Mother Nature & Grandfathers...

Mother Nature and Grandfathers are the greatest teachers of all!

Today we find that fewer and fewer children are involved in the hunting process.  Many people, only 1  generation ago had ready access to land, as they had close relatives who still farmed and welcomed them to their places to hunt.  What will the next several generations be doing regarding the care and maintenance of our wildlife treasures?  Will they care? Will they even know or understand the enjoyment and thrill of hunting?  Not just the harvesting part, but the whole outdoor experience?  Who is going to teach them?  How are they going to learn patience, respect, resourcefulness and a sense of sharing with those less fortunate?

The main objective that you, as an adult should have is to allow your children to experience the pleasant aspects of hunting.  Don’t push them, or force them to do something that they are not enjoying.  Taking them on a 4 hour forced march in bad weather is surely not going to be a good experience for them.  Take them to a target range for an hour or let them try shooting trap once every 2 weeks.  This is a great way to introduce children to the gun and to hitting moving targets, while at the same time teaching them about gun handling and safety.

Fathers and grandfathers used to take their children out to hunt with them in order to teach them how, where and when to hunt.  The care and preparation of the kill in the field, dressing, skinning and butchering were all part of the teaching/learning process.  These experiences taught future generations the skills needed to provide food for their families.  They also taught many other lessons, those of patience, respect, resourcefulness and a sense of sharing with others who perhaps did not have good luck in their pursuit of needed food.
We need to start at home, introducing our young people to the safe practice of gun handling, shooting and the ethical requirements needed to have a successful hunt or to have success in life.

Teaching young children, say age 7 or 8, about gun safety can begin with the purchase of a BB gun.  Set up a safe target shooting range in the basement of your home.  This can be easily done and can provide the basis for hours of fun and practice in becoming a safe and proficient shooter.  Taking kids out to the field when they are small for a short hunt, only an hour or two will help in getting them interested in the sport of hunting and the outdoors.  Let them take their BB gun and plink at safe paper targets or cans put on a log against a backstop.

Mother Nature is a great teacher and getting kids outside to learn and play is good for their brains and their bodies.

Alaska's Tundra Turkey!

Sandhill Cranes Flying in Kentucky and One Landing in Alaska! 



Of course, they are from a different flyway but they seem to be found everywhere now!

The sandhill crane  is Alaska's largest game bird. Residents of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have affectionately nicknamed it the “Sunday turkey.” In some ways, cranes are birds of great contrasts. They are one of the most stately and dignified birds in flight, but they can also be one of the most comical when doing their famous “mating dance.” They come together in great flocks during migrations but are wary and scatter widely in their breeding and nesting areas.

Sandhill cranes are wading birds that have long black legs, long necks, and black chisel-shaped bills. Adults stand almost 3 feet tall and have a wing span of 6 feet or more. Mature birds are an ash-gray color with a bright red forehead. Immature birds are quite mottled with coppery or rusty feathers and lack the red forehead of adults. Adult plumage is attained at 2½ years. In the past, the sandhill cranes in Alaska were called “little brown” cranes and were thought to be a separate species based on their color. It is now known that the brownish-rust coloration of these northern birds is iron stain picked up in the peat bogs and muskegs of their breeding grounds.

Cranes breeding and migrating in Alaska are part of a complex of lesser sandhill cranes found from Siberia across northern Canada. They are considered a separate subspecies from greater sandhill cranes found in southern Canada and the lower 48 states. There is considerable variation in size among cranes, and their taxonomy has not been studied in detail.

Cranes have very powerful, unmistakable voices. The windpipe of cranes (and also trumpeter swans) forms a loop within the breastbone, producing the great resonance of their voices. Their cry has been described as a loud, rolling, musical rattle.

Omnivorous ground feeders, cranes eat frogs, rodents, insects, bulbs, seeds, and berries as well as occasional seashore delicacies. They have adapted well to agriculture and during the winter and on migration, feed largely on waste grain and small animals associated with farm fields.

The dance of the sandhills may be one of the strangest breeding displays on the tundra. Often called a mating dance, display activity reaches a peak in late winter and early spring, but it has also been seen at other times of the year when two cranes meet. The ritual starts with a deep bow followed by great leaps, hops, skips, turns, and more bows. This dance can go on for many minutes.

Cranes are extremely wary birds and hard to approach. Their long legs enable them to easily outdistance a person walking on the uneven tundra, but they will take flight if closely approached. Except for the nesting season, cranes are social birds that feed together and occupy safe communal roosts at night.

