Goose Herding A problem That Shouldn’t Exist

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There is a daring new program being tested out in Yellowstone that was developed right here at the Institute. We often hire our top guns out as problem solvers when the folks in charge find themselves stumped. And this problem had the park management in a tizzy, I can tell you.

If you have been to Yellowstone lately you will have noticed that there is an abundance of Canada Geese in the park, more than an abundance, they are up to their eyelids in Canada Geese. They are everywhere, if you tip over a rock you will find Canada Geese. They are in the rivers, in the woods, up on the mountains, behind the dumpsters at the Yellowstone Lodge, under people’s feet, in people’s hair, there are just a whole lot of Canada Geese. They need to be regulated.

On the other hand you have a fair number of buffalo bulls that are transitioning from being full-time in your face herd breeders and dominant knock your widget in the dirt leaders, to go sit out on the hillside, can’t cut it any more, retirees. They’re still viable useful individuals but they have been marginalized, either by the downturn, or reaching the mandatory buffalo retirement age of 31, or they just got their ass handed to them in the last rut by some young Turk who is now the bull duck in the pond and now they’re out of a job. But none the less, they still have value, not to mention experience, knowledge, and a great work ethic.

The absolute brilliance of this plan still boggles our mind. What you do see, is you get the buffalo to herd the geese. Yeah I know, simple right? It just makes sense. The buffalo are used to making other animals do what they want them to, so they don’t take no for an answer. What better choice is there to work security. The buffalo herd the geese who go willingly because who wants to argue with a bull buffalo, back to a waterway like a river, or a pond, where the geese should be anyway. Thus they become much more manageable because they’re too busy trying to stay afloat and keep other geese from getting in their stuff, than to go somewhere else and cause trouble. Problem solved. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is why we get the big bucks. This proves the need for an Institute that has your best interests at heart. We come at these problems from a different direction, outside the herd if you will, than other folks because they’re too restricted and hampered by worrying about what might actually work than to try the improbable if not ridiculous solutions we come up with.

And what we came up with here, this really smart but brilliant plan came out of our think-tank, ours, the one where we go to think. No one helped us in any way in the development or implementation of this program, no input from the dunderheads that couldn’t solve the problem in the first place, nothing, we did it all, so we are taking full credit for its success. We feel that this is a genuine Solution to a Non-problem and that’s the perfect place to be to make money if you’re a government sponsored entity. So Yes, if you look at it closely, it’s money for nothing and the chicks are free. If other National parks have this problem, or any other animal management problem that requires herding by buffalo, they’re going to have to contract with us and cough up the big shmeckolinos for its use. Chalk up another success for the Institute, you just can’t hold us down. Remember we’re making your tax dollars work for us.

We Are Family

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Here they are the starlets of the river world, or perhaps I should say the otterlets of the river world. These are the showstoppers, rivaling wolves, grizzlies, combative bulls, any attraction you want to put up against them. I hesitate to say this only because I don’t want to tarnish the good name of otters but they’re the Kardashians of the river ways. Beautiful, arrogant, aware of every lens pointed at them, they’re Yellowstone’s answer to Hollywood’s glamour.

When the Otters appear everything else stops. They command your attention from the moment of their arrival to when the last gleaming flash of their glistening bodies disappear down stream. They are probably one of the most photogenic animals you can see in the park and one of the most elusive. I have been to Yellowstone more times than I can remember and I have only been fortunate enough to encounter them for an extended period, three times over a dozen years. It’s not that they’re rare, because they’re certainly not, they’re just one of those animals that you have to luck onto. Some people walk into the park, trip over an otter and say “Oh look at that” and head for the shops at Old Faithful. Others have never seen them in all their visits.

On this particular shoot I was following along the Madison river when I noticed a photographer friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of years standing near the river looking upstream. I stopped and talked to him and he told me that otters had been seen at 7 mile bridge and he thought they might show up again. No sooner had he said that when we heard their cries upriver as they talked to each other and traveled downstream towards us. I was lucky enough to have the correct lens on my camera as they came into view, playing, chasing each other, diving for fish, cavorting like kids just out of school. Above 7 mile bridge is an area we call the log jam for obvious reasons and if there are any otters around that’s where you’ll find them. That’s where this shot was taken and several hundred more in fact as they spent the better part of an hour swimming through the snags, climbing over them, resting, and generally showing us what otters do for a living.

