Moose Droppings

Jim Cole has spoken with reporters on what happened last week when he was mauled by a sow grizzly in the back country of Yellowstone. Jim surprised the sow and the cub when he crested a hill and they surprised him. He was not photographing at the time and had no opportunity to grab his pepper spray before the bear was on him.

“He does remember topping a ridge in Hayden Valley, near the Trout Creek area,” Sanders said. He said Cole reported that the bear “came out of nowhere.”
The bear struck Cole in the face and besides knocking out the left eye, the animal seriously damaged facial bones and skin, Sanders said.
“His recollection was that the bear hit him like putty,” he said.

Mr. Cole was lucky to survive the attack; the bear left him after the initial swath that struck his head knocking one of his eyes out of his socket among other injuries. Somehow Mr. Cole was able to hike the 3 miles out to get help. Mr. Cole is recovering in the hospital after surgery to reinstall his eye.

As one who has a lot of interest in wildlife photography I’m always mindful of my subject as well as the surrounding area. Photographing a grizzly in the wild is exciting and can be dangerous if one is not careful. For most people they associate the danger a bear can present and it’s not unusual to see people giving a bear its space. What is more dangerous and under estimated by the general public is big species that seem somewhat docile like moose. A few years back I was up in Alaska and talked with a ranger that told me far more people are hurt in the park from moose attacks and more specifically cow moose attacks then from bears. No matter the critter your photographing you must keep your own safety and that of others around you in mind as you observe and photograph.

We hope Mr. Cole a speedy and full recovery so he can return to wildlife photographing soon.

SR.Com

I hope everyone takes a moment today and reflects on the great sacrifices that have been made by many on our behalf’s to keep us free. There are many that are in harms way today while we enjoy the start of the summer. Please take a moment and pray for their safety and to bless their families who await their safe return.
Here are some war memorial sites I’ve photographed in the last year or so.

War Memorial Cross in San Diego that an atheist has been fighting to have it removed.

Gettysburg

Well it was one year ago today I joined a much smaller Skinny Moose Media blog network and Wow have things grown. If you’ll indulge my ramblings I’d like to reflect back on the journey of how I got to be a blogger and some of the people who have had influence on me whether they knew it or not.

First off all of us who enjoy the Internet owe a deep debt of gratitude to the man who invented it for us; Al Gore.

But moving on I can’t go that far back and thank everyone.

The first outdoor blog I ever recall reading is the Outdoor Pressroom a Drudge Report for everything outdoors. J. R Absher has been blogging since 1999 and has been a resource for bloggers and outdoor writers across the country. I read his blog daily and often get ideas for stories from all the links he provides. J.R. is an inspiration to many of us and his blog certainly encouraged me to start Moosedroppings. J.R. has recently started a new blog on the Outdoor Life site called the Newshound that you should check out.

Mike over at Heartland Outdoorsman helped me get my first blog up and running and that was the start of Moosedroppings. I learned a lot and was part of a network that gave me opportunity to learn from other bloggers as well. Moosedroppings was hosted on Heartland Outdoorsman for about 6 months and I learned a lot. Mike over at Heartland has some great resources and his site is also well worth checking out.

During this time I’d became friends with the Remington’s out of Maine and their Black Bear Blog. The Black Bear Blog is a premium publication on the net and a great read on the happenings in the great outdoors. Tom & Steve have a vision for an outdoor media company that I believe will make them a household name in many outdoor families that share the traditional American values that time spent in the great outdoors foster a wholesome life. I’m proud to be one of the first bloggers to join the Skinny Moose Network and have had the pleasure of watching this place grow. A year ago there was less then 10 blogs in the network and now it’s closing in on 30.

There is countless other people who have given me stories and tips, encouragement, links to my blog, and all kinds of support. I want to Thank You as well.

