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This is livin'

John A.

Unconstitutional laws are not laws.
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Yesterday evening, I was afforded an increasingly rare opportunity to get some much needed R&R.

So what do I decide to do?

Leave the world behind me and just get away.

I call up a buddy of mine and ask him if he wants to do some varmint hunting, and since he didn't have anything going on either, I picked him up a little later.

I put the old truck in 4wd, and creep up to the peak @ 3,271 feet above sea level.

While there, I saw a mature buck, the largest wild Tom I ever saw, and got a good look at a big wildcat that stalked up to within 15 feet of the call speaker before turning tail and sprinted off.

And enjoyed the time that God gave me getting back to my roots.

Now that's livin'.

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Cherokee NC isn't the only place where the blue smoke rises. ;)

shaconage (sha kon a hey)

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That's cool. Sounds like a great trip
 
Yeah, I had a great time. Who wouldn't have?

But come to think of it, I've never had a bad day out in the mountains. Some may be harder than others, but none have ever truly been bad.
 
Nice John. That is a great way to relax. That's awesome on the cat. That's one I haven't seen yet. We have bobcats in the mountains they are pretty shy.

While we haven't been to the mountains, fishing on small creeks away from everything this spring has given us some momentary peace of mind. Just seeing the little things we didn't expect made it worth it...the eagle snagging a trout, big ol' turtle, mom goose and goslings going for a swim, 5" large mouth bass coming out of the water to take a bug at dusk. etc.
 
That's some pretty country John. It's good to just break away from town and people. I need to do that...soon.

It's hard to explain to someone why you need to be there and how you feel when you're out there. It's always pretty, it's sometimes awe inspiring, sometimes comfortable and sometimes not, it's often peaceful and sometimes frightening. And, it's always so much bigger than me.

We have big cats here and lots of black bear in our local mountains. If you like the big felines you might want read up on the cats we have here...we have two well documented (National Geo from a few years back...can't recall the issue) populations of unusually aggressive cougars/mountain lions. One group here on the mainland of BC centered in the North Shore mountains and the predominant documentation follows the Vancouver Island cougars.
Wikipedia....Detailed research into attacks prior to 1991 showed that 64% of all victims – and almost all fatalities – were children. The same study showed the highest proportion of attacks to have occurred in British Columbia, particularly on Vancouver Island where cougar populations are especially dense.[118] Preceding attacks on humans, cougars display aberrant behavior, such as activity during daylight hours, a lack of fear of humans, and stalking humans. There have sometimes been incidents of pet cougars mauling people.[122][123]
This is primarily why I don't prefer to hike in our parks here...you are not allowed to carry a firearm in a provincial park. I hike where I can take my rifle or shotgun with me. Cougars don't care about rules!!
 
A wildcat in PA is a Bobcat. They have had mountain lion sightings which have always been debunked.
 
It's a bobcat here too. Although I believe this one was a lynx due to the slightly larger size and the extra fur on top of its' ears that go up to a point like little horns.

As Jerry Clower used to say, a lynx is a souped up bobcat :) And what I was referring to as being a wildcat.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AX9QoFhEhI[/youtube]

As for mountain lions, we've got them too, although the state doesn't officially recognize their presence, despite photo's, although they are very rare and uncommon.

cmcdonald, We have tons of black bears though. Don't even get me started on them. There is no legitimate purpose for their existance. After years of harassment from them, I have gotten to the point that I hate everything about them.
 
OK boo boo. I'll do that.

LOL

But I don't think that'll help.
 
Nicely done... Congrats on gettin "out". I do not get the opportunity to get out often. So for now it's just Saturday turkey hunts in the woods. 200 acres. :) So some days I just wander along whichever way my feet take me, sit for a few, make some calls, listen to the nature. And watch. If you sit there quiet enough for a spell, they ignore you and go right back to their lives....it's such a relaxing feeling.

I envy your views down there though....beautiful....simply beautiful.
 
If you ever make it down this way, give me a holler.

While I'm not able to walk/hike much anymore, check out some of these video's from pheonixbirdlives on youtube. Lots of beautiful places around here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzstE0ehe0g

the 2nd link is one of my favorites. The cave around the 2 minute mark has numerous rock carvings.

The big hole that it shows in the video is a chimney. It creates a natural vacuum. And the side of the mountain is about 20 inches thick right there between the inside and outside of the cave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFlY358aHk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3500QAWo2-g
 
not California is the place to be.

Load up the truck and move from Beverly.

:lol:
 
if you guys ever been to the Redwoods you would change your tune quick ....should be Oregon though lol
 
I agree Oli... I think it's time for Oregon to claim the Northern 100 miles of California!

John, great pics and looks like a good time to me! Things are just now turning green for us up here, but when it finnaly turns... it's a sight to see. Hope I'll be able to share some of it with you guys before I leave next year!
 
oli700 said:
if you guys ever been to the Redwoods you would change your tune quick ....should be Oregon though lol


OMG...that place was so awesome! I even drove in the tree tunnel. And I snuck out some redwood burl I found. :twisted:
 
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