Miscellaneous Stuff, 1/17/12

 Do you remember that one entry that I made where there was a botched robbery?  The one where I happened to catch the scanner traffic in real time?

I had forgotten all about that until I read this.

The one issue I have with the sentencing is that the multiple sentences are being served concurrently rather than consecutively.

* * * * * * *

I left work early yesterday so that I could go to physical therapy for my hand.  The swelling has come down in my finger but it is still sore.  The good news is that my range of motion is coming back, although not 100% of what it used to be.  I return for more PT tomorrow and again on Friday.

In a twist of irony, the young lady (who is also my next door neighbor) who drove me to the hospital last night is one of the therapists!

* * * * * * *

On the way home from PT I decided to stop off at Second Amendment Sports in order to get some more ammo for my deer rifle.  I came out of there suffering from some sticker shock as to what ammo prices have done.  I hadn't bought any for quite some time and as I was looking at the sticker yesterday I decided it was time to get into re-loading my ammunition.

Re-loading is something that I've always wanted to do, but never took up since I don't target shoot at the rate that I used to.  I have kept all my brass (spent shell casings) in the event that I do take this up.

I have done some cursory research into this.  There are three well-known manufacturers of reloading equipment.  They are Dillon (based here in Arizona), RCBS, and Lee Precision.  I'm sure all three make quality equipment and I have personally seen a Dillon progressive reloader in action.

I don't think I need a progressive as that I am not planning to turn out lots of rounds.  I think a single stage press is what I need, with dies for my deer rifle and for my handguns.  I plan to start out loading rifle rounds so that I can save some good money on factory ammo.

The research has been interesting thus far, and I'm going to have to carefully select my press and dies.  Some dies, interestingly enough, are for where you are using one handgun (or rifle) exclusively for your reloads.  Others will accomodate different handguns that have the same caliber.  I own more than one .357 and more than one .38 special, so I need that kind of press/die setup.

I don't think I'll reload for my 9mm, as that the European guns are built with tighter tolerances and they don't do that well with reloads.  My Glock gives me excellent groupings when I shoot it anyway, and with my revolvers....well, I need more practice.

I have read where your really serious hunters prefer to make their own rounds.  These guys know their ballistics, and are of the opinion that the rounds they make are more accurate than factory ammo.

I have several rounds of factory ammo designed for hunting, and if I ever have occasion to use them then I might have to make my replacements.

Either way I slice it, I like being creative and building things.  I think I'll come to enjoy reloading.

* * * * * * *

I happened to catch part of the Republican debate last night.  I didn't watch all of it as that I had to take care of life.  The field has narrowed down since I last mentioned politics and I think it will narrow down some more.

I was impressed by the performance of Newt Gingrich and also of Mitt Romney.  No, I don't like Mitt Romney and I personally think that he is a conniving bastard who will say anything in order to get elected.

What I'm saying here is that Mitt Romney talked a good game.  He did stumble badly when Rick Perry challenged him on releasing his tax returns.

Newt made a classic remark invoking Andrew Jackson.   "Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear-cut idea about America's enemies:  Kill them."

I am at this point in time, still a registered independent, but I am considering re-registering as a Republican so that I can do my part in stopping Mitt Romney.  I don't like any of the candidates but only one is backed by the Republican Establishment and that's Mitt Romney.

The inevitability of a Romney nomination is indeed a frightening prospect.  I think it would be most interesting to see what would happen if the rank and file voter would somehow rebel against the Establishment and veto Mitt Romney in favor of someone else.  We would, in that instance, see one of two things.

One:  the Republican Establishment actively campaigning for President Obama.

Two:  the Republican National Committee engineering a "brokered" convention, where the will of the Republican voters is overturned by a fiat declaration that Mitt Romney is indeed the nominee since they know what's best for us and those who disagree are too stupid to know when something is for their own good.

Either way, I am currently suffering from the belief that the Republican National Committee really doesn't want to win the White House this year.

I think they would much rather see bad things happen during Obama's second term (even if it's the Iranians detonating a nuke here on our soil).  It's much easier to be a minority party in that kind of situation and snipe about things and to not offer an alternative solution.

They have to know that Romney can't win this year, yet they are blindly marching off the same cliff that they did four years ago.

Getting Ready for Deer Season

This may seem like a very odd title for a posting in January.  North of the equator, deer season is a fall thing, with some seasons starting in September and the last of the seasons wrapping up in mid-December.  If anything, deer season is a fresh memory for those who were just out late last year.  So why the title of the post?

It's like this.

