Seen them a few times over the years at Conchas Dam Lake in NM.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
Printable View
Seen them a few times over the years at Conchas Dam Lake in NM.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
Wow, nice location.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
Your new winter residence?
Nice! When I lived (1968-1983) in Tucson my dad (he passed in '92) was a docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum so I would go there with him whenever I was on break from school. He was a "snake wrangler". I loved watching the coatis, especially during the cooler months when they were much more active. One of my cousins, while getting her PhD at the U of A, would set up a 6 ft ladder and observe them for part of her program, the Arizona Daily Star even did an article on her-that was in the late 70s.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
I always found them very interesting animals.
We've had 1 & 2 coyotes (and fox) in the yard through Jan and Feb. Last night, this one moved through at 9:18 pm, 2:22 am, and 3:38 am. Neighborhood dog. At one point in the videos, it was jumping at voles under the snow.
This is a still taken from video. The coyote is illuminated front and back because another cam caught it from the opposite side.
Btw, the Browning Dark Ops Extreme trail camera has invisible "night vision" infrared LED illumination up to 80 ft. The flash can't be seen but a tiny red glow comes on at the camera and sometimes birds and mammals notice it. Hummingbirds, woodpeckers and chickadees will sometimes hover in front of it.
Fun to watch.
P.S.: @ sbgixxer, we're at 8500 ft. elevation.
Attachment 93121
This is what makes it okay for me to walk in the dark. :)
They are out there, but most of them don't want to eat me.
-John
OK, so that one wants to eat me. :O
-John
Cherry Creek drive & Holly Street in Denver.
Exotic mantis roaming wild on the patio in Tucson! Bit far from home. Wonder how he got here?
Empusa Pennata
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
Crazy weird critters. Once in a while I find them on my hummingbird feeders waiting for a catch.
Looks like you're in scorpion city now.....Quote:
Originally Posted by ChickNorris
When I lived in Patagonia AZ, I saw coatis fairly often. This is part of a group of 27 coati I saw on the continental divide in Costa Rica. Very raccoon like in their habits.
Attachment 93815
Took this awhile back.Quote:
Originally Posted by rondog
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.
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.
Attachment 93817
Attachment 93818
Attachment 93819
Attachment 93820
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...
Attachment 93821
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey Guns
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.
Attachment 93965
Attachment 93966
Too cool, Hummer.
But one has to wonder if there is such a thing as too many bears. :o
-John
Quote:
Originally Posted by arbol
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.
Attachment 93968
I'd be interested to hear more about the disposition of said neighbor if you are able to share.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hummer
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by brutal
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.
" 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
Attachment 94043
Attachment 94044
Attachment 94045
Attachment 94046
Attachment 94047
And 1 more showing that younglings can swim the mighty Colorado River.
Attachment 94048
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/...c3c1f16a_c.jpgIMG_20230601_113424787 by Tim Richard, 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/...6f0a3ed1_c.jpgIMG_20230618_065807854 by Tim Richard, on Flickr
Ben Lomond Gun Club on Saturday, June 17, for the Safety Meeting
https://i.imgur.com/kqtZ56I.jpg
[Beer]Quote:
Originally Posted by TRnCO
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/...ef75bc9d_c.jpgIMG_20230629_194039441 by Tim Richard, on Flickr
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.
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.
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.
Attachment 94561
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.