Discussing Animal Sightings

[phydeux]

Poachers do probably monitor BB's, but thats probably not a major source of info. Good tracking of game trails, footprint analysis (age of print, size, etc), and food osurces probably yield better info. One effective method is infrared cameras to track animal movement patterns/times, allowing a poacher to be at an area when a big game animal "makes it rounds" and not have to stay in one area. I've run across these a few times over the years:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... &noImage=0

I've usually found them just before hunting season, so I imagine it was a legitimate hunter scouting out the area. I've also seen them with NPS or Fish & Game logos, probably used to get an idea of animal numbers in certain areas.

I also don't like to discuss animal sightings with fellow city folk. I have lots of co-workers who will NOT venture out onto a forest trail (even something like the nature trails between Barton Flats and Angeles Oaks) for fear of getting attacked by "all those bears and mountain lions shown on TV." Any discussion scares even more of them.

That said, in the 30 years of hiking/backpacking/mountain climbing in the western USA, I've seen lots of deer, coyotes, rodents (marmots, mice, bats, squirrels & chipmunks, raccoons, rabbits, etc), the occasional bobcat, a few bighorn sheep, one ringtail, no bears, and one sighting of a "holy grail" - a mountain lion (SOOOO COOL!!! ).