billrquimby

The accuratereloading.com website has a thread that tells about Craig Boddington's daughter shooting a tracker who was on the ground, being mauled by a leopard last week. Because of the tall grass, she did not know the man was under the cat. She shot after her PH did when she saw the leopard moving a couple of yards in front of her. Luckily for the man, the bullet passed through the fleshy part of his hip without striking bone. He lost a lot of blood, but he lived to reach a hospital where he is reported to be doing well. He is expected to return to hunting before the end of the season. Bill Quimby

Scottyboy: The guy who collected the animals on the list above is the hardest working and nicest fellow you will ever meet, and he made his money by outfitting, guiding and booking other hunters on hunts around the world. I cannot say more because he hasn't decided whether I will share the byline or remain anonymous when the book is published (it's his call; I really don't care). Hunting is his entire life after God and family. In his book he tells about leaving the tracks of a huge bull elephant and returning to camp when he realized it was the Sabbath. He took at least one member of his family (but usually more) on every one of his hunts around the world -- and his kids and wife also hunted on those trips, although they didn't take as many animals. Two of his children now are full-time guides in Alaska. Most of his hunts were done during his off season -- from December 1 to April 1. The money came from living frugally and hard work. He tithes 10% of his income before taxes to his church, puts another 10% into his savings account, plows whatever is needed into his business, and lives and hunts on what's left after taxes. He also didn't do all of his hunting in just a few years. He's several years younger than I am, which would make him 69 or 70, and has been hunting since age 12. He made his first trip to Africa 30 years ago, and kept returning until he had collected all of its game animals. Ditto with the other continents. Incidentally, McElroy was my mentor, and was largely responsible for all of the hunting I was able to do off of this continent after I started working for him in 1983. I was fortunate to accompany Mac to Zambia on his last safari, and he was with me when I shot the lion I use for my avatar. He was a controversial guy, but he did things few can imagine doing. I am proud to have helped him preserve his stories. Sounds like you own a few of my books. Bill Quimby

The interesting thing about all of the hunters whose books I've written -- with two exceptions -- is that they were not born wealthy. They all started with nothing, and with hard work and luck made fortunes after going off on their own. The exceptions were both Iranians. One came from a family who manufactured cars and farm equipment; the other was the brother of the Shah of Iran. All except one -- C.J. McElroy, the founder of Safari Club International -- put themselves through college and went on from there. McElroy left school at age 11 and ran away from home. He self-educated himself by reading everything he could find, including everything in an entire set of encylopedias, and traveling. Bill Quimby

>>>>>>>>" I say get rid of all 5000 muley tags and offer 50 that are actually good tags! "<<<<<<<<<< I hope you are kidding. Why not cut them to ten (or five), and auction all of them to the highest bidders? <<<<<<<<<<"I agree what has been said about our desert muledeer, They are sure hurting right now and I personaly feel that the last thing they need is more rife hunters on them. Thats easy for me to say though because I love hunting them that time with a bow. If we do hunt them with rifles that will only take away from the archery oppertunity">>>>>>>>>>>> I hunted mule deer 1-1/2 days last November. We saw a herd with more than 100 does and fawns in it, and not a single buck, both morning and evening of the opening day. Another herd we found in mid-day had more than 60 does and fawns. We also saw perhaps 50 more mule deer does and fawns in groups of two to 10, and not a buck. The herd we found on the morning of the second day had 48 deer, including four bucks, and we shot one of them. There apparently are lots of bucks in that unit (otherwise there would not be so many fawns), but we simply were not good enough hunters to find them. The point is, it looks to me as if there has been fantastic fawn survival over the past five years we have hunted there. Around my cabin in Greer, I am seeing a great many more mule deer than I have seen in at least 20 years. The reason, in my opinion, is the forest service's thinning of the forest for fire control has created openings and more browse. In my opinion, mule deer are doing just fine in the two areas I am most familiar with now. I have no argument with archers -- I used to be one before I dropped a truck on my arm -- but for bowhunters who now have more opportunity than all other deer hunters to say "will only take away from the archery 'opertunity'" is enough to make me want to spit nails! Bill Quimby

Seeing your photo of that memorial brought back my memories of Phil Cosper, the grandson of Fred Fritz, whom I knew as a former assistant director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Wonder if he still is alive? If he is, and someone knows him, please let him know I said hello. Bill Quimby

