Blacksmiths must have had a fantastic Christmas :-)

Definately new toys ;-) ...and time to work on current projects! Too bad we can't be on vacation more often.

GA

No new toys for me, just work. Filling Christmas orders and making inventory for Houston has been keeping me out of beer joints and massage parlors.

To all of us, the same.

A few new shiney sharps, a Large Stack of Bills, thirty pounds of tax paperwork, one minor second degree burn, three metal splinters, and enough 'coal' to run OG&E for a month. And the downside? The company truck sprang a leak somewhere in the front of the motor, so I'm on foot again until the new year. Interesting Times, indeed.

Ho Ho Ho...

Charly

I hear ya.. Christmas Eve we head down the road for the 30 mile round trip to fill up the water tank in the back of my truck. 10 miles down the dirt road and the driver side tie rod snapped. Only had to get out of the truck

3 times to pull the wheel out of the dirt and point it straight to get back home. The good thing was we wernt on the highway, it wasnt snowing and it wasnt raining. Oh sure water would be nice, but I'm not complaining.

Forger

Oh yeah, and the reason I'm online... Heard the coyotes this morning, they've taking an interest in the goats. So I run out with my Mini-14, see the coyotes running down the wash, take aim... no rear sight. So after calling around seems nobody has a rear aperture sight so I'm going to try to find Ruger's number and see if they still make them for my old pre-ranch model and can send me one.

Forger

How hard could it be for a creative individual to fabricate one?

GA

Where am I gonna find one of them? :) Actually I thought of that, and if I had the orginal as a pattern I'm sure it isnt more than an "L" shaped thing with a small hole on one end for the peep, and a threaded hole on the bottom part for the windage. But how big a "L" and where to drill the hole? I think Ruger will send me a replacement for free, and it looks from their website they dont supply help for SN 180xxx and before, mine is SN182xxx so I'm in luck, but unfortunatley Ruger is Closed till after the 1rst. So I dug out my 25-06 Varmit and when the coyotes come calling again I will "reach out and touch somebody".

Forger

Sometimes an hour, sometimes a whole day or more.

BTDT, I even have a 7/32-40 tap for the inserts too. ;)

I always like the sound of "twenty-five-ought-six". :)

A friend of mine is really into coyote hunting and described to me the the other day how well they can see in the dark... except on moonless nights, he's seen 'em bump into things. He has some pretty fancy night vision stuff. :) If a guy was anywhere near a city they could prob'ly see real well every night. :/

For 20 years or more, I've been wanting a coyote pup to raise, just never lucked into one somehow.

Alvin in AZ

You know, those dangged cowboys don't complain about anything but the gov't much. One I've know for 30 years only gripped about one thing really... when he lived in a place for a year or so where he had to haul water.

Are you planning a well? Planning to tap a spring or canyon?

Alvin in AZ

Oh no, no well, this is AZ ya know. But I guess we can now get water at another place that is only 12 miles one way, thats not bad. We used to get water there but they froze up last winter, just heard they reopened. I really dont mind, we got a 2500 gallon tank that if full, lasts us for about 2 or three months. The truck tank is just a small couple hundred gallons.

Forger

I forget - how are those new water pipe lines called ? - spring or canyon pipes ? :-) Have to rent one of the clamp around / drill and tap / insert fittings things to 'add' to the pipeline at 'no cost to the owner' :-)...

I myself took delivery of a Foredom 1/3 HP flex drive, and for wood (had to get a replacement) a 6 1/2 " worm drive Skill saw. A few other toys, and like a prior author, a stack of tax stuff and letters to write.

Still waiting on the sale of this place so we can move into our new place and SHOP!

Martin

We had one - a half coyote and half English Collie - a beautiful color black and white with long snout and long teeth. Skinny long legs.

The dog taught my son to walk as they were buddies to the max. He lived to a ripe old 17 years and never bit anyone or that. He guarded the house like nothing else, and if we took a weekend or day trip - he would guard, not eat. He would eat dinner once we got home and not before.

