This Is What Deer Hunting Is All About…

Actually, this is what all types of hunting should be about. Get. Kids. Into. The. Outdoors! Seriously, youth need to learn how spending time hunting and being outdoors can be a very natural activity in their development. Unfortunately, far too often in today’s world it doesn’t happen that way for many different reasons (or should I say…in some cases, excuses).

“GIRL POWER” During The Minnesota 2018 Deer Hunting Opener.

Not in our deer camp. Nope. We embrace the notion of exposing kids to the outdoors. And yes, often it’s at the expense of adults being successful bagging a deer…but we don’t care. When you take a kid deer hunting the adult is achieving something much more important.

Indeed, the child is learning how it’s okay to step away from the computer…the iPad…or the smartphone. It’s okay to get off the couch and occasionally experience wet toes or cold fingers for several hours each fall. Moreover, for many kids it’s perfectly fine for them to understand shopping for their food from a hunting blind rather than a grocery store aisle. Kids need wholesome experiences during their maturing years and the deer woods certainly provides that incredible learning opportunity.

This past weekend (and again this coming weekend) we welcomed kids to join us during our organized deer hunt. Six adults were hunting in our woods…and so were 4 kids all under the age of 12 years. Not only that…each of the children shared something else quite special—it was “girl power” time. Yes, it just so happened there were 4 girls the first weekend and possibly there will be 5 tagging along this coming weekend. How cool is that? Seriously, it’s one thing to have the youth out hunting…but it’s even better when you teach young women just how much fun it can be hunting with their dads.

Elsie Taking A Break From The Boredom To Do Some Reading.

Actually, my 10-year old daughter, Elsie, has now been hunting with me since the ripe old age of 4 years old. Last weekend for the opener I think it was safe to say she was even more excited about hunting than her dear Ol’ Pops. I say this because even though we had to rise from bed early for opening morning…she informed me how she had experienced a very sleepless night waking 5 times due to the excitement of what was to soon occur the next morning.

And that’s wonderful. It’s important to harness that excitement from an early age and then find ways to turn it into fond, lasting memories. At this point, Elsie can’t remember spending early Novembers doing anything other than deer hunting. She was too young to remember the days when deer hunting meant staying home with mom waiting for dad to return with stories from the woods. Now, she’s out living the stories and developing the vivid images of what she experiences in her own mind.

Honestly, whether you duck hunt, pheasant hunt, fish, or whatever you do in the outdoors it’s so important to involve your kids. Don’t have a kid…borrow one from a sibling or even a trusting neighbor. It truly is that important to expose all youth to the outdoors at an early age if they’re to develop a life-long appreciation for living a life as a sportsman.

When I look at so many other hunters and fishermen I see their reasons for not taking youth along to be rather selfish. Oh, sure, quiet time in the blind or tree stand is probably not going to happen. You bet…you can count on kids to move or make a noise when it’s least opportune. And, of course, they will cough or sneeze without ever even trying to suppress such bodily actions…but they’re learning.

With Elsie, I’ve discovered that if we’re going to sit in a blind for 5+ hours we need to seek creative ways to fight boredom. I often encourage her to bring a book so she can read. In fact, that book reading was rather challenging last weekend in the rain. Oh, we were in a blind offering some protection…but with windows open there was constantly water spraying as it hit the screen windows. You can bet dad, as well as Elsie, kept a watchful eye on the school library book to make sure nothing was damaged.

Smiles In The Deer Stand Is Always A Good Sign.

But there are other ways to fight boredom. Play guessing games…quietly sing songs by changing the lyrics to use the word “deer” and mention things found in the woods…heck, occasionally we even watch and look for deer or other wildlife movements.

Certainly for me when (or if) the day ever comes to go hunting without my little partner it’ll be a sad day, indeed. We do some of our best bonding while together in the woods sharing various outdoors experiences. Every once in a while I get to teach her something about the outdoors to better help her develop into an outdoors savvy person. Then, every once in a while, she reminds me just how wonderful it still is to view the natural world through young eyes willing to appreciate even the simplest of things nature has to offer.

This Video Camera Looks A Bit Fishy

Okay, I get it. Technology continues to invade almost every space of our lives…including those endeavors once meant to be relaxing and contemplative. Yet, this fishing lure I seen advertised the other day really takes the cake…errr, I mean video.

Yup, imagine trolling or casting with a $240 fishing lure hoping to catch the big lunker, but wait…when you do you’ll have a video for social media worthy to go viral. That’s right, the latest new fishing gadget is a video camera offering 720p video quality built directly into the fishing lure. Theoretically you will be able to see the fish bearing down on the lure until the moment of truth when the world goes dark with a fish on hook. What could possibly be more exciting than having that happen?

But wait. What if you’re like me being more apt to snag the lure on a submerged log or rock and subsequently lose it. Have you ever seen a grown man cry while fishing? If I lost a fishing lure that expensive I would be inclined to jump into the lake and dive for it…and to make matters worse I DON’T EVEN SWIM!

Truthfully, I would love to see some video samples from this new fishing lure. In a world where most cameras promote image stabilization how could a fishing lure that wobbles and zigs/zags through the water to entice a fish to strike produce any sort of video quality that would not incite at least some level of nausea from the viewer? Alas, maybe I’m looking at this all wrong.

Indeed, maybe the real value in using this camera is for the fisherman to do a self-critique of his/her fishing style. Maybe the video will show how the angler is too quick to set the hook. Maybe the video will show some fault in the quickness of the retrieve. Who knows. What I do wonder is how many of these lure cameras will show up in the tackle box of legitimate anglers. After all, it’s no secret how more fishing lures actually catch shoppers in the store rather than ever catch fish while used on the Lake.

In the end, who am I to say if a person wants to dump several hundy into a single fishing lure they shouldn’t be able to do that. We all spend our time in the outdoors having fun in what ever manner is necessary to achieve satisfaction. So, if you feel inclined to purchase the Eco-Net Eco-Popper Video Fishing Lure you can find it HERE. As for me, nope…such a product will likely never find its way into my boat. Somehow, I happen to think the biggest fish this lure will ever catch is the sucker who opens his/her billfold/purse to purchase it.

Why Some Minnesota Farmers May Not Let You Hunt Their Land

It all started as a great idea proposed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton as an effort to improve water quality.  I’m talking about the Minnesota Buffer Law which establishes new requirements for perennial vegetation buffers of up to 50 feet along lakes, rivers, and streams and buffers of 16.5 feet along ditches.  And while I am somewhat torn by the real value of this new land use requirement, as I have previously written…I see both sides of the issue as a landowner and as a sportsman.

Now, when Governor Dayton announced his new legacy project to a bunch of sportsmen at the 2015 DNR Roundtable meetings there was lots of excitement from the conservation community.  On the other hand, many landowners felt the proposal (and subsequent law) went too far in dictating how a landowner must use their land.

Well, at this point I’m not going to debate the issue.   Rather, I’m just here to say there are lots of farmers and landowners who are fed up with the bureaucracy involved and it only seems to be getting worse.

Indeed, a farmer who doesn’t have the required 50-foot vegetative buffer can suffer some consequences if they are out of compliance after November 1st.  In most cases these will be fines levied against the non-complaint landowner.   In some instances, however, a farmer could be facing criminal prosecution.  That’s right, criminal prosecution as is the case in Traverse County, Minnesota and likely other counties.

Now, you can imagine that doesn’t sit well with many in the agriculture community.  Of course, if you are a landowner with no rivers or public ditches, then the issue doesn’t really matter to that particular farmer.  On the other hand, many other farmers feel the government telling them how to conduct their livelihood on land they own or operate is an invasion on their rights.

Then comes along the sportsman who this fall might want to scare up a pheasant or two.  Quite honestly, I think many farmers look at the sportsman as being the rallying point for this new conservation mandate.  After all, the vast majority of sportsmen are not landowners and really have little to lose, and perhaps some to gain with more hunting opportunities thanks to buffers.

So, this fall some sportsmen may now be seeing this sign posted on the perimeter of potential hunting grounds:

What do you think, sportsmen?  It’s hard enough to get permission to traipse on private property doing our hunting thing.  Is an agitated gatekeeper to such lands the best way to do this?  How has this issue become a mutually beneficial relationship for both sportsmen and landowners?

I want to hear your thoughts.  Okay, I get all the arguments for improving the environment, etc.  But really sportsmen…is a proposal you were cheering almost three years ago going to pay recreational dividends when one of the parties of this relationship feels lots of angst because of the buffer measure?  When the gatekeeper isn’t happy this is not a good thing, in my honest opinion.