Rembrant

I have a cam and I have used it. But I have to admit that there seems to be something not quite right about the use of trail cams. And I think that what is bothering me is that when everybody does it all the time, that it changes the face of hunting. I don't have a hard, well thought out argument about this, just a feeling that we're losing some kind of primal aspect, perhaps the mystey of not knowing what could possibly show up in the woods. It seems the more technology we incorporate in our lives, the more we become separated from the basic pleasures of simply BEING in God's creation. Pretty deep huh? OK how 'bout this: The more technolgy we use in the woods, the more busy we get, and the more we run into each other, and the more competition we create for ourselves. I'm talkin about hundreds of guides/clients, quads, high-tech bows, powerful optics, GPS systems, airplanes, Google Earth, and information sharing in internet chat rooms. I miss the days when a few years spent in a particular area gave me an advantage over the other people that were too lazy to put in the work. Nowdays everybody knows everything and we're stumbling all over each other and equipment is being stolen or vandaized to regain that sense of advantage. There's nothing wrong with trail cams, they just seem to be the icing on the overkill cake. I'm remembering some old writing - think it was Abraham Lincoln - that said something like, "It's just getting too darn crowded. You can't even take a 5 mile walk in the woods anymore without finding someone else's axe handle"! Mike

Dang it!!! You got me!!! Mike

Sorry to hear about Ernesto. I hope he continues to be a part of our discussions in the future. Mike

I think a burro hide would be neet to have. Heard it said that the cross on their back is because one carried Jesus on palm Sunday. Tried to arrow one in unit 10 about 30 years ago, but the group wouldn't come into the water hole I was sittin on. At least on that day, they were smarter than the deer. Mike

One of the things I respected about Sam Stieger was that he refered to himself as being many things, and one of those things was "burro shooter". How those exotic range destroyers can have federal protection is beyond my understanding. Mike

All good advice! The solitude and quiet and concentration is wonderful. Good time to sort through stuff in your head, and also a good time to shut up and be quiet before the Eternal - He might have something to say to you. Mike

I just added up 4 years of whitetail rifle success out of the '04 stat book for unit 23 and they averaged to 103 deer per hunt. Units 22 and 23 lately have been harvesting around 80 deer a year, each, for archery. Archery success percentages have typically risen and fallen over the years, but lately the archery hunters are getting more consistant. Y'all can argue why this is; high tech bows, bait, or whatever. And we can debate whether this harvest will eventually affect our deer herds. Apparently the Game Dept is looking at it with some concern (that is their job). One possible solution that would not affect the over the counter tag, or the baiting folks, would be to put a harvest quota on the archery hunt like we have for the bear hunt - everybody gets a tag, but the hunt is over when the quota is met. Personally I think putting it to a draw would preserve the best quality of the hunt. It would eliminate the casual arrow flingers and keep the hunter numbers at a more desireable level. The quality argument is the latest consenses on this site, right? Not every change the Dept makes is bad. How many stories of ripped off tree blinds and cameras, and people stumbling over other people's baits have we shared lately? Our biggest problem is too many people in the state. How long can we expect an over the counter system to work when everyone wants to hunt? By the way, I don't like it either. I'm just trying to get my own selfish interests out of the way and take a logical look at the big picture. Mike

Have we really gotten that relevant? My truth is not the same as your truth? Or, there is no truth? An "unfortunate incident" means what? Nobody knew an occupied residence was there? Or no one knew the law? Or is it just unfortunate that someone complained? What really is the most important thing? To kill a 400"+ bull no matter what? Or... obey the law no matter what? The consenses on this site has always been that what is LEGAL is ethical. Shall we bend that a bit now for a great guide? Mike

Wonderful video!! Great music. Too bad that guy don't sing to good. Mike

Amen to all of the above. Yep, gotta pretty decent group of people associated with this site. But let's give credit to Amanda for creating and controlling the site. Thanks again, Amanda!! Mike

Post the mug shot. And go hunting opening morning. A little psycology: You ain't gonna see the guy in the area. He stole the camera, and that makes him a thief. He is guilty and will be reminded of that guilt every time he even thinks of your spot. Chances are he won't show up there because he won't want to be confronted - if he's normal, with a conscience, and not psychopathic. I hunted the spot where my treestand was ripped off last January and never saw hide nor hair of the thief. I've been visiting the spot lately and I'm not seeing any sign of human activity. Again, relax and go hunt your spot - and post the mug shot. Mike

Skillet, baby, Skillet!! Mike

Typically liberal: Love animals - hate people. Mike

Ain't no deer in unit 23. Welcome to the site fsmith! I got a "more opportunity" tag, and I am very pleased - no complaining here. Mike

