Summertime Coulee Hike

As I mentioned in my previous post for Thankful Thursday, my good friends Steven and Jessica came to visit us for about four days. I've been friends with Steven since the first day of seventh grade when we were seated next to each other in Mr. Renz' homeroom class. I was in the upper left-hand corner because that's where last names beginning with A always start. Mr. Renz had taken his alphabetical order backwards behind me, so that meant that the start of the next column was Steven, last initial D. We both had a quirky sense of humor, nonjudgmental attitudes, and discovered many similar interests. We were fast friends and remained such throughout high school, going to college at Iowa State, and even beyond. It meant a lot to me that Steven and his wife Jessica (whom I had met and gotten to know in college at ISU as well) wanted to come to the farm for a visit. 

They were here over the Fourth of July. We spent part of the day in Havre at the community BBQ, and at the brew pub, then watched the rain and hail storm for our own version of fireworks. The next day was cool and muddy but we still managed to take a four-wheeler tour of some of the pastures and see the cows. 

The day after that, it was sunny and ideal at about 72 degrees with not much wind. Perfect day to get outside for some hiking! At Jeff's suggestion, we drove up to the coulees north of Tom's house. We had several possibilities in mind for places to go, but Jeff thought this would be the most accessible. Other routes would probably be too muddy. This turned out to be just perfect. We spent a few hours all together, with Harvey, exploring the coulee banks and looking for fossils. 

Jeff, Steven, Harvey and Jessica at the beginning of the hike.

 The coulees are like a big "badlands" area north of where we live, right along the Canadian border. They're like really big, sandy ravines created by wind and water erosion. The erosion exposes the many layers of earth and history. It's neat to see a slice of time right before your eyes.

Harvey, taking a pause in the action.

 Harvey had a really great time in the coulees. There were lots of small animals and creatures for him to hunt and chase, which he really enjoyed. He ran up, down, and all around while we humans putzed and hunted for fossils. He chased several rabbits and birds, but also tracked a mule deer fawn. We were only half-watching him, but he made quite a ruckus when he pounced on the fawn's hiding spot and then tried to chase him up the side of the coulee. The fawn was really, really young. We called Harvey off the chase and thank goodness he listened because I'm not sure that fawn knew what Harvey could have done to him! Needless to say, after all the excitement, Harvey was TIRED by the end of the day.

One of the layers in the coulee bank houses pre-historic fossils of dinosaur bones. There is actually an active archaeological dig site not far from our house where they're unearthing some sort of duck-billed dinosaur skeleton, which is pretty dang cool. We looked for a few bones and other fossils of our own. Here's an example of a partially exposed bone.

We forgot our archaeology tools at home (ha!) so we used a stick to scrape away some of the soil housing this bone.

Oiselle Flyte Longsleeve Tee in Pop looking fantastic against a bright blue sky!

I think dinosaur bones and other fossils are cool, but what I find most impressive about the coulees are the vistas and the drama of the landscape. It's always a surprise that they could exist here, where the rest of the land is so, so flat. You can drive right up to the edge of a coulee in some places and still not see it until it unfolds beneath you. 

Looking back toward the pickup on Fox Crossing in Kennedy Coulee.

Here's an example of another bone we found in the dirt. I thought I was really onto something big when I saw this sticking out. Again, we used small sticks to dig it out and then once we freed it we all decided it was most definitely not a dinosaur bone, but probably that of a cow that had washed into the bank and become buried. I decided surely it must at least be an old buffalo bone instead of a boring old cow tibia or something. So yeah, I found a bison bone, relic of the days when Native Americans roamed the plains. That's my story.

Dinosaur, Bison, or Bovine bone?
You be the judge. ;)

Thanks again to Steven and Jessica for coming to visit! We hope we can head to Seattle to see you guys soon!

Hunting on the HiLine 2014, Volume 4: Week Of Hunting

Last week was the week of hunting around here! Jeff's friend Jeremy (remember him from This Post?) was here for the whole week. He's easy to host and fun to have around. Then, Jeff's Uncle Collin and Aunt Patsy arrived on Sunday and left on Wednesday, also for hunting purposes. They were staying with Tom and Carol, but we all got together in the evenings for meals.

Time was spent in the Lost River Wildlife Management Area and surrounding environs (again, read the post I linked to above for more info) and also in the Sweetgrass Hills, as the two primary hunting areas, with some excursions around old-standby coulees, too.

Because I was at work during the day, I did not go along on any of the hunting day-trips. Thankfully, Jeff shared some of his photos with me, so that's what we'll post on the blog this time, along with some info that Jeff did share with me about how the hunts went.

This photo (above) was from the hike into the Sweetgrass Hills. It had snowed a bit overnight, which typically means it's easier to spot elk. This particular view is looking back from the Hills to the surrounding flat-land. Pretty cool how the Hills just sort of rise up out of the prairie.

They guys actually did spot a group of elk right away, but were unable to take one home with them.

That's Jeff's Uncle Collin looking back at us.

Even though they day resulted in not bringing an elk out of the mountains after all, it sounded like everyone really enjoyed the hiking, as evidenced by the enthusiastic retelling of the day's events over dinner. Jeff said he learned a lot about what to do next time, and also that he just enjoyed being outdoors. He also said that it was cool to see the headwaters of Sage Creek, which is the creek that runs through our family farm, providing fresh drinking water most of the year to our cow herd.

At the bottom of this ravine is a very thin beginning of a creek, fed from a spring.
Thus, Sage Creek is born!

Much of the rest of the week for Jeff and Jeremy was spent driving around some of their usual haunts, looking for deer and elk. They did a lot of driving and A LOT of hiking in the coulees and along the Milk River. By the end of the week, Jeff and Jeremy had reached a number of conclusions about the deer population this year.

First, it appears as though the deer numbers are not actually less, as some around here have said, they're just spending their time in different places. With so much CRP having been taken out in recent years, it makes sense that the deer would seek different places to bed in safety. Namely, the coulee banks and ravines. Jeff is thinking they spend their day in the coulees, then feed on the flat lands at night.

Second, for some reason, there does not appear to be as many large deer in our area this year. Jeff and Jeremy spent significant time surveying the scene, and the deer that Jeff eventually shot on the last day of their hunting week was one of the largest they saw all week.

So, with that all being said, if you're planning on hunting in this area this year, remember two things: You're probably going to have to hike, and you're probably not going to shoot a record buck this year.

Jeff with this year's buck.
Not a record by any means, but not bad given what they saw in our area this year.

Hunting season is not over yet, so there's still time for Jeff to shoot an elk. Jeremy and his wife are coming up again in a few weeks, and they'll be looking for deer still, too. And, on top of all that, we have hardly taken Harvey out bird hunting, either! So, stay tuned for more Hunting on the HiLine updates as the fall hunting season continues!

Hunting on the HiLine: 2012 Edition, Vol. 2

Once again it has been a while since I have posted a blog update.  Same old excuse- we have been busy! This post is going to be about hunting season. Read on...

Sun setting behind the Sweetgrass Hills

Hunting season in Hill County ended Thanksgiving weekend.  The last two weeks of the season where chaotic in our area, due to the last minute scramble to shoot a deer.  Further complicating the situation, neighboring Liberty County's season ended two weeks earlier than ours in Hill County, so many people from Liberty County drove over to western Hill County to take another shot, so to speak.  

The influx of vehicles driving around scouting deer was pretty incredible.  Our normally quiet north country roads were seeing quite a bit of traffic.  Jeff advised me to wear hunter's orange if I went out for a walk.  I found this a bit disconcerting and opted instead to walk indoors on the treadmill.  Nevertheless, when I was out in our farm yard, on more than one occasion I could hear shots fired nearby. 

Fox Crossing, in one of the biggest coulees around.
I think this is where Jeff originally shot the deer.

Jeff spent most of deer season guiding friends and family members.  I accompanied on a few occasions when I knew there would be hiking involved.  One deer in particular we spent quite a bit of time tracking.  The deer had been shot- Jeff watched him fall. But, when he began walking toward the deer, it got up and began walking again, and Jeff lost him.  Jeff, our two friends, and I went back after lunch that day and regained the trail of the deer.  We tracked his hoof-prints and blood spatters through the scattered snow from the bottom of one coulee, up out onto a flat, and down, then up the next coulee.  The deer had labored over two miles, climbing steep coulee banks on his escape, after having been shot. 

On our tracking expedition, we spotted a porcupine in a tree.
I didn't know they would hang out in trees and bushes.

After a while, we lost the trail.  While tracking the deer, we noticed another hunting party nearby.  We theorize they shot, and ultimately harvested for themselves, the deer Jeff had originally shot.  

Despite not harvesting that deer ourselves, I think we all enjoyed the tracking process. In hunting, we are no longer simply observers of nature, but participants.  Humans become predators- we must use all our senses to find the prey we week.  For me, the greatest enjoyment in hunting is found in participating in the ecosystem.  The most enjoyable and most effective way to hunt, especially around here, is to get out of the pickup and hike.  Deer reside in places where pickups simply cannot gain access. It is exciting to be on the trail of a deer, whether following a live buck, or tracking one who has been shot and has wandered.

Hunting On the Hi Line: 2012 Edition, Vol.1

A Hunting We Will Go...

On fall weekends we are not in Bozeman cheering on our favorite (Number 2 in the Nation!!) college football team, we are home, hosting hunters.  This past weekend was no exception.  We had one couple staying at our house, which, in this season, I like to refer to as The Hunting Lodge. We also had another couple friends join us this past Saturday for a day hunt.

Hard to see in this photo, but we spied an owl perched in the upper window of this shed.

Friday, Jeff's buddy got a pretty nice  buck.  Regrettably, I didn't get any photos that day because I forgot to charge my camera prior to the outing. All the same, it was a nice, big mule deer buck with chocolate antlers scoring 161 in the Boone & Crockett system.  Admittedly, I didn't even know there were different ways to score bucks, but apparently their are. In this case, a score of 161 is a pretty nice buck.

That day it was the four of us: me, Jeff, Mike and Ashley. We parked at the rim of a coulee and almost immediately spied this beast of a deer, and then spooked him away.  Jeff, being a fairly experienced guide, planned a hike wherein we would walk in the coulee bottom for a while and make a loop back towards the pickup.  Jeff thought the deer probably had not gone too far away, and in the end would be likely to be back where we found him.

We embarked on our hike.  It was a damp, cool day, but with little wind.  It was mild enough that with moderately fast hiking, we stayed warm enough. In the coulee, we saw piles and piles of deer.  I have not been hiking with Jeff for more than just a few years, but this was certainly the most deer I had yet seen while walking in a coulee. Jeff agrees that the deer numbers seem to be up a bit this year.

Eventually, we neared the completion of our loop and closed back in on the pickup.  As we got closer, that first big buck was spotted again- pretty near where we had first seen him.  Mike took him down.  It took us quite a while to locate him, but once we did, everyone was happy and surprised at how big he actually was.  I think Jeff was most pleased with the fact that his guiding skills were correct and that he still hasn't "lost" a deer once it had been shot. We both were also very happy Mike got such a nice deer- his biggest so far in his hunting career.

The next day, Jeremy and Jacynta joined us.  The number of vehicles carrying hunters driving through the north country was a little overwhelming, being a Saturday.  We found it difficult to find a good place to park that wasn't already overrun with hunters.  Eventually, we settled on a short, flat hike through an area Jeff and I frequently see a lot of deer. Right as we neared the end of our loop and were about to head back to the pickup, Mike and Jeff spotted some pretty nice deer, and the hunt was on.

Jeff, Jeremy and Jacynta taking aim on some deer.

 We spent quite some time scoping what looked like a pretty nice buck.  In the end, shots were taken, but it turned out the animal was further away than he appeared. He'll live to see another day.

Sunday morning, Jeff, Mike, Ashley, and I took our dogs on a bird hunt through a creek bed area.  The dogs did great and were a great team together. Harvey stalked and pointed birds and Skip, Mike and Ashley's Golden Retriever, brought them back to us.  It was the first sunny day we had in a while, and with no fog and no wind.  Quite a nice day we had.

