BirdDog20

I don't know why people get worked up about not going to the Rose Bowl. I guess for some it might be important. I still think going out and beating Miami 29-0 in the Fiesta Bowl is as good an accomplishment. Dominated a 9-2 Miami squad in Sun Devil Stadium just like we dominate the Territorial Cup series. heck, beating Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl (of all places) and finishing 12-1 ranked 4th is right there. Course both bowls go back to 1994 and 1998. For that matter ASU lost their shot at glory in 1997. Although they won way back when i was a sophomore in h.s. back in '87. Will be hitting my 25 year reunion soon. Anyway, both teams haven't been at that level in a while. Two sets of numbers matter right now. 31-27 score of the last UA / ASU game. And 47 - 37 ... the record of U of A v ASU after adding one to the good guys this last year.

I actually like to use a combination of strategies as well. We get out (leave camp at 4:30a and are sitting a half hour before the sun comes up in our spot). Love to glass at daybreak especially when the sun lights up the hillside with the glow. Come 10am, we've worked the area over pretty well glassing. If anything is in the area, they've either moved through or have bedded down. If I haven't seen much move through or any other hunters in the area, I'll leave my pack and tripod with my dad and work a huge circle to Birddog something up for him. Couple of other tips that my dad instilled at an early age. 1. Don't skyline yourself. Goes along with what Bill said. When you cross the ridge, go on over so that you're not so easy to see. 2. I try to take a quick look before I cross over with my glasses (w/o skylining) 3. Before you move though, make sure you've caught your breath just in case you jump something. I'm a little leary about kicking rocks. Had a bad experience when I got my first deer way back in '85. I was a freshman in H.S. at the time. We were hunting a steep front canyon in Guajalote Flat / Patagonia Mtns. I had just shot my buck and took the packs back to the truck. My dad and a family friend went to go get the deer and started working it up the mountain (instead of around). Some idiot started a rock slide with boulders that nealy killed my dad and friend. Boulders the size of a printer came raining down and one caught Daniel square in the leg. I yelled at the guys that there's people down there and they walked off over the ridge. Daniel limped out of the canyon and got himself to a hospital as my dad and I finished working the deer out and back to where camp used to be. No truck, no sleeping bags / shelter, we set about getting a ton of firewood just in case no one came for us that night. I'm always very careful about what kind of rock i throw where and I'm very greatful that no one was injured worse that what happened. Could have ended very badly.

I work with a walking stick. Given the terrain, having that third leg helps to negotiate some tough spots and prevent careless spills (where'd you least expect them). Invaluable to clear trails and for a quick glass. I carry about 35 lbs of gear in my pack enough to survive if I do mess up my knee / leg. Lots of extra water. I use two pairs of binos. Decent 10x when I'm still hunting or moving to another spot. I can get them up quickly to scout a new hillside before i set up for a glassing spot. The hiking stick is super useful to steady binos and eliminate any shaking while glassing on the move. When I set up, I break out the tripod and Swaro's 15x56s. I could probably get away without using those smaller 10s, but they don't weigh a lot, and I'm in pretty good shape.

This year's crop of Arizona seniors leave 3-1. The Sun Devils can thank Zendejas for their lone victory in their last 4 years.

Pretty pleased. I don't think RichRod got a completely fair shake at Michigan. Tried to fit a square peg in a round hole as they didn't have the personel to easily convert to his offensive style. While we lose Nick Foles to the NFL draft, red-shirt senior QB Matt Scott should fit perfectly as the triggerman for the zone read / spread option. Solid receiving core. Ka'deem. ... O-line with some seasoning. 4 defensive starters who were injured in the offseason. The cupboard is not completely bare. Keep Kish and Scelfo and hopefully we build on a recruiting class that has actually been pretty decent and surprisingly stuck around during the 2 months the program was in coaching limbo. At least if we go 3-3-5, we may have the personel to support it when you look at the emergence of Bondurant, the return of Adam Hall, and a year of experience for Marquis Flowers.

