Coach

OMG!!! Holy Tine Length, Batman! You might be new to coues hunting, but that buck is what every seasoned coues hunter dreams of. I hope you can recognize what a truly amazing buck that is, and many really good hunters go their entire lives without seeing a buck like that with a tag in their pocket. Your dad is a great guide, and you have accomplished something many coues deer hunters only dream of. Huge congrats to you. So, you got a story to go along with the picture? That's kind of a rite of passage here, ya know? If you kill a monster, you have to tell us all the details - like what did you have for breakfast, was it cold or windy, hotter than heck, your sister sat on your lunch, you were half asleep when the big moment came up...Let's hear it. A buck like that ALWAYS has a story behind it.

Tough call. I haven't shot the 7MM WSM, but the standard 7MM Win Mag is one of the standard-setting cartridges available. I'm a HUGE fan of the .300 WSM and the .270 WSM and prefer them to the comparable WBY, Ultra-Mag and standard Win and Win Mag offerings. Never had the pleasure to shoot a .7mm WSM, but if I were buying a new rifle today, it would be at the top of my list, just based on how much I love the other two WSMs. If I had to choose, without shooting the 7mm WSM, I would pick the .300 WSM. But that's only because I've been shooting .300 Wby .300 WSM for years. Len at Long Range Hunting, and the "Best fot the West" long range shooters seem to prefer the .7mm platform. Heck, I'll just say, go with the 7MM WSM and tell us how it works out. You might just convince me to buy yet another rifle I have no room in the safe for. In all honesty, after hunting, shooting and reloading for around 3 decades (I'll be 41 in May), the .270 WSM is, so far, the ultimate hunting round for the West. But that's just my opinion, and we all know what those smell like.

I agree with the "backup rifle" suggestions, but you have to figure out what's up with that gun. 6" off at 100 yards means feet off past 300. Something is up with the scope or mounts. I'd have a hard time taking that gun in the field until I figured out what was going on. JMO.

Dang, somehow I missed this thread earlier. What a stud buck - you didn't break the 100" glass ceiling, you shattered it! What a stud buck. Congrats all the way!

I'm sitting on an 88 Toyo extra cab. It's a V6 with Detroit Lockers, sunroof and a camper shell. The motor needs work, probably a full rebuild (around $2K unless you know how to work on the Toyo v6 yourself), new muffler etc, body work to make it look sharp. My inlaws gave it to me for my boys but I'm not sure how much cash and time I want to put back into it. I did one toyo rebuild - every nut bolt and clip, and I'm not looking forward to another. LOL. I can send pix if you are interested. It's a fantastic truck, been on pretty much every road, jeep trial and mining-two track in AZ, Western NM and then some in UT, NV and CO. When the motor is back to tip-top shape, it will be an awesome rig. I'm just not sure how much time and money I'm willing to put into it. I can get better details on the engine work needed - let me know. If you want a "turnkey" truck, there was a GMC Jimmy on the classifieds not long ago. Looked like a heck of a truck for $7k.

Careful now, you guys are gonna put me in violation of the Lacey Act. LOL. Just kidding, but I dream of on day hunting coues on the WMAT - prolly never gonna have any tags for non members, and I don't blame you one bit. That said, WOW, congrats on some true monsters. That first one is an absolute brute. You have to let us know what he scores. He's gotta be in the 130's if not more, maybe a lot more. BTW, whatever happend to RabidApache, AKA Dewey? Last time I saw him he was holding some huge sheds up to his HuntScout hat? LOL!

Last I heard was 10% to guided NR and 6% to non-guided NR.

Wow - Great buck and Great story! I sure hope one day I'll get a chance to go hunt up there!

Just to be clear, if anyone isn't sure how these penny auction sites work, let me explain. You have to buy the bids - usually in chunks (20, 50, 70). Then you use those bids on the auction items. Each time someone bids, "price" goes up by 1 penny. So, let's say bids cost $.50 each. If 100 people bid, the "winning price" is one dollar, but the site made $50 (plus shipping). Of the 100 bidders, only one wins. The other 99 lost their 50 cents. Say one guy bids 10 times - he stands to lose $5 if he does't win. Sure as heck, he's gonna bid more and more. And the deeper in he gets, the more desperate he is not to walk away empty-handed. Why do you think these things are popping up all over the place? So, it only makes sense that this guy would try to direct MORE bidders to the site that's paying off so well for him. I mean who wouldn't want to lose more and more auctions?

