Bravo

Well, I'm reaching that level of bonus points where receiving a Bighorn Sheep Tag might actually be a reality. I know absolutely nothing about guides for sheep in AZ and need to start looking for the best guide to suit my style of hunting. I will be attempting to harvest with my bow so I will need someone who understands hows a bowhunter thinks (crazy on sheep right?) The units I want to put in for are 22, 24b areas, and I will need some recommendations on other areas conducive to the bowhunter. I'm not opposed to finishing the hunt with my rifle but would really like to harvest with my bow...again I gotta get a tag first LOL. What are some guides out there for Sheep that I can start looking at and interviewing? Thanks folks!!

Editor's Note: The rumor posted here is FALSE....Sportsmans Warehouse still sells all types of guns....and they help sponsor this site. Please do not pass on rumors like this. I am leaving this post up to help dispel the rumors and to remind people to be more careful about what they post. I just heard that Sportsman's Warehouse has pulled all of their assault rifles......... Now that tells me that Sportsman's Warehouse has found it more politically expedient to support only "SOME" firearms and not "ALL" firearms and the lawful ownership there of. To me that also tells me that Sportsman's Warehouse does not support Freedom if they are not willing to stand united with the Firearms Industry and Freedom Loving Americans. This move is extremely "cowardly" and I don't think they realize the impact financially this move is going to make on their business. The battle lines have been drawn on firearms use and ownership folks and I encourage ALL of you to email them and to discontinue your support for their business and spend your money else where. If you want guns, ammo, etc etc to purchase it at other stores that support freedom. Bombard their emails with your comments and concerns. Thanks folks. Call Toll-Free: 1-800-286-3076 Email: customerservice@sportsmanswarehouse.com

Actually I heard it personally from an employee so nice try with your assumptions Amanda. Sorry if you felt like it was intended to be a hear/say rumor. Wasn't my intent. That's why I updated my post with the info that SW sent me. I didn't say you didn't hear it directly from the person...that was exactly my point....Just because someone says something to you doesn't make it true. wow, you really just don't seem to get that you slandered a company based on false information that you received. Just because it was information you heard personally does not make it not a rumor. And you still haven't even apologized for spreading false information and trying to get people to boycott a company based on false information. Well we can agree to disagree because a representative of the company is "out of the horses mouth" in my book so sorry, not going to apologize. Once new info came to me, I immediately set the record straight. Ban me or bar me or whatever, that's just my opinion.

Actually I heard it personally from an employee so nice try with your assumptions Amanda. Sorry if you felt like it was intended to be a hear/say rumor. Wasn't my intent. That's why I updated my post with the info that SW sent me.

Nope! That was all sorted out. It wasn't SW mistake but SCI's and they took care of it and made it right. Nice try buddy.

THIS WAS NOT JUST ANOTHER RUMOR AND CAME FROM AN EMPLOYEE OF SPORTSMAN'S WAREHOUSE!! I know you have defend them because they are a big sponsor so I understand your "disclaimer". I did however receive an email from Sportsman's Warehouse Corporate that they have not changed their policy on firearms that they sell and that they have either sold out of their assault rifles or they were "PULLED" and shipped to other stores with higher demand. SOOOO, all is well. I believe the employee misunderstood what was going on.

I agree. Veiled attempt at liberal control.... I just don't understand WTF the feds are thinking when they enact this type of stuff. I wish there was a way for the public to fight back against this stuff but with out tons of $$ and lobbyists I think it's a futile battle. The NFS wants us all in campsites like tract houseing where they can control how we play in the woods. NUTS!

I like the idea of sitting out 1 year if you draw a "Premium" tag only. Statistically it won't increase your odds much, but I think it's not a bad idea. I'm also in favor of increasing the max points percentage to 30%. Great discussion!

Got tapped for Antelope! Had a tag 2010 too! Archery only. Didn't close the deal the first time around so I'm going to redeem myself.

