Flathead Lake Lodge
Well, after going almost 15 years without any females, 2010 is the lucky year for the old bulls in the Ranch’s Elk Preserve (we might re-name it ‘Trump Elk Preserve). We have introduced five bred and six un-bred females into the herd. Most of the old elk are between 15 and 18 years old (that’s pretty darn old for an elk) and it will be exciting to see the new generation of the herd be introduced this spring.
We’ll keep you posted when the first mother calves!
Happy 100th Birthday Glacier National Park!
This summer marks the 100th birthday of the Crown Jewel of the Continent, Glacier National Park. ‘The Park’ as it is known around here is just a short 40 min. drive away, and we encourage all our guests to either visit the park before or after their week at the Lodge, or definitely for a day during their week at the Lodge.
This year will truly be a unique year to visit as The Park is planning numerous events, celebrations and exhibits making the trip even more worth the 100 year wait. Visit the parks official Centenial website for more information.
A view of the Swan Mountains from the Flathead Valley this winter.
It was another great Dude Ranchers Association annual meeting this year in Billings, MT. The DRA had a great turnout with over 150 ranch owners. As always, it was a great time for the industry to come together and tackle current issues as a whole. Nonetheless, there is never a shortage of laughs and characters that always make the DRA conventions an entertaining off season weekend.
Every year as the snow starts to fly and the Holiday Spirit starts to work its way into our daily lives, hundreds of Bigfork’ers and friends meet early on a late November morning to decorate the town of Bigfork. Each year the crowd grabs their coffee and hot chocolate [Schnapps and Baily’s optional], elf hat, lights, pliers, bows,Christmas Trees and scatters about town working with their different groups and Flight Leader to decorate the different buildings down town. Each year the volunteers earn a new ranking, Militarily speaking for their help.
It truly is a unique experience as 200+ community volunteers of all ages gather for a fun filled day that not only has the town looking beautiful it has its dwellers feeling good too. Bill and his family, Laura, Melinda and Nicole have joined us twice now for this great day. With a couple more years and we might have to refer to Fireman Bill as simply, ‘General Fireman Bill.’ It is a great way to start off the holiday season and we are glad some old Lodge friends have been able to share in the spirit over the years.
Fall has become a great time to fish for pike in Flathead Lake. Until recent years, pike weren’t present in Flathead Lake in numerous numbers. A non-native fish, they aren’t regarded as a true sport fish by the locals and are very predatory. The last couple falls have been great fishing off the shores of Flathead Lake as can be witnessed by the two pike caught the last two years by staff. Chase Averill caught a 46″, 31lb. monster this fall on a 8 weight fly rod and last fall our sous chef caught a 49″, 28 lb. dandy.
Guests that have visited Flathead Lake Lodge over the last 10 years have enjoyed riding through our 500 acre Elk Preserve. These magnificent animals are now 12 – 16 years old which is full maturity. Very rarely are you able to see such mature animals in the Wild. The herd is managed by Scott Plum, an employee at the Lodge for over 20 years. Scott is seen feeding in January since browse is very scarce this time of year. We will move the herd into a 20 acre pen in March when they start loosing their antlers.
Currently we are working on our 1961 Chriscraft, Mustang. The work entails painting the entire hull, all brightwork, decks and topside. The entire boat was completely renovated less then 10 years ago and has been a nice addition to the Ranch fleet. The Mustang can accommodate up to 35 people for our evening boat cruises or special events. This is a great way to experience the expanse of Flathead Lake and the surrounding mountains.
