CHD

Perfect For The Job My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned..........couldn't concentrate. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it..........so they gave me the ax. After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it...........mainly because it was a so-so job. Next I tried working in a muffler factory but that was too exhausting. Then I tried to be a chef..........figured it would add a little spice too my life but I just didn't have the thyme. I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy. I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience. Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in. I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income. I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company........but the work was just too draining. So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job. After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it. My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind. So I'm retired and I've found I'm perfect for the job!

Those are really neat pictures and that's a big 'ol bear! Thanks for posting them!

Thanks for the responses guys. Az4life, sounds like some bad crud you had at another 'wrong' time. No, I'm not gonna kill myself (it was just my sarcasm......again, lol), but I am fairly well aggravated. Aaaarrrrggghh!!! I can draw another 22 tag. And I will hunt Coues bucks many more times. But what if it was a once-in-a-lifetime tag? What if it was a $6,000 landowner elk tag? What if I had saved for 5 years and it was a $14K stone sheep hunt in B.C.? What if you have a car wreck the week before one of these? Holy cow. I've only lost 4 hunts over the years due to health problems. My Coues deer hunt in AZ in 2001 ended on day 2 with bad sore throat/cold/flu in cold weather I was camping in. I was seeing good bucks, too. I went into Globe and got a room and medicine to sleep in warmth in hopes I would get the upper hand on it in a couple days and could salvage the last 3 days. But it quickly turned into double-ear infections also and took 5 weeks to get over it. I think I caught that crud by eating in a restauarant in Holbrook on the way down. This incident made me develop a policy of shying away from restaurants (and germs!) before a hunt. I'm not kidding! I also now take some erythromycin with me. In 1989, I shot a decent muley in northern Nevada in the Jarbidge country on the Idaho border. I lived in Elko at the time. This was in lower rocky canyon country. I drew the same tag in 1990, an area 7 October hunt. In late summer scouting, I finally spotted the nocturnal buck that was making all those big tracks. He was a huge, wide typical 35" or so wide. I set up my 10 day hunt and brought enough stuff to stay the hunt without going into town. I wanted that buck bad! On day 2 I awoke to a sore ankle because I overdid it on day 1. It didn't hurt too bad, so I forced it and hunted that day on it, limping the entire way. On day 3 I awoke to a fully inflamed ankle in great pain that I couldn't move at all. Turned out it was Achillies Tendonitis. I had to pull the plug on the hunt. I was just crushed. I had 2 other hunts that fall that were jeopardized but a month until the next one allowed me time to heal. Achillies tendonitis, happens a lot to hunters. I wear cowboy boots, and they lead to tight tendons that get stretched (and tear) when I get in my lower-heal hunting boots. I now stretch my calves a lot before hunting season. I got Achillies Tendonitis in the other foot during a muley hunt in Colorado in 1993. Mostly due to walking incorrectly due to a recent knee surgery. I had to shoot a lesser buck on day 5 of a 7 day hunt that was getting better each day. I packed that buck out on my back and really inflamed that tendon. I also had a December Coues hunt in AZ 29 three weeks later and my tendon was still so inflamed I couldn't walk down the street much less hike and climb in the Chiricauhua's. Had to call that one off too. Another Coues disappointment. For some reason, Arizona Coues tags trigger deal-breaking health problems in me. Maybe I should try New Mexico, lol. I sure hope this trend ends soon. But, the reality is that I have been incredibly fortunate to have had many super hunts all over the wonderful rocky mtn west for the last 30 years. Most never get the opportunities I have had. Anyway, a few more stories for ya'll. I'll survive this Pertussis. Take care.

AZGUIDE, SunofaGun, I knew it was Lark all along that was tryin' to do me in. If'n I knew what he looked like, I could have avoided him like the plague. Turns out it was prolly him I got close too, gettin' even with me for last fall and Darner and Coziah and all that incredible fun I had (I was right). I have had a boring life (and sick one!) since he and I last interacted. But don't tell Lark this, okay! It's time for me to get well.....................which will only occur when he and I square off again....................and I win! He didn't die did he??? I know his sorry, lazy-butt, Arizona cowpoke, infected, old tired ol' bones keep him from acting like a real man these days. But.......... I expect him to cowboy up and keep on livin' and givin grief!! He definitely needs to understand this!! Lark needs to post up................or wuss out. No excuses.

Dammit boys, just can't resist this extra post here tonite. Your pics are just excellent, taking me into your country and success from my living room (Colorado). Sure wish I was there. You don't kow much I wish I was there. Your pics are the best I've seen this year. Take care and good luck on future hunts, all of you.

