Coach

Sweeeeet! Nice job guys.

Nicely done!!! Congrats to Armando, and great job getting a young hunter out there on some deer. Would love to hear more about the big one that got away.

Sounds like it's getting going! I'm exited to get out, but this weekend I had other obligations. Maybe a sick day or two this week are in order...I feel a flu coming on. I'm thinking of some "close to home" spot and stalk muleys or coues if the opportunity presents itself - something I've tried many times but have yet to connect. Just gotta keep after it, and know that it takes lots of blown stalks for one to work out just right. Good luck to all you archery hunters out there. Only a few days left to fill that 2010 tag!

Freakin' cows ruined my #1 spot. Grrrr. 1800 pictures in 3 days - nothing but cows and I left it there for 3 weeks. Card was full by the 3rd day. Looking for a new spot, but with the regs the way they are, seems there's lots of people in a very small space.

My beef, and I could be wrong, is that AZ has not been effective at maximizing game populations for mule deer, and even more noticably, antelope. We have just as much prime habitat for these species as our neighboring states, but the populations in many prime areas remain surprisingly low. I like to visit Utah, Colorado and New Mexico and I'm always blown away that as soon as I cross into one of these states at the amount of game I see. The same terrain and vegetation that looks like a wasteland in AZ, looks like an antelope sanctuary in parts of NM, CO and UT. The same rolling grasslands and foothills in AZ that hold few, if any mule deer are littered with mule deer in other states. I'm no biologist, but it seems we've somehow gotten behind the curve when it comes to bringing our game populations closer to carrying capacity than other states with the same - or very similar - habitat, forage and rainfall. If we could somehow find a way to increase our deer and antelope populations in the areas that are clearly capable of growth, a big part of the supply/demand issue we are currently facing would take care of itself, or at least be way better than it currently is.

Hard to believe that's less than some Polaris Rangers are selling for, and not much more than a run-of-the-mill version. Super nice vehicle, certainly not a toy I can afford, but I can dream.

What a travesty. My prayers go out to his family.

Supressor?

I really like the concept of the GPS/radio combo. I've seen it in action on the Navajo, and other places where it worked really well. My one complaint, is that the radio technology in the Rhinos I've seen is way lacking. I took along some cheap Cobra radios on a hunt where guys were using the Garmin Rhinos, and our range was FAR superior to Rhinos with the Cobras, and they have better models available now. Don't get me wrong, with young kids and lots of time in the field, I think the concept behind the Rhinos with built in GPS to keep track of eachother is freaking awesome, and last Christmas season you could get a pair for under $600 bucks with the mail in rebates, etc., if memory serves. I just wasn't impressed with the radio reception and range. If Garmin takes the GPS abilities of the 60CSX and combines it with even $30 midland/cobra/motorolla radio range, it would be worth spending the $$ for a combo. As it stands now, I'd rather put the money in a decent set of radios and some cheap GPS units, and take the time to teach my wife and kids how to use both, at leat enough to find eachother in a bind... That brings up all kinds of fond memories of my lost wife this past season, and her subsequent nickname, which I'll leave out for now.

Wouldn't it be funny, just once, on one of these UA vs ASU threads, just to ask that those on both sides agree that they actually attended and graduated from the one they support? Just had to toss that out there, as lots of the die-hard ASU fans I know never got closer to ASU than bar hopping in Tempe, hoping to find a co-ed drunk enough to talk to them. LOL

Which of the units you are considering is the best for scouting? Meaning how much time can you give each of those units. From what I've seen, the best chance at a 100+ deer comes from how much scouting time a guy can put into a given unit. You've mentioned several, and I can tell you that every one of them has the kind of deer you are looking for. Don't get too tied up in the "which unit" question, as picking one that is close to you that you can spend some time in to find the bigger bucks before the season. If you spend much time on this forum, I think you'll see that most of the big bucks didn't just show up on opening day. Most of them get taken by guys who have picked out an area that they know will hold big bucks, have scouted for a long time, and usually, the bigger bucks are deer they have been watching for a long time. It's not so much about which unit you should hunt, but what you do in the unit you pick to make the best chances for your hunt.

