dave

Bownut, Thanks for the tip on the glue. I still have a bunch left and didn't know what to do with them. I will try it.

Has anyone tryed the same test with a Wac'em? I have seen them shoot through aluminum fry pans but not into 14 gauge steel.

I have never used wraps. How much weight do they add to the tail end of your arrow? I would like to calculate the percentage impact that would make on my FOC. I have used both AAE fast set gel and also Goat Tuff and have never been able to get Blazers to stick. Duravane Predators work well with Fast Set Gel.

There is no reason to manage for a harvest objective for archery, that is a joke. There is reason to manage for how many archers are in one place at one time. Limiting non-residents would be the first step. That will affect their revenue. What is the real issue here revenue or opportunity?

I guess I missed that one. Each individual is there own person. While many in the Department are some of the finest people I have ever met, each one is different. I strongly agree with some and disagree with others. The fact is the Commission directs the Department and the upper management of the Department directs the rest of the Department. In my opinion, many in the Department are far superior to the ones that direct them. The bottom line is that everyone gets categorized by the decision that was made and what the end result is regardless of their position. I do it myself. When the Commission votes 3-2 against what I want, they are a sorry bunch...while 2 of them agreed with me. If 100 people working for the Department agree with me but the three that direct them push their recommendations forward, we get a recommendation that sucks, therefore the whole Department sucks. I need to do a better job of expressing myself in a way that would have a positive impact and not stereotype a whole group by the power that controls it. With all that said, I am very disappointed by what has happened the last couple years, the direction that has been given and the recommendations that keep coming forth. Here are a few of my opinions on some of this stuff: There is no way archers have any measurable impact upon deer populations. Out of state archery hunters buying over the counter tags crowd some units and reduce the quality of our archery deer hunts. We have 3 firearms Commissioners pushing to increase opportunity for firearms hunters and take anything they can away from the archery hunters. There is no way the Department can enforce any no-baiting rules period. It is futile that they even talk about it much less suggest there may be a rule change that will never be enforced. When was the last time you ever heard about someone being cited for baiting bear? Will they photograph you placing the salt? Will they be able to prove the salt you are sitting was placed by you? Will they be able to prove you even knew the salt was there? This is futile

Leonard knows how to push the program, this is why he is where he is. Why do we as the supporters of the G&F have to fight to conserve our resources. They want to cash in, in any way they can. We want to conserve what we have. Why do we have to fight the Commission and the Department on every issue at every meeting? How is this a team? How do we or can we support each other? It seems those days are gone. I am losing heart to fight this fight. Maybe that is what they want.

Thanks for your work Keith. Excellent!!! Hope it is supported.

Young Hunter just stated the correct solution. No one even acknowledged his post. You guys just keep blabbing about what you want. I hope you will see the light and see you need to show up to the Commission meeting and support the facts that Young Hunter just stated.

I hope some of you guys that have not been to Commission meetings will go and speak you mind. I have burned too many bridges with this Commission to have a positive impact. If you guys don't show up, they will have their way. Study the recommendations and make a scientific heart felt argument for your position. Here is one example of what I see in the recommendations that makes a lot of scientific sense, see if you can correlate all the data: "because the later dates during 2006 resulted in a higher than expected hunt success... the Department is recommending a 900 permit increase in permits". Good luck guys.

I haven't been on AT lately so I don't know what is being said there. I would like to here from people that own them and have done their own testing with a chrony etc... I would love to test one but will not buy one to test it. If it is as good as they say it is, everyone will be buying them like hotcakes.

out2hunt, I don't know if you were asking me but I put in for archery elk. Thought about antelope but Im little too old to crawl around with a bow in an area close by Tucson. It is either flat or a mountain. Maybe I will learn more and put in for Lope next year.

Finally got hooked up. You don't know what sloooooooooooow is. Took 47 minutes waiting on their system to process one app for one species with two choices. I will draw for sure.

I have been trying all evening to get hooked up to receive my special handle and can't get hooked up. They must be preparing to accept applications from the successful applicants now and give them nice names.

You can figure what combination of speed and weight gives your arrow the most energy by using the link I posted below for a Kinetic Energy Calculator. http://www.archeryhq.com/ click on KE calculator on the left side menu bar and then enter your specs. The more weight you can put at the front of the arrow (FOC) within the arrows spine limits, the arrow will shoot more accurately and consistent. You can get to a point by increasing weight you are losing speed and your energy will begin dropping. It is a balance between energy and accuracy. It is something that should be tested using a chronograph, bow scale, arrow scale, KE calculator and measuring shot accuracy rather than word of mouth. However, some advice can help along the way in the process. Just looking at your numbers without knowing your arrow speed, I would say you are real close where you should be. If you go heavier, you may lose energy. Just a guess. A good range finder really speeds up your arrow

"no harvest objectives have been met". Nothing like stirring your coffie with a swizzle stick. Congrats Chris!!!

