Author: Cat Urbigkit
Off duty
Vega heads back to Pete’s sheep herd this weekend, south of the Great Divide Basin, near Wyoming’s border with Colorado. She has weaned her babes and here they are, taking over the house. Since Jim has named them after his siblings, he likes reporting that “Bill pooped on the floor, and Laurie ran through it.” …
Bitterly cold
When a winter storm hit Tuesday morning, mule deer came pouring down the migration trail from the mountains, crossing what has become a very famous migration bottleneck, Trapper’s Point outside of Pinedale, Wyoming. Here’s a group of deer traversing the bottleneck between two rivers and crossing U.S. Highway 191. It is -32 degrees this morning …
Big Sandy country
It’s beautiful fall days like this one that showcase why I love Wyoming.
Fence collisions and sage grouse
Making headlines across the West of late is a two-page preliminary report issued by a Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist noting that barbed wire fences pose a collision hazard to Greater Sage Grouse. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to meet its court-ordered February deadline to determine if sage grouse should be …
A Thanksgiving story
Petey was born late, the last of the lambs to be born this year. All the other lambs were older and bigger, and the small babe struggled to stay caught up with the herd – but she did. When she was about two months old, a bear entered the pasture where the herd was grazing …
Too big for the foxhole
Problem: Large dog, small culvert. I guess some times you just need a smaller dog. Who knew?
Ear notches
I am surprised at how many mule deer I see with notched ears, including this young buck Jim and I encountered today. Theories anyone?I love seeing mule deer at this time of year. The does look so absolutely feminine, and the swollen-necked bucks so masculine.
They’re back …
The migrating goldens are starting to make their way back into western Wyoming for the winter. I’m very glad.
Five weeks
My warped husband has decided to name Vega’s three livestock guardian dog pups after his siblings, Bill, Mikey and Laurie. This is Laurie visiting with Rena. Rena loves playing with the pups, now that Vega has decided Rena can be trusted with them. Laurie’s big feet and big muzzle are typical guardian dog charateristics. Five …