This week I am writing my column from our cabin in Northern Minnesota. I believe that this is probably the earliest that I have opened up the cabin. Last year I was here on April 20th. This year I arrived at the cabin on Monday the 5th and the temperature was 76 degrees with little or no wind. I woke up on Tuesday to 36 degrees and it was partly cloudy and windy. I have found that I do check the long range forecast whenever I’m planning this trip, but I’ve also found that you can’t go totally by that forecast because, like the weather, the weather can change without much notice. Over the years I have taken a wait and see attitude and I don’t get too worked up over a forecast. There have been times when the forecast has predicted rain for almost every day and the weather was totally different when we were there. I am glad that man hasn’t found a way to control Old Mother Nature
The ice, for the most part, was off of our lake, which was earlier than last year. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife on the drive up this time. I did see a few turkeys and a couple of eagles along the way. We had an eagle hanging out in front of the cabin yesterday afternoon, and this morning there was a pair of Trumpeter Swans swimming along the shore in front of our place. This pair of swans has been nesting on our lake each spring for the past three years.
Once I arrived at the cabin, I put things away and, after that task was finished, I filled the bird feeders. I’m not saying the birds were hungry, but, when I set the feeders on the deck, the chickadees were on it before I had a chance to put the feed in it. I know that the DNR has posted a warning on their website that you shouldn’t put feeders out between April and November, Really? The one thing that I have always enjoyed is feeding the birds whenever I am at the cabin and I am not going to change that.
There have been a couple of instances when a bear has appeared and destroyed my feeders. I now take the feeders into the cabin at night or whenever we are going to be gone for any length of time. One July, about four years ago, my wife and I were at the cabin when she noticed a bear out by the feeders. We watched it for a while until it got up on its hind legs and walked toward one of the feeders. I stepped out on the deck and yelled “NO!” and it stopped and looked at me like it knew what I was talking about. After another attempt and another NO the bear turned away still on its hind legs, and stormed over to a tree like a pouting little kid. It then hugged the tree and began climbing it. It was in the tree for a while before reappearing on our deck and looking in the window. My wife, being herself, thought it was really cool that this bear was on our deck. I finally ran it off by shooting a handgun into the wood pile and even then it wasn’t acting like it was afraid. When it left I quickly took the feeders down and about 15 minutes later it reappeared on the south side of the cabin after doing a big circle through the woods. After a few minutes it wandered into the woods towards the neighbor’s cabin.
From what I’ve heard, seen and witnessed, there are some pretty decent crappies being caught in Fountain Lake this spring. It is never too early in the season to fish crappie and sunfish. What better way to emerge from a long winter than to do a little fishing? Get ready because the best is yet to come.
Until next time: I believe that spring has officially sprung and it’s time to get outside and enjoy a spring walk, visit a park and have a picnic or wet a line.
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