​“Every creature was designed to serve a purpose. Learn from animals for they are there to teach you the way of life. There is a wealth of knowledge that is openly accessible in nature. Our ancestors knew this and embraced the natural cures found in the bosoms of the earth. Their classroom was nature. They studied the lessons to be learned from animals. Much of human behavior can be explained by watching the wild beasts around us. They are constantly teaching us things about ourselves and the way of the universe..." ~ Suzy Kassem

Maybe the interesting thing about these trail cam and other photos is that they were technically taken in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area. On 90 acres of privately owned land near Crowder's Mountain State Park, in fact, which is just west of the big city in Gaston County. 

​Delightfully, perhaps even remarkably, they show just how well medium and even larger mammals, as well as game birds and raptors, are adjusting to living within short distances of large concentrations of human beings. Let's hope it stays that way for a long time - for Mother Earth, the animals, and ourselves.

​The photos come courtesy to Carolina Critters and Other Animals of the South by a gentleman named Tommy Wade. Mr. Wade is a hard-working and very successful family man and we at the CA can't thank him enough.

COYOTES below - with one appearing to be a better hunter than the other.

 Coyotes are considered by some folk as pesky critters - good for nothing in other words. I make no judgements as every land owner and deer or turkey hunter have to make their own decisions on the matter. They do take large and small game animals as prey and on occasion domesticated creatures like chickens, ducks and such.

​Personally, here's the way I like to look at it: a retired woodsman friend of mine in Tennessee takes care of problem animals for people in that state. He prefers to trap and release when possible. One time he was employed by a fellow with a lot of rural property who had some domesticated fowl being taken at night and hired the friend to take care of the coyotes - all of them. The friend told the man that he would identify the problem without having to kill the whole lot of them. Fine, the man said, and he agreed to the hunter's caveat and how he wanted to proceed.

​It turned out that the culprit was a  slightly crippled and aged coyote who could no longer hunt well. The woodsman told me he felt bad about having to take the old boy out, but at least he solved the man's nemesis without having to kill every single wild canine night howler who otherwise were causing no upsets to this particular farmer. In conclusion, this certainly might seem to be a nature and wildlife friendly way to do things.

BUSY COOPERATING RACCOONS-there would be other animals like skunks and opossums in the area too.

This is a very cool looking old oak tree to the left eyeing us, well, sort of. The other appears to be a different kind of tree and a rather unique tree at that. I wonder if it has a guardian nature spirit or something similar - for those who believe very old trees can be dwelling places for other entities, like many people of Celtic or Native American origins do in many cases, for instance. We became convinced it's a possibility by a digital taken one day by associate Janice Gale at the tallest cottonwood tree east of the Mississippi River. That photo can be seen on the Boone's Cave story, which is on the Mists and Moonlight blog pages here on The Carolinian's Archives.  

Possible black bear track Mr. Wade found one morning. Black bears are moving out of the mountains into some western piedmont areas of North Carolina, and, staying put. They're generally quite shy of human beings so long as folks don't feed them in their backyards or harass them. However, any extraordinarily large males should be reported to wildlife officials for removal to more secluded areas as they can become testy during mating season. 

​Tommy might put his trail cams out again in the hope of maybe catching a bear image on them. If he does we'll surely try and get it up on the article for folks to see.

Nature has been for me, for as long as I remember, a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight; a home, a teacher, a companion. ~ Lorraine Anderson

​
It's always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life to a place that is dedicated to wildlife and nature. Sometimes a person or two can find such a refuge, and if they're lucky, have it practically all to themselves for a while. A bit over fifty miles east of Charlotte, NC, just north of Wadesboro on Hwy 74, is a comparatively small(8,500 acres) but marvelous wildlife preserve that is a very special place.

​The following article will be a picture tour with a bit of text on the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge. I hope any reader who might not get to visit this little wonder will enjoy all this and for those headed to the beach or Wilmington down Hwy 74, and who haven't done so, may want to consider taking an hour or two to explore it some time or just drive through it a bit. Yes, you should be delighted if you do, as we were in August of 2016.

