I've had a new moose visiting. He's younger than my last one, Mr Blackstone . The frequency of young wandering moose is a good sign . This one is so "tame" , he doesn't mind me working around the estate . All he wants to do is sit by the horse block and load up on minerals. He leaves for a little while then comes right back. There's a cool spring coming right up from the rock next to me , year round . That feeds a small swamp, so he must enjoy going there too. I am bordered on two sides by Natl. Forest and wilderness area, He's even stayed all night. My rabbits were of course very wary at first. Now they are more used to him. They still keep an eye on him !

I am collecting a decent group of my rabbits now. Three oldest adults, an intermediate group of six, mixed colours, and a new itsy group of seven. Most are getting tamer. All of them come running for treats when I call them. I have one favorite, a solid black one. I want to keep track of him. One of the adult males has been chasing him , so I'm planning to take that one out and enjoy some rabbit meat soon. I always told myself, if they become too much, I will take some for the freezer. Now is the time, before the older male chases off my black younger one.

It's been a beautiful spring with my trees and shrubs growing well since I planted them as saplings years ago. The snow has just recently melted off some of the mountain peaks.

I thought the Tman Tribe would enjoy a bit of sharing of my new pet moose. My cord wood and cedar story will follow.

Hope everyone is enjoying fresh cool air and life.

mine is worse-looking.




and I have orange squiggles instead of orange bunnies:

https://youtube.com/shorts/ICaaIr0nwcw

Recently, I had some good trees taken out that someday could have been a threat to my cabin in future wind. Wind is rare here, but when it does occur, I grew tired of worrying about some of the trees breaking. A couple of good knowledgeable logger friends helped me choose the trees , according to the prevailing wind direction . I still have plenty of nice trees , and I got a reward for the ones I had cut. It was a thing of beauty watching those loggers cut the trees. They brought heavy equipment and stacked logs in a few different spots for cutting later.

I have a little more than ten cords of red and white fir, tamarack and cedar for firewood. On top of that, my logger family at the road's end have run a lumber mill for decades , and have been loading me up with milled wood slabs by the trailer loads. Milling is booming and log trucks routinely haul to them . I have much more firewood in stacks than my woodshed will hold, so I'll need to cover them as is. And more milled wood coming any time I ask.

I had a big cedar tree that was way too close to my cabin foundation, and with regret I had it cut. It was getting huge and I just loved it. But the risk of something happening in a rare wind gust wasn't worth the worry. It was a tight squeeze felling the huge tree between my woodshed, sat dish and other hemlocks , but they did so in perfect precision.

It pained me seeing it fall. But a good friend gave me a great thought ...in reverent remembrance, she suggested I have part of it milled and use the wood for building furniture to enjoy. I contacted my logger friends and asked if I could bring my cedar for them to mill . They happily agreed. I chose two sections of the trunk I wanted, and had them hauled to the mill. What resulted was beyond my hopes of beautiful grained cedar. I had hoped it would be pretty, but this tree gave me some of the top grained beautiful colours I've seen to date.

All this time, I had no idea that big tree held such artistic magnificence inside its bark.

The lumber is curing now , covered. I can't wait to have a woodworker make a table/shelf and whatever else I can think of from this wood. I will handpick the boards to be placed just right on the table. Many thanks to my friend suggesting this perfect idea.

The rest of the huge trunk I donated to friends, who in turn brought a few dump truck loads of gravel and a spreader to re top one of my driveways . I didn't expect that, I intended the trunk as a gift to them . They insisted. The rest is more firewood.

Here is the fresh-milled cedar . I couldn't be happier with its quality and many colours. Aside from a table with shelves for the living room, I haven't decided what else to do with it. I have much more lumber than I thought I would get.

I know this is a longer story to read, but its been an adventure for me and one I likely won’t have done again. I wanted to share with everyone the results , especially woodworkers .

Tatiana, I like your moose ! This time of year they all are shedding patches of hair. Always makes me want to get my curry comb and scrub them down to piles of hair on the ground

Beautiful place! I spent several years in Montana in the 80's. I loved it. It is a different world for sure.

Sharon, You live in a magical place...So full of Beauty
The Cedar, moose and bunnies are magnificent...

Couple more years and your moose will make a good freezer filler!
Tatiana, are moose available to hunt where you live?

AAAAAAAAAAAAH, stop it, you're killing me! What a little slice of heaven, both of you.

Very nice area, having the wild life living close is a bonus.

I see you have lots of good things going on, I love it…

I like them bunnies! And the moose!!!

