billrquimby

There was another large property that bordered Rooipoort in the 1980s that we also hunted a lot. It was owned by a German consortium and managed by a German caretaker who gave my friends in Kimberley and me access. Professional hunters were not required under RSA law then and it was like hunting in Arizona. As a guest of DeBeers, there were no trophy fees or daily rates. Those days are gone forever. Bill Quimby

Mule deer. Bill Quimby

Beef, pork, turkey, duck and chicken were rationed during World War II, and my mother traded her meat stamps for stamps that allowed her to buy other things (such as gasoline and tires). As a result, my mother, brother and I ate a lot of horse meat processed for human consumption during the war. (It was on sale in every butcher shop in Yuma.) I'd forgotten how good it tasted until I was served zebra filets in Zimbabwe in 1983 on my first trip to Africa. I can truthfully say Zebra, horse and burro are delicious! Bill Quimby

If the truth were known, there are no "wild" horses or burros in North America. All free-roaming horses without owners are feral and have domesticated ancestors somewhere in their family history. It doesn't matter, though. Americans will not accept management by lethal means. That battle was lost in the 1970s, thanks to an activist who called herself "Wild Horse Annie." Much has been written about her, and some of it wound up in movies and books. Bill Quimby Bill Quimby

"Last time I checked, the hunting of feral animals is not regulated by federal or state law." Feral horses are protected by the federal Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971. Penalties for shooting or harassing one on federal land can include a year in prison. Bill Quimby

Brandy's letter tells me she deserves a full scholarship to the university of her choice. She writes clearly and skillfully, and I see great things in her future. Bill Quimby

The two little guys and their mother were in the meadow across the road from the Greer fire station about 7 p.m. this evening when Jean and I pulled over and joined the other gawkers in admiring them. Bill Quimby

You mentioned you hunted on a deBeers property. Was it the Rooipoort Estate near Kimberley? I did a lot of hunting there with friends and without a PH during the 1980s. Bill Quimby

There used to be a gazebo-like structure on the very top, but it was rotting away the last time I saw it. I'm almost certain Baldy's peak is off-limits to non-tribal members now. There's a site a short distance away that is of archeological interest because of the number of tiny beads found there. It is unbelievable to me how early people with virtually no tools could drill such tiny holes and shape such small pieces of rocks. Bill Quimby

Can you still ride to the lookout? The last time I rode up there was in about 1968-69. Since then someone said the Apaches had closed the last part of the trail. Bill Quimby

I found most of the skeleton of a bull hung up on a fence that went across the side of a slope years ago. Rodents had eaten much of one antler, so I left it as I found it. This was way back when we could hunt the White Mountain Apache Reservation for just $25 above the cost of the regular tag. In my book, "60 Years A Hunter," I told of finding two deer hung up in fences and still alive. The Texas whitetail buck died (from stress, we assumed) after a friend and I worked a half hour and freed it. Coyotes had chewed on the rump and pulled out some intestines on the mule deer doe we found on the Kaibab. Bill Quimby

"Remember the road is now paved all the way to Big Lake from both Springerville and Alpine routes" It's also paved from Sunrise Lake. Bill Quimby

There seems to be a lot of good info there but I'm having trou b l e s t a y i n g a w a k e zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Bill Quimby

These are great actions. I used one to build a 7mm Remington Magnum I used on everything up to eland and moose. Installing a Model 70-type safety makes them as good as it gets. Bill Quimby

Sorry I left you hanging. We're looking for a matching pair of medium-size concrete pots to mount on the rock-covered posts of the gate at our cabin. Hope you find a buyer. Bill Quimby

Profanity is the crutch of a conversational cripple. ~ Jay Alexander Twas but my tongue, 'twas not my soul that swore. -- Euripides Take not God's name in vain; select a time when it will have effect. -- Ambrose Bierce According to the website "cuss control" Swearing is bad for the following reasons: Swearing Imposes a Personal Penalty It gives a bad impression It makes you unpleasant to be with It endangers your relationships It's a tool for whiners and complainers It reduces respect people have for you It shows you don't have control It's a sign of a bad attitude It discloses a lack of character It's immature It reflects ignorance It sets a bad example Swearing is Bad for Society It contributes to the decline of civility It represents the dumbing down of America It offends more people than you think It makes others uncomfortable It is disrespectful of others It turns discussions into arguments It can be a sign of hostility It can lead to violence Swearing corrupts the English languageIt's abrasive, lazy language It doesn't communicate clearly It neglects more meaningful words It lacks imagination It has lost its effectiveness Hunt is a four-letter word.-- Bill Quimby

