Where have the deer gone?

Last year during this time there was thousands of deer along the lake on the east shore.  No one could understand where they all came from.  There wasn't even any snow to push them down.  My personal opinion was that they could sense the record winter that was on the way.  A lot of other wildlife acted strangely also.  Well, I was at North Eden last week and this is what was there.  A pencil buck with a few does and fawns.  Maybe this winter won't be so bad or they all winter killed last year.

The wife is gone

You know it is interesting.  As an independent individual who rarely lets anyone know what he is doing or where he is going I have realized that I like to have Doreen keeping track of me.  When I slip out, do something maybe I shouldn't do or just be me it is not near as fun when no one is keeping track of me. I have all of these illusions of what I can do but when it comes to doing iut I lose interest.   I hate to admit it but I must be domesticated,  The only one that is truly happy is Maggie who gets to lay in the living room when I am around.  She still sleeps outside at night.  I miss you Doreen,

Left in the cold

I am sort of depressed today.  I thought that I would have plenty of time to take the mower off the tractor and put the snow blower on.  Well that did not happen.  Saturady came with snow and wind.  Mike and I had a great weekend planned with hunting and fishing that all went up in smake with the weather.  We still had a great weekend.  My place is a 1000 feet above Bear Lake we we got the 18 inches of snow and the lake got a skiff,  The blower is finally on and the deck is clear.  What a bummer.  I have lived here long enough to know that this snow is here for the duration.  La Nina is positioned in the Pacific so batten down the hatches, a long winter is coming.  It would be a little easier if Doreen was here to be depressed with me but she and Audrey and Ashley are in Aruba soaking up the sun.  Good for them, bad for me.

What Has Happened to It?

It is an erie morning for me.  The weather is perfect and the air is still.  Not a sound, no traffic.  I never thought I would see this day come.  Ever since I can remember I have waited, anxiously for this day each year.  I read about what I should do, prepared myself and my equipment for the event and visualized success.  During my years as a warden, it meant a weekend of work, hundreds of  miles on rough roads in the hills, talking to lots of armed people.  I enjoyed the excitement of it all.  But around here it seems to be over.  No sounds of shots in the surrounding mountains, no people in red fluorescent clothing, no antlers exposed in the back if pickup trucks.  It is the opening of the 2011 deer hunt.  To see a deer is rare, a buck even rarer.  If you do see any, they will be in a subdivision.  The biologists don't know where they went.  The old excuses like winter range destruction, predators, weather, chronic wasting disease or anything else don't answer the question.  The kids are probably playing with their phones as the old man desperately scans the hills.  At least the family could get together and ride OHV's and drink beer.  That will end next year when the DWR breaks up the state into micro units.  Then, even if you own private ground with some deer, you can't hunt it unless you draw out on it.  But for the hunters with big money, there will always be a place for you to buy a deer if you have enough $$.  Apparently, commercialization of wildlife is legal if the State does it.  It is over.  Thanks Utah Wildlife Resources.  

Age and Birthdays

Today, since it is my birthday, I am going to talk about myself.  I was born after WWII to an Australian bride and Navy man who went back to Australia, married her an brought her to farm in Utah.  I vaguely remember birthdays as a child, don't remember my 21st birthday and since that time they have come yearly and uneventfully but in my mind I didn't age.  I remained in my early twenties acting the part for years and years.  People around me said I should grow up and I said "look how old I am now".  I thought I could do anything and was on the edge more times than not.  I never purposely exercised for exercise sake but have always be active since I can't stand to sit still.  At the time, the years seemed to pass slowly until I watched my kids grow up.  The passage of time accelerated then and I realized everything was changing but my perception of myself,  What seemed to be a couple of years ago turned into twenty year ago.  All of my old friends started to look old, but not me, or so I thought.  I could still work hard but I don't get as much accomplished as I thought I should have.  I now read obituaries and wonder why do so many people die my age.  Then I look at the "rockers" who abused their bodies beyond belief are still going .  I have been lucky.  I have peered at deathmany times but have never been in a hospital.  I guess it is because I still think I am 22 in my mind even though my carcass is 63 today.  I hope to die old in years but young at heart.

