Last November, Tempest videographer Mike Dreesman was filming the fall larch colors in the Seeley-Swan Valley when he encountered a Grizzly Bear near Van Lake: I passed a car parked on the side of the highway. I looked back and realized that the driver was looking at a grizzly bear, so I whipped the mini-van … Read more
Thanksgiving, at least in my mind, has a close connection with hunting. I think it is a common tradition to take advantage of the long weekend and gathered family to go hunting. Also, the general hunting season ends on November 29, and much Thanksgiving hunting has the air of desperation (in fairness, the holiday in … Read more
Reynolds Creek Fire Update I’m sure many, if not all, of you have heard about the Reynolds Creek Fire that is burning in Glacier National Park. I mean it’s national news, and has even been mentioned on the Today Show. The fire has burned around 4,000 acres, but Glacier National Park covers 1.1 million acres. … Read more
The whoop and cry of the braves. The startled bellows of the bison as they plummet to their death. The schthichk of skin ripped from flesh. The chanting murmurs of the butchers. Wood smoke. Dust. Blood crushed grass. Raw meat, slowly heating in the sun. This is the pishkun, the deep blood kettle. For over … Read more
While on the topic of the great outdoors, it is important to point out that a vast majority of the state is “Bear Country.” This means that while enjoying all the outdoors have to offer, it is important to be Bear Aware! So, Question One: What attracts bears? Garbage Dishes/Pots Coolers Food Pet Food/Bowls Camp … Read more
The crowd—small yet, it is still early in the season—waits in anticipation as the racers file into the starting gate. The “Call to the Post” blares scratchily over the loudspeakers. With an ear-splitting ring, the gate bursts open. The racer in the green silks pulls ahead early…rounding the first corner…into the backstretch…and stops abruptly, snuffling … Read more
Bears, when you get right down to it, are not graceful, noble creatures. Wolves now, wolves lope over the ground with thoroughbred grace. Whenever they stop, they do so with stoic aristocracy, striking poses like Greek statues. Bears shamble. At once bow-legged and pigeon-toed, they amble snuffling through the world, and run like furry bowling … Read more
A few weeks ago I stopped by a pond near the Jefferson River and took some pictures of trumpeter swans. It was an incredible experience, watching those massive birds lift from the water, beating the air with magnificent wings. When I got into the office the next Monday, I started researching trumpeter swans. For me, … Read more
Tempest videographer Mike Dreesman spent the first week of January in Yellowstone National Park. He took some stunning footage of big horn sheep, bison, eagles, and scenery, but probably his most arresting footage was of two carcasses in the snow. Mike spent nearly four hours taking video of a bison carcass which lay half submerged … Read more
Someday, this will be an infographic, and you’ll all say “Oh wow, this Bert guy is pretty amazing” (Maybe. Are infographics even a thing anymore, or is that too last year?). In the meantime, here you are, a riveting just-the-facts post about sheep in Montana: When travelling around Montana, you will see cows. This is … Read more
