Quiet. Hear that rustling through the trees. Look: three elk
— two cows and a yearling — are chewing sage in the clearing
through the pines. It’s late spring and the snow is all but
melted from the ridge tops. There is plenty of snow still up
high, on the tops of the peaks, but here, about halfway between
the valley and the peaks, the snow has been replaced by bright
green shoots of grasses, forbs, bushes, trees and about every
other growing plant, and the animals are hungry. This is a great
spot from which to watch.
Ask any hunter what their favorite aspects of hunting are,
and almost all will tell you that watching the animals ranks
up toward the top. So it’s a bit surprising more people, hunters
and non-hunters alike, aren’t tromping around the mountains
looking for animals, especially since there are so many to see
in western Montana. Maybe that’s because some people confuse
wildlife spotting with wildlife watching, but they are different:
spotting can happen at any time, while hiking, paddling, skiing
— any activity that puts you in the outdoors. But wildlife watching
is the activity; it’s a deliberate effort to find animals
in their natural habitat and watch and observe from a safe distance.
You likely won’t bag any peaks or make many river miles if
you’re just out to find the animals, but you will be rewarded
nonetheless. Little beats looking for, and finding, that moose
along the willows of Bear Creek at dusk, or finding a rookery
of blue herons along the Bitterroot River in the Lee Metcalf
Wildlife Refuge.
Watching animals can be thrilling. Watch long enough, and
you will see them do something you never imagined, from funny
to fascinating. But to find them, you have to know a bit about
their behavior, and all animals act differently. Many birds,
especially once that live along the water, can be seen all day.
Bald eagles, for instance, can sit still on a perch for long
stretches of time, but if you know to look about half way up
or higher on a dead tree near the water, and to search for their
dark body and white cap, you may have an easier time finding
one.
Some animals lay low during the brightest party of the day
— they literally will lie down among the tall grasses or in
the thick woods. But come dusk, they are actively looking for
food and water. Moose like swampy areas. Elk and deer like places
with plenty of fresh, green shots to chew on. For those more
adventurous, bears can be incredible creature to watch. Many
bear-gazers will head up to Glacier National Park, where the
animals live in higher numbers — though black bears, smaller
that Grizzlies, live all over western Montana. Watching bears
should only be done carefully — you can have problems if you
approach to close.
And with all wild animals, from the tiny chipmunks to the
larger bison and bears, you should never feed them. It is not
only dangerous to approach them, but also dangerous for them
to develop a taste for human food — for once they do, they’ll
keep coming back.
To learn more about watching wildlife, you can find numerous
books at bookstores and outdoor shops. And local land managers
with the state or the U.S. Forest Service are always willing
to help. Don’t forget the binoculars!
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