COOSEFAN

Hey Joe, I'm glad to see you've kept up with the carp whackin' and got your son into it! I always get out a few times every spring but wish I had more time to get serious with it! Between shed hunting, bed fishin, Mexico stuff, Turkey hunts, and a serious lack of funds this time of year, I never get much time to go slay fish, but MAN I WISH I DID!!! Congrats Joe and Garrett on that win, that is awesome! I bowfished a tourney last year at Roosy and got SPANKED! But, it was a blast and really neat to see everyones boat and archery set ups, my equipment is WAY out dated! Plus, it was a little embarrasing, and dangerous, using step stools instead of a custom built shooting platform! LOL!

Exactly!!!

I'm with Chef, "Lumpy" was my favorite! Amazing job Jake and to both of you on the footage! I was curious after reading the post if you were using Final Cut to edit your videos and after watching it I'd guess you are, it was outstanding! Best of luck this season guys! JIM>

Thanks Casey, Yep, no gray muzzle yet, thankfully! I worry about the day when I lose him, it'll be horribly rough on me, he's my boy!

Minus the $7.50 app fee?

I'm hearing this may have been a joke, typical of this time of year It made me check tho and no hits for me! JIM>

Great pics and congrats on the pig! Welcome to the site as well, JIM>

Let's see your finds... You first buddy, mine ain't much to see! HA!

I appreciate your concerns but let me set the facts straight about who Mullins Outfitters is before you form an opinion based off assumptions. Mullins Outfitters has guided 1 Auction Tag hunter. We are not against guiding Auction tags but we also don't try for them. The 1 Auction tag hunter that we guided was a close friend of ours prior to him buying the tag, so it worked perfectly for us and we shared an incredible hunt with him. We have never bought or sold a bull or information leading to one, and because of that we have not attracted any other Auction tag holders as clients. I am not saying that is wrong, we just don't do it and pride ourselves in having the ability to find our own bulls with hard work and a great team. We have guided 4 Super Raffle tag hunters. All 4 of those hunters were "average joe" hunters that got lucky and won the tag. We love helping anyone fulfill a dream and especially the "average joe" hunter, I LIVE for that! On several of those Raffle tag hunts we actually donated our services or greatly reduced the price to help make it possible for the hunter to increase his chances of killing a dream bull. Our reputation speaks for itself, I would encourage or challenge anyone to call ANY of our clients, successful or not, and see what they have to say about my outfit! With that said, we, at Mullins Outfitters, do not support the bill. My dad had voted against this bill well before half of you even knew what it was about! I HATE political issues and anyone that has been on CWT.com for any length of time would know that I am usually absent from the Political forum. This issue however has been too big to ignore so here I am. I am a firm beleiver that EVERYONE has the right to their own choice and decisions and even if it differs from mine, I still respect them for it. Just because I have not been vocal in this does not automatically make me a bad guy, a good guy, a supporter or an opposer. For all the other folks who have not made a public stance, I don't care, some are my friends, some are not, it's their choice to do whatever they want and I'm not going to bash them for their decision. Thanks if you read through this, and again, I ask that everyone try to be respectful in your words and debates. I will not delete anyones posts or comments UNLESS it is fowl language or a personal attack. Thanks, JIM>

As I've stated, we are going to be more aggressive from now on with moderating. Sorry Lark if something wasn't moderated prior that offended you. And for the record, you know exactly what I deleted and why. Out of respect for your opinions and our ability to respectfully argue, state opinions and disagree if we choose, I did not delete your entire post. I also don't care if you are for it, against it, or even if you are a fence rider...everyone is entitled to their opinion and choice. JIM>

Didn't offend me but what was said most definitely would offend other members of this site. We will be more aggresive in moderating as things have gotten out of control lately. CouesWhitetail.com is a site where visitors of all ages are welcome and i've always been proud of the fact that CWT.com has always had the most respectful, courteous, and knowledgeable membership of them all! I am all for everyone having the ability to voice their opinions, state facts, and ultimately agree to disagree in the end if necessary, and I would ask that we all try to be respectful and mindful of our language while on the open forum. Thanks, JIM>

VERY Jealous!!! Thanks for posting! JIM>

Very cool! Congrats on the pick up! JIM>

WOW Phil!!! I just got back from a few days shed hunting myself, did 18 miles which isn't much compared to more serious shed hunters, and only found 1 brown and 1 hard white! You did awesome man, congrats!!! JIM>

