View Full Version : Wildlife & Related
ChickNorris
05-11-2023, 21:13
Looks like you're in scorpion city now.....
Took this awhile back.
One of the first things I learned when we moved to Tucson in 1968 was always shake your shoes out before putting them on because of the scorpions! My late father was a docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and I spent a lot of time there as a kid watching all the "strange" desert animals I'd never seen before for hours lol. Last time I was in Tucson was 2009, need to make a trip back.
Bailey Guns
05-12-2023, 06:23
Found both these guys on Wed after mowing the grass (which had grown quite tall because of the rain).
First is an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer. He was aptly named and lightning fast. Harmless and non-venomous. This one was actually quite long...about 3 feet...and very thin.
Second is an Eastern Hognose (aka Spreading Adder). Venomous, but it's very mild causing only local irritation and maybe mild inflammation around the bite site, and they (the snake experts at OSU) say they almost never bite humans. They go thru an elaborate process of pretending to be hurt or even dead when they feel threatened. This little guy opened his mouth really wide and rolled over on his back trying hard to play possum on me. He's trying to do his best cobra impression, I think, to convince me he's dangerous.
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Bailey Guns
05-12-2023, 06:29
It's also the season for turtles. Unfortunately, the best place to find them is on the road. Many of them get run over because they like to hang out on the road in the morning and evening. This guy/gal (not sure of his pronouns...[LOL]) lives by my shop, somewhere. The Corgis always find him when he's out and about.
Three-Toed Box Turtle...
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Found both these guys on Wed after mowing the grass (which had grown quite tall because of the rain).
First is an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer. He was aptly named and lightning fast. Harmless and non-venomous. This one was actually quite long...about 3 feet...and very thin.
Second is an Eastern Hognose (aka Spreading Adder). Venomous, but it's very mild causing only local irritation and maybe mild inflammation around the bite site, and they (the snake experts at OSU) say they almost never bite humans. They go thru an elaborate process of pretending to be hurt or even dead when they feel threatened. This little guy opened his mouth really wide and rolled over on his back trying hard to play possum on me. He's trying to do his best cobra impression, I think, to convince me he's dangerous.
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Hognose snakes are neat critters, usually gentle. The nose is upturned to a point which helps them burrow into the ground. Back when I ran the concrete plant for the Brush power plant, I found one under some sheet metal in a field. It raised up, exposed it's fangs and shook it's tail to mimic a rattlesnake. When I realized it didn't have tail rattles and that it's skin was slightly injured by the metal, I captured it and gave it to my cousin who kept a few snakes. HN as it was called, for Heterodon nasicus, the Western Hognose, lived another nine years in captivity.
I handled HN often and he would hang out in my shirt pocket with it's head looking out. My cousin raised mice and fed the pinkies to the snakes. One time I watched as he dangled a pinkie when HN struck his finger and cousin fainted and fell to the floor. Shock. He soon woke with zero after effects, no venom.
It was nearly dark when this young cinnamon sauntered through the meadow and walked toward me. When I moved to snap a photo he stopped at ten feet away.
I had not seen this bear before and it acted like it had never been bitten by the electric fence. My guess is that he will sometime soon. Anyway, once he spotted me, he skedaddled.
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Too cool, Hummer.
But one has to wonder if there is such a thing as too many bears. :o
-John
Too cool, Hummer.
But one has to wonder if there is such a thing as too many bears. :o
-John
There certainly can be, like when some numbskull neighbor was illegally baiting wildlife in order to kill them. For a time we had six different bears moving through the yard day and night. It led to problems with neighbors all around the area, including one young man that was dragged by the skull from his tent. I had to put up electric fencing, then finally caught him when shot one of the bears.
One more of the cinnamon. Would like to get better images but I don't often see them in daylight and you have to be camera ready.
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There certainly can be, like when some numbskull neighbor was illegally baiting wildlife in order to kill them. For a time we had six different bears moving through the yard day and night. It led to problems with neighbors all around the area, including one young man that was dragged by the skull from his tent. I had to put up electric fencing, then finally caught him when shot one of the bears.
One more of the cinnamon. Would like to get better images but I don't often see them in daylight and you have to be camera ready.
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I'd be interested to hear more about the disposition of said neighbor if you are able to share.
I'd be interested to hear more about the disposition of said neighbor if you are able to share.
