IA Born

Congrats on getting it done! 6B was tough during the archery hunt this year, at least in my experiences. Congrats!

I was wondering how you guys were doing up here!

Hey Guys- We recently sold our quad with the intent to get a UTV so we can all enjoy it together rather than buying a second quad and then worrying about whether or not we're legal to ride 2 people/quad and travel with two quads (2 adults, 2 kids in family). Anyway, we've been looking at Rangers online and seeing what's out there. I won't lie, I'm fairly new to UTVs, so I have questions that may sound silly. The standard ones I'm seeing seat three. I've heard and read about putting a jump seat in the utility bed, but another friend recently told me he thought they were going to be illegal (for safety reasons?) soon. Is that true? Getting a standard one would be cheaper and easier to haul, but if I can't get the jump seat for family trips, it defeats the purpose. I'm not at all opposed to getting a crew cab that comes standard 4-seating, but they are pricier. I'm wondering if my wife's Toyota Hybrid SUV can tow it, with its tow capacity of 3,500 lbs (** When adequately equipped, which may require engine and/or other drivetrain upgrades...). If my truck is towing our pop-up camper, I have to figure out how to to a UTV on a trailer. Ranger Crews look to be about 1300 lbs plus trailer. Thoughts? On that note, what about trailers? Will a 12' trailer work for a crew or do we need a 14' trailer? Single or double axle? With a quick search, I've seen pics of Ranger Crews on 12' trailers. More thoughts? Also, getting used vs. new? The same friend that told me jump seats might becoming illegal bought his brand new because he didn't trust getting a used one, not knowing what it had been through (abused, used hard, etc.). I can't argue that logic, but I'm guessing its like any used vehicle and you take your chances, hope the seller is honest, etc. but can you have a mechanic check them out? If used is a good option, where are good places to find used ones besides Craigslist? I appreciate any insight you can provide. Thanks!

What they said, plus I miss Taqueria Juanitos!

Exactly! I told my wife that maybe its time to sell my ram 1500, get a 2500 diesel; sell the pop up camper and get a bigger toy hauler that the Ranger will fit in and then use the 2500 Ram to pull it all with. Nothing like $100,000 to uncomplicate things, right?? And then I threw out, maybe we should just get rid of the pop up and go back to tent camping so I can pull everything with my Ram 1500. Some days, Viper, i really miss the good ol' days of tent and small ice chest living! I sold my tent trailer a few years ago. We weren't using it much. My wife chose taking the quads camping rather than the tent trailer. So, we've been tenting ever since. All the methods have their upside and downside. I'm trying to avoid the huge toyhauler. I've always been a tent geek. I have several of various sizes and function. I just hate all the packing gear, in the heat, sweating my a$$ off. Each time I do it, I start looking at trailers I am with you both 100%. I used to do a ton of tent camping and then I got into wildfire management. I've slept on the ground with no pad or sleeping bag more times than I care to remember, causing me to love my comfort as I've gotten older! I usually tent camp once/year during the January archery javelina hunt because our camper is snowed in/winterized. I take the 6-man dome tent and sleep on a cot. I do miss tenting it from time to time and then remember how comfy and easy it is to get out of the bed in our pop up....and how warm it is when I turn the heater on at 0-dark-thirty. Our kids love the camper and that part is exactly like you, More D: family time. I won't trade that for anything! This has been an awesome thread and I appreciate all the feedback!

Finally got all of mine (daughter's turkey and javelina; my javelina) to work this morning on Chrome. Reciepts emailed for confirmation, too! Of course, I don't know how many times I've been charged so far...

Exactly! I told my wife that maybe its time to sell my ram 1500, get a 2500 diesel; sell the pop up camper and get a bigger toy hauler that the Ranger will fit in and then use the 2500 Ram to pull it all with. Nothing like $100,000 to uncomplicate things, right?? And then I threw out, maybe we should just get rid of the pop up and go back to tent camping so I can pull everything with my Ram 1500. Some days, Viper, i really miss the good ol' days of tent and small ice chest living!

I greatly appreciate all of the insight! It all makes perfect sense and gives us a great deal to think about. i called my mechanic and talked towing and Highlander hybrids. He doesn't think its a good choice and its hedging toward my original concerns. My wife told me this weekend that she's now interested in a Ford truck. Life is getting interesting!

PM sent...

