A Home with Roaming Buffalo and Playing Deer

I got to spend another night in the Book Cliffs looking for roaming buffalo...

After I found the bison, I got to play with the deer a little too.



Next I met up with my Peruvian friend that had a late night scare with a bear. He was alone in an old cabin without electricity, a gun, or even a dog. He scrapped together a spear for himself with some baling twine, a fence post, and an old knife and spent a long night sitting alone in the dark waiting to see if the bear was going to come back. We got him a dog, a .30-30, and set a trap just in case the bear did come back. I think he is sleeping a little better now.


Another great trip to the Books.

Dax Likes Racks

I like big racks and I cannot lie.

I spent an awesome night out in the Book Cliffs and saw about 70 different bucks. I also saw all kinds of elk, 3 coyotes, bison, antelope, and a bear eating a dead cow. What a great trip!

The bucks still have a little growing to do, but you can get a pretty good idea of what they are going to look like. I am not just watching for fun this year, my hunt opens on my birthday in about 2.5 months. I can't wait.

Spots

This week while I was hiking down a canyon, I saw a cow elk with her newborn calf. She went around a hill out of sight and the calf laid down. When I came over the hill she ran around trying to divert attention from where her calf was hiding, but I went straight over to the calf. I found him lying in the sagebrush holding perfectly still. He couldn't have been more than a day or two old. After a quick inspection the calf was released and made his way back to his mom. It was a pretty neat morning.

March 14th to April 17th

On March 14 late in the evening I spotted a one-sided 4 point. I watched him for half an hour hoping that he would drop his antler. I finally had to move on, and snapped a photo before leaving.

Fast forward to April 17th when I found myself in the same general area. I knew it was a long shot, but I got out of the truck and walked into the sagebrush where I had seen the lop sided buck over a month earlier. Less than 100 yards from the truck in almost the exact spot I had photographed the buck I found my prize. Most likely it had fallen off right after I left the buck.

(By the way, my daughter has camera induced Turrets Syndrome, whenever a camera appears she goes totally nuts!)

Springtime in the West

Despite the snow storms and freezing weather, I suppose it technically is spring. It would be nice to at least have a little true spring weather before summers heat starts blasting us. I will keep my fingers crossed.


I busted through several snow drifts to get to the top of Little Mountain NE of Vernal and arrived on the top just in time to enjoy a hole in the clouds, affording some really pretty views. The break in the weather didn't last long, and the hole quickly filled back in. I got stuck in a deep snow drift just as the second wave of the storm hit and I got to spend an hour and a half digging my truck out in a blizzard.



I made the trip looking for these little buggers. I didn't find any that day, but went back a couple weeks later and there they were. The status of the Greater Sage Grouse is still under review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and we are still waiting on the decision in regards to a possible endangered species listing.






Funny looking dance, eh?