Back east, it would be a mini-thrill of excitement to see the occasional deer or hawk.
In our area of Montana, one can see hundreds of deer, hawks- and that's a slow day.
There are elk, bison, mountain sheep, and antelope, either on the road or close to it. Gold eagles, bald eagles and hawks frequently fly overheard.
Grizzly and black bear, mountain lions and mountain goats are several of the more elusive-but-present critters. Mule deer and and whitetail deer reach large numbers in the valleys. Fox, coyote and wolves wander wide territories in search of food. And the domestic cattle, horses and sheep graze over huge ranges.
Here's a collection of photos personally taken be either me, Dan, Don, or Rachel's fiancee Paul (a special thanks to Paul--- many of these beauties were taken by him):
Mom and baby deer eating our grass in the front yard late last summer:
a mountain sheep couple on the road as we drove past them:
a very rare mountain goat trekking across the Ranch:
not the actual grizzly, but giant grizzly tracks by our house (that's Dan's foot for comparison):
more mountain sheep by the roadside:
our dog Pepper (she's a Montana critter, too...)
Pepper and Paul building an igloo:
most Montana horses live outside all winter:
elk looking for winter food:
the nearest town, Gardiner, is a lot like the Alaskan town in the TV series "Northern Exposure":
five o'clock rush minute on the Gardiner bridge:
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