Too Many Wolves?

As much as I've been in the woods, I've never seen a wolf.  So I was happy to receive one to process. He was taken on Hungarian Ridge near Idaho City, ID by a local hunter.
I was amazed at the size of the teeth and jaws of the animal.  His jaw opened at least ten inches and his large canine teeth were equipped to tear into any  prey.
Wolves have always killed to eat.  It's the way nature intended.  However, why more wolves were brought from Canada and introduced into our elk herds in Idaho is open to question.
The number of game taken by man can be controlled through established territories, length of seasons and the number of hunting licenses issued.  No restrictions can be put on wolves who must eat all year. As a result,  the game has dwindled and the wolves must now be killed.
Nature has a method of taking care of her own.  When men tamper with her authority, somebody loses.  In this case, it seems it is the wolves.

Montana's Story

When the blogs were read to my first-grade grand daughter, she wanted to add her own. The results warmed my heart.  I hope you enjoy it, too.Punctuation was added and spelling corrected in places, but that's all.

"Hi.  my name is Montana and I have a dog named spike and a dog named rocky and Casey.  And I have a cat named patches and another cat named little fellow and a horse named popcorn and I come and I visit all the time.  I visit not just my dog, but my grandpa.  Now you see that I don't just visit.  I be me and I be loved, and you be you. Bye."

Is There Gold In Them Thar Hills?

Yes, gold fever has struck again in Idaho's Boise Basin.  Beginning in 1863, more gold was taken from here than from Alaska's gold rush. When it was over it was over, leaving behind a rich history and towns that thrive on tourism.  Then the price of gold skyrocketed, bringing out entrepreneurs who put their hearts into their work in hopes of striking big.
Or are the entreprenurs more like fishermen?  When fishing, if the fish don't bite you change bait.  If that doesn't work you move to another hole.  And so they dig, using their various machines, then move to new locations with a new plan of attack. There is gold here.That's a fact. It's a matter of finding an economical way to extract it.
If gold is found again in quantity, the world will know about it.  Until then, winter snows will cover the ground, and we'll wait for a shiny, yellow spring.

Should Kittens Grow Into Cats?

I like cats that are good hunters.  I have some, and our neighborhood is full of them, so the hay-pile tarp remains free of mice and moles. But next door the female Manx (cats without tails) had kittens, and among them was a calico female.  Female Manx are excellent hunters and so are calicos so I saw no reason not to add another good hunter to the neighborhood.  Besides that, my grand daughter would be thrilled with a new kitten.
When we brought the little thing home, I sat in the living room admiring the eight ounce ball of yellow, black, and white fluff as she jumped and pounced on nothing in particular. I saw her hunting potential and I knew that as she grew shed' be just the hunter I had hoped for. At the same time, my little grand daughter visited us, carried her around the neighborhood all day, thrilled, as I had imagined, with her new baby kitten.
Two weeks later my grand daughter visited again . She leaped out of the car and ran for the kitten who was playing in the yard.  Then she ran to me with the kitten in her arms, fighting back tears. Wailing with desperation in her voice she said, "Grandpa, my kitten grew!" 
She somehow thought her gift of a baby kitten would remain as she first laid eyes on it.  I saw the kitten hunting as a grown cat.  And the kitten? It would probably grow as kittens do and turn into the cat it wanted to be without advice from either of us.
 I

The Smartest Elk In Idaho

     Just before the city limits of Boise, Idaho a ranch is still intact. On the east end is a housing development, but on the west end cows and horses graze and eat hay, and the bulls do the same across the road.  It's a pleasant respite before entering the busyness of the city, but most important is the sight of a large bull elk that has taken up residence with the bulls. Usually only his antlers are seen as he lies back away from the road to chew his cud. Some people say that something is wrong with him, that he doesn't have the instincts of a wild animal.  I say he's super smart - so smart that he has become a media star in the Boise newspaper, on television, and with hundreds of photographers.  He leaves during mating season to do his bit to ensure the continuation of the elk herds in Idaho, and then he returns to his life of ease.
     The ranch was chosen for a huge subdivision with a shopping mall to susatain the subdivision population.  Then the economy turned.  Without that situation, the ranch, the cows, the bulls, and the bull elk would be gone. It seems that no matter how bad things get, there is always something in every situation to bring enjoyment, if only for a little while.

Boys And Horses

Three 20-year-old boys arrived the other day to pick up their horses for an eleven-day hunting trip.  They'd be camped out and they were dressed in their western best.  Only one of them had been a cowboy all his life, the others were learning and eager to be in that class. Their eyes sparkled in anticipation of the trip. They looked like young gun slingers who were about to head for Dodge to root out the bad guys.  Not an unusual scene, perhaps.  But the two who hadn't been cowboys were, in the past, young men in trouble, headed for a life of problems.  It was their introduction to horses that changed things. There is something about working with animals that can give a purpose to those who have none - young and old alike. Maybe that's one reason our ties with the old west are so strong. 

The Morning Routine

It's morning now and the day's routine has begun. The three big dogs who have had their morning milk ( a habit that started I don't know where and can't seem to be broken) are stretched out at my feet. The cats have been called outside after their breakfast, so I assume the mice have run for cover. The rooster next door is repetively crowing so the world will know he's on the job in the henhouse. The sheep are blatting now and the mule is honking, It's time to step into the cold to finish the morning's duties. All is well on the north side of Idaho City.