August Thoughts

Believe it or not, summer is beginning to get away from us as the closing weeks are upon us.  Not sure if it is the same with you, but in our house it always feels like the summer flew by and we never accomplished all that we had set out to do.  So I always spend a bit of time replaying the weekends and much to my amazement, I actually did fish more than I had planned and I did get more miles out running and biking, guess time flies when you are having fun.

Well, one thing I did not get out and do enough of this summer was shoot my bow.  I guess when summer is upon us and there is housework, gardening and tons of other outdoor activities, heading out to the archery range just doesn’t make the list, not sure why since everyone in our house loves to do it.  And to top it off, we have a great resource in our town, an outdoor archery range, South Forty Archery Range,  http://www.southfortyarchers.com

The range is located adjacent to a city park, and within 10 minutes we can be at the range.  The range is operated by a local club and in order to access the range, each member is given a code to open the lock on the gate.  Once inside the gate, you drive along a low maintenance road back to the clubhouse and range.

The range is about a ½ mile back from the gate and follows along some hiking trails to the city park and a snowmobile trail.  We finally made it back to the course, and climbed out of the car and headed down to the range.  The range is well laid out with targets at various distances, a tower to simulate shooting from a deer stand and also a trail with 3-D targets.

My wife and daughter focus on the 10 and 20 yard targets, while my son and I move immediately to the 20+ yard targets, (pretty sure my wife is not impressed with this).  All four of us have gotten pretty good with target shooting at these distances and really enjoy just spending a few hours relaxing by putting arrows into the targets.  My son and I have even ventured into some targets at some longer distances, but have a lot of work to do before we can claim to be experts at the longer distances.

We also enjoy walking the trail of the 3-D course.  The course is laid out so that the 3-D targets are at various lengths and you do have the opportunity to move up if you would like.  Some of the targets are a bit of a challenge as they are placed close to tree limbs, near a bush or across a swamp.  And the beautiful thing about this course, is that you are out walking and just shooting the bull which means that you are out enjoying nature and the great outdoors.

The one downside of the all of this are the mosquitoes.  When attending the course in the early evening hours, you are clearly on the lunch menu for many of the flying pests.  We have reverted to wearing long sleeves and pants which then moves your body temperature a little to the warm side.  I should complain as this is a great resource and one that I totally appreciate.

Yes with our summer moving into the rear view mirror, we become a bit sad, but there are things to look forward to.  There is still fall fishing, an outdoor archery course and if you really want to have a sick thought, skiing on some of the white stuff.  Nope, not going to think about that yet, way too far off into the distance.

1st Round of Shed Hunting

With temperature predictions of 55 degrees and a tinge of cabin fever running through our house, late last week we laid out a plan to embark on our first shed hunting trip of the year.  Actually this would be our second attempt at this EVER.  Now for you folks who don’t know what shed hunting is, it is when the deer drop their antlers in the spring.  It is a sport which I happened upon last year when listening to an outdoors podcast which sounded fun and like something that would get us out of the house in late winter/early spring.  Well last year’s trip yielded our first shed which still sits proudly on the mantle above the fireplace.  

For this trip we headed back out to last year’s treasure trove, Ritter Farm Park, in Lakeville, MN.  Now for you folks who follow along with us, you know that we frequent this park quite a bit and really enjoy having it so close to our home.  The park has some great hiking trails, has an archery range in it, and is just an overall great place for you to relax and enjoy the outdoors.  On an earlier trip this winter, we spotted an eagle’s nest and also have seen numerous deer prancing through the park.  

We jumped into the family vehicle and off to the park we headed.  We knew it would be a tad muddy but with minimal snow on the ground, our hopes were high that we would come home with a couple of treasures.  Now when shed hunting, you don’t want to walk on the park’s trails, but instead you want to head “off road” a bit and look for areas where the deer may need to jump or for brushy areas where their antlers may get caught and pulled off.  My son even mentioned evergreen trees as there is a possibility of the shed falling when the reach down to get a pine cone.  

We started along a path and immediately my son and I headed off in a direction while my wife kind of drifted along in our direction.  When I go out tromping through the fields and woods, I kind of just lose any sense of what is going on around me and I just keep walking.  I knew my son was near me for awhile, but when I found a deer trail I headed in that direction assuming that my son and wife were going to follow along either on the trail or in the general direction.  After about 5 minutes, I spotted my son’s coat through the trees and assumed my wife was on the other side of him.  Along I tromped looking around trees and brush just meandering along through the woods.  Before I knew it, I realized I was by myself but not to worry, I was a man about the woods and secondly, no way could I get lost in this park.  

