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!!!

I did not know what to do and we just looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. All I could think of was all the TV shows I'd seen where the lion was sure to pounce on the poor victim below to tear him to shreds. Fortunately this did not happen and the cat slowly backed of growling as he or she left.

I decided not to finish digging the target, nugget or not and moved out of the area. I have no idea where the cat went it just seemed to vanish. I had never seen a mountain lion in the wild although I have seen signs of their presence in other mining areas. I always assumed they avoided humans, perhaps this one had young and was willing to stand it's ground.

Needless to say at the time I was writing this I was and still am a bit shook up, I made a half hearted attempt to continue detecting, but all I could think of was that big old cat jumping me from behind and ripping out my juggler. Sooooooo I called it a day and will try a different spot tomorrow. Well I guess what I am basically saying here is that I prefer the threat of snakes over cats.

Let me tell you , the thrill and excitement of that few moments was quite the experience and I am thinking I was a little lucky today

Good Hunting and be careful out there....