One thing I noticed last Saturday while driving out of town to the Windom area was the lack of orange in the fields. There was an occasional group of hunters but not in the big numbers that I’ve seen in past years. I am sure that the amount of corn still standing had something to do with that. The DNR reported that the number of bucks taken is actually up from last year and in the last couple of days I have talked to a few hunters that have gotten deer. I’m sure that as the crops were harvested the hunting only improved. The firearms season closes on Nov. 22.

The fishing in the channel on Albert Lea Lake has been pretty good this past week. There have been some nice perch being caught and although not a lot of numbers there have also been some nice walleyes caught.

The other day I ran into an old friend and as we spoke I discovered that although we lived on different ends of it we both used to spend many days exploring the slough by Goose Lake. I was on the Bridge Street side and he was on the town side closer to the lake. It was fun finding out that although our paths never crossed back then we both enjoyed doing the same things in the old slough.

It brought back fond memories of the many days spent trapping minnows or fishing in the “crick” catching mostly bullheads. Once in a great while we’d catch a small sunfish and I can remember the excitement the day I caught a small crappie in the minnow net. The net was actually an old screen that folded up on all sides and had wire running to each corner with a rope tied in the middle to hoist it out of the water with our prize catch of the time.

I can still remember the excitement that catching an actual game fish (crappie or sunfish) would generate. When you are used to catching bullheads and trapping minnows and tadpoles, catching a panfish, no matter how small, was like latching onto a big pike or a walleye to us kids. I think to us, seeing any critter, whether it was a fish or had four legs, that was unusual to the area was a treat. The owl we saw while sledding by the slough one winter kept us talking for days and gave us the feeling of adventure we had been seeking.

Once in a while us young explorers would take what to us was a long journey back to “skunk hill” or even as far as the railroad bridge by Goose Lake. This was quite an expedition for us young adventurers that would usually take the better part of a day to complete. A daylong adventure like that would usually quench our thirst for exploring for at least a few days.

Although I never was a trapper I loved walking the slough in the winter just looking for evidence of wildlife other than the run-of-the-mill field mouse. Birds of prey like the red tail hawk always fascinated me. It was fun to watch them as they soared gracefully above the slough watching for a critter to make a wrong move.

There were fox, raccoon, muskrat, mink and weasels that would give us plenty of footprints in the snow to identify. It was always fun trying to guess what animal had made what track. Rabbits and field mice didn’t count because they were a no-brainer when it came to footprints. There were, however, quite a few jackrabbits around in those days.

I wrote a story last fall about Lloyd Kaplan, who lives by Ellendale, and has been an avid trapper for many years. In talking to him I realized what he really liked about trapping wasn’t so much making money from hides as it was spending time outdoors amongst the wildlife. Although he is now in his 70s, he still traps in a more limited area and says he will keep on doing it to protect the pheasant population of the area.

He told of the many encounters he’d had with different critters over the years and of how he loved to watch the animals in the wild. He said he has seen some pretty remarkable things and has a lot of respect for many of the animals.

I guess this best describes the feeling that I had when I was venturing out in the old slough. I would be in awe of many of the things that the animals would do and this in turn taught me to appreciate nature and its creatures.

If you take the time to stop and look around there are many little things going on in the wildlife community close by. Some of us don’t even have to venture out of the yard with all the squirrels and rabbits we have right here in the city. I’m not all that fond of squirrels (rats with bushy tails) when they invade my shed and garage but I do have to say they’re resourceful.

Until next time, there’s still open water for fish’n and while you’re at it, take a little time to enjoy our great Minnesota outdoors.

Remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers throughout the year.