Outdoor Writer

Hector, Yuppers, that's where I went. I have no idea what made me ill, but it had all the symptoms of food poisoning. All I had eaten all day was a bag of peanuts and a couple granola bars. I was already feeling bad before eating a roll, the salad and the prime rib, and the only thing I had to drink to that point was a Corona with a piece of lime. I was much better by time we left at 11 and had no ill effects Sun. a.m. Go figger. BUT...despite me being in abstencia, Ellen had a great time. So thanks to everyone at the table for wife-sitting. And no, I didn't purchase a blitz ticket. All we had were the general raffle ones -- about 35 of them.

Very nicely done and certainly unique.

I forgot in my message above to apologize to the folks at our table -- and any others that might have missed me -- for disappearing forever. It was a tough night, and I would like to thank everyone who showed concern, including a couple strangers who asked about my well-being outside the doors. That said, I enjoyed meeting all the new acquaintances at our table and visiting with some old friends, as well. And lastly, congrats to all the rats that won something; I no longer consider you friends.

Hector, I will NOT be paying Amanda for my banquet tickets since we didn't win any raffle items.

Super, Tam. The diference between an artist and an amateur is quite an eye opener, eh?

Amanda, Put Ellen and me down for two tickets. JUST BE SURE I GET THE WINNING RAFFLE TICKETS!!!

Hector, I also indulge of one about once every two weeks. It's become one of my favorite meals to treat myself to when I get the urge.

Costco has excellent racks, but they ain't cheap.

Expert Shooter

The above, which limits the TOTAL capacity to THREE shells applies only to federally regulated migratory avian critters. The following applies for all other wildlife in AZ: R12-4-303 Unlawful Devices, Methods, and Ammunition 3. Shotguns larger than 10 gauge or shotguns capable of holding more than five shells in the magazine, unless plugged with a one-piece filler that cannot be removed without disassembling the gun, and that limits the magazine capacity to five shells; 4. Semiautomatic centerfire rifles with a magazine capacity of more than five cartridges, unless the magazine is modified with a filler or stop that cannot be removed without disassembling the magazine;

PHOENIX - Green Valley Park in Payson, Arizona, will undergo an amazing transformation on Saturday, May 7, when its sprawling grassy expanses turn into a carnival full of wildlife and fun outdoor activities. The 17th annual Payson Wildlife Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, and organizers have been working hard to make it the best yet. Admission to the public is free. "This is a great way for the family to spend a Saturday," says Natalie Robb, Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife manager in the Payson Sector. "Parents and kids can fish, play games and get a close-up look at lots of amazing animals, including all sorts of raptors. The wildlife featured is magnificent." In addition to birds of prey, other live animals on display will include rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, prairie dogs and an alligator. Fair visitors can also test their skills at one of the casting booths, pellet gun and archery ranges, and they can visit booths from a variety of conservation groups, including the Phoenix Herpetological Society, Arizona Trail Association, and Arizona Falconers Association, to name a few. Green Valley Lake will receive more than double its normal stocking of trout in preparation for this event. The park typically receives about 300 pounds of trout per stocking. For this event, 800 pounds of fish will be released into the lake prior to the fair. No fishing license is required for fair attendees, and equipment and bait can be borrowed from the free fishing booth at the fair. The Payson Wildlife Fair is a cooperative effort between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, USDA Forest Service, Mogollon Sporting Association, Payson Optimist Club, and Payson Parks and Recreation Department. Green Valley Park is located at 1000 W. Country Club Drive, Payson (take State Route 87 to Main Street and go about one mile west).

I don't think timber rattlesnakes inhabit AZ, and from the photo it is hard to tell what subspecies it is. Here are the choices of those in the state, though. I'm guessing black-tailed, which is found throughout much of the state. Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchelli) Twin-spotted Rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) Tiger Rattlesnake (Crotalus tigris) Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi) Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) Arizona Black Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerberus) Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus)

Good video. Enjoy. The Challenge

Thanks for the cerviche process.

Chef, Kindly give a rundown on preparing the cerviche!

Tiger Does Vegas

Sorry, TJ. Didn't mean to scramble your brains.

