BikerRN

soazarcher, You make a compelling argument that I will have to research further. Biker

Hi Soazarcher, Do you have any documentation or links to something one can read to study how you reached your conclusion? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but just saying you have disproven something, without supporting documentation really isn't helpful to one trying to reach a conclusion. Others have been kind enough to post links to web articles that support how they came to their conclusions. Would you care to do the same? I tend to live by a motto that is a holdover from previous employment, "Believe nobody and verify everything you are told." Biker

I'd love to see the recipe myself, and will look for it in the cooking section. Biker

Thank you all for giving me much to think about. I used to think that spikes were usually yearlings, but then had my thinking change due to supposed "research" and a published article. It makes one wonder when you have two "experts" that come to different conclusions with what is pretty much the same data. God it's frustrating. Biker

I was taught that a spike can be of any age, and that it's just an old wives tale that a spike is a yearling. That makes it genetically inferior if what I was taught is true. I am asking for proof that a spike is not genetically inferior because I don't know. Biker

Got any research material to support that? As I said, my information came from a magazine article many years ago. Biker

I would've expected better from Utah and I am quite suprised by this recent turn of events. Biker

That was a majestic bird that deserved better. I fail to see what purpose killing it served, outside of inflating the ego of some already narcissistic individual. Biker

I can't speak for the taste of coyote, but I can confirm that dog is good. The Mandarin Chinese translation for dog is, "the sweet meat." Biker

Boy, 13, faces 8 years for spitwad (Convicted of two felonies in California) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/683648/posts While the one child losing an eye is tragic it was done, to my knowledge, without criminal intent. The things that you and I did as kids, many of them are criminal now. It's getting ridiculous. I don't want to give law enforcement more laws to ply their trade by when common sense has left the equation. We have criminalized behavior that for many of us was part of growing up. Stupid? Yes, without a doubt. However stupidity in and of itself shouldn't be criminal. Sometimes bad things happen unintentionally. That's not a matter for the criminal courts as far as I'm concerned. There are many more cases of this nature, like a young pre-Jr High student arrested for sexual assault for kissing a classmate. I think it was a child in the K-3 grade range, IIRC. Now, if a law like this gets passed it leaves too much discretion with the prosecutor and will go far beyond the intent of the law. What if you shoot a trophy deer, in season but wrong species? Felony? That's a mistake. We are human and some of us are prone to mistakes. Just because we make mistakes doesn't mean we belong in prison. There is a difference between an honest mistake and knowingly breaking the law. Sadly the ones making those decisions, what if any charges to proceed with, are often out of touch with reality. Biker

As much as I dislike poaching I'd ask you all to look at the consequences of such a law. Poaching for profit, or taking game out of season should be a felony, but what if someone shoots a trophey buck during hunting season, but oops, they shot a mule deer instead of a coues? Is that someone you really want sitting in a prison with child molesters, rapist, and murderers? There is a tendancy of late to enforce laws far beyond what the originators of the law intended. Also, given the tendancy of the new breed of Centurion, many of them don't look at things and use discretion. In fact it's almost impossible to use discretion anymore. Supervisors want to see arrest and cases cleared. They don't want to hear how you had some guy and let him go for a minor offense, only to maybe give you information later because you were square with him. Sometimes a LEO cutting somebody a break is what they need to get on the straight and narrow. I caught my share of breaks as a kid. Don't believe me? How about the kid that was arrested for assault for luanching a spitwad at a classmate? Biker

I'm planning to put in for smack dab in the middle of Injun country. Less hunters means a better chance of me filling my freezer. I also plan to hump it off the main drag quite a ways and get back in to areas other people don't want to be. This will increase my odds of not seeing or dealing with illegals and dopers (Tonks). It isn't the illegals coming across for work, or even the mules, but rather the border bandits that give me pause. Most of them are American from what I can gather and they operate on this side of the line. I sent you a PM. Biker

And that is how the "game" is played. My problem is when they decide to reinvent the rules of the game, or make up their own game without me knowing the rules. Biker

And all so far north of my price range that it isn't even funny. I will have to wait until I win the Redneck Retirement System to have such nice glass. I've got the option of trading a buddy for a LNIB Bushnell, and I may go for it. I was wanting to buy one, and was asking around when a friend made me, what I consider to be, a very good offer. One option I like is that the laserscope minimizes movement. I won't have to set the rangefinder down to grab the rifle. Less movement might be a good thing, but the downside is, I can't range things I'm not willing to shoot. Biker

