Marsh Moments

The American White Pelicans continue to captivate me when I stop to visit Hendrickson Marsh.

I have witnessed the single file skimming of the water surface to move as a flock from one place to another.
They are extremely graceful  in motion... a very beautiful sight.

The big birds have found a comfortable environment - one of the last groups to arrive seems to be lingering as they build-up reserves to move further north.

Pulling into one of the four parking areas around the Marsh I spotted an Eagle flying at tree top level.

I tried to get the camera to focus ,but the noble bird's tail feathers disappeared from view before I could get a shot.

In my usual fashion I went to two more of the parking areas. It wasn't until I almost reached the last one that I caught the Eagle sitting on a Muskrat den. My aim didn't seem to be steady for a clear picture, but I am sure you are able to catch the image.

There are two pools for the Marsh,divided by a gravel road, sometimes bird species differ from side to side.

On this last visit I was fortunate enough to see a pair of Great Egrets doing a little feeding with a few other migrating water birds still taking advantage of a revitalized habitat.

This Egret was in motion when I stopped to survey what was next for a picture model.

The day couldn't decide between sun and clouds - at the time of my visit the clouds were more dominant.

I spent a little while watching this Mallard couple.They would end up with head totally submerged, feeding on the marsh bottom - feet and tail bobbing above the water's surface.

The colors of the ducks and geese seem to be quite outstanding. A reminder to me of the season of Spring when everything seems to takes on a brand new vibrant  appearance...

As I sat watching the activity around the area I saw a heavy bodied, black waterfowl take to flight occasionally.

Then I narrowed in on some groups of these birds sitting low in the water.

My search led me to the Double-crested Cormorant to classify what I was seeing.

In summary of my Marsh Moments it seems we are still seeing the Spring migration, but the number of birds are most definitely dwindling in number.

I know the time will  fly-by swiftly until the southern return begins in late July or August for some of the species spoken of in this post. Another opportunity to share my Marsh Moments views with you on the Fall migration...

Have a great day!

Evidence of Spring in the Timber

This morning brought a little trek over a deer path, or two, to retrieve the trail camera card which hadn't been viewed since Friday. The weekend brought a few other things to do ;I thought maybe there would be a bunch of deer activity if I stayed away for awhile.

Our thunder chickens have been calling in the vicinity of the camera and that was another reason I made myself scarce since I didn't get a Spring license to be out sitting in wait for them to parade at the edge of the timber. Maybe they would by chance leave a digital impression for future viewing. It hasn't happened yet this season...

Along the trail I found some May Apples starting to send up their whorls. This weekend we had some summer like temperatures which seemed to spur the plant growth  already awakened by the seasonal highs.

I wonder how long it will be until they are in full flower and the morel mushrooms are popping?

Little violets can be seen sprouting above the surface of the ground...just big enough to know what type of plant it will become in the future.

Honeysuckles are sending out leaves as are the rose brush,raspberry brambles and gooseberries.

One of the concerns I have again this year is that everything will be encouraged to bloom and then an extreme cold snap will happen at the same time. A chance for snow this coming weekend still has things not totally out of harms way. The forecast said it won't last long. Here's hoping that is true.

We have lost some acorn production the last couple of years due to ill timed freezes. Fall deer food supplies were short and the winter was  frigid ....Created some stress that some hadn't overcome from the last long winter.

I did a small experiment beginning the last of February, when the snow initially started to disappear. Having some empty spots in our yard where the grass had been killed off by construction materials for our new home, I decided to seed some turnips. It is my understanding when some of the perennial broadleaf weeds start to grow you can plant cole crops and things that enjoy cooler temperatures to germinate. So, I gave it a try. This is my first seeding which became more prominent this past week.

These little turnips were planted just before the rain came last week in one of my small deer plots. The winter greens had been totally chewed away so I wanted to get something going to get some food supplied to build up for the upcoming fawning season. The wind helped the seeds clump together while I was broadcasting so might end up doing some thinning. 

My experiment leads me to believe that the turnips still need ground temperatures into the upper 40's for sprouting to occur,but pre-planting allows them to come up as the weather becomes optimal. 

I am thankful for the moderate days we have been given and definitely looking forward to the sweet scents that will soon be wafting on the calm breezes emanating out of the timber at Timber Life.

Have a good day!

Tornadoes Hit Northwest Iowa

The beautiful April Spring weather turned tempestuous in Northwestern Iowa as a supercell thunderstorm came charging in from Nebraska on Saturday.

Blogspot Storm Chasers from Kansas and Iowa share their eye witness experiences of what they saw when this weather system started its destructive path.

