs running windows are just now starting to reach the level that Macs reached all those years ago. Incidentally, the latest versions of the same equipment and software can be bought now for about $3,000 per work station -- or about $85,000 less than SCI paid for its first five stations. Bill Quimby

You're just beginning to apply with only 22 bonus points. It took 39 consecutive years of applying before I drew my tag! My good friend Bill Mattausch drew his tag (for Arivaipa Canyon no less!) last year after 35 years. Getting a permit is the toughest part of desert sheep hunting, unless you've got a fat wallet and can afford a hunt in Mexico. Bill Quimby

I've used .303 and .250-3000 Savage Model 99s, .30-30 Winchester Model 94, .270 Winchester, .243 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .257 Roberts and 7 mm Remington Magnum on Coues deer, but if I ever hunt them again (which is doubtful because of my heart problems), I'd like to try my Remington 700 BDL 6.5 mm Remington Magnum. I shot my last mule deer with it, and it's a killer. Bill Quimby

No controversy about Ed and his deer that I know of, but there was a big flap about the non-typical Coues whitetail record. AZGFD accused the hunter of shooting it out of season, and he eventually was forced to donate it to the state. It's on display at SCI's International Wildlife Museum in Tucson. The Stockwell buck is an extraordinary one with the heaviest typical antlers ever seen on a Coues deer. It may never be beaten. Bill Quimby

Wow, Big Tub. That's a big pair of boots you've given me to fill -- even larger than my regular 14Ds. Thank you. Not that it matters, but it was an arm that I broke on the first day of my long-awaited sheep hunt. It was Pete Knagge who broke a leg while sheep hunting a year later. Although we both shot rams, a broken leg is a much bigger handicap than a broken arm and he deserves an award for persistence and toughness. At any rate, I hope that when you finally draw your tag that nothing is broken and you bring home the best ram in the unit. Bill Quimby

Tucson's late, great taxidermist John Doyle used to smile when guys told about backpacking across two mountains and three or four big canyons to hunt. One of his honey holes was in a steep canyon along the Mount Lemon highway, about a mile after crossing the national forest boundary. I went with him there once, and we parked just off the pavement, climbed nearly straight up for 300 yards or so and sat down with our binoculars. We saw a couple of small bucks on our side of the road from that spot, all within easy stalking range. Another buck was on the other side of the canyon across the road. Unfortunately, although it was a good one, the season was a week away. These deer paid absolutely no attention to the vehicles on the road below them. John also would park along the Nogales highway and hunt the ocotillo-covered mouths of the canyons above the Santa Cruz River. I shot a good buck there once, following his advice. John and his friends killed a lot of good Coues deer and as far as I know he and Jim Levy (his best friend and hunting partner) never owned vehicles with four-wheel drive. That should tell you something. As for the answer to your question, hunt places with deer that others do not. Many are remote; many aren't. Bill Quimby

Beautiful bulls... and three for three. Congratulations. Bill Quimby

For those who don't know it, a crawdad trap isn't needed to catch a mess of crawdads, just a fishing rod and reel, a piece of bacon, and a bucket. Tie the bacon to your line, then cast out, let it sit for a few minutes, then reel in slowly. If there are crawdads there, they'll grip the bacon and allow you to carefully drag them out and shake them into the bucket. Bill Quimby

Thank you all. I love this site. Although I've not met many of you, I feel I know all the regular posters. You are great people. We had an exciting day. Jean spent it covering my animal heads with sheets and generally getting the cabin ready for closing it for the winter. I spent it by taking trash and garbage to the Eagar transfer station and working frantically to hang all the joists for the 10x46-foot deck I'm building on the cabin's street side. (I'll finish it next spring.) We need to head back to Tucson next week and get one of our rentals ready to advertise. A Canadian couple who had leased it again this winter called last night to say they can't come because his spinal surgery last week didn't go well. Anyone know someone who needs a nice, totally furnished place in Green Valley this winter? Bill Quimby If anyone is interested, I drove over the mountain to Show Low yesterday, and the aspen leaves near A-1 Lake were bright gold. The aspens in our yard are just beginning to turn. The next two to three weeks will be great for watching the annual fall color show. Wish I didn't have to miss it.

Thank you, Amanda, for your kind words and for creating this website. My wife and I stopped celebrating birthdays at least a decade ago. We do plan to do something special if we both live another five years, though. 2016 will mark the 60th year of our marriage, and this is a greater accomplishment than merely reaching three-quarters of a century in age. Bill Quimby

. . . and the father! Bill Quimby

Great story with a great outcome. Game thieves are not new. In about 1950 or so, someone stole my father's mule deer buck from the back of his panel truck while he was celebrating in a "Whiskey Row" bar in Prescott. It was a good buck, and he was proud of it, so he had left the truck's rear doors open so people could gawk at it. Years later, while I was hunting bears on the San Francisco Peaks above Flagstaff with Jim Bedlion in the mid 1970s, someone shot a bear Jim's dogs had treed. We had climbed over Doyle Peak and were listening to his dogs bark treed below us in the Inner Basin when we heard three shots. The dogs returned to Jim while we were trying to get down to the tree. You cannot imagine how pissed I was. Bill Quimby

