and they are always a joy to see.

I also run across many knuckleheads in Western PA who are certain the Game Commission is doing everything they can to destroy hunting in the state. For instance, the "reintroduction" of coyotes has killed all the deer in the state.

Another run in occurred while fishing. We were launching the boat at a campsite on the Allegheny River and an idiot climbs down from the light pole where he has just emptied a can of bug spray on mayflies then proceeds to tell us the reintroduction of eagles and osprey have decimated the fish population on the river.

It's tough when you have to live near these people.

They are decimating our forests.

The only predator here other than hunters are cars. They are well over populated.

Once upon a time we had wolves and Pumas.

I'm a veggie type but I smile broadly when I see hunters here

Unfortunately, we have a lot of conspiracy theorists who attribute their bad luck to the gubmint.

Always thrilling to see them and their tracks.

And interesting. Over here, in the Rockies, we have pine martens in the forests. When I used to x-country ski I used to encounter them or their tracks along the trails in the wooded areas and sometimes they would come hunting for voles in the woodpile.

Somewhere in my photo archives I have pictures of one that would frequent my back porch and come nose to nose with the cats, only the window glass between them! They were all the same size.

Anyway, they will be a healthy component in the ecosystem.

I'll have to hunt it down. I'll be back.

Looks almost too cute to be real, much less to be such a fierce hunter!!

Thank you for sharing that. It’s very cool of you!

They were playing by the shore of a lake up north near the Canadian border and I was in my little canoe. I watched them a long time. The orange bib was so striking. I couldn’t believe my luck.

A mother moving her kits to a new location out in the woods. I was out skiing, there were all kinds of things to track and enjoy watching from a distance out there. She had three and she carried them just like a cat would. They're weasels and can rip your hand off if you get too close.

They are really pretty to look at though.

fisher in my area, of course some locals hunt the coyotes, ugh~

My guy was a wildlife biologist, and he was against the idea that coyote populations can be controlled by hunting and trapping. They adjust their population to fill the gaps, he said.

has stopped a lot of hunters this year in my area-
i'm happily surprised but am concerned for the health of
the deer population~