IA Born

Yep. I would have said shrub live oak or barberry based on your description and original pic. Looks like shrub live oak to me.

Definitely cryptobiotic soil, cryptogrammic soil, or biological soil crust (a few other common names, too). Its a key component to holding desert soils together and keeping them from eroding. They are also key in keeping nonnative plants from establishing in those areas. I have tons of scientific literature regarding their ecological importance and what happens when they are disrupted.

Finally got ours yesterday. I had forgotten all about them. When I saw two tags in the mail box, I thought we'd gotten our left-over turkey tags! I was a little bummed when I opened them. Guess I'd forgotten that we hadn't gotten our javelina tags yet.

You should be able to get them at Petsmart, Petco, or any online pet supply place. There are different versions and brands (Gentle leader, Halti-coller, etc.), but they all work the same. Our trainer recommended one for our first German shepherd 13 years ago and it was amazing. She hated having it on at first and tried constantly to get it off, but after a few days, she was excited because she knew it meant walking, hiking, running, or just working. All four of our GSDs over the years have hated having them on at first, but came around after a few days. Good luck!

Odin is a Czech GSD from champion lines. He's very driven and determined. A good yank on the gentle leader slows him down for a bit, but then he's back at it! I will say its nice when going up hills or quick, steep climbs!

Ooohh...keep me posted on that one!

Great pics!! We run German shepherds and a gentle leader is an absolute must! When our daughter was 3-4 years old, she could walk our 110lb white male with absolutely no problems. All have hated having that on at first, but they get quickly excited when we pull them out. They know what it means. Your gentle leader was the first thing I noticed and I smiled. We lost our white boy to cancer after a long, hard battle two years ago this coming February at 10 years old and our old girl to spleen cancer this past July at 12 months old. Enjoy every single minute you can with that beautiful boy! Our current "puppies": Odin (all black in background) is 85 lbs and will be two years old next Friday. Being a true GSD, he has two more years to finish growing! We're hoping he tops at no more than 120lbs! Venus (foreground) is almost 4, (adopted, so we don't know for sure) and is a dainty, yet powerful 67 lbs. Gentle leaders are required for trail hiking in popular areas and while running with them!

I mailed the app for me and my daughter Friday. Fingers crossed because, apparently, 15 points isn't good enough for a Gould's tag even with increased tag numbers.

Congrats on a great bull to you and Taylor! What a great story to follow along with!

Another bump. Will be in north valley (Reach 11 Complex) 12-13 December. Probably staying at Drury Inn off I-17. Slight chance of being at a gun show at Fairgrounds this coming weekend.

I have 2.5 boxes of CCI 200 Large Rifle primers (256 total primers) that are just sitting on my reloading bench taking up space. They've been sitting there for quite a while and I need to quit lying to myself that I'm actually going to use them, so I might as well see if anyone else can use them. $10 for all three boxes or I'll trade for a couple of boxes of Federal 210 LR primers. Located in Flagstaff and I won't be down in the Valley until Nov 8 for a late afternoon soccer game in Gilbert. Next trip to the Valley will be a soccer tournament 13-14 December, likely in the north near Reach 11 Sports Complex.

You're killing me, Smalls!!!

Great story and congratulations on a well-earned buck!

Good luck! Can't wait to see the results. I'm sure you have it all dialed in, but if you end up needing any help, give me a shout. If I'm around (in Flag) and can get away, I'll be there.

I miss seeing saguaros, in general, but I miss seeing those, especially. I know the three you are referring to from my days living in Tucson and I know of several more. Thanks for the great trip down memory lane!

Congrats, Christian! Sorry we didn't meet up during the hunt, but glad you found success!

My dad served two tours in combat in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate). Veteran's Day was always a rough time growing up. His Company and remnants of another company (Designated Task Force Black) walked into a horseshoe-shaped ambush on 11 Nov 1967 and the NVA managed to close the end of the shoe. Dad was on the point element when the first mortar round landed 6 feet from him and his buddy. It was a dud, but the 2nd one wasn't. I won't go into all of the details, but he lost several of his friends that day and lived with survivor's guilt (for walking into the ambush) until the day he died 10.5 years ago. Growing up in our house, we all fought the war he brought home with him and Veteran's Day was among the worst days for 30 years. In the end, his severe PTSD caused a major heart attack and he died 15 days before our daughter was born. When I flew back for his funeral, I saw a man at peace and a war ended for the first time in my life. I've learned to live with 2nd Generation PTSD and not let it beat me, but I also learned a deep appreciation for the brotherhood formed of combat. My dad's buddies and their wives have been another set of parents to me for as long as I can remember and they treat my kids like their own grandkids. This is a pic of dad taken on his first tour. He was a tunnel rat and in a mortar squad. He weighed about 120 lbs and is carrying almost 100 pounds of gear. This pic went world-wide on AP and UPI and is in the opening credits of "Quantum Leap" and has been on other shows. I look at his picture every day and miss him every day. I'd fight one more "home battle" to have another fishing trip with him. This picture was taken during some down time on a fire mission. A BIG heartfelt thank you to all veterans of all wars and all service!

I'm with ya! I called my credit card again today in desperation that there was a pending charge. 15 points and nothing. This is getting old! Leftover tag app, here I come! Or Kansas, NM, or south Texas if I can talk my wife into letting me head out.

Same here. Still holding on to hope for that turkey tag charge!

Nice work!

With 15 points, I actually have my hopes up this year! I had to chew Cabela's' bank out last night because their fraud department is so strict they are declining EVERYTHING. I told them they'd better not decline that charge or they'd never see my money again.

Tim's Auto Repair over off Kristy Lane. Rt 66 West to the Maverick. Turn north onto Thompson and then left (west) onto Kristy Lane. He's tucked back in there past Canyon Pet Resort. (928) 213-5524. He's the only guy who works on my vehicles. I heard about him 5-6 years ago from a friend who does all his own work on his '65 and '64 GTOs. He said if there is something he can't do himself, Tim is the only guy who is allowed to touch them. Absolute great guy, honest, and prices won't kill your bank account unnecessarily. You won't regret it, I promise.

Congrats! One of these days, me and a desert muley are going to have a serious face-to-face! Great buck!

Congrats on three great bucks!!

Great buck! A mutual friend shared the video with me. Congrats!