Virginia Safari?

greener · Post by **greener** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 11:51 pm

According to tonight's news, there have been several credible sightings of a female African lion in the area. Seems that no agency feels any responsibility. No reports of anyone losing one. So far this year we've had reports of bears and lions. No tiger's yet.

Told SWMBO I need a gun for big cats. She seems convinced I will be perfectly safe with a .22. It somehow doesn't seem right to be in the bush jacket carrying a .22.

http://www.nbc12.com/global/story.asp?s=9313168

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:18 am

It is probably a mountain lion, they can grow to be quite large. There's plenty of game to hunt, especially in areas where the deer population has exploded. Not surprising that the big critters will find there way into well populated areas if that's were their prey is congregating.

R,
Bullseye

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:47 am

It would be my guess and they haven't quite paved Chesterfield County over yet.

There was a group in the midwest that rescued big cats and had a donation collection tour. Seems that there are a number of folks who get the idea that owning a cute little cuddly lion or tiger cub is a great idea until the little cutie gets a few hundred pounds bigger and begins eating them out of house and home. And turns out not to be quite so cuddly. Some of them turned the things loose. That's a very remote possibility here.

An acquaintance, years ago in North Carolina, was a zoology prof at UNC. He kept a number of exotic animals on his farm. At one time, he had a jaguar in the front yard, was in to breeding cheetah's (takes 5 males and a female), some little bears and a Bengal tiger. The tiger was kept in a double 16' chain link fence compound with a 30' moat between the fences. To be accepted by Mike, you had to go into the compound. He gave you a walking stick that you were supposed to keep between you and the tiger because, as a kitten, she learned that she couldn't get through the stick. In one of my dumber decisions, I went into the compound. A 400# Bengal gets really big at 0-foot distance. He would take the tiger to schools to let the kids see her up close. He kept a gibbon in the trees in the compound. Guess one day it got too low and disappeared.

Mike created bit of a stir when the jaguar decided to take an unattended tour of the countryside. The high sheriff was not amused.

I figured this would be a good way to get SWMBO to buy in on my need for an additional firearm. Guess I'll have to wait for the tiger sightings.

ps. Mike also had three English Mastifs and a rotweiler. He never locked the doors to his house or felt the need.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 8:51 am

Rob, you sure you have not been over medicatin? Too much of that stuff can do strange things to you.

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:07 am

Len,

Totally med free, except for the morning coffee.

Since I was in the Reserves and he had the hots for an asian elephant, he kept asking me if there was some way I could get the one snuck in. When I told him that I didn't think painting it OD and labelling it "Sheller, peanut, M1" would work, his response was "have you tried it?"

He told a friend that he had left a box in his car and asked if he would drop it off at UPS. To "what's in the box" the response was pygmy rattlers. To "how many" the response was "didn't count them." We spent an afternoon and a number of barley pops removing and replacing the interior of the car.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:22 am

greener wrote:Len,

Totally med free, except for the morning coffee.

Since I was in the Reserves and he had the hots for an asian elephant, he kept asking me if there was some way I could get the one snuck in. When I told him that I didn't think painting it OD and labelling it "Sheller, peanut, M1" would work, his response was "have you tried it?"

He told a friend that he had left a box in his car and asked if he would drop it off at UPS. To "what's in the box" the response was pygmy rattlers. To "how many" the response was "didn't count them." We spent an afternoon and a number of barley pops removing and replacing the interior of the car.

Should have just done the OD paint job with a few stars on his forehead adde a howdah and c alled it an all terrain command vehicle.

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:31 am

Len,

Some zoologists can be a bit casual when it comes to animals. The attached picture is my eldest holding one of her research subjects in Kenya.

She has no qualms about cuddling something that, if the tranq wore off, could do a fair job of biting your leg off. Maw and Paw, nearby, certainly could.

She is a non-shooter, but good enough with the tranq guns to hit one of these. They also carried some high power rifles and a .44. For a kid who kept telling me "guns are bad" she's a fairly good shooter.

Post by **Bullseye** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:30 pm

A lot of folks believe guns are bad until they need one in a hurry, then they usually become converts to the way of the gun. To me, furry things with teeth appear safest when they are dancing on top of the three metal posts of my levergun's rifle sights.

R,
Bullseye

greener · Post by **greener** » Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:46 pm

The only bad gun is one that doesn't work when you need it.

Checked on mountain lions. Although there are suspected sightings in the western part of the state, the eastern mountain lion is believed to be extinct. the last one seen was killed in 1882. I wonder what they think they were seeing.

Post by **Bullseye** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 7:33 am

Time may tell the source of the mystery. Another possible cause could be an extremist tree hugger that has released one or two of these back into the wild in a vain attempt to reintroduce them into an eastern habitat. Maybe its an exotic pet that escaped or a big cat that has expanded its range. If its not an escaped lion, then a cougar is the next plausible explanation, as they can be confused for female African lions because of their shape and size. Especially since mountain lions are ambush predators and are typically only seen for a fleeting moment if at all. I see that the Eastern Mountain Lion is virtually extinct but coyotes were once driven from many places in the east and they have repopulated many of those places once again.

R,
Bullseye

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:03 am

Bullseye wrote:A lot of folks believe guns are bad until they need one in a hurry, then they usually become converts to the way of the gun. To me, furry things with teeth appear safest when they are dancing on top of the three metal posts of my levergun's rifle sights.

R,
Bullseye

Bear says, you better be talking nice about us furry guys with teeth or we will send the old man afder you and old guys are sneaky and mean. If the oldman will drive me out ther I will bite yoiu on the cheecks, the ones you sit on,

greener · Post by **greener** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:05 am

Well, I was looking to see if the 1882 report contained any information about a young man with a yellow, long-haired dog.

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:09 am

greener wrote:Well, I was looking to see if the 1882 report contained any information about a young man with a yellow, long-haired dog.

Yup we was there, we did some scouting around carrying 2 six guns and our 73 Winxhester in 44-40. We did run across a little guy in diaper, think his name was Rob.

greener · Post by **greener** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:37 pm

Len, you must have left one.

Tonight's report (channel 6) reported a new sighting of a mountain lion in a nearby area that may have followed someone to her car. She hasn't been seen since. Interviews included someone talking about a bobcat last year who just sat there and watched people. One interviewee mentioned having to go out check out the chirping chipmunks, seeing a snake and the mountain lion. He mentioned getting a gun. Not sure if it was for the cat, snake of chipmunks.

I'm not sure I have the right protection from killer chipmunks.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:55 pm

I went to that station's website and watched the report, seems folks around there are convinced they've seen a mountain lion. Apparently over the last several months, many other folks think they saw one too because there's lots of reports of mountain lion sightings in that area. According to the news report the lady was scared and drove off in her car. The way it sounded in the earlier post, made me wonder if the lady disappeared but the car was still there. Time will tell, eventually someone will provide definitive proof of what kind of animal it really is.

R,
Bullseye