Thanks again, Dave, for sharing your wonderful pictures. Always look forward to your posts!
As stated at the outset of this thread, I have been blessed to have been able to hunt these three ranches totaling some 23,000 acres in three counties for the past 20 years. Currently owned by the 5th generation, the ranches trace their history back to 1858 and are all working cattle ranches. The current owners have concentrated on wildlife management as well, including introduction of the many species of exotics previously shown.
20 years ago, deer season, running from November thru mid January, was my favorite time of year; in later years, not so much.
The rut starts around Christmas and is usually accompanied by heavy fog shrouding the brush almost daily before sunrise, adding to the suspense of what is to soon be revealed.
What was that movement, caught out of the corner of my eye....and then another wave of fog rolls in. Seems like an eternity until it clears enough to tell...and then, as if magically, the fog thins and reveals....
Deer hunting doesn't hold the shine it did back then. My interest slowly shifted to predator hunting and an occasional exotic when the freezer runs low. While the ranches are high fenced, they are large enough and the inner low fences allow all game free range within the outer fences, each species offers slightly different challenges to the hunter, IMO.
Springtime is always announced with the first bloom on the Spanish Daggers dotting the landscape.
Badgers are few and far between, this young pair reluctantly yielded the right of way on a two track. I believe they were siblings, the male, on the left seems to have lost his right eye, the 2nd one was a bit smaller and I believe a female. The male was rather aggressive.
Another, albeit not so welcome sign of spring are the mosquitoes. One evening just before dark, I heard a faint buzzing sound in my electronic ear muffs. First thought it was an electrical buzzing, but looking up, realized a huge swarm of mosquitoes were swarming about 6-8 ft above my head. Didn't realize the flash was not muted on my camera and snapped a picture. It was dusk and the sky was still a dark blue, but the auto focus apparently closed the shutter down resulting in this interesting picture.
Late Summer and fall, the native coyotillo berries ripen, adding some color to the brush country. Coyotillo is poisonous to man or beast, but coyotes seem to be immune to the toxin.
Due to its high toxicity, Coyotillo has little value for wildlife or livestock. Some wildlife will consume the fruit including Coyotes and Chachalacas.
Armadillos also seem to be more active in warmer months.
I love to take Bobcat pictures. A couple of favorites.
Not able to get up to the ranch nearly as much as I once did, but these pictures always put a smile on my face in between trips, as do all the pictures of others' stomping grounds, so ya'll keep them coming!
Regards,
hm
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