WILD HORSE PHOTO SAFARI

CRASS COMMERCIALISM (My Own)
By Jim Foster

It’s that time to say GOODBYE to 2007 and welcome in 2008. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

This year I will be inviting small groups of photographers to join me on some of my trips. I will be offering photo opportunities and instructions on capturing images and a tips on using your photo program.

I will be taking a PHOTO SAFARI and WORKSHOP on June 16-17-18 to Wyoming to photograph wild horses and some of the area landscapes. The trip includes all meals – lodging – instructions – vehicles and guides on site. It will be three FULL days of photography.

For more information send me an e-mail and I will give you a call or check my web site for more details.

Jim

JIM'S GEMS - LETTERS I GOT LETTERS

COMMENTS, COMMENTS, COMMENTS – WOW
By Jim Foster

Well friends, I guess I hit a nerve somewhere – the e-mails I received from the last article have been incredible and only a few I couldn’t reprint - you know those Defenders of Wildlife people.

About my personal feelings about bear spray vs. the gun, I guess you could say that a gun in the hand is worth two bear sprays on the belt.

Oh well, I want to thank everyone who e-mailed their support and even those of the “great unwashed” who didn’t agree. You have a right to your opinion no matter how wrong it is. God bless America.

That said; let me take the time to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Please keep reading because I plan to keep on writing.

Jim Foster

JIM'S GEMS - THE BEAR FACTS

BEARS COME FIRST - MAN? IS JUST MORE FOOD
By Jim Foster

What is the problem in the lower 48 states regarding the rapidly growing populations of grizzly bear? Answers seem to be more of the politically correct mentality sweeping the country. Not to mention the aid provided by some parts of the poorly written and badly managed ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. Animals have now taken a position over people.

In many areas as you drive you will see signs NOT telling you “about” the chance of a bear encounter but how much it will COST you if you happen to get eaten by one and the bear chokes on your liver causing its demise. That’s wildlife management today.

The politically correct reputation and the one most publicized in the mostly uninformed press paints old Ursus arctos horribilis – the grizzly bear - not as a brutish killer, but “…of a keystone species decimated by over hunting and habitat loss, a symbol of America's misunderstanding of how nature works.”

This topic was brought to the forefront a week ago when Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commissioner Vic Workman used a firearm to ward off a grizzly attack while he was deer hunting. He was later to say that bullets are far more effective than bear spray in fending off such an attack. That statement caused a storm from within the ranks of the great unwashed.

Described by the press as a tall, rangy man who wears a cowboy hat and a “made-in-Montana” look, is known for his outspokenness. Hunting all his life he holds several trophy records for brown bear and black bear and is not a stranger to the species.

Workman went on to say grizzlies have become so numerous in his state he believes they should be taken off the endangered species list and hunted to make them afraid of people. This really got a rise out of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) bioboys.

As a special note we can remember how truthful the USFWS was after their wolf people trespassed on private property to release wolves and it was the USFWS lynx biologists who were discovered planting and falsifying evidence. Who can believe anything they say? Their (USFWS) should at least be taken with a large grain of salt?

For example; Chris Servheen, a Missoula-based bear biologist with the FWS, was quoted saying that Workman's comments were detrimental to grizzly conservation and human safety in bear country. In truth Servheen is more concerned with his “job” than the safety of people.

As could be expected from a USFWS employee (remember these people like to bend the truth) he called Workman totally irresponsible for his comments. Never mind that many hunters and outdoors people will agree with him 100 percent.
Servheen also stressed how much “supposed” time the FWS spends teaching people how to be safe in and around bears. Printing leaflets and signs, maybe, actually teaching people – very little.

In truth, to many who spend time around wildlife have come to believe the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has become more of an anti-hunting bureaucracy than the wildlife service it was first intended to be. It has learned to use the courts and the poorly contrived endangered species act to their advantage.

Ask any rancher in bear and wolf country and see what they say.

FISHING - IN THE SNOW

WINTER FLY FISHING - MONTANA STYLE
By Jim Foster

The normal reaction for native a Texan spotting something on the highway to large to be a deer might just be a domestic cow. But no, it was a small heard of bison moving down the snow-covered road. It was mid March and I was driving through Yellowstone National Park.

