Traveler

Lance, We are planning on making it again this year. At least 3 of us. Dan

Great Pics Thanks for sharing Dan

Check out Latrop and Sons- They are foot docs that specialize in hunting boots and custom insoles. HanWag is the brand they carry for backpack / serious mountain hunting. I have Meindl as well which a great boot but I prefer my HanWag. You can also order Hanwag with out Goretex which is awesome for most AZ huntging http://lathropandsons.com/catalog/index.php I would also go to Cabelas and try the Perfekt Hiker and Alaska models by Meindl. Another big vote for Smartwool socks. Danners are weak in comparison, I went through 3 pair before going Euro.

I like my schaffer rest. They are designed to match your Bow manufacturer's riser perfectly Built very solid and was easy to set up. http://www.schafferarchery.com/arrow-rests.html

This is a very unfortunate news item- Never good when hunters are in a negative story regardless of who is in the right on this one http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/022...order29-on.html BISBEE - A southern Arizona rancher known for detaining illegal immigrants continues to challenge a $98,775 judgment awarded in a lawsuit against him. The Arizona Court of Appeals, in a ruling released this week, upheld the judgment, which was awarded to a group of deer hunters Roger Barnett found trespassing on his Douglas-area ranch in October 2004. A lawsuit filed on behalf of the group, which included three young children, alleged Barnett threatened the five with an assault-type rifle, as well as battery, false imprisonment, negligence, gross negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. David T. Hardy, who is Barnett's attorney, said Thursday that he would appeal the appellant court ruling to the Arizona Supreme Court.

I have handled and shot many of the X-Forces and this is the very first instance I have heard of it also. I would go down to PSE and have them look it over and try to figure it out and have them keep giving you strings under there warranty until they have it figured out! That is the approach I would take, let PSE finance the strings until it is resolved Good Luck Dan

Great story! Thank you for sharing. Congrats on a nice buck and welcome to the site. Dan

Perfect! - That is a good one for the commission meeting

Excellent! Thanks for sharing. Dan

Where is the ACLU to defend this minority called bowhunters??? We are being singled out!

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. Dan

Can you swing a Wyoming hunt? There a few areas that you can draw every year. AZ antelope is getting too tough to draw and is not near the quality of hunt it used to be- imho.

Very cool rack! Congrats Dan

My son was talking about last years the other day. Do we have tentative 2008 dates yet? I am working on my 2008 calendar Looking forward to it. Dan

You are snowmeister! Congrats! Hope you are enjoying the woods to yourself these days. Later Dan

Nice!! Congrats on sticking it out. I know how hard it can be to hunt alone with mother nature is messing with you. Dan

Congrats! Thanks for sharing a great story and pics- --Too bad we can't hunt there next December.

Not trying to flame him but I found it very interesting that there with was no mention in the press release that wildlife, hunters, wildlife lovers are any better off? Bigger Bureaucracy & budget seem like a poor meausure of success. I am sure there has to be a better storyline. Instead of this: "During Shroufe’s amazing tenure, the agency has grown from 230 personnel to 650 and the budget has increased from $20 million to $80 million". Try this for our next director: During Director X's amazing tenure Elk herds have grown 23% and have stabilized at 99.5% of carrying capacity. Deer Herds have rebounded 42% and are approaching carrying capacity due to aggressive predator control, coordination with state and federal agencies to better manage habitat and effective grazing rotations. 19 threatened and endangered species have been delisted due to the resulting habitat restoration. Director X also left his mark for generations of future recreationalist by using surplus funds from increased license sales to secure permanent recreation and hunting access to landlocked public lands triggering similar trends accross the west. Arizona's leading hunter safety program was extended to wildlife education in schools which has been credited for increasing youth recruitment to outdoor sports He also was behind legislation that preserved over 1 million acres of state trust lands as permanent wildlife habitat. Additionally led the charge and implemented the strictest off road enforcement in the nation. These have been a model for the rest of the west protecting public lands from ATV/UTV abuse.

I really miss being able to shoot on the Tonto forest closer to Mesa. I would take my kids and wife out there several times a year and have a family shoot. We would alway bring back a bag or two of trash from the less considerates and the kids had fun picking up all strange crap you find out there. Since the closure of Target shooting in the Forest areas closer to Mesa we rarely get out to shoot as family. Public Shooting Ranges are not kid friendly and it is now more of a time commitment to drive to where you can shoot on public land. Eliminating public shooting areas is just one more step towards less shooters and increased gun control laws. I agree that enforcement is the answer. An undercover ranger citing everyone who litters is a much better solution. my .02

Spot HOGG with Seven Deadly pins with the extended Fiber optics "Hogg Wrap" in .019. Shaffer drop away rest Fuse Quiver My .02 Enjoy your new toy Dan

3 years ago I used Rhonda's and was very disappointed. Alot of hair found it's way into the packaged meat. It required alot of trimming and cleanup prior to cooking. The burger was very poor quality and I would not eat it. I brought two elk to Caseys the last two years and have been extremely pleased. Not looking for a debate, just sharing my personal experience. Good luck Dan

Happy B-Day!!! Enjoy Dan

I like to do my own, but am often pressed for time. I have had excellent luck with Casey's in Flagstaff doing my elk the last few years. Extremeley Clean, No trimming reqd 90% of the time. The burger is very high quality. DO NOT use Rhonda's/Pioneer in Flagstaff. Extremely poor job. Southwestern did a good job for me few years back.

As was previously mentioned. For deer brush it in. I like to set it up under or next to a cedar and cover it. For turkey it is not important. Elk are not nearly as blind jumpy as deer. If your has shiny fabric make sure it is in the shade or brush it in. Make sure it is dark inside and wear black hat, face mask, gloves and shirt. Do not open windows such that you are ever silhouetted. Think Johnny Cash the next time you are at walmart. Buy a comfortable chair or 2. I like big comfy chairs for longer hunts. Consider an extra cushion or old pillow for extra cush. Test out sight visibility at prime time. It is dark in the blind so you need some serious fiber optics. Bring a shovel unless it is very level ground. You made need to do some trenching and adjusting for a place to sit. Consider sleeping in it for morning action without disturbing the area walking in. Don't try your buddies Double bull or you may have to upgrade. Practice shooting from inside with and without the mesh.

Very nice! Way to get it done!