The following footage has some strong language in it. However I think it illustrates that nature can be pretty harsh itself. I think if more people were to witness predators “doing their job” then society might appreciate human hunters more.

While John is pursuing Colorado Pronghorn, he left a few stories that you might find enjoyable. He will be back on the 22nd.

Wanna know why elk hunters get so charged up calling bugling bull elk? Check out this video to see what Bull elk do when their hormonal hysteria comes out in the suburbs.

While John is pursuing Colorado Pronghorn, he left a few stories that you might find enjoyable. He will be back on the 22nd.

Now most people might be surprised that hunters are pretty tender hearted when it comes to young critters.  I don’t know anyone who hunts that wouldn’t smile about this story of an unlikely pair rescued during the fires in Southern California. 

More than likely these young ‘uns will go into a captivity program and not be released into the wild.  The lack of parents and contact with humans would probably be detrimental to their survival in the wild.  But if i am wrong…let me know!

The Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara, CA this year caused these two to take shelter together. The fawn is about 3 days old and the bobcat about 3 weeks.

They immediately bonded and snuggled together under a desk in the Santa Barbara County Dispatch Office for several hours.
Animal Planet is reporting the bobcat kitten was rescued near Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ranch, where it was dehydrated and near death.

They rescued the fawn during the wildfire. Although wild animals, especially of separate species, are never placed together due to regulations, in this emergency situation, they had no choice. During the mayhem of the fire, they were forced to put animals anywhere they could, since they had run out of crates large enough for the fawn. The kitten ran to the fawn, and it was instant bonding.

You don’t think of it much, but the pacific Northwest is home to a number of cougars. In fact Vancouver Island has one of the highest densities of mountain lions that prey on the abumdant deer in the Temperate Rain Forest.
I came across a story about one cat who got a little too close to a popuulated area in Seattle.

SEATTLE – A cougar that prowled through Seattle for about a week and forced the closure of Discovery Park was captured early Sunday.

An enforcement officer tracked the animal after authorities were told the cougar had been spotted Saturday evening.

Tracking dogs chased the cougar up a tree and he was tranquilized.

The 2 1/2-year-old male weighed 140 pounds and is in very good health, Capt. Bill Hebner said.

read the rest of the story at the KREM Channel 2 news website.

A black bear that had become accustomed to being around people and eating human related foods, such as bird seed and garbage, was euthanized by biologists on August 23.

The 10- to 12-year-old female bear had been trapped the previous day after it had shown a total loss of fear of people and had made numerous appearances at cabins in the Mack’s Inn area of Island Park.

The bear began its downward spiral when it was trapped by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks in a campground in the Big Hole area of Montana. It was released in the Northern Centennial Mountains in Montana and worked its way over to Island Park. Numerous reports of the bear amongst human dwellings came in throughout July and August.

On August 13, the bear was positively placed in the Mack’s Inn neighborhood and paid subsequent visits to unprotect trash in the North Fork Subdivision area. On August 22, the bear appeared to become even less afraid of humans and was reported going through bird feeders and getting onto cabin decks in the area.

When bear biologists encountered the animal, it climbed a pine tree. The biologists placed three snares at the base of the tree. When they moved away, the bear climbed down and was caught in one of the snares.

The biologists then tranquilized the bear and placed it in a culvert trailer trap for security and transport. Because the bear was sporting numbered ear tags, biologists were able to establish its history in Montana.

The bear’s current behavior, coupled with its past relocation, meant that few options existed for the bear in the wild. Because it had shown no fear of humans, biologists could not guarantee human safety if the bear were released.

It is clear that repeated exposure to human related food was the reason this bear had to be put to death. Bear management agencies have an ongoing education program in the Island Park area, but it is ultimately the responsibility of individuals in the area to help prevent problems.

To learn more about living with bears visit www.igbconline.org.

In an attempt to salvage some benefit from this situation, the hide from this bear will be used as part of a bear education trailer that is being developed to educate the public about living and recreating safely in bear country.

ASPEN, Colo. – The Colorado Division of Wildlife is investigating a bear attack that injured an Aspen homeowner in her home Monday night. DOW officials are currently attempting to capture the bear in order to euthanize it.

