Open Range

Did you know that Idaho is an Open Range state?  

TITLE 25

ANIMALS

CHAPTER 21

ANIMALS RUNNING AT LARGE

25-2118. Animals on open range -- No duty to keep from highway. No person owning, or controlling the possession of, any domestic animal running on open range, shall have the duty to keep such animal off any highway on such range, and shall not be liable for damage to any vehicle or for injury to any person riding therein, caused by a collision between the vehicle and the animal. "Open range" means all uninclosed lands outside of cities, villages and herd districts, upon which cattle by custom, license, lease, or permit, are grazed or permitted to roam.

History:

[25-2118, added 1961, ch. 249, sec. 1, p. 415.]

If you like driving off the beaten path and like to explore…  more than likely you’ll run into a few of these…

Black Angus seem to be the popular beef product in Idaho.   There are thousands and thousand of acres of ranch lands all over the state.  (Probably more that potato farms).

This big boy was watching over his harem.

And yes!  They are not fenced in…  They are on the side of the road, in the middle of the road and out in the field.   So…. slow down because if you hit one of them…   you’re going to be owing the rancher some big bucks.

 

Be Creative!

 

Man Vs Sea Lion

Along the Bay in Newport.. There is a street full of little shops and places to eat.    We love going to The Port and eating the best fish and chips.   Fresh cod caught daily.    They also have this fabulous three berry cobbler.   Yum!   The sea lions hang out on the docks on the the back side of the restaurant.     This year we seen a sad sight….    This might be too graphic…   so if you get a little queezy.. you might not want to read on….

They lay on the docks, basking in the sun, barking at each other all day long. They don’t dare move because they’ll lose their place of glory.   Eventually they have to move.    They have to eat!  And when they come back they try and push each other off so they can regain their spot.   Its really funny to watch. 
 
This poor guy ran into a fishing net..  and the net won!!    He has the tight rope wrapped around his neck and it cut through his thick skin.   There is a poster on the dock explaining his situation.    The OSU Marine Science Center has been keeping close watch over him.   He doesn’t seem to be in any pain and he still dives and is eating well.   They’re afraid to shoot him with a tranquilizer because he may fall off the dock and drown… (he weighs several hundred pounds).  He won’t let them close enough to remove the rope.   If all goes well, the rope will continue to unravel and fall off and his wounds will heel.  They’ve been shooting a darts of antibiotics into him.    It can potentially be fatal.     Its sad…  but I realize…   Its all part of the plan….




EnJOY!

Target Practice

We went out to the desert this weekend for target practice. It was a cool blustery day!



We looked for evidence to make sure it's OK to shoot. We're pretty close to the National Birds of Prey Area and have to be careful where we shoot. There were tons of Raptors flying around. Its nesting season and they were hungry.



Little critters were scurrying everywhere. My handyman set up a box so that we could sight in the 22 rifle. We were going to practice on little critters.



Most of them live in these little holes underground which are every couple of feet.



Some of them have the luxury of Condo living; or maybe this Family just has 21 kids.



I know! I know! They're cute little critters but they're also rodents. These little whistle pigs are everywhere. Thousands per acre. They're about the size of a tree squirrel.



It was a little chilly for the critters. They were hiding in their cozy little homes. So we didn't have much luck. We did practice shooting at the box, though. We'll go again in a couple of weeks when the sun is a little warmer.




EnJOY!

Got Milk?

Just over a mile down the road from us is a little farm with cows out in the field. I have always been amazed by them. They all look exactly the same. I think this old farmer has perfected cloning long before scientists. What are the odds that they all look like Oreo Cookies? They are black with the white around the middle. Each spring all the new calves look the same. I finally had my camera with me and made my Handyman pull the truck to the side of the road so that I could snap a few pictures!





Karma... make yourself interesting....