Public Hunting

Public Hunting is a definitely a subject concerning hunters as private property owners are continuing the downturn in allowing other people into their private grounds,farms,or timbers. I am glad Iowa and other states have set aside wildlife areas where men and women can get out to participate in their chosen outdoor activities given these facts.

We have Public Hunting Grounds not far away at Hendrickson Marsh. Lately it is continually being groomed to improve it for migratory birds.Trees being cut down on shorelines - water drained to keep fish populations down that disturb plant growth. Last spring was  the best migrations I had witnessed since moving here 19 years ago.

Old boat ramp looking towards new concrete structure Story County side of marsh

I don't hunt public grounds, because I have a farm/timber setup. In an answer to the question that might arise about letting others have access to my land to hunt...it is limited - neighbors and a few others. I have found leftover garbage dispersed in the timber...they probably figured with all the acres available how would anyone run across spent shells or crumpled beer cans?

Getting back to my original thought  here -There are days when I decide to stop by the marsh on my way back from errands,go over to visit when I hear migratory bird activity, or just take a few minutes to watch the resident Bald Eagles and Red Tailed Hawks when they are dancing on the thermals.

 Getting some pictures of two of the parking areas around the marsh within the last week- it raises concerns for me.

If we as citizens share the same space hunter/non-hunter what kind of reputation would you say the hunter would get after the non-hunter saw these dumpings? I enjoy my trips to a place that has wild life diversity  and I am experiencing strong emotion about the garbage strewn across the landscape...it messes up the definition of pristine countryside.

Here is another question that I would ask  hunters,city dweller ,out of state visitors, or locals, who felt it necessary to leave behind their spent shells and thirst quenching containers.  I hope they have a chance to read this blogpost...

Why would a landowner want anyone to hunt their land if this is how they disrespected  land owned by themselves, their family, their neighbors, so on and so on????

Get the picture?

Just an honest question in trying to understand why people think it is okay to leave garbage in someone else's backyard?

Iowa Eagle Watch Fisher Lake - Saylorville Lake Area

Last year we were treated to an Eagle nest cam up at Decorah. It kept many intrigued for months...Even today they still have the camera at the ready if a pair of Eagles should happen to call the nest their nursery once again.

I wouldn't call myself a birdwatcher specifically, but I do pay attention to the total picture, winged,4-footed, ground huggers and whatever it takes to makeup our part of the world.

Our local marsh has been a host to a resident pair of Eagles, but that will be a post for another day.

Reports of an increased Eagle presence at a little swamp known as Fisher Lake, east of the Des Moines River southeast of  Saylorville Lake came before Christmas last year. I had been past the little body of water after Thanksgiving - it teemed with bird life, only I didn't take time to stop and look since I had a schedule to meet.

This visit came on December 29th,2011. The sun and blue skies have been keeping us company with the unseasonably warm temperatures. I have to say that the limited travel problems that occurred a few times so far has been much appreciated.

The water level of our ponds, small lakes and marshes have suffered due to the lack of rain, or snow, for that matter yet this winter. I will say this with a wink since soon we will probably be hoping for a break in a stretch of continous precipitation.

It appeared to me that between the two trees becoming perches for the raptors there was a division between the immature and the mature on this visit.The tree where the youngsters sat was located at the north or the far edge of the lake in the first picture.

The mature eagles were more numerous and  found a tree closer to the front of the lake on the right of the picture.

This turned out to be a fun picture...the Gulls and Eagles shared the lake when the waters were open.

 I visited the lake on Thursday, this week to find a smaller Eagle count, no Gulls, and Crows were still a constant presence. The low water level left a sheet of ice...a perch for the Eagles to attempt a little ice fishing?

Time will tell when my next visit will come to check on the Bald Eagles of Fisher Lake...

Cabela's Stop and Shop - December 26,2010

Welcome to the Rogers, MN Cabela's. I had been passed this location before, but today would be my first visit to checkout the interior design.

The clouds disappeared and the sun beamed brightly as we came into the Minneapolis suburbs.New fallen snow added a great touch for the Christmas holiday.

Kayaks anyone?!? I know at least one person who has gotten into kayaking to be able to glide across the Iowa reservoirs and rivers  to watch the wildlife that frequents those habitats.

At this point I am not inclined to get that close to dipping into the rivers or reservoirs.

I was impressed with the collection of layout duck blinds hanging by the front door. Should I start hunting geese from my fields I would consider one of these to keep me concealed at the edge of the feeding decoys.

Cabela's was a very busy place for a Sunday forenoon, of course it was the day after Christmas. What should I expect?  The shopping experience for my Christmas present from Hubby was a good one. We shopped for a specific item and  was pleased with customer service, even on one of the busiest days of the season.

