With temps rising into the 40's I knew that the snowshoes would collect snow pack as I walked. Lucky me, however as the guys with the 4 wheelers had been out tearing things up on the neighbor's land. See the oldest brother says it is trespassing and gets upset. The oldest brother lives 4 hours away. The younger brother that lives there lets his work pals [some who are of dubious character] take their UTV's and 4 wheelers out and rip up trails.
The local law says if one brother says they can be there, it is not trespassing. I've talked with the UTV dudes and they know I am out there most of the time. We've run into each other a few times. [Only because I allow them to see me.]
We talked on Sunday while I was out walking Charlie. I was happy they worked up the trails in the woods. Charlie and I could walk in packed down snow.
Charlie was ecstatic. He ran like the dickens up and down the slippery mushy trail. We hadn't been on a long hike since the cold spell. I walked along trying to ID trees and just watching out for coyotes.
When we finally got down to the creek and valley, Charlie took off like a bullet and charged through the creek and scrambled up the opposite bank. He was chasing a turkey.
Tiny dog on top of the stream bank. One of the places where the 4 wheelers have damaged the soft bank of the stream. I'm the shadow. Charlie spent a long time watching the turkey as it flew across the valley.
We headed upstream back to our land. The going was easy along the creek and got harder once we headed up my old snowshoe trail which was pure mush now.
Step, slide, step, stumble,
it was like an incredible work out. CrossFit had nothing on deep mushy snow! Balance and leg strength!
I thought we'd have it easy peasy when I reached the summer meadow. Alas. Not so.
Poor Charlie. Being a Low Rider presents issues in deep snow. But he went snow swimming.
He was still hunting turkeys. He'd pause every once in a while and scan the trees. Or perhaps it was squirrels he was watching for.
He was dragging butt by the time we got home. And I was tired of walking like a drunken sailor.
I'd taken my little red pocket camera and for some reason I'd bumped the tiny switch on it to log my gps coordinates. I never do that . However, it was interesting to find out that the elevation change from the creek at the muddy bank to the house was 323 feet in elevation change.
Lastly. I got bored and decided to order a couple of signs of my own. Back by our fence line where the not so nice absentee landowner put up his signs. He also has a deer stand setup to shoot on my property. I will re-string the barbed wire and have a few more tricks up my sleeve to make deer hunting awful that little section.
One should not piss off an 'old' lady who has nothing better to do than think of creative ways to subtly get back.
And yes, I do carry a pistol.
And no, I never intend to hurt anyone. This person invites friends to hunt and they set up their stands to shoot on other's land. The whole group is disliked intensely by our ridge community as they 'think' they can do what they want. This land is really quite remote so I bet they think I wouldn't notice their stand OR their arrows on my land.
Today? I'm going hunting some ice caves on KVR.
I LOVE those signs!
ReplyDeleteThey are fun right?
DeleteGreat signs!! I'll have to show them to my hubby, he will get a kick out of them. So sorry about the disrespectful landowners. There always seems to be at least one. I want to put fencing up on around our wooded areas, but hubby doesn't. The problem with wire is they just cut it. We don't have hunters issues (that I know of) but are taking incremental levels of deterrence from other undesirable activity. Cameras did nothing, altho still up. So far our last move, blocking entrances with big stacked logs (from fallen trees) is working. We did end up posting one no trespassing sign where there are no logs. I am with you, don't piss us off!! Be careful tho, hunting offenders can be dangerous. On a brighter note, the photo of Charlie buried in snow is too cute. Looking forward to seeing your ice cave pics, enjoy your time - and I hope you don't have to drunk walk!
ReplyDeleteThe issue is with a fella that in the past has shot deer on my land. Our properties meet and join for about 100 yards. No way he can get a 4 wheeler through there and they are absent except for bow season and maybe gun deer season. I don't take chances by being out in the woods during gun season. However I have a new trick up my sleeve for this fall. In that 100 yard section, I will hang noise makers, cans, and even set up battery operated motion detector flood lights for bow season. The goal is to make it uncomfortable for them to shoot anything on my side of the fence.
DeleteI'm going to add 3 or 4 dummy cameras and set up a tent.
My property is surrounded by nearly inaccessible terrain, so I usually don't have problems with people coming in. I'm in the middle of about a 1000 acres of unoccupied land.
Oh the hike was wonderful! Can't wait to go again!
I was out and about with the dogs at home yesterday, weather was sooo beautiful! You picked a good day to go to KVR. Great plan to deter the hunter(s) I bet it works. I never would have thought of a tent, probably because it wouldn't make sense on our property. My jaw dropped at the heavenly thought of being surrounded by that much unoccupied land!! Sounds like paradise to me!
DeleteIt's actually more of a hunting blind, but it will work. Being no-where is nice most of the time. I've become very spoiled at having all that to wander at will.
DeleteI'm probably the only one that knows all the nooks and crannies of the two valleys.
I think it made me more curious about the land and the land around me. It is like an open book for me to study.
Hope you get some more pup time!
Good to hear you carry a pistol, love the signs! Any and all are good! I bet Charlie was tired!
ReplyDeleteHe was, but amazingly enough he was up for a hike yesterday too!
DeleteI carry but to fire warning shots at coyotes mostly.