Rembrant

I got nada- ziltch. First time I didn't get at least one tag. Couldn't even draw a 32 Nov. whitetail tag - 2nd choice! I'm goin bow huntin'. Hope y'all do better than I did! Mike

That's the little birdie!!!!!!!

Fatfoot, Thanks for sharing the Proverb. There's another that says something like, "It's better to spend the night on a rooftop than with a contentious woman." These were written by King Soloman. He ought to know - he had several hundred wifes! Are we there yet? And by the way, the little birdie was also first mentioned by King Soloman in the book of Ecclesiastes. Can we pull over? I gotta pee! Mike

Hey Guys, Breath in... Breath out. Breath in... Breath out. It's gonna be alright. We'll know pretty soon. Mike

God especially loves little children. Mike

So what's the answer? Commissioners with balls? If we do things right, which means the blatent pounding of predators, there will be public outcry. We are not Arizona any more - we are now Calizona - complete with the 9th circus court. The battle will lead to a referendom. Do you think the general population of Calizona will approve any organized hammering of the states predators? Remember a number of years back, Proposition 200? The proposal that would allow wildlife issues to move forward with only 1/3 vote (or something like that?) That was the Game Dept trying to stack the cards in our favor - knowing full well that the general population of the state is now a bunch of ignorant emotional bleeding hearts. That proposition was shot down by the people of the great state of Calizona. Were in a mess fellas. I agree with you completely, Allen and Lark. It's damned frustrating! Stacking the commission with John Waynes and Charelton Hestons would be the way to go. What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong. We should do what's right! Only problem is nowdays things aren't black and white anymore - it's all grey: killing terrorists is bad, but killing babies is alright. Homosexuals want what they do to be called marraige, and most of the world thinks that's good, and we better throw God out of the schools and courts, 'cause were smarter than He is now! You guys are right. In this atmosphere the commission is acting like a bunch of pussys. So what's the answer? Can courageous leaders prevail? Let's hope so. We've got one in the Whitehouse. Mike

Muskeg, I was unit 23. I remember - I've been awake all this time! You and your son got sited by the game dept for killing the last two living deer in the unit. I hope you've paid your fine! Mike

Lark and Gains are right on the money. Except for property damage, fires are a monsterous blessing for wildlife habitat. And the 'long run' ain't that long! Pay attention to the recent burns. Seen the Rodeo/Chediski burn lately? Fabulous! The timber damage is also a loss, but the Inviro activists won't let any trees get cut anyway. Dang it, the Apaches have logged the burnt timber on their side, but on the state side, the timber companies can't even sign a contract because of the invironmentalists. So mega tons of valuable wood will become rotton dead-falls. This is not just an unfortunate problem - this is sinful!!!!!!! If we don't thin the forests - nature will... at our expense. Meanwhile, the unit 21 coues freaks are getting a fresh habitat remodel - in a really cool part of their unit. Trust me. Mike

Good point Ernesto! Not only do they not get paid well but they have one of the most dangerous jobs. They are cops and they have to deal with gun carrying rif-raff in remote areas - alone! I know, I know, they chose their job (actually worked their butts off to get it), and knew what they were getting into. I agree with Ernesto. They should get paid better. I think the way we can help is to support the fee increases that are gonna hit us hard next year. We can explain to the cry baby whiners that we have been getting a smoking deal for decades. We've been buying deer tags for around $20.00 and less for how long??!! Another thing we can do is to diffuse the anti Game Dept. attitudes when they pop up. This Game Dept is the best in the West. Arizona was way ahead of other states with the permit draw system - and took a lot of heat for it from our residents. Now the rest of the Western states are doing the same. New Mexico has finally put most of the sate to a draw - should have done it a long time ago! Times have changed. This game dept has extreme challanges that we've never seen before: greedy outfitters, greedy ranchers, anti hunters, multi use pressures on the land, too many people in the state, diminishing habitat, etc, etc. The Game Rangers, the Game Dept, and the multi-thousands of sportmen and women have got to stick together tighter than ever, or the rich hunting heritage that we have all enjoyed will forever change for the worse. Thanks for bringing this up, Ernesto. Mike

I agree with Josh about this being a weird transplant. The Towel Mountains for sure, but there's not much area. Maybe Boulder and Calf Pen canyons? I don't think the cliff carp will compete with the Coues Deer, any more than the carp deer or the range maggots (cattle). Mike

