Went for a Drive....

Just to see what I might find...?

Wasn't even outside town when I spotted this coyote hunting mice in a field.

Not a bad start.

......

Stopped and stared into the Gallatin and its' deep pools filled with fish, the same I've pursued a dozen times, but for reasons I cant explain I just sat on a rock and zoned out instead of ever breakng out the rod.






I'd been focusing my photography on the big things lately like elk and vast landscapes and almost forgot about the little pieces of brilliance mother nature provides...


...........

Onward I drove and into the park for a bit and thought I might enter thru West Yellowstone today..?

Saw this fella and his buddy cast a dozen times, but come up empty. So I ventured on but snapped a picture of his' audience first...



.....

Becuase I'm prone to such whims I decided last second, as I spotted the sign, to head west and check out the area between Hebgen and Quake Lakes...?

This is Hebgen...skies got a bit gloomy the further west I went..


..."The Madison Dam was hit by a school bus sized boulder last night" the old guy told me at the cabin fly shop; so in preperation for repair the waters' between the two dams were being drawn down 9 feet when I arrived; thus I said - 'screw it' and kept on driving...

(9/1/10 -correction: Old guy was right about boulder, but wrong about which Dam. It turned out to be the Ennis Lake which was being drawn down drasticly (50 miles away); increasing the Lower Madisons' flows by 3,000 cfs as of 6PM tonight, and effecting water temps dropping them down to 60 degrees as well. While the fishing might be good the next few days, there's significant concern as to the browns spawning this season and possible fish kills in the lake itself.)


On further to Quake Lake the wind was pretty strong too - another excuse not to fish - but I was just content to drive around Montana anyway today.
..

As I stopped at an overlook to take care of business, I realized where I was and that I'd been on that road a time or two, but it had been from the other-end headed east and it dawned on me everything surrounding me was prime forestry lands!!

"Holy #@&%"

My mind began wondering how many critters the opposite bank of the lake held undisturbed, and whether a short canoe trip was in order..(archery-openner is only days away)..?


When I past Slide Inn Fly Shop I found myself about where I'd elk hunted on the openner last season and decided; 'what the hell, might as well do some scouting..?'

I wasn't on the BLM ranch five minutes before spotting these three bucks making their way uphill...

Though I didn't score an antelope buck tag this season, I'm conent with the prize I took last which hangs on my wall; and shortly after seeing these I came upon a young man with an early-season archery permit and showed him the pics and where they lay.

Next I spotted a sign directing me toward two isolated lakes I'd only heard of, but never seen so onward and upaward I went....

..Ten miles of gravel later and I was out of Gallatin National and into Beaverhead-Deerlodge and at the shores of Wade Lake.
Overcast, cool, and the 31st of August; I had the place all to myself save a large black bear I caught only a glimpse of (he being in camp raiding garbage cans) as I approached.

I walked quite a ways in his backtrail hoping for a picture, but no dice tonight; so I headed toward the other lake nearby.

This is Cliff Lake, surrounded on all sides by breathtaking mountians and again - all national 'huntable' forest; so my thoughts were once again: "grab that canoe and give the other bank a try..?"
Today was certainly not as pretty as if the sun were out and less cloudy, but having that many hundreds-of-thousands of acres all to myself (and thoughts of being similar during archery); made it worth the trip.


Not a bad day, not a bad day at all...

I'll be hitting all of those spots and more in the coming weeks.


Moe

Yellowstone National Park.......

Bit the bullet and bought a seasonal pass to all National Parks as well as my annual Yellowstone fishing license. Late I know as most folks are now leaving the park for the summer, but since I can enter it from 3 locations and find myself constantly at its entrance; I figured 'what the heck..?'


For those who've vistited Mammoth your well aware of the rather tame resident elk herd and considering I see and photograph enough wild elk too; I still like these rascals as they're much more cooporative and grant me some nice shots when I need them.


Though somewhat illegal, I couldn't help grabbing my sweet sounding new cow call off the rearview mirror and messing with the two young bulls; geting some neat shots while doing so.


While seeing a dozen lying on the lawn outside the visitor center and a few wayward Italians appproaching to close 'ignoring the signs' is a shot in itself; seeing them meander outside town toward dusk and congregate with their less tame brotherin provided some beautiful scenes and made a rather fruitless fishing trip (due to heavy winds) into one with some salvagable shots for the portfolio.


Night fell sooner than expected and I readied myself to head home...


Just as I snapped my last elk pic, these four noisy things flew overhead to 'wish me well'.


