Slept in more than I wanted this morning. But it was just so cold out, and the bed so warm...

Still got out of town well before sunrise. Which, because of the heavy clouds and light rain, I expected to be rather anticlimactic.

I was wrong.

Today was the second opening day of elk seasons in Cimineux's mountains. In order to get the elk herd reduced to the number that we have publicly agreed to, we have been increasing the number of licenses, and hence the number of elk killed, for over a decade. To the point that hunters were actually complaining over being crowded in this small mountain range. With limited roads.

So, we separated out about a third of the cow licenses, and have their hunting season start 12 days after the others. A total of 30 new elk hunters could have been out there today.

They weren't. At least, not on the part of the mountains that I spent my day on. Checked a total of six of them.

Only two with elk.

And I have a bunch to say about the day, and photos to share. About lots of deer, digging out waterbars, checking a guzzler, and hiking through mountainmahogany. But there is no time, tonight. And another elk season opens in the desert in about five and a half hours from now.

So, to bed. Leaving you with a shot of three pronghorn bucks, shortly after sunrise, starting their day with a drink from the road.