I found the following videos from the weekend  at Tornadovideos.net  , a website devoted to showing us the extreme weather that has a growing number of people trying to capture digitally for others to view. More and more information is being gathered and the tools some of them use is quite sophisticated to track the developing storms.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the communities that were touched by the numerous funnels. Reports say that as many as 27 twisters were spawned as the system passed over from mid-afternoon into the early morning hours.




Mapleton,IA




Twin Tornadoes at Pocohontas,IA

We were not apart of the extreme weather here at Timber Life, but did see the lightening and hear the thunder in the distance to our north as the storm raced on to adjacent States...

Eaglets Hatch at Decorah,IA Raptor Resource Project

Video streaming by Ustream

Good News has come to the patient and watchful eyes viewing  the Raptor Resource Project  Decorah,IA Eagle Cam. Over the weekend two of the three eggs have hatched with the third expected to make its debut in the next couple of days.. 

Mother and Father Eagle still are taking their turns in providing nurturing heat and now hunting for food to feed their growing brood.

I hope you will continue to enjoy catching the activities of the now globally watched Iowa Eagles.

Have a great day!

Spike Buck still Carrying

My trail camera has been out watching for events such as you see in the picture to your left . This individual has yet to shed his little spikes from last season. The picture came off the camera on March 22nd. His first digital capture.

 I have wanted to keep an eye on antler growth of our Whitetail Buck population passing through daily.

Some of the bucks still show recent effects of rubbing their antlers off; others are on their way to new velvet development.






This picture came off the camera this morning. The young buck still seems to have no indications he might be losing his little spikes anytime soon.

We will just have to keep an eye out and see if we can catch him later sporting a new look.







This is one of my favorite trail camera pictures I have gotten this Spring.

I'm going to head off topic here -

Adding a bit of art has made it appear like a print I would like to put in a frame at a future time.

Hubby and I were given a Kodak EasyShare P730 digital frame for Christmas. We got it out of the box recently and plugged in a memory card. Easier and more economical than printing ALL my pictures off.

Oh my! Did the creative ideas begin to form then. I can keep the deer walking around the house all day.They'll never get off the trail again...

Have a great day!

Disclaimer: I am not in anyway affiliated with the Kodak company and will not receive any monetary funds for mentioning their product in my post.

Take Action to Stop Gun Ban

We are again being asked to garner public comments on a recent study of  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

The Firearms Coalition is making gun owners aware of the actions now being considered and the timely manner in which our responses need to be submitted. Please checkout the link for more specific information.

Below is a sample comment you can paraphrase or simply cut and paste into your own email:

Subject: I Oppose Further Restrictions on Shotgun Imports

I strongly oppose further restrictions on the importation of shotguns and disagree with the findings in the ATF shotgun study.

The constitutional authority for import restrictions based on a vague “Sporting Purpose Test” is highly suspect in light of the recent Heller and McDonald Supreme Court decisions and the Court’s previous decision in Miller.

Under the definitions contained in this study, virtually all pump-action and semi-auto shotguns would be banned because all of them are capable of accepting a magazine – box or tube – capable of holding more than 5 rounds.  This and other characteristics determined to be “military” in the study are utilitarian and often significantly enhance a gun’s usefulness, particularly for people with disabilities.  Denying access to certain designs or features can effectively serve to disarm (for personal defense and sporting purposes) vast numbers of disabled veterans and others with disabilities resulting in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There are a variety of popular and growing sports which utilize shotguns with “military” features.  These guns are dominant in USPSA, IDPA, IPSC and other popular shooting sports.  Refusing to recognize these sports as they relate to shotguns based on the implications such recognition might have on rifle and pistol importability is disingenuous at best.

Applying import restrictions does little more than increase costs and complicate compliance for US shooters and gun owners.  Foreign manufacturers remove features and adapt their firearms to comply with US import restrictions and then US shooters modify the firearms back to the desired, original configurations.  This can be expensive and legally dangerous since failing to comply with obscure provisions of the laws related to altering imported firearms can result in unintended commission of multiple felonies which carry serious penalties.

ATF should shelve all plans to implement any of the findings of this study.

           

           Respectfully submitted,

I strongly recommend adding some personal opinions of these actions and your feelings of potential,broader restrictions that could  be implemented. If they get the ban for shotgun imports put into law...Will they then work on domestic brands? 

After the series of shootings that has happened, we see the push to take away the rights of individuals to carry firearms of any sort. I am going to echo the frame of thought that it isn't the gun acting on it's own that causes the problem,but the person handling it...

Robins in Waiting

This past weekend was extremely moderate for this early stage of Spring here in Central Iowa. As the day progressed I observed Robins filling the fields.