I say Lark = Wuss. We all have asked him several times for his opinions and involvement in things. He has not responded. Like others.........I am awaiting his predictable disagreement...............and livening up of this forum. I can't wait to disagree with him again. I live for it.

Wow Scott, what a quality post. Thanks!!! I almost feel like I was there! Thanks for taking me to Arizona this fall. Congrats, .300 WSM on a really neat buck and a great experience. A little wet doesn't feel like much now, did it? Enjoy that one forever, partner. What a great day you guys had. Remember it and enjoy it forever. That's what this is all about. Scott, I really need to talk to you about those BIG glasses, one of these days.

Thought I'd add another since things are a little light around the forum due to the fact that it's huntin' season. Also, seems like I have a regular audience here, and I sure don't wanna let you down. Thanks for your responses and compliments. Here he is, if you can see in the dark! The %&*$# flash on my %&*$# camera didn?t cooperate with me at all. I hoped that the shade wouldn?t be a deal breaker for pics. I set my camera on the only bush present (very unstable) oriented the only way possible, and the only time the $%&*# flash went off was when my head was cutoff! But I?m a buckhunter not a photographer. Anyway, I tried. Would have made a neat pic tho with his living room in the background. These pics were made into .jpg's by the photo shop from the actual negatives, and are a lot cleaner than the others. I took this nice buck last week on a late hunt in the Utah Bookcliffs, my second home. I used 8 bonus points to draw this tag as a non-resident, and hunted BLM land in the lower country. I stayed at home here and drove 1.25 hours to this spot. Very tough hunt as far as finding a real good one. I looked at prolly 10-12 different bucks that were 5.5 years old or older, which is an incredible number of mature bucks on a modern day muley hunt. They were all VERY drought stunted with thin, wavy antlers, short points, narrow spreads. We had a very wet April following the driest March on record here, with no moisture after April. Muleys at this latitude need good March, April, and May moisture to grow their best racks. Anyway, it was actually hard to find an 'outside-the-ears-buck' in this unit that has a decent (but not super) gene pool. I realized after a few days that this is what I was up against. Same thing for the bulls I hunted in the same unit this year and last. Dang I?m tired of the prolonged drought. Anyway, I had spotted this buck on the AM of day 2 from over a mile away with my 15x Leica Duovids feeding from a sagebrush meadow with his does into some small finger ridges covered with junipers. Few trophy muley hunters use 15x's on a tripod, but I have for years. Common to older animals, he was in rougher country that most weren?t hunting. Later in the hunt I decided to SLOWLY hunt these fingers in the middle of the day, and try to spot this buck which had the biggest frame of any I saw on the hunt. I sneaked around in shadows, never skylining myself or moving in plain view of the opposite ridge. I moved slowly into the wind, peaking over each rise onto the next finger hoping to spot this buck bedded under a juniper tree on top or on a small knob, which is where they prefer to bed in this type of country. Sure enough, I spotted him with my handheld 8x50 Leica Ultravids at about 500 yards bedded in the shade of a juniper tree. I made my move and came out 162 yards from him. He was in his bed asleep with his head resting on the ground sideways. I waited 30 mins for him to wake up, sized him up, and shot him in his bed from 162 yards with my Weatherby BigGameMaster in 7mm WBY Mag firing a 160 gr. Nosler Accubond at about 3,100 fps from a kneeling position. He never knew what hit him. He is 28? outside and 20.5? tall and will prolly score 175-180, for you guys wondering. Also has "booner backs". Still a nice buck, but not what quite I wanted and expected. He was heavy-bodied with a HUGE head and a wide 24?-25? earspread. I sure would liked to have seen him after a couple of wet years. He would?ve been a great buck. His teeth were worn waaaaay down and he is prolly 6-7 years old. Had very little body fat. Here is a great view of this buck's classic lower PJ/sagebrush/rimrock country that I have taken so many old bucks in. On another note, my AZ unit 22 Dec Coues deer hunt is now in jeopardy due to people quitting at work. I supervise a group and we are now really short-handed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as I would REALLY rather show you all a big ol Coues buck than some of these others I've posted. But we all know that in the end, the living has to be made first. Enjoy this post, and take care. PS - WANTED, one experienced kill-shot photographer with a fully functional camera to tag along on big-game hunts and be available when needed. I'll furnish the trophy animals, you will furnish the great pics. LOL

Hey Josh, Great pic man! Thanks for the post! Maybe the neatest pic this forum has ever seen! Maybe the best pic I've ever seen on a forum anywhere! Thanks! Looks to me like a couple of them hounds didn't mind gettin' it on! The rest make great bystanders. I once saw a pic of a man doing the same dance with a lion in Wyoming. Wish I had it to post.