The property was owned by an elderly lady who probably hadn't been there for 40 years. I had known of a cam there and assumed that family were hunters and wanted to see what wildlife went through, just as I do. A couple days after getting back from an elk hunt I found a bait pile near the cam. I should have called officers at the time, but wanted to contact the neighbors first. I wasn't acquainted with the mostly absentee neighbors and couldn't find an owner address. But when I heard the shot at 6:15 am one morning, I knew exactly where it came from and why. When I went to talk with the person, he showed me the bear. There was bait all over and I snapped a photo of the dead bear. I was acquainted with the local game warden and called him. The poacher had departed and officers questioned him two hours later at a CPW office when he went to have the hide sealed. The local officer investigated on site and I provided a statement with photos. Other officers confiscated the meat which had just been left with a processor. The person was cited and the case later went to trial.
The person was legally licensed and it was the last day of season. The person was illegally baiting many animals, bear, moose, deer, coyote, fox, raccoons and more. There was evidence that deer had been killed over the bait pile and this, admittedly, had gone on for years. When I encountered the person he was not wearing orange as a legal hunter, and it was apparent that the bear was shot from inside the cabin. Over the years all the small aspen and cottonwood had been cut to 2 1/2 ft. high so to clear shooting paths from the cabin door to any game. All this was brought to trial.
The ADA initially did good work and I spent 5 hours on the witness stand. The defense atty was a lying sleezebag and it appeared the jury was ready to convict. Not sure what happened but the judge stopped the trial due to some perceived issue with the investigation. It went to negotiation with a junior ADA and the judge accepted a plea of hunting without wearing orange. Justice. The leftist Boulder judge was known for letting well founded criminal cases go unpunished.
I don't think this person is a real bad guy but clearly he didn't think that wildlife laws applied to him. Apparently, he'd had previous hunt related incidents with CWP officers. I think it's true that judges are typically urban dwellers who do not hunt, who know little about wildlife issues and the seriousness of violations. From what I've observed, the vast majority of wildlife crimes brought to trial are not adjudicated as most ethical hunters would expect them to be.
buffalobo
06-03-2023, 21:51
" I think it's true that judges are typically urban dwellers who do not hunt, who know little about wildlife issues and the seriousness of violations. From what I've observed, the vast majority of wildlife crimes brought to trial are not adjudicated as most ethical hunters would expect them to be."
^^^This all day long. From personal experience I believe most judges do not understand implications of poaching/wildlife violations.
If you're unarmed, you are a victim.
Thanks for sharing the details, and thanks for all your efforts. It stinks that he didn't get his just rewards.
RMNP this past weekend
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And 1 more showing that younglings can swim the mighty Colorado River.
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Very cool pictures, must have been a thrill to see/watch!
on my way out of the property where I had been shooting prairie dogs I spotted this bird in the creek.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52982762797_32c3c1f16a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oHUvui)IMG_20230601_113424787 (https://flic.kr/p/2oHUvui) by Tim Richard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156405073@N02/), on Flickr
And this morning my wife tells me that some mule deer are coming though our pasture. So I go to the window to see and tell her she should grab her camera because those aren't mule deer.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52983740950_656f0a3ed1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oHZwg1)IMG_20230618_065807854 (https://flic.kr/p/2oHZwg1) by Tim Richard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156405073@N02/), on Flickr
BladesNBarrels
06-18-2023, 15:42
Ben Lomond Gun Club on Saturday, June 17, for the Safety Meeting
https://i.imgur.com/kqtZ56I.jpg
on my way out of the property where I had been shooting prairie dogs I spotted this bird in the creek.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52982762797_32c3c1f16a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oHUvui)IMG_20230601_113424787 (https://flic.kr/p/2oHUvui) by Tim Richard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156405073@N02/), on Flickr
And this morning my wife tells me that some mule deer are coming though our pasture. So I go to the window to see and tell her she should grab her camera because those aren't mule deer.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52983740950_656f0a3ed1_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oHZwg1)IMG_20230618_065807854 (https://flic.kr/p/2oHZwg1) by Tim Richard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156405073@N02/), on Flickr
[Beer]
Looks like the same critters JB sent a pic of.
yes sir, went from our pasture right into his.
little ones are getting more visible.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53014172602_a8ef75bc9d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2oLFuwE)IMG_20230629_194039441 (https://flic.kr/p/2oLFuwE) by Tim Richard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156405073@N02/), on Flickr
ChickNorris
07-13-2023, 12:19
This bird showed up yesterday & has been calling & calling nonstop. I can hear it but that was the only pic I could get. It's not much to go on but curious if anyone knows what it is. It doesn't sound like any hawk I've heard before.
Pretty sure that?s a dickfer.
ChickNorris
07-13-2023, 15:49
Ya ya Ray.
