Sick of the Arrogance

[.270]

boy, is this great! Lark.

[hunter25]

OH MY!!!

[BeardownAZ]

Whatever happened to just hunting cause you enjoy it and like the challenge for yourself. Nowdays its all about how big the animal is and bragging. Which is totally fine if you work your @%#& off for it. But like it was said in a previous post, People pay thousands to be guided on a hunt just so they can say "Look what I shot!" Never having done any of the work or even knowing how. Just point and pull the trigger. People think way to high of themselves or perhaps not, maybe why they need something to bost about. People lie, cheat and steal to great lengths, all for attention. Pathetic really!

[Elkhunter1]

This entire post is very SAD. I have never read such B.S. Do you guys need a counselor? I thought this site was to inform us on good tactics and hunting, you know EDUCATIONAL!!!! I for one am here to share and learn the "ART" of hunting and all that IS outdoors. Lets keep it on that level and keep your petty differences off of this site. DesertDiesel I understand you were called out and had to respond but this, I don't think is the place for what was done. Yes you should have the right to defend yourself but not attack the guy ( it puts you on the same level as he). I am just saying "PLEASE LETS KEEP THIS SITE ABOUT THE OUTDOORS AND TEACHING OUR KIDS THE ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY THE OUTDOORS HOLD FOR ALL"

[Elkhunter1]

Very well put and I do agree to the right to defend ones self. I simply stated that by you taking it one step further you put your self in the same category he is in. I don't think that is where you desire to be, and I wanted to let you know that that is where it looks like you are from the outside looking in. In short "BE CAREFUL" you don't want to be there.

This entire post is very SAD. I have never read such B.S. Do you guys need a counselor? I thought this site was to inform us on good tactics and hunting, you know EDUCATIONAL!!!! I for one am here to share and learn the "ART" of hunting and all that IS outdoors. Lets keep it on that level and keep your petty differences off of this site. DesertDiesel I understand you were called out and had to respond but this, I don't think is the place for what was done. Yes you should have the right to defend yourself but not attack the guy ( it puts you on the same level as he). I am just saying "PLEASE LETS KEEP THIS SITE ABOUT THE OUTDOORS AND TEACHING OUR KIDS THE ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY THE OUTDOORS HOLD FOR ALL"

 

Thank you for acknowledging my right to defend my integrity. As I previously stated, for years I have kept my mouth shut while this fraud and liar posts his nonsense. You can call it attacking if you like. I'm simply setting the record straight. Everything I have posted about Catclaw is true. I have not fabricated a single story, those fanatsies are his and his alone.

 

If someone wants to go to a public forum and say negitive things, it usually doesn't bother me. But when my integrity gets called into question, I do take issue with that. It is easy for you sit there from the sidelines and say what ought to be done becuase he hasn't called you out in public, he hasn't called Eastman's and told lies about you, he hasn't called RMEF and told lies about you. Let me be very clear, I didn't start this. I agree this site should be about the outdoors and teaching others the ethics and responsibility of hunting. But he attacked my integrity, and many of the forum members here convicted and sentenced me in the court of public opinion without even hearing what I had to say.

 

I have refuted (sucessfully I hope) every lie he has told about me. I've also discretted this fraud for what he is. Fact is, he has done the same thing to others here on this board. Sadly he goes around this board (and others I'm sure) giving advice (often bad) to those who don't know him for what he is. He preaches ethics yet he doesn't have any himself.

 

For the record, I would have taken much greater pleasure in dealing with Catclaw in person, just he and I. Unfortunately he used this podium and many here gave him an audience.

[BikerRN]

Dang!

 

I just cooked up a fresh batch of popcorn.

[WinMag]

Well I have been off the site for about a year due to this kind of drama. I see it still has not changed. For what it is worth, I hunt every year since the 1980's and my first and last two big game kills were in 2004 Rifle Coues and 2006 Archery Bull Elk. I don't use trail cameras or range finders and I'm obviously not as successful as others in bagging my game. But the one thing I do on every hunt is be successful in what I'm out there for, "The Hunt". Too many people put too much pressure on themselves and others and lose focus on why we hunt. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but it works for me and I enjoy my hunts none the less.

