Coach

Wowser - congrats on a great looking buck!

Thanks, Brian. Yeah, I'm kind of curious to see how the ash will affect the river too. There was a canyon I hiked in Utah a couple summers ago and it had a lot of these "quick-sand" kind of holes that were just ash-mud you could stick your arms or legs way down into, and the fire responsible was nothing compared to this. I sure hope the Black cleans itself up better than that. On a positive note, just think of where the water line gets to on a heavy-runoff year. I've seen the White River bridge on the Amos Wash road covered with driftwood before. That's enough water to flush a lot of ash down.

What I heard was that they immediately mobilized every piece of equipment they had and started bulldozing like crazy. Mt. Baldy is a very sacred place to them, and they jumped right on things. Also, since the wind has been pushing the fire to the NE they had a lot less spot fires to contend with. Most of the 40% containment number we're hearing has to do with fire fighters' success at preventing any Westward movement of the fire toward Green's Peak, etc. I imagine the tribes have both been able to prevent Westward movement in much the same way.

This is getting really old...If they catch someone starting one of these fires, they had better keep their identity secret...just sayin'.

I have a 2005 Bowtech Allegiance that I would like to sell. It's great bow with top-shelf accessories, so I don't want to just give it away. It has the Bowtech 2-piece 6-arrow quiver, a top-of-the-line CAP (now Trophy Ridge) Quick Shot Wisker Biscuit, and a Spot-Hog "Hogg-It Hunter" sight with the "Seven Deadly Pins" housing. I spent over $300 just on the sight, as the SDP was not offered on the "Hogg-It" sight. The string is a custom job, done by Jed Larson, who, IMO, builds better strings than anyone in the buisiness. I've got at least $1500 in this bow, plus I'm including a dozen Gold Tip Hunter Pro (camo) arrows that are perfectly splined for this bow. Draw weight is 70#, and length is 28 5/8 (inside knock to end of insert). It's set up for a 6' shooter. I have no idea how to price used bows. I'm thinking $550 is more than fair. Anything less, and I may as well keep it for a solid back-up.

I switched bows this year to a Hoyt CRX 35. It shoots like butter - so smooth, so quiet, and way faster than they advertise. So I started messing around with broadheads the other day to see how they shot out of this bow compared to my field points. I shot Muzzy, G5 Montecs and Strikers, Slick Tricks, Magnus Buzz Cuts, some Rage practice heads and others. Ward's was kind enough to send me out a couple of Inverters to try - all I can say is WOW! At first I thought that the design was too similar to a fixed blade to add the moving parts of a mechanical. My take on broadheads is, if you can shoot a fixed head - you should. There are no moving parts, fixed heads are generally stronger, etc. Let's face it, most of the time guys shoot mechs is because they have tuning issues that make fixed blades fly differently than field points. My opinion of mechanical heads has really changed over the past couple of years. Everyone has their favorites, and I'm no different in that. I've heard really good things about the G5 Tekan II, the Rage, the G5 T3. I wouldn't any longer be concerned about taking a mech head into a real huntign situation. Back to Wards' Inverters. Of all the heads I shot, these were some of the smoothest flying heads I tested. I wasn't sure at first, before shooting them, if I would really try them on a hunt, because, well, I'm super picky and don't like experimenting when an actual hunt is on the line. I'll be hunting archery antelope in NM this August, AZ Unit 1 bull in September (hopefully) and December AZ Coues in 24A , and I'll have these heads on my arrows. I loved the way they fly, I love the fact that even if somehow they don't deploy, you've still got a solid fixed-type head, and when they work as they appear to, you've got the advantages of a large-cut mechanical. It's hard to express how effective this design is, because at first look it might appear to be the worst of both worlds. It seems almost like a fixed blade design that might negate the need for using a mech in the first place, and add on the the shortcoming of a mechanical, which is reliable deployment. In my actual testing, it performs just the opposite. It flies like a field point, but because of it's design, if it somehow failed to deploy, still has the cutting diameter of many fixed heads. If it deploys correctly, which every shot I've taken with it, it has, the cutting diameter increases tremendously. Bottom line - I'm not a mech shooter, but I would feel comfortable taking these heads on any hunt. My quiver will have 3 Muzzy 100 graing for 50 yards or less, and a combo of Triverter and Rage for longer shots.

I know they are currently setting up the course. They are planning to hold the shoot at this point, but the big question is whether FS will have open areas for camping nearby.

Maybe the've seen how fast 360 acres can turn into 360,000 acres and jump on it while it's still controllable. Best wishes, Jason

I am very interested in your bow. I am in Tucson so I would not be able to pick it up. I would need it shipped unless you may be here in the near future? You can call me at 520-591-1889. This is my first posting here. A friend has been watching for me. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Who should I ask for? I think you're going to be really happy with this setup. It's very accurate and fast. For much less than lots of guys pay retail for entry-level equipment, you're going to have a top-shelf bow with top-shelf accessories and arrows that together have taken elk, mule deer, coues deer and javelina. Shipping will be around $25, and I'm willing to split that if you are.

I've had good luck with IMR 4350 in a number of magnum loads including .300 Wby, .300 WSM and .270 WSM. Also, experiment with primers. I've had a little better luck with Winchester mangum than Remington or CCI.

I use the National Geographic software state topos too, and really like them, but like others have mentioned, you can't download them to a GPS - just transfer waypoints, etc. back and forth. I like to carry a laptop connected to my GPS to get a continuous route plus the screen size of a laptop is way more useful than just a GPS, IMO.

$450 - last call. I'll be putting the bow and sight separately on archerytalk for $300 & $150, respectively. The shipping costs are less for me if someone takes both for $450, which means I can negogiate a little. And if I'm breaking it out on archerytalk, the 14 Gold Tip Pro Hunter 7595 arrows will go separately as well since they run around $120 and up per dozen for raw shafts on ebay, etc.

Any takers for $500? If you are close to Lakeside, I'll deliver. If not, PM and we'll work out a fair shipping arrangement.

I've been hearing some positive things as well about unit 1. Yes, some areas were completely torched, but it sounds like a lot of the area burned through quickly and the pines will survive, and even some of the areas shown in the maps of the fire's path survived unscathed - or with minimal damage. Maybe that's just hopeful thinking from a guy with a unit 1 bull archery tag to look forward to. Some areas will take years, even decades to recover. Others won't make a full recovery in our lifetimes, or even our kids' lifetimes from what I've seen. Overall, and I'm basing this on what I've seen over the past years in 3A/3C since the Rodeo/Chedisky fire, units 1 and 27 will see a huge surge of game in the next 5-10 years as a result of this fire. On the other hand, it will look charred for a very long time, even if the wildlife rebounds. I'm really just waiting to actually drive around and see for myself what the actual fire damage has been. I'll take my camera with me, and share what I see.

As always, this site is full of good people with good advice. If I can add a tidbit, the .223 is one of the easiest rounds for younger shooters - especially those groomed on rimfire rounds. Shot placement is vital though. A good hit with a .223 will drop anything from a jackrabbit to an elk (or larger as others have pointed out). A less-than-perfect hit with a .223 can easily lead to a lost animal, and with a youth hunter, that can be really tough. I've got 3 boys all learning to hunt, and they all like shooting the AR, but I reserve that for only javelina. We don't have a .243, but it's a great all-around gun. If you compare the recoil of a .223 to a .243 it's pretty minimal compared to the actual energy of the bullets. If your young hunter can put the bullet in just the right place in hunting conditions with the .223 and is not comfortable with anything bigger, then that is probably the right gun for them. On the other hand, if they can shoot more gun, they should. A .243, 25-06, .270, on and on, are much better for deer sized game. My boys are not really "large-framed" but my 14 year old shoots my .300 WSM and my middle boy, 12 shoots a .270 WSM. Both are around 100 pounds wet and well fed. But if you compare a 55 grain .223 bullet to a 150 grain .270 bullet, there's no comparison at all. Glad to see you getting a youth hunter in the field. When it comes to picking the right deer bullet for kids, I think the trade-off is what they can shoot accurately, vs. what is most effective. Given our range of great youth guns out there, I would put the .223 at the low end of the scale, and the .270 WSM or 7mm-08 at the upper end, and see what the kiddos can handle, and put the biggest stick in their hands that they can shoot comfortably. Good hunting, and best wishes. Coach