"Guess what I'm curious about is do the deer know the county boundaries? If you're hunting D16, you're essentially hunting an area that 4 supposed deer subspecies converge. "Pacific Hybrid" is probably the best way I've heard them described. Not knocking anyone, I'm honestly curious how these different subspecies are assigned. Can anyone list out identifying characteristics between a California, Southern, Desert, Peninsular, etc. Mule Deer? Or are the only differences apparent in a blood test." The short answer is yes, someone can list identifying characteristics of those subspecies, but not me without some research. I'm an author/editor (not a scientist) who was fortunate to have hunted or observed a couple dozen different types of deer on five continents (six, if I counted a hog deer from Pakistan I spent a couple of hours watching on a hunting estate in South Africa), and I read a lot of popular and scientific literature because I have a great interest in knowing more about the world's many big game animals. I do know differences between subspecies develop over eons as animals adapt to the needs of their specific habitats. These differences are not always quickly visible to most of us. One of the differences between a California mule deer and a Columbia blacktail, for example, is the size and presence of certain scent glands on their legs. With other animals, it may be average measurements of certain bones in their skulls or wherever. Differences in antler shape, body size and coloration that are important to hunters may or may not be important to a taxonomist. As you mentioned, when the boundaries of subspecies merge, these differences are blurred. There is nothing wrong with hunters creating a record book category that lumps multiple subspecies if it reduces confusion and makes sense to hunters. Boundaries are arbitrary anyway. If a boundary is set along a highway or a river or the top of a mountain range, the same deer might be called a Rocky Mountain mule deer on one side in the morning and a California mule deer on the other in the afternoon. A line has to be drawn somewhere, though. Record books are tools and history books created by hunters for hunters and can be enlightening and fun to read, but taxonomy is a science and taxonomists take what they do, which is classifying living organisms, seriously. I find it v-e-r-y interesting that not all of them agree. Bill Quimby

If that lake is near San Diego, which I think it is, chances are very good that the deer you were seeing were southern mule deer. Below is something I found on the 'Net. Columbian black-tailed deer are the most populous subspecies of deer in California. Habitat ranges from the coastal mountains of Oregon to near Santa Barbara, within the western slope of the Cascade-Sierra Nevada range and along the Sierra Nevada Foothills. California mule deer are found along the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. They are second most populous. Rocky Mountain mule deer rank third in population and are the largest mule deer subspecies in California. They are found in Lassen, Shasta, Siskiyou and Modoc counties. Southern mule deer are found in Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties. Inyo mule deer are found in Inyo, Kern and Mono counties. Desert mule deer are found in Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as SW and southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Bill Quimby

Guys: Many “experts” and the revered reference work “Mammal Species of the World” will say there are ten subspecies of mule deer (Odocoileus heminonus), and divide these ten into two “groups.” Mule deer group: Rocky Mountain mule deer (O.h. hemionus) Western and central North America Inyo mule deer (O.h. inyoensis) California, Sierra Nevada California mule deer (O.h. californicus) Desert mule deer (O.h. eremicus) Lower Colorado River; NW Mexico, SE California, Arizona Southern mule deer (O.h. fuliginatus) southernmost California and Baja California Cedros/Cerros Island mule deer (O.h. cerrosensis) Peninsula mule deer (O.h. peninsulae) Baja California Sur Tiburon Island mule deer (O.h. sheldoni) Tiburon Island Black-tailed deer group: Columbia black-tailed deer (O.h. columbianus) Pacific NW, Northern California Sitka black-tailed deer (O.h. sitkensis) coastal area and islands off British Columbia, Alaska Others lump the Inyo, Cedros Island and Tiburon Island subspecies with desert mule deer or the Peninsula mule deer, reducing the list to just seven subspecies. A very few also will expand the above list to eleven by including a desert subspecies called O.h. crooki before most taxonomists declared it an “invalid” race. Even fewer will say all subspecies are invalid and say all are simply "mule deer." At any rate, depending upon the “expert,” California is generally recognized as having from five to six mule deer subspecies (including the Columbia blacktail). Some record books will reduce that to just three or four by lumping subspecies. When I was the SCI record book’s editor many years ago, the record book committee lumped multiple subspecies when there were too few entries to create a separate category for each. The California Bowmen apparently did just that by creating a category in its record book that it calls "Pacific Hybrid." There is no such subspecies, of course. Incidentally, being small and having a black tail does not necessarily mean a deer in California is a “Columbia blacktail” because many California mule deer also have these features. Bill Quimby

Are the two small ones on the right in the photo, and are they a pair? Bill Quimby

Diameter at top? Diameter at bottom? Height? Can't see by the photos if there are designs or other colors on the pots. From what I can see in the shaded area, I'm guessing the basic color is terra cota. Bill Quimby

