Oh, Mark, you should be on the Big Stakes Poker Tour…  Your execution is flawless, you have them folding on your pair of deuces…  Johnny snatches the phone/tablet from Mark’s hand with a perfect circular flourish, while the Ol’ Senator is coming clean, on nothing more than a bluff.  They must’ve said a lot more to each other than we know, dear readers, judging by the level of hysteria being generated.

Cover-up?  Wow.  Whatever could that be about??  Mark uses words like “influencing” but it would appear that words like “over a barrel” would be more in order…

Meanwhile, in panel three, Ranger Dusty is at his post, amazed by the whole thing, and yes, confused by it too…

As the Political Elite lounge in overstuffed chairs, highballs in hand, Mark lets loose his trickery!  And they are going for it- hook, line and sinker.  Johnny leans forward in his chair, Anne Marie places her hand over her heart “Scarlet O’Hara Style,” shocked by what may be coming next…  I understand that we need to move this story along, but clearly there is only one thing to talk about- Mark’s plan to sway the Senator’s mind into NOT casting his vote to spoil the refuge and drill for oil…

But one thing’s clear, having watched 60 Minutes last night- it was the Senator’s “Leadership PAC” that paid for the plane that flew them out of DC, and will continue to support Anne Marie well into her life, after his, since putting family members on the “payroll” seems to be all the rage these days…  Small peanuts to Johnny, who has designs on true wealth, but still, one of the perks of office that explains how these people arrive in Washington paupers and leave wealthy…

But really, I think Johnny’s shock and awe isn’t over the fact that he and the senator have been caught red handed, but that Mark (a) knows what a cell phone is and (b) knows that he can use it to record sounds… THAT’s the real shocker here!

Seriously.  Is he going for humor and coming off as a jerk, or is he skipping the middle part and just being an ass??  I have to say, this character sort of plows new ground for “Mark Trail…”  Not physically aggressive or brutish, but mean in a sociopathic kind of way, completely self- absorbed and blatant with his motives, as if only he and they matter…  “Did you get MY elk?” he asks.   And Mark, ever obtuse (returning to form after exhibiting a glimmer of clever in the previous days’ strips) responds cheerfully to Johnny’s question… “No Johnny, but I will try again tomorrow, and every day after that until I find YOUR elk…”

But what on Earth does Johnny have in his hands?  Such awkward gestures, even for the Trail-verse.

And the look on Senator Hudson Mason’s face…  it’s a  look that says ‘I am getting too old for this sh*t…’ There’s going to be a slap-down coming for sure!

The look on Ranger Dusty’s face is priceless.  As in “What the f*ck is THIS thing in my hand???”

Should have been?  How about IS?  Mark is right up there with Mike Hammer!  He just needs to trade in Cherry for the busty blonde and keep a bottle of whiskey in his knapsack and he’s in!  Of course they will over-react!  Oh boy is this great!  Excuse me, may I have 10,000 marbles, please?? But I digress…

Looks like Mr. Chipmunk feels the impending comeuppance… Better get to high ground… Johnny Walker’s going to blow!!

“I am just a simple public employee, Mark, a ‘servant’ I dare say… I am not schooled in the ways of eavesdropping and espionage…  I am not even sure what it is you are talking about.  Recording? Cell Phone?  Battery? Died?  You have lost me, Mark.”

Or maybe Mark, You just don’t know how to use the phone.  Was it turned on??

But oh, Trail, aren’t you the wily one!  Watch Ladies and Gentleman as Mark begins to spin the biggest lie of his life- can he pull it off?  “You see this phone, Johnny? I left it behind set to record when I left you and the Senator alone (whom he had ‘put together’ for that expressed purpose…) and I have captured here, and backed up in the cloud, a very interesting conversation about what you are up to…”

Or something like that.

This is new territory, for you Mark; but really, when does the punching start?

