Weekly Morning Trail Mix

Trail Mix

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DIY Musky Box

Spiritual Enlightenment

Opening Day Spiritual Enlightenment

By: Lawrence H. Balleine

It’s 5:30 a.m. The sun hasn’t yet risen. As I pack my fishing gear in the back of my small SUV for a couple of hours on the stream, I recall an assumption that is often made – human beings are of superior intelligence. But immediately a follow-up question comes to mind: “If that’s so, why are we still told to ‘think like a fish’ when we go fishing?”

Pondering this conundrum for a moment and then dismissing it, I remind myself that I have waited anxiously for this day. I’ve gone through my equipment, oiled my reels, replaced my line, organized my tackle, and – since I’m a “wormer” – I gathered a slew of squirming nightcrawlers for bait. It’s the first Saturday in May – the opening day of trout season in Wisconsin – and I am ready for action.

My goal for the morning – bring home my limit of German brown and rainbow trout to go along with a batch of fresh wild asparagus and morels I will secure immediately following my outing on the stream. It will be a meal provided by nature’s bounty, and I will have proven to be a proficient hunter-gatherer.

I am confident I will catch fish, for I remind myself that “I am of superior intelligence.”  Therefore, should I not be able to impose my will upon the environment and proceed to catch my limit?

I navigate to the nearby stream, hike to a favorite spot where in previous years I have caught fish, and begin my pursuit of a rainbow with its distinctive pink-lateral stripe or a colorfully-dotted German brown. I make sure to approach the water’s edge quietly so as not to spook my quarry. I try to read the water to ascertain where a nice native trout is hiding out, waiting to ambush the bait I will offer him. I make my first cast. No strike. I make a second. Again, no hit. I make several more attempts but fail to feel that desired tug on my line. After 15 minutes or so I move to another location a couple of hundred feet down stream. Still no success. For the initial half hour, I am intent on catching fish.

Success without fish

And then it happens. In fact, it occurs often when I go trout fishing and I fail to land a fish within the first 30 or 40 minutes. I find my desire for catching fish slipping away. I move from the eager anticipation of catching to a deep appreciation of just being outdoors as I get caught up in my surroundings.

I become fully cognizant of my environment as I feel the early morning chill on my bare arms. I try to determine the speed and the direction of the wind. I notice the variety of plant life at the edge of the stream. I look up and see the waning moon. I listen and hear the red-winged blackbirds. I smell the fresh country air. No longer do I feel I am standing apart from nature seeking to impose my will upon it, but I begin to feel myself as a part of the vast, complex ecosystem.

Rather than conquering nature, I have a renewed desire to live simply within its rhythms. I am content to let the experience of standing on the bank of the stream fill my soul with the assurance of my place – a position not superior to the rest of the created order, but rather a part of the beautiful web of life called nature. I not only feel at peace with my surroundings, but I begin to experience a wonderful sense of inner peace as well. My earlier plan to catch a limit of fish is replaced with a wonderful feeling of being “at one” with all that surrounds me. Furthermore, I begin to suspect that I am not smarter than the fish I am pursuing. For in this environment, they may well have the superior intelligence.

In the next hour I do land a couple of German browns and a nice rainbow. But since they are hooked by the lip, I follow my personal rule of keeping only those fish I feel will not survive the trauma of being caught. Thus, I release each catch back into the stream as soon as possible.

I leave the stream after a couple of hours without any trout. But I am not disappointed. For on this opening day, my eyes have again been opened to my surroundings, allowing me to see and fully sense things that I only experience on such outings to the stream. I return home satisfied for having again felt an intense, yet peaceful connection with nature.

Yes, it’s been a very good Opening Day. Certainly, all is not lost. Maybe I’m not bringing home any fresh trout, but I do know where I can get several stalks of wild asparagus, and I remain confident that I’ll find a few morels in the woods behind our house.

And instead of trout, I’m quite content to put a couple of burgers on the grill.

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Tips For A Musky Fisherman

Full blown, all out, head shaking, rod breaking musky power!

By: Jeff Frick

Let’s face it, it’s really what every musky fisherperson is seeking, right? Why else would we all spend so much time and money pursuing the king of freshwater? This article is going to cover TRANSITIONAL situations and hopefully help you get a little more M.P.H.—Muskies- Per- Hour– out on the water.

Speed

This is actually the only transition we can actually control. Lure speed can greatly affect our successes and failures. There have been many, many times when fish won’t even look at a lure if it isn’t moving at the certain speed they want it at. Sometimes, (generally in colder water temperatures) they prefer an ultra-slow presentation, with a generous amount of pauses during the retrieve where the lure isn’t even moving. Although I pointed to cooler water here, this can and often will occur in midsummer as well. Be versatile and always try different speeds! The best baits for the transitional situation in our boat are neutral buoyancy jerkbaits or walk the dog topwaters. It is tough to beat these two in this scenario. My wife, Tina, had an awesome boatside strike from a BEASTLY 48 ½ that came out of nowhere and crushed a Giant Jackpot as it lay totally motionless five feet from the boat. (see pic)   Water temp was 49 degrees and it demolished a topwater.

Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum when they want a nitrous fueled retrieve. We’ve had days (generally high water temps, but remember, be versatile!) when you simply couldn’t reel fast enough. There are lots of times when the term, “Speed Kills” certainly applies to musky fishing. This scenario will also allow you to cover a lot of water very quickly and game plan your hot spots accordingly. Long casts and fast retrieves will tell you a lot about the spots and the mood of the fish. If you are getting follows but no strikes, shift into an even higher gear and “make them” stop it if they want it. If more speed equals less or no follows, downshift slightly until you find the right gear they are looking for. It generally doesn’t take too long to figure out what mood they are in. 

Lure selection for high-speed muskies will be dictated by what type of cover or structure you are fishing. Most open water will open up an endless arsenal for you. Hot stepping jerkbaits, cranks, in-line blades, heavy spinnerbaits with medium to small blades and topwaters of all makes and models can be used here. 

Heavy cover such as weed, reeds, stumps, rocks and downed timber will change things dramatically for lure choices. The previously mentioned selection will still work here, but you will need to pick your shots more carefully; fish edges, openings and any “gaps or pockets” when using lures with treble hooks. My preferred weapons of choice for heavy cover are single hook style spinnerbaits and topwaters. 

Topwaters you say?

For fast topwater fishing this type of structure, we offer two lures that were performance tuned for just this situation. Our Musky Rattler dual-armed buzzbait can be burned over and through just about any cover you throw it at. We use them extensively in cabbage and just about any other heavy cover situation. A properly presented topwater over the thick stuff is simply deadly. In my opinion, there is simply NO better lure style for truly attacking and picking apart heavy cover than these single-hook lures. Most Northern Wisconsin lakes and rivers will offer abundant heavy cover areas and attacking them correctly can make or break your trip.

Single hook style spinnerbaits can be worked at many different speeds in heavy cover. For speedy presentations when fish are HOT, I recommend smaller blades and also the willow style blade. It has less lift and can be burned. Colorado’s and Indiana’s can also be presented with a fast retrieve and they also have the added affect of breaking the surface when coupled with high speed. This can trigger vicious strikes in heavy cover. 

Heavier spinnerbaits with big blades can also be “slow rolled” near bottom, even to the point of making bottom contact. They can also be dropped down rock ledges and weedlines. In the fall, this is a technique you don’t want to overlook.

Light to Dark and weather transitions.

     More often than not, musky fishing is a game of timing. When fish are in a neutral mood (seems like most of the time!), varying lure speeds will help. Weather and light to dark transitions are some of the very best opportunities for BIG fish and multiple fish. If you have been dealing with north/east winds, blue bird skies, wind shifts, clouds moving in and it just “feels” different, be ready. This is one of our top two favorite transitional periods. Local weather, in my opinion, has one of the biggest affects on musky fishing. Trust me, my wife Tina is constantly watching radar and the sky and looking for weather transitions. She knows what can happen. 

