Cast and Gasp in Lake of the Woods County

“It’s For the Birds,” typically refers to a less than favorable thing or situation. But not time! The highlight of a recent northern Minnesota fishing trip wasn’t about the big numbers of fish caught, instead it was all about witnessing the successful conservation efforts in Lake of the Woods County by watching the greatest show on earth.

I believe it was the country singer Randy Travis who first coined the phrase "digging up bones." This phrase has become an anthem to people all over the Midwest and Canada as "shed hunters" set out in their quest each year to the woods and fields at their chance to "dig up bones." By definition a bone is "any of the pieces of hard tissue forming the skeleton of most vertebrate animals". This definition also happens to include the hardware so proudly displayed on the heads of white tailed buck deer, as a sign of power, ability to survive, and dominance.

They’re back, and that’s good news for us bird hunters. It’s been awhile since grouse hunting enthusiasts have had much to be excited about but frankly; it’s time to get wound up a little. Grouse haven’t been around in enough numbers to make the sport fun, and when its good it’s as much fun as you can have. The bottom of their cycle has drug on for what has seemed to be an eternity but things have definitely turned around. Last season’s action provided an indication that the numbers have improved and made it a lot easier to load the dog in the kennel and make the drive to get to some good grouse habitat. It’s hard to get up the gumption to tromp through miles of woods knowing full well you have little chance of flushing a bird or two. But that was then and this is now. Now, you can head out and know you will see at least a few birds, and maybe quite a few more.

Aside from the ecologically blind or indifferent, it’s obvious to most that our nation must do a better job of protecting and restoring our natural resources.

The majority of our native grasslands are gone. More than 60 percent of our wetlands nationwide have been drained (In farm country, that number is as high as 90 percent in some states). Our forests -- public and private -- lack biodiversity and face numerous threats -- native and nonnative alike. And the water quality of our fisheries is being degraded at an alarming rate by risky agriculture, ill-advised energy exploration, urban sprawl and poorly planned residential and commercial development. As a result, fish and wildlife habitat is either being lost or altered.

In some states baiting whitetail deer is legal. In some states it’s not. But then in the states where baiting is not legal there is the food plot, which is basically a way to keep deer in the area without breaking the law. And then you have your deer feeders. These are people who spend a lot of money on corn and feed deer regularly to develop a pattern with them, and then in the prescribed time before the season starts they quit feeding the deer and turn them from pets into game animals.