Coach

It seems these days that a lot of guys are really into following the “celebrities” of the hunting community. For example, Michael Waddell has blogs on many of the current social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, where people can keep current on what he’s doing. Nothing against Mr. Waddell, personally, but I just don’t get the obsession with these celeb types. Does anyone care what he’s doing from minute to minute, and can anyone relate their own hunting experiences to guys who are paid to hunt the most exclusive private land in America??? I was thumbing through my latest Cabela’s catalog and saw a whole series of knives dedicated to Jim Shockey, with his supposed profile, hat and all, laser etched on the blade. Then I went to buy a bag target, and just about all of them were some kind of Michael Waddell “Bone Collector” series with his lame-butt skull in lime green stuff all over them. I won’t buy one, even though it’s the same Merrell Infinity target I’ve shot for years and worn out. Look at Bass Pro-Shops for a rod and reel, and it’s even worse. Rick Clunn signature this and that, every rod, reel, stick bait has some dude’s name on it taking a chunk of change off MY purchase. It’s getting old, and I just don’t see the logic behind the obsession with “some other dude”. Am I missing something here?

Thanks all - more on this later. Heading up to Sunrise for the shoot, then Utah. RR, I'll take some pix, but don't expect them to look like yours!

Three words..."Fine Focus Knob"....Dunno why Leica and Kowa (even Pentax and Nikon) have figured this out but Swaro still hasn't. That one feature will do more for you than lense coatings or magnesium body.

Gettin' it some - my oldest boy can pull legal weight now... but all I can think about right now is that Unit 1 ML bull hunt Hard to concentrate on deer for some reason.

Nice buck!!! So don't flame, but that looks like Sowatts point country. Just a little fishin' because my next deer tag will be 12AW no matter how long it takes. Congrats on a great looking buck. You can pack my deer out anytime -

I thought this would be an easy Google trip for the answer - not so. I have a similar setup - same head, almost (maybe) the same legs. I think I paid somewhere around $230- $280 for it - seemed like more at the time. B&H is selling a similar setup, but all black, and doesn't appear to have the spiked feet, for $229. (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/503871-REG/Manfrotto_190XB_128RC_190XB_Tripod_Legs_Black.html). So, I guess I'd put the price used at somwhere between $150 and $190. That said, I wouldn't part with mine for that. It's one heck of a tripod. Too heavy to pack around the desert just for binos, but a necessity for a full-sized spotter. Hope this helps. Given that it's discontinued, and a great hunting/birding tripod, I think you should hold out for top dollar. Just my opinion. Jason

Somebody got a heckuva scope!

Yeah, I posted a link to that on another thread, but it really deserves a thread of its own. The gall of this guy is simply staggering - accusing the minutemen of shooting people, the audacity to say that our borders are "quite secure" - his overall condescending attitude toward the people he is supposed to be serving...We have to find a way to get people like that out of office NOW. He isn't qualified to clean the bathrooms in a public library, yet he's somehow a congressman??? Totally mind-boggling.

Here's one... http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/1813270747.html

Ah - that makes sense. Thanks!

I've heard the term that a rifle/action has been "blue printed". Christian's sweet new rifle is a good example. What does this mean?

But with what looks like around 1/2 inch of blade exposed before it expands, does it still fly with field points from a bow (or shooter) that has trouble getting broadheads to hit exactly with fieldpoints? If it does, then you might just be on to a winning combo with thes head. I will definately try them out. The reason I'm asking, is I've spent countless hours trying to fine-tune my bow to make broadheads and field points hit exactly the same. I've worn out numerous targets, but for some reason, good broadheads always group together, but they want to turn left and low at longer shots. Inside 30 yards, like from a ground blind, I'll always shoot a fixed head, but most spot-n-stalk shots are a little longer. I'm considering a mech for these types of hunts because I can group fieldpoints really well at 40 and 50, and routinely practice out to 80 yds. But my broadheads at that range are, well, let's just say, "less predictable". Just a little nitpick'n before I buy yet another set of broadheads.

Any tests through ground-blind mesh to be sure they don't deploy on the mesh? Could be my new head, but I'm a skeptical old curmudgeon until I've seen it in action.

Here's California's response to the situation... This is the way liberal politicians think, and until we boot every last one of them, not a dang thing will change.

Looks like a good head, but for the sake of argument, there is a lot of exposed blade. Seems most people who shoot a mech are doing so because they want the same flight characteristics out of their broadheads that they get with field points. In a properly tuned setup, that can be achieved with fixed heads. So the advantage only goes to a mech when it has the same profile as a field point, which these don't seem to have just looking at the pictures. So, what I'm wondering is, if this head still has enough exposed blade to fly like most fixed point heads, what is the benefit? Not trying to start a ruckus, just askin'.

