naturegirl

I have the late 6a tag. I know the area and can help you if needed. Feel free to PM me. Me personally turkeys are fast and I'm not the best shot with a shot gun so the faster I can shoot the better. I take my semi-auto. I don't sit and glass for them. I know where they are historically and then I walk, use my eyes, and glass. When I see them I haul butt to get in front of them however I can. Usually this consists of running very quickly trying not to fall on my face all the while trying to stay hidden on the other side of something from them. Then of course I have to find a way to breathe so I can shoot because before you know it they are in front of me. Anyhow, this is how I've had my best luck because I don't have the patience to sit

My husband was drawn and successful 6a early bull archery 2012 and then drew 2013 6a late archery (tag not filled). Our very good friend drew 2011 6a early bull archery (was successful) and in 2012 drew early bull archery 6a again (tag unfilled). Is this luck or ?? I support a year wait if you draw an elk tag. I'm not lucky like some people so I need all the help I can get.

My husband went through this process for years so first I will say do not give up. If it is your dream, stick with it and make it happen. Volunteer and if you can volunteer in your community fire department or one close by, but anywhere will do that is in the field. Here in the valley it was mostly in a neighboring town to ours, but he volunteered as much as he could. It is good to know the field you are getting into plus you will make some valuable contacts. Make sure all of your certs are where they need to be, all personal medical stuff is taken care of, etc., and then apply, apply, apply. Every time you interview and go through the hiring process, it will make you better at it the next time. Here in the valley it is super competitive and you need to stand out. For my husband it was physical fitness and his self-confidence. He also took an interview class in college that I believe was taught by a fire fighter and he practiced, practiced, practiced. For him this hiring process was like another full-time job. It was very time consuming. You are welcome to PM me and my husband can call you to give you some additional pointers. It took him two years of prepping with school and then over two years of solid interviewing anywhere in the valley that was hiring, volunteering, and almost getting picked up by PD but he finally made it with fire and got hired edit: He also got hired by a smaller dept first, kept applying, and then got hired by a bigger dept less than a year later. He ended up doing two academies in a year. It was really tough.

You have yourself a very good wife and an awesome boy! I've seen a bull like him before. Very cool looking bull!

I've never seen those before. Interesting how it was done in the past. Sounds like more fun than checking your phone every hour when draw results are out. I used to keep my unfilled tags until the pile started getting so big - now they get tossed.

1. Eat out less and cook elk instead 2. Continue eating more fresh foods and less processed foods. 3. Continue increasing exercise. 4. Limit TV and move instead. It's been working for a couple years now so I'm staying the course.

Congrats Amanda!

270 or 25-06 - can't go wrong with either one. I decided on the 270 for myself over the 25-06, but these were the two final choices I had narrowed it down to (and yes I'd shot both). The overall majority always seems to be the 270 is what I found when I researched it and even still when I pay attention to these types of threads. Can't say as I blame her with the 30-06, but it's my preference for elk over the 270.

How about this? I just got back from a couple days in the woods. There is a really nice game trail on the top of a ridge. The same two tree stands have sat in trees year round for 4 solid years now (that I know of). It bugs me because they think the own that part of the forest and now the inside of the seat is on the ground in pieces (which I left ). Here's what I do. I hunt around them because I've chased enough animals in the area to know where the beds are and that the big deer don't use that trail during the day. I also know where the big ones daytime hang outs are. I could've never learned all this sitting in a stand. They can have the trail because the area also holds too many humans for me. But at this point if I wanted to use it and they weren't there, I would.

I have this gun. I had a hard time finding one a few years back and am surprised to see one here. Great gun and good price.

Wow! You are a lucky man. First you get to see a lion (which is more than me), watch it chase deer, and then you get to kill the lion all in the same day. That would be hard to top if you ask me. CONGRATS!

I'm thankful for the right to vote although I'm not sure how much that, women's lib, etc, had to play with the downfall of stay at home moms. I don't believe a woman is ready to hold the office of president at this time.

