Let's visit on the Porch II (Westby: nearby, advice, train)

[MTSilvertip]

Originally Posted by Montana Griz

Effects of this past winter's snowfall here in the Bitterroot:
.....At my particular location, I had more snowfall than I've had since the winter of 1996-97.........thus resulting in more moisture retention in the ground around my place. As of a couple of days ago, I was told by one of the guys with the F&G Dept., that at one of the recording locations in the Bitterroot mountains west of my location, 180% of the average for the last 30 yrs was recorded!!! I'm hoping that with (this much greater moisture in the ground) and the forth coming warmer weather & temps, I'll have a good "crop" of the wild asparagus, choke-cherries and volunteer rhubarb that are on my place. Having Fred Burr Creek on the place is a wonderful God-given advantage.......it sure draws the wildlife and the birds.

Wildlife surprises:

.....Just about 10 days ago, I had (5) Spike Bull Elk come through about 75 yards from the house and hung around for about 45minutes grazing on the new spring grasses... What surprised me was that all five still had their antlers....I'm thinking that the severe winter may have had some effect on them "dropping" their antlers about 3 weeks later that normal.

And last, Thanks to those that agree with MtSilvertip, Elk and me regarding our feelings concerning "growth in general, development in areas that were wildlife habitat, industry moving in from out-of-state AND moving(and transferring) THEIR people in from out of state, and limit the damaging effect of out-of-state influence, money, political connections etc,etc" ........... As previously stated, I witnessed it happen in CO (just check the population increases alone in places like Boulder & Boulder County, Denver, Ft Collins and Colo Springs) , and it is happening here-----but at a slower pace. On a scale of 10, IMHO we are at a "4 or 5" right now.

To those who do not agree..................you are welcome to your opinion(s)............and if you are wondering about me being a transplant from Colorado almost 40 years ago: consider the following:.....
.....I bought (on contract through a local bank) 14 ac that WERE NOT being used in ANY agricultural operation.
.....I bought ALL my building materials from local sources.
..... ALL the people that I hired (subcontractors) to help build my house were from the Bitterroot and/or immediate area.
.....I rented local housing to live in while I built my home.
.....The only "thing" of value (other than our personal effects & household items) that I brought from CO was 1 of 3 horses we had in CO.,...a 20 yr old mare that ended up living to age 32.....and I hired a LOCAL fenceing man (from Stevi) to fence my land with 4100 feet of 5 strand SMOOTH wire, to protect my horse and the local wildlife.
.... I went back to work (after 11 months) with the same (out-of-state), company that I worked for previously. My job entailed traveling throughout the Rocky Mt west, AK, & BC, working with various companies on projects in the mining, timber & power industries...........I mention these details so that it is obvious that I DID NOT TAKE A JOB FROM SOME MONTANA RESIDENT.

Thus I feel that my move to Montana was (and still is) of benefit to the local economy and to Ravalli County in general.

...........Your mileage may vary!!

Hey Griz,

There is still snow on South Hills outside of Helena, the Elkhorns are still really white and it's low, so there was plenty of snow up there.
I will be looking for the wild aspar..asparag...aisper.. that dang green stuff too. Know where there is a nice patch close to where I live.

My gooseberries and the wild currents are coming on strong too. I'm hoping to get some arrowleaf balsamroot for making biscuits if I can get up there before the roots get too skinny.

Wild nettles will be sprouting before too long, much better than spinach. Whole new season starting!!.

Not sure why the elk wouldn't have dropped their antlers, except I know spikes sometimes have to knock them off their first year. When the new growth comes in it itches so when they scratch the spikes get left in the dust.
Doesn't happen to every spike bull, but being raised in an area and my mother was from Jardine so we spent a lot of time surrounded by elk, I have seen it happen, but never 5 in one bunch with that problem.

One last note...
Don't worry about your bonifides, for character reference from a 5th generation Montanan, as far as I'm concerned, you were born Montanan, it just took a little time to find your way home.

[Reziac]

About the only thing that's leafed out around here is the wild raspberries. Already blooming, too. They must like a little spring frostbite.

[Threerun]

We're getting the truck camper ready for a trip to dog trials near Billings. My 14mo 'puppy' Schnitzel is doing a natural ability test. I'm sure he'll be the biggest puppy there. He's a German Shorthair and only weighs 85lbs, lol.

He's a big boy. And he's a good bird dog to boot!

You know- I'll never be able to call myself a 'native' Montanan, however I'm not upset to call myself a West Virginian (and should have been by birth). I'm very proud of that. Mountaineers are very proud people and very supportive of kin, and very supportive of folks that move in and become home in the hills..

