Deer Hunting 2012- Still Waiting

I finally saw a deer from one of my stands yesterday, which was day 11 for me.  Trail cam photos like this keep me going.  I know the bigger deer are out there, just not moving during the day.  The deer that I saw yesterday was a doe, and I waited for about an hour and a half after she came through hoping that the buck would follow, which it didn't.  I went in for lunch and on my walk back I came within 25 feet of a little fork.  As I was walking "my" trail, which is actually a game trail, I had just thought about how well I had been doing at sneaking in and that anything in the field near my stand probably wouldn't have heard me.  The next second, a loud "snap" from a stick that I didn't see, and I figured I put anything nearby on alert.  Just then, I looked up and saw a tiny forkhorn walking toward me, on the same trail, not 50 feet away.  I froze and waited to see how close it would get.  Since he had his head down and I saw him first, all that he know when he stopped 25 feet away and looked up at me was that there was something in his way, so he stepped off the trail.  He went around me on the downwind side, passing at about 20 feet to my left.  I waited for him to catch my scent, and when he did, he scurried back about 30 yards and stared back at me.  I stayed frozen and he slowly walked away.  Hopefully that deer will live to be the size of the one in this picture.  The first shot from my camera was fuzzy because he was moving, so I couldn't really see the rack.  Based on the wide body and thick neck in this photo, I'm thinking that this is a pretty good deer, hopefully I'll run into him this weekend or during muzzleloader season.

Deer Hunting 2012- Week One

Our opening day party consisted of me, my cousin Tom, his daughter Katrina, my dad, and my brother Tom.  

I've spent the better part of the past 6 days in the woods and I still haven't seen a deer from my stand.  A scrape that showed up by my primary stand several days ago has not been checked.  There hasn't been a single track on normally busy runway and I could count the shots I've heard since Monday on one hand.  I'm home today, Saturday looks cold, wet, and windy, Sunday doesn't look much better.  Looks like it will be another year of waiting for the rut to kick in and combine with better conditions late in the season.

Minnesota Deer Opener 2012

This is the first time that I've posted anything without a picture- unfortunately, the only one taken was of our hunting party without any deer, and that's only on my brother's camera for now.  Our party of five had only one opportunity in 2 full days of hunting.  Being a little more selective, a fork was given a pass on Sunday, the only deer seen while sitting on stands.  A few others were jumped while walking to/from stands or during drives.  It's been a slow start for most this year throughout St. Louis and Itasca Counties.  The weather was cloudy and mostly calm with a temperature of around 32-35 for daytime highs and not too cold at night.  A neighboring party did take a decent 8-pointer on Saturday, but it's been slow.  I'm not discouraged yet, still 13 days to go, and I'll be in the woods for most of them.

Pine Marten & Huge Rub

The pine marten (I think I'm sure this time) was out again during early October.  He was curious about what I was, but not very afraid, knowing that he was safe in this birch tree.

I like this picture because you can see how big his feet are.  Maybe he is the reason that there aren't any squirrels around this year?  It sure would be nice not to have the "squirrel alarm" going off every 5 minutes this year.

This was a live tree... I put my trail camera here for three weeks just after this rub was made, but the deer never came back.  I wish the camera could have taken a picture of the monster that did this damage, but I guess I can wait til next weekend to meet him- I think I'll know him when I see him.

Bow Season 2012

Katrina, my cousin Tom's daughter, took her first deer this week.  She was hunting alone and I was "on call".  I helped her track the deer- she took a 25 yard shot and it was right on the money.  The blood trail was easy to follow for the first 75 yards, but it took at least half an hour to finish the last 25 yards.  I've never hunted with a bow before and we both learned a lot from Katrina's friend Jim, who skinned out and broke down the deer, which is something that I've never done.  In our family, we've always taken the deer to a butcher for processing.  Jim made it look easy and gave great instructions, but I know that there's a learning curve.  My brother Tom also helped out today.