When I stopped to talk to my friend I had only intended to be there a few moments so I had neglected to turn off my truck. However when you encounter an opportunity to spend quality time with the Kardashians, I mean otters you can not lose focus for a second. These are pictures that you’ll never be able to get again so it’s now or never. The cardinal rule for wildlife photographers is “Shoot it when you see it”, and that’s what we did. As the otters moved downstream we followed, shooting as we went until we had traveled a good mile or more from the initial meeting. When I had time to think I wondered if I would have a truck, not to mention all the rest of my gear when I got back, but in for a penny in for a pound.

Finally the otters had had enough of us and decided to ditch these otterarazzi’s and so they did, leaving us to trudge back to our starting point, two grown men giddy as school girls over the incredible experience we’d just had, carrying our gear, me wondering how I was going to explain to the insurance company that someone had stolen my truck with all my gear in it just because I left it unlocked and running, and it wasn’t my fault because there were these otters, see…. and my friend making comments like “Why didn’t you shut it off when you got out?” and “I always shut mine off”, etc. until I had visions of making him otter bait but I shouldn’t have worried, this was Yellowstone.

When we got back there it was just like I left it, still running but nearly out of gas, everything in place, and thanking the powers that be for not punishing me for the ecological catastrophe I had caused by allowing all the those hydrocarbons to escape, I stowed my gear. I did shut off my truck then because I needed a moment to settle down and reflect on what had just happened. I had just spent over two hours doing what I love most in the world and I had three, count ’em three, compact flash cards filled with otter pictures. My truck didn’t get stolen, my gear was safe, the EPA didn’t have a warrant working for my arrest, it had been a glorious day. To this day that experience remains at the very top of my Yellowstone memories. It is one of those times that can never be recreated.

Even though I have shot otters since then it was never the same, the time was too short, the light was wrong, they were too far off, there was always something to mar the opportunity, but not that day. That day was perfect.

Announcement! 200th Post! Thousands weep!

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It’s time for a small celebration here at BigShotsNow.com. We can proudly announce that today marks our 200th post. That’s an accomplishment that ranks right up there with successfully completing a pedicure, filing your own taxes and being chosen as the bachelor most likely to stay that way. None the less it is an accomplishment. Hell I know people that haven’t completed 200 things in their whole life other than mistakes.

During that time we have posted diverse articles that touched on subjects ranging from political events, personal feelings, life in the fast lane, life in the slow lane, history, suspense, satire, introspection of the worst possible kind, wildlife that occasionally involved animals, things that make you go hmmm, and maybe some just plain fun. Here are a dozen or so that seemed to make you happy or at least less murderous, and they are presented again for your reading and viewing pleasure.

Montana fixer-upper http://www.bigshotsnow.com/montana-fixer-upper/

Bones of the Past http://www.bigshotsnow.com/bones-of-the-past/

One-headed Buffalo calf  http://www.bigshotsnow.com/one-headed-buffalo-calf/

1875  http://www.bigshotsnow.com/1875-2/

Zen & Everclear http://www.bigshotsnow.com/zen-and-everclear/

Fishing Wolves http://www.bigshotsnow.com/fishing-wolves/

So a Condor, a Raven and A Duck Walk into this Bar… http://www.bigshotsnow.com/so-a-condor-a-raven-and-a-duck-walk-into-this-bar/

Birthin’ Babies http://www.bigshotsnow.com/birthin-babies/

Just Two Guys http://www.bigshotsnow.com/just-two-guys/

Boulders For Sale or Rent http://www.bigshotsnow.com/boulders-for-sale-or-rent/

Moab’s Secret Shame http://www.bigshotsnow.com/moabs-secret-shame/

Heading Sideways http://www.bigshotsnow.com/heading-sideways/

Ladies Please http://www.bigshotsnow.com/ladies-please/

When I was Just a Young Boy http://www.bigshotsnow.com/when-i-was-just-a-young-boy/

Most of our posts have been presented with relentless monotony and that may continue but life has a weird but strange habit of affecting the best laid plans so there may be some gaps in the future. It is time for me to get back out in the field and actually take pictures again and there may be some empty days, post-wise, as I tend to be places where there isn’t cell phone service let alone the internet. I know that may be hard to understand but there are still places where those things are of lesser importance. On a more serious note, if you can stand the shock, I want to thank all of you who have been following the blog. It has made my feeble attempts at telling my stories worthwhile and it helps knowing that there are those of you who may be addicted to this walk on the wild side. (There is no treatment or cure by the way) Thanks one more time for being you and I’ll see you in the blog.