FUNGI-LICIOUS

When most folks hear the word "fungus" they think of something gross growing on leftovers or between their toes.  Not often does the word evoke true excitement or even mouth watering tales when a big batch of "fungi" are encountered.  But it's that time of year when America's favorite fungi, the morel mushroom, is popping up all over the country.

The window of opportunity is short for finding these delicacies and typically lasts only a few weeks.  Mushroom hotspots are guarded closely and I'm certain some hardcore shroom hunters have gone to the grave with their locations.  Some people are addicted to mushroom hunting and I've got one friend who has already spent countless hours walking, searching the Internet for rainfall totals and on the phone with others trying to increase his odds for success.  He's good at it, too, and it generally pays off in the form of pounds of the tasty morsels.     

I got a phone call from an older gentleman asking questions about morels as he'd found 19 in his front yard in the city limits of Wichita.  I told him they were deadly, not to touch them and I'd be right over to remove them and keep him and his family out of harm's way.  We had a good laugh and he asked how much they were worth these days.  He remembered $6 a pound years ago.  I told him I knew of people buying and selling them today for $20 a pound.  He was shocked.  He asked if people could plant them to grow or if they were grown commercially.  He answered his own question "I guess if you could do that they wouldn't be $20 a pound, huh?"

Their elusiveness, if a stationary piece of fungus can be that, is likely most of their mystique and draw.  They are highly regarded as tasty and they definitely don't disappoint.  They pretty much go with any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner and many regulars like them with a mess of deep fried crappie fillets.  It's making me hungry and my mouth water just thinking about it. 

There's still time to get out and look if you're of the notion.  Me?  I've looked a few times and come up empty.  I don't have too much luck finding them and it can be a lot of work and the ticks and poison ivy can be brutal.  I think I've figured out I like FINDING morels better than I like HUNTING for them.  That being said, I'm glad I have friends like the one I mentioned who is willing to share.  I just hope he finds enough every spring he tires of eating them!

SPRING BREAK FUN

Spring break is fun if you're a teacher or a student.  At my house I've got one of the former and three of the latter.  So it was a bit disheartening for all last week when the first five days or so of spring break was a monsoon of sorts.  And to top that off we had scheduled a long-overdue garage sale for Friday and Saturday when it did get nice.

We wrapped up the sale mid-afternoon Saturday and I asked my twin boys if they wanted to go to Applebees for dinner to celebrate their birthday (they turned 13) or go pond fishing.  They got the hang of eating like teenage boys early and I wondered what they might choose.

"FISHING!" was the unanimous shout. 

So we loaded up the truck with drinks, snacks, rods, reels and lawn chairs.  My daughter, home from her first college spring break, loves to fish so I knew she was game, too.  My wife even decided to join us.  She doesn't fish much but knew the evening would be an enjoyable one and she could relax in a lawn chair (she didn't really relax as she tried to catch up on grading papers and other school work).

The action started out a bit slow but the kids all had caught a few fish.  My boys suffer from "the grass is always greener just around the corner" mentality and circled the pond in no time casting spinner baits.  After catching a few fish on a nearby smaller pond my daughter and I joined the boys on the big pond. 

"I caught three right there, Dad," Cody said. 

"Then why did you leave?" I asked.

More than likely he was trying to beat his brother to the upper end where they'd caught scrappy bass nearly every cast on our last trip last summer.  Boys will be boys.

So Ashley and I stood in the same spot and probably caught 25 largemouth bass or so between us.  It wasn't long and the boys were back with us.

The evening was beautiful.  Each of my kids caught from 12-20 largemouth bass ranging in size from 8 inches up to about 4 pounds.  Three pound fish weren't uncommon.  Throw in some trophy bull bluegill and it was definitely a success.  All fish were released with hopes we'd tangle with them another day. 
 
And the boys even got to strap on the feed bag later that night.  We went to Applebees for half-price appetizers at 10 p.m.  If they KEEP eating like teenagers I might have to take out a loan!  Either that or I'll show them how to prepare a shore-lunch!  

It's all good and was a great way to celebrate the boys' birthday and some nice spring break weather!    

