Exciting Day

NuggetN8 · Jun 11, 2014

So today I went on a sniping trip to the middle fork American. I got down there pretty early around 7 or so. I started down river to find the spot I found last year and wanted to try sniping. I came to this big bar full of cobbles sand and gravels and notices a lion print. Looked pretty fresh to me but didn't think much of it. I figured it could have been from the night before. I continued along a wall of brush and trees between me and the river. I saw an opening where I could see the water so I decided to go check it out and see if there was any bedrock to snipe. I came around the corner and the mountain lion who's tracks I had seen was standing right there about 5 feet away from me. He wasn't a huge one just a little bigger than a large German shepherd. As soon as I saw him I let out a "HOLY S***!!!!!!!" And started pounding my walking stick against the cobbles and ran towards him a little ways. He was gone in a matter of seconds.. Lol. Despite how I reacted to seeing him that made my whole trip. It's amazing to see one of those animals up close in the wild. I know he could have torn me to shreds if he wanted to but he didn't want any trouble he was just getting a drink at the waters edge when a human came along and started yelling and slapping a stick around. Well anyways after that experience I decided to turn back and find another area to snipe away from Mr. Kitty. I found an area where the bedrock slopes down and had some little valleys in it. So I threw my wetsuit on and jumped in and sniped until about 10:30ish the water level started changing pretty drastically. I think it came up about 5 or more feet in an hour. So I ended up getting flooded out of my sniping hole because I couldn't reach the bottom anymore and the water was too swift and cold for me to want to dive down over and over. Here's some pictures. One of the kitty tracks, quartz/gold picker I found, and the total. Only got a gram but would have done much better if the water level didn't come up. Video on the way too but it will take a minute because I have to post from my computer. The video isn't that great but it's pretty difficult to snipe and film at the same time. I just did the recovery of one piece that I found today.

oldsodbuster · Jun 14, 2014

Oakview2 said:
It is the ones you don't see that are trouble. They are ambush predators, attack from behind, always bite their pray at the base of the skull, crushing the spinal chord, rendering their prey unable to move. They have no natural predators, and with no population control, they have decimated the deer herds in this California. Kuger is the man when it comes to lions. Are you out there Kuger

had a wife like that once

squiggy · Jun 14, 2014

I haven't talked to Kuger in a while..he did work for a time in my area, in support of these guys..

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rodoconnor · Jun 14, 2014

The number of fawns ,calves and colts slaughtered by these ruthless killing machines for entertainment purposes cannot be calculated. AZ, ID and Utah seem to have the right idea in how to manage them . Keep their numbers in check and keep them respectful of humans. Kal once again, provides a perfect example of what not to do.

TheGoldProspector · Jun 14, 2014

squiggy said:
First of all, each of us are entitled to our own opinions. .I happen to live in an area of Ca that has more cougars than any other..they are around me and I've seen some.. As far as humans in ca being killed, its been rare..I do wildlife rehab and we are not going to agree, but please be respectful Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

...touchy subject

AzViper · Jun 14, 2014

squiggy said:
First of all, each of us are entitled to our own opinions. .I happen to live in an area of Ca that has more cougars than any other..they are around me and I've seen some..
As far as humans in ca being killed, its been rare..I do wildlife rehab and we are not going to agree, but please be respectful

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I was not challenging your opinion so respect my opinion as well. I am a hunter and enjoy hunting. I am not a trophy hunter as my family an I consume what is brought back from a hunting trip. Arizona has a large population of lions and very little water. We do not have running rivers or streams in the southern part of Arizona so when its dry all animals search for water. I have seen more dried up watering holes this year than many year is the past. So where do these animals go for water? I'll let you figure that out. In Arizona there is no lion hunting season as its open year round and we are grateful here in Arizona that we do not have a bunch of idiots running our state such as CA has, key word bunch as we do have some idiots in state offices.

squiggy · Jun 14, 2014

Each to their own..I thought your was a nice post until you felt the need to put the state I was born and raised in down!
I wouldn't think of saying that about yours but as I said each to their own!

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AzViper · Jun 14, 2014

squiggy said:
Each to their own..I thought your was a nice post until you felt the need to put the state I was born and raised in down!
I wouldn't think of saying that about yours but as I said each to their own!

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OMG...

Duckwalk · Jun 14, 2014

Clearly the only way to defuse this situation is to say that Georgia is the only good state. The other 49 suck! LOL

squiggy · Jun 14, 2014

Lol! Good call Duckwalk..

)

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rodoconnor · Jun 14, 2014

Squiggy, I was born in Kal and lived there for over 50 years until I managed to escape. If you don't like the government , Either change it or leave. I split. No personal insult intended. Ducky---Georgia!?

squiggy · Jun 14, 2014

Where in cal were you born?

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squiggy · Jun 14, 2014

If I ever move it will be to Oregon..

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NuggetN8 · Jun 15, 2014

Well... In other news i went sniping again... No big kitties this time. Just annoying rafters and also had the ASRA park rangers stop by on their raft and interrogate me on what I thought the rules were for the area and where I came from. I ignored the question so he listed them off to me. There was 3 of them one fat guy and 2 younger guys. I think I prefer the mountain lion over them.. He was asking me what I thought the PANNING rules were in the park. I didn't even have a pan on me. Lol. He told me all the plants and rocks in the park are "protected" so you can't disturb the plants and you can't break rocks or bedrock. I wasn't expecting that one. Didn't know they came down the river on rafts to check up on people. I'll post a pic of what I found tomorrow. Feeling a bit lazy hiked and swam around all day.

