Started off the day yesterday morning shooting in West Yellowstone. It was a beautiful morning, and I had set up the hexa-cam to fly up and get a few shots above the Madison Arm of Hebgen Lake for a new fishing book project.
Just before taking off, I noticed a few bison and their calves crossing the river, so I paused, took a few shots and did not think anything of it. After that shot was done, I proceeded to finalize setup of the chopper, and started the flight. Got up in the air and the shot I wanted, then noticed a few more bison crossing, so decided to take a few shots of them crossing the road. It was then I started hearing whistling and yelling in the distance.
It is very hard to take your eye off of the chopper when flying and shooting, but the screaming kept coming, and I specifically heard "BISON RIGHT BEHIND YOU, LOOK OUT!" As I glanced back to see several Bison mothers and calves barreling down behind me like I was the enemy.
I was faced with a decision I did not want to make. Take my eyes off of the chopper and risk a crash landing, or get brutally gored by 5 charging bison. All within a split second, I also notice 6 men & women on horseback with badges, two sheriff trucks, and three dreadlocked buffalo field campaigners on bikes with video cameras driving right at me! Where had my peaceful moment gone?
Chaos ensued, and I decided a crash landing was probably the best course of action as I quickly ran to the cover behind some trees. A hard landing followed with a little damage to the chopper, then a short conversation with the Sheriff and the crew on horseback about the coolness of my camera. Moral of the story? I'm not quite sure....but one thing is for sure and everyone agrees, flying cameras are cool.
Slideshow Below:
Leave a comment
Also in News
New work, taking a social break and launching a new business...
July 02, 2025
New Work:
"Spanish Balsamroot" Spanish Peaks, 2025
"3 Dollar Eve" Madison River, 2025
New Projects:
"Calving Season - Flint Creek" Philipsburg 2017
New Projects:
I closed my shop and gallery back in 2016, both to save money to build a home studio and spend more time at home with my family. But this time not running the shop has luckily also given me time to pursue other endeavors.
In the fall of 2018, I took on a construction project in Philipsburg to rebuild an old cordwood structure that I had known about for years. I had met the previous owner David years ago while working for Montana FWP in Anaconda helping build an interpretive center at the Washoe fish hatchery in the summer of 1996. I had stopped into his shop "Montana Possibles" and was amazed by the home he was building next door. The seed was planted.
Fast forward 2017, and we were looking at a gallery space to purchase in Philipsburg that unfortunately did not come to fruition. Shortly following that deal falling through (congrats to Pat - Fish Eye Guy - who has since made it into a great gallery space!), I found out that Dave had passed, and his place down the street was up for sale. It was in very, very rough shape, unfinished, and barely salvageable. Luckily, I had just finished taking a week long cordwood building class with Rob Roy in upstate New York. My plan was to use this technique to build a new studio in my backyard at home, but life had other plans. With my wife's encouragement and blessing, I took the money I had saved to build the studio, and put it all down on Dave's place in Pburg, got a loan from the local bank, and got to work right away with the plans to turn it into a rental property / gallery.
Now after 7 years, much blood, sweat, tears, cash and countless hours working on the project, I am very happy to announce that it is "done" and the Sasquatch Sanctuary is now officially open to the public!
It is currently set up as a short term rental on VRBO or Airbnb, and I am and am still slowly working on it while adding more installations and artwork for all to enjoy. So far this spring, the feedback has been great from everyone who has stayed.... Be sure to check it out if you are needing a little getaway!
The Sasquatch Sanctuary, a livable work of art in Pburg.
I must apologize:
This is my first emai and blog post l since Christmas, and I've been purposely ignoring all social media since then as well for a little mental break. These days, social media is still needed for business, but I was burnt out and honestly had become addicted to all of it as well. The break was very good me, and not sure how much I will get back to it in the future, but will continue to do the best I can!
Thank you for your continued support!
All the best,
Craig
Feel free to send me an Email or call 406-522-7798 if you have any questions or comments.
Follow me on Facebook:
Follow me on Instagram:
Continue reading
Embracing the Beauty of a Cold, Snowy Winter: Skiing, Studio and Family Time
February 27, 2025
As winter takes a short respite with warm springlike temps and sunny days, it’s hard not to marvel at the incredible winter we had in Montana this year! Seems like it has been too long since we had a real one. This season has been nothing short of magical, crisp air and clean cold snow have painted the world in dull yet bright hues of white and silver, transforming everyday scenes into a brisk winter wonderland.
Took most of January to finish up Christmas orders, with lots of studio and family time. Work in the studio and on other construction projects (more info to come) were mixed in with a decent amount of skiing, and it has been just what the doctor ordered. More new work to be posted to the site this spring, and more new projects in the works. Thanks for all the support!
Continue reading
A gift from the past...
December 23, 2024
A gift from the past...New print release!
Was just going through some of my older files to get a large print made for a client of "Fairy Lake" from 2006. While digging through the files, I found a little Christmas present to myself....a hidden folder of some images I had completely forgot about! It included this panorama of one of my favorite places in the Northern Bridgers, the "Flathead Pass Ranger Station".
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!
"Flathead Pass Ranger Station"
Continue reading