I agree with much of what you say, but on the other hand as a woman I have many rights as an American that I may not have elsewhere. I'm certainly not a submissive woman walking in a veil 10 feet behind my husband. jeeze I'm even allowed to vote

I have a trophy taker drop away, but mine has metal around it. The ground likes me so I went with metal, but I still managed to bend it up once when I fell on a log during a hunt, which cost me a shot on a good bull because I didn't know it was bent until I made a shot on a 6x a couple hours later. I have no problem with noise because I've added felt to any places that made noise. No matter how my arrow goes during a stalk or if I'm sitting, it's quiet. The less moving parts the better for me, but I did make the switch from a WB a few years ago and have had zero issues with the drop away except the damage I caused.

My heart is sad for you. The loss of a pet is like no other. She was a very lucky girl to have a family who loved her so much!

I sometimes sit and brew on things and I'm brewing on artificial feeders. I'll preface with the people who taught me to hunt didn't use corn feeders so I honestly had no idea they existed so heavily here in Arizona. I thought it was a back east thing, but I'm learning more and more it's not. Corn feeders, etc., increase the success rate of a hunter. I'm sure some will try to argue that point, but in some small way or large way (like sitting over one) helps. Okay so now the general success rate goes up which COULD and probably will mean tag allotment goes down in the long run. Why do you want 100% success? Any way I play it in my mind, unless we grow more animals the tag allotment will go down, which means we get drawn less. I don't know about you but I like to get drawn. I'm guessing the people I know that hunt all have considerably less than a 25% success rate doing things without corn, etc. On the other hand, I know part of this is a mute point since some people don't submit their voluntary harvest surveys.

Today's lesson Took a drive up to Flagstaff to look at buying something. Hunting comes up as it always does. His answer was to throw a bale of alfalfa out behind his property. What are the chances when this topic was already on my mind? Must be more normal than I thought.

There are types of people who like to win everything at all costs (i.e. 100% success) and then there are types who don't. I do not hunt so I can kill something every time I go out. I live for the experience and what it takes to get to that point of "success" and since I'm picky about what I kill I hunt a lot and kill a little. I'm different - that's a fact. I guess you don't always know what you get when you wish your wife or girlfriend would hunt...LOL Again if you don't like what I post or what I say don't read it - Most of the time I avoid yours purposefully and I certainly don't go looking for it so I can attack you. But if that's your thing, I have big shoulders - keep on.

You guys are so funny! The feeder was found in May 2013 (during turkey season) - it was empty and not used even with spider webs. Back again in August during archery deer (or maybe it was my husband's bull hunt in Sept) it was still there but now it is half hanging off the tree and is now filled with spider webs. NOTE - it was not taken down during turkey season when first found. AGAIN NOTE - It was taken down months later and at that point, it was clearly in worse shape than before. Let's not forget we are both hunters and can read the ground to see if the area around it was disturbed. Again, all signs pointed to it being left out there (i.e. abandoned). I was honestly thinking that someone was using corn and maybe since the rule was changed, they just left it out there not bothering to go remove it themselves. It all played into the decision making process. I really can only laugh at you guys and how defensive you become. Next thing you have me hanging from a tree by a noose....all for picking up trash. Once again I don't steal, but I am a good steward of the land and the animals. If you have your stuff out there make it look like it's used and better yet put your name and number on it. Enough said. Have a wonderful day!

Definitely not a mute point around here if you read about the members who STILL like to hunt using corn. It's so quiet though when asked about it directly. It's fine. I've gotten some answers.

A huge congratulations! Let the fun begin

Nothing for us yet, but my father in law got drawn for the 6a CHAMP elk hunt. Can't wait to help him out on his hunt! UPDATE - He had changed his mind and put in for 3 CHAMP hunts this year. So it's either unit 1, unit 10, or unit 6a any elk. We will make it a good one for him as he deserves it (he's almost 2 years post stroke). I'm thankful G&F offers these hunts. He was a serious hunter before the stroke and we've tried and tried to get him back out there, but it's been a challenge. Thanks G&F

I was going to respond to someone personally, but I'll pass. I can say with certainty it was abandoned. I gave little detail about what it looked like, where it was, how long it had been there from when my husband found it until I took it down, etc., how many years we have hunted the area, blah, blah, blah. If something looks like crap in the forest I will clean it up.

Very cool!

ADORABLE!