I knew the general direction my wife and son were heading so I headed out of the area I was in but before I left the area, I came upon a green tarp.  Nothing more than a tarp laying in the woods, no dead body, no bones, no buried treasure, just a tarp.  Off I went in search of my family and the elusive shed.  

As I continued along towards the spot I assumed my wife and son were at, I climbed over a ridge and about 200 yards away I saw my son and wife.  See, I did know what I was doing.  I kept walking towards them kind of meandering along, looking behind trees, brush and other areas I thought would be good spots to find shed.  Well as I closed in to the area where I had seen my son, he was no longer there, but I knew they couldn’t be far now.  I kept walking and looking and before I knew it, I was once again alone.  

I tromped along and decided to head back towards the vehicle as I would assume they would be heading back in that direction.  As I rounded a corner I could see our van, but no sign of my wife or son.  Well at this point, I assumed I would be getting a good talking to about me wandering about the park myself.  

Well eventually I did come upon my wife and son and by the look on my son’s face, I pretty much knew that I had been the topic of conversation.  Of course I could tell they had been laughing so I knew I wasn’t in that much trouble.  

I can tell you that we didn’t find any shed on this day but a new rule was implemented for our next shed hunting trip.  All hunting participants are now required to have their cell phones even if it means hanging it around your neck.  So much for leaving the world behind when you are in the great outdoors.

Snowshoeing

Like we mentioned in last week’s blog, we finally received enough snow to pull out the winter outdoor activity gear.  For our family that means nordic skis and snowshoes.  Both are great activities and allow you to get out and enjoy the winter weather and until a couple of years ago, nordic skiing was the only activity I partook in.  A few years ago my wife bought me a pair of snowshoes so that I could venture out into the woods with her on those cold snowy mornings.

So last Sunday morning, we pulled out the warm weather gear, strapped our boots to our snowshoes and off we went to our favorite city park, Ritter Farm.  This park is a multi-use park, where residents, can walk their dogs, nordic ski and even snowmobile.  It features some great trails and even hidden within the park, an outdoor archery range.  We frequent this park quite a bit throughout the year as our dog loves to get out and just sniff and pull us through the various trails.

If you have never tried snowshoeing, I highly recommend it.  It has grown in popularity over the last few years and I know many of the state and county parks in Minnesota, offer rentals.  The price for these rentals is quite reasonable and is a great way to get out and give it a whirl before you invest in your own pair.

The other great thing about snowshoeing, it is a great way to get out and exert some energy during the winter months.  Both my wife and I prefer to be a tad bit chilly while doing this activity vs. walking on a treadmill or running around in circles on a track.

Back to our Sunday adventure.  We started off from the car with our snowshoes and the first thing both of us noticed was how tramped down the snow was already.  We may had just recently received 10 inches of snow, but with temps hovering around the freezing mark, that snow was beginning to disappear right before our eyes.  We headed off into the woods in hopes of the snow being a bit better for our hike.  Well after about 15 minutes, we noticed that much of the trail had already been worn down to the dirt below the snow.  My wife attempted to walk on the side of the trail to get more of the snowshoe experience, but even that was not the greatest.

We finished the 1.5 mile trail in the woods and decided to head out across the field to shed hunt.  Yes we had both heard out son mention it was too early to be shed hunting, but we were looking for an adventure.  After a couple of minutes of crossing the field, I thought to myself that this was the reason I love to snowshoe.  The snow had not been tramped down and with our snowshoes, we were able to cross the meadow without sinking in the snow and explore around trees and shrubs for those elusive sheds.  What a blast we had.  This was what I had been looking for when we mentioned wanting to go snowshoeing.

We spent about 30 minutes hunting for shed and then finally admitted that our son was right, that was a painful thing to admit.  Even without finding any shed, and the snow being iffy, both my wife and I enjoyed our snowshoeing adventure.  It allowed us to get outdoors and take in all that winter had to offer.

Finally Snow…..

Finally, we got some snow in Minnesota. The last time we had any measurable snow was on December 30, 2015. It took another month and on February 9^th, we received 10 beautiful inches of the white stuff. We were too busy on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to get out and enjoy, but then along came Saturday.

Saturday was pretty warm by Minnesota standards. I might be buying into the whole global warming thing because anytime we get any snow here; it warms up to the point of making all that snow disappears quickly. On Saturday, the temps were supposed to rise to 35 degrees, not good for those who want to get out and enjoy what mother nature sent us. Not to be deterred, we set out to do a little cross -country skiing. We went to a local park as they usually do a pretty good job of grooming those trails.

