Piper Single Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 48; Flight Crew Total 3420; Flight Crew Type 1200
Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
We have a family ranch which I normally patrol every other day; usually in the evenings; checking for things like bulls; cows; baby calves; horses; stray animals; escaped animals; distressed animals; fences; gates; water; feed; weeds; any vehicles; tractors or implements; and trespassers.  This evening; I was checking fences along the freeway; when I was shocked to see a powered parachute go by below me off to the right.  I do not know how close; it was far enough away that collision was not possible; nor was my wake turbulence likely to hit it; but it seemed big.  That is why I estimated 100 ft. over and 100 ft. down as being the closest it could have been; it could have been further but not closer.  I had not noticed it before because it was below me; with terrain as the background as shadows had fallen with the sun going behind the ridge to the west; and it had no lights and had made no radio announcements.  Its speed was likely no more than 20 MPH; and mine was 60 MPH; so closing speed was 40 MPH.  It is likely that due to the parallel positions of the two aircraft; my aircraft's nose covered it as I got closer; until I passed it.  I was not able to observe it long enough to determine his course before or after the miss; since as soon as it came into view it passed backward (relatively) on my right at a likely relative speed of 40 MPH; and I turned left.
PA-12 pilot reported an NMAC with a powered parachute while he was on livestock patrol.