Late in the day I saw a partial Albino Robin hopping around with his flight mates. I tried getting a picture of it in the field, but due to distance it didn't workout at the time. Patience gave me another opportunity when part of the flock wanted to search our backyard for a treat. Among them the Albino I caught sight of earlier.

Heading off to pick-up my memory card from the trail camera the next day, I once again found a partial Albino Robin with the pack hanging around our homestead.

According to the link I found, one in 30,000 Robins exhibit this trait.

My curiosity was sparked a few weeks ago. When my son got this picture, snapped with his cell phone,while he was out on a Disc Golf course 30 miles to the West of us.

This Robin certainly is exhibiting more absence of color than the one I saw flying around here.

Makes me want to carry a camera around more in case something out of the ordinary should happen to cross my path.

Our fields have been home to 1000's of migrating Robin Redbreasts since things have warmed up.

I am wondering if they are waiting for the snowstorms
to  move out up North before they leave the R&R they have found.

Mass ascensions from trees and ground created some awesome scenes over the landscape.

The only problems that may have kept the Robins looking over their right wings would have been the
local Red -Tailed Hawk, Sadie on her runs and me with my camera in hand.

This local was being harangued by the crows who are constantly making sure it keeps moving.

As it rose over the pasture on my way back from picking up the mail, I caught it gliding high on the wind, surveying all that lay below...

Here's wishing you a good day!

CDGardens - 5 Sadie - 3

It is finally time to be out looking for antler sheds at Timber Life!

The first week of January I began some preliminary searches,February 24th, I started to look some more without any luck,or so I thought...The bark was starting to be stripped right and left off small diameter saplings. Bucks needing to be rid of their now bothersome antlers are making marks everywhere.I can't begin to tell you how disappointing it is to see so many trees in this state and not finding antlers close by...

While there was snow on the ground I kept watch on coyote activity originating out of the thicket where I had secluded myself for one of my short morning hunts in December.

I went to look around and ran across the skeletal remains of a button buck in my search of the area.

Sadie had been hovering around during my investigation. Camera in hand I took a picture of her with her find. I really hadn't paid close attention - thinking she may have found a rib or two to carry away. I was more interested in getting pictures and excavating the little skull from the frozen ground.
The weather had turned nippy again so I wanted to get things done.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon when we went out for another walk that I discovered what Sadie had found. I hadn't looked at the pictures on the camera card yet...She picked up her treasure; I got a closer look.

Oh my! It was an antler shed. Where there is one just maybe there would be another. I headed back out to the fence line by the thicket,then I went back to the edge where I found the remains of the little buck. There not 10 feet away was the match for the antler Sadie had taken. My interest sparked, I headed for the adjacent pasture ,and found another little shed. The last one for a few days until weather and time allowed.

We have done some intermittent searches with varied results.

I have found skeletal remains from an estimated four years old to positively the present. Running into 7 hide piles and miscellaneous bones - it looked like they had been ambushed in the deeryard. There were three in one group yesterday and four in the group I found today.

 For some reason I  kept forgetting to take a picture of the shed before I picked it up. This time I remembered!

Now, I am going through some trail camera picture to see if I can match the tines to the bucks. There are a couple of pictures that I believe puts a flesh and blood owner to the one pictured on the ground and to the left in the group shot.

Take a look and see if you agree. It seems this Roman nosed fellow just might be a good match. The antler to your left as you look straight at his picture...He has been a camera hog on more than one occasion. He even tried licking the lense one night.

It looks like he is around to start a new set of antlers for me to find again next year.

Time to see if I can find owners for the rest of them.






To date me and Sadie have jointly found 7 antlers of various sizes and one that I removed from the buck that I was given by hunters hunting our property in December.

Five out of the eight antlers has considerable wear or an injury during the developmental stage causing some thickening at that point. The big 4 point to the right appears to have potentially been a five but the  tine was broken off early in development,leaving a hole in the middle. All have character.


A few more days and another direction should  be enough to finish the Whitetail Shed Hunting season for me.

I want to wish all of you that have an interest for collecting ... Good shed hunting!

Waterfowl Fill the Air

This is the start to one of the best times of the year around Timber Life.Soon to be Spring!

February 20,2011

In February, we started to see both geese and ducks starting to arrive what seemed to be around three weeks earlier than last year.The up and down temperatures were playing with Mother Nature's inner clock. She sent advance sentinels to clear the way for the rest of the troops to come swishing through.

They would fly from one direction to another looking for a place to sit down. The empty cornfields became places of rest and recuperation, our local Marsh was still solid ice.

The unsteady temperatures brought low clouds and decreased visibility to the human eye.You would hear the honking and quacking, briefly catching a glimpse of the noise makers before they would  turn around and once again wing their way back into the chilly mist to look for a more hospitable location.