I too would like to know how and when you find out if you drew a tag in NM. I don't see anything in the regs that state when you will find out other than them sending you a tag.

One solution may be to determine quality hunts and prevent people from putting in for 5 years after being drawn for only these hunts, then one could put in for the "non-quality" hunts or cow tags. Or allow bounus points to still be purchased during the 5 year waiting period. Then the G&F don't lose the $7.50. Redman Not sure if 5 years is the right number but I do think there is credibility in viewing quality hunts as a hunt that requires a waiting period if you draw. Other states use this idea. It would be good to study their results. Fairness is a good thing.

You are right COOSEFAN, Bogus points mean very little unless you are in the max pool. If you study the math, they are all most worthless. So are you guys happy to hear about the guys that draw bull tags three years in a row? I say leave the Casinos on the res and let fairness play a bigger part.

300 WSM, I think that is a reasonable request. Many have asked for a waiting period but the Department is against that because they would lose revenue from everyone putting in and thinking they can draw every year. Fairness does not seem to be as much of a consideration as money. I am not sure 50% is the right number but something better than what we have now should be done. Other states have a larger max bonus point pool and it would be interesting to study the results from those states. With other states using a larger max bunus point pool % it gives more credibility to considering the idea. The thing the Department will like about it is that it will not curve their revenue. It may actually increase it. If I were a non-resident that wanted to apply for a tag in Arizona, I would have to buy a license every year. It would be good to know that after so many years I would be able to reach the max pool.

CnS, I can't wait till the PSE boy's start telling us how great the new bow is. What was it called? Xwhat? Gee, if it was the new deal, where did it go? I don't think any of the bow manufactures are up to speed.

"Only when we've had too many frijoles, then watch out." You are doing well Bill, just the tought of smelling an ice cube sets me off

I am not dreaming Bill, NM already does it. You don’t have to justify something we already do with many other hunts. "I have no idea why (or if) we have fewer deer in Arizona. I do know that permit-only, buck-only hunting on a unit-by-unit basis with multiple seasons has not been a success after nearly 40 years. The horrific declining number of hunting permits over those years is proof of that -- and don't blame a drought. We haven't had a 40-year drought. We've had wet and dry cycles come and go. It's time to try something else." Here is what we do: State that there is more deer than there is so we can allot more tags to collect more revenue. Don't have mandatory reporting so we can make up the difference to meet our financial needs. Don't have any predator management cause we might have to tell someone where the bear spit in the buckwheat. Your point about access is the key. The Department spends more time and effort trying to figure out how to gain revenue, when the time would be better spent trying to figure out how to gain access to areas that are locked. Many of those small parcels block access to thousands of acres of forest land. Not sure how I would set limits for archery tags if they were put to the draw. It is something to think about. Based on how this Commission likes to spit in the face of archers, this may not be the right time. I would not even present the idea to these ones. There are a lot of creative things that could be done if you have the right Commissioners on board. I guess the good news is we have one good Commissioner coming on board. I hope this trend follows. If it does, possibly in three years I may attend a Commission meeting again. P.S. Old farts stir up more dust

My credit card just got hit for $355.00 for the archery deer draw in New Mexico. Just kidding.

Have you ever looked into applying for archery deer in New Mexico? It doesn't stop us from hunting there, it only regulates us.

Mark, My main reason for supporting a draw for archery deer is to make it possible to cap non-residents that apply. Second to that, there may be some areas that have too many hunters concentrated there. I don’t believe archery deer impacts the resource at all so that would not be my reasoning. I would encourage those that primarily hunt with firearms and want more opportunity to join us in the sport of bowhunting. Mike, They started the pie allocation thing about twenty years ago and I am not sure when they decided to only consider the first choice as the demand. They have done it that way for as long as I can remember. Don’t confuse it with the drawing, when your number is drawn they look at your first choice first and if there are no tags left, they look at your second choice. So in the drawing you have both your first and second choices considered when your number is drawn but they only consider your first choice in how they split up the pie between the weapon groups. They are not looking at the unit you put in for, they are looking at the weapon type you chose. I hope that answers your question. Mr. Quimby, Good day to you sir. Hope you are doing well. Bill, if you believe we have less deer now and the drought has not changed that, how would you explain it? By the way, most seasons are longer now. IHunt2live, Some parts of the central and southern units get enormous pressure from hunters, mainly from California. I am glad we have the opportunity we do to archery hunt. Even if it were to go to a draw, it could be done so in such a way that there would be tags for any resident that wanted to archery deer hunt in just about any unit they wanted to. I would never want to give that up either. To All, Putting archery deer to the draw can accomplish a couple things. What were my reasons for wanting it? It shouldn’t shorten or change any seasons, it is only accounting for who hunts and giving the Department a direct line to them for collecting hunter surveys. As it is now, the Department may not know who has or had a tag for six months or until all the vendors report. It also would allow to curve some areas that are hit too hard (by crowding not harvest). It should not prevent any resident from archery deer hunting.