“A person certainly has a right to feel safe in their own home,” said Perry Will, DOW Area Wildlife Manager. “This was an unprovoked attack and, if located, the offending bear will be put down. Bears that break into secured homes and bears that are aggressive towards people are too dangerous to relocate.”

At approximately 10:10 p.m. the woman had gone to the main floor of the home in the western part of the city to work in her home office. As she passed through the entry way of the home, she reported that her small dog began barking frantically and she was suddenly confronted by a large bear. The woman screamed and turned to open the front door to get the bear out of the house, but the bear struck the woman leaving lacerations on her back and chest. The homeowner was able to flee to the upstairs bedroom and call 9-1-1. The bear remained in the home for a short time but left as police responded.

Division of Wildlife officers arrived a short time later and began the efforts to locate the bear. Initial investigation indicates that the bear gained entry to the home by physically forcing open a pair of unlocked French doors. Wildlife officers found no bear attractants around the property that might have guided the offending bear to the location.

Based on the description of the bear and the method of entry, DOW officers believe that the same bear may be responsible for several other home entries and attempted break-ins in the area.

“Most of these cases start with bears getting into a home through an open door or window,” explained Will. “Once they get in and are rewarded by finding food, it is fairly easy for these powerful animals to force their way into other homes in search of food.”

DOW and Aspen officials have been urging area resident to keep doors and windows locked this summer to minimize bear problems in the community. Residents and visitors have also been barraged with a stream of messages about trash, pet food, birdfeeders and other potential bear attractants.

Wildlife officers who have examined area natural food sources are reporting some discouraging findings. The moist spring may have been too moist in some areas and appears to have lead to some plant health issues. Damaged berry crops and localized crop failures have been observed, as has the presence of some form of plant ‘rust’ and some kind of fungus or mold, which impairs productivity. Wildlife officials are reaching out to plant ecologists to determine the cause and extent of damage to natural food sources.

Despite these localized food failures, there do appear to be other areas where berry crops are in good shape; however bears may be spending less time looking for those areas when human food sources are readily available.

In addition, the onset of cooler weather may signal that challenges for residents in bear areas may get worse before they get better, said Kevin Wright, DOW District Wildlife Manager for the Aspen area.

“In the past few days, we’ve seen temperatures dropping during the night,” Wright said. “These cooler temperatures will signal bears to increase their calorie intake and prepare for hibernation.”

As winter approaches, bears are compelled to gorge themselves, a condition known as hyperphagia. During this period bears will feed for approximately 20 hours each day. An average black bear will consume approximately 20,000 calories each day in an effort to put on considerable body fat to survive winter hibernation.

“The Division of Wildlife implores residents in Colorado’s high country take bear precautions seriously,” Will said. “The DOW does not want to put down bears, but we absolutely will if it is required to protect public safety. If everyone helps out by properly securing their trash, keeping doors and windows secure, feeding pets indoors and taking down birdfeeders, it will give bears the incentive to seek out available natural food sources outside of town.”

From the Idaho Fish and game News release:

DNA is a powerful tool.

Preliminary results of saliva from one of the bite marks where a female grizzly bear bit a hunter on June 28 returned a match to a radio-collared grizzly with three cubs.

The hunter was one of three eastern Idaho black bear hunters who got an unpleasant surprise on the morning of June 28 when their hounds surrounded a female grizzly with cubs.

The bear took after the hunters, knocked down Keith Klingler, 38 of Idaho Falls, bit him on the right arm and tossed him around. His brother, Eric Klingler dug his .44-caliber Magnum handgun out of his pack and took a shot at the bear, deliberately firing high to avoid hitting his brother.

He may have missed or only inflicted a flesh wound. A scheduled Idaho Fish and Game grizzly bear monitoring flight in early July in the same area located the collared bear and her three young cubs. All four appeared fine, said Daryl Meints, regional wildlife manager for the Upper Snake Region of Idaho Fish and Game.

Keith Klingler was treated at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg for lacerations to his right arm. He had no other apparent injuries.

The Klingler brothers and Corey Raichart, all three from the Idaho Falls area, were hunting black bears with hounds on Bishop Mountain near Harriman State Park. They released their hounds on a scent, and the dogs soon surrounded what the men thought was a black bear. When they arrived, they quickly realized they had a grizzly.

The hunters reported seeing two cubs with the female grizzly. None of them noticed whether the bear was wearing a radio-collar.

