Trego's Mountain Ear

"Serving North Lincoln County"

Author: EntomologistJed

  • Your Annual Reminder: The time to start trapping wasps is now.

    While winter isn’t quite done with us yet, we’ve had a good period of warmth recently. Wasps, as well as bears, are waking from their winter hibernation. I’ve seen a few queen paper wasps scouting for new nesting sites.

    With this in mind, if you want to control wasps in or around your property, the time to start is now. If you can catch and kill the wasp version of a queen, you’ll stop her whole colony from bothering you the rest of the summer.

    (A wasp queen is called a “gyne”, which means “woman” in ancient Greek. Gynes are quite large – perhaps twice the size of a standard wasp. Gynes are the wasps most likely to not die in hibernation.)

    While most paper wasps will try to hibernate through the winter (the reason we see them moving indoors in fall), most are unsuccessful. Most wasp queens have to start anew in spring, building their new colonies (and sometimes their nests) from scratch.

    Raising kids can be hard work, as any parent can tell you. It’s no different for wasps. As gynes start building their new nest, and laying their first eggs of the season, they spend most of their time looking for food for their young.

    (A gyne’s first eight or so children are called “haplogynes” meaning “half-women” – these are about half as large again as a standard wasp. These haplogynes take over caring for their little siblings, leaving the gyne free to lay more eggs and expand the nest.)

    Developing wasp larvae, just like developing human children, need diets rich in protein to grow and build muscle tissue. As such, a gyne caring for her first batch of larvae will spend much of her time looking for meat to feed them with. Later in the year, wasp larvae will often be fed caterpillars. But early on, carrion forms much of the available meat.

    If you want to control your wasp problem before it starts, consider setting a wasp trap and baiting it with a bit of leftover meat and letting it spoil. If you manage to catch and kill a gyne, or her crew of haplogynes, you’ll have won a war before giving it a chance to start.

    (Bear in mind, we do live in an area with bears, who are also beginning to leave hibernation. Be bear aware, and cautious in your use of meat to bait wasp traps.)

  • Looking Back on Jedidiah’s First days in Trego

    Looking Back on Jedidiah’s First days in Trego

    Editor’s Note: It always surprises me when I think about it how recently we married and Jedidiah had his introduction to Montana’s wildlife. There’s a little one toddling about with us now when we go for walks, Yoshi has more gray to her muzzle, and my husband is considerably more comfortable with firearms.

    But it’s his story- so here is is, as he wrote it for me some years ago:

    This past week held the anniversary of my moving up to Trego to join my wife, Sam… As such, it also held the anniversary of my meeting the best firearm evangelists I’ve yet encountered.

    The bears.

    The two delinquent bruins, about a month before I moved up to Trego.
    Note the radio collar on the left bear – both have them.

    A year ago, I wrapped up my Masters Degree project, describing several new species of Kentucky cave beetles, and began the long drive out to Trego, MT. I believe it was the evening of my second day here in Montana that they introduced themselves…

    Just as Sam and I were settling in for the evening, we received a panicked phone call from her mother. She was sufficiently agitated for me to hear her some distance from the phone… As it turned out, Sam’s father, Mike, had stepped out onto the porch to shout at couple of gangly young grizzlies, encourage them to get a bit further from his house. But he had a little overweight Pomeranian who had other ideas – she sprinted out the door past him, intent on getting between him and the bears. Despite the size disparity, she startled those bears and made them run… And, as they were running, she pursued them, a good 300-some feet.

    Mike couldn’t let her be alone out there with them, so he ducked back inside, grabbed some slippers & the nearest firearm, and headed out after his wee beastie. It’s at this point in time that Sam’s mother called. Sam hurriedly grabbed the keys and produced a couple of guns. She passed me one which I straightaway handed back to her.

    At this point in my life, I’d never fired a gun before, and I’m somebody who believes in doing things well. I thought I’d have better combat utility with a walking stick, and took a promising one.

    So, off the two of us flew, leaving our own irate wee beastie behind us. Sam at the wheel, bouncing the truck down the old road to her folks. As we arrived the two young delinquent grizzlies were reconsidering their flight from a certain overweight Pomeranian… but they backed off as we raced up in the truck.

    Sam passed me her gun, and bailed out to catch the overweight Pomeranian (who refused to get behind Sam’s father), and we retreated back to her folks’ house. While Mike’s seven rounds of 22 weren’t great comfort with two bears at close range… it was a sight better than my walking stick.

