Tines

Thanks for the comments guys. I guess I didn't explain the lion hunt portion very well. Yes, Gavin shot the lion too.

Anyone have Kevin's contact info? Tried sending him a PM but it got kicked back. No, he doesn't owe me money. PM if you can help. Thanks!

Thanks for the help longshooter. PM sent

This is what I try to emphasize to people. There's an exponential amount of growth during this time of year. Many people think "bucks are behind this year". Just be patient. It's amazing what they can do in a couple of weeks! Great bucks, btw!

Sorry, after reading my post I couldn't even understand it. Ha! The way I understand it would be that you would just start over again. You can only forfeit the tag ONCE and keep your BPs. The next time you draw you must take the tag. Then it all starts over again. Someone correct me if I'm wrong??

The way I understand it: once you take advantage of the PG program then you must utilize the next tag you draw. But I've never heard or read that it can't be used again. But I'm wrong often. Obviously it'll take you quite a few years to build enough points again to "take advantage" of the system like mentioned already. But it wouldn't be advantageous to the department if they only allowed you to use this once in a lifetime.

Can only be used once.

The good news is G&F is working towards an online purchase of these leftovers. Similar to what other states offer. Basically, leftover permits go on sale at "8am, on Monday morning". So then everyone hops on and tries to snag one. Definitely more of a 1st come 1st serve system that way. On a side note, it's obvious that more people are putting in for 3rd-5th choices these days. I think when leftovers were basically a gimme, hunters could procrastinate and pick one up eventually. Naturally they're gonna go faster and faster over time when people who waited too long don't have a tag in their pocket.

Be patient. This is the time of year they grow the most and fastest. Every buck is different. Some are completely finished and tipped out by archery season. Some get killed in September and we all want to cry seeing his big, balled up tips. But from what I've seen, just when I feel like the bucks aren't on time, I'm actually just staring at an inferior buck.

Couldn't find the "Taxidermy" page so I posted here. So there I was, minding my own business while watching TV until something fell off of the plant shelf. After realizing how slowly the object floated to the carpet it dawned on me "those were feathers". The next thought I had was, "bugs". Sure enough, they got into this Mearns and a couple of Gambels I had up there. In all honesty, I wasn't too upset. It actually made me laugh after I got done blowing the remaining feathers off. I know that bugs are common in taxidermy but maybe some of you more experienced can shed some more light as to what mounts are more susceptible. I also managed to catch one of the bugs. Kinda gross but it is what it is. Enjoy......sort of.

dropping it in the mail today

Does it take that proprietary funky little round plug? If so, sorry, I can't help. But I've got 2 Garmin cords that have the mini usb on one end. It's yours if you want it

No https://www.azgfd.com/PortalImages/files/hunting/guides/huntGuides.pdf Hopefully he doesn't. But this list is not always accurate.

No need for it. Buddy heaters are the way to go

One of the nicest "big fellas" you'll ever meet.

Do cameras help hunters, guides and outfitters take monster animals every year more-so than without them? Absolutely. But do they have a negative impact on wildlife management in general? IMO, no. What's not talked about are the hundreds of legal animals "passed-up" in one way or another because cameras allow a hunter to be a little more picky. Everyone wants to talk about the Giants that fall each year due to cameras. But how does shooting a 5-6yr old Coues buck every couple of years have a negative impact compared to the 100s of 1yr old spikes killed on each general hunt?? IMO, the more cameras out there will only make it harder to find those absolute monsters because inherently over time guys will become more picky and more determined to find that canyon that hasn't been touched. But a wise old Dogman once said "there's no secrets in the woods". All of that said, those who were good hunters long before cameras, will ALWAYS have the advantage over the glorified hiker/camera setter.

