Coues79

weather.com is calling for significant rain for friday, friday night and saturday, around the south and eastern parts of the state. Hope it dumps for 24 hours straight in the mountains. Help one of those bucks to get to 135" so my wife can edge out Mace's buck.

That under armor stuff is legit. I used that back when I played baseball in Alabama. It dries really quick, and you don't get super hot in it. You can wear it in the winter too. It's called "COLD GEAR". I usually wear it under my camo in the winter for a little extra warmth. However, they do make "HOT GEAR" to be used in the summer. It's not western patterns, but I love the stuff.

If I remember correctly, there was an idea a while back about people sending in their white slips on whether or not they harvested an animal during their hunt. If that were made mandatory, and base your next years ability to hunt that specific species, that would help somewhat in making the odds a little better. You might even be able to weed out a few tree huggers too. I don't think there would be anything wrong with making it mandatory to send in your success of a hunt anyways. It would help get a better idea of harvesting data. Just an idea. That seems like it would be easy to implement into the system. Not sure if there are any legalities about doing something like that.

I've looked through the monarchs as well. For my eyes, they were really nice. But it's all about your own eyes. There are a lot of glasses that I can't look through. They hurt my eyes pretty bad. I would shop around a little bit. Hit Cabela's or Sportsman's and look through all the glasses that you want to for your price range. Price them there, and then see if you can get better deals elsewhere. Personally, I feel you have to just find a pair you're comfortable with. There are a lot of good glasses out there nowadays.

I could never use 15x's without a tripod. Even 10x's are a little shakey unless you are sitting or leaning against something steady. Do you use a monopod or walking stick to prop them on? I agree with DesertBull. You gotta have a tripod if you're using 15's. There is literally no comparison between glassing with one and without one. It definitely makes the difference, it's worth the extra weight on your back and it will assuredly help you find more deer.

Thanks for your guys' input. I feel comfortable now after hearing about them. The badlands do look pretty spacious and roomy. I like to carry a decent size pack with the option of hauling meat out if I have too. I always seem to get into the country too far to drag a buck back out. That sucks, especially in coues country.

I was wanting to start a thread like this too. I am needing to get a new pack. I bought a pack mule external frame pack last year. It was the noisiest dang thing I've ever put on my back. The hinge points on the hip make some serious squeeking noises with every step. The badlands, and the eberlstock's look pretty nice. Anyone have any luck with the badlands? Do they have enough room to throw a hindquarter or two from a coues in there? I've only used an external frame pack and never an internal. How do they do in the hills as far as comfortability and use for hauling game out?

Don't know what to say. Someone screwed up. Hope you get your problem resolved and get a tag out of it. Based on what Lark said on another thread, I'd go down there and raise some heck. Take all your statements with you and find out what's up. I wouldn't be surprised if they just credit your account for the charge. That would be the easiest thing for them to do.

I like this idea too. The paper applications help to weed out a few people as well. The online application makes it way too easy and convenient. However, it does have it's perks as well. The way that I read the bonus point system, it goes like this.... there is 20% set aside for those with the highest amount of bonus points. Say that out of a hunt with 400 tags, 80 tags go to these folks, but is it out of a draw basis whether or not they get tags, or rather start with the person with the highest and just go down the list? Anyways, once they are done with that 20%, those with high bonus points that did not draw, get thrown back into the lottery with everyone else. Then it's the luck of the draw. Is this how some of you read it as well, or are there different opinions how it's done? I understand what you mean about putting all the money up front, but this does make more opportunity for folks to draw. If you know you have to do this in the years to come, then put back 5 or 10 bucks a paycheck for a year. Then you'll be set for the draw.

Thank you very much Chef! Appreciate it.

So what's the deal? Is cabela's open to everyone or what? I have heard that it is and is not.

So if this is the case that tags get put over into the first come first serve, there could be some pretty good tags available on some decent hunts? That would be cool to sneak a tag that way.

From 12:07 p.m. to 1:18 p.m, 3 pages of replies. WOW! This is pretty cool! I still can't believe the wife drew a late Whitetail hunt. That's so cool.

