Coach

Prayers sent - I hope it works out for you.

PM sent - I had changed my mind about selling it - need a little time to think about it.

My 25-06 loves the 115 grain Combined Technology ballistic silver tips. Haven't shot any game with them yet because the gun is a little on the heavy side, but they are extremely accurate in my Savage 110FP. They'll shoot much tighter groups than I can. When I'm doing things right, 3-shot groups can be covered with a dime at 100 yards and a quarter at 200. I didn't have much luck with Nosler ballistic tips - guess some guns just like certain bullets. The silver tips are not a super strong bullet compared to accubonds, but for coues or other light-skinned game, I love them. I've shot a couple deer with the silver tips in .30 caliber and have been very impressed with their performance. I've seen multiple coues almost lost using bonded bullets because they don't expand quickly in smaller animals. One in particular was hit cresting a ridge with a .270 Nosler Partition. Lucky for us, the deer died shortly within 30 yards of the hit, but had tiny entrance and exit wounds despite the bullet hitting pretty far back and coming out the front shoulder. It passed through a lot of tissue but never expanded. There was absolutely NO blood trail and we couldn't even find the wounds until we skinned the deer. There were two tiny blood drops right next to the buck's nose where he died, even after the bullet had gone through most of the vitals.

Thanks for the update, Brian. We'll be heading down to Roosevelt Wednesday afternoon - I hope the boys can tie into some bass. Were you rigging whacky or texas? What colors were working best, if you don't mind my asking?

I like mine pretty well - I think it's the older Mr. Heater. It does a decent job warming up smaller spaces. Great for inside a wall tent or small trailer when it's really cold, but I would be careful about ventillation. It's *supposed* to be safe in an enclosed area, but I won't light mine inside without a good air flow.

Guess I missed the controversy. Public land is just that. Congrats on a great buck, and even moreso if there were lots of people after the same deer. I can't stand the mentality that some guys get when they assume that a deer belongs to them just because they saw it - sorry you had to deal with the negative side of taking a good buck. Unfortunately, these days it just goes with the territory. Take pride in you accomplishment.

Very nice!!! I went on a 10 mile trek yesterday close to home and found several nice sets, but the pesky critters they were attached to wouldn't slow down long enough for me to wrestle 'em off.

It may be pretty tough in the upper country this year - still tons of snow and lots of closed areas. Did some shed hunting around Lakeside yesterday and saw very little bird sign, even where the snow has melted off. I can't wait to get the boys out for the OTC youth hunt though - should be lots of fun.

I was out yesterday and it was extremely slow. No fish for either my dad or myself. Others we talked to had zero or at most a couple.

That is one beautiful cat. Woulda been hangin' on the wall if that was my patio.

I really hope this is not supposed to be some type of "due dilligence" excercise to fend off the lawsuit(s?) that have been filed against them. It would stink to sacrifice one of their own as a polical pawn in this mess.

I'm curious about the fobs, but wondered how they do shooting through mesh.

Nice, thx for sharing them Clay.

I'm glad you are happy with WT your caller, Clay. Looking forward to playing around with mine when it arrives too.

Clay, where are you getting the "Over 1000 sounds to choose from" figure? Not trying to nit-pick, but the Master Sound List on their web site only contains 318 by my count, and that includes stuff like Zebras, Moose, Hyenas, Lynx, Moose etc. Substantially less that are actually useful for predator calling. That said, I don't see any use whatsoever for having 1000 sounds, or even 100's for that matter. Just keeping it real. Like I said, after hours and hours of research, I opted for the WT, so I don't need to be convinced of their merits. But that's not to say that Foxpro doesn't make good callers, or even that WT are vastly superior in every way. There are guys across the country doing very well - some winning big money - with both. I think technique is probably a bigger factor than technology.

For an extar $30 you can get the "bear box" which adds some protection. The box can be lag-bolted to a tree and then locked. That makes it a little more secure than just a python cable. First time I put mine out, it was lag bolted, python cabled and buffalo locked, but then again, I hate having things stolen. I also made a slight modification to my bear box that makes it really hard to get bolt cutters to the shank of the lock - just another little extra precaution. I can post some pix if you like. However, even in a bear box, if someone finds it and can't steal it, they can still damage it - just a risk with all cameras. Given that these are pretty small and don't flash visibly, you could also get creative hollowing out an old oak trunk to conceal it better. Can't steal what you can't find. Good luck.

