Coach

Sweet! Huge congrats!

Sure glad you found it - that had to take a load off!

Yup, seems like a nice guy, I think I have pix of him earlier in the summer too. He didn't mess with the camera, just smiled and walked on by. Just wanted to see if I could find him and say thanks for his courtesy.

Had a guy flash me a big grin on a trail cam - wanted to see if it's anyone on here.

Nice job - that's a great looking bear!

A .300 Wby that shoots well is one of the most versatile guns out there. I had one for a while and killed a couple coues bucks with it. In no way was it overkill. I've since switched to a .300 WSM, which I prefer over the .300 wby, just because I shoot this particular gun better. A good muzzle break and recoil pad go a long way. My Wby was super light and it didn't take long for me to develope a pretty good flinch. It was a shoulder pounder. Congrats on a really nice gun, and very versatile round. That is one gun that can go from coues to Elk, Moose, anything that walks basically.

Great post - I agree completely.

That's freakin' AWESOME! Huge congrats and welcome to the site - that's a great way to introduce yourselves.

A good guy I met through this forum has a strip (13B) archery hunt starting tomorrow. According to the statistics I got from one of the better-known guides up there, the unit has over 1.5 Million acres and less than 3,500 deer. With abundant water, the deer are going to be dispersed throughout the unit. Traditionally, a bow hunter up there with some time can sit the right tank and eventually have a monster buck come in. This year, he's going to have to rely on spot-and-stalk, and the rut is a long way off. That really complicates things for sure. I sure hope Ryan (aka KiababHunter) can connect. That said, the white mountains have really been blessed with amazing rainfall this year. The monsoons started a little late, but they have sure been great. Lots of rainfall, the forest is healthy, the bulls are already going nuts. Good year.

I agree 100%. Without mandatory reporting, G&F has to extrapolate based on the respondents. I think it's a fair assumption that successful hunters are more likely to respond than unsuccesful hunters. That kind of voluntary reporting can skew the take statistics that the following year's management approach are based on. I'd be fully supportive of any measure that requires mandatory harvest reporting. It imposes very little on the hunters and gives G&F a lot more accurate information to work from.

Man, this topic is complicated. On the one hand you've got a couple of idiots that caused a disastrous fire. Then you have a community that lost homes and grazing lands, and untold habitat destruction because of that fire. On the other hand, you have small businesses that profited well by providing water trucks, backhoes and manpower to fight the fire. Not to mention all the crews that came in - they were taking in overtime & hazard pay. The fire was an economic boom for some. And if you've been up there since the fire, it's obvious that it will actually benefit the wildlife for a long time to come. A lot of what burned was overgrown and in need of a natural fire to clear things out. Much of the burned area will be healthier in the next 4-7 years than it was before the fire, because of the fire. Overall, from a hunting perspective, I think Unit 1 is going to respond to the Wallow Fire by creating some of the best hunting AZ has ever seen, using 3A/C after the Rodeo/Chedisky fires as a model. Deer, elk, turkey and bear are going to thrive.

I think Tonto Rim did an excellent job of providing some insight as to where these proposed policies come from. A lot of respondents have taken a defensive approach to his comments. A word of advice -- don't shoot the messenger. He's already stated that he's retired - he's not in the position to move this issue one way or the other. He's simply stating the facts about how this topic has bubbled to the surface and what types of studies and objectives are behind it. We don't have to agree with them, but we should all agree that we have to get our heads around the the motives, objectives and rationale behind this move if we want to either fight or support it. We all have our perspectives about how this issue faces all of us. We can all talk about how great one unit was until the over-allocation of tags, the salt/corn hunters, high tech bows, wolves, mines, urban development, tree stands, ground blinds changed everything...it's endless. Perception IS reality - and my perception or anyone else's on this forum isn't always going to be in line with the peception of those that make decisions about hunting. If the perception of the wildlife manager in unit XX, is that the bow harvest exceeds expectations, they are going to have to find ways to reduce that bow take, or reduce rifle permits that have more predictable annual harvest rate. It can't be any more simple than that. This "balance sheet" perspective is reality in any government agency. There is no rationalizing that will change that fact. When bowhunting success excedes the forecasted "take" expectation, either fewer rifle permits can be allowed, or limits to archery take come into play. That means: 1: Limit the access to bowhunters by instituting a "draw only" archery hunt. 2: Limit the success of archery hunters by regulating take methods (bait). 3: Reduce rifle tag permits, especially in the later season. We've already seen #3 all over the state. That's a done deal. #1 is also being experimented with in select units. So here we are with #2 - like it or hate it, wildlife management is a numbers game. Being successful by figuring out some tricks and tactics to "up our odds" has changed the way G&F has to manage wildlife. There's no good guy/bad guy in this scenario, just the reality that the people who are trying to ensure a sustainable hunting future have to balance the wants and needs of current spotsmen/women with the objectives of ensuring that our sport will still be available to our kids and grandkids.

Wow - great looking buck! Nice job!

Nice, that 3x4 is really tall! And that mass at the top end - can't wait to see what that does when the velvet comes off. Great pix.

