IA Born

Every reference I've found has Fantail and Coues deer as synonyms and being the same subspecies. But what do I know? I'm a herpetologist first. As for other subspecies of WT, there are plenty: http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com/i/p/bk_distribution.pdf But then I also think taxonomists go a little crazy. I've always been more of a lumper than a splitter.

My daughter is 9 (and my oldest) and loves her bow and her new 7mm-08. She's a beast on the soccer field, especially when she's playing goalie. Like you, I was scared to death when I found out we were having a girl. i was raised by a combat-hardened dad and I knew how to raise a rough and tumble boy...but a girl? I made a conscious decision that having a girl wouldn't change much in our life. She's been hunting and fishing with me since she was 3 and camping with us since she was 2 months old. I'm taking her to Texas this November for her first deer/hog hunt and she can't wait. When she cleans up, she likes her dresses and skirts and she's just as beautiful as she is in camo. Relax, take a breath, and your instincts will kick in. You will do great. Our son will be six in December and, now, I wouldn't trade raising her first for the world! CONGRATS!!

I'm 3.5 weeks out of shoulder surgery so this year's a bust for me, but if I don't draw in AZ for next year, I've let my wife know I want to head to CO for the OTC. I'd definitely be interested a year from now!

One more bump...

A buddy of mine doesn't use his Kawasaki enough to justify owning it anymore. Told him I'd post it for him here. He's up in Moab, UT, but I'm sure he'll make a trip to Flag to unload it and make a fishing trip out of it with me and his Godson and niece! PM me for his contact info so you can talk directly to him. From my buddy: It is a 2008 Kawasaki Brute Force, 650CC with a winch on the front and 820 miles. I am the only owner. I have had annual tune-ups done since I bought it in March of 2008 (or somewhere around there). At this point it gets about 30 miles a year in actual driving with about half of that in one week of elk hunting on relatively easy 4X4 roads. I can’t think of anything else to add. Its blue, but if someone can’t figure that out from the photos then they have to pay double. The timer says I have put 180 hours on it but I am not sure about that, although the math comes out pretty good 4.555555 miles driven per hour of drive time -so maybe it is. Regardless, the wear and tear on the machine is minimal. I want $6000 for the ATV, the Cabela’s cover ($100), helmet ($100), ramps ($200) and tickle charger ($50). Price is firm. Again, PM for my buddy's contact info because I'm not the middle man or negotiator.

The rules are correct. You don't need a license or tag. NM wants them GONE! I've been trying to contact a friend of mine who knows the land management agency biologist (FS?) down there and will tell folks exactly where to go. I'll keep trying and post it up here or in the other feral hogs post I've contributed to. And yes, they are DELICIOUS! I've taken a few from low-fence ranches in TX (fair chase) and they are fun to hunt! The sows taste the best, but young (100 lbs or less) boars are good, too. Good luck!

One Lynx (collared female) made it down from Colorado to the Navajo Nation in far NW AZ a few years ago and was found in a chicken coop. As far as I know, that is the only Lynx ever documented in Arizona. Otherwise, there are no lynx in AZ.

Mann Gulch was 13, Dude was 6, Storm King (South Canyon Fire) was 14. This is the largest loss of wildland firefighters in history. I knew a couple of those guys and have served on a line crew beside Granite Mountain IHC. They are a good crew. My hear is heavy and there are no words beyond prayer right now for me.

I agree with Tony's explanation. I asked an AGFD officer recently and he explained that salt blocks, mineral blocks (including trophy rocks) are ok because they contain salt as their main ingredient. You can't, however, put Block Topper or Deer Cain or any molasses based stuff out with your blocks. At least that is how it was explained to me. Those things are considered ingestible.

Yep. But I'm not sure if this is his rental place or his fiance's place.

TTT for my buddy.

That's the point I was trying to convey in my previous post, but failed.

Why blow the whistle when you can benefit from extortion?!?!

Up in 12BW would be a former subspecies of prairie rattlesnake. Most likely a Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus lutosus). They used to be a subspecies of the western (prairie) rattlesnake group, but were found to be genetically different several years ago. And I looked it back up, true prairie rattlesnakes have been found in AZ near Springerville and are rumored to be in Cochise Co. near Douglas. I was always looking for them to document their presence when I was doing my research on Mojaves.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd get a pair of Vortex over my Swaros. For the price, Vortex are some of the best glass on the market. Their warranty is second to none, too. I have a Vortex Nomad spotter and love it. I just put a Vortex Diamondback on my daughter's new hunting rifle and I'm amazed at how clear the glass is for what we paid for it. Bottom line: you won't regret getting Vortex!