CONCEALED CARRY OUTDOORS

I've always been a bit uncertain about the legalities concerning the transport of firearms for hunting and trapping.  Rules in rural areas can differ markedly for those in various cities.  As a result, I've often wondered if the handgun I use trapping is always being transported according to the letter of the law.  So as to avoid any confusion I decided to to apply for a concealed carry license. 

Concealed carry has been in the news since the law passed in 2006.  More than 40,000 Kansans now have concealed carry licenses.  The concealed carry laws have made their way into the hunting ranks as well as bowhunters with concealed carry licenses are now allowed (new in 2011) to carry a handgun during the archery season.  Trappers can carry a concealed handgun in the field even without the concealed carry license (this isn't anything new).   

The process to obtain a concealed carry license isn't simple or cheap, nor should it be.  An 8-hour class ($100) is required with both a written and handgun proficiency test administered at the end and a passing grade for each needed for completion.  An application is filled out ($8 for a passport-type photo) and another check is written to the Kansas Attorney General (KAG) ($100) and the local sheriff's office ($32.50).  Upon submitting the application to the sheriff's office you're fingerprinted and they run a background check. Once approved at the KAG's office in two to three months the license is issued by your county's Department of Motor Vehicles ($16).  Concealed carry licenses are renewable every four years for $25. 

Once I get my license I'll be more comfortable as far as the legalities transporting my firearms for hunting and trapping.  And the thought of personal protection for me and my family is comforting, too.        

THE EYES HAVE IT

Spring is just around the corner.  While our winter has allowed plenty of fishing opportunities the spring "runs" of various fish species make them easier for many anglers to catch.  White bass, crappie and walleye all will spawn in the next couple months.  It's a great time to get in on some of that action and there's no better time than the present.

Walleye are first on the list of spawning fish in the Sunflower State.  They typically spawn when the water temperature reaches the mid-40s.  This, coupled with the amount of daylight, triggers spawning activity.  Much of the spawn is stretched out over several weeks but for Kansas' waters most of the walleye spawn takes place the last couple weeks in March.  The good news for anglers is there is plenty of action on both sides of the peak.

Many walleye and saugeye are caught near their spawning grounds (most saugeye don't spawn as they're a hybrid, but they still show up for the fun).  In Kansas reservoirs these are comprised of gravel and rocks, most notably dams and rocky points.  Bank anglers can get in on the action and there's no doubt when word spreads of a hot bite.  Dams near larger cities may have dozens, even hundreds of anglers lined up when word gets out.  Boat anglers have the luxury of covering more water.  It's a comical sight to see bank anglers wading and casting out as far as they can and boats lined up near the shore casting to the banks.

Popular lures this time of year include jigs tipped with minnows or plastic swim baits.  Ones in the 3-4 inch range are good and generally fished on a 1/8 or 1/4-ounce jig head of various colors.  Crankbaits, both suspending and sinking, are popular as well and can be used both from shore or boat.

Now is the perfect time to go.  A buddy and I caught some last week and had enough keepers to whet both our families' appetites.  There's nothing better than fresh 'eyes on the grill or deep fried to a golden brown.  Go get you some! 

       

BREAKIN' UP IS HARD TO DO

Neil Sedaka and the Carpenters sang about it decades ago.  Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston made a movie about it in 2006.  And 7th graders do it about every other week.  What is it?  Breakin' up.  And unfortunately this is the time of year when crappie do it, too.

Gone for many waters (some are still hanging on, but not likely for long) are the days when Kansas crappie were predictable.  They'd be found in the same locations, often in big numbers, for weeks on end.  Brush piles, river channels and other habitats often held plenty of hungry slabs. Pickin's were easy and sometimes fast and furious. 

But as water temperatures warm (many into the mid-40's now) crappie bug out and scatter.  They can still be caught but major concentrations aren't as likely.  Successful anglers often drift or slow troll jigs for suspended fish, covering much more water than in recent months.  There are still plenty of opportunities but it may be a little more difficult to locate these scattered fish.  Keen electronics, and more importantly the ability to interpret them, is of utmost importance finding these fish.  They're often scattered over coves or down rocky breaks and rip-rap.  Shad schools can help congregate fish but they don't tend to stay in one place too long.

