43F

Last time I flew I used a hard plastic Plano brand that I got from Bass Pro Shops. I used to have one that was possibly aluminum or just colored hard plastic, but I can't remember. Both of them had their own locking mechanisms and both worked fine. My dad and uncle have started to give me their stuff so I load up what I can every time I come back from Chicago, so I've done this a few times. Only bad thing I would say about my current case is that it is not as long as the other one I had. I think I paid right around $100.00 for the old aluminum and $115.00ish for the Plano.

Tony I'm right around the corner from your son. We get the bobcats too. I just moved back up here from Old Town Scottsdale and I truly forgot about all the wildlife up here. In fact, the other night I found a huge tarantula in front of the garage. Our bobcats usually show up in pairs. I'll try to grab a picture next time they stop by. Amanda, the dog was as tough as he was old. All he wanted to do was say hi to those guys and they tore him up pretty good. I remember he had to have a few stitches and a drain, but other than that he was ok. Needless to say my mom stopped taking him out front with her in the morning to get the paper.

I usually scare them off by scraping a metal pipe across the driveway, but didn't think the neighbors would appreciate that at 7am on a Sat.

Come on! I've just returned to hunting the past couple of seasons. I took the first part of this decade off due to military obligations and a greater interest in hitting the bars and chasing women. Now that i have returned, to me, the hunting landscape has changed tremendously. To be fair most of the hunting I have done in my life was on private property back in Illinois and hunting here is quite different. So maybe that has a little to do with my perception of the landscape changing. But hunting these days seems to revolve more around resources ($) available to hunters than anything else. My point is, the $60 fee to hunt Bouqillas Ranch is a drop in the bucket when one takes into consideration the amount of money already being spent by hunters every fall. I see a large number of hunters out there using UTVs and ATVs, which are not cheap. They also must be trailered to the hunting areas, which more often than not is in a large toy hauler, again not cheap. What does one need to pull one of these toy haulers? Generally a full-size pick-up truck, which again do not come cheap. Nor is the gas they use to get to and from the hunts or scouting. More on scouting later. Now, once they get to the hunt the hunters I have seen seem to outfit themselves with the more or most expensive hunting gear. Not only outfit themselves with the gear they wear, but also gear like backpacks. I'm always amazed to see the cost associated with Elberstock backpacks for sale on this site. I use a large alice pack I got from EBAY for $30. Scouting, how much do these same hunters spend on trail cams? And again, have the time and resources to not only put them out, but also check them several times before the season starts. I could go on and on about cost of binos, rangefinders, spotting scopes, optics, etc. I think you guys should get my point now. I'm not faulting those who are using any of the products I just mentioned. I'm just trying to give a little perspective to the now that Boquillas Ranch is charging $60 to hunt that its becoming a rich mans sport. Nor AZHUNTER am I picking on you as this sentiment has been shared by others. Personally, I could care less what they do with the money generated. If people don't like it then those same people should take action through the legislative process. Limit the way that state trust land can be use by ranchers. I love the idea of paying $60 because I don't have all those things I mentioned above. I don't have an atv, toy hauler/camper, full-size pick-up, expensive gear, or a great deal of time and resources. I feel that this fee not only shifts hunting back toward a time when hunters were not so reliant on tech and also serves to act as an equalizer between those with countless resources and those without.

Didn't see the episode, but would say that shooting tracer in the desert is a pretty bad idea. When I was at Ft.Drum in upstate New York where there was plenty of moisture we would have small fires sometimes when shooting tracer. I would hope that since this guy was filming a show the production team made proper arrangements in case there was a fire. But, I'm guessing not because I cannot imagine a anyone willing to be part of such a bad idea. I'll be hnest and say that I haven't heard of this guy and watched a couple of his videos on youtube, Not terribly impressed.

Well I'm in need of getting a bow restrung and a buddy, actually a couple of buddies are looking to get into bow hunting with me during the OTC season. We all work in the customer service industry and I am sure we will not be going to Bear Mountain based on this story. If buying bow out here is anything like it is in Illinois this guy just lost a lifetime worth of bow sales from a number of people. Every bow that my family purchased back in Illinois was from the same shop GAT Guns. I would attempt to take it back one more time. Only I would bring any correspondence that you have with Hoyt. Odds are this guy is trying to pass off a returned bow and I'm sure that Hoyt is not going to be thrilled with that. If you paid with a card see if you can stop payment still.

Hilarious!

Ha, good chuckle before I hit the hay.

What about setting up some caches in the areas you are going to hunt while scouting or between now and the hunt. Like water, power bars, maybe socks, etc. Your game bag idea is GREAT! I think that can be used by anyone, whether they are bivy hunting or operating from a camp. I'll say this, I was in 10th Mountain while I was in the Army and we were a light infantry unit. I humped many a heavy ruck and I'm a little concerned about your pack weight. You are already at 49 pounds and that is without an elk. I would guess just the cape, head, and antlers alone are going to put you around a hundred pounds. I rucked around a hundred pounds a couple of times and it was not fun. Do-able, but not fun and you still have yet to pack the rest of the meat. Perhaps I'm not seeing the whole picture like your working out of a larger camp and planning on bivying around that area.

