Coach

LOL!!!

Thanks - it took the better part of a day - with some indecision about how to make the sliding portion.

Yes, your box was the eye-opener for me. I have the same box and since seeing your post welded the seams on mine. I couldn't believe someone tore yours open like that.

I welded on some 3/8 inch (inside diamater) black steel tube to the back side, along with a shorter piece of the same tube with a 3/8" rod inside to the front portion. This make the front piece have to slide downard into the back piece. Now, we're almost there, but the top is vulnerable, so I made a "lid" out of thick steel and welded it to the top. Pretty good so far, but what if the burglar wants to hack-saw the back side? So I welded some "wings" on the back plate and a couple of donuts around where the lag bolts will come through. A couple of chain links welded to the outside in case I want to run a cable through it, and a little spray paint...this should make for at least a challenge for a cameara thief. The idea is to get the lock up inside the case, and not provide any easy pry points. So, if you were going to steal this setup, what would you attack?

Tell you what, I'll be going straight from the shoot to the little-league "All Stars" tournament in Round Valley. I'll be wearing my purple BR hat, and so will my son. I'll be with my wife and 3 boys so just yell "Coach" and see if I turn around - lol. I really didn't intend to head-coach our all-stars this year, but the head-coach got called to the Los Alamos fire, so now it's on me. Just look for a bald guy, a pretty gal, and 3 camo-clad young'ens.

I'm about 90% done with a box I built for a new Covert CA 3.0 I just bought from Amanda. Great little camera. I'll start a new thread about the construction of the box, but at this point, I think it's safe to say, anyone who wants to steal this one is gonna have to cut down the tree it's attached to, and haul out a decent chunk of tree. Even then, they'll probably destroy the camera to get it out. Looking forward to constructive criticism of the build, since I'll be building more in the days to come.

From what I've seen, water and salt are key in August. In December, corn and alfalfa.

This is interesting news. As a guy holding a bull archery tag for unit 1, I wouldn't want to just turn my tag in for bonus points and/or a refund - I only had 2 - one for loyalty and one for hunter's ed. I'd rather take my chances and hunt. My hope is that they can negotiate with the Forest Service and keep most of the unit open to access. Last I heard, only 20% was burned badly. 80% of unit 1 is still HUGE, and even with the increase in archery tags, I would still consider it a great hunting opportunity. On the other hand, if they worked out an arrangement where current tag-holders could opt to hunt next year and reduce the tag allocation by that amount, I think it would be a win-win for hunters. To be honest, I'd probably still go and hunt this year, hoping some of the pressure in the un-burned areas would be reduced by those that opted to use their tags next year. If they are only able to offer refunds and reinstate bonus points, no question, if optional, I would keep my tag and use it this fall, rather than hope to get lucky enough to draw again later. It's now in the hands of our officials. I hope they can come up with a solution that is fair and reasonable.

Where in the world did they come up with the $70K fine? These guys made between $120 and $300K just for the 60 hunts they got busted for. They're lucky I wasn't in charge of the sentencing. They'd be spending 20+ years in jail and owe the state about $1M each.

I plan to be there on Friday, but I don't have any CWT stuff to wear.

I am building up a collection of good trail camearas, but based on what I hear on this board about cameras being stolen, I'm more concerned with building some solid cases for them. You guys in the Pinetop/Show-Low/Eager/Payson areas - I've got lots of scrap steel, a welder and pretty good take on what it takes to keep a camera protected from theft. They may break it out of frustration, or cut the tree it is stuck to, but they aren't gonna just walk up and cut it loose. I've got a Covert II that I bought from Amanda, and I saw what some theives did to break into the $35 bear box. The seams on the box provide a point of entry. Any of you guys want to bring your box here to have the seams welded, it's free. We can even grind down the welds and repaint it...I just can't stand the fear of camera theives. To steal one of mine, they'll have to take a big chunk of tree with them. If you want some free welding and reinforcement of any of your trail cameras, PM me. I'm happy to help out.

Another thanks to the guys with boots in the dirt out there. On the one hand, it's easy to sit back and criticize what could have been done - or speculate about what should have been done. I'm guilty here - maybe because I just can't help getting emotional when it comes to some of the coolest country around, places I've spent my summers camping, scouting setting trail cameras, falls hunting, decades of just being out there, and seeing it all burn. For you guys who have been out there since day-one, I hope you don't take my criticism of this fire and its handling personally. Growing up, this time of year was always "fire season" as I'd watch my own dad go off to fight fires all over the country. I got to hear his take on what was being done well, and what was "just for show". I know how hard you guys work, and how you also have to fight the politics of a big fire while trying to focus on the fire itself. CDenton, jdnuts20, I'm speaking to you directly. I apologize if you think my assessment of how this fire was handled was directed at you. It's not. I do have disagreements with some of the federal policies and higher-ups. But for you first responders, you have my respect and gratitude. Just want to get that out on the table.

