Wildlife & Related

[Bailey Guns]

That bull moose is a big boy. Damn!

[waffles]

I'm basic I guess

[Bailey Guns]

Little background:

About 900' of Cottonwood Creek runs thru our property. The house sits about 20' feet or so above the creek bed. It tends to flow very heavily in the spring during the rainy season. Earlier this year we were outside and heard the crash of a large tree falling somewhere in the creek bed. The undergrowth was already heavy and the creek was flowing too hard to get down there to see what it was. We assumed it was a weakened or dead tree falling due to the water flow.

About a month or 6 weeks ago we noticed a tree appeared to have fallen. Probably wouldn't have noticed but it made a clear spot where the road was visible. A few other trees nearby appeared to be dying. At that time the summer growth was in full swing...so were rattlesnakes. So we couldn't get down there to investigate. I did take a look at a downed tree thru the binos and told Mrs BG it looked like it had been felled by a beaver. Couldn't really tell for sure, though.

Last night the power went out. We thought we heard a crash but weren't sure. This morning, the line on the power pole in our front yard was dislodged from the insulator. The energy from the line literally splintered the 6"x6"x8' crossmember that separates the lines. Apparently the little bastards dropped another tree that hit the lines causing them to break free from the insulator.

We took a little walk along the creek this morning and found the problem. Beavers. They've felled 2 or 3 dozen trees down there. At least 2 dams. A pretty impressive pond is beginning to form, too. And that's just what we can see. I can't really tell the extent of the problem but we're gonna have to do something to relocate them. I'll have to look into the best options.

All of this has been accomplished by them since March. There was no sign of them then.

Pretty good sized cottonwood:


More of their handywork:






Dam 1:


Dam 2:


Part of one of the ponds:

[Irving]

Productive day today. First we went hiking up in Curt Gowdy State Park just West of Cheyenne. We hiked up the Crow Creek trail to the Hidden Falls. There were what looked like some Brook Trout swimming around, and a Rainbow that was sick enough to let me catch him.









Then when we got home, I let the dog out in the backyard to do her business (she won't go anywhere but at home) and she was barking on the side of the house. I went over there and she was scratching at the fence and I looked over and saw this handsome fellow. Surprised I was able to get the dog to come back in before she got sprayed again.

[Bailey Guns]

Nice little visitor by the AC.

[Hummer]

Yesterday, I was driving back from pronghorn hunting in northwest Colorado, up the Williams Fork and over Ripple Creek Pass in a snowstorm, then over the Buford Road on the Flat Tops Plateau. Beautiful drive as always, and the slick muddy roads impressed upon me the need to get new tires and shocks on the truck before winter. I took a few photos along the way......






I hunted yesterday (Monday) morning hoping to get a shot at a nice buck I'd seen Sat. and Sun. It was the only pronghorn I saw in 3 days on the patch of public land I was hunting. Didn't spot a pronghorn within miles, even on surrounding private lands. Lots of deer though, and many nice bucks. Then a thunderstorm came in with lightning and heavy rain. Was two miles in on foot and got out of there just in time. The roads turned to mucky clay that so packed the wheel wells of another hunter's vehicle that it couldn't move forward. I helped dig out the wheel wells and got him out onto better graveled road. Then the snow started in.






I visited my elk hunting camp in the Flat Tops area and was reminded of how beautiful it is, and that I need to be well prepared when going into the country.





Second season rifle elk hunt begins in 2 1/2 weeks!

[waffles]

One of my favorite shots from the canyonlands, though the imgur resize didnt do it any favors. The un-resized pic is super cool.

[Irving]

Deer vs Coyote

[Bailey Guns]

That's a pretty amazing video. I had no idea deer would do that. I guess I knew they'd fight individually, but not as a group. Very interesting.

[Irving]

I've had does snort at me before, especially if I was hunting around where they hang out. After seeing that video, I have to wonder if there has been a fawn around those times I've been snorted at.