I have an older Nikon, LRF800 if memory serves, and it has always been very reliable and accurate out past 800 yards, and wasn't very expensive - around $200 - but that was something like 12+ years ago. If I had to replace it, I would look hard at the Leica as well. I have used a few Leica Geovids and found the range finder built into the binocs to be exceptional - I would think that their dedicated range finders would be hard to beat.

Well crap Gino, you had to go and do it... I just weighed my hunting arrows and I'm right at 423 oz. I'm sure my Bowtech Allegiance from 2005 is spitting faster than 298!!! You better bring a chrono to Sunrise and a buttload of beer, 'cause I'm guessing I can out "old-school" you on suds slurpin' too!

A lot of great information on this thread - maybe the best I've seen in a long time. Since none of us are geologists, I'll put my $.02 out there. The previous posts have said pretty much anything I can add, but I'd describe it like this: Arizona has rocky, pourous soil, from the mountains to the desert. When Spring rains fall and snow is melting at the higher elevations, the water always drains to the lowest point, and does it quickly. On tall flats surrounded by rocky cliff areas, the water seeps out of the cliffs, onto the flatter areas. In the rolling hills, it obviosly flows through the sandy bottoms that make our landscape, but is soaking in as it passes through. I'm no geologist, but I've seen what the soil looks like here compared to the narrows and slot canyons in Utah. The Escalante Staircase is perfect example of what our desert lands would look like without soil. There is a hard sandstone or granite base under most of AZ, and the water is squirting through the top layers of dirt and rock, like a sponge under pressure. All that water has to go somewhere, and it either soaks downward or flows on top of the ground West and South as fast as gravity will take it. When a lot of water has soaked in, the water tables start pushing it back out to the top, through the lower sandy or broken rock that it origanally seeped in through. So, from a hunting perspectivet, like others have suggested, when you find a sandy draw with old cottonwoods, you know the water is only a few feet under the surface. It may look like a dry creekbed, but where the water has to take a sharp angle underground, it pools and gives those big trees something to live on. More likely than not, there will be pools of standing water where those cottonwoods grow - and they are easy to spot year 'round. Green in the Spring and Summer, colored during the Fall, and brown in winter months. Seeps, from what I've seen, are usually found around cliff areas, and are easy to spot by the moss or other lush vegetation in an otherwise dry area. These are the spots where water takes its sweet time filtering through tens of meters of limestone or grantite drop-by-drop. To me, these spots are golden because when he cattle ponds have dried up and the sandy washes are dry on the surface, they still produce drinkable water. It's because the water coming out of a hard granite seep probably landed on the ground above a couple of years ago - and has taken that long to finally drain out. In a tough drought year, the creek bottoms will be dry, the cattle tanks will look like an alligator's back, but a rocky seep will still be draining the excess of years past. Just my ramblings on the subject

For starters, when it comes to matching prices, I approached Outdoorsman's with a price I had found some Swaro SLC 10x42 on sale online. They not only matched the price, they actually beat it, by a significant amount, and that was for a single pair of binos. Keep in mind, I'm not speaking on their behalf, just on personal experience, so I have NO idea what kind of deal they can put together for you, but I would be willing to bet that they will match or beat their competitors' price - especially given all the optics in the package you described. You are also doing business with guys that hunt AZ and all over the West, are great resources for any hunt, have been there for a long time, and take pride in how they treat their customers. I'm not saying Sportsman's won't do the same, because I've never made a big purchase from them. But I do know I can vouge for The Outdoorsman's on this subject, as they have always taken a very customer-centered approach when I have bought from them, or was just comparing products. As for finding them, here's what I get from Mapquest... On N. Cave Creek Rd between E. Mountain View Road (south) and E. Cheryl Dr. (north) - so for major X-roads, Cave Creek, North of Dunlap. http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Phoenix&...geocode=ADDRESS As for angled scopes vs. straight, that's just a matter of personal choice, IMO. I prefer the straight WAY over angled, because I don't use my spotter for glassing so much as zooming in on something I've already found. For me, it's easier and faster to acquire the animal/target with a straight scope. On the other hand, I know guys who use their scope more for glassing (and birders who spend a lot of time behind their spotter) who say the angled lense is more comfortable when used for extended periods. I just find it harder to line up and get on a particular area with an angled scope - but apparently, when you get used to it, it's easier to look through, because you are only bending your neck 45 degrees, like looking through a microscope, as opposed to squatting down and looking through a straight scope, line of sight, at 90 degrees. Best of luck with your purchase. Let us know what you decide on, and how it works out for you.

