Invasion of Privacy

I couldn't help feeling a little dirty taking these pictures, but you don't see this everyday so I snapped a couple photos.



Later he stared me down with that "you pervert" look.

Wildlife Management and Common Sense

(I took the first two photos, but the wolf is "borrowed" from National Geographic)



Is "wildlife management" an oxymoron? Often it is more about managing people and politics than it is about the science, the habitat, or the actual animals. After a trip to the Oregon Coast last summer and talking with a US Coast Guard officer about the over abundance of California Sea Lions and the lack of Salmon, it made me think about the similarities to managing wild horses and wolves in the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain States. I stated to wonder if there is anyone out there that has both common sense and the authority to manage wildlife? It seems like the ones with the authority often don't have any common sense (have you listened to Nancy Pelosi lately?), and those with common sense don't have the authority. I am sure that at some point the people involved in the Marine Mammals Protections Act, the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, and the Endangered Species Act had good intentions, but now what is the Road to Hell is paved with?


Sea Lions have few natural predators, and are big critters that do a lot of eating. A bull can weigh 850 pounds and be 8 feet long, it takes a lot of Salmon to keep an animal that big full. There was no commerical Salmon fishing season in Oregon this year. Of course the hard core environmental groups want to place all the blame for low Salmon numbers on historic overfishing, dams, and pollution, which may play a part, but the quantity of Salmon eaten by Sea Lions is rarely brought up by those groups. There were an estimated 50,000 Sea Lions in 1972 when the Marine Mammals Protection Act was passed, and current estimates are in excess of 300,000. I think Sea Lions are neat animals, and would like to see us maintain a healthy and sustainable population of Sea Lions, but do we really need 300,000, especially when some Salmon populations are on a serious decline? Who decides which species is more important than another? Is having 300,000 Sea Lions rather than 150,000 Sea Lions worth the livelihoods of all commercial salmon fishermen in the Northwest? Does it make sense to provide complete and total protection to an unmanaged species that has serious impacts on other species, the ecosystem, and local economies? Where does the common sense come in?


In the interior Western States we face many of the same issues with species like "wild" horses and burros, and wolves. "Wild" horses and burros would be more accurately described as feral. They are not native to the west, and are remnants of escaped domestic horses originally brought to this continent by the Spanish. The arid ecosystems of the west are not adapted to these large eating machines. Large native herbivores like elk, deer, and antelope are ruminants, with 4 chambered stomachs that work in synchrony with microbes to break down cellulose and maximize the nutrition extracted from the grasses, forbs, and shrubs that they eat. Horses and burros do have some mechanisms for extracting nutrition from course feeds, but they are less sophisticated and not as efficient. Because of the differences in their digestive systems, horses have to eat significantly more to extract the same amount of nutrition as a native ruminant. Horses are territorial and aggressive. They will often prevent native animals from using preferred feeding areas and water sources that are so critical in the dry west.


While I find it ecologically hard justify having any feral horses and burros on public lands, it would at least be a little easier to swallow if their populations were managed. If public land and wildlife managers could determine a population objective and manage to that objective through round-ups and/or harvest we could minimize impacts to habitats and other species and still have "wild" horses.


The BLM is proposing a removal of some wild horses near my home. If the removal is not stopped in court, receives the necessary funding, and all the stars align, the BLM will pay thousands to round horses up using a helicopter, place them in expensive temporary corrals, truck them to a holding facility, test them for diseases, hold and feed them for a month awaiting the outcome of the disease testing, and then euthanize the horses. The entire operation will cost millions of dollars and has about as much a chance of happening as I do of winning the lottery. The Federal Government at its efficient best eh? If they would issue permits to the public to allow either the live capture or harvest of a wild horse, the BLM could generate positive income and remove the problem horses. Using hunting as a wildlife management tool is the most effective, efficient, and economic method available. But due to poorly designed policy and misleading advocacy groups any significant change in wild horse and burro management is unlikely.


