Coach

Even if a law is passed, I don't think AZ hunters will ever stop hunting over salt. Imagine being a public prosecutor trying to make a case against someone shooting a deer over a salt lick. If they have to prove that the hunter actually put the salt there, they are hamstrung. If they had to prove intent by somehow showing they knew an established salt lick was there, they are hamstrung. It's a totally un-enforceable law. How far from the salt do you have to be? Is every trail that goes near a salt lick illegal? If you've ever had any encounters with the local justice, you know how overwhelmed they are by DUI repeats, domestic fights and B.S. IMO, they don't have the bandwidth to handle "Joe shot a deer that might be on a trial to a spot where Larry dumped some salt". They are up to their eyeballs in 2nd and 3rd offense shoplifters, driving without a license, stealing out of the cash drawer at Wendy's or little league fund. If this does pass, it will by symbolic at best - and some people will be made examples of, but it won't stop hunters from using salt, alphalpha, corn or store-bought attracants. It will, however create a rift between normally law abiding hunters and G&F officers trying to enforce a law they don't even believe in. don't kid yourself. in arkansas a few years back, somebody got mad at a hunter, and put corn under his tree stand, which is illegal. then they called dnr and reported the dude hunting over bait. DNR showed with leafblowers and cleared the area and found one, yes, ONE kernel of corn, and threw the guy in jail, took his truck and his gun. True story. Wow, I hope that never happens here. But I still believe after 3 decades of hunting and dealing with our G&F LEO's that we are way better off than many other states. There have been the odd "tools" over the years, but overall, my interaction with G&F has been extremeley positive. And I'd rather continue that positive relationship with them than start rift over something like salt or corn.

Take a look at your rest. The best move I ever made was switching from a Whisker Biscuit to a QAD drop away. I still get the full containment of a WB, but there is nothing in the way of the fletchings. Good luck and let us know what you find outl

Even if a law is passed, I don't think AZ hunters will ever stop hunting over salt. Imagine being a public prosecutor trying to make a case against someone shooting a deer over a salt lick. If they have to prove that the hunter actually put the salt there, they are hamstrung. If they had to prove intent by somehow showing they knew an established salt lick was there, they are hamstrung. It's a totally un-enforceable law. How far from the salt do you have to be? Is every trail that goes near a salt lick illegal? If you've ever had any encounters with the local justice, you know how overwhelmed they are by DUI repeats, domestic fights and B.S. IMO, they don't have the bandwidth to handle "Joe shot a deer that might be on a trial to a spot where Larry dumped some salt". They are up to their eyeballs in 2nd and 3rd offense shoplifters, driving without a license, stealing out of the cash drawer at Wendy's or little league fund. If this does pass, it will by symbolic at best - and some people will be made examples of, but it won't stop hunters from using salt, alphalpha, corn or store-bought attracants. It will, however create a rift between normally law abiding hunters and G&F officers trying to enforce a law they don't even believe in.

Nighthawk, it's funny you mentioned your rifle as a "lower class" model. The gun my buddy was shooting clover leaves out of is a "stock" Rem 700. I've been shooting my 300 WSM with bullet holes touching out of a Savage 14 classic with the oiled walnut and medium countour barrel. These are $500 guns with decent/good optics. On my gun I've got a Cabela's Alaskan Guide 6-20x50mm and he's got a Leupold Vari-X III that came on a different gun he bought. Not one of these guns has over $900 in them and they shoot like guns people pay several thousand dollars for, with the right hand loads. Brings to mind a bumper sticker I saw on a bad a$$ 4x4 a while back, "Built, not bought". If anyone thinks you have to spend 3 grand on a tack driver, I'd disagree. You can build a sub MOA rifle under a grand easily if you are willing to do a little work.

This may sound stupid, but hear me out. A few years ago Old Navy was doing a "blowout sale". I bought 4 or 5 nylon parkas that fold up into their own pocket about 6x4 inches and maybe 3 inches thick. They are totally compact, and I've sat out huge downpours in those things. I think I paid around $5 each and I keep one in my truck, one in my pack, 3 in our camper. They aren't "top of the line" raingear, but when you're out hunting and rain or snow starts coming in, they are fantastic. I just keep watching Old Navy to see if they ever offer them again. If they do, I'll buy at least another 3 - 5 of them.

Thanks Lance, I'll check those out. I've got a Moultrie M80 sitting here in my office that takes high capacity cards. I should have this one out there, and will by the weekend. The super sucky part is, I somehow dropped/lost a card off of one of my best spots. I'm going to have to go find that and hope it is still operative. As I was walking in to set up that camera a really nice bull was on the salt.