Half an hour later it was still snowing at Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana. Looking around at the large piles of snow with more falling by the minute I had to remind myself I had made this drive to do some fly fishing.

Lone Mountain Ranch (LMR) is one of the network of lodges and outfitters sanctioned by the Orvis Company, a name that can be traced back to jolly old England. The ranch had been selected as the Lodge of the year in 2002 and could boast the services of not one but two Orvis guide of the year winners - Gary Lewis and Brian Kimmel.

A short time later I met the rest of the group, Nicholas Richardson from New York City, Bob Borgwat from Suches, Georgia, and old friend and fellow photographer Donnie Sexton who handles Montana Travel’s public relations and is Montana’s staff photographer. This would be Donnie’s first fly-fishing experience.

The next morning dawned to more falling snow, 25-degree weather, and gray skies. Following breakfast we loaded our gear to begin the day. The driving had been tough with more snow and wind. However as we turned off the highway into DuPuy Spring Creek the snow slowed down and then stopped.

The creek is mostly on private property but many of the landowners allow fishing for a small fee. Many local guides will bring their customers there. We were told the majority of the trout over 12 inches were in the creek to spawn, so catch and release was the order of the day.

Gary Lewis offered his #2 weight fly rig and I gladly accepted. My first hook-up was a large rainbow we had been watching. On my third cast the trout made a wake in the shallow water and then tossed my fly. Many casts later the trout did feel the hook and after becoming airborne once made a hard run and relieved me of my fly and several feet of leader.

Down stream several hundred yards guide Brian Kimmel was coaching Donnie Sexton on the finer points of fly-fishing. Donnie had never fly-fished and much less caught a trout. Things were about to change.

Donnie and her guide Brian were casting below the falls in “Dick’s Riffle”. Brain coached her through her casts and coached her how to present her fly properly. In a flash Donnie’s #5 weight rod bent almost double as a trout did it’s best to stay in fast water.

Following her guides quiet and excellent instructions, Donnie brought her fish to net. Donnie’s first fish on a fly rod was a good one. Actually it was the best fish caught in two days of fishing. It had been a great trip.

If you fly fish, like a great time, and are looking for something a bit different give winter fly-fishing a try.

For more information on winter fly-fishing, guides, and the Lone Mountain Ranch contact; Lone Mountain Ranch Fishing Manager, Ennion Williams at 406-995-4644 or on the web www.lmranch.com.

The Big Sky Chamber at 1-800-943-4111 or on the web at www.bigskychamber.com.

Good Fishing and Dress Warm.

HUNTING -AN UPLAND SPECIAL

TEXAS PHEASANT
By Jim Foster

(Photograph shows author, Jim Foster, and Houston hunter and longtime friend, John Artz with a pair of mature roosters.)

Standing by the truck I had just snapped the side-by-side shotgun closed when the high grass a hundred yards away seemed to come alive. There were birds flying in all directions – counting was out of the question – there were THAT many birds and, - oh yes, this was Texas.

A few minutes later our small group entered the grass and more birds began flushing to the clear blue sky. Shots fired and a couple of birds fell into the heavy cover.

The Texas pheasant populations have been growing steadily over the last decade. The limits now -3 birds a day – the same as primary pheasant states like South Dakota and Iowa.

The weather for hunt this year was pleasant and I can’t ever remember seeing as many birds. In one brushy draw I know there were at least 200 birds flushed out of an area the size of a football field. Several other areas held at least that many.
The ideal pheasant habitat is a nice mix of tall grasses for cover; weedy areas bordering fields of corn, milo or wheat; the wooly, nasty-looking bottoms of dry playas. This year these were the areas we found the most birds.

Pheasants follow a consistent daily routine: roost, feed, loaf, and roost. Hunt the best habitat in the world at the wrong time of day and you’re wasting your time. Around sunrise, the birds leave their roosts in heavy grass or weeds and fly to grain fields. After filling their crops, they head back to cover to loaf away the middle of the day. Late afternoon, they feed again, and then roost.

On the first day of our hunt the wind was blowing hard. Conditions like this will make pheasant spooky. Some will flush wild well out of shotgun range or hold so tight you’ll nearly have to step on them. Extremely cold, nasty weather will send the birds to the heaviest available cover.

Pheasants call for heavy loads — at least 1 1/8 ounces of number six shot. Some old hands prefer number four shot. Most serious pheasant hunters tote a 12-gauge. However a double 20 gauge in the hands of a good shooter is a fine choice and it’s a lighter weight to carry. Improved cylinder and modified chokes are good all-around choices in a double and modified coke for single barrel shooters. John's Little double 20 did the job launching number 6 shot.

Pheasants frustrate pointing dogs, but close, careful workers can be effective in scattered patches of cover where pheasants tend to hold. Here again, teamwork is critical. Finding downed and crippled birds are where a dog will shine. Even my young Brittany earned his feed by locating hiding birds and by chasing down a runner across a plowed field.

Don’t overlook public land. In the 2005-2006 season, TPW offers pheasant hunting on about 14,257 acres through the Public Hunting Program. There are no better deals to be found than the $48 annual public hunting permit.

If you have comments or news for Jim Foster please e-mail him at: jim@jimfosteroutdoors.com

TRAVEL - GREAT FALLS, MONTANA - MAN OF THE WEST

Charles M. Russell 1864-1926

{Photos; C.M. Russell, Charlie’s Studio, The back door to Charlie Russell’s Studio}

The saga of “Kid Russell” has been told in words and in song as a tribute to a man who lived the majority of his life in the west and obeyed his calling. That calling? To make an artistic recording of the real and already dying west. He proved the “west” is not just a direction.

Charles M. Russell was born to moderate wealth in St. Louis, Missouri. He came to Montana when he was 16 with a dream of becoming a real cowboy. He was so captivated with the West he chose to stay and fulfill his childhood fantasy and in 1882 landed a job as a wrangler on a cattle drive – the became a night wrangler for the Judith Basin Roundup. The job he kept for eleven years.

A self-taught artist, his first sketches showed an observant eye, a feel for animal and human anatomy, a sense of humor and a flair for portraying action.

Russell greatly admired the American Indians, especially those of the Northern Plains. He spent the summer of 1888 visiting often with the Blood Indians in Alberta, Canada. This experience affected him for the rest of his life, and can be seen in the many detailed works he created of Plains Indians.

Charles witnessed the changing of the West. He saw the bitter winter of 1886-87 end the cattleman's dominion on the northern plains. The days of free grass and unfenced range were ending and, for Russell, the cowboy life was over by 1893.

Charlie married Nancy Cooper in 1896. He painted and sculpted in his log studio adjacent to their home, filling it with his collection of Indian clothing, utilitarian objects, weapons, cowboy gear, "horse jewelry," and other western "props" useful in accurately depicting the scenes of the Old West of which he was so fond. It was here that Russell completed all of his major paintings after the studio's construction in 1903.

Charlie Russell completed approximately 4,000 works of art during his lifetime. He was the first "Western" artist to live the majority of his life in the West. For this reason, Charlie knew his subject matter intimately, setting the standard for future western artists to follow.

Charles Russell felt deeply the passing of the West, the most evident theme of his art. This sense of loss touched him with an emotional immediacy. He was haunted by youthful fantasies, memories of what once was and by the evidence of change that surrounded him as an everyday reality. His work reflected the public demand for authenticity, but also the soul of a romantic.

The C.M. Russell Museum is worth the drive to Great Falls, Montana and be sure to give yourself enough time to enjoy the museum and the art. Directions and more information may be found on their web site at; http://www.cmrussell.org/ or by calling 406-727-8787.

Enjoy!

JIM'S GEMS - Al Who?

GLOBAL WARMING AND THE IVORY BILLED WOODPECKER
By Jim Foster

Today there are two environmental scams that have become quite clear. There are others but let’s comment on these two. First, is no such thing as global warming as we are being led to believe, and second, the ivory billed woodpecker is extinct, gone, kaput, so live with it.

Regarding the farce named “global warming” - I have read enough to know our big blue planet that is millions upon millions of years old has, since it was created, warmed and cooled and cooled and warmed, and so on and so on. To say man is the biggest cause is as stupid as saying that man caused the Rocky Mountains. Sure we have mistreated the planet, but global warming? Not even!

Sure, scientists with large grants have tried to prove global warming but so far they have only proved they are good at maintaining their grants and money sources.