The activities now of the waterfowl fly-way have started to bring wave after wave of ducks and geese.

March 10,2011

Wednesday, late afternoon, I was on my way home from visiting my Mom when I found these birds sitting in the cornfields across the blacktop to the south of the Marsh.

The day ended with masses of geese seeking shelter where ever they could find it.

Yesterday , I got the chance to head over to the Marsh before the hoarfrost had started to fall from the trees and electric wires. Beautiful was the effect as it  ever so slowly gave way to the slightly warmer temperatures, turning the ice back into a flowing pool of water.


It appeared to be snowing for a time as the frost lost it's grip,tumbling to the ground where it collectively added to the puddles left by the remnants of the snow from a few days ago.

                                 Ducks and Geese were willing companions as they shared the
                                 amenities of the expanding open water.

                                I was guilty of disturbing the tranquility of our fine feathered 

                                friends. This is only a small example of the total number of 

                                birds temporarily giving us a look into their habits.

                                 I love to watch the geese working together to rise into the sky.

                                 An observation I would like to offer is the position of the tail

                                 feathers in correlation with wing position as they lift off in

                                 their group.

                                I definitely have been privileged to see the Spring migration

                                happening in the central Iowa Fly-way.   Certainly a most 

                                enjoyable transition from winter to warmer days...

                               

Spring Forward

I see it's that time of year again...

                            There are a few ways to say it...

                                      Don't forget!

Time for us to set the clock forward at 2:00 A.M.Sunday morning to begin our Daylight Savings Time, or more conveniently, when you head to bed the night before if you don't pull all nighters on the weekends.

I am one of those people who has a readjustment curve when the semi-annual changes come. How does it affect you?

Decorah,IA Eagle Cam

We often get to see our wild friends up close in their own spaces...bear dens, river cams and trail cameras.

Today, I would like to share an Iowa based Eagle Cam. The Cam belongs to the Raptor Resource Project.

When I first started watching last week I could hear Canadian Geese flying around as I kept my vigil.

It is my understanding the Eagle family are expecting their offspring for the season.

Please enjoy...




Video chat rooms at Ustream

A Visit to the Iowa Aviation Museum

Photo by fellow EAA #675  member  Gary Brandenburg

It was Saturday, January 29th,2011 and there was a ride being planned from the airport at Boone,IA to the  14th Annual Chili Fly-In at the Iowa Aviation Museum at Greenfield.

A couple of our Grand-kids (Joseph and Delaney seated beside the guy in the brown sweater)had decided they would like to go with PawPaw Corey for an outing and maybe a chance to go by  airplane.
 
Hubby and his friend were keeping their eyes on the weather forecast to see about getting the friend's plane out to take a hop. The 8:00 A.M. hour arrived on Saturday - time to make the choice to head it into the clouds, or leave it in the hangar ...

Farm Lady Delaney and Flying Farmer Joseph

The decision came down. Leave the plane in the hangar. Weather wasn't the problem at the beginning of the day, but could possibly make the return a little more difficult than they had hoped. Frozen precipitation had been spotted on the radar to the Northwest.

Hopping in the car, all of them took off to add support to the little museum's wintertime  fund raising event; giving aid to keeping the memories alive of outstanding Iowa Aviators in the Hall of Fame ...

Joseph kept on the move checking things over

It was definitely cold, both on the ground and in the air, a great day for getting together with fellow pilots to linger in the ambiance of a well stocked hangar.

Please click Vintage Aircraft to see photos of the planes now on display.

Delaney and Joseph - Barstormers Extraodinaire

 What a great way to have some fun!

Our future Aviators didn't even have to leave the ground  to have contagious smiles to share.

Passing through  Iowa on vacation?

The museum is located off Interstate 80 at exit 86. Take highway IA - 25 south to Airport Rd,located north of the City of Greenfield. 

Airplane enthusiasts,or people like me interested in learning something new, will certainly enjoy stopping to checkout their displays.

Oh! While you are in the vicinity go on into town to visit.Greenfield has another distinction to add to their list. Back in 1969, their town square played host to the movie "Cold Turkey"... ;)

Happy Groundhogs Day!

Our national weather prognosticating Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil seems to believe we are in for an early Spring. No shadow cast at Gobblers Knob this February 2, 2011.

Good news for everyone feeling the wrath of the current wide spread weather front throwing down snow and ice in it's path. Not to forget our friends in the South getting those unsettled cooler temperatures and tornado threats...

Sunshine,the sweet scent of springtime blossoms, and the soft twitter of happy songbirds are coming our way in 6 weeks. ;)

Budding News Persons

I would like to share some up and coming talent for presenting the local news.

