The changing season has been rapidly advancing this week with warm sunny days melting away the lake ice faster than I would have thought to be possible. Some of the smaller mid-Trail lakes are already open and I would predict the bigger lakes are not too far behind. The telltale signs of spring: trickling streams, seasonal allergies, wildlife, and even dry brown grass until we awoke on Monday to a blanket of white snow. One step forward and two steps back, what a bummer!
I shouldn’t complain since the precipitation is much needed and the frozen kind is better than nothing at all to keep us safe from wild fire this spring, The snow is welcome and I am sure very short lived. Every bit will help the forest turn green over the next few weeks. It just surprised me to see it accumulate like it did when we had been working outside in T-shirts a few days prior.
We had a great weekend playing outside with our kids and checking off a few chores on the spring cleaning list before the snow came on Monday. Rachelle took down the bird feeders and stored the seeds for the summer since there had been a couple of bear sightings in the Gunflint Lake area. The birds can fend for themselves now and we don’t need to bait any wild animals onto our property.
Black bears are very hungry after hibernation and look for any meal to pack on the calories they lost over the winter hibernation. I always thought that black bears were fairly docile creatures that mostly ate berries and garbage until learning they sometimes hunt calf moose in the early spring. The calves are immature and vulnerable to attackeven though they are typically accompanied by their mother who is no match for a hungry black bear.
Ruffed grouse have also been making an appearance while wandering alongside the road. Most of the grouse have been skinny and slightly lethargic, from a long winter I am sure, but they had better snap out of it if they want to survive the many predators that are looking for them.
My wife feels that nature is very cruel, she understands the necessity of predator-prey relationships but still thinks that it is a very cruel existence. I am not quite as compassionate, but when I think of a grouse barely surviving the long and brutal winter months only to be eaten by a fox while leaving the den, I can see her point.
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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