I spent nearly 30 years working for a daily newspaper and have never seen such non-news published until now. The photo falls into the same category. The Independent's editor should have told that reporter to come back when he/she had a story. Bill Quimby

IA Born: I know about the muntjacs, musk deer, mouse deer and water deer of Asia and the Philippines. As with elk/red deer, both roe deer species also have "ivories." Next time you're near a mount of a moose, elk, mule deer or whitetail, look closely at the dark spot on each side of its lower jaw. Most of the deer in the world today (except reindeer and caribou) have these spots. I'm convinced these also are vestiges of the fangs of their ancestors. When they lost their long "eye teeth," they retained the dark areas where their fangs once were. Bill Quimby

After seeing threads about aoudad hunting on this and another forum, I thought someone would want to know they are NOT sheep, even though that's what many experienced international hunters call them. These critters actually are closer to goats than sheep, and to be correct, the males should be called "billys," the females "nannies," and their young "kids." Below is from the SCI Record Book. Bill Quimby Aoudad or Barbary Sheep - Africa Ammotragus lervia Arrui (Spanish), Mähnenschaf (German), Mouflon à manchettes (French). Also called arui (Arabic). "Aoudad" seems to be an anglicization of its Tunisian name “udad,” and is a better name than Barbary sheep, because this animal is not really a sheep, and is found in many parts of northern Africa besides the former Barbary States or Barbary coastal region. The name "Barbary" originates from the Berber people, the chief inhabitants of the region. DESCRIPTION Shoulder height 36-40 inches (91-102 cm). Weight 200-250 pounds (90-115 kg). The aoudad is a medium-sized mountain animal that is biologically intermediate between a goat and a sheep. It is strongly built, with a short mane on neck and shoulders and long flowing hair on throat, chest, forelegs and tail. The general color is sandy brown, with underparts paler. As in goats, the aoudad has a scent gland beneath the tail, but does not have glands between the hoofs, in the groin area or in front of the eyes. Its chromosome number is 58, which is the same as in the urials, but is different from the 60 that is universal in true goats. Aoudads will hybridize with domestic goats, but not with sheep. The horns (both sexes) are sheep-like, being smooth, thick, triangular in section, and curved to form a semi-circle over the neck (supracervical horns). Females are much smaller than males and lighter in color, with less hair and much smaller horns. BEHAVIOR Usually lives in small family groups with an adult male. Old males and pregnant females may be solitary. Breeds mainly from September to November, but there is some activity throughout the year. A single young (often two) is born 5-1/2 months later. Newborns are able to get about in moderately rugged terrain almost at once, and are sexually mature at about 18 months. Females have been known to give birth twice in one year. Captives have lived as long as 20 years. Feeds early morning and late afternoon, resting in shade at midday. Eats grasses and foliage, sometimes standing on its hind legs to browse. Drinks water where available, otherwise obtains moisture from its food. Will descend from rocky terrain in evening to feed on plains. Eyesight and hearing are very good, sense of smell is good. Alert and wary. An agile climber and jumper. HABITAT Rocky mountains and desert hills. DISTRIBUTION Desert hills and mountains of northern Africa from Morocco and Mauritania eastward to Libya and Chad. Also in northeastern Sudan. Believed extinct in Egypt. Has been introduced on private ranches in South Africa, which is far outside its natural range, and also in Spain, Mexico and the United States. REMARKS The aoudad is a superb game animal that is difficult to hunt under almost any circumstances. TAXONOMIC NOTES Five extant subspecies are listed: angusi (Niger), blainei (Libya, Sudan), fasini (Libya, southern Tunisia), lervia (Morocco, northern Algeria, northern Tunisia), and sahariensis (western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, southern Algeria, southern Libya, Chad). Their limits are unclear and we do not separate them. A sixth subspecies, ornatus, formerly occurred in Egypt, but is believed extinct. STATUS The aoudad may never have been common in northern Africa because of its limited habitat in the desert environment. In recent years, its numbers have been reduced in many places from overhunting by local people, to whom it represents an important source of meat, skins and other parts; however, it is believed to still occur in much of its original range. To the best of our knowledge, Chad and Sudan are the places it can be hunted today in its natural range.

"Can we get back to discussing rambilly ewenanny AudadBarbary SheepRams?" Those who deny evolution need only to study this thread to see how natural selection resulted in the aoudad evolving into a peccary. I think it's time to mention that early Cervids (deer) had fangs and some may have been carnivorous predators. We could start a pool to see how long it will be before someone says deer, wolves, jaguars and bears are closely related. Bill Quimby