     When weather conditions are transitioning for the better, we don’t necessarily run and gun all over the lake. We choose a surprisingly small number of key spots and patiently work them over. I really think you would be surprised at how few spots we fish and also how much time we spend at good spots when musky weather shows up. Best transition is low humidity, east/northeast winds with no clouds to a muggy, low ceiling of clouds with southeast winds. Throw in a moonrise or set and you can bet your best lure you know where we will be!

Light to Dark.

     This is also one of our top two transitional periods. Pick one you say? I’d really call it a tie. When the sun starts getting close to the treetops, my adrenaline will begin to rise. The lower the sun, the higher the adrenaline levels. Muskies are low-light, ambush predators. They know how to take advantage of transitions, so you need to also.

The setting sun triggers a whole chain reaction in lake and river systems. Bait fish can often be seen surfacing with larger predators boiling the water in hot pursuit. We actually call 8 pm “The Witching Hour.” Over the years, 8 pm has been the key time to be on our best spots. Often it’s short-lived, usually until about 9:30 pm, but this magical hour or two can totally change your whole trip! Look for the very best shallow cover with deeper water nearby and break out your favorite topwaters and big blade baits. The two fish pictured, 46.5; 47.5 were caught in less than 4’ of water on Musky Rattler Buzzbaits over heavy cabbage. Times of catches? 9:10 pm and 9:25 pm.

Retrieve Speed  

The last “transition” I want to talk about here is retrieve speed. So often we see people just reeling in a straight retrieve, with a constant speed. This will work and often does, but when things get tough, or you are getting lots of follows, but no strikes, it may be time to switch gears during your retrieve. I’m not necessarily talking about boatside moves and figure 8 techniques here, but during the whole duration of your casting.

A bait getting followed could very well get crushed if it suddenly darts forward or suddenly changes course! We have seen this over and over again. Don’t fall in to the rut of cast—retrieve—cast—retrieve at the same speed and direction all day, especially if nothing is happening! Dropping a lure suddenly when it reaches the edge of cover can also have the same affect. 

Muskies sometimes (most-times??) need to be coaxed or triggered to get them to commit. All it really takes to change lure speed during your retrieve is a few hard reel cranks or sweeping your rod tip to the side and back. Another great trick is ripping your lure upward as it approaches the boat…just make sure you’re hanging on! 

I will come back to some other transitional opportunities in future articles, but for now, shift into high gear, hit the gas and don’t forget to downshift if you need to.

Remember- be versatile!! 

Tight lines. 

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Do as I Say, Not as I’ve Done

By: Jack Tucker

This piece is aimed at the 30 – 50 year old age group. I say that up front as I know as soon as I put forth my opening line, most in that group will assume there is nothing here for them and go on to the next page; but if you are in that slot, there may be some food for thought in my words for you. If I can dislodge just one soul from the rut of the seemingly endless days/months/years of monotonous middle life before them, then I would be happy. The gist of much of this piece can be found in the often repeated saying of an older, ner-do-well, nasty, scoundrel friend of mine who mentored me as a very young man in all of the things that my parents had previously protected me from; “do as I say, not as I have done.”

I am seriously thinking about retiring at the end of this year. I’ll be 64 and for many reasons, this has come to me as a good idea. Even though it was spawned from ‘bar talk’ amongst I and some buddies of mine, (usually those kind of discussions are forgotten by the next morning) I can clearly see it in my mind now and the perceived satisfaction of doing so is growing with me every day.   Aside from health issues, finance, insurance, and abilities, I think it is time; so I have begun the planning process and am finding out that ‘the plan’ should have started a long time ago.    

Although hindsight is considered to be 20/20, I’m thinking that adage should be upgraded to 40/40 as the sharpness of what I’m seeing is astounding.  There’s an old saying that I invented a short time ago; “the older I get, the more I used to do.”  At 64, I have a lot to look back over, not as much as some, but enough to realize more regrets than I thought I would have had.

I wish I would have gone on more fishing trips with my wife and later my children, as they all loved to fish. My wife and I went on a Canadian fly-in fishing trip on our honeymoon and then again to Alaska on our 10^thanniversary. We should have gone again to Alaska with our kids when they got a bit older as I do not think they will or could on their own now. It’s an experience everyone should have a memory of. We probably could have swung it, but it didn’t just happen.

In my late 50’s, I bought a good used Yamaha 4 wheeler and after I used it one time, I couldn’t understand why it took me so long to buy it; I had been thinking of doing it for years. I always wanted to go high country elk hunting when I was in my middle years, but had to skip the only opportunity I had and don’t see it happening now.   Although I know some hunts use horses, base camps, etc, there is still quite a bit walking and as I am starting a re-roof on my garage, my knees are killing me already and I can’t wait to get it done. And my asthma seems to be getting worse every year, so at my age, running up and down mountainsides chasing bull elk is losing its appeal.

I was fortunate enough to go to Wyoming hunting several times with my sons, but not until I was 60; it should have been much earlier. And although I was in good shape at the time, having gotten past open heart surgery at 50, a motorcycle accident at 52, and surviving cancer at 55, climbing those steep foothill canyons of the Big Horn Mountains, while carrying a pack and an eight pound gun, is a young man’s sport. And there is, as I now know, a big difference between 60 and 65 years as life is a cumulative experience of bumps and bruises and untimely mishaps and things just seen to begin to snowball at about that age.

I should have had more fast cars and ‘chromey’ things when I was younger, but the ones I have now I will sell to help finance my golden years. I’m a middle income guy and the thought of retiring has changed my mindset on how I spend my money now; a lot more wisely.  I walked through Wal-mart the other day, passing the men’s section and realized I will not have to buy anymore dress pants or shirts for work as I now have a life time supply. I will also probably not need any more new dress shoes, ties, or suits or many other things that are only occasionally used.

There are times when you realize that you have enough of some things or perhaps the need for them has passed…permanently; like when your last child is out of diapers and you know you will never have to buy another box. Or what you now have is good enough to last you so you can forever, so take that out of your budget. A few years ago when I was to go mule deer hunting in Wyoming for the second time, I told my wife I needed to buy a new gun that could shoot the vast distances that I found on the first trip out there. She said, at 61, I was too old for a new gun and as I could not come up with anything that held better merit for buying new, I found a nice 30 year old Ruger ’06 for 1/3 the price. A new gun can last a life time, so you might as well buy it when you’re young enough to get your money’s worth.

For all of those people who say age is just a number, never give up, and you’re never too old; that all sounds noble, but is less so in reality than in sprit. Knees do go bad, backs go out, various ailments arrive unwelcomed, and life changing events occur with dramatic speed as that ‘age number’ increases. In my younger days, I often had time but no money and then the reverse. And now I see it doesn’t change as you get older.

I should have done more but didn’t. I perhaps could have if I had planned better. Some things I just didn’t think were possible so I didn’t try; like moose hunting in Canada. Looking back now, I see many missed opportunities due to poor, or lack of, planning and wished I had forgone some of the flash for more important and lasting things and memories.

Just to be clear; I always felt and firmly said that family comes first and that is the number one priority for all things including money and time, but daydreams can come true and things wanted can be had if the thoughts of a plan can be laid out and followed. When we got married, my wife and I both had new cars, but as the family began, it was three kids and 25 years later before we could afford new ones again.

We do what we can, but I just wish I had put more thought into things when I was younger. So while you can, chase them bull elk and fish those high mountain lakes for trout. Go to Alaska and look around a bit or portage into a remote Canadian lake and fry fresh walleye on a campfire. Build your little shack up north in the woods and pass it along to the young ones.

Experience and age promotes the formation of wisdom; too bad it has to be in that order. Plan better; ‘do as I say, not as I have done.’                                  JDT

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The Toughest Turkeys

Hard-Hunted Gobblers: The Toughest Turkeys

By: Brian Lovett

Here’s a simple statement: Human hunting pressure makes turkeys more difficult. Now, here’s the oft-ignored second part of that equation: Pressured turkeys are not impossible. They are still turkeys, and you can still kill them.

Here’s how.

Defining Pressure

Like any other wild critter, turkeys react and adapt to human hunting pressure. A Wisconsin Eastern on public land will be much harder to hunt than a South Dakota Merriam’s on a sprawling ranch. The difference is pressure. That’s easy to understand. The manner in which turkeys change their behavior in response to pressure is more complicated.

Turkeys are a prey species and are “pressured” every day by critters trying to kill and eat them. They rise above that, of course, because of their amazing survival powers: great hearing, tremendous eyesight, a paranoid mindset and the physical tools to escape in a flash. Basically, a big chunk of a turkey’s personality is the result of eons of pressure.

So how do humans pressure turkeys and make them tougher? Many folks blame calling, but that isn’t true. Turkeys don’t become wary of calling or avoid bad calling. After all, they hear turkey noises every day of their lives — much of it is so bad it wouldn’t get past the first round of your local calling contest — from other turkeys. Further, turkeys cannot reason, so they simply don’t equate bad box-calling from a pop-up blind with predators. That’s just another noise in the woods to a turkey.

As turkey hunting guru Ray Eye has said repeatedly, “Turkeys do not get call-shy. They get people-shy.” They react after being bumped, boogered and spooked by two-legged menaces. When hunters hit the woods, they often bust turkeys out of trees, spook strutters in fields or startle breeding flocks while stumbling through the woods. After a day or two of such encounters, gobbling seems to decrease, and hunting gets tougher. Studies in Missouri and other states back this up.

Because hunters were calling to turkeys during this period, they often equate the decrease in gobbling and success to birds becoming call-shy. But remember, the birds have heard all those noises before and are not reacting to lousy, incessant calling from boxes, slates and diaphragms. Rather, they’re reacting to avoid all the new two-legged predators in their home range.

I can hear some of you now, saying, “Hold on! I drive past turkeys every day or see them while walking the dog, and they just sort of let us pass by.” True enough, but that’s because turkeys have learned to discern the difference between humans passing by at a safe distance from humans acting in a predatory manner. So, turkeys in a field will often let you drive slowly by and wait for you to pass, those turkeys will act quite differently if you park the car and crawl toward them in the ditch. You’ve changed from an everyday encounter to an immediate threat.

Of course, there’s another obvious reason why turkeys get tougher as the season progresses. Many of the eager jakes and gobblers are dead. You don’t have to kill too many male birds from a specific area to change the scene. That’s an extreme oversimplification of turkey population dynamics, but the basic principle holds true.

Many folks debate how turkeys react to pressure. Often, they believe a decrease in gobbling or turkey sightings means spooked turkeys have left the area, but that ain’t so. Turkeys have relatively small home ranges, and even birds that are spooked out of their minds rarely leave those home ranges. Why? According to noted turkey expert Lovett Williams, a turkey would gain no biological advantage by leaving its home range. After all, it knows its home range like you and I know our back yards, and instinct and experience have taught it how and where to avoid predation within that area. A turkey would be unfamiliar with a new area, and even though relocating might let it escape immediate danger, the bird would face new and unfamiliar threats in its new home.

The bottom line is that pressured turkeys don’t go anywhere. They might shift locales somewhat within their home range — perhaps roosting in different spots or avoiding areas where they were startled or shot at — but they stick close to home.

And yes, they probably won’t gobble as much or be as visible while pressure persists. But remember, if turkeys stopped being turkeys — that is, gobbling, yelping, breeding and feeding — after being pressured, there wouldn’t be too many of them around. Pressured turkeys are still turkeys. They will feed, strut, breed and, yes, gobble when the mood strikes them — probably after the perceived threats to their well-being have let up somewhat.

So if they’re still in the area and still behaving like turkeys, you can still score, right? You bet.

The Pressure Game

I’ll be honest: There are no secrets for killing hard-hunted turkeys. It’s just like Turkey Hunting 101 — but magnified. Think before you act, and analyze every move you make. Further, rely more on basic skills and common sense than gimmicks or crazy tactics.

First and foremost, redouble your scouting and reconnaissance efforts. As we’ve established, pressured turkeys don’t go anywhere. They might avoid certain areas or behave a bit differently, but they’re still in their home ranges. Get out there and learn what they’re doing.

Find good vantage points, and listen for birds during mornings and evenings. If you establish roosting patterns or, better, nail down a consistent roost, you’re well ahead of the game.

Glass fields and open woodlots during the day. Try to see where birds go later in the morning, where they loaf when the sun comes out and where they feed in the evening. After you learn a couple of pieces to the puzzle, you can combine that with your roosting info and begin to formulate a game plan.

If turkeys simply aren’t vocal or visible, look for other telltale signs of their whereabouts. Seek droppings, scratching, feathers, dusting areas and the like. Be careful in the woods, though, as bumping spooked turkeys will only make your quest more difficult.

My advice for calling to pressured turkeys will sound idiotic, but here it is: Go ahead and call to them, but endeavor to be a turkey. That is, let the birds be your guide on how much and how aggressively you call. Be conservative with roosted birds, and after they hit the ground, take your cue. Are hens yucking it up and gobblers hammering at every faint noise in the woods? If so, they will probably be fairly responsive to calling. As always, start softly and sparingly, and ratchet it up as needed. It’s more likely that pressured turkeys will be fairly soft-spoken. Gobblers will likely talk a bit on the roost and substantially less after hitting the ground. Try to get a fix on his mood by sounding like a hen going through her daily routine. Hit him with some soft clucking and purring and perhaps a few soft yelps. If that doesn’t seem to work, try some louder yelps and a bit of cutting. If the bird ultimately acts disinterested or drifts away, don’t hammer him with incessant calling. Refer back to your scouting, and try to find a better setup. Let the birds do their “turkey thing” — feeding, breeding and the like — and hope hens leave the gobbler later in the morning. Find the best setup possible, settle in, and be patient.

There’s one final way to beat a pressured turkey, but it’s very difficult. Leave him alone, let him get back to normal, and hunt him later. For some folks, this isn’t an option. If you can only hunt a 40-acre farm or small wildlife area near your home, you’ll likely be after that pressured turkey as often as possible. But if you have multiple spots or lots of acreage, it’s wise to leave pressured birds alone for a while and chase them later.

How long? That depends on how hard the bird has been hunted and the turkey itself. Sometimes, a day or two is plenty. Other times, a bird won’t “get right” for an entire season. There’s really no way to know in advance how a bird will react. Leave a hard-hunted turkey alone for a few days, if possible, and then try him during an ideal morning. If he acts better, you’ll feel like a genius. If he’s still tough, try not to make matters worse during your hunt, and consider giving him some more time off.

Conclusion

Hard-hunted turkeys represent a microcosm of turkeys in general. The birds are typically difficult and hard to kill. You must be on top of your game and use your head to succeed. Take that philosophy to another level, and you have your formula for killing pressured turkeys.

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Wisconsin’s Communities

Experience Barron County Wisconsin

Located in northwest Wisconsin in what’s typically called the “Heart of the North” area, you will find the picturesque place called Barron County. From farm fields to forest, the Blue Hills to rivers, lakes and streams of all sizes, Barron County has plenty to offer people of all ages.

The county is 30 x 30 square miles, and its cities include Rice Lake (Aquafest – June), Barron (Fall Fest), Chetek (Libertyfest – July), and Cumberland (Rutabaga Festival). Villages include Almena (Almena Fun Days), Dallas (Oktoberfest), Haugen (Haugen Fun Days), Prairie Farm and Turtle Lake (Inter-County Fair).

A popular winter destination, Rice Lake gets its name for just that. A city located on the western edge of Rice Lake. The lake itself offers a wide variety of fun from winter car ice racing, to snowmobile trails, but let’s not underestimate the fishing opportunities that this lake has to offer. In the winter months, this lake has several different “cities” of ice shacks that decorate the frozen water. This is for good reason as the lake provides ample fishing opportunity for bass, bluegill, crappie, and northern pike. The southern end of the lake offers a deeper basin with plenty of areas to hone in on the panfish bite. The northern end of the lake also holds plenty of panfish, and is a great attraction to place out the tip-ups, and chase flags all day long as northern pike, and the occasional muskellunge take your presentation.

The lake is also a main trail for snowmobile riders to connect to the hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails that Barron County has to offer. Rice Lake acts as the “hub” for the county with plenty of places to eat, sleep and shop.

If competition is your thing, during the winter months of January and February, you can test your fishing skills at one of the ice fishing tournaments that are held on many of the local lakes. Aside from Rice Lake, the county has several lakes of all sizes and depth ranges to catch plenty of fish. The winter fishing is popular for both walleye, and panfish. With lakes dotting the landscape, especially in the northern half of the county, you will have plenty to choose from to find a lake you like.

There are 369 lakes to be exact. The walleye are very popular for early ice fisherman, and you will find them along the shorelines. Target the areas with rock, sand, and rubble. The sharp dropping shorelines with close access to deep water are go-to areas. Fishermen will set up tip-ups before dark, and fish into the night. The panfish bite is excellent as well.

Many lakes have more fish than, “you can shake a stick at,” while others have less numbers but much larger fish. At early ice, the panfish like to hang around logs, cribs, or old weed growth. As the winter sets in, deeper holes in the lakes will hold the majority of the panfish. Likely, this is where you will find the small “cities” of ice shacks. Generally, the bluegill are active during the daylight hours, and you will find crappie fishermen drilling holes and setting lines as the sun fades. The crappie fishing can be excellent after dark so you can enjoy plenty to do outside during the day, and relax in a fish house and fish throughout the night.

Barron County is a fun snowmobiling destination as it, not only, has hundreds of miles of trails that wind through farmfields, over beautiful lakes, and through the scenic Northwood’s, but it also connects to neighboring counties such as Rusk, Washburn, and Polk. You can ride for hours stopping along the way for great food and drink.

The Tuscobia, Wild Rivers and Cat Tail Trails are the main snowmobile routes that connect to many other sections of trail opportunities. The Tuscobia Trail runs as far east as Park Falls, and the Wild Rivers Trail can take you all the way to the northern part of the state in Superior.

If 4 wheels are your thing, Barron County offers almost 80 miles of 4-wheeler trails and opportunities. Located just outside of Almena, there is an area called the “ATV Playground.” This is an intensive use area, and wheelers can be brought here to break loose and have some fun.  You can begin your ATV and snowmobile adventures in Chetek in the southeast part of the county, Turtle Lake in the western portion of the county, Cumberland in the northwest and Rice Lake in the northeast. Rice Lake offers many motels and restaurants adjacent to the trails.

Barron County has even more opportunities to offer outdoor enthusiasts such as hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and more. For cross country skiers, the Cumberland area ski trail association (CASTA) has 15 miles of trails for winter enjoyment. For more information on CASTA, visit their website at timberlandhills.com   If you are in the Barron area, they also offer just over 4 miles of trails just south of the city of Barron.

With thousands of acres of public land located in the county, you should have no problem finding an area you would like to explore.  Snowshoe through the vast wilderness, snowy pine groves, over small lakes and ponds, through the tall oaks, and up and down the rolling terrain.

Mountain biking is coming on strong in the county with what may be the premier single track trail being built in the Doyle/Pipestone Quarry Forest area, east of Rice Lake. IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) and CORBA (Chippewa Off Road Biking Association) initially established the trail in 2015 and each weekend during the summer crews are working to lengthen it. 

 With large tracts of public land available throughout the county, late season archery along with the small game seasons gives great opportunities to try some late season hunting.  The public land has just about anything you could want from rolling hills, covered with oaks and maples, to lowland swamps and thick dense cover that hold deer, grouse and rabbits. 

It’s hard to beat a fresh snowfall in the woods. Whether you are hunting, hiking, fat tire biking or just viewing wildlife; the many trails, parks and abundant public land in Barron County have a lot to offer everyone.

This year the Rice Lake curling club is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This is one of Wisconsin’s largest and most modern curling clubs and attracts curlers nationally. The Rice Lake curling club hosted the USCA Mixed National Championship in 2001, and has hosted other events such as the World Qualifier for the University Games, and the World Qualifier Senior National Championships. The club is a premier curling destination and holds several events all year long. It has brand new rocks this season, and it is a great place to curl.

The county offers a list of winter events, which include:

• Rice Lake Holiday Parade-December 1^st– Rice Lake
• Tuscobia Winter Ultra-January 6^th -8^th – Rice Lake
• Christmas lights in the park- December 3^rd-January 7^th-Turtle Lake
• Santa’s arrival and family day-December 10^th-Chetek
• Winter Fest-February 25^th-Chetek

If history is to your liking, take in Pioneer Village. Tour through nearly 40 buildings. Five large display buildings, including a one-of-a-kind exhibition hall with forty glass-front display cases, filled with items from the distant past. Don’t miss the toy shop with antique pedal cars and toys of by-gone days. Be sure to view the five historic log buildings from the pioneer days.

Take a leisurely stroll down Pioneer Street, and you will encounter an early railroad depot, country school, dentist office, doctor’s office, jail, saloon, blacksmith shop, newspaper office, library, meeting house, general store, post office and the historic Ebenezer Lutheran Church. 

There is an entertainment pavilion for public use, numerous picnic and rest areas along the way with modern restroom facilities. The gift shop is filled with many one-of-a-kind hand crafted items, including beautiful hand-loomed rugs. The Cultural Arts Building houses the Pioneer Grill, which serves food during special events and has seating both inside and outside. www.barroncountymuseum.com/

Like old tractors? Visit the Hungry Hollow Steam Engine Club. They hold their annual event in June each year. www.hungryhollowclub.com/

How about an old-fashioned Threshing Bee? Check out the Moon Lake Threshing Bee held each year in August. www://moonlakeshow.org/ 

For more information on planning your Northwood’s trip to Barron County, visit the Barron County webpage at www.barroncountywi.gov or www.visitbarroncounty.com

Article and pictures provided by Jordan Marsh, a freelance writer, photographer, and videographer from Rice Lake and owner of Marsh Outdoors. Editing provided by Dave Armstrong, Director of Barron County Tourism.

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Food Plots

Overgrazing Problems?

Proven fencing tactics that work to help keep food plots from being decimated

By Steve Jordan

Many well maintained and well fertilized food plots get overgrazed, destroyed, and all greens are eaten right down to the soil. This can be disappointing, especially if you planned on hunting over a nice green field in the fall.

First of all, overgrazing is a good problem to have because it means you have a medium to high deer density. Some of the hunters in northern Wisconsin have such low deer densities that their food plots almost go untouched. Which problem would you like to have?

I have had some success with deer repellents you can spray on the crop once it greens up. Depending on the frequency of rainfalls, one application will last about three weeks – less than that if the rains keep washing it off. The new growth after spraying obviously won’t be protected. The leaves that are protected are bringing in energy from the sun to help build a root system for the plant.

The main reason for trying to protect your crop early on is to help build a good root system. Once a good root system is developed, a plant can rebound from getting clipped off regularly.

Another method to use is conventional fencing. This involves at least seven-foot posts with woven fencing at least six feet high. This method can get expensive and very labor intensive, but …. very effective. You can remove all or part of it at a time to let the deer in when you think the plant can handle being grazed.

Electrified

One of the easiest, inexpensive, and highly successful methods is installing a solar electric fence. I talked to a few landowners who spoke highly about the results of this method.

This past year I brought it up to two of my hunting buddies, Randy Williams and Paul Drzewiecki, who own land near Tigerton in Shawano County. I have been helping them with their food plots for years. The overgrazing problem they have is severe.

Our mutual friend, Jim Binder, is a landowner, trapper and beekeeper. He has experience with solar electric fencing around his beehives. In bear country, almost all hives are protected with an electric fence. Winnie the Pooh started this whole “bears like honey” problem! Jim gave us a hand by giving us a list of items to pick up. Fleet Farm is a good source, or you can go online for supplies.

To get started, $300 will cover your solar fencer (control box), posts, wire or electrical ribbon and insulators. This will cover about a quarter of an acre to experiment with. You can build reasonably from there. Another $100 will allow you to cover around a half acre because you are just buying extra posts and wire.

Most solar electric fencers will run three miles or more of wire. Depending on if you run two or three strands to make your fence, you can multiply that distance by two or three to get to your maximum length. Some food plots are protected by two wires. One wire is approximately one foot above the ground and another wire is positioned one foot behind the first and put at a height of 4½ feet. There are many configurations that work.

We set ours up with three wires. The first wire was about a foot above the ground. The second one was directly above the first at about two feet. The third was directly above the second wire at approximately four feet above the ground. With the high deer density we had and the severe overgrazing outside of the fence, no deer had successfully penetrated our barrier all summer!

Most of what we fenced in was alfalfa. We needed this perennial plant to get big and healthy enough to establish a good root system. We wanted this alfalfa plant to be able to replenish itself with its growth being nipped off constantly.

The big dairy farmers in Wisconsin are harvesting their alfalfa with three to five cuttings each summer. However, the first year in these fields, the crop is protected by either not cutting or only cutting once in the late summer to allow it to establish a good root system. This strategy is what we are doing with our food plots by protecting the plant so it can develop and feed deer for years to come.

If you’re fencing in annual plants like soybeans, turnips, corn, etc., this fencing works with the same principle. The annual plants can establish a good root system to better withstand the feeding frenzy of the deer.

Normally you will want to take the fence down in the fall and put it away for the winter. Randy Williams – the landowner I mentioned earlier in the Tigerton area – wants to move his fence into the woods in the fall where there are a lot of seedlings. He is hoping to protect the seedlings from the winter grazing of the deer.

Solar electric fencing is portable and reliable. When not in use, you may want to bring the unit inside, especially in the winter months. In Randy’s case, using it during the winter will keep the battery active. The wire or ribbon winds up easily for storage and the little plastic posts pull out easily.

Give this idea a try if you have an overgrazing problem. Start small with your protected area and grow from there if you like the results. You will be “shocked” how good this works. Have a great fall and enjoy your time in the outdoors.

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River Fishing For Walleye

River Fishing

By: Kyle Sorensen

It seems as though the hard water season has come and gone in my world.  The temps have risen, and the ice will soon be gone like the closing of a book.  This time is certainly bittersweet for me, as I love my ice fishing, I really do.  The only thing that helps to dull the pain is the excitement that ice-out brings… the springtime run on the Lake Winnebago System! 

When the ice drops and we are able to safely navigate the waters of the Upper Wolf, its game on!  These fish ride the contours and bends of the Wolf River and we must be able to hold in the patterns they travel.  The trick is finding these patterns, which can constantly change.  It was really interesting to witness the movements of the fish during last year’s run.  For whatever reason, the fish were active in certain bends and depths, while for other spots, the fishing action seemed nonexistent.  You might ask yourself as I do, “If these fish are active ten feet away from me (or wherever), why aren’t they active under me?”  Well, it’s a good question and there could be many answers.  As always, I would love to be able to tell someone, go to this spot, do this, and you will catch fish.  We know that’s certainly not always possible due to numerous factors, but I want to shed some light on the “Art of Draggin’”. 

Dragging jigs on our rivers during the run is a deadly tactic.  We have talked vertical jigging, pulling flies, the thumper floater; the list goes on.  While those tactics all have very important spots in my boat during the run, one must find out what is working for that day (or hour).  The short answer – be ready for it all! On a side note, I highly recommend going back into Badger Sportsman’s online archive to read about the other tactics we have previously talked about, as they are very important, just as much as draggin’ jigs. 

Let’s start with the basics – the equipment.  For dragging, I like rods that are 7’ long, which have a stiffer medium action.  While it’s easy to say a “medium” rod, if you feel three different rods that are listed under the medium category, chances are you will feel a difference in each.  I like a rod with a sensitive tip, but a stiffer blank that can handle some of the larger fish that present themselves.  A key to the 7’ length is the fact that the spring of the rod allows me to easily flip eating sized fish into the boat.  I run a rod in each of my hands, so the extra length also helps me get a little extra reach when I’m setting the hook and laying the other rod down at the same time.  As with everything, personal preference is what prevails, as the next person might recommend a 6’ rod with a different action.  If you’re new to this, you quickly find out what works best for you. 

The reels and their line go hand in hand.  For arguments sake, the reel you are using must have a very sensitive drag system.  Being able to fine tune your drag system is a huge advantage, especially on some of the more violent strikes that can happen from time to time.  In my case, it also protects from fish-loss due to my sometimes overly aggressive hooksets… haha! 

I am a strong believer in fluorocarbon because fluorocarbon is practically invisible in the water and it has great abrasion-resistant characteristics. With that said, all of my rods are either strung with full fluorocarbon or they at least have a 3’ fluorocarbon leader.  I really like braid for jigging, as it is so sensitive, allowing me to feel the sometimes very light mouthing bites.  The downside is that braid has very little stretch and going back to the drag system on your reel, you must have it set perfectly so you aren’t pulling it out of the fish’s mouth on hooksets.  If you like braid, I recommend an 8 lb. variety, complimented with a 6 lb. fluorocarbon leader.  I connect the two with a very small barrel swivel, as it makes reties a whole lot easier – chances are you will certainly be donating a lot of jigs to river structure!  If you run straight fluorocarbon, a 6 lb. class is great.  A huge thing to remember, seeing we are going to be fishing the bottom of the river, is the fact that our line will be running into sharp edges, especially when crossing paths with the infamous zebra mussel.  It is critical that you are constantly checking your line for even the smallest of nicks.  If one is found, retie immediately.  

Jigs come in a variety of sizes.  While color can sometimes make a difference, in my opinion, it’s at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of importance.  I feel the most important aspect is the weight.  I wish I could say all you need is a 1/16 oz. jig and you’re set, but that is certainly not the case.  The current in the river is constantly changing and because of that, so should the weight of our jigs.  We have to keep a nice angle from the boat to the bottom so we are able to feel the jig just grazing across it.  The trick is also not having too heavy of a jig causing it to sink into the bottom or cause your line to become vertical.  We want those jigs to just dance/shimmer across the bottom.  So, make sure to have a variety of sizes to accomplish this, usually ranging from 1/16 to 1/4oz.  I like normal lead-heads, but some adamantly prefer hair jigs, which are basically lead-heads with some hair tied on the shank.  Depending on the bite, it’s not a bad idea to have stinger hooks on hand.  Sometimes the fish will barely mouth the bait and are gone before you know it.  The stinger can drastically add to your hook-up percentages! 

Bait is a huge topic, but I will sum it up.  It is important to have minnows, leeches and crawlers in the boat with you.  One day last year, all I could catch on crawlers were goats and small eyes.  I switched to leeches and Bam!  Quality fish started showing up.  The easiest way to find out what they want on a particular day is to have your partners trying the opposites of you.  The fish will show you what they want, and you can then make the switch. 

So now we’re rigged and its time to hit the water.  Boat control and positioning are extremely important aspects to pay attention to if you want to be successful while draggin’ jigs.  The basic concept is simple, motor upriver and drift back, allowing your jigs to drag across bottom.  A basic run for me is to either pick the left or right side of the river, usually off of a break to start, but that can change very quickly.  I will run up past the area I want to target and drop the Minn Kota, utilizing it to keep the boat perpendicular to the drift of the specific area I am shooting for.  If I am fishing by myself, I will run a parallel drift, using the Kota to not only control my drift, but also to slow it down which allows me more time in holes or structures I come across.  If the first pass area doesn’t pan out, I will make another next to the first one, and so on, as to eliminate the water in that certain bend of the river.  If nothing is panning out, it’s time to make a run to a new section of the river. 

An important area to speak on is the presentation of the jig.  While yes, we are mainly just dragging the jig across bottom, I do like to lift the rods up from time to time to not only check for debris, but to throw in a little more action.  If a fish is following it and can’t snatch it off bottom, sometimes this helps to give it a better angle to get it in its beak. 

As a good rule (even though its certainly not 100%) walleye can certainly turn off when the current is slow and/or practically nonexistent.  If you are chasing the river runners and the bite isn’t there, chances are, neither is the current.  Don’t give up as the current can change at any given time.  Have a bunch of jigs with you, pay close attention to your electronics, and have a ball.  If you want to see some draggin’ action from last year’s run, check out the video on the OB Outdoors YouTube Channel (youtube.com/oboutdoor).  

I hope you all have an awesome start to the open water season, no matter where you find yourself!  If you are hunting down walleye during the run this year, I’m sure you are going to have some fun times just as years past.  Until next time, “Tight Lines. Stay Dry. 

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Food Plots For All!

Prairie Planting for Wildlife

By: Steve Jordan

My wife and I were so impressed with the beautiful prairie fields and pot holes in North Dakota that we duplicated it on our Wisconsin property. In North Dakota, they have thousands of acres of public hunting. They call it “plot land” and it is posted as such. It always includes grassland, which includes prairie grasses and wildflower varieties. It usually encompasses many potholes surrounded by cattails, sedges, and other wetland plants.

These “plot lands” hold a variety of upland birds, along with many ducks and geese. Whitetail deer are common in the high grass and cattail areas. 

For our prairie project we worked with the Outagamie County Farm Service Agency, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. We had a lot of help from many people in our local office. Julie Peterson was our main contact. She is in a partnership position with the FSA and the Pheasants Forever organization as a biologist. Julie could visualize our idea of replicating the North Dakota landscape. Her help was invaluable. Pheasants Forever is a great resource for most of the prairie seeds that you will need. They also have the knowledge and the equipment to help you maintain your prairie throughout the years. 

Planting and maintaining a prairie may seem simple, but it is just the opposite. You will need the patience of a bow hunter or the patience of a Detroit Lion football fan. If you can babysit your prairie for three years, the maintenance thereafter will be minimal.

A good prairie mix will have up to thirty varieties of grasses and prairie flowers. Each variety is a perennial. Most varieties of weeds are annuals. During the first three years, you will want to mow your prairie periodically at approximately eight inches high. By doing this, the annual weeds that depend on their seed cluster to reproduce are continually chopped off. Eventually the weed dies with no offspring. The prairie plants, on the other hand, are stunted on top, but continually work on their root systems. These massive root systems will eventually choke out most weeds that try to grow amongst them. One example is on one of my first prairie plantings near Readfield, Wisconsin over 25 years ago. I thought about how nice it would be to incorporate some big Russian sunflowers randomly through the established prairie area. I took a 4-foot re-rod, ½ inch in diameter and poked holes 2-3 inches deep. Then I would drop a sunflower seed in the hole and close it up. I planted approximately 100 seeds; they were all choked off and yellow at two inches high. This is what happens to annual weeds on a well established prairie planting.

Here is another example of how thick the root systems get. I had an opportunity to put on a hands-on food plot seminar during the Whitetail Classic event at the Bubolz Nature Center. They gave me ¼ of an acre of an established prairie to work up for the demonstration. The area was mowed and then I had to work up the sod. The root systems were amazing and my disk would not cut into the sod base. I ended up scooping out most of the root systems in this area with my tractor bucket. I ended up with a pile of roots as big as a full-sized van. I’ve never encountered a sod base as thick and dense as the Bubolz prairie project. 

In some areas of the prairie, trees and brush will try to get established. The mowing will keep them in check for the first three years. A recommended burn of the prairie or area on the fifth year will get rid of them. The Pheasants Forever organization can help you with the burning of your prairie safely. They have access to the equipment and trained staff. 

A common weed that tries to establish itself in prairies is the thistle. After the three year mowing period, you should keep an eye on any of the problem areas. The big bull thistles are easy to spot because they will tower over the prairie grasses. My wife and I will go looking for them with a weed shearers and a small squirt bottle of Round Up. We will cut the thistle to about one foot off the ground to discourage flowering. Then we will carefully spray a few of the lower, wide thistle leaves with Round Up, trying not to over spray anything around it. If you have an area that is heavily infested with thistles in your mature prairie, you can just mow that area to 8-10 inches high. You may have to mow that area a couple of times so the thistles don’t flower. In late fall you will notice the prairie grasses turn brown and go dormant. The thistle plants will still be a nice green and very healthy looking. At that time, you can liberally spray Round Up over the entire area. The thistles will die and the dormant grasses will not be affected. Geez…..I wish we could get rid of the pesky San Francisco 49ers that easily! 

At our current place of residence, we have 14 acres of prairie with a one acre shallow scrape or pond. The deer frequently bed in the tall grasses. The geese, ducks, turkeys, pheasants, and a huge variety of songbirds nest and feed in the prairie. We have two acres of a pollinator mix that consists of 100% wildflowers (no grasses) to attract nectar feeding birds and insects. We have had to mow that for the first three years. This coming spring will be the first year of not mowing. This year should be fantastic. It was very hard to mow last year when we noticed some of the wildflowers trying to bloom. 

The strategy behind a well planned prairie is to have some varieties flower early in the spring, some flowering mid-summer, and yet some waiting for the fall. Our prairie grass flower mix is only about 10% flowers and 90% grasses. It’s amazing how many flowers bloom in that mix. Prairie plantings are great for enhancing and diversifying your property. You can set up prairies next to food plots, ponds, woods, and agricultural fields. 

Remember, prairie plantings are a lot of work for the first three years, but after that, a minimal amount of maintenance is required. Have a great spring and think prairie for 2014.

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Springtime Brown Trout

SPRINGTIME IS BROWN TROUT TIME!

By Capt. Lee Haasch 

Got that itch for open water fishing? Late March and April is the time to scratch it with some brown trout action! Late March is that magical time of the year when you can launch your boat in the morning and troll the shallows of Lake Michigan for brown trout and then slide up to Green Bay and walk out on the ice and pop a couple of nice walleye in the evening. Every year it’s a waiting game for that magical day that the launching ramp is ice-free and we can back the Starcraft down the launch ramp and get after those “silver footballs!”

MOTHER NATURE

Depending on the year and Mother Nature, it could be mid to late March or sometime in early April when the sun melts the ice from the marina and it doesn’t take long for the word to get out that browns are biting! That’s because, well, after a long winter of being left alone, they ARE biting! They are cruising the shallow rocky shoreline of Lake Michigan feeding on gobies, stone rollers and other small baitfish that inhabit the structured shoreline.

Since the bay and other inland lakes are still ice covered at this time of year, it’s a no-brainer to grab my Ugly Stik GX2’s and Alphamar 16’s spooled with 50# Trilene Braid and 10# Trilene fluorocarbon leaders and hit the boat landing with a vengeance to tackle a few of those monster browns that are cruising the shoreline. Those first couple weeks can be some of the best as the browns have had all winter to forget about being chased. They are hungry and aggressive! A couple of Rapala #7 or #9 floaters or even a husky jerk are favorite weapons when cruising the shallow 8’ to 12’ in early season. Black/silver, black/gold, blue/silver and fire tiger are popular colors 

CLOSE ATTENTION

I like to pay close attention to my graph and the surface temperature as I’m trolling. I have found that often times, the areas where I get my bites are quite often patches of cloudy water where the water temperature can rise as little as 1 to 2 degrees. In those areas, the bait fish will tend to congregate and attract the hungry browns. When I find one of those patches, I will circle back and make several passes through that area and often pick up a fish or two with each pass through those cloudy patches. You will also find that the darker and more colorful baits, like firetiger and black/gold, will work the best in the cloudy areas as they tend to look the most like the gobies that the brown trout are feeding on.

As a bonus, you may also pick up a few lake trout in the shallows in early spring. They too are cruising the rocky shoreline feeding on those same gobies that the browns are chasing. For this reason, I also like to toss out a couple orange/gold Rapalas in my spread. Lake trout love orange and there is nothing like a good lake trout filet on the grill from that early spring cold water!

BROWNS AND LAKE TROUT

Since these browns and lake trout are in the rocky shallows feeding on gobies, I have found the downward swimming action of Berkley Flicker Shads and Flicker Minnows closely imitate the gobies and are quite deadly at times. I like the colors that closely resemble the gobies, like black/gold, black/gold sunset, slick sunset and firetiger. These also seem to work very well as the sun is coming up.

After you’ve made those first couple passes in the real shallow water in the early dawn hours, you will notice the bite slow as the sun gets higher in the sky. This is when I like to slide out and work that 15’ to 30’ of water. The browns and lakers don’t go away, but they do get a bit sketchy in that clear shallow water and will tend to slide a bit deeper once the sun gets a bit higher in the sky. This movement opens up more options in my spread. I will trade a couple of planer boards for my slide divers and bust out a couple super light R & R spoons. Slide divers work great for this because I can dial them to run out from the boat and also put a 50’ to 60’ leader behind the diver. This is a deadly combination for these hesitant browns and lake trout. 

Being a little deeper also allows you use your downriggers if you have them. Just like the slide divers, I set my riggers with longer 60’ or even 80’ leads and run them shallow, like 8’ to 10’ down. By getting the baits back a ways from the boat, the browns, especially in the cloudier water, will be comfortable striking baits that far back from the boat.

For current fishing reports or information on charter fishing check out my report page at www.FishAlgoma.com. From Captain Lee and the crew aboard the GRAND ILLUSION 2 – good luck and good fishing!

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Albino Buck Shot

Albino Buck Shot in Missouri

This 10 point albino buck was shot and killed in Missouri.

Albino deer are a rarity and many people love to see them and seek them out in states across the country. In my home state of Wisconsin, it is illegal to kill an albino deer, but many states allow it. This particular buck was from Missouri, where it is legal to kill an albino deer. The albino buck pictured above was famous among locals and many hunters passed on killing the deer, until this fall. Jerry Kinnaman took the Great White Buck this past November and it’s a true trophy.

Rare 10 Point Albino Buck Killed

“I gave him a fair shot. He had a good life,” Kinnaman told his local news. “He’s famous. He still will be.”

Albino Buck Shot

Check out the video below to hear more from Kinnaman on his story.

Kinnaman hunted the deer this year and knew that killing it may upset people, but it was a completely legal kill. He had a friend that allowed him to hunt on his property and had asked if he could shoot the buck if presented with a shot a few years ago. His friend told him not to kill it. In recent years though, there were trespassing problems on his property and his friend asked Kinnaman to kill the deer.

“It got so bad that he came back to me and said, `I want you to shoot this deer.”

Albino Buck Killed in Missouri

This is a beautiful deer and a true trophy and I would not argue with anyone’s legal kill.

Earlier this year an 11 year old hunter from Michigan shot a nice 12 point albino buck with a crossbow. 

Legal hunting is just what we said… Legal. There was nothing wrong with this kill and it’s much better than a poacher getting it.

See more of the latest outdoor news here on MorningMoss.

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THE ICE IS ROTTEN…

BUT THE FISHING’S NOT                                                                    

By: Kyle Sorensen 

Let’s face it, this winter has been a fierce one. Many days well below zero, various weather advisories, maybe a [few] back-breaking hours on the lake digging out your vehicle? It hasn’t been an easy one but I know one thing, we sure were given ice and a lot of it. Before you start the ever daunting task of first, finding all of your hard water equipment (Isn’t it amazing where some of it turns up?) and second, cleaning and storing it away for the season; WAIT!

As we pass into March, the bittersweet transformation to the late ice period begins. Bitter, because I know the ice fishing season will soon come to an end but sweet, because the best fishing I have yet to have all ice season is about to start. The ice might be getting rotten but the fishin’s sure not!

In this article, we are going to go into some reasons why I truly love this time of year and what factors go into my reasoning. Some of these factors can be said for various bodies of water but most will address my home waters of the Lake Winnebago System.

Weather

Late ice offers up a higher chance of those 35+ degree, calm, sunny days while there is still plenty of ice. It makes the trip more enjoyable and less of a hassle. It allows us not to have to hunker down in the portable shelter but rather sit on the side of a four wheeler, snowmobile or bucket, focusing on lure presentation and not about how our eyelashes have icicles.

It is no secret, when it’s warm out, we tend to be more active outside. We think more clearly and in turn we can operate more effectively and efficiently. This is good news for our mobility efforts from spot-to-spot, lure presentation and the overall eagerness to work for our prize catches. If we are comfortable, we can concentrate and in turn, catch more fish.

The weather plays an important role not only for us but also for the system as the warming weather begins the system “reboot”. The rivers open, melting water and rain purges oxygen into the main bodies of water and rays of sunlight begin to penetrate deeper into the water column. This in turn, gives the ecosystem the boost it needs to ready up for a busy summer.

Location

During other winter periods, we do not know where different species will be located, nor where they are heading, without some work. Sure, we can come up with an educated guess from the previous years’ experience but it’s not always a definitive answer. We all know it usually takes a lot of time to locate and pattern the fish movements throughout the winter months, however, we are given a heightened advantage during the late ice period.

Our location selection patterns should change during the transition from mid-winter ice to late ice. By now, we have an idea where our targeted species have been locating themselves throughout the past months. Taking this into account, we look to where they will be heading. If we are strictly chasing big gills, we might start looking to the shallower water depths as the ecosystem shock has sparked some life into the lifeless weeds. If we are on the hunt for ol’ marble eyes, we know they will be starting their classic spawning run so we might begin to look closer to the river areas.

On the Lake Winnebago System, various species begin to “stage” at, in and around the rivers for their annual spawning runs. When I say “stage,” I don’t mean they just sit around for a few days. It’s best to think of it as an area in which the schools bottle-neck and all the travel routes merge together. As these first schools begin to congregate in these areas, it is not uncommon to find fish under the first hole you drill. Does it always happen this easy? No, but if you can find safe ice around a staging area, and time it correctly, there will be large numbers of fish to be had.

A fair number of these fish will be active as they will be building up on the energy for their grueling journey. With the high numbers of fish in these confined areas, the forage base becomes very limited within a short period of time.   This means our presentations could show an amplified success rate with a more aggressive approach.

