Another big elk to score

Here is a clip that Colburn and Scott Outfitters guide, Darr Colburn, shot a few years ago.  To our knowledge this bull was never harvested.

Here is my guesstimate on score:  What do you think?
Left Side-17, 18, 18, 21, 17, 6 extra, MB 48, mass 28, Total left side 173
Right side- 18,18, 18, 20, 16, 20 extra, MB 49, Mass 28, Total right side 187
Inside spread-37
Total gross score 397

BTW, this is a fun exercise and I love doing it but for me hunting is about the thrill of the hunt, the challenge of our quarry, putting meat on the table, enjoying our God's creation, and spending time with friends and family.  With that being said I love big antlers and I try to sharpen my skills on scoring whenever I get the chance.

Score the elk?

I have received a few emails since I asked the question on what the bull on the previous post scores.  Here is what I think after just watching the video:
Left side
G1-18
G2-17
G3-18
G4-20
G5-18
MB 56
Mass 29
Total left side 176
Right Side
G1-19
G2-18
G3-18
G4-20
G5-18
G6-6
Extra between 4-5th 9inches
MB 54
Mass 29
Right side total 190
Inside spread 36

For a total of 402 inches gross.  He is definitely a nice bull.  His mainframe is a 393 with a 9 inch extra.  If you watch the video in my previous post you will see he has a hoss of a body.  This is my best guestimate.

Mission Menace By Mathews

Schools Out for Summer!!! My boys got out of school last week and have been saving their money for a new bow. I spoke with George and Randy at Archery Headquaters and both recommended the Mission Menace by Mathews. We drove to Chandler and George got us dialed in like he always does. It is hard to beat the great customer service you receive when you shop at Archery Headquarters Thank you guys! George set the Menace up with a peep sight, kisser button, whisker biscuit rest and a half dozen easton jazz arrows. We got home and the boys and neighborhood kids shot the bow for two plus hours straight. The great thing about the Menace is the adjustable draw length and weight. Parker age 8 has a 19" draw and Paul age 5 has a 17" draw. All you have to do to change the draw length is remove two screws. You do not need a bow press and it literally takes less than a minute to switch from Parker's draw length to Paul's. The bow adjusts from 16-52 lbs. so there is lots of room for growth. So far I am very impressed. Hats off to Mathews for making a bow to accommodate the next generation.

Specifications
Physical Weight 2.95 lbs. Axle to Axle 31 " Brace Height 7.25 " Let-off Up to 70% Riser Extruded Finish (Riser/Limbs) Max 4 HD or Black / Real Tree Advantage Max 4 HD Draw Weight 16-52 lbs, Draw Length 17-30", Silencers D-Amplifiers™ Suppressors N/A Cam(s) Dual/Perim Weighted Cable Guard Carbon Rod Bowstrings Zebra® Hybrid Grip Composite


More info and pictures visit Mission Archery or Archery Headquarters

Large Dual Cams for high performance.

Remove the allen screw on each cam and easily adjust the draw length.

Split limbs for reduced weight.

70% Let Off makes the Menace easy to hold.

Not a bad group for the first day with the Mission Menace by Mathews.

Happy Shooter.

Lite weight (2.95 lbs) and easy to shoot.

Nice shot.

Elk are tough to judge head on

Here is a perfect example of how tough elk are to judge when they come in head on.  Once this bull turns it creates some pucker factor.


What do you think this bull scores?

Kenny Perry Interview

As you know from following this blog we are hunting/fishing junkies, but we are also suckers for a good story.  I am happy to call Kenny a friend and the world could sure learn alot about life from a down home country boy.  Click here if you want to smile.


Go get em' KP!  "Time to make the donuts"

Bugling Bulls 13

Darr's Turkey Hunt

Sadie Anderson needs our help

Sadie Anderson needs our help! Sadie Anderson needs a liver transplant.  The Anderson family needs prayers and they need money quickly.  Here is what Amanda Moors of Coueswhitetail.com had to say, "You all have heard me talk about the Outdoor Experience 4 All before. This is a great group that takes kids with disabilities or illnesses out hunting/fishing/camping. One of the kids they have helped is Sadie Anderson. I have met Sadie several times and she is an amazing young lady. She is also a very good hunter. She has taken many big game animals in the last few years. Anyway, she needs a liver transplant and Derek Taylor is leading an effort to raise money for that.
Here is a poster that gives you more info on what you can do to help."
More info on Sadie's situation http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18820
Prayer link started for Sadie http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18867&hl=



 
PLEASE HELP THIS LOVELY LITTLE GIRL AND DONATE!  THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Mother's Day Caddis

Les and I were fortunate enough to catch the Mother's Day Caddis hatch on the Eagle. Most years the water is already high and muddy and even though the caddis come off, the fish don't feed on them. Yesterday was different. The caddis started pouring off around 2pm, but it wasn't until 4pm that the fish started hammering the surface. The final two hours of our trip were filled with exciting, splashy rises to stimulators and other caddis dries. The fish were not picky. It was our first great dry fly action of the season! With normal snowpack and a slow runoff, we're primed for alot more of this kind of fun.