Our Great-Nephew and Niece shared their expertise at the end of the 10:00 P.M. broadcast last night. 


Congratulations Addie and Silas!

Christmas Day in Reflection

Christmas Day in  reflection...A little over a month ago we were off spending time in the far north.

Time to get our goodies ready and get going to Justin's mother's house around 11ish for some gift opening.

We were joined by other friends of the family in enjoying holiday fare prepared by our hosts and sides we all chipped in for a very tasty meal. Ham, Turkey, Green Bean casserole and many more treats we find special this time of year...The men sat around snoozing after they got their fill and a tad bit more.

What's Christmas without our family pets?!? Great news! All four dogs from our direction were invited to join the two little lap dogs already in residence.

Sadie was the only one not having any fun...I tried something daring on one of our walks to relieve her anxiety and regretted the results. I thought that Sadie would stick close after pursuing Sprite in what we interpreted as play - chasing.  Only silly Sadie got her wild Timber look, when she wants to do her own thing, and ran out into the street, oblivious to what that big black oncoming  4X4 pickup truck could do to her. Thankfully the young man saw her impish self and she came back as far as the snowbank along the side of the street closest to me. The little country bumpkin was having a bad behavior sprint ...not wanting to get caught, couldn't resist the offer of a ride though. Control was mine again after Sadie followed me down the street to our little Chevy.She got mad and headed for her bed to pout after I led her into the house because the promise of a ride was not happening at that moment. I decided to leave that spoiled dog to stew in her own emotions for a little while.

Not wanting to be anti-social I headed back down the street to rejoin the others at Justin's mother's place...only to meet the parade headed back to Kyli and Justin's house. In the lead was little Sprite, then Champ , falling in after them was Kyli and her Dad, arms full of boxes filled with gifts. I took pictures as Sprite sped past and Champ was lumbering along in his yellow Lab gallop. Then I  turned around to head back to get out of the cold before the two legged family members reached my spot on the sidewalk.

                 I decided to catch a marker for the end of another good day,Christmas Day 2010...


 

Christmas Eve. Day in Jamestown,North Dakota

A very nice spot for an inside  winter stroll...

My daughter Kyli and I got out in the gray snowy weather a couple times on Christmas Eve Day to get ready for the festivities to come on the 25th. We passed the Mall several times on our visits to the south side of town.

One of the places I like to go to visit on almost every stop in Jamestown is the local tourist attraction overlooking the Interstate,Frontier Village. The Biggest Buffalo in the world doesn't change - remaining constantly ready to stroll the North Dakota prairie, nor do the buildings that once were parts of towns in the frontier west, but I still like checking them out...

Frontier Village attractions

I think Iowa is cloudy and gloomy in the winter, but while we were in Jamestown you could almost reach out and cut the gloom.

On our picture taking trips we ran across a fender bender on one of the busier main streets.The driving surfaces were still snow/ice covered and slippery,  making cross traffic exchanges very exciting. So we traveled ever vigilant of the other person.

In the late afternoon of the 24th, We headed to the north side of town. We attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service with our daughter Kyli, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Hubby and I got to meet some friends of Kyli and our son-in-law Justin. Justin's mother also came to share the evening with all of us...

I didn't have prior clearance to take pictures during the service, not knowing how people might perceive it, these pictures were taken as we gathered to celebrate the remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...

After the service we headed back to Kyli's to unwind from the day and opened a couple of gifts to prime us for Christmas day...The end to a perfect day! ;)

Destination Jamestown,North Dakota

Daytime view of entrance ramp off I-94

Jamestown,North Dakota came rolling into view off Interstate 94, in the early morning hours of December 23rd.

It was a good thing since I was starting to take catnaps. Even though I  wasn't driving I wanted to keep alert. Lapses in awareness started after leaving Fargo. Catching myself nodding I would try to shake off the overwhelming slipping in to unconsciousness by deeper breathing and wiggling around . The effect was short lived. 

Daytime view of the Christmas Trees

Heading into town on Highway 281 we were greeted by perennial evergreen trees lining the thoroughfare, decorated with red and green Christmas lights. The cheery nighttime ambiance is an annual event provided by a couple of the local merchants. A very welcoming sight with the snow laying along side ...

The traffic empty streets were full of snow and ice. So our arrival came at a time with no worries of slipping and sliding into anyone else.

Ah! There's the traffic lights for downtown,a bit further, then we can begin our recuperation from the miles traveled.

