by Gary Lee
Another year passes and epic storms with tornadoes, heavy rain fall, blizzards where they don’t have snow normally and here we sit with thousands of sports, skiers and snowmobilers with no place to go.
I heard they had over 4,000 at Whiteface Mountain one day last weekend looking for a place to make a run.
Maybe this short cold spell will set some of the lakes up enough to go ice fishing… but then it’s going to go back up to above normal temperatures once this passes.
The Mississippi River on its way south is way over flood stage and is going to hit every town and city in its way.
Levees that are forty feet above the river have been flooded over.
When one of these breaks it floods a lot of flat land but eventually goes back into the river to hit someone downstream.
This usually occurs in the spring when the snow melts but now that rain is falling from the sky—up to 10 to 15 inches in some places—there is just too much water.
Our winter recreation is suffering for sure, but at least we haven’t lost our loved ones, our homes or even our towns to tornadoes and flooding.
Starting Christmas Eve it has been nonstop south and west of us. Our prayers to all those who are trying to put their lives back together.
It doesn’t look like some of the bigger lakes will freeze this winter, unlike the last two winters when most everything froze solid.
Lake Erie and Ontario should be big snow producers if the wind and temperatures are just right; much like today (1/3), which started off with a forecast of an inch of snow and by one o’clock we had six inches with the wind whipping it around.
At least it gave the snowmobilers and skiers something to play on.
I was over on the shore of Limekiln Lake a couple nights ago and there was a blinding snow squall going on.
I heard some squawking coming from just over the tree tops behind me and a flock of about twenty Brandt came flying over.
I don’t think they went much farther than the end of Limekiln, because more than likely they couldn’t see anything in front of them but snow.
Then, yesterday I was down the outlet of Limekiln and another larger flock of Brandt came flying right down the outlet not more than fifteen feet off the water. This was also in a blinding snow squall.
I’m sure they hit the big beaver pond just downstream, which still had open water, and waited for better flying conditions.
Some summer birds have also been trapped here and may have to spend the winter at your feeders. I still have white throated sparrow and several juncos.
I saw a couple juncos along the shoreline of Limekiln Lake yesterday also. They were looking for some bare ground and hoping for a tad bit to eat.
A flock of 13 turkeys have come to look for something under my feeder; some folks have reported as many as 25 at their feeders.
I also saw five big toms together in Limekiln Campsite last week. They will probably come over the hill once they hear the food call from their neighbors.
I’ve also had a couple bald eagles and three ravens coming down to my dam for a snack.
I’m sure there is a barred owl coming at night but my trail camera seems to only work during the daytime.
Only yesterday did I go hare hunting with Jason Harter in back of Limekiln Campsite. He had been in the woods for a few hours before I got there and had one hare.
I heard the dogs going full bore when I left the truck and it wasn’t long before they were headed my way.
I saw the hare go by like a white streak and there was no time for a shot.
The hounds weren’t that far behind and started another loop back toward the campsite.
I heard Jason calling the dogs so I figured they were about spent as they had been running for almost four hours.
I started walking out and flushed a barred owl out of the evergreens. I looked over and there was a hare that the owl had killed, that was spooked by the hounds running nearby. I picked up the hare and walked out to the trucks.
Jason got there about the same time and said he didn’t hear me shoot. I told him I had an owl hunting for me…we had a laugh over that one.
One other time, when I was younger, I was playing the hound and chasing cottontails on the snow as my dad waited until they came around for a shot.
I was on the track crossing some brushy fields when a red tailed hawk came from out of nowhere and hit the rabbit in front of me.
I quickly got over there and took the rabbit from the hawk when it flushed off.
When I got back to my dad I got the same reaction from him, “I didn’t hear you shoot.”
Then I told him the story.
Let the winter sports begin… but that’s another story. See ya.