Cool pix. I'm pretty sure that's a Western Screech Owl. We had one hanging in the back yard in hollow tree this fall - very cool little owl.

I just bought the Wildlife Technologies Mighty Atom 21 from Mark at Wildlife Callers located in Queen Creek. Great guy to work with. You can choose 40 sounds with the MA15 and 55 sounds with the MA21. He took his time going through the available sounds and helping with suggestions. I was originally going to get a Foxpro FX7 Fury, but after lots and lots of research, I opted to go with the Wildlife Tech. The Foxpro vs. WT debate is all over the predator forums, and bottom line is, guys do very well with both brands, and both have their pros and cons. Just depends on what features are most important to you. With foxpro you can easily download MP3s. WT currently requires being sent back to have new sounds added, and they are pricey at $10 each with a 6 sound minimum. Foxpro can be recharged quickly via a car charger without removing the batteries, which you can't do with the WT. Foxpro has a very nice digital display on their remote. But the overall, the impression I got while reading endless threads coparing and contrasting the two was that WT were louder and clearer, and had more vocalization sounds as opposed to strictly distress sounds. That's what swayed me. I don't need more than 55 if I get the right ones, and having someone from AZ with tons of experience helping you pick and choose helps with the confidence in those sounds. I got some turkey sounds on mine too - gonna see if it'll call the thunderchickens with it too. If you give Mark a call, tell him Jason sent you .

That is so OSSSM! Great job. I love to see those kids out there on great hunts. AZ rocks to get the kids out chasing javelina, turkey, even deer, elk and goats if the draw is good to them. Congratulations, and thanks for taking some kids out for an experience they will never forget. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Looks pretty useful. I predict many knockoffs. I love to see some good old boys coming up with something useful like this, but even if they are fortunate enough to obtain a patent, they probably won't be able to defend it. I would HOPE to see people buying the original rather than saving 5 or 10 bucks on a copy - just because I think innovations like this really open the door to average guys who love to hunt making a way for themselves. I have nothing to do with the company that makes or sells these, and I've never seen one up close. This post is the first I've heard of them. But when I look at some of the best gear I currently use (double bull blinds, slick trick broadheads, etc.) many come from hunters like us who have a world of gizmos and whatnots to choose from and, but eventually stumble onto something useful that hasn't already been thought of. I'm looking forward to checking one of these out. I've never liked any of the bow slings or scabbards, but find myself always carrying my bow around by the string and wondering why there isn't something better. Maybe they're on to something here. Good idea anyway and kudos to the guys that put some brain power into coming up with something new AND useful (potentially).

Amazing pictures. Thanks for sharing them - you are one heck of a good photographer.

I've got a nice, clean 5th wheel for sale, but it's about double what you are looking to spend. It sure made a difference for our family - more camping trips, exploring NM, UT, AZ and CO with a clean place to eat, sleep and cook. Something to consider anyway.

I've seen two bass "fused" together like that with a shad in the mix. My guess was they were both going for the same lunch and one ended up looking down the other ones throat. I separated them and they both swam away. Funny stuff. I wonder if the bass and crappie were both going for your buddy's bait at the same time.

I was fishing for crappie at Bartlett lake years ago, and had a decent stringer of slabs. I look down at my stringer and there is a bass hanging there - HUGE - eyeing the crappie on the stringer. Next slab on the line comes out of the water with the same humongous bass chasing it. Both fish came broke the surface, and I kid you not, the crappie was over a pound and a half, and the bass was easily 8-9 pounds. Shortly after I was telling my neighbor about it, and OMG, he's a big bass tourney guy and NO WAY were there any bass that big in Bartlett. He basically called me a liar - or suggested I couldn't identify a bass. LOL. It was clear, this honking bass was all over my catch that day, and he wouldn't chase a crankbait, or anything else I threw at him. Biggest bass I've seen up close for sure. The image of him breaking the surface chasing a solid 1-pound-plus slab, along with his pectoral fins gyrating just below my stringer --- man what I would do to be back on that rock and sink a hook in that guy!

Awesome pix. That cat is skin and bones! I hate to admit it, but with those cubs, I almost hope she caught that doe. She's barely hanging on.