CouesWhitetail

Wow! Great coues and ram! thanks for sharing the hunt and pics! Congrats to your dad!

cool!

I saw this sticker maybe 2 weeks ago....I think it's the same one I have seen before and I think Dtower claimed it....that you again?

Very cool! I like how you located the deer outline above it! Nicely done and thanks for the support!

Allie is amazing! Julie loved playing with her. Allie was so much faster in the water than Julie that Paul would have to fake out Allie and through the stick close to Julie so she could win occasionally! We always liked to boost Julie's self confidence! She was so timid as a young dog.

Great thread! Keep 'em coming!

Thank you everyone for your kind words and prayers. It's still unbelievably painful and it's hard to see how it will get any easier, but each day is slightly better than the last. We are grateful that we at least know what happened to her and were able to take her home with us. We always feared she would fall in a mine shaft or off a cliff or get killed by javelina or a bear while she was out running scent and we would never find her. At least we don't have to endlessly be searching for her. That would have been worse. FYI, I was just informed by the USFS that a lion grabbed a 6 month old labrador while it and the owner were hiking Eagle Creek. Site sponsor Sam Dieringer of Dieringer Outfitters took care of the offending lion. Thanks to Sam for taking care of that situation. I have workers who hike alone or with their dog at night in that area. http://dieringeroutfitters.com/

Here is a photo of the lion. Sorry for bad pic quality, it was getting dark.

Funny that you mention her making a daybed as I enjoyed watching her do that very thing on her last evening as we were waiting to start an owl survey at sunset. She dug a spot out under a thin bush by a pine tree and circled around it several times before laying down in it. She was kind of funny about day beds....she often spent a bunch of time making one (often showering us with dirt as she made it) and then circling around and not lying in it but moving somewhere else. Funny girl. But that evening as we waited for sunset, the bed was made just right in the moist earth from the earlier rain and it kept her comfortable until it was time to start working.

sky harbor airport parking is the lot we use. They always have shuttles running and get us to and from the airport very quickly. We have used them for probably 15-20 years with trips a few times a year. You can find all their info here. https://www.skyharborairportparking.net/

I see someone already posted this, but perhaps it is easier to read when pasted into a post. Another friend sent me this by email and I find it to be a very appropriate poem to express how I feel. I took this photo while we were out doing owl surveys on the San Carlos many years ago. She posed like this often to survey the area around her. We called it her "posing for Gun Dog Magazine" look. It was nearly impossible to get photos of her like this because she didn't stay still like that for long enough to get a camera out. Pawprints Left By You You no longer greet me, As I walk through the door. You're not there to make me smile, To make me laugh anymore. Life seems quiet without you, You were far more than a pet. You were a family member, a friend, A loving soul I'll never forget. It will take time to heal - For the silence to go away. I still listen for you, And miss you every day. You were such a great companion, Constant, loyal and true. My heart will always wear, the paw-prints left by you. -Teri Harrison

Yes they will test it for rabies....but it appeared healthy. My guess is he was just desperate for a meal and would do anything to get one.

She loved the snow and she was running full speed at me when I snapped the photo. She was almost always in constant motion so it was hard to get action shots like that one. I love it too! She ran with that same look on her face all the time, just thrilled to be alive.

My amazing dog Julie:

She was such a strong dog, I figured if any dog could survive this attack it would be her. We tried our best to save her, but in the end we couldn't. I really wish I had seen the lion before it found her. It must have been very close by as we had only been there a few minutes before the attack. She always lived her life fearlessly (except in thunderstorms, those terrified her) and we both suspected eventually some day she would meet a tragic end like falling off a cliff or getting clobbered by a bear or pack of javelinas. But I never, ever thought she would be in danger if she was right in camp with us. And I always thought a lion would run from her if she found one. She once treed a bobcat and I was waiting for the day when I would find her having treed a lion. I was sure that day would come and it's possible she did tree a lion that we never saw as she often ranged far and wide on our outings. But I think this lion was able to sneak up on her and attack her from behind. It did the same thing to Clark's dog.