I once came upon a coyote lying perfectly on his side like he had been positioned there while hunting in NW Colorado. He even chose a level, sandy, soft spot. I looked for a while and decided he was plenty dead, and it was wierd, and moved down toward him. When I got real close he came to life, along with several others that evidently were doing the same thing. They very groggily moved up the opposite slope one at a time. They evidently didn't hear my shots, as each one slowly moved up the slope and stopped to face me and die. I collected my one and only triple on 'yotes. The sleepiness and carelessness, IMO, is due to too much chasing females and ignoring basic survival needs. Excuse me now as I am beat and have to hit the sack.

Ernies House of WhoopAss?? I didn't get to any dead deer pics since I immediately gravitated toward the 'free porn' button. I just live for that kind of stuff, ya know. Dead deer pics come in second place. Priorities...........priorities.

Rumor has it the Ontario driver sustained only a broken wrist and needed a serious bath.

A buddy of mine from Wyoming sent me a pic of this doe that he came across last weekend along the N. Platte River east of Casper.

Wolves: An Outfitter's View An outfitter's view on Wyoming's wolf reintroduction plan By Maury Jones Wyoming Wildlife Magazine Most Wyoming hunters opposed the introduction of the Canadian Gray Wolf and continue to oppose its protection. The primary reason for this opposition is very simple; wolves compete for the huntable surplus of game. Historically, more animals are born than are needed to replace natural mortality. This recruitment enables the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to issue permits to hunters, producing revenue to pay for game management. Game populations are kept in balance through regulated hunting and Wyoming hunters are able to get meat for the freezer to help feed their families. This system has worked for several decades. Many outfitters don't believe wolves only kill the weak, sick and old of a herd. Enter the Canadian Gray Wolf, courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and those who push the anti-hunting, pro-predator agenda. They introduced this non-native wolf under the guise of "restoring historical balance to the Yellowstone ecosystem", even though strong evidence shows that wolves rarely entered Yellowstone in the 77 years prior to 1913 (National Park Service Documents, The Wolves of Yellowstone" Weaver 1978). Also, an official government document, Yellowstone Animal Census, 1912, lists various animals and their numbers, but under Gray Wolves the total is listed as NONE (Hornaday, Our Vanishing Wildlife, pg 336). The science used to introduce wolves was dubious as stated by Dr. Charles E. Kay, in his Independent Policy Report. "The Federal Government and other wolf advocates have taken liberties with the truth, with science, and with the Endangered Species Act. Wolf studies regarding possible impact on big game are arbitrary and capricious. They represent not science but a masterful job of deception." Canadian Grays are NOT the original wolf that was in Wyoming. The original Rocky Mountain Wolf was much smaller and did not run in packs. The only conclusion we hunters can make is that ending sport hunting is the major objective and not the recovery of an endangered specie. We believe the Canadian Gray Wolf is a MAJOR wildlife disaster in the making. Our Wyoming big game populations are not evolved to deal with the predation of this huge non-native wolf and it shows in the impact the wolf is making. The Dunoir Valley, north of Dubois, was the home of approximately 80 Shiras moose. They are completely gone. The Spring Mountain Elk Herd near Dubois is in serious jeopardy. The Jackson Hole moose herd, north of Jackson, was numbered at 830 in 2000. In 2002 the count was 489. Elk calf:cow ratios have dropped significantly in areas frequented by wolves. Very low calf:cow ratios in the Gros Ventre, where wolf predation is high, has Wyoming elk hunters greatly concerned. A Yellowstone study on elk calf mortality from wolf predation showed in December there were 46 calves per 100 cows but by May it had dropped to only 3 per hundred. The following year there were 38:100 in December but 9:100 in May. (Rosemary Jaffe, Montana State University, Wolf Predation in the Firehole and Madison River Drainages). It is significant that both Alaska and British Columbia, which have thousands of wolves, have recently initiated wolf reduction programs in some areas to "increase numbers of ungulates for subsistence hunting". Wyoming hunters don't necessarily hate wolves, but many of us strongly object to any efficient predator being imposed on our wildlife without adequate population control. Much misinformation has been promulgated about the Gray Wolf, such as "only the Alpha Female will breed and have pups". That is NOT TRUE. Autopsies of 2,000 female wolves by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game show that more than 90% have pups. There have been several observations in the "Yellowstone wolves" of more than one female of a pack having pups in the same year. Other misinformation says a wolf will kill only the weak, the sick, the old, and will only kill what it needs. Facts refute that claim. On the Camp Creek Elk Feedground in 2002, a lone wolf killed five calf elk in one night, eating less than ten pounds of meat. Quite a number of elk, including some large bulls, have been killed on the Gros Ventre feedgrounds and many of them have had just the lips and noses eaten. Wolves have not returned to these kills no matter how little they have eaten of the carcass. Several mutilated elk have had to be put out of their misery. Some claim the wolf is filling a vacant niche in the ecosystem and wolves will self-regulate their population to stay in balance with the prey base. Wyoming hunters don't believe it. Wolf populations will expand as long as they have something to eat. Wolf populations will not decline even when their prey base is scarce because then they will prey on livestock. Big game populations will soon be below the surplus level needed to sustain our historical hunting opportunities. The wolf population is growing approximately 30% per year, according to USFWS figures. Biologists tend to be cautious (deceptive?) regarding wolf impact by just counting the numbers of wolves and the prey they consume; the results are becoming painfully obvious. Using official USFWS statistics, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has approximately 271 wolves as of December 2002 and each wolf kills approximately 1.9 elk per month. Therefore, about 514 elk are killed each month, more than 6,000 elk killed each year by wolves. These are the figures given by those in charge of wolf 'management' (NOTE: Monitoring wolves does not constitute 'management'. Population control to keep them in balance with their prey base would be management). Those 6,000 elk could have been "sold," via hunting permits, thus generating millions of dollars for game departments and yielding over one million pounds of elk meat for families of hunters. Wyoming hunters feel it is unacceptable to feed that resource to non-native wolves. This 'experimental non-essential population' of wolves has already reduced some of our hunting permits, contrary to projections, and will probably eliminate some hunts. In conclusion, Wyoming hunters don't necessarily hate wolves, but many of us strongly object to any efficient predator being imposed on our wildlife without adequate population control. Outfitter Maury Jones has run a hunting camp in Wyoming since 1978. Prior to moving to Wyoming, he operated an outfitting business in Arizona and Colorado. Today, he operates on the Greys River south of Jackson. He has served as the president of the Jackson Hole Outfitters and Guides Association and is currently on the board of the Wyoming Oufitters and Guides Association, where he serves on the wolf committee. Jones and his wife have six children and seven grandchildren and live in the Star Valley.

