Scott Staats on Viewing Wildlife
 Editor's Note: Scott Staats from Prineville, Oregon, is a widely-published and award-winning outdoor writer and TV and radio host for outdoor programs with an overview of all that is outdoors. He's a birder, a butterfly observer, a hunter, a fisherman, a camper and a backpacker with a long list of outdoors credentials.
 Most people believe that an outdoor writer is a journalist who primarily writes about hunting and fishing. But I consider the outdoors much more than that. For me, the outdoors is hiking, hunting, camping, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, nature photography and canoeing, just to name a few aspects of outdoor sports. I write on all sides of the outdoors. For instance, I just finished a story about cougars. Cougars are very controversial, not only here in Oregon, but all over the country. I interviewed people who hunt cougars, the fish and game departments and the Defenders of Wildlife who are against some of the regulations being proposed to control cougars. I cover all aspects of outdoor issues and let the readers make their own decisions about how they feel after they know all the facts.
The cougar is one of my favorite animals. I've been a part of the outdoors since I was 6-years old. My two brothers and I used to go hiking and camping, and I always deer hunted with my dad. But, throughout my entire life, I've only seen two cougars. The one I remember the most was when I was bowhunting for elk in the Idaho mountains, some years ago. I was bugling and didn't hear a bull elk bugle back. I walked up the trail about 200 yards and suddenly smelled something dead. I looked to my right, and there was a cougar 25-yards away, staring straight at me. I thought to myself, "Uh oh, this is it, I'm a goner."
I nocked an arrow on my bow, even though I didn't plan on shooting the cougar. I thought I might need the arrow for self defense. 
 The cougar and I stared at each other for what seemed like days, even though it was only actually a few seconds. The cougar flinched, and I thought, "Oh no, he's going to pounce. The only thing that search and rescue will find of me is cougar scat with some shreds of camouflage in it." I knew not to turn my back on the cougar, so I kept walking. I went around the bend and approached a ground blind I'd made for elk hunting. I sat there until a few hours before dark. Then I decided that I'd better leave my stand site earlier than I'd planned. I knew that cougar was less than 1/4-mile away, and I didn't want to get caught in the mountains with him that close and me not being able to see.
 Looking back on that cougar encounter, I know I'll never forget it. I'm not afraid of cougars when I'm out in the wild. I'm sure there are many times they could have had me for dinner, if they wanted. I don't believe a lot of what I hear about the viciousness of cougars. I've never had a chance to photograph a cougar, and even if I'd had my camera with me that day, I seriously doubt that I would've been thinking about taking pictures. I enjoy photographing and observing a lot of other animals. Besides my Alpen binoculars, when I'm bird watching, I also carry my Alpen 788 spotting scope. It has all the cool features of high-end optics, and it's affordable. I've compared this scope with other top brands three times the price and found it very comparable. The 788 spotting scope has a 20-60x80 scope with a 45-degree eyepiece, is waterproof and fogproof, has multi-coated lenses, crisp-clear resolution and comes with a small adjustable metal tabletop tripod and nylon field case. The suggested retail price is $475. Alpen also has a variety of other spotting scopes, riflescopes and binoculars. Their products have been rated Best Buys from "Outdoor Life Magazine" four times.
To get in touch with Staats, email him at falcon@crestviewcable.com. .
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