It's amazing what you see around Northern Michigan

[KTM Mike]

Saturday morning starts out with our dog kinda acting a bit weirder than usual...a glance out the window and we see this big fella and all his girl friends tearing down our snow fence, and eating up some of the hay bales we had marked out our grass track with! 1 Bull, 10 cows. (sorry for poor image quality - the light was very low - I really had to do some fine turning with the computer to get it to look this good)


Then, a matter of a few hours later...we see some different wildlife bombing around...these seemed to go a bit faster though......

Yep...it sure is a tough life living up here...but I figure someone has to do it... :nener:

 

[jackdrinker]

Did the other wild look like this?

 

[KTM Mike]

yup...sure did


(you looked at my post before I figured out my car pic did not post...!)

 

[Mophuka]

would love to watch them cars race around. always thought that was cool..

don't get animals like that here in Saginaw.... I think I would pee myself if I saw one of them in the woods...

 

[woodsy]

Heyyyyyyyyyy, that great big horned deer looking thing is munching on the piece of my visor I lost when I face planted up there.... ARRRGGGGGGGGGG..... OK big guy, I guess that gives me hunting rights... Yeppers, me an my buddy YT2 wont be living on burnt squirrel for a lonnnnnnngggg time now!! MMMMmmmmm, Woodsy LOVES Raindeer burgers for sure, mmmmmmMMMMMM... Sheila, get the grill back out cause Woodsy's comin to town, Mikey, hope ya got LOTS of propane for that Motorhome cause my girls are home from college and I'm bringing the offspring up for the remainder of winter.. They can help me drag it, gut it, process it and freese that great big horned critter.. Dont worry buddy, I wont pee on your seats and I PROMISE we will have it done by the time the "CHAOS" starts this fall :rotfl: :rotfl:
Ohhh yea, I will donate one side of the horns to the winner of this years HareScramble AND a set of hooves tothe first one back from Saturdays ride - unless we get rain - then I will keep them..
THOSE PICS ARE PRICELESS MIKE!! You folks certainly know how to live!!! What a GORGEOUS spot to raise a family and enjoy life.. Hats off to you and yours for allll the HARD work up there!! Now get out there and chase those Elk out of the hay so we have something to bounce off from this fall!! And yell at those reckless drivers too - only we Chaosers get to dig furrows up here like that!!!!~
BRAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPP
Woodsyyyy :ride:

 

[woodsy]

I just showed my wife the pic of the Elk Mike.. She says - WOW - AWESOME!! Then I told her that the big one with horns tried to steal my bike while I was up there - she says "hmmmmmmm, tried to take your bike eay,,,, yea righttt...".. She knows me to well, to bad to cause it really did.. It was while I was looking in your Motel windows out on the back forty.. I was l looking for Track Judges and that big ol furry sucker was looking at Kadie and licking his chops an ............ :yikes:

 

[70 marlin]

Mike betcha that view made for an itchy finger? Great pics did you get to watch the snow Drift for long, what’s that white stuff on the ground?

Woodsy only reason those big boys were eyeing kadie was the grass stuck to the under side of the fender. :laugh:

 

[Fred T]

I remember seeing some of those last winter when I was riding up there with Mike. That was the first time I saw elk in Michigan in the wild.

 

[adam728]

I talked to my parents yesterday, it seems almost every night my grandparents in Johanesburg have been getting 3-4 elk in their backyard digging up the apples under the snow. I've seen them a few times on the property there, but never 20-30 yards behind the house!

 

[morgan]

 

[KTM Mike]

Morgan - I love that one!

I just got off the phone with Sheila - evidently this morning (of course AFTER I head to work!), there 29 elk in the field! 3 happy bulls (only one big fella) - 26 cows or young uns. Sheila got some pics - if there are any good ones, I will post some here. We have NEVER had (or at least seen) that many around here at once. Max in the past was 12, all Bulls. Neat to see.

Some MAJOR pucker factor when you come hauling around a corner on a bike to see an elk blocking the trail. I have had that happen twice - I clearly was the more startled one - the elk just stood there for a second chewing its cud...then slooooowwwly wandered off.

Oh Woodsy...next time you ride my grass track - there is going to be...uh...added incentive to select where your crash more carefully...if you choose a bad spot now, I suspect you will really be saying "OH S#$T"!

 

[spktm2]

There is no northern michigan south of the bridge, just trolls and....elk

spktm2

 

[KTM Mike]

There is no northern michigan south of the bridge, just trolls and....elk

spktm2

Holy wa, der eh? Dem der flatlanders tink dey got it good, don cha know. Dey aint got no beer though, cordin to dat der sign in da snow.

At least I'm a former yooper, for what thats worth! :nener:

 

[KTM Mike]

Now the elk are getting a bit pushy!

Last week it was the wilderness show again out in the field - abour 30 elk kinda spread out over the field. Then, 14 deer run into the east edge of the field, pause, then run full tilt into the midst of the elk herd! A minute later - 4 coyotes come running out of the trees. The deer run off, the elk bunch up tight - and 3 cows start marching towards the coyotes - heads down, marching on without hesitation! The coyotes wisely run off....

5:10 AM this morning - we hear a "thump" coming from downstairs, on the north side of the house ...what was that? A quick peak out side and we see some elk standing, literally 10 feet or less from the house! We had put some hay bales (pulled them off the grass track out in the field) to create a wind break near the house (we get lots of wind out of the north west)...those damn elk were eating off the hay bales, literally right up against the side of the house! 15 or so, including the big fella.

So, Sheila walks downstairs to get a closer look - and sees out the entrance door (on the south side of the house) a bunch of elk almost stadning ON the front porch - eating some shrubs! She opens the door yells at them to leave her shrubs alone - the elk on the north scamper off maybe 30 feet, then turn and stare at the house - and within minutes start walking back up to the house!

Later, I am on my way out the door to go towork, and the van and truck are parked out side, about 4 or 5 feet apart - tons of elk track, practically a run way in between the two vehicles!

After I get to work, I look at my filthy, road salt encrusted van...and notice these odd "smudges" all over the side of it, and on the windows - yep....elk tongue and lip prints all over the side of the van!

We have been seeing the elk almost every day since they first appeared around here. Saw them Saturday while out showshoeing on our neighbors property just south of us. They were- all yarded up - huge area torn up.

We have lived in this place for 6 1/2 years - never in the past have we had the elk around like this...

Yep...we live in a neat area! :cool:

 

[2TrakR]

Careful there Mike, the DNR will have to cite you baiting those poor critters, especially with those oversized salt-licks parked in your driveway ;-)

 

[morgan]

One day you'll go out there and see something like this:

 

[D.LEATHERS]

Mike,
You Guy's Are Killing Me With This Stuff, Kinda Takes Away The Winter Blahs But Makes Me Yearn For Those Summer Nights At Jackpine With The Windows Open Listening To The Coyotes Howl. Hurry Up Spring I Wanna Peel Some Bark.
Dave L.