Sadie was ready for another exit from the backseat...she had been to Jamestown before,but not for a year and a half. Being an only dog and not a distance traveler on a regular basis she had quite a curve to get around. I grabbed her bed, heading for our daughter and son-in-law's house to let her see we would be finding a place to lay down again.

We were met at the door by the three family dogs;Peaches,Champ, and Sprite. Sadie and I eventually worked out a method for her to not be interrogated by them every time she walked in the door. Two of the three dogs I have known for a long time but the third,Sprite, was a new pack member. A bright little doggy who keeps everybody perked up.

After getting the car unloaded, we visited briefly before turning in for a couple hours.

Activity for the day started around 7:00 for a few of us. Especially with dogs who enjoy going outside in the colder temps to play. Short numerous trips proved to be par for the course.

The rest of the day was spent with family,catching up.


Next post for December 24th, our daughter Kyli, and I get out and around Jamestown. ;)

Getting Out of Iowa

It had been a year and a half since I got into the car to break beyond the Iowa state boundaries. Time to make a visit to Jamestown,ND  for the Christmas Holiday.

Hubby and I decided to take off after he got home from work on Wednesday, December 22nd. Being in between weather fronts and questionable travel conditions became our focus so we could make  a visit to our daughter and her husband.

I worked at getting the car loaded for our trip off and on through the day as I got things organized. Sadie, our wonder dog, was sure interested in all the activity because her bed had just taken up a spot on the backseat of our little Chevy. She loves a ride and decided that it was time to go,only it wasn't, so she sat, and sat, and sat some more...The only thing that made her leave the perch in the driver's seat after 45 minutes was the promise of a "chew". Our definition of one of the treats she gets to enjoy.

Hubby got home in the late afternoon, then we headed west on Highway 30 to make our northbound connection on Interstate 35 at Ames.

The day was cloudy,the season newly becoming winter, left the late afternoon gloomy and swiftly losing the light of day.

Barilla pasta factory at Ames.

My passion of late is to take pictures on the run - highway speed. Most of the pictures in the next couple posts will be taken from the little Chevy...

We made our way to Clear Lake for the first fuel stop.Then we were ready to continue on our way through to the Twin Cities where we caught Interstate 94.

Making one last stop at  Rogers,MN., we got the car fueled up before setting out on the last leg of the first part of our journey.

Jamestown,North Dakota  here we come! ;)

Iowa Deer Shotgun Season 2 2010

Iowa Shotgun Season 2,  December 11 - 19th, started off very breezy and by 9:00A.M. the blustery winds began to carry huge white flakes. Several inches of snow blanketed the ground in a couple of hours.

Another neighbor and a friend of his came to try their hand at taking a couple of deer here at Timber Life. They spent a couple hours in wait on the first day. As for myself I was busy rendering the buck given to me earlier in the week. While working away I heard a gun shot and soon a knock came at the door. They were looking for permission for the friend to bring his ATV to transport the young doe out of the timber back to his house. The weather was declining, no time to waste in retrieval..

I didn't try my hand seriously at hunting again until the last few days of the second season due to lack of storage. I got  this feeling that spurred me on ...What if I hadn't tried to fill those tags?

There were a few Spot & Stalks.On one of the mornings the deer came back and started to bed down within 400 yards of the house.The wind was favorable, but not all the deer were facing away from my direction of approach...

Saturday, December 18th, I bundled up and headed to stand in the vicinity where my Mentor had his two successes on the first two days of the first season. I stood for three hours in the silence of the waning light. The rays of sun playing in the snow crystals, twinkling and winking as I worked on my strategy for the morning of the last day.

I got up on Sunday morning , the last day of the season, filled with expectation and hope. Getting all my winter weather tolerating layers applied and topping it off with my hunter's orange I was out the backdoor. My focus was on the same general area bordering a fence line.

Standing the day before I envisioned taking my position inside a fallen tree to try a shot as the deer were coming back close by.

Maybe you can guess what happened?!?

Heading over to take my place, the deer went running out of the very place I had wanted to hide. They headed back north and then east over to my Mentor's property. I went to a spot that would allow a great shot if they came back over the fence. They tarried for quite some time before going on east inside my Mentor's timber. No more opportunities presented themselves to get back out.

So ended my experiences for Iowa Shotgun Seasons 1 & 2  2010. Time to start thinking about what will happen for preparation in 2011. .. ;)

Iowa Deer Shotgun Season 1 Days 3 - 5 in Reflection

I would  like to share my slant on Days 3-5 of  Iowa Deer Shotgun Season # 1, which were spent around the homestead.

The "Group Hunters" of which I had spoken previously, had gotten two extra bucks during the second flushing of our timber. The 14-point taken by my 16 year old neighbor and an 8-point. As good fortune would have it they offered Hubby and me a choice between the two to put in our freezer. Taking into consideration the storage space we had available I took the smaller 8-point which arrived after dark on day 3.