Turkey huntin is a kick aint it? Congratulations to all you succesful gobbler bangers! When I was a year or two out of high school, my former Jr. High biology teacher, Jim David, came by my house to show me a spring gobbler. This was about '75 or '76, and the spring hunt had only been open for a couple or three years -if I remember right. Jim really got me excited and I started putting in for turkey. Back in the day I could put in for any unit I wanted to and would get drawn every year. When in the field, I would often wonder to myself, "where are the other tag holders?" It was rare to run into anybody. Mike McKracken showed me the turkey huntin ropes, and I shared the knowledge with my close buddies, and we hammered a bunch of big ol' toms over the years. Then about 15 years ago, the spring turkey hunt got real popular around Flagstaff. I stopped getting drawn every year, and when I had a tag, I was competing more with hunters than with the birds. It got to where I would have to locate 3 or 4 roost sites before the hunt so that MAYBE I could have one of them to myself for the first day or two of the hunt. One late evening (after gettin screwed around by other hunters for three days) I was sneaking up on a loud mouth bird to pinpoint his roost on the rim of Sycamore Canyon. I was planning to return in the morning in the dark to set up on him and call him in. As I was nearing the roost area to get a fix on what group of trees he was in, some jerk cockroached him right out of the tree! Startled me. Then pissed me off. Then adding insult to injury, I was rained on by a load of shot. That did it. I quit puttin in for spring turkey. I had experienced a whole lot of years of prime hunting and killed a lot of gobblers. I was down right spoiled! I just couldn't stand what it had become. Last year I finally put in again. My brother and I hunted an area away from Flagstaff. It was fabulous! Got drawn again this spring in the same area. This place is just like the good ol' days around Flagtown, except maybe even better. Now I have fresh notches etched into my aged, and heavily carved up Lynch box call. What a kick!! I love killing spring gobblers! Wana know what unit I'm huntin? AIN'T SAYIN'!!! Mike

There's just something really special about them big ol' bears! Mike

Or a leapard, and tell everybody it's a boarderlands jaguar! Mike

Since I became a coues freak, I haven't put in for an Arizona mule deer tag in about 15 years - and I miss hunting them. About 5 years ago I started hunting NM mule deer with a buddy, and we have a blast. We hunt canyon land/sage country. This kind of huntin has its own unique flavor and it hurts when we don't get drawn. So, I hunt Coues in AZ and Muleys in NM. I like having my cake and eating it too. Mike

Anybody know at what point on the road this closure is at exactly? Mike

Praise GOD!! Mike

I think getting rid of the E-apps this year is a good idea. I still think EVERYONE should be required to pass a Hunter Safety course to be eligible. Offering a few hoops to jump through should eliminate the yahoos that ain't serious about huntin - kind of a 'drunk test'. If you can't walk the line, you don't get to drive! Then maybe the people that really want to hunt will get tags. Mike

The people that don't get to hunt are the taxidermists! Mike

Mike Ornoski, Thank you for YOUR words; they are laced with wisdom. None of us hold any guarantees for our longivity, nor are we intitled to anything in this life. We don't take our next breath except by the grace of God. You are in a position where you are trusting the Master of the universe for your very existance. You are in your Savior's hands and that's a good place to be. I thank you and your brother in Christ for giving the rest of us the oportunity to pray for you. We will all be blessed in this petition. We've got you covered in prayer. God bless you, Mike. Mike

Grim, Check your PM's. Let's kick butt and take names!!!!! Mike

Amanda, Getting any response with this CW.Com table idea? It's lookin like I might be able to join you. Would be fun to share a table. Let me know, Mike

Using optics is cheating! What did people in the old days do? That's probably why there are no deer left in unit 23! Cheaters!! Mike

Ultramag, Look on rifle page 47 (I think). I'm the really, really handsome guy holding a 90 class deer. Was wanting a 100 incher. Thought I shot one - I never can judge them little suckers!!!! That OK, I'd shoot 'em again. Besides, he's the only deer in the whole dang unit! Mike

So then, How is it that you can correctly spell Rembrandt and I can't?? Mike

Dang Couseri 1, judging by that last articulate post, I'm starting to think that you might be a fairly inteligent guy - or did you have someone write that for you? I would sure hope that the Dept won't hammer the quality in a unit for a few more bucks (dollars, I mean). And thanks for giving me credit for killing the last known buck in Unit 23. I didn't think anybody cared! Mike