A key point to note is this. Fish will travel from all corners in each lake to get to their spawning grounds. If you can locate and stay on these movements, which will obviously end in the river areas (for some species), you will catch the fish and for a longer period of time.

Mobility

I can’t stress it enough. Whether it is early ice, mid-winter ice or late ice, mobility is, and always has been the key. The great part about fishing late ice is that we know where the fish will end up and by adjusting our movements (through trial and error) we will be able to track the targeted species all the way to their final winter location.

I stay very mobile and as I discussed in a previous area, the weather allows us to be more active outside. A warm day allows me to sit on the side of my snowmobile and offer a presentation that I would normally comfortably offer while within the warmth of a shack. Granted I must dress a little warmer but by limiting the amount of set-up and take-down time, I spend more time fishing and ultimately finding and catching fish more fish.

Whether it is the first or last spot for the day, my routine is as follows: Drilling one hole, taking just enough slush out of the hole to get my bait down, dropping the transducer down and jigging for 10-15 minutes (some might say this is too long). If I do not produce the results I am after, the transducer comes back up and I’m off after noting the details of my strike-out in the GPS. It’s that simple. Having my auger mounted on the back of my sled and traveling light allows me to spend less time messing around with other equipment I might need in other conditions.

Late ice, in a nutshell, is a blast. The most important thought I would like you to take out of this article is safety. With warming temperatures, melting ice and maybe some rain mixed in, ice conditions can deteriorate quickly. Once the safety issue has been taken into account, I will say this. Use the edge Mother Nature has given us. We know the fish will be moving and where they will be moving to. Through the use of mobility and trial and error, track and pattern these movements so you are able to take full advantage of everything late ice has to offer. Before you know it, it will have come and gone.

Until the hard water hits again next season, Tight Lines. Stay Dry.

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24 Hours of Firsts

By: Aaron Retzlaff

There are times as an avid outdoorsman where you are able to share your passion and obsession for the great outdoors with others. A rarity occurs when that opportunity becomes a time stamp in a relationship between close friends. 

Exploring the great outdoors offers endless, priceless opportunities to create lifelong memories with friends and family. The 2018 Wisconsin gun deer season offered one of those opportunities, of which I was fortunate enough to take advantage.

During college I was lucky enough to have a teammate and roommate with whom I developed a close friendship. I roomed with Jared Gjertson all four years of college and we are roommates once again (along with one other former teammate), as Jared studies law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Jared and I have shared time turkey hunting in the spring and fishing during the summer and winter months. After turkey hunting in the spring of 2018 Jared, having completed hunter safety just weeks earlier, expressed interest in accompanying me on a whitetail hunt. I told Jared I could do him one better; I would let him take the hot seat and I would accompany HIM. He immediately agreed.

Fast forward to the fall of 2018. I had permission to hunt a property with an overabundance of doe. I watched a significant amount of doe activity all throughout the bow season and held off, knowing that Jared would be in the stand come gun season in November.

With limiting schedules, Jared and I only had a 24 hour period to make his first harvest happen. Jared arrived at my house around noon on Thanksgiving and thus the 24 hours of first time experiences began. We had a solid plan for the next 24 hours and Jared was excited. First on the agenda was taking the rifle out and letting Jared shoot several practice rounds at a target. Although he had some experience shooting a shotgun, he had never shot a rifle before and I wanted to establish a comfortable range for him to make a confident, ethical and fatal shot. After getting acquainted with the .30-30 lever action and firing 7-8 rounds, Jared was more comfortable with shooting and had his confidence increased. Let’s remember this was his first time ever shooting a rifle and we were headed to the woods just hours later.

After a tasty Thanksgiving dinner with my family, Jared and I prepared for our first sit. Due to weather conditions and wanting Jared to have an enjoyable experience, I decided against the property I had watched all fall; and instead received permission to use a close friend’s Shadow Hunter box blind, which looked over an acre food plot.  Again, another first for Jared. The action that afternoon was slower than expected. My friend had built up our excitement by sharing that a regular group of does had been feeding on the food plot around an hour before dark, but unfortunately, we only saw a few yearling does and a two and a half year old buck that was busted up and not on the hit list. Even though that buck was off limits, this encounter gave Jared his first opportunity to see a mature buck through the scope of a rifle. The buck grazed in front of us for nearly 20 minutes as Jared and I watched his every move. I enjoyed the opportunity to share that time in the stand that afternoon and answer some of Jared’s questions as well as teach him a few things about this great sport.

That evening, venison from a prior harvest was ready to be picked up from the local butcher my family used. I knew Jared would be intrigued by this as it was, you guessed it, another first time opportunity. Enjoyed it he did. He was fascinated by the process of how deer are handled from the moment after the kill to the final packaging of the meat. While we were at the “Meatshop” we had the pleasure of sharing some time with fellow hunters who were there picking up meat and helping process other deer. It was cool for Jared to experience that shared comradery between whitetail hunters.

The next morning the pressure was on. The weather was right for us to sit in a blind I had set up weeks before and I was very confident that we would have a chance at Jared’s first whitetail. Up early and to the stand well before sunlight, Jared and I were settled and waiting for the sun to rise over the freshly frosted picked soy bean field.

We heard minimal action in the woods to our back and as the sun peaked over the horizon, so did our hopes that one of those furry white tails would soon show.

As if we wrote our own script that morning, about 25 minutes after the sun rose and just as they had done all fall, two mature does stepped out of the woods southwest of our location. I had a good inclination of the direction they were headed and I made sure Jared could see them and was comfortable and prepared for his shot. 

The series of events that followed happened rather quickly. The first of the two does started heading on a straight line for the woods to our right. Its gradual walk turned into a slight trot and the doe was soon under 100 yards away. Not wanting to lose this opportunity for my friend, I quickly asked Jared if he was ready and if he could see the doe through his scope. He answered, “Yes, I got it.” I told him I was going to stop the doe and at that point he would have his shot……

The doe approached 65 yards when I let out a quick grunt. Just as I hoped, the doe stopped dead in her tracks and provided a clean broadside shot. THIS WAS IT, IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN…..At this point the trigger should be pulled and the doe harvested quickly and ethically.

After the quick grunt, the doe stood, confused, trying to locate where the sound came from. We were only a few split seconds away from the deer bolting! I quickly whispered to Jared, each time becoming a little more intense, “Now, shoot…..shoot…..shoot!” BOOM!!!!!!……

What happened next was a moment I will never forget about this hunt. I was looking over Jared’s shoulder the whole time and after he pulled that trigger I knew what had just taken place. The doe’s front left shoulder/leg tucked up tight, telling me Jared had made an excellent shot in the vitals. I was so excited for him I put my arm around him and told him with great emotion, “You smoked her, you got her, good job!!!!!” I could tell Jared seemed unsure about his shot, as he had never before had this experience. I reassured him that she was down not far into the woods and after giving her a few minutes we would head out to claim his trophy.

That we did. As we headed out of the blind and walked over to the point of contact to search for the start of the blood trail, I soon realized this track job would be over before it began. I looked up and only 15 yards from where it stood when Jared shot, his first trophy whitetail doe lay on the edge of the woods, harvested quickly and ethically. Finally, Jared let out a breath of relief and smiled as he had accomplished what he came to do. Then of course, last but not least, Jared happily dragged his deer out of the field and learned how to properly gut/skin out a whitetail.

This was and forever will be 24 hours I will never forget. Being able to assist a genuine friend and an even better person on his first hunt ever, brought me more joy than I have ever experienced hunting on my own. Exploring the great outdoors provides unforgettable opportunities like this and is one of the many reasons why I am proud to call myself an outdoorsman. Congratulations Jared!!

 

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