Wierd Morning (2nd Updated pictures)

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So today, at 6:30am (January 31st) I get up in high hopes of
photographing a River Otter. At 6:45 I'm out in the frigid air of the
northern forest, trudging through two feet of snow for 40 acres to get
to a pond, where I can sit down... and freeze some more.

*Flash back to yesterday - January 30th*

Yesterday,
when I found the tracks, I roped down the exact point of where the
otter was currently inhabiting, but that wasn't enough for me... I
wanted to know where it came from as well. So I followed its old trail
through the forest and across a property line. I figured that if I
upset the owner of the property with my presence I'd just explain to
him what I was doing, and promise not to do it again... I didn't see
much, if any, harm in what I was doing. 

But the thought of what could go wrong stuck in the back of my head.  

*7:12AM January 31st*

I've
found myself a nice log to freeze on near where I suspect the otter may
come out of the watter. My butt is numb, and I am hungry. Not much is
happening, with the exception of something that is just crashing
through the woods about 500 feet across a field andto the
right of where I sit. I believe it to be a bear, it's coming closer to
wood line I'm near, and I hope to snap a shot of it. Much to my dismay,
instead of a bear, it was man. He was wearing a blue windbreaker and
jeans, he had on no gloves, and he came from the property I trespassed
on. I thought to myself "That is some true dedication to the pursuit of
trespassers". He was around 300 feet across the pond from me, he came
out of the wood line... looked around this two track he had come onto,
and went back into the forest, heading away from me.

I was puzzled at this, but didn't think much of it. So I went back to the business of freezing.

15
or so minuets elapse. A squad car rolls up the two track across the
pond, I get nervous. I am currently on a property that is not ours, but
I do have permission to be on, or at least I thought, but with all this
activity so early in the morning, I was uncertain to say the least. The
officer gets out of his car, he is a state official. He looks around,
and spots me. He yells across the pond "I want you to come here".

It's
20 or so degrees out, not factoring the wind chill, and I am sweating.
I think to myself "I'll just explain what I was doing, and it shouldn't
be that big a deal".

I wave to officer and yell out "howdy" as I
walk across the ice. Upon getting near him he begins his questioning.
"What are you doing here?" he asks. 

"I'm attempting to photograph river otters sir, I was under the impression I had permission to be on this property"

"What's your name?"

"Keith Saylor Sir"

"Do you have identification?"

"No sir, I was not expecting this nature of business in the morning"

"Are all these tracks yours sir?"

"Yes, Officer... They are all from yesterday, tracking the Otter. Today I have been sitting just where you found me"

"Did you walk through the woods sir?"

"*I explain to him that I came through our 40 acres of woods, tell him that I live on the next property and how I got here*"

"So all these tracks are yours?"

"Yes Sir"

"Did you see any persons out here today"

"Yes
sir" *I explain the man, where he came from, where he was heading, and
his description* "He was making a hell of alot of racket too" I say.

The cop says "He should be, He is running from us"

At this point, another State official, on foot comes running out of the property I had trespassed on, following my trail.

I tell the officer I am with "That cop is following my trail".

The
officer I am with and I, yell over to the officer on foot, and explain
the situation. I point him in the direction he needs to be heading, and
tell him he's about 15-20 minuets behind the guy.

The squad car
officer thanks me... I ask him "Should there be cause
for alarm? would it be wise if I got out of here? he explains "Your
fine" as he walks towards his car.

So I walk back to my spot across the pond, to get back to "operation buttsickle".

7
or so minuets pass, when another state official also comes out of the
woods, again following another sett of my tracks. I explain to him the
situation, and point him in the correct direction too. He thanks me,
and looks at my shoes to see what prints they leave.

I decide,
it would be best to just get out of there. If any more officers get
misplaced by my tracks, they will end up at my door, for now I have two
officers directly on his trails.

It was exciting.

Edited by *Stealth* - 01 February 2007 at 8:26pm