At the entrance are the bathrooms and information boards with maps. The Federal Wildlife office is on the opposite side. This article is far from being an all inclusive look or information piece about the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, but I hope it will at least give you a feel and understanding of this peaceful place.

HISTORY
​In 1903 President Teddy Roosevelt started the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Pee Dee refuge is near to what was once a well known water spot known as "Lockhart Gaddy's Wild Goose Refuge." In 1934 Gaddy turned from hunting the Canadian geese to admiring and attracting them to his pond. Today the spot is simply called "Gaddy's Goose Pond." After the passing of Mr. and Mrs. Gaddy the pond was closed to the public in 1975.

WILDLIFE HABITATS
​There are a lot of different habitats on the refuge that sustain a wide variety wildlife species. The refuge also holds within its borders 3,000 acres of contiguous bottomlands. As a matter of fact, Brown Creek forms the heart of the largest bottomland hardwood tract left in in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Additionally, 2,000 acres along Brown Creek and Thoroughfare Creek bottoms are deemed a Significant Natural Heritage Area.

The refuge also has around 1,200 acres of upland pine forest and about 4,300 acres aged fields, croplands, moist-soil units, and intermingled pine-hardwood patches of forest that intermix with lakes, ponds, creeks and the Pee Dee River itself. Many of the old fields have been reforested to provide the necessary habitats for a wide variety of wildlife species. It is also interesting to note that open prairies were once in the Piedmont of N.C.

While there I and a companion saw two nature trails. The first is called the Brown Creek Nature Trail and is a quarter mile long. We went a ways down the three-quarter mile long Tall Pines Nature Trail and took the five photos below. There were a goodly number of tree types on this trail, some of them very tall. A fine walk it is.

We turned left off of Wildlife Drive and went down the dirt gravel GTR road. It had a few water puddles but was a great experience. The Brown Creek was to the left most of the way and was quite full of wildlife. When we stopped the car once I walked maybe ten feet over a rise to take some photos of it. Fish swirls were everywhere and many turtles slid off of limbs and rocks into the muddy creek, along with frogs jumping off the banks and then plopping  into the water. We saw and then got a picture of a white egret on the other side of the GTR road too. To me, it was like going back in time, when this creek was in the pioneer era or even before.

WILDLFE
​The Pee Dee Wildlife Refuge holds many species of animals. In the avian department there are all-season and migratory songbirds, a wide variety of ducks, geese, egrets, herons, quail, and even the occasional tundra swan, just to name several bird species. Predatory birds are hawks, owls, sometimes peregrine falcons, and in winter the Southern bald eagle. The list could go on.

Some mammal species include the following: bobcat, beaver, otter, muskrat, white-tailed-deer, grey and red fox, gray and fox squirrel, and the Eastern cottontail rabbit. Again, the list could go on.

​The reptiles are a plenty as well, with lizards ( the lovable green anoles being one), Eastern toads, the Eastern box turtle, River cooters, salamanders, black rat snakes,  corn snakes and Eastern kingsnakes. There are some copperheads but these are rarely encountered so no one should have any fear of them. 

​As I mentioned about Brown Creek, the refuge is full of fish; like bass, catfish and bream etc. Fishing season is available from March 15 to October 15 on some ponds, Brown Creek and the Pee Dee River. Sullivan Pond can be fished year round. There's a primitive boat ramp at Arrowhead Lake. No gas motors are allowed, thank god, and the fishing boats must be loaded and unloaded by hand.

Before going down the GTR Road, I  met the Assistant Refuge Manager in his office. His name is Greg Walmsley. Gregg was very nice and knowledgeable, talking about things and showing me some of the displays and stuff that were about. That's a feral hog jawbone in the pic above. Another interesting fact emerged when I asked him about the snakes around. Although Timber Rattlers are know to show up in Anson Co. ( some of the northern refuge is in Richmond Co.) on occasion, it's been a long time since one has been seen in the refuge.

Also, there are no water moccasins there either, their range ending somewhat to the east. However, there are several harmless water snake species about and one is very similar-looking to the cottonmouths. Greg said that he once did a double take at that similar looking one  when he eyed it! I took a digital of this friendly young gentleman Federal Wildlife Officer, but to my regret it didn't come out. Anyway, if you visit this wonderful place, consider stopping by and saying hello to Gregg, or whoever else might be there that day.

We only encountered two other cars (with one woman parked at a pond having lunch) and no walkers on the trail the whole hour and a half or so we were there. That's one reason it felt like being in older times to me. Just a hundred feet down the road we turned onto after leaving the boundary of the place, something caught my eye over to the left, over a little embankment just off the road.

​It turned out to be a very old grave site, perhaps a families, perhaps some of, our even, the first settlers to the area. It was marked an archeological site so I  stayed outside the small perimeter to snap these digitals, zooming in on the last one, which had the only engravings left on any of them. What a fitting way to end the relaxing visit.

Here's a link for more detailed facts and info:​

Why do you kill all snakes? ~  Native Americans to early colonists.

​What was that hubbub? As an 11 year old I ran to our garage, only to see that half the neighborhood's little kids and teenagers were milling about at the entrance to it. I guess someone had spotted this item of intense fascination go in it on a visit and word quickly went down the grapevine.

Their interest was piqued by a snake that had gotten into the garage and was hiding under the International Harvester riding lawnmower. Being a brave, or foolish lad, I stuck my head down under the yellow tractor and practically eye-balled the thing - rounded pupil to rounded pupil. To be honest about it, the 3 foot snake didn't look all that deadly. But yep, just about everyone was convinced it was a dangerous copperhead. I was to later find out snakes like coppers, rattlers and cottonmouths have elliptical pupils, not rounded ones like most harmless snakes in the U.S. do. An exception would be, a fortunately docile and shy species called a coral snake, that has neurotoxic venom.

​Anyway, back to the garage intruder, who was probably searching for mice.
 
Some older kid finally killed it. A couple of us boys, being really curious if this limp horror was truly the dreaded serpent most everyone believed it to be, took it around the neighborhood to find out for sure. I think the second adult man we showed it to said he didn't think it was. Turned out the innocent creature was a beautifully-colored harmless corn snake. To cut to the chase here with this opener, that incident started me on a search for the truth about these generally feared and hated animals. Shoot, the lady next door would literally faint if she even saw a picture of a snake. Anyhow, that was the day that began my intense interest in them, and it was a long learning.

'That's a good-sized and well-fed Appalachian mountain, or to be more precise, northern copperhead snake above. And it's fixing to get somewhat bigger. We'll get to the interesting story of how the picture came to be taken in just a bit. Did I just write bit, how appropriate, maybe, as concerns that encounter and digital.

​Folks, this article is written in a Carolina Critters and Other Animals of the South way, or, to be more accurate, a Carolinian's Archives style. And I'll add this too before you read any further: This fellow likes snakes and feels strongly they have as much right to live on this spinning sphere as much as any other animal.

​The following read will contain some facts on Agkistrodon contotrix, which is obviously the creature's scientific name, but the majority of the text will be several anecdotes- experiences with them through my life,  and one story by George about the picture that starts off the article, and another one by a friend named Carey. I've seen some sources that state there are three sub-species but others that say there are five. A great recent publication, called "Snakes of the southeast" by Whit Gibbons and Mike Dorcas say there are three so that's probably the correct answer.

​To start off, in the early 70s, I was a boy scout in summer camp on Lake Norman, NC. Three of us decided one day to walk down a trail to the commissary store. As we walked down the path, which had thick undergrowth on both sides of it, I suddenly noticed the middle of a very big copperhead laying in our way. The boy in front of me got lucky because he was in mid-step, about to place his foot right on the snake, when quickly, I grabbed his collar and pulled him back.​ ​And by the way, that fellow scout thanked me with a sincerity that has stayed in my memory all the many years since that incident.  