Before I start, let me say that this post is about Integrity of the Contest and SCI/ Sportsman's Warehouse. I entered my bull a few months back in their contest and let them hang my horns up on display. I figured the contest would be well organized and with SCI scoring the animals, I thought "what could I lose"? In the final weeks prior to the contest close, a couple of real GIANT bulls came in taking me out of the running for 1st, 2nd and maybe even 3rd. So I was just wanted to see where mine would rank with those toads. I have already had my bull officially scored by Pope and Young, but I was curious what SCI would score since the typically score a little higher with no deductions. Let me say I was SHOCKED BEYOND BELIEF to see "326 2/8" as my final score. After some discussion with the manager on duty about the discrepancy he informed me that several individuals had complained about the exact issue with bulls being scored way below what they have already been scored by another Record's organization. To add insult to injury, when I asked for a list of scores and who ranked in what place in the contest, I was told that no "official" list existed. What??? How can you have a contest and not provide people with the results of the contest? How do I know where I ranked since I was not present at the "announcement" on Saturday? I asked what the heck was going on and nobody seemed to be able to give me a clear answer. Once I got to my truck I added up the measurements they recorded only to discover that they totaled 354 6/8. So where did they come up with 326? Did that take me out of the ranking for a prize? Who knows. Second, there is no name in the measurer line; so who tapped the horns? Lastly, how could a bull that was scored at 358 1/8 gross by a guy as reputable as Clay Goldman lose almost 4 inches by SCI? I green scored it at 364 in the woods so I expected to lose a few inches after a pro tapped it lol. Just strange how some of the points lost an entire inch. That's A LOT of variance IMO but again, I'm no pro. Something is extremely off about this whole deal and I'm sure that there are other guys that participated in the contest that are experiencing a similar issue. Before I cry conspiracy (which it has all the making of), I'm going to chock it up to incompetence on the part of the measurer. I'm going to talk with the store manager on Tuesday, and I'll be calling the President of the SCI Phoenix Chapter regarding this issue. I want to give them a chance to defend or rectify this issue before I do too much trash talking. I'm just concerned that the integrity of the contest may have been compromised so we'll see how it turns out. I will post the pics tomorrow of the score sheets so everyone knows what I'm saying. Thanks for listening!!

That was one of the issues. They didn't have them written down anywhere. The manager for SW had to call each of the winners and ask them their scores from their score sheets. All I remember is the the 3rd place guy was 361 and some change. That is something they will be doing differently next year is posting up the results prior to awards so if there are any issues, they can fix them before handing out awards.

Well the Jury is back on the scoring issue on my bull...... Master Measurer and SCI AZ President, Leon Munyan scored my bull officially at 362 5/8. When I first contacted him, I was informed that they were only given 2 hours to score all the Deer and Elk antlers hanging up in SW. WOW, not much time at all! Apparently, they took the largest looking bulls and bucks and measured them in detail and quick taped the rest. Leon admitted that due to the rushed nature of those involved in measuring, he had no doubt that an error may have occurred and was glad that I had sought him out. He quickly sprung into action and offered to personally measure my elk. I was extremely impressed with his candor, honesty, and willingness to do the right thing to resolve my concern. He and his family went out of their way to get my antlers from me and to drop them back off. I'm sure he is a busy man but never once acted as if I was an inconvenience. Great people all the way! I also want to note that the new General Manager of Sportsman's Warehouse, Steve Ortiz was great in all of this. He and I have spoke several times after I brought my concerns to his attention. He got me the info I was looking for and also advised me of the changes that will be made in next years competition and also asked for my input. We actually spent more time talking about hunting and getting to know each other more then anything! Class act guy through and through. I informed him many times that I was not looking for any kind of compensation due to the outcome and that was never my goal. Just for the record that would have placed me 3rd in the competition if the errors weren't made. In short, I will continue my patronage with SW for years to come! In the end, everything worked out and I got the resolve I was looking for. (Being right was also a bonus) I was so impressed with the way SCI handled my concerns that I am now a member of SCI and SCI AZ and look forward to becoming involved in their conservation efforts. Maybe one day I can become a measurer too!

Great pics and congrats! That looks like the Rincon Basin area or just south of the 40 there.

Yeah that was tough seeing those giants come in last minute but I had a good time sharing my horns with the public. It was fun to say the least!! Maybe next year they will do the contest with Pictures only so that participation is a little better. Then the week prior to the event guys can bring their horns in for measuring. Just a thought.

[My bull was the first in the line of bulls , Was that your bull next to mine? If so it looked like your main beams were at least 56 inches, I guested that bull to be around 360 Yeah it was! Offically it was 358 1/8 gross. We field taped it at 364, but after drying time and late night rookie mistakes, we were a little off. You know how that goes.LOL You had a great bull man!! I loved the width. Congrats man and goodluck in the draw this year!