    The next day we could see the bears from our house, as they enjoyed a neighbor’s water feature. It took about a week for Fish & Game to trap them, and all the while I was waking up to nightmares of bear home invasion. As soon as they were captured and removed from the area, I began learning to shoot. One could scarce ask for better motivation, and I practiced devoutly.

    Shortly after our first sighting of grizzlies this year, I had another dream about them staging a home invasion. This time, I was armed, and the dream ended much better for us. While I’d hate to have to shoot one, it’s nice to be capable of doing so, if need be.

  • David Thompson Black Powder Shoot (2023)

    David Thompson Black Powder Shoot (2023)

    This April 28-30th, The Tobacco River Muzzleloaders club hosted the 45th annual David Thompson Black Powder Shoot, first started by Jim Kirsch and Joe Nelson. While Jim was present this year in the flesh, and continues to impart much wisdom, Joe passed away three weeks after last year’s Rendezvous and is much missed. He returned in spirit, however, and managed a perfect score, leading in all three events.

    Joe Nelson reminds us of what proper shooting looks like.

    While the shoot had a rough few years due to Covid-19 regulations, things seem to be improving once again. This year, 71 folks competed in some mixture of the three events (Muzzleloading Rifle, Muzzleloading Pistol, and Tomahawk & Knife). There is no obligation to participate in all three, and many folks opt for one or two.

    It was a pleasure to see that more Canadians were present this year, thanks to relaxation of border-crossing regulations. But to me, the greatest joy was to see several generations represented, and old shooters mentoring young kids just starting out in the hobby.

    In the final shooting group, Kaelan Yanak scores a hit on one of the last three pistol targets.

    Folks are encouraged to get most of their events taken care of on Friday and Saturday, but participants are allowed to compete in one event on Sunday morning prior to distributing blanket prizes and striking camp.

    Blanket prizes being brought out on Sunday morning.
    A fine mixture of prizes this year – knives, horns, leatherwork, and traditional cookware, to name a few.

    Participation in blanket prizes is optional, but quite enjoyable. To join in this year, one was advised to bring a gift relevant to traditional muzzleloading culture, and worth at least $15. At the blackpowder shoot’s conclusion on Sunday morning, the combined scores were read, starting with the highest, and those who’d brought blanket prizes were able to select something from the table when their name came.

    Afterwards, a drawing was held for this year’s grand prize, a muzzleloading pistol kit donated by the family of a gentleman no longer with us. An experienced shooter won the draw, and straightaway gave the kit to a young boy just starting out in the hobby.

    Rifle and pistol targets regathered, awaiting the next rendezvous.

    After prizes were distributed, shooters helped take down the remaining targets and ensure the grounds used were free from trash.

    We’ll hope to see you there next year,

    Jedidiah McCurry

  • The most courteous derailment one could possibly ask for.

    The most courteous derailment one could possibly ask for.

    Up in Trego, our neighboring railroads have been far better mannered than the stretch of Norfolk Southern adjacent to the folks of East Palestine, Ohio.

    This past Tuesday (2023-03-07), Mission Mountain Railroad locomotive WAMX 3946 had a slight derailment. The leading truck of the southbound locomotive jumped the track halfway through the icy crossing where its line meets Fortine Creek Road, and proceeded to run some 130 yards before coming to rest, nearly clearing the intersection.

    The point at which the locomotive’s leading truck leapt the track, nearly halfway through its crossing with Fortine Creek Road.
    The partially derailed locomotive at rest. Note that only the leading truck has left the rails.
    The locomotive’s leading truck swiftly drifted to the west upon leading the rails, its eastern wheels catching on the inside of the western rail, not 10 yards from the point it jumped the tracks.

    Both witnesses and TFS VFD responders suspect that ice buildup between the tracks was what led to the partial derailment. A BNSF worker passing through the intersection postulated that, while ice buildup alone might be responsible, damage to the flange of a leading wheel could have contributed.

    Note that BNSF is an unrelated railroad – Mission Mountain Railroad is separately administered, though it has leased line from BNSF in past.

    The TFS Volunteer Fire Department responded swiftly, putting up signage within 2 hrs of the incident, warning drivers of the narrowed crossing both above and below the tracks, as well as placing traffic cones at the crossing itself.

    As can be seen, Trego drivers took this in stride, and made use of the 3/4ths of a lane available to them, and (cautiously) used the crossing, despite the flashing red lights of the level crossing signal.

