Firearms and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer throughout much of Minnesota this hunting season are reminded they must purchase their license and apply for an antlerless permit by Thursday, Sept. 10, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.
Antlerless deer permits are issued by lottery in designated permit areas. Some areas that have not been in the lottery classification in recent years are in that classification this year, primarily as a result of new deer population goals. “Hunters should review the hunting and trapping regulation book now,” said Leslie McInenly, big game program leader with the DNR. “The lottery applies to over half of the state permit areas this year, and it’s important to start planning for the season.”
Hunters who want to participate in special firearm deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued by lottery, and the application deadline is Sept. 10. More information on deer permit areas and special hunts is in the DNR hunting regulations handbook, found at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/deer>online.
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With the hot steamy weather that we seem destined to endure for what seems like an eternity I have really lost my desire to do much fishing. A normal August used to have hot days and cool nights which made for good early morning and late evening fishing, not to mention great sleeping. Now it seems like every day is hot and humid and the nights are damp and steamy. Well, that’s about all the whining I will do for this week and I hope it is the last weather-related whine you will hear from me for this year.
My oldest grandson Trevor and I had been planning on going to the cabin for the long weekend but after checking and rechecking the forecast we decided to postpone it until the weather was more favorable. I couldn’t justify driving all that way just to sit in the cabin for two of the four days watching it rain. At my age I can make that adjustment but Trevor, like his dad, isn’t much for sitting around and always has to be doing something.
Thinking about typical August weather reminds me of the times when I would be on the lake early while the blanket of fog that was covering the lake waited patiently for the sun to give it the all clear. Ahhh, there is nothing better than early morning fishing with the cool of the night still making it feel like jacket weather. There is also that magical sound of fish jumping and feeding on the surface with that early morning fog leaving only your imagination and rabbit like hearing to guess their location. I am so ready for fall weather!
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A couple of weeks ago my son Brian asked me if I would like to go to Forest City to attend Operation Z which was being put on to honor Vietnam Veterans. He said that his brother Brad and two of my grandsons, Taylor and Dylan were also going to go. I had heard it advertised on the radio and thought that I’d like to go if for no other reason than to see “the traveling wall”. There were also helicopter rides, a car show and an air show on the Sunday that I was able to attend.
Operation LZ was a welcoming home for Viet Nam vets that we never received when we came back some forty-plus years earlier. The event was a joint effort by volunteers from nine North Iowa Counties and it was a humbling experience. I spoke with one of the organizers who said that it was a year and a half in the making and cost around $300,000 to pull it off. I can’t say how much it was appreciated not only by myself but other vets that I spoke with who were in attendance. I had always wanted to see the wall to search for some names and thanks to these fine folks I was able to do just that. Seeing the 58,000 names and the amount of space it took to display them was a very humbling experience. I was glad that Brian had planned this trip and that I was able to share it with him and my other son Brad along with grandsons Taylor and Dylan; it really meant a lot. Thanks again to all the fine folks for all the hard work that made this event possible.
Until next time, just keep in mind that we will eventually have those cool evenings and early mornings; which means that there will still be plenty of fishing to enjoy.
Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.