Coach

Here's a wolf pack in Idaho. It's estimated that this pack alone will consume 600 elk per year. Guys from Idaho, Wyoming and Montanna are coming to Arizona and New Mexico to hunt elk because their herds are being depleted. As for condors and copper bullets, I have no problem shooting solid copper if and when I finally get to hunt 12AW or 13B. They've come a long way can perform as well, if not better than lead. To be honest, I don't like the idea of lead fragments in the meat I consume anyway. Although I spent my youth chewing on lead pellets and I'm not dead yet.

Wow, I didn't know there were so many PSE shooters out there, they kinda fell behind for a while when Mathews took center stage for so long. I've had PSE, Mathews Bowtech and now a Hoyt CRX 35. So far the Hoyt is my favorite bow by far. That's not to say Mathews, Bowtech and PSE aren't great bows, heck I haven't even shot any of the newer PSEs and that new Mathews Heli-m looks like a winner. Not to mention a lot of guys really love the Bowtech Destroyer. CRB hit the nail on the head - shoot them all and find what works best for you. All are quality companies making quality products.

Nicely Done! Congrats Tony.

I feel for you man - I've been "checked out" through a rifle scope and understand how irked you get. In my case, I was up on a tall hill near 2 track. Saw a boy and his dad walking up the road glassing as they went so I actually took a blaze orange vest out of my pack and hung it above me so they would know I was there. I look up and see the kid trying to find out what that orange thing was with his rifle scope. As I was diving for cover, I just saw dad swatting the gun down.

C'mon Lark, you know you've got a good thing, but maybe some Inuit gal to keep you warm in the ground blind while wifey tends to the butcherin' and cookin'? Sounds kinda cozey, eh?

Here's an attempt at a talley so far. I had no idea there would be so many. This is cut and paste from Excel, and I'm sure we could do a better job by using the "vote" feature, but according to what I wrote down going through all the pages, here's how it breaks down so far. Bud Weller (Weller's Wildlife Studio, Inc) 5 Mark Plunkett 4 Clay Goldman - Mogollon Taxidermy 4 Micke Vacarro 4 ScottyBoy (Member) 3 Pat Newman 3 Brett Prentice ( Game Trail Taxidermy) 3 Chris Harlow (Harlow Taxidermy) 2 Tim Rajsich (TR Taxidermy) 2 Dan Lee (Artist Touch) 2 Becker (Member) 2 John Doyle 2 Trails End 1 Johnny Ahumanda 1 Rex Jenson 1 Chuch Mecham 1 Colton Bagnoli 1 Chris Favour 1 Wild Heritage Taxidermy 1 Mike Bieda (Art of the Outdoorsman Taxidermy) 1 Pat (Verde Valley) 1 Chiefs (Member) 1 Johnathan Otero ( Royal Jon's Taxidermy) 1 Jim Hartstock (Southwest Wildlife Taxidermy) 1 Cole Van Winkle (CMC Shell Works) 1

Wow, great bulls all the way around and that 7x7 is just awesome. Just an amazing job of balancing family hunting with clients and getting it done all the way around. You have talent my friend!

If it smells like butt-cheese, walks like butt-cheese and quacks like butt-cheese, it must be... How's that for grown up and edumacated???? LOL. All I'm saying is the whole rivalry thing has a place, but some people take it way too far. That's all.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. As a graduate from UofA, the Wildcats will always have a place in my heart. That said, I'll always cheer for any Arizona team over CO, UT, NM, CA, WA, OR, etc.. UofA needs major work in football and basketball, but the same could be said of ASU and NAU. Have some sense of state-pride and back all Arizona teams. When the big show-down happens, sure pick your favorite, but the stupid "UofA sucks and ASU sucks" mentality really reminds me of Jr. High. It's an old, worn-out, pathetic mindset usually perpetuated by people who never graduated from any higher education in AZ, and it just smells like youre 5AM butt-cheese. Time to grow up IMO.

BTW, not meaning to be nit-picky, but the story could use a couple of paragraph breaks - you know, make it easier to follow... just sayin'.

Well Gino, no matter what the conditions, you sure know how to get it done. Nice pics and looks like one heck of a fall of hunting. Thanks for the pics and stories. Kinda wondered why you dropped off the radar - looks like you've been a busy bee.