Ha! Had I known Devin was posting at the same time I wouldn't have, I agree with him

The bone under the velvet is bright white. At first though there is blood and that will make them appear red but that doesn't last long as the bulls are constantly rubbing. It then doesn't take long for them to add color with the constant rubbing. The final color of the antlers depends on the type of vegetation or trees that the bulls rub on and the color of the mud that he rolls in. For instance, a bull that primarily lives in open cedar country will have lighter colored horns, while a bull that lives in pine trees with burned areas close by will have very dark or black antlers. The white tips are due to being polished from digging into dirt and trees, that polished part of the horn doesn't hold the color like the rest of the antler that is more porous. JIM>

Not soon enough! Although i'll guess March 28th at 11:31 am!

Huge Congratulations and great job Allison! Great job to you as well Joe, amazing how time has flown by! Congrats again and thanks for sharing, JIM>

57 4/8" AWESOME PIECE O' BONE!!!! JIM>

Alright, I first gotta say that my ranches in Mexico are LOADED with Javalina and my friends and their family members along with their friends LOVE Javalina meat! The meat we got from all the Javi's we killed was very appreciated and every last bit was utilized. I did get tired of packin and cleaning them stinky critters, but we had a blast hunting them in the down times! On One hunt with my Pops and friends of ours we all whacked pigs on the last day of their hunt and it just topped off a very memorable and great hunt in Mexico! On another hunt, with no hunters in camp at the time I grabbed the gun and went hunting for myself. It was a beautiful day, overcast with off and on sprinkles. The cowboys at the ranch asked me to shoot a pig for them if I saw one and I gladly said I would if I found some! I hadn't driven more than 1/4 mile from the house when pigs ran across the road! I got out, loaded the 7mm and stood in front of my truck. The sides of the road were thick with tall grass and no visibility so I started calling with my mouth. Sounding like a sick squealing piglet I did my best and right after I started 2 big pigs jumped on the road hauling butt right at me! I held steady on the left pig and just as he cut to the left broadside I dumped him just off the side of the road. I jacked in another round as I swung the rifle to the pig cutting to the right of me and as he blew through a clear lane I let him have it with a lucky shot rolling em over in mid stride! It was some seriously fun stuff and one of the reasons why a pig huntin' fool such as myself loves Mexico! I had to bust out the tripod to get pics of these beauties! Next up was my buddy Santos. While our Mule deer client was out high rackin we went out hoping to find a nice Coues buck to get him on. With no big bucks found that day we turned our attention to a huge herd of Javi's feeding on a hillside. Santos had never killed a pig and he was excited as I set the rifle up for him! I got my .300WM with the Loc Jaw and Rifle Railz attachment set up on the tripod. We ranged the herd at 235 yards and I sat next to Santos with my fingers in my ears. He picked out the biggest one and BOOM...WHOP, the pig folded in his tracks! I pulled out my fingers and said "whoo hoooo ya got em'" BOOOM...WHOP!!! I didn't realize he was shooting again and it blew my ears out! I yelled "dangit, alright you got a second one..BOOOOM..WHOP!!! He whacked another one and was ready to go for a 4th as I grabbed his arm and said "NO MAS"!!!! Santos had ear plugs in and couldn't hear me, he was just whackin n' stackin! I did not feel like gutting and skinning more than 1 pig but now we had 3! Santos said he would do all the work and had friends that would be excited for the meat so it was all good! Here's my buddy Santos and his first kill...and his 2nd..and 3rd! Lastly, you would think I had enough of whackin' pigs by the time I got home from Mexico....NOPE! I had a HAM tag burning a hole in my pocket and even tho I was extremely busy catching up I was able to find a 1/2 day to hunt! I grabbed my bow and ran up to my unit. I had a tight schedule, needing to be home by 1:00, I needed to find, kill and get a pig in the truck by 11:30! I didn't find the pigs at the first spot so i took off running up and over the mountain. I settled in overlooking a huge canyon thinking that Murphy's Law is gonna put a herd on the other side of this nasty canyon....SURE ENOUGH, THERE THEY ARE! I looked at the watch and figured if I hauled butt over there I could make it happen so off I went. In no time I was across and standing in the path of the herd. The sun was at my back and the wind at my side and the pigs were feeding right at me. I noticed all the lead pigs were small and my target pig was in the rear lagging behind. I eventually had 4 pigs within 15 yards of me. The sun kept them from seeing me standing against a cedar and I even drew back and let up several times on the big pig which hadn't gotten closer than 50 yards. Each time I drew back I let up thinking he would get closer. Finally the lead pig, now at probably 7-8 yards, started bristling up and high steppin'! I figured that was my only chance so I drew and basically let the arrow fly without settling the pin because I thought he was gonna run any second. That arrow went high and all the pigs blew out of there! I ran up to a clearing and started squealing and whoofing. After a couple minutes 3 pigs started walking and whoofing towards me. Once the lead pig stepped in front of my pre-ranged bush at 35 yards I stuck an arrow in em' and watched him tip over! It's one of the smallest pigs I've ever killed but I'll take it, especially because of the nasty canyon I needed to climb out of! I threw em in the pack and eventually started my truck at exactly 11:30! A great day pig hunting! Don't laugh, I know he's small, but it takes more skill to hit the smaller ones right?? A pig is a pig! Thanks if you read through the whole post! JIM>

