French Gulch

Posted on November 16, 2015 by foresterartist

I had to visit one of our loggers the other day. My route took me through the little hamlet of French Gulch. It was settled during the Gold Rush, but you rarely see any rush around this sleepy little town these days.

Driving through the tiny town of French Gulch there was a doe walking right down the main street. I wasn’t fast enough to get a picture there, but you can see her exiting stage right.

This little forked horn was browsing on the other side of town. I drove past him, then backed up to take his picture. Ten feet away and he could care less.

Only in French Gulch would you park your fire truck in the drive and your cows in the garage.

A bit of much need rain.

Bliss says this is more like it!

We were out visiting a logging contractor. The delimber processes trees into logs.

Bliss enjoys a drop antler on the way home.

We also enjoyed some rain. They say El Nino is coming and we’re hoping so.

Test Driving My New Brush Pen

Posted on November 16, 2014 by foresterartist

brush pen, pen and ink, deer, drawing, black tail deer

This black tail deer was done as a bit of practice with a new brush pen. This drawing is not my usual style, but I wanted to use it by itself. I typically use the brush pen in concert with my other pens.

My birthday was this month and Mary got me a new pen. I picked out the Kuretake No. 50 brush pen. I went with this one because it has natural bristles and is refillable. I’ve been trying out a number of different single use pens and have really enjoyed them, but I wanted something better. This pen is a hot rod!

Kuretake No. 50 Fountain Hair Brush Pen - Sable Hair - Black Body + Gold Accents + Refill - KURETAKE DW141-50

The pen comes with in a nice wooden box with three ink cartridges. I haven’t tried these cartridges yet. Instead I purchased the Platinum Converter, a refillable cartridge, and a bottle of Platinum Carbon Ink. I pick this ink because it is very water-resistant and can be used with watercolor.

I’ve been enjoying this pen a lot, but I need to get more practice with it. I find using a brush pen is a lot different from a watercolor brush, very unforgiving. I suppose it’s made more difficult more by the ink and not the pen.

Black Tail In Velvet

Posted on October 14, 2014 by foresterartist

deer, black tail deer, buck, Columbia black tail deer

A Spring black tail buck with horns still in velvet in pen and ink.

This is always busy time of year around here, which is the reason I haven’t posted for awhile. When Fall comes, we disappear into the mountains. It’s our time to put some miles under our boots, over the mountains and through the woods. This is when we go out to procure some fresh organic protein to get us through the year.

I photographed this buck last Spring. He was feeding under a blue oak tree. His antlers were still growing and in velvet.

Forest Violence!

Posted on May 26, 2014 by foresterartist

The scene of the crime!

There is a mystery here that wasn’t reported in the papers. Please say a prayer for the “deerly” departed. 😉

Spike Buck

Posted on May 5, 2014 by foresterartist

Spike Buck, Columbian Blacktail Deer in pen and ink.

I took these shots one rainy day last deer season. This little spike was very curious about Mary and me.

spike buck, buck, blacktail, Columbian Blacktail deer, deer, deer hunting, deerbrush

Deerbrush is one of their main food sources here. Their favorite is acorns.

A second tiny spike buck was feeding alongside the first. Bucks with a single spike and does aren’t legal to take in California.

Forestry Friday … The Nature Nook!

Gallery

Posted on November 8, 2013 by foresterartist

This gallery contains 8 photos.

We affectionately call them “Nature Nooks”, but the official name is “Habitat Retention Areas” or HRAs. Simply put, they are groups of trees left unharvested inside a logging unit. The purpose is to leave mature tree thickets that provide hiding … Continue reading →

Lions, Deer, and Bears Oh Mine

Posted on June 27, 2013 by foresterartist

Mary and I have our little get-away spot we love to go to. When we are there, we have lots of friends stop by. Check out her post!

Sneaking Bliss

We originally set up hidden cams at various locations to catch claim jumpers. It’s a nice treat to capture the local critter population. Here is a sampling of what passed through the last 2 weeks. Of course, panning a little bling with my Tim is pure bliss.

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Coyotes Attack! Oh, nevermind.

Posted on January 26, 2013 by foresterartist

The deer herd feeding in the hay field.

