AZP&Y

Hey Scotty Boy the Chiricuas are the bomb.I also hiked there about 8 years ago in Feb. Cold, but very nice country and no people up there in the winter time (at least when I was there). My latest endeavors are hiking the Arizona Trail. Well sections of it , as you probably know it starts at the Mexico border and runs all the way to Utah. This weekend we're going to hit a 31.5 mile section in northern Arizona. I was going to do a southern section, but just not sure of the water situation?? Nothing better than gettin the dogs out on the trail, We have 2 that always come, Milo & Otis - A golden retreiver and an Irish setter. The white mountain lakes will also be open soon and nothing like having a fly-rod connected to a monster Rainbow or Brownie. I guess we all better go now before the US FOREST shut's er down... http://www.aztrail.org/ Doug AzP&Y

ultramag, Here's the conditions for Coconino National forest http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/conditions/index.shtml PS- There's another powerful storm coming late Tuesday into Wednesday. Good Luck - and show us some pics if you can! Doug Azp&Y

Archery Lion Pic from ERIC HUNTER: JERRY THORSON- AZ Predator Callers

whoa .. it almost looks prehistoric in nature. cool. thanx for sharin' doug AzP&Y

SHIP IT TO ALASKA FOR THE MOOSE & CARIBOU TRIP 2006 NICE JOB! I MEAN IF YOU'RE GONNA GO ALL THE WAY YOU MIZE WELL GO ALLLLLLL THE WAY! I'VE HEARD FROM ALASKANS THE ARCTIC CATS DO REAL WELL IN SNOW WITH CHAINS. THE ACCESSORIES ARE LIMITLESS, TREE STAND/BOWHOLDER ... Nice piece of "gear" . Doug AzP&Y (hope it's ok I altered your picture)...

THE ALTAR VALLEY JANUARY 2006 ERNESTO - THIS ONES FOR YOU BUDDY. azP&y dOUG

MULIE HUNTERS NEW BOW (nice) ! All outfitted and ready to shoot! Congrats! {posting these pics on his behalf} - Azp&Y

Sweet! The Black and White makes it look all old and dated (like 1960 's) Not to mention that Pope and Young Rack! AzP&Y

Good News- Especially if you hunt the border zone or have run into a big cat or bear somewhere in a canyon. It's legal to carry a pistol (side-arm) during the ARCHERY ONLY -HUNTS! This was released by Game and Fish- Archery-only hunters can now carry a non-hunting handgun for protection The October issue of ?Hunting Highlights? reviewed the legality of carrying a handgun during an archery-only hunt. The rule at that time was that hunters participating in an archery-only hunt could not possess a firearm, even if they had a concealed weapons permit. Since that time, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has issued a directive allowing hunters participating in an archery-only hunt to carry a non-hunting handgun for personal protection and safety. As a guideline, a non-hunting handgun shall be defined as a handgun with a barrel length of 6 inches or less that does not have a scope or any type of electronic device. Handguns meeting this definition may be carried during an archery-only hunt for personal protection only. They may not be used to take any species of wildlife while participating in an archery-only hunt. HUNT ON! Arizona Pope and Young

I nominated by buddy's dad last year. He teaches the Game and Fish class along with a myriad of other outdoor volunteer opportunites. He didn't win, but you should see how "choked up" he got at just the thought of the nomination! It is a great way to Thank someone regardless of the outcome ... and I'm sure of the above group there is an excellent shot at someone winning. Regards, AzP&Y

Mulie Hunter - Nice Job- Glad to see you bought one and I bet you're pretty psyched about going out and getting it "dialed in". I know it's tough with all the product out there, but the guys that I know shoot the AR bows are very happy. Congrats- like to see a picture if you can do it. Regards, Doug AzP&Y