 

Life is short and in Arizona the hunts are even shorter if and when they do come. Don't spoil your hunts before, during, or after with drama.

 

BTW I did not see pictures of your Elk but congratulations on putting it in the freezer.

[Elkhunter1]

DesertDeisel I mean you no disrespect and now understand your position "to educate the public" Having read that statement you have my full and unwavering support, as you did before, I just don't want you to damage your reputation or standing over a self centered self serving individual.

Keep doin what your doin DesertDeisel. You had the right and the need to defend yourself and you have most definitly set the recoed straight!

 

Thank you Trophy. I plan too. I don't view it as personally attacking the fraud. I consider it to be educating the public.

 

Then again, if the administrators could add a permanent signature line to all of his posts that stated, "Caution, this man is a liar and self-admitted fraud. Heed his advice at your own risk!" I wouldn't have to say anything more.

[Coach]

Interesting thread for sure. I'm glad we got to hear both sides of the story. On the other hand, why is it that every big bull or buck has to end up in a controversy?

 

We should be happy for our fellow hunters when they achieve what we all spend so much time, money and effort trying to accomplish. Leave the petty jealousy aside for long enough to give credit where it is due.

 

Ive been hunting AZ long enough to know that successful hunts are usually the result of hard work, hard scouting and most importantly, a team effort. I choose to hunt strictly self-guided, but that doesnt mean I dont count on information from friends, somebody with me to help call, or help glass, or just hang out and share the experience.

 

Very few people I know or have known can say that from year-to-year theyve harvested trophy quality animals on their own. Having someone else to help out doesnt diminish the hunt in any way, as far as Im concerned it actually enriches the hunt. Part of the hunt is recognizing and giving credit to the friends and family members who helped make it possible. Another key part is the bonding between people that happens along the way.

 

A guy who consistently has success, completely on his own, is to be admired, but probably also feels very alone at times. A truly successful hunt, in my opinion, is one that is shared with sons, friends, dads, sisters, etc. Its a great opportunity to bond with the people close to you.

 

Lets just try to support each other, without jealousy, without personal agendas, to go into the field with friends and family and create positive experiences that only hunting can generate.

[deerhunter]

Very well put Coach. Sharing with sons,friends,dads,sisters thats what its all about!!

[.270]

so where in the h e l l is caltclaw's rebuttal? that joker ain't never missed a chance to call me a liar. i really like this post. it might be my favorite ever. for several reasons. this is just too good. c'mon catclaw, don't quit just cuz you're down and gettin' your teeth kicked in. fight back. Lark.

[afmalinois]

HAHAHA stir that pot Lark!

[aztrophytakers]

so where in the h e l l is caltclaw's rebuttal? that joker ain't never missed a chance to call me a liar. i really like this post. it might be my favorite ever. for several reasons. this is just too good. c'mon catclaw, don't quit just cuz you're down and gettin' your teeth kicked in. fight back. Lark.

 

 

LMAO!

[willhunt4coues]

I would like to say congrats to desert desiel for his sucess on an awesome bull. I would leave out stuff like paying for gas and food in the details because like I have done in the past have taken my TRUE FRIENDS out scouting/hunting and they wanted to pay for my meal I advised them at that point he is paying for my assistance because I did not have my license at that time. So just a word to the wise don't pay for the food if they have helped you because in turn someone and SOME PEOPLE take it the wrong way. Not trying to stir anything up but wanted you to know that as I know lots of AZGFD employees get on the site. Again awesome bull and hopeing some bigones like that go down this year too. Good luck on your upcoming hunts and ignore catclaw you admire the spotlight.

[huntazelk]