Last I heard, the only camping will be at the Sunrise RV camp $18 per night and $8 per vehicle, according to their website. The forest is still closed, and I haven't heard anything to think that would change before the weekend, even if the monsoons get started. You never know though, could happen.

What kind of security are you guys using with your boxes? Cable/padlock/combo? Just curious, are these guys cutting down entire trees to get to them, or cutting cables or what.

Ahhh. Smells like heaven!

Exactly! I've got the unit 1 hunt this year, and there's no doubt it will still be a great hunt - if the feds don't screw it up for us. This really chaps my hide. They were the ones who reacted too slowly to beging with and let a small fire turn into a HUGE fire, now they want to over-react when it's too late to do any good. Typical knee-jerk big-government B.S. Tell you what, if they close the forest and G&F says too bad to tag holders, I'll probably take my chances with the forest circus and just go hunt. I wonder where AZG&F will stand if you have a valid tag, but the feds say you can't even access the areas that weren't affected by the fires. The whole North half of unit 1 was untouched, and as others have pointed out, even the burned areas stil have tons of huntable country. Who reacted to slow to begin with and let a small fire turn into a huge fire? I will be the first to admit being an arm-chair quarterback on this one. I wasn't there when the big decisions were being made. But the fact remains that this fire was small and containable for around a week before it doubled, then tripled in size. You don't need a PhD to recognize that a fire in the Bear Wallow wilderness, an area devoid of pretty much any management for 20+ years, combined with very little spring moisture and daily high winds - over 50 MPH on some days, could turn into a huge mess. So, to answer your question, I think the USFS reacted way too slowly and let a small fire turn into a HALF MILLION PLUS acre fire that didn't have to happen. Any 3rd grader could grasp the situation and make an informed decision faster than our Feds did.

Dang, Jed, one more great bull on video - you sure know how to find those bulls. Great job, and great footage of another monster bull.

Picture, as promised. On the top is the Savage 110 FP in .25-06, which weighs around 13 pounds with the scope, maybe more. But it can shoot circles around me all day. This is the sweetest shooting, most accurate gun I own, but it's yet to go on a hunt because of its weight. If I were hunting speed goats and driving around looking for a booner I could nail at 500 yards or more, this is the gun I would have. Packing in, hiking all day, not so much. It's a button-pusher for sure but I'm not carrying it around all day up and down the Sonoran desert. Second one down is the Savage 114 American Classic with oiled wood and parkerized barrel in .300 WSM. Great gun - shoots incredibly well. Very accurate and tons of power with hand-loaded CT ballistic tips. I really can't say enough good things about this gun to do it justice. I hand load, so I've seen what it is capable of. The button-rifling of the medium contoured barrel shoots like a dream. It's a tad heavy, because of the medium barrel, but the wood is really nice, the action is OK - it's a Savage, but for a .300 magnum, a load that is synonymous with accuracy issues (most because of recoil flinch), this gun shoots like silk. I think the WSM shoot so much better than a WBY mag or a Remington Ultra Mag, in the same calibers. You still get the ballistics of the big magnums, without the pounding recoil. That's just my opinion. , And finally, the Howa in .270 WSM with a Vortex scope. Looks like a poor man's gun but shoots like a custom bean-field rifle. I load this one with 56 grains of IMR 4350 pushing 140 gr. Nosler Accu-bond. All of these guns are in the $400-$550 price range, but with hand loads, they shoot way better than me all day. The scopes on the first two are Cabela's Alaskan Guide. The 25-06 has a 4-14x, and the .300 has a 6-20x with mil dots. Dollar-for-dollar, I'd put these 3 guns up against much more expensive rifles with much more expensive optics. The priciest one is still less than $900 including optics and in hands more capable than mine, will shoot as well, or better than some of the really expensive custom guns. I've shot some of the big dollar rifles, and for a long time owned a Weatherby Super Big Game Hunter in .300 WBY mag with a Leopold scope, that combined, cost 2-3x what these rifles did. It was a super nice rifle, but these 'el cheapo' rifles wouldn't be wanting in any kind of shooting match against that one, IMO.

It's great to hear from somebody who actually knows what is going on in there. Thanks for the updates. What happened to the Punch Bowl? I know the West and North side of Escudilla got burned up badly, but what happened to Skunk Flat and the East portion of Escudilla?

