Those traveling south to Arizona area and camping

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

Mmmmmmmm BACON mmmmmmmmmm

I thought I would take a look and see. Apparently a few people have cured legs and made a ham l that is kinda like real ham. But no bacon.
Do not google "make Javelina bacon."
It's the other version of makin bacon.
Why anyone would film that, before I switched off I looked at how long the video was and they had 5 or 6 minutes of it.
Apparently Javelina's are not rabbits.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by wetzk

Apparently Javelina's are not rabbits.

Nope, but they're prolific breeders. As for cooking them, curing a ham would be a pain, but the leg or shoulder slow smoked is really good. We just cook the various cuts in the same way as domestic pork. It is leaner, and perhaps more healthy because of that.

[Fun&Sun]

Seen lots of signs of them around the Superstitions but the jackalopes are the ones to fear��

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Fun&Sun

..the jackalopes are the ones to fear...

Well, if we're talking mythical creatures, the one people seem to fear around here is a Chupacabra.

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Nope, but they're prolific breeders. As for cooking them, curing a ham would be a pain, but the leg or shoulder slow smoked is really good. We just cook the various cuts in the same way as domestic pork. It is leaner, and perhaps more healthy because of that.

OK so making sausage out of one would be out unless pork fat was added. I'll remember that if I am ever given a hunk of one. I wonder how long before they do like the armadillos and move to Florida.

[h2owmn]

For those who have young children/grandchildren, especially in the southwest, may I suggest the book "Los Tres Cabritos" which is the three billy goats gruff story amusingly told. Instead of the troll under the bridge, it's a chupacabra.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by h2owmn

For those who have young children/grandchildren, especially in the southwest, may I suggest the book "Los Tres Cabritos" which is the three billy goats gruff story amusingly told. Instead of the troll under the bridge, it's a chupacabra.

Funny! My granddaughter has that book.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by wetzk

OK so making sausage out of one would be out unless pork fat was added. I'll remember that if I am ever given a hunk of one. I wonder how long before they do like the armadillos and move to Florida.

Let's hope they don't make it to Florida. They love low grasslands so I'd imagine they would thrive there. But they can be quite destructive of native habitat. Nowhere near as destructive as ferrel hogs though. Killing those is a service to humanity and the environment.

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Let's hope they don't make it to Florida. They love low grasslands so I'd imagine they would thrive there. But they can be quite destructive of native habitat. Nowhere near as destructive as ferrel hogs though. Killing those is a service to humanity and the environment.

Wild hogs and deer are lean too, that's when I learned to be buddies with the local meat market so I can acquire pork fat for sausage making. Otherwise you have very dry and chewy sausage.
I made chicken and sun dried tomato sausage for someone awhile back that insisted no fat be added. I tried a piece, no good. But they seemed happy with it so ??

When you mentioned the Chupacabra that reminded me of listening to Art Bell in the wee hours of the morning while on night shift. Hey, he was excellent entertainment. Chupacabra were sometimes a subject of his or his callers along with all sorts of oddities. At the time he was from Pahrump . There is someone on the Escape Forum that is moving to Pahrump NV. I wonder if Art Bells compound is still there?

[Anne H]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

This old Iowa Boy does not fear a pack of little pigs. The entire porcine world has my picture up in their post offices. And a lot more of my friends. AZ Jack said they would wander into his yard in Tucson on occasion. Never seemed that impressed.
Iowa Dave

Ah . . But how do you feel about collared peccaries (the real name)? Seriously, the only ones I ever see are running away as fast as they can move their tiny cloven hooves. If I was a pumpkin, I'd worry. The javelinas rampage thru my cousins neighborhood every Halloween eating jack O' lanterns!

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Anne H

Ah . . But how do you feel about collared peccaries (the real name)? Seriously, the only ones I ever see are running away as fast as they can move their tiny cloven hooves. If I was a pumpkin, I'd worry. The javelinas rampage thru my cousins neighborhood every Halloween eating jack O' lanterns!

