North Woods Hawk Trapping    Falconer’s Phone Call Launches Superior Adventure   The big female goshawk was growing weary. Drifting southward above the Ontario wilderness, the hawk had been on the wing for a long while. Although she had killed and eaten the better part of a snowshoe hare the day before, the energy gained from that
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  The annual fall migration of raptors -- eagles, hawks, falcons, and ospreys -- is one of Iowa’s most popular wildlife shows. Regardless of whether the habitats are grassland, forest, marsh, or open lake; there is no natural ecosystem that will not be visited by traveling birds of prey during the next several days. Humans have long
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  It Should Have Been A Slam Dunk But Hunting the Wild Goose Does not Always Go as Planned   Three o’clock in the morning and the anticipation was building. I was so wound up, in fact, that I literally couldn’t sleep; which is how I happened to know it was three a.m. The excitement had begun the day
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                        Iowa waterfowl hunters enjoyed overall good success during the the October 3rd kickoff to this year's regular duck season.  According to DNR Conservation Officers, hunters encountered good to excellent numbers of ducks statewide during Saturday's opener.  Although a scattering of other species were reported, the flight was clearly dominated by mallards, teal and wood ducks. 
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  When I was a kid, most of my grade school classmates had two favorite days -- Christmas and their birthdays. The reason was simple. That was when everyone got presents. I was different. My favorite day of the year occurred early each fall when, arriving home from school, I would discover the top half of my
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          No matter how many trips I make to the marsh, it seems there is always  something new to see.  No two days are alike.  Although this year's special teal season ended yesterday, there was no reason for not going to the cattails with my camera.  The place I chose was a shallow, quiet pothole that
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Iowa’s second installment in a series of three year, experimental Early Teal Seasons has concluded. Timed to coincide with peak migrations of blue-winged teal, the September hunt was reauthorized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2014. The season has been offered to Iowa waterfowlers as a 16-day free bonus and does not subtract
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  The fall bird migration is gaining momentum.  And although the annual travels of all bird species are fascinating, perhaps none is more intriguing, or more often overlooked, than the autumn migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds. Regardless of where you live in the state, this year's migration is currently at its peak.  After a somewhat lackluster performance
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  This year’s Special [Teal Only] Duck Season began Saturday, September 5. The second in a three year experiment, the early-16 day hunt is timed to coincide with the peak migration of blue-winged teal – one of the continent’s most abundant but least utilized waterfowl.   According to Iowa Conservation Officers and DNR Wildlife Biologists, hunters encountered good
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  This year’s Iowa dove opener is officially in the can. In spite of the fact that unseasonably cool weather during late August resulted in a substantial reduction in dove numbers across the state’s northern tiers of counties, more than enough birds remained to provide plenty of excitement. Farther south, the northern exodus may have bolstered
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CUSTER, SD--With symmetrically curved horns and sure footed agility, the Rocky Mountain bighorn is one of North America’s best known and most spectacular forms of wildlife. The closest populations of wild bighorns [to Iowa] exist among the higher elevations of South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest and in the nearby Badlands National Park. Attempting to
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  It’s late August. Right on schedule, this year’s crop of annual cicadas are making their above ground debut as the distinctive chorus of hopeful males is beginning to fill the sultry summer atmosphere. With volumes exceeding 100 decibels, the ear piercing trill is impossible to miss. Louder than most lawn mowers; the cicada’s song is
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