You ought to saddle train that moose. You'd look pretty fancy riding him into town.

That is some nice milled lumber. Always nice to have moose around and nice to see them.

Hoss thats a great idea ! My rabbits always stand in alert when something is coming in .

Marten T., very true !

KC , Scott,Les, Big Bob , Archer , this state is unique. All kinds of different habitat . I love seeing the mountains. Not far away, but close up . I have hiked , rode horses and driven to trail heads and am immersed in forest and wilderness area . The mountain in the photo is the beginning of the big ones just behind it . I know the mountain in the photo very well . Cold clear springs dot the sides year round in several places. Towards the top are lovely stands of Doug fir , sub alpine fir ,aspen , birch, mountain maple and others . Grizzly trails in the dark larger stands that make my hair stand on end .

At the top are my favorites, huge stands of old growth mountain hemlock . They are uncommon and not logged in any range in the northwest . Which are the only small areas they grow , along with north Idaho . I have sat for hours in those stands enjoying them and looking across the U shaped valley at jagged peaks above and down into the magical scenery below . Seeing pikas calling and scurrying on the rocks . Mountain hemlock are reported to be difficult trees to transplant. I brought down two small ones years ago , they took and are now several feet above my head. My pride and joy to see in all seasons .

You got it , Smash ! Savell you’d like the cowboys here , just as the guys you like in Texas . Tough men , your friends who will help you when you need them.

My summery is this ….. “Then I will live in Montana. And drive a pick up truck . And raise rabbits ….”

Big Sam , that would be a challenge !

Snowy , thanks to good neighbors who run a mill just down at the road’s end . They milled my tree just right . Having that gorgeous lumber to build something nice , lessens the pain a bit of seeing one of my favorite cedars taken down.

Very nice Sharon.
You know cedar makes wonderful inside siding and benches in a sauna,as well as bug proof cedar chests for storing nice clothes.

Boco stole my Thundah....a Sauna !!!

And what a wondahful view to bake some some Sourdough.

You've got a Beautiful Place there... Sharon.

The Hunt for Red October

If you haven't done so already it would be a good idea to seal tthe ends of the boards as well as use stickerers to space them for air flow... You can use wax or even thick coat of paint. Sealing the ends keeps the wood from drying too fast and cracking. Cedar can have some pretty things going on. I work mostly walnuts and such and figured wood wiyh a nice finish can be mesmerising to look at.

Beautiful wood there Sharon! That also looks like great marten country. I live in a pretty nice place in NW Colorado but have been to involved in the political scene here and the changing demographic of the state to enjoy it. Time to move back to Wyoming and take a rest, away from politics of my rural state being turned into a Blue state with all the accompanying authoritarian laws. Enjoy Montana! And MT traps has a good suggestion about wood curing to fast.

Did you mean Blue State..

Mtraps, thank you for your thoughtful reminder. Yes I did do that as soon as I layered the lumber, complete with stickers for circulation. I appreciate your good advice. Walnut is amazing wood grain too. I think of shotgun stocks.

Wy.wolfer, this is good marten country,also wolverine. The wilderness area that encompasses the big mountains here sees little human traffic. Since some big wind storms the past several months, and numerous washouts from streams , and tree blowdowns, it sees even less . The few folks who do hike on trails report impassable areas that will take time until they can be cleared and repaired. Meantime, all kinds of fur bearers inhabit the whole area. Including bighorn and mtn. goats.

There are also plenty of turkeys , groups of them routinely travel through my place. They have their little ones now.

Boco, Nessy, yes a sauna would be perfect. I do have a nice cedar chest but I wouldn't mind another one !

And yes Nessy, pahfect for sourdough bread and any other cooking ! Its cool and rainy now so cooking is my fun time . Along with wintah.

FVWC, you nailed it ! One of the best movies ever made, to me.

Great place and view, thanks for sharing with us.

Flipper, The artist ! I fit these things in between some other neat travels and weekly routines. Thanks for enjoying my small but living life to the full adventures.

Love the moose pictures and the beautiful cedar wood as well. Your moose is cool and seems docile enough.
Trapstickman has a moose adventure in his past:

It seems Trapstickman was upset over something the moose must have done.

You have a beautiful place to live out there and I really enjoy your pictures.

That is some beautiful country. Thank you for sharing what you get to enjoy every day.

Trapstickman is after a really big moose ! He's run a ways , he's panting ! Always love your art ! Thank you !

K snow, thank you, and we all appreciate your adventures in beautiful WI and your Monday shares.

