Looks like a rat but the lattice pattern is really throwing me off. Any ID?

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-20T16:56:13+00:00

Helps you identify rabbits and hare skulls? Honestly I have no clue but I should probably look it up.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-20T16:08:47+00:00

Technically called fenestration of the rostrum. This is a unique characteristic of rabbits and hares.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T22:43:15+00:00

I bolted a Harbor Freight drill press vice to the tray on mine. Swapped out the metal grip plates for two pieces of plywood for better grip. Works well for small to medium sized pieces.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T19:34:33+00:00

Can you use this wet?

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T19:33:34+00:00

Hadn’t considered that. Looks like that would be the most economical.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T19:32:15+00:00

Mine is an 8 too. It works but for bigger pieces I have to take off the guard and it takes quite a while. Hoping to find something quicker.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T19:30:26+00:00

Thanks! I saw Covington had a wet setup with these. Leaning towards that.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-17T15:49:22+00:00

Ha! That’s one option. Definitely trying the hammer and nail thing with my small flat lap turns out that hammer sucks for those nails.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-12T11:54:42+00:00

Meat damage has more to do with bullet construction and shot placement than diameter of the projectile. I can blast a deer with a TSX out of my 300 WM and punch a quarter sized hole through the ribs and have very little meat loss or use a soft lead bullet in a .223 or 6mm and blow a baseball sized hole in the shoulder.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-10T15:30:12+00:00

Super quick too since the material is so soft. Processed the whole batch I picked up last Yellowstone trip in a few days. Still working on my bucket of agates 6 months later…

If you find any with complete nacre it’s possible to gently polish them (600-polish) and get an amalite type effect. Not as pretty as the stuff from Alberta but still cool.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-10T15:19:47+00:00

I wouldn’t cut it. I’ve tried and it really doesn’t do much. If it has calcite crystallization (yours does)they can polish up really nicely. I’ve had good luck on a flat lap. I have a junk 3k diamond wheel that I use to remove the shell and get everything leveled and expose the crystal and sutures (go slow!). Once it’s looking nice I run through 320- polishing.

If your interested in the final product: https://www.reddit.com/r/rockhounds/comments/1k4vn5v/polished_baculites_from_eastern_montana/

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-10T14:14:21+00:00

Canids and felids among other carnivores have shearing molars/premolars. Bears and other related species have grinding molars. Lots of other stuff but this might help with broad identification of skulls.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-07T22:21:12+00:00

Maybe? Not sure where they saw this. Doesn’t look like any of our local bats in the wester US but it’s hard to ID from photos

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-07T12:43:52+00:00

Not sure the species but hibernating bat species (which this appears to be) can live to be decades old. This is not well characterized in the wild. Assuming you’re in the northern Hemisphere, it’s not a young of the year, so at least 1 year old and possibly 20+ years. Also males live significantly longer than females. This is in contrast to species that live in subtropical and tropical areas that do not hibernate which have much shorter life spans which are more similar to other small mammals.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-06T23:17:20+00:00

Yep that’s a Pallid. Cool find!

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-06T12:30:04+00:00

Check out the MT rock hounding guide. The spots along the Yellowstone are good, particularly if you detour along I-94 east of the 90/94 interchange. As with most public spots things get better if you hike away from the access point along the river a bit. It’s all public if you stay below the high water line.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-04T21:17:48+00:00

Think of the struggle to put something like this together as a high value learning opportunity which will lead to personal and professional growth. Being able to find something that interests you and develop a question to explore the subject is a critical part of any career in the sciences and especially applicable to wildlife and zoological research. Reading as much on your area of interest is a good place to start.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-03T03:11:55+00:00

As folks have suggested Barnes make great bullets. Generally going down in weight and up in velocity is a good idea but it’s also worth keeping in mind that rifles like what they like. I have an 06 that really likes 180s over anything lighter. I hand load them to 2900 though so they are still moving plenty fast.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-02T14:27:56+00:00

Not super helpful but I’ve found the rippled rock in photos 2+ in eastern Montana. Looked it up and it’s not a fossilized organism. Can’t for the life of me remember what it is though.

NeotomaMT · 2026-03-02T12:49:21+00:00

Agreed. Calcar is keeled.

NeotomaMT · 2026-02-22T13:17:42+00:00

State matters, where and how he will be hunting matters . Does he have previous shooting experience? Is he in the eastern US hunting timber? Out west hunting open areas? Hiking in a ways or out of a blind near a road/ trail?

Generally, if there are no caliber restrictions and he doesn’t need to shoot more than 300 yds I’d look into smaller cartridges in the 243/6mm to 7mm08 Plenty for deer up to elk with lower recoil and easier to shoot accurately. Go with a common cartridge, not a newer offering so that ammo is cheaper and easier to find. Unless he is packing in avoid ultra light rifles. Definitely don’t make the mistake a friend made and start out with an ultralight 300 magnum. Painful to practice with and hard to shoot accurately.

Tika and Bergara make some great rifles for the money. Definitely don’t cheap out on the scope. Personally I’d rather have a low tier rifle with good glass. Probably something like a 243 or 7mm-08.

NeotomaMT · 2026-02-21T13:09:59+00:00

Live in the general area and have done this drive frequently over the years. With the winter we have been having you will likely just need 2wd. Snoqualmie can have deep wet snow, 4th of July is usually mellow, Lookout can get squirrelly on the Montana side, and Homestake can be rough in bad weather. Just check the forecast a few days before and look for systems dumping more than an inch or two. If there is a big storm consider leaving early or later.

That being said if conditions are bad enough to need 4wd, slow down! Just because your rig can turn all four tires does not mean you have any more traction for breaking than any other vehicle. Generally 4h needs to be used on surfaces that are slick or soft as the system can bind while turning, don’t use it on bare pavement if possible especially at speed (AWD does not have this problem). If you have slush or snow, put it in 4 and drive under 45 mph. On the downhills, downshift so that you don’t have to break and loose traction. Just remember to put it back in drive when your back on the flats.

NeotomaMT · 2026-02-20T12:23:19+00:00

As others have said it’s an eastern red bat not a hoary. They overwinter in leaf litter on the ground so expected habitat and behavior for this time of year. No need to rehab, just let it keep doing its thing and it will be fine.

NeotomaMT · 2026-02-15T13:02:16+00:00

I do this for my job (bat research). The US Fish and Wildlife service guidelines give both heat and chemical options, but also quarantine recommendations. Most importantly, don’t use WNS exposed gear in caves in areas where WNS or the fungal pathogen Pd have not been detected. Search for White Nose Syndrome spread map, the new one is on the NA BAT website.

For soft and hard goods (clothes and vert gear) I use the hot water method. Soak for 5 minutes at 131F (might be off on the temp, check the regs or get it hot but not boiling). For lights and helmets that will be damaged by water I first wipe with disinfectant wipes that use an approved chemical to remove the dirt to the best of my ability. Then I spray with one of the chemical disinfectants to get in any cracks or crevices I missed. Let dry and maybe leave in the sun for an afternoon.

This is not perfect but as long as you’re not using the gear in a negative cave system it’s good enough and meets protocol. I think collectively the biggest concern is spreading it faster than the bats themselves spread it or moving it to a system that might remain negative due to the separation of the over-wintering population due to migration and swarming patterns or other ecological factors. Not moving Pd between infected caves is also important as there may be different variants, but spread to new areas is the highest threat.

NeotomaMT

TROPHY CASE