Year ‘Round Deer Watching
White-tailed deer are fascinating creatures. Watching them is one of my favorite pastimes; not just during the fall and winter archery seasons, but all year ‘round. You never see it all. No matter how many hours you spend observing; there is always something to learn, something new to see. Late spring is an important time for Iowa deer. It’s when the fawns are born; the season when fall and winter losses are replenished. Most fawns are already on the ground, and indications...
read moreIowa’s Bird & Bunny Season Has Begun-Leave the Wildlife Babies Alone!
It’s that time of year again. Iowa’s Baby Bird & Bunny season is officially underway. For me, each new sighting of a recently hatched brood of Canada geese, spindly-legged fawn, or baby robin is cause for celebration – a vivid portrayal of the annual renewal of life. The sightings also serve as a visual reminder for me to fire off this column. Doesn’t take long to put this one together. Filed under the title — “Leave the Wildlife Babies Alone” — I’ve been blowing the dust...
read moreAlthough Prickly to the Touch Wild Gooseberry Provides Many Outdoor Benefits
The wild gooseberry is one of my favorite woodland plants. Although its thorny exterior can make the gooseberry a prickly customer, the shrub does have some redeeming qualities. During spring, its thick greenery becomes a protein rich pantry for insect eating warblers while, at the same time, provides safe nesting for many other songbird species. In summer, the gooseberry’s tart fruit is relished by songbirds and humans alike. Birds take them as they are; humans are prone to convert the fruit into gooseberry pie. Earlier this week, I...
read moreThe American Little Torch Is One Amazing Bird
Of all the warblers migrating through Iowa, the energetic American redstart is perhaps the easiest to identify. With its coal black head and back, burnt orange wing and tail patches, and white underbelly; an adult male is hard to mistake for anything else – although the orange and black plumage does occasionally lead people to mistake it for the more sluggish and much larger Baltimore oriole. Like most wood warblers, redstarts feed almost exclusively on insects. When compared to other species, they can only be described as...
read moreSpring Bird Migration is Reaching its Peak
Late May is a time that no Iowa birding enthusiast would care to miss. With thousands of northbound songbirds arriving at local woodlands daily, it is one the year’s premier outdoor events – the grand finale of the spring migration. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak The diversity is daunting. More than 200 bird species nest in or migrate through Iowa each spring. And while birds such as orioles, tanagers, buntings or grosbeaks may be hard to miss, others – such as the more than 30 visiting species of wood warblers – provide greater...
read moreMuzzleloader Turkey Hunt Goes Full Circle
It’s been several years since I’ve killed a wild turkey with a shotgun. When I first started pursuing the birds during the late 1970s, my weapon of choice was a muzzleloading Navy Arms 12-bore. Fitted with straight cylinder bore barrels, the scattergun’s range was restricted to around 20 yards; 15 was optimum. Not exactly what you’d describe as a turkey hunter’s Dream Gun. So why carry such an obsolete weapon? About the only answer I can come up with is that hunting with traditional black powder firearms is just plain fun. ...
read moreFog Bound Gobbler – What Could Possibly Could Go Wrong??
Forty degrees. Clear skies. Moderate breeze. Hard to imagine more perfect conditions for a morning turkey hunt. Things were already looking good. The stars were just beginning to fade when, from farther back in the oaks, a roosted gobbler began to go completely off his rocker. Deciding not to move any closer, I quickly popped up my archery blind at the edge of a narrow grassy clearing. Once set, I fired off a quick series of “test yelps”. The gobbler liked what he heard and answered back. From then on, every time I touched a...
read moreSunset Dancer Provides Unique Springtime Display
The performance begins at sunset. As the evening sky explodes into a dazzling array of color; a long-billed, oddly-shaped, quail-sized bird rises from the forest floor. Spiraling ever higher, the creature soon becomes a speck, hovering more than 300 hundred feet above its woodland home. With the flight now at its zenith, the bird suddenly folds its wings and begins a meteor-like descent; hurtling to earth in a breathtaking series of zigzaging maneuvers. Dropping through the treetops, the bird’s speed remains unchecked. An...
read moreWild Turkeys Provide A Lifelong Education
Blessed with extraordinary hearing, keen eyesight, and a profound ability to detect danger; the eastern wild turkey is America’s most challenging gamebird. The Long Beard’s instinct for survival is legendary. No other creature has been the subject of more hype, myth and folk lore than the elusive gobbler. In spite of major technological improvements to shotguns, ammunition, archery tackle and other turkey hunting equipment; the bird remains as difficult as ever to bring to bag. During an average year, only one in four Iowa hunters...
read moreSpring Turkeys – Nebraska Style
Turkey Season Kickoff: The great state of Nebraska is one my favorite destinations for pursuing wild turkeys. Nebraska’s early archery season begins in late March and for the past nine years, Dave Thomas and I have used the early days for our turkey season kickoff. Nebraska has some of the best turkey hunting in the nation. Over the years, Dave and I have enjoyed better than average success at bringing birds to bag. Nebraska’s rural roadways can be iffy during the best of years; with 2019’s late snow melt and widespread...
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