Kate the Wirehair, Montana Legislature and Other Drivel..

Kate the Wirehair (click photo to enlarge)...

...was already terrorizing the upland bird world when I shot this photo 10 years or so ago. She's an old dog now but in the interim she's managed to compile quite the thick resume. Over the many seasons she's pointed countless birds all across and up and down Montana and Arizona, in Idaho, North Dakota and Alberta. Ringnecks, five grouse, two partridges, four quail species and once, about the time I shot this photo, a hen mallard's bill protruding from a flooded cattail marsh...which she put nose to water and obviously scent trailed up current for about a hundred yards before going stiff. I recall thinking perhaps she'd lost it but when she would not move so much as an eye lash I thought it best to investigate further and...I'll be damned that there girl really is pointin' a duck's bill...With several mallards already in the bag I didn't really want another so I waded in and tapped her on the head (release signal) whereupon she rushed forward plunged head under and came up sputtering with one very surprised (I imagine) hen mallard in her jaws.

Another magic moment in a long line of magical performances one cold November day up above Clyde Park she trailed up and pointed a large covey Huns. As sometimes happens at the flush my single shot dropped two more besides the one I had in mind. Two lay DOA in plain view, the third dropped just as hard but in taller grass...Kate ran to the nearest, stopped, picked it up. Then, instead of bringing it, took off in the opposite direction. Ignoring the whistle and my loud mouth she kept on going eventually disappearing over the hill. PO'd I picked up the remaining Hun and took off in hot pursuit...

Clearing the hill I spied her, standing with what can only be described as a confused look. Way out there, way beyond where any "goddam crippled Hun I know" might run. Ignoring more loud whistling, ranting and raving as in "get your sorry ass the hell here or..." When I got there, still fuming of course, well, you guessed it, still holding the original, front paw planted firmly on the runoff Hun...Well hell, soonere or later I guess we all learn tis best to trust the dog; obviously I'm just one those laters.

Kate's had some health problems that have of late been slowing her down. Although she never quits lately her back legs just haven't been working up to par. Suspecting the worst we took her to the Vet. And yesterday while our worst fear was some sort of tumor/cancer we found out she has diabetes, not at all good but... 

The hope is with perhaps rigid diet restrictions and twice a day insulin injections we can get her at least back to recovering enough muscle mass and able to get around better. For her sake hopefully she has a bunch more hunts left, if only for an hour or so...No doubt not what she has in mind but no doubt either no hunting is gonna make for one very unhappy dog...stay tuned.

Montana Legislature Adjourns...

To my way of thinkin, Hooray and Good Riddance to the worst bunch a wingnuts maybe ever. A couple last minute deals you might be interested: HB 171 which would have legalized "silencers/suppressors whatever" for "hunting" failed to garner the required super majority vote and ended in the trash can. Why any ethical law abiding hunter would want one is way beyond this ol' boy's mental capacity, but since I can't come up with any reasons other than making it more better/easier to be sneaky, sleezy, downright slobbish, like the legislature in general I say good riddance...

On another track, the "permitless carry" bill did get sent to the Gov whereupon most in the know expect his royal highness to sign it into law...since just about every male I know already carries wherever, whenever this one seems to me more a formality than anything...so be it. 

Poaching Goes High Tech

By Mark Freeman


Mail Tribune

A ring of Springfield poachers faces racketeering and other charges for allegedly stealing the identity of Oregonians to buy hunting licenses and tags and then illegally killing as many as 300 black-tailed deer in eastern Lane County over the past five years...also poached were elk, antelope and black bear. To read the rest of the pathetic details click the link below.


http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110429/NEWS/104290329/-1/NEWSMAP

Annual Big Hole Tour Provides Few Surprises

Saddle Mountain (right foreground)/West Pintlar Peak behind show off typical Easter weekend snow bonnets... 

Yesterday we decided it was high time to do our annual Big Hole tour. Expecting lots of snow in the high country topping the Big Hole Divide, gazing across the drifted-in valley to the winter-white peaks of Beaverheads beyond erased any doubts. While the sagebrush foothills of the Pioneers to the east are as usual mostly bare looking west is a winter wonderland. Why this drastic change, actually just about follows the road all the way to Jackson remains a mystery to us.

We spotted dozens antelope and a small band of elk on the Grasshopper side of the Divide below the snowline. Just over the pass countless mule deer, some looking really poor, grazed the open sagebrush. Above Jackson to Wisdom the river is open and the snow in the valley is really spotty. Ground squirrels were everywhere as were the raptors hunting them--northern harriers, red-tails, rough-leggeds, ferruginous swainson's, golden and bald eagles to name several. Numerous sandhill cranes, several ospreys and a large elk herd just outside Wisdom highlighted that portion of the tour. From Jackson all the way to Glen waterfowl loafed in just about every puddle; especially numerous in the river above Squaw Creek bridge off the North Fork road...plenty muddy by the way around the edges, be sure to keep 'er on the straight and narrow. Mallard, wigeon, blue and green wing teal, white pelican, common and hooded merganser, pintail and of course scads of geese to name just a few off the top the ol' bald noggin'.

We stopped for lunch at Fetty's, now the Big Hole Crossing. The change of course came about when the original BHC across the street burned last summer. Extensively damaged, apparently beyond rebuilding, the owners decided not to rebuild. Instead bought out Fetty's. Lunch by the way was excellent and quite filling. Since the BHC owned a considerable reputation for serving up good and plentiful eats on the other side the street we were not surprised.

Thought I might make a few casts at Fish Trap but a marauding skunk nixed that idea...the good news is Annie baby failed to see it...No snow in the valley below Squaw Creek and once you get down around Wise River even the foothills are bare. The river is clear and open all the way. While there still might be some ice on the shadiest banks we did not see any. No fisher folk to speak of until Stanchfields but quite a few rigs from there down to the Glen Bar...the Salmon Fly access was just about standing room only largely due to a horde of ATV rigs.

Montana Fly Fishing: How High Will the Big Hole Rise?

Looking east through the Notch to the Tobacco Roots (click to enlarge)

Is always a hot topic and a big question this time of year. It got even hotter a few days ago when the Big Hole suddenly spiked up several hundred cfs almost overnight. Not at all unusual this time of year but since just about everybody I've talked to seems to agree we are still very much in the grips of either a prolonged winter or a real chilly spring...Since most days either start out damn chilly (12 on the porch yesterday) or end up that way no matter what the mid-day highs are I'd call it a toss up...

With that in mind we have been trying our best to just ignore the endless chill and do just that...Been fishing twice on the Big Hole, both admittedly somewhat aborted ventures, with similar though not unexpected rather grim results. Ditto the lake sort of...Yesterday being three strikes and out that's all I have to say.

How high the Big Hole will rise is of course more than I (or anyone else for that matter) know. I checked the Jeff snow pack info this morning and the snow water is 123% of normal; the snow pack a bit less. So assuming we get the usual dumpings over the next 10 weeks or so my bet is pretty damn high. If not well, who the hell knows given what's out there could come off pretty damn quickly or not depending of course on that other impossible to predict long range (with any accuracy) variable e.g. how hot?

So there you have it, a cop out I know, sorry...over and out...