Lots of great advice here. You might try shooting a 3D deer target from an elevated position - if you have a tree in your yard, use that, if not, get on your roof then look at the hits and where the arrow is going to pass. Real deer are not as dense as a 3D target, so the penetration will only give you a reference as to where the arrow will go once it hits. The closer the deer is to you on a treestand shot, the higher you want to aim. The more it is quartering away, the more back you want to hit. Generally, you want to aim for the opposite side (think of aiming for the back-side elbow) when sharp angles are in play. I totally agree with AntlerObession about quartering toward you shots. Those are some of the toughest ones to make in my opinion. A deer's anatomy is designed to be able to deflect things coming at their chest, head-on. There's a lot of bone and muscle up front on a deer. Look for the broadside or quartering away shots. This can be tough if you're sitting a treestand and a deer comes in walking toward you. Try to be patient and avoid the frontal shots. For one, the deer is already facing you and will probably pick up the movement of you drawing. Secondly, if you draw on him coming in, you are trying to hit a very small spot. Be patient, if you can, for the deer to come in get relaxed and offer you a broadside or, even better, quartering away shot.

I switched to the ACC Pro Hunters and couldn't be happier. Great arrows.

What is that? Some type of target stand?

PM sent.

I think it's awesome how this community has come together to support Josh and his family. It's funny how the world becomes a much smaller place when you are really in need and the people around you come to your side. Many of us have never met Josh face-to-face, but we know where he stands and how he lives and what values he is passing on to his kids. Once again, more prayers sent to this family. Godspeed on a full recovery, and best wishes - truly. Jason.

That is a tough question to answer. I generally avoid the Southern units because of the illegal traffic. I think a big camp with lots of people, and at least one or two guys minding camp is ideal down there. I wouldn't take a 10 year old down there by myself. For what it's worth, I'll be backpacking into some crazy human/drug trafficing country in late October. The last time I did it, I was completely alone and it was beyond scary. I slept with one eye open and a Baretta 9mm in my hand all night, as coatis raided my camp just a few hundred yards from an active smuggling trail. I wouldn't subject my kids to that at all - it was hard enough for my wife to know what I was doing. This time, I'll be with another guy who will be packing heavy, but to be honest, I was just pricing Mossberg 500 "Just In Case" shotguns because I think I'd sleep a bit better with the 12G shotty at my side down there. IMO, there are a lot better hunts to take a 10 yr old on than those in the border areas.

Clearing out some of my broadheads. A lot of these have never been shot. First up, a selection of G5 Montecs. All 100 Grain. There are 3 teflon-coated practice heads, and 6 hunting heads. 2 of the hunting heads are brand new, never fired. One is "like new", it's been shot a couple of times into foam and resharpened. 3 are in OK shape, but need work to rebuild the edges, or they can be used as practice/small game heads as they are. I'm including one Carbon Express F-15 dual blade head (never fired) in this bundle. $35 OBO. ** SPF ** Next is a pack of 3 G5 Montec CS (carbon steel) 100 gr. brand new, never fired. $25 OBO. ** SPF ** Also, a nice G5 montec diamond sharpener made specifically for the Montecs. $18 OBO. If I don't sell the Montecs, I'll probably keep this, so bear with me, please. 5 G5 Tekan heads, never fired. $20 OBO. ** SPF ** 7 Slick Trick broadheads - all 100 grain. 6 are the standard one-inch, and one is the "magnum" 1 1/8-inch. Some have been shot at foam once or twice, but you would never know it - they are still razor sharp and look brand new. I'm also including an unopened pack of the 1" replacement blades (enough for 3 heads). Retail on this is over $70. Selling for $40 OBO. ** SPF ** Finally, I've got 15 NAP ThunderHeads in 125 gr. 10 have never been shot, 5 have been shot but are still in very good condition. Lots of extra blades - more than I wanted to count. All have the retaining collars and o-rings. $20 OBO. These are all really good heads, I'm just thinning out some of my stuff. We're all family here, so if you buy something and don't think it was represented accurately, you'll get your money back. Just ask plenty of questions if you are unsure. Thanks, Jason (Coach)

Would that be the SALT River? Hmmmmm?

Prayers sent. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Alright guys - just the thunderheads and the Montec diamond sharpener left - somebody make an offer if you want 'em.