"Fish On!"

Typically August is a slow month for fishing at Bear Lake.  There will be a few guys out dragging downrigger balls around the lake seeing fish but not catching them.  This year has been different.  I started hearing reports about of couple of the Laketown boys catching some nice Mack off the east side.  Then some of the boats out of the marina started doing the same thing but with a mix of cutthroat.  Talk is one thing but seeing is reality and I have seen some great catches of fish along with stories that are almost unbelievable.  So what is happening?  Since I have not seen any of the fisheries data (I have asked) collected by DWR I don't know what they are seeing.  I suspect that the high water and productive inflow have something to do with it.  Maybe the zooplankton have bounced up or the record warm temperatures of the lake have speeded things up but one thing is for sure.  If you want to catch big fish trolling now is the time to do it.

Scourge of the Marina

You know, I can't believe it.  Everyone professes to to be environmentally sensitive.  "We love nature and the way organisms relate to each other" they profess.  They spend hours watching the Discovery channel to become more educated.  Unfortunately there is one amazing insect that creates fear and an instant desire to kill.  Is it aggressive, dangerous or harmful?  No, it is simply an arachnid with many eyes, long legs and the ability to create capture devices out of micro thin silk that are beautiful to behold.  Covered with dew the webs are a subject for photographers and artists.  These highly evolved insects silently wait for their prey to come to them.  Just like I do when I put out decoys to attract ducks and geese.  They don't eat our kids, dogs or cats, only those annoying bugs that try to fly in our eyes and nose.  Everyone thinks they will be bitten but few actually are.  Far fewer with than with dogs and cats.

A marina is a perfect place to be a spider unless you are on some paranoid boat owners vessel.  The light attract the bugs and the spider capture them and relieve them of their bodily fluids for a quick death.  The Cisco Kids take a broom and destroy their creations, customers will not get in a boat with webs and if one shows up unexpectedly the shrieks of horror make me think that a murder is occurring.  I ask them why they are afraid of spiders and all I get is that that they have long legs and are creepy.  I am sure I could hold a spider in my finger and drive them into the lake out of fear, especially Whit.  Sarah even gave up her cell phone to the lake other than to face one of these horrible creatures.

Let's face it, marinas ar perfect spider habitat.  Insects emerging from the lake or swarming around the lights provide a bountiful food source.  Their babies are grown and ready to migrate for miles on the wind above the lake hanging onto a threat in the wind.  They won't survive long and 99% will perish naturally.  Don't pollute the water with insecticides in a futile attempt to destroy them and put the "fear of God" in your childs personality.  Just remember Charlotte's web.  She was kind, loved her babies and never hurt anyone, not even the rat, Templeton..

The Ghost Sheep of Right Hand Fork in Logan Canyon

I have been waiting long time to write this story.  In my travels over the years I have seen stray and lost sheep many times.  I remember, over thirty years ago, I was stocking fish along the shoreline from a barge in Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  I was running along an island in Sheep Creek Bay and I came across a sheep that was mired in the mud and unable to get out.  I put a rope around it and tried to pull it to safety but it's long wool weighed it down and I was unsuccessful.  The animal died a short time later.

I travel Logan Canyon a lot and usually my eyes are on the side of the road instead of where I am driving much to Doreen's dismay.  Over five years ago, before I got to Right Hand Fork, just before the sheer cliff on the north side of the road I noticed three sheep on the side hill.  They had been sheared within the last few years but I had no idea where they came from.  There are no active herds in the area so maybe they escaped a wreck or something.  I figured they were toast due to predators and forgot about them.  As the years and trips passed, much to my surprise, I saw them infrequently on both sides of the road and river at all times of the year.  Two white and one black ewe.  Each time their fleece was longer.  I couldn't believe that they continued to survive.  Last winter, when the snow was up to your butt I saw them by the highway once again.  I couldn't believe they were still alive. There was no where to go and I was sure they would be hit by a vehicle.   It reminded me of an old sheepherder who that said years ago, "that you never kept mirrors around sheep because they were so stupid that if they saw themselves in a mirror and found out they were a sheep they would fall over and die."   Obviously there are no mirrors at Right Hand Fork.  I had also thought that some animal lover would have rescued them over the years but I guess sheep are not as well liked as dogs or deer.