Guiding can be great. It can also be a nightmare...on many different levels. Here's some advice: Save the $5k you'd spend on an "apprentice program" and put it towards something that will actually pay off in the guiding profession (extra fuel/time in the field, optics, gear, etc). Scout. A lot. Donate your time and efforts in helping family and friends successfully take different species in AZ. You'll be building a "portfolio" and gaining invaluable experience. Talk to as many guides as possible. Listen to their pros and cons. Most will be painfully honest. It's a love/hate relationship. Finally, if you do decide to do it, understand that even though it's "part-time", it requires more time away from your family than you think. Especially if you want to be good at it. Even if it's a week or so a month for 4-5 months straight....it adds up real fast. Good luck!

Way to go, Jeremiah! I'm still waiting on that Mexico fishing trip...

Congrats, John! Great job at teaching those kids and the great perspective on your father

Quick shout-out to Cole and his operation. I just dropped off my 3rd animal to him. His skulls always turn out fantastic and his service is great! This is also in an effort to promote excellent taxidermy work in general. It seems more and more there are guys promoting "cheaper" or alternative methods in this profession. This is all fine if you don't mind getting what you pay for. There's rarely an exception to this rule, ESPECIALLY when you're talking taxidermy. I'm a DIY kind of guy, trust me. And if anyone can appreciate saving some money here and there, it's me. But from personal experience, if you feel like you're getting a deal then your expectations will also be relatively low when the final product is delivered. Thanks again, Cole!

Sold

Great scope. Minus a couple of cosmetic blems on the underside of the scope (from when you step away for a moment and a hunter grabs your spotter to lay it on a rock for a tripod), it's in excellent condition. I'm in Tucson. Comes with everything in the picture. $1250.

Did I miss it? How much for the scope?

Thanks guys! Good times

School has taken up most of my time this fall. Thankfully, everything finished up the day before Thanksgiving. It worked out nicely because I was able to repay the favor and help my good buddy shoot a great buck on the 3rd day of his hunt. Maybe he'll let me share the pic soon. Let me just say, sleeping out on a mountain over night is NOT what it's all cracked out to be. We made it home about 2pm the following day. Being in terrible hunting shape this season, some muscle relaxers, a heating pad and a bed is all I wanted to think of. The following day I managed to limp around town and run some errands for a few hours. About noon, my wife said "don't you have your own tag??". I told her, yes. But I honestly didn't think I could hike much. So she told me to just go drive some roads and see what I could find. I literally laughed out loud. But then I thought, "If my wife is telling me to go hunting, I'd better go!" So I threw my bloody pack and gear I never unpacked, rifle and some Mountain House meals in my truck and said "See you tomorrow!!" My wife is pretty incredible. I drove down and met up with a good buddy and his dad who'd been hunting for a couple of days already. His dad was pretty sore himself so we decided to make the afternoon hunt an easy one. It would be a nice break from the hunting I'd been doing all weekend. We hiked up to a little knob only about 100 yards from the trucks. Naturally, the next knob higher looked too appealing so I told them I was going a little further while they stayed back. It's been a few years since I sat on this knob. I've glassed up quite a few deer from this point and it brought a familiar sense of confidence. It didn't take long until I found a few does. Then, not far from a doe I had been watching who kept acting nervous, this buck appeared. My first thought was "Dang! That's a wide deer!" I knew he didn't have much length, but I honestly wasn't going to be super picky on this hunt. I just wanted to have fun.....and not hurt myself anymore that I already was. He was 575yds and I knew I could get a bit closer. My buddy hiked up to me and spotted while I cut the distance to 302yds. He was bedded and I could only see an antler so as I was trying to find a hole in the brush to sneak a bullet, he stood up. Do you guys ever find yourself saying, "okay, this is all coming together too perfectly. Something is going to screw this all up shortly"? Well, it never did. It went as planned! The 110gr Accubond went through his heart and the buck ran down about 30 yds and piled up. I literally hunted for about 20 minutes to find this buck. Crazy! Thanks to my buddy Luke for spotting for me and helping this "old man" with a bad back pack the buck about 800yds back to the truck. I know, stupid. He's my widest buck to date!