Lucky Draw

We almost got an Australian Cattle Dog, aka Blue Heeler from the pound. The story was they found it in a dumpster, so we were going to name it Oscar after the Sesame Street grouch. Somebody else adopted that dog, but we still liked the name Oscar. When we ended up selecting a Heeler from a local breeder a few months later, we modified the spelling to Auscar. That was 15 years ago. Everyone should be so lucky to have a dog like that in their lives for 15 years. We learned a lot from that dog. Its amazing how many things correlate from raising a pup to raising kids. Rewards for behavior you want to see again. Consequences for actions you’d rather not. How to get bodily fluids out of the carpet. What its like to be loved unconditionally. We learned that and so much more from our dog. In the course of 15 years, a dog can acquire a pretty lengthy “Greatest Hits” collection of stories. A few of my favorites include: -On his first trip to the vet he learned how they check your temperature, so on his second trip he kept that region firmly pressed against the wall. -He was just as good at breaking out of our yard as he was breaking into the neighbor’s yard to see their female dog. -His herding instinct was strong when it came to other dogs, kids and adults. But the first time he came across a cow he knew he was supposed to do something, but couldn’t bring himself to do much more than bark at it. -He didn’t dog paddle, he got his paws out of the water like a freestyle swimmer. That might have had something to do with his build because he also couldn’t seem to keep anything past the shoulders above water. When he was in one especially destructive phase as a pup, we tried hot dogs as his reward for good behavior. During this time he got to go with us on a road trip where we learned two things. One, he had gotten too big to fit on the center console of the truck, but wouldn’t give up his spot. Two, a canine hot dog fart hits like a hammer. He loved chasing whiffle golf balls almost as much as I loved hitting them to him. On more than one occasion, he got so excited over a new pack of whiffle balls that he would mash them before they could make their second journey through the air. Getting old was no picnic, but he always gave it his best (Another life lesson). Cancer hit him pretty hard about a year ago. Seven months ago, the vet said he would be lucky to make it another six months. You showed them, Old Pup. This morning it was obvious that his time had come. Frankly, I’m amazed he made it through the night. We made the decision to put him down and am not the least bit ashamed to say that I haven’t cried that long and that hard in a long time. He’s buried a few miles from the house under a nice, big mesquite tree. There’s a cattle trail nearby, so he can keep an eye on the herd. I tucked a whiffle ball next to his body and told him I’d be in Heaven to hit some to him when the time comes. I’ll never be able to fully explain what that dog meant to me. And that’s frustrating. He got me through some tough times when no human could. I called you Auscar, Auscar de la Doodle, Doggo, Pup, Old Man, Old Dog, Old Pup and several other names that never seemed to confuse you. I probably called you Good Boy more than most of the nicknames because that’s what you were. I love you. I miss you and I hope these strangers on the internet got to have a glimpse of what you meant to me.

Those are great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

What part of town is your class in? Bigorange is right with the JW at Starr Pass. La Paloma usually has some good deals in the summer. The Ritz-Carlton at Dove Mountain is good but its a long way from "town".

I got so trigger happy to set up a cam I put one up in the backyard this winter.

Congrats on everything but the sunburn! Amanda-It was nice meeting you.

Congrats to all the lucky tag holders. After 20 years of applying, my dad drew an early rifle tag.

Came across this guy in the bottom of a pretty deep canyon during the HAM hunt this year. I had pretty much the same thought process..."Its gotta be a lion kill...wait, why does everything have to be a lion kill?" It had been picked apart pretty good by Mother Nature's Protein Removal Team, but I really wanted the smashed nose to be a sign of mountain lion. Any guesses?

My Heeler pup turned 15 this week. He doesn't do much these days, but has been a great dog. Looks like you buyers are getting some good ones. Congrats!

$114 hit yesterday around noon. It's either me (slim chance) or my wife (almost no chance). So it's gotta be my wife drawing her first elk tag, right? Hang in there everybody, it's going to be a long week!

-Locate an area with fresh javelina sign -Use high power optics to locate javelina -Check wind conditions and stalk within bow range of javelina -Place broadhead-tipped arrow through javelina vitals -Wait 15 minutes -Follow blood trail -Depending on shot placement, blood trail distance and severity will vary -Once the dead javelina has been located, take pictures to honor the animal and remember the hunt -Carefully gut and skin the javelina. The smell will not be pleasant. -With clean knife, remove meat from bones and place in bag -Rinse meat several times to remove any dirt and hair. -Take meat to professional game meat processor -Tell professional “All chorizo, please.” -Wait a few days for call from professional telling you that your meat is ready -Bring chorizo home -Thaw one chorizo package -Brown chorizo in a small pan -While browning chorizo, melt one package of Velveeta “cheese” in a crock pot with a can (or two) of Ro-Tel tomatoes. -Once queso is melted, add browned chorizo to the crock pot -Stir vigorously with spoon -Lick spoon. If you made it, you’re allowed. -Dish queso into small bowl and serve with tortilla chips of your choice*. -*If single, feel free to eat queso directly out of the crock pot -Enjoy! Note: This is an archery recipe. Feel free to substitute method of take with handguns, muzzleloaders or rifles.

I'm with everybody else, love the planking picture. Congrats!

Congrats!

Cool picture. Thanks for sharing.

Greetings from a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I saw this picture attached to a story on desert bighorn in the Kofa's and thought you might get a chuckle out of it. I imagine this is what happens when an intern does a Google Image search for "desert, sheep".