Bull of the Woods-today...

Young Bull Moose at My Homestead

The Alaska-Yukon race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest of all the moose. Adult males are larger than the females and in prime condition weigh from 1,200 to 1,600 pounds. Adult females weigh 800 to 1,300 pounds.

Only the males or “bulls” have antlers. Most male calves develop a hair-covered, bony protuberance by the end of summer that persists through their first year. Following this initial development, antlers are grown each summer and shed during winter throughout the bull’s life. The largest moose antlers in North America come from Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and the Northwest Territories of Canada. Trophy age class bulls with antlers 50 inches  in spread or larger are found throughout Alaska. Moose occasionally produce trophy-size antlers when they are 6 or 7 years old, with the largest antlers grown at approximately 10 to 12 years of age.  Moose rarely live more than 16 years.

Growth patterns, age at sexual maturity, and production of offspring are closely tied to range conditions. Female or “cow” moose generally breed at 28 months, though some may breed as young as 16 months. Calves are born any time from mid-May to early June after a gestation period of about 230 days. A cow moose defends her newborn calf vigorously. Cows give birth to twins  20-45 percent of the time, and triplets may occur. Newborn calves generally weigh 28 to 35 pounds and rarely as much as 45 pounds. Calves begin nursing within the first few hours following birth and take solid food a few days later. During their first 5 months, while suckling and foraging, calves will grow to more than 10 times their birth mass; occasionally weighing more than 500 pounds. Calves are generally weaned in the fall at the time the mother is breeding again.

The maternal bond is generally maintained until calves are 12 months old at which time the mother aggressively chases her offspring from the immediate area just before she gives birth. Moose breed in the fall with the peak of the “rut” activities coming in late September and early October. Adult males joust during the rut by bringing their antlers together and pushing. Serious battles are rare, but bulls regularly receive a few punctures, sometimes break ribs, and occasionally die from their wounds. The winner usually mates with several females.

By late October, adult males have exhausted their summer accumulation of fat and their desire for female company. Once again they begin feeding. Antlers from mature bulls are shed as early as November, but mostly in December and January. Young bulls may be seen with their antlers as late as April. Most moose make seasonal movements to calving, rutting, and wintering areas. They travel anywhere from only a few miles to as many as 60 miles during these transitions.

Moose have a high reproductive potential and can quickly overpopulate a range if not limited by predation, hunting, and severe weather. Deep crusted snow can lead to malnutrition and subsequent death of hundreds of moose and decrease the survival of the succeeding year's calves.

Moose are killed by wolves, black and brown bears. Black bears take moose calves in May and June. Brown bears kill calves and adults the entire time the bears are out of their winter dens. Wolves kill moose throughout the year. Predation limits the growth of many moose populations in Alaska.

Frosty Track

This is detectable evidence  that a Moose has passed during a frost. It also shows us the course along which it moved. To the sharper eye, it is a sign that shows where it has gone...

A Very Special Surprise!

When I was recently in Kentucky on a book signing trip I stopped by my"Mom's"(Doris Mangin) she was always like a Mom to me growing up so I began calling her Mammy. They always took us hunting growing up as we were neighbors on a farm down the road.

As I was saying, I stopped by because she wanted to show me the deer stands both of us would be using on her farm the next morning(opening day).

We started walking toward the woods leaving the wife behind us with a camera. As we turned the first corner, not even out of sight of the house, we saw this huge buck! Mammy grabbed me by the arm and her jaw dropped, as did mine! We froze! It never knew we were there as it was walking along a fence row with it's tail up moving and looking away from us.

When we both got over the shock we decided we had seen enough and not stink up the woods. We went back to the house in amazement!

Sherry caught this unique moment on camera! The snapshot above was the INSTANT we saw this huge buck. This will never happen again in our lifetimes but Mammy, now 85 and I, will cherish it forever!!

Frosty the Moose!

Turning cold in Alaska now but the Moose are fine! Note the frost on their backs and how well they must be insulated for that not to melt from body heat.

Our clothing pails in comparison!

Adult cow with her 1 year old calf.

BOOK SIGNING IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY!

Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Denny Crum and I at a recent book signing in Louisville, Kentucky. Denny is featured in one of the chapters in my book titled, "Denny Crum-Lord of the Flies".

He is an excellent fly fisherman and great hunter/sportsman. I also write about our Brown Bear hunt I guided him on when we were on the Alaskan Peninsula and the nice bear he took.