Fish and Game officials will continue weekly monitoring from the air, but they do not plan to track the bear on the ground unless they get a mortality signal. Officials also recommend that anyone heading into the backcountry carry bear spray.

DENVER, Colo. – A 51 year old Denver resident reported that she was attacked by three coyotes while walking her dog near her home on Saturday evening.

The woman, who lives on the 3900 block of S. Oneida, stated that she was crossing the street with her dog, a 75-pound Labrador retriever, when she and her dog were surrounded by three coyotes. The woman reported that when two of the coyotes attacked her dog, she attempted to intervene. She said that when she attempted to defend her pet, she was scratched and bitten by one of the coyotes.

The woman brought her pet to a veterinary hospital and visited Swedish Hospital herself. She was released the same evening.

After being notified about the incident by Colorado State Patrol at 11:00 PM Saturday evening, Colorado Division of Wildlife officers began a search for the animals involved. Searches continued through Sunday evening, but were unsuccessful. DOW officers will continue to work the area to inform residents about the incident and will engage Denver authorities in the effort to address the situation. If the coyotes responsible for the incident can be located, the DOW will remove these animals by lethal means.

“The DOW takes injuries to humans very seriously,” said Liza Hunholz, Area Wildlife Manager for Denver. “We will continue to work with Denver and all other Front Range communities to ensure that all citizens are aware of the presence of coyotes and know how to protect themselves and their pets. Likewise, we will continue to support cities and towns in developing a management plan that meets the needs of their constituents, such as Greenwood Village and Lakewood have done. ”

Last week the DOW hosted city leaders and decision makers at a coyote symposium in Jefferson County to discuss the coyote issue and train representatives on biology, outreach methods, and laws and regulations pertaining to coyotes. Cities and towns across the Front Range were encouraged to work with the DOW to create coyote management plans that meet the needs of their constituents.

Most conflicts between people and coyotes occur when coyotes are able to find food near human residences. Sometimes coyotes find food left out for other wildlife. In other cases, these adaptable predators learn that they can hunt other wildlife and pets that frequent residential neighborhoods. But the result is that when coyotes lose their natural wariness of the human environment, they can become aggressive towards people The DOW strongly discourages feeding of wild animals, including coyotes. In fact, feeding of coyotes and foxes is illegal in urban areas.

If a coyote approaches you:

-Be as Big, Mean, and Loud as possible
-Wave your arms and throw objects at the coyote
Shout in a deep, loud and authoritative voice
-DO NOT RUN or turn your back on the coyote
-Face the coyote and back away slowly
-If attacked, fight back with your fists and feet

The DOW encourages members of the public who encounter an aggressive coyote to immediately call 303-291-7227. If the incident occurs after business hours, contact the Colorado State Patrol (303-239-4501) who will contact a wildlife officer.

To learn more about living with coyotes, visit the DOW web page, at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Mammals/CoyoteCountry.htm

I hunt in some pretty remote places throughout the West and I don’t think I am as wary of cougars as I am in places in my home county where these predators become accustomed to humans.

Just last Weekend, not too far from a state park I frequently run in, TWO cougars confronted Nicole Lentz as she was walking her dog. The lions chased her into a neighbor’s back yard.

“They were trying to get at (my dog) past me. I had my big rain boots on and I was having to hit them” with a leash, she said. “They were raising their paws, they were growling and hissing. They were trying to attack her.”

Lentz said she kicked the more aggressive animal at least five times as she was backing up to get into a neighbor’s back yard.

This is just another example of how banning mountain lion hunting in California has played out as more lions come in conflict with an expanding urban population.

You can read the news story here in the Press Democrat

Farmers, ranchers and hunters all share a common trait of respect for animals.  It is not more evident than when an animal is injured or trapped in a life threatening situation, when their heroic nature comes out.

In a video from the Rocky Mountain Elk foundation, Ron Niziolek filmed such a rescue of a Cow elk who had fallen through the ice and was in freezing water over her back.  The You Tube video is just over six and a half minutes long. 

Much to the rescuer’s dismay the cow is quite unappreciative of the help, and in her panic jumps back in the water.  Eventually they are able to get her out again and hazed away from the hole. 

This isn’t the first time hunters and ranchers have come to the rescue of wildlife.  A rancher in Nevada spotted two bulls with locked antlers  and effected a rescue.