​Anyway, the ol' fellow with the hourglass markings went into a defensive posture when he suddenly became aware of these tall furless bipeds - no doubt, he'd never encountered such giants before. The snake was in a bad position, for if he'd turned tail and tried to escape into the thickets, he would have left his rear open going into the thick underbrush, so he did the only thing he could.

​Two of us watched him while another boy ran off to get a counselor. The counselor finally come huffing and puffing to the scene, carrying some sharp-bladed instrument, and what then took place was an unforgettable experience. That old copperhead fought hard for his life, successfully dodging the first three or four swings the older boy made, aiming at his head. But on the forth or fifth attempt he caught the snake on the neck and it was all over but for the death contractions.

​The counselor wanted the body, but I claimed first rights as having spotted him first. I skinned and salted the snake and he turned out to be close to four and half feet long, as big as these species get. Kept it for a long time, too, until it got lost in a move. And to finish-up this first anecdote, on reflection over the years, I began to feel bad about its fate. He meant no one any harm, and having a watched him for a while like I did, the realization came that the aged and startled old boy, wasn't purely acting on instinct. There was intelligence in those eyes.​

SOME FACTS

​Now to some interesting facts about these pit vipers. There will be a link to a site with more factoids for any reader desiring them. According to this source I'm looking at right now, a person in the U.S. is far more likely to be killed by a lightening bolt than by a venomous snake bite. Maybe that's because we have hospitals nearly everywhere, but in the copper's case that doesn't seem to be the reason. The snakes, as a rule, just don't deliver that strong a bite with their hemotoxic venom. Apparently, according to several sources, in up to 40% of defensive strikes they don't even release venom. Not that a bite from them is to be taken lightly. Although fatalities are extremely rare, they do have the potential to put a painful hurt and localized swelling on someone. Their fangs and sacs are simply Mother Nature's way for them to secure prey.

​Snake-handling churches. Maybe the Holy Ghost does come down and  protect those sipping strychnine and handling pit vipers. To be honest about it, I don't know. But I do know this, after catch-and-releasing perhaps a dozen southeastern species over the years, that once they sense no more threat, they can be like babes-in-arms. Most of these creatures last desire is to bite a human. Juveniles, however, for obvious reasons, can be more likely to. If I ever see the faithful pick-up fistfuls of juvenile coppers and rattlers without being bitten, perhaps I'll be more certain about the preternatural protection. And for some reason, North Carolina has the highest number of bites recorded yearly. I once saw something on TV about a snake-handling member who got tagged on a finger by either a copper or rattler. But, because of his religious beliefs, he didn't go get medical help and actually died. Very sad, but perhaps it shows that one shouldn't try picking one up unless an expert.

​As far as eating, copperheads seem to be equal opportunity employers when it comes to prey, much more so than many other venomous species. They'll go after, or lay long in wait, for frogs, lizards, other snakes and even big insects. But their main victims are small rodents, particularly rats and mice. They're probably as important to rodent control as the now protected hawks are, but don't count on too many state legislators giving them any protection as it wouldn't be popular with a lot of their constitutes. However, as guest contributor Phyllis Burns points out in the comments, rattlesnakes, at least, are protected by law in Nevada.

Now to how the digital at the beginning of the article came about: There's a relative and friend of mine called George, who once every year camps out for a week on Lake Santeetlah with buddies and sometimes kinfolk. George and his camping companions like to fish the lake in their kayaks. One day, George's son beached his kayak and started walking around the rocks and boulders on shore. Apparently he stepped over the copper as it was heading for the lake's edge. A close and lucky call, maybe. That snake had clouded eyes which  indicates it was in the process of shedding its skin, and not being able to see well during the process can make them a bit more testy, of course. Anyway, back in their kayaks, one of them took that great photo of it. 

