June 2024 - 20

Bears are constantly aware of their
surroundings due to their excellent
vision. Their long claws are used for
digging and bringing down prey.
(Photo by Tim Christie)
T
he bull moose was
impressive, albeit
sleepier than I
expected for this time of
the rut. Maybe he was
exhausted from chasing
cows. Who knows?
I spotted him on a steep slope. Finally reaching
where he was standing, I saw he bedded down. I sat
75 yards away where I could get great images with
a dramatic background when he eventually stood.
It had been a short night for me. The previous
evening, a bull elk tending cows lured me far from a
road, deep into black timber. When I settled into the
sleeping bag it was nearly midnight. Fall is the best
of times, the worst of times. Long days, short nights.
I dozed off waiting for something to happen. Suddenly
the bull startled and was up. Hair on his back
stretched high and tight. Ears locked forward. What
the heck? Exploding like a Brahma bull crashing out
of a rodeo chute, the bull whirled and blew by me.
Trying to understand, I looked uphill. Upright, a
sow grizzly and two cubs-of-the-year stood, locked
on me. Forty yards, maybe a couple feet closer. In
such situations, inches don't matter. You pray for
yards - hundreds of them.
Bear spray hadn't been invented yet but I carried
a Freon boat horn as suggested by my mentor, Bill
McRae. I reached for it in my jacket pocket. Nothing.
Two pockets later, I found it. Pulling it out, I pushed
hard. Nothing. Again. Nothing. In my panic, it was
upside down. Turning it, I pressed on the horn.
The obnoxious blast scared the mountain quiet.
The cubs cowered, alarmed, searching mom for
answers. She refused to respond, glaring. Stone cold.
Assessing the situation. I backed up a few steps,
waved my arms high and blasted the horn again and
yelled, " You don't want any of this! "
Never breaking eye contact, she dropped to all
fours and turned uphill. With zero curiosity as to
where she was headed, I headed downhill with long
strides to my pickup. It had been way too close.
This happened in Yellowstone National Park when
many feared grizzly bears teetered on the brink of
extinction. Today, bear numbers have increased to
where that scenario could happen in Wyoming as
far east as the Bighorn Basin or south in the Wyoming
Range.
20 | June 2024

June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2024

June 2024 - 1
June 2024 - 2
June 2024 - 3
June 2024 - 4
June 2024 - 5
June 2024 - 6
June 2024 - 7
June 2024 - 8
June 2024 - 9
June 2024 - 10
June 2024 - 11
June 2024 - 12
June 2024 - 13
June 2024 - 14
June 2024 - 15
June 2024 - 16
June 2024 - 17
June 2024 - 18
June 2024 - 19
June 2024 - 20
June 2024 - 21
June 2024 - 22
June 2024 - 23
June 2024 - 24
June 2024 - 25
June 2024 - 26
June 2024 - 27
June 2024 - 28
June 2024 - 29
June 2024 - 30
June 2024 - 31
June 2024 - 32
June 2024 - 33
June 2024 - 34
June 2024 - 35
June 2024 - 36
June 2024 - 37
June 2024 - 38
June 2024 - 39
June 2024 - 40
June 2024 - 41
June 2024 - 42
June 2024 - 43
June 2024 - 44
June 2024 - 45
June 2024 - 46
June 2024 - 47
June 2024 - 48
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/wyoming-wildlife-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2024-e-edition
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-iak-special-issue
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/dec-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/January2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/December2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/wyominggame/WyomingWildlife/September2020
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