Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

When Ryan Bonin goes to work, he always makes sure he packs his camera and fishing pole.

As a cameraman and editor for Dave Mercer Outdoors, the Frogmore resident has the type of job most anglers dream of. Not only is he traveling to some of the best fishing spots in North America, he is also learning to be a better angler with tips from television angler Dave Mercer.

Bonin came into the job in a roundabout manner. Originally from Sudbury, he followed his brother’s footsteps showing an interest in video.

“It was the only thing I really enjoyed in high school other than fishing, and there’s no courses in fishing,” he joked.

Although he did a co-op placement with a conservation officer and loved it, his mind was made up for a future career when he was told job prospects, as game wardens were thin. He attended Fanshawe College and took television and broadcasting. There, he met his wife Ginny, who was from the Langton area.

After graduating, Bonin was working at Technicolor in Toronto on commercials, when he chatted with Mercer through a message board on

OFN. At the time, Mercer had produced videos and was looking at starting a television show, which launched in June 2007.

“I was in the right place at the right time and was lucky,” he said. “He sent me a message on WFN and the rest is history. We worked well together so he asked me to come work full-time for Dave Mercer Outdoors.”

Mercer’s Facts of Fishing television show aims to be more entertaining then other fishing shows. It’s also unique it is shot in one location in one day.

Bonin is one of two full-time camera operators and the editor of all the footage.

The show has taken him to the west coast of Canada salmon fishing, to northern Manitoba fly-in fishing for pike and walleye, the east coast of Canada shark fishing and to the Bahamas bone fishing. He also fished for bass in Alabama and alligator gar in Texas.

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When the filming is taking place, Bonin is behind the camera and isn’t fishing. But, when the work, is done he can play – or in this case fish.

On Bonin’s first day fishing with Mercer, he caught two six-pound smallmouth.

“I’d never seen a six-pound bass before,” he admitted.

That trend continued, and he has set his personal best in every species fishing with Mercer.

“I learned more with Dave in the first month than in my entire life,” Bonin said. “He’s an endless pit of knowledge. Just when you think he can’t do anymore, he throws out something else.”

Asked if this was his life ambition, Bonin answered, “Always, in the back of mind, thought it would be great. My final project in college was a full half-hour fishing show.”

With today’s technology, the Internet allows Bonin to live wherever he desired. He and Ginny decided to buy a house in Frogmore, near her parents. Bonin does all the editing from his home office

Besides Facts of Fishing, Bonin is also kept busy editing Mercer’s tips and short video clips for the web site. http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1769772

A look at the Canadian records available to genealogists.

Censuses
A census–an official government enumeration of the people residing in a city, town, village, county, district, or an urban or rural area–can provide a wealth of information about a person. Details in a census may include name, sex, family relationship, marital status, age, birthplace, immigration and naturalization information, ethnic origin, religion, occupation, and education. A census reveals the characteristics of a population or area at a particular period in time, allowing the researcher to discover the historical, social, and genealogical features of people and places.

Censuses were first conducted in what is now Canada in the seventeenth century. These–and subsequent censuses conducted up to the year 1851–were scattered and selective in regard to the time periods in which they were conducted and the areas enumerated. These very early censuses generally listed only the head of the household, his/her age and occupation, the number of family members, and perhaps the person’s birthplace and religion and a few other facts.

The first comprehensive censuses conducted in Canada were the 1851 and 1861 censuses of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). These censuses provide a listing and information for each person in a household. They consist of an agricultural and a personal schedule. The agricultural schedule presents information on crops an d land. The personal schedule includes genealogical information such as name, age, sex, marital status, relationship of occupants, occupation, education, and information on ownership of property, land, and livestock.

The 1871 census was the first nationwide census to occur after provincial confederation in 1867, when Canada became a unified nation of provinces. This census is much larger, consisting of nine schedules. The first schedule, the personal schedule, provides information on name, age, sex, marital status, place of birth, ethnic origin, religion, occupation, and education. The other schedules provide information on property, land, livestock, manufacturing, forestry, shipping and fishing, and mining.