​Now on relating this, George mentioned that it was fortunate his son's legs were cold from wading in the lake's chilly water, considering that pit vipers have those two heat sensors on top of their heads, between the eyes. Possibly so. However, here's something interesting that just happened to me in September of 2015: Coming home late one night, I suddenly noticed a big copperhead stretched out in the road, apparently enjoying the remaining heat of it. Excited, I put the headlights on the animal, and cautiously got up rather close behind him. The old fellow didn't make a move. He was headed for a wooded area, so to save him from getting squashed, I tapped his tail with the end of an umbrella, and dear reader, you should have seen that chap take off for the forest lickity-split! He wanted nothing to do with me and my Homebasix and that's for sure!

SOME MORE FACTS AND AN ANECDOTE

​Besides humankind, obviously, the subject at hand does have its share of predators, especially the young that are preyed on by mid-sized animals that know how to avoid their bites or are willing to take their chances on one with a mildly venomous delivery. King snakes are probably their greatest threats, being immune, but I saw where opossums may have some kind of immunity, too, and possibly even pigs and wild boar. I'm not sure about those last three but it would seem practical for them to be so, in a sense, that is. Especially with the opossums, being one of, if not the, oldest mammal in America which would have given them a  long time to develop some immunity. Phyllis Doyle Burns also tells us in the comments of an amazing experience she had watching a hawk take a rattlesnake in Nevada. Maybe that goes for hawks and owls in the copperhead's case too?

​The snakes barely go down into the Florida panhandle and don't roam the Florida peninsular or the southern most parts of Georgia according to the range maps. Maybe a herpetologist or other expert can enlighten us on why this is in the comments someday. However, Mr. Randy Godwin in the first post on the article, posits an interesting possibility as to why this could be. In the colder regions they inhabit, copperheads will sometimes hibernate in communal dens with others of their species or even timber rattlers. They also seem to have mostly gone nocturnal, at least in my area, in their main activities, hiding or holing up during the day..

For some reason, which the media says is because of a mild winter, this year of 2016 has seen an increase in copperhead bites and snake activity in general, at least in N.C.. Thinking on it though, a mild winter would have given them the possibility of getting something to eat during hibernation; thus, a cold winter, one might assume, would make them hungrier and more mobile come the warm months? Just a speculation of mine, of course.

​Bites could be seriously reduced if folks would just watch where they're walking in the woods, look over fallen trees before stepping over them, don't stick hands into things like root holes, or into rocky crevices when out climbing. Certainly there are many other precautions one could take, like having a flashlight when strolling about at night where they're known to be. But above all, be careful taking logs off of wood piles, and especially don't stick a hand into the bottom of one, as this is one of the most frequent spots they like to take cover or make temporary homes, of a sort.

​That these log piles can be particularly so, I can attest to that fact from personal experience. When trying to get my reptile study merit badge as a boy scout, I asked a friend of the family to help me catch a copperhead. The friend's name was Black Sam and he was a tall and beefy, sixty-something African American who was friends with my father. He also worked as a groundskeeper on a lodge in the Uwharrie National Forest, which is in the middle part of North Carolina.

​We drove there and Sam knew exactly where to find one. He went right to a rotten log pile and started throwing the crumbly logs off one at time. Sure enough, at the bottom, a surprised small-sized copper stuck its head up through the sawdust. I kept that snake in a heavy-wired chicken cage for while too, until the old man said it had to go. He supposedly gave it to a nature museum but probably dispatched it. I once saw dad almost dislocate his shoulder picking up a massive rock to smash a little garter snake to smithereens is why the latter possibility
​ is most likely what happened to my prized fellow. Mom always kept a "serpent hoe" when out gardening too, no doubt dispatching dozens of little green snakes, not to mention the smaller ring-necked and worm snakes about.
​ 

​Phobias are nothing to be taken lightly, whatever they are, and that includes the subject matter at hand. Some people are interested in them, even like them, and some hate them and always will. However, the facts should be known by everyone. Here are a couple of misconceptions I've heard about copperheads over the years: They like to bite trees to watch them swell up and die: Blacksnakes are mating with coppers; as likely a possibility in natural nature as blackbirds mating-up with bluebirds. Now in some top secret cloning lab...maybe, I wouldn't know about that. And here is my favorite, although not about the species of the article: an educated fellow from India once swore up and down by Shiva, and to me, with all the belief and sincerity within him, that after the monsoons end, cobras come out of secret hiding places and relentlessly hunt down people they don't like.​