Amanda was kind enough to lighten up this photo a bit so you all can see the buck better. If my flash would've gone off, it would've been a really neat pic. This buck's head was huge. Check out those big ol floppy muley ears. His thick nose, droopy jaw, eyes that are far apart, protruding eyebrows, and bright white face identify him as an older muley buck. Not to mention his pot belly, lol. Thanks Amanda, for cleaning this photo up a bit.

Griz, are you for real??? Maybe you are being treated for a brain tumor or somethin'??? Them's fightin' words on this forum. Hope you got your flame suit on. I can't wait to see Lark jump all over this one.

Check out them houndogs standin' waaaaaaay back watching that crazy mule go to town on that dead lion.

I thought 'hunter preparedness' was having a $7,000 4-wheeler (or a trailer full of 'em) and a $59 binocular. Having camo saddlebags on your quad instead of hoofing it with a day pack full of a tripod and 15's. Having a camp cooler plenty full of beer. Pulling your rifle out of the closet, dusting it off, and firing 5 rounds at the range the weekend before the hunt starts. Bringing a generator, stereo, TV, and microwave to camp. Spending the off season on the couch emptying beer cans and pizza boxes instead of scouting and patterning bucks and checking out new places and learning the habits and behaviors of old bucks. I'm confused???

Here is a closeup of the albino muley doe that my buddy sent me today.

Chris, Great buck and great story! I see you hunted some lower country without much cover. Sounds like you had a blast. Thanks for the great post and excellent pics. I enjoyed reading it. Take care.

