Procuring the perfect Christmas goose is an annual priority of my winter agenda. This year’s honored entree arrived during a cold and blustery afternoon when nearly two dozen hog fat Canada geese decided to investigate my decoys. With the beautiful Christmas goose plucked and on ice; there only remained a single uncompleted item on my
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A spectacular winter storm system is currently careening across the upper mid-west – including Clear Lake – today.  Snow is coming down in huge clumps of clean white flakes; 3 to 5 additional inches is expected.  This photo includes two of my favorite subjects – new snow & Canada geese.  I think this one comes
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  Notes on Goldeneyes – Shotguns – and Eagles For Iowa duck hunters, the appearance of migrating goldeneyes is a bittersweet moment. Although a prime goldeneye drake is regarded as a waterfowling trophy, the species’ arrival signals the beginning of the end. Make no mistake. Open water has been officially put on notice. Freeze-up is at hand.
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  By the second week of December, there remained little question that winter had arrived. In northern Iowa, marshlands were frozen solid. At Clear Lake [where I live] more than 3,600 acres of open water had been reduced to two small air holes. But although local weather conditions had turned frigid, the late season bird show was
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     Swift of wing and unique in profile, the regal canvasback is duck hunting‘s greatest treasure. No species is more thrilling to observe. No species is more thrilling to hunt. No species provides finer dining. It’s little wonder that the mighty ‘can has enjoyed a long term standing as the King of Ducks.                          Long Live The
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Winter bird feeding brings countless hours of pleasure to thousands of Iowans statewide. Observing our backyard visitors becomes even more interesting whenever a rare or unusual species makes a surprise appearance. The red-breasted nuthatch is a species currently filling that bill. A resident of northern and western mountain pine forests, the red-breasted nuthatch is an energetic,
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November is the month deer hunters live for. And for those who thrill to the sight of wide beamed heavy antlered bucks, November is the gateway to all things good. For Iowa’s 60,000 archery hunting enthusiasts, the time to be in the woods is now. The annual rut is swinging into overdrive and heavy tined
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The annual fall rut is picking up steam across the state and with mild weather and colorful fall foliage living on borrowed time, there’s no better time to begin hunting Iowa white-tails.  But although bow hunters will be seeing a good number of deer when they take to the early woodlands,  most will be reluctant
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  If I were to choose a single month as my favorite, I’d pick the month of October – hands down. Here’s some of what I like about October. Fall foliage is at its colorful peak, and the early autumn weather seems to agree with just about everyone. Generally speaking, October mornings are crisp and cool;
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  The October bird migration is one of the most interesting and exciting aspects of fall. Some migrations are hard to miss -- the noisy arrival of wild geese, the large soaring assemblages [kettles] of broad-winged hawks or turkey vultures, the sudden appearance of ducks and coots on local wetlands. Other aspects of the annual migration
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  It’s Been An Incredible Goose Season So Far But I Seriously Doubt That Any Future Hunts Will Be Able To Top The Canada geese presented a classic example of pure contentment. While some birds preened their feathers, others gossiped among themselves or quietly napped on one leg. To even a casual observer, it was more than a
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  Few wildlife events have created more excitement than the well-publicized invasion of wild mountain lions into Iowa. So much so, that the excitement has, at times, bordered on near hysteria. In reality, it isn’t likely that Iowa will ever harbor a viable population of free roaming cougars – even a small one. But it is probable,
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