Moe

The Great Bison Migration.....

Happened to end up inside Diamond D Ranch tonight, looking for game after fishing nearby, and came upon a sight I wont soon forget...


While living in Montana you kinda grow used to the site of buffalo grazing along the roadside, yet never before have I seen so many travelling in unison. Even living on Crow Res. with a known herd of over a thousand commonly sighted; didn't compare to this....


While Turner has a 'resident herd' as well; this has got to be over 3,000 I'd guess...?


Another incredible evening in Montana...


Can't get enough of them...


I'm not spoiled yet...


...Not even close...


Nope, life is good for me right now...

...

I knew quitting that silly job was a good idea.


Moe

All Picture Post...

Pretty much sums up the last few days...


Hyalite Reservoir just outside of Bozeman, have taken my new canoe on it 3 times now in evenings and is AMAZINGLY serene and calm, plus caught some nice rainbow too.





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Who says bucks dont spar in velvet huh...?


Went at it for 10 seconds tops, but still pretty neat encounter.


This is the same group that was travelling with the "Dandy Buck" (previous post).

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This however is a different group of whitetail travelling together, pictures a few night later, and I kindly let them cross; so I could get 'a better look-see..?'


Even though I've been holding out for a nice muley since last season, and intend to hunt for one this year too; if this wide fella walked out he'd tempt me for sure; especially with bow in hand...?

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Roadside sculpture off Cottonwood Road...


Headed back to farm.

....

Who needs work anyway....


Moe

Dandy Buck....

I've always thought that was a funny saying...pure country and kinda corny too.
But when I saw this fella I said:"..Now thats a dandy buck"!

I was fly fishing thru the predictable afternoon thunder-storms yesterday along the Gallatin and waited-out two pretty nasty ones on shore complete with viscious lighting; but cared little I'd be struck.
I was confident it would get better once it stopped and it did too. I even saw a double rainbow, but didn't freak out too much. I also, after a few thousand roll-casts, managed to land a couple small rainbows of the fishy type on attractor-patterns; and then grew tired and headed up toward the truck.

....

I'd told myself, and anyone I felt like it recently, that upon quitting my job:
"I was destined to fish every day for the next 30 to 40"; and I intend to keep that promise (...headed out in about an hour here in fact).

....

When I got ready to pullout onto the highway I glanced up onto a slope and saw a group of bucks feeding in the setting sun, then grabbed my binos for a closer look?

"Holy Cow..."!


This was no national park either and a very much hunted group of deer, but in the Summer they let their guard down a bit it seems; and I was able to sneak pretty close for these shots (in soggy waders and felt boots no less).


He was content to just munch away on the grasses at his feet, but in my attempt to get him to raise his head for more pics, my 'grunts' only boogered him up and over the hill instead.

"%#@*"


He was kind enough to stop and give me one last look-see though; and I snapped a final pic of him before heading home.

Yup, another great day here in Montana...cant complain.


Moe

Pheasant Surrogator Update......Second Release..

This is just a brief post about our second hatch of pheasants and the release which took place last Friday August 6th. For more details log into Upland Journal and our Pheasant Surrogator Thread.


I liked this location better than the earlier one as it was down in the river bottom and lots more cover and feed as well as its proximity to the river itself left little doubt they'd find water.


This time we added a feeder close by to where we released them, a step skipped the first time around and might have been a mistake (not sure)?

This feeder doubles as a waterer as well; but due to the rivers' proximity we didnt see the point in hooking it up. The tub shaped feeder is weather proof and provides dry feed for as long as the birds wish to utilize it. However, I'm convinced this thing is designed more for quail as soon the young pheasant wont be able to get underneath it to feed.


The "hopper infestation" is in full swing though and the ground was covered with thousands; so may not be neccessary, but we put it in place just to be on the safe side.


Even though several types of seedlings were planted by the hired-hand, this being the first time the area was tilled under; a wild native sunflower took over and in some places was head high (note: small figure on left is a man walking near river almost completely obscured).


Several birds of various species were flushed while walking it (pheasant/sharps/doves etc); so besides the obvious benefit of vast safety cover; it seems the birds are using it for feed already too.


Since it was downright HOT, we all hopped on four-wheelers to cool off; and cruised the ranch checking out the shelter-belts planted, and looking for elk and antelope.


No elk this time out, but plenty of deer and antelope around and some nice bucks too!


With a storm brewing on the horizon we headed back to the ranch house and called it a day.


..A 'great day' in fact, in beautiful Montana.


Moe