It is indeed tragic that my poor sweet Julie, whom many of you know and have watched grow up in this forum, was attacked right in our camp not four feet from a vehicle and right where a field technician had been standing a few minutes earlier unloading things out of his car. It was horrifying to watch her getting pulled down by the cat, to hear her cries, and to watch the cat running away with her. We chased the lion in the dark hoping to make it drop her. I stupidly threw my headlamp at the lion while I was chasing it as that was the only thing I had on me to throw. I didn't hit it, but eventually the cat got to some cover and somehow lost its grip on Julie and she ran back to us. She was bleeding profusely from her neck and I could see her skull was punctured but it didn't look that bad so I still thought there was hope. She fell down and went into shock and we loaded her in the Jeep and I flew as fast as I could back to Globe to the vet, which was almost two hours away. The ride there was terrible as Paul stayed in the back seat trying to stop the bleeding and keep her head stable while I drove as fast as possible on really rough roads and then the highway. The vet met us but Julie went into seizures as she had been having on the ride there a few times. It was horrific and the vet said there was too much brain trauma to be fixable so he put her down peacefully. It was and still is a nightmare for us. She was such a bright, beautiful soul. So loving and joyous all the time. I was waiting to post about this until I had time to gather photos and do a proper memorial for her. I will still do that, but at a later date. When we pulled into camp Julie immediately smelled something and I could tell it was exciting her. I assumed it was just an elk or a deer that had fed in the meadow before we got there. Julie went off into the dark following scent, which she ALWAYS does at every camp we have done and really anytime she is outside, she is always following scent trails whether it is quail, rabbits, deer, elk, turkey or lion. I walked all around looking for a good spot for the tent and looking for whatever Julie was looking for. I saw nothing. Julie came back into camp and I tried to interest her in a nice whitetail shed but she wasn't interested at all, even though she normally loves to carry antlers around. I could tell she was more worked up over the scent of something she hadn't yet found. She seemed to be telling me "this is no time to play with antlers, there is something interesting smelling right around here". She went back to searching and I went to help Paul put up the tent. Then we heard her screaming and I looked back to see her flailing around in the grass, but I couldn't see why. I thought maybe she was caught in a leghold trap since one of our dogs got caught in one once near there. Paul thought maybe it was a rattlesnake. She was just on her back flailing around and then suddenly the situation changed and now we could see a cat on top of her mauling her. We started screaming and chasing and the lion picked her up and ran toward the bushes. I don't know how but Julie broke free and came to us. Then we pulled our other dog Sunshine back to the car and the field tech stayed back where the lion was to keep an eye on it. The lion just sat there in the trees watching us as we packed up our gear and attended to Julie. We had no weapons with us, but the field tech sprayed some pepper spray in the direction of the lion while we were working on Julie. A friend of ours, Clark Richins, works out on San Carlos and has been running lions out there for years. He also knew Julie. He volunteered to go up there and hunt the lion. He went up yesterday afternoon and was running the tracks, but wasn't close to the lion yet when he heard one of his dogs cry out behind him. The lion apparently had circled around and came in behind Clark to hunt the dogs. He killed Clark's dog with one bite to the head and gave Clark a chilling look as if to say he dared him to take his prey away from him. Clark said it showed no fear of him or the dogs and Clark shot it while it still had his dog in it's mouth. He said he has never seen a lion act like that and it was disturbing. The dog he lost was one of his best young females. It's so sad. The lion was a two year old tom that weight about 125 lbs (twice Julie's weight). Not a huge monster but very hungry and lethal.

Way to go Phil for donating your tag and congratulations Jaycie on a great hunt! Beautiful photos!

Congratulations to the winners and thanks for supporting deer conservation in AZ!

Excellent! Glad to hear the boys had fun and that you and your friend got turkeys! I love turkey hunting (and eating)! My husband smokes our turkeys on the grill with apple wood, turns out great.

I am curious what your results will be. We just saw e85 for sale in Sierra Vista for 2.13! We pulled in thinking it was the gas price, but that was 2.45 for the cheapest unleaded.

It's been an amazing spring of all kinds of flowers blooming. I thought I would share some photos from a recent trip. Groundsel Fairy Duster Lupine Globe Mallow growing in a cholla Owls Clover Sundrops with saguaros on mtn in background Pincushion Doubting Mariposa (3 pics) Thistle Coues sticker in group of poppy and cream cups

Don't forget to check out all the amazing mentored camps offered by many different groups throughout the state. Most are geared toward teaching kids, but I think all of them would welcome an adult who wanted to learn how to hunt. So don't feel shy about contacting them and asking if you can attend. Another option is to just volunteer to help at those camps and then you can go with another hunter taking out a kid. You would learn so much and be helping someone else. AGFD website has a listing of all the camps and I also have a listing in the right hand side of the main forum home page that shows upcoming events. here is the agfd website link for that info...scroll through the calendar to find more camps. Or call Doug Burt (with AGFD and speak with him directly and he can hook you up with a camp. Douglas Burt Hunting and Shooting Sports Program Manager Arizona Game and Fish Department dburt@azgfd.gov (623) 236-7487 Desk (602) 531-7578 Cell/Text http://azgfdportal.az.gov/hunting/mentoredcamps

bummer, hate to lose a turkey to a vehicle accident. I have seen some road killed in 24a, it is sad to see.

Have a great bday!

I have yet to see one this year! Nice find!