What does the future hold? I think it looks bright Moose Droppings will hopefully get even better in the next year. I just started a new blog Blind Ambitions recently with my good friend Billy who I’ve had the pleasure of chasing a wide variety of creatures across this country with. Blind Ambitions is primarily a Waterfowl and Dog Training blog so check that one out. I also plan to launch a new blog in a few weeks to showcase more of my photography another hobby that I’m really enjoying.
To the Sponsors and Advertisers Thank You for placing your Ads here and covering the expenses an endeavor like this takes.
Finally I want to Thank each and everyone of my readers I’m grateful that you all stop by and check my site out. Your comments and emails mean a lot to me.

Thank You

Hungry bears looking for food are entering neighborhoods and are encountering dogs. The attacks on the dogs are not to eat them but a response to protect the cubs. In both situations the attacks were provoked by the dogs and it involved sows protecting cubs. I did a post on the earlier situation with some links to information so people could reduce the encounters. With the does dropping fawns right now hopefully some venison veal will help reduce these encounters as bears move on to a food source that was unaffected by the late spring freeze.

WRAL

Amazon Link

Jim Cole wildlife photographer and Author was mauled for the second time in his life and has a history of getting close (maybe to close) and was cited by park rangers in the past for this behavior. Park Rangers at Yellowstone are investigating the latest mauling that happened in the back country of Yellowstone. Mr. Cole after the mauling by a sow with a cub was able to hike 3 miles out to get help. He was latter air lifted to a hospital in Idaho for severe facial injuries but is in stable condition.

One mauling in a lifetime I would think is more then enough never mind two. At this point we don’t know if Jim Cole was at fault in this attack but photographers need to be careful when working with any wild animal and follow ethical guidelines;

Environmental: knowledge of subject and place
• Learn patterns of animal behavior–know when not to interfere with animals’ life cycles.
• Respect the routine needs of animals–remember that others will attempt to photograph them, too.
• Use appropriate lenses to photograph wild animals–if an animal shows stress, move back and use a longer lens.
• Acquaint yourself with the fragility of the ecosystem–stay on trails that are intended to lessen impact.

Nature Photographer Ethics

Even amateur photographers and wildlife observers need to follow these guidelines, it’s amazing how often I observe people approaching creatures within the parks like they are pets or domestic animals instead of respecting them as wildlife.

Any of the photographs I take I use a long lenses and any close ups are the result of the animal approaching me and not the other way around.

Photos I took in Alaska

Well if you’re looking to get a head start on planning out your vacation time around hunting season here is the list. Technically it’s not official until it comes out in the regulation manual in June or July but I’m sure these are pretty firm dates. The other big news is that a note has been added to the wild boar season saying that in the 94 counties not listed the Wildlife Commission does not regulate them. While that is good news there is certainly still some confusion in regards to manner of taking that maybe the full digest when published may cover.

A typical spring morning as I watch a rabbit feeding on the clover in my backyard with little fear because rabbit season has been long over or is it?
Well at least for humans it has but like small game all over the list of predators is long and every day is a struggle to survive. Just the other day I caught a glimpse of the red shoulder hawk zipping across my backyard and hardly a day goes by that I don’t see someone’s house cat stalking in my yard. Most of them have learned that they are unwelcome intruders in my yard and at the first sound of the door opening they are gone. If you’re a cat owner you really need to keep your cat home because they are a predator and do prey on birds and other small game. Check out the Bird Advocate blog to see I’m not the only one concerned about the impact of free ranging cats.

I occasionally catch a quick glimpse of the grey fox that wanders through looking for a furry happy meal and either cat or rabbit will do. I’ve yet to see the coyote in my yard but I often hear them at night so I know they do pass through.

The odds seemed stack against the rabbit and yet they continue to survive. It’s not unusual that by fall I no longer see rabbits on the lawn. The question is did they get wiped out or did they find a place to feed with a little more protection?

I have a brush pile in the back corner of the property that I add brush to each year and I take no action to kill the clover in the lawn that the rabbits like to feed on small steps to keep the circle of life going. I guess if small game can survive in a hostile environment like my backyard imagine how good it could do on your hunting land if you take some small steps.

