Terrestrial Mammals

Mammals are Warm-Blooded Vertebrates (have a Backbone).  
They have fur or hair, feed their young on milk, and 
have a more well-developed brains than other types of animals.

Bison / Iinniiwa / Tatanka / Ivanbito / Kuts

Designated America’s National Mammal in 2016
Bison (Iinniiwa in Blackfoot, Tatanka in Lakota, Ivanbito in Navajo, Kuts in Paiute) are America’s largest land mammal, an essential part of American history, and embody the strong and resilient characteristics of the American people. Once numbering ~30 million and ranging across the United States and in Canada and Mexico, bison were hunted to near extinction. Only several hundred remained by the 1870’s. Today, 19 herds in 12 states roam the American Plains.

We have seen wild Bison, in 3 of the National Parks with Bison (Teddy Roosevelt, Wind Cave, and Yellowstone, while missing them in 4 others…Badlands, Grand Canyon, Bighorn Canyon, and Grand Teton). We also saw many in Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota:

• In the Southern Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP, we saw our 1st Bison, our 1st Bison Roadblock, and the largest herd we’ve seen so far.
• At Wind Cave NP, we saw then grazing on the prairie above the cave.
• At Custer State Park (where they were Corralled, as it was just before their annual Bison Roundup), we saw our 2nd Bison Roadblock.
• At Yellowstone NP, we saw our 3rd Bison Roadblock, as we were exiting the park…they walk right by us!

Deer & Antelope Play

We’ve seen lots of Deer (Blacktail, Mule, White-Tailed) and a few Pronghorn (sometimes called Pronghorn Antelope, but not real antelope) on our trips.

• We see Blacktail Deer (considered a sub-species of the Mule Deer) a lot in the Pacific Northwest, from the Mountains to the Pacific, wandering by us on a hike and around our campsites.
• We have also seen a lot of Mule Deer, all around the West. One “entertaining” place we saw some Mule Deer, was around the Nevada Capitol Building in Carson City.
• We’ve gotten one decent picture of a Pronghorn, in Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota.

Elk & Moose

Somehow it seems more “exciting” to see Elk & Moose than Deer…more unusual, We have seen our fair share of Elk, both Roosevelt & Tule and finally have seen Moose!

• The first Elk we saw together, were a couple of Roosevelt Elk cows, grazing on the roadside, on our way into Yellowstone. Roosevelt Elk are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone.
• We’ve seen many Roosevelt Elk in campgrounds on the Oregon Coast and around the Redwoods. We actually saw our first Roosevelt Elk Herd on an evening stroll around Nehalem Bay SP.
• The biggest herd of Elk we’ve seen, were Tule Elk, at Point Point Reyes National Seashore (the only place we’ve seen Tule Elk)!
• While not the “biggest HERD”, we saw lots of Elk…lots of Bull Elk…in Rocky Mountain National Park, where we also finally saw our first 2 Moose!

Bears

Good or bad thing, that the closest we’ve gotten to a bear, was at Mount Rainier NP, up at Paradise, and not very close!

Horses

Did you know there were still Wild Horses on the Great Plains?

• We’ve seen the Free Range Feral Horses in Theodore Roosevelt NP, one of the few national parks where visitors can observe free-roaming horses. We even got a few good pictures.
• We’ve also seen Pryor Mountain Wild Horses in Bighorn Canyon NRA, but didn’t get close enough for good pictures.
• We have sometimes camped near domesticated Horses, so have a few pics of them, and a Horse Tour in near Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain NP.

Cattle

OK. Cattle aren’t “Wild Animals”. But we have encountered them in “unusual” circumstances…like when camping on a Ranch or when visiting a National/State Park that encompasses private grazing land:

• Camping at Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyard & Winery
• Staying at Jan’s House on a ranch in Morgan Hill, California
• Private grazing land in Dinosaur NM and City of Rocks Reserve & Castle Rocks SP.

Sheep (Bighorn, Barbary & human-bred)

We’ve seen all kinds of sheep in lots of our travels:

• Barbary Sheep in Carlsbad Caverns NP. They are non-native, and the National Park Service is working to replace them with Bighorn Sheep.
• Bighorn Sheep in a number of places:
  • Bighorn Canyon NRA, where we saw a herd of rams, but only got good pics of a ewe & lamb along the road.
  • On our Gates of the Mountain Tour, north of Helena, we saw a few rams on the side of the Missouri River Canyon.
  • At Sheep Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, we saw some Ewes and juvenile Rams
• Domestic sheep being raised for
  • food, along with the cattle, at Six Sigma Ranch, Vineyard & Winery
  • wool or food?…at Carmel Mission.

Smaller Mammals

What about all the smaller Mammals? Like…

• The Beaver at Big Bend NP, on the Santa Elena Trail, that we watched gnaw on a tree till it toppled.
• The many Prairie Dogs we’ve seen at Theodore Roosevelt NP, Wind Cave NP and Dinosaur NM.
• The unique Island Fox we saw on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands NP.
• Marmots…the Olympic Marmot we saw on Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics NP; the Yellow-Bellied Marmots on a rock at Pompeys Pillar, and one up real close in the Alpine Tundra at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Other ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS!