University of Idaho School of Forestry - Forester Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

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TI-IE I932 JUNIOR FIELD TRIP J. P. BROWN, '34. SUNDAY, MAY 22. Up at six a. m., as the modern Pepy would say, and as happy with expectancy as a little boy with a brand new red wagon. All this was in preparation for the junior class field trip to the Northern Rocky Mountain Forest Ex- periment Station near Priest River, northern Idaho. Those assembled for the trip were Ralph Ahlskog, Rudolph Benson, J. P. Brown, Loyd Burnett, John Cook, Kenneth Daniels, Jack Frederic, Corland James, Merton Kuhn, Paul Larsson, Paul Martin, Lawrence New- comb, Robert Opie, Theo. Raide, and Chas. Wellner and accompanied by Floyd Otter and A. M. Sowder of the forest school faculty. We left Moscow at 9:10 a. m., almost on schedule. The cavalcade consisted of Bud Daniel's open air taxi which accommodated the tractor gang, and the University truck which took care of the remainder of the juniors, including Ahlskog who occupied the floor. Bud Daniel's car stopped at St. Maries at Benson's home so arrived at the station a triiie late. The truck was right on schedule for the evening meal. Doings of the five tractor guys in the open air taxi after we left them at St. Maries is not available for publication, but it is known that they can identify the taste of sandwiches bought from any lunch counter between St. Maries and Priest River. Even then Paul Larsson insisted on eating supper when he ar- rived at the station several hours late. MONDAY, MAY 23. Up at seven a. m. after a very unrestful night. The writer, who is possessed with that lightning-like Arkansas swiftness, being the last one to bed was requested by Prexy New- comb to turn out the gas light. In some man- ner or means his pajamas disappeared as the light was going out. As a result all the beds in the east end of the bunkhouse were searched, but the pajamas were still nil. In the morning the pajamas were found at the top of the flag pole fluttering in the wind like brilliant butter- Hies. This day the juniors covered the station grounds, the buildings and improvements be- ing explained by John B. Thompson, the resi- dent ranger. All the buildings were investi- gated, under, over, and on the sides from the gas house to Woods Ohicen which, by the way, is the only building at the station built accord- ing to blue prints. The juniors are now well grounded in the knowledge of the moment of force required in frost heaving to move a tamarack block from under a building. The afternoon was spent in a hike to Crow's Nest Lookout and along the fire break on the ridge south of the experiment station. After supper a loud noise broke forth from the vicinity of George Jemison's residence. The noise proved to be a charivari for Mr. Jemison, class of '31, and his recent bride, the former Miss Beatrice Gibbs of the University. TUESDAY, MAY 24. Up at seven a. m. after another pajamaless night for the whole party. Mr. Jemison ex- plained to the boys the experimental work he is conducting in inflammability studies. In the afternoon we discovered there existed more instruments for measuring weather than we could count. P. S.: Benson, James, Daniels, and Brown are still minus their pajamas. WEDNESDAY, MAY 25. Prexy,' Newcomb wants to know how all the gravel from the road happened to be in his bed last night. Benson's recreation was get- ting votes for white papers, even though John Cook had a majority for brown papers. Mr. I. T. Haig showed us a thing or two, in fact several things about silviculture. Mr. Sowder blossomed forth this morning minus that mourning bow tie. Maybe it changed his luck, he crossed every footlog today without falling in the creek. Through his iniiuence, Cook has all the non-smokers to perjure themselves by voting for brown papers. P. S.: Bribery did it. THURSDAY, MAY 26. Went up on the Kaniksu National Forest where Floyd Cossitt, another alumnus of the Idaho School of Forestry, showed us how hem- lock is being disposed of and later some new planted areas. We found a deer that had just recently been killed by a Cougar. Last night's baseball game was umpired by Loyd Burnett. Burnett says that since his eyesight deterio- rated he has quit playing baseball and taken up umpiring. FRIDAY, MAY 27. Fought mosquitoes and tried to select seed trees. Newcomb's spiked topped tr-ees did not seem to be the proper things. Our baseball game tonight included such notable players as Messrs. Home Run Koch, Four Base Weid- man, and Fan 'em Out Watts from the Re- gional Office at Missoula. SATURDAY, MAY 28. Determined the distance of seed dispersion from the Knoll Plots. Visited the se-ed extrac- tory at Falls Ranger Station. On the way back to the station we took Priest River by storm. SUNDAY, MAY 29. It is rumored that about seven juniors visit- ed the dance at Blue Lakes last night. VVent up Priest Lake to Beaver Creek Ranger Sta- tion. The Tyee and Captain Markham's tales will long be remembered. Dad Fred- eric can repeat all of the stories with extras added. fContinuecl on page 521 31

