Bagging the perfect Christmas goose is a time honored, decade’s long family tradition.  In this instance, the word “perfect” means a bird that is large, white skinned, hog fat and, just as importantly, is totally shot free. Delivering such a bird to the Holiday table is not without challenge.  Relentlessly hunted from subarctic breeding grounds all
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  Today was the last hurrah for Iowa's [north zone] 2013 duck season.  It was about as cold as a duck hunt can get.  Skies were clear and, depending on which station you li  stened to, sunrise temperatures ranged anywhere from 6 to 10 degrees with WNW winds gusting from 35 to 40 mph.  At Clear Lake, it was a
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The sound had an immediate and paralyzing effect.  A sound that could be fairly described as a roar, or perhaps a noise more akin to that of a huge and heavy canvas being rent in twain by some unseen force of nature.  As it turned out, the latter would be a more apt description with
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  A couple more steps, and I would have had this six-pointer inside the blind with me.  I'm experimenting with a new deer call.  I switched to a Primos last week, and have been having some really good responses from smaller bucks.  [I'd love try it out on some big bucks too, but can't seem to
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  Food For Thought --- A native of Joice, Iowa, Ben Anderson grew up hunting the woodlands and fields surrounding Worth County's Rice Lake.  Currently serving as a pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, Ben has lived in The South for more than a decade now.  Recently on vacation, Ben made a return visit to Northern Iowa last
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      Armistice Day Snowstorm – Nov. 11, 2013 It may not have been the storm of the century, but the Armistice Day snowstorm of 2013 will certainly do until a better one comes along.  The weather predictions for November 11 called for 25 mph NNW winds, steadily falling temperatures throughout the day, and a good chance of
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  For Iowa archery enthusiasts, November is a time like no other.  For the hunter, the season’s finest opportunities are at hand.  For white-tailed deer, the annual rut is gaining momentum.  Restless, edgy and itching for a scrap, mature bucks are on the prowl.   The same giant stags that have remained totally nocturnal, and therefore invisible,
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Mention the words ‘fall color’ and most people will immediately think of the red, orange, and yellow hues of an autumn woodland.  But there is another brand of fall color that, although a bit more difficult to observe, is no less spectacular in its brilliance.  But be forewarned.  If you wish to view this unique
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Familiar and seasonably abundant, the ink cap mushroom is hard to mistake for anything else.  Also known as the shaggy ink cap or shaggy mane, the ink caps are one of the very  last fungi to emerge each year.  In Northern Iowa, we've  had the season's first hard frosts during the past week.  In spite
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  The second segment of this year's Duck Season began Saturday, October 12.  It's something we always look forward to although during most years, the Second Duck Openers are nothing to brag about.  As a  rule,the season restart occurs during something of a void.  Early ducks have left the country and northern migrants have yet to arrive.  Unless you happen to
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One of the things I love most about the fascinating sport of waterfowl hunting is that once the decoys have been tossed out, you never know what “incidentals” the day may bring.  Each new sunrise seems to provide its own unique adventure.     This week, I was treated to the sight of some unusual feathered travelers when
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Yesterday's clear skies, cool temps and ripping NW winds put migratory birds on the move.  The airways over North Iowa were busy as everything from shorebirds to hawks to warblers made their way southward.  When the winds suddenly switched to the south, I hoped newly arriving geese would take a migration break and provide some
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