Much to my surprise as I was hauling a boat to Hyrum this week, there they were,  Masses of wool.  No way a predator could bite through that to hurt the old ewe. I was happy they had survived the winter since I am attached to these animals.  They will never reproduce because there are no rams around.  They are destine to spend the rest of their live roaming the hills around right Hand Fork avoiding cars and waiting for someone to come rescue them which will never happen.  If you have seen them let me know and tell me why no one has ever done anything for them.

The Demise of an Old Dead Friend

It is interesting how things affect me.  Thirty years ago, just after we built our new house I went up Swan Creek Canyon to get a quaking aspen to start landscaping the yard.  Aspen are hard to move but the tree finally survived and grew.  It never was really robust but it held its own in the back yard and got about thirty feet high.  Six years ago we added an addition to the house but the old aspen was in the way so I had it spaded and moved with some pine trees.  It lived for about a year and then gave up the ghost and died.  I hoped it would send up some new shoots but it never did.  I was just below my deck where I feed birds so I thought that I would leave it as a perching area.  I then planted a small aspen next to it, 

For the last five years countless birds have sat in it.  Everything from magpies, songbirds, turkeys, crows, doves and many others.  I have enjoyed watching the birds fly from the tree to the feeder as I sat in the living room drinking coffee.  Yesterday we had a micro burst come through and it blew the old tree down.  I miss it and the birds.  There is a vacant spot in my view.  It will take at least five years for the living aspen to get high enough for me to see it.  I will cut the old tree up and put it by the fire pit and the grandsons will have great sport picking up the sticks to throw on the fire as we roast marshmallows.  Everything has a beginning and an end.

Death from the air

Sounds scary, like the old Viet Nam days but don't worry, they are not targeting us.  I remember when I was a County Commissioner one of the primary topics of the summer was mosquito spraying.  Billions of them along with countless gnats make Rich County their home in the summer.  Have you ever noticed why none of the adult men in Randolph or Woodruff wear short sleeve shirts or shorts?  The planes fly twice a year on July 4 and 24th.  They spray late in the evening when the mosquitoes are out and the bees are in.  Many people worry about the negative effects that the pesticide, malathion.  All the research I have seen indicates that it breaks down rapidly and is safe at prescribed levels.  Without it countless people would die of malaria and Florida would be uninhabitable.  So when you hear the drone of a low flying plane on a summer evening, know your taxes are at work.

Fall in the Air?

Summer just started, didn't it?  Where are the "dog days" and the 90 plus temperatures?  After a refreshing rain yesterday I got up this morning to the gas fireplace running strongly.  As the sun came up there they were.  Mourning doves sitting in the tree all hunched up.  Now of all the birds, the doves probably have some of the smallest brains but they do know something.  That is when fall is coming.  They are done raising their squab and are now just soaking up the sun.

This behavior is indicative of preparation for migration back to the south.  If I could read their tiny minds they are cooing to each other "what are we going to do in Mexico in a couple of weeks?"  Fall may come early this year.

Accurate Water Elevation

Mark Lee reminded me of the staff gauge in the Bear Lake State Park Marina.  Quite frankly it astounds me that PacifiCorp does not come up with a better water elevation measurement instrument.  I realize that depending on the wind and weather conditions the level of the lake may not always be the same but come on.  This is archaic.  As much as everyone watches the lake's rise and fall at least we could have a remote sensor for real time measurements instead of having someone drive down every Monday and look at the piling.

The Warming of Bear Lake

No, it is not associated with Global Warming.  It is just part of this weird year we are experiencing.  When I was on the lake two weeks ago the water temperature was 54.  I thought that things are finally starting to warm up after all the snow.  When I was out yesterday the was was 66.  I was suprised until I thought about the huge amount of water pouring in.  As the water come down the tributaries and into the Bear River it warms up during its travels.  Typically the flows of this warm water are not enough to affect the over all lake but this year is different.  It will be interesting to see how warm it gets this summer with an early start.  The photo was taken last week of the Rainbow diversion which is where the water enters the lake.

