A DESERT CAT TALE...

Well I've been living in the great Southwestern deserts a long time now, 25 years or so, and you know I thought I'd seen most every dangerous critter close up that the desert has to offer, today though I found out I was very wrong.

I was hunting in the Weaver Mountains working my way up a small gulch with my detector. This year has been worse than usual for rattle snakes with all the cover left from the spring rains. I have seen more snakes this year than I can ever remember seeing in years past. So while working I was also keeping my eyes on the ground cover to avoid those nasty reptilian surprises.

I got a good signal in the lower edge of the bank and begun the task of recovering my target. While digging I heard a strange deep growling sound mixed with the normal sounds in my headphones. The first time I didn't pay attention, but when I heard it again I stopped digging and stood up removing my headphone as I rose up. It was at that moment that I realized the sound was not unlike the sound a mad Tom cat makes and it was coming from directly above me.

When I looked up , there looking down at me from a large pile of granite boulders was a rather large mountain lion!!!