Wow - not THAT's a HUNTING TRIP! Congrats on an amazing adventure and thanks for sharing the pix.

We had a great team in 88 but managed to lose in the semi-finals to Parker. Talk about getting too big for our britches - LOL. Lesson learned about getting too cocky and looking past any opponent. I got a State patch for 88, but was just a Jr. and second string TE/DE, so it's not quite the same is it would have been the following year. C'est la vie.

I graduated in '89. Sure wish I could have seen that baseball game. I can only imagine seeing an ending like that in person. And I think you got the wrong Nick - wasn't it Nick Johnson?

I read an article about this a while back. The author's contention was that in a freshly cleaned barrel, all the copper fouling has been removed from the tiny microscopic indentions and pores in the steel. The first shot or two down the barrel fill these back in making a smoother, more consistent path down the barrel. In most cases the 2nd or 3rd through around the 9th would give optimal accuracy. I'm not sure how valid that is, but it made sense to me. Although I would suspect that the effect is generally too small for most people to notice under normal hunting conditions. That slightly too tall or too short rock with a jacket slung over it for a rest, elevated heart rate and heavy breathing, the gloves you didn't practice shooting with but are still wearing, the rush to get the shot off before the animal slips away, the cactus in your armpit while you are trying to lay prone - those are the types of things that generally have a noticable affect on field accuracy.

I think there are several reasons you're seeing a "tough crowd" on this issue. First off, the original post was formed as a question, but purposely angled at attacking a legal, ethical hunting approach. Secondly, the initial question, and all follow-up questions have been answered clearly and convincingly, yet it still rolls on. Youngbuck, back on page 1 had an excellent response. Just because some people like hunting a different way than you do, that's no reason to become devisive. I think it's been clarified that hunting bears with hounds isn't an unfair advantage and can be even more challenging than spot-and-stalk or calling. You're just seeing a community come together to support the legal hunting methods availble against one guy who feels that just because he likes to do it another way, that should be the ONLY way. In my experience that attitude usually invokes the type of passionate responses seen here. To echo Amanda's comments, there's no need to degrade the discussion by name calling, etc. Be passionate, be informed and be respectful of other hunters. Pretty simple, really. For what it's worth, I've never hunted bear with dogs, but I can see the appeal. I personally want to take a bear spot and stalk with archery equipment. That's my choice, and I don't want someone telling me I have to do it a different way, just because they think their way is the only way. On the other hand, I can only imagine the rush of riding mules behind baying hounds on a hot track. That sounds fun too - so why should be one way or the other, when you can experience both and decide for yourself which way is better - for you and leave it up to each hunter to decide which way is best for them?

Wow - how awesome is that??? The whole family out there getting it done! My favorite part..."At about 3 o'clock my mom glassed up my sisters buck". Very cool - congrats to your sister, and great job making it a whole-family endeavor.

Yep, they won it in soccer too....good programs up there with alot of great coaching and athletes. Congras Coach to another flawless season......we are comin after you next year though....now on to wrestling season where BR will have some great wrestlers as well.... Thanks NT - Hoping for a great wrestling season for you!

I wonder what they changed on the CRX 35 - that is one sweet bow.

Adding a few new pictures.. Snake... This guy was buzzing at us as we approached the deer on day 1. Not sure why, just liked this grasshopper. The skull on the way back to camp on day 2..

I'm getting caught up on all the great things going on here on CWT. All of a sudden, it hits me. One week from right now, I will be deep into coues country right along some smuggling routes with a bivy and a smoke pole, and my good friend, Greg. The area we'll be hunting is strictly walk-in, several miles from the nearest road. Life has gotten so hectic with a house remodeling job I've been doing myself, work, coaching some 9 year olds at football...I haven't even shot my muzzle loader in over a year, I'm worried about what water will be available, I'm totally unprepared for what might just be the hunt of a lifetime. It's hard to believe that next Saturday night will be my second night in a bivy eating Mountain House, hoping to find a water source we can filter while looking for coues deer. One thing I know, it is going to be an amazing experience. I'll do my best to take lots of pictures and chronicle what just might be one of the hardest hunts I've ever embarked on.

