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The Essen Wildlife Refuge

The Essen Wildlife Refuge

Marty’s photo of the day #4721: I captured this somewhat grainy image with one of my motion-sensing cameras. For 28 years, my wife and I have protected our 25 acres as the Essen Wildlife Refuge. In the grand scale of Montana, our acreage is hardly anything. Nevertheless, people like us are sometimes castigated as greedy […]

The disappearing moose

The disappearing moose

Marty’s photo of the day #4704: This is another photo of our spring moose, Martha. She has been hanging out in the Essen Wildlife Refuge for a few weeks now. Unless I’m traveling, not a day goes by that I don’t walk at least part of the 25 forested acres Deb and I protect for […]

The Return of the Spring Moose

The Return of the Spring Moose

Marty’s photo of the day #4700: Here at the Essen Wildlife Refuge—the 25 acres at the edge of the mountains in Montana that Deb and I protect from hunters, loggers, and four-wheelers—we have always had a consistent population of moose. Sometimes we only see their scat and tracks; other times we will see them in-person […]

First moose of 2024

First moose of 2024

Marty’s photo of the day #4683: Yesterday Deb (wife), Nellie (dog), and I were on our evening walk, following the border of the Essen Wildlife Refuge. Nine out of ten times, Nellie will see wildlife before either Deb or I do, but she was off in a different direction when I spotted this big moose […]

From the Essen Wildlife Refuge

From the Essen Wildlife Refuge

Marty’s photo of the day #4661: Yesterday, I didn’t post any photos from my “This Week at the Essen Wildlife Refuge” series that I often post on Sundays. That’s because at this time of year, the animal life in front of my motion-sensing cameras slows down substantially. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to share this recent, rather […]

Front porch elk

Front porch elk

Marty’s photo of the day #4660: Other than Yellowstone National Park, The Amazon Rainforest of Peru, or Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, I’ve never experienced more consistent wildlife sightings than on the Essen Wildlife Refuge (the 25 acres Deb and I own and fiercely protect, surrounding our house). Rarely does a day goes by […]

Looking for . . .

Looking for . . .

Marty’s photo of the day #4605: Six-and-a-half weeks have passed since Nellie got her new bionic left-rear leg (CCL removed, knee refitted, and a metal plate with six screws installed). Deb and I have one more week of sleeping with her on the pullout couch mattress placed on the great room floor before moving up […]

The lost bear cub photos

The lost bear cub photos

Marty’s photo of the day #4545: Sometimes I overlook photo folders on my computer. Yesterday I was searching for a completely unrelated picture and opened a folder from 2016. So that’s where my bear cub photos were hiding! This bear cub was in a tree in front of Deb’s and my house in 2016. Now […]

Stalking with Nellie

Stalking with Nellie

Marty’s photo of the day #4499: I shot this elk photo yesterday morning on the Essen Wildlife Refuge. We get a lot of elk here, but because elk move to different locations depending on the season, seeing an elk on the refuge with a full rack is rare. This bull was with five to fifteen […]

Bear and Bernie

Bear and Bernie

Marty’s photo of the day #4492: Yesterday, I featured this bear shot from my motion-sensing camera as part of my Sunday “This Week at the Essen Wildlife Refuge” series. But I love this picture so much that I’m giving it its own solo post. With one slight improvement, however.

Is she a fan?

Is she a fan?

Marty’s photos of the day #4480-4481: Deb’s and my house sits roughly in the middle of the 25-acre Essen Wildlife Refuge. A long gravel driveway comes in from the side, crosses in front of the house, and wraps around to our garage. A long raised porch runs across the front of our house, the porch […]

Aggressive momma ungulates

Aggressive momma ungulates

Marty’s photo of the day #4445: After 27 years of protecting our forested land as the Essen Wildlife Refuge, I really believe the animals have figured out that they are safer here than elsewhere. As proof, both the number of animals living around us and the variety of species are off-the-charts. Consequently, this summer’s theme […]

Coming in close

Coming in close

Marty’s photos of the day #4433-#4435: Here are three photos of this past week’s wildlife action, captured by the upper-level motion-sensing camera at the Essen Wildlife Refuge. Photos I’m not posting include a black bear, a fox, and the mystery animal that I’ve been trying to positively identify for the past few months (likely a […]