Summer Visitors to Randolph

It seems like summer will never come if you watch the weather but other things are more consistent like the spring visitors to Randolph.   The visitor center with the historical cabin is located on the corner of East Pond and Main.  It is next to the Post Office, across the street from the City Park and rodeo arena, and kitty corner to the Courthouse.  Main St is actually SR16 which is the primary route for thousands of tourists heading to Bear Lake or other locations all summer long.  Years ago while wandering around under the cottonwoods I found a large black feather which perked my interest.  I started watching the trees during my travels through Randolph and I wasn't long before I found out who was visiting the Tourist Center.

The old trees are being used as roosts for turkey vultures.  They arrive each spring like clockwork.  Up close these are not the most beautiful birds and if upset may throw up on you, but there is nothing more beautiful than watching them soar and circle for hours without ever beating their wings (just don't think about the carcass below).  I have watched these birds for years and I am impressed with the people in Randolph who share their City with them.  Anywhere else they may have been eradicated as a nuisance.  I think they are a unique aspect of the community.  I wish I knew how many years they have been using this roost.  Check them out the next time you come through Randolph in the evening.

Tree Kittens

The weather has been better the last few days so I spent a day roaming around the lake.  It was like the old days when I was a fishery biologist and I drove around the lake road doing creel census and counts.  I always watched nests and the changing ecosystem.   One of my favorite birds was great horned owls.  They use the same nesting site but sometimes they steal them from other birds because they nest early and are not particularly picky.  It is always amazing to me they survive since they are hatched and are big before the leaves come out to hide them.  The two birds in the picture are now out of the nest and hopping around on the ground and climbing trees while they wait for the feathers to grow.  They have to do this because they are too large for the nest.  Each is accompanied by a parent that feeds and protects them during their flightless time.  They always remind me of big fluffy kittens with wide eyes.

Memorial Weekend Barbacue

You know I am basically a patient person.  I understand that there are a lot of things that happen that we humans have no control over.  During this past spring(? ) I have watched continual snow and cold develop into a record year for snow pack and have watched Bear Lake rise at an incredible rate.  During this time I have tried to get ready to open Cisco's Landing for summer business.  Tons of money has been spent, employees have worked diligently, boats are in the water and the grill is hot.  Sunday morning I get up to this.  Spike can't play with his "diggers" on the deck and sitting outside in the sun is out.  I have even taken the snow blower off and mowed the lawns once.  I am frustrated but still patient.  The snow will melt and when it does, the house will still be here.  We have it a lot better than those poor folks in "Tornado Alley".  Come to us warm weather.....

Web Cam

I have been so frustrated since the Parks and Recreation decided to take the Bear Lake Cam off their Internet connection.  I can understand it because as much as the camera is used it takes up a lot of bandwidth.  Cisco's Landing has been working with the company that owns the camera and we have come to an agreement that they would get an new Internet connection and Cisco's Landing would pay a monthly fee to operate it.  I am more than willing to do that because so many people use the camera to check on lake conditions, their boats and just to snoop on my employees and the people on the dock.  My relatives in Australia love to check on me from time to time.   Please let everyone know that without Cisco's Landing support the camera would not be live so make it worth my while since it is not cheap.  Enjoy it and come down and see us..Go to www.livelakeview.com/lakes/bearlake.

Rain, Rain, Rain

You know, I am glad that I own about fifteen watercraft.  If it keeps raining and the lake keeps coming up I may need them.  Seriously, it seems like this weather pattern will never end.  I know that lots of people think that the snow is gone and the flooding risk is over but I keep looking up at the mountains and know that there is literally "millions of gallons" of water in the snow.  The physical laws of our environment are never broken which means that eventually the snow will turn to liquid and gravity will drag it to lower elevations until it is level or meets the ocean.  What that means is anyone's guess.  One thing I know for sure is that this weather is not condusive to boat rental and lake recreation.  The only visitors to the marina are the pisciverous (fish eating) birds who spend all day trying to capture recently stocked cutthroat fingerling.  

