COOSEFAN

Hope you had a great B-day! Best of luck on your hunts! JIM>

That sucks Troy! I grew up helping out at all those Unit Watch and Junior hunt camps with what I'm guessing is the same organization. I would have to say that your friend unfortunately ran into a "bad seed" right from the start. Everyone that I've been around at those camps over the years has been very courteous and friendly to all hunters in general, especially the youngin's.....regardless of which tag they had! I do hope it was just one individual that your friend is unhappy with and not the whole camp! Anyways, that is awesome to hear the boy tagged his first critter! Huge congrats to him! I bet that was an awesome thing for your friend to witness! JIM>

Hey guys, back from Montana and brought home a purdy 'Loper! I talked Pops into going with me and the plane ride there sucked and the baggage handlers thought my gun case would make for a great pry-bar or something as it was destroyed when we got into Billings! Luckily the gun wasn't hurt and I checked the zero at the ranch and everything was still good. I had purchased this hunt from the AES banquet last year so it was fully outfitted by Miles Hutton of Borderline Outfitters. The ranch is less than a mile from the border of Canada and at any time I could look north and see Saskatchewan.....and usually there were Eastern Whities runnin' around! The country was rolling grasslands and farm feilds and there were no trees or big bushes for as far as you could see. My main hope for this hunt was to get to hunt for the 'Lopers. I didn't want to just drive around, I wanted to feel like I hunted for them. My main reason for this was because I still had the thought that we wouldn't see anything big, so if I was going to kill a small buck, than I wanted to work hard for it! Right off the bat we found some good bucks and things were looking up. I passed up two bucks opening morning and as we hiked through the hills we found several other groups of goats and found a herd that had some big goats! I laid eyes on one that just got me all excited! He had foward growing horns and good prongs, very wide and seemed to have some good mass. I really just liked the shape and style and said I would kill it if given the chance. There was another buck in the herd that had better mass, smaller prongs and not as wide, but he may have scored higher than the buck I liked, but I didn't care. This buck was awesome looking and i wanted it. We were stuck in the open and laid still forever waiting for the critters to calm down and as soon as they all dissapeared behind a ridge we took off. We made a long loop to get ahead of em' and then crawled up to the ridgeline to peek over and they were right there. I scrambled up higher to clear my barrel of the slope of the ridge and had my buck in the crosshairs but couldn't get steady. I pulled off and watched the herd filter over the next ridge. Again we were off and scrambling to get in position before they got too much distance on us, and again we started belly crawlin' up to the top. This time the herd was closer and looking away so I had time to get up on my tripod and shooting sticks and instantly had my buck in the crosshairs! He was broadside facing right and I will never forget that site picture.......big mature 'Loper with my crosshairs rock solid on his shoulder! The distance was around 250 yrds and it felt awesome to pull the trigger! BOOM! The gun went off and instead of dropping he reared and bolted ahead of the herd and out of sight just over the ridge! I told Miles I hit em' and he agreed but I knew I must have pulled the shot because he didn't break down like I expected. I have a tendancy to pull left and high when I don't concentrate on my shots and I figured I was so wrapped up in the moment I didn't pay enough attention to the shot! We got over to where he was at the shot and could see his white belly another 50 yrds down the hill! I later learned the shot was left and center punched through the lungs explainin' why he didn't drop! I got real excited when I pulled his head out of the grass! He has super mass that the pic's don't do justice for, and awesome character! One of his prongs is broken pretty bad but most of it is still there and I just think it adds to his character! The body and especially his head are huge compared to our desert speed goats and they have even thicker coats than our goats here. Where I killed this 'Loper is only about 3 miles from the Saskatchewan fence and I know they grow some huge deer there, so I would have to say they grow some huge 'Lopers too! We called in and threw lead at some coyotes during the following days and gained several pounds due to all the home cooked meals! It was awesome to have Pops there to share in this experience with me, can't wait to go back! BTW.....Montana does have some good goats after all! I unfortunately took very few (actually only this one) scenic pics, so here it is.... And here's my 'Loper! And here is my outfitter on this trip Miles Hutton. Super guy, wonderful family, and incredible operation!

