Bears, Bears and....

...more bears! Black bears, grizzly bears, bears in the news almost every day...Run-ins with hunter, run-ins with poachers, run-ins with idiots, run-ins in town, run-ins in wilderness, run-ins everywhere...Pray tell just what the hell is goin' on....To get an idea check out the links below   (click photos to enlarge)

Two Cited for Bloody Bear Bowhunt in a Montana Town....    http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/crime/article_2e1da2e4-09a0-11e1-9b52-001cc4c002e0.html

 Black Bear on Campus Prompts Lockdown....   http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-11-02/features/os-bear-scare-high-school-20111031_1_lockdown-ocala-national-forest-tree

 Montana: Nine Grizzlies Trapped and Transferred in Two Weeks                      http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_7d070610-01db-11e1-9e25-001cc4c002e0.html

Grand Teton Elk Hunter Injured By Bear
http://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com/news/bear-injures-hunter-in-grand-teton-park/article_e31495e6-03c8-11e1-bd9b-001cc4c03286.html

Grizzly Activity Closes Another Montana Trail
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_24fb464b-7afc-5e52-8e7d-b3d388b394ef.html

 Bear Attack Leaves Hunter with 40 Stitches
http://www.twincities.com/ci_19211117?source=most_viewed

Montana Elk Hunter Injured in Grizzly Attack
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_4c9067d8-fdc6-11e0-86e3-001cc4c03286.html

Grizzly Takes a Swipe at a Wyoming Hunter
http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/8883-hunter-attacked-by-grizzly

 And believe it or not those are just headlines dating back to October 18!....Do you suppose the bears got together over summer and decided something like "OK sharpen your claws tis high time we get even"...over and out...

Montana's Wildlife Legacy:A great, informative read.

Whether you hunt or just enjoy watching or photographing Big Sky Country's incredible wildlife you need to get a copy of Montana's Wildlife Legacy, Decimation to Restoration, by Harold Picton and Terry Lonner, published in 2008 by Media Works Publishing, Bozeman, MT.

I found it difficult to put down. Page after page told the fascinating tale of how this species or that was literally pulled from the ashes and in most cases returned to viable, huntable populations in just a few years. With beginnings way back in the early 1900s all the way to the present we owe a helluva lot to a relative handful, dedicated, hard working folks. Thanks to them and their relentless drive despite being faced with what must have seemed at times daunting, nearly impossible hurdles just about every critter Lewis and Clark stumbled onto remains today--and in decent numbers.

Of all the big game species many of which are so common they've become almost ho-hum only moose and woodland caribou were not physically trapped and widely transplanted; wise, sound wildlife management painted the finishing touches. Elk and antelope are good examples. From the brink of extinction both now occupy nearly every suitable piece of habitat east to west, north to south. As late as the 1940s mule deer were found only in isolated pockets east of the western mountains; today the long-ears are found in huntable numbers in every one of our 56 counties.

Big game, furbearers, predators, upland game birds all with a unique story to tell and the authors have done a thorough job of digging them up and telling in fine fashion.

Get this book, you won't be sorry, guarandamnteed.

More Sheep Culled to Help Curtail Yet Another Pneumonia Outbreak

The latest outbreak has been confirmed in the upper Rock Creek herd. Over the past few days biologists culled 28 of 46 bighorn sheep showing symtoms of the deadly pneumonia bacteria.

That makes four herds so far this winter, all in northwest Montana.

Biologists fear many more of the 170 or so in the upper Rock Creek herd could be infected. They will revisit the area next week.

All hunting will probably be curtailed for several years or until the infected herds make a significant recovery. Biologists hope in every case there are isolated pockets of uninfected sheep to help speed the process.

For Montana hunters this winter has not been exactly brimming good news. First came the announcement mule deer doe tags will most probably be drastically cut in many of the hunt districts across the state. Then yesterday came the announced proposal to limit Region 1 whitetail hunting to bucks only. Now this, and let us not forget the proposed changes in elk hunting still in the lurch. Oh and let us not forget also the highly controversial proposal to impose non-toxic shot restrictions to all Montana WMAs...Yikes, enough already although to be fair none of this is anything but good for the critters which is all that really matters in the scope of things...Right? Right.

And of course none of this is new, all of it has occured in the past and most likely will again in the future, even once the current crises pass. Ma Nature has shown time and again she really does not cotton to voids within her world. So as long as the habitat remains healthy sooner or later she will refill it...In other words have faith my man this too shall pass...

