Slow day

I got most of my yard work done yesterday so I thought I’d go up and check on the rattle snake den. The temperature was 70 degrees so I figured they would be coming out of the den and sunning. Usually several days of 70 degree weather brings them out to sun but evidently it wasn’t quite warm enough yet. No action at the den.

I took the 220 swift to maybe shoot a rock chuck or two so I hung around the den for an hour scoping the area. The chucks were out and would have given me plenty of shots at the 300 yard range, a long shot for me, but I didn’t see any little ones out. The chucks I saw were big and I guessed they haven’t had their babies yet, so I held off from shooting. I don’t know when they have their babies but I’m not on an extermination quest so I’ll wait until next years fun is out and eating.

While sitting there, I realized how bad my eyes are getting. I thought I saw some magpies sitting on a rock a distance away which turned out to be the ears of five deer laying behind the large boulder. When they stood up and walked off I had to scratch my head wondering how I could make magpies out of deer ears. Barb’s going to have to take my drivers license away.

Although the grass was green, the mountain soil was very dry on this southern exposure. But as I type this blog, the rain is once again coming down. Mother Nature is coming through once again. So far she’s doing a great job of keeping things growing.

Also while sitting there, I watched a lone chukar moving up the hill. Lot’s of reasons it could have been alone. Maybe a male who’s mate has started sitting on her nest. An early nester. Or could be a female early nester getting off her nest for a short while to eat. Maybe it’s the only chukar on the mountain. Or maybe it’s the only chukar I saw because I didn’t have my chukar finders with me yesterday. I’m thinking the latter.

Always a good reason to be up on the mountain.