Weather Affecting More Than Just Anglers

Yesterday I lamented about how the cold, wet weather affected the comfort of fishermen over the weekend for the Minnesota Fishing Opener.   But this cold, wet stretch of spring might be affecting more than just the state’s anglers.   In fact, untimely spring weather can have a ripple effect that touches many aspects of the outdoors that we all enjoy.

For instance, the spring morel mushroom hunters have had some real challenges this year mostly because of the cooler temps.   When it rains, followed by some nice warm days…these buggers can shoot out of the ground like nature’s version of corn popping in a popper.   But when the weather stays consistently cooler they will still emerge…but not in sufficient numbers to satisfy the hoards of “shroomers” looking for the proverbial mother lode.

Reports on the message board for the National Morel Mushroom Hunters Association are showing some mixed results for the upper Midwest.   Still, things can change quickly if the weather patterns improve during the next few days.

Of even more importance is to some of the upland bird populations (such as pheasant, grouse, and turkey) that nest on the ground.   Cold, wet weather can result in rather poor brood success which can be devastating.   Often times if a nest is flooded it will cause the birds to abandon their efforts and seek subsequent breeding opportunities elsewhere.   Eventually it reaches a point in the spring where if the re-nesting is not successful, no broods will be raised.   When this happens it’s obvious what this means – poorer success rates for hunters this fall.

Even when the young chicks have been hatched the first week or so of life can be crucial for chick development.   Miserable weather for us also means the young chicks are more susceptible to succumbing to the elements.   That’s why game managers pay close attention to the spring weather as an indicator for determining population levels for a species come fall.

Of course there are some elements of nature that appreciate the cooler, wetter weather.   One such element is certain plants such as grass that finds optimum growing conditions during wet and cool springs.   Gardeners, in fact, will find that onions, broccoli, cabbage and similar plants actually thrive in cold, wet weather.

It seems, however, sportsmen are not the only ones getting restless with the current weather trend.   This morning I heard someone interviewed on the radio who represents the travel industry and they stated people are booking trips to warmer and sunnier destinations much like they would be during the middle of winter.   It seems not only nature, but in fact, everyone is anxiously awaiting for spring to finally give way to some warmer trends.

Personally, I’m still holding out some hope to go morel mushroom hunting by this weekend.   The weather soothsayers are predicting temps finally in the 70s and what is the round yellow symbol being displayed on their charts – could it be the sun?   This time I sure hope they are accurate with their predictions.

© 2005 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.   No Reproduction without Prior Permission.