14 for me. I've never had an Antelope tag in AZ. Once in NM, and I'll be trying to get back there again. I saw more 17-18 inch bucks on that hunt than I have ever seen here. Antelope with a bow is one of those "You did it" moments that I'm really looking forward to. I actually blew 2 great oppotunities at 80+ bucks the last time I hunted them in NM. For AZ, it's rifle or nothing. Congrats to all of you who have a tag in your pocket! Make it a good hunt.

I'm really glad to see CWT keeping this post positive. As we all know, that's kind of rare on hunting sites. Once again, a huge congrats to the hunter, and to those that worked their tail off to make it happen.

Wow, that is up there. Personally, I've got a good friend getting ready for an antelope hunt and he's been hand loading for his 7mm. He's shooting 140 grain Nosler Accubonds behind 57 grains of IMR 4350 and at 100 yards it's bullets stacking in one hole. One of the tighest 4 shot groups I've ever seen was just a couple days ago with this setup. And it's only shooting around 3050 - 3100 fps (only - lol). Something about trying to get the highest velocity seems to lead to more erratic flight, finnicky loads and depending on the bullet, premature expansion (I don't think that last one will be a problem with the Barnes TTX or TTSX). Anyway, something to think about. I'd rather have a really stable, heavier bullet, lighter powder load with lower velocity than a ton of powder behind a light bullet. Same debate goes on year after year about super fast, super light arrows vs heavier slower and more stable ones. Good luck on your research. I'd love to hear how it comes out.

The good news is, this came up a while back and got shot down. I think a big part of that was backlash from AZ bowhunters legally using salt. If we shut it down once, we can do it again. They tried to pass it off as an effort to confront CWD, which has yet to become a problem here from what I've read. But the argument was that salt and feed could potentially aid in the spread of CWD. I've been putting out salt in AZ for decades, and I can tell you, the animals hitting those salt licks are typically bedding together, so I think a good argument could be made there. The second part of the reasoning I've heard, is they don't want food plots specifically managed to attract game, as are common in the Eastern states. You be the judge on that one - IMO, you're more likely to find a pot grow than a food plot in AZ. Let's just stick together, be informed and let G&F know that we're opposed to restrictions like this. Point out that NM has had these restrictions in place for a long time and it hasn't impacted the game positively there as much as poaching has impacted it negatively. I like AZG&F, and hope they continue to focus on poaching rather than restricting legal take methods.

I drew 3a/3c September archery. I feel like a douche - shoulda known you had that tag. Hit me up. I've got some ideas you might or not might be considering.

No logos - shoot me.

Since the cat is out of the bag, here's another angle. Huge congrats to the hunter and all those who made is possible.

The Slik Carbon is a really good tripod. I've got a Bogen Tracker 3205G that is great for holding heavy glass. My Go-To for 10x40 - 15x56 swaros is the teeny little Slik Sprint pro. Does a lot in under 2 pounds that the big boys do. Won't work well for a 77+ spotter though.

Just got the pic on my cell. Would love to post it, but I've been burned by that before. Patience - all good things come to those who wait. LOL.

I've got a Cabela's XPG flashlight that I have taken on every hunt I've been on for, wow, longer than I care to admit. I don't know if they even still sell them, but that has been as much an essential part of my pack as lighters and a space blanket since they came out. Mine is rechargeable, around 130 lumens and is as strong now as it was when I bought it 10 years ago.

BTW, I love this quote... "After familiarizing yourself with these guidelines and if you are willing to scrutinize a buck to see if he has what you are looking for, then the decision to keep looking or settle for what’s in your spotting scope is yours. If you are willing to pick up your optics, repack your personal gear, smile and turn your back on a buck lying totally unaware of your presence because “it’s just not there” you’ve just reached a new pinnacle in hunting. Remember, big trophies look big because they are! On the other end of the spectrum, if there is any doubt about the quality of a trophy, “it isn’t big enough,” do not talk yourself into seeing something that isn’t really there."

