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Tell Us About Your SCREEN NAME and AVATAR...

My screen name is a combination of my name (Mick) and one of my old badge numbers (214) when I was a LEO. I retired after putting in 34 years as a cop in California and moved out to New Mexico about six years ago, hence the New Mexico Zia as my avatar.....:)

Thanks for your service. LEO will get more respect and support than they have had the past 8 years under the new President.
 
Thanks! I am hoping that with the new President, things will be changing for the better for those in Law Enforcement.......:)
 
As a resident of California since 1975, I can only say you must have heaved a sigh of relief when you hit the state line.

And not just from crossing the Mojave either . . . :giggle:
You were fleeing the nuthouse that is California Law Enforcement.

That's one job I wouldn't want in this state unless I was a practicing Masochist. o_O
 
As a resident of California since 1975, I can only say you must have heaved a sigh of relief when you hit the state line.

And not just from crossing the Mojave either . . . :giggle:
You were fleeing the nuthouse that is California Law Enforcement.

That's one job I wouldn't want in this state unless I was a practicing Masochist. o_O

Yeah, I sure did. The best view of California was in my rear view mirror as I was crossing over the Colorado river into Arizona for the last time. Being born and raised in California, it saddens me so to see what it has become. Life there was fantastic when I was a kid growing up.

In the 70's when I got into Law Enforcement, it was still a great place to work. But as time went on, things changed and the ultra liberals and their political correctness took over.

I don't miss it one bit......:)
 
I'm in Clovis, at the edge of the Sierra, so it's not as crazy as living in any of the coastal cities.
The money's not as good, but you don't have so many people driving you nuts.
 
I'm in Clovis, at the edge of the Sierra, so it's not as crazy as living in any of the coastal cities.
The money's not as good, but you don't have so many people driving you nuts.

True!

I was from the north bay. It was nice and close to the ocean, but too close to S.F. for my liking. I am loving New Mexico big time:) The population here is right around 2 million for the entire state. I think the population for the bay area is somewhere over 7.5 million last time I looked.
 
Well I like to visit the ocean but I don't think I would care to live there. Actually I've lived on both coasts, but really I was too young to remember much.

I spent a few years in Arizona too and I definitely prefer the desert to the Sea Coast, so New Mexico actually sounds pretty good to me.
 
The ocean was nice, but I prefer the mountains. We are in the southeastern part of New Mexico at about 7,000 feet. It reminds me a lot of the Lake Tahoe area. I also love the desert. Lots of wide open spaces here.
 
Move to the midwest and you can have every weather that exists, sometimes all the same week. The nice thing is though if you don't like the weather one day it'll at least be different the next.

Disclaimer: different doesn't always mean better!
 
I lived in the Rocky Mountains so you're not going to get me to buy a house at high elevation. I shoveled too much snow in the Rocky Mountains and nowadays I'm accustomed to an easier way of life.

But the worst snowstorm I ever got stuck in was in Iowa on the way from Phoenix to Duluth.

Where I live now it has only snowed twice in 40 years, and only one time did it stick until the next day.

Today was beautiful here. Sunny and nearly 70°F

I went and ran up and down the hills at the gun range and if you didn't know it was January you couldn't have told it from the weather today.

If I was still in Duluth I'd be out there in my Choppers, shoveling steps and knocking the ice off of the sidewalk.
 
Yup, Iowa has it all.....weather wise. If you want hot, sticky, buggy, muggy summers this is the place. If you want frozen, sub-zero blizzards this is the place. If you want moderate flooding, mud up to your neck and impassible gravel roads in the spring this is the place. We don't have fall. Over night it goes from summer to winter. lol
 
I spent 40 years in the Omaha area MANual. I know exactly what you are going through. I also spend the first two weeks of November in the Cedar Rapids area every fall visiting my girlfriend's family. This past visit was great weather, but that is not always the case.
 
My user name is a combination of "Bear" and the start of my first name, Dennis. My 'happy place' since I was 15 years old is a stretch of gravel road near my family's cabin in northern Wisconsin where I hide in the grass clothed in camo with my DSLR camera and wait for whatever steps out of the woods. I've had many close encounters with bears over the years and the adrenaline rush is incredible. My avatar is a record of one of those encounters. Most animals are alerted to my presence by the sound of the shutter on the camera. This big bruin stopped and turned out of curiosity, but most bears ignore me and cross the road slowly and deliberately, looking only straight ahead at their intended path. Contrary to what you would think, they hardly make any noise walking through the woods. The rule usually follows that the louder the noise in the forest, the smaller the animal making that noise. I usually see a bear before I hear it. And, despite two mock threat displays, I've never had a bear act unpredictably or move toward me in a threatening way. I've even had a sow outrun her cubs when she became aware of my presence. Some mother, huh? They follow the cubs to protect them from males who want to mate and will attempt to kill the cubs to do so. Unless there was another bear near in that direction, she seemed to be running away. I carry both bear pepper spray and a .45 cal handgun, but have never felt the need for either.

Last year (2016), I photographed a mating pair at the end of May and again at the end of June. In June, they walked out of the forest just across the road from my position. The female appeared first and lingered, softly clicking her tongue. The male appeared and chased her, pushing her in my direction. I believe the female was aware of me but never acknowledged my presence. She was obvious in trying to avoid me when running from the male. This experience left me shaking... and the best experience yet!
 
Dennis, I welcome you again to Mossberg Owners. About 4 1/2 years ago I moved from Sheboygan to E TN. The only Wisconsin wildlife encounters I had were with deer on my motorcycle. Glad to have you with us.
 
Dennis, I welcome you again to Mossberg Owners. About 4 1/2 years ago I moved from Sheboygan to E TN. The only Wisconsin wildlife encounters I had were with deer on my motorcycle. Glad to have you with us.

Yes, they always seem to run toward you when you're in (or on) a vehicle. Wow, hopefully you never actually collided with one.
 
I've hit 3 critters.
1. Rear hoof of doe that broke an auto headlight. Between Manitowoc and Sheboygan '68. Deer OK. Cop cited the headlight but no legal costs w/ proof of repair.
2. Rolled a dog under my Chrysler. Dog ran off.
3. Hit dove full face shield on motorcycle. Bird exploded. Neck hurt but recovered.

I've had about 5 or 6 aviation bird strikes.
 
Mine is a hockey term for a fighting penalty. Fighting is a major penalty and gets 5 mins in the penalty box instead of the usual 2 mins for a minor. Hence the phrase "5 for fighting" I'm a huge hockey fan and have been a die hard Tampa Bay Lightning fan since the franchise started in 1992.
 
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