Hey Bill, I've got three youth hunters with the 1/27 youth tag. Normal years I would call this a challenge, this year it's going to be downright tough. I've got a couple of spots in 1 and one in 27 I feel really good about, but trying to get all 3 on birds is going to require reaching out a little. Mind if I tap into your knowledge as the hunt approaches?

Well, I'm interested. My youngest son will have his first big game tags ever this season, and he's not all that big up top. Anything that can help him focus on the shot is a good thing. Where do I learn a little more about this setup?

LOL, you didn't really think the guys who started this topic and jumped all over it would be here now talking about the game did you? We'll hear about officiating and fired coaches, and all that (probably on a differnet thread), but we won't see ONE Devil fan come on and say they just flat out lost this one. And the sure as heck won't discuss the fact that UofA didn't even have their starting QB in the game when it turned around. Still gloating a little.... He he.

I'm lost. Can you elaborate?

Well, you can probably tell now by all the great input here, this one is going to come down to personal preference. Numbers-wise, they're very close. The pros and cons are pretty much negilgible for both. I switched from a .300 WBY to a .300 WSM and found I liked the WSM better. Different rifle, so it's hard to compare "apples to apples". I reload and found my .300 WBY to be more finicky - I've heard the same about .300 RUM. I think if you get either of the those two (WBY and RUM) to like a certain load, you're in a good place. But both are belted Magnums, which some find harder to resize and reload. The .300 Win Mag is also a belted cartridge, but it is based on the .375 H&H, whereas the .300 RUM (and I think all RUM) is based on the .404 Jeffrey. The concept behind any "Magnum" offering is stick more powder behind the same projectile. As I'm sure you can deduce, the .375 H&H and the .404 Jeffrey were designed as "super big game" loads meant primarily for African game. How many big scopes do you seen on African hunter's guns? Many are open sight double rifles, some have 4x, because the game is usually close, usually dangerous and requires a heavy bullet behind a lot of powder to knock it down. Most of the super magnums are designed on these powder-hungry cases, but necked down to put that power and energy into longer range shots. The .300 WSM is a little different in that it sticks more powder in a shorter, fatter casing. Not being a physicist, I think the idea is you burn the same quantity of powder putting absorbed pressure more on the barrel than the bolt, and doing it quickly without building excess pressure. So, what does all this mean? Not much to be honest. Your dead deer on the ground, meat in the freezer, head on the wall, whatever, is not going to come down to whether you shoot A vs. B, in the vast majority of cases. If you find a gun you feel comfortable with and can shoot accurately, 90% of hunting situations, the gun and bullet will take care of the killing, and that's .243 through the super magnums at ranges under 400 yards, beyond which, most people don't practice enough to worry about. Super long range guys shooting larger animals have to really be concerned about foot pounds of energy at point of impact over 800 yards, blah blah blah, I'll likely never be a good enough shot to be concerned about some of the minute details that go into which round is better at those ranges on certain animals. A .270 will kill almost everything most of us will hunt at ranges we are capable of. Some of the magnums give you a little more energy with a little less accuracy (generally). I've settled on .300 WSM, .270 WSM for pretty much everything I or my kids will hunt. I can load those two up or down enough to cover anything from pigs to elk, and have them hit where they are aimed without blowing my kids' shoulders off. Also have dad's .270 Win. a heavy 25-06 and an AR in .223 when recoil considerations take over ballistics, and all have killed game. Shoot what you like and can hit with - don't worry about the gun as much as the time you are having with friends and family, and ultimately the skills required to get into place for the shot.

24A Archery Pig (2nd Choice). My kids cleand up. All 3 got 1 & 27 youth turkey, the two oldest got 22 & 23 Youth Javi, and my youngest got 23 general Javi. Had to put him in for general since I'll have to find him a field day between his birthday (Jan 28) and opening day, Feb 24...That could be tricky...