Ever since Todd and I had a long talk about what we wanted to do this year, I've been thinking about how this year I really want to bring home a venison harvest.  In previous years we were out there and we saw some deer....not any bucks, just does....not legal to shoot (nor would I want to shoot a doe).  We used techniques that Todd has developed over the years with his previous deer hunting outings, combining them with my knowledge of the back roads of southern Arizona.  Looking back, we did a lot of things right, but also in looking back I couldn't help but wonder if I myself needed to be better prepared.

I think I needed to be.  Our last time out, we were in a great unit with not very much hunting pressure.  We saw more wildlife on that outing than we had in years previous.  Our disadvantage was that we had not made any scouting runs to that unit and so we were going out in unfamiliar country.  That was mistake number one.

Mistake number two, for me, was that I had not spent enough time sighting in my deer rifle.  Yes, I had been to the range with it, and yes I knew I stood a chance of hitting a target at 200 yards, but how much of a chance?  The way it is, you might only get one opportunity to get a shot at buck.  You're not going to have a great deal of time in which to take that shot either.  If you're lucky you might spot one grazing and have time to put the crosshairs on him, but my gut feeling is that it won't be very much time at all.

As I was driving back from Todd's place I was pondering all of that.  I made a determination to be better prepared for my next time out.  And in being better prepared, I decided that the time for getting ready for deer season is now.

Two weekends ago I made a run down to Willcox to scope out the area south, and to re-visit the area where we were before.  I did not go too far off-road as that with my injured finger I am still wary about slipping on a rock and taking another fall.  I wanted to make sure that I could find that canyon again, which I was able to.  I plan on making more runs down there but I also want to check out the area near Cascabel.  In my conversation with Todd earlier this evening, we both want to check out Cascabel Road in the early afternoon to learn where the public land is and where we can hunt.  We may also return to that one canyon in the late afternoon to get a better understanding of how often or likely we will see some deer there.  If we could get in ten or twelve scouting runs, that would be great, though I'd be happy if we pulled off four.

In the other area of preparation, I spent some time at the range today sighting in my rifle.  This time I decided to take some time between shots, using more mental discipline than I have in the past.  That meant really taking the time to dwell on the bullseye, waiting until I was ready to take the shot, and then squeezing the trigger.  I did lose a few shots due to a form of "nervousness" but after three shots I found myself settling in and getting some good groups at one hundred yards.  I had two sessions, each with a different target, and I had a much better grouping in the second round than I did in the first.

I learned that I need to tweak my scope just a bit as that the grouping was about one and a half to two inches left of the bullseye.  I wanted the group to land one inch above the bullseye, and elevationally the rifle is fine.  At one hundred yards your bullet is still climbing, and if you can group one inch above bullseye at that distance then you should be elevationally even at two hundred yards.  I figure that I stand a very good chance at getting off a good shot when it's time to do so in the field, yet I also figure that I should get in some more range time before then.  It will take one and possibly two more range visits before my scope is dialed in to where I want it to be.  After that, I should still go, mainly because practice makes perfect as they say, and I would very much want a perfect shot if I manage to get a buck in my crosshairs later on this year.

Driving home from the range, I was realizing a few things.

I had forgotten how much fun target shooting is!  Sure, I've shot plenty since moving here to Arizona in 1999, taking advantage of the public hands here where I can do that.  Plinking at a soda can is fun, but I found that trying to zero in on a bullseye at one hundred yards is also fun.  It requires a mental discipline and a presence of mind that you're not going to be aware that you will need unless you decide to try it.

But I hadn't been out shooting for quite some time, and once I get in the range visits in that I need to sight in my rifle I plan on shooting again with one of my handguns.  I've got a .38 special revolver that I need to try, and it's been a while since I've shot one of my .22s.

The other thing is how much I enjoy the outdoors here.

I definitely want to get out there more often this year.

Deer Hunting, Willcox AZ

Todd and I are in Willcox, Arizona this evening.  We drove down yesterday and checked into the Days Inn and this morning we were out looking for deer.  This is our first time hunting in Unit 32, and we like what we see so far, even though we didn't spot any bucks.

We decided to check out the Allen Flats area, and spotted a doe and her yearling fawn crossing at Muleshoe Road.  We watched them for about five minutes, after which they disappeared into some brush.  We continued on, pulling off at N-O Canyon.  First off we spotted a coyote trying to get a drink from a watering hole.  He changed his mind about that when he saw us.  Further up the canyon we spotted two more coyotes, both of which quickly disappeared over a ridge to the north of us.

We drove back to town for lunch, but first conversed with another pair of hunters who gave us some tips on where to locate deer.  While on Muleshoe Road near mile marker 4 we spotted a herd of antelope!  There were 20, maybe 25 animinals in that herd, and they were clearly spooked by us.....though they did stop to look back at us.  We watched them thru binoculars before they ran off.  I didn't know there was an antelope herd near Willcox.  I know there's one near Sonoita but neither of us have any desire to go after antelope, not that it matters, since Game & Fish does not issue very many antelope tags for southern Arizona.