If someone picks this up for $4500, they're getting a steal, at least from what I can see in the pix. CJ-7s from the 80s are going around 7-8K in pretty poor shape. Older willy's get 5-6K in need of LOTS of work. The good ones go for a lot more. This one looks to be in great condition, a lot of money already invested. Bump for a really nice jeep - I think 5K to $5500 would be a fair offer. I wish I could buy it, but I've got too many expenses right now as I'm remodeling my house. Don't get low-balled. Hold out for 5K at least.

Took my Savage, heavy barrel 25-06 out today on an antelope scouting trip with a buddy in hopes we'd find a coyote or some p-dogs to shoot at. I haven't shot this rifle in years - it's a little heavy to lug around, but it has always been a tack-driver. We found a little colony of prairie dogs and decided to take a break from glassing and burn a few rounds. I missed a couple early on, but got settled in and started plinking them off anywhere from 180 yards to about 300. When you're shooting a target that is 3" by 6-8" depending on whether they are standing or grazing and getting as many hits as close misses, you know your gun is on. At first I was shooting sitting with my Harris bipod fully extended - still got a couple hits. Finally, I found a little rise and retracted the bipod and went prone. Anything moving was getting blasted, even way out. The last shot I took was under 200 yards and I had to hold about 3.5" low and Mark was watching through the spotting scope. Total P-dog explosion. I missed most of it as the recoil took me off the sight picture when I shot, but he just started laughing, and describing what it looked like through a Leica spotting scope - I'll spare the gruesome details but you get the picture. This was 25-06, 115 gr. CT Silver Tips, 50.0 grains of IMR 4350 with a COAL at 3.250 and it was like shooting a lazer. The older Accu-trigger is about 1.3 pounds on this gun. With the heavy barrel - it's not even fair.

Just about anywhere N and W of Greens Peak, especially the draws that lead to the rez border. Lots of fighting in those cuts at night. Potatoe Patch S. of Whithing, Pate Spring and Mineral Spring are awesome too. Carnero lake is another good spot to dip your float tube in, cast some flies and listen to the bugles.

Looks like it's going to be an awesome rut. I heard bulls bugling as early as July 5th. My buddy who lives in Torreon in Show Low said he heard a ton of bugling in the mid afternoon a day or two ago from his home office. Congrats to all you bull tag holders. Should be a really great rut hunt this year.

Do you have a better picture of the Rossi 22 pump? I've always liked the old "gallery guns". Might be interested but I can't tell much about the wood or metal from that pic. Thanks.

More specific information please.....Did you lose it between Hwy 87 and the Lone Pine Saddle junction? Or did you come from the Roosevelt side? Was it in a black case? Looks like it might have been found - man this forum is awesome.

They hold up decently - for a while, and are a pretty comfortable boot, but don't count on them being waterproof. Once the seams split, your feet will be swimming, even in high grass with a lot of dew. I've never found a pair of boots that are half leather and half nylon/cordura that can take heavy use. Solid leather uppers by Lowa, Meindle, Kenetrek are the only way to go for a serious boot.

Those "rubber doughnuts", aka "X-Ring" can do a world of good. It takes some experimenting on where to place them on the barrel. The problem is, they are designed to mellow out the "barrel whip" and stabilize the harmonics of the barrel. So, when you need one, it really means your barrel is having a hard time handling the pressure your load is producing. I've seen this most often with fluted barrels. Seems people like a very light countoured barrel, or even fluted to save some weight. If you look at what long range hunters, snipers, even rimfire shooters do, they opt for a heavier barrel. Even shooting .22 rimfire, a 1" bull barrel is the norm. So why do we see 5/8 inch fluted barrels on large magnum rifles? Because they sell. They don't perform - they appeal to a certain market segment. I had a Weatherby Super Big Game Master in .300 Wby that had a fluted barrel, muzzle break all the tweaks and had a heck of a time making it group. Even used the "doughnut", which I still have if anyone wants it. I bought a savage 114 Classic with a medium countour barrel, and it shoots sub MOA regardless of what I feed it. So a $1400 gun took a ton of work to make it acceptible, and a 500 gun outshot it out of the box. The difference - the medium countour barrel on the Savage out-performed the fluted barrel on the Weatherby.

You're off the hook, Casey.

Bump for a really nice AR.

With all due respect, and you obviously know your stuff - When I reload - it is for one thing and one thing only. That is accuracy. I know every rifle has a sweet spot, when the perfect balance between burn rate, meets the harmonics of the barrel - and everything from primer to brass to powder and bullet weight all come into play. I have to disagree that 4350 is "way too slow". While I agree it's not a super fast burning powder, it is very stable and provides consistency. From what I've seen, consistency and accuracy go hand in hand. Based on 20 years of reloading, I would bet you would be hard pressed to find a single powder that is more consistently accurate from the 25-06/270 Win platform up through the .300 Magnums than IMR 4350. I've never seen 4350 flatten primers at medium loads, or produce barrel whip at higher loads like I have in the other powders I've tried. Again, not trying to be argumentative, I just don't think you can discount IMR 4350 in just about any finicky rifle without trying it out.