I drew Nov. Whitetail. and a cow tag. Wife drew a late whitetail tag. That's awesome baby!!! woohoo. Dad drew October whitetail. It is a pretty good day. Thank goodness they are up.

I got hit for deer and turkey 3 of my choices for deer were for 31, late1, early2, middle3, then 27,28 late, and last choice 32 late hopefull I pull off a dec hunt, it would be nice to chase them in dec with a rifle instead of a bow. what about the rest of the saffordites any luck? Got 3 hits for deer on my cc. All 31 hunts. Late hunt, middle hunt were that order for choices. Those are the only two deer hunts I applied for, for my wife and I. My dad has, late hunt, early hunt as his choices. I also may have drawn a cow elk hunt for the 3 units down there, 28/31/32. Not sure how I feel about that, but I do get a week off from teaching during the hunt I applied for, so I can spend it hunting elk, and scouting for deer. Hope everyone drew what they were hoping for. I know 29 has taken a pretty big hit from the drought. I used to hunt it pretty hard, as well as my family. We have all since moved units. Some areas have been hit harder than others, but the last time I was down there, it looked pretty bad. A lot of dead everything. As the monsoon has been hitting, I have been looking at the radar quite often, especially on days that it builds up in the afternoon. It looks like there have been some good cells that have been popping up down there. At least on the radar anyways. I'd be interested to know how it looks down there as well.

It would probably be good to take a reciept or printed copy of your application for big horn if you need to make an inquiry about it. Hope you printed it out when you did the transaction, otherwise, there's no telling what could happen. My brother drew a tag last year that he didn't put in for. It was something like a Unit 10 Archery cow tag. I believe he called them and they said he had to have proof of the application he sent in by form of a copy of it. Don't recall exactly, but I think that's what happened. He didn't really want the tag, but he was stuck with it. Hope it works out for you and can find what happened.

I have thought the same thing. A lot of folks drawn. Hope it's all legit. It would be a major let down if for some reason it was a fluke.

Use to live in Safford.

Holy crap, this thread's getting the attention. I wish they'd just post the results, then no more guessing games.

Just got four hits. 3 @$19.50. Probably Nov. WT., but hopefully December. 1 hit at $78.00. May be chasing cows in the desert of 31, but I'll keep the hope's up that it may be a November bull tag for either my wife, father or myself. Either way, we are all going deer hunting, and one of us has the chance at an elk. I had to call and get the pending transactions on my card. It didn't show up online or calling the automation service. I was trying to figure it out for about an hour before I called. Everything was pointin' to not a thing drawn. I was bummed, especially after reading the posts of all the successful applicants. Then when I finally found out, as hard as it is to admit, tears of joy came to my face. I can't imagine a year without goin' huntin. Good luck to anyone without hits yet. I kinda think this way is pretty cool. You get two excitement filled times. One to find out your drawn, then another to find out what you really did draw. Cool.

Nothing on mine. Hope they're still gonna hit them later on.

Welcome. You picked a great site to get in on some great opinions, views, and infatuation with hunting.

Those are some cool pics and some pretty nice bulls too. Thanks for sharing them.

I have a Browning A-Bolt Medallion in the 7 Mag caliber. I love it. It's pretty heavy with a bipod though. In coues country it can get to you if you're not in shape. I don't think you can go wrong with a Browning.

Single Shot: You're right. Mace is good. I think anyone could learn a lot from hittin' the hills with him. I remember those pigs out there at Hackberry. I think they may have been the last herd out in that country. Too bad cause there used to be some hellaciuos big mulies out on that side of the road. Anyways, I remember showing some of the video of that pig that you and ol' Harry shot at out in the flats, to some of my baseball buddies from North Alabama. They were intrigued enough with the video, and the country, to come out on a mulie hunt a couple of years later. Unfortunately, that was the year that 29 took a huge hit from the drought. No monsoon, and no winter the previuos year. It was a rough one, but I did successfully call in a herd of pigs that literally almost ran one of my buddies over. I got that on video too. They thought that was the coolest thing they ever did see. They were some good times. Alright man, I enjoyed the pics' and good luck with the draw!! I might try and get a post of that big ol' bear I killed a couple years ago. I think he's worth postin'. Jeff