The Caddis Shack

25/06/2024

11/05/2024

5/10/24 Auroras were stunning!!

09/10/2023

Beautiful star filled nights in October this year. Jupiter was the brightest and with binoculars you could see its moons. Very cool!!

06/10/2023

Fall in full color

06/10/2023

07/09/2023

A grizzly bear with a history of conflict with people was euthanized Saturday after breaking into a house near West Yellowstone.

Early Saturday morning, a homeowner reported a bear with a cub broke through a kitchen window of an occupied home and removed a container of dog food from inside the house.

Later that evening, staff from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and local law enforcement captured the cub, and, with authorization from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, shot the adult grizzly near the captured cub due to an immediate public safety threat from the bear’s food-conditioned behavior.

The adult grizzly was a 10-year-old female that had been captured in 2017 for research purposes. Through genetic analysis and other identifying factors, the bear was confirmed to be involved in a fatal attack on a woman near West Yellowstone in July. The bear was also involved in an encounter in Idaho that injured a person near Henrys Lake State Park in 2020. While both incidents were assessed to be defensive responses by the bear, multiple efforts to trap and remove the bear were made after the fatal attack in July due to the incident’s proximity to residences, campgrounds and a high-use OHV trail system. These efforts were unsuccessful.

The cub, a 46-pound male, is being held at FWP’s wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena while arrangements are made to transfer the cub to a zoo in the coming weeks.

Learn more: https://fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2023/sept/0906-grizzly-bear-euthanized-near-west-yellowstone-following-multiple-conflicts-with-people

23/07/2023

Yesterday morning, a woman was found deceased on the Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone following an apparent bear encounter. Investigators confirmed grizzly bear tracks at the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.

The Custer Gallatin National Forest has issued an emergency closure of the Buttermilk area for human safety. Please avoid the area. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Generally, the Buttermilk Area Closure is located about 8 miles west of West Yellowstone. It follows the Continental Divide Trail (Forest Service Trail #116) from the trailhead near Targhee Pass on Highway 20 south to the confluence with Cream Creek Road (Forest Service Road #1703 and Road 484). The area closure follows these roads to the east and north back to the Forest Service boundary just south of Highway 20 and to the west to connect with the Continental Divide Trail (Trail #116).

Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded. People venturing into the outdoors should “Be Bear Aware” by following these precautionary steps:

- Carry and know how to use bear spray.
- Travel in groups whenever possible and plan to be out in the daylight hours.
- Avoid carcass sites and concentrations of ravens and other scavengers.
- Watch for signs of bears such as bear s**t, diggings, torn-up logs and turned over rocks, and partly consumed animal carcasses.
- Make noise, especially near streams or in thick forest where hearing and visibility are limited, to alert bears to your presence.
- Don't approach a bear.

Learn more: fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear

18/04/2023

Last night we witnessed the most amazing thing right off the deck! An osprey circled the river, as they often do, and came up with a nice fat trout dinner. It had flown about 20 feet before a bald eagle spotted it and was off in hot pursuit with wings flapping. The bald eagle crashed into the osprey causing it to drop the fish, which the bald eagle immediately landed in the river to sn**ch it up. Just then we saw one….then two Canada geese fly up from the shore and attack the bald eagle! There was a big splashing curfuffle in the water and we wondered if they were attempting to drown the eagle. After what seemed like 5 minutes, the geese returned to the other side of the river. The bald eagle was nowhere in sight! We looked and looked, and then spotted it resting on the rocky shore below, it’s white head just barely visible through the willow sticks that have not yet bloomed. About 10 minutes later it flew away….without the stolen trout.

17/04/2023

Although expecting some winter weather this week, the birds have returned! Here is a pair of mountain bluebirds. We’ve been seeing the bald eagle, flickers and tree swallows on the deck posts, and robins, juncos, red tailed hawks in the yard. Fishing has been good, the river is in great condition and the fish are hungry.

05/10/2022

www.SaveMadisonValley.com

Responsible GrowthStarts With You Oppose The Mile Creek RV Park proposal!We are not opposed to managed growth or RV Parks. We are opposed to irresponsible growth by locating a 150 space RV Park on Mile Creek near Raynolds Pass, part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.An application is in process w...

28/08/2022

Update 3/15/23: Project unanimously denied by the County Commissioners. 🎉🥳

There is an application in progress with Madison County for a massive 150 Slot RV Park and resort just 3 miles from the river. There are so many reasons this is a bad idea, too many to list in a post. It has the potential to dump about 600-900 people around the Madison River and area trails/lakes, and block an important migratory corridor and calving/fawning grounds for Elk and Pronghorn. Support is needed to stop this. We are working on a webpage, online petition, GoFundme and have engaged legal support and wildlife specialists. Our Facebook group is up and running Madison Valley Matters.

08/12/2021

A full fishing closure along the upper Madison River was lifted Friday as flows returned back to normal, but some are still encouraging anglers to voluntarily refrain from fishing in

11/10/2021

Winter is coming

03/10/2021

Fall colors are just magical! Listen to the sound of the wind in the Aspens. The best!

04/07/2021

Here we go again with more thunder and lightning with hail rain and winds. Please no more fires!! There have been several this week in the area, luckily the forest service put them out immediately⚡️🔥

03/07/2021

Always amazed at how pretty they are! Such lovely spots!

01/07/2021

We have 3 active Robins nests ON the house. The last egg was just finished being laid yesterday outside the master bedroom nest. She has 4 eggs. The nest outside the basement door also has 4 eggs, and last one was laid prior to our arrival on 6/26. The nest on the corner of the house has an unknown number of eggs, although I did find one on the ground in the mugo bushes. I couldn’t reach to put it back. It may be up to 14 days until they hatch and another 14 days until they fledge. Our next few guests will get to enjoy them and hopefully provide some privacy from humans scaring them off the nests. It’s a fishing cabin but we love and respect all the wildlife here!

17/04/2021

Open for 2022 reservations!
I know, it's early, but people have been asking.

03/04/2021

Who’s ready to sit on the deck and watch the Osprey catch fish? 🙋‍♂️ Me Me Me!! Can’t wait for summer!

01/04/2021

14/03/2021

It’s almost time!!! Don’t forget to book your guide trips soon if you haven’t already. This will be a busy summer!! ..............:::::::(Photo borrowed from West Yellowstone tourism ad)

25/02/2021

Looking forward to Spring!

07/10/2020

Fall colors are happening!

07/09/2020

Update: a guest from last year has claimed it. ❤️

A friend came across this photo with the quote on the internet, it’s the Caddis Shack backyard!!! Crazy!!! I wonder who took the photo and posted? Such a beautiful photo and quote.