Just a portion of a single herd of 1,190 elk:

It took seven photos yesterday to get the entire herd in so I could count them.

The good news?

They're feeding on an old hayfield abandoned in the 1960s... not likely to pick up toxic lichen there.

The bad news?

Everything surrounding that old hayfield is covered with toxic lichen.

More bad news?

Game warden called this noon to report their urine has turned dark and "brownish".

Which means the elk are eating the lichen.

Craaap.

The good news?

The recent snow has covered most of the lichen. They've been pawing down through the snow, but leaving lichen behind as they eat the dormant grass and Gardner's saltbush.

The bad news?

The recent snow has laid even more snow on top of the white layer surrounding this country, so there isn't really anyplace else to herd these elk to... at least no place with food.

But as the boss said, wisely and correctly, as he discussed the option of forcing the elk south into the deep snow, "I don't really care if they have anything to eat, just so long as they don't die from the lichen."

Which is wise because most of the elk could last a week or two with no food at all, but less than a week of feasting on lichen could kill half or more of the herd.

The good news?

Forecast calls for us to get more snow Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday, with below freezing (even bitter) cold temps through Wednesday.

Man, I don't remember spending so much time looking at long-range weather forecasts since, what, when we flew weeks of antelope surveys in the '90s?

And I don't ever remember wanting severe, snowy cold weather.

The bad news?

We're supposed to get above freezing next Thursday and Friday. Which will likely expose the lichen-covered ridges, and get the lichen appetizingly wet, soft and green.

Tentative plans are being made for a snowmobile elk roundup on Saturday...