And Dusty!  You’ve been furloughed!  Why are you still at your post??  You should be home with the little ones…  or maybe this place is your home.  I’ve never thought of how many people in the forest service never go to the trouble of actually buying a home…

Thanks goodness Mark has returned to his habit of talking out loud to no one in particular.  All those thought-bubbles were starting to freak me out…

The Senator and Johnny must already be in the cabin enjoying each other’s company, and have already told Dusty lusty tales of Elk scoped and wounded…  Where is Anne Marie, though, and was it Dusty’s “job” to keep her “entertained” and “out of trouble” whilst the men folk went on their little Elk-shooting-spree??

But clearly it’s Mark’s “job” to track down wounded Elk.  He’s gotta be pissed right about now…

And where is the groom?  In the Trailverse, one never sees horses getting tacked and untacked…  they just appear, as if by magic, ready to mount…

Yes, maybe it did, Mark.  Maybe it did.  Maybe this technology you are so at odds with did, in fact, deliver.  Did not fail you.

That look on Marks face in panel three is new, but we keep seeing it over and over again.  It’s sad.  It’s tired.  It’s thoughtful.  As in “What the hell am I doing out here?  Why am I always to one to save the great outdoors?  I picked up this Rusty kid hoping that he might pick up the mantle some day, but he hasn’t shown a predilection for anything other than taking bad pictures and getting locked up in houses, cabins and vans…”

Not seriously wounded?  The “Old buck” said with reverence.  Or maybe you should be taking a clue from the soaring raptor above you.  Circling the downed animal in hopes of finding food enough for the flock!!

OK, maybe I am just jealous.  By the size of the device in Mark’s hand, it would appear that he went all in and picked up a Galaxy by Samsung…while I remain “content” with my Blackberry Curve.  Alas, choices we make in life can continue to haunt.  Like deciding to hang poolside for 4 hours without so much as a dollop of sunscreen.  I fear I shall peel like banana is the coming days, a continued reminder of my bad judgment.  With age comes wisdom, but also the ability to miss the obvious…  Mark, are you in that stage too?  But don’t fear, my friend all will turn out, it always does for you.

I am quite sure that there was a gasp of power left when you set your device in the bushes to capture incriminating words from Johnny… and I am of sure that those words are safe on the memory card nestled in the guts of the phone.

And what will we see when Mark finds the elk?  Will he pull out a pistol and dispatch it?  Shoot it at close range with his rifle?  And then what, pull out his Bowie knife, hang it and gut it?  Where are we going here?

“So, did you get an Elk?,” Mark asks…  “Yea, and it’s invisible, you moron… That’s why you don’t see anything large and hairy down on the ground”

Arms akimbo, Mark says in a scolding tone reserved for those who do not follow the ‘Track and finish off any large herbivores that you only wing with a wild-ass rifle shot’ code, “WTF, Johnny, now we have an Elk bleeding out somewhere on the game preserve… and you aren’t going to go find it?”

Senator Mason Hudson is growing increasingly irritated with Johnny.  Johnny must have some serious goods on him, as he continues to behave in a way that suggests it doesn’t matter how much he pisses anyone off…

The gun makes that annoying “WHAM” sound.  Really?  Front left leg quivering, Mr Elk is going down.  How do you know that he only wounded the elk, Senator, is your distance vision unimpaired? Or did you recently have the cataract surgery that left you with new lenses and super human sight???  Really, they are not that far of, are they?  Not for a high caliber rifle, with scope…  Maybe I watch too many movies where former special forces snipers line up and take shots from over a mile away?

Trail a guide?  His Job?  Where’s it say that Johnny?  Would it be that your silver spoon upbringing took you on hunts fully flanked by servant huntsmen?  Who would do nothing but praise even the wildest of shots, while covering behind just to make sure you didn’t lose face?

Mark isn’t getting much incriminating dialogue on his phone, though, is he?  Just a bland threat of “exposing something…”  C’mon! let’s move this along!

“Honestly Senator… your inability to pull the trigger (literally- ha!) on anything is becoming more tiresome by the day.  Makes me think that Term Limits are a good thing-  Wait What am I saying?  That would mean I would have to “train” and corrupt a new politician every 12 years or so…  and who has time for that?” Johnny seemed to say…

And Mr. Elk seems to be frozen in place…  hasn’t moved a hair!  But then these installments are days apart, while the conversation is going on in real time… I have to continue to remind myself that split second in the Trailverse can equate to days in real time- like when Mark starts throwing punches…

When I first looked at the Elk in the second panel, I thought, “Elk?? No, more like PIG!  With antlers!”  But here’s proof that the artist sort of got it right!

At least the Senator has his powers of observation down, being able to distinguish between a crook and an elk… “Johnny- CROOK!  Large hairy beast with prodigious rack off in the distance- ELK!”

Don’t you love the look of glee on Johnny Walker’s face as he says the word “money?”  or maybe the still caught him as he uttered the final syllable- hard not to smile when you say that word… but the real reason that Johnny is so down with oil is the fact that in a world where there is none left, he would not be able to keep his coiffure in check…

Blackmail.  Johnny’s threatening to “expose” the Senator…  So Johnny has pictures of the Senator with what? Farm animals?  Senate Pages?  What’s on his Twitter Account??

And what an awful, sinister look Johnny has in panel three!  “WILL YOU SENATOR?” he says in a menacing way…  At least we know now how Anne Marie is going to “find out.”  Trail to the Rescue! With a cell phone! And a breach of privacy!  Can citizens “spy” on each other? Is it just the authorities that need a warrant?

And as Mr Lynx looks on, he wonders whether his habitat is going to be spoiled…  or more like whether that old geezer is going to bring down an elk to be field dressed on the spot, leaving him supper for days!!

Frightened Elk, damaging Fence line, that’s what… so Mark, what are you going to do now?  Frighten one even more?  Seriously.  “You and Johnny stay here and I will send the poor beast right into your shooting range…  Just keep your sight on the Elk, I wouldn’t want to be the one taking a bullet, here.”  Again, I don’t hunt, but is this typical behavior?

Mark I am so proud of you!  You are keeping your thoughts to yourself rather than verbalizing, and you are about to use your fancy phone-device to help you solve a mystery!! Not to mention using your Trail-brain in a truly cognitive manner, thinking ahead, forming and executing a plan.  Very impressive indeed.  Now just don’t get your mount shot out from under you!

Meanwhile, with Mark Trail out of ear-shot, the Senator shares his deepest thoughts with Johnny Walker… “Gee, I feel a little tingle in my leg, Johnny.  Haven’t felt that is a long time… not since the Goldwater election…”  Easy there, Hudson, don’t want you to soil your depends…  Look at him quivering with anticipation while Johnny holds a rifle that look twice as big as it should…

Johnny, Senator and his daughter (not to mention Mark Trail) are all onto you, and see through you like a sheet of isinglass…  I am still puzzled by the whole “putting them together” thing… as opposed to what?  Sending one east and the other west so they can all shoot at each other??

Oh and don’t mind Mr. Wolf, for Heaven’s sake…  he’s just roaming about waiting for a rabbit to happen by or something.  Not like the horses wouldn’t spook at the sight of it, right?

Would that be two elk?  Sort of like deer?  And what? Are they tied off to posts driven into the ground?

Oh Johnny, so grumpy.  What is your problem, really?

I am not a hunter, but isn’t two a bit much?  I mean, these are twelve-hundred-pound animals.  A trophy for each?  Even for Johnny Walker, mounted as a constant reminder of what would no longer be there to kill should the plans to develop the area go through??  I am so confused.

And how many guides and how many hunting parties are there?  “I am putting you and Johnny Walker together…”  “Uh, OK… are there other options?”

Yes, Heaven forbid we should cause these majestic creatures any suffering.  “Aim for the heart, Gentlemen.  Johnny, that’s the part of the anatomy you apparently do not have…”

…and Dusty still hasn’t caught up with current events… assuming these are federal lands, otherwise why would a United States Senator be on the scene, you should be erecting barricades and locking out the public just to increase the theater and the political impact of the Gub-Mint Shut-Down…

And by the way, have you ever thought about JUST ASKING THEM?  I mean really.  But as the Trailverse is replete with non-verbal, non-confrontational and passive aggression, that is until Mark starts punching and kicking bad guys, why don’t we take a long and circuitous route to the truth??

And remember Mark, the Senior Senator is but ONE VOTE…  any mention of his committee appointments, level of influence, confirming that his vote is the key to an otherwise deadlocked legislature?  These are plot points that might add a little tension, a little context.  Just sayin’.

A private thought being hatched and shared out of the Trail-head…  And such a concerned look.  Or is it just gas?

A threat?  Huh.  Not so much, Mark.  “Don’t get any crazy ideas… Know what I mean, Jelly Bean?”  Ooh, I am shaking in my boots… Maybe it’s the body posture that Mark is picking up on…  bent forward, sort of aggressive… I don’t know.  The Senator’s “old guy” features are becoming more pronounced here in the great outdoors, though… Head pitched back in panel one as if to say, “Huh?  What??”

And in panel three, Johnny has the stink-eye pointed at his meal ticket…  Jeez, what a control freak.

Nice that all the men are in uniform:  White collared shirt, buttoned up all the way to the top, with requisite L.L. Bean “Original Field Coat” Jacket… a steal at under $200…  it’ll wear like iron!  I know, I still have mine after 20+ years…

That cat must have real patience… I mean, it’s been lying in wait for a meal for days now, only to have its quarry slip away!

Oh, Dusty!  It’s been a while!  Dusty Rhodes, former WWE Wrestler and commentator, is now on the government payroll?  What an ignominious end!  Of course Ol’ Dusty is an Ol’ Friend of Trail’s… and part of the Aryan Brotherhood that makes up the Forest Service… Seriously.  Is there a spec of diversity in the Trailverse?  Nope.  Unapologetically so, it would seem…

And the air at your Lake Home is as fetid as the air at our Nation’s Capital?  Huh.  Anyway, it’s good that the Senator has his priorities straight- avoiding the vote on a continuing resolution to keep the Government “open for business.”  Strange that the Ranger still showed, given that all non-essential staff is now furloughed indefinitely…

With Apologies to Mazda, and with Mark using the back half of his commercial round-trip ticket, we find the political elite taking wing in the wild blue, off to the land of Lost Forest, the “Sanctuary,” the “Nature Preserve, the “Game Preserve,” to appreciate what happens when man starts to drill holes into Mother Earth… Dead Cows?  Or Frightened Elk?

But really… who owns this plane?  Who is piloting the Plane?  Wes?  BIG OIL?  The Senator?  Part of the congressional fleet on standby for junkets and fact-finding missions?  Meanwhile, Johnny continues to display his pissy attitude toward to whole thing.  Johnny, Honey, why don’t you shut your pie-hole and try to chill out for once in your life.  You can’t control everything, you know…”

I bet Johnny Walker was a bully in grade school, or maybe, better yet, he was the one who was bullied…  that might explain his confrontational nature and his propensity to engage in name-calling… And don’t YOU understand, Johnny, that Anne Marie is (1) on to you (2) doesn’t love you anymore and (3) is hot for THE TRAIL??   Oh, poor girl…  soon to be another in the pantheon of broken hearts left behind by our intrepid outdoorsman…

And how, pray tell, do you plan to “put a stop” to Mark Trail?  This I can’t wait to see!

And, oh, by the way, we have seen that ¾ close-up of Ann Marie before… why not pull out all the stops with the copy/ paste functionality?