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Old January 28th, 2007, 10:11 AM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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Another day of adventure . . . .

A few things from yesterday, yes, all yesterday . . . . walking along a lake as we do periodically, and then some ridge walking in the mountains nearby . . .

"Come walk with us," says Keeper, with Abby ahead on this unnamed ridge in Kananaskis . . .



The trail ahead is clear for Abby and Keeper.



The big picture . . . . . from the ridge and out to the prairie beyond.



O' Noble Abby . . . . . wind blown too.



Abby is a mere dot within a picture of infinity . . . this is like our own private park, miles and miles of no one but us chickens.



Running the prairie is fun for Keeper . . . . interestingly, the ridge we were standing on in the pictures above in this thread is about 30 km away over Keeper's shoulders.



Walking a frozen but dry, dry country . . . .



The local moose lad . . .



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Old January 28th, 2007, 10:14 AM
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Great pics as always, Rick! The views are amazing.

But my favs of this lot are the ear-flapping, and the moose.
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Old January 28th, 2007, 10:22 AM
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Great pics again Rick

Beautiful as always
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Old January 28th, 2007, 12:04 PM
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Gosh we're so fortunate to live in such a beautiful country !!!
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Old January 28th, 2007, 03:04 PM
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Oh, I got so excited when I saw you had posted new pics! You never cease to amaze me with the gorgeous moments you manage to capture! Love wind-blown Abby! The scenery and doggies are both just breathtaking! I think this is where Petey dreams of being when he closes his eyes at night. LOL!
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Old January 28th, 2007, 03:09 PM
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Great pics, as always, Rick! So do you drive out to that ridge or do you hike the 30km? Looks kinda cold for that, so I'm hoping you take the car!
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Old January 28th, 2007, 06:11 PM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
Great pics, as always, Rick! So do you drive out to that ridge or do you hike the 30km? Looks kinda cold for that, so I'm hoping you take the car!
In this case, the lake is about a 40 minute drive south of our house, south of Longview if you have a map.

From the lake, its straight west into the mountains about 30 km up a Petro Canada gravel road.

You're supposed to use chains but there was no ice on the road this time . . . . in the summer, the road leads into a backcountry Forestry Trunk Road which goes north and south up much of southwestern Alberta.

Once you're in the spot you want to be, it's about a 30 minute walk uphill to where the first pictures were taken . . . . and then you can walk for several miles along the ridge, with lots of ups and downs.

Abby and Keeper and I do walk for hours at a time in the backcountry in the winter . . . however, this place is very exposed to wind and you have to pick a decent day or you can be blown right off.

On this day, we walked a couple of hours along the lake, drove up into the mountains and walked about an hour and half along the ridge . . . . then went home, sat outside on the deck with a beer and did some reading.

Abby found some snow up there in the picture below. Late in the spring, we'll probably go up that ridge in the background of this picture and the first one in the string. There's a trail to get up there but I'd have to be careful with the dogs . . . . obviously there's a straight down drop of some magnitude.



Abby and Keeper were left behind today as Carol and I took lunch in Banff and walked around the town a bit. Another beautiful, cloudless day in the mountains . . . . . but I'm taking them for a walk down the road right now.

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Old January 28th, 2007, 11:23 PM
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Awesome pics .
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Old January 28th, 2007, 11:30 PM
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Great pics! I love the ridge one with the prairies in the distance.
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Old January 29th, 2007, 07:37 AM
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B-E-A-UTIFULL!!
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Old January 29th, 2007, 07:43 AM
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B-E-A-UTIFULL!!
Agreed! amazing shots.

Rick, are those just long leashes the dogs drag?
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Old January 29th, 2007, 09:27 AM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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Agreed! amazing shots.

Rick, are those just long leashes the dogs drag?
Yes, long leashes . . . .

Short answer to that is there are NO "off-leash" areas in any national or provincial parks . . . . but particularly in the mountains. Dogs are to be leashed and under control at all times, even in remote places like this. That's the law.

People seem surprised by that but there are cougars, wolves, bears, lynx, wolverines, etc, etc in places like this . . . . an unleashed dog can also bring those bigger creatures back to YOU as well.

Abby and Keeper were leashed an in my hand when we had our bear encounter two summers ago.