​
​Carey took the photo above in NW Georgia back in the '70s. He kept it all these years as an excellent example of how well copperheads can camouflage themselves. This is definitely the kind of ground cover to poke around in with an implement before walking through it in the woods. Carey points out that two subspecies overlap in that region: the southern and northern. This is a southern one, which may not have the usual prominent hourglass markings of the northern subspecies. He also said the snake measured about 3 feet. Only the mid-part is visible here and it took me a minute or two to spot it - incredible when I thought about it. See how long it takes you - which will hopefully be a lot quicker!

And to finish the article, I wouldn't blame anyone from sending off a pit viper hanging around grandma's garden or wood pile, and certainly not one found in a backyard where children play. But I do hope snake haters would at least not purposely run over them in the road in rural areas, and above all, not arbitrarily kill them out in nature while fishing or hunting or whatever one might be doing. There can be no doubts they play an important role in keeping rodent populations in balance, if for no other reason to let them go their way out in the wild. And it wasn't snakes that almost took out half the world's human-beings in the mid-1300s, but the fleas on the rats that did; and Europe, which was hit particularly hard by the Black Death, was rather bereft of rat eating snakes.

​Here are two links. The first one is to a great article, with lots of personal photos, by Randy Godwin on Timber Rattlers, and the other one is to a pretty good site with more detailed facts concerning copperheads.

​http://hubpages.com/education/The-Timber-Rattlesnake

​http://www.livescience.com/43641-copperhead-snake.html​

When the story On the Track of the NC Mountain Lions was published on another site a couple of years ago, it was responded to by many folks. The article now has a permanent home on this site and is at the bottom of the scroll down of Carolina Critters and Other Animals of the South. I would like to thank all who posted on that first publishing, but only a small portion of the comments with actual encounters and sightings were feasible to be transferred here.

​I was asked by some folks why the wildlife people won't generally admit the cats are in the mountains, even officially declaring the Eastern Cougars extinct not so long ago. After reflecting, and with sympathy, and maybe, some understanding, here's what I concluded: the wildlife officials have got enough headaches as it is. To proclaim the felines extant would bring on, well, let's admit it, ignorant fear from good people, a big outlay of funds, calls to action galore, poaching protection and last but far from least, scare some hikers and no doubt a lot of the tourists. So be it, if any or all of these reasons are correct.

​Over the last four or five years, even before, I've made it a point to ask any long-time residents of the Southern Appalachians, especially the deeper parts, if there are still any cougars in those mountains. This question has been asked of probably eight or nine people. With a single exception( this fellow said all the rednecks had shot them out!), their answer was yes. Does this prove anything scientifically, well, no it doesn't. But these folks answers (and they're not Deliverance-types either, far from it in fact), along with all the other evidence and reports throughout the many years, says to me that, indeed, the cats are still in those mountains, and in some southern parts of GA, too.
​
​Now to the gist of the article.

One man- who was an avid game bird hunter, and if not mistaken, college teacher- had a most remarkable, if not unforgettable experience, coming close to what was a wild, fair-sized mountain lion while out hunting turkey one day. The Lion had the same idea as the experienced outdoorsman did concerning what was a pretty good-sized turkey flock.

This occurred in 1978 in the Georgia mountains and the gentleman corresponded with a study that was researching whether the cats were still in the state, I believe, of North Carolina. He was very helpful and I'd like to thank him once again. He never did say if he minded his name being used, so for now it won't be until and if his permission is ever given. 

​After the following story, there's a letter he wrote to Outdoor Life, a popular magazine covering the study. He also gave me kind permission to publish it on the site some day. This first part is a short read, slightly edited for length, and the second half of it is also slightly edited down for length, and concerns Alabama's Sand Hill area. I hope you'll like reading these first person reports and encounters as much as they were enjoyed here.