22 hours ... sounds about right. I made that drive (from Tulsa) straight through in my old under powered 4 cylinder 4x4. Doing 17 hours from Houston in December this year. Good luck on your hunt!

Always root for Pac-10/12 in non-conference games regardless of who it is and regardless of what sport. However, I don't mind seeing ASU lose in conference.

Beautiful buck! Love those long tines and the shape. Congratulations!

I'm hoping that ASU keeps Erickson. The fewer openings (i.e. competition for candidates) the better for us. Although I do have confidence in Byrne to git r dun, I fear the politics of the AZ Board of Regents when it comes to approval of contract of both coach's. I somehow remember that there was something sticky when we hired Miller contractwise. Love the stepover by Richardson after that final play. How must that taste to Willie.

Oops ... Been a tough season and my expectations weren't that optimistic for tonight ... so I'm incredibly surprised and pleased with the rivalry win tonight. Great game! Go Cats! Looking forward to seeing who our AD can bring in to head the post-Stoops era. Good young team with a lot of talent returning from injuries for the next coach to mold. Cupboard is not bare. Mercifully, we can now bring on basketball season!

Styrofoam pad and a rock. But when there aren't rocks avl (or it's wet), we carry these in our packs. Lightweight and they don't take up much space. Add the styrofoam pad on top of the seat.

I personally love the pics of all the scenery. It captures the experience. I wish i had more time to hit the backcountry. I don't have the time or the where-with-all to be able to make that kind of trip and I do appreciate the original poster. Awesome stuff. Wish I could do that with my dad. I would think that most of these people have the capacity to figure out their own spots. I know when I look at terrain in photos of 36A or 36B, I'm not looking for a new spot, but rather if they happen to be hunting the same area as my spots. I wouldn't try a new spot simply on a picture ... but rather because I've been out there driving the road and the terrain looked promising.

Some good looking deer. What did the last one tape out at?

That books looks a little like he has some hybrid in him with the way the antler's branch in the back tines. That was a close one w/ the mountain lion. Haha. Awesome story.

Good info. The one time i saw a mountain lion was in 36A / Sierritas and our truck got broken into on the west side of the Batamote Hills. It was years ago, but we saw a 120 point head down by the ranch house. There was another good sized buck bedded with it dwarfed the other which was close to 100 pts. Tough area to hunt though.

That's crazy Shane. Glad no one was hurt! Any idea if it was another hunter or an illegal? Look forward to hearing about your hunt.

Yep. Think male pattern baldness. Lol. Well, in that case, we can only weed out half the equation.

Haha. I agree. Talk about eye fatigue. That wind blowed!

I too don't think that taking out the little bucks will necessarily do anything for the genetics in the area. You really can't tell what the genetic makeup is on a spike or forkie at such a young age. For several years though, we took out small 3 pointers in 36A that had little claw pinchers coming off the main beam. Picked those guys out and sacrificed a tag to keep them from reproducing. Out of curiosity ... and I ask because I don't know ... Do does carry genetics for antler characteristics even though it is a male specific characteristic. I tend to think yes, which means you can't completely weed out poor racks since we can't tell with the does and can't take them out even if we could.

That rabbit must be named Thumper. Seriously what a buck. When I picture a rack, that's what I see. Ideal curvature.

My dad used to always go out with only 5. But any more these days with all the illegals, we both take a full box. Plus pistol rounds. Call it peace of mind. Lol. I keep my .270 in Tucson, so i never get to practice with it. My dad sends a couple of rounds to check that its still on. Last 3 deer have been 1 shot 1 kill.

Beautiful buck. I'd take one like that over a bigger non-typical head. Just outstanding.

Man what an excellent buck! Congratulations!

Awesome photos. I've always wanted to do a backpack hunt.

My dad participated in a cleanup drive in 36A a couple years ago. Great idea. If its on the right weekend, I might be back in town for my grandmother's 104th birthday barring festivities.