The 1881 and 1891 censuses consist of only one schedule. They provide information on name, age, sex, marital status, place of birth, ethnic origin (1881 census), place of birth of father and mother (1891 census), religion, occupation, and education.

The 1901 census is the most comprehensive census available and consists of two schedules. Schedule 2, property, precedes schedule 1, population. Schedule 2 provides the following information: reference to schedule 1, which in this census indicates exact street address of the population enumerated in schedule 1, as well as building information. Schedule 1 provides the following genealogical information: name, age, sex, year and date of birth, age, year of immigration to Canada, year of naturalization, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, occupation, and employment and education information.

The 1901 census is the last federal Canadian census available to researchers. (The only exceptions are the 1921, 1935, and 1945 censuses of Newfoundland, which did not join confederation until 1949.) There are no national census indexes similar to the U.S. Soundex indexes. However, many individuals and genealogical societies have published indexes for some census years and locations.

Canadian census records are available t o U.S. researchers on interlibrary loan through the family history centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Canada they are available on interlibrary loan from the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. Visitors to Toronto will find a complete set of Canadian census records, as well as many census indexes, in the Canadiana Room of North York Central Library and at Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library.

Naturalization Records
Canadian censuses can provide much valuable genealogical information to the researcher. But while they will provide the country or possibly province or state of a person’s birth, only in rare cases will they provide the exact city, town, or village where a person was born. There is only one Canadian source that will almost universally provide this. Canadian naturalization records provide this and much more, although they include somewhat less information than the average U.S. naturalization record. There is no master index available to the public for Canadian naturalization records from the period of Canadian confederation in 1867 to the present. There is, however, a partial index available in selected issues of a government newspaper called the Canada Gazette. Issues between 1918 and 1938 offer, at various intervals, lists of aliens who have been naturalized by the Secretary of State. The newspaper is available at the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa and at some Canadian university libraries.

There are basically two types of naturalization records available: those completed prior to 1918, and those processed after this date. Prior to 1918, naturalization was handled locally in Canada by provincial courts. The basic information in these early records was forwarded to the Secretary of State and placed on index cards which have been microfilmed. (The original records held by provincial courts have been destroyed in most cases.) These index cards contain the name of the person natural ized, residence at time of naturalization, occupation, former residence, date and place of naturalization, number of naturalization, and name of court. These entries provide only basic genealogical information, but they are valuable if the country of birth and place of residence in Canada are not known. Many people who were naturalized prior to 1918 often had further correspondence with the Secretary of State for reasons such as applying for a new naturalization certificate. In these instances, full records are available.

Naturalization records issued after 1918 are usually complete and contain much genealogical information. A typical record may consist of an Application for a Decision, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Report, a Petition for Naturalization, an Affidavit Proving Petition, an Oath of Allegiance, and other documents and correspondence. Information provided on these documents may include name, date and exact place of birth, address, occupation, details of entry into Canada, marital status, physical description, information on relatives (limited), reasons for wanting naturalization, and names and addresses of persons who can vouch for the character and reputation of the applicant. Naturalization records can be obtained by writing to: Steven M. Clemenhagen, Public Rights Assistant, Public Rights Administration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Journal Towers North, Third Floor, 300 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1L1.

The cost is five Canadian dollars for each naturalization record requested; check or money order should be made out to the Receiver-General of Canada. It should be stated that the request is being made through the Freedom of Information Act. The following information should be provided to aid in the search: name at time of naturalization (include all known forms of name used); approximate year of birth within five to ten years; approximate year or place of naturalization, if known; and proof that the person has been dead twenty years (for those individuals born fewer than one hundred years ago). Any other known identifying information about the individual may also be provided.

The information provided in the documents sent should allow the researcher to determine the individual’s exact place of birth, as well as his or her method of entry into Canada. This will allow for the search of other records, such as ship passenger manifests.

