As much time as I’ve spent outdoors enjoying nature, there are still many mammal species in this country I have not seen in the wild.

My travels throughout the Times News region and some Eastern states have given me a chance to see almost all the mammals that live in those area. Surprisingly, even though we have a rather healthy elk herd in Western Pennsylvania, I’ve never seen one.

On my only lifetime hunting trip in New Brunswick, Canada, 33 years ago, I hoped to see a moose for the first time. We heard one crashing through the brush ahead of us, saw where it raked trees with its antlers, but, close only counts in horse shoes.

Well, two weeks ago I related my disappointment of not making it to Yellowstone National Park. That trip was to add to my bird life list and I was hoping to see many new mammals too.

There is quite a variety of habitat in the park and I was “counting on” seeing some grizzly bears, timber wolves, marmots, elk, mule deer, and even smaller mammals all new to me. Well my “lemon” of a trip still allowed me to make some lemonade.

With some side trips in South Dakota and hitting a few back roads on the trip West through Wyoming I was still able to see some of those “lifers.” As soon as we entered Wyoming across the Thunder Basin National Grasslands, I began seeing pronghorn antelopes. Prairie dog colonies here and there along the way offered up some neat photo opportunities.

The plateau area of the Bighorn Mountains allowed us to see some grazing elk, and luckily after listening to a local rancher’s advice, a less traveled road there found us watching a little drama with a cow moose and her calf.

White-tailed deer were common in South Dakota and through Eastern Wyoming, but closer to Cody, Wyoming, I had a chance to see and photograph some mule deer. Regarding elk, my best “looks” of elk actually occurred on the morning of our return flight while we were back in South Dakota at Custer State Park. It was here where I got to see my first wild bison as well.

I’m hoping someday, to finally “make it” to Yellowstone where I may get to see some wolves, Rocky Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and both bear species. I’m sharing some photos of mammals that I was able to see on our abbreviated trip.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Growing primarily in damp areas or near streams, the pale jewelweed or “touch-me-not,” gets that nickname because: A. it has thorns. B. it causes a rash. C. its seed pods, when ripe, “explode” to expel its seeds. D. it leaves a nasty smell on your hands.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Recent studies now indicated that with all man’s intrusions into the firefly habitats, that all of our lighting features, walkway lights, and security lights are causing confusion and communication issues and reducing success in the fireflies’ breeding.