Coyote Hunting in the Channeled Scablands

[ivarhusa]

Short version: didn't see or shoot any coyotes
Long version: Saw many deer, and some ruggedly beautiful country.

A significant chunk of eastern Washington landscape was sculpted by the Bretz or Missoula floods that occurred at the end of the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago.  Today I had the pleasure of hunting a chunk of BLM land SW of Rock Lake, right in the middle of the channeled scablands.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channeled_scablands

Here is one of the flood paths I was on.  At the time it was formed, waster was several hundred feet deep here, and moving fast- fast enough to pluck huge basalt boulders out of the flat plain, leaving this gully.



Before the floods, this was a flat basalt plain as high (at least) as the butte at the left.  Here is a view of another "drainage" with more than 2 dozen deer on alert. (They've seen me.)



Sorry for the less than perfect picture.  It was overcast, and they were some distance away.  This seemed like a good place to expect coyote!

So I hunted.



It was good exercise, and a very interesting place to hunt.  The terrain was varied enough that you could always wonder "What's on the other side?", and not have a long hike to go check it out.

I have been a member of the Ice Age Floods Institute for at least five years.  We achieved our primary goal this month, getting legislation passed that establishes an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, much akin to the Lewis and Clark "Trail" along highways.  Kiosks will be added to existing parks, and waysides, explaining the geology that is present and where you can go to see more.  Such displays will show up from Montana to Eugene, OR (such is the extent of these floods).  For more, visit: http://www.iafi.org/

Maybe next time I'll have pictures of dead coyotes to share...

Ivar

[shoot-em-dead]

keep up with the long versions, and hunting is all about being out- not just about killing

[ivarhusa]

I am reminded of Det. Wojciehowicz's (TV's Barney Miller show) summary of the ballet Swan Lake, "One dead swan.  That was it!"   

[robb92]

I was reading about the great missoula floods earlier this week, very interesting. Thanks for posting the pics!!!

[jager]

Cool pics! Thanks. I used to spend A LOT of time out there. 

[bowhunterforever]

Cool pics! Did you see any rock chucks out in that area?

[Forrestrover]

Good pics and info. I would really like to get out there one of these days.

[ivarhusa]

I have had my eye out for rodents above ground for several weeks now, and have seen only one (too close to a farm to be at risk).

Today I saw what seemed to me to be a large number, perhaps several dozen, "dens" that had roughly a 6" to 8" diameter entry.  None had current digging activity around it.  I was thinking badger, but so many holes?  I've never seen one out in the open. As I read about badgers in Wikipedia, it says they dig for their meals, so lots of holes seems to make sense.

Today's hunt was especially challenging for an odd reason.  I repacked my hunting gear (normally left in the trunk) and I forgot to include my call lanyard.  Fortunately, I had one old open-reed call left in my trunk.  It was a cheap old thing made crudely, RTV'd to a cow horn.  I was able to coax some passable sounds out of it, but I think I will soon stash a distress call in my hunting-coat's pocket.  Seems like good insurance.

Ivar



(not all the deer were distant)

[Blacklab]

Very nice thanks for sharing