Areas of North Carolina remain wild. Here bears, the eastern cougar, whitetail deer, coyote, bobcat, river otters, and other mammals can be seen almost daily.
Reptiles are abundant. One of our major concerns is the cottonmouth or Agkistrodon piscivorus. We see them frequently while kayaking and give them a wide berth.
The other day, my neighbor, Jimmy, who works outside was driving though a swampy area with a friend of his. In a spot they’d recently cleared, they noticed something large and moving. It was a cottonmouth eating a dove.
These snakes are venomous and aggressive. In my yard when I see one I don’t risk a shot with a bow. It is faster and I feel more certain handling them with a shotgun.
It’s nice living in this part of North Carolina. Much of it remains wild. In minutes we can be out of sight of everything resembling civilization. Once there, we are careful where we step.