This year I bought a predator call for my friends that own one of our ranches in Mexico. In past years there has been an increasing problem with predators on the ranch and the deer herds are being seriously affected by it. They've incorperated several other methods in trying to control the predators and adding predator calling to the mix will only help as long as they stick with it. So, with a new Fox Pro call in hand, I took my buddies out on their ranch and taught them the basics. On the very first stand, after showing them how to set up, how to be quiet and not silhouette yourself, I started the first series of calls and immediately a coyote was running straight at me! I tried to get Fito's (Santos' brother) attention but he had his earplugs in so I lifted the gun and rolled the 'yote at about 60 yards head on! Very next stand, we drove about 1 mile and this time I left my gun in the truck, it was Fitos turn! I sat behind him, pointed out the possible routes critters will take and why, and then started my first series. Again, just like the first, a 'yote came bounding in! I tapped on Fitos shoulder and as soon as he saw the 'yote coming I could tell he started shaking! He lifted the gun and held it on the 'yote until he finally stopped head on at 30 yards...BOOOOM..WHOP!!! The 'yote flipped over at least once in the air with a shot to the head making a very fast and effective kill! Fito was shaking and jumping up and down excitedly, it was his first kill and seeing a predator come in to get him was a huge thrill! On another hunt, I had Santos with me and I wanted to call in pigs for him to shoot with his bow. I had the big gun just in case a lion came in. Shortly after calling the second series, a fox came running in. I tried to get Santos' attention but he couldn't see it and eventually the fox took off. Unfortunately for him he stopped one last time before bailing off a cliff and I was a little trigger happy I shouldn't have shot em' but he was probably one of the culprits for dissappearing chickens at the nearby house, so I felt a little better about it. Here's a new Lion trap set up, it's only been there for a short time so not sure if it's going to work yet. I think it would take a dumb cat to get caught but ya never know, appearantly these traps can be very effective. BTW..the critters can't get to the goat and the cowboys feed and water him everyday! He was bawling like crazy tho so I'm sure it's attracting predators at least. Probably the reason the Lion didn't need to go for the goat was this cow which was fairly close to the trap. We found this cow right after it was killed and buried!!! It was fresh and the Lion worked very hard to do it in the sand but had actually buried most of the cow when we first found it. We could see the marks on the face and neck from where the Lion held on to it when killing it. To say this upset the ranch owner would be an understatement! It took several days for it to come back, but I know this Lion soon regretted eating dinner that night Here's further proof why the predators are needing to be managed, this buck was killed shortly after rubbing his velvet off last September and was found completely buried. Fortunately these ranches still hold some huge bucks and great genetics and in planning for the future by managing predators today I'm excited to see how good these ranches become! JIM>

BTW...That dead head scored 193" and 34" wide, a young deer with huge potential

Huge congrats to Ashley and crew!!! Great story for sure! The harder you hunt, the sweeter the victory! Congrats, JIM>

Yeah, Santos was hammering em' like a blood thirsty sniper! Having my .300wm locked down on a tripod with the Loc Jaw adaptor is a deadly combo! We shot pigs with single shots out to 698 yards and my dads coues with a single shot at 646 yards last month with that set up! I'm not sure if helping Santos get his first taste of blood was a good thing, I think I created a monster!

Thanks all! I think the Javi's on our ranches south of the border are an untapped resource for sure! We get tons of tags for them and several clients have taken some home with them. I'm not sure if anyone would want to do just a Javi hunt in Mexico, but they make for a great bonus to a deer hunt!