Where did I take these pictures?

If you can determine within 250 miles of where I took these pictures, you could win a photograph. One of these or any photo that Clint has taken. All you have to do is send an e-mail to me at circlebbart@nemont.net and tell me where I took these pictures. We will recognize the winner and let them choose a photograph for the best answer. As you examine these 5 pictures you need to look at not only the subject but the surrounding area before you make an entry. The water, the landscape, and the potential area's. This is the first picture. It is a mallard duck, prim and proper. If you think a close up will help in your decision process, double click on the image for a close-up view.

As I had completed taking a series of photographs, this being my favorite, I was fortunate to capture this guy as he tried to evade my camera. However, I was ready and I got him as he tried to escape. Yes, I was lucky, but this picture is as much a function of my new camera as it is the photographer. Luck enters the equation as well. Where do you suppose I was standing when I took this.



Do you have an idea where I took these pictures? Perhaps a picture of his girl friend and her surroundings will give you a hint. Does the color of the water give you a clue. It's too early for her to be on a nest or have ducklings, it's more like mating season.

Okay, the next picture is a Meadowlark. It was taken the same day as I took the photographs of the mallards. It is quite obvious that this bird was sitting on a barbed wire fence, of which we have none on our property. Here's perhaps another hint, the Western Meadowlark is the state bird of 6 different states in the west. Could I have been in Oregon, maybe Kansas, or do you think maybe Nebraska, you say that is too far away, perhaps North Dakota, or Wyoming. The sixth state is Montana, but where you would find mallard ducks with the surroundings that you have seen in these pictures in Montana.

Well, I did have a lucky day wherever I was. Just as I had finished taking the pictures, the bird took off and I got it in the air.

Now, study the 5 pictures carefully and send an e-mail with you best guess.

It wasn't spring in Yellowstone

We headed for Chico Hot Springs and Yellowstone National Park on March 30th. Had a heavy snow in Chico the evening of the 30th, a lot of snow was still on the ground when we got to the park on the 31st. After bragging about spring was on it's way a few days ago, I should have realized that April Fools day was coming up soon and that winter wasn't over yet. Well, as we entered the park, we saw this big elk, it looked funny. Yes, it was missing it's antlers, this was probably one of the guys that we had seen on our last trip, but he sure looked different. Notice where the antlers are normally affixed to the skull. The antlers will start growing at the rate of 1 1/2 inches per day, and it will not be long before this guy looks like an impressive male again.
Before we left, guess what we saw. Not one but two guys still sporting their finest. I'm sure it will not be long before these are gone as well, but for now, he's got bragging rights.

If you have been reading about the wolves in Lamar Valley, you will not be surprised that Rick McIntyre and and wolf watchers were within a couple miles of Mammoth Hot Springs, not in the valley that once sported 37 wolves. Competition destroyed part of the numbers and now the mange was about to eliminate them completely. I'm sure, as fertile a hunting ground as Lamar has been, it will not be long before some new blood enters to establish a name for themselves. But in the meanwhile, guess who has taken over. As we drove thru Lamar, we saw no wolves but we did see several coyotes and then we saw a fox.

Yes, in their favorite spot on top of a rise near the Soda Butte was a group of Big Horn sheep. They are still in the lower parts of the park until spring returns the lush pastures to the higher elevations. If you look back on the blog, you will see a picture of only the horns of a Big Horn. This time I got the whole thing.

The best was saved for last. The male elk are losing their pride and joy. The females are waiting for spring and the birth of their calves. This one happened to find a new friend who it appeared was ahead of the rest, getting the winter house cleaning done early. The magpie had comfortably rested on the neck and head of this female elk and while I was taking this photograph I noticed the magpie had found something in the fur of the elk that it was enjoying. Those bugs probably wished they had left earlier, as the magpie was having a feast.

Instead of going back to Yellowstone on April Fool's day, we headed home early, as winter was for sure taking over. Snow, windy, and cold. Not a good day for prospecting or enjoying the park.

We did see a bear who was out of hibernation and plenty of bison.

Sure signs of spring in Montana

As you drive down the roads of rural Montana at this time of the year, it's a sure thing that you will start seeing young calves in the pastures with their mothers. We will probably still be seeing day old calves at least until May, but the pastures are getting full and the calves are a sure sign.

