Bear Sighting - DeSoto County - Rick DeStefanisRick DeStefanis

Bear Sighting – DeSoto County

Sometimes a photographer just has to get lucky…

I was down in the Coldwater River Bottoms near Highway 305 shooting photos of wildlife this morning. For those who may not know, when I am not working on a new novel, I try to get out and take wildlife photos. (Okay: Truth in advertising–or I am not doing whatever the wife needs to have done first.) Today, however, I was free. Problem was, things were pretty slow this morning with only a few shots, of some birds and deer.

This is the one of the deer—a doe and two yearlings—not a great shot, but what the heck. Every shot can’t be a classic.

Junco in The Snow

I also got these birds, a junco in the snow, and a thrush looking pitifully about for some sunshine.

It had grown cloudy again.

Thrush: “Is it spring yet?”

Sparrow

This sparrow shot was one of many, but I did get a pretty decent photo of a bluebird in a cedar tree. I may actually post this one on my photography website.

Bluebird in Cedar

The swamps and canals remain frozen, so there were no ducks, waterfowl, beavers and such anywhere around. I gave up a little before noon and headed back to the pickup.

It was nothing to write home about, but I’m not complaining. It was a pretty good morning spent ghosting around in the river bottoms in search of critters. Little did I know I was about to be the most famous bear photographer in DeSoto County. Yup, I always did want to be famous–have groupies and order my olives stuffed with jalapenos instead of pimento.

I cranked the old pickup truck and eased up the dirt road toward the blacktop. Thankfully it was still frozen, and I had no problems getting out of the bottoms.

As I was coming up Adair Lane toward the highway I was having visions of hot coffee with eggs, bacon, and grits, when I glanced to my left and there he was—a bear.

I could “bearly” believe my eyes. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.) Having often heard folks tell of sightings that include cougars, Big Foot and other such “rarities” while almost never producing photographic evidence, I was determined to get something that proved I had seen this critter. Stopping my pickup, I grabbed my camera. Luckily it was on the seat beside me with the telephoto lens still attached.

The bear seemed to be resting against a tree and mesmerized by the warming temperatures. And in case you thought me foolhardy, rest easy. I didn’t dare get out of my truck, but rolled down the window, and got my photo. The animal seemed content and never moved. He was still there when I drove away. By the way, this one did not at all resemble our native black bears, not even the Ole Miss variety, so perhaps someone with a little more knowledge of wildlife can tell us exactly what kind of bear it is. The photo is below.

Incidentally: With the good lord above watching my every move, I give my word, this is exactly how I found him, and the photo was in no way staged. I checked with some of the locals down there, and they too have seen him previously. After seeing my photo, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has declared no interest in this bear sighting–typical government coverup.

Monster Bear in DeSoto County Mississippi

You may also enjoy: Bucks Bears and Wildfire and The Nature of Things in Mississippi

I’ve never been much of a Bible thumper—always kept my relationship with God on a somewhat personal basis. And if you’re a Marx or Nietzsche fan you probably don’t want to read this, but in the past couple weeks, God has poked me several times—not in a bad way, but he has gotten my attention. A firm believer in ‘free-will,’ I adhere to the belief that much of what we experience is not the direct intervention of God but the result of our own choices. He just lays the ground rules of cause and effect.

On the other hand, I do believe on occasion God brings about occurrences in peoples’ lives that are often explained as “amazingly coincidental” …or maybe not. It’s not that these things haven’t happened on rare occasions in the past, but four times since just before the first of the year, I’ve been the recipient of messages from angels.

First this prologue is necessary: After six months of misery from knee replacement surgery last year, I swore to myself the I would not do the same on the other knee, although the doctor said this other knee is as bad or worse. I took arthritis meds, and for several months it seemed to be under control. As the already scheduled date for the second surgery approached, I planned to cancel it.

That’s when God poked me the first time, leaving me with a new level of agony in my knee. I couldn’t walk. A few days later, the surgeon’s office called to confirm, and the scheduled surgery now remains on the calendar. Sure, it might be a lucky coincidence but read on for God-poke number two.

Determined to go deer hunting at least once this season, I drove with a friend to a relatively remote area well before daylight the day after New Years. Far out in the Coldwater River bottoms, I attempted to back my pickup down a steep embankment but got off the gravel and jack-knifed the ATV trailer on the grassy slope. At five o’clock in the morning we were looking at a ruined deer hunt and an expensive towing fee, if we could even get one to come out there. That’s when we spotted headlights coming. Remember, we were in the middle of nowhere!

We were so far below the crest of the levee we didn’t have time to signal, but the driver of a white pickup truck stopped and shouted down at us, asking if we needed help. Producing a tow chain, a young man in his mid-twenties, hooked to us and pulled us out in a couple minutes. When I asked what we could give him, he said nothing. I asked his name.

“Micky,” he said.

He climbed in his truck and drove away. My friend asked, “Where did he come from?”

“God,” I said.

Two days later I went to visit an elderly friend in a nursing home who was having physical therapy for a stroke. I have had extensive physical therapy several times and have had no qualms with my therapists. Most have been very good, but the woman who was working with my friend was exceptional, especially since he asks lots of questions. This young woman patiently answered them all, while working with him. She did so in a way I found unusual in that she talked to him as if they were best friends but in a very professional manner. Head and shoulders above any I’ve ever met, I asked her name before she departed.

“Micky,” she said.

Just yesterday, God poked me a fourth time. I needed to purchase an exercise-cycle to use after the upcoming knee surgery and found one for sale locally. I was on my way to buy it when my cell phone rang. It was another friend who I hadn’t spoken with in six or eight months. It was a “butt-dial” he apologetically explained. We talked and I told him where I was going. He said he had an exercise-cycle he would give me for free. I give you my word, all of this is true.

Now, while on a roll like this one, I got to thinking perhaps I should take my two-hundred dollars and make the hour-long drive down to the casino at Tunica. But when I woke up today there was six inches of snow on the ground, and it was still coming down. Do you know when the last time it snowed six inches in Mississippi? And, no, we don’t have snowplows in Mississippi—and there’s no casino trip in my immediate future. God has such a wonderful sense of humor.

By the way, the next Vietnam Series novel should be out sometime this spring. I’ll let you know when it’s available for pre-buy on Amazon. Meanwhile, here’s the link to my Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rick-DeStefanis/author/B00H2YO2SS

I look forward to your comments.

Rick

Rick DeStefanis

Author