Coach

Based on the mass alone, I'd say high 120s at least. What say you Hoss?

I had a little chat with a guy who worked the border for a long time. He came from a black ops background and spent years fighting the "dirty little war" down there, along with his brothers. This guy had his face smashed in with a rock, lost his brother to the fight. It's a lot more intense than what we are generally privy to. It's a tough situation down there, and we don't hear about the 95% of things that don't make the news.

One thing I find troubling is how G&F continues to allocate late bull hunts in areas like 1 & 27. These used to be pretty tough hunts. Thick country, bulls not bugling, etc. After all these big fires the success rate has gone up dramatically. Better optics, long range guns, more open country due to burned out areas. A lot more young to mid range bulls are being killed, and G&F hasn't adjusted accordingly. IMO, this hurts the bull populations in some of our premier trophy units.

Yeah, he was an innovator - he created "California Camp" where we ran drills in the sand and water, also created "Mountain Camp" where we got dropped off up around Big Lake and had to hike, run explore as a team - out in the wilderness. He really knew how to push young men and make them bond in uncomfortable situations. That's his legacy of creating a team bond that led a lot of physically small teams to beat bigger, stronger teams. He certainly knew how to motivate, and get people to work together, but more importantly, he was all about individualism and how making yourself the best you can be, then combining that with others who were like-wise motivated, could do amazing things. Of course, he had his own demons to recon with, but I'd count him in the top 3 of most influential men in my life.

Truth is, I've been hunting these little buggers a long time. Many youth hunts over the years. It's not common that you find that much sign. Most of the places we've hunted over the years if you get a few tracks or some fresh digging, you know you're close. They don't typically present like that.

I'll also say this. One of my favorite things is seeing youth hunters out there with family and friends. I don't always agree with what G&F is doing, but when it comes to youth hunting, AZ G&F has done an amazing job. I've seen more hunt stories around families hunting together on these youth hunts than I can count. To all the dads and moms out there taking their kids hunting and showing them what a wholesome experience it is - Thank You. That's what we need.

More applications + more tags + increased application fees + increased tag fees. All across the board it's been costing more and more each year just to apply. And not too far in the past, you could opt to only buy a license if drawn - no more. Out of state applicants have it even worse, but it's like that in all the SW states these days. Hunting has changed from a simple, cheap means of getting meat on the table to a very lucrative "cash cow". That said, I think we have it better here in AZ than just about anywhere else. Yeah, it's getting pricey, but still have some of the best resources around. I've got a family of 5 and when you start adding up all the costs involved just to get licenses and apply it really adds up fast. If you want to expand to NM. CO, UT - it is a "pay to play" game. However, this is what we love to do. It's our passion, and passing that down to the next generation is priceless.

Nice setup for sure.

Awesome job - great team effort, and I bet you got a hunting buddy for life. That's what it's all about right there.

Huge congrats to Tourie, and to you. Big smiles from both of you - great time. Nicely done!

No, as I said in a previous post to this thread, I'm for the wall. it just seems strange to me that we can't find any political or financial pressure to get Mexico to address the problem better internally.

Not to derail, but economic sanctions seem to be a powerful tool. I would think that the right amount and type of pressure on Mexico and they could and would police the border from their side. Just have to push the right buttons to make it in their best interest. If we don't have enough political capital to pull that off we've got much bigger problems not too far down the road.

Awesome job! Looks like you guys had tons of fun - Congrats!

Played for him back in the day - he was very inspiring. I was really hoping he and Dain would be there when my boys came through but they left right as Nick got to HS. RIP Coach.

Awesome. I was wanting to do that with this year's javi. Thanks for the recipe - looks fantastic.