Spring?

Finally we had aq few days of good? weather.  Boats were launched and people tried to act like it is summer.,  But it is not.  The seagulls circle the marina looking for a freshly stocked cutthroat, the western grebes and common loons patrol the outside and fish have to deal with real life.  Zack went out wake boarding yesterday and saiid it was great, but then he is young and strong.  More power to him.  We rented some boats this weekend and people really love the "Buggy' which is stable, easy to drive and good on gas. 

The lake continues to come up.  The beaches are gone and we are back to normal, like it or not.  The water is encroaching into Dasiy Bay.  The real runoff has not started so hold on.  Mother Earth will do as she desires,

Gray Skies

I have been waiting to post a picture of the Marina with sun and boats being put in.  It hasn't happened yet.  Maybe this weekend.  Keep your eyes peeled to the skies when you are there however.  Wildlife Resources recently stocked cutthroat trout there and the seagull are constantly overhead.  There are hundreds of Western grebes outside of the the marina with a few loons and pelicans.  Everyone always worries that the birds will eat all the fish.  Sure, they will get some, but it is the beginning of a fish's life of avoiding  predators until you get big enough to be a predator yourself. 

The carp are back and waiting for handouts which have been few and far between.  I guess we will try to open for a while this weekend.

Adaptable Birds

I have been on the road a lot lately trying to get ready for Cisco's and the summer (if there is such a thing anymore).  As I drive between Woodruff and Sage Creek Junction this time of year I always look for redtail hawk nests.  There are not many trees along the way but there must be plenty of food in the fields because there are at least four nesting sites along the way.  One nest that I have watched for years and always fledged birds finally succumbed to the elements last winter and fell to the ground.  Apparently the birds liked the area because the nested on the top of some grass bales nearby.  I appreciate the rancher who has consideration for the hawks and left the bales for them.  It is a far cry from my younger days when "chicken hawks" were shot on site.

I was talking to Loretta from Bridgerland yesterday about her birds and wildlife that she constantly feeds and she said two moose were still hanging around.  She made an interesting observation.  Apparently the magpies fly in and alight on the moose's back where they pull up old, winter hair to line their nests which they are working on now.  Sounds like we all have work to so, regardless of the weather.

Wildlife, lake levels and snow

I am beginning to sound like a broken record.  The weather is still terrible and the lake keeps coming up.  It is interesting for me, as a biologist, to see the lake begin to invade  the littoral zone which is choked with trees willows, upland plants and fragmities.  I know that nutrients and plant matter that have been unavailable to aquatic species for years is finally becoming part of the lake.  It will provide hiding areas for small fish, attachment points for invertebrates and as I saw today, food for moose.  Most of it will drown and turn into detritus and drift around the shorelines.  The black muck is not bad, it is just nature's way of making compost.

I keep looking at the mountains wondering when the snow will melt.  After talking to a couple of hydrologists, the physical dynamics were finally made simple enough for me to understand.  A snow pack will not melt until all of it is 0 degrees centigrade and then it all goes at once with no turning back.  A lot of factors effect this process.  Dust or debris on the snow will absorb radiation.  Wind will accelerate the process.  A warm rainstorm with high humidity will also have a significant impact.  Snow does melt a little at the bottom because the earth is warmer but the amount is negligible.  When the snow column begins to collapse, hydrologists measure the amount of water that the soil will absorb and the rest is runoff.  Our melting window is getting narrower.  I suspect lots of people think the flooding is over because the snow is gone around the lake.  We could be so lucky.  That is what makes it so interesting.  No one can predict it.

Bear Lake Rising

Does anyone know where this boat ramp and marina is? It took me a minute when I first looked at the picture. Check out the cool lenticular clouds too. It is the marina and ramp on the south side of Gus Rich Point (Spinnaker). It hasn't looked like that since 1999 but it will this year. At a meeting this week, PacifiCorp predicted that Bear Lake would raise seven feet by July. That would put it at 5918 or close to normal. Goodbye beaches between Garden City and Laketown except Rendezvous Beach. Lake shore cabins will once again be by the lake. Nothing ever stays the same at Bear Lake.