Oops! I apologize. It was Stanley who said he found others hunting around his camp. Bill Quimby

<<<<<<<"We camped in our usual spot, and drove about 4 miles each morning to hunt. There were people camped in the area we hunted, and when we came back for lunch there were people hunting not to far from where we camped! ">>>>>>>>>> Sun Devil: Sounds like you're one of the people I was talking about. Bill Quimby

This probably should be a separate thread, but I've always wondered why hunters build camps smack dab in the middle of game country. I've had several elk hunts messed up by people camping in the same meadows where I'd found bulls on my scouting trips. Same goes with turkeys. Iris Springs off the Greer to Carnero Lake road is a well-known turkey hangout, but every year there will be hunters camped there. What's wrong with camping a few miles away and driving to where the game is? Bill Quimby

Like you, lark, I wish I would have bought two truckloads of the Remington rolling block single shots being sold for $4.98 each at the army surplus store in Yuma in the 1940s and 1950s. Problem was, I was earning minimum wage ($0.50) hour in the late 1940s, and going to college in the 1950s, and couldn't afford to pay that much for any kind of rifle. Cleaning a bore is one thing, but I wanted to caution 125Coues that sandpaper, emory paper or steel wool shouldn't be used on an old gun. Bill Quimby

I've not seen them there, but in years past I saw turkeys along the San Pedro River north of Benson, as well as in the ocotillo zone on the northern slope of the Catalina Mountains near the Burney Mines. Bill Quimby

Unbelievable! I hope America's hunters let him know how little money and effort HSUS spends in the areas he did the audio spots for. Bill Quimby

Don't shoot factory loads of any kind until you are positive that your rifle is strong enough to handle smokeless powder pressures. Some trapdoors can handle black powder only. I have never shot my rifle, but if I were to do so, I'd work up some black powder loads just because I enjoy all that smoke and the aroma that comes with it. Bill Quimby

Lark usually is right on the mark on most things, but not this time. Do-it-yourself restoration could result in your rifle losing some of its value to a collector. A previous owner "sporterized" my .45-70 Springfield trapdoor rifle by sawing off the forestock and throwing away its ramrod. One in the identical condition as mine sold on the AccurateReloading.com site's classified section last month for $650, while complete and original condition trapdoor rifles are selling on other sites for $1,295 and considerably more depending upon the model and condition. Cutting off part of a stock isn't the same as "scrubbing the heck out of it," but some collectors want the patina of age that scrubbing removes. Before you do anything to your rifle, be sure to read the "restoration" link in the website that KGaines mentions. And Lark, if you are serious about wanting a shooter, I'll sell you mine for $600. Bill Quimby

We came across a 4-foot Gabon viper in Zambia the last time I was there. Its coloration was totally different, so there must be regional differences. The one we found was extremely sluggish. Bill Quimby

Congratulations. I think "William" has a nice ring to it! Bill Quimby

I think I know the unidentified "researcher" mentioned in the Star article. If I am guessing correctly, the young man is not a "bad member" and would have no agenda other than believing that more should be known about jaguars in Arizona. If he were fired because of this, it would be a great loss to Arizona's wildlife and those who hunt it. Bill Quimby

I spent the summers of 1969-70 competing in the metalicas siluetas leagues in Sonora, firing at least 40-50 rounds of .270 or .30-06 ammo every Saturday. This was before shooting muffs were sold at sporting goods stores, and everyone simply stuffed cotton in his ears. Added to that, I also worked in the back shop of a newspaper where linotype and Ludlow machines and metal saws banged and screamed incessently and loudly. As a result, my hearing is awful and it is getting worse as I grow older. My wife gets angry when I keep asking, "What? What did you say?" She wants me to buy a hearing aid. However, not one of my friends who has one is happy with it. Several of you seem to be happy with yours. What is the secret? Bill Quimby

