Phone number please

[Aullery]

A friend of mine just told me he got drawn for buffalo muzzleloader cow.  He is not a member here but asked if I could find Russ’s phone number.  Can some one pm that to me.  Thank you very much 

[Flatlander]

(928) 81four-962two

[Aullery]

Thank you 

[SpotNStalk]

DIY

[loboscout]

I certainly get the DIY perspective, and I was ready to do it DIY, and in fact scouted it with my buddy before opening. My buddy did it DIY for him and his father. He had other people do it DIY, with some information. I love to do as much as I can myself hunting, and even though I suck, I still go out by myself. Its just in my nature. So, I am not saying this as someone who is all about Russ. I was prepared to do it without Russ, and had a negative sort of feeling about the COOP. It just felt weird for a hunt. But, I understand why it works and why it is like no other hunt.

For my hunt, the funny thing is, after a hard day of scouting for fresh sign, we ultimately came up with the exact same plan as Russ just gave to everyone. And, I shot my bison in the meadow because of Russ on multiple levels.

Day before opening, my guide friend and I had scouted to a salt Russ had out and was less than 100 yards where @Flatlander was set up by Russ. We knew they had been there from the sign and smell and I was going to walk my blind into the location. On opening morning, I was just 5 minutes behind Russ and the coop when they were following the buffalo on foot. I caught up with them, and Russ didn't interfere with what I was going to do, but he did his best to make it a good hunt for everyone. All it takes is one hunter to drive around or walk around and force the buffalo onto the park. I've heard of other things guys try, but really, the options to hunt are really slim if you want to get an opportunity and also have some courtesy to the other hunters. Ultimately, I knew I would be sitting a blind most of the time because I didn't want to be the maverick running around. People that want to be a maverick won't like Russ's coop, and probably won't like sitting in the blind. Now, a really good hunter might be able to still hunt the park boundary, but I'd think twice for lots of reasons. Believe me, one day in the blind was rough enough. But, I would have stuck it out.

The second morning, since I was hunting where everyone else was, I went to the Coop, got my radio from Russ, and planned to go sit the same salt. Yeah, it really sucks just sitting, but that is the best chance all hunters have. If you get yahoos running around, then the buffalo just stay on the park. It a terrible way to hunt waiting in the blind, but it is the best for everyone. 

Ultimately, as Flatlander and I were pulling up to park and walk into our blinds, Russ called and told all of us to head to the meadow. Rather than drive my truck solo into the herd, I asked Russ where he wanted me, and he said jump in with him. I rode up on the bison in his truck. I was asking about when to shoot, and he said, well, you have a suppressor so feel free to shoot whenever you want. I was standing near Russ on the side of the highway, and he was calling out cows trying to get people to shoot. Had it not been for Russ, I would not have shot my bison that morning. He didn't care who was out there on that meadow, and in fact as far as I know, everyone in the coop was told to go to the meadow. His boy would have helped gut and dress her if we wanted, but I had all the help I needed.

Yeah, blind sitting sucked. But, my own scouting got me no different information than Russ's coop. And, I had the fortune of an experience Kaibab bison hunter to do the scouting.

If you don't know anything and you choose DIY, there is a good chance that you'll be like the guys I saw driving around and seeing nothing because they hadn't participated in the coop. Imagine being those guys, and seeing a non-paying coop participant drive by with a bison head on top of coolers in my truck bed. They didn't get a chance on the hundreds of bison out in the meadow that morning because they were DIY. I don't know if they went to the coop later, because I was only up there for two nights and three days, but we told them about it.

Take all that with a grain of salt, but I figured I should share my experience. IMO, if someone chooses DIY, if they don't have significant experience, intel, and understanding, they will be at a massive disadvantage. Talk with Russ and educate yourself before making a decision.

[Hunting Fool]

Don't hire Russ.

[PRDATR]

23 hours ago, Hunting Fool said:

Don't hire Russ.

You lost? Post is pretty old.  No wait, REALLY OLD.