Several days ago, I started hearing a pounding noise on our bay windows, at first I thought it was one of the dogs scratching or gnawing on something. Then I followed the noise to one of our large picture windows to discover a robin flying into the window. He could have been telling me they had returned for the spring and summer but experience tells me he saw a reflective image in the window and was either attacking it or trying to get in the house. Here he is in a resting position before his next attack.
The other site driving down the roads are herds of deer. You will see in this photograph that the girls have accumulated around the "man of the hills". You should also note that there is only one of these guys with the antlers. For now this is his harem, and you better not mess with his women.
There are calves, birds returning from their winter habitat, the female deers have selected a mate to share with their lady friends and there are many other critters starting to show up. If they have been around, they have found a warm comfortable place to stay, not to far from food, but now that it's getting warm and the snow is about gone, they are venturing out. This one was walking down the middle of the Grove Creek Road as I headed home the other day. I gave him a wide berth and waited for him to realize that I needed to get past him before I proceeded home.

As the days are getting longer and daylight savings time means it's darker later, we know that there will be at least another snow and that summer is next.

Sharing

Sharing is an important part of our life and life's experiences. When its cold and snowy in Montana there is not a lot of vegetation for the animals to eat. The rancher takes hay to his livestock but ignores the wildlife. This pony is sharing and the 2 deer I am sure appreciate the opportunity. Everybodys happy.

It started when grandson John saw my ostrich cowboy boots, if he could have figured out how to take them off my feet and put them on his, I would have lost a pair of boots. Later, I was holding him and you can tell he was not only intrigued by my hat but he also wanted to be a cowboy. I decided to share just like the pony and the deer.

Grandpa did share, what a happy boy. The fit could have been better but the expression on John's face tells it all. For those of you who follow our blog, you may remember about 6 weeks ago John had his tongue out as a result of unhappiness. I didn't want to see the tongue, and look what I got. He's coming to Montana this summer. I'll have to find him a pony to ride and perhaps we can find a baby deer in the pasture.

Kenya had a great day, look what she found

We spotted Kenya running down the lane toward the house after our morning walk. She seemed in a happy mood and was moving at quite a rapid pace. We noticed something strange, take a look closely and see if you see what we saw. I agree, you probably can't see what's unique, in fact, I had to look several times after Marty told me what she had seen. The real question will be not what it is or where she got it but how it became hooked on her dog blanket under her neck.


If you still haven't figured it out, it is a bone from most likely a deer carcass, most likely a front leg and from the joint there are 2 bones that have created a hook that is lapped over the top of the dog blanket under her neck. Whether she was rolling on the carcass or the bone, it was most likely the way it got bound on the blanket.

This may be the best angle to see the bone. Barlo was either not interested or had been told by Kenya to stay away from her bone. Ultimately, when Marty took off the blanket the bone was deposited in the trash barrell. But that was just the morning scenario. We took them for an afternoon walk towards the mountains, turned around at the gate at the Johnson place and as we started back towards the house, guess what. Kenya had found another prize.

It was obvious what she had found this time. It was the remains of the head, neck, and some of the pelt of a deer. Whether the morning find was related to this part, we will never know. The close up will give you a better perspective of this prize.

Kenya was ultimately asked to drop her prize. With much chagrin, she relented, Marty grabbed her collar and I tossed her token into a field with a good fence so that she could not return to the scene of the capture. Whether it's old age or a predator, these carcasses are not rare and a dog on the loose is always attracted to the parts that remain.

The Ohio State University Judging Teams

March 5, 2012 was a very special occassion for the 1959, 1984, 1999, and 2009 Livestock and Meat Judging Teams from The Ohio State University. It was the 50th Anniversary for the '59 teams of which I was a member. For most of us, it was one of the few times we had been together since being on the team and graduating from the University. Six of the seven members of our team were present as well as our coach, Dr. Tom Merritt. After a wonderful dinner, each of the teams was introduced by their coach and then each member of the team had the opportunity to make comments relative to their experience on the team, their relationship with members of the team, and a quick overview of their career. The members of the '59 Livestock Judging Team in this picture are (from left to right): Coach Dr. Tom Merritt, Carlos Wolfe, Clint Teegardin, George Wallace, Dr. Doug Hulme, Charles Hara, Bob Sutherly, and Bob Howser.

