rossislider

Yeah, the wind has been really really bad today. Saturday and Sunday should be good. We've see plenty of elk deer (mule and coues) antelope, coyotes, you name it. No turkeys yet.

Slow windy smokey morning. Watching elk amd waiting for the strutters to come out.

Seems like you and rossislider have issues with the same prankster I need to meet this person. I wouldn't advise it. He is a bit of an a$$.

Only three hours into the trip and he is on my last nerve. He thinks he is hilarious. I am at the Show Low Walmart, and I am thinking about leaving him here till I come back through on Sunday.

Unit 1 turkey camp has already advised there there will likely be no fire in camp and will not be allowing others to have them within the camp. Good call. https://mailchi.mp/b701600589a1/important-information-about-turkey-camp

Hmm, sounds like something I swear I am going to do at some point during most of my hunts, go home and sell all my hunting gear.

Wow, 29,700 miles in 7 years? Do you even drive it? Good luck, seems like a pretty good deal.

My son and I aren't from Tucson, but we will be headed up there tonight to give us an extra day to look around. Can't wait to head out after work. Friday is looking windy, but it appears that may calm down a bit for Saturday and Sunday.

Which of the two is the bigger banquet? I would assume the AZ Chapter?

Do you have a blind? Thats the most important tool of trying to kill a turkey with a bow. I do and will be taking it. I 'm thinking I will probably head to our spot Thursday evening after dark to put it up so it is in place Friday morning. At the very least it will keep us a little dryer since rain is in the forecast. Both Draysen and I are relatively novice turkey hunters. We both now have a couple of seasons of "chasing" them and he has one turkey under his belt. But this will be our first time solo without my friend/mentor who, despite his jokester ways , has taught us most of what we know about turkeys. I've been practicing hard with the calls and hitting up the seminars, while Draysen has been practicing with his bow DAILY for months. It should be interesting. At the very least, it will be fun. We plan to head up north to units 1/27 tomorrow night. you have no friends, but PM me who your mentor is I need all the help I can get this weekend. Yea, I have heard that rumor about you. Draysen offered to give you a little coaching.

Do you have a blind? Thats the most important tool of trying to kill a turkey with a bow. I do and will be taking it. I 'm thinking I will probably head to our spot Thursday evening after dark to put it up so it is in place Friday morning. At the very least it will keep us a little dryer since rain is in the forecast. Both Draysen and I are relatively novice turkey hunters. We both now have a couple of seasons of "chasing" them and he has one turkey under his belt. But this will be our first time solo without my friend/mentor who, despite his jokester ways , has taught us most of what we know about turkeys. I've been practicing hard with the calls and hitting up the seminars, while Draysen has been practicing with his bow DAILY for months. It should be interesting. At the very least, it will be fun. We plan to head up north to units 1/27 tomorrow night.

Draysen, my 13 year old, is determined to get his first big game kill with his bow this weekend. So I absolutely plan to pull out the decoys. But they are not painted.

Hi Bob, I have been to the past few and think they are great and doing great work. I would encourage you to get back involved. Also, it is still led by founding members, but clealy that can't always be the case. You should come check us out again.

I am hearing high winds have made it rough.

Odd they would have it same night as the AES banquet.Nice catch, I missed that too. I hope the mirror made it home safe?

Last year was comparable to this year (I think around $145,000). It was a couple of years ago that it was around $260,000. I was talking about it last night with a few people there. We all thought there would be a good chance that moisture would effect the price. I also think that auction tags and opportunity for those with $$$$$$$$ are getting more plentiful throughout the west. As more of these types of tags become available, prices will continue to come down, supply and demand. I blame Utah.