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A FOREST MYSTERY SOLVED LOOK, boys, there's a dead deer, exclaimed Floyd Cossitt, a graduate of the Idaho School of Forestry in 1924 and now technical assistant to the Kaniksu National Forest in northern Idaho, as he was escorting the Juniors over an old abandoned logging road. The boys -fifteen forestry students of the junior class from the Idaho School of Forestry on their annual two weeks' field trip to the Northern Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment Station at Priest River in northern Idaho- stopped short and there before them lay a dead doe. Deep gashes here and there over the body were evident as if a slashing, sharp knife had been used to mutilat-e the animal unto death. Blood was trickling from the wounds and from the nostrils. Wide open eyes of the dead animal seemed to show an expression of intense pain and no little amount of sympathy for the deer was evident on the face of every mother's son present. The dead animal was viewed in silent bewilderment for several minutes, each man turning over the same question in his mind- What could have killed it? Finally one of the boys placed his hand on the animal and exclaimed, Why, it's still very warm. This d-eer met death not so very long ago. Several of the Juniors then began to examine the ground around and were ready to turn detective but there was no time just then. Our escort, however, promised to return this way after our day's inspection of forest re- search projects had been completed, but before our return to this place each man had suggest- ed and advanced any number of possible solu- tions for this forest tragedy. DEER FIGHTS FOR LIFE Once back to the dead deer the boys care- fully examined the area around and were not long in discovering tracks of the deer's worst forest enemy-the cougar. It was undoubtedly sharp cat-like claws which rent the animal's skin like so much cloth. The ground was trampled and torn up here and there. Small brush and vegetation were crushed and beaten to the ground showing a terrific struggle had ensued. Smaller-sized cougar tracks were also noted and right near the body of the deer were found portions of an animal's jaw containing soft tender teeth-milk teeth. But of what animal? Further detective work uncovered an ani- mal's eye. Again-of what animal? The doe's head was intact. There was practically no mutilation above the throat. Besides, the eye was diH'erent from that contained in the head of the deer. This eye looked like that of a cat. And the milk teeth found could also have belonged to a member of the cat family. All possible clues were carefully preserved for evening study in the bunkhouse. On the way to the truck, which was parked at the highway more cougar tracks were dis- covered, and apparently very fresh, probably made the night before or in early morning. Some of the boys recalled then having seen these tracks on the way in but paid little at- tention to them. That evening at the bunk- house every effort was made to assemble the information and develop the solution. That forest tragedy was enacted in many ways but no one was entirely satisfied with the solution. Cossrrr GIVES EXPLANATION The next day, Mr. Cossitt again escorted the -group, this time on a timber marking project, and promised an explanation of the death of the dead deer as soon as convenient during the day's routine. I-Ie stated, at the proper time, this explanation was obtained from an old-time trapper of his acquaintance and is as follows: A mother cougar was teaching her offspring -a cougar kitten-to kill deer and between the two the dead doe was the result. This ac- counts for the way the ground was trampled and dug up. The deer had made a desperate struggle against her two natural foes. After the Cougars had killed th-e doe, the kitten was left at the kill and the mother cougar went about her way. Before the kitten had more than started to devour the dead deer, a male cougar, commonly referred to by woodsmen as a tom cougar, appeared on the scene, and it seems to be the habit of male Cougars to kill cougar kittens whenever possible. This doubtless was what happened here and seems to account for the lone eye and portion of jaw which were found near the dead deer. The male cougar had taken the life of the kitten which was left at the kill by its mother. Shortly thereafter and probably a very short time before the Juniors came along this old abandoned logging road, the mother cougar returned, probably called back by the screams of her offspring. Finding the male cougar had killed the kitten she took the body of the dead kitten with her, and left the scene as the boys approached. 7 ., h I X gqzl. 3 ,Za-1239 QI , J : oiafvf 'Q' , i f Hil l , .-ff' W' gi' ,,, all ' -V . l' Mr. Bird: On your way there, two's com- ' , ' -w . Jam, fh1ee's cz cro d A great big owl sat in cm oak, The more he saw, the less he spoke, The less he spoke, the more he heard, Why ccm't we all be like that wise old bird? 33