The editorial inside the front cover of the latest AZ Hunter and Angler: Harry Morgan states that Microsoft is throwing millions of dollars at the national humane association to fight a number of things that we cherrish and one of them being the exposure of young people to the sport of hunting, and they actually used the term, "hunter retention". There is a bigger picture. The Game Dept. is not using "catch phrases", they are fighting a gigantic battle for you, and me, and our offspring. The complainers on this forum remind me of a kid trying to watch a parade through a hole in the fence, when the Game Dept is viewing the whole procession from a helicopter. Big picture, guys. Mike

I got a muzzleloader deer tag. Mike

I slopped out and got another muzzleloader deer tag. Mike

Every taxidermist has his own style, based on the image in his own head of what a Coues deer looks like. Your taxidermist did a good job and didn't screw anything up - according to what he has worked hard to achieve and considers a good job. If and when you point out what is wrong to him, he will have a hard time seeing what you are talking about. If he were to "fix" it, he will have to destroy your cape and replace it with a different deer cape. It's not a bad mount; It's a good mount. Yep the eyes do look a bit forward. or 'humanized'. I would suggest that you keep your original cape as it is and be content with such a fine trophy as Ernesto said. It is really important to visit different shops and look at the different taxidermy styles with a very critical eye. There are many really good taxidermists, and reputation is important, but if we're gonna fork out high dollars for taxidermy we need to go and look - real hard! I'll bet from now on, Mark you will be studying the eyes on every coues mount you see. Again I will throw Clay Goldman's (Mogollon Taxidermy in Payson) name out there. You wanna see anatomically accurate, short-faced, peery eyed - "I wonder what that Coues deer is thinking" - taxidermy, go find Clay's shop. Mike

Get ready to rumble. Everybody knows everything in unit 9. Used to be that it would take guys years to figure stuff out. Now everybody has a quad and/or a guide. Guides and clients are everywhere. there is no piece of hidden water anywhere that won't be competed for. I have known people to haul water up to their own created water hole/wallow and had to fend people off of it! You probably know this. Rumble with the moving herds and have the time of your life, or rumble with the humans at the water holes. This pre-season camera theft is only the beginning of the water hole wars. Congrats on a unit 9 archery elk tag! I hope you kill the elk of your life. Mike

There are other issues with baiting bears like: litter, triginosis ( I'm sure I spelled that wrong), and over-crowding/over harvest in the good areas. I used to bait bear. There ended up being a lot of competition, bleached baits, fist fights etc, (getting my treestand swiped of a deer lick in Jan reminded me of that) plus there is a strong temptation for some guys to sit on their baits after dark in the moonlight or artificial light. Lots of problems, besides its more fun to glass 'em up. Dang Kevin, that really is a handsome bruin!! Mike

Hair in the crap is usualy cat crap. That looks like course hair like deer or pig which would make it lion crap. Mike

Yep, the general hunting public is clueless. The general hunting public ain't gonna show up at the meetings. And you bring up a strong point kwp. If all the people that pipe in on this forum with their complaints about the dept. would go to the meetings, the attendance would increase X's 10 - at least. I didn't make it either. Wanted to, just couldn't. But I'm glad you did and you inputted the right thing - quality. I don't like the "opportunity" shift either, but I also know that there is no easy answer to the problem of limited resources and unlimited demand. I think what the future looks like is a business-like approach by the dept to create opportunity for its customers (and make money to run the business) at the expense of quality. The best we can hope for is to convince the commission to set aside quality areas. All of the quality hunts will be next to impossible to get drawn for. This really stinks because those of us that have been around awhile know how good it has been, and now it's going away. Thanks kwp for going to the meeting. Mike

Looks like bear damage. They love these things, but their main interest is the fruit. I've seen where a bear has broken down an century plant and left it cause the fruit wasn't ripe (kinda like they don't get on the pears until they're ripe either). The damaged daggers look broken as opposed to chewed - more bear evidence. However, whitetails and elk will pull the daggers of the plant and eat the succulant bottoms. One time I watched a Texas whitetail chewing on the bottom of an agave and the dagger was rotating around and around like a big one-bladed propeller. Maybe the broken-up plant smelled good to a whitetail and thus the tracks. Mike

Last Dec. someone stole my treestand. Then I had a 90" walk by me on the ground at 8 feet while behind nothing. Then I bought a ground blind, sat in a chair, put a wool blanket over my lap and fired up a butane camp stove between my legs - as low as it would go - kept my hands and the rest of me warm and comfortable the whole time, and sat through those two snowy, snowy days (about two feet where I was) and was happy! Spent time reflecting back to the days when I would get so cold in a tree stand that I would pray for a safe decent from the tree - cause I was so cold I could hardly move! Mattys281 is right about not limiting yourself. Maybe in Sept I'll climb a tree and sit on the ground in December, but then again I liked Amanda's comment about the difficulty of getting your draw while not behind the cover of a ground blind. I think I've been spoiled! Mike

The paying-up-front aspect will keep non-serious hunters, and people that don't plan ahead, and possibly to some degree, anti hunters, from applying effortlessly via the computer. I like it, just hope I can swing a sheep tag fee! Mike