Every couple of years I get these bald patches that develop near my chin. This past spring it happened again, so shaved it off because it looked terrible. Patches are still there, usually takes about 6 to 8 months to grow back. Not looking very promising at this point. I graduate in Dec and plan on doing a lot of bowhunting from then till the end of January. Even if it still looks terrible at that time I'll grow it out.

Not much you can do other than put another camera out and sit on it. If no one shows to check the other take your new one with you. Repeat until the guy with the other camera returns and hopefully takes yours. If you confront anyone about the first camera they will deny it. Probably say something like why would I steal your camera and put mine next to where your old one was, that would just be stupid. Yea, stupid if you already didn't plan on using that exact excuse before you stole it in the first place.

I've never hunted up there, but after reading the rules it makes me want to hunt there. I appreciate the fact that they want hunting on the ranch to be similar to what it was 20 to 30 years ago when I started hunting.

So I'm a little confused about the leftover tag process. You can only mail in the application? Or can you drop it off at an AZGFD office? Is it another draw? Or is it first come first serve and you hope that your application gets picked out of the pile of mail first?

Thanks Kent

I get the mail in part, but how do they pick out of the apps that are mailed in? I guess here is my question. So for example: Lets say I put in for a leftover tag in unit x as well as 30 other guys and there are only 10 leftover tags. All of which get there by July 22nd. How do they determine who gets the 10 tags. Is there a draw? Do they just pick ten randomly? Smell them and pick the 10 that smell the best? To me, we all are first come since our apps arrived at the same time. Sorry if it sounds like I'm being a pain in the butt or trying to split hairs. I'm taking a statistics class right now and I think it is rubbing off as I feel there is not enough information or the information is unclear to me.

There are approximately 4,000 leftover permits from the drawing process. Leftover tags are available on an first-come, first-served basis in two phases. By U.S. mail only, applicatons will be accepted after 8 a.m. (MST) July 22, 2013. Begining July 29, 2013 at 8 a.m. leftover permits are available for purchase, with a completed application, at all Department offices in addition to the mailing proces Ok so I looked a little harder and found this. Sorry for the original post. But still doesn't answer the question about draw vs. first come first serve.

Anyone else pull a Unit 23 Turkey Tag? This will be my first true turkey hunt. Any other first timers want to join up? Any tips anyone can give me? Not on the unit, just general turkey hunting tips. Going to head out to the unit for Labor Day weekend and do some scouting, and maybe look for some deer with an otc deer tag.

Well I plan on camping at either Alderwood or Haigler Canyon Campground. Stop by, black jeep wrangler with veteran plates.

I gave up hope this morning. I didn't get hit for a deer tag, but it looks like I did for a turkey tag. I figure I would have seen something by now for a deer tag since I'm seeing one for a turkey tag.

So far, only a Unit 23 turkey tag. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a Mule tag in the same unit.

Got hit for $18, guess I got my Unit 23 turkey tag. Hopefully another hit soon!

I called USAA earlier and they told me that process payments twice a day, so the next time I may see something is at midnight. Fingers crossed! Anyone else use USAA and got a hit? By the way, has anyone gotten any hits for the Fall Turkey? I put in for that as well.

Last year I didn't get hit till the 19th, just checked my statement from last year.

@wildwoody Never said that tree stands are not hunting. I just wouldn't use them here in AZ because I don't feel like lugging one around this terrain and you can't leave them out. Plus, I'm not going to spend money on one only to have it stolen by some jerka$$. The reason I might not take a deer has nothing to do with a stalk, tree-stand, or ground-blind; its because I don't have a ton of time to put into scouting, nor do I have a lot of knowledge about hunting units. All I really have is what I have been able to collect from the AZGFD site, from reading members posts, and from guys I have met in the field. Coincidentally, out of the 10 or so guys that I have met out in the field only two of them were using a ground-blind, together. So I don't think I'm in some small group of people that "don't want to evolve." Ground-blinds are just not for me. @nighthawk Nothing wrong with recurves!

So I'm looking to make some purchases before this season and am not really sure what direction to go in. I'm still trying to get this AZ hunting thing down and want to either improve my binos or add a spotting scope. I have a Millet 4-16x50 scope that I'm using and a pair of Bushnell binos from Walmart that I bought for $80 a couple of years back, think they are 10x40. So my question is, would it be better to add a spotting scope or improve my binos. As far as spotting scopes go, just looking for an entry level spotting scope, maybe $250-500. I have never used a spotting scope before so I'm not sure what the advantages may be over a good pair of binos.