Arizona once again in the ELK hunters spotlight: World Record Pending Bull elk harvested in Arizona may be new archery world record Getting a potential new archery world-record bull elk in Arizona--a 7x7 typical bull with 60-day entry scores of 423 6/8 inches gross and 414 0/8 inches net--was a bit of a coin toss for Shawn Patterson. Ironically, he lost the coin toss but got the monster bull anyway in Hunt Unit 10 in northern Arizona on Sept. 16, 2005. The huge bull had been spotted the day before, but in another area a couple of miles away. The guide service, John McClendon & Son's Guide Service in Flagstaff, had two clients in the field. They flipped a coin to see who would get a chance at the huge bull. Shawn lost. Or thought he had. As it turned out, the huge bull had moved into the area he would be hunting. Shawn, a soft-spoken 41-year-old archer from Chandler, knows about coin tosses in big games: He was a defensive lineman at Arizona State University and played with the Green Bay Packers from 1988-1993. Still, Shawn was not really aware of the size of the bull until some time after taking his kill shot. In fact, he thought the game was over earlier in the day when he and the guide, Levi McClendon, got busted by a rag-horn bull that came around a corner and saw them. "The raghorn ran off and all the bulls scattered," said Shawn. "We thought it was all over." Patterson and his guide still stuck to tracking the big bull for about 400 or so yards, until it entered a huge thicket of junipers and pinyons, and they lost its tracks in the rocky terrain. "We had about given up. Then a bull bugled in the distance, and the monster elk responded. We had heard it call once before, it had a distinctive, throaty sound. We knew it was him." Finding the big bull was still a challenge. "It was just a jungle out there. The junipers were really thick. We never did see the whole bull, just glimpses of its huge rack. We didn't know if it was a 350, 370 or a 400 bull. All I really knew was that you don't pass up a bull that big." Shawn saw the direction the bull was moving, and positioned himself to have a shot when the elk stepped across a 15-foot-wide gap in the thick junipers. "I was concentrating so much on making a good shot that I really didn't see how huge the rack was, I just knew it was big." At first, Shawn thought he had missed having a perfect shot placement. "The bull was at a slight angle, and I thought I had shot a few inches too far to the right and a little too low. As it turned out, it was a nearly perfect kill shot." He and the guide backed off so they wouldn't spook the big bull into running. "Many times, they will go 20 or 30 yards and look back. If they see you, they will take off. We wanted to give the bull some room to be comfortable and avoid spooking it." They waited about 30 minutes, then followed the tracks. As it turned out, the precaution wasn't necessary. Shawn had achieved a near-perfect kill shot and the bull went 93 yards and died. Shawn finally got to see how magnificent the bull truly was. "To put it mildly, it was a great hunt," Shawn said, then added the philosophy he has shared with other media. "To me, being able to be in the field, that's the cake. To get a good shot at an elk, that's the icing. And to actually harvest something like this, that's the cherry on top." Shawn will have to wait some time before finding out whether his cherry on top is a new world record or not. The bull will be officially scored by the Pope & Young Club during its convention during April of 2007 in Lancaster, Pa. At least for now, it appears the Patterson bull exceeds the current 409 2/8 inch archery record bull taken in 2000 by Chuck Adams. For Pics - Click Here: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2289867&type=story Doug AzP&Y

Try this link, it's got some updated info:PRIMARILY COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST Scroll down to Road and Closure Information, It's usually updated just after a storm! http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/conditions/index.shtml Good Luck & STAY SAFE! - THE WARMER WEATHER IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! aZP&y dOUG

No CWD found in Arizona deer and elk testing The Arizona Game and Fish Department reports lab results found no chronic wasting disease (CWD) in any of the nearly 2,500 hunter-harvested deer and elk tested from the fall 2005 hunt season. CWD is a neurological disease that does not affect humans but is fatal to deer and elk. The disease has not yet been found in Arizona but has been detected in several other states, including three that border Arizona: Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. "We're very encouraged by these results, but we'll continue to remain vigilant with an aggressive testing program," says Jim deVos, research branch chief for the Game and Fish Department. "If CWD does show up in Arizona, early detection will better allow us to launch efforts to prevent its spread." Of the samples tested, 1,540 were deer and 926 were elk. I feel fortunate to Live in AZ ? This disease is not pretty. Entire Article: http://www.azgfd.gov/artman/publish/article_485.shtml AzP&Y Doug