I can see why! Who wouldn't be exited about a buck like that??? Huge congrats!

Anyone following high school football in AZ knows the "big game" every year is Blue Ridge vs. Show Low. Maybe the hottest rivalry in in the state. The last 3 years it's been BR vs. the Cougars in the Dome at Flagstaff. Last year, the Cougars came out on all cylinders and put it to us. The year before that, we came out on top. Tonight, Blue Ridge finished up a zero loss season, facing the Show Low Cougars for the third straight year in the state championship game. Tonight, Blue Ridge took the trophy home, but the kids from Show Low really showed their mettle and their inner pride. Those boys fought hard, didn't win but showed respect for their home town, maintaining true dignity that doesn't often come with rivarlies of this caliber. My sincere respect goes out to the young men on both teams, and to the coaching staff, to bring a world class rivaly face-down that could go either way, and keep it civil, respectful, and in the spirit of high school athletics. Having played for Paul Moro, many years back, and having a son of one of my good friends and former teammate playing for Ricedorf - most people outside this community can't even begin to grasp the rivalry here. For those boys to be picking eachother up, congratulating eachother after each run, treating eachother like friends, rather than enemies, really says a lot about both coaching staff from both teams, but even more about the character these young men have developed. These boys all played their hearts out, but they also showed respect for eachother - GOD I love highschool football. Shameless shout out to my bro, Dain Thompson - who kicks butt and probably will never read this. You rocked tonight.

.300 Wby Mag is an awesome round, but it takes a big rig to handle it well. A muzzle brake is mandatory, IMO, and you can't have a wimpy fluted barrel. As to the price of ammo, well, 5 years ago WBY ammo was considered very expensive, but these days it seems $40 - $60 per box is more the norm. I used to reload for my .300 WBY for around $17 a box with Norma brass and premium bullets - Nosler, Barnes, Swift Scirocco. I experimented with lots of powders but liked the IMR 4350. Roy Weatherby hunted the globe, created a whole industry around wildcat and magnum rounds. Interestingly, his favorite was the .257 Wby Mag - and he was hunting mostly African plains game during his years of perfecting the hunting round. Funny that a quarter bore would win his favor over the bigger and heavier magnums he was better known for.

Wow, that is an impressive piece. How are the optics? What's it like to look through?

That's halarious Scooter. I did the same thing one year in Oklahoma. I was shooting a 12 GA pump and thought for sure I could pick up some good turkey loads on the drive over - nada. So here I was hunting turkey with quail shot. I decided to borrow Grandpa's "goose gun" a bolt action 10 guage. Grandpa calls in a group of jakes walking right down a fence line. Once they get past us on their way to the decoys, I aim for the one in back (big mistake), fire and 3 birds hit the dirt flopping. My tag was good for only two, so grandpa had to tag one of mine.

Wow, don't know how I missed this thread! What a great buck! Huge congrats! Spot and stalk speedgoat with a bow has to be one of the hardest hunts out there - for any legal antelope. To take a monster like that is a super accomplishment. Great job!

Nice Job Misty!!! Congrats on a great buck - and great job Clay for getting her set up for success.

I might have seen you at Fossil Creek this year too - were you down there. Sounds like the same FJ.

Took a while but I found him. Do I get a prize? LOL. Nice pic and great thread.

Nice job TJ, aint getting older a bitch? The mind is willing but the body doesn't always agree. Way to tough it out and take a great buck. I keep looking at that rack - great character - much like the character that put him down. Big congrats, and way to keep doing what you love.

That's really good advice. The neck and lower parts of the legs are something I always struggle with. So much meat there, but it's so full of sinew and connective tissue - the things that usually lead to gamey tasting meat. Gonna have to try this out next time as I hate seeing any edible part go to waste.

Wow TJ, that is just flat-out AWESOME!!! Great job. I love it when people take the time to celebrate, especially Christmas. Great job.

Congrats to Miles on a great first bull! Way to go getting him out there. You'll have trouble prying that Tikka out of his hands. LOL. Congrats on life-long father-son hunting memory.

Holy smokes! Great bear. Can't wait for you to put a tag on that big old bruin.