Lions, beavers, bighorns and more

[CouesWhitetail]

I spent three days doing owl surveys in Bonita Creek between the San Carlos Rez line and the gila river. If you haven't been out there, it's an amazing place. It takes a few hrs on rocky roads to get all the way to the north end, but it's a beautiful drive with amazing rock formations and this time of year, it had lots of poppies and other flowers!

 

check out all the poppies way out on that mtn in the background. There were miles and miles of this surrounding us in all directions.

 

 

 

We got up to the north end late in the afternoon. With no time to spare we started hiking south along the creek, which was a challenge due to all the flooding caused by the beaver. There is an old homestead near there and I think it may have been for Toppy Johnson who was a cattle rustler that lived in a cave way up on Turtle mtn for a few years before making himself a ranch down in bonita creek. Apparently he lived out there until he died in his 80's. What a tough man he must have been.

 

My dog Julie apparently found some turkeys and flushed them into a tree. If you look at the sycamore in the middle of this pic you can see a few turkeys up high in the tree. I was hoping we would hear a bunch of gobbling in the morning, but no luck.

 

We continued hiking a few miles until dark and then hiked back in the dark listening for owls. It's a challenge finding your way in a beaver swamp with thick vegetation and downed trees everywhere, but I had managed to GPS all the better water crossings so that the navigating was a little easier. Several times we had to walk on top of the beaver dams to get across. Julie loved that idea, but our other dog Sunshine didn't really enjoy that part.

 

While hiking back to camp in the dark my husband spotted this beaver skull. It looked to me like it had grown a lower incisor too long and perhaps couldn't survive with it that way.

 

 

 

 

We also found a lion jaw, pelvis and legbone.

 

 

 

The BLM biologist had told us there was a camp spot down by the creek, but when we got there, the beavers had flooded the area and we were left with not enough flat area for a tent. So we just laid out some tarps and slept in the open. the stars were AMAZING!! Falling asleep next to the gurgling creek was nice as well.

 

 

 

The next morning we hiked north toward the reservation line and there is a series of cliff dwelling called pueblo devol. These are on BLM land and they had a sign there explaining that the dwellings were probably up to 50 rooms at the height of occupation by anazazi and that the people came south from Point of Pines (on the reservation).

 

 

 

 

 

Julie loving the beaver ponds:

 

After the morning hike up there we packed up and headed to Midnight Canyon. The road out was lined with poppies....pretty cool!

 

We hiked down Midnight canyon to Bonita Creek and that canyon turns into a really cool slot canyon with some boulders balanced on top of the slot.

 

 

 

 

Once we got down to Bonita Creek we headed north and ended up by a place named after a lady that farmed and ranched down on the creek. The BLM has restored her cabin and named it after her...the Old Lady Gay cabin.

 

 

Lots of javelina sign, bear sign and we saw a few whitetailed deer as well.

We hiked back out in the dark and set up camp and had time for a fire before hitting the sack. Our dogs were exhausted as were we...

 

The next morning we hiked back down midnight canyon and then this time went south along Bonita creek into a tight part of the canyon. Neat area but again difficult to hike due to all the flooding by beavers. We did manage to spot a few bighorn sheep way up high on the cliff. I only saw four (two ewes, a lamb and a young ram) but there may have easily been more that we couldn't see.

 

 

 

A greater earless lizard that was too cold to escape from me so I snapped a few pics of his cool colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a fun trip and if anyone is looking for a neat place to go hike and camp, this is a good one.

 

The dogs were completely exhausted on our hike out. Of course they have no moderation and run 5 times as much as we actually hike. But they take advantage of rest time whenever we would stop.

[Pixman]

Amanda,

 

Great job on the write up and pics! You didn't mention anything about the owls though. I might have to take a hike in there one of these days!

[Pine Donkey]

Amanda,

Thanks for sharing the pictures from such a neat trip. Arizona is so diverse and beautiful. Thanks for taking us along.

[CouesWhitetail]

Amanda,

 

Great job on the write up and pics! You didn't mention anything about the owls though. I might have to take a hike in there one of these days!

 

 

We actually didn't hear a lot of owls...perhaps a little too early for a lot of calling. We did hear Western Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls and I found sign in that slot canyon that I think is from Barn Owls. I expected to hear more species of owls and more individuals. We will be going back again in a few weeks probably and maybe there will be more calling then.

[cramerhunts]

Really neat looking country and a cool looking trip. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[AZ RANGER]

Great pics and write up. I need to take a trip in there sometime.

[billrquimby]

Interesting that you found whitetails. My son-in-law and I had whitetail permits and hunted some of that area 25-30 years ago and all we saw were mule deer, including a great buck anyone would want. We also did not see another hunter in the five days we were in there.

 

Bill Quimby

[azmetalman]

Amanda thank you very much for sharing the experience and the photos. Very cool.

[Chef]

Nice pictures Amanda.

This time of year must be perfect there.

I love seeing the dogs all wiped out resting.

 

Cool beaver skull.

[bonecollector]

Very cool pics, thanks for sharing your trip.

[azslim]

you've got a great job Amanda, thanks for sharing your office

[kimberx2]

That looked like a really great trip. Suprised to see so much beaver activity.

Thanks For sharing. Looks like a great area to explore.

[CouesWhitetail]

Hey Bill (or anyone else who might know),

 

Do you know how long beaver have been in Bonita Creek? Were they there all along or are they the result of some transplants somewhere else?

 

oh and the whitetails we saw were down in the creek in case you were wondering.

 

Amanda

[tjhunt2]

Thanks Amanda for sharing your adventure with us. You're job is awesume!

 

TJ

[billrquimby]

Hey Bill (or anyone else who might know), Do you know how long beaver have been in Bonita Creek? Were they there all along or are they the result of some transplants somewhere else? oh and the whitetails we saw were down in the creek in case you were wondering. Amanda

 

Hi Amanda:

 

Don't know about the beavers. I suppose they were there historically, but whether they were extirpated and then reintroduced, I don't know. It's nifty country, and it's not far from Lark's domain. Perhaps he knows some of the ranching families who would know.

 

My son-in-law and I went there totally "cold." Without talking with anyone we obviously hunted too high where the glassing was easier.

 

Bill Quimby