But, you might ask, what about greenhouse gasses? Yes, they exist but most people don’t know the largest creator of the dreaded greenhouse gasses is a simple cow. Yes Virginia, cows. The fact is the bovine species worldwide produce more green house gases (passing wind) than all the cars driving the roads of the world. Fact!

My opinion of global warming can be described as the byproduct of grass and water when processed through a male bovine. That includes every word uttered by guy that flunked out of college then couldn’t get elected president– what’s his name? Oh yes, Al Gore.

You still need convincing? Take the Global Warming Test and see how you do. Just go to: http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/GlobWarmTest/start.html

The second eco-farce of the last couple of years is the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker.

Let’s look at the hard facts. 1. The original sighting were vague at best. 2. There was no hard evidence as in photos or close-up sighting. 3. Millions of dollars have been diverted from REAL conservation projects and still are. 4. The public and honest birdwatchers have all been had. 5. Even the Cornell people now say that the evidence is questionable and was in favor of reopening the Cache River Wildlife Management Area to regular people. 6. To me, and the worst of them all, is that the mainstream and the green press bought the farce hook line and sinker and gave it worldwide coverage that misled millions of people to believe the ivory-bill woodpecker had actual be rediscovered when in fact the bird is extinct.

Needless to say the chamber of commerce’s of the towns close to the “sighting area” are very unhappy and are seeing the millions of visitors they were hoping for diminish to a trickle. The tourist trap builders had already been at work. Including the sale of a woodpecker stamp and print. This one thing brings out the money portion of the farce. Proceeds are supposedly to be divided between The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation. I wonder where the money will be used now? Will they give it back?

Just think how much this money could have done for an “alive” species.

If you have comments or news for Jim Foster please e-mail him a jfoster188@aol.com.

NATURE - PHOTOGRAPHY

EVERYTHING IS JUST DUCKY
By Jim Foster

Well, my travels this winter have included a sharptail grouse hunt in Montana, Chukers in Idaho, pheasant in Iowa and Texas, a few quail on a well managed ranch in South Texas, and several hours on the Lower Laguna Madre photographing the many waterfowl spending the winter.

Two of these I should mention here – the redhead duck and the American Widgeon.

THE READHEAD DUCK (Aythya americana) is a medium-sized diving duck. The adult male has a blue bill, a red head and neck, a black breast, yellow eyes and a grey back. The adult female has a brown head and body and a darker bluish bill with a black tip.

The breeding habitat is marshes and prairie potholes in western North America. Loss of nesting habitat has led to sharply declining populations. Females regularly lay eggs in the nests of other Redheads or other ducks, especially Canvasbacks.

Redheads usually take new mates each year, starting to pair in late winter.

Following the breeding season, males go through a molt, which leaves them flightless for almost a month. Before this happens, they leave their mates and move to large bodies of water, usually flying further north.

They winter in the southern and northeastern United States, the Great Lakes region, northern Mexico and the Caribbean. The largest concentration is found in South Texas on the Lower Laguna Madre.

The redhead is a strong migrant and on rare occasions has been seen in western Europe.

These birds feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They mainly eat aquatic plants with some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish.

THE AMERICAN WIGEON (also American Widgeon or Baldpate), Anas Americana is a common and widespread duck, which breeds, in northwestern North America. It is the New World counterpart of the Eurasian Wigeon.

This dabbling duck is migratory and winters farther south than its breeding range, in Texas, Louisiana, and other areas of the Gulf Coast. It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe. It is highly gregarious outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks.

The breeding male has pinkish flanks and breast back, with a black rear end and a brilliant white speculum, obvious in flight or at rest. It has a grayish head with a green eye patch and a whitish crown stripe. The females are light brown, with plumage much like a female Mallard. They can be distinguished from most ducks, apart from Eurasian Wigeon by shape. However, that species has a darker head and all grey underwing. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake looks more like the female.

It is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some taller vegetation, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing, which it does very readily. It nests on the ground, near water and under cover. It lays 6-12 creamy white eggs.

This is a noisy species. The male has a clear whistle in three syllables: whoee-whoe-whoe, whereas the female has a low growl qua-ack.

Now that's ducky!