"Bill I wasn't around and hunting much prior to the eighties and don't know what hunter numbers were then or even in the nineties, and maybe thats why on some hunts now it seems really crowded to me. Heck I heard stories about Coues deer when I was younger, but nobody ever hunted them that I knew. Now they are offering four rifle hunts for coues, not counting the muzzleloader hunts and the archery seasons. Your best guess how have the numbers of hunters changed in your lifetime." Before permit-only hunting came along in 1970, we had as many as 103,000 people buying deer tags over the counter. They were not spread out over several seasons with multiple opening days, either. Everyone hunted at the same time. The season usually started on the third Friday of October and ran two to three weeks, depending upon the area. Some years we could hunt north of the Gila River in the first season then, if we weren't successful, hunt south of it in the second season with the same tag. Everyone wanted to go out opening weekend, and by the second or third weekend, we had the hills to ourselves. After 1970, Arizona's deer permit numbers began to decline from about 70,000 that first year to plus or minus 40,000 now. The number of deer hunters nationwide has declined from a high of about 18 million to fewer than 14 million during this same period. The last I heard, there were only about 80,000 people APPLYING for deer tags in Arizona now. That's 20,000 fewer than those who HUNTED in 1969. It was not as crowded as you might think prior to permit-only hunting. Several things have happened over the past 40 years: 1. We have lost a large percentage of the access we used to have. Land management agencies have eliminated roads and created official and de facto wilderness areas, and landowners and ranchers have locked their gates. This has caused hunters to gather along the few roads that still are open. 2. Hunters have changed. In the past, we were satisfied with success rates of 10% to 15% (or less). Trophy size was not important. Today, most hunters have grown up with success rates of 25%-30% and higher, and your goal is to take not just a buck, but a trophy buck. 3. Hunting techniques also changed. Today, the majority of the people on this forum will use optics that cost more than their rifles. Prior to 1960, few hunters had scopes. By 1970, a very few carried binoculars. Today, a deer hunter may spend all day glassing from just two or three spots. If he/she sees six or seven groups of hunters out to two miles away, he/she may say, "this place is crowded." 4. You are welcome to disagree, but it is my opinion that there are more deer in Arizona now than ever. I have hunted deer in this state every year since 1948, except 1949 (when my father got angry and broke camp before I could hunt) and 1998 (when I didn't draw a tag). Yes, we hunted Coues deer in the "good ol' days." We didn't call them that, though. They were just "whitetails." Bill Quimby

There are statistical ways to correct a survey that is skewed that way. My question remains: why create another level of regulation for no good reason? Deciding how many permits to issue is not an exact science, and Arizona's wildlife managers have a long history of being extremely conservative in the number of deer, elk, and javelina tags they allow us to have. Bill Quimby

Just one question: Why? The reasons posted simply do not compute. The numer of hunting permits for everything we hunt (except pronghorn and bighorn) are so conservative and are not based upon the actual number of animals available, what could possibly be gained be exposing ourselves to one more level of regulation? Bil Quimby

At age 60 I still could do most things I could at age 50 to 55, including hunting and carrying a whitetail off a mountain by myself, which I last did at age 62. The Pioneer's license is already established. It has a minimum age and number of years of residency. Why not use it? Bill Quimby

Why make it so complicated? What's wrong with just requiring a Pioneer's license? Bill Quimby

Why make it a once in a lifetime thing? How about simply adding 10 permits or so to the early elk season open only to holders of Pioneer licenses and let us compete in a draw with other Arizona seniors? To qualify for a Pioneer's license, a hunter must have been a resident 20 years (I think it is) and be at least 70 years old. My wife and I got ours three years ago. There aren't enough antelope tags to hold a seniors only hunt, and there are too many youngsters who haven't hunted antelope here yet. I stopped applying in Arizona years ago for that very reason. Bill Quimby

Good luck on the gobbler, I will make it point for me and the old man to stop by when we are up there scouting for elk this year! (We both have late bull tags!) It will be good to see you both. Give us a call a day or two before you come up. We run up to Zuni or over to Gallup a lot and might not be home unless we know you're coming. My wife stalks Indian jewelry like you and I would a 380 bull. Bill Quimby

Game and Fish is not the only government agency that can drag its feet. I own land in Santa Cruz County, which I leased to a rancher for grazing starting December 2008. I immediately applied for agricultural tax status, which will represent at least $3,500 year savings for me in annual property taxes. When I called the county assessor's office a couple of weeks ago I was told my application had been approved, but it will not take effect until tax notices are sent out in September 2010! With your wife's license, it's understandable that Game and Fish might not have a system that allows her to go fishing. But for a county assessor to charge a taxpayer nearly $300 month for a full year after a tax status has changed is unconscionable, indefensible and flat-out wrong! Bill Quimby