Exactly! I've got the unit 1 hunt this year, and there's no doubt it will still be a great hunt - if the feds don't screw it up for us. This really chaps my hide. They were the ones who reacted too slowly to beging with and let a small fire turn into a HUGE fire, now they want to over-react when it's too late to do any good. Typical knee-jerk big-government B.S. Tell you what, if they close the forest and G&F says too bad to tag holders, I'll probably take my chances with the forest circus and just go hunt. I wonder where AZG&F will stand if you have a valid tag, but the feds say you can't even access the areas that weren't affected by the fires. The whole North half of unit 1 was untouched, and as others have pointed out, even the burned areas stil have tons of huntable country. Not all of unit one is national forest. There also is a lot of state land and private land with elk on it. You may have to hunt in junipers instead of pines, but there are elk out there. Bill Quimby Thanks Bill. You are spot-on as usual. And my response was, well "hasty". None of us know for sure what the situation is going to be in September. Many of my favorite areas in unit 1 were not affected by this fire, but will undoubtedly hold higher concentrations of elk this fall. I am sure hunt will be allowed, and I'm guessing that the speculated closures are being exaggerated. I'm looking forward to a great hunt, and possibly breaking that magical 360" mark. I've taken a couple of nice bulls from unit 1, but in the 330 range. I think this will be the year to get one of those great bulls I've seen and video'd over the years. I was really close last year, with a nice 350+ bull at 100 yards with a ML, but somehow missed. I still, for the life of me, can't imagine how I missed. I ended up actually making a 257 yard shot on the last day of the hunt not 1/4 mile from where I missed the bigger one, so I know the gun wasn't at fault - I just flat-out blew it. This time though, I have to get inside 50 yards

What an awesome buck! Congrats, and way to stick with it!

That gun is too pretty to use in the field. I was thinking the same thing - absolutely gorgeous gun! I'm a big fan of the .270 WSM and .300 WSM. The .300 (Savage 114 American Classic) is my go-to gun if I ever get to rifle hunt. I've only had one coues tag since I bought it, but shot a nice 4x4 (not counting eye guards) at 357 yards. Pretty much a chip-shot for this gun but it hit exactly where I aimed and the buck died in under 20 yards. I've also got a Howa .270 WSM that I got as partial trade from Gino on a WBY 300 mag. This is the best kids gun I can imagine. They've taken elk and javelina with it and that thing is awesome. Almost makes me want to put a better stock and trigger on it and make it my go-to gun - but even "almost stock" it's extremely accurate and versatile. I put a wood youth stock on it and a limbsaver recoil pad, and it kicks about like a .243 but has better ballistics than a standard .270 Win. The kids can shoot all the handloads I can produce for hours and never feel beat up, and they're 12 & 14. It's pretty cool watching a 12 year old shoot 4-inch groups at 300 yards. 25-06 is a great coues/antelope rifle too - unfortunately mine is super heavy (Savage 110 FP with a 1" bull barrel) so it hasn't gone on a hunt yet, but at the range it is amazingly accurate out to 500 yards. I'll post some pix later.

Dang - beat me to it. I was gonna make it an 18" "Just in Case"...

LOL, I'm sure your dad has taught you all about keeping secret spots, well... secret. PM me, with dad's approval, and we can swap fishin' holes, etc. BTW, that Turkey vid your dad posted from this Spring was in one of my favorite spots. Both of my oldest boys killed their first birds right there. My youngest is just about ready to take his hunter's ed course and with any luck, he'll take his first "big game" on that ridge.

We headed out early Wednesday morning to the Black River for a family outing. As always, it was a memorable day this one more than most. On the drive out we saw a herd of elk then got right into the middle of a flock of turkey. They were strutting and gobbling, so we shut the truck off and Matt made his best hen sounds at them while I used my turkey call to get them to gobble at us. They seemed to respond better to Matt than my slate call. Eventually, they decided my black Tacoma was just a big turkey, and they were strutting, fanning and gobbling within yards of us. A few minutes later we saw a few antelope with a small fawn just off the road, with either the biggest coyote weve ever seen or a young wolf in pursuit he didnt give us a good look, but we were pretty convinced it was a wolf. He just didnt carry himself like a coyote. Shortly after that, we came upon two coues deer bucks that had shed their antlers. Minutes later, we parked at the edge of the Black River canyon and hiked down to my favorite place along the river. Ill let the pictures tell the rest of the story… Getting started... Josh gets his first fish of the day... Matt lands the first big one... Carrie gets her first fish. She's laughing because she says it's "Biting" her. Nick and I team up on this big boy... A really nice one that couldn't resist a live crawdad in the afternoon... Carrie and I with a really nice one... My last cast of the day landed one of the bigger smalley's I've caught there... On the way out, we had a group of nice pronghorns challenge us to a race. One of them was HUGE. It was really cool for the wife and kids to see them open up and race the truck - they were totally amazed at the speed of those little buggers can do! All and all, it was one of those days that was truly blessed. Our family, together from sunup to sundown, seeing and doing and experiencing things together some people never get to experience. I hope you enjoyed the story and pictures.