I have said before that I have a wild life jinx. When I am looking for interesting critters, everything takes off, or a rare species dives into the thick brush, or a purple-eyed peeper flies off just as I come around the corner. I experience the same jinx here. In an area with abundant wildlife, I see only the resident crow picking at camper garbage.

Similarly frustrated about 10 years ago, I stopped by a Ranger Station along a stretch of the Snake River, in the Tetons. I said mournfully, ” I came here to see a moose. Where can I go to see one”. I felt silly, suggesting that the moose hang out in one place, posing nicely for visitors. The kind Ranger said, “Sure, just drive up this road and that road along the Snake River. Every night at 7 PM a Ranger leads a talk and shares spotting scopes with visitors. Moose frequently appear.”

I could hardly wait until 7 PM to see my moose. I wondered, “Is this what it feels like to meet a Rock Star or even Broncos #18?” At the suggested time, I zoomed down this road then that road and joined the group surrounding the Ranger. We looked at birds and listened for others. Then, suddenly, the Ranger announced the presence of a mama moose and yearling beside her. They were wading in a wide bend of the Salmon, calmly doing moose things. I was enchanted. Moose, after all, are such odd-looking animals–not exactly graceful or majestic.

Shortly after, the Ranger announced that a male moose was in the willows along the shore. He noted that we would only see the top of the antlers sticking out from the thicket. Sure enough–male Moose in the willows. The sight of his enormous antlers made my stomach melt, like the first time I noticed a cute boy in Junior High School.

Hoping for similar encounters here, I stop by the Seeley Lake Ranger Station yesterday. I sing my sad tune, “I don’t see anything, no matter how hard I look. I can’t even find birds. I never find anything. Waaah!  This kind lady, about my age and with a similar gray hue to her hair, takes a great deal of time to educate me about my recurring wildlife no-see-itis. She explains, “it is all in the timing”. I think that she is really saying, birds and other wildlife do not accommodate our vacation schedules or appear On-Demand, like movies and documentaries” She says, “Wildlife follows seasonal patterns and if we see them at all, it is because their patterns and movements temporarily overlap with ours.

Moose for example: when they are waiting to give birth and shortly after, they do live along the north edge of Seeley Lake, near where I am camping. They linger here  as the babies become strong and where food is abundant. As the upper elevation snow melts and food appears, the moose and mama start moving up the drainages for fresh veggies. It’s like a mountain farmer’s market. The lady Ranger suggests gently that I am not likely to see moose at all. They are deep in the woods. Sob

And grizzly bear: with daily temperatures in the 90s in the valley, grizzlies move up to cool peaks. After all, they cannot remove their rather thick fur coat.Berries are ripening up there and the bears stuff themselves, like I did a few days ago with Flathead Cherries. The Ranger told me I might get lucky if I go up this road then that road and look up the avi chutes with my spotting scope. The grizzlies are up there eating huckleberries.

As for birds: they are gathering in small groups and preparing to migrate south. They left nesting areas and are active only in the earliest morning hours. I can find a few Sandhill Cranes in the meadows around 5 AM. Most of nature up here is attuned to the fact that in 6 weeks or less, the first snow falls.

Undeterred by the facts I tell the nice lady that I really want to see some mountain goats too. She smiles once again, and tells me they are only predictable in Glacier National Park, where they hang off the Going to the Sun Road. Hmmm, not on my agenda this trip. We chat a bit more and I leave with some maps and tips about places where I might get lucky and see something at this time of year. With my jinx, I know that I won’t see a thing.

Wait, wasn’t that the point the Ranger was making? I do not have a wildlife jinx. I have a case of bad timing. If I want to see moose, bears, mountain goats and cool birds, I have to figure out when they are available and most visible.  August in the northern hemisphere is the month when humans and wildlife strategize about how to get out of the hottest weather of the year.  If I insist on traveling in August to see wildlife, the only alternative is to hike thousands of feet up into the wilderness areas as plenty of people do. Or, I need to  hire a pack outfitter to take me up. Hmmmmm. I see new options in my future and I hear the clang, clang of new adventures dropping into the bucket list. Options are appearing faster than I can type.

However, I too follow natural cycles. Snow will also fly in my little town in a few months, and I will begin my own version of hunkering down into the cold winter. One thing for sure: I will be in front of the fireplace learning about optimum times for viewing wildlife and figuring out how to break that jinx next year.