My oldest male rabbit still wants to chase my little black one. Obviously a growing male too. I see a rabbit dinner sooner than later-out of the older one . I don't want him chasing my black one off. It's been a good run without loosing any of them , so I see a little bit of culling in the future.

I always told myself I will do this, and so finally the time is arriving. Starting with that big male. There are several other young males growing up that will take over just fine. My blackie included.

Raining very hard now, and everyone is on the porch wanting a treat.

Have a great week and weekend, trappers.

Great post and we all are jealous of you both.......jk

Thanks JK.

A friend who used to live in the area , now in WI, summed it up nicely... there are all the advantages of remote living, and all the advantages of town living.

Mr moose and I agree .

Yes, but it's either a long wait or expensive or illegal.




My area is plain and boring in comparison to Sharon's, but more and more animals have been pulling up since I returned home after spending many years up north. Moose and roe deer are way more numerous than ever, marten and even sable appeared in good numbers, and beaver (also an introduced species) are in all streams now... it's almost like they're stalking me... saw fresh bear sign last week near my beaver ponds, also close to town and also way beyond the official brown bear range.
Few trappers though, almost none. And despite the whole authoritarian regime thing, this place is far less regulated than Europe, and is actually more comfortable than most of Europe and many parts of the US in many ways, especially when it comes to healthcare, accessibility, everyday bureaucracy and work-to-rest ratio. I'm talking about my particular neighborhood though, it's quite unique. I wouldn't be surprised if more westerners settled here, despite the geopolitical turmoil (the few who are brave enough to visit generally like this place very much, and some stay).

Tatiana, I've always wanted to see Siberia, and other parts of the country.. I've read how amazing and vast a place it is, and the unique wildlife there.

Your description of the personal amenities sounds good, despite the powers that be. I'm glad you and the people have this.

My friend Jack Whitman loved working in Russia , with his fellow biologists and friends he made while living there. He loved the Russian people , but not the regime that ruled. Among his most beloved studies was the Amur tigers...or Siberian .

He wanted me to read a new book that was published shortly after his death . He knew of its writing beforehand , from some of his friends there that are in this new book. He specifically requested that I make sure to enjoy it, along with the first book Tiger, by John V. I am presently reading the new publication.

Enjoy your following of wildlife you're seeing, Tatiana. Perhaps they want you to make some wonderful carvings of them . They must know the talented artist that you are.

There is a thing a saying about eating rabbit in June and July. But I don't remember what it is. I don't think you're supposed to eat them in june and july

Thanks, Scott, for the thought. I looked into this and it seems I'm ok in this area. It's good to make sure anyway.

Well today I had enough of the oldest buck rabbit, I called him Knothead ...sometimes other names...he has progressively become worse in chasing my young black male in earnest. Today was bad. At one point I thought blackie had left for good. Blackie had to leap three feet straight up and zag off the opposite direction in order to escape the big bully. Knothead also was hounding the girls , who tried everything to run and hide from him.

I was planning on doing this tomorrow but he was driving everyone crazy and making me irritated , so today my 22 Marlin rifle hit the spot. He never knew what hit him . This rifle is decent in shooting squirrels, so this was easy.

Jack's handmade skinning knife, worked like a dream.

I'm impressed at the good meat on him, for a semi wild one, he had fat on him that I took off. Since I feed them all good things , its similar to captive fed ones, at least close. Nice back straps and even the heart. The bones I use with other bones to make collagen. Nothing is wasted.

The crew is relaxed now , lounging around like swimmers on the beach. Blackie and the girls are happy.

I will prepare Knothead on a special day of celebration . The fourth of July sounds perfect.

This is my first rabbit I have taken out . It went well. The fur was soft, healthy, no bugs. I have attained my goal of taking some for my freezer , as I told myself several years ago when the first rabbit wandered onto my place and stayed.

Here's to you, Jack. My first skinning use of your lovely knife.



A few of Knothead facing off with a snowshoe hare that came to visit.

Mmmmmm, I can smell it from here!
Not the rabbits, the wood!

How was the liver? If I remeber the saying about the summer months is more chance for tumerlaria which shows as spots on the liver is one I know maybe other . And something about waing till after the frost in fall before hunting them to lessen the risk

Mtraps, the liver looked pristine. Every part of him was impressive, clean fur and skin, no bugs at all , insides clean and healthy. He had a nice layer of fat in places that I took out . Even though they’re not confined, I feed them just as folks who raise rabbits for show or meat do . Knothead had a decent amount of meat on him for a free roam semi wild one .

Thank you for your help and concern, it’s good education for me.

