Cold and snowy, mid-winter is a time simply to survive for many Wisconsinites. However, I can't help but feel good about all the fun and exciting things going on right now.
I sat across from world champion turkey call maker Gene Upward at the annual Argyle Rod & Gun Club banquet Tuesday night at Lelle's in Woodford. Despite the howling winds and swirling snow, close to 600 people crammed into Lelle's in Woodford to celebrate our outdoor heritage.
Gene always donates a turkey call for auction at the event. Bidding was fierce for this year's model, a beautifully crafted piece made from the finest walnut, maple, poplar, cedar, yellow heart and blood wood.
A hand painted turkey by artist Ritch Miller of Monroe added a touch of majesty to the beautiful combination of six different domestic and exotic woods included in the work of art.
After battling several competitors for the trophy, Jim Zuber and his daughter, Paula, took home the prize. With similar exhibits running into the thousands of dollars on the national level, the piece was a steal at $900.
I stumbled onto a distant relative at the fisheree in Monticello Sunday. It turns out, Catrina Emberson comes from that branch of the family that (we claim) can't spell, i.e., all my Dad's first cousins spelled their names with an "i" at the end.
It's a well-rehearsed argument, repeated time and again through the years - usually, but perhaps not always, ending in a good laugh as we settle on wholehearted agreement that the other side has it wrong. How it happened probably had something to do with the person who documented the two families' arrival at Ellis Island back in the late 1800's.
The other connection we discovered is that Catrina is married to a grandson of Helen and Marvin Emberson who lived next to us in the Saw Mill area east of Blanchardville in the late 40's.
Both Helen and son Robert, or Bobby as we referred to him in those days, passed away not too long ago. The Embersons eventually bought our farm after we moved to "the big place" west of town. I had the privilege of serving on the American Legion honor guard at the graveside services for Robert who, at the time of his death, was living in the house where I was born.
I attended the Lobby Day sponsored by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters on Wednesday. Close to 500 citizens showed up to voice their opinions about a number of important conservation issues, including Great Lakes water protection, climate change and hunting rights.
We need to keep track of our representatives voting records at both the state and national levels and let them know our thoughts, both when we approve or disapprove. Sportsmen and women need to make sure they've got it right when they enter the voting booth.
Following the presidential elections has been a hoot. McCain took Florida, but will have his hands full on Super Tuesday as Mitt Romney looks to throw a lot of money around.
Meanwhile, the Democratic sideshow of mudslinging draws a chuckle now and then. Obama continually bobs and weaves to avoid the muck. As for the Clintons, it appears the more mud they sling, the more it splashes back on them.
Greg Holloway, an old acquaintance from our days in Wichita, Kan., called us out of the blue recently, saying he was in Madison on business and wanted to stop out. A hunter and trapper currently residing in Minnesota, he offered some insights into outdoor trends there.
Minnesota has a substantial wolf population and, like feral cats, wolves have been delisted there. His state is also concerned about Chronic Wasting Disease after the discovery of several positives on two captive elk farms.
Perhaps the highlight of my week was a conversation with Kevin Edwardson of Milton, who claims an apparently bona fide sighting of a cougar. He followed the tracks of one into an old barn, only to have it lunge at him from a darkened corner of the barn, turn broadside and charge out through a small hole in the building.
Edwardson laughs about it now, but admits to being more than a little scared at the time. A veteran trapper, he's an expert at identifying tracks and thought it was a cougar from the get-go.
"I was almost positive, but still had some doubts," he said. After the close encounter, those doubts vanished as quickly as the cougar disappeared in the direction of the Lima Marsh Wildlife Area.
DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor Doug Fendry is leaning toward the same conclusion, but is waiting for the results of DNA analysis before making any assertions. The discovery of small patches of blood in the snow, perhaps from a minor cut to a paw, should help provide conclusive evidence of the animal's identity and perhaps where it came from.
"We've been told by cougar specialists that the tracks are consistent with a cougar," Fendry said. "I've been getting other reports, but no additional tracks," he added.
Fendry has done extensive analysis of the tracks to include a number of photos. He notes a heel pad of 43 mm, three even lobes on a rear print, a paw length of three inches and a 12-foot running stride, of all of which are in the range for an adult cougar.
Confirmed sightings of cougars in Wisconsin are rare, normally the result of a captive animal getting loose. Fendry has directed conservation wardens to check with people having permits for big cats to see if any are missing and has asked Illinois DNR staff to look into the matter.
