Tree sitting time is here

Few things are more puzzling to non hunters than how a person can sit up in a tree for hours on end. I don't know if its because of the cold, the lack of entertainment, potential danger, or the perceived boredom. It can be brisk up there, I generally don't bring a hand held video game or battery operated TV, and old guys climbing in and out of little platforms 15' above the ground might be perceived as tempting fate. I find it anything but boring however.

There is constant drama in the woods. Our camp happens to be situated on the western end of Lake Superior and many birds migrating down the north shore find the dozen or so miles of open water to be just the spot from them to 'cut the corner' on the lake. Its amazing how many different birds a person can see if they are sitting quietly up in a tree. Mammals are constantly on the move as well. Porkies, fisher, squirrels, ermine, bear, otter, wolves, deer, and even a wolverine a few years back, have been seen from the many tree stands at the Reefer Creek camp. A person can even get some woodland drama from time to time. I watched a industrious red squirrel moving corn from a small pile to one of his many burrows. When he would run back to the burrow, a couple of blue jays would swoop down and eat a couple kernels and then fly back up to a small bush when Mr. Squirrel came racing back to the pile, chastising them in squirrel language. The jays would squawk back and this went on for several minutes. Unfortunately for the squirrel, I was not the only witness to the scenario. All of a sudden the woods erupted and before I knew it, a hawk was climbing past my stand, within 6' of me, with poor Mr Squirrel in his talons. If I'd just pulled up my camera and shot, I would have had one of the coolest hawk shots of all time but I was simply mesmerized by the event.

Like kayaking, safety is an issue and todays Mpls paper had a great article on how not to fall out of your tree. I may need to get one of those sophisticated vests since I have a tendency to doze from time to time in the tree. I am securely buckled in with a seat belt but this apparatus looks like it might be just the thing for more comfortable snoozing.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this weekend will be a multitaking event with some kayaking, grouse chasing, and perhaps some quality tree time. For me and a number of my cronies, it marks the official end of the Gitchee Gumee padding season for 2009. Our Gales of November event remains (Tuesday, Nov 10th folks??) but that is on an inland lake.

Doug W. update: It appears that Dougs paddle and gps have been found. We hope for the best but fear the worst.

Doug W. update

Searchers found Doug's life jacket yesterday near Split Rock. This would make sense, according to the article, which said that the winds were strong out of the northeast, classic 'Gales of November' contitions in October. They said the zipper and straps were not fastened. The Milwaukee paper also is covering the accident, with some insight from our buddy Silbs.

MIssing kayakers

Back in September a kayaker was lost off door county in Lake Michigan. He left Newport State Park and planned to paddle north toward Washington Island on a day trip. He never returned to his car and his kayak was found the next morning along the east shore of Rowley's Bay. He was reportedly wearing a white cotton T-shirt and blue jeans. I had not heard about the accident until the GurneyGranny sent me a link and told me that the fellow, John Kariger, lived in my hometown of Eau Claire and had lived in her neighborhood when she was growing up down the road in Osseo, WI. Last week in an eerily similar incident, a kayker went missing on the north shore of Lake Superior near Cove Point on Monday. His car with an empty kayak rack was found in the parking lot of the Cove Point Lodge and his kayak was found near Twin Points, a few miles southwest of there. His name is Doug W. and he is from Milwaukee. The authorities traced him using the serial number on his Impex kayak through an outfitter in Milwaukee. The Lake County sheriff said that Winter called his girlfriend about 9pm on Monday night and told her he was on the lake, could not see shore, and figured he was 2-3 miles out.

The scenario raises a lot of quetions for experienced kayakers. Was he wearing a pfd, wetsuit, drysuit, could he roll, and most importantly, what was he doing out alone after dark on one of the most treacherous bodies of water on the planet? Lots of questions according to another article on the accident published this morning in the Duluth Tribune, and it also said that his family is looking for answers. I know that for a fact. I got an email from his sister in San Diego yesterday afternoon. The Duluth paper stated that the search will begin again today, weather permitting. The lake is indeed the boss as we know. The Coasties are good, as I know from personal experience, but the more eyes the better. If kayakers and hikers along the north shore can keep their eyes open that would help a lot. I noticed in the photo of Doug's' boat that his bilge pump was still tucked in beside the seat. It looks like a well traveled kayak. There could be a paddle float, water bottle, deck bag, or other gear washed up along the shore that might help indicate where he is. I sent a note and a link to this blog to the North Shore Steelhead Association as well as the Superior Hiking Trail Association. The hikers get down to the lake and the steelhead guys are out of the lake chasing steelhead, browns, lakers, and salmon this time of year. Two of the most popular Harbors of Refuge are directly north and south of the area Doug disappeared in and the fishermen will be on the water this weekend for sure if the lake cooperates.

I know this area well and there are not a lot of places to get close to the water due to the rugged terrain. Once again if anyone is up there this weekend, spread the word and keep your eyes open. Depending on the wind and waves those along the south shore should be alert as well. When the kayak was found one of the first scenarios the authorities came up with was that the boat blew across from the Apostles. The family is looking for closure and anything that folks can do will be appreciated. Silbs has a piece on Doug in his post today as well, and it appears that the boat in the picture is indeed Dougs.

Anyone up for a race?

I received word from the GurneyGranny that a mutual friend is pondering organizing a kayak race on the south shore. CleanGene lives in the area and is active in a number of conservation organizations. To commemorate the addition of the Gaylord Nelson Wilderness Area to the Apostle Islands Nat Lakeshore, he did a little fund raiser which involved paddling around the entire archipelago from Meyers Beach to Bayfield. The one interesting twist was that he did it in a day. I believe he left Meyers Beach sometime around 4pm and paddled into Bayfield around 3pm the next afternoon in his meticulously constructed Chesapeake 17 LT. We both built the same boat; his would look good in a wooden boat competition. Mine looks great cruising past at about 30mph on the roof of my car. I also don't think that it or its primary paddler could go 75 miles in one stretch.