Minnesota Grouse Opener 2012

This was the result of our opening day grouse hunt near my brother's property on the North Shore.  My brother Tom and his vizsla Ruby were doing the hunting, I was carrying brush loppers, neither were used.  Our several mile walk was more of a deer scouting mission than a hunting mission, but I thought that we would have more than a tired dog to show for it.  I figure that we walked around 3 or 4 miles through some pretty good looking grouse habitat and we only flushed one bird.  The woods were still thick and Tom never even got a shot because of the foliage.  We never settled on a spot to hang the portable stand, so I never used the loppers.  It was still a productive day since I left a nice squiggly line on my GPS, marked a few way points for likely stand locations, and got some much needed exercise.

Walk in the Deer Woods- Where are the Grouse?

I went for a short walk to check the trail camera today and saw this little critter.  I think it must be a mink, but it kind of looks like an immature fisher.  When it saw me, it scurried up about 40 feet up a tree, which is where he was when this photo was taken. With the clear sky, this was the best picture that I could get.

Here's another photo of the mink.  I think that even an immature fisher would have had a bushier tail than this.

Somebody must have found this old grub ax laying around and decided to hang it from branch by the trail.  There's always something to see in the woods.  One thing that I didn't see was a ruffed grouse.

Blue Moon at Deer Camp

I admit that this is not a great photo, but I had to post it.  This is the blue moon, as seen over Lake Superior, near Beaver Bay on August 31, 2012, shortly after sunset.  My cousin and I went up to check the trail camera and got in the woods around 7:15.  From about 7:30 til 7:45 we were in a stare-down with an 8-point buck, a doe, and a fawn, all within between 25-40 yards of where we were standing near the trail cam.  Neither one of us wanted to get busted by a deer right near a stand, but that's what happened.  It sure was fun, and I doubt that they'll remember anything by November.  It was as dark in the woods as it could be with a full moon when I took this photo, which you would never guess by this photo.  Without a high end camera, and taking a photo directly into the only natural light that there was, I was happy with how this turned out.

This one is for my Dad- he sits in a chair in the open spot that's immediately to the left of the freshly shredded tree.  There's usually a lot of scraping activity below this spot, but hopefully this rub is extra motivation.  This photo was actually taken about 10 minutes before the "blue moon" photo was taken- this was also taken with a flash.  Because I knew the woods, and with a full moon and clear skies, it was easy to know where I was and where I needed to go.  What wasn't easy was trying to see where my feet were going without a flashlight or a trail.  For any "real" walk in the wood, I would normally bring a compass, headlamp, and matches/lighter.  This was a good reminder that any trip into the woods- even when you think that you know all of the variables, deserves some respect in regard to survival, planning, and communication.

Trail Camera Time

This shot was taken by my brother, Tom Pecharich, during a recent scouting mission in our deer woods.  There was a fork horn watching on in the background as this eager spike stomped his feet and made a display out of an ordinary encounter.  I finally got my trail camera out this week- hopefully the batteries won't die before I get there again!

From the Deer Stand

My brother, Tom Pecharich, took this photo of a white throated sparrow eating a Juneberry.  The photo was taken on August 11, which further proves my theory... Mayflies in June, June bugs in July, and June berries in August.  Tom also saw a few deer during his time in the stand.  Trail camera will be deployed asap!

BWCA Clothing Selection

The photo above shows some wise choices regarding wardrobe in canoe country... light colored tops and zip-off pants.  NEVER leave camp without long pants- flies or skeeters can get to you any time and anywhere, especially your ankles, if you're paddling in the bow of the canoe where there isn't a breeze near the ankles.  

Fabrics that breathe, dry quickly, and weight next to nothing are readily available for both pants and shirts.  A good pair of pants/shirt will run around $50 each at full-price, but look for deals close to half off if you can time it right.  Light colored clothes help to keep you cool because they don't absorb as much radiant heat from the sun and they also make it easier to see any ticks that may be looking for a free meal.  High-tech fabrics will breathe easy, dry quickly, and some even include built-in tick repellent that is good for up to 30 washes.

