Dumb Gun Laws & Four Legged Predators

Apparently there were some cougar citings in Pike Creek last month, and not the good kind. ;)

Delaware of course, in its infinite wisdom, has listed all State Parks as prohibited places. So these state parks are "gun-free zones" despite the fact that I could walk around for hours in some parts without seeing another person.

I routinely walk Zack in this area in middle run park near Pike Creek. I'm not particularly worried about cougars since they generally attack children, small women & small dogs. That said, it is a concern, especially if you have small children. Police response times out on hiking trails are likely to be next to useless, and if you get into trouble you're entirely on your own.

Middle Run borders and connects to White Clay Creek State Park. Basically, the trails within White Clay and Middle Run are interconnected. If one was unfamiliar with the area I could see them ending up on State Park land without realizing it. Middle run is a New Castle County park so OC and CCW are OK. The same is not true of White Clay, since it's a State Park. I can think of a few areas in Newark as well where if you went walking you could easily end up in White Clay.

This article also reminds me of something you'll see if you got to Fair Hill park in Maryland. At the entrance to the park there's a sign warning people about cougars and describing what to do if you encounter one. So the State sees fit to warn you about potential danger from cougars and then disarms you while you're walking around in the woods. Genius!