1uglydude

In more worried about the fire in Oak Creek Canyon. We could easily lose Sycamore.

It depends on their PR department. Sometimes it will be preceded by a news release a day or two before. Two years ago, which is probably the year Couestracker is referring to, it hit the news the night before they closed it. I remember because I had several bears patterned for my archery bear tag and had my truck loaded and ready for the next morning. When I was finally able to go back in a month later I saw that on the day the forest closed I had three bears come to water before noon! For what it's worth, the first day of a closure is almost always Friday. I highly doubt they will close it before the holiday weekend, but wouldn't be surprised if they close it before the next weekend.

New Mexico will refund your license if you don't draw if you check the box on your application. Nevada will too, but if you ask for the refund you don't get the bonus point. Again, the more licenses you sell, the more Pittman money you can get through the Feds.

I can't seem to get the link to paste on this page, but if you read AZCentral today you will see that the Town of Gilbert is proposing to ask Game and Fish to change Water Ranch Lake to artificial flies and lures only with a single barbless hook. Certain special interests are behind this move because they claim that discarded fishing line and fishing tackle on the shore and under the surface of the water are killing turtles and shorebirds. The Regional office was consulted about the proposal and they informed the Gilbert Parks Department that any such change would mean REMOVAL of the lake from the community fishing program and an END to Department-funded fish stocking. Even with that information, the Parks and Rec department is moving forward with the proposal and it will be before the Town Council next Thursday. For reasons I would rather discuss in private, I cannot spearhead public opposition against this proposal. I would, however, like to work behind the scenes to help a group of similarly-concerned parents to do so. A few important points that need to be heard in public: 1 - Water Ranch is the only community fishing water in north Gilbert. 2 - Water Ranch is the only nearby community fishing water that has a natural shoreline (we go to other parks and my daughter asks why we are fishing in a swimming pool with concrete edges). 3- Water Ranch allows kids to fish in a semi-natural setting. There are no jungle gyms or swing sets to distract them. They can focus on learning to fish and acquiring patience. 4- There are already littering laws that cover the discarding of used line and tackle. Those laws are not being enforced. Who will enforce the artificial rule? No one. The litter will still be there, and there will be less of it only because there will be very few fish in the lake. 5- It is very hard to teach very young kids to fish using artificial flies and lures. My three year old isn't going to enjoy watching me waive a fly-rod around in the hopes that I can find a catfish aggressive enough to hit a streamer. 6- If Gilbert wants to keep the rural community feel, then we need opportunities like those available at Water Ranch for our kids. Anyway, I could keep going on and on with a list. Please send me a PM if you're interested in speaking out. The Town Council meeting is NEXT THURSDAY.

Bingo. The state gets money from the P-R Act based on how many licenses are sold. A combination license counts as two licenses under the formula used. So, instead of jacking up the price of both NR hunting and NR fishing licenses, they decided to make combo the only option and to give it a modest price increase over the old hunting license. If NR fishermen don't like it then they still have the short term licenses available. Same thing for NR small game hunters.

except for the cartel who could care less about you or your kids. All of the illegals being brought across the border are with a coyote that will kill you in a heartbeat. Ha! Yeah, that's why we see innocent civilians getting shot down there on a daily basis. The early coues season is a nightmare, more hunters killed than deer. Think about what you're saying. The cartels are about money. They fight each other to get their smuggling routes. The last thing they want to do is start shooting innocent people because it would bring the BP and all other law enforcement into that area and wipe out all of their work. Then they would have no choice but to risk using a route under heavy pressure or go fight another cartel for a new route. Are there exceptions? Yes. There's always a rouge foot soldier out there. But these guys aren't stupid. They know how to make money, and they know what kind of activity will put a hurt on their business. I'm not saying that they're nice or that they have compassion on your children, they just have more business sense than you're letting on.