When the US Fish and Wildlife Service started the Wolf re-introductions in the Northern Rockies they defined a "recovered" wolf population as one containing at least 30 breeding pairs and 300 wolves. Based on the most recent estimates there are an estimated 1,545 wolves and 107 breeding pairs. The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared wolves "recovered" in the Northern Rockies and removed them from the endangered species list turning management over to the respective states where the wolves live. An environmental law firm, Earthjustice, filed suit protesting the delisting and was granted an injunction returning wolves to endangered species protection until after the final outcome of the litigation (which could/will take years). Their lawsuit is based on concerns that limited hunting of wolves could limit genetic exchange between wolf populations. There is no provision for genetic exchange in the Endangered Species Act, and the argument is questionable. Earthjustice shopped around, found a judge sympathetic to their cause, and filed the suit in that court. Now the recommendation of the top wolf researchers and the scientists employed by the Federal Agency specifically charged with using the best science available to monitor wolf populations will be thrown out, and the future of wolf management will be decided by one man that doesn't even have a background in wildlife, biology, or science. How does one man overrule the numbers, the data, the science, and the combined expertise of multiple highly educated professionals? How does this make any sense? Activist judges legislating from the bench, is this a good thing for America? This particular issue transcends the field of wildlife management, and has the potential to affect many aspects of life in our country.

The bottom line is that we need some serious reform to well intentioned environmental laws that have taken on a lives of their own. We have created several monsters in the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammals Protection Act, Wild Horse and Burro Act, National Environmental Protection Act, etc. We can still protect wildlife, plants, and their habitats, but do it in a way that makes more sense. Sure, let's have some seals, some horses, some wolves, but lets manage these species in a way that ensures a sustainable population, and that also takes other factors into consideration and allows for some common sense. Wildlife managers have a proven track record of managing species like black bears and mountain lions in a way that ensures continued survival of the species, and allows for hunters to take some animals to maintain the populations within socially acceptable levels. The North American Conservation Model is unique, and has been proven to work time and time again. Let's let the biologists and scientists define the biological boundaries and limits, and then wildlife managers can work with the public to make additional recommendations. When common sense is part of the equation, Wildlife Management is a win win proposition. The animals and their habitats persist in perpetuity, conflicts with other species and interests are minimized, and the animals are enjoyed by multiple segments of the human population.

Drill Here Drill Now?

Sky high oil prices and lots of pressure to develop domestic energy sources have really had an impact on our nation's economy. The impacts don't stop there. Oil companies have been working at a frantic pace to drill wells and extract the oil and gas available on public lands in certain areas of the west. Oil and gas reserves in parts of WY, UT, CO, and NM have been the target of massive drilling projects. The drilling process, the well pads, the access roads, the traffic, the roughnecks themselves, all have significant impacts on the local economy, the land, and the wildlife. I took some pictures from the air the other day to illustrate how just how intense the impacts from the extraction industry can be in an area.

Maybe the impacts are justified? This is a tough, and touchy subject for a lot of folks. I can understand both sides of the argument. I understand the "drill here drill now" philosophy every time I fill my car up, or pay my natural gas bill. But, I also understand the "stop the drilling" argument every time I drive through (or fly over) a gas field, or look at the downward trends for deer, antelope, and sage grouse populations. Anyhow, here are some recent photos of the affected areas.




Here is a drillig rig in the process of drilling a well. During the drilling, the site turns into a small city that bustles 24/7 until the well is complete.

Here is a compression station along a pipeline in the middle of nowhere, 2.5 hours from the nearest paved road. They spent some extra money painting it in an attempt to make it blend in with natural landscape. I get a kick out of it every time I drive by.

Redemption, Sweet Stinky Redemption!

I don't think I have ever been so happy to have that "unique" antelope smell on my hands as I was this week. After what has been a disappointing fall for hunting, I finally had a little break in my crazy schedule and my bad luck. After striking out on my Idaho antelope hunt, my Utah deer and elk hunts (only hunted 1 day for each of these tags), and not even going on my sage grouse hunt, I had had my fill of tag soup for the year. I was starting to wonder if I had lost my killer instinct, if I still had what it took to put something down? Due to my work and house building schedule I had missed the opener of my WY antelope hunt and had pretty much written off taking a trip to hunt. However, this week we passed our 4-way inspection, and my Dad and I decided that we could steal a couple days and try our luck with our WY antelope tags.

The season had opened clear back on Sept. 10th, but it did run until the end of Oct. so it was still open. I talked with a friend of mine who is the BLM biologist in the area, and he said that due to the weather and time of year most of the antelope had migrated out of our hunting area, but that there might still be a few. He advised us not to be too picky if we saw a mature buck. Well that was all it took, and we loaded up my Mom and Dad's teepee trailer and headed out. After a short 5 hour drive, we set up camp in the dark, and tried to get some sleep waiting to see what the morning would bring.