Thank you much. I did email him about this. I don't really need them to re-score it or anything like that. I've talked to a few people about this with a little more experience then me and I guess its kind of common to have small variances like that depending on the measurer. So their score of 354 should be fine, but hey didn't put that on my sheet. They wrote 326. I just need them to rectify that and they do need to publish the ranking of the scores and such. Thanks again for looking into it.

If you have zero points then go for it. If you know where to look there are some great bulls to be had. If you do your homework and hunt hard you can get it done, just watch the rez line. Easy to get screwed up and end up in Apache Territory by accident.

Outstanding thread!!! I love the home made oversoles! I'm going to make a set and try them out.

I just heard a commercial today that Coca-Cola has "Teamed up" with World Wildlife Fund to help "Save" the Polar Bear through purchasing certain white cans and white capped bottles. I believe it's a "Holiday" promotion and should go away after Christmas but who knows. For those of you who are not familiar with WWF, they are one of the largest anti-hunting groups in the world and have extremely deep pockets. They have been lobbying the US Govt to continue to ban Polar Bear hides from being imported back to the US and they are winning. Polar Bears are not starving because of Global Warming; they are starving because they are not being hunted by Americans(and haven't been for years now) and they are over consuming the available resources and wandering into towns and villages in search of food. Why would American's go hunt a Polar Bear for $30K and not be able to bring the hide home? A prime example of why management is so important and the $$ raised through hunting would help conserve more Polar Bear habitat. Please boycott Coca-Cola products until they discontinue their alliance with World Wildlife Fund. Here is a link to the story. http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2011/WWFPresitem24592.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111202/us-coca-cola-cans/

I just wanted to update everyone and let them know that my Bull Officially scored 358 1/8 gross and 353 6/8 net PY.