I was there! I have not responded to this before now but at this time I have to say that I wish this bull had never been killed. There have been feelings hurt and friendships lost that if could have ever imagined the final outcome I would have never gotten involved. I love to hunt and film big elk. I was transfered into the unit that Desertdiesel had been in so we ended up talking about elk hunting. I brought in some elk video that i had taken over the years and showed him. He told me about his previous archery elk hunting experience that ended up being blown by his partner. I told him to put in for a sleeper unit that I knew real well. He didn't get drawn the next year but his son did for the late tag. I told him if his son could shoot 600 yards I'm sure we could get him a nice bull. At the time my cousin and I had been shooting a 338-378 Weatherby so Desertdiesel bought a 30-378 and puit his son into a NRA Highpower Rifle School. That was the first year I got my guide license. I worked with Abowpro filming for him in Unit 1 on some early archery hunts, see The Kneedy Bull and The Curly Bull. Desertdiesel's son and Catclaw both had that late tag and I had agreed to take them both. I took them scoutting and to my honey ho;e and the "Glassing Tree." I pointed out where we should find the bulls and we ended up glassing up some good bulls. Desertdiesel was concerned about how it would be decided who would shoot first so Catclaw agreed to not come out till Sunday after the opening of the hunt. Desertdiesel came early for the hunt and got camp set up and kept an eye on the bulls. I got there the evening before the hunt and we checked from the Glassing Tree and the bulls were in the same spot. I told him about a road that would take us right underneath them so we set up a plan for the next day. Opening morning it was rainy and wet. We took the road I knew and got close as we thought we could. We hiked in and saw them moving but couldn't get a shot. They started moving up the hill and we got set up for a shot. We ranged the bull at 635 yards and Deserdiesel's son used my tripod as a rest and made an incredible shot hitting on the very first shot. The fog came in and the rain was relentless. That was one of the toughest pack-outs I have ever done. That bull was a 7X7 that grossed 374. The weather ended up keeping Catclaw from coming out as planned on Sunday and on Monday he ended up passing on the other bull I had planned for him due to it having a main beam broken.

 

The next year Deserdiesel got drawn for the early archery bull tag for the same area. He really wanted me to take him but I explained to him that I was trying to get my guiding business going and since he said he couldn't pay me I told him I needed to look for paying clients. $300 is a lot to pay for a guide license so I wanted to get some paying clients. It just so happened that this year Desertdiesel was drawn for the early archery bull tag and his wife was drawn for the early muzzleloader bull tag for the same unit. Desertdiesel begged me to take him saying that with the two tags we could possibly come away with two 400 bulls and what better advertising for my guide business than that. I talked with my wife about it and I finally agreed but I made Desertdiesel know up fron that it was going to be considered a guided hunt! I scouted hard and told him about a huge bull I had located that was with another bull that had a double-main beam. He wanted to help keep track of it so I told him where it was and on his scouting trip he said he found it. I was worried that it was in an area that others knew about and that it was also not a great area for archery so I checked out another area also that he had not been to. I located another great bull there and knew it was better for archery. I told Desertdiesel about the other area being better for archery and the good bull and he said, "What ever you say your the guide." Because I had worked in this area when I worked for the Anasazi Foundation and hunted it for so many years I had many connections with the ranchers in the area. I had secured a ranch house with running cold and hot water and showers to stay in for the hunt and exclusive access to the locked fence ranch property. From the ranch house we could glass up bulls around the property. I filmed the bulls we saw prior to the hunt starting but the day of the hunt it rained and I did not have anyway of keeping my camera dry so I did not get the kill on video. It was almost dark when I called the bull in to archery range on opening night and from my vantage point it looked like a close broadside shot. This bull was actually shot on the ranch private property. Because the shot was a little far back we let him sit the night and located him first thing in the morning. We found him about 10 yards across the fence off the private property. All the field pictures were with my Canon GL2 as his camera didn't work. When we drove into town we went straight to a taxidermy friend of mine who gross scored him at 419 as a 7X7. It was an extremely fun hunt and Desertdiesel said he couldn't have been happier. He said he wanted to write a magazine article. I emailed him the pictures I took from my camera when we got back. I asked him to e-mail me a rough draft of the magazine article when he could. Needless to say I was more than a little hurt when I read what he wrote in the first draft. I felt the need to copyright my pictures so I could use them to help my guide business. Desertdiesel asked for a disk with the pictures so I gave him a disc with the copyrighted pictures and told him to have them contact me for permission and so far nobody has. This is not what I anticipated would happen when i agreed to do this hunt. I have no desire to ruin anybody or talk bad about anybody but I have to say I wish things had ended differently. I love to hunt elk.

 

On a good note I got drawn myself this year for an early archery bull tag and my son got drawn for an early rifle bull tag. Yah hoo!

 

Rod