Seldom seen or heard, this bandit of the waterways and wetlands — the raccoon — is more common than one might think! It is midnight on a quiet summer evening. In half moon light along the river, a masked form walks to the edge of the water. With human like forepaws, it searches under the water and mud. Moments later, this furry creature pulls out a large crayfish. It adeptly...
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The Striped Skunk (Mustela mephitis) is one of the most diverse members of the weasel family. Quite often in the natural world, we see some animals as being relatively common, and take for granted we know most of what there is to know about these creatures. But like everything out there in nature, we can always learn more! It takes many years of studying a small area...
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In the hills, meadows and forests of Kootenai Country Montana, the black bear makes quite a home for itself! The Black Bear (Ursus americanus), is the technical name for this beautiful creature, but there are many color phases which they are found!
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The Pine Marten is an aboreal weasel that inhabits our forests. They are acrobats in trees and very efficient predators. High in the sub-alpine zone, a chocolate brown figure slinks along a white bark pine branch. It’s an older whitebark, probably about 260-years old. The bark on this sentinel is...
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Coming up with a respectable new description for a living thing that has already been described as royal, majestic and magical is not an easy task. The Native Americans called them Wapiti, and here in Kootenai Country Montana they are known as Rocky Mountain Elk.
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Kootenai Country Montana grows some of the most healthy whitetail deer in the state. Bucks are most often large, heavy, plentiful and have great racks and genetics. Our remoteness enhances our wildlife populations who are relatively spared from any major drops in numbers due to predation, disease or winterkill on an average year.
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One of the wildest calls to break the pre-dawn silence is the call of the gray wolf. The wolf is cherished by some as a spirit of the wild, respected by many for its stealth and cunning, and disliked by others who resent it for its voracious predatory practices. The wolf has the attention of all of us here in Kootenai Country Montana.
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In Kootenai Country Montana, the largest antlered animal in the world is an exciting species to see! The big male bulls can weigh 800-1300 pounds and their palmate antlers with the broad, flat design are unique. The female cows are antlerless, and tip the scales at 500-800 pounds. Moose (Alces alces) are also referred to as Shiras moose in Montana...
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It was dusk in the mature evergreen forest and all was quiet and still. The closed tree canopy let in very little light, yet still enough to highlight the chocolate brown fur of the Fisher in the live trap with gold and white. Its large paws showed retractable claws, the air smelled of musk, and the long furry tail was wrapped in a coil. It had been a long winter’s pursuit of the elusive pekan, but finally the researcher’s efforts had come to fruition.
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The Mountain Lion (Felis concolor) is named for the cat of one color and is an ambush predator. With it’s large eyes pointing straight forward in the skull, this sight hunter can see about 160 degrees with great depth perception. The skull is small and rounded, with a very short face and the fangs are spaced almost exactly the same distance apart as the average diameter of a deer’s neck...
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The coyote (Canis latrans ), in the west is about the size of a medium size dog at first glance. The nose is quite pointed, and the tail extremely bushy. The fur is usually gray to reddish-gray, with a rusty color on the legs, feet, and ears. The underthroat, belly, and rear flanks near the tail are whitish. The total length nose to tail ranges from 40-to-55 inches and average weight runs from 28-to-46 pounds. There are three canid species in Kootenai Country Montana, of which the coyote is the most common and the middle sized dog family member.
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Deep in Kootenai Country Montana, near the three forks of the river named for the male moose, a cool September morning was arriving. As it did, the mist rose off the rocks in the water and a dark form appeared slinking along a log. The mink was lithe and agile as its high energy movements brought it to the end of the log. Once there, the tubular bodied almost black mustelid dove into the water, stayed submerged for a minute, and emerged excitedly with a small fish.
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The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a small canid family member with pointed ears, a slender muzzle, and an overall rufous coloration. There are various coat colorations and color phases, but the legs and feet are usually blackish, the throat white, and the long bushy tail has a white tip. Generally, red fox are about 36-to-46 inches in total length, 2-feet tall, and weigh approximately 10-to-15 pounds.
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The smallest of native cats in Northwest Montana is also known by several other names such as bay lynx, catamount, red lynx, and wildcat. Although the term lynx is used in various common names, the bobcat (Felis rufus) and the Canadian lynx (Felis lynx) are two distinct species. Rarely, a hybridization of bobcat and lynx occur in the wild and are referred to as lynx-cats. The most notable differences are that the bobcat’s feet are much smaller than those of the lynx, and lack the furry pads of the lynx.
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The badger (Taxidea taxus) is remarkably adapted for burrowing and feeding on burrowing prey. The body is stout, heavily compacted, and designed low to the ground. It is built to defend itself. Body length is approximately 20-30 inches and average weight is about twenty pounds. The black feet have partially webbed toes and extremely long claws to aid in excavating. This furbearer is a yellowish grey mammal with a distinguishable white stripe over the top of its head, white cheeks and a black spot in front of each ear.
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Snowshoe hares are actually not rabbits, but a different genera completely. The term hare is believed to have originated from the old English word hara. These bunnies turn completely white by winter, but have a brown mid fur, and an underfur that is grayish. They do not usually dig burrows or make nests. Snowshoes are about 15-20 inches long, and weigh 1-3 pounds.
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Also called the pine squirrel, the Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a non-migratory rodent. They are slightly larger than a chipmunk, about 6-8 inches long with a 4-inch bushy tail. Weighing in at approximately 8 ounces, they have reddish fur and a white underbelly. Red squirrels are a largely aboreal, forest dwelling species associated with coniferous tree types. In Kootenai Country Montana, they are commonly found in stands of Lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Sub-alpine fir, and Engleman spruce.
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The northern flying squirrels have thick, light brown to cinnamon fur on the upper body, gray flanks and whitish underparts. The total length including tail is about 12 inches. They have extremely large eyes designed for nocturnal vision, striped heads, long whiskers, and weigh about 6 ounces. In Kootenai Country Montana, they generally prefer mature to old growth evergreen forests, but will utilize sub-alpine zones or cottonwood stringers near water bodies.
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The American Pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small, herbivorous creature that belongs to the order of Lagomorphs which includes rabbits and hares. These bunnies have a small roundish body about 7-inches long and weigh in at approximately six ounces. The males are slightly larger than females, they do not hibernate, and are most active during the day. Though related to rabbits and hares, the front and hind legs are relatively the same length, and the hind feet are short compared to other bunnies.
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The Long-Tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) is the largest and most widely distributed of the three North American weasels residing in Montana. This species is characterized by a small head, dark beady eyes, small ears and a pointed nose. They have a long slender body, elongated neck, and the longest tail of the weasels present in Kootenai Country Montana.
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