A Tale of Two Rivers- 2012/2011

The sun split the sky in a dramatic fashion during a recent Kawashiwi River trip.  Even when the fishing is slow, the scenery is worth the effort.

The Kawishiwi River water level was up by about 18" this July.  My canoe didn't notice the change. but the fish seemed to be on edge, and things seemed a bit "off" compared to prior years.  This year, we were here over a stable weather pattern, during a time that we've had success in the past.   This year, it was hot, humid, and miserable with bugs, which barely put a damper on our efforts.  My good friend Ole and I had two BW rookies along- his cousin Eric and friend Leif.  These guys are welcome back any time!  They were both strong on attitude and ability- what else could you ask for?

Ole's cousin Eric with a sweet small mouth.  The smallies were few and far between on this trip, which is odd for the place and time time that we existed, especially considering how hard we tried to find them.

Pagami Creek Fire Area BWCA 2012

During my first BWCA trip of 2012, I paddled the eastern edge of the Pagami Creek fire area.  The fire area was breathtaking, and this photo doesn't come close to doing justice.  This photo was taken on either Square Lake or Kawashachong Lake, just as you begin to observe the full impact of the fire on its eastern border.  The smell of smoke was still strong, even though the fire had subsided approximately 8 months prior.  Regardless of the politics that surround this particular fire, and how easily some have asserted that it could have been suppressed during the early stages, I decided to enjoy the changes for what they're worth...  With that said, I'm not an expert on fire, weather, forest ecology, or anything for else that played into the decisions that were made.  All that I know for sure is that I'm glad that nobody was injured during the fire and that it will be interesting to see how the forest changes going forward.

Another image of the Pagami Creek fire area near Square/Polly/Kawashachong Lakes.

BWCA Lake Trout Trip

After a couple of fruitless efforts to the same area, I finally tasted the success of BWCA lake trout fishing this year.  Trolling for these beautiful (and delicious) fish was a simple task.  During the last week of May, we trolled 20' or 30' running lures over water not much deeper than 30 feet.  On this particular lake, there appeared to be a dominant year class of fish, which were all in the 18"-20" range.  No complaints regarding the fish- great size for eating, and they put up a good fight.  I can't wait to hook into one of the larger fish that I know are lurking in this lake...maybe next year.

Lake trout four ways... need I say more?  The crowd favorite was a last minute surprise...Dijon mustard/lemon pepper blend.  They were all good!

BWCA Moose Encounter- Part Two

This is mama moose just before she entered the water to swim after her calf (previous post).  I believe that this is the same moose that almost ran over my uncle on a portage trail earlier in the day.  

Here's the story: I was paddling in the stern of the canoe. My Uncle Joe would get out first at every portage landing, help unload the canoe, take a pack, and go.  After that, I'd take my small pack and the canoe, following shortly after him.  On this particular portage, after dropping off the first of two loads, my uncle was about 25 yards ahead of me after the turn-around.  I had just dropped the canoe and pack, and was heading back for my second load, with Joe just ahead of me.  That's when I was Joe come running back toward me.  Just after he said "moose", I saw an adult moose chasing him down the trail.  We were both scared, the only difference was that he was being chased, and I only had about a second to stand and watch a moose chasing him, coming toward me, with no time to react.  After about a second or two (for me)- and considerably longer for Joe, the moose decided to dart off into the woods.  

Considering the apparent aggressive nature of the moose, with its chasing my uncle down the trail and the noises that followed, we assumed that it may have been separated from a calf.  I had time to look close at its head, and I didn't see any evidence of antler growth.  Not more than five hours later, we had the encounter depicted in my previous post, which occurred approximately one mile away (as the moose roams), from our first encounter.  Coincidence?  