Something caught my attention, while cruising around the North end of the log decks. Lots of animals were running in the hay field. The mill property has a couple hundred acres of hay fields and ponds on the North end of the log yard. Each afternoon a large herd of deer comes into the fields to graze. This morning, they were already in the field and running all over the place. This is odd behavior for the deer because they weren’t leaving. They usually wander randomly around the field feeding. If anyone gets too close they just leave the field for the cover of the nearby Valley Oaks. This time they were running helter skelter around the field, but not leaving. I was about a quarter mile away and could not discern what was going on. I pulled out my camera and zoomed in on the action. Then I saw the three coyotes. This is what happened next.

Enjoying the sunny morning, the deer placidly graze. They seem unconcerned about anything going on around them.

Moving in on the deer herd, this coyote was intent on having venison for breafast.

The coyotes non-chalantly move closer and closer to the herd.

The big buck spots the sneaky coyotes.

buck, doe, deer, black-tail deer, prey, predator

Two does and the big buck aren’t going to tolerate the coyotes stalking the herd.

Coyote, doe, deer, buck, stalking, hunting, feeding

This brave doe takes the lead in dealing with the interlopers.

The two does surround the lead coyote. The coyote was not expecting this.

coyote, deer, doe, predator, prey, fight back, retreat

The second coyote decides not to stick around. No loyalty amoung coyotes.

The coyote is having second thoughts and a venison meal.

Deciding it isn’t worth it the coyotes back off.

No venison today for this coyote.

Perhaps a nice field mouse would be good instead.

With the threat dealt with, the herd goes back to a leisurely breakfast.

Sunrise Curtain

Posted on December 15, 2012 by foresterartist

: Mary and I always rise before the sun. It is the time of day that we solve all the world’s problems, over a cup of coffee. This morning old Tom dog asked to go out. When I opened the front door, God poked me right in the eyes with a spectacular sunrise. As the sunrise curtain was lifted, our morning guests were revealed.

The sun serves us glorious notice of it’s pending arrival.

nature photography, photography, sunrise

The trees are ablaze.

: A mysterious visitor sneaks by at sunrise.; A male Common Golden-eye visits our pond.

coot, duck, nature, wildlife, photography

Our constant guest the American Coot.

A pair or Ring Neck ducks have take up residence.

: The morning rendezvous.

Buck, black tailed deer, deer, wildlife, photography, nature

Striking a pose.

Behind The Scenes

Posted on December 12, 2012 by foresterartist

Ever wonder what is going on behind the scenes with other blogs? This is a little snippet in the life of The Backdoor Artist. If you are a follower of my blog, you probably already know that I am married to The Backdoor Artist, Mary Livingston.

The Backdoor Artist, Mary Livingston, Artist, Photographer

Mary in the creative process.

Mary has a front row seat to our backyard with a large window facing out from her work space. It is a wonderful view. A view which often provides for visual treats. Yesterday she spotted a large buck across the pond. She posted this adventure complete with beautiful pictures here at, http://thebackdoorartist.com/2012/12/11/animal-attraction/.

Spotting this big old buck prompted frantic camera grabbing and stealthful sneaking out into the yard to photograph the buck. When he didn’t run away, we plotted to stalk our subject for more and better shots. More frantic activity ensued with changing of clothes and getting shoes on. We came around the garage and started approaching our prey, all the while, keeping the trees in between to hide our approach. Next, we used the dam of our pond for cover and climbed to the higher ground. Once, on top of the dam we had to stay low to stay out of sight.

Mary belly crawls for the money shot. The buck is on the hillside on the left side of this picture.

Mary crawled to the edge of the dam to have a clear shot of the buck with her Nikon D200. I hung back a recorded the moment. I Let her go first. Wasn’t I considerate. She was kind enough to soak up the water in the grass, leaving me a little less wet. We laid there together shooting pictures of the big buck for quite some time.

Patience and opportunity pay off. The big fellow started to leave, but he could still smell the doe.

Maybe he’ll stay.

What a handsome fellow!

We continued taking pictures together until they left. We would have stayed in the wet grass for as long as the deer were willing to stay. At a moment like this, I didn’t even notice the cold and wet. It was one of those great times with my best friend. We headed back to the house soaking wet and with Mary’s light colored pants looking more like camouflage. All well worth it.