If seeing a moose on the Gunflint Trail is still on your bucket list, you might consider going for an evening ride. In the past couple of days I have seen a dozen different moose along the Gunflint and they are hanging out in herds from the South Brule to Seagull Lake.
It is easy to detect the right area with the recent snowfall since moose are not afraid of leaving some clumsy trails along the roadside. Surprisingly, their giant bodies can be difficult to see at night since their silhouette is dark and blends in with the surroundings. Tracks are usually the best way to know you are getting into their territory and always an indicator to slow down.
A few chilly mornings ago I saw three big bull moose with wide racks standing in the middle of the road near Seagull Lake and this morning a group of us sat and watched a herd of five near Iron Lake. They were close enough to get a good view but moose generally tend to be a little sketchy around humans and prefer to keep a safe distance at all times.
The salty paved road is definitely the attractant and they are most active in the early morning or dusk hours of the day.
This morning’s herd hung around long enough to pose for local photographer, Nace Hageman. Nace said he watched the two younger bulls fighting the day before. I suppose they are just like my children who get along one minute and fight the next. A little after I left, Nace saw two big bulls bedding in the grass near the rest of the herd and was able to get some good shots of them in the snowfall.
Ice anglers have been hitting their favorite lakes and the ice reports are looking good. Seagull Lake has reported 10 inches of good ice and it is usually a fair representative of the other big lakes in our area. There have been a few snowmobile tracks out of the Saganaga Lake landing and I am sure that the corridor route is now safe to pass. With temperatures topping out at zero for the past week the big lakes had a chance to make some quality ice in time for the trout season. If the temperature trend continues we could be looking at a long season on the hard water.
The Arrowhead Ice fishing show at the DECC was pretty cool. They even served beer there. I bought the Aqua View underwater camera that is the same size as a smart phone and cannot wait to drill some holes and play with it.
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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