BWCA Moose Encounter- Part One

Let me start by giving credit to my brother, Tom Pecharich, for taking these incredible photos of a cow moose rescuing her calf from the water (click on photos to see larger images). This photo shows the cow biting the ear of the calf, apparently trying to steer the calf back to shore.  Unfortunately, in the panic of the situation, the pair veered in two different directions before deciding to head for a point that was at least twice as far as the nearest landing.

The action started out just about 50 feet from where we were camped, on Malberg Lake.  I was fiddling with my fishing line, looking at a knot that I was tying, when I heard a loud splash near where I had beached the canoe.  When I looked up, at first I thought that I was looking at an adult deer.  I knew that everybody else had heard the splash, and I was the only one with a clear line of sight to the noise, so I immediately said "deer", just to calm any fears that it was something to worry about.  After a second or two, I realized that I was looking at a newborn moose, which are much lighter in color than an adult.

In this photo, it is evident that the cow is giving a piggy-back ride to the calf, which was struggling to stay afloat by this point.  Note that the back of the calf is almost perpendicular to the back of the cow, yet the wake created by each is moving in the same direction, which shows that they were each moving in the same direction.  On several occasions, the cow could be seen looking back at the calf, making sure that her efforts were paying off.

This is a photo of mama moose entering the water, just as she realized that her calf was in trouble.  What an impressive animal!  Thanks again to my brother, Tom Pecharich, for taking these photos- nice work!

BWCA 2012- An Ugly Start

Well, it's time to fish or cut bait, as far as my BWCA trip preparation goes.  I've still got some time, and this photo shows my progress today- the mission was basically to find items on my packing list.  Things have been busy lately, to say the least, so I haven't been my normal- and over-prepared self.  I went for a grab and go fishing opener and that went fine, but, with a longer BWCA trip, the grab and go option isn't on the table, especially when you're the menu planner and food buyer, although I wouldn't want it any other way.  I have a few new menu ideas this year and I can't wait to see how it works.  I like to eat well when I'm in the BWCA, and I usually bring a fair amount of food home with me.  About 20 years ago, after a trip where we resorted to eating boiled rock bass, I've learned that I'd rather bring a little extra than run short.

Roscoe, our basset hound, couldn't resist the excitement of getting ready for a Boundary Waters trip.  He made a rare trip into the garage tonight to see what was going on.  

Minnesota Fishing Opener 2012- A Foggy Start

Hey, is that an island off to the right?  It was a foggy start to the Minnesota open water season this year, and in more ways than one.  This photo was taken on our way from the shack out "the spot".  One quick walleye had us optimistic, but after a quick start, it was close to an hour until walleye # 2.  We were on the water by 5:30 and fished most of the day, with only one walleye per angler to show for our efforts.  We made it through plans A, B, C, D, E, F, and G by lunch time and ran through a few more letters after lunch, while also going back to give a few others a second chance.  Other than very slow fishing, the weather was great, and the company was better.

This is "The Shack".  My good friend Jason has hosted me more times than I can count.  No electricity except for a generator, no running water, but just about as comfortable as living can be.

Minnesota Fishing Opener 2012

Opener 2010- rented cabin/lake trout mission.

Fishing opener 2012 is near.  My great debate for the past several years has been whether to focus on walleye or lake trout.  I have very little lake trout experience, but I know that this is the time of year to target that species if you want results.  Lakers are generally shallower now, and theoretically easier to catch. As far as I'm concerned, with normally terrible weather on the opener, and the safe bet of a warm cabin, I normally opt for walleye on opening weekend- Thanks Jason!

BWCA Food Pack

My brother Tom started using this configuration for a food pack over 20 years ago- with this exact garbage can.  After more than 20 years, the garbage can has never failed to keep food dry, even when hanging in a rain storm, or lying in the bottom of a canoe.  The can is typically carried just as shown here- inside of a #4 Duluth Pack, with one or two cooler bags on top of it, and the camp tarp between the garbage can and the straps of the Duluth Pack, to provide padding.  With a #4 pack, there is still room for a lot more gear, other than what has been mentioned here.  It keeps the critters out too.

McQuade Harbor

It was a cool and windy day in Duluth today.  The sun was out and we decided to pack up the family and go for a little drive.  Our dog, Roscoe, was barking and whining worse than usual, so McQuade Harbor was as far as we made it.  I was hoping to at least make it to Russ Kendall's in Knife River so we could pick up some smoked fish, but no such luck.  There were some fishermen out at McQuade today...

A fisherman at McQuade with a pack basket and two fishing rods crossed in an X.   I didn't see anything caught in the short time that I was here today, but it was another good reminder that I need to get into this style of fishing.  How many people are lucky enough to live within walking distance to one of our Great Lakes?  Why haven't I tried this?  One of these days...

It's hard to tell, but Roscoe, our basset hound, was whining in his very loud and unique manner when this photo was taken.  This is his usual position on our road trips.  How can you get mad at a face like that?  What a good buddy!

A Rainy Day In The BWCA

It's Monday tomorrow, and I remember that I took this photo on a rainy Monday last May, while sitting under the tarp. Last year it was the wind that foiled my lake trout fishing plans. I'd gladly trade a paper plate cribbage board under a tarp on a rainy BWCA day for any Monday at work. I never did count how many holes I punched in this plate, and I'm not sure about how many I should have punched, put it passed the time, which was fine by me.

I've been thinking about my first BW trip of the season, which is coming up in May.  There's a good possibility of wet weather that comes with a spring season trip in northern Minnesota, but there's also a good chance that lake trout will be shallow.  With this years early ice-out and corresponding rise in water temps, who knows if "normal" fishing patterns will hold true?  All I know is that I'll be there to find out and that I'll be happy to there, either way.  Finding fish during a transitional period, or when fish aren't "where they're supposed to be" makes any success that much more gratifying.

Boundary Waters Human History

What do a wooden boat, a glass syrup bottle, and rusted 55-gallon barrel have in common?  They are all among the items that I've found in the BWCA.  If you will recall the dreaded video that must be watched each year prior to being issued your first permit of the season, it is actually illegal to remove these items, as they are considered part of the human history of the area.  Of course we remove modern-day garbage from the wilderness, but items of a certain vintage- somewhere around 1960 or earlier if I remember correctly, are to be left in place.  This may seem like a strange rule, but after encountering some of these items over the years, I guess that I agree with it. 

This boat had some markings that were barely legible, the only thing I remember for sure was part of the word "resort".  There were no metal tags with occupancy ratings or hull identification numbers on old boats like this.

 This was a can of "Up Town Malt Liquor".  It's interesting to see how long these items survive and they serve as a good reminder as to why we should all follow the "leave no trace" wilderness ethic.

This piece of metal was located in a camp site on Fourtown Lake and looked like a rail, but maybe it was used for some other purpose.  I assume that it had to do with logging, but maybe it was for something different entirely. 

The print on this vintage Seven-up bottle was in amazing condition.  No high-fructose corn syrup in this bottle!  Several other cans and bottles can be seen in the background.  Based on the amount of garbage here, it was pretty a pretty safe bet that the fishing must be good in the area- and it was.

The Accidental Shed Hunter

Here is my brother Tom (T1) with half of a 10-pointer and a set of lower jaws.  Last weekend, T1, my cousin Tom (T2), and his daughter Katrina were out in the deer woods doing some scouting for next season.  The group was walking through the woods when T1 said that the area looked like a good spot to find a shed.  After a few steps off of the trail, T1 found this dandy shed, leaving T2 and Katrina to wonder if he was either lucky, a skilled shed hunter, clairvoyant, or if he had made a "plant" before their trip.  Well, I can assure you, based on experience, that T1 is not clairvoyant/psychic, or anything of that nature.  He has found two sheds without really looking for them, while I have only found one (moose) shed after spending at least 50 hours shed hunting. 

