BML

Thanks man. I hope so too!!

:lol: :lol: I remember back in the day when the orange groves were still around all over the west valley, specifically where the Best Buy now is on Bell road. There used to be a bunch of BIG FAT pigs in there.

Glad to hear everything is going well for her. This knothead will pray for a speedy recovery and a long healthy life!!

Anyone here use the cheap $50 Wildview cameras? I have several of them and they work pretty well. Picture clarity is lacking as it is only a 1.3 mp camera, but you get what you pay for. At $50 a piece I can deal with that. One problem I have noticed though. If I let the batteries go dead, it erases all the pictures on the memory card! I even tried using the ZAR program that Doug suggested, but nothing. I try not to let them go dead, but you just never know when it's going to happen. I had one camera take over 3000 pictures before the batteries went dead and I have had others only take 500. Again, probably just what you get with a $50 camera. Anyway, let me know if this is a problem you have also had or maybe I just have a couple defective cameras. Thanks.

Thanks for all the input!! I knew I was going to get a sub-par camera for the price, but I have had such bad luck with people damaging my other expensive cameras that I decided to try out these cheap ones. I am really not all that disappointed with them considering what I paid. They have served their purpose so far. When these ones finally take a crap I might splurge and get some good ones. Thanks again.

Thanks for the input. Maybe I just have a couple cams with issues. I forgot to add another issue in the original post. When you guys download your pictures do you ever have a problem with some of the pictures being saved in a format that won't allow your computer to retrieve them? I am using the Kingston and ScanDisk cards and it happens with both of them. I am also using a Mac, so maybe that is the issue. I don't know. I just know that I have several cards with a bunch of good pictures on them that I can't get off and onto my Mac. Thanks again for the tips. I appreciate it.

Man that is a bruiser for that unit!!! Nice going. I bet Cade is super excited for his hunt to start. If you want some company on the hunt, let me know. I might be able to get out there and help.

When I guided, I would always be happy with any tip. I can't say that I ever expected a tip from anyone. We have a father and son that booked a couple hunts every year for a few years. They pretty much tipped $200 when an animal was harvested and $0 when one wasn't. Nothing on the hunt changed that. It was apparently just his pre-determined amount. Just last year I had a successful antelope hunter stiff me on a tip. I also had a very nice lady who I guided for elk. She had some limitations and I had to change up my game plan because of them. We hunted hard for her 4 day hunt, but she didn't get one. She was impressed enough that she tipped me nearly 40% of the hunt cost. It really just is what it is. Some will tip and some won't. I guess it just all depends on the client. I would guess around 10% would be average, but don't be afraid to tip more if your guide went above and beyond what you expected from him/her. As far as gear goes, I don't see any issues with asking your guide if he would prefer gear or cash.

That's a tough one man. I feel your pain though. During my archery deer season this year, I had a blind set up on a trail leading to water, around 100 yards away or so. I figured I might have some company on the water, which was the reason I decided to sit the trail. I was only able to hunt after work, so one day around 9 AM I am hiking a two track road into the area when I see a Ford Explorer parked 40 yards away from the tank!! I was pretty frustrated but they were there first so I turned around and left. The next day I go back before light and wouldn't you know it my blind had been stolen!! I knew the risks leaving it out there, but it doesn't make it any better!! The day before when I saw that Explorer I looked at everything on that truck but never the license plate number. I prayed that I would see that truck in there again sometime during the season but never did. I first started getting into trail cameras several years ago, but the first time I set one out, someone smashed it with a tree branch. I bought another one and moved it to another location about 2 miles away. Someone smashed that one too(probably the same a-holes). I never put out another trail camera until this year simply because I had such a bad experience starting out.

Here are my two. Both bucks were killed in 2008.

Elk are very tough animals. I shot a spike last year right before dark. I waited until dark to look for my arrow and could not find it. My bull ran through the water after the shot, so I could not pick up an immediate blood trail either. I decided to wait until the morning since it was pretty cold that night. Here is the gnarly blood trail. Believe it or not, my bull was STILL ALIVE the next morning. He had bedded up in the trees only 70 yards or so from where I first shot him. One more quick shot and it was over. I am sure glad I made the decision to wait. Had I not waited, I probably would have kicked him out of his bed and never found him. Bottom line is they are very tough animals and even with a good hit, they can still stay alive a while. Keep up your search though. He will eventually lay down and if the hit is a good one, that will be his downfall. He will stiffen up and won't be able to get back up and moving.