I'm intrigued by this idea and think it could be loads of fun. If you look at the map, the race would run from Herbster to Cornucopia. The course would take paddlers up the west shore of Bark Point and then cross the mouth of Bark Bay to Roman Point and into Cornie. Depending on wind and waves, it could be a very interesting race. Both Bark and Roman Points can be rockin' and rollin' if the wind is anywhere from dead west to dead east. I'm sure the logistics involving the safety boaters, Coast Guard, volunteers, etc would be formidable but also very doable. I've paddled the route before and it is scenic, fun, and challenging at times. A couple years back RonO and I set out into Bark Bay and reached a shoulder in the bay just south of Roman Point. The northeast wind hit us and the waves jumped up to all of 4'-6'. I remember thinking that it was May, the water was colder than hell, and we were on our way to CampO, where rolling and then jumping into a 190F sauna would be much more amenable than an involuntary roll in frigid Bark Bay. I slid over by Ron and had not gotten my mouth open when he yelled, "How about we turn around?". Great minds think alike I guess.

One of the things the potential organizers need to do it gauge possible interest since this is indeed a fund raiser. The Two Harbors Kayak festival has jumped up and down in size, usually because of weather and conflicting weekend events but its still a pretty good and well attended race. I guess if folks out in cyberspace would send me an email or comment on this post, I could pass it on to CleanGene. Between the Twin Cities clubs, the Madison folks, the two Chicago area groups, and the band of renegades in Milwaukee, I think they would draw a pretty good field. I could even see a tooth and nail relay competition between the clubs. My guess is that competition between ISK, SKOAC, MadCity Paddlers, CASKA, the Prairie Coast Paddlers, and the Beer City crew could be ferocious. I also know a few folks in Thunder Bay as well as the crew at Naturally Superior Adventures might be lured south as well. Plus, unlike Two Harbors, there is Woody's Bar in Herbster and Fish Lipps and the Village Inn in Cornie. Post race refreshment at its finest. It is Wisconsin, you know.

Feedback is needed. Let me know your thoughts on this thing and I'll get the info to the potential organizers. I may even have to lure RonO and the ManFromSnowyLegs into paddling the route a week from today on our way to the Annual Grouse Kill at Camp O. An adventure like this might even lure the Commish north from his chicken farm in Verona. Look for a report to follow.

Pesky grouse

This weekends trip to camp was the usual multitasking event with deer stand relocation, scouting, and putting a steel roof on the new 'cut up shack'. That thing is rapidly morphing from a place to process venison without freezing one's behind to a luxury suite but that's another post. The main goal this weekend was to put a couple grouse in the cooler and we failed miserably.

There is nothing better than grouse hunting in the northern Wisconsin fall. The air is crisp, the leaves are multicolored, humidity and biting insects are just an unpleasant memory, and the woods smell wonderful. The Ruffed Grouse, or partridge, is a unique bird as well. Unlike the Ringneck Pheasant it's not raised in captivity and hunted on 'game farms' and the native population seems to be pretty much unaffected by outside forces like predators, hunters, weather, etc. The grouse cycle is a 10 year high-low cycle that seems to happen as regularly as clockwork. Some years there are lots of grouse and other years they are impossible to find. In any event they are damn near impossible to hit with a shotgun this time of year.

I started grouse hunting, or more precisely was exposed to grouse hunting, at about age 8. My grandfather, a guy born in 1900, never had the frustration of missing a flying grouse because he always shot them on the ground, 'ground swatting' as its known in these parts. No sense wasting a precious shell on an iffy proposition like hitting a grouse in the air. He would stroll the dirt and gravel roads and fire lanes and shoot the dumb ones where they stood with his cheap single shot 20 gauge. Since I'm really not hunting them to put meat on the table, I like the alternating frustration and exhilaration of wing shooting. In that particular sport the grouse 'wins' about twice as often as the hunter, a ratio I'm pretty much fine with.

A couple years back I had an encounter in the woods with another grouse hunter. I was trudging up the ravine from Reefer Creek at the end of the day and had just about reached the trail that runs along the ridge. I felt something looking at me and when I glanced up I saw a Great Gray Owl staring at me from a balsam about 20 yards away. We watched each other for quite awhile and then I turned down the trail to head back to camp. I had only gone about a dozen steps when I saw the classic 'dumb' grouse, sitting right in the middle of the trail. I could almost hear my grandpa urging me to 'shoot...SHOOT!". Instead I figured that this guy belonged to Mr G.G. Owl and continued back to camp. About a forty down the trail I was rewarded for my selfless act when another grouse sitting on the trail took off and flew right down it. He wound up in my famous bacon wrapped stuffed grouse breasts with white sauce, a culinary delight that I have not enjoyed yet this season.

Halloween weekend is the Annual Grouse Kill at Camp Olympia. This year I actually plan on bringing a gun and grouse hunting, a concept absolutely foreign to most of the attendees of this fine event. There may even be a couple hunting dogs in camp (unlike the thick headed beast pictured above), which makes the experience even more enjoyable. There is nothing quite like watching a good grouse dog, whether it be a pointer or a flushing dog, work. The kayaks will be on the roof for the traditional late season cold weather rolling close to the hot sauna, but my mind is pretty much switching from paddling to the hunting season. Even though I have not yet began to paw the ground or rub my head against trees, I think I may be officially in the rut for the 2009 hunting season.