The shed, as it was found, which shows that you cannot assume that a shed will be found only where a snag will pull it off, or where it will be jarred off by a deer jumping over an obstruction, or any other place where you are supposed to find a deer shed.

Here is the site of a wolf kill, located just about 30 yards behind where my Dad sits during rifle season.  The jaws from the first photo were found here.

Sunday Drive to Brimson and Beyond

Last weekend seemed like a great time to take a Sunday drive. My brother-in-law Ryan was up from the cities and we were both looking for a good excuse to get outside. With the lakes in limbo around here, and the woods still wet from rain, we opted for a little Sunday drive- well, actually a Saturday drive. This rabbit thought that he was a little more camouflaged than he was, but I can't really blame him, considering there should still be snow on the ground. After Ryan took a few photos through the brush, I decided to push my luck and went in a ways, finally taking this shot from about 15 feet away.

I couldn't resist putting in this photo of another rabbit that Ryan spotted.  They were sticking out like sore thumbs!  We saw five on one short stretch of road.  This one was hanging on to a little bit more of his winter coloring than the first one that we saw.  Great photo Ryan!

The eagle's nest at the Indian Lake boat landing was occupied.  There seemed to be only one eagle so far.  I'm not sure when eagle eggs usually hatch, but I heard a news story this morning that said eagle chicks had just hatched somewhere in Iowa.  I know that there was a nesting pair in this nest last spring, maybe during this visit the other one was sitting tight on the nest while we were there and never raised its head.

One more eagle picture for good measure.  What a majestic animal- and to think that the national bird was almost the turkey!

BWCA Trip Planning 2012

This photo, of me tending a fire on Fourtown Lake, was taken on a cool September night when mother nature was cooperating- light breeze, very few mosquitos, and enough moisture throughout the summer that there was not a fire ban.

Well, I recently started a new job, and today I noticed a reproduction of a portage marker sign in a co-workers office.  The sign was a great conversation piece and it also got my imagination going regarding the coming paddling and fishing seasons.  Will there be a BWCA fire ban in 2012?  Will water levels be so low that some river travel is difficult?  Will the water temperatures warming earlier push lake trout out deeper than normal in early May?  Part of what makes a BW trip so mentally refreshing for me is that no matter how much you plan, or how much you think that you are in control of your trip, mother nature always has the final word.

This photo was taken on Lac LaCroix around the Fourth of July, 2009, on a day when mother nature had dealt us a royal flush.  Two years later, I found myself wind-bound on the shores of the same lake, looking across at the same camp site, with no way to get there.  We had paddled from Iron Lake and made the portage, then the wind picked up to over 40 mph sustained.  I would estimate the wave height at 6 to 8 feet- we were on the east shore, and the wind was barreling down the big lake from the west.  After one brief attempt, which ranks in my top 3 most frightening canoe experiences, it was back to the portage landing, which was in a protected bay.  We sat and watched the lake for at least 10 hours before we could finally paddle just before dusk.  We made the paddle to this 5-star site and by the time we got there, the lake was glass, just like in this photo.

Spring Fever

Spring is in the air today and I started thinking about some of wildlife that I've encountered in the past.  In recent years, I've started keeping my camera accessible as much as possible when I'm outdoors.  I've got to give my brother Tom credit for snapping this photo of a ruffed grouse a couple of years ago.  We were both snapping photos, but Tom had the best vantage point and captured this photo.

Snapping turtles can provide great photo ops.  This turtle has probably been photographed by hundreds of BWCA visitors during his life, which has likely spanned several decades.  I'm sure that he's eaten his share of walleyes from unattended stringers during those years.

During an early June trip last year, I was on a large island on Crooked Lake when I heard something rustling around in the woods just behind camp.  To my surprise, I saw a hen mallard rambling through the woods, which had just come off of this nest.  The nest was several feet above water level and approximately 50 feet back in the woods.  The eggs looked like they could have come out of an egg carton.