Retirement

[Crusty old shellback]

Had the magpies show up again today to eat the nuts and corn we put out.

 

[Eatonpcat]

Cool looking bird...I have never seen one except in the cartoon!

 

[Great White North Eh]

They look even better after dancing with the contents of a 410 shell. Around these parts they are considered a pest and transfer disease amongst cattle herds.

 

[gimmie11s]

You should have snow soon....im excited to see those pictures!

 

[Crusty old shellback]

You should have snow soon....im excited to see those pictures!

Mid November, unless it comes early.
Can't wait to try out the MTs in the snow.

 

[ppine]

Put out lots of water and that attracts all kinds of birds. Plant natives to attract birds. Some species like trees for roosting.
I have some friends that are birders. They get me out on the Christmas Bird Count each year. We count birds by species from first light until sundown and then get togehter for dinner and beers afterwards to tally up the results. I can learn more in one day with skilled birders than the rest of the year put together.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

So this is my playground.
8 miles from my house.
Dirt roads, trails for bikes/quads/UTVs. Rock crawling area. Moon Rocks OHV is 7 miles down that dirt road.
Lots of places to pull off to get in some target practice.
Life is good.

 

[wrvond]

Well it looks like the time has finally come. Things are in motion and moving fast.

After 43 years of playing Sailor, its time to change course and pull into port for the final time. I'm hanging up my Dixie cup hat, and putting on my Cowboy boots and moving to the mountains.
My official retirement date is 24 Aug but I'm going on terminal leave June 21st and headed to Reno.

We are in escrow on 3.1 acres with a beautiful house about 20 miles north of Reno, Nv. Have a beautiful view of the Sierra Nevada mountains from the front porch.
Moon Rocks OHV is just 17 miles away down the dirt road, with plenty of trails in the area and some rock crawling to go play with the Power Wagon and the quads.
Was a bit surprised when we put our house up for sale here in Ca and sold it after being on the market for just 2 days and got more than what we were asking.
So we will be homeless for a few months and have to become renters somewhere till its time to go. But I'm OK with that knowing what lies ahead for us.

Congrats!
The other day I realized I've been retired from the Navy long enough for a new crop of people to enlist and retire themselves. That's a weird feeling!

 

[ppine]

Nevada's greatest resource is space. Room to do what you want. I have literally one million acres of BLM land behind my house. The Pine Nut Range. I can see wild horses from the kitchen window. The antelope are back. The bald eagles will be coming soon for the spring calving season.

Magpies are a part of the natural lansdscape. There is no legitimate reason to shoot them.

 

[Great White North Eh]

Nevada's greatest resource is space. Room to do what you want. I have literally one million acres of BLM land behind my house. The Pine Nut Range. I can see wild horses from the kitchen window. The antelope are back. The bald eagles will be coming soon for the spring calving season.

Magpies are a part of the natural lansdscape. There is no legitimate reason to shoot them.

Maybe they are lovely birds there but after you have seen them pulling the flesh out of a live tic infested moose or picking the eyes out of a new born calf you haven’t seen all nature has to offer.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Got an inch of snow last night.

 

[jsalbre]

Maybe they are lovely birds there but after you have seen them pulling the flesh out of a live tic infested moose or picking the eyes out of a new born calf you haven’t seen all nature has to offer.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

Maybe they are lovely birds there but after you have seen them pulling the flesh out of a live tic infested moose or picking the eyes out of a new born calf you haven’t seen all nature has to offer.

You mean like the mountain lion chasing the rabbit around my propane tank, catching and killing it, then leaving it for me to find?
Or the Hawk grabbing a quail outside my dining room glass doors and killing it before flying away with it as the wife is watching? Or coming in and scaring all the birds and they fly into the windows and break their neck and kill themselves?
Or me catching the mice to keep them out of the trucks and my garage?
Then me carrying all the dead carcass up to the back 40 and leaving them for the scavengers?
Rual life.

 

[Brutal_HO]

You mean like the mountain lion chasing the rabbit around my propane tank, catching and killing it, then leaving it for me to find?
Or the Hawk grabbing a quail outside my dining room glass doors and killing it before flying away with it as the wife is watching? Or coming in and scaring all the birds and they fly into the windows and break their neck and kill themselves?
Or me catching the mice to keep them out of the trucks and my garage?
Then me carrying all the dead carcass up to the back 40 and leaving them for the scavengers?
Rual life.

At least you don't see Gray Wolves killing for sport and leaving Elk or cattle to rot.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

But I've seen what looks like a pack of wolf's across the road in the field. That or they are extra large gray coyotes.

 

[Brutal_HO]

But I've seen what looks like a pack of wolf's across the road in the field. That or they are extra large gray coyotes.

'Yotes come in lots of colors and I've seen some big ones, but generally nowhere near the size of a male Wolf. I believe the largest coyote taken on record is a WY 75lbs which is the lower end of the spectrum for an adult Wolf depending on age. They'll run up to 180 lbs. Typically yote will not weigh over 45lbs, often closer to 35.

Use good glass to spot and pay attention to the eyes (slant) and snout (narrower).



Gray Wolf is a species and they come in various colors as well.

 

[ppine]

Wolves are in Nevada, because I have seen them in Elko County.
Ran into some wildlife biologists in early November up north of Reno. They were servicing trail cameras all over the Plumas National Forest. They talked about the presence of wolves in northern California, especially the Lassen Pack near the NP. Wolves can travel and fill up the habitat. They are here to stay.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

There is someone near by that does half breeds. Wondering if some of them got loose.

Was told when we were out here looking for a house that there was a pack of wolf's running around that the local dogs were running with.

 

[Brutal_HO]

Wolves are in Nevada, because I have seen them in Elko County.
Ran into some wildlife biologists in early November up north of Reno. They were servicing trail cameras all over the Plumas National Forest. They talked about the presence of wolves in northern California, especially the Lassen Pack near the NP. Wolves can travel and fill up the habitat. They are here to stay.

That is true. Technically, they're back here and throughout the Rocky Mountain states after being extirpated.

My issue is with the (idiot) "voter approved" forced "reintroduction" of Gray Wolfs in Colorado. Note: They were already here... and should have been left to organically reintroduce.

Ranchers get to endure an accelerated timeline for threats to their livestock and livelihoods, and consequently, taxpayers (me) get to foot the bill for reparations for loss of livestock. Up to $15,000 per head.

This forced reintroduction, that CPW* and every other level headed org/person saw as flawed and unnecessary, also comes at an inopportune time after an extreme Elk winter kill and the mandate gives no room for adjustments.


* Several years ago, our useless governor combine the wasteful and bloated Parks and Rec dept (always over budget) with the well managed and always within budget DOW with the stroke of a pen and it's been a sh*tshow ever since.

 

[ppine]

The rules are pretty loose when there is no one around.