    The train was hauling 5 cars of Canadian lumber southwards, and was cleared from the line by the following day. One Trego local at the scene commented that, in all his years here, that train has passed by each day without issue.

    Not a bad track record – and it’d be hard to find a derailment any politer than this.

    I think we’d all rather take this situation over that of East Palestine, Ohio.
  • Hungarian Lentil Stew for a prosperous New Year

    Hungarian Lentil Stew for a prosperous New Year

    Once, when I was a small child, growing up in eastern South Dakota, my father took my siblings and me to see reindeer in the parking lot of a Lewis Drug. One of the better customer-drawing gimmicks I had seen, at that point. While there, my father overheard a tall, dark-bearded fellow conversing with his two children in a strange tongue.

    Now, my father is very fond of languages, and enjoys learning more whenever the opportunity presents itself. I’ve early memories of him carrying one of his foreign-language Bibles to Church on Sunday, reading along with the sermon, albeit in a different tongue. The Estonian Bible was his most frequent church companion, I think.

    Anyway, the language this tall, dark-bearded father was speaking was as foreign to my own father as it was to me. So my father waited for a break in the conversation, and then went over, and asked that fine-bearded fellow what language he was speaking – might it be Hungarian? It wasn’t a language he was familiar with, but it had its similarities to Finnish and Estonian.

    As it turned out, Dad had guessed the language correctly – helped, no doubt, by his fondness for Finno-Ugric tongues – borne out of his Finnish heritage. While Dad shared his love of languages with me, and I’ve extensively pursued Latin and Greek, I’ve yet to spend much time on the tongues of my northern forbears.

    We ended up becoming close friends with that family of Hungarians, and were both guests and hosts many times over the next few years, sharing many meals. Friendships we’d never have had without Dad being inquisitive about language, and eager to have new, chance acquaintances over for coffee. And, of course, the help of a couple of reindeer.

    Here’s a traditional Hungarian recipe from the mother of that family.
    Something to eat on New Year’s Eve to bring fortune to you and yours throughout the next year.

    Lentil Stew:
    3 cups Lentils (for prosperity – see how the lentils look like little coins?)
    2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
    Paprika powder
    1 medium Red Onion, quartered.
    1 small lemon, halved.
    5 bay leaves
    Garlic (either a generous sprinkling of powder or about 2 chopped cloves)
    Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
    A little smoked meat (if memory serves, smoked turkey was used the first time I had this, though lean pork is most traditional, especially cold smoked shortrib – Pork is supposed to bring good luck)

    Cook this assemblage in water until lentils are done – I like it to have the consistency of a porridge.
    Remove the onion, bay leaves, and lemon before serving with the following sauce.

    Paprika Sauce:
    Place 1-2 Tbsp flour in 2-3 Tbsp of hot oil, whisking until homogeneous.
    Add red paprika powder generously, letting it bloom in the hot oil.
    Mix with 1/2 cup sour cream and some milk, until desired consistency is reached.
    The sauce should be smooth and a bright orange in color.

    I suspect that this was how the mother of our Hungarian friends substituted for Hungarian Paprika Paste, being unable to get it in the American Midwest. She later brought us some Univer Red Gold paste as a gift, after a visit back to Hungary. What a treasure that was!

    The completed Lentil Stew with Paprika Sauce!
    May your New Year be filled with flavor.

  • Trego School’s Holiday Program, 2022

    Trego School’s Holiday Program, 2022

    This past Wednesday (14 December 2022), the kids of Trego School’s drama class put on their holiday play, a rendition of The Christmas Crocodile, a book by Bonny Becker (link is to the book listing at Lincoln Co. Public Library).

    Despite technical problems with the sound system, the kids carried the play off without a hitch. The narrator seemed unfazed by the speaker problems and kept all the other kids on pace, the actors knew their positioning on stage as well as their lines – many even gave their characters special voices. The stage crew did a wonderful job of shifting the scenery around – they were quick and very stealthy in their black clothing!

    Here we have the Christmas Crocodile, a gift received in error,
    loaded up on a truck, and off to its true home – a cafe and petting zoo!

    After the upper grades wrapped up with their play, all the assembled kids gathered together on stage and serenaded the crowd with several Christmas carols. The kids covered “Up on the Housetop”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, and finished off with “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. They sung exuberantly, and did quite well in the absence of a sound system.

    After the caroling finished, the staff of Trego School had treats for the kids and audience alike to enjoy. Delicious, as per usual.