It has been my experience that any animal, including elk, will break off from their herd when wounded. I would bet that he never followed that herd and crossed the highway. From the hit you described and the amount of blood you saw, he is dead somewhere. Keep at it, follow the tips given here and you will find him. Good luck.

What are the models of the three trail cameras? Also, how much are you asking for them? I know a guy looking for some.

Same thing happened to me last year. I was sitting in a natural ground blind when two guys came into the tank. They had two blinds on the tank already, but I was there first and I wasn't leaving. Things got a little edgy and confrontational at first, but the tank was big enough and I had no issues with them sitting the other side of the tank across from me. When cooler heads prevailed, we worked it out. If they are up wind of you, you probably have no chance at an elk coming in from that direction. If you think the elk will come in from another direction, stay put. If you do decide to confront them, simply reference page 10 of the regulations regarding hunter ethics and the "first come first serve" issue. It clearly states that even if there is another blind or treestand on a water hole, the first person there has the right to hunt it. Good luck man. Let us know how it goes. I've been there and don't envy you.

Meat hunter or horn hunter, from all the info you have given this is the best advice. I would stick to your guns and keep sitting that tank. Good things will happen eventually. I did this on my hunt last year when the rut was non existent. Every day around 1 or 2 I was in my blind waiting. Nearly every single day the elk would not come in until right before dark. One day, though, I had elk come in all afternoon and evening. You just never know what they are going to do. Good luck man. You will get him.

Hope you can sleep well at night knowing that you steal other people's stuff and don't think it's wrong. Come to think of it....Maybe it was you that stole my blind a couple weeks ago??? hmmmmm.... lol

That's pretty cool!! Last Monday I sat down in my blind to hunt coues and before I could even get my gear organized had a little one nearly crawl right over my hand!!! I hate those things.

I have the same thing this year. I have two bucks that I have been hunting, with no luck so far. Both bucks started showing up on my cams around the first of June. They are still showing up on my cams, but not nearly as regularly as they did early in the summer. Hopefully I get to harvest one of them before the hunt is over. Mine are all from this year. Having multiple years like you do is pretty cool!! Thanks for sharing.

Awesome Jim!! Thanks for sharing the story. Great photos too!! Congrats.

This post should be published in print somewhere. I have gone through some very serious personal setbacks this year ranging from a failed marriage to loss of work to serious health issues. Through all the recent setbacks in my life, though, I have found my solace in the woods. This post relates more to my life right now than anything. Thanks Coach. You are welcome in my camp anytime..

Those are awesome!!! Thanks Jim.

Amanda. I hunted there two years ago and it was $246 I think for everything. We hunted a private ranch since I bought the hunt for my dad for Fathers Day. Most of WY is private but the have public land as well. They also have a walk in area program. Basically the fish and game have deals with certain land owners to allow access on a walk in only basis. There are more antelope in WY than people so opportunity is nearly guaranteed. It just depends on how picky you want to be. You can also call the fish and game and get a list of land owners who will allow access for a fee. I did this a few years ago. Some fees were outrageous but some were pretty fair.

PM me with your questions. I am sure I can throw some tips your way.

Care to share a picture or two?? I know most of the bucks up here and wouldn't mind seeing which one you took. Congrats!!

I had the early 19A archery antelope hunt. The hunt was great as far as opportunities. About half the bucks were showing some rutting activity. Every now and then a buck would get a hot doe and just terrorize her. I sat water the first weekend and passed two average bucks, knowing that there was a big buck in the area. He never watered in three days and I was sitting the only water source in the area. The biggest problem I had was the wind. I had several shots on an 83-84 inch buck but the high winds made it nearly impossible. I took those shots, but never really came close. I did also experience the large herds as you did. I only hunted a specific few bucks in the 10 days I hunted. One had 9 does, one had 42 does and another had 24 does. Tough to get close with all those eyes!!