From a practical point of view, when we're in wooded areas or places where I have no visibility, I will have Abby in hand and let Keeper drag her leash a few paces ahead. Then I'll step on Keeper's leash and pick it up if someone or something happens along. Keeper answers to verbals and sticks around. Abby is a wanderer, will ignore you at times and will take Keeper with her. There are walks where Abby never leaves my hand.

In places like you see in this thread, where I have good visibility in all directions, I'll let them run a bit even if its against the law . . . . which is why I like taking them to this particular lake.

In their early years, when we roamed the non-park pasturelands near our home, Abby and Keeper were involved in coyote chases and deer chases. Abby has gone nose to nose with a moose. Both have been charged by moose and elk in our fenced acreage yard. They've had coyotes trying to lure them away.

Obviously, the pictures would look better without leashes. Can't help that.

Grizzlies!!!



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Old January 30th, 2007, 09:52 AM
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wow. I'm not sure what I'd do if I came across a bear. Needless to say a change of underwear would likely be needed lol.

I walk Rosco on some wooded trails as we live in the country. The thought of deer or moose doesnt bother me. Coyotes I know would run long before they saw me. But bears..they worry me. I have a 6ft leash that i cut the loop off that I let him drag. I may get a longer one though.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old January 30th, 2007, 05:01 PM
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wow. I'm not sure what I'd do if I came across a bear. Needless to say a change of underwear would likely be needed lol.

I walk Rosco on some wooded trails as we live in the country. The thought of deer or moose doesnt bother me. Coyotes I know would run long before they saw me. But bears..they worry me. I have a 6ft leash that i cut the loop off that I let him drag. I may get a longer one though.
If you have a dog with you, I wouldn't bet that a coyote would immediately run. Maybe, but maybe not.

They will more commonly wait for the dog to give chase. If you verbally call your dog back, the coyote might stop and wait or come closer again. It wants the dog to pursue so that it might have an opportunity to kill it . . . . or, and I've seen this first hand with a trap set for a farm dog in the valley, it will have friends hiding nearby and it's trying to lure your dog into an ambush.

Several times, I've had Abby and Keeper on leash in my hand, holding them back while a coyote waited, waited, waited for the dogs to break free and give chase.

In one of our early years together, Abby and Keeper spotted two coyotes in the pasturelands near our home. They gave chase and were over the horizon in a blink . . . . I ran a mile up, then up a hill in big boots, stopping to look down at a forest where these four had disappeared into. I called and whistled for 15 minutes before Abby and Keeper finally emerged. I still have no idea what happened in that forest.

Lots of other coyote stories for Abby and Keeper too.

Female dogs are more likely to survive such an encounter than males.

Coyotes are very smart. They'll keep their distance from a human but they won't necessarily run away. They'll be thinking about how to separate you from your dog.

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Old January 30th, 2007, 06:43 PM
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Actually i have heard stories of that. Never knew if it was true or not. Rosco is a big pup, but agaisnt a pack of coyotes. Yeah, I'd never want to see that. I'll pick up that long lead soon i think.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old January 31st, 2007, 12:21 PM
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I have some pics of Abby and Keeper confronting some coyotes through our fence . . . . I should re-post them. One coyote is hiding and the other is trying to lure Keeper away.

Keeper gets so wound up . . . . one hot day I had to start carrying her back up to the house while Carol ran down with a bucket of water after Keeper completely pooped herself out trying to lunge through the fence over and over, the coyote going back and forth nearby. Heat prostration. She couldn't stand. We only came across the scene at the end. Good thing we were home.

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Old January 31st, 2007, 12:26 PM
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Thats crazy. I'd like to see that picture!
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old January 31st, 2007, 01:44 PM
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Grizzlies!!!



Rick C
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Ummm, tell me this was scanned from a book and you were not standing there shooting pictures of grizzles!!!!
Has nobody told you that grizzles are not friendly Rick?
I have visions of you becoming the next Timothy Treadwell.
Do be careful
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Old January 31st, 2007, 02:55 PM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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Ummm, tell me this was scanned from a book and you were not standing there shooting pictures of grizzles!!!!
Has nobody told you that grizzles are not friendly Rick?
I have visions of you becoming the next Timothy Treadwell.
Do be careful
On that particular day, Abby and Keeper and I had walked 17 km around Upper Kananaskis Lake. On the backside of the lake, someone had been mauled by a grizzly just the summer before.