But if you can't catch them now, don't fret.  In another month or two crappie will be accessible to bank and boat anglers alike.  This action can be good as well, oftentimes some of the best fishing of the year for many anglers.  More crappie are caught during the spawn than any other time of year.  And anglers will be out in full force as spring is a great time to celebrate Kansas' great outdoors.

GOOD SEASON

I never grew up trapping, despite doing most everything else outdoors.  However, a few years ago my twin then 8-year-old boys came home from school talking about trapping and the fur trade they were studying in history.  They had lots of questions.  I decided one of the best explanations was to get out and try it.

I've tagged along with a couple friends who trapped and couldn't believe how much work it was to set and check a trap line.  I was also impressed with the attention to detail and how precise sets had to be and like selling a house trapping was all about location, location, location.  Trappers are probably more in tune with their environment than any other outdoorsmen.

Our first few seasons were good and the boys enjoyed themselves.  My daughter always enjoyed going along on checks, too.  My niece and nephew tag along as well when they're in town for the holidays.  We've caught the usual furbearers but never really hit it too hard setting only three or four times each season.

But this year the weather cooperated nicely for trapping expeditions and we made it out a half-dozen times.  I never set more than 20 traps, mostly targeting raccoons, in one location and usually left them for four or five days.  One spot that was extremely productive I trapped for 10 days straight. 

This season was incredibly successful, both in time spent outdoors and furbearers trapped.  I ended up with 46 raccoons, 16 possums, 11 skunks, 8 beavers, two muskrats, two bobcats and a coyote.  The rats and cats were our first-ever.  Diversity was enjoyable this year and I had one check with four raccoons, two possums, a skunk, a coyote and a 53 pound beaver. 

Five of the eight beavers I trapped were nuisance animals trapped for landowner friends.  Three of them came from a pond where they dug bank dens and compromised the integrity of a large watershed dam.  When the mid-winter rains came the dam failed and nearly drained the pond as a result of beaver damage. 

I ended up making $914 off the sale of my furs.  I probably spent a couple hundred bucks on gas and if I added up all the time and work I probably made about .50 cents an hour.  It's not really about the money, but rather the outdoor experience and a remote connection to the way things used to be.

The season ended yesterday and I'm already looking forward to next fall.     

OUT WITH A BANG

Goose hunting is a good time.  Living in and around an urban area hunters can take advantage of wintering goose populations that rival some of the wildest areas in Kansas.  I used to goose hunt a lot but now that I chase ducks so much it's taken a back seat in recent years.  We'll shoot geese and even set up for some while duck hunting, but it's not the same as field hunting big ol' honkers.  So when a friend, Craig, asked last week if I wanted to hit a field with him and his dad, Tom, I jumped at the chance.  

We met and headed out about 3:30 p.m.  A 20 mph brisk north wind dropped the real 30 degree temperature even more, but not enough to keep the wheat field from being a muddy mess.  We put out a couple dozen full-bodies and some Canada goose shell decoys and huddled into a make-shift blind of cedar boughs.   

Craig wasn't even back from parking the truck when a flock of big Canadas tried to land just outside the decoys.  Tom and I managed to bag one big ol' 12 pounder and the hunt was on.  The rest of the evening was spent working a few birds and I realized how much I'd missed field hunting geese.  By the end of the evening we'd managed to bag seven nice birds ranging in size from 8 to 12 pounds. 

But the highlight of the day might have occurred without a shot even being fired.  We thought most of the action was over so we decided to put our guns away and pick up a little before sunset.  As guns were stowed Craig hollered, "Look at that!"

I turned just in time to see a lone Canada land near the decoys.  Simultaneously, Craig and I said, "It's got a neck collar!" 

I looked at my watch and it was 6:03 p.m.  We all looked at each other wondering exactly what time legal shooting time was over (I later looked and it was 6:02 p.m.)  Despite never having seen a neck collared bird in the decoys we all decided it wouldn't be the cowboy way to shoot him after he landed anyway.  We all hoped we'd meet again.

They hunted the rest of the weekend without seeing the neck-collared honker and the season ended Sunday.  It's all good and hopefully he survives until next fall.  Who knows, maybe he'll show up again and one of us will be ready.  I hope so.