COOSEFAN

While out chasin' Lopers this past week I found several good 340-360 class bulls already trying hard to round up or keep their girlfriends! The type of action I saw was definitely taking place a little earlier than normal, all you archery guys should be seriously excited!!! JIM>

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!" If you really like the bull, shoot it!!! Don't care what other people think, they (myself included) are all jealous of your tag anyway and it's a whole lot easier to Talk the Talk, rather than Walk the Walk!!! When that particular bull comes crashin' in on top of you, screamin' and growling the whole way, he's gonna look twice as big and your adrenaline will skyrocket! If that happens, shoot em' and enjoy that memory for the rest of your life, there's nothing better!!! Best of luck on your tag, shoot what you like and savor every last minute you have with that tag in your pocket! JIM>

Was organizing my laptop and found these cool sequences that I had saved from last year, the time stamp will give you the play by play....... Yote on the run... On the hunt....

Look up "Giant Mule Deer" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of that buck! Huge congrats to Matt and Randy along with their friends, what an experience that must've been, like has already been mentioned, the smiles say it all! I met Randy once while chasing a lion down into a giant canyon, he was all by himself hiking out of there and had been down in there hunting coues with his bow! Extremely nice guy and have always heard he and Matt are die-hard amazing hunters and archers and I saw the proof that day when I met Randy! Congrats to all involved! JIM>

I bowfish a little every year and and used to do it much more back when I had more time and less responsibilities...i miss those days. I was never very good at it but I loved it! It's an awesome combination of hunting and fishing, especially if you get in the water with em' and stalk em'! I would reccomend that you pay close attention to the desert lakes in early spring and look for fish along the banks in shallow water. There are good days and bad days, some days there are fish all over the place rollin' and splashin' in the shallows and other days they are more out in open water or deeper. When you get on a good day it's a blast and your arms and fingers will be hurting from all the action! Again, a boat will help out immensely and especially one with a high platform to lessen your angle into the water but it's not necessary. There are folks on this site who are much better at bowfishin' than I am, hopefully they will post pics and advice for ya! Here are some pics i have handy....

Awesome job and nice bulls! Like Chris said, it was a nice mental break!

I'm pretty sure that's a small lion, especially if you compare to the size of the elk that were standing in the same spot. I walked that trail for a long ways looking for any sign that the Lion got one of the elk but found nothing. I walked in to that camera just a couple hours after the pics were taken.

I thought these pics were cool and figured you all would like to see them, I'm glad you liked them! JIM>

Buck of a lifetime in my book!!! Gorgeous! JIM>

I hope he's still operating next spring/summer, too busy now, but I've gotta do that!!! Thanks! JIM>

Hope your day is awesome! JIM>

Man that's awesome!! I can't wait for the day I when I finally slip an arrow through a coues, I can only hope it's as good as either of those bucks! Huge congrats to all involved on jobs well done, awesome archery bucks! JIM>

That's awesome you'll be sharing the experience with your brother! Sharing the experience with family and friends is what makes it all special! If you ever have any questions or need any advice send me a PM or email, I love helpin' out any way I can. Best of luck to ya! JIM>

Antelope are awesome! I just got done chasing them around this past week in 10. Very tough hunt for anyone holding out for big bucks, tons of good bucks, 70-80" class, that would've been fairly easy stalks but just not big enough. All the goats were scattered with TONS of miles between em' and the bigger bucks weren't with does. We were holding out for solid 80" class bucks and found very few. I know I was being very conservative on score because my friend only wanted 80"+ because he's already got 3 archery bucks smaller than that, but it seems like a weird year for Antelope horn growth in 10 at least, maybe it was just me? Here's a couple nice bucks, nothing giant tho..... This was my archery spot n' stalk buck. I ate several archery tags before finally wrappin' one on a horn, probably my most cherished trophy! Purdy buck I got in Montana..... Really good buck my bro n' law hammered on the run at long range with one shot..... Decent buck my little bro Tommie took.... And a nice buck Pops took....

Congrats and thanks for posting! Great job! JIM>

Awesome job Brian, you're a bear killin' machine! JIM>

Bowfishing can be a very addicting sport, you'll have a lot of fun with it! It's best to bowfish off a boat as it gives you access to more water and gives you a better angle on the fish. It's still a blast to bowfish from the bank and you can stalk around just like hunting critters. The spring time and on into early summer is the best time to do it when the fish are spawning and visible close to the surface and in shallow water. You can do it at night which will extend your season by using lights mounted to a boat and just cruise around. I haven't done that but heard it's a blast in the mid to late summer! The hardest thing is getting a feel for the water refraction. It vary's by how deep the fish is, but there is a visual distortion which changes depending on the angle in which you are looking into the water. A boat decreases this angle and allows you to see deeper and with less refraction or distortion because you can be higher and more up and down on the fish. the closer to the water you are and the more you are looking level to the surface the more the angle distorts where the fish is actually at. With more horizontal angle you shoot lower than the fish appears, with less horizontal and more vertical angle you shoot under but not nearly as much. This is the hardest thing about bowfishing but it can be mastered with lots of practice. You can read about it as much as you can but it all boils down to seeing it for yourself and getting a feel for it firsthand. The best practice is go to the lake with some foam fish targets and tie a rope under them to a lead weight or rock and sink them at different depths and distances. Practice shooting them at different angles and depths and you'll be amazed at how much lower the target can be compared to where it appears! There's lots of different equipment nowdays and they are all good for beginners, Cabelas sells some nice packages that will get ya started for not too much money. As you progress you can get crazy with custom arrows, fish points etc. I'll send a P.M. with more info, have fun and best of luck!

That's on my "bucket list" for sure! That is awesome! The price seems cheaper than I would've guessed, how much would it be for a farther trip out? Congrats!!! JIM>

How wide is he??

HOly SmoKes Mike!!! What a stud buck!!! Congrats on a giant spot and stalk buck, what an accomplishment man! JIM>

I was 13 when I shot my first archery buck and was very similar to your sons, I can relate to that great smile he's wearin'! I can also relate to the fact my dad wasn't with me, but knowing he was very proud of me is all that mattered! Huge congrats to your son and you for being a proud dad!!! JIM>

Dang, those are some GREAT bucks from TLO, congrats to all involved!!! I've got family and friends up there hunting and it's been tough with all the water and full moon lately but some great bucks this year for sure! I hope Jake whacks a monster, he's with the right guys for sure! Matt, let us know how he does! JIM>

Best of luck to you! I'd have to say the #1 thing I've learned over the years is "Patience"!!! I still don't have enough of it, but I've learned time and time again that there is a time and a place where your level of patience will be the deciding factor on whether you kill or not! When you are into a long stalk and you are "almost" close enough for a shot and you're not sure if the buck is still there, the hardest thing to do is to have patience! If at this moment you calm yourself down, reasure yourself the buck should still be there and don't rush it, you'll have a better chance at getting the shot you want on your un-suspecting target. I've always had a strong desire to rush the stalk at that moment and just "make it happen", but everytime I do that I blow it! I've gotten alot better in recent years to slow down in the final stages of a stalk and I'm realizing that is a huge factor in getting that shot you want and being able to think more clear in the moment of truth, just take your time and make yourself slow down! JIM>

Wow Mike!!! That's an awesome buck! You are blessed but you've also worked hard and earned each buck I'm sure, congrats!! JIM>

Awesome job holding your composure after having those arrows slide down!!! I would have been a mess too I'm sure but probably wouldn't have pulled it off like you did! Great job! JIM>