Today we learned about dangerous animals...

After lunch, a "large carnivore biologist" named Sam came to the ranch and spent an hour talking to us about bears, mountain lions/cougars, coyotes and wolves. Apparently, all of them are found near Jackson, WY these days, some having been reintroduced to the area (wolves) or moved down from the Yellowstone area (grizzlies). The yellow line represents grizzly habitat in 2004. By 2010, they migrated out to the blue line and are much more common to encounter... a 38% expansion in habitat! Sam doesn't see this as a problem, as Wyoming has the food and wild undeveloped terrain to sustain them.

Sam, the bear expert/biologist... I've included a few of his slides from the presentation.

He showed us how to differentiate between grizzly and black bear tracks, scat and "kills".... Note long claw marks and a few differences in the foot pads.

He explained how to gauge bear behavior and determine when it's a bluff charge (aggressive-defensive behavior) vs. a pending attack (predatory behavior). Pacing, panting, head swinging, vocalizations, salivation and jaw popping are not good signs.

Most important, he explained what to do when attacked: Lie flat, face down, covering your neck, and don't move! If you're able, use your bear spray... it works!

And then he touched on coyotes, local wolf packs and mountain lions, all of which live in the area but are more likely to attack livestock and pets than humans. He closed with a Q&A session. I honestly learned a lot, and feel like my bear spray could be a life saver. He said people that shoot bears in self-defense usually end up much worse off than those that use spray.

 A recent and rare "surplus" elk kill by wolves from a nearby pack. It was all over the news.

Some Wyoming wolves, above and a coyote below. I've seen coyotes slinking around in the pasture with the horses here, just like dogs.

One of the perks of working on a ranch! I may keep my cat inside after all! ;)