I put my daughter in for turkey and javelina this morning and got the error message. I called AGFD and they said it was happening quite a bit. They told me to reapply and if it wouldn't let me, then it went through. I reapplied and it let me go all the way to payment again and I got the same message. My credit card now has 4 pending charges from this morning. I just tried to apply for my javelina hunt and got the same issue. I'm done for today and will try tomorrow. Last week was smooth applying for my turkey tag and buying bonus points for my wife.

Thanks, guys! Reading through your advice, I realized that I wasn't clear on part of it. If my wife's Toyota Highlander can tow it (I'm suspicious), that's all it would be towing. Ice, gear, etc., would be in my truck bed or on the atv rack of our pop up camper. Trailer brakes would be a must for that, especially with my wife not used to towing something. Who knows, this may be the catalyst to get my wife another jeep! Although a quick search of 4-door Wranglers seems to be about the same towing capacity.

My daughter didn't get that deer tag (1st choice), but we'll be in there with her javelina tag! Good luck!

Another bump. We're setting back up at the Flagstaff Sportsman's Warehouse this Saturday (26th) from 8-4. I'll even be at there starting around 1!

Hey Guys- Our local NWTF Chapter (Northern AZ Chapter in Flagstaff) is having a two-gun raffle to raise money for our scholarship fund and conservation projects fund. This past school year, we were able to award three $500 scholarships to local high school students as well as fund a few good conservation projects around northern Arizona. We are raffling off a Ruger American in 7mm-08 and a DPMS AP4 AR15 in .223/5.56. Tickets are 1/$20, 3/$50, and 7/$100. We are selling 400 tickets and all proceeds stay in our chapter (don't go back to Nationals) and are used as described above. We will have a table set up on Saturday, Sept 12th during the Flagstaff Sportsman's Warehouse Grand Opening Event and likely again on Sunday, 13 September. I can't commit to being there, myself, due to my archery elk hunt, but we'll have guys from our chapter there all day Saturday and most of Sunday. If you are in town or local, stop by. If you want tickets, shoot me a pm and I'll hook you up. Unlike past raffles, we are equipped to take credit cards, so its cash or check only. If you are the first name drawn, you will have your choice of the two. If you're the second name drawn, you'll get what's left (still a good win). You can also mark your ticket with your preference if you aren't available when we call. Drawing will be October 1st. Thanks for looking and your support in the past.

Not much to add that Lance, Heat, and NOTAGS haven't said. Was up there in Oct for my daughter's first hunt and it was awesome! Literally: look, deer! Look, deer! Look, deer! Guess what: DEER! It could snow, but I'd be surprised if it does or if it sticks or amounts to much.

Bump. Still have raffle tickets!

Yep, Arizona tree frog. And no, they don't have to be close to water. They use ephemeral and perennial pools for breeding but can be just fine as adults in moist areas away from permanent water.

Can a jump seat be put in the back to make room for a family of four in this?

I was there yesterday with my son's class. We're supposed to go in 90 minutes so my daughter can meet up with a friend. Its raining, we just bought a new recliner, and our cat is on my lap in the recliner. Good luck getting me up!

Two more gone!

Because this is our local chapter, we're not set up for online purchases or credit cards. You can send me a check and I'll send you back your ticket stubs. We wish we could take credit cards on this, but we don't gave the means locally.

you're tellin me that you didnt go back to the last place you remember having it? You must be from IA. You'd think I was a Hawkeye, right? Thankfully, I'm not that kind of Iowa person!

I know the irony in stating I lost my GPS, but its true. My GPS fell of my waistbelt in 6B this past Friday while deer hunting. I checked one area I hunted yesterday, but the brewing storms kept me from getting to the other area I hunted Friday morning, near Rhinehart Tank. Its a green Garmin Etrex Venture in a black case. The leather on the belt clip is all torn/bunched up, which is why it slipped off my pack. If you find it, I can also name some of the Waypoints on there to prove its mine. Would sure like to have it back. Thanks for looking.

I bought one mid-elk hunt three years ago after getting ruthlessly swarmed. I'll never hunt without one and am contemplating getting the lantern for camping. I live in Flag at 7,000' and have never had a problem with mine working. When we're hanging out on the deck in the backyard, I often get mine fired up instead of the citronella candles. I use it for sits and I have it on and clipped to my pack when I opt for still hunting through the woods and it still works. Great investment!

Definitely a juvenile western diamondback. And thanks for bringing to light our NWR regs/rules!