This happened to be the first opportunity for me to skin and butcher a deer on my own. Assisting my Mentor on one occasion several years back to render a doe he had shot provided me with some idea of what I should be doing. Oh and yes I utilized some tutorials on You Tube by Wilderness Outfitters...

The weather,although not snowy was hanging in the 20's for highs. My task began in the great outdoors on day 4 after attempting another spot and stalk. I was enticed to try once more by the swift exodus of deer bedding near my food plots. They happened to linger for a time on the north side of the fence. I headed out to the west to circle around...I should have continued with the first plan, but changed my mind mid-way heading through a gate, not knowing for sure whether there were still deer to my right as I entered the pasture. It soon became evident by the noise of trampling hooves and blowing I wasn't a welcomed guest.

Ahhh, another precocious buck! Maybe it was the same one as the other day?!? He got to a certain distance in front,turned sideways, looked back and then took off as I continued to move forward. I wasn't immediately deterred from trying to get another deer;heading for a thicket of trees in a fence corner often used for deer cover I concealed myself. A short-time passed and I watched a buck return to move back through the timber. The shot distance totally out of range.

After an hour I left the thicket to get started on my new experience. The air was still extremely nippy. However, I am starting to use some fleece clothing to layer under my coveralls since Hubby had some in the closet. I had picked up a thermal top lined with fleece to get the core layer started, when I stopped to visit our local farm store before the season got going.

Did all my layers help? They seemed to do quite nicely when I was in the windless sunshine of the afternoon.

Time to get back to rendering my buck. After being subjected to outside temps for at least 36 hours the animal had become an ice block. Skinning was most definitely a challenge since I didn't want to chop anything off that could go into freezer packaging instead.

It took me until late afternoon to get the hide off.The sun's rays were starting to get long, and I needed to get a move on so I could go see two of my grandchildren sing at their Winter Program.

Wrapping the deer in plastic I proceeded to pull it for a distance, got some plywood to make a smooth surface over the deck steps and inched it up. Making a turn at the top through the front door I pulled it, plastic and all into the extra bathroom - boosting it into the tub to defrost. I had to make concessions if I wanted to keep the deer and not take it to a professional locker.

I made it to the Program but could feel my physical labor that kept me hopping that day.

The next day, day 5, I started washing and putting the parts in the refrigerator to age before finally getting the venison back in the freezer to be enjoyed during the cold days of winter.

So went the days three - five of Shotgun season #1. ;)

That brings to a conclusion my reflections on season #1. I will have a few thoughts to share on season #2 soon. Over all I will tell you they were good seasons, even if I ended it still holding my two tags  still in hand.

Deer Shotgun Season 1 Day Two in Reflection

Day 2 of Shotgun Season 1,December 5th, started off with Spot and Stalk. I tried to get outside for the morning passage, but the deer came back 15 minutes earlier than  usual. A doe with fawn came trotting through the soybean field heading south through the pasture west of the house. Watching from inside the house I grabbed my shotgun and headed out the backdoor since I was already dressed in my hunters orange.

Down the back steps, stopping to look in all directions, I continued to watch the open space between our trailer and new house construction for signs of deer in the pasture. Trying to sneak... I thought I was doing good,just not good enough. Getting close to the southwest corner of the new house I heard rustling in the timber. A group of six does,fawns and one dominant buck ran swiftly from their bedding area along a fence line bordering the timber/pasture. The does and fawns ran in long leaping strides without looking back, but the buck ran into the middle of the pasture,paused and stared. A challenge?  It was 7:00 A.M. and I let one slug fly...As it would happen the only one in the two Iowa seasons that went from December 4th - 8th, and December 11th-19th. That incident ended my morning hunt. When they leave it is a long time before they return, if they return during daylight hours.

Being outside prior to and between the hunting seasons gave me a front seat to witness rutting pursuits. It ignited fires,the basal feelings of hunter and prey.

The 2:30 hour rolled around and my Mentor had staked his spot in the same place as the day before on our fence line shooting onto my side.

We didn't have any snow at the time. However, it was still cold and I had to get bundled up to stand waiting for the deer heading back out to graze. This time I got in the pick-up and headed to the other end of the property on a fence line bordering another neighbor's crop ground, a very busy location.

I headed out before the call came from the "Group Hunters" to inform Hubby and me they were going to come through the timber again.I apparently was wrong in assuming that they would only be flushing our timber once. My reasoning was they have a huge amount of property between them to hunt. Why would they need to come back?