Hi Anne
Hope you are enjoying your Escape and doing well. As far as peccaries and other forms of desert wildlife go, I’m always interested when I see them and have always had a live and let live attitude. Years ago there was a “trend” reported in the outdoor magazines where hunting peccaries became somewhat popular. A story about it appeared every couple months for maybe 2 or 3 years. Eventually it lost novelty ( thankfully) and the “sportsmen” went back to eliminating the most feared animal on the planet, the mighty woodchuck. I’ve done my share of hunting and fishing but never taken more than I could use and always treated the meat from the harvested animal with a personal reverence. Coyotes will do a job on a large watermelon patch, that I can tell you. And they are hard on small urban dogs and cats,
Iowa Dave

[Greg A]

We have big ol Owls all over our area. The hoot hooting is a regular nighttime backdrop. Wingspan is about 6 to 8 feet. These hooting critters are the ones most responsible for carrying off the cats and small dogs around here, although I’m sure the coyotes and bobcats have notched a few. You definitely have to be careful putting Fluffy out back unattended in these parts.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Greg A

We have big ol Owls all over our area. The hoot hooting is a regular nighttime backdrop. Wingspan is about 6 to 8 feet. These hooting critters are the ones most responsible for carrying off the cats and small dogs around here, although I’m sure the coyotes and bobcats have notched a few. You definitely have to be careful putting Fluffy out back unattended in these parts.

Same here Greg. We're in an apartment temporarily and there's a great horned owl that hoots every day behind our complex. Despite their large size, they're very elusive. You almost never see them but you can always hear them.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Same here Greg. We're in an apartment temporarily and there's a great horned owl that hoots every day behind our complex. Despite their large size, they're very elusive. You almost never see them but you can always hear them.

We have a pair of great horned owls near our home. They are pretty big hooters. We regularly also hear the barred owls. “ who cooks for you?, who cooks for you all?” Round that out with a few screech owls and some short eared owls and you got yourself a concert. We had two captive great horned owls in our little zoo. Had them for over 20 years. Fed them mostly beef we got from a locker. Independent animals, beautiful to see just about dark. When breeding in February in Iowa, lots of strange sounds coming out of the woods. You can call them in pretty easily. Mouse squeaks.
Iowa Dave

[Jake930]

Originally Posted by Fun&Sun

Seen lots of signs of them around the Superstitions but the jackalopes are the ones to fear��

Where do stay around the Superstitions? We are in Bonita Vista in Apache Junction at this time. Heading to Quratsite on Thursday. Than after the rally, to Desert Trails outside Tucson for 6 weeks before heading home.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Jake930

Where do stay around the Superstitions? We are in Bonita Vista in Apache Junction at this time. Heading to Quratsite on Thursday. Than after the rally, to Desert Trails outside Tucson for 6 weeks before heading home.

My favorite is Lost Dutchman State Park. A choice of water & electric or dry sites, with the best mountain views at the dry overflow sites.

Site 127:

[wetzk]

Originally Posted by Greg A

We have big ol Owls all over our area. The hoot hooting is a regular nighttime backdrop. Wingspan is about 6 to 8 feet. These hooting critters are the ones most responsible for carrying off the cats and small dogs around here, although I’m sure the coyotes and bobcats have notched a few. You definitely have to be careful putting Fluffy out back unattended in these parts.

Every once in awhile some older lady will be walking her small gator snack along a river bank and will become very upset when the alligator takes her up on the offer. We have coyotes here too and I imagine they are responsible for the small dogs and cats that people have lost.
I will occasionally hear larger owls but the ones that seem most common are the little screech owls.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

My favorite is Lost Dutchman State Park. A choice of water & electric or dry sites, with the best mountain views at the dry overflow sites.

Lost Dutchman is gorgeous. The topology reminds me alot of some areas in Big Bend.

[azjack]

Nancy and I plan stopping at Quartzite for a few hours on our way home from Palm Springs on Feb 9th or 10th. My back is slowly recovering without surgery and we may look at a few trailers in the 17' area for shorter trips that are appropriate for us at our advanced age. We might bring a few havalinas with us, course they would be smaller fuzzy ones that kids and dogs like. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the new year.
Jack

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Jack
Good to hear you’re out and about. Watched a classic auto auction from Florida on tv a couple
weeks ago. There was a lead sled on there and an old Ford pickup with the “little flathead mill”, Made me think of you. Rita says hello to you and Nancy. 10,000 miles on the 21 since we picked it up in Tucson. Looking forward to 2018.
Iowa Dave & Rita