Backstory to this photo by Josh @ [email protected]
I think my girlfriend had one come into our camp site in Raven Cliffs in North Georgia about 1am. We heard something moving through our campsite when the metal on the stove started scraping. We laid still for a couple minutes then heard a thump on the ice chest. Normally I keep the ice chest in the car but we've camped there a 1000 times and only dealt with an occasional raccoon or possum. And I was to tired to drag it to the car so I just drug it about 25 yards away. Anyway after the ice chest thump I jumped up with my head lamp and opened the tent intending to scare off a raccoon. And immediately I could see the glowing eyes. It had jumped up next to a tree on a little hill. I couldn't see much cause the fire was out and I just had my head lamp. But its eyes were 3-4 feet off the ground. I'm assuming it was standing up but i could only see the eyes and a faint silhouette of the head. So I walked about 10 yards closer really slowly and grabbed a rock from the fire ring and tossed it over. It then jumped up in the tree about 10 feet up. And for the first time I saw the silhouette of the entire thing and it looked 6 or 7 feet long because it was wrapped around the tree. At this point I was a little freaked out so I threw another rock. It jumped off and I saw the long tail as it ran down the hill to the little river in the valley. I watched it as it tracked along the water and went up the other hill as I could still see its eyes for about 5 minutes. We ended up leaving because we didn't know enough about behaviors and would it come back. But have been googling for hours. We did get a pic if the claw prints on the tree next to my girlfriends hands but we were so freaked out we didn't think to check for tracks down by the stream. I can send the pic if you'd like. But I've read about bobcats and they say they're around 40lbs. No way it was that small. It was at least 80-90lbs from when I got a good look when it was wrapped around the tree.
​
OUTDOOR LIFE LETTER FROM TURKEY HUNTER
Dear Mr. D++++++,
I recently read in Outdoor Life magazine of your study of the Eastern Cougar and thought you might be interested in an experience I had. It occurred in April 1978 in the Cohutta Management area, about the northern Wilderness Area in Georgia, along the northern edge of the Cohutta. I was at the northern foot of Buckeye Mountain at dawn in an attempt to make the most of the last day of turkey season.

About a mile from the wood, as I neared the area where my gobbler apparently roosted, I stopped to listen for his morning gobbling; but suddenly, I became aware of a scratching in a deep hollow beside me and realized that the entire flock of hen and yearling turkeys were inhabiting the area feeding - and feeding straight towards me at that.

I hid between a log and a large pine beside an old logging road they would have to cross and arranged my camouflage. In the next few minutes the entire flock of 15-20 turkeys passed around me. Although there wasn't much of a chance the gobbler being among them, a possible shot at a jake gobbler was, of course, still better than only hearing one.

While trying to inspect each turkey I caught a glimpse of movement to the left, about 40-50 feet yards up a slope through thin brush. I immediately assumed it to be a deer, although subconsciously something didn't register just right. Up and about, as to the turkeys, they passed all around me. I saw the movement again and caught the color - too light for a deer and being on a log about three feet off the ground, it had to be a bobcat. Even then, something didn't seem just right. However, I was too excited with being surrounded by turkey to worry much about anything else right then.

About a minute later, I spotted the movement again through a six foot opening in the brush as it neared the end of the log. This time I had a great look for about 10 seconds as the magnificent-looking cat crept slowly forward, its belly on the log. At first the long body was confusing since I had never heard of a cougar in this area. When the long tail twitched, however,  there was no doubt.

I would estimate the body weight at around sixty pounds, give or take. The color seemed darker than the few bobcat I've seen around here and measured out from the  rump about 3 feet to the base of the tail. The tail was maybe 2 to 2-1/2 feet long. The weight, as said,  was about sixty pounds. I'm basing this on a medium-sized German Shepherd.

While I had the cat in sight, a turkey also spotted it and the flock then disappeared in tw0 directions. The cat stood and jumped off the log in the direction of one group of turkeys. It was a magnificent sight, never to be forgotten. Five minutes later I heard something from that direction between a snarl and a roar. Since then, I've been on the lookout for anything I might find while hunting or fishing in the area; but have seen nothing but one set of what I took to be bobcat or dog tracks.  