But I live here now and if you don't like it- you're probably itching for a fight.

[Reziac]

Heh, puny little runt, for sure Got any pics of the boy on point?

Do good on the natural ability test!!

[ElkHunter]

A friend of mine was studying to be a Taxadermist. At one point, while hiking in the Wilderness area, he found an Eagle that was dead. He got ahold of Game and Fish and took them to the spot. It was determined that it died of natural causes. He filed all the appropriate paperwork and got to keep the Eagle. He mounted it, spread, with it's claws on a rabit. The wingspan was well over 6 feet. This Eagle stood on top of his TV in the livingroom.

Fast forward a few years when he got into bird hunting and started raising and training a "German Shorthair." He had a beautiful kennel built along side of his house and he was very dedicated with his training. One day, he had the back door open to get some air through the house. One of his young Shorhairs, snuck into his house. Destal was napping in his easy chair. He awoke to find the German Shorthair, at point with the Eagle. He eased out of his chair and slipped down the hallway to get his camera. You know, it was just too cute not to capture on film.

Never leave a new pup, in training, to his own devices. The pup thought that he had waited long enough for somebody to shoot the damn thing, so he attacked the bird. It was shreaded before Destal could get out there to stop it.

Wasn't the dogs fault, and Destal knew it.

[Reziac]

The moral is, keep your camera with your dog.

[Threerun]

Or teach your dog to take a selfie.

[ElkHunter]

First time this year. I think it's going to be a wild one, the girls are pretty sassy.

Going to harness up and take the girls for a run. Should be exciting as the girls haven't been out for a stroll since back in November and then it was a short one. I'll get pictures, I always do.

The colt will turn 2 this month. I've been out there petting on her, scratching her neck and feeding her carrots. I don't care what she's doing, or where she is at, when I call her, she comes trotting over to me. Mike has been putting a saddle and bridle on her every now and then, and then just leading her around. Absolutely no arguement from her with the saddle on her. She has not been ridden yet and within the next week or so, Mike is going to do that. I really want to, but I'm thinking the doctors would frown on it, profusely.

I haven't ridden a horse since July 4, 1975. I was on the Navy Rodeo Team and we road Camp Pendelton, up in Oregon on the 4th of July. I drew a horse called Flat Top for Saddlebronc and made that ride. I drew a horse called Heal Duster for bareback. I didn't complete that one. I drew a bull and I can't remember his name, because I never even got on him. Heal Duster piled me up about 15 ft out of the chute and then stepped on me. I broke 5 vertabrae in my neck. They put me in a horse collar with turn buckles on the sides. Then they wrenched those turn buckles and screwed them up to stretch my neck and hold it in place. I wore that horse collar for almost 6 months before they let me go to a soft collar. At the time, the doctor told me that I should never crawl on a horse again. I haven't. Here's the funny part. I had just severed a 90 day stretch in Viet Nam. I broke my neck on the 4th of July and I was supposed to deploy for Viet Nam on the 10th. I figured, aw hell, this got me out of that. Wrong. I still deployed on the 10th and was envolved in the evacuation of Viet Nam in September of that year. I spent Christmas in Hong Kong, New Years in KeeLung Taiwan. Christmas I still had the heavy horse collar on, New Years I only had the soft collar on. I was able to finally remove the collar when I got back to the states, in June. It was a pretty intense 11 month cruise to the orient.

I still have all my rodeo gear. When I was still married, every now and then I'd bring my bag out and soap up my riggin. I'd be cleaning it up, minding my own business and all of a sudden, WHACK! The old lady slapped me in the back of the head and said, "Put it up." I did. Well, last year I handed the bag to my son. In it is my bareback riggin and my bull rope, 2 right handed gloves with latigo, my resin pouch, saddle soap, my bareback pad, and my spurs that I hand made while going to school for Machine Tool Technology in 1972. My son has got it out a couple times, cleaned it up, and then put it away. He uses the spurs every time he rides his horse, but the rest of the gear hasn't been used yet. One of these days.....

But I'd sure like to break that colt, it's been a long time.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Threerun

Or teach your dog to take a selfie.

Isn't there a law against self-incrimination?

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Two nights ago I heard a single critter howling, over across the river from Clarkston and somewhat to the north.
It was not a coyote.
There are no dogs over there, nor much of anything else.

Ain't just me. Neighbor heard it too. And she says she saw one up on the ridge about 5 miles south of here, couple days ago, right at dawn. It weren't no dog. It weren't no coyote.