After our walk, we hopped in our vehicle and within a few minutes we saw these two Grizzly bruins in the picture above loitering by the road . . . . so, yes, I took the picture from a vehicle.

They're around. They're a fact of life if you want to walk around in the mountains, particularly around there. Big signs that say: "You Are In Bear Country!!!"

Same day as this picture below was taken . . . . within an hour I think. Abby runs . . . . illegally. For a few moments at least. She was firmly in hand for most of this walk.



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Old January 31st, 2007, 03:10 PM
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These pictures are breath taking !!
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Old January 31st, 2007, 07:49 PM
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A coyote confrontation from last Spring . . . . I shot off a few fuzzy images then went down and broke it up. Abby and Keeper can't get through the fence and I haven't seen a coyote inside.

Keeper tries over and over to push through the fence to get to the coyote which is baiting her.



Abby telling a coyote to get lost . . . . he kept coming in and trying to get her to chase him.



Abby gives a defiant squirt as a second coyote - probably the female - comes out of its hiding place in the stubble . . . . it had been laying there the whole time.



Bonus, four white tail bucks in a line crossing a field . . . . this exact same scene looked a lot better in the green of an early June morning last summer but no camera with me that day . . . .



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Old February 1st, 2007, 08:13 AM
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wow. Again, amazing pictures. That fence doesnt look all that high. Its a wonder they idnt try and jump or climb it!
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old February 1st, 2007, 09:00 AM
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Extraordinary pictures.
I was thinking that the coyotes would be smaller sized more like a red fox.
I never tire of the scenery.
Is the camera hand held in all your shots or do you set up a tripod?
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Old February 1st, 2007, 09:17 AM
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My goodness. I think I have to move!!

Beautiful pics.
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Old February 1st, 2007, 10:54 AM
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The fence is about five feet high. Abby and Keeper can't jump it. It surrounds our four acres.

Before it was built, coyotes would come in the yard all the time as we would see their sign . . . . but we haven't seen anything like that since it was built. They can certainly jump it - they could probably jump a 12 foot fence - but they don't come in the yard . . . . although they go into the farmyard in the valley all the time.

All the shots are hand-held and generally impromptu. I rarely use a tripod.

Walking the treeless prairie with Abby and Keeper . . .



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Old February 1st, 2007, 12:37 PM
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again, wow.

Well, I should add, at lunch today on a walk we came across our first animal.

It was a chicken and it was frozen solid right in the middle of the trail

I'm guessing an eagle dropped it as it didnt appear to be eaten at all. And odd to have died and freeze right in the middle of the trail. Plus i didnt think we have too many wild chickens running around lol.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old February 1st, 2007, 01:19 PM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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again, wow.

Well, I should add, at lunch today on a walk we came across our first animal.

It was a chicken and it was frozen solid right in the middle of the trail

I'm guessing an eagle dropped it as it didnt appear to be eaten at all. And odd to have died and freeze right in the middle of the trail. Plus i didnt think we have too many wild chickens running around lol.
"Finding dead things is great!!!," says Abby.



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Old February 1st, 2007, 01:58 PM
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Nice Rick Great shot though, but completely disgusting
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Old February 1st, 2007, 02:02 PM
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I can't believe you decided to take a picture of that. I'd be too busy screaming "Drop it" to even think about photographing it. Blech. lol

Great picture though!
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Old February 1st, 2007, 02:15 PM
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It was a battle of wits . . . . . and I wasn't doing very well at that point.

I tried to get her to drop it with a handful of berries but no dice. Threats? Didn't work either.

Finally, we stopped for a drink in the river and she dropped it and together we watched it float away.

We find lots of dead things. Including a whole deer once. Through the course of a week, the deer gradually disappeared as predators through the night came and ate it about a mile from our house.

You know, all these pictures and many others are on their updated photoblog at www.goldentales.ca/new.htm

Abby watches a bee in the picture below. She and Keeper like to eat them even though they get periodically stung in their mouths.



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