daryl_s

This is the first time I have seen this thread so I got to go from beginning to seeing your success post in a short time. Way to go on your first deer! Not many guys have filled a tag with a bow that quickly after just getting started. I have to ask, are you related to the people that own and run Apache Equipment Rentals? I have done some electrical work there and I have used lots of your equipment on other jobs.

I agree. I joined this site in 2005 when there were about 600 members. Before that I just hiked all day long and all I ever saw were white tails flagging running away. Over the years I have picked up a lot of great info and I have put it into practice in the field. Now I cover all those miles with my eyes. The best hunts that I have been on are the ones where I help a friend or family member fill a big game tag for the first time. There are lots of us willing to help out.

Dang! That Swaro package raffle gets me every time. At least my $20 is going to a good cause.

The whole border situation is different for everybody and totally depends on the person. I have hunted in 36B & 36C since I was 12 years old, over 25 years now. I have never had any problems, but almost all of that time I was hunting with at least 1 other person. There have been a handful of times that I've crossed paths with a few illegals, or seen a large group go by a few hundred yards away. It was always uneventful in the end. The few times that I have hunted alone down there I didn't sleep well at night and I hated hiking alone in the dark. I really didn't enjoy it near as much. On the flip side though, there are tons of deer in the border units and the hunting is great. If I'm not hunting alone then the border units are by far my favorite to hunt. The deer in my avatar was killed about a mile from the border. Each person's fears and concerns are different, so it all depends on you. If you think you'll be bothered by just the thought that you may have some kind of encounter, then you will most likely be better off putting in for a non border unit. I've never hunted 31 or 32, but 22, 23, and the 24's are very good choices for what you want to do. The last 2 deer I have killed were in 24B, one of them being this past Thanksgiving weekend. There is a huge wilderness in 24B that is great for backpack hunting.

Who won the Swarovski spotter and binocular package?

Beautiful buck! Congratulations! I enjoy the pictures so much more when there is a good story to go with them. Nice job on the write up and thanks for taking us along with you.

Happy birthday to all these spammers turning 34 today!!

That's a steal!

I'm interested, pm sent.

You will not find better binoculars for $800. I have this same pair and they are what you would expect from Zeiss.

Man, someone got a major steal on those Meoptas!!!!

Just purchased point guard. Thanks for the reminder.

Can I still add it? If I can I’ll do it right now.

Can I still add it? If I can I’ll do it right now.

I put in for this unit two days before the fire started

The view from Florence looks really bad.

Looks like just a few miles north of my house. I live in Florence in Anthem Merrill Ranch.

From my vantage point that looks like about where it is.

I just noticed there’s a fire burning in the Superstitions.

I picked one up last week at the Southeast Gilbert Costco. So glad I did.

I'll take it. PM inbound.

Any idea if they will work on Sprint's network?

30 tags combined for my first two choices. My 11 bonus points probably won't be enough.

Great deals on both of those!

Not many options in Florence. A & M Pizza is probably your best bet. The owners are actually Italian.