Wildlife Caught on Camera - Volume 4

It’s been a long winter, and they can be very long on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front where the Boone and Crockett Club owns and manages the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial (TRM) Ranch. The mission of the ranch is to research, teach, and demonstrate integrated livestock/wildlife conservation, which is integral to the economic viability of private and adjacent public lands. And with spring on the horizon at the TRM Ranch, we want to give you a little inspiration to get you through the last of the snow squalls. From romping cubs to brand new fawns, here’s a little something from the TRM Ranch’s trail cameras. 

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Want to see more wildlife in action? Seven of the fifteen images have video available!

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Bobcat (Lynx rufus) 

Bobcats call every corner of Montana home, including the Rocky Mountain Front. Largely nocturnal, they are keen hunters, especially when they have a hankering for some Columbian ground squirrel. They like to den in caves, between boulders, in logs, and even in old mine shafts. 

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Grizzly bear (Ursos arctos horribilis) 

The only thing scarier than being up close and personal to a grizzly is being up close and personal to two of them. Make sure to watch the entire video with the sound on for an extremely close encounter. 

Watch Video

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Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) 

These are the very first photos of bighorn sheep (with lambs) ever taken on the TRM Ranch. Montana is known for its trophy bighorn rams, but these wild sheep are also prone to contracting pneumonia, which can wipe out entire populations of bighorns.

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Grizzly bear (Ursos arctos horribilis) 

Something tells us that this grizzly likes a good sunset as much as any bear. They also like to dine on spring vegetation in the lower elevations to put on the pounds they lost over the winter. They will eat dandelions, clover, sedges, and grasses, as well as carrion, ants, and newborn elk calves hiding among the sage. 

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Black bear (Ursus americanus)

With a camera-shy sow just out of the frame, this little guy wanted his 10 seconds of stardom. 

Watch Video

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Coyote (Canis latrans) 

This rather sleek coyote will eat just about anything—from grasshoppers to elk calves. Being in the middle of the food chain, they need to keep their heads on a swivel at all times for territorial wolves and bears, which are plentiful on the Rocky Mountain Front. 

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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

A common sight in much of Montana, white-tailed deer can breed at 16 months. Their first year, does produce one fawn and then twins thereafter. 
 

Watch Video

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Rancher and horse 

Among the grizzlies, wolves, elk, and cattle are ranch managers and ranch hands who tend everything from fences to Official Measurer workshops on the TRM Ranch. They will wrangle an obstinate horse as well. 

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Cow (Bos taurus) 

With a face only a rancher could love, this cow seems to have a bit of a cough and a love of the camera. 

Watch Video

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Grizzly bear (Ursos arctos horribilis)

As recorded by Lewis and Clark in their journals, the grizzly bear was as comfortable on the plains as it was in the timber. Today, those bears are once again venturing out into the great wide open of the prairie. 

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Grizzly bear (Ursos arctos horribilis)

A typical male Montana grizzly bear will weigh around 400 pounds, but no one told this bruin who appears to weigh plenty more than that. Turn the sound on and take note of those claws. 

Watch Video

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Elk (Cervus canadensis) 

Looking at this photo, you have to wonder what that red angus bull and cow elk think about each other. On the TRM Ranch, hundreds of elk share the landscape with upwards of 600 cattle between June and November. It’s a working ranch where there’s plenty of space for both native wildlife and domestic cattle. The scenery isn’t too shabby, either. 

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Moose (Alces alces) 

Mainly found in western Montana, moose are well-suited to negotiate deep snow. During the late-September and early-October breeding season, both sexes will travel extensively searching for a mate. 

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Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) 

While downright sneaky and creepy, mountain lions prefer to avoid humans, with unsuspecting trail cameras being an exception. They will dine on grasshoppers, deer, elk and the occasional porcupine. 

Watch Video

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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

With a fresh fawn, this white-tailed doe does her best to keep the youngin’ close. Because if you’ve noticed from our slideshow, there are plenty of critters on the TRM Ranch with a hearty appetite. 

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All images and associated video © 2021-2022 The University of Montana