Coach

Wow, Jed. Nice bulls. Bill flashed me that silhouette shot at the end of our all-stars game today in Eager on his phone. Looks like they're growing really nicely considering the lack of rain so far.

I think I see it, but maybe I'm wrong.

Wow - just wow...

Dang, probably would have bought the single six but just ordered a single ten.

Found this one on Gunbroker. This is the exact same one I have. http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=293579240 Not sure if the price is good/bad, but it's pretty rare to find an unfired '89.

Bump for a good rest. Just my opinion, I think this is one of the best rests on the market. Got one just like it on my bow and wouldn't trade it for another.

Wow, incredible buck, and some great taxidermy. That's my kind of art right there.

Wow, super video. Those are some amazing bulls!!! Great job!

+1, best way make a cup of coffee when keeping things light. Heck, I use them at home when I don't want to make whole pot, and I typically hate instant coffee.

Wow, that was cool. Nice job!!!

He had great taste in guns. I would love to see some pix.

Becker, I agree 100% that the trophy deer we're seeing in 3A/3C are not the result of good management, but the natural result of the the fires. And that's why I think Unit 1 and 27 will rebound so well in the upcoming years. I'm not slamming AZGFD, they do what they can, but natural conditions create good deer habitat, not government. That said, we have an amazing opportunity to bring back the kind of hunting some of us remember, through good management. Personally, I'd like to see some antler restrictions. I may not be the most popular guy for saying this, but seeing a velvet spike or two point hanging in camp is not going to help some of our trophy quality areas reach their potential. 3A/3C in the aftermath of the Rodeo/Chedeski fires produced some of the best elk, turkey, bear and deer hunting this state has seen. Basically written off as a moonscape, these units have produced almost as many 180-220" mule deer as the strip has. I've seen photos of a 12 year-old girl sitting behing a 212" muley, and others of some of the "missed bucks" that are right up with the big ones coming from North of the canyon in 12AW, 13A and B. One of our sponsors has photos of his youth hunters behind some giant bucks. Just imagine Unit 1 and 27 rebounding like 3A/C because of the fires. We just might see deer hunting come back in this state close to what it was years ago, and maybe even better.

Maybe an FN Five-Seven as part of a trade???

Jimmer, that was a very good post. Good thoughts and reasoning. However, at what point does the Federal Government become responsible for our health care choices? A good argument could be made for the point at which an ER could/could not turn any patient away. On the surface, it seems like a good idea - I mean, if you've got a serious injury, for example, you are bleeding to death and show up at the ER, should you be denied care until someone proves you can pay for the services you need to save your life? At the same time, suppose you are homeless and starving. You can't just walk into Safeway or Basha's or WalMart, load up your cart with food and walk out, and claim you have a right to the food in your cart because it it necessary to your survival. That would NEVER stand up in court. So does the demand for medical treatment, even when the injury or affliction is not life-threatening, and usually self-inflicted, require John Q. Public to open his wallet once again, fall under some sort of "basic rights" assessment? Personally, I am tired of getting hammered by doctors that can't collect enough from my exhorbant health care contributions every single paycheck, that they send me bills for the "gap" that my expensive insurance doesn't pay, to get in line behind the ACCCS drains that can't even remember where their kids came from, let alone take care of them. Those human pez-dispensers never pay a dime, whether it's vitamins or prescriptions, or trips to the ER for a sniffle. Yeah, I'm ranting now and on a bit of tirade, but I've had it up to my neck with these liberal, "progressive", socio-economic policies that reward the the leeches and hand the bill over to those actually trying to make a modest living.

I've been watching this topic on several forums today. Personally, I think it was a death blow by the "progressives". However, some sharp minds have also pointed out how this could blow up in Obama's face. For one, it places severe limitations on the Commerce Clause. Roberts actually ruled this law unconstitional under the rules of the Commerce Clause, but ruled it constitutional as the government's right to tax. Obama has clearly stated all along that this is NOT a tax - but the SCOTUS just said it is a tax. Secondly, since a huge part of Obama's platform to get elected was that he would not impose ANY new taxes on the middle class, this ruling just proved that he imposed the single largest tax increase on the middle class America has ever seen. So, while I believe we just got screwed, a lot of doors just opened up to use this lost battle to eventually win the war. Romney just got handed the noose to put around Obama's neck. It's time to see if he's got the balls to follow through. BTW, this SCOTUS decision does not mean zero-Care can't be repealed. If played correctly, this law can be repealed AND have the added benefits of putting huge limitations on the Commerce Clause. That would be a huge win, but I'm being cautiously opptomistic. On the other hand, this might have just made individual health care a caustic drain on our national economy that makes social security and medicare look like chump change.

