IA Born

The road is open and Ashurst has been liberally stocked in the last couple of weeks. Its a crazy weekend, but holler if you need something when you're up here. You're about 20-25 minutes from my house.

Back in 2003, we fished with Captain Bryan Bandioli, out of Homer. He's originally from AZ. When he hit the "Interested in Fishing" button on the Homer Chamber of Commerce page, we got letters and postcards from everyone who owned a boat on the Kenai Peninsula. Capt Bryan wrote a personal note about Tucson and living there, and we knew he was our guy. He tried UofA and NAU, but got bored, moved to AK to fly fish for trout and ended up becoming a halibut boat captain. Had an absolute blast fishing with him. He and I ended up sitting on the gunwale on the back, shooting the breeze and working on filling my wife and I's limit. He handed me his personal rod and took my "client rod" back. I caught our last fish on that and it was a blast. He let me club it in the boat. That's Capt Bryan behind me. I don't know if he's still in business anymore, but he was absolutely great to hang out with. I can't imagine he's out of business. When we go back, I'll be reaching out to him first. His website is still up. http://www.fishinghomeralaska.com/

Holy crap! Mike was a good dude. I helped him and his wife pack out an elk up here a few years ago and we kept in touch. Any word on what happened?

You're just lucky I recognized your daughter! I was about to call the cops!

Both correct. I've spent a great deal of time working on fires, both as a firefighter and resource advisor. I've seen all wildlife (deer, elk, bear, turkeys, etc.) back in the burn perimeter before the fire is contained. A typical western fire burns with about 10-ish percent high-severity damage, 30-40% moderate-severity, and the majority is low-severity/unburned. Mosaics are the natural process of a typical western wildfire. Its also very important to differentiate between flame intensity and burn severity. They are not correlated. I've seen plenty of low-instensity flames create high-severity effects because the flames are moving so slow. They sit and burn everything deep into the mineral soil. I've seen high-intensity flames move so fast that there is barely any damage to any vegetation. Of course,these aren't all typical, but they are burning fairly close to a typical fire behavior. A light, steady rain is best to keep erosion minimal, and that will help the green up and keep the deer in there longer. 25-06, I have an inside scoop if you're referring to the Bighorn Fire and you're hunting area. I might be able to get you some info on burn areas if you PM me where you are looking. No promises, to be clear, but I'll see what I can drum up. And, rest assured, you're honey holes are safe with me. I don't roll like that.

I used to have two phone numbers for him. I can make sure you have the right one. Always glad to help, even if you try to steal my pizza in the parking lot!

Lance is my go-to for what stumps me with reloading. I've heard nothing but good about Owens Armory, but you can also talk to Seth Staples with Rim Country Rifles. He's in Parks and he does great work. I can get you in touch with him if you want.

I highly doubt you'll notice a difference between the two tow ratings. That's less than 500 lbs difference. I was originally going to get a Powerwagon, but the towing capacity was the same as my 2005 1500, at 9,000 lbs. The Powerwagons are built to go anywhere, but they aren't set up to tow and we were talking about getting a bigger camper, so towing was key. My 2500 Laramie Longhorn is rated at 15,000 with the 6.4L Hemi. I don't know why I originally called mine a Laramie Bighorn. Its a Laramie Longhorn, so thanks for that clarification and reminder! I looked at the tradesman, but didn't want to lose bed space with the side panel storage, if memory serves me correctly. The cooled seats sure are nice when we're down in Phoenix in the summer!

I still have my 1978 F150 that my dad bought brand new. I loved it and vowed "Ford for Life" until I started driving a Ram. I almost for an F250, but was over the IFS and wanted solid axles again. Of course, two years into my solid axles, leaf springs on all corners 2500, and my kidneys hate me with every bump. Besides, there are worse things in life to admit to. You could admit you own a 6.5CM! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

That's great. 2018 was the last year the 2500s/3500s had standard column shifters. I was nervous enough with the transfer case shifter being on the dashboard...

