There is not a lot of time left before the snow starts to fly. The house is almost ready for the next season. All of the boats are covered and we are getting prepared for another snow-filled winter on the Trail. There is still a little firewood to cut, and some random things in the yard to organize, but we should be ready for the white stuff when it comes our way.
There has been a lot of wind lately, and I have not had much time to deer hunt. I am not sure if the wind affects the deer, but I know it affects me.
I did get some time to scout a couple of areas the weekend before the rifle season opened. There is a minnow pond nearby that I like to hike to on occasion, and I thought I might see some deer sign nearby. No deer tracks to be seen and as I approached the pond, I could not believe my eyes.
The busy little beavers had clear cut a lot of trees. The lodge they are constructing is massive. The drag marks on the ground show how much work has gone into this structure.
Beavers are pretty amazing rodents. Many people consider them a nuisance, and in some cases they are, but they do serve a purpose. They create wetlands, filter streams, and prune the forest allowing other types of vegetation to grow.
They are usually playful, and often like to slap their tails against the water to keep us at a safe distance.
I have been told they are not too bad to eat in a stew, but what isn’t? I suppose you could cook a tennis shoe long enough in gravy and it would also taste fine.
Beavers have their young in the spring and raise them for two years. The two-year-olds help raise their younger siblings. They are very territorial and either build lodges that are both above and below water level, or they burrow into shorelines. They ventilate their structures through the roof, and the floors are constructed above the waterline. Instead of hibernating, beavers have to build a home for the winter to stay warm.
Beavers can also be a nuisance. They are famous for plugging up culverts that run under roads. The big culvert for Sea Gull Creek gets plugged every year by beavers, and you can see a three foot difference in water levels from one side of the road to the other. They can also create giant silt deposits from plugging up moving waterways.
Second only to us in their ability to alter the landscape, they might have a different idea of what the landscaping should look like. The job I saw showed no remorse for size or type of tree. They simply dropped them all. I think they can find a use for just about every tree within reach.
I do not like to cut that many trees with a chainsaw. Could you imagine standing two feet tall and only using your teeth to drop a tree? Pretty amazing creatures.
I have not heard any good hunting stories yet, but I am keeping my ears open. Maybe I will even have one of my own to tell. It sounds like some snow could be in the forecast, and that should make it a little easier to hunt. It is nice to see the tracks so easily. I did a lot of “looking” last year and the only deer tracks I found were surrounded by wolf tracks.
Hopefully this year will be better.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218-388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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