It doesn't. That's the problem. They're using the discarded fishing line and hooks as an excuse to push the agenda of the Desert Flycasters and the Audubon Society, claiming that the birds are hurt. Here's a few more things to consider: 1) We already have littering regulations that obviously aren't being enforced, who will enforce the artificial rule? 2) If you pass by the lake at night, after it is closed and supposed to be empty, you will see several groups of "fishermen" who stay there late into the night and take home many many fish. No one is enforcing the curfew. Are these guys going to follow the artificial fly and lure regulations? No. They're going to catch and take every fish they can. You can bet that these are also the guys leaving the trash and line behind. 3) Game and Fish will not stock catfish and trout in the lake if this rule changes...and why should they? Gilbert still expects them to stock bass and bluegill twice per year though (which will be promptly removed by the late night bucket brigades). The Department buys trout at roughly $4 per pound for urban stocking. Catfish cost just under $3 per pound. Bass cost $19 per pound and bluegill cost $14 per pound. Which is the better use of money if we are looking for fishing opportunities for kids? 4) The Audubon Society claims that over 100 birds and turtles have been killed by discarded line and tackle over the past six years, but you can't tell me that the birds haven't also benefited by fish stockings. For crying out loud, the cormorants gorge themselves nearly every day on stocked fish.

That's true, but the mayor doesn't realize that Game and Fish will expand to those other waters at almost no cost to Gilbert, all the Town has to do is agree to it. Game and Fish wants to expand the urban fishing program in Gilbert to other lakes, but the parks and rec department will only agree to that if the Game and Fish makes Water Ranch artificial flies and lures and catch and release. There is no reason the program can't expand to more lakes so the kids can have real opportunity at all of them. Water Ranch is THE best urban water in the southeast valley. The Town is offering up McQueen Park, Discovery Park, and Freestone Park - none of these is suitable substitute for Water Ranch. Water Ranch has a natural shoreline, no playground equipment, and the water is not dyed blue like the other parks. At Freestone, the kids will be distracted by the slides and swings if the fishing is at all slow. The shoreline is concrete curbing, like a swimming pool. Also, the water is the same color blue you see when you add those urinal cakes to your toilet water. Our kids deserve a fishing experience that is as close to natural as we can get it.

What would your price be without the scope?

Emails to the mayor and councilmembers are useful, but the biggest impact will come from having bodies in the room wanting to speak on the issue. Also, here's a tip: the mayor gets a lot of email....the councilmembers don't get quite as many but their votes count just as much as the mayor's.

The article mentions the person who is the driving force behind the change. He is in the leadership of the local branch of a national environmental group and also happens to be a former town councilman. He has the ears of a lot of people.

Any interest in trading one for one with 55 gr hornady canalured spire points? I have 900 of them, but my rifles don't like them as much as the FMJs. Sounds like you're not hard pressed for bullets, but I thought I would ask.

Alliant claims that RL 17 is designed for short mags. I use it in my 270 wsm and get amazing groups and higher than anticipated velocity that is remarkably consistent from shot to shot.

I will take it. Will send a PM.

I get amazing results with Reloader 17 in my 270 WSM. Great groups, and very fast and very consistent velocities. I have enough to last me though. :-)

I've done that too...I thought I was the only one that anal about it.

Have you compared the two in the past? I used up my small cans of the short cut. I have a single one pound can of the standard stuff and an 8 pound jug of the short cut, all unopened. I don't know that I'm going to stick with the powder going forward, but before I do I want to test a load or two. I don't want to break open the 8 pounder just for loads that might not go anywhere, but I'm also worried that if I test with the standard cut and find something I like, the results might not transfer over to the short cut.

Where's the H4831sc? I see a can of the standard stuff in the photos. :-)

Just got mine...drew for deer.

People on other forums are reporting that they are starting to receive the emails. Good luck.

They changed the website to say April 30 for a couple weeks, but then changed back to April 23 last week. Not sure if that means anything, but it would have been easy for them to keep the April 30 date if they felt it was necessary.

That would be my guess...if this is really how it works. When do emails typically go out? Is it the day before the posted date for results? If so, then that would be tomorrow, right?

I requested a license refund if not drawn. I just went into my account, and I am now able to print off a 2014 hunting license that says it has a purchase date of April 19th. So.....??? Just noticed that my post said that I could "not" print off a license...that should have read "now" print off a license.

I requested a license refund if not drawn. I just went into my account, and I am now able to print off a 2014 hunting license that says it has a purchase date of April 19th. So.....???

Huh...is there anything about how landowner tags are sold that would make using this "backdoor" method (unfortunate naming, by the way), not work for non-residents? I would be strange to have so many NRs draw. Did you put your daughter in for NM this year? Does it show anything different for her?