BML

That spike is bigger than that spike elk I shot this year!! Very cool! Congrats.

So I am thinking about getting a new rifle and am toying with the idea of doing something semi custom. When I say semi I really mean just a nice rifle that I can do some long range shooting with. I am still in the research/planning process, but think I have decided on the .300RUM. I already have a Leupold VXIII 6.5x20 scope sitting in the safe. My tentative plans are to send that back to Leupold and have them add the turrets for me . So really as of now I am just looking for some advice on what to do and what not to do. Since I know there are several other hunters here that have custom builds and lots more that enjoy shooting long range I figured this is the best place to start for advice!! Thanks in advance and I am sure many more thanks to come. Blake

Archery pigs, spring turkey(with my bow of course) and spring bear as well! Congrats to those who drew!

If you are getting tons of does on your cameras right now, be patient. Those big mature bucks will show up when the rut kicks in. Typically, during the summer months an early fall, the bucks do travel in bachelor groups. I am no expert by any means, but I think the really big mature bucks like to be alone all the time. In my experiences, even during summer scouting and August/October hunts the biggest bucks are either alone or with just one other buck.

OK here it is. I just scored it and came up with 155 and that's an "as is" score. The shed has probably 7-8 inches broken off. This bull is probably right at or a little under your minimum score for your goal after figuring the spread. Two impressive measurements are a 10 inch base and 21+ G2!!

Dude you forgot to call me AGAIN!! haha. just kiddin man. Congrats on the cat. We do need to get together and do some calling though.

I've got a shed of a huge 5x5 elk that my brother and I found several years ago. We actually glassed up the bull over a mile away and even with 10X binoculars we could tell he was a 6x6, well over 400. We went for a closer look, but the bull vanished into a nasty canyon. Not 30 yards from where he was bedded we found a shed from two years prior. I will get some pics of it later today and post it. I never did score it, so maybe I will take a minute and do that as well. BTW, Those are some pretty lofty, yet very cool goals you have set. I hope you are able to accomplish them. I imagine you would join a very short list, or maybe even start your own list of hunters who have done it.

This was from the recent October coues hunt. I have had the camera for a while, but never really used it for hunting. Since I had already killed my buck on the archery hunt, I was the designated helper on this year's coues hunt for my dad, brother and good family friend. I figured since I had no pressure to kill a buck, I would try to film one hitting the dirt. Opening morning, I had to work, but I got to camp around mid day. Shortly after, our good friend showed up. He had just been tooling around most of the morning, enjoying the scenery. He had never hunted deer in AZ before, but had been on several of our hunts in the recent years. I told him we weren't going to kill one in camp, so we might as well head out to a nearby tank and sit for at least the afternoon. We sat the tank for a while, just enjoying the peace and quiet. Neither one of us was really expecting to see a deer, but it was nice to just hang out and relax and share a few stories. A little while later a quad drove by the tank. We weren't sitting too far from the road, so we both turned to give him a wave as he drove by, but he didn't see us. We both turned back around and there was a deer at the water! I flipped the camera on and my buddy set up. The deer then saw the quad and started to get nervous, but it was too late. My buddy was afraid that the quad would spook the deer, so he didn't wait for the broadside shot. The video quality is horrible and I am not sure why. I have a very nice camera and it takes great video, but when I run it through the imovie program, it's really blurry. I will figure it out eventually, but here is a short clip of the deer.

Casey, I don't have the pictures. We took them with his camera and he hasn't sent them to me yet. He was shooting a 30.06. The bullet actually entered in the neck and came out behind the shoulder. Believe it or not, he didn't lose any meat at all either.

I know Savage now makes a production 6.5-284, but it's around $1300 or so. http://www.savagearms.com/12f_class.htm I didn't know there was another manufacturer out there making one for $700.

It's been a slow process but I am getting closer. After some more reading and research (Thanks Tim!) I am starting to lean towards the 6.5-284. I like the idea of having little recoil while still having the higher BC needed for longer shots. Also, I don't need to shoot 200g+ bullets like I would with the .300 RUM. Only downfall of the caliber is the tendency to eat up barrels, but as a hunting rifle, I don't think that will be an issue for me. I just can't see shooting that much. So, for now that's where I am at. Still have a LONG way to go, but I have plenty of time. I will try to keep the this thread updated as I learn more and as I get more tips from others.

Yeah, what he said!!

Hunting trips for me are just not the same without my dad and/or brother. One or both of them accompany me on almost every hunt I go on each year. Those rare hunts where they don't go are just not the same without them.

Any chance we could talk you into posting the pictures of these two bucks? It sounds like you don't really care much either way, so I would just shoot whichever buck gives you the first opportunity. If you really want some good meat, wait for one of the younger bucks. Either way it sounds like you found a great spot! Good luck in January.

That is awesome! Great work Paige..

OK I am quickly discovering that I have no idea what I am doing!! Looks like I have a ton of reading to do before I decide on how to go about this. I am going to try to stay on a budget with this, but don't yet know what that's going to be either. I am in no rush. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions so far. I appreciate it. Doug, It was nice talking to you this morning. I appreciate the phone call and thanks for the info.

I would get back in the area at first light and try to glass him up again. If that doesn't work, try calling. Get a good back drop to break up your outline. BE STILL!! Cats will come in on you and you will never know. Then, all the sudden, there they are! Call for as long as you can possible call. Cats will lose interest when the calling stops. More than likely, once it starts to get warm, he will be in the nearest wash bottom or draw bottom with heavy cover. I can't stress enough to be still. Last bobcat I killed, I called up and out of a canyon with about a 20 foot drop straight down. I didn't see him until he popped out the top and he was locked right on me! He literally stared me down for minutes before heading towards me. To this day I am positive that he thought I was going to be his lunch. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

great video.. Anyone notice how low the seat is on his bike??? I will give you two reasons why!! ;)

dang, that's crazy!! I imagine that things like that happen on occasion, as mother nature can be very cruel, but to actually see the end results in person is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Will do Brandon. I am there several times a week delivering packages to your receiving area in the back.

Parked at your work place at GMD in Prescott Valley (Dewey if you go by the address). Delivered a couple boxes there this afternoon.

What is that hanging from the tree above the right ear of the deer in the last picture??

First off, let me say that I do not go to the meetings, so I never piss and moan about the way our GFD runs things. I do, however, question how or why they do things on occasion. Here's my recent example: I received my hunter survey card for my elk hunt this year. This year, it's in a different type of format. It's bigger and on the left side lists the hunt number and tag number issued. On the right has the actual questionnaire. Here's the dumb part. I drew an archery elk hunt. The hunt number and tag number are correct on the left, but the right side is an ANTELOPE questionnaire!!!! I can understand that mistakes happen on occasion. What bothers me is that they constantly state that we archery hunters don't turn in our surveys and they can never get an accurate number of animals harvested and then they go and have a major screw up on the survey card! Maybe it's a trivial thing, but doesn't anybody proofread this stuff before it goes to print???

Brian, I appreciate the time to let us know what happened. Thanks.

Oh yeah....Well.....my dad can beat up your dad!!!