After our visit to Cabela's, we were off to Culver's for a bite to eat, and then it was time to get back on the road to complete the last part of our Christmas excursion that Hubby and I started late afternoon of Wednesday the 22nd.

Making our way past the Owatonna Cabela's we got back into the clouds we had escaped a couple hours to the north. Reaching this point I was glad to know that in 2 1/2 hours we would be arriving home. The 6 inches of new fallen snow, and wind, the day before our return brought into question the condition of our 1/2 mile long drive. Would our pick-up be able to get us from the road to the house? Unfortunately, we ended up walking  a little over a quarter of a mile...grabbing only the things that we could carry without too much added stress - drifts , balancing acts and all you know. We were uncertain of what lye ahead.

 The good thing, even with our little hike, we did make it home before dark as planned.It was time to unwind...

The Next Leg of the Journey Home - December 2010

Now that we got beyond the neck twisting deer stand watch, I was continually scouring the countryside for wildlife. It seemed at least the beasts of the timber and field were smarter than the humans in staying put during the cold.

A stray deer was not to be seen ,but I did happen to find a solitary elk grazing through the snow cover at a commercial elk farm next to the interstate.

In the distance I found a shooting club that provided fuel for my imagination - seeing the shooting lanes busy with hunters practicing in spring ,summertime and fall weather for the upcoming seasons.

This lake had two visible huts from my vantage point on the run. The ice fishing huts were starting to take their places on the lakes. I was entertained by seeing  some very nice - palatial palaces to spend hours participating in the long winter activity - ice fishing, passing us going the opposite direction.

In fact on a trailer following one of the huts there was a full sized sofa  and ice grinding paraphernalia that I assumed was accompanying this one particular hut I felt might be something I wouldn't mind using. As we passed one exit there was a huge sign advertising an upcoming ice fishing tournament with a top prize of $50,000.00. I see that as a great way  to to make some money doing the things you are passionate about.

Whoops! I guess there was one more deer stand on our route just west of Avon,MN...definitely in a spot where a lot of traffic is constantly moving. You wonder how things go for the hunters during the hunting seasons? I bet the deer are so used to extra activity, alarms may not often be apart of their behavior.

I would like to conclude today's post with a picture of the Red River Trails 3-D Archery Club woods by Avon,MN. My early fall travels have brought me past during some of their busy club activities, but the winter weather during this trip made the trails peacefully silent...

Iowa Caucuses Tomorrow

Iowa Caucus Day,January 3,2012. Boy, OH Boy! Am I ever ready for this Political event to get completed already.

The Straw Poll in August was another event for which I can say I am glad it is over. That was another time period where you dreaded to answer the phone because of all the politicians wanting you to know about themselves. We are constantly bombarded with television ads and phone calls for far to long in my book.

Yesterday, Sunday, New Year's Day, we were only called twice by the politicians . Both calls came between 4:30 - 4:35. One was a recorded message from Bill with Winning America Back...a constant robo-call and then a three question survey from Newt 2012. Sometimes the callers identify themselves upfront, but most of the time you have to wait until the end to discover exactly who is calling.I wanted to start keeping track how many times our phone rang from the same individuals.

Today, the calls started at -

11:30 - with call staff from Rick Perry's campaign headquarters. Checking to see who we would be caucusing for tomorrow night and if we knew where our caucus was being held.

11:33 - The Iowa Christian Leaders in Government group, a recorded message, wanted me to call Rick Santorum to let him know how disturbed by his voting record on abortion and a few other family issues I was.

12:12 - A local politician, Brad Zaun, named campaign chairman recently, called in support of Michelle Bachmann and wanted us to call into a Caucus meeting tonight in preparation for the real thing tomorrow night.

12:33 - Local radio talk show host, Steve Deace, called in support of Newt Gingrich - paid for by Newt    2012

12:48 - Representative Jason Shultz called to give me some more reasons why I shouldn't vote for Rick Santorum. Instead I should vote for Ron Paul - paid for by the Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Committee

Woohoo! At the time of this observation a little over an hour had since the last call. I believe however that things will heat up again around 4:30 when they think us working class people should be getting home from work. Then I perceive from past experience, calls could go as late as 8:30 or 9:00. At least they did at the end of last week.

Well, it's 4:52PM and the house is quiet...so far.

For my Iowa readers - here are some Des Moines Register campaign trail videos to help you make your choices for the caucuses tomorrow evening. Maybe my out of state readers can get prepared as well for what is coming to your neighborhoods if they haven't already...