I think a mix is best, tends to take the wild out of them, but in instincts are all there. Eat when the eating is good, and just smile when no food is present.

Good luck - maybe a farmer or rancher will have a set of pups.

Martin

It's wierd sounding I know, but my rancher buddies don't believe that dogs and coyotes cross. They actually worked at it some too. I don't -know- one way or another. :/

But what I want is a real one and if the sucker gets wild and leaves that's fine too... expected actually.

I had two Ravens once and they were sooooo coool! :) Left at about 7 months old tho.

My least-favorite wild animal pets are Javelinas. :/ Ever mess with them sorry suckers any? ;)

Alvin in AZ

I think yer rancher buddies might be mistaken there Alvin.

Forger

Might be. :/ Sure as heck won't be the first time for that, either. As soon as they -know- they'll change their minds tho.

You know how "common knowledge" can be, right? :/

I don't -know- one way or the other on the coyote thing. :/

I've sure as heck seen a -bunch- of dogs that were "sworn" to be part coyote and didn't see anything in the dog or its ways, to convince me. So... I'm still sittin on the fence waitin. :)

We'll soon know tho. :) They are working on dog genetics. :)

Also, I believe they'll find that man and dog were together "from the beginning;)". A stupid lazy guy like me and a good dog can feed more than themselves even today, let alone, a gang with a pack, back when. :)

What I mean by "from the beginning" is... way before 74K years ago when the Sumatra volcano exploded and reduced our numbers lower than

7500. (we're a bunch of in-breds;)

What do you think?

Wow... that area is still dangerous huh? :/

Alvin in AZ (100% atheist, not waitin on that, made up my mind;)

Hope you all have the very best this coming year!

Conrad Hodson

Messed with wild black boar - just about the same - nasty. They root up yards around the central coast. The population increased as hunting of them was not allowed and hunting with dogs a real no-no.

Javelinas will corner a man if given a chance.

Martin

Sounds like it actually could be mixed too bad my buddies couldn't see it. :)

Somehow I keep thinking it -can- happen but they think it's BS so far.

Heck, they've even crossed zebras with burros (or horses?) before.

No hunting? That sucks, what the heck is their justification for that one?

That's what them Plott hounds were bred for, right?

Larry Harley (a blacksmith/knifesmith) in Tennesee used to have "knife only" hog hunts using dogs. :) I was invited to go for free but was too sick to go, but really wanted to tho. :/

I guess they are like little versions of the wild black boar's but being little they aren't that big of a deal. They'll grab you by the ankle and pull you off your feet so fast you'll wonder what happened tho. ;) But then they won't jump on top of you and chew you to pieces like a wolf... they'll run away. That's all they wanted in the first place is to be left alone.

As pets if you turn around quick when one's around, they puff up. :/ You have to hold still, if you move their way they'll try to grab ya. It sucks when the pet gets between you and the tool box while your working on something! :)

One thing about pet javelinas they get kicked in the head alot. :/ Like when you're in the little tack room of the barn and turn around and the sucker's puffed up in the door way. :/

I had the best javelina-grabber in the state of Arizona back in the

80's. He was a grizzled (blue) Border Terrier named Harry. Me and every cowboy I know, would really like to have another "Harry". :)

My first, and only bear was Harry's 9th bear. :)

After they'd grab a kid I'd get to sic Harry on them for a few minutes until the girl that owned it came out of the house screaming at me. :)

"danggit Harry I told you to stay away from "Pig"/"Snapper"/"Ted" (from Bill and Ted). -Alvin ;)

Harry died of old age, BTW. He was good, and we had over a hundred little dogs to compare him to. He was already known to be the best before he was given to me. I was a railroad signal maintainer and took him to work with me almost every day. :)

Alvin in AZ

Well now there's probably lots of Coyotes in Arizona. Maybe they only mix with dogs if they're hard up? A coyote my neigborhood for instance is probably hard put to get laid but there would be no shortage in Alvin's neck of the woods. ...Just a thought.

GA