Years ago, I drew a coveted Unit 1 archery bull tag. I spent countless hours throughout the summer watching bachelor herds, checking out horn growth, all that stuff. I was trying to make some concrete plans based on the bulls I was watching. Well, about 3 weeks before the season opened, all the bachelor herds started shedding their velvet, sparring, and moving off. By the time the season started, there were few elk in the areas the bachelor groups had been hanging out, and the biggest had moved miles away to claim their territory. So, the question is, what good does it do to watch bulls all summer doing something you already know they won't be doing during the rut? Their behavior and range will inevitably change. So why scout bulls during the summer months? It seems to me you need to scout during the rut in years before you draw, so you can understand how they will act, and where they will be *during* your hunt. They always come back to the same places to fight and establish breeding herds. I guess it is just strange that so many guys draw a tag and spend the whole summer watching certain bulls, seemingly unaware that when the rut kicks in, those bulls could be 10-15 miles from where they were summering with the other bachelors. Am I missing something here?

BTW, I'm guessing there is a great story behind that hunt. If you get a chance, I'm sure there are lots of us on here that would love to hear how it all unfolded - how you found him, stayed on him, kept from getting busted. If you feel like it, of course.

That is one stud buck - great job. Deer like that don't come around too often, and to have taken him with a bow, just that much sweeter. Congrats!

You've got that right for sure! WHT_MTNMAN is also on. Just getting out there and seeing them keeps you motivated. Also agree with mthorsrud, tromping around you'll find areas from previous years where rutting activity was heavy. An old elk hunter once told me that wherever you find lots of elk, there are a few areas they return to during the rut, year-after-year. Some are breeding spots, some, usually close by, are fighting spots. I've found his advice to pay off really well. Doesn't seem to matter where they are June - early August. They all seem to congregate at the start of the rut in certain areas, and the winners split off with their herds. I've also noticed that the biggest bulls don't usually 'herd up' that way. They come in and get a feel for who's gonna walk out with the best harems, then spend their days bouncing from herd-to-herd, whenever they feel like it, taking whatever they want without much of a fight. Kinda the old father-and-son bull (bovine) joke where the younger bull says, "Hey pops, let's run down there and mount one of those cows...and dad says, No son, let's WALK down there and mount ALL of them". (G-rated version) Honestly, this thread was kind of a rhetorical question to see what kind of discussion would arise. I doubt that anyone has ever "wasted" any time scouting. Each hour in the field teaches us something, or just helps us get a little more in touch with the "real world" that plays out each year while we are consumed with work, kids, family, bills, all those other important obligations that prevent us from spending as much time in the field as we'd like. Thanks for the responses.

+1, You can look from the outside of the building at a nice sized desert moutain - don't remember exactly how far away it is, but far enough to do a good side-by-side comparison at a hillside that looks much like the desert areas where coues hang out.

Both are very nice scopes. The Swaro 80MM HD is probably the pinnacle of spotting scopes in terms of quality glass at both ends. I'm guessing, if you could set both up in a real-world hunting situation, image-wise you would be hard pressed to tell any real, noticable difference. So then, it comes down to which one has the most comfortable eyepiece and best focusing - for you. I like the big focusing knob on the swaro - at the same time, I think the Kowa adds a smaller, fine-adjustment knob for focusing. To me, this is a pretty big deal. I can't glass for long periods with a spotter, like some guys can. When I DO pull out a spotter, the ability to use the fine adjustment focusing is a big plus. I've glassed some through a Swaro 60, and felt like the focus control was a little too fast. I bought a Swaro 80MM HD and returned it. Not because it wasn't great spotting scope, but because I decided that spotting scopes, for me, were not where I would want to put that much investment. I could pick up the same level of detail through my swaro 15-56 in almost all situations so I couldn't justify the extra weight and bulk to lug any spotting scope and the heavy tripod it required. Personally, the best spotter I have ever looked through is the Zeiss 77 APO. It was very comfortable to look through, and has a fast focus knob, and a fine focus knob. Today, I use a Pentax PF80-ED, which is a phenomenal scope for the price, and given how rarely I really need a spotting scope just makes a good fit. I think I picked mine up for around $900 including the 20-60 eyepiece which is roughly a third of what the best from Swaro, Kowa and Lieca cost, plus it has been the "Better View Desired" (birding website) reference standard for nearly 10 years. My hunting style isn't really one that makes a "top-notch" spotter worth the extra weight and bulk. I've rarely been in a situation where either 10x or 15x Swarovski binocs can't give me enough detail to know whether a deer is worth going after or not. More times than not, I leave my spotter and the big heavy tripod at camp. I guess I like to go light, and I can support 10X and 15x swaro binocs on a 1.5 pound sprint-pro tripod and glass all day. For me a spotting scope means a LOT of extra weight and bulk, so the only times I bring it out is when I'm glassing from a vehicle, or sighting in a rifle.