We arrived back at the sheep pasture this afternoon to find a quiet standoff in progress. Two young bull moose were in the pasture, but the three burros were lined up in a row, forming a border between the sheep herd and the moose. What I love about this photo are the magpies on the …
Author: Cat Urbigkit
No animals were injured in the making of this post
Jim and I tried our own version of Lane’s “tree and flee” today. It’s a sunny mid-20s day, and we caught this coyote out on a playa flat, and took it for a spin to get a few photos. You might have heard of “scope eye,” but has anyone ever heard of “camera eye?” That’s …
Why I carry
I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. It’s rather common public knowledge in my community and the reason why it’s public knowledge is I made it that way. I am not a hunter, but keep guns with me all the time for use on the ranch as needed. I regularly blast at coyotes …
Ring out, wild bells
“Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light: The year is dying in the night;Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. “Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go;Ring out the false, ring in the …
I hate full moons
Surely I’m not the only person who hates full moons. Although beautiful to gaze upon, full moons provide all the light needed for animals to be up and about all night when they should be sleeping (so I can be sleeping). This includes grazing animals like sheep, deer and pronghorn, and all the things that …
Muley ear notches
Saw these two young bucks in the neighborhood today, and was curious that they both have ear notches. The best reason I’ve heard so far is that the bucks do a little scrapping, and ears take a bit of a beating. The notches are not research-related. I’m still open to other theories if anyone has …
Frosty mountain
I don’t usually shoot scenics, but yesterday afternoon’s frost-covered trees with the moon lingering above simply couldn’t be neglected. This photo was taken in the area of western Wyoming known as the Hoback Rim.
Counting blessings
Today, I left the ranch in the wee hours, with the heater blasting in the truck in the -12 degree calm night. I turned up the county road in the dark, and my headlights fell on a white animal in the roadway ahead. It was just the size of a jackrabbit, and that bright white …
Surveying the winter domain
Jim and I drove over to Riverton today to visit with our nephew, Kyle, while he was in town for a few days. This fun young Marine has served in Iraq and in Afghanistan, so talking with him was fascinating. On the way over this morning, we saw this rather photogenic scene of a coyote …
Winter migrants
Today, Jim and I decided to twist off, driving to Mitch’s restaurant in Farson, Wyoming for breakfast, before hitting one of our favorite feed stores (Southwest Wyoming Wool Warehouse) and the grocery store in Rock Springs. It ‘s an 80-mile trip down to get groceries, but when you know the golden eagles that summer in …