Old Huntin' and Fishin' Pics

Jeanne found some very old pics of me as a little kid, as you can see this was the start and the beginnings of my great love for the outdoors.  The interesting things about these pics is that I remember each one of these like it was yesterday.  Pretty cool stuff!  Take a kid hunting or fishing and you will create a mountain of memories!

All of these pics were obviously pre digital days!

2010 RMEF World Elk Calling Championship Mens Division

Check out the mens division of the 2010 RMEF Elk calling contest finals. More at Hunting Life

World Champion Sadler McGraw talking turkey

This guy is phenomenal.  He is a world champion and he sounds exactly like a turkey.  Click for more on Sadler Mcgraw

2010 RMEF World Elk Calling Championship Video

I was honored to be a judge at the 2010 World Championship Elk calling contest in Reno, NV.  Huntinglife.com was there to capture the contest on video.  Here is the Pro Division Final

Ryan Eustice AZ Turkey Down

Friend to JSO says this about his 2010 turkey hunt, "I shot this bird at 5:10am Sunday morning at about 30 yards. It was a textbook deal where we roosted him the night before and then called him right in the next morning. The weather was probably the worst I’ve ever had on a spring turkey hunt as we got snow every day with very windy conditions most of the time. All things considered, the four of us did pretty well. Mike shot his bird Saturday at about 9:45am and I shot mine Sunday morning. Scooter and his brother Mike had a few chances, but the gobblers gave them the slip. They still have two more weekends to hunt, so they’ll get even."

Gobble Gobble!!!!!!!!!!

Mike Tenney's AZ Gobbler

Mike Tenney smoked a couple of Merriam gobblers this year, here is what he wrote about one of them,
1 Turkey tag- $250
18+ Hours of driving- $500
7 nights sleeping under the stars $0
1 box of Remington 3 1/2 inch 4 shot- $18.00
2 Primos Decoys- $40.00
Shooting a big ol gobbler the last weekend while hunting solo- Priceless
 

Nice job Tenney!

Tyler Hall's AZ Archery Goulds Turkey

Two of my favorite people and hunting buddies Tyler and Glenn Hall, had some great success this season on Tyler's Arizona goulds tag.  Tyler opted to use his bow and it paid off!  Tyler tells the story, "After I glanced back at my Dad and saw him motion that he heard a turkey scratching out in front of us, the next thing I saw was the white tips of a strutter’s fan over some jack pines at 20 yards. He strolled right up and bellied up to the Jake decoy 8 yards in front of me. This gobbler slipped in Silent Bob style after we had been working him for an hour and a half. At full strut he began to slowly turn away from me and when his fan blocked his vision I drew my bow, aimed at the sphincter and launched an arrow. A 120 yard foot race later and my Gould’s gobbler was done. I am so thankful for such a beautiful bird the Lord blessed me with along with the time spent with my good Ol’ Dad!"  Great Job Tylo!

Strutting time

Here is some cool turkey footage I shot.

"For a Handful of Feathers"

I just finished reading the May/June copy of The Colorado Bowhunter, which is the newsmagazine of the Colorado Bowhunters Association. In it I found this excerpt from the essay "For a Handful of Feathers" by Guy De La Valdene. The editor used it to rally members to do more for conservation. It motivated me to make a phone call and volunteer to the CBA and RMEF. I think this paragraph sums it up fairly well.

We hunters, more than any other group on earth, should understand the symbiotic relationship between species and how it has come to pass that, thanks to our destructive meddling, the reflection of a teal on a pond is no longer free of charge. Those of us who understand the complex nature of a teal’s life – and what it takes, in terms of protection and food, to grow the feathers that send that image darting over the water – also understand what the chase and the kill do to the spirit of man, its rewards and its shames. Because we understand and feel these things more acutely than our peers, it is sacrilegious of us not to protect with all our might what resources remain to be saved. If we neglect our obligations, we stand to incur the contempt of generations to come.

I smell antlers growing

The moisture in Gila County is evident thru these photos taken yesterday.  The antlers are not going to have an excuse this year IMO.  Here are a few random thoughts on Spring turkey hunting:   if these birds could smell I don't think I would ever kill one, why do they gobble at you then fly the other way,  can something with a brain the size of a marble really be that smart,  why do you gobble at me like your interested then fail to make another peep, I wish I could see like a turkey, the youth hunts and two season hunt structure is hammering our birds and the "quality of the hunt" is suffering, why does the game and fish not require mandatory reporting for the youth tags?????, I would give my tag to a junior or youth but why are they over the counter, if the G&F made deer and elk over the counter the big game guys would go bizerk, why does no one seem to care about a turkey and just let the G&F slaughter what so many guys have work hard for, if turkeys gobbled all year long I would never get any work done, is it too late to add the wild turkey as our co-national bird (I love the eagle too), how can the gobblers head change color that fast, why do I always forget to get on the same level with a gobbling bird before trying to call him in, I thank the Lord above for creating such a awesome quarry, this turkey season has been going strong since March and has taken me to many states and different haunts, I am probably done chasing you due to scheduling conflicts so I have a full year to think of all the mistakes I have made and how the more I learn about you the more I get humbled and schooled, until next year keep your head down and stay moving and I will see you on the same limb next spring.