Cisco Sonar

Cisco Sonar
By Bryce Neilson

Bear Laker's,

I wonder if people really know how lucky they are to live or have a home around Bear Lake.  There are many things we are lucky to have but today I am talking about wildlife, and I don't mean the type that goes on a Bear Lake West.

With the exception of upland game and waterfowl, most of the hunts are over now.  As I drift around the area, everything is coming out of hiding.  The breeding season or "rut" is just coming to a close now.  With the snowstorm in the middle of the rifle season the hunters had an unexpected advantage on the bucks.  They stood out like "sore thumbs" against the snow covered hillsides and if they missed them there, they could track them.  There were more nice bucks killed this year than I have seen for a long time. 

After the hunt ended and the rut started I was surprised to there was still plenty of nice bucks around that had survived.  They were working hard rounding up the does and fawns into their harems.  At this time of year they lose all of their survival senses and just follow the does.  That is why when you see a road killed deer this time of year it usually a buck.  We are lucky the winter has been mild so far with lots of moisture.  Hopefully, survival will be good next spring.

Now I am sure there will be some readers who wish all the "town deer" would leave.  All they do is eat the flowers, mow down the bushes and trees, raid the gardens and leave piles of pellets everywhere.  When they are ready to die they usually do it under the deck.  Well, they were here long before we were and they historically wintered in the cottonwoods around the lake.  Just look at the Camp Hunt (before they turned it into a resort) and you will always see deer there in the winter.  Actually, there are a lot of people would love "town deer" and treat them as pets.  I have seen lots of hard   core deer hunters give up the sport after becoming attached to deer.  How can you not love those big brown eyes?  We all need to get along with the deer, which means fencing what you don't want eaten, driving defensively and always expect one more deer at the end of the line and continuing to manage and hunt them.

Bryce      

Photos by Bryce Neilson