Good By and Good Riddance...Hooray!!!!

Riding into the sunset of what turned out a not so hot year, always the eternal optimist I look forward to a big turn around in 2010...good luck, eh?

Oh well, the past year did at least start off with a bang, as we spent the entire month of January bird bumming around the Arizona outback in search of quails and such. Staying the month was not only a big surprise to both Gale and me an even bigger surprise was how easy life with two dogs and a small trailer turned out. I can't recall a single significant crisis the entire time.

From there however things took a distinct downturn culminating I guess with the very real slap in the face the day my Medicare card arrived in the mail...like holy shit, you really are getting old...In between we endured getting screwed big time by outfitter buddy...OK I won't go there only because I don't want to lower myself to his lowlife friggin' level...2009 was without question our worst fishing season, if not ever, certainly in recent memory...not only did we not get out that often it seemed every time something happened to dust the deal...cows trashing our favorite little crick...everywhere we went others beat us to it...favorite campsites already taken...but the topper was the fishing for the most part bordered on grim...the only really good day I recall was the day Gale landed a really big cutt up at No Name Lake...you guessed it, Johnny on the Spot was none other than a guy from Idaho...why not...the bird season started out slow then picked up to more or less tolerable, then we endured a grim week west of Havre but later enjoyed a really fine week up Malta way...then winter hit and hunting around home mostly hit rock bottom, of late we hardly buy a bird just for the dogs to point...

On another track our photo/writing careers pretty much tanked, lots of rejected queries, very few photo sold, Great Places isn't selling worth crap, news the other day I'll only be writing 8 Sagebrush News columns instead of 12 and then yesterday I found out a feature piece scheduled for Nov/Dec09 has been bumped at least to May/June 2010. I'm afraid to ask same editor what might happen to the conservation feature submitted recently...and then there was the royal screwing we got from our doctor buddy...OK, enough, by now I'm sure you get it and understand quite clearly why I headlined this rant thusly...Happy New Year...we can only hope...right? Right.

It's deja vue all over again.

In a couple days we plan to hit the road again, hopefully gather a few more shots such as above Gale shot a couple seasons back. A day that dawned calm and sunny in downtown Malta--thankgoodness since the bank thermometer hovered at minus 28 as the gal on the radio issued dire warnings of imminent frostbite and should you dare to poke nose outside the afternoon high figured to top out around minus 10.

You sure know how to pick 'em, Gale smirked, while munching down a scrambled egg, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich in the toasty dining room of the Great Northern Hotel.

You mean my choice breakfast spots or my brilliant idea of chasing rooster chickens about a landscape might make the Arctic tundra blush?

Have another snort of coffee, dear, it might very well be your last!!!

And so it went; as turned out not such a bad hunt after all though, don't spread it around, but I did vow afterward, if ever so softly, never, ever again. But as Yogi would say, It's deja vue all over again.

Morons Murder Moose

As if moose don't have enough problems these days dodging the growing blood-thirsty gray wolf population, poaching continues to gnaw away at what FWP officials say an alarming rate.

Recently a second trophy-class bull moose was discovered shot and left to rot along the Jefferson River south of Cardwell, less than a mile from where a bull moose of similar size met the same fate.

Justin Gibson, Boulder-Whitehall area game warden said he’s not sure if the two poaching incidents are related, but he’s investigating the possibility. The first was found on Oct. 28, and #2, whose antlers spread a whopping 48-inches, appears to have been shot two weeks later.

Gibson said the first bull apparently was shot from the road; the second near the river.

Two of three or four bulls often sighted in the area, landowners, hunters and fishermen reported how "thrilling it was to just to see and watch them.


A Whitehall resident is donating a $1,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the poacher, and coupled with the state’s reward of up to $1,000, that’s up to $2,500 a person is eligible to receive.

People with information are encouraged to call Gibson at 406-439-4017 or 1-800-TIP-MONT (847-6668). Callers can remain anonymous.

Poaching is a growing problem in Montana. In the 1990s FWP typically investigated about 20 cases per year,double that in recent years. Poaching occurs statewide and year-round, with poachers taking some of Montana’s biggest and best.

Here in the Dillon area several moose were poached along Blacktail Deer Creek causing the irate Matador Ranch manager to permanently remove the entire creek bottom from Block Management...Once one of the best places around to kill a trophy whitetail...thanks to the actions of these morons now all hunters can do is watch and drool...Ya done good guys I hope you're proud.