This is totally unbelievable. I am speechless. This country is in a death spiral.

Darn, I was hoping it was raining more heavily up there. We got a real nice soaking in Lakeside yesterday. Rained really hard for 5-10 minutes, then nice and steady for another 20 or so.

With the Sunrise shoot only days away, I'm a little confused by the "selective" closure of Pole Knoll. Tons of FS land is still open right across the road, as they site "fire danger". FWIW, I'm a big believer in keeping idiots out the woods in high winds and dry timber, but I find it a little perplexing that just now, after months of high winds and dry conditions, the FS closes down arguably the most heavily used area by visitors for the Sunrise 3D shoot. And it's been raining here - hard. Heck, maybe I need a tinfoil hat, but I can hardly see how camping in that specific area is somehow more dangerous than the hundreds of square miles just North of 260, that if anything are dryer than Pole Knoll. Why is it so dangerous in this little block of land bordered by the Greer road with winds blowing Northward toward Vernon, compared to the hundreds of square miles on the North side of 260 that are open where a mouse-fart and spark in dry conditions, would wreak havok, but are still open, did the Feds decide to shut this one area down? The wettest areas are always around Pole Knoll and Sunrise. The dryer, more "dangerous" areas are closer to Vernon, Alpine and Nutrioso. I have a theory, and it may be hair-brained one at that. I think USFS is sticking it to the tribe for covering their own backsides during the wallow fire last year, and not making their resources available during the fire. Now, they're gonna get a little petty payback by trying to reduce the attendance at the Sunrise shoot by closing off the area most frequently used for that event. I just can't see any reason they would selectively close this one area, while keeping everything around it open. Anyone feel compelled to agree, disagree, call me "captain hypberbole"? Let's chat it up. I'm on July 4th vacation, and I don't have a campfire to debate around, so this will have to do.

Right above the turnoff into Big Lake, there are always hunters and guides parked along the side of the road making phone calls. There is service, but if you move around too much and try to call while driving, more often than not the call is lost. Just above where the pavement ends after the turnoff into the Big Lake store and campground is the most reliable spot I've found in there.

Awesome pix! Sorry about the lost deer. Here's one my buddy shot on the Navajo a few years back right at sundown. Found it in the morning, "bearly". LOL.

Good post, and good ideas. I agree that the model used for bears could be adapted for deer. But as mentioned, a big portion of the bear management plan is centered around minimizing sow harvests. I think it's a good idea, and one that could work, with some common sense adaptations. The good news is, from what I've seen mule deer numbers are increasing in several units. I just checked my trail camera in unit 1 and had a solid group of 9 does at one time in an area that I'm not used to seeing many deer at all. 3A/C has been producing amazing deer over the past several years as the posts of youth hunters sitting behind 200+ bucks will attest to. And by most accounts, unit 1 should follow that model after the fire- just last fall I saw more bucks and higher quality than I saw in years, and that unit is just starting to rebound. I'm waiting to see what happens in 27 after the fires, and with the already-apparent rebound. That place used to be crawling with deer, and some really good ones. Hopefully it will be a sleeping giant in years to come.

Looks like one big snake. The biggest diamondback I've seen in AZ was around 5 1/2 feet long and probably 20+ pounds and it's not close to this one. If it's a real pic, it's a monster. Looks at least 6, maybe 7 feet. Where I grew up in OK, we had timber rattlers that would get that big but I've never seen a diamondback that big in person. Here's a pic of the biggest I caught...out by Willow Springs outside of Tucson back in the college days. I still have the skin from this one spanning the double doors to my office. It looks like a garter snake compared to the one in the initial post, and this one...

I'm here in Lakeside and it's a virtual parade of campers headed up to the higher country. Little to no rain in most areas. We've been reading mid 90's in the shade the past couple of days and I can't keep grass growing with daily watering. I get wanting to come up to the mountains and cool air, roast some weenies by the campfire, all that fun stuff, but the monsoons haven't started yet despite predictions for rain for the past couple days, we haven't seen a drop yet. One cigarette butt, or too many pine needles in the campfire, and folks are gonna lose their homes - not to mention the habitat loss. Like Tucson John, I've now been through the Rodeo-Chedisky fire, the Bear Wallow fire...If something starts below the rim on the Apache reservation country, my house will be ashes. Just please be safe out there and aware of fire dangers. Obide by the no campfire laws and use propane to cook. Enjoy the mountains, but leave them as you found them, is all I'm asking.

Prayers sent.

Is that a link? I can't get it to go anywhere. Would love to know more about this.