We went back to N-O Canyon for the afternoon posting.  Hunter pressure there was light.  We glassed the southern facing slope extensively but no deer were sighted.  Right at sunset I spotted a coyote.  I'll never forget that sight.  He was silhouetted right against the skyline.  He was a good 600 yards away and I never would have seen him without optics.  He was scoping out the area too.  He disappeared and then re-appeared, though that second sighting might have been a second coyote.  I think there's a good chance that it might have been that same pair we spotted earlier this morning.

Deer season continues thru Thursday, though tomorrow will be our last day out.  Todd needs to get back home tomorrow night, so tomorrow afternoon's attempt will be last until next year.

From a wildlife sighting standpoint, it's been excellent.  I'll admit that I'm glad that we were out there again this afternoon.  Seeing the coyote(s) at sunset was a neat experience.  Yeah, I've seen more here than I can remember, but seeing one out in the wild like that is something you'll never forget.

I'm tired, so I'll sign for now, but not without mentioning two restaurants in Willcox.  One is La Salsa Fiesta Mexican restaurant.  That's right off of I-10, exit 340, Rex Allen Drive.  It was my second time there and last night's meal was one of the best Mexican I've had in some time. 

This evening we went to Big Tex's BBQ near the intersection of Maley & Haskell (Haskell is the old Arizona 86 that served as the main drag in the pre-I-10 days).  I had the Albuquerque Burger and it was a good choice. 

OK, I'll mention a third place.  There's that pie place north of I-10 and its name escapes me as I write this.  Their pies are too good to be legal.  I may stop off there before heading out.

We're having lots of fun, but it would be nice to be bringing home some venison.  Hunter success is about 20%.  It's a difficult state to hunt in, mainly because of terrain.  But we have fun making the attempt.

OK, this time, I'll really sign.

Don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.

Wild Animals in the Neighborhood

One thing that happens with living in Tucson are sightings of urban wildlife.  Urban wildlife sightings are much more prevalent where I'm at than they are downtown, as that I'm on what used to be the eastern fringe of Tucson.  Walks in my neighborhood will usually result in sightings of rabbits (not really native to Arizona), desert quail, and mourning doves.  Once in a while I'll see a coyote on my street.  Coyotes are notionally nocturnal creatures, but they can and will operate 24/7.  I've seen them in broad daylight, in the early morning hours (which is when I usually see them) and at night.

This morning I finally got to see javelina!  If you don't know what javelina are, they are piglike animals that are native to the Southwest.  There are javelina populations in New Mexico and Texas, and as far south as Central America.  The English name for them is "peccary" but here we call them javelina.

Javelina travel in herds, typically seven to fifteen in a herd.  This morning there were two of them.  It was daylight; the sun had not yet broken over the rim of the Rincons, but a new day was dawning and a beautiful one at that.  After I had backed out of my driveway, I saw some motion in the corner of my eye and I thought some dogs had gotten loose.

Instead it was two javelina, and rather big ones at that.  They were right next to my next door neighbor's house!  He usually leaves for work at the same time as I do, but apparently he had already left or had not yet left.  Meantime, I'm in my truck, and I'm transfixed at what I'm seeing.

The javelina went under the iron gate that the City of Tucson installed to wall off the wash that's behind my back wall.  I know javelina have been back there before but now I actually saw two of them get back there.

OK, so how do I know javelina have been back there?

Javelina like to eat prickly pear cacti pads.  When you're out hiking in the desert, prickly pear are common, and if you look closely you'll notice that some pads look like someone or something has taken a few bites out of them.  That's a sure sign that javelina live in the area, though a herd I think has a territory of a few square miles.  The prickly pear behind my back wall have been feasted upon by these interesting creatures, but it's hard to tell how recent a feeding has taken place.  The prickly pear just goes on as normal, not seeming to care that some wild animals have come up to feast on it.

There is one way to tell though if a javelina herd has recently been in the area.  They smell.  They smell bad.  They smell really bad.  They smell like skunks.

I wasn't aware of javelina smell until a few years ago when Todd and I were out hunting in Graham County about ten miles south of Safford.  We were on a hillside, and I smelled skunk smell and concluded that Pepe Le Pew had been in the area recently.  That's not necessarily an erroneous conclusion, as that we have skunks in the desert too, and I've seen them here before.  I mentioned something to Todd about it, and a half hour after that we were at my truck which was some 400 yards away.

We were fixing to leave; I think I was having a cold beverage while Todd was glassing the hillside.  (Glassing means using binoculars.....we hunters depend on specialized optics to spot game).  He said "Dave, there are javelina on that hillside!"  I took a look, and sure enough, there were, right where we had been just a half hour before!  There were about seven of them, and the apparent "boss" of the herd was the one on the far most left.  We watched them for about fifteen minutes or so.  Dusk was approaching, and they were out feeding.  We couldn't help but watch them.  I mean, how often do you get this kind of opportunity?

