Yearling buck takes a grazing break and relaxes under our carport. I think he likes red!
Sep 262009
Aug 022009
This morning I woke up to the sounds of elk calves calling their mothers, and the fathers were close by. They were so close I heard the branches breaking as they walked through the forest just below the house. I counted three 10 point bucks in a herd of about 50 elk.
Jul 062009
Young buck grazing the clover growing along with the daisies and other perennials that abound this time of year. He was quite tame; I was able to approach within 15 feet, talking to him and moving slowly. After taking a few shots with my camera and verbally warning him to “get lost” (he just kept eating…) I turned around and went back into the house for my slingshot and zinged a pebble at him to scare him off. Don’t want him to get too friendly or he’ll wind up in somebody’s freezer sooner rather than later.
May 012009
We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the USA with very few people and literally millions of acres of wilderness and abundant wildlife habitat all around us. Here’s a list of the animals we’ve seen since moving here in 1998, and usually from inside our house.
Mammals
- Black Bear
- Northern Gray Wolf
- Lynx
- Ferret
- Wolverine
- Red Fox
- Coyote
- Elk
- Moose
- White Tail Deer
- Mule Deer
Birds
- Turkey
- Great Horned Owl
- Clark’s Nutcracker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Steller’s Jay
- Robin
- Peregrine Falcon
- Barred Owl
- Western Tanager
- Blue Grouse
- Northern Flicker
- Cassin’s Finch
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Red Tail Hawk
- Golden Eagle
- Great Blue Heron
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Ladder Backed Woodpecker
- Hummingbirds (various)
Amphibians/Reptiles/Fish
- Frog
- Salamander
- Snake
- Trout
I’ll try to figure out exactly what kinds of amphibians, reptiles and fish. 
Mar 022009
Wild turkey all in a tizzy outside this morning. Every couple of minutes they’d let out a hilarious collective gobble. I was shooting from inside the house so there’s no sound, but I did sync Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” to give it a little support and it fits well. Enjoy.
Jan 032009
We got a bunch of snow this week and that makes foraging a lot more difficult for the wildlife. These two are part of a herd of about 40 that live nearby.
Dec 312008
It’s snowing finally, like it usually does in these parts.
The wild turkeys have been plentiful this year. As in dozens upon dozens.
And the deer usually aren’t far behind as they traipse over to the neighbors for lunch.
These guys are sticklers for punctuality. Gobble…
For many years there has been speculation that grizzlies are slowly repopulating the remote portions of central Idaho and southwest Montana. Well, the truth just in: There are indeed grizzlies in the Bitterroot wilderness, and at least one of them is now dead thanks to a hunter from Tennessee who “mistakenly” shot the 400-500 male griz.
The hunter was “baiting” black bear, which is legal in Idaho, and was being guided by a local hunting guide. The hunting guide apparently “was not present” when the grizzly was shot. Probably setting camp for his high-dollar client and making the client’s coffee.
Do you really think a greenhorn from Tennessee is going to know the difference between a black bear and a grizzly?
Obviously, not a chance. When a grizzly dies this way it’s never called murder. And the perpetrator always gets away with it.
Disgusting.
This pic was forwarded to me by Jack Herbert. I assume it was taken in Montana; I have no idea who took it, but it’s fabulous. Looks like the eagle won the battle for the carcass.
Jan 072007
Jun 142006
A year-old buck grazes on springtime clover in our driveway. He saw me taking pictures out the window and didn’t seem to mind. Could be because he doesn’t remember hunting season like older bucks.
Apr 062005
Paul Lyons is a noted “Desert Rat” who finds himself, and lots of other stuff, in the the backcountry of southern Utah and northern Aridzona. This magnificent 10 point elk rack was discovered on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
