FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Knockin Tail Lures by My Coast Outdoors

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There are still plenty of bucks around and we have not seen any with a dropped horn yet.   But it did remind me of a trip where we spent 4 days with a group that included a couple of retired teachers who were just plain pompous assholes.  When I said something about horns, she immediately corrected me that deer have antlers.  Duh, come on I did not miss that day in school.  She was the kind of person who should head to a South Texas bar and when the good old boys are talking about a fork horn she should interrupt and instruct them they are wrong.  See how that works out for her.  Sorry lady, they are not a little fork antler.  That just sounds stupid.  I let it slide but now that I am older and don’t give a shit what you think about me, I should have called her what she was.

We see this guy a lot.  While not a giant he is a beautiful animal.

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A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Sandhills

We happened to be driving by Monte Vista and saw a Sandhill Crane or two in a field and had heard they were starting to arrive.  Monte is known for its big Sandhill festival coming next month so we headed to the refuge.

Sandhill Cranes.

On our drive through we saw a few so we went over to a viewing area off the highway where we have seen lots of them in the past and it turned out they have started to arrive.  We rolled down the window to listen to them, they are highly vocal.  The Boss got out the bino’s and the following came out of her mouth – Look past them!

They return every year to the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge.

And there they were, at least a hundred plus elk.  (Not a “horn” in sight.)  It was a huge heard wintering on the refuge.  So you will know why the pics are not the clearest it is hard to estimate how far out both of them were.  At that point we could have cared less.  Even though they were literally hundreds of yards out we made them nervous.

Hard to believe.  Hundreds of Sandhills with a huge herd of elk behind them.  In this picture there were lots of them on both sides that would not fit in the pic.

Since we have been here we meet folks who have never seen a moose, a bull elk, a bear, and on and on.  Wish I could say we find them due to a deep knowledge of their habits but that would be a fib.  We see stuff because we constantly go where they are and take the time to look.  A perfect example was today. if we did not have the good binos today we might have missed one cool experience.

Sorry they are a little fuzzy but hard to get in everything including the mountains 10 miles away.  The point is how could you not like this view.

Often my photographic skills are a little lacking, I think it is because I get a little greedy.  This is the wide-open space of the San Luis Valley which is surrounded by mountains.  The same ones that we love to explore.  Today was amazing and one thing you can say about Colorado, keep looking they are out there.  So hopefully next time the pictures will be better, I can guarantee there will be a next time.

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Turkeys are Weird

We see them by the dozens daily.  They squabble, fight, run like maniacs and just plain act a fool at times.  This morning while making my oatmeal as usual I look out the window to see what is going on right behind the house, you never know.

This guy was full of himself.  Taken from the kitchen sink.

It is not quite time for this but he persisted.

Before it was over 4 or 5 were strutting their stuff and some smaller jakes were hassling each other.  Sorry boys it is not quite breeding time.

Having them around it is interesting to watch their interactions.  This normally means breeding season is on but it definitely is not time yet.  It seemed more like the boys were doing some kind of dominance thing.  Not sure but I cannot wait for the real action to begin, if you like big toms in full strut.  We sure do.

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Over 1,000 Fired – Funds Cut

Our public lands and parks are in more danger than even I thought.  Over the last several years I have written about the danger facing OUR public lands.  Now with the sweep of the pen over 1,000 national park workers have been fired.  Hard to even calculate what is to come as the season for visitors begins.  Filthy rest rooms, trash not picked up, decrease in public safety and the list goes on.  (The real reason for this, a manufactured justification to steal OUR lands.)  When covid happened folks really began to return to the outdoors and subsequently our parks are being visited like never before.  That is a good thing.

It is estimated that the parks support 45,000 jobs with $55.6 billion in economic activity.  It will devastate the local communities that provide the services required hurting them and the visitors.  Many projects and programs are in jeopardy with the cuts.  But the weirdest of all is just inexplicable.  With bipartisan support The Great American Outdoor Act authorized $6.5 billion to update our parks which was badly needed.  That was in 2020 and it was signed by who?  Trump.  WTF?

This is the worst idea yet.  This is so short sighted and will not come to a good end. So remember next year, or next week who knows, when they propose to sell our lands, I told you so.  This is not all about saving money it is the precursor to the big rip off.

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On the fishing front there is little patches of open water showing on the river and several of the lakes have some pretty soft ice.  So with the weather headed to the high 50’s Monday and Tuesday time to get the boat out of storage and get it licensed.  Will take it home Monday and charge batteries and take the remaining stuff from the move out.  I stopped by the game and fish office to see what I needed to do, and to make sure I could get it inspected which is a requirement for bringing a boat into Colorado.  The lady asks why now?  I need the trailer inspected and then to the motor vehicle office so was trying to accomplish it all and be ready for ice out.  Like all states everyone has their hand out.

While there I asked about the zones and how that works for hunting license draws.  Then the bad news – My backyard is one of the toughest draws for hunting mule deer in the state.  It might take me 3 – 4 years to draw, hope I live that long.  Will just have to see how that works out but seeing all these mule deer everyday makes me hungry.

Other than that just living the life.  The Boss occasionally says – “Are we on vacation?”  Yes buster, we live and breathe vacation.  So, keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

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Off Topic

First off I am no financial guru by any means.  The only thing I know about that is save some money or you will end up broke.  But I have read the following advice from multiple gurus online and while we are all entitled to our opinion, I can’t resist sharing mine.

When the question of getting to the point in your life where you can either pay off your house or invest the money they often tend to say keep investing.  They cite the interest difference as the big advantage.  Well, they are number people who like their commissions, but they are far from understanding the real benefit of paying it off.  Peace of mind.

If you ever find yourself in that position pay off your house, end of story.  The feeling of comfort and stability is worth every penny.  You don’t worry about that investment.  It is comforting to know you have a place to live no matter what.  If you invest the money you get to worry about it, afraid some lunatic politician will screw it up, or a financial depression or bad investment advice will eat up your money.  In the end those sticks will always be there.  Makes it really easy to sleep at night.

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