I took this pull on September 21 of this year in east central Utah. I have hunted and scouted hard there the last 2 years, and really enjoy the area. I found this bull last year, and in fact bugled him in a ways on the eve before the opener last year. I held out for him and another for several days last year, but couldn't find either on this thick (oakbrush and conifers), rugged mountain. There are other areas in the unit that are easier to hunt and have more elk, but the bulls are younger. Generally, I like to hunt areas that are more rugged and tougher to hunt so the bucks and bulls are older and bigger. After losing 2 of the first 5 days to bad weather, I moved into an elk hole that evening that I found last year that usually had good activity. I could hear lots of bugling, grunting, and cow calls going on there from a long way off. I worked my way onto a ridge overlooking the spot. There were 8-10 bulls going crazy. But one bull stayed in a patch of conifers and wouldn't show himself. He didn't bugle, he just ROARED, and sounded and acted like a grandaddy to me. I didn't want any of the bulls that I could see (several 6x6's and a huge 5x5). So I just waited and watched, enjoying the show. I wished for a video camera. He really didn?t want to come out of the timber ?til after dark, and I waited for 1.5 hours. But about 30 minutes til dark, the 8 other bulls in their rutting frenzy tripped his trigger! He suddenly came running out into the meadow roaring like mad, ran off the other bulls (some other 6x6?s ran up the ridge to watch him), tore up a tree in front of them, and started rounding up the cows. What a mean, nasty, aggressive old bull! Sure didn?t know an elk could be so ferocious to his own kind. What a sight to see! I moved thru the oakbrush identifying his ever changing location by his roar, and shot him thru the chest with my .338 RUM at about 100 yards. This cautious bull let down his guard that evening and it cost him his life. Here is "his" meadow (in fact it was his whole entire mountain!). Here he is riding high in my faithful hunting companion for the last 5 years, my truck. Lots of drought stunted bulls in the Utah Bookcliffs again this year with short mains and short or non-existent fifths. I hope we get some wet years soon. Enjoy, and maybe I'll post last years bull (another good one) and story also.

Bret and 111, sorry I took so long in getting back to ya. I really don't go by measurements or scores anymore. I'm just tired of it all and reducing a magnificent animal to a number in order to compare it to another one's number. I am really happy and satisfied with the animals I've posted here. Maybe we can have a lengthy discussion about this here sometime. I posted the pronghorns score and measurments just 'cause I figured there would be questions since it's difficult to judge a goat from a pic or in the field But, just for you Bret......................I measured this bull's main beams and they are both in the 49"-50" range. I say we start a poll thread titled "what's your truck brand" just to make it very clear to the readers of this forum that REAL buck and bull hunters drive Fords, and everyone else is a wuss. What do you all think?

Turns out that the deer pic is legit. Here is the message I received from my buddy today in his exact words. Howdy! I did an elevation survey for a woman on the north end of Paradise Valley and she told me that she saw an albino with 2 fawns on the river that morning. I finally got around to getting up to the north side of the river last Sunday. It took me about 2 hours to find her. It was off Robertson Road on the east side, past the subdivisions. I had the35mm camera with spotting scope attached and a digital camera. She was laying down when I spotted her so I set up the 35MM on a tripod and took 14 pictures at about 50 yards. i then went within about 15 yards and got the digital pictures. I'm still waiting to get the 35mm pictures back from processing. This deer is really beautifull. It almost seemed surreal as she watched me take her picture.

I want you all to know that harvesting this bull was a cakewalk compared to spending 2+ days fighting with the photobucket.com website to downsize these $*% pictures! Holy cow! I'm still not sure they're not gonna mutate on their own and get bigger or smaller! Sorry about the shady, rough, scanned in pics, but this is what ya get. I took this bull last year on September 21. The 21st seems to be a lucky day for me in the Bookcliffs. Also, this bull was taken a mile from the other one, about 2 miles from the Colorado line. I'm very happy with him, even with his drought-stunted main beams and short fifths. He will make a nice place on my wall. This bull caused me some sleepless nights. In fact several, and I don't mind saying so. He would usually wait 'til after dark to move his small harem into the meadow near my tent, and then raise heck all night. Even splashing in the two wallows that were within 75 yards of my tent. Bulls like to spend the nights in the open meadows with their harems. They get safety from hunters, good feed, and the other bulls can't move in and cut out a cow or two without them seeing it and drawing some blood. One evening, he was bugling early against 2 bulls, and I tried to get on him. He quickly moved his cows and came out into a meadow with them just at dark. It was just too late to get a shot. The next morning before daylight, I was there with my Rem M700 LSS .338 RUM and handloaded 250-grain Nosler Partiton Gold moly-free bullets. I whacked him in the shadows @ 360 yards just as it was starting to get light and he was heading for the oakbrush. 5 seconds later, and this bull was in the oakbrush. Another hunter heard my shot and came to investigate. I had him be the cameraman, and you all get to see me and my lucky Stetson on this great forum. Enjoy.

I'm just shocked at the outrageous underwear requests that I just read on this forum. I'm deeply disappointed and just crushed. I thought you all were pretty much a clean-cut, straight-forward group of hard-huntin' wonderful folks, such as I am. I'm really hurt. Just don't know how much longer I can participate here. Thought I would be the first booted off this forum due to posting outrageous stuff. But.............. that is not to be.........as I'm obviously one of the tamer ones on this site. . . . . . . . . On another note.................how 'bout them neat female undies, Amanda??? My lady friend(s) would look incredibly enticing in them. Almost irresistible. Please don't waste any time responding to this post, okay?