April Snow

Now I have been a big proponent for lots of snow and runoff to bring Bear Lake back to normal water levels. After so many years of drought it was great so see above average snowfalls during the winter. There is over 1000 cfs coming through the Rainbow canal right now. Now, I have to admit, I am sick of it. I haven't seen the ground around my place since November. That was OK because there is a ton of dog bones and other debris under the snow, but we received another foot last night and more for the weekend. I have been dealing with flooding in Garden City for a week with more promised for the future. I broke a cable on my snow blower yesterday blowing out the travel trailer which I foolishly though we might use. All of the little birds are colored up for nesting but they face starvation now. I don't see deer anymore. I have lived at Bear Lake since 1974 and I can not recall seeing this much snow in April. I really don't know why I am whining. There is nothing I can do about it so I am happy that my family is healthy and I haven't sheared Maggie's winter coat yet.

Two warm days at Bear Lake

The high snow is settling but the low elevation stuff has started to melt. The irrigation canal that circles around Garden City is full of snow and ice. When the snow melt hits it, the water has no place to go. The result is overtopping the canal bank and heading down to the fields and houses below. What amazes me is how much the wetlands that have yet to be developed around the lake act as big sponges to tame the runoff. The whole situation is frustrating because in many cases you can't do anything about it. Mother Earth does what she wants. This is just the beginning since there is billions of gallons of water in the hills. Everyone thinks it is someone else's problem. No, you need to take care of your property and blame someone else later.

Pot Guts

As I drive drove off Laketown Canyon summit toward Randolph along at a spot in the wasn't much snow a lone Pot gut (Uinta Mountain groung squirrel) ran across the road. It was skinny and could hardly run. Everyone knows that I love to watch (and shoot) guts in the spring. They are also great indicators of what is going on in the high sagebrush desert. Their numbers had finally started to increase last year since lows during the drought years. As I looked around the snow covered landscape it dawned on me that there are millions of pot guts in their burrows, hungry as he'll almost ready to give birth that are under tons of snow that shows no sign of melting. Usually this time of year they are runing around eating new grass and just enjoying life. Not this year. It will be a while before they can see the sky. Mother Earth is this way and most aniamls have evolved do deal with these ups and downs. I don't know what spring? will bring us but time will tell. So, pot guts..hold on, spring will come eventually.

Bear River

When I was a kid growing up in Cache Valley I spent a lot of time messing around on the Bear River. We fished for catfish, hunted waterfowl and pheasants, and bow hunted carp. During all that time, I only ever saw the Bear River as a turbid slough filled with cattails and garbage. In the years to come I saw the upper Bear River as it came out of the Uintas. A clear small stream headed for Evanston. After Wyoming in turned into another slow dirty old stream. I recent years I have hunted waterfowl by Grace and in the Onidea Narrows and the stream was somewhat clear and very productive with aquatic life.

Jim Stone always told me how great the fishing was in those sections but I never truly believed him. Last week we went fishing and I figured I might learn to fly fish better but that was it. To my surprise we caught fish, on little tiny flies on fly rods. There wasn't any snow along the river and it was beautiful. It was great sport and now I am a believer in fishing the Bear.

Winter

The sun may be out, it is Daylight Saving Time tomorrow but it is still winter at the Bear Lake Marina. Most of the ice is off and there is a channel to get out but it will be a while before we can put boats into slips. Fear not....summer is on the way and there will be much more water in the lake.

Vacations

Vacations are the focus of Cisco's Landing. That is what we do. We try and make sure that every one that comes down the gangway on vacation has a wonderful time. Most of them, especially the "Dads" worry about how much everything will cost and if it is safe. The Mom's just want to have fun, have good service, lots of attention, get the kids to quit crying and really don't let money get in the way. This is because they usually pay all the bills and Dad has no idea where the money goes once he makes it. The kids just want to feed carp, squeal and get wet. I think the Cisco Kids do a great job meeting these expectations.

