It has been a pretty mild winter so far with very few good snowstorms. We received about three inches this week and it has been just enough to keep the trails in good shape.
Many of the smaller lakes are getting pretty slushy, but the bigger lakes have been very easy to navigate. In fact there have been a lot of vehicles on the lakes this year, especially Gunflint. It sure makes ice fishing a little easier when you can drive a truck right to the fishing spot.
We have had a young cow moose visiting our property this week, and I am happy to see some life other than wolves. The sightings have been a little bit less than normal, but that is probably due to the fact that we have not required as much plowing and salting this year on the Gunflint Trail.
If you have spent any time driving up the Trail in the evening hours you might have seen moose kneeling down and licking the salt off of the road. Theycan be very hard to see at times, especially if they are not facing you.
Theusual spots such as the moose-viewing trail, South and North Brule and Iron Lake have had moose lately, as well as the Loon Lake area by our house. If you are going on a Sunday drive it might be worth your while to go as far as the end of the Trail near Sea Gull and the Sag Lake Road. There are usually some moose loitering in these areas as well.
I guided on Gunflint again this weekend and was surprised to see how many deer kills there are on the lake. I counted seven and the only thing that remains is the hide. Thewolves have been picking them off quite regularly and then the ravens come in to clean up the rest.
I found an “elevated leg” urine spot alongside my driveway and again by the Tucker Lake Road where the snowmobile trail crosses. The wolves use these marks to help them navigate their hunting grounds. They like to hunt along the power lines and trails where they stand a better chance of ambushing their prey.
The kill sites on Gunflint Lake looked as though the deer had not been killed on the lake, but dragged out there afterwards. I think the wolves like to feed out in the open—maybe to camouflage their actual hunting grounds so that it does not ruin their spots for the future?
I am not sure, but I do not see the deer hanging out in the middle of the lake very often and that seems to be where they get devoured.
The fishing has still been a little slow on Gunflint this past week, and I think it is mostly due to pressure. Marking fish on the machine is not a problem, but they did not want to eat anything in my bag of tricks. We still managed a few fish per day, but it is time to set the sights on lakes and spots that have not been fished much this year.
Cory Christianson, a 2000
graduate of the University of
Iowa, has worked as a fishing
guide on the Gunflint Trail
for nine years. If you have any
fishing reports or stories to
share, send an email to: christiansoncory@
hotmail.com or
call 218-388-0315
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