This is quickly turning into my favorite thread ever on CWT. I've read most of the articles posted by JLW and KaibabHunter and there is some very solid advice there. I know I'll be memorizing every line of these articles. As I've pointed out (and proven) sizing up mule deer is a little mysterious to me. That is probably due to the fact that I haven't actually seen many (if any) true giant mule deer on the hoof. I've seen plenty of pictures of them - but that's totally different. Coues, I find, are pretty easy to judge, even from a distance. I have to look at scoring mule deer much more like field judging elk. You can have a great looking 6x6 bull elk that makes you want to pull the trigger. But you have to really look at a lot of characteristics if you want to break through that 350 - 370 class range. I've hunted a lot of elk with friends and my own tags over the years and I'm really learning about how to break through that over-zealous mode when it comes to field scoring them. You really have to get picky about the fronts, the thirds, more importantly the overall width and the 5ths. Most people I've been with get so caught up on the royals - which almost always look impressive, they forget about things like how far back are the 5ths, how tall are they? You can judge a bull much better by his 5ths and width than you can his royals. How far past the 5ths go to the end of the main beam? How far up the snout do the fronts go? 90% +/- of the time somebody thinks they have a 370" bull, they are looking at a 340 bull. And the rumors of a 400" bull usually are in the 370s, maybe 80's at best. There's the "wow factor" when you see a big bull that you start throwing out numbers based on how impressed you are to see such a manificent animal. I'm sure it is pretty much the same with mule deer. I've been hunting all over AZ for decades now, and I've probably only seen 2 - 3 mule deer bucks that would top the 150 range. Sometimes I tell people looking for a really huge bull that it will look almost like a cartoon - it will be so big you won't even have to start adding up inches - you'll just know it. I think this might apply to mule deer too. If you are super picky about a 185 vs. 200 mule deer, you're going to have to really look at width, depth, mass, kickers... on the other hand, you just might just see something that immediately know is exactly what you are looking for without having to pick it apart. So, if you saw this, would you be measuring through optics, or shooting? LOL.

Thanks Tracy. It's the older model, and I've got it set on the lower, 3MP setting. I got 1,997 pictures in 5 days (partials on both ends). I adjusted it today from the 3 pic setting to 1 pic, but only had a 256k card it would take. That's like 1 or 2 days max. I know there are ways to reduce the number of pix, but I really like seeing everything going on there. I'm hoping there is a way to at least double the capacity by sending it in to them. Maybe it's time for a new camera that can handle more volume of pix.

Last I heard the Vortex backorder list on rangefinders is until September. I'm gonna wait it out, but I was really close to getting a Leupold with similar specs. Since they've been out a little longer, they are probably more available.

Well I sure am glad to hear stories like Rifleman and Becker where they actually track down the bad guys and get their stuff back. Usually, it doesn't work out that way so I'm glad to see some of the theiving scumbags get held accountable. Nicely done, gents! Rifleman, I sure hope they drop the case against you. You were just doing the right thing, and it sounds like you were able to not only retrieve your own stolen property but that of other hunters. Kudos, and stand tough. This may be a stretch, but I'd bet a vast majority of camera theft boils down to 17-22 year olds. There just seems to be a period where young boys turning into men don't have the mental capacity to comprehend the nature of their actions. (BTW, this applies to ALL crimes if you study it a little). It's not necessarily that they are "bad kids" - their brains are just wired differently at that age. Empathy, consequence, conscience, "moral compass", are often lost on these young men at that age - I know I didn't develope those character qualities until I was older. Maybe all us dads have a responsibility to teach these things, reward and encourage them, because they sure don't come natural to a late-teens/early twenties boy. They HAVE to be taught by a positve role model. Ok, stepping off the soapbox.

I voted for the Muzzys. G5s fly well, but I like the replaceable blades on the Muzzy and have just had outstanding results with them. I've shot a lot of heads including G5 Montecs & Strikers, Slick Tricks, Magnus Stingers and BuzzCuts, lots of clones, couple older mechs...Sold all of them except my muzzy 100's.

Here's one that hasn't been brought up yet. The Baretta Tomcat. I'll start with the cons: It's 32 ACP. Ok, now that we're past that, first thing I'll say is you can get some pretty decent self defense rounds in 32 ACP that help bridge the gap from there to .380/9MM. The Pros. Semi Auto so it's very slim, low recoil, very easy to use, and for my wife the #1 selling point - No slide to work. The barrel tips up from the front and you just stick one in, press it down till it clicks and fire till it's empty. I knew my wife was going to be picky. She refused to even look at the revolvers, mini Glocks etc. She liked the Walther 380 and clones, but just couldn't work the slide on top. As soon as she handled the Tomcat, she said that was exactly what she wanted.

Man - it just doesn't get any cooler than that! A great buck, a very capable youth hunter, excellent footage. Nicely done!

Hope it's not too late. That Garmin radio/GPS setup is a good idea that didn't really work out so well. The radio distance is dismal at best. I've been with friends on the Kiabab and Navajo. My super cheap Cobra radios out performed the Garmin Rhinos on both hunts in many categegories . While I think it's a reaklly giood concept, they are yet to make it work as planned. The general functioning works well as, you can transmit your location just by speaking over the radio. Where it fails is range. On cheap radios I coud stay in contact with fellow hunters but the Rhinos failed to pick up a signal.