IA Born

Thanks, Lance! I've been meaning to text you this question. I'm definitely calling first to make sure they can get what I want and that the drive is worth it. Many thanks!!

My wife and kids gave me money for Christmas to get a tool box for my truck. I'm looking for a low-profile crossover tool box for the back of my truck. DeeZee is one the comes to mind because I grew up with them in Iowa (like their Red Label pull handle). I'm open to other suggestions that are in the ~$500 range, but good/great quality. I went in to a local dealer here in Flagstaff, found a couple of options that I liked and they were supposed to call me back a day or two later. That was a month ago. By my own admission, I also forgot about it until recently. I'm going to try again with them, but I'm also wanting to know if anyone here can recommend a reputable place that's worth the round trip drive, having called to talk to them first about what I want and prices.

Thanks for the recommendations on brands. Can anyone recommend a shop in the north valley to contact?

I've looked at them. They are a little over my budget, but if you have good ones to recommend in my budget, I'm all ears. You know I trust your judgement! Any shops to call in your neck of the woods? If its a low-profile crossover (bed rail to bed rail) and will fit a 2018 Ram 2500, I'd definitely like to see pics!

Bump for new price of $350 obo.

I'm getting more and more serious about getting a 12g over/under shotgun, even though I love my original Remington 1100 12g. The catch is that I'll be on a budget when I finally decide to do this. I'm looking at the $500-$700 range. Any suggestions? I have a friend with a Stoeger Condor that he loves. I just saw the Stoeger combo that has both 12g and 20g barrels and that intrigues me. I've heard good things recently about the Legacy Pointers and I've had good experiences with a Tri-Star semiauto. Any thoughts on Stoeger, Legacy, and Tri-Star for a budget-friendly, yet solid quality O/U shotgun? Anything else I should consider in that price point?

I don't even know where to begin on this one! Absolutely everything you said rings true. I like the stylish concept of hunting upland birds with a double barrel, so you're right about holding out for style. My 1100 has always been ultra-reliable and my most trusted shotgun, though, and I love hunting with it. Three shots? When I quail hunt, I'm thankful to have all five shots! You should have seen me when I started pheasant hunting as a kid in Iowa! 🤣 It is, in part, an excuse to buy a new type of toy, which is why I was looking at the budget-friendly models. It would definitely be a 28" barrel, minimum, though. Holy crap. I just realized you're sounding like my older brother, full of sage advice, that has known me my whole life, that I never knew I had until now. Except I'm pretty sure I'm older. Thanks! For reals, thanks!!

The last thing I want is for this to turn into a pissing match of who is more knowledgeable. Please. I appreciate all of the insight and the reminder about fit foremost. I grew up upland bird hunting before ever shooting rifles, so I get fit and appreciate that being reiterated. I was looking for a list of quality guns in my budget range that aren't going to be at the gunsmith every other week or have to be sent back regularly for warranty repairs. I have a solid list of shotguns to check out and see how they fit when the time comes. And I'm not at all opposed to a 20g. I started with one of those and still have it (daughter uses it now). I love 20s. Its just that all of my regularly used shotguns are 12g, so I thought I'd keep it consistent with the boxes of shells I have. Thanks everyone!

I plan on trying them for fit before I buy one, but brand matters, too. If there are brands out there that are known to fall apart or be of crappy quality, I want to know that, too. I hadn't really thought of CZ or Stevens, so that is great info! Thanks!

Some people are just so damned rude these days. I swear! 😜 Glad to finally stopped breathing hard so you could post this story and pics! 🤣 Congrats to Draysen and you, Sean! That's a great buck!

Almost forgot about this from three years ago. Still have the scope. Was going to keep it, but have decided to replace it, after all, after rebuilding my 300WM for my son. $350 obo. Trips to the Valley aren't as frequent, but I'l ship on your dime. Thanks to Casey for pointing out the going rate of the HD5, which, unbeknownst to me, replaced the Conquest line for Zeiss. Price adjusted to $350.

I'm just now seeing this, Gary. If you are still in need of spots, PM me and I'll share some spots I used to hunt in 11M before it went to lottery. I was always within bow range of big, mature does and even saw a few nice bucks. I may not see a reply to this, so PMing me is the best way to catch my attention.

Lance stole my sentiments. If I lived in the Valley, I'd head over and take that tough dude fishing, too! Good luck to both of you. It was 8 years ago today that my daughter dislocated her knee cap (7 years old) playing soccer. That was a LONG recovery period with her stubborn personality. Good luck to your son and the rest of your family!

Always had good service from them. That dog toy, though!! AWESOME!!

Panhead is sold. Thanks!

Sold. Thank you.