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net
I sat across from world champion turkey call maker Gene Upward at the annual Argyle Rod & Gun Club banquet Tuesday night at Lelle's in Woodford. Despite the howling winds and swirling snow, close to 600 people crammed into Lelle's in Woodford to celebrate our outdoor heritage.
Gene always donates a turkey call for auction at the event. Bidding was fierce for this year's model, a beautifully crafted piece made from the finest walnut, maple, poplar, cedar, yellow heart and blood wood.
A hand painted turkey by artist Ritch Miller of Monroe added a touch of majesty to the beautiful combination of six different domestic and exotic woods included in the work of art.
After battling several competitors for the trophy, Jim Zuber and his daughter, Paula, took home the prize. With similar exhibits running into the thousands of dollars on the national level, the piece was a steal at $900.
I stumbled onto a distant relative at the fisheree in Monticello Sunday. It turns out, Catrina Emberson comes from that branch of the family that (we claim) can't spell, i.e., all my Dad's first cousins spelled their names with an "i" at the end.
It's a well-rehearsed argument, repeated time and again through the years - usually, but perhaps not always, ending in a good laugh as we settle on wholehearted agreement that the other side has it wrong. How it happened probably had something to do with the person who documented the two families' arrival at Ellis Island back in the late 1800's.
The other connection we discovered is that Catrina is married to a grandson of Helen and Marvin Emberson who lived next to us in the Saw Mill area east of Blanchardville in the late 40's.
Both Helen and son Robert, or Bobby as we referred to him in those days, passed away not too long ago. The Embersons eventually bought our farm after we moved to "the big place" west of town. I had the privilege of serving on the American Legion honor guard at the graveside services for Robert who, at the time of his death, was living in the house where I was born.
I attended the Lobby Day sponsored by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters on Wednesday. Close to 500 citizens showed up to voice their opinions about a number of important conservation issues, including Great Lakes water protection, climate change and hunting rights.
We need to keep track of our representatives voting records at both the state and national levels and let them know our thoughts, both when we approve or disapprove. Sportsmen and women need to make sure they've got it right when they enter the voting booth.
Following the presidential elections has been a hoot. McCain took Florida, but will have his hands full on Super Tuesday as Mitt Romney looks to throw a lot of money around.
Meanwhile, the Democratic sideshow of mudslinging draws a chuckle now and then. Obama continually bobs and weaves to avoid the muck. As for the Clintons, it appears the more mud they sling, the more it splashes back on them.
Greg Holloway, an old acquaintance from our days in Wichita, Kan., called us out of the blue recently, saying he was in Madison on business and wanted to stop out. A hunter and trapper currently residing in Minnesota, he offered some insights into outdoor trends there.
Minnesota has a substantial wolf population and, like feral cats, wolves have been delisted there. His state is also concerned about Chronic Wasting Disease after the discovery of several positives on two captive elk farms.
Perhaps the highlight of my week was a conversation with Kevin Edwardson of Milton, who claims an apparently bona fide sighting of a cougar. He followed the tracks of one into an old barn, only to have it lunge at him from a darkened corner of the barn, turn broadside and charge out through a small hole in the building.
Edwardson laughs about it now, but admits to being more than a little scared at the time. A veteran trapper, he's an expert at identifying tracks and thought it was a cougar from the get-go.
"I was almost positive, but still had some doubts," he said. After the close encounter, those doubts vanished as quickly as the cougar disappeared in the direction of the Lima Marsh Wildlife Area.
DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor Doug Fendry is leaning toward the same conclusion, but is waiting for the results of DNA analysis before making any assertions. The discovery of small patches of blood in the snow, perhaps from a minor cut to a paw, should help provide conclusive evidence of the animal's identity and perhaps where it came from.
"We've been told by cougar specialists that the tracks are consistent with a cougar," Fendry said. "I've been getting other reports, but no additional tracks," he added.
Fendry has done extensive analysis of the tracks to include a number of photos. He notes a heel pad of 43 mm, three even lobes on a rear print, a paw length of three inches and a 12-foot running stride, of all of which are in the range for an adult cougar.
Confirmed sightings of cougars in Wisconsin are rare, normally the result of a captive animal getting loose. Fendry has directed conservation wardens to check with people having permits for big cats to see if any are missing and has asked Illinois DNR staff to look into the matter.
- Lee Fahrney can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net
