Coach

Sweet pistol. Those Kimbers have a really nice, crisp trigger. Someone is going to get a good gun at a very good price.

Seriously, He!!'s gate becomes Heck's gate? Bart Simpson moment coming on.

Funny part is, this isn't just an Arizona thing. There have been multiple rescues in Italy and Spain where these prima donna types just have to go hiking in their flip-flops and end up stranded. That said, I'm not for shutting it down. If you get yourself in a pickle in there - like heck's Gate - deal with it snowflake. But don't expect someone on the tax-payer's dime to come bail your dumb azz out.

I'm really glad to see unit 1 go to a draw. Living up here my whole life, it's obvious that unit 1 has amazing potential, especially after the burns. hunthard is absolutely correct. You only have to look at 3A/3C to see that the quality of deer goes up when you give those yearling bucks a chance to grow. Generally speaking, unit 1 used to have tons of deer. They were everywhere. But it kind of turned into a cluster "F". Lots of road hunting, yearling bucks killed en-masse. I actually advocated for an antler restriction like New Mexico has so we could rebuild the age-class deer unit 1 has to offer. Guess how well that went - ha. Our habitat is perfect for growing not only herd size, but trophy quality deer. We just have to back off a bit and let them mature. Unit 1 & 27 are rebounding after years - decades of over allocation of tags. Gents, 3A/3C, 23 are becoming strip-like tags in terms of trophy potential. 1 & 27 will do the same if we allow the bucks to mature. The stories I've heard about 27 back in the "good old days" - and I actually saw it back then when I first came here from Oklahoma. Back then, there were something like 1700 tags - anyone could hunt - and there were deer everywhere. I didn't even have a pair of binoculars the first year I hunted 27 back in the '80s. Point being, of course we all know G&F is all about over-allocating tags because that means $$$ for them. Managing 3A/C for trophy potential should be a blueprint for 1 & 27. It works.

Public land is one of the few things that separate us from just about every other state in this country. If USFS gets their way, it's going to be limited access, pay-to-play all over the state. And AZGFD won't do a thing about it because, well, they don't exactly have a track record of going against their "Big Brother" or whatever it is. Tangent starting here - we pay state, local, federal taxes + a whole bunch more, then we pay extra tax on outdoor equipment, tax on gas - then we get to Roosevelt Lake, and have to buy an additional "Tonto Pass", it's more if you have a boat or RV, just to access - you guessed it - public land. But it's not really "public" is it? We pay for the people who tell us how and when we can use it, but at the end of the day, it's theirs - not ours. And that is broken.

Youth 16 - could be a good hunt.

Awesome photos Doug, as always. Thanks for sharing.

Nice! I'm a little bummed this year - my youngest son's last year to hunt gobblers as a youth. He's got a baseball game on the 19th (opening day) at talking stick - That's pretty cool, so we can't miss that. Good news is he's gotten his fair share of them over the years. Best luck to the youth hunters this year.

Thanks, Ryan for a smooth transaction.

Bought this on their 50% off sale without looking at the dimensions, and it's a little bigger than what I was looking for. Packed dimensions are 10 1/2" x 14 1/2". It hasn't been taken out of the plastic (just arrived FedEx 10 minutes ago). It's the -10 degree long version. These were normally $160 on sale for $80. Looks like now they're $199.99 on the web site. http://www.badlandspacks.com/cinder-synthetic-sleeping-bag Asking $80. I live in Lakeside but will be in the Goodyear area tonight and tomorrow for a baseball tourney. The best way to reach me today and tomorrow will be by phone - 928.242.9350. I'll be travelling so won't be checking CWT private messages much if any until Sunday. -Jason

Sold

So sorry for your loss. But he obviously lived a very full life. As for the jacket, I'd just try and be clear and honest that it has sentimental value to you. I hope your sisters will understand.

Prayers sent from the white mountains. That's really a hard situation. I hope the little girl has a full recovery, but can't imagine her loss.

Here's mine, without a doubt.

Really good kid, I won't say his name. A young man decided to take his own life this weekend. I knew him through coaching, and he was a friend to two of my sons. I'm a little heart broken and confused. I just wish somehow I could have been there for him better or more than I was. Just 5 minutes, one conversation, I wish I had with him. Godspeed.

Congrats! Sounds like you're gonna be hunting elk this year - nice!

Unfortunately, this kid didn't have any family left. No present dad, and it was the anniversary of his mother's passing that he too passed. I'd have him come live with us if I could/would have known how alone he was. He was a very nice kid and deserved better.

Thanks yotebuster. Clinical depression is something I'm way too familiar with, and I appreciate you for taking the time to address it.

Very cool. Way to get those youngsters out there. Would love to hear the story if you have time.

Wow - bump for some really nice rifles.

Me too. Thanks for the heads up!

My Alma Mater, sad to say. I won't be sending my sons there. Go Forks?

Tundra owner here, and I love that truck - BUT fuel consumption kinda sucks, especially when pulling anything. I'd look hard at the f150 with eco boost. Aside from MPG, I'd say Tundra all day.

Slow response I've been away this weekend. He did a partial replacement - < 10 sheets that had been installed too closely together and were buckling. Other places they just used circular saws to cut a gap between the sheets, then re-shingled it. I agree with you guys that you have to research your contractors, and there are lots of really good ones. This guy, you can see his history, several different companies over the years, same owner, same phone number, slightly different company name. T&T T&S. He used his wife's name to create another roofing business. We're going to the R.O.C. to file a formal complaint. I hope you guys who actually stand behind your work know this isn't aimed at you, and I applaud you for doing it right the first time. It's just frustrating. One of our rooms now has water that came down the wall bubbling the paint. When I peel that paint off, the top layer of drywall will come with it. I might have to tear the whole wall out to make it look "normal". Even in the roof of that room several screws became so rusted they popped out the drywall. Anyway, thanks for coming on and giving your suggestions. Hopefully, this will be a cautionary story to prevent it happening to someone else.

Just a heads up - this is a venting post. I'm not looking to hire good contractors, I'm just wondering where they all went. I had my roof redone a couple years back and with all the recent snow, I've got leaks in several rooms. Some of the drywall is completely ruined. The company I hired went bankrupt, and all their warranties went away, magically. The same guy is still doing roofing up here, under a new name, new license and I have no recourse other than doing what I should have from the beginning - fixing it myself and doing it right. If you're an independent contractor, please...stand behind your work, and please do it right the first time. End of rant.