I arrived in Williams to some rainy weather on Monday prior to the hunt to get some scouting in. I was afraid to get the camper stuck so I parked and set up camp in the National Forest there to scout the road conditions prior to dragging the tow hauler into a situation that would leave me stuck on the side of the road. My intuition paid off as the roads were pretty trashed and still needed a day or so to dry out. After checking my cameras and seeing some good bulls, I was positive that that opening day would be hot…… Boy was I wrong! When Ronnie arrived a couple of days later, it was go time. We glassed up a great 6x7 370 plus bull the day before opener and they were bugling well too. Lots of 340’s in the mix as well. On our way in to check that bull at first light, we were into bugles and got 30 yards from another great bull, but he wouldn’t show himself enough to determine his bone size. A truck ended up spoiling that moment so we pressed on. Day after day, we pressed on through the rain and mud only to be greeted with very few bugles and zero rut activity. Ronnie kept me positive by continuing to say “Persistence Pays” and not to worry because “you’re going to kill a good bull Bravo, I guarantee it”. We had the good fortune of meeting a guy a few camps down from us that had been into bugles and almost had a shot at a monster bull we later dubbed “Bucket”. Shawn was gracious enough to let us join him in the area he had located these elk and said they were bugling in the mornings. After chasing some bulls with him and locating Bucket again, we kept at it. Shawn and I both passed a shot at a 330 class bull that had great tops but short thirds and a short G2. Thanks Ronnie for telling me to pass this bull! As the hunt progressed the pressure started to set in as I had passed on a chance at a 360 class bull earlier in the hunt and also on the 330 class bull. Ronnie and I refocused our efforts with RNH member GMARC who was camped about 30 min north of us on a growler we located at night via the bugle-locate method. Luck would have it; we were right on him at first light. First, I gotta tell you what a bro GMARC is for stepping back and working that soft cow mew he does to get the bulls going. The bull came straight in and busted him and moved off, but Ronnie and I were hot on his trail. I had the bull facing me at 38 yards in some really thick stuff and couldn’t get a look at his horns or weave an arrow through the branches when he turned broadside so I elected to hold off. He moved back to his bed and that was it. That afternoon we decided to move to a waterhole out in antelope country just north-west of where we had been hunting to check a spot Ronnie and I had located some good bugling action a few days prior. “This was it, these bulls had to hit water and they were up early”, I thought. Just as we set the blind up, a call came in over the radio with a frantic Cowboy Outfitters saying “Get in the blind you have a big bull coming in”. Jumping in the blind in a fury of ripping windows open and adjusting chairs, we waited……. No more than 8 minutes passed when the bull came in on the opposite side of where I could shoot. After a frantic readjustment, I was on my knees waiting for my opportunity to present itself. The bull drank for what seemed like an eternity as GMARC rattled off a checklist of things to do to ensure success; my only reply was “yup” to all of his checks. I was in the zone. The bull finally turned broadside and began splashing the mud and water all over as I came to full draw. I split my 30 and 40 yard pins for the 34 yard range the GMARC had given and waited. The bull stopped splashing and stuck his horns in the mud and I released my arrow. THWACK, SMASH, CLANK is all I heard as the bull lifted his head to the sound. I asked, “Did I miss?” GMARC said, “No bro, you hit him, I heard the whack”. The bull quickly stepped out of the water and stood for a moment before flinching and trotting off and we saw the blood spot materialize tight behind the shoulder. “You smoked him Bravo, you smoked him!” GMARC said excitedly and began roughing me up! All I could say is, was it a good hit? I was still in shock of how it went down and didn’t really know what was coming out of my mouth at that point. I was so in the zone in crunch time I didn’t get the fever or even bother looking at the horns. The only thing I noticed when I was at full draw was the tips of his 5th and 6th points. GMARC asked me how big you think he was and my only reply was “320 maybe”. He said “no bro, way bigger”. GMARC quickly got on the radio to Ronnie to see if he saw the bull go down and his reply was, “he went down to the water somewhere around there, has he not come in yet?” “No bro, Bravo smoked him did you see him go down?” Ronnie flipped and came running down to greet us. When Ronnie arrived onsite, I ran to grab my arrow to see the damage……NO BLOOD!! OH NO!!!! I started to trip out as Ronnie filmed the events. As we crested a rise in the hill, I saw antlers 40 yards out and took off in a sprint. I couldn’t believe how big the horns got as I approached. What a great bull!! I could have never imagined my first tag would have landed me such a great trophy. This really was a dream come true and the hunt of my life! What made it even more special were the great sportsmen I had the privilege and honor to have shared the hunt with. Ronnie, Gary (gmarc), Joe, James, Dennis, and Shawn were my hunting buddies on this hunt and great camp mates indeed! I’d like to thank all of you for being a part of this truly awesome Elk hunt and playing a part in my success. Ronnie is my friend of 17 years (a great guide too) and I’m so thankful to have had his help and experience that made this hunt possible. He kept saying “Persistence Pays” and it did indeed. I’d like to thank my wife for putting up with my passion to hunt and support me while on my life’s dream of harvesting a trophy elk. I only hope that one day I get the chance to repay the kindness and camaraderie shown to me by everyone who participated in this hunt. My bull ended up green scoring 364 4/8ths. The official score will be available by the end of Nov and I will update accordingly. Remember…… Persistence Pays!!! PS. I'd like to mention one last thanks to Cathy at Hillside Texaco in Ashfork for her kindness and customer service while on my hunt. She's great people and always treated us like neighbors and friends. If you're hunting in unit 10 or surrounding units, I highly recommend their store and services. Cheapest gas on the I-40 in that area too plus travel trailer services.

I'd say it has more to do with the all mighty dollar and that's why the previous HMFIC(boss) of the G&F used the "opportunity" ploy to get the public's buy off on setting bull and cow ratio's to the minimum and increasing "hunting opportunity". The new Director seems to be moving in the right direction and you should see elk and deer herds rebound in the coming years. There is enough browse in that unit to support large deer and elk herds if they would just manage it properly. I've also noticed a LOT MORE cattle grazing in prime elk and mule deer habitats. Kiabab is another example of mismanagment by the Forest Service and the Game and Fish. They claim there isn't enough winter browse for the deer herd but they keep letting thousands of ranchers graze their cattle on it each year. Don't get me wrong(not blaming the cattle folks), the ranchers are just trying to be profitable so as long as they are allowed to over graze, they will continue to do it. There can be balance if managed properly and enforced.

The only thing I can imagined that accounts for no blood is that the arrow zipped through him so fast before blood started coming out. It also took a minute for the blood to emerge from his hide. My arrow didn't hit the water and actually went about 40 yards past the bull and smashed a rock. I've never seen that before on any of the deer I've shot. Crazy cause the bull only went 60 yards and piled up.