We saw quite a few birds, but only harvest two Hungarian Partridge, or "Huns." We are off to Bozeman again this upcoming weekend, but should be home the following weekend, and already with plans to host Jeremy and Jacynta.  Somewhere in between guiding and hiking with friends, Jeff will likely get a deer for himself.  

As for me, last season was my trial grounds. My year of discovery, if you will.  My conclusion is that I have no moral qualms with hunting, and I have found that in the moment an animal is harvested, I don't feel sad for it, like I thought I would originally.  However, I just don't feel the need to take a shot myself. What I like most about hunting is two things: 1) Spending time enjoying the great outdoors, and 2) Spending time with Jeff doing something he truly loves to do.  

Until next time, when A Hunting We Will Go, again!

Hunting on the Hi Line: Part 4

And just like that, hunting season was over.

Well, technically, there's still several weeks or more left, but Jeff and his pal both shot as many deer as they wanted to over the weekend.  I guess the rest of the tags they didn't fill will go unused-- tag soup.  I will have to contribute my antelope buck tack to that mix as well.

I could have tried harder or been more insistent about hunting my antelope buck, but I spent most of the season this year just trying to figure out if I even cared to hunt at all.  I think ultimately what I enjoy about hunting the most is simply hiking outdoors and enjoying nature with friends and family.  Maybe next year I'll be able to give hunting the full effort anything deserves when trying it for the first time and actually shoot an animal.  We shall see...

Photos from this weekend below.

This is the buck Jeff shot.  Not a huge rack, but the deer had a huge body.

When you shoot a deer in the bottom of a coulee, you have to drag it up and out of the coulee...
The guys had control of the deer and I carried both their packs and weapons. 

Sun setting, silhouetting the Sweetgrass Hills. 

In the bottom of a coulee.

Deer running along the coulee ridge top.

The coulees are otherwordly in my opinion.

Hunting on the HiLine: Part 3

Many of you have emailed me or commented wondering whatever happened to my antelope tag... Well, first I have to apologize.  I misinformed you all.  I thought the tag expired last weekend, but it turns out I have one more week!  I didn't end up going out on Sunday.  I value sleeping in quite a bit, so I didn't get up early in the morning with Jeff and his buddy, and Jeff had to do work in the afternoon (Yes, farmers still do work during hunting season!)

So as of now, the plan is to hunt and hike pretty hard this coming weekend.  I have told Jeff that I will try to fill my tag.  He has a "monster buck" antelope picked out that I know he would love me to shoot.  We have joked that a nice big antelope head mount would make a lovely Christmas gift to my parents... ;)  The saga continues!

In addition to Jeff's buddy coming up from Bozeman to hunt this past weekend, Jeff's cousin was here as well.  She is interested in learning to hunt ethically and safely and Jeff was a great guide.

Sunday night Jeff and I and his parents were invited to a dinner party in Rudyard. It was hosted by some friends of Tom and Carol in honor of the hunting guests they were hosting.  Seems like around here everyone loves a party and also everyone is very inclusive.

There has been some discussion that perhaps too many licenses are being awarded to this area.  Jeff feels our area is being over hunted and I think it bothers him some to see so many people hunting our otherwise sparsely populated area.  What's more, deer numbers are down this year anyway, but it seems as though numbers of hunters are up.  For people who are harvesting animals solely for food purposes this may not be a big deal.  If you only care about meat, you probably don't want a trophy buck anyway, and I have been told that whitetail meat tastes better.  However, with numbers of animals being down, especially for mule deer, it's probably time for Fish and Game to reevaluate the distribution of tags it awards.

Anyway.  Here's some photos from the hike I took with Jeff and his cousin through the coulees, looking for deer.  The lighting is not great, but I think you will get a sense of what the coulees are like around here.

We were well within bow range of a llama. 

Looking into a large coulee from the road. 

Our descent into the coulee.  Jeff, followed by his cousin. 

We startled these deer up and out of the coulee. 

We never did fill any tags, but it was a great hike all the same.
Here are some swallow nests built into the mud wall of the coulee. 

A fossilized item, probably petrified wood.  

A perfect perch for the nest of a large bird. Eagle? Hawk?

Looking toward another coulee, around sunset.