Well, I was really psyched by the offer from the folks at North Carolina Barbecue Company to send me the 2 types of NC Barbecue to try.Having BBQ flown across the country was a first for me, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The food was flown in a sturdy styrofoam cooler packed with dry ice. Meat was packaged “boil in a bag” style, as were the cornbread hushpuppies. Cole slaw was in typical coleslaw containers, sauce was bottled. Fixins were included for both regional styles of BBQ – Piedmont and Eastern. There was Piedmont meat, coleslaw and sauce; and the was Eastern meat, coleslaw and sauce. Everything was color-coded so you couldn’t mix them up. The box was packed with an informative pamphlet and thorough reheating instructions.

As mentioned, reheating was easy. Hushpuppies in the oven, meat was “boil in a bag”.

I really can’t thank the folks at The North Carolina Barbecue Company enough. This was probably the most fun and interesting review I have done to date, and the whole family weighed in on the debate! I prepared the sandwiches as described, meat, sauce and slaw on a bun. We each had a sandwich and some hushpuppies. My wife and daughter had a blast evaluating the two types – both were delicious. Sauce (referred to as dip) is very thin compared to conventional sauces, clear and vinegary. Piedmont styles had a bit more kick in sauce, meat and coleslaw. My wife and daughter gave the slight edge to the Eastern style; for me, it was practically a coin toss. I loved them both. The meat was savory, the sauce was tingly and adding slaw to the sandwich is a visionary touch.

This package we got was deceiving in regards to portions. We each got a sandwich Saturday night. We each got a sandwich Sunday night and I had enough leftover to take some to work on Monday. My co-workers loved the food as well.

We got the Small “Battle Box”, which features all the fixins for both styles. It retails for around $65. I need to say, this would make an awesome gift – either as a corporate gift, or for a family member that loves BBQ. They ship food all over the country. I highly recommend the food from The North Carolina Barbecue Company. Try it – you absolutely will not be disappointed!

In the run-up to my planned hunts this fall my friend Greg McBride and I have been getting up every Sunday morning and heading out early. We’re usually set up and ready to go by 5:30 AM.

In spite of the plentiful range time, the process has not been without its challenges. A lot of the bits and pieces of information will undoubtedly contribute on way or another, to the final story. One more week to shoot, and then it will be off to do the real thing.

Hoping to do a bear hunt with friend Ken in November, and then fill my Coues tag in December. January will bring some bowhunting for javelina and mulies.

Well, a lot of us feared this was coming, once the death of Macho B came to light. That event, along with other trail cam photos of jags, and reports from houndsmen in southern AZ all but assured that groups like the Center for Biological Diversity (link not provided, by design…) would capitalize on the situation to pressure the Feds and further their agenda.

Lo and behold, the Federal Government is now considering the protection of Jaguar habitat in southern Arizona. Yep. About 1300 square miles’ worth. Per the article at the link,

“The U.S. proposed Friday to designate about 1,309 square miles across Southern Arizona and a sliver of New Mexico as prime habitat that is essential for conservation of the endangered jaguar.

In its proposal, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that if the critical habitat designation is approved, the agency will need to evaluate the 4,400-acre mine project to determine if it will be likely to destroy or significantly damage the jaguar habitat.”

I’m very curious if the Feds (and CBD) have a plan to clean up and stifle the generation of border trash. This isn’t my political statement about illegal immigration. Rather, an observation that, frequently, the same folks crying about owls and jaguars are the ones “pooh-pooing” the problem of illegal immigration.

Convince me that tons of trash in our southern lands don’t affect jaguars, or any other critters for that matter. Really. Convince me.

Hypocrites…

Finally, a video for your perusal..

Political stance aside, the video is a great reference to see some of the damage. Yes, UDA traffic has decreased as the economy has faltered, but the problem is still occurring.

I’ve done a lot of reviews over on my smoking site, The Dry-Rubbed Rat, but none have been as exciting as the upcoming review on products from the North Carolina Barbecue Company. Thanks to Ryan Pitz, one of the company co-founders, I had a styrofoam cooler waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Barbecue goodness in the eastern NC style, and the Piedmont style, packed in dry ice and flown to my door. This is a first for me, and NC barbecue is a first. I can’t wait!

Here is a preview of my Saturday night supper:

More about NC Barbecue, from their website:

The North Carolina Barbecue Company was founded to deliver to doorsteps across the country the unique culinary culture of our great state. Our goal is to provide a true representation of the two distinct styles of North Carolina barbecue; the Piedmont (western style) and the Eastern style. There is a civil disagreement among barbecue purists in our state that has been percolating for well over a century, with no sign of resolve.

