Winter Wildlife in Southeast Region

Winter Wildlife Watching And Photographing 2003 This year's open winter offers wildlife lovers excellent opportunities to see and photograph concentrations of deer and elk along with rare birds like snowy owls, trumpeter swans, eagles and falcons. Shutterbugs with $7 disposable cameras and professionals with $7,000 telephoto lenses flock to well know wildlife wintering sites each year. The prizes photographers and wildlife watchers seek are wintering deer and elk, migratory waterfowl and hunting birds and herds of bison if you can get to Yellowstone National Park. This year Trumpeter swans are spread out over the region and can be seen along the Snake and Bear Rivers along with reservoirs like Oneida and American Falls that stay open. An aggressive relocation program of young swans over the past two years presents excellent viewing and photo opportunities not previously available outside of the Harriman and Yellowstone areas. Some of the nations most exciting winter wildlife viewing and photographing is with in three hours of Pocatello. Yellowstone National Park, the National Elk Refuge out of Jackson Hole and the concentration of eagles and ducks along the Snake River are top rated places to explore. Yellowstone National Park is one of the finest spots in the nation for winter photography. Buffalo walk among geysers while late migrating Canada geese and bull elk bugle and honk during the month of October and November. Come December and January it is buffalo picture time. The shaggy symbols of the old west make excellent photographic subjects. Trumpeter swans inhabit the rivers and let winter photographers snap great shots. Snowmobiles are allowed into the park this year. The easiest way in is via snowcat out of West Yellowstone. Plan ahead to have a successful adventure and take plenty of film. Winter accommodations are available at Old Faithful Lodge most of the winter months. This is a wonderful place to headquarter and plan photographic and wildlife viewing jaunts from. Reservations for snowcat rides, rental snowmobiles and accommodations must be made in advance. Close To Home Closer to home along the Snake River Bald eagles migrate in to fish and hunt ducks. As other areas freeze up eagles move south and west to find open waters with plentiful food. Eagle surveys in January usually find from 100 to 150 Bald eagles along the Snake River from below Idaho Falls to Cold Water Pass on the Snake River. Eagles from the southern Canadian provinces, Montana and Wyoming visit the Snake River from Idaho Falls to Massacre Rocks. They perch on trees conserving energy while watching for fish or a stray duck that is injured. A stand of trees below the boat launch ramp at Massacre Rocks State Park hosts up to a half dozen eagles each year. These winged anglers know the best fishing holes! December also brings snowy owls to the Island Park Area. Pure white with occasional black markings the snowy owl is one of winters most deadly airborne predators. Snapping a photo of a snowy owl in a spruce tree can be the highlight of the year for dedicated photographers. Another exotic visitor is the Gyre falcon that migrate from the arctic tundra to hunt the Snake River plain. One buzzed by me while I was hunting ducks on the Snake River last week. They are swift, graceful and the largest of the falcon family. Bird watchers flock to the frozen marshes and plains to get a glimpse of one of the worlds most elegant and sought after hunting birds. Last year two Gyre falcons hunted south of Pocatello along the Snake River blissfully undiscovered. Elk and deer migrate to wintering grounds to endure the winter. Mule deer tend to use the same area year after year. Elk move around more on winter range but can consistently be found in the same areas year after year. A trip to the National Elk Refuge outside of Jackson Hole is a great family vacation. Thousands of elk migrate to the refuge to enjoy a free meal. Best of all you can get a wagon ride among the elk. The wagons that meander among the elk on the National Elk Refuge offer one of best photographing opportunities in west. Concentrations of bull elk sporting huge sets of antlers are the rule not the exception. Professional photographs burn up a thousands of frames of film each winter at the Local hot spots to watch wildlife change with the weather and food availability outside the park and refuge. If you need some advice on where to go, call us at the Fish and Game Office in Pocatello or the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole. Always remember, stess wildlife as little as possible when in the field. A day trip for you can be one too many day trips for wildlife if they are disturbed too often. By H. Morse - Article #2 - Winter Recreational Supplement Do's And Don't Of Wildlife Viewing - Mother nature is harsh and unforgiving on people and wildlife if they run low on food in the great outdoors. Careless acts by people trying to get too close to deer, elk or other wildlife can be fatal. People get stomped or gored by animals and animals can burn up precious energy avoiding people and become easy prey for predators. So what are the do's and don't's of wildlife viewing and photograph for people and wildlife? No one wants to harm wildlife or be hurt by it. By following some simple and reasonable precautions conflicts can usually be avoided. Personal Safety: * First and foremost, don't jeopardize yourself or wildlife in a conflict situation. Cranky bull buffalo have killed visitors at Yellowstone National Park that got too close. No photography is worth risking your life for. Buffalo and moose are dangerous give these two large creatures a wide berth. *Always give wildlife an escape route. Fright and flight play critical roles in wildlife survival. Block the only escape route for a fawn deer and you just might end up with hoof prints on your forehead in it's panic flight. *Avoid stopping in the middle of the road or highway to look at wildlife. Winter roads are icy, slick and dangerous. Vehicles easily slide off roads into ditches or hit other cars or people when drivers are watching wildlife and not paying attention to driving. *Dress for the weather. Tennis shoes on kids are great in the gym but labilities in the woods during winter. Inspect the members of your party before going out looking at wildlife. Does everyone have good warm shoes, socks, gloves and other clothing or are they going to be cold and cut your trip short? *Have enough blankets or sleeping bags in your vehicle to survive a breakdown. And let someone know where your going and when you expect to return. Wildlife Considerations: *Don't pursue wildlife to get a better look or photograph. Sit tight and let wildlife come to you. Most animals live off fat reserves over the winter. Avoiding people and vehicles can take a serious toll on those fat reserves. If the winter is longer or harsher than normal many animals die and if undue human disturbance occurs more die. *Use telephoto lenses, binoculars and spotting scope to enjoy watching wildlife. They cut the distance without disturbing the creatures. *Enjoy watching wildlife as early in the winter as possible or under controlled circumstances. Deer start drifting on to winter range in December and are still in good shape. You will have less impact on the deer or elk if you disturb them as little as possible and not at the end of a long hard winter. On feedlots like in Jackson Hole for elk, visitor access is controlled to lessen impacts on elk as much as possible. *Don't push wildlife off winter range. Driving, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and hiking into prime winter range and through herds can run deer and elk off it. Stop, look and listen. Are you going to disturb deer and elk by your actions? If the answer is yes, then back off and figure out a way to enjoy watching and photographing without disturbing wildlife. *If you have the choice and or opportunity go high and avoid the main winter range when watching wildlife do so by all means. *Stay on main trails, you will disturb wildlife less. *Disturbing wildlife is not always obvious to us, studies reveal that animal heart rates go up when they are just being