I am totally in awe of that vid... That takes some major brass ones... and he makes it look easy. Most of us would be hard pressed just to hang on to the rope long enough to get over the water, and he's doing 3-4 backflips and landing like an olympic diver. Just freakin' amazing IMO.

Those are some of the neatest trail cam pix I've seen yet! My whole family enjoyed them this morning - thanks for posting!

I'm a big Rock River Arms fan. Their optional National Match 2-stage trigger is very nice. I've put a lot of rounds through my rock river, never any of the cheap Russian stuff, but have never had a jam or feed issue.

Not sure how to embed the actual video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_P6yU_ymFM&feature=share

Hate to admit, it actually took me a while to post my congrats on this thread, because I am so freaking jealous!!! Awesome job! You guys did great. One day I'll take one of those awesome desert muleys. For now I'll just have to live vicariously through you.

Not a whole lot new here to add, but I met a couple really nice guys from Montana this year who had finally drawn a quality AZ archery bull tag after years of applying. At first, I wasn't real clear why they were so exited to be hunting elk in AZ, when as I thought, Montana was full of elk. After some conversations around the campfire, I came to realize that those expansive herds of elk in Montana had been all but decimated by the re-introduction of wolves. These guys were super exited to drive all the way down here to hunt elk where the herds are still healthy, even growing, as their own herds were disappearing year after year. Kind of opened my eyes a little more to devastation wolves can have. Of course, we're talking Mexican Greys with some "dog" mixed in compared to those huge Canadian wolves. But still, our elk population is something special and unique - and given that it is here primarily due to the efforts of hunters and hunting-oriented management, I'm against anything that jeapordizes our elk and deer herds.

I just want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Here's our family card for everyone not on our current mailing list. Kind of a collage from this year. Best wishes to you all this Chirstmas season!

Nice! Great job.

Truely awesome!!! Congrats on a trophy of a lifetime! Thanks for sharing.

I'm thinking full body mount all the way. Tag'em and Bag'em, even if they're from another planet.

Wanna bet they have more lawyers than you do? LOL, just kiddin. I've used Mr. Buddy heaters, and they seem to do just fine. Not sure I'd run one all night in an enclosed space, but that's just me. I'd rather bundle up than trust anything that heats with flame and claims not to give of carbon monoxide. I've slept cold enough not to trust my life to some gizmo, no matter how convenient it is.

Man, I would be all for shooting the buck. The problem is, lately these guys aren't just packing, they've got scouts around them. You don't know how those guys would take shooting around their "cargo". I'm all about saying to heck with smugglers and illegals, this is OUR STATE, and we'll hunt it by God. On the other hand, I'm nearing 40, and don't want to leave my wife widowed and my sons without a father because I chose to chase a deer. I sure wish the Gov't would do their job so we didn't have to make these kind of life-and-death situations, just to hunt the land we have every right to hunt.

That's AWWESOMMMME! Great buck!!!!

As much as I'd like to be in the UofA, ASU rivalry, I find myself cheering for ASU, so long as they aren't playing UofA. I don't see that much from ASU fans, but whatever. I like my state colleges, and will support all of them. I'm way more into the high school end of it. Our Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets had another run at the State Championship, but didn't quite take it this year. Last year, in the dome at Flagstaff, the BR boys won it against Show Low, our small town rivals. This year, same face-off in the dome, Show Low won, and they deserved to. Great bunch of kids from both teams, some amazing young atheletes, and very humble, grounded, and make me proud to be a part of watching these kids go from little kids in big pads to some amazing young men. Rivalries are great, in that they bring out competitiveness and the desire to push harder. As hard core as the parents and fans get when Blue Ridge faces Show Low (lots of bad blood) I'm always humbled by the respect these teams show eachother on the field. And that's why my handle is "Coach". I'll be (have been) coaching my 3 boys from first grade through their Senior year in football and baseball, and doing my best to cheer them on in basketball. I think sports, hunting and family time are key to staying close to my boys, and I'll do as much as I can to guide them as they transition from kids to young men. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed. I just want to provide the biggest open path to the future I can for my three sons, acedemically, socially and competitively. Godspeed to all, Jason