DizzyDigger · Jun 15, 2014

NuggetN8 said:
Well... In other news i went sniping again... No big kitties this time.
Just annoying rafters and also had the ASRA park rangers stop by on their raft and interrogate me
on what I thought the rules were for the area and where I came from. I ignored the question so he
listed them off to me. There was 3 of them one fat guy and 2 younger guys. I think I prefer the
mountain lion over them.. He was asking me what I thought the PANNING rules were in the park. I
didn't even have a pan on me. Lol. He told me all the plants and rocks in the park are "protected" so
you can't disturb the plants and you can't break rocks or bedrock. I wasn't expecting that one. Didn't
know they came down the river on rafts to check up on people. I'll post a pic of what I found tomorrow.
Feeling a bit lazy hiked and swam around all day.

Oh Sweet Jebus.. :angry5:

How to avoid this issue next time: Get a complete copy of the prospecting
regulations for the area that you are in, and insure you're not in violation.
Next time Bubba Ranger and his tag-alongs start asking you about
the regs for that area, I would tell him he should know them, and then hand
him the copies you've brought. Suggest he go have a seat and read through
them, and if he has any questions feel free to ask.

Got no patience at all for arrogant smart-asses.

I too was born in So. Cal., and lived in Anaheim, Yorba Linda (back when
it was very rural), Cypress, Valencia and then Van Nuys (what an armpit).

Back in '87 I moved up to WA, where my parents were living, and it was
the best thing I ever did. I can't understand the California Eco-Enviromentalists
and their blindness to what exists around them. They worry about some
kind of highly unlikely pollution from a prospector harming a tree or some
unknown frog, but they refuse to clean up their own backyard, first.

I've driven I-5 from the Canadian border all the way to San Diego probably
a hundred times, and the filth and garbage along the highways is absolutely
disgusting. Get into the rich suburbs, no, but anywhere outside of that you'll
find filth and garbage everywhere. There's enough along I-5 to fill a landfill,
and that's just what you can see from the freeway.

As a OTR driver for many years, I've been to every state and province in
N.America (except the Yukon, Alaska and Hawaii). Calif. is in a league of
their own when it comes to roadside garbage..in fact there's nowhere else
even close.

Since Calif. has no money to pay Cal-Trans, the eco-wackos need to leave
prospectors the hell alone, get off their arses and take a look out their own
front door. Then, they need to grab a couple thousand cases of large garbage
bags and start cleaning the place up.

People that want to make a difference can, and will make a difference.

My apologies for the rant...but Calif is one of the most beautiful states
in the US, and it sickens me to see all that garbage every time I cross
the border.

DizzyDigger · Jun 15, 2014

squiggy said:
First of all, each of us are entitled to our own opinions. I happen
to live in an area of Ca that has more cougars than any other..they are around me and I've
seen some. As far as humans in ca being killed, its been rare..I do wildlife rehab and we are
not going to agree, but please be respectful.

If you've done rehab work, you'll know that an apex predator like the
mountain lion will continue to increase in population so long as the
food source is sufficient. When Ca. outlawed hunting lions (first) back in
1972, the population began to slowly grow...and then as the moratoriums
continued the population continued to grow, and at a faster pace. Now,
the areas they have to live in exceed the capacity to support the population,
so the cats have to go elsewhere in search of food.

If you look at organizations that led that moratorium, you'll find they
use the word "PRESERVATION", and not "CONSERVATION". These dolts
seem to feel that by "preserving" all the lions they (the cats) will live long
happy lives out in the wilds. Unfortunately, that's just not the case.

Every year there's more kittens, and when they grow up they each need
a territory of their own...generally about 50 sq. miles. All of the "50 sq. miles"
spots are already occupied, so they can fight for a place to live, or go into
more human populated areas and try to survive there.

In order to solve the issue, some of the cats have to die. It just simply "is".
Reinstate the hunting of them and the problems with them will diminish in
just a few years, as the cat's will learn they have to stay back in the wilderness
or be chased and harassed by dogs, or killed as they are a danger.

I've helped several cougars heal after being shot, hit on the road, or beat
to crap by another cougar. Yeah, it breaks my heart to see them suffer,
and there is no honor for them in that death. I understand how you feel,
but reality is we humans messed things up, and now both us and the
lions have to live with the consequences.

It's disrespectful of them to allow their population to rise so high, and
now the only way to make it right is to reduce the population to a level
in balance the land, available food sources and humanity can live with.

These people are so proud of what they've done, yet all they can see
is the extra lions...not the misery to both cats and humans caused by
the excessive population. http://www.mountainlion.org/abouthistory.asp

squiggy · Jun 15, 2014

Dizzzy, since I live in the wilderness area, the food source is plentiful.
I realize it's a complicated issue in many other areas of ca where the balance if different.
Thanks for your post..

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rodoconnor · Jun 15, 2014

Sqiggy, I was born in San Rafael but spent most of my life in So. Kal. . Palmdale .I miss the the great gold . Also the best quail and chukar hunting on earth. G/L