Living at Bear Lake is like a vacation for me but I need to know what it is like to be a vacationeer to things into perspective so Doreen and I just took a "vacation". She drug me to the Caribbean for a cruise (sure) to check out service, tours, expectations and the overall experience. I watched and learned a lot. Initially, people just want to have things go the way they have imagined them to be. They just want to be happy and have fun. Unfortunately, little things get in the way. The van they are in is too hot, the employees could care less and you felt like you were imposing on them. The area is beautiful but no one can tell you a thing about it and the boats are dirty. Then there was the opposite. Great people, interesting discussions and lots of smiles. It was interesting to be on the other side, laying out the money, having expectations, filling out the boring paperwork and worrying about getting ripped off.

I learned that everyone deserves to be treated like they are special because they are, even the buttheads. We are part of making their precious vacation time an exciting memory, not a disastrous waste of money. We saw both sides but still had a great vacation. We were sitting in the sun while Bear Lake got two feet of snow. One thing is for sure. When they call Bear Lake the Caribbean of the Rockies, they are right.

Bullwinkle

Well, the lake is frozen. Time for ice fishing and waiting for breakup. Another late spring with delayed snow melt awaits us. Who cares, we live in Bear Lake with the animals.

I worked for Utah Wildlife Resources for years. Anytime the numbers of big game animals declined they blamed it on habitat loss. Homes and cabins being built in prime winter range. Well there is "some truth" in that statement but not a lot. Over the years living in one of those developments that have negatively effected wildlife, I have seen the opposite. Deer and moose love people and their houses. People love them and feel they need to take care and protect them.

Take Bullwinkle for instance. She is a "bum" that drifts through the south end of Bridgerland looking for handouts. She always stops by the Kurek's were there is always food that she can push the deer away from. She would go to the Bourn's but the twins have that place sewed up. She will drift down to Fran Thomas's and share the feed blocks with the deer and turkeys. She will even put up with Maggie barking harmlessly at her. It is a great life and she may even stop at Jim Wilson's if there is anything worthwhile there.

When I was a kid I always watched Bullwinkle on the cartoons. He was teamed up with Rocky the squirrel and they always dealt with Natashia and Boris and of course the scientist whose name slips me. Our present day Bullwinkle is much smarter.

We can all live with the wildlife if we provide them proper habitat and food. Don't feel guilty if you have a cabin in the hills. Most wildlife biologists live in the city and don't have a clue about the real situations.

Ice Capped Again

It seems that Bear Lake can not make up its mind. Cold weather again and now the lake is ice covered with the exception of North Eden (have I said this before?). There is apparently some safe ice off the east side but the rest is unknown. I am sure we will see some crazy fishermen this weekend.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

I am sure people who follow this blog and Cisco's Sonar thin I am obsessed with changes in Bear Lake. Well, I am. You have to realize that everyday the first thing I see in the morning is Bear Lake. Garden City is about three miles away and I am about 1000 feet higher.



Having sat through many boring limnology/water classes years ago and spending the last 40 years on Bear Lake I look at it differently than most. I won't go into the scientific details but the impacts of weather on this huge lake fascinate me. Just about the time I think I have seen everything, Bear Lake throws me a curve. As I said on Thursday, "with the exception of North Eden, the Lake is frozen." I resigned myself to not worrying about the cold spring and tried to get psyched up for ice fishing. As I look out the window today the Lake is ice free as a result of warmer weather and tons of wind. I never have seen a nearly complete freeze over only last three days. Bear Lake continues exhibit its unpredictability.

Thousands of acres of ice....

Ice and Cold

Well it has finally happened. Three days ago we had a horrendous wind when it was extremely cold and it apparently supercooled the water below 32 degrees. When the lake flattened out it was -20 and I could actually see the ice forming from my house. When I went around the lake today the only open spot was off North Eden, which is typical. There are still over a thousand head of deer wintering on the east side. Fawns are starting to die. The Robinson crew was already fishing through the ice at the pump house. Freeze up will make lots of people happy but I have mixed feelings. Ice fishing vs an early spring and warmer water. You can guess my choice but we can't control the weather so I will just chill out (literally).

