Swivelhead

AZ does not need feral hogs on any level (unless they eat donkeys & wild horses).

Used to catch quite a few of them in the Phx mtns when we were kids. They ARE biters! Supposedly chuckwallas are plant eaters, you wouldn't know it by me.

My hat is off to ANYBODY who can go find a reptile with regularity, especially a gila monster. Most gila monsters I've seen have been in late winter or early spring. They've all been sluggish. A friend tells me gila monsters can move quite well for short distances. These pictures were taken from about 18". My friend tells me to not get too close as their speed can be surprising. Is my friend correct?

Saddle bronc is my favorite event to watch. Poetry when done right.

Not an astronomer by any definition however I enjoy checking out comets, meteor showers, etc. Sky & Telescope website has a map showing the path of the comet by date. Those of you who live in outlying areas with a dark sky can likely see a small tail with decent optics. I've been looking at the comet nightly now that the moon has gone away. Best viewing is about 9:00 pm. Comet is 60 degrees above the horizon in the northwest sky. I'd suggest locating the comet with wide field binoculars. You can switch to higher power binos or a spotter once you've got it located. While observing this comet I've also been testing my various optics on star images. Points of light, especially bright light tend to diffuse. Getting a sharp focus on such objects reveals chromatic aberration (CA). None of my optics are flourite or APO's so CA is apparent in all of them. What I noticed was that with my spotters, there was CA but the "sweet spot" was large (star images while ghosting due to CA were somewhat sharp and not diffused to the edges of the field). Tested three binoculars, 10X50 SLC's, 15X56 SLC's and Zeiss Conquest 15X56. CA was present in all three, all of them diffused star images substantially more than the spotters at the edge of the FOV. What surprised me most was that the Zeiss was corrected for CA and had a larger "sweet spot" than either Swaro SLC. I'm not crazy about the Conquest 15x56 ergonomics but optically they are sound.

Beautiful bucks, congrats. Really like the crab claw on the typical. Looks mean!

Supposedly this was the 1st drawing that would be run "in house" by the department. I had no issues but did not wail till last minute. Wonder if this draw is the same old ........

Bump for a very tempting rifle at a good price.

Went to my 1st ever sheep club waterhole project in the Silverbells last weekend. Met some really nice people. Volunteers assisted a G&F crew with a new 10K storage system. Club put on a great meal with ice cream for desert and a monster bonfire after dinner Saturday night. It was a good time, I'd recommend it to anyone. Area WM addressed volunteers at the campfire and thanked everybody for pitching in. WM discussed the most recent sheep count in the Silverbells. As I recall, he said the 2011 survey saw 40-50 sheep and the 2014 survey counted 130+. Good news!

There are a number of versions of 15X60 Zeiss Porros. Binos were in production for 40 years. Value varies substantially according to what version you are offering for sale. Picture of the binoculars would help those considering an offer.

I've own a number of the PH 113's. Durable and will handle decent weight. Smooth......... not so much, about 90$ worth. I'd recommend you spend more and get better quality.

Let us know what you think of the 20X glass.

You lookin' for an all cash deal?

I've had my best tasting Javelina by processing the carcass at the kill site. Packing a whole stanking javi back to the truck can be nasty! How I do it: Don't always opt for the biggest hog in the group. Carry a canvas meat bag in the pack as well as some quality rubber gloves plus a few pre-moistened kitchen wipes kept in a ziploc bag. Tag the hog on the lower leg just above the hoof. Take some pictures. Hang the carcass, skin and remove head. Don't worry about the scent gland as it comes off with the hide however minimize contact with the gland and any exposed flesh. Once skinned, stop and clean knives & gloves. Now is the time to remove hair from the carcass. Bone out the hanging carcass (the "gutless" method). Save the tagged foot! Boned out pig is only 10-15 pounds so it's an easy but more importantly, clean pack out. Do a final trim & clean at the house. BBQ, green chili, red chili, chili, all come out good. I've even slapped some straps on the grill and it was decent although somewhat tough. Javelina is best when slow cooked IMO. I recommend this process to those who've been scarred trying to eat RANK javelina.

Nice looking land mines.

This is going to sound borderline insane, but you got me thinking. Maybe I shouldn't waste my points on Goulds and just go straight Rio's. AZ Rios are hybrids. Go for a Goulds here then Texas or Oklahoma for a Rio.

Roads hit high points too .........

Goulds hunts are not over-subscribed like the most spring hunts. Last few times I hunted our national forests for Merriam's, it was a joke, people were everywhere. I like a little serenity when I hunt. I am willing to wait for a great tag.

It would be interesting to drive down & offer to take a couple protesters out to the "slaughter". Call all day and be dang lucky to get a dog in much less take one. It'd also be cool to have one of those really good days too. Point is these people have a problem with their wild side. We are all descended from hunter gatherers. The hunt is in us. It must scare the heck out of them.

I know a few people who were unsuccessful with their Goulds hunt. Not for lack of trying.

Bump for a nice set-up priced right.

The dog did blow out a nice covey.......

Yes, over the phone. Did not know it could be done over the phone. Thx for the tip! Called, got my tag, feeling good! Love that reservation, no quads, the land sees few people except hunting season. I remember when our national forests were like that.

WM stated tag #'s are based on how many class III & IV rams are counted not the overall population. When those numbers rise we should see an additional tag.

I was in unit 21, the sign was there just did not see the quarry. Not getting a javelina is no big deal, I've taken quite a few in my lifetime. I was just surprised I NEVER saw one during all that glassing. Reality is that I was trying to get it done easy (glassing). Needed to get out and beat the weeds to learn their routine in the area. Likely, I'll go back to the same area next year and provided the sign is there I'll do the miles necessary to decipher their core areas. Look forward to doing it.