It wasn't my first time seeing them in the wild, and this morning's sighting won't be my last.  I've seen them in the grasslands near Harshaw, I've seen them over the back wall at a co-worker's place, I've seen them on resort grounds in the northwest of Tucson and I've even spooked one of them before while out hunting.

They can be very difficult to see in the wild.  During the day they tend to rest, and they're quite skilled at bedding down under trees, where their coloration blends in excellently well with the shadow of the tree that they're sleeping under.  It's possible to look right at one of them to not even know that they're there.

Javelina are considered game animals, and Fish & Game have a spring and fall season.  You have to get tags, and the seasons are two weeks long in the spring if my recollection is correct, and only one week in the fall.

I don't know how their meat is.  I've heard conflicting stories.  Some say it's good, others say it's gamey.

What I do know is that they have scent glands on their hind legs, which accounts for the skunk smell that they leave behind.  If you bag one, you have to cut that gland off before you field dress them.  If that gland squirts out and sprays the meat, then the meat for all practical purposes, is ruined.

Todd and I missed the boat on javelina tags this past spring, and for this fall, we decided that mule deer would be a better choice.  We should pay stricter attention to next year's seasons and get our tag applications in this time.

The 2009 Deer Season Report

The middle rifle season for Arizona opened on Friday of last week. Todd and I went out over the weekend in unit 34A, Whetstone Mountains, where we were drawn for antlered whitetail. Whitetail or Coues Deer are found at elevations exceeding 5000 feet, and our whitetails are not as large as their midwestern cousins. Plenty of permits are issued for whitetails, but hunter success is at best 23% and that figure was for unit 34B, which we hunted two years ago.

We did all of our hunting in French Joe Canyon, which is off Arizona state highway number 90, about ten miles south of I-10. That was not the canyon that I scoped out earlier this year but I do know that whitetails like canyons as that I've seen plenty of them in Ramsey Canyon which is near Sierra Vista.

On this hunt, we didn't see any deer at all. No other wildlife save for some hawks and crows. We found areas where it was obvious that the deer had bedded down recently. We found some of their scat, and we noted that some mesquite trees had some of their lower branches stripped of leaves, which told us that deer had been feeding there. But as I said, we didn't see any deer on this trip.

We called it quits Sunday at sundown. The season doesn't close until sundown on Thursday, but Todd was not available this week, and as circumstances would have it, the clutch in my truck went out this morning and it's in the shop right now as I type this.

Good luck? I'm going to say that it was.....it would not have done us any good had I lost the clutch some thirty miles from civilization, where the roads are primitive and four wheel drive is a necessity.

I think though that next year we'll apply for mule deer tags, and return to 34B. I've been told by a co-worker that the muleys are plentiful down Green Valley way.

* * * * * * *

Word from Iowa is that my uncle Tony is not doing very well as of late, and is a candidate for some open heart surgery. He's 87 years old and as such the decision will not be made until this coming Friday. My aunt Marge is understandably very concerned about this. I've been out to Iowa before to see them. They lived most of their lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, and moved out near Iowa City some five years ago to be near where two of their sons (cousins Kirk and Todd......this is a different cousin Todd than the one I go hunting with and who lives near Phoenix).

Tony served our nation during the Second World War, and the B26 he was on was shot down over Yugoslavia behind enemy lines during the war. Those who survived the crash were aided by the resistance and they were in hiding for about six weeks. Some years after the war, he met and married my aunt Marge, and they lived in Lincoln where he had a job with the Nebraska Highway Department.

Marge and Tony have been damn good Americans all of their lives, and their children have gone on to become exemplary citizens as well.

I'll be keeping them in my thoughts and prayers.

* * * * * * *

With my truck in the shop, I took today off from work and I'll be taking tomorrow off as well. This gives me a chance to catch up on some miscellaneous projects around the house, including this evening's blog entry. I'm somewhat torqued over this clutch job. I seem to be going thru clutches a little bit more often than I should.

However, the truck has over 315,000 miles on it. I haven't had to make a vehicle payment in over nine years. But one question that will come up is, should I think about getting a new truck?

I'll make that decision sometime in the middle of next year. I used to think that my "day of reckoning" on it would come at 160K miles........then I pushed it off to 200K......then 250K. I decided to go for 300K miles, and I'm past that now.

I may have my day of reckoning at 350K. It's been an extremely reliable truck since I bought it in November of 1995. It's a 1995 Toyota Tacoma in four wheel drive.

Now you know one reason why General Motors has lost market share.