{"id":6028,"date":"2023-12-31T10:04:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-31T17:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=6028"},"modified":"2024-01-02T08:40:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T15:40:24","slug":"wyoming-people-iron-mike-shares-devils-tower-retirement-with-lots-of-mountain-lions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2023\/12\/31\/wyoming-people-iron-mike-shares-devils-tower-retirement-with-lots-of-mountain-lions\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyoming People: \u2018Iron Mike\u2019 Shares Devils Tower Retirement With Lots Of Mountain Lions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An interesting article at bottom, and having visited Bear Lodge Butte<\/a>, aka Devil’s Tower, it is a beautiful area of Wyoming. But then I’m partial in enjoying all of Wyoming, and the Black Hills stretching into South Dakota were also impressive including the Mount Rushmore<\/a> and Custer State Park area. Consequently, I camped in the Sierra once and saw what I thought was a mountain lion take off through a bush near my tent as I stood up from filtering water, as I don’t think it cared for my headlamp. I knew one was around as I saw a fresh print<\/a> on the trail in, and also saw prints in the snow on the way out not present on the hike in (compare to my size 12 boot print the next morning). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But like in the article, mountain lions prefer deer when they’re plentiful as long as humans aren’t mimicking prey behavior by jogging or mountain biking. Interestingly, on our first trip leaving Cheyenne after looking for a house we saw a mountain lion that had been hit by a vehicle on Interstate 80 west of town, so they’re all over. And a GPS collar study in California showed that mountain lions didn’t usually make it more than a few years before they were killed by human interaction, as well as showing they can cover 20 miles in a single patrol for food. I’m reminded of the Folsom Zoo sanctuary which had several mountain lions, and on one visit there was a young mountain lion walking back and forth in the front of the enclosure that could not take its eyes off a small child while pretty much ignoring all the adults. And in the Rancho Cordova suburb of Sacramento, California, along a irrigation canal that had a bike trail I came across a young deer killed by a mountain lion as they first eat the chest cavity organs and remove the stomach to protect the meat from stomach acids<\/a> to consume over a few days (2018 and I think I might have interrupted it being stashed as it was being moved). But since they can get to 160 to 200 lbs with massively muscular legs, not an animal to take lightly and in a worst case scenario protect the back of your neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2023\/12\/29\/wyomings-iron-mike-shares-his-devils-tower-retirement-with-a-lot-of-lions\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
After traveling the world for an industrial explosives company, Mike Romano retired and finally has time to pursue his new passion \u2014 learning all he can about all the Wyoming mountain lions on his land near Devils Tower.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By Mark Heinz<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Mike Romano, who owns a ranch near Devils Tower, was raised in Pennsylvania, but has come to love Wyoming and its wildlife. (Photo Courtesy Mike Romano)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mike Romano has always loved the outdoors and wildlife, but as a busy top executive for a global corporation, he didn\u2019t have much time to get out among the critters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now that he\u2019s retired, Romano has time to get to know more about some of his neighbors on his 326-acre ranch near Devils Tower, Wyoming \u2014 especially the mountain lions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d found some of their tracks following me when I was out hunting. And that wakes you up, realizing that you might be the prey,\u201d he told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He vividly recalled seeing one up close for the first time on his property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI looked up, and sure enough, there\u2019s a mountain lion sitting there in the V-notch of a tree, just staring at me,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir fur is the most beautiful golden color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn one hand, they\u2019re beautiful, but on the other hand it can make your hair stand up on end, realizing that this creature isn\u2019t intimidated by you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Iron Mike\u2019<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The grandson of Italian immigrants on his father\u2019s side, Romano grew up in a tiny town in western Pennsylvania. It was there that he learned hunting and woodsmanship, and fell in love with the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many young men in Keystone State, he went to work in the iron and steel industry. Eventually, he became a top executive with Dyno Nobel, a premiere manufacturer of industrial explosives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That job took him all over the world, and he saw many amazing places. But as far as he\u2019s concerned, nothing compares to the Devils Tower-Black Hills region of Wyoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenery is second to none, and the people are amazing, Romao said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is like 1947 America. I wish my dad could see this,\u201d Romano said. \u201cIt\u2019s the America he always talked about. I love the people here because they love to teach you and show you things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyno Nobel was a great company to work for. But after purchasing his property near Devils Tower, Romano decided he just needed more time to spend outside while he was still young enough to fully enjoy it. So he decided to retire while still in his 50s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first things he did was install numerous trail cameras around his property, which borders the Bear Lodge section of the Black Hills National Forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also took to posting regularly on X (formerly known as Twitter), under the name \u201cIron Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That moniker is a throwback to his youthful days in the iron and steel industry, as well as his reputation for giving his all on the athletic field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mike