The term "ungulate" has nothing to do with the digestive system but merely indicates the presence of hooves. Thus all of the African antelope, pigs and horses are included. Perhaps you're thinking of the term "ruminant," which describes the critters with a 4-section tummy. All ungulates have hooves but all ungulates are not ruminants.

A perversion of sorts, actually.

I killed my first AZ lope in 19B during the 1960s, and my son killed one in that unit -- his first big-game animal -- when he was 11. He's now 48, and 19B was our first choice for this year again, as it has been for many past years. Anyway, here's the release from G&F: Faced with the loss of access, Arizona Game and Fish Commission eliminates pronghorn hunts in 19B for 2011 March 24, 2011 PHOENIX – Faced with the loss of public access to a vast area of Game Management Unit 19B north of Prescott, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission on March 23 decided to cancel the pronghorn antelope hunt there prior to the big game draw for the 2011 season. The commission’s decision affects the hunting prospects for 65 hunters who would have received allocated tags. Commission Chairman Robert Woodhouse said, “There have been closures of other hunt units for a season or more based on biological reasons such as severe winter die offs, loss of habitat due to fires, etc. ... but this was the first time a decision was made to eliminate hunt tags due to public access closures. This was a difficult decision made only after extensive staff input and a long discussion by the commission.” During the discussion, commissioners pointed out that this was a “no-win situation” for the commission, the department, and for the hunters who applied for the general and archery pronghorn antelope hunts in Unit 19B this fall, but the commission was compelled to do what was most fair to all concerned. Late last week, the property manager for the Chino Grande Ranch, which is a checkerboard of private and state trust land parcels, verbally notified the department that the ranch is now closed to public access, due to a proposed renewable energy project. Access to other portions of the unit has also become restricted, with some private lands being closed entirely and other ranches allowing access by payment of “trespass” fees. The Chino Grande Ranch contains a significant portion of the available pronghorn habitat in 19B, and its lands also hold the greatest density of pronghorn numbers in the unit. The deadline to apply for the upcoming draw was Feb. 8 and the draw results are pending, giving the commission only days to modify the affected hunts without affecting thousands of other hunters. There are 4,780 people who applied for the 65 pronghorn antelope hunt permits in the two hunts (one general hunt and one archery hunt) scheduled for 19B. Game Branch Chief Brian Wakeling said “the antelope hunts in 19B are some of the most coveted in the state.” The commission also considered reducing the number of permits in the hunt but after significant discussion, the members felt that option would do a disservice to those who applied, as the area left open for 2011 would differ substantially from that available when hunters applied in February. With the elimination of these two hunts, the draw program will treat any choice where these hunts were selected as if all tags had been issued and move to the applicant’s next choice. The draw examines first and second choices primarily and then third, fourth, and fifth choices secondarily. The majority of the commissioners felt that to be the most equitable approach. The commission also expressed its desire to open up a dialogue on the whole land access and wildlife availability issue with land management agencies, county governments and stakeholders to include hunters, anglers and other recreationists. At issue is access to public lands and state trust lands and the management of public resources, such as wildlife and fish.

My condolences. I can relate to your loss really, really well since my Lab suddenly died in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. It's tough dealing with it at first, but it will become somewhat easier as time passes.

Since Blair Worldwide Hunting is located here in AZ, anyone thinking of booking a hunt with him, might want to read this thread first. http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3411043/m/3471078051

As stated above, it would also eliminate the Rocky Mt. elk and Rocky Mt. bighorns here in AZ, both of which are introduced critters.

TJ, Perhaps I misunderstood what you wish to do. When you wrote "35mm photos," I assumed you meant slides or negs. If you meant the PRINTS from 35mm slides or negs, it is quite a bit easier to scan them. Any flatbed scanner will do a decent job, albeit at a lesser quality from scanning the original slide or neg, and the learning curve isn't quite as steep.

TJ, Unless you're willing to put in LOTS of time on learning how to scan 35mm slides/negs and use a photo editing program to fix some of the usual glitches (such as all of the dust specs on the scan above), you'll be better off selecting a bunch of the best pix and getting them done to a CD by someone. That said, it is indeed possible to do good scans from 35mm slides. I have a dedicated 35mm Minolta Dimage scanner that works well. Here are a few samples in LOW-res. files of the originals: