WINTER'S THREE W'S

A really don't like winter.  Or more accurately, I really don't like brutally cold, snowy winters.  I'm perfectly content hunting ducks and geese in a sweatshirt and if that's the case there's a good chance my favorite fishing holes are staying open, too.   My apologies to die-hard ice fisherman but I like my chances better on the front of my boat versus staring at an 8-inch ice hole.  This winter has been a good one for my three favorite words that begin with "W"  and that's wipers, whites and walleye.

Each of these fish species can be caught on a number of reservoirs right now and the action can get hot and heavy.  Huge numbers of fish, along with some big ones, aren't uncommon if you catch the right day without a howling wind.  Even freezing temperatures of 32 degrees are tolerable if you dress for the occasion and winds are light. 

Most fish can be found in or around brush, on river channel breaks or other changes in bottom contours like points, jetties or near standing timber.  The best news is once you find one there's a good chance it's not alone. 

I like casting or fishing vertical with a 7-foot medium-light action spinning rod.  Favorite lures include any number of 3-5-inch swim baits on 1/4-ounce jig heads and spoons.  Contact with the bottom on retrieves or jigging is crucial as many schools will stack up and cover it in 15-30 feet of water.

Just a couple words of warning for this time of year.  The water temperature is in the mid-30's right now and a slight misstep can prove deadly in minutes.  If possible, don't fish alone.  It's a good idea to wear a lifejacket.  If your boat doesn't have a ladder, tie a rope with a loop on the bottom to a cleat that you could reach from the outside to aid in getting back into the boat.  As a last resort you can stand on the motor and raise yourself up with the tilt button on the side of most newer motors.  Be careful about footing around icy ramps and rocks.  A little caution will go a long way to having a safe and enjoyable outing. 

Good luck!
        

CAT SCRATCH FEVER

My kids and I have been trapping for a few years now.  We target raccoons, mostly, but have been branching out to gain more experience with other species of furbearers.  On the list from the start has been our goal to catch a bobcat.  I've put out a trap or two specifically targeting cats but up 'til recently have come up empty. 

So with a little time over the holidays my kids accompanied me on another journey.  We put out 19 traps and all but a couple were geared primarily at raccoons.  We caught raccoons, possums and skunks, although our totals were a bit disappointing based on past history in the same place during similar conditions.

But New Year's Day brought a big surprise when I went to check traps.  My boys had friends spend the night and I couldn't haul all of them on my ATV.  So my 19-year-old daughter, Ashley, who was home from her first year of college gladly accepted the invite.  She's always game for keeping me company on many outdoor adventures and we headed out. 

Midway through our check we found a skunk in one of our traps.  We neared the end and I feared we wouldn't have anything else.  However, when I rounded the corner of the creek to check the last trap I was surprised at what I didn't see.

The large tree branch that had my trap attached to it was gone.  Drags like this are commonly used as anchors and I didn't look far and there was my trap...with my first bobcat in it!

Ashley was as excited as I was with our first cat.  Although numerous and common (Kansas tagged more than 4,800 cats last season, the seventh highest total ever) these animals aren't routinely caught by most trappers.  I was fortunate and lucky to get one and learned that only 22 cats had been caught in Harvey County last year.  The 25 pound tom was a healthy looking specimen with beautiful fur. 

Ashley called home and told her brothers of our success.  They met us at the truck when we pulled into the driveway and wanted all the details.  They had to check out the cat and kept saying they wished they had been along, too.  I did, too, but it was nice to share the outdoor experience with my daughter as well.     

BIRTHDAY FISHING FUN

I celebrated my 47th birthday last Friday.  Normally, I'm in a duck blind or enjoying the day in some sort of outdoor setting.  I've had some wonderful and memorable outings on this day over the years and I'm always looking to make more. 

It had been a mild week and fishing had been good so my daughter, Ashley, who was home from her first year at college said she'd TAKE ME fishing for my birthday.  I've missed her over the last few months and remind her of that with a text every time I hear Trace Adkin's song "She Thinks We're Just Fishing."

"Oh, are we going to take YOUR boat?" I joked.

After three days of beautiful, mostly windless weather Friday's start was different.  The forecast called for big winds which don't bode well for holding a jig steady in a brush pile waiting on a crappie bite.  Plus, it was going to be cold with the wind chill.  I pushed back our departure time to about noon hoping the weatherman was correct and the wind would subside towards sunset. 

Ashley, a buddy and I arrived at the ramp and the wind was blowing 21 gusting to 32 mph.  Ouch.  Not many places to go to avoid it so we stayed in the cove for a while and tried our luck somewhat out of the wind.  Nothing.  An hour or so later the wind calmed down a little and we headed out to the main lake where the action had been good.  But my boat was still bouncing 2-3 feet with each wave making it difficult to stay on a spot.  Ashley caught the first crappie but her feat has an asterisk as she thought she had a stick.  The wind died a little more and I was able to control the boat.  But the fish weren't there this day and we only had a handful to show for our efforts. 

I struck out for greener pastures a little after 4 p.m. and found another likely looking spot.  It wasn't long and I quickly realized I wished we'd abandoned the original game plan much sooner.  The action was steady and all three of us were catching fish, mostly crappie but an occasional white bass or two.  A blue and chartreuse plastic tube on a 1/8-ounce jig head was producing well for me and Ashley and my buddy was catching them on black and pink.  I commented aloud how nice the weather was now and said it was "balmy."

"Seriously, Dad?" Ashley quipped just a little frosty after several hours despite being bundled up like a camouflaged Michelin Man. 

But she never whimpered and we fished until dark.  In an hour's time we'd caught about 40 crappie.  Our biggest fish were 12 1/2 to 13 inches and most were just nice fish that make perfect fillets.  They'd look remarkable sizzling in hot grease.  It was truly a beautiful ending to a very fine day.      

As I waited for my buddy to back my truck and trailer down the ramp Ashley and I chatted in the boat.

"Did you have a good birthday, Dad?" she asked.

"One of the best!" I said.  "Thanks for taking me!"     

CAT CRAZY

The outdoor world garners attention from young and old.  Hunting, fishing, trapping, camping and other natural pursuits provide hours of endless fun for young and old.  But looking at the demographics of trapping in particular, most participants aren't youngsters.  Many have been at it for decades. 

But every once in a while the activity catches the attention of a young adult and they fall head-over-heels in love with it. Such was the case for 17-year-old South Haven High School senior Wacey Lathers.  Lathers started trapping when he was 11 years old with assistance from his dad and grandfather.  He caught his first coon and he's been hooked ever since. 

Over the last few years he's developed a love for chasing bobcats.  Many Kansans don't even realize thousands of bobcats roam the countryside and most have never seen one.  It's part of this mystique that draws Lathers to pursue them for weeks on end from Christmas to mid-February. 

He'll set anywhere from 30-45 traps and check them daily.  Most are walk-through flat sets with a #3 Montana buried under dry dirt.  He uses a variety of lures and visual stimuli to pique the curiosity of an inquisitive bobcat.  Traps remain in place for several weeks as bobcats have a wide home range and may only roll through an area every week or so. 

Last year Lathers caught a personal best 16 bobcats.  He sells their pelts for up to $100 each but averages about $50.  He also traps raccoons heavily during the first week of the furharvesting season in November.  He was up at 3 a.m. and back at the house, showered and changed for school every day by 7:30 a.m.  During nine days he caught 110 coons and averaged about $8 each selling each of those animals on the carcass. 

Lathers admits you have to love something a lot to spend that much time at it.  He reasons it's kept him out of some trouble some teenagers might find along the way.  Lathers realizes the tradition and history of trapping and relevance to our country making it even more appealing. 

Once again, the outdoors is truly a special place. 

GREEN WITH ENVY

Waterfowlers know the color well.  It's a natural hunter green if you will.  The shine and iridescence of a drake mallard's head is a sight to behold.  And right now mallards are showing up by the thousands in the Sunflower State.

The mallard is the most popular duck in Kansas.  Die-hard waterfowlers anxiously await the times when waters up north freeze and food sources are covered with snow.  That sends the big ducks packing and Kansas is on their list of stopover points.  How long they stay here is never a science and depends on the weather.  At this time of year there's no shortage of efforts to take a limit of five greenheads.  Throw in an "extra" duck and a 6-duck limit is a wonderful thing.

A buddy and I recently had a wonderful late season hunt on a small pond during the warm spell last week.  Recently ice-skatable, the pond opened up for a few days.  It didn't take the ducks long to move back in, either, and the sights and sounds were inspiring. 

Huge flocks of mallards, some numbering into the hundreds, descended from a bright, blue sky.  Early on there was little wind but we still got a few to play our game.  As the morning progressed the wind came up and ducks heavy with full crops from feeding were looking for water and a midday hangout.  We had the welcome mat out and our 2-man limit of 10 greenheads was quickly filled.  Throw in a beautiful drake greenwing teal each and we had duck straps heavy with nature's finest colors of the fowl world. 

With just a couple weeks left in the season I'll be out as often as possible.  There's something magical about big, or even little flocks of mallards responding to a call.  It's addictive and I hope they never find a cure.

 

YOUTH HUNTS A BIG SUCCESS

There are many special hunting opportunities offered by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, as well as other entities. They're designed to provide unique experiences for youth as well as inexperienced or even veteran hunters. The odds for a successful outing are good. 
 

My son, Brandon, was fortunate to get drawn for a special youth deer hunt at Marion Reservoir. Actually, he didn't get drawn but one of the kids that did had already filled his buck tag so Brandon was next on the list. It was fortunate as he and his twin brother, Cody, only had two weekend days each to hunt with school and basketball commitments.

We crawled into a pop-up blind early Saturday morning. Within the first 20 minutes of shooting time we saw seven does and yearlings. After an hour Brandon started to get a little chilly as it was only 24 degrees outside. I had a little portable heater and kicked it on and things got quite comfortable as we chatted and waited but nothing else showed.

The evening hunt was in a different area. We were in a box blind but exposed to a 20 mph wind and with a temperature of 29 degrees it was chilly! I bundled Brandon up best I could when we climbed into the blind at 3 p.m. At 3:23 p.m. a button buck entered the field and we had deer in sight the rest of the evening.

Brandon was holding out for a buck and had does and yearlings all around us. Light was fading when another doe entered the field just to our right and a couple minutes later a nice buck walked out at 5:18 p.m. I helped Brandon get his .243 rifle up and steadied and I told him to keep the crosshairs on him as the buck walked. I bleated several times to get the buck to stop as I watched him through binoculars and he finally did.

"Can you get on him?" I asked.

BOOM!

Apparently he could as he shot before my mouth had even closed from the previous question.

He looked up over the scope and excitedly said, "I GOT HIM! He fell right there!"

He kept looking out at his first buck-ever 80 yards away and back at me. His smile said it all and he was obviously pumped up. Dad was proud, too.

Shortly after we shot, another participant, Laken Schroeder, made a great shot on a nice 10-pointer. She was excited as well and both kids were proud of their accomplishment.

Special hunts like these are a lot of work and time consuming for those involved. They don't reach thousands of kids or adults but they are truly quality experiences. And the memories they provide certainly prove the value of spending time in the great outdoors and they'll last a lifetime.

HEARTBREAKER

This past weekend was the first for the Kansas firearms deer season. One of my twins, Cody, had dibs on this weekend and got some one-on-one time with ol' Dad. Brandon's turn comes this weekend.

 

Our original plan called for morning and evening hunts both Saturday and Sunday on a beautiful little spot. A monsoon-like rain canceled our Saturday morning plans but the weather moderated for the evening hunt and we crawled into the ground blind at 3 p.m. Ninety minutes later Cody's first-ever encounter with buck fever reared its ugly head.

Cody first spotted the buck off to our right and whispered not to move as it was looking at us. Immediately, his breathing went from calm to labored and he was shaking. As it moved in front of us I was able to help Cody get the .243 rifle up onto the shooting sticks. The buck turned and was slightly quartered to us and stopped. We'd rehearsed where to aim during commercials of the KSU/ISU football game with a deer hunting DVD and a laser pointer before we left the house. Cody was spot-on with his quiz. Add to this the fact the buck was standing just outside bow range and I figured it was a done deal.

But throw buck fever into the mix and our best intentions flew right out the front window of the blind. The buck bolted at the shot and I didn't see any visual evidence of a hit. I could only see him for 15 yards before he got into some thick cedars. Cody asked if he got him.

 
"I don't know, buddy, we'll have to go look," I told him not overly optimistic. 

We went to where the buck stood and found nothing. Scanning the grass and leaves where he exited we also found no sign he had connected on his first buck. The more we looked the more dejected Cody became. He couldn't believe he could have missed as last year he killed his first deer, a doe, at 110 yards with a perfect shot. He wondered aloud how he could miss such an easy shot.

As much as I tried to console him it was obvious he was heartbroken and the huge disappointment was soon evident in a stream of tears. I tried to tell him that even adults with plenty of experience get shook up and miss deer on a regular basis. But that doesn't do much to help a 12-year-old cope knowing a near-perfect opportunity got away and the buck of his dreams was not to be on this day.

 

Sunday's hunts were on a beautiful, chilly day. The morning hunt yielded a near-shot opportunity when we fooled two of three does trying to get ready. The third one pegged us and they all bolted. The evening hunt found Cody with the cross hairs on a doe perfectly broadside in front of us. The bad news was there was another deer right behind her and he couldn't shoot. As we waited for one or the other to clear for a clean shot, coyotes cut loose way too close and the already edgy deer bolted.

 

As we topped the pond dam on the way back to the truck at dusk we watched as a half-dozen mallards left the mirrored surface of the water as silhouettes. It was a beautiful sight. I told my son I loved him and was glad to spend those hours hunting with him, even if he didn't get to put his tag on a deer.

These times with my boys, successful or not, are like shooting the buck of my dreams.