I've driven Rams since 1998 or so. The biggest difference between the two is typically what packages are optional vs what are standard. The BigHorn will have more standard features (great features) that are optional in an SLT. Two years ago, when I ordered my Ram 2500, I ended up ordering a Laramie BigHorn because I could get exactly what I wanted for cheaper than adding all of the packages onto an SLT. Just watch the gear shifter. The same time I ordered my 2500, the Ram 1500s went to a gear shifter that is on the dashboard and looks like a radio knob. Be careful!

You're up on Spruce Mountain in the Bradshaws!

I'm not going to Broke Back Mountain with you, Sean...

There's no shame in admitting getting beat by your son. My 12-year old son, the black belt, takes it to me every time we spar each other. Just man up for once...

Best admission I've heard from you in a long time. Besides, if you get drawn, we'll just have to listen you whine and huff and puff about how you got outhiked by your teenage son again! 🤣

Just for you, Sean...

Here are a few pics of my dad in Vietnam in 66. He was there two tours May 66-Nov 67. He taught me how to get back up when life knocks you down. Sometimes he was "life". He died of a heart attack related to his PTSD on April 10, 2004. My first child, our daughter was born 15 days later. I'd give anything to be able to talk to him now about being a dad, especially to a teenage daughter. The last one is from our last fishing trip together at Lake Tahoe in June 2003, while at his Army Unit Reunion (173d Airborne Brigade). Dad is the skinny one kneeling in front of the mortar tube, crouching in front of the tube, and in the middle with his Bronze Star. I pray every day that my kids see through my faults and see me the way I saw him, after looking beyond his faults. Happy belated Father's Day to all you great dads out there!

All good. After getting 4 or 5 comments basically (paraphrasing) telling me we're dumb for getting rid of a vehicle my wife doesn't want, I guess I lost my patience. And I've never been big on wife or mom jokes. Even my closest friends know that's off-limits with me, but you don't know me and I get where you're coming from. Sorry you took the brunt of my frustration and lack of patience. Ironically, "Patience" is my "Word of the Year" for Taekwondo. I needed that reminder. Next time you are in Flagstaff, coffee is on me. Looks like you've been to the Bahamas, so we can swap stories and talk flats fishing.

Unfortunately, I can't put you in touch with any friends with private land, but I can point you to some state owned/public areas near where I used to hunt that are typically loaded with birds!

To be clear, I didn't post this asking for input on whether or not our decision is valid. I posted it to help advertise and, hopefully, sell the vehicle. This reminds me of the times people post that they are looking to buy a specific rifle in a specific cartridge, but everyone else tells them why their rifle is better. I'm not part of the 4Runner cult, nor will I ever be, although I understand people's deep love and devotion to them. Yes, I know they are solid vehicle off-road, but I've got a Ram 2500 that gets us everywhere I need to get when hunting and fishing. We got the 4Runner for other reasons than off-roading (yes, there are other reasons), and now my wife wants to go back to her love of Jeeps. And, yes, my wife means much more to me than any vehicle. This is already more explanation than I really need to provide.

No loss on our end. The 4Runner isn't a hunting rig and isn't getting used for what we originally intended. After 20 years of being together, I know enough to know if my wife wants a Jeep, then she's getting a Jeep.

There are definitely public land options in Kansas. If you want true easterns in KS, you have to go to the far eastern part of the state. There is an intergrade zone of eastern/rio birds in the Wichita area. On top of that, KS reduced the number of tags this seasons due to declining numbers. In units where you could get two OTC tags, you can now only get one. Lots of birds in Iowa, too, with similar public access as KS. Its a draw for NRs in Iowa, but doable,

I always wanted to put it through the ringer, but never got the chance. There were a couple of places this past turkey season where I'd rather have had her 4Runner than my Ram 2500! It handles amazingly in the snow!

Never said she needs a Jeep. Kinda like I don't really need another hunting rifle, but I have one I really want. When my wife has her mind on what she wants, I know enough to say yes dear!

I was out of it when I got home from a hard TKD session last night. Sorry if I came across like a dick in my response. Not knowing I had inadvertently checked the "manual transmission" box of the ad, I had no idea what you were referring to. Thanks to AZBig10 for clarifying. But, yes, she prefers a manual transmission...