I've been trying to sit back and hear/read as many perspectives as possible over the past few days before formulating an opinion. As sportsmen and conservationist, who can be very passionate about these issues, I strongly feel we need to be very deliberate in taking a position, and that it is our responsibility to make sure we learn about and strive to understand all perspectives in this process. Ive listened to the podcasts and read everything I can in here, on Facebook (including Conserve and Protect Arizonas page) and have spoken with quite a few people. First, I am appreciative of the members of Conserve and Protect Arizona and their role in fighting the HSUS. For that, the group has my gratitude. But gratitude will never equate to blind support for any organization. My gut reaction is to be skeptical of anyone looking to take tags away from our draw system for any type of sale, especially if they will be sold in a manner where any one person has an advantage (in this case wealth) over another. It is the proposed auctioning of these tags that I have trouble with. From everything I know and have heard THUS FAR, I think I could get on board with a clearly defined and determined number of RAFFLE tags with capped purchases on those raffle tickets. Raffle tags could not be transferred beyond immediate family. The number of tags would have to be determined beforehand as would hunt times, weapon, species, sex, etc. These tags and this number could not be altered in any way or by any groups or individuals at any time without going through public hearings, votes, etc. I have yet to hear or read anything that could even come close to getting me to support the auctioning of any of these tags. As long as this is on the table, I cant see any way that this initiative will gain the support of the average sportsman. Additionally, in listening to the podcasts, I feel that those pushing for this initiative over stress the raffle aspects of this but only mention auction tags in quick short almost whispered utterances, as if they are hiding from it and trying to keep attention away from it. This concerns me.

It was a great seminar. Thank you Ammon!

Just want to add one point of clarification for any reading that may not be familiar with the issue. There are two very different Humane Society organizations. The local state ones do great work and had nothing to do with the latest hunting nonsense. The problem is with the other, the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States). This one has no affiliation with the local groups and their primary goal is to ban all hunting everywhere. Don't be afraid to support your local Humane Society.

Side by side rifle case is only item still available. Price dropped.

Time to move some more stuff out of the closet. Items and prices listed below. Can pick up in Queen Creek or Tempe Spoken for - Collapsible 2D Montana Decoy - Free to someone taking a youth hunter out this spring Sold - New Unused (Perfect Condition) Hard Plastic Rifle Case (Maybe 2 rifles?) - $10 New Unused (Perfect Condition) Classic Accessories UTV Rifle Case (Two separate padded rifle compartments) - $60 https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/classic-accessories-quad-gear-utv-double-gun-carrier

Liar

Draysen and I will be there!

Nice, glad you didn't get caught with your pants down!

It has been a while now since I posted an update about Draysen’s growing taxidermy business. Every now and then someone asks me how he is doing and if he still going. Yes he is!!! He has been really busy. We don’t post more on here because we don’t want to disrespect the site owner and site sponsors. But much of his success is owed to CWT members who did a lot to help him get started, so I wanted to keep you updated. Several of you donated equipment, supplies, coaching, and most of all, trusted him to work on your trophies. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!! It has now been a little over a year since my son (he was 12 at the time) came up with the crazy idea to become a licensed taxidermist doing Euro mounts. It came with a big learning curve and lots of lesson learned, but I think he and I would both agree that it has been a very successful “little” business for him. We estimate that he has cleaned well over 200 skulls over the past year, including just about every species of game Arizona has to offer. As of this past weekend, things FINALLY seem to be slowing down for the first time since early September. It has been a great learning experience about business, responsibility, budgeting, integrity, etc. For me it has personally been exhausting as I have spent many evenings and weekends helping and coaching him along the way. I like to joke with him that I had a 20+ hour per week part time job that I wasn’t getting paid for. But he has continued to learn and grow to where now he is pretty much 100% self sufficient doing it all on his own, and only comes to dad for occasional help, questions, or when the work gets so busy that he needs an extra hand to stay above water. One of our favorite things to do is help out other hunters with questions who are learning to do their own. So if he or I can ever help you out with any tips or advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. I’ll post a bunch of our favorite pictures below. If you would like to see more, you are welcome check out or follow his Facebook or Instagram pages: Facebook – Great Hunter Skullz Instagram -gr8hunterskullz