Big Cats & Gold Prospecting

[Wild Bill]

One of my prospects for high grade specimens is a mountain lion hang out.  This is an interesting place with a history of high grade gold mining of flat veins in a granodiorite intrusion about 3/4 of a mile in diameter in Triassic shale. As recently as the early 1980s a five man crew was mining underground here pulling out rich specimens.  There’s other prospects on the mountain as well.  I’ve run a couple dozen full spectrum assays and the gold runs with Molybdenum.  Haven’t found anything spectacular yet but can occasionally can see a little color in quartz and milling reveals some concentrates.  A while back a partner and I were on the mountain top and we came down the steep face and there was a few free range cattle up there, they come up the back side as it’s not so steep.  I joked that one of the steer would fall right off the mountain.  Well… on a recent trip out there, one obviously did!  Laying at the base of the mountain. 

 

So I’m detecting up this steep draw near where the steer carcass is and way at the top of the draw is a nice place for the lion to lay down and snack on a leg bone in the shade of a tree with a view of the valley below between two boulders.  

Here’s a paw print from down below in wet sand.  Cats retract their claws unlike coyotes and dogs.  I’ve spotted the lion on one occasion but it’s been awhile.

might be a cub but I’m not sure.

Here’s looking up the steep draw and one of the many flat veins.  Only 20’ dip and there’s countless veins with potential for specimen. Kind of humorous as it was sunset and I was up another near by area and got headphone fatigue and took them off.  So I get a signal and it dawned on me that my Gold Kruzer sounds like a DYING RABBIT!  So now I’m thinking That big cat is going to come running to get that rabbit!  My head on a swivel I dig the target and it’s a bullet.  I wasn’t carrying a hand gun on this trip… maybe next time.  I’m going to keep it up here and determined to find some nice specimens.  Just doesn’t come easy does it?  

[UT Dave]

A friend used to have Deus I.  In all seriousness, I'm positive I could call in a coyote with it.  Just by sitting with the coil in my lap and waving the right target at the right speed and cadence.  Never got around to actually trying it before his machine got stolen out of his garage.  I'm positive I could do it though.

And I have called in a handful of lion on accident while trying to call coyote.  So, ya never know!

This one is an adolescent.  Curious as all get out as to what I was up to.

 

Always interesting and usually fun to see them.

- Dave

[Gold Ryder]

Goldseeker 5000 and I will trade you 40 grizzlies in a 50 mile radius for your kitty cats. 

[Wild Bill]

UT Dave, that is some great wildlife photography!  Gold Ryder, absolutely NOT!  Grizzlies are brutal while mountain lion are stealthy hunters and dangerous killers… no deal.  
Here’s a small sample that when crushed showed a nice rim of fine gold in a pan but still not what I’m looking for.

[Jim in Idaho]

13 hours ago, UT Dave said:

A friend used to have Deus I.  In all seriousness, I'm positive I could call in a coyote with it.  Just by sitting with the coil in my lap and waving the right target at the right speed and cadence.  Never got around to actually trying it before his machine got stolen out of his garage.  I'm positive I could do it though.

And I have called in a handful of lion on accident while trying to call coyote.  So, ya never know!

This one is an adolescent.  Curious as all get out as to what I was up to.

 

Always interesting and usually fun to see them.

- Dave

Knowing what I do of you, Dave, I imagine you could call in a lion with nothing but your bare hands...LOL. Seriously though, those of us callers who've done it know it ain't that easy.

Jim

[Wild Bill]

The hiker and the lion are both telling each other to “go away” and the cat is probably female with cubs back up the road.  She keeps looking back up the road as she threatens the hiker.  I’ve run into them pretty close but never threatened like this!  

 

[GotAU?]

I saw the eyeshine of one crouching low under a bush at night between me and my truck on the only trail back to it.  Grabbed a big wood stick and started stomping and grunting as I walked towards it. It looked around and then jumped out and ran off through the chaparral shrubs. It didn’t make a single sound running through the dry brush like that. They are very stealthy, I wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for the eyeshine in my headlamp.

You can bet that I kept a third eye on watch behind me as I walked back to the truck that night!

[Sgtfda]

A friend was hiking to his spot in California. He had a portable sluice in a pack on his pack. As he came down the hill toward to stream he was going to work he spotted a bear with her cub blocking the way. Right then he felt something jump on his back biting at his neck. The mother bear ran up and pulled a mountain lion off his back. The bear starting beating the crap out of it. The lion took off and the bear walked back to her cub. My friend had a bite mark on his neck. The sluice on his back saved him. The lion could not get a good bite. That is how lions work. Jump you from behind. I think the bear looked upon my friend as one of her cubs.

[Gold Seeker]

 

44 minutes ago, Sgtfda said:

A friend was hiking to his spot in California. He had a portable sluice in a pack on his pack. As he came down the hill toward to stream he was going to work he spotted a bear with her cub blocking the way. Right then he felt something jump on his back biting at his neck. The mother bear ran up and pulled a mountain lion off his back. The bear starting beating the crap out of it. The lion took off and the bear walked back to her cub. My friend had a bite mark on his neck. The sluice on his back saved him. The lion could not get a good bite. That is how lions work. Jump you from behind. I think the bear looked upon my friend as one of her cubs.

I think the bear saw the cat as what it was a threat to her cubs, she saw your friend as no threat at all since he was getting the crap beat out of him by the cat!! LOL