An interesting follow-up to this thread, the past decade or so, I focused a lot on my kids' hunts and got a couple here-and-there chances to go hunt them myself. One of the things I originally brought up was whether they return to the same areas of get boogered out. This year, well my boys are all grown and only one drew a tag, but it coincided with an important baseball tournament so he couldn't go out. I picked up a left-over tag that covered several units I have hunted with them many years back. The first spot I hadn't been to in over 10 years, I found them exactly where my oldest son, now 22 killed his first one 12 years ago. Due to outside pressures I was only able to be there for a day and a half but was in pigs the whole time. Just not the right shot. The day before my archery tag expired I decided to go to another place I hadn't been since 2006. Took the kids there with another family and their kids way back. Within minutes I found them once again exactly where they had been 12-13 years ago. So, to those who have said they will come back, you guys were right. That said, I still have a few spots where they were thick and dried up. Only time will tell if they come back. I'm betting now they will. There was a reason they were there in the first place, and that's why they'll come back. Thanks again for so many people sharing their experiences about these awesome little desert dwellers - and a final note - make good use of the meat. Handled properly it's as good as any game meat out there. Good Hunting, Jason

Coincidentally, I just came across this. There's a lot of good information coming directly from AZ law enforcement and what they are asking for. http://azsheriffs.org/DocumentCenter/View/117/Southwest-Border-Sheriffs-Coalition-Statement-on-Border-Security-and-Immigration Excellent quote from the link above. "There are many places where physical barriers make sense and are in fact the best solution to securing the border. They should be constructed without delay. In other locations, we need to turn to technology, which thanks to modern advances is robust and effective. In other areas, we need more human resources to ensure security. Likely, in all locations we will need some blend of physical barriers, technology and human resources to be successful."

Wow, what an amazing story and turn of events. I absolutely hate thieves and hate the fact that you have to have everything under lock-and-key even while eating lunch. On the other hand, you were lucky enough to have your things taken by someone who was clearly desperate, but had enough conscience to return them when he realized how wrong it was. Guess I went from give him a good beat down to give him a meal and place to stay warm for a night in a matter of minutes reading this. Glad you are still able to take the kids out. Too bad it was marred by this, but despite the negative aspect, we also got to see a lot of the best in people - folks lining up to loan you gear, come help, and even the bad guy turned out to be less bad. Lots of positives. Best of luck on the remainder of your hunt, and thanks for sharing.

I'm kind with the "All three plus focus on those hiring illegals". At the same time, I really love the folks I've met up here who have come up, sometimes generations ago, legally and are amazing people who contribute greatly to our communities. In addition to "all of the above" I'd like to see a faster, cheaper track for those who are willing do immigrate here legally and want to work, and really assimilate. There are folks here ranging from leeches to downright dangerous, but no one culture has a monopoly on that - I guess to summarize, I'm all for keeping out the dregs and freeloaders (even exporting some of our own if we could) while making the process better for the ones who are willing and able to contribute, as many are.

Awesome! Great job getting the kiddos out there!

I'll tell you one thing, if you're gonna hunt San Carlos, Hoss is the guy. I've only known him indirectly through some friends and I did the 'carlos a couple years in a row and ended up without a filled tag, but some of the coolest hunting I ever did. Those big San Carlos bucks are out there, but they are tough to find. Guys like Hoss spend a lot of time out there and know where they are, but that's just part of it. A lot of it is thick and hard to hunt. That's why they get so big. Big congrats, Hoss.

So many great youth hunting Javi stories on this site. Taking my boys out for javelina, turkey, elk, deer it just brings up so many great memories. I've posted lots of them over the years and just hope other parents keep doing what you are and getting them involved. Kudos to you and best wishes for a great 2019 year of hunting with your kids.

Just need to thread the barrel and...Just kidding. Bump for a sweet pistol.

I won't have a chance to go back after him. We've got baseball tournaments this weekend and a major project ramping up at work. But I think he'll survive this season and I'm already working on a plan for next year. He's a solid 4x4, young with great genetics. A little more mass and he'll be a stud. I wouldn't have hesitated to fill my tag early on him this year if given the chance. That area though, it's very hard to spot and stalk. You'd either have to have his water source or know exactly where he's bedded.

That is awesome. You guys did great and getting to share that experience with your son is, well as Will K said, "Priceless".