MADISON - National Pheasant Fest absorbed much of my time and energy this past week. And what a grand affair it was - 600 exhibits enjoyed by more than 20,000 people at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress' recently refurbished Wall of Fame attracted large numbers of sportsmen and women. Fellow Iowa County delegate Tony Grabski and I staffed the exhibit on Friday. Lafayette County reps Dave Breunig and Steve Staver helped hold down the fort on Saturday, while various other Congress delegates came in from around the state to flesh out the work schedule.
Kurt Thiede, DNR liaison to the Congress, shared set up duties on Thursday and again with tear down on Sunday afternoon. I met Kurt's father, a retired telephone lineman, who joined in the fun on Sunday.
Kids of all ages enjoyed our skull collection of Wisconsin mammals, historical photos and artifacts, and stuffed waterfowl, fish and deer. Whole families joined in the romp with the gaggle of dogs bouncing around the arena, breeds being promoted by various kennels, dog breeding associations or professional trainers, or simply visitors with the family pooch in tow.
I learned about dog breeds I had never before encountered, including the clumber spaniel. Low-keyed and easy-going, according to the experts, but good flushers and retrievers and great family pets. An exhibitor from Chequamagon Clumbers promises to come by the farm next time he's down this way for a demonstration of its hunting prowess.
Eldon McLaury and UW Dept. of Forest and Wildlife Ecology Professor Scott Craven stopped by late Sunday afternoon as the event was beginning to wind down.
McLaury's son, Randy, was a good friend of our Brian when the two attended Verona High School in the 80s. Sharing a likeness in appearance and demeanor to famed outdoor humor writer Patrick McManus, Eldon is a most pleasant fellow to engage in conversation.
I had gotten to know Professor Craven at a Wisconsin Coverts workshop at the Kemp Natural Resource Station near Woodruff a few years ago. He is an entertaining and highly knowledgeable lecturer and radio personality who brings a common sense approach to wildlife management and environmental protection.
Wildlife Ecology and the Ruffed Grouse Society will host the three-day event again in August, once at Kemp and another in the Chicago area. Call project coordinator Jamie Nack at (608) 265-8264 to learn more. She's friendly, helpful and guaranteed to offer a quick response for more information and an application.
I also met Gordon Krueger of New Glarus. He offers pheasant chicks for sale, distributing them to pheasant farms and hunting clubs. I make a note to contact him for a possible article in the future.
It is generally easy to make a connection with whoever wanders by. Sharing a love of the outdoors is a natural, of course, and often leads down other pathways. I notice Larry Liska of Fox Ridge Farm near Yuba, is wearing his old military dog tags around his neck. And where the hell is Yuba? It's a village of about 70 people north of Richland Center, I learn.
Liska is not only an outdoor enthusiast; like me, he's an Air Force veteran with a tale or two to share. He relates some facts about U2 reconnaissance activity during the height of the cold war when Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the former Soviet Union. His wasn't the only plane lost, Liska notes, and his reminiscences stir enthusiasm for more discussion.
Liska meets monthly for breakfast with a group of veterans at a restaurant in Janesville and asks me to join them. I will do that because, with advancing age, it seems relationships and associations become more important than material goods, the accumulation of wealth or obsessive fears about such threats as global warming and Chronic Wasting Disease.
In the midst of all the hoopla over Pheasant Fest, I nearly missed out on the opportunity to take part in the Whitetail Deer Classic in Hollandale. I stopped by Sunday for a quick review of the hundreds of shoulder mounts and antlers brought in for scoring by area hunters.
Organizers Joe Brunker and Bret Peterson report record numbers of visitors. My brother, Dick, was there from Sun Prairie, as well as many other acquaintances - each with a well-rehearsed story to tell of last year's deer hunt or dramatic recollections of other legendary experiences, well seasoned by time and a vivid imagination.
This is the stuff of a life well lived.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
The Wisconsin Conservation Congress' recently refurbished Wall of Fame attracted large numbers of sportsmen and women. Fellow Iowa County delegate Tony Grabski and I staffed the exhibit on Friday. Lafayette County reps Dave Breunig and Steve Staver helped hold down the fort on Saturday, while various other Congress delegates came in from around the state to flesh out the work schedule.
Kurt Thiede, DNR liaison to the Congress, shared set up duties on Thursday and again with tear down on Sunday afternoon. I met Kurt's father, a retired telephone lineman, who joined in the fun on Sunday.
Kids of all ages enjoyed our skull collection of Wisconsin mammals, historical photos and artifacts, and stuffed waterfowl, fish and deer. Whole families joined in the romp with the gaggle of dogs bouncing around the arena, breeds being promoted by various kennels, dog breeding associations or professional trainers, or simply visitors with the family pooch in tow.
I learned about dog breeds I had never before encountered, including the clumber spaniel. Low-keyed and easy-going, according to the experts, but good flushers and retrievers and great family pets. An exhibitor from Chequamagon Clumbers promises to come by the farm next time he's down this way for a demonstration of its hunting prowess.
Eldon McLaury and UW Dept. of Forest and Wildlife Ecology Professor Scott Craven stopped by late Sunday afternoon as the event was beginning to wind down.
McLaury's son, Randy, was a good friend of our Brian when the two attended Verona High School in the 80s. Sharing a likeness in appearance and demeanor to famed outdoor humor writer Patrick McManus, Eldon is a most pleasant fellow to engage in conversation.
I had gotten to know Professor Craven at a Wisconsin Coverts workshop at the Kemp Natural Resource Station near Woodruff a few years ago. He is an entertaining and highly knowledgeable lecturer and radio personality who brings a common sense approach to wildlife management and environmental protection.
Wildlife Ecology and the Ruffed Grouse Society will host the three-day event again in August, once at Kemp and another in the Chicago area. Call project coordinator Jamie Nack at (608) 265-8264 to learn more. She's friendly, helpful and guaranteed to offer a quick response for more information and an application.
I also met Gordon Krueger of New Glarus. He offers pheasant chicks for sale, distributing them to pheasant farms and hunting clubs. I make a note to contact him for a possible article in the future.
It is generally easy to make a connection with whoever wanders by. Sharing a love of the outdoors is a natural, of course, and often leads down other pathways. I notice Larry Liska of Fox Ridge Farm near Yuba, is wearing his old military dog tags around his neck. And where the hell is Yuba? It's a village of about 70 people north of Richland Center, I learn.
Liska is not only an outdoor enthusiast; like me, he's an Air Force veteran with a tale or two to share. He relates some facts about U2 reconnaissance activity during the height of the cold war when Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the former Soviet Union. His wasn't the only plane lost, Liska notes, and his reminiscences stir enthusiasm for more discussion.
Liska meets monthly for breakfast with a group of veterans at a restaurant in Janesville and asks me to join them. I will do that because, with advancing age, it seems relationships and associations become more important than material goods, the accumulation of wealth or obsessive fears about such threats as global warming and Chronic Wasting Disease.
In the midst of all the hoopla over Pheasant Fest, I nearly missed out on the opportunity to take part in the Whitetail Deer Classic in Hollandale. I stopped by Sunday for a quick review of the hundreds of shoulder mounts and antlers brought in for scoring by area hunters.
Organizers Joe Brunker and Bret Peterson report record numbers of visitors. My brother, Dick, was there from Sun Prairie, as well as many other acquaintances - each with a well-rehearsed story to tell of last year's deer hunt or dramatic recollections of other legendary experiences, well seasoned by time and a vivid imagination.
This is the stuff of a life well lived.
- Lee Fahrney is the Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