During the course of the evening as the various members of the teams were introduced you learned that the vast majority were or had been associated with agriculture. A significant number related their experience on the judging teams and how those disciplines played a role in advancing their careers. The most evident change over the past 50 years was the percentage of women on the teams had grown and in some cases in the most recent years, there were more females on the teams than men.

Dr. Merritt proudly reminded us and those in attendance that our team had placed 2nd out of 50 teams at the International Livestock Show which was held in Chicago at that time. That was the final of eight contests of which we participated in the fall of 1959 having traveled as far east as Springfield, Massachusetts, as far west as Kansas City.

We had all attended Dr. Merritt's judging course in the spring of 1959. During the summer we traveled to a number of large beef cattle, swine, and sheep breeders to practice our skills that we learned in class and participated in the contests in the fall. Each contest had 12 classes of livestock. We had to rank the animals in each class and then in the afternoon, we had to appear in front of the expert for each of 8 classes and tell them why we ranked the animals as we did on our score cards. These presentations were made extemporaneously without the aid of notes.

It was a proud moment for each of us in attendance as well as our wives and family who also attended.

John Robert Houser, I'm sorry

I traveled to Columbus, Ohio the weekend of February 19th for my grandson's baptism. I just received a picture from his mother and my daughter, Jennifer that she said reflects his feelings about all of the pictures I took and that he hasn't seen or heard mention of from the blog. John, Grandpa Clint is sorry and I will try to get you in a good mood before I arrive in Columbus again this weekend.
I did go to the church and I did take a picture during the ceremony when your mother, dad, Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Elizabeth were with you. This was when you were in a good mood. I will not share the pictures I took when you were pouting.
We did have a good time, if was fun being with you, and I'm sure you will approve of this picture that I took soon after you had eaten and you were in a great mood. I am putting this on the blog in black and white as that is your mothers favorite colors of recent family pictures. Hope you enjoy it. As I looked at your picture, you remind me of your Grandfather Houser.
We look forward to your trip to Montana in June. We will have several horses awaiting your arrival and if you're interested you may want to join your mother for a ride. You can start choosing which one is your favorite.

Could it be Star who is standing alone, posing for you?

Or it could be Tex, the white mare, or Star's brother Doc or his sister Sapphire.

And as the song goes, we'll see you in Montana, with that sparkle in your eyes.

Go to the July 29th post on the blog to see John soon after he was born.

Another winner in the family

We travel back to Boulder, Colorado to celebrate the winners of the Mile High Meltdown. Yes, in Colorado at this time of the year, it's hockey. Peter Teegardin has been playing hockey for a number of years, and this time his team was undefeated in the Championship Series.

Grandpa is delinquent as he wanted to get to Boulder during the season to take some new pictures of Petey on the ice. The picture of the team, taken shortly after their final win is shown here.
Peter is the third person from the left on the front row. His team colors are still orange, white, and black, which is what they were were I took these pictures.

Congratulations Peter.

If you want to see a larger picture of Petey's team, DOUBLE CLICK on the photograph.

A few more pictures from Yellowstone

As we drove toward Gardiner, next to the Yellowstone River, we stopped to take a picture of an eagle sitting in a tree. Before we continued to the park, I spotted this view of the Yellowstone River. Although it was cold, the water is flowing at a brisk enough rate, it is not completely frozen.
and the eagle, he's next. As we passed this location each day, I continued to look for the eagle, but he didn't return.
and speaking of birds, we saw several crows assembled in an area. Looked like they were eating something. When I got home and could magnify the picture, it was eating. Not too appetizing but an interesting picture.
and then there were the antelope or pronghorns as they are also called. We normally see them on the interstate on the way to and from Livingston. Occassionally they are near northwest entrance to the park. This day they were waiting for us.
By the time we next return, the bears may be coming out of hibernation and we should see some of the next generation of several of the species.

Another day in the Lamar Valley

There is never a lack of bison in the Lamar Valley, it's just deciding if you have enough pictures of them or if there is a unique image that you haven't captured. We were near Soda Butte and Marty was walking our 2 great dane dogs when I spotted this guy across the valley on the ridge foraging in the snow. I took several shots and was pleased with the results when I got home. This is good enough that it can now be found in art gallery's.
Not far down the road were more bison, this time they were close to the road so I decided to get a close up of one of the guys.
This time of the year, the Big Horn sheep come out of the mountains primarily to find food. I typically find them in the area around Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner, but on this day we were 30 miles east and here was a big brute on the side of the hill attempting to feed himself.
The wolves were only in range of spotting scopes. In addition, Rich McIntyre, one of the wolf specialists in Yellowstone had put up signs asking tourists not to stop in an area where the wolves cross the road. This is typically done to not inhibit the movement of the wolves from their feeding area to their dens in the hills to the north of Lamar. But there were some smaller 4 legged canines in the area. This one I tracked for several miles. . . . . .
and finally, I found another coyote, this time I went for a close up.
One more round of photographs from this trip will appear soon.

