Although it’s been unseasonably warm a few weeks before Christmas, those winter doldrums are looming on the horizon for us sportsmen and sportswomen.
The gun-deer season was abnormally quiet for me and many of the hunters I talked to. I saw just a few deer and nothing within gun range. I’m used to hunting the late season, though, and will be out enjoying the Holiday Hunt (Dec. 24 to Jan. 1) for antlerless deer in Waupaca County. Depending on my hunting location, I’ll be using either a muzzleloader or a 7-30 Waters pistol. Shawano also has a Holiday Hunt this year.
Archery season (bow and crossbow) continues through Jan. 7 in most counties and Jan. 31 in a few, so bundle up and get out there. If you shoot a vertical bow, don’t forget the armguard with all those extra clothes. Oconto County has the extended archery season to Jan. 31.
I’ve always had an interest in birds, and love to watch them when on my deer stand or checking my home bird feeders (if I remember to fill them). The National Audubon Society marks the 124th anniversary of its Christmas Bird Count this year, when birders nationwide attempt the Herculean task of trying to count the numbers of as many species as they see from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5 (each local group chooses a single day for their counts).
The grassroots tallies serve as a barometer of each species’ health, although such a limited search with folks that may or may not be skilled at bird identification is not a strictly scientific endeavor, but it is loads of fun and if you hang with a few experts (as I have over the years), you’ll get better at bird ID. To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count and find a group in your area, visit www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count.
Birders are a unique bunch. A rare yellow-billed loon made an appearance in Rock Falls, Illinois, when I was a reporter for the Telegraph Herald in Dubuque, Iowa (I attended junior college in nearby Dixon, Illinois, but the Arctic visitor quickly made both the local and national newspapers). The winter visit on the Rock River drew birders from around the world, eager to add this off-course loon to their life lists.
I watched as a member of the Linnean Society (the group that gives birds their common names, frequently changing them), wearing a heavy parka and holding his camera, waded into the frigid river up to his waist to get the proper angle of the bird. My headline for the story referenced the “loony” birdwatchers coming to see the loon. How could I resist?
The greatest birder I’ve ever met, and probably the best to ever practice his craft in Iowa or Illinois, was Pete Petersen, owner of Pete Petersen’s Wild Bird Shop in the village of East Davenport, Iowa. When Petersen was a boy, he became crippled from polio and couldn’t enjoy physical sports, so his mom gave him a field guide and binoculars. He and his wife traveled the world on birding adventures.
I went out before dawn one spring morning with him when I was a full-time outdoors writer for the Quad-City Times in Davenport. He was doing a spring breeding bird census, and to say he took it seriously was like saying teenagers take their cell phones seriously. He’d been doing the survey for decades, following the same route and stopping for a few minutes in each spot every year.
We stood on a bridge before sunup, and he identified eight or 10 species by their calls alone. We hopped in his Mercedes and followed a dirt road until we saw a “road closed” sign. The sign didn’t stop him. He drove around it and approached a huge ravine filled with construction equipment. For a second, I thought he was going to try and jump the perhaps 100-foot gap, but he said, “Oh, dear,” and we drove around it on another road. Pete complained about how this would alter his survey, but we had no options. I realized then how seriously he took his birdwatching.
Petersen died of cancer many years ago, and he and his wife donated their collection of rare bird books to Western Illinois University in Macomb: www.wiu.edu/foundation_and_development/profiles/petersen.php.
Christmas is near, and if you’re like me, you’ll be buying some last-minute gifts. That’s the way we guys roll.
A shooting stick is the ideal gift for the gun hunter on your list. I use one for rifle, pistol and even crossbow hunting. The handy ones are bipods, and can quickly be adjusted to different heights. They will give you a much steadier shot and double as hiking sticks.
Binoculars are perfect for hunters and birdwatchers alike. Don’t go for more than 10-power magnification, because you can’t hold it steady. Great choices are 7x35 or 8x40 models. You should be able to divide the objective lens (bigger number) by the power (first number) to get a factor of five or more for the most clarity. I probably own eight pairs of binoculars but can always use another.
In the spirit of buying local, I recommend a wildlife calendar or art derived from trail camera photos. Jim Schoenike of Big Oak Products (www.bigoakproducts.com) in Marion offers calendars and note cards for individuals and companies wanting to put their logo and message on them.
Happy holidays. Time spent with family and friends, outdoors or in, is time well spent.
Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Readers can contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.
Christmas bird counts and last-minute gift ideas