Bear Lake Valley Fiulled With Cotton

It has been a long winter. A few days of warm weather made us think that spring was on the way. No such luck. With the winter high pressure in place and the lake still open we are experiencing our winter fog. Luckily it is fog and not smog. It is pure white and clean but still depressing, especially when you go up to the Overlook and feel the sun and warmth. It is not cold enough to freeze the lake and the fishermen need to use GPS to find out where they are. Hey, it is winter. Enjoy it as much as you can.

Bear Lake Monster

Bear Lake Monster

I recently received an email from an unknown sender who said he had taken a picture of the Bear Lake Monster with a calf. Lots of talk about the scenario buy few facts. As a biologist I believe that the Bear Lake Monster exists in the minds of observers, not in the ecosystem. It is fun to think about and useful in scaring kids and gullible adults.

Surfing Cisco Fishermen

Well, it was the Cisco Disco yesterday. The annual migration of insane people who go to the east side of Bear Lake to attempt to dip net spawning Bonneville cisco. When the lake is frozen it is fun to cut a hole in the ice and just dip up the fish as they swim by. Open water years are different. It is usually colder and if it is windy, the fish stay off shore and the fishermen lose. That is what happened yesterday. Snow overnight and heavy winds made good conditions for surfing but horrible for catching fish. Scott Tolentino, Jim Stone and helpers served lots of deep fat fried ciscoes, scones, and french fries to the hungry crowds. Luckily, it was calm the day before and they were able to catch fish so they had something ton eat. I have attached a picture of a male cisco in spawning colors and go to You Tube and search "cisco fisherment Bear Lake"to see the crazy fishermen.

Ice Gone

Bear Lake was really trying to freeze over. We put up with a cold December and early January, foggy days and lots of ice forming but it was all to no avail. As I said, "Man has no control on what Mother Earth does". She decided to warm up, rain close to an inch and blow up to 40 mph. The ice, for right now, history. Don't give up yet, In many years I have seen it freeze over in Feburary.

You will need waders to dip net cisco this year. No word on their progress. Waves, wind and open water makes it tough to see them.

waterfowl hunting

Waterfowl hunting

You know a lot of people ask me what I do after Cisco's Landing closes.  The first thing is to get all the boats winterized and stored which takes over a month.  You may know how much work one boat is so just multiply it by ten and you will have an idea what I am facing.  There are always other things that need to be done getting ready for winter but my real love is waterfowl hunting.  Today is a sad day because the season is over.  No more setting out decoys and freezing all day.  What I will really miss is watching my springer, Maggie, retrieve ducks.  She lives to hunt and when it come to chasing ducks and bringing them back to me she can not be beat.Waterfowl hunting is just not about killing birds.  That is secondary, while being with true friends and just experiencing the outdoors is what it is all about.  I will post a few pictures and know that the swans are our friends and we do not hunt them.  The ducks provide great organic dinners and duck hunters pay millions of dollars, as a group, to make sure they have habitat and will continue to exist.  I guess it is time to start on remodeling some rooms and try some fishing.  The cisco are close to running.  I can see to add my pictures so I will try again.

Ice

Is Bear Lake freezing?  that is what everyone wants to know.  Stand on shore between St. Charles and Garden City it looks frozen.  Go on Cisco Beach and akk you can see is open water with a skim of ice in some places.  Lokk at the overlook and you will see it is half frozen.  Wind and storms will determine its fate.

Coming through Logan Canyon the other day I noticed a "icefall" that I had never seen before.  It is between Logan Cave and Burnt Bridge.  Chgeck it out.

Northern Saw-Whet owl

I forgot to add a picture so here it is.

A Strange New Little Bird and how Bear Lake freezes

I am finally getting the hang of things so I hope people start to follow this blog.  I plan on providing lots of information and photos.  If much struggling I have figured out how to import a current copy of Cisco's Sonar to this site.  I will add new ones and post older ones that I think are timely.  Let me know what you think and if you have any questions about anything about Bear Lake let me know and I will try and answer them.  www.docstoc.com/docs/68932736/151-ciscos-sonar-jan-10_2011  Sorry about the ads but that is the only way I have figured out so far.