Rabbit is some of the best eating there is, I think.
Was always told don't eat them in months without an R in the name. But also to check the liver for spots.
That meat looks great.

I enjoyed the seamless transit from Knothead's personality to stew. This reminded me of something.

20+ years ago I used to be a moderator on a big local forum devoted to pets, bigger than T-man. It was a part of an even bigger LAN forum of my neighborhood, which is mostly geeks so everyone had high-speed internet. I agreed to moderate it only because I wanted to keep trolls out of our little cozy thread about pet rats, and ended up organizing everything neatly, writing the forum rules, etc., and it attracted a lot of people from all over the country, mostly dog and cat people who had specialized threads for their breeds, big shows, etc.

We had a forum section for pet rabbits (of the kind people keep at home, so not just fancy rabbits). Many users there were a bit difficult to deal with because people often resemble their pets, so many of those pet rabbit people were those exhilarated, overly sentimental ladies with very poor reasoning skills, who posted diaries of their beloved bunnies, but often hated each other. They also tended to sort of come and go, and I was wondering why until one of them mentioned a link to a specialized rabbit forum for people who bred and raised rabbits, and to a particular thread on that forum.
I followed that link and it was a gateway to the netherworld. Basically, it was a place where all those urban pink unicorn stardust girls came to share their experiences on how they switched from keeping rabbits as pets to breeding meat rabbits. It was both very entertaining and disturbing to read, because each of them, at some point, had begun wondering about the possibility of killing and eating their beloved fur babies. They shared stories of their first kills and encouraged each other and there were literally dozens of stories there. I shared that link to a few friends and it quickly became viral and unfortunately they closed the whole forum to non-registered users after that. To this day it remains one of the very best things I've seen online, ever, and I've been online since the Internet appeared.

K Snow, I heard that too ! I read up on that a bit .

On one hand, as to weather and temps, I see the seasonal fluctuations in this reasoning, especially with wild rabbits.

On the other hand, temps vary much , according to location, so to my mind, early spring conditions can continue way longer than in other locations. It was 20 degrees, overnight , just three days ago here. The whole spring has been very cool and rainy. Maybe the R months can extend a wee bit at times ? I don't know, either way, I'm learning all these things .

The surprising lack of any bugs on his skin gives me encouragement , and the liver and innards were pristine in health.

Maybe the flea collars they all wear works after all !

I do appreciate input with kind intent , Snow. I want to educate myself on all these things as much as possible in my new venture , and I do appreciate advice .

Almost forgot-Tatiana, I didn't give the title of the new book that Jack wanted me to read. " Tigers Between Empires ", by Jonathan Slaght .

I can feel the relaxed countenance in the air , with the group. No chasing, squabbles, just feeding , wandering around and chillin' . Three turkey hens are visiting with their fluffy young ones. I'll see how the dynamics grow amongst the group in time.

Thank you. I got the news last week that USPS started accepting packages to Russia again, after a long break, so I might try to get my hands on one, eventually, if I figure out a way to pay for it.

Tatiana, Just read your latest post ! Thank you for that !

Leave it to those women with their "fur babies" ...UGH.....to cause such mayhem on that forum. I'm sure glad that diseased mindset isn't on this trapper forum.

I'm sure the same reception would be for any other animals that a society would view as pets.

How fun it would have been if you and I could have been sitting together reading those comments and causing our own input of mayhem

At very least, exchanging some good laughs and jokes ! I bet they'd change their minds if they ever came into hard times and needed to feed themselves or their kids....

It's all in the mindset in preparing meat. As artists, you and I can find the beauty of the workings and anatomy of the animal fascinating in education.

Sharon,
Out of curiosity - what's with the the chainsaw lines on the stump ?
Regards, Vic

Breaking down a stump

Was thinking it was that, but thought I'd ask. Thanks..

Scott is correct. I very much dislike stumps , eyesores to me. The loggers cut as close to ground level as possible, then scribed the stumps to break them down faster. There are chemical treatments applied that speed up that process .

A cleaned up area always has been my goal . I cannot tolerate clutter, dirty, or disorganized anything.

Thanks for asking, Vic.

It was a pleasure to see those professional loggers do their job just right.

Rent a stump grinder and get them gone!

Well, Miss Sharon.....if you take your chest freezer out in the yard that young bull will becone accustomed to it and it will be MUCH easier to get him inside it when the time comes.

Mike, that would be perfect, but in looking into this years ago, they require compensation for every tooth or part that breaks , with all the stones and rock intermixed with the soil here, would quickly add up in frustration and downtime . Not the rental's fault, either . That's totally understandable .