We have resident Canada geese that fly over our cabin nearly every day. They nest at Carnero and Becker lakes, for sure, and maybe elsewhere. I shot my fill of geese when I was growing up in Yuma during the 1940s and early 1950s. Memories of having to pluck those things kept me from hunting them as an adult. Bill Quimby

Those who were interested in this rifle when I offered it earlier have backed off, so I'm listing it again with a photo of a Model 64 Winchester and a lower price. My rifle does not have the receiver (peep) sight, but it is similar to the attached photo. it was made in 1941. Caliber is 30 W.C.F, (.30-30), barrel is 24 inches. The blueing is good on barrel, but is worn on receiver and lever. The sights are original, but the detachable front hood is missing. The stocks are free of cracks or dings, but there are minor scratches from normal usage. Original steel Winchester buttplate. Overall a good example of a classic Winchester that hasn't been modified in any way from the day it left the factory seventy years ago. I'm now asking $825 for it. If it would help someone, we could discuss a payment plan. Bill Quimby

Arizona: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Proposes Closing One-Half Million Acres of Public Land to Target Shooting The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has released a plan for the future management of nearly 1.4 million acres located southwest of Phoenix in parts of Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Gila and Yuma Counties. Of that total, over 486,000 acres are within the Sonoran Desert National Monument (SDMN) which the BLM proposes to close to target shooters. Presently, some 63 sites in the national monument are used by shooters for their recreational activity. The planning area outside of the SDNM will remain open to target shooting. The plan also addresses other issues of importance to shooters and hunters including the designation of roads and trails for motorized vehicles and areas that could be managed as wilderness. If you recreate in the SDNM, especially if you enjoy recreational shooting, getting involved in this planning process is of paramount importance. This is not the first time that the BLM has attempted to close an entire national monument to shooters, making no attempt to provide places for and access to shooting sites. One-half million acres closed to one segment of the recreating public is unacceptable. The plan proposes four management alternatives in addition to Alternative A which is the “No Action” (or present conditions) alternative. Alternative B is the most recreation-friendly and like Alternative C, it will leave open some areas of the SDNM to target shooting. Alternatives D and E close the SDNM permanently. The public comment period is open through November 25. Comments can be faxed to (623) 580-5580 or mailed to BLM, Phoenix District Office, ATTN: LS-SDNM RMP, 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85027. The draft plan can be found at: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/planning/son_des.html. Below is the schedule of public meetings and contact information for the BLM. Please take the time to attend one of the scheduled meetings to show support for keeping public lands open for all the public, including target shooters, and to learn more about how this plan will affect your future enjoyment of these lands. Schedule of Public Meetings: October 4, 2-4 p.m. Government Agency Briefing BLM National Training Center 9828 North 31st Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85051 *Must present photo ID/Driver’s License October 4, 6-9 p.m. Phoenix Public Meeting BLM National Training Center 9828 North 31st Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85051 *Must present photo ID/Driver’s License October 5, 6-9 p.m. Public Meeting – Grazing Compatibility on Sonoran Desert National Monument BLM National Training Center 9828 North 31st Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85051 *Must present photo ID/Driver’s License October 12, 6-9 p.m. Mesa Public Meeting Red Mountain Multigenerational Center 7550 E. Adobe Road Mesa, AZ 85207 October 13, 6-9 p.m. Casa Grande Public Meeting Vista Grande High School cafeteria 1556 N. Arizola Road Casa Grande, AZ 85122 October 25, 6-9 p.m. Buckeye Public Meeting Youngker High School 3000 South Apache Road Buckeye, AZ 85326 October 26, 6-9 p.m. Gila Bend Public Meeting Unified School District Auditorium 308 N. Martin Avenue Gila Bend, AZ 85337 October 27, 6-9 p.m. Ajo Public Meeting Ajo Community Center 290 W. 5th Street Ajo, AZ 85321

I'm still looking for a buyer for this rifle. If you are interested, make me an offer and I'll consider it. Bill Quimby

Step One: Ban target shooting. Step Two: ... Bill Quimby

Thanks, Young Buck. I'm so dense I had to Google "Blue Collar Tour" to learn what that was about. Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy I recognized. I never knew the names of the other two guys. Guess I'll never qualify as a redneck. Bill Quimby

Will someone explain why the name Ron White was chosen? When you reach three-quarters of a century in age as I will this week, you'll understand why such things can be tough to understand. Bill Quimby

Lark: I don't think it was the so-called Irish elk, which actually is a megaloceros, one of the earlier forms of fallow deer. It is the largest deer with the largest antlers ever known. The SCI museum in Tucson has a set of antlers on a skull that was dug up in Europe, along with a lifesize mount made with artificial hair and a cast of the original antlers. I also saw an assembled skeleton of one at a museum in New Zealand, and don't remember seeing tusks on any of them. From all that I've read, tusks preceded antlers on the creatures that eventually evolved into our modern deer. Bill Quimby The worst thing about growing old is knowing that the condition is only temporary. -- BQ