I told S++ P++++++, a biologist with the Ga. Game & Fish commission who passed it on to a Mr. C++++++ in Layette, Ga:, who passed it on to S++++ J++++++ in Albany who is involved in a study similar to yours. Since that time I've  heard of one other sighting in the Cohutta area and two others between Calhoun and Lafayette. 

I hope this is of some value in your study as I would recommend you get in touch as I consider myself pretty reliable in the observation of detail and am 100% certain it wasn't a case of mistaken identify.  For further reports in this area I would recommend you get in touch with the right person at the Cohutta Ranger District...]

The second half of the post mostly concerned the man's back and forth with other experts and academicians and is shortened due to the correspondences and a Sand Hill's resident anecdote length, plus privacy matters not particularly pertinent to eithers' story concerning the subject matter. It's really about two long-timers' experiences in northeast Alabama's Sandhill region back in 1979, and a year before that, that really matter and are of especial interest.  

Our Guest writer continues: Since writing the original letter I have attempted to follow up on two other sightings in this area with limited success. The first took place I believe in the spring of 1979 and a year before involving a very close contact with a cat of the approximate dimensions I described. The cat came across the end of the fellow's pasture while he was working in his garden. He at first thought it was a dog because it was following a well-used deer trail with its nose near the ground. His small dog bayed at the animal and Mr. S++++ approached to within 15 or 20 feet, throwing rocks in an effort to distract its attention away from the dog.

He described it as being in poor condition, thin and with rough, unhealthy looking fur. I have known this man a long time and have found him to be completely honest. He has told me of killing three "panthers" about 20 years ago in the Sand Hill area of Alabama. These mountain lions were black. They were skinned and pictures were apparently taken.

​[I've heard from another man familiar with South Georgia cats in the 1950s and '60s that many down there were black, too; one this color even jumped across a dirt road directly in front of his papa's truck returning to the farm in mid-day. On the other hand, a contemporary South Georgia friend says that several he has seen back over the years, with at least two of these sightings at a fairly close range, were more of a brown or tawny color ~ AP.]

Back to the Guest's narrative: Another interesting sighting took place in his neighbor's pasture the previous fall. Mr. C+++++++ is probably the finest turkey hunter in this area, having learned all the skills important to that endeavor. He is now retired and spends most of his time in the woods. One particular evening he heard a cow lowing as she was about to have a calf. As he drove his truck to her across the pasture the headlights struck a female cougar and tw0 half-grown kittens attempting to drag the newborn calf into the woods. Several others in the vicinity have apparently seen the cat.

The other sighting or series of sightings took place over a period of the past few years northeast of Dalton, about 10 miles east of the Cohuttas. Several people in the area have seen the cat, and I have one friend who has heard it more than once. He described it as being unlike any bobcat he's heard. He further mentioned that it apparently "comes through every spring". Could this be the same cat, possibly a female in heat? 

[If so, this could indicate a breeding population in the region; this of course, is obvious, and thus very intriguing, whether indigenous or not: pet releases and any progeny can't be completely ruled out with all these reports, but hardly seem the answer. Some have even suggested they may be coming up from the Everglades or other areas?]

And as a last bit of info for this article,  I remember as a young boy in the early 1970s a very popular, and in my case, well-thumbed, American mammal paperback book which included species ranges of the time, and in the chapter on the big cats, it actually showed that some cougars were still extant around Mt. Rogers, Virginia.

Debbie Allen's second guest write here on the Carolinian's Archives delivered right where it was needed most. And that was a contributory piece on Carolina Critters & Other Animals of the South. West Virginia is right on the line between north and south but its animals are basically the same as the ones in Carolina and elsewhere roundabout. Besides, it's a fine first person read, for those familiar with these creatures and those not so.

Here is a great link for you by Debbie:
http://allmyanimaltales.blogspot.com/