However, when it is going to be in the 30’s, it is hard to figure out what to wear to keep yourself warm, but also to keep yourself cool. On this particular day, I threw on a base layer leggings with a pair of running tights over the top of that. I pulled on my wool socks. On the top, I wore a long sleeve sweat wicking shirt topped with a nordic ski windbreaker. I always take along my buff to keep my neck warm, which can also be pulled up over my head if for some reason it is extremely cold out. Lastly, I threw on a headband to keep my ears warm and a pair of full-fingered bicycle gloves. This was just about perfect for skiing in the temps we had.

On Sunday, not to be outdone, we decided to pull out our snowshoes for a sunrise hike through the woods. Again, it was already in the 30’s at 6:30 a.m., so I did not want to overdress. The location of our hike was at a local park that is part woodland and part prairie. From previous experience, I know that back in the woods I usually have to drop a layer to avoid a complete sweat meltdown. When we hit the prairie area, I usually need more layers. For this type of activity, I dressed the same as Saturday’s ski day, but added an extra fleece jacket over the top of my windbreaker. I did need to remove the fleece back in the woods, but I was glad I had it on when we were tromping through the prairie area. Spent some time taking in the views and following the many deer trails looking for any antler sheds. It is still a little early in the season to find any sheds, but we decided to look around a bit since we were out there.

Hopefully if you live in the northern climate you do not let the weather deter you from enjoying the outdoors. It is all about layering your clothing to find out what you need to stay warm, or to stay cool, depending on your activity. So get out, strap on your skis, snowshoes, or just pull on a pair of boots and see all that winter has to offer you.

A New Adventure – Shed Hunting

My dad comes up with some kooky ideas sometimes which just make me wonder if I will ever turn out to be like him.  I know he means well and everything, but honestly, does he just spend his days thinking of odd things?  One of the things he likes to do on Saturday mornings is to listen to a local radio show focusing on the outdoors.  It is also available on iTunes as a podcast, KFAN Outdoors. He started listening to it last summer as they focused a lot on fishing and always have some great guests who provide tips on fishing, hunting and even birding.  He seems to pick up odd facts or trends that he thinks are cool but to others like myself, just seem odd. Last week, he happened to catch the topic of shed hunting.  The guy on the show was talking about how he has a business which trains dogs how to hunt for antlers that have been shed.  Now before I go any further, I should explain what shed hunting is.  Shed hunting is the sport of hunting for antlers which adult male members of the deer family shed each year after the breeding season.  What usually happens is that when their testosterone levels drop, they shed their antlers only to grow a new, usually larger set of antlers.  This sport is growing in popularity as more people are decorating their homes and cabins with these antlers.  Folks use them for chandeliers and other crafts.  Because of this increased demand, more and more folks are being drawn into the sport of hunting for these antlers. Shed hunting consists of using nature’s clues and what you know about deer to find their antlers that may have fallen off during the winter.  A couple of tips we used during our inaugural shed hunting trip.  First tip is to look for game trails which may be off of the beaten path.  Odds are when walking a trail in a park, you won’t find any antlers, you will need to go on the trails that deer frequent.  The second tip is to look for places that deer may have to jump or rub their antlers.  Lastly, look for places where deer may bed down for the winter.  This may be near a food source and should be a place where they are protected from the elements. The destination for our trip was Ritter Farm Park in Lakeville, Minnesota.  The reason for this location was nothing more than it was close by and my dad’s philosophy is that the deer would use this park as protection from hunters.  My dad’s expectation was that we wouldn’t find anything because we were a bit late for hunting and the trip would be used more to just check this whole thing out. We headed to the park at about noon and found a game trail right off of the main hiking trail.  We began to follow it, but found nothing but scat.  Now my mom brought up a great question, “what are we actually looking for?  And what do these things look like?  Seriously, had she never seen deer antlers before?  So I explained the color which seemed pretty straight forward to me but she seemed to want an explanation so I obliged. We got back on the main hiking trail to look for more game trails.  We decided to head for a thicket of pines and when we arrived we agreed that the trees were to dense for us, or any deer.  Off to another hiking trail that led through the main prairie/grassland area of the park. We jumped onto the first game trail that we found and started following it towards a few lone pines.  We could tell that deer had been frequenting the area based on the amount of deer scat we found.  As we walked past a bush something caught my eye.  It was a shed!  I find one!!!  It had come off of an 8-point buck and was in very good shape.  The excitement was high and so I gave some direction to my mom and dad, because I was the expert after reading some tips from the internet.  We fanned out to see if we could find the partner that went with this shed, but after about 15 minutes we admitted defeat.  Back on to some other trails to see if anyone else could have some success.  Two hours later we called it a day and headed back toward the house. Our first trip was a blast and considered a successful adventure.  We will no doubt be back out next year but hopefully earlier and if we can get out hunting to a couple of different areas, we may be able to do some hunting there. Have any of you found sheds this year?  If so comment below on where you found it and how big it was.