Here, kitty kitty!

[Shotnbeer]

thought I saw that pic on the internet. Several years ago.

[Big58cal]

I don't know what all is in the woods where I hunt. I know coyotes are there and a pack of them can put a hurtin' on ya' if they really wanted to. There's been confirmed bear sightings around the area. I've got pictures of several bobcats on my cameras. As for bigger cats, there's no telling.

But one thing I do know is that if something does decide to try to make a meal of me, they're going to regret it. Hunting, I always carry a decent sized knife on me. Any time that I'm down there though, either hunting, riding the 4 wheeler, cutting wood, etc, I've got either a .45 ACP or a .327 Federal Magnum on me.

[MarkMarine]

Hank, I carry an old WW2 Woodsmans Pal with me. It comes in handy when clearing brush or disuading the neighbors from otherwise abhorrent behavior LOL

Bugs, people don't run when they see me either - they just cross the street LOL

Big 58, I do not know how many times I have been out in the wilds and felt eyes on me. It is a little disconcerting to say the least. However, like Bugs, I cannot see in any shade of darkness whatsoever - all I see are colors (something akin to the balls in that flaming McPlayland where the nips un and jump). So at night in the woods, I keep my eyes cloed and my ears open. In the daytime, I always enter just into the fringe of them and still myself for a time to acclimate to the surrounds. Once having done so, I know what's natural, what's not, and where I fit in the scheme of things:)

[thumper]

Please don't be offended but that is a super old picture, I seen it last year on a buddies phone and on the internet. Might be more reason to not like the little fellar, if he's lying now about trail-cam pics aint no tellin what he'd lie about.

[MarkMarine]

Thumper, not offended at all. I know he is a punk. I asked if he would like to go out with me at night to see if we could hunt it (with him as the bait) LOL He is so afraid he will not speak to me or even make eye contact with me and everytime he has been around me, it is always in front of a lot of witnesses.

However, he ever touches my daughter again in anyway but a gentle hand, I do not care what she or my son says, I will end his sorry butt. I don't care, jail don't mean much to me - hell, I am retired from a prison

[See4miles]

They are showing up here and there in Michigan too, although our DNR has a hard time admitting it for some reason. Trail cams catch them and the DNR still tries to deny it or bury the story for some reason.

We used to only have bears here in MI. Now we have three things that can eat hunters, bears, wolves, and cougars. Makes that walk in before daylight very interesting. LOL.....

[MarkMarine]

Does anyone besides Big58 carry a back-up? I know the DNR here frowns on it as too often such pistols is concealed beneath hunting coat, vest, etc.

[JohnDoeHunter]

Does anyone besides Big58 carry a back-up? I know the DNR here frowns on it as too often such pistols is concealed beneath hunting coat, vest, etc.

My pistol is nicknamed "American Express".

As far as the mountain lions go, I've never seen one but have heard from guys that are not known to be careless with the truth that they have. Ran into a group of bear hunters who claimed to have treed one. They had pictures of a big one in a tree, but I don't know anything about that group and they could have been fakes. It did make for a good story, but I don't know. I'm pretty sure my dogs would not tree one as they are trained on bear and won't strike on anything but a bear.

[j.krug]

Dang that's a big kitty!! Nothing like that around here! Thank goodness.

[VixChix]

...Nothing like that around here! Thank goodness.

That's what you think!

You're just not hitting the right bars!

[j.krug]

...Nothing like that around here! Thank goodness.

That's what you think!

You're just not hitting the right bars!

Now ain't that the truth!!

[muskyman454]

something else happened to me this year i was digging ginseng and was looking at the ground as i walked along and when i looked up there was a coyote about 10 to 15 yards sneaking on me like a cat.all crouched down and ears back and all i had was a digging tool.like a friend puts it i quoted it some versus out of the bible! and it just walked away looking over its shoulder like you caught me this time.i have trapped and hunted them every since they showed up here and had never worried about them.but it was an old looking dog.i am glad i was not digging at that time!

[maple]

There is a lot of speculation about the existance and recent origin of the eastern cougar these days. Only reluctantly are officials beginning to admit their presence, and as Big58 cal said, if government officials do admit to their presence, they, by law, have to put a recovery and management plan into place for them. Which can be very expensive for an endangered species; divert funds, set up a study plan, do surveys and research, allocate and improve habitat, etc. etc.. They simply don't want to do it, so they stay silent on the topic.

On the 400 acres west of Ottawa where I hunt, the farmer took pictures of couger tracks in the deep snow last winter. The thing was bounding in 12 foot leaps and you could see where the tail was hitting the snow way to the side in order to balance. Huge beast!! Only saw the tracks once so it must have been just passing through.

The only other time I saw tracks was some 30 years ago behind Constance Bay. There are guys locally who claim to have seen them.

Not stopping me from walking the dark woods.

Maple

[masboy]

i carry a big knife and my excal or gun and I,m 6-3 240 lbs. so that makes me about the meanest thing in the woods where I hunt!

[Big58cal]

i carry a big knife and my excal or gun and I,m 6-3 240 lbs. so that makes me about the meanest thing in the woods where I hunt!

Nah, that just means there's more for them to eat off of you.

I don't know how it is now, but most F&W/DNR agencies didn't used to allow bowhunters to carry any kind of firearm with them while they were bowhunting. It used to be like that here in KY as well, until a bunch of people threatened to sue the KDFWR over it. Seems that the 2nd Amendment and having a concealed carry license pretty much trumps what the KDFWR says. Now, I think it's left up to the landowner as to whether or not you can carry. On private land (which is about all I hunt) it's not an issue. On state owned/managed Wildlife Management Areas, I think they still prohibit carrying a firearm while bowhunting. That's the way it used to be, but it may have changed within the past few years.

Either way, unless I'm at work, I've got a gun somewhere on me. I'm not paranoid, but I would much rather have one and not need it, than need one and not have it.