Well, the hunt started around 10:30 and it was dark. I hiked up to a small knob, took off my pack and set up my tripod and glasses. The faint light started filtering down through the many drainages that were filled with mesquite and ocotillo. The air was cool and the wind was non-existent as I took my first look through my EL's. I could now see well enough to pick apart the shadows and horizontal lines with my EL's and I soon had a small buck spotted. I immediately slapped on the 15's and focused on the 70" class buck that stood motionless beside an ocotillo. This is the early hunt so I know there may be other bucks with this critter. I scan slowly through all the likely hiding places around this buck. My adrenaline is already pumpin', I can feel the tag in my pocket and I just know there has to be another buck close by! There.....I see something flicker through the ocotillo.........I strain harder and again it flickers. I know it could be just a bird, but it's just gotta be........OH YEAH.....There he is, I just saw tines swing through the small vertical openings in the ocotillo! They looked long but I don't know for sure.....I strain harder and again I see the same tines swing through the opening and I can now make out the buck is bedded and looking around, but he's almost completely hidden. I scan back to my 70" class buck and notice he is still motionless and staring in the same direction as before.......I wonder.....what has his attention.......I scan over further............LION! I see it lying in the grass not 80 yrds from the small buck, tail low and slightly curled up and flipping side to side.......his body low and ears and head focused intently through the grass looking at the small buck! I quickly remembered the Lion tag folded neatly beside my Coues tag in my wallet and my adrenaline hits overdrive! I quickly scan back to the mystery buck and he is now up and staring in the direction of the Lion.......HE'S HUGE! In no less than a fraction of a second I know this buck is well over 100" and with the matching droptines that I can now see.....I know he's a buck of a lifetime! In another fraction of a second, while slamming my 15's off the tripod and reaching for my rifle I notice the distance is no more than 250 yrds! As the rifle slowly falls down onto the tripod head I jack a 130gr .270 round into the chamber and settle in behind my scope with the crosshairs resting on the slowly advancing Lion........BOOM! THUMP! Regaining from the recoil, I slam another round in the chamber, scan back to the right.....There he is, running fast in and out of the ocotillo.....he's slowing.....he stops looking for his smaller companion.....BOOM! THUMP! He drops and rolls once coming to rest with all fours in the air and not a twitch! I load again and swing back to the left and there in the grass is the white underside of the "other" predator that was on this hill today....and he lays motionless........and all is quiet......except for my pounding heart and heavy breathing........ BEEP BEEP BEEP "What the heck is that?" BEEP BEEP BEEP "I hear it again......." BEEP BE... "GET YER BUTT UP.......YER LATE FOR WORK!" As I jumped out of bed this morning, I yelled back at my wife....."Don't ever wake me up in the middle of a hunt!!!!" I get all looney this time of year.......It's less than a week away and I'm going insane......I eat, sleep, drink, and breathe Coues hunting and it can't get here soon enough!!! I hope my dream got your adrenaline pumping and hope all you guys tag dream bucks yourselves next week! Best of luck to ya all! JIM>

If that country don't look Couesy, than I don't know what does! I wish the country I will be hunting looked like that! Best of luck, thanks for the pic's! JIM>

Yeah I really like this scope and I'm also gonna put one on my 300WM as well. From prior experience, if I'm shooting under 2" at 100, 200, and 300 yards, then I will be right in there out to my 500 yard mark as well! All the conditions you are faced with on any given day in the feild come into play though, so you just have to take those into consideration when shooting those farther distances, but the scope is set to make the shots! This scope and this rifle have killed 7 Coues bucks in the last 2 years! (5 were mine) There hasn't been one Coues to escape yet!!! ( now that I said that, my fingers are crossed ) BTW........I shot the Lion first because I had already killed a 120" "triple dropper" the night before, so I really didn't need another one

I've been using Federal Vital-shok 130gr Ballistic Tips, but have never been really happy with how those do out to and past 300yrds, so I've been trying several different bullets, brands and wieght. Believe it or not, the cheapest bullet I've used is the Federal Power-shok 130gr Soft Points and at $11.00 a box, my .270 AND my wallet LOVE em! So that's what I'm using now. I've also found that the barrel HAS to be dirty, the shooting forks HAVE to be in the same spot on the forearm, I HAVE to grab the rifle the same way, let out the same amount of breath, AND calculate the shot between heart beats! I aint jokin' here! Is it just my gun, or are most guns this tempermental? My gun is the Winchester Classic Featherweight so it has a very light and thin barrel and is overall very light in build. I do have to cool the rifle down after every third shot 'cause the barrel heats up too fast and it's noticeable how the bullets travel off center as it heats up!

ALRIGHTYTHEN........I just figured this pix thingy out! Here it is, sorry but my camera phone sucks. I have the B+C reticle in my VX-III and it has to be zeroed at 200 yrds in order for the additional crosshairs to be accurate. I got 'er zeroed at 200 and then shot my 300yrd target and this was my first 3 shot group! Again, I'm not that much of a rifle hunter, so this was a big deal for me, I was pretty excited to get the ol' .270 to shoot this good! Poor little Couesies are in trouble! JIM>

