We are approaching the never-ending month of gray, and the traffic on the Gunflint Trail has all but subsided. Things are very quiet and the only thing stirring is the wildlife. A lot of people are asking if any deer have been seen lately and I have to report that I have not seen any. Usually there is an abundance of deer loitering alongside the Gunflint this time of year, but I have only seen a few. No signs of early rutters and the reports have all been consistently bad.
There was a lone calf moose grazing by the South Brule this morning and a family of wolves is still visiting us every day, but no deer. This will surely disappoint the deer hunters, but I have a feeling that some will still end up on the dinner table.
There have been four wolves hanging around our property this week, three of them very young. They are accompanied by one adult, which I am assuming is their mother.
My wife was outside filling the boiler with firewood when I noticed her staring into the backyard. My curiosity led me to open the back door to hear a loud deep moaning coming from the near distance. It sounded like a moose and the painful sounds it was making could mean only one thing. I have not had a chance to hike around to look for the kill site yet and there have not been any obvious sign such as circling birds. I hope my assumptions are incorrect but it is hard to tell.
Wildlife has more right to kill than we do. Survival of the fittest is simply part of life and everything happens for a reason, but it is still very disheartening to witness the cruelty of nature.
The wolves have been very prevalent this summer and I wonder if this could be the reason for the lack of deer sightings. Every night this summer we listened to the majestic howls in the distance. They stalk the snowmobile trail that runs directly behind our property and the Loon Lake area is a very popular deer hunting area. I would like to shoot a deer this year but it is looking like I simply will not have the time. Maybe next year, when the house is all buttoned up.
Halloween was a lot of fun this year. We hosted a small dinner party and actually had a young trick-or-treater visit the house. Luckily my wife found a Hershey bar to give the young girl, the full size kind, so we figure she will definitely return next year. We will have to be better prepared in the future.
It was pretty exciting in a weird way, almost like it confirmed we have an actual house now. The poor girl looked mortified until the women at our dinner party showed their faces at the front door. Evidently I am a pretty scary looking guy, or maybe it was because I was carrying a half burned stick that I use to stoke the fire in the boiler. Either way we were pretty excited and I think she really appreciated the treat.
Windigo hosted the Trail’s
End Band,
which always means a good time, and many people were in costume. The gorilla was my favorite, but it only made a brief appearance. I suppose it was too “beverage inhibiting.”
Everyone had a great time and it was followed by a bittersweet victory on Sunday by the Vikings. Go Favre!
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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