Years of conservation practices has made our ranch a haven for an abundance of wildlife including deer, elk, bear, cougar, coyotes, raccoons, beaver, bobcats, eagles and an extensive list of birds.
The deer frequent the lawns at the cabins and elk can be seen in the woodlands and pastures. Many of the other wildlife can be spotted during a walk but are much more elusive. Bear and cougar may leave behind signs that they have been around but are rarely seen.
Wildlife on our ranch
Coyote
Carnivore, primary diet is small animals like mice
They communicate with yips and yowls from pack to pack
Territorial, family groups
Versatile survivors, will eat berries, fruit, insects, grains
Black Bear
Healthy appetites
Omnivore diet consists of grasses, roots, berries, fruits, fish, occasionally larger prey
Males are danger to cubs, mothers protect them up to 2 years, teaching survival
Deer
Thought to be a variation of the mule deer
Raise their tail to signal danger exposing white flag
Herbivores, browsers
Mothers and fawns group together, bucks are solitary
Beaver
Herbivore, mainly nocturnal
2nd largest rodent in the world
Front teeth never stop growing, poor eyesight
Lodge has 2 dens inside
Good hearing, smell, touch
Cougar
Solitary animals, rarely seen
Largest North American cat
Give birth to 2-3 cubs
They place their back feet in the prints of their front feet
Carnivores, prey mostly on deer
Raccoon
"The masked bandit"
Front paws are much like hands for high dexterity
They wash their food before eating it
Great tree climbers, raise their young in nest hole
Elk
Member of the deer family
Only males have antlers
Cows will have 1-2 calves per year
Bulls fight during mating season to determine who will be head bull of a harem
Bobcat
Named after bobbed tail
Diet consists of rabbits, birds, mice and squirrels but they can kill prey much larger than themselves
Deadly blow by leaping 10 ft. or more in a pounce