First thing the next morning we spotted a group of antelope from a high ridge, they were over a mile away, but I could tell there were a couple bucks, and we made a plan to get closer. We closed the distance to about 1/3 of a mile in the truck and then started out on foot. I made my Dad belly crawl over the top of a ridge, and we made it to 204 yards undetected by the antelope. The best buck in the group was still lying down, and I think I surprised my Dad by shooting so quickly once we got into position. No more time for being picky, I was ready to have some success and I didn't mess around. I am really happy with my buck, he has great curl at the end of his horns and was a tough old bugger with some broken teeth, and a bunch of scrapes and scars on his hide.

That night we had some great foil dinners and made a plan for the next day. We had spotted another group of antelope in the afternoon after we brought my buck back to camp, but couldn't get into a good position to make a stalk and we didn't want to force it.

The next morning we saw the group again, but we couldn't get close to them from where we were. We had lunch, and regrouped, deciding to find a different access point to see if we could come in from a different direction and get close enough for a shot. Using landmarks we had committed to memory, we started into the area from the other side, and found the antelope right where we knew they would be. We did some serious belly crawling to get to about 400 yards. We were out of cover, and it was as close as we were going to get. For the second time this trip, we had pulled out a successful stalk, and my Dad was able to shoot his buck in his bed. It took a little convincing to get my Dad to shoot the right one... "Dad, you have got to trust me I have a spotting scope, and I can see that the one on the left is definitely bigger". Eventually he listened to reason and made a great shot at 400+ yards to anchor a speed goat slightly larger than mine.

This hunt was a perfect way to end my hunting for this fall. After some frustration earlier in the year, I was able to go on a hunt with my Dad, enjoy a beautiful area, and both of us notched our tags. I guess sometime you have to taste the bitter to really enjoy the sweet. I may put off washing my camo for a few more days, so I can enjoy the "unique" antelope smell of success just a little longer.

A Disappointing Great Time

If I said it wasn't a great time, I would be lying. If I said I wasn't disappointed, that would also be a lie.

It all started last May, when after finding out that I had not drawn a tag in Utah, Nevada or Colorado (all states where I thought I had a decent shot at drawing), I realized that there were just a few days left to get an application in to Idaho before the deadline. I talked to my friend Mike from Oregon who is crazier about hunting than I am, and he was game to apply. We put in for deer, elk, and on a whim, applied for antelope too. We chose an antelope unit neither of us knew much about, we had heard about the area, and Mike has a friend that lives close, but as far as antelope hunting goes, we would be starting from scratch. There were over 1,500 applicants for 150 tags, and only 5 non Idaho residents drew. Mike and I were 2 of the the 5. We had beaten some daunting draw odds and I assumed we had an awesome hunt in store.

I drove 7 hours from Roosevelt to Grand View, Idaho and after checking all my tires, including the spare, I started out on the 107 mile dirt road to our unit. When I passed the sign that read "You are responsible for search and rescue charges beyond this point, travel at your own risk." I knew that this area was indeed, very remote.

Opening morning found Mike and I starting out under a gorgeous sunrise on the appropriately named "Antelope Ridge". We spotted a nice buck about an hour into the opening morning, but he gave us the slip and disappeared into the endless grasslands. We did manage to find a few antelope later in the day. There were 2 average looking bucks in the group and Mike decided that if he could get to within 500 yards he would take the shot. He sent one warning shot over the top of the bucks back, and anchored him for good on the second shot. We had to quarter and pack the antelope over 1 mile up a hill to get back to the road.

The next two days were much slower than the opening day. Antelope were hard to find. Unlike the typical Wyoming antelope where you spend your time driving around judging animals trying to find one you want to go after, we spend 2 days just trying to find an antelope, any antelope. It was discouraging. One evening just when I was about to give up, we spotted a group of antelope across a large rocky ravine. It was getting dark and I didn't have time to try a stalk that evening, but I knew where I would be first thing the next day.

The next morning at first light I started towards where I had seen the antelope the day before. I found a group of over 20 animals gathered on a hillside above a pond. There were two bucks in the group and while neither of them were huge, they looked respectable.

To get into a good shooting position, I hiked over 3 miles and dropped down to the bottom and back to the top of the rocky ravine. Just as I sneaked over the top of the hill ready to shoot, I saw that the antelope had moved and were only about 20 yards away from me. They were off like a shot, and I never did get an opportunity at either of the bucks. I followed them all day long trying multiple stalks that all were foiled by one thing or another. In the end, they disappeared into a vast yellow sea of grass.

I was out of time, and it just wasn't meant to be. I enjoyed the scenery, the other wildlife, and the company, but I do wish I had seen a few more antelope. I don't know that I will ever apply for an antelope tag for that unit again... but if I ever get a chance to chase deer or elk in the Owyhee Mountains you can count on a return visit.