IA Born

Not much to say that hasn't been said, especially the way kazpiolt25 put it. Most of the good ones have electronic winches for set up/take down, which makes things so much easier. We had a full-size trailer and rarely used it because my truck didn't tow it as well (more about my comfort than the truck) and the main bed was too short for me at 5'11". We switched to a lighter pop-up with big, comfy beds and haven't looked back. Back in 2009, we bought a used 2007 Rockwood Freedom, complete with the ATV rack and beefed suspension. We absolutely love it for hunting and camping. Me, my wife, two kids, and two German shepherds sleep comfortably in it. No shower or cassette toilet, but that wasn't necessarily a priority. I've never used it in the bitter cold, but it heats up nicely with the furnace; however, it bleeds heat quickly. Rough roads have caused some things to jar loose, but most are easily fixable. We're usually only ever in it to sleep and eat breakfast/dinner. I'd recommend a Honda generator to help power it. When its really cold, the battery isn't always enough to run the heater. Getting the Honda eu2000 generator was a great investment.

I'll bet that's the Wendigo's resting spot. Run far, far away!

Our NWTF chapter (Northern Arizona Chapter) will be at Sportsman's Warehouse in Flagstaff this weekend selling raffle tickets for a Weatherby SA-08 Compact 20 gauge shotgun. Tickets are $10 each and only 150 tickets will be sold. 100% of the proceeds will go to the NWTF Youth (JAKES) programs in Arizona (youth turkey hunt, youth pheasant hunt, youth dove hunt, etc.). Our JAKES are our future and we need them just as involved and encouraged as we do our adult members. If you can't make it to Sportsman's to get tickets, please contact me directly to make arrangements to get your tickets! Help us Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. and get our JAKES going strong! You can PM me here or go through our Chapter Facebook page for more information about tickets. https://www.facebook.com/NoAZChapterNWTF/

Excellent! I prefer the early weekend, but they can be on fire later when hens are nesting and lonely toms are still looking.

Yep, but most are filled up with waiting lists right now. If I'm understanding your question correctly, you're wondering about the first or second general season to take them up. The youth OTC tags are not valid during the first or second weekend of the general season. They are valid April 21-28, and then again May 12-25 this year in units 1, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 7, 8, 10, 12A, and 27 (in the regs). If I'm wrong about my interpretation, please correct me. I'd just hate to see you and your boys get in trouble. Good luck!

Call the respective Forests' FMOs or Fuels Specialist. Most of those guys hunt and might share the info. It exists and they would be the first ones to know where it is. Hint: its public information, so they technically have to release it to you.

Bump this back up. We have a strong need for mentors in all three camps. PM me or call Tim Denny, listed on the flyer for the Happy Jack Camp, for information about mentoring. Thanks!

I know the camp forester. I'll email him next week and see what he can do to provide some info. If you have to send me a gentle reminder, don't hesitate.

Knife has gone to an excellent cause. Thanks everyone who contacted me.

Just got a reply from my friend: "AZ Elk Society will hold a camp, I think, at Happy Jack. Tell the person to check the hunt regs to be certain." It should be posted on AGFD's website or in the regs somewhere, but it will be happening.

There almost always is a youth camp for that hunt. I can't imagine RMEF not doing it. I'll email a friend of mine up here who is usually heavily involved and see what he knows. Stay tuned.

Congrats, Phil! I saw these pics on Instagram and didn't connect the dots at first. Good luck on your slam!

Still have it?

Thanks for pointing out what a deal this is! $768 plus sales tax or a transfer fee puts you north of $800 for the pistol only. This pistol is unfired NEW IN BOX! ( I did pull it out of the plastic to inspect it) and includes 5 boxes of quality new manufacture ammunition. $20/box x 5 =$100 I figure I'm giving somebody here $100 in free ammunition for the cost of the pistol. If you don't want the ammo, I'll sell the pistol for $725 and I'll burn up the ammo in one of my other pistols. Thanks! Schmitty That's a great deal on a great pistol! I wish i could! Good luck!

This right here, too. We need mentors and those of us who have taken kids out can point you in directions in 5BS!

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I thought I described it all earlier. There are 8 or 9 total decks, one for each chapter. I was able to get a second deck since I had so much demand and interest.

Back up to the top. Our new deck got here today and I have almost a full deck available. There are about 12 cards spoken for. Come and get them!

I'd offer to help you, Lance, but I'm going to be busy helping my daughter with her soon-to-be-hers Unit 1 early rifle bull tag! I put my wife in for the hunt and she got drawn, so she's signing it over to our daughter! I told her the news when I got home from work and said it was Junior Decker's way of still watching over her. She smiled big and then went ape-$h!t crazy hugging and thanking me and her mom!