A decent backhoe would work. If nothing works fast enough for me, I can look into that option.

J.Morse, you have more of a great point than you realize. I have a cage with swing door that I used to put treats inside, and the rabbits had to go into the cage for their treats. I could catch any of them at any time that way. Most of them have been tame enough without it for the past couple of years, I'll have to get that cage employed again !

When they cut the grove in the can cut at angles not just straight down and remove large chunks of material . Drill holes in whats left deep as you can get. Stump rot, high nitrogen stuff poured on top of that rots the rest faster. Ceder doesn't rot fast.
Its to close to the house to burn it out.

I have dug, burnt, ground and let stumps rot with cutting to speed roting up. All worked in different situations.

Cutting chunks out of the stump instead of just making 90° cuts and drilling holes and stump rot works but takes time and the stump is uneven and easy to trip or stumble on instead of being nice and flat. . I have one I triped over 2 weeks ago

I prefer grinding them but dont for myself unless I already have stump grinding jobs to do and swing in and do mine if there is time while I have the machine.

Beautiful. Love seeing this. Thank you for sharing

PF, thank you for the options. Removing chunks and drilling more holes, with some stump rot put inside is what I'm doing now. I cover those so that my rabbits don't get into it. At least they were cut as close to ground level as possible. I can endure that better than unsightly stumps a foot or more high. Thank you for your suggestions.

Thanks Larry. 28 degrees this morning, and clear as can be . A great day to fly in the mountains. Have plans today for the 250th special day , doing a lot of cooking. After I fluff my rabbits and feed them, off I go. Have a great one, Tman Tribe

Epsom Salt Sharon ...is Healthy for the Soil and Rots the stump

I went out and spent twenty minutes on each stump.And drilled the holes after I had put cut the lines in with the chainsaw, and it was one winter and this spring, the stumps are all rotted...

You have a gorgeous area to take care of and i'm sure the wildlife wouldn't mine the salt either

Other option, start a charcoal fire on each stump and burn below ground level.

A "pet" moose really beats my "pet" buzzards. As I referred to them when the kids were small. My dead pit. Tends to be a regular place to get a meal for then .

When we bought my farm that s 127 miles from my other house we were at the farm and one of the kids said LOOK DAD!!! while pointing at buzzards at the farm and said your pet buzzards followed us all the way up here. With all the excitement a 5 year old can muster. I just said they sure did.

I'm so glad the cedar turned out so well, Sharon! I'm looking forward to seeing what you get out of it in the end. It will be beautiful.

Your rabbits are too cute! (And tasty!)

Keep smilin' Chickie!

Thanks, I fixed that! I must have been thinking Commie Red!

You should be a travel agent, I'm ready to come and see your part of the country!

Come anytime. Tourist and guest visas are being issued. There are convenient connection flights through Istanbul or Beijing.

great place you live sharon, thanks for sharing

Very Good Sharon...Happy for You

Scott, yes the salt helps a lot. I've been using that too. I'll keep at it.

Mike, that is the best and fastest way I've been using where I can. That burn works great. I'll have to use the salts on the ones very close to the cabin, but for the others the burn works well.

Thank you all.

PF, kids can have such unique perspectives !

I cannot thank you enough, Patrice, for thinking of your perfect idea, using that cedar to build something as a satisfying closure to enjoy . I hadn't thought of that at the time , I was too busy dealing with the cordwood and pouting over one of my favorite trees having to be taken out. I would like to think that eventually I would have had that idea, but no matter. You always sum situations up in such precise, appropriate ways. No wonder your clients don't want you to retire ! The lumber is still curing but I'll keep you posted of the process , of course. Many thanks for your help, I always value your input. I am smiling

Thank you, Dahlgren T !

I have a couple of Ash stumps to try this on (thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer). I avoid sythetic herbicides as much as possible, however - I have a bunch (several hundred) sumac stumps to kill this Fall with Garlon.

That's a lot of stumps to treat, Vic . There are kids in the area who want summer work , and I've found them very helpful to get an outside job done fast. Maybe if that is an option for you , that could make your work go faster too , if you wanted .

Side note....I can't believe how tranquil life is now for the gang, since I ushered Knothead out of the mix. They lounge as if on the beach, sit anywhere they want or sleep flat out on the ground , in total peace. My black one is getting the glossiest coat . He shines in the sun like new polished metal. Im saving Knothead for a special supper July 4th. The big 250th. Yesterday was called the preliminary 250th for special event reasons. All lots of enjoyment and fun regardless.