Howdy all. I was considering purchasing a laser rangefinder riflescope for my hunting rifle. My range estimation and holdover skills leave a lot to be desired, although once I get the range I tend to do OK at putting bullets on target. I was considering a Bushnell Yardage Pro as my rifle scope. Has anyone had any expirience with them,and what do you think of them? I'm also looking at the Burris Eliminator. Thanks in advance for your help. Biker

I'm just getting back in to hunting since being away since 1988. My advice, for what it's worth, being that you are in Texas and a weekend scouting trip is probably not feasible for you, would be to read very carefully the AZ Game & Fish website about coues deer in the various management units. Then I would become intimate with Google Earth. You can learn a lot from Google. Then go to your local map store and have them order you topographic maps of the areas you want to hunt. Study the maps and Google earth to get an idea of the lay of the land. I've given you some clues, and they may be of help to you. I plan to start doing some scouting this summer, as two of us are putting in for coues deer in southern AZ. Good luck and keep us posted. Biker

As stated above, it would also eliminate the Rocky Mt. elk and Rocky Mt. bighorns here in AZ, both of which are introduced critters. Yes it would, but I'm not so sure that would be a bad thing. I will play the game by the rules, I just think they need to be "tweaked". That's only my opinion, so take it for what it's worth. Biker

You forgot the Santa Cruz Brown Trout. There's a lot of game in AZ that aren't native. You are correct in that as far as I know the elk in IL are on fenced properties. My own personal opinion is, to qualify as a "hunt", and the record books, it should be differentiated from non-native species. That's not the way it is, and is only my opinion. I can take a zebra in TX if I'm so inclined, but no matter how hard I have to work to get that zebra I didn't have to make a forty hour plane ride. I think only native species should qualify for the record books. That would leave out Buffalo here in AZ, as it is an introduced species. My rule is simple, like me, "Native species in native habitat if going for a record book." Biker

I'll reserve judgement on the story, but I will note that sometimes LEO's aren't above just issuing the ticket to let the judge sort it out. Make no mistake about it, Game and Fish are law enforcement officers, and being a former LEO myself, I have a pretty good idea of the games they can play. I will respect the position they hold, but will not help them to prosecute me. Not because I'm knowingly committing a crime, but because that's the way the game is played, and rest assured, it is a game. Biker

You can also add IL to the list of Elk inhabiting states. If one is after meat for the freezer I find ranch/farm raised animals to be ethical, but it doesn't classify as a hunt in my mind. For it to be a hunt the animal must be taken in it's native habitat. That also rules out the AZ Buffalo Hunts, no matter how much like a real hunt they are, in my opinion. I'll call it a hunt, act like and prepare like it's a hunt, and may even come home empty sometimes, but it's still not what I consider when I think of a hunt. I can take a gemsbok in Texas but that doesn't mean it's a hunt, nor should it qualify for any records no matter how big it is. Just my $0.02. With all that said I am considering going to TN to partake of some pseudo-hunts for animals that I want to put in my freezer. Biker

I just voted for the catagories that I felt qualified to vote for. I couldn't vote on many of the issues, not having used many services here in AZ yet. Biker

Sotheastern AZ has been reported really good for bears. I was talking with a guy last week that favors the Chiricahuas. Good luck and let us know how it goes for you. I myself favor other areas for bear. Biker

Thank you all for a very informative and educational thread. This has sealed my decision to purchase a laser rangefinder scope with a built in ballistic drop compensator for my rifle. Biker

I see that I am in the majority here. That's nice, but not the reason for my vote. My reasoning is based on holding people accountable with the laws we already have. If those laws were enforced, be it it game laws or other types of laws, then we wouldn't have the issues we have now. Of course then we'd all be on here complaining about the "heavy-handed" tactics of the G&F Gestapo. In all things there must be a happy medium that the majority support to some degree. Biker

Howdy all. New guy here with a question or three. I haven't hunted in AZ since probably 1988, and a lot has changed in the border region since then. With all the illegal aliens and dope smugglers, what's the situation like for solo and pairs hunting the canyons near the Mexican border? Is it really as bad as some would like me to believe, or can one still hunt that area during hunting season without much worry? I'm interested in hearing other's opinions on this issue, as it will factor in to where I put in for. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration in this matter. Biker