Who would ever believe that the first major snowstorm of the season has affected a majority of the nation except us? Usually we are on the receiving end of grueling storms and heavy snowfall, but not this time. I wouldn’t say that we have escaped winter’s wrath entirely since overnight temperatures are getting dangerously close to the single digits and blistering winds have been cold enough to keep a person from wanting to sit in a deer stand for long, but there is no reason to complain yet.
If there is an up-side to hunting on these windy days it would certainly be that my clumsy actions while stomping through the woods are mostly masked by the noises created from the wind. The wind also helps dilute human odors from lingering too heavily in one spot, but so far this advantage has not helped me find any deer.
With winter approaching there have been fewer bear sightings as well as many of the smaller animals that hibernate. A skunk decided to take refuge under our back deck without knowing that our wiener dog, Maggie, who has been affectionately nicknamed “fat-chops” would not allow that to happen. Fat chops took a direct hit of skunk spray to the face while honorably protecting her family and scared the skunk away to find another home for the winter. Our fearless guardian is fine now (after multiple washings) but still carries a slight essence of skunk that she seems to wear with pride. She is the toughest little dog I know.
Many animals have tried to hibernate under our deck because it would be the perfect place to spend a long winter. The lines from our outside wood boiler run under the deck providing warmth and the soft sand is very easy to burrow in. Over the years we have seen skunks, mice, pine martens, and even an ermine all try to seek shelter in this spot, but their plans were quickly disrupted by the watchful eye of our guardian. The ermine was the wittiest of all the above mentioned critters, but he eventually grew tired of eluding the persistent wiener dog and moved away.
Now that the bears are asleep it is finally safe to start feeding the birds and already we have seen a number of rose breasted grosbeaks and whiskey jacks showing up for the suet. Last year we did not see any grosbeaks, but they have been visiting the feeders every morning now for the past few days. I don’t know why they do not appear every year, but I do know that I have to keep the shades drawn on all of our larger windows so they don’t fly into the glass and die. The birds are very entertaining and we have designed a new haven of small balsams and feeders on our deck for them to use. Now we just wait to see who shows up.
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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