Standing for what I felt was at least an hour,not seeing ,or hearing anything I moved a few feet to get a different perspective on the trails. A little while later I turned slightly to see two fawns moving quickly in my direction,they saw me and cut into the timber east of me. That is when I saw orange clad men getting lined up,stationed on the far fence for a drive onto the open soybean field.

Feeling uneasy about my location I moved further inside my property to another timber edge. My movements slow in an effort to stalk,I found two fawns bedded down. I sent them straight east...

There was a stirring of dry leaves, activity of deer? I waited and waited.The choice for me to head back to the homestead side of the ravine was made. Upon my reaching the pick-up,putting my shotgun in it's sleeve for transporting, I climbed in and started the engine. I stopped after getting turned around and headed down the lane. Spotting 2 deer in a panic coming out from the ravine to my right I wanted them to cut south for the hunters now in wait. Moving slowly back home I kept scanning for activity.

Reaching the house I looked down the fence line to see my Mentor field dressing another deer. Same time...same circumstances, a lactating doe, as the day before.

Later, I was informed by my neighbor who had gained permission for the "Group Hunters" to be here that he had flushed a "Big Buck" in my direction. However, the large group of deer they were moving wouldn't go until I had vacated the area.

The good news being that the buck intended for me,a 14-point, was taken by my young neighbor,son of the aforementioned neighbor. He sure has started off his hunting experiences with a story to tell....

So went the second day of  Iowa Shotgun Season #1. ; )

Iowa Deer Shotgun Season 1 Day One in Reflection

I  want to take some time in reflecting on my Whitetail hunting experiences for the shotgun seasons that have just gone by here in Iowa...This post had begun much earlier in the month, but my concentration to complete it has become divided with a few other activities.

What a day for the opener of Shotgun Deer here in Central Iowa! December 4th, started off cold and blustery and ended cold and blustery. We didn't get the snow our fellow Iowans got Friday night...the line fell  northeast of us.

This Fall the snow occurrences have skirted to the West-Northwest and to the East-Northeast. The dusting we received overnight  vanished due to the hefty breezes blowing past. I am thankful for the lack of snow at the moment...

Shotgun Deer for 2009 gave us a couple of feet of  unstable, gravelly snow to trip through. Conditions that I didn't find appealing .I didn't get to spend much time pursuing deer, because my Mom fell and broke her shoulder a few days before the season started.

Getting back to yesterday,I didn't get to go out for the morning passage - when the deer come back from their night-time browsing activities, many times they come through our yard on their way to bed down for a bit.

Before Thanksgiving my neighbor to the South who hunts with a  group of at least 14 other guys  using the drive method to concentrate the deer to shorten the time to fill their tags, asked about pushing deer out of my timber. I agreed.

I had some messages on my answering machine that they wanted to come to my timber as the last place on their itinerary for the day. They weren't positive of the time they would be coming through.

Having an errand to run in the morning put me a little behind in my household chores. So I tried to play catch up after lunch.At 2:30 I took Sadie out for a short stroll in preparation  for getting dressed in hunting garb, and get outside to stake a spot. On our stroll behind the garden our activity set off a flurry of activity - it seems to be a perennially popular bedding area at this time of year.While we were making our rounds in the yard I caught sight of my Mentor down the ravine a bit on our fence line. I  hoped our flurry of activity would have sent a deer in his direction,but at that time it didn't happen.

I went back into the house to get all ready to go outside- heading back behind the garden once again to see if I could stir up anymore deer and send them a short distance for the benefit of another. Not seeing anything,I took off, in the direction where  fresh buck rubs had been popping up almost daily for the last two weeks.

On the way to my spot in a downed tree in between two fields I sent a doe and nice sized buck in search of another place to bed down. Being caught off guard and heavy brush kept me from sending a slug in either situation.

Getting to my position I stood for a while before a pick-up truck and occupants headed down to begin the drive through the timber. Hearing gunfire to the south I hoped they would send something in my direction. I saw a young doe come back and enter the timber too far to the east for shooting range. Then I saw a doe with two fawns come trotting in a hurry to get away from the fray. The doe stood visibly upset with nose and mouth pointed to the wind tasting what lay ahead. Then they too took off to the point where the first doe had entered back into the timber.

Another gun shot went off. This time it was up by my house, where I had last seen my Mentor...He had gotten a lactating doe. I am thinking the one that had just past me with young in tow.

I tried to be helpful in getting his deer moved over some rough terrain back to his property and up an incline to his pick-up. We eventually got it loaded and hung in his garage...So went the first day of Iowa Shotgun Season #1.

The Christmas Story told by Kids

In the words of Charles Dickens, Tiny Tim ,"God Bless us, everyone...."