It looks like a raptor, and odds are it's a Red-tailed Hawk, by far the most common. Download the Merlin app on your phone and use the sound ID. It isn't perfect but generally accurate.
ChickNorris
07-13-2023, 20:30
Hey Hummer! I tried twice. No luck.
I want to share a photo of a yearling bull that's been in our yard off and on all summer. He has grown into a magnificent animal. On Thursday, he was stripping aspens and eating the flowers so I tried to gently encourage him to move on. From 15 feet away, I squirted him with a hose all around his face, head and body. He clearly loved the shower. He couldn't get enough and stood there for two minutes, rolling and shaking his head until I gave up. It did manage to distract him from eating a prized Penstemon barbatus. Little deters moose from what they want to do or where they want to go.
We're friends, at a respectful distance.
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2nd day morning hunt 2023 Dove.
Day end, we limited out with 6 hunters.
Finished opening day 3 short of the total limit for 5 guys.
Morning opener public grounds, all the rest on private.
https://i.imgur.com/sKqtTru.png
Looks like you guys had a good shoot.
I have no pictures to share, BUT I went to the family farm in Ks. and we had a great hunt as well. Lots of dove this year and I even did my part and killed 3 invasive Eurasians as well.
buffalobo
09-06-2023, 20:29
No pics but this has been a good year for dove at our place. With all the rain and late hay cutting, plenty of food and cover.
They cook up good on the pellet grill.
Majority of our birds are the Eurasian.
If you're unarmed, you are a victim.
Looks like you guys had a good shoot.
I have no pictures to share, BUT I went to the family farm in Ks. and we had a great hunt as well. Lots of dove this year and I even did my part and killed 3 invasive Eurasians as well.
Yes, we took lots of Eurasians.
We scout public/private and hunt some private land before the opener and take some then as well. For the one day's limit, I had 4 Eurasians of the total.
Since they're open season 24x7x365 no license required, kill them all.
There's an oddball in that photo, was waiting to see if anyone spotted it.
P.S. I thought it was hot AF there near Lamar, but nothing compared to the heat I've been enduring in McAllen, TX since Wed. Fortunately, it's just from the hotel-car-jobsite.
yep, I saw the pigeon. They eat good too.
Many many years ago, my brother and I went in one night and cleaned out all the pigeons from a neighbor's barn. Cleaned them all and the neighbor cooked them up for us and they were very good eatin'
yep, I saw the pigeon. They eat good too.
Many many years ago, my brother and I went in one night and cleaned out all the pigeons from a neighbor's barn. Cleaned them all and the neighbor cooked them up for us and they were very good eatin'
Supreme leader's grandson shot the flying rat.
Heard you helped JB with he hunt and pack out his Moose. Awesome on you and that he dropped it right off opening morning.
ETA: Just heard the full story. Amazing event.
Momma bear, cub nearby. For reference, I'm 6'1" and my head doesn't reach the bottom of the feeder from where she's standing. Gave her a very harsh lecture on the subject and they wandered off.
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Great photo. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird on the fence is not happy.
It seems that feeders have to be placed at the 9-10 ft. height to deny the bears. They can jump with both hind feet off the ground like a basketball player. I keep our feeders up at night and lower them during the day. Daytime bear raids are everyday in Jamestown now. This is shaping up to be a big bear problem year. We have one or two bears moving through the yard every night or two, detected by wildlife cams and fresh scat.
This image at 8:01 pm, still light.
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St. John: Bar Jack and a Yellowtail Hamlet or hybrid.
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eddiememphis
02-12-2025, 18:09
Saw this rough looking character in Ken-Caryl. The birds were pecking at it. I am guessing they were eating bugs.
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I believe Mange is one of the signs of CWD.
No pics as it was dark and he didn't hang around long, but just observed a Black Fox (rare genetic Red Fox) in the back yard tonight.
Thought I heard some critter "barking" and flipped on the back light, he was in the middle of the yard yapping. Flipped the light off and went upstairs and watched him out the back bath window for a few minutes where I usually snipe bunnies and other rodents from.
Wife didn't believe me it was a fox. Cool beans.
Very cool, very rare. Whatever genetic combination makes them black, often tends to make them more socializable to humans.
Firehaus
04-07-2025, 12:17
Very cool, very rare. Whatever genetic combination makes them black, often tends to make them more socializable to humans.
Are you sure about that?
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250407/d4c471683c1ab08d3ffacb7ccf8c0002.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hope these useless idiots around here aren't feeding them.
Maybe that's why he was barking in the back yard?
(someone else's FB pic in our area.) Denver7 FB page.
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