Mike Romano uses trail cameras to capture images of wildlife on his land near Devils Tower, including a large number of mountain lions. (Photo Courtesy Mike Romano)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mountain Lion Central<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Wyoming has a robust population of mountain lions, but the Black Hills region is particularly thick with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t take long for me to realize that I\u2019ve got a heck of a lot of mountain lions,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifelong locals told him it\u2019s not unusual to go without ever actually seeing one, so he felt lucky to have had his close sighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his wife got even a closer look at a mountain lion while walking along the mile-long main drive into their property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy wife came face-to-face with one in our driveway,\u201d Romano said. \u201cShe hasn\u2019t gone out hiking without a gun since then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, the big cat in that instance simply turned and walked casually away from his wife. He added that although they\u2019re always cautious and aware, they\u2019re not particularly worried about mountain lion attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got plenty of deer to eat around here, they don\u2019t seem particularly concerned with what you\u2019re doing,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s had a lifelong passion for learning new things, so Romano set out to learn as much as he could about the local mountain lions. He observed their tracks and asked old-timers about the best spots to set up trail cams to catch images of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also got to know some local houndsmen \u2014 people who use hounds to hunt mountain lions \u2014 and invited some on to his property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a whole lot of respect for those guys who run those dogs,\u201d he said. \u201cFor them, it isn\u2019t even really so much about the hunting, it\u2019s about the sheer joy of getting to watch their dogs work a lion track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huge Territories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Romano figured out that mountain lions wander far and wide, but also follow particular routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe have huge territories. They have quite the area that they travel, but they\u2019re repetitive in where they go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cats seem to be fond of rock outcroppings from which they can survey large swaths of land for prey, so Romano strategically placed cameras at such locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt 10 a.m. I\u2019d get a picture of one at on outcropping at the top of a ridgeline, then at 10:15 in a middle spot, and then at 10:30 down in a hollow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other images revealed the sheer variety of wildlife in the area. Romano loves getting photos of golden and bald eagles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve also got three bobcats that are quite funny,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of the bobcats are usually wrestling or running about but the third one \u201cwill just sit and stare at the camera as if to say, \u2018Hey, you idiots, stop, we\u2019re on camera!\u2019\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A Friendly Guy\u2019<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A photo that Romao took of the moon over Devils Tower<\/u><\/a> was featured in Cowboy State Daily. He said friends and family from around the country appreciated it, but have also teased him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll ping me and say, \u2018Hey, where are the aliens in that photo?\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a sly reference to the sci-fi film \u201cClose Encounters of the Third Kind,\u201d in which aliens touch down and establish contact with Earthlings at Devils Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romano said he plans to keep enjoying as much time outside as possible and will keep sharing the wonders of Wyoming on X, hoping that brings appreciation and joy to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like to be remote and away from the rest of the world. But I\u2019m also a social creature and a friendly guy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Devils
Devils Tower resident Mike Romano uses trail cameras to capture images of mountain lions and other wildlife on his property. (Photo Courtesy Mike Romano)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting article at bottom, and having visited Bear Lodge Butte, aka Devil’s Tower, it is a beautiful area of Wyoming. But then I’m partial in enjoying all of Wyoming, and the Black Hills stretching into South Dakota were also impressive including the Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park area. Consequently, I camped in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wyoming"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6028"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6042,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028\/revisions\/6042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}