Looks like a lot of prairie rattlesnakes in there, which would go along with the mass denning. I used to study Mojaves and they aren't known for mass denning behavior. There are prairie rattlesnakes in far SE Arizona (in grasslands near Douglas), close to the border, but I don't think they are in great numbers, if memory serves me correctly. I know I spent a great deal of time trying to find a prairie down near Douglas while I was collecting Mojaves. Never did find one. That kind of denning is very typical in Texas with both prairies and western diamondbacks.

Always glad to help. After spending some time 20' up in a treestand in Iowa, it is definitely a cool perspective and great way to hunt. If you're ever up in Flagstaff, I can show you my set up and how quickly you can move. The stand and ladder add a bit of weight for the hike in/out, but if you're in shape, its really no big deal. The FS regs on treestands and tree damage is part of why I use my Iowa set up out here. You can get up a tree and set up with no limbing if you pick the right tree. Good luck!

3 years ago, my Nikon D200 got soaked on a tarpon fishing trip as we were crossing some fairly rough seas in a flats skiff (don't ask). The saltwater destroyed the gear drive. I sent the camera back in. Not a warranty repair, but they fixed it and I basically got a brand new D200 for around $300. Not long after that, I had to send the lens that was on the camera in to get the gear drive repaired. Practically brand new lens for dirt cheap. Everything was through their CS webiste and I couldn't talk to a person, but, overall, the work was great and the turn around time was as quick as could be expected for all that was wrong. Overall, I was very pleased with their service. Sorry you had a bad deal, My Rights! That would totally suck!

I often wonder how I stayed with hunting and fishing with all the "stories" my dad and his friends put me through. I guess somewhere along the way, my dad assured me everything would be ok and that was obviously enough. Thanks for starting my own walk down memory lane and reminding me of the fun things I do with my own kids now! Great post!

I used to have a Gorilla Silverback and loved it until I actually used it back in Iowa where its predominantly treestand hunting. After practicing a few times in my back yard, I had to ditch the seat-belt style cinch strap it came with because it was almost impossible to get it loosened when trying to climb back down. I got the ratchet strap that Gorilla sells for it and that made life much easier. And only having one strap made me nervous, so I had to carry a second 6' ratchet strap to secure the bottom near the platform. After hanging it once 20' up in a tree in Iowa, using a set of Lone Wolf climbing sticks, I realized how much better the Lone Wolf strap system is. I sold my Gorilla and bought a Lone Wolf Alpha hang on. With practice, a set of 3 or 4 climbing sticks and a hang on stand are, IMO, the best way to go. You can be very mobile and set up ready to hunt in less than 15 minutes. I've got buddies back in Iowa that have been doing it so long, that they are ready to hunt in under 10 minutes. I'm not that good, but I absolutely have no regrets with the cost of my Lone Wolf Alpha. Very durable; very light weight; and very portable. You can always hang it and use good Python cable locks to secure it and then use your sticks to get up and down every time if you aren't going to be mobile. Climbers are great, too, but they work best on straight trees (Lone Wolf hang ons adjust to angles) and, technically, you're not supposed to limb trees to be able to get your tree stand up (Forest specific rules?). Ladder stands are great, but not at all portable. As for the harnesses, I used the harness my Gorilla came with once or twice to practice with and quickly upgraded to a better after market one. HUGE difference. I got the HSS Ultra Lite and love it. Any of the HSS, Gorilla (after market), or Muddy harnesses are worth their weight in gold and worth every penny you spend on them. I know of too many people who have fallen and will never walk again or who have died because they didn't wear a harness. Good luck!

Plenty of lions in the Huachucas. Was doing night surveys one night a few years ago and there were cat tracks next to mine and around a mud puddle that weren't there on the hike up the canyon. North of Parker Canyon Lake, the Canelo Hills, all over the Huachucas, just like the rest of the Sky Islands!

Another shout out for the Diamond Atomic. My 5.5 year old son inherited his older sister's Diamond Nuclear Ice (precursor to the Atomic) and was pulling 13 lbs last year at 4.5 years old (with a little help from dad). This year, he is pulling that 13.5 pounds like a champ and drilling the target. He's only shooting at 5 yards to build his confidence and form, but he's not far from stepping back to 10 yards. He's using a release without a d-loop and he's doing awesome. I posted a pic a while back if you want to take a look.

Check out Bruce's Lock Shop and Safes Unlimited (same store). When we lived in Tucson, we got our current Cannon safe from him and his prices were great. He used to have a great selection, too. No reason to think its changed. He's on Broadway, east of Tucson Blvd.

Definitely agree with floating the barrel and bedding the action. I've had a a few different gunsmiths tell me that floating the barrel is pointless unless you bed the action. All three of my hunting rifles are bedded/floated and their accuracy went through the roof with quality factory ammo. After I started handloading for them, it just got better!

Love my Thermacell. You can have them shipped from Cabela's or Bass Pro relatively quickly, too.