Wild North: Shawn Perich
There is a time in summer when daylight lingers long into the evening, as if the sun is reluctant to set. It’s a great time to be on the water, fishing for just about anything, but especially for walleyes. The fish have recovered from the spring spawn and are actively feeding on a wealth of aquatic life, from bait fish to insects. In other words, the walleyes are biting.
Many anglers enjoy ice fishing as much or more than open water angling. From first ice through breakup, a wealth of ice-fishing opportunities are available across the Northern Wilds. The following guide highlights the region’s best ice-fishing hotspots.
more...
Eighteen inches of snow at the end of March does something to your psyche. The North Shore was slapped by the sloppy tail of the blizzard that wreaked havoc across the Dakotas last week. The snowing and blowing didn’t let up for two days. When it was over, any modest progress we’d previously made toward spring was buried beneath new snow.
But snow or no, the show that is spring must go on. So, too, must those of us who participate in this crazy, mixed-up season. A couple of days after the storm ended, I went trout fishing. I trudged through knee-deep snow to reach the river, which was low, lined with three-foot-thick shelf ice and partially ice-covered.
more...
On the first day of March I found a sure sign of spring on a south-facing ridge high above Lake Superior. Cautiously skiing on my Alaskan snowshoes as I made my way down a steep slope, I came upon a spot of bare ground scarcely larger than my hand.
I looked at the dried up leaves and dirt on the ground and knew spring was coming. Sure, we’d get more snow and this patch of ground would be covered up, but as soon as the sun came out, it would return. And every sunny day it would grow, slowly at first and gaining momentum until, weeks later, the whole hillside is free of snow.
The following morning, I watched a raven fly across the highway carrying dried grass for a nest in its beak. These northern birds, the outsized kin of crows, are early nesters. Somehow, they know spring is inevitable, even though blizzards and below zero nights may intervene.
more...
Anglers should be careful attention to the progress of a bill proposing to close state fish hatcheries by 2012 and buy fish for stocking from private suppliers. The bill also proposes closing state nurseries by 2014 and buying seedlings from private nurseries. The lead author of the bill is Rep. Denny McNamara, R-St. Paul, and Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake, is a co-author.
more...
Buck Benson, who lives a few miles east of Grand Marais, had an unusual visitor last week. While home for lunch, he noticed a lynx sitting just outside his basement door. We was able to watch and photograph the animal at close range during the afternoon.
The lynx took up a spot beneath Benson’s deck, where he feeds the birds. Seeds scattered by the birds subsequently attract mice—and the northwoods mouser. Benson twice saw the cat pounce in the snow and capture mice.
more...
Going about my business in the backyard, I was suddenly surrounded by deer. About a dozen in number, they were all around the yard, though the sunflower seeds scattered beneath the birdfeeders were their likely destination. The deer were intently watching me, but they didn’t appear wary or afraid. One scruffy fawn even approached me. She and the rest of the herd wanted something to eat.
more...
Casey, our old yellow Lab, needs to step out a couple of times each night to answer nature’s call. Taking him outside has become my nightly routine. I don’t mind it. In Hovland, we have silent nights and the dark sky sparkles with thousands of stars. While Casey totters about the backyard, I stand there and take it all in.
more...
Whop, whop, whop, whop. Bang!
Where are we? Hunkered down in some Third World hellhole? Nope, we’re exterminating deer in northwestern Minnesota. The Minnesota DNR recently called in the troops, so to speak, using airborne sharpshooters to wipe out whitetails in an area where bovine tuberculosis was found in cattle and deer.
more...
Last Friday, as a feisty snowstorm plummeted northern Minnesota, I watch an enormous Hawaii Five-O breaker run the length of Grand Marais harbor. The wave kept a perfect curl until it crashed into the shore. Lake Superior was surly and curly.
more...
The legislative reasoning behind the change is so anglers don’t have to buy new licenses during the winter season. The license year for resident fishing, the angling portion of a sporting license, nonresident fishing, resident fish house, resident dark house, and nonresident fish house begins on March 1 and ends on April 30 of the following year. In other words, the license year now lasts 14 months.
more...