Back when I found out I got drawn for the 12BW late hunt, a buddy of mine, who was going to help me, got drawn for the same hunt. I didn't want to put either of us in a situation of having to decide who got to shoot first, so I reached out to a dear friend who used to guide in that area, before he let his license expire. One thing lead to another, and he was planning to go with me for the first half of my hunt. He was talking to guides who used to work for him and we developed a solid plan. My only goal was to find a mature buck that made me happy. My son, Jacob, was going to skip school and join me on this hunt, so he could experience some amazing mule deer hunting, after falling in love with Coues on his October youth hunt. This was also a reward, of sorts, for him for having straight As in his Basis School up here in Flagstaff, as well as for working his butt off to get his black belt. Jacob and my buddy hit it off great and developed a "grandpa-grandson bond" of sorts that actually put a tear in my eye more than once. My kids never knew my dad and our daughter had a similar relationship with another great guy in town. The following is a piece of an actual conversation Sunday morning: Wildlife Manager: “I’m guessing you’re one of those people who have higher expectations for yourself than you need to.” Me: “You’re not the first person to tell me that.” That was a big part of the story of my hunt. We had a great time as a trio. I got to forget about several things, including another looming government shut down, learn to hunt mule deer in the sage and deep canyons, see some rutting bucks in action, and watch a relationship build. I reconnected with myself and with what drives me. I found another piece of my own “why” again, after devoting most of the last year to get Jacob through his black belt journey. On the third morning of the hunt, we glassed up a herd of deer with two solid bucks. We put a plan in place and started the stalk. We got to within 150 yards and got set up. When the does and fawns finally stepped away, I slowly squeezed the trigger and hit my first AZ buck since 2005. “You hit him! He hunched!” was what I heard. At the hit, he ran around a tree and kept running for another 100 yards or so, so we thought. I had an ethical obligation to put him down quickly so he wouldn’t suffer. The second shot dropped him in his tracks at 178 yards. We gave him the proper time to expire, then we celebrated and took amazing trophy pictures. As we were field dressing and caping him, something hit me. There was no entrance/exit wound from the first shot. My buddy walked back to bring the truck closer and found the first buck I shot, behind the tree. My heart sank, but I knew what was necessary. Integrity matters more than anything else in my world. My dad hammered it into me and I’ve hammered it into my kids. I called AGFD and reported myself. The Wildlife Manager was extremely cool and we had a great talk. He understood what happened in my situation. We’ve all seen fatally wounded game run a long ways and act normal. They are tough animals, after all. I was beating myself up, not blaming him for throwing the book at me if that’s what he chose, considering I'm a Federal agent and a Hunter Ed instructor. That’s when we had the exchange above. He’s not wrong. In the end, I got to keep the first buck, he confiscated the second buck, and I was given a written warning because I self-reported my error. It was an honest mistake. Choosing the harder right over the easier wrong always prevails. Our morning Devotional before we left camp was about overcoming adversity through integrity. It was meant to be. I was sad to see the bigger-antlered buck confiscated, but the first buck (smaller antlers) was bigger bodied. We’ll have more meat in the freezer and still a great, mature buck. I can look at him on the wall with pride because he is, in fact, my first mule deer buck, he’s still a great buck, and I did it right. The meat from the second buck will go to families in need in the Fredonia area, and that makes me happy. I’m hoping to have the second buck back in March after attending the seized-assets auction. I have to have both to fully appreciate the whole story. Jacob filmed most of this hunt and will be figuring out how to put a meaningful video together with the footage he captured. He found a new passion and the video will be shared when it’s ready. He also worked hard to make this hunt a success and was involved in every aspect, including cooking, cleaning, filming, ranging, glassing, field dressing, caping, and packing out meat. Jacob glassed up and photographed this smaller 4x3. The 2nd (confiscated) buck...

Was digging for the box of toe warmers for my kids for their elk hunts and found my box of .25-06 stuff. Forgot all about it. Bump back up.

Sorry, got this right as I finally crawled into bed to get some sleep for my kids' elk hunt. It screws on the top of the legs and has a quick attach plate. Its octagonal, so I can't interchange it with the Velbon head on my main tripod. Here are a couple of more pics. A local guy wants to look at it today, though. Will keep you posted.

I honestly don't know. I did a quick search, but didn't find anything. Sorry. I'm not panhead-smart!

I've used it with my 20-60×80 spotter and my 15s. It's a good head, just going a different route.

Exactly. Wasn't trying to bag on eastern whitetail hunting and food plots. If I still lived back there, I'd be doing the same thing. I just like to bag on my friends who say we don't have real whitetail down here.

Anyone have any ideas how to run an apples-to-apples comparison of Coues whitetail and midwestern whitetail? I entered my son in a youth deer contest on a forum back in my home state. His buck scored 59-5/8" and my friends on that site and I are trying to figure out how to get a comparable score for the local bucks back there. Thanks!

I agree wholeheartedly. I have hunted a family (private) farm in Iowa (buck in my avatar) and most of my friends in Iowa and Kansas hunt private land over food plots. Those are the ones I tease about hunting feeder deer. I know of a handful of folks who archery hunt public land in Iowa and its definitely a different game. Thanks for the insight, everyone!

Sorry, let me clarify. I don't know these people personally and they are not part of any group I hunt with. They aren't even all this year. As a Hunter Ed instructor and a Federal biologist who frequently sits in meetings with AGFD WMs regarding conservation/habitat management projects, I hear the stories regularly. The WM I was dealing with told me of two separate incidents that he's dealt with, including one other one this year. This is the first time this has happened to me, personally in my 30+ years of hunting. It will be the last. I was simply trying to convey that I did not receive any special treatment because of any perceived status or status that doesn't actually exist (LE). Now, after being voluntold to attend a staff meeting in Phoenix all day yesterday, I have to get too much work done to meet ridiculous deadlines. Have a great day!