Provide Cover, food and predator control and you can have a great place to hunt small game. Quail Unlimited and National Wild Turkey Federation have some great resources and many of the steps you take to help those species will also be a boost to other small game.

There is no doubt that the Wilmington NC Section of the state is a great water sports location. The Star News has done a wonderful article about the wide variety of things to do in the great outdoors in that part of the state. Myself I prefer the mountains but I can’t really argue with their article. Check it out and who knows you might run into me one weekend this summer fishing in the surf.

Late last week the US House attached wording to the defense bill that bars the Navy from building the OLF in Washington and Beaufort Counties in North Carolina and sent this on to the US Senate. This is great news and a good first step. If this language remains in the bill that is eventually sent to the President and he signs it into law then the Pocosin Wildlife Refuge will continue as a refuge for many important creatures.

This is not the victory we seek but a very good step towards it. Other issues that have not been discussed are the lands that the Navy has already taken. I certainly hope that any land will be returned to the families who owned it for many generations.

Other Stories I’ve done on OLF

Photo Courtesy of NC Wildlife

Spring is here and the does are dropping fawns. This time of year it’s not unusual for people to find fawns and not see the doe around please do not handle the fawns because most of these fawns are not lost. Does hide fawns to keep them away from predators and will latter return for them.

During May and June, people see fawns left alone and assume they have been abandoned by the doe. But whitetails are a “hider” species, meaning the female will conceal her fawn in vegetation during the first two or three weeks of its life while she feeds.
Dappled and lacking scent, fawns are well-camouflaged and usually remain undetected by predators. The doe returns to the fawn several times a day to nurse and clean it, staying only a few minutes each time before leaving again to seek food.
But fawns are far from helpless. By the time a fawn is five days old it can outrun a human. At three to six weeks of age, it can escape most predators. Although they may continue to nurse for another four to six months, fawns are functionally weaned by about 10 weeks, eating vegetation and other browse.
Unless a fawn is in imminent danger — suffering an injury, for example, or being attacked by dogs — the best decision is to leave it alone. If you are concerned about the fawn, leave the area and check back the next day. If the fawn is in the same location when you return the following day and is bleating loudly, or if a fawn is lying beside a dead doe (usually at the side of a roadway), do not take the fawn into possession. Instead, contact the Wildlife Resources Commission at (919) 707-0040 for the telephone number of a local permitted fawn rehabilitator.

So leave them Be

Photo Courtesy of NC Wildlife

North Carolina Wildlife Commission has announced that John Davinson of Clayton has set the state record for channel cat at 16lbs. John caught this cat in the Roanoke River last month.

Davinson, of Clayton, caught his record-breaker on April 19, using a Shimano rod and reel combo and a golden shiner minnow. The fish measured 32½” in length and 19½” in girth.
The fish was weighed on certified scales at Atlas Fish Market in Roanoke Rapids and was verified as a new state record by Kirk Rundle, a fishery biologist with the Commission.

Congratulations John on a fine catch. If your interested in getting your name in the record book or seeing who has a particular record you can go here to get more information.

I came across a great article at Popphoto about setting up a natural area in your yard to shoot wildlife photography.

When you ask where to shoot wildlife photography, thoughts of refuges, preserves, sanctuaries and National Parks often come to mind…
All is not lost, though — for many a wildlife refuge is closer than you may think.
I have discovered that I can easily shoot wildlife by stepping out my back door. Granted, I may not have a Bald Eagle perch on one of my oak trees or have a Great Blue Heron wade through the grass, but it’s not uncommon to find a vibrant red Cardinal perched in a tree or a squirrels smiling for the camera in my own backyard.

I try to do this as much as I can and I really need to work on improving the landscape to get some better photos. The benefits of being able to shoot wildlife photography in your own backyard are many;
• Good practice
• More opportunity to shoot
• Convenience
• Ease of patterning wildlife
• More control on others messing up your shot

Here are a few of the photos I’ve shot in my backyard and with some of the tips in this article hopefully I’ll have many more and some even better ones.