Cervius Canadensis

Most of your are wondering what is the significance of these 2 words. It represents the species of moose, elk, and deer. When Marty and I visited Yellowstone National Park las week we saw lots of elk, some deer, and no moose. As we entered the park at Mammoth Hot Springs, Marty suggested we travel to the top of the "hot springs" to see if there might be some elk. After traveling as far as we could, (the road south was closed for the winter), we turned the car around and look what we saw.
These ladies were very content, sitting on the top of the hill, but there was one that looked quite attractive, as if she were posing for me. I did not wait, focused my camera and took several pictures, this is the one I saved.
We then headed east toward Cooke City to see if the boys were around their normal hang out which is usually about 5 to 7 miles from Mammoth Hot Springs. No one was there, in fact we didn't see anything of interest or near enough to the road until we were almost ready to turn around. It was a Big Horn sheep, you'll see him on the next post. We started our return and we did see a bull elk, but he wasn't posing and we went on to Chico for a great dinner.

The next day, we headed toward the "hot spot" again for the boys, and we found them. Not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4. Three of them were lined up as if they knew we were coming to take their photograph.

The 4th one was near by, still grazing on what was available. He was also doing all kinds of antics, face in the snow, scratching his head with his hind hoof, butting the ground with his rack, and then he stood still for this photograph.

He eventually must have either got tired or was full and decided to rest. I focused on his antlers as I felt he had just a beautiful rack. Looked like a trophy to me. I am not good enough at comparing pictures and antlers but I am suspicious that this may have been the bull elk that I photographed over 2 years ago.

Day one was the girls, day two was the boys, and after we left the park, Marty wanted to drive to Jardine, mostly a ghost town about 5 miles outside of Gardiner high in the mountains. We were almost back to town, when on the top of the horizon we saw this deer. It posed until I could get this photograph.
Come back again soon as we will see more wildlife from our trip to Yellowstone.

Super Saturday for Barlo

Marty and I left for our daily walk through the pastures with Kenya and Barlo today. We decided to head toward the Grove Creek and see if the "wise ole owl" was in it's home in the old tree trunk. Unfortunately it was not there, but the dogs did cross the creek with us and were soon off on a venture of their own. I had noticed a few days ago that there was a carcass in the nearby field and Kenya was off to check out the bones and Barlo found the hide close by. We called, asking them to join us as we returned to the house. It was a difficult task to get them to come, and as they arrived we noticed that Barlo had claimed the hide as his own. It was too cold to have my camera with me, but this is what we saw coming through the bushes down by the creek.
This is all that we saw for the 1/2 mile trip back to the house. Usually, Barlo is lagging behind with Kenya in the lead. Not today, Barlo was proud of his trophy and was in a hurry to get to the house. Marty and I suspected that he probably had a place near the house or barn where he wanted to hide his hide. For a dog that has been crippled for the last year, he was moving at a very rapid pace and showed no signs of his debilitation. When we all got in the yard, Barlo got to examine his prize.
As you can see, it was quite large, in fact the hide and the bone pile looked like the deer was at least as large as Barlo. This was his and it wasn't until later that we realized how special it was to him. However, dogs have a language of their own, and you can tell by this next picture that Kenya was curious but knew this was not hers to share.
Now it was time for Barlo to determine if there were any morsels still attached to the hide. Sure enough there were and he was having a very enjoyable time until Marty observed his actions. Her direction was to take the hide away from him. I mentioned that it wasn't fair, especially after all of the work it took for him to get it to the house.
Marty approached Barlo to take his prize to the barn, so that later in the day, he could re-visit his trophy and at least she would have some indication by then if the snacks he was enjoying would have created a disturbance in his stomach. As she approached him, she discovered from the loud growl that it was off limits to her as well. Ultimately, Marty prevailed and the hide was taken to the barn while Barlo entered the house for a nap.

WHAT A HAPPY DOG HE IS TODAY