That is a beautiful tribute, DIY, and we've probably sat on the same stool and crossed paths in there. Junior was a great man. When we moved to Flagstaff almost 10 years ago, I decided to get back into archery, so I checked out BBA based on a Phoenix friend's recommendation. Junior was extremely helpful and I'll never forget him telling me "I'm not in this to make money. I'm doing this because I want to help get people into archery." Junior gave so much to the archery community in northern Arizona and he was a big supporter of the local conservation groups. BBA regulars were family. He always had a hug for my daughter and treated my son like a friend and a young man. They both got so much swag, its unreal. He always had time for kids and he always made them feel special. My wife never complained when I spent money there because she knew how well we were all treated, including when she finally bought her first bow. I know my daughter will take this news hard when my wife picks her up from school this afternoon. Yes, RIP, Junior. You will be missed more than words can ever express.

You've got lots to be proud of, Sean, and he's got a great future!

I wish my schedule would have worked out to join you in New Mexico! We leave for Kansas for my daughter's hunt in 19 days. Then we regroup and head down to Happy Jack for the youth hunt and camp there, where she is supposed to be the "Guest of Honor" for the NWTF JAKES program. I'll be taking her out and mentoring other kids as well. Last night, her custom call from Albert Paul got here a full month earlier than planned!

I'm in my kid's school parking lot laughing hysterically! I quit drinking, but first round is on me! It's not just early cervids, there are still fanged deer in Asia! Elk ivories are the vestiges of their fanged days! I like the pool idea! I'll opt out, though, to keep it fair. I have access to all the evolutionary cladograms!

So I just looked real quick in one of my old vertebrate taxonomy books and the split between rodentia and ungulates was in the Cretaceous Period, over 65 million years ago. I'd say that qualifies as "very, very far back in prehistory", if you believe in that sort of thing. Can we get back to discussing rambilly ewenanny AudadBarbary SheepRams?

I wish I could say I followed the advice of "don't push him" and "don't force it", but I did the exact opposite with my son when he was 7. I had the archery elk tag in 6B and asked him to go deer hunting with me to scout for my hunt. At first he said yes all week and then, when it was time to gear up, he decided to be his usual homebody, despite his older sister encouraging him to go and telling him how much fun he'd have. He and I had a knock-down drag out argument right there in the garage. I threatened to ground him for a week and take away everything he cared about for the rest of the weekend. Parenting fail, right?? He ended up going with me and we hiked the half-mile into the stock tank I was scouting. We sat in an oak thicket and pulled dead oak twigs off the tree next to us and had light saber fights for two hours. It was so hot, I wasn't worried about the commotion, but I'd stop and look/listen every so often. As it was getting closer to sunset, we bagged it early and hiked back up to the truck. On the drive home, we passed a big herd of elk off the side of the road and he got to see the herd bull in my binos. After that night, he has bugged me every season to go and he couldn't wait to take hunter ed when he turned nine. He got a 100% on his test this past February and hugged me in front of the whole class. Now he's chomping at the bit to get out! I knew then and I know now it wasn't the best approach, but I took a gamble on the personality I knew. It paid off, but I got lucky. Like others have said, start the scouting trips and make them fun. I'll bet he comes around If you're near Flagstaff and want some help, I can grab my son and try meet up with you, unless I'm off scouting for my daughter's bull tag!

One of things I loved when I started the process to convert to Catholicism five years ago, was that my priest and the RCIA instructors all knew my science background and convictions. They were great in pointing out to me that the Bible was written by man. The same man you point out being wrong before. My priest even sat me down and showed me how the Catholic Church now supports evolution. I've been a scientist long enough to know exactly how wrong man has been before and there is a reason Homo sapiens is my least favorite species to work with. I've also read some pretty darn stupid stuff about evolution, and I've seen that stupid stuff from both believers and non-believers. I've always loved that Charles Darwin was a devout Christian, but stuck to his beliefs in evolution, particularly natural selection. That has certainly helped me find peace with my religious and scientific beliefs. Adaptation is evolution and at least we can agree that horses never had gills, man was not an ape, and a fish was not a rabbit. Beyond that we can agree to disagree and I will always respect your beliefs and convictions, as well as simply respecting the person you are, buddy! You aren't the first, and you certainly won't be the last person I've disagreed with over science and religion. Besides, now we've both digressed from the original post's intentions and I'll still be there to help you pack an elk out! The funny thing is, I've always known NA elk as Cervus elaphus, but I have an old field guide that has them as Cervus canadensis! I didn't know about SCI recognizing them as conspecific, but then I also don't follow SCI much. That's awesome! As for your observations as hunter with where all you've hunted them, the only thing I can say is that genetics never lie! I'm going to have to contact the geneticist I was in that class with all those years ago and see if I can get that paper again. Mongolia, though...that's a bucket list trip, but for different reasons: taimen on the fly!!