Weak policy in Washington has created this Quagmire ? Read Mr. Bush?s response from yesterdays news conference. ?My view is that border security starts with a good, solid strategy along the border itself. You know, there's Border Patrol agents, technology, the capacity to pass information quickly, so that Border Patrol agents will be more likely to intercept somebody coming across the border illegally. There needs to be enforcement mechanisms that don't discourage the Border Patrol agents. They work hard. They get somebody coming in from country X. The person says, "Check back in with us in 30 days." They don't .. If that?s Jorge's (HA) strategy then lets move onto the next ?strategy? I?m sure there is no one more taxed and frustrated than our own BORDER PATROL AGENTS> Sasabe is the SUPER-HIGHWAY of illegal immigration that?s why the MINUTE MEN are drawing attention to this location. Read our President?s entire response regarding Immigration - contained at the bottom, the last question that he addressed during his news conference( he?s got a VERY BIG plate these days)?+ http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/21/bus...ript/index.html AZP&Y

The Altar Valley couldn't be any more dangerous than it already is... Most of the migranos can readily tell a hunter from border patrol agent from a civilian. If the Minute Men choose to wear camo, so be it. If a border/drug crosser is going to take a shot at "anyone" in camo, they fully understand that the individual is there to harvest an animal (if hunting) and that retaliation is possible. The Minutemen news is easily handed to the "coyotes" and they will alter their route for a month or so... and things will revert to the previous level of crossings. The Altar Valley is also known as Cocaine Alley and OTM Alley - meaning Other Than Mexican Alley - because of the large number of non-Mexican illegal aliens historically apprehended in the area. AzP&Y Doug

Here's one out of area 10 from the October Rifle Mule deer hunt. Didn't find the other one, but for everyone that can't BUST A MOVE on the Jonesing Shed Hunters, they're still out there throughout the year... Nice Brownies so far! Doug AzP&Y

Hey Scott - happy birthday man! You're part of the reason that I joined this forum...reading your outstanding posts, viewing your quality photos of Arizona's Big game and taking us along for the scouting, hunt, pre and post! I am a TRUE FAN! regards, AzP&Y Doug

Let's not slide by Josh's latest post regarding the lion kill (harvest to be politically correct) Andy and I were both dripping with sweat when we got there but were happy to see the lion up for sure. Once again we took a lot of pictures and video and Shawn finally got him with a perfect shot from his Hoyt bow. Eh hem... Good Luck and let us know your choice, I think you've got the whole spectrum covered! AzP&Y doug

Rock On - Scottyboy! By the way who's watching the border???? Good Luck and double down on that 21 table! Regards, azp&y Doug

Great Pictures and Fantastic story! Nice to see an archer gettin' one of them cats too! Dogs are a howling! Thanx for sharin' Doug AzP&Y

SUNRISE SKI RESORT RECEIVED 5 TO 5 AND 1/2 FEET OF SNOW AND IS RE-OPENING THIS THURSDAY MARCH 16TH! SNOWBOWL OPENS THIS FRIDAY 3/17 - Sunset Chair and Hart Prarie - they are still evaluating the Agissaz chair (main charlift to the top)

fIRSTCOUES80- You'd have a blast and probably not return to ARIZONA! It changes you forever. You look at things on a grand scale and think wow, it's twice the size of Texas and 1/5 the size of the entire United States... There is nothing like or will ever be like Alaska from a US hunting perspective! Worry about the draw? What's that? This is a fast forward picture of Coosefan! ANOTHER SUCCESSFULL CARIBOU HUNT! 5 months will be here in a flash and it'll be here before you know it.

Oh and as BullWidgeon put in a recent post...Mtn. lions give a great addition to the hunt and "wild" nature.. You've got to have your GAME ON - when headed to the Last Frontier as another creature awaits with great anticipation! Nose to the wind! - This is a sub-adult (punk teenage bear)..

Hey Jim, A book that I would suggest is " Hunting Hard in Alaska" by Marc Taylor. (book one)- It centers around the "self guided" hunter, which based on your comments is what is going to be the case. Subtext: -" Prepare Yourself to Hunt the Last Frontier". From the back cover- " The book will be invaluable in the planning and execution of your Alaska hunt, whether you are a seasoned veteran " of the greatland" or planning your first trip. I've been to Alaska 11 times and each one is very unique and it constantly calls me to return. September can be fantastic Silver Salmon fishing, so consider a day or 2 of BIG COHO's to fill your cooler! Hopefully some cool weather will subdue Alaska's state bird (the mosquito) but I've generally got by with a head net and passed on the toxic deet, but it can save you as well. I bet you're really excited and I know you're in the for the Hunt of a Lifetime! Regards, Doug AzP&y