Well I am ready to shoot my computer........ I figured out how to send the pix to my email, I did that, but I can't figure out how to change the file so I can get photobucket to load it. It keeps telling me it's the wrong file format? Oh well. Here are the only pic's I have right now showing my shooting set-up. Nothing fancy, just apply shooting sticks to the rear of your gun while supported on the front by a more stable tripod. If I have time, I pull out the center tube with my tripod head, and replace it with my shooting fork tube.......if not, I just loosen and drop the tripod head so the binos are facing up and down and my rifle sits nicely in the cradle between the binos and the arm on the pan-head. This creates a very solid rest in normal hunting situations. Both the tripod adapted forks and my shooting sticks were custom made by a friend. The forks have a short tube so with the Outdoorsmans tripod legs spread out, you can lay prone, and the shooting sticks have break down points every 3 inches so they can be more finely adjusted for shooting prone or if you are on a sidehill. I'm surprised not many people have tried this but I bet it will catch on. I'll get better pic's next week with my monster "double-dropper" Coues in the background! JIM>

Glad you guys enjoyed that! I have read back through my story several times and i get excited each time! It's kinda wierd how you start reading faster as the excitement builds! I seriously have a problem. This problem is exactly why every year I apply for an October Coues hunt first choice! I HAVE to hunt Coues every year so doing that I'm almost guaranteed a tag.....at least for now. It doesn't matter if it's Oct. or Dec..........It's Coues hunting all the same and I can't get enough! To add to my excitement, I went out today and put up my best 300 yrd. group EVER! My 'ol .270 punched a 3 shot group at 300 yrds that was just less than 2 inches! That's really good for me and that was also off my huntin' set-up! I use a custom built fork that adapts to my Outdoorsman tripod and I use shooting sticks under the butt of the gun. You guys need to try this set-up.....like shootin' off a bench! I took pic's but they are on my phone, so I don't know how to post em'. Anyways.......them Couesies better hide, 'cause Jimbo's on his way and he's got a tag in his pocket!!!

Congrats!!! I'm a sucker for character....I would have shot em'! Great bull! JIM>

That's hilarious with him wearing the "sierra club" shirt!

There aint' no problem......just get photobucket like the rest of us and you'll have no complaints Seriously, i've never figured out how to upload photos to the site. I've always used photobucket and it's a cake-walk once ya learn it!

Dang AZP.Horns................. You need to scare that buck and push him East about 30 miles or so! Please! JIM>

Doug can be the BOSS..... BUT.......i'm still the one with the power of the "hall monitor" badge! so you better watch out T.Rouble and Dirkie

If you don't go at all.....then your tag IS wasted. If I were you, I would go, even if I only had 1 hour to hunt I would still go!!! The last time I had a 36B tag I was in your position. I had only one day to hunt and I really couldn't even do that, but I did. I went by myself the night before opening day, followed the parade of trucks into the hills before daylight, then hiked past all those same guys and soon found myself sitting in a glassing spot just as it got light. I remembered at that moment that I almost didn't go on this hunt thinkin' it wasn't worth it, and I realized that just sittin' behind my glasses in Coues country with a tag in my pocket, even if it were for only an hour, it was all worth it! I ended up glassing, stalking, killing, and packing out a nice buck that day and was home by dinner time! Tags are only getting harder to come by......use em' when you can! JIM>

Delete topic FirstGirl has just been sold DONE DEAL Congrats on your new GSP Mike!

Congrats on the Ranger! Did you sell the Sammi? I've been out a few times and can't believe the amount of ATV'ers runnin' around! The areas close to Phx are covered with people and usually a bunch of careless idiots this time of year! I would reccomend staying away from anything that has a destination at the end and just go ride around some backroads/trails somwhere. You ought to go out west of my place in those mountains. Lots of trails going forever out there, just make sure to have your GPS or before you know it, you'll end up in the "Land of Fruits and Nuts" ( California )! Good luck, JIM>

What's his name?

HA HA HA ....... That's hilarious! That just goes to show where our priorities are! Hey mike, I hope FirstGirl goes easy on ya.....

I bet my LAB would absolutely LOVE to have him as a new friend as well as my GSP!!!! I swear, I was goin' to show my wife the photos of him.....but I better not.....I'm having a hard enough time myself not takin' him!!!!!

HA HA HA...I was thinkin' about you when I saw that squirrel!!! Does somebody have a soft spot for those tasty little tree-rats! At least the ones that Amanda and her friends ate never drank out of a toilet! Now THAT is funny right there! Hey Amanda, that is awesome you put in the time and effort to that program, fantastic job!!! Also, I think that is incredible about that lady doing all that so she can teach her boys and get them involved! AWESOME! Thanks again for all you do Amanda! JIM>

BahHaHaHaHa....... I'll be right there with you my friend!!! I was thinking....... if they were to come out with a 20x...... do you suppose it would have an Objective lens that was as big as 70 mm????? Just imagine...........EL 20x70's......OMG.....that's what dreams are made of folks! Them poor little Couesies wouldn't stand a chance! Whew....that gets me excited just thinkin' about em'!

That pup is awesome! My GSP would absolutely LOVE a new friend! If I only had more time and room that pup would be mine!!! I really hope he goes to a good home! JIM>