Big. Furry. Animals.

The first thing that one might need to know about furry animals in cold country is that they are bigger, much bigger, than those which we are so fond of in the sunny Southeast. The other thing is that, in general, they tend to be more predictable and less evasive. On the way into Big Sky for the first time, Jeff said "yeah look up that hill there as we pass - there are usually a few ram horns that hang out", and sure enough they were up on the hill just a hundred yards away. A few days later we were driving through the meadow and Jeff mentioned that a particular moose liked to hang out near the stream, and as we came up on the stream we could see it eating between the snow banks.

But, like all things, exceptions abound. On my way driving the Lodge Dodge back from Bozeman the other night I saw a flopping object in the lane next to me. Just as my mind identified it, I looked up to see brake lights and halting vehicles. The car in the lane next to me just ahead had hit a deer. I got out and helped drag what was the biggest deer I've ever seen off the road. By my estimation the doe was about 250 pounds, and dead by the time we got her off the highway. I was so terribly tempted to try and take it back to Big Sky to keep the meat from going to waste, but with no facilities to clean it and no where to store the meat (not to mention total ignorance as to Montana game/roadkill laws), I sadly had to leave it. Jeff later informed me that a burly man by the name of Mustang is the expert deer butcher in Big Sky and happens to go to our church. So next time this happens there will be venison on the table.

Below is a short clip of the deer by the light of the headlamps. The hind quarter alone should give a good indication of the size of the animal.