Our aim is to not pick a side in this epicurean battle, but merely present the argument. Not only have we produced an authentic Eastern and Piedmont BBQ, sauce, and slaw combination, we have found the best way to deliver it anywhere in the USA. Now when you need a real barbecue fix, it is only a click or a call away. No matter where you are.

Their prices are very reasonable, you may want to consider buying one of “Battle Boxes” as a unique, yummy gift that gets delivered anywhere in the country. Visit their Online Store

Some very helpful information here! ~DesertRat

Using Conditioned Aversive Stimuli in Dog Training

Article by Ethan Pippitt D.T. Systems Pro Staff Member

Keep things simple and consistent, and your dog will learn to stop unwanted behaviors. Even good-natured dogs that are eager to please will naturally do many things you don’t want them to do. As a dog owner and trainer, you can help your dog know what is expected of them by teaching simple and consistent cues.

In all dog training, consistency is key. In order to develop a consistent dog, you simply must be consistent.

Consistent Cues
It’s important to choose one cue for a behavior and stick with it. (Many trainers call these ‘commands,’ but at Standing Stone Kennels we prefer the term cue.) For example, if you are teaching your dog recall, and you expect them to learn that “come,” “here,” “come here,” “get over here,” or just pointing to your side all mean the same thing, you are not being consistent. Most likely, this will confuse your dog. Teaching dogs recall while using a single cue will help them learn the behavior more quickly, avoid confusion and set them on the path to success.
It’s easy to see that choosing one cue for a behavior makes training less confusing for your dog. This is equally true for discouraging unwanted behaviors. Using a conditioned aversive stimulus, and staying consistent with it, is our preferred method of discouraging undesired behaviors.

Dog owners seem to struggle the most with consistency when it comes to discouraging undesired behaviors. What tends to happen is dogs hear many different cues while they are exhibiting the unwanted behavior.
When they jump up on people, they hear, “down.” When they get into the garbage they hear, “hey, what are you doing?” When they’re caught on the couch they’re scolded with, “get off the couch.” More often than not, the only way the dog knows it’s in trouble is by picking up on the tone or inflection in our voice.
What works so much better is to use one consistent cue whenever dogs are exhibiting unwanted behavior.

Using Conditioned Aversive Stimuli
The use of conditioned aversive stimuli starts with a neutral stimulus, which can be a verbal warning or gesture. The neutral stimulus cue we use to get the dog’s attention is “ah-ah.”
The verbal cue “ah-ah” can be used in any situation where your dog is exhibiting unwanted behavior. It is simple to remember, easy to use, brief, and allows you to be consistent.

In the beginning, we have to teach our dog that “ah-ah” is aversive. We do this by pairing the neutral stimulus (“ah-ah”) with negative reinforcement. To accomplish this, we use the vibrate feature on our e-collars. Our model of choice is the DT Systems H2O 1820 collar, which offers the vibrate-only feature.

The vibrate feature is an extremely mild form of negative reinforcement. DT Systems vibrate feature is very effective because it actually uses two of the dog’s senses; your dog will be able to feel the vibration and also hear the buzzing of the collar when the vibration is used. You start, of course, by putting the collar on your dog. Then, while the dog is exhibiting an unwanted behavior, you press the vibrate button on the transmitter while saying, “ah-ah.” Keep pressing the button, so the vibration continues to be heard and felt by the dog, until the dog complies by discontinuing the undesired behavior.

For example, you catch the dog sniffing the counters looking for food or “counter surfing”: press the vibrate button while saying “ah-ah” and keep the button pressed until the dog stops counter surfing. Then release the button, so the vibration turns off. Your dog is learning how to turn off the collar by doing what you want.
Conditioned aversive stimulus training works very similarly to the process of clicker training. Just as the clicker is used to mark desired behaviors, “ah-ah” is used to mark undesired behaviors. Through consistent repetition, eventually “ah-ah” alone will become a conditioned aversive stimulus that can be used to communicate to your dog that surfing for food on the counter is not okay.

You now have the ability to communicate to your dog in all training situations. If you are working on place training and your dog leaves the place, you can say, “ah-ah,” letting the dog know what it’s doing is wrong. Then, help the dog get back to the place without having to say the place cue again.
Another example: if you are heeling your dog and it starts to pull, use “ah-ah” and the dog will know what it’s doing is wrong. This can also be used in the field. For pointing dogs that have been taught to ‘whoa,’ you can use “ah-ah” if a dog starts to ‘creep’ after going on point.

Using conditioned aversive stimuli, like “ah-ah,” allows you to be consistent while training your dog. It eliminates confusion for your dog by giving him fewer cues to understand. Developing and maintaining consistent training habits will allow you to produce a more obedient and cooperative dog in less time.

For more information visit us at www.standingstonekennels.com
Photo taken by Kat Pippitt
Photo: CAS Photo.jpg