Quite Start To Winter

This morning I headed out to my favorite east side gate. Pretty mild day for the first day of winter. Deer and coyote tracks were plentiful. I did see two different sets of moose tracks several miles from each other, both were heading east. With such a mild morning my plan was to sit on a ridge side with hopes that some critter would wander through. It wasn't long before a pileated woodpecker landed a short distance away and started his drumming. No opportunity for a picture. On the hike back to the truck I took another stand on the back side of a small swamp. Nothing happening here either. Oh'well! It was a nice peaceful morning hiking. Jim

Couldn't Help Myself!

With the forecast yesterday I decided to take a vacation day putting a few miles on a favorite eastside gate. The morning was a treat, weather started out overcast then clearing by mid morning. Temperatures climbed into the low fifties. The woods were tracked up pretty well. No shortage of coyotes, that's for sure. My hike took me along a snowshoe trail made earlier in the week. I did see one set of bobcat tracks with many deer tracks. Seeing bobcat tracks is always a highlight to my hikes. Jim

I loaded up the snowshoes and headed over to Gate 43 first thing this morning. The four wheel drive sure got a work out! Was I surprised to see only about half the accumulation of snow we received. Barely enough to snowshoe so I left them in the truck. I enjoy hiking after a snow storm looking for tracks and this morning was no disappointment. Only hiked a hundred yards or so and cut a single deer track that crossed the road earlier in the storm. Two drainage pipes revealed porcupine dens. Crossing the spill way I was pleased to see several otter slides that were made prior to my arrival. The reservoir looked quite with the recent cold snap icing over the shallow coves. The hike back to the truck revealed where a cow and calf moose walked in my foot prints for a short distance on the road. The storm made for a quite peaceful hike Jim