Glen Eker has master’s degrees in sociology, political science, recreation and leisure, and library science. His articles on genealogy and census indexes have appeared in publications of the Manitoba Genealogical Society and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada. His census indexes are available through LDS family history centers, and have been published on microfiche by Avotaynu and in print and CD-ROM format by the Ontario Genealogical Society. He is a genealogical researcher with the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee in Toronto. Glen’s article on Canadian passenger ship manifests appeared in the March/April 1996 issue of Ancestry Magazine.

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WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Canadian media giant Canwest Global Communications Corp. has agreed to sell its majority stake in Australian broadcaster Ten Network Holdings Ltd. in a deal worth 634 million Canadian dollars ($588 million).

Shares in Canwest gained 68 percent in midday trading Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Canwest said late Wednesday it has signed a deal to sell its entire 50.1 percent stake in Ten Holdings to Macquarie Capital Advisers Ltd.

It said the sale is expected to be completed by Oct. 1.

Canwest owns the Global television network in Canada and an array of big-city Canadian daily newspapers. It has been struggling to repay debt of 4 billion Canadian dollars ($3.7 billion).

Ten Holdings completed an equity offering earlier this year that cut Canwest’s ownership stake in the broadcaster from 57 percent to just over 50 percent.

Canwest initially put the commercial television channel operator up for sale in October 2006, when Australian foreign ownership rules were relaxed.

After a failed search for an attractive offer, Canwest yanked the broadcaster off the market and completed a share exchange plan that gave it a majority ownership of the network.

Since then, Canwest has sold numerous other assets including indirect interests in four Turkish radio stations and American political magazine the New Republic.

At first glance, the results of the 2009 duck breeding population and habitat survey are eye-popping: May ponds across the prairie breeding grounds increased 45 percent from a year ago, the total duck population was up 25 percent and mallard numbers climbed 10 percent.

Look closer, however, and some of the survey’s findings explode from the pages like a Fourth of July fireworks display.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago we’d have twice as many pintails nesting on the U.S. side of the breeding grounds as Canadian prairie, I would have laughed in your face,” said Dr. Frank Rohwer, Delta Waterfowl’s scientific director.

Yet that’s exactly what happened this year, as 1.4 million pintails nested in the Dakotas and eastern Montana while only 664,000 set up housekeeping in prairie Canada. The US side of the region also attracted 78 percent more blue-winged teal (4.5 million) than prairie Canada (2.5 million) and a higher percentage of mallards than any other year since the survey began in 1955.

The results of the breeding-population and habitat survey were released Thursday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service. The B-pop, as it’s called, is the most extensive wildlife inventory on the continent.

The total duck breeding population rose 13 percent from 37.3 million to 42 million, and for the first time ever more ducks (14 million) settled on the US side of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) than the Canadian side (12.7 million)- .sobering news for prairie Canada, which continues to experience sub-par duck production, but exciting news for the US, where nest success has been excellent because of an abundance of grass and a scarcity of red fox,” says Dr. Rohwer,

“Ducks track ponds and the Dakotas and eastern Montana are wet,” says Senior Vice President John Devney. “Not only that, but thanks to heavy rains in June, our grass cover is in excellent shape and we’ve maintained good wetlands, which bodes well for re-nesting and brood survival.

“We ought to be making a bunch of baby ducks this year,” echoed John Solberg, the USFWS pilot-biologist who flies the eastern Dakotas survey each spring. “We’re very wet, and the cover response to recent rains has been incredible.”

A breakdown of the numbers shows the PPR had a 45-percent year-over-year increase in May ponds to 6.4 million. Prairie Canada was 17 percent wetter than a year ago and 5 percent wetter than the long-term average while the U.S. side had a whopping 108 percent increase in wetlands and was 87 percent wetter than the LTA.

The mallard population climbed from 7.7 million to 8.5 million. The United States attracted a 2.96 million mallards while 3.04 million settled in prairie Canada.

Among the other most popular species, gadwall numbers were up 12 percent to 3.1 million; green-winged teal rose to an all-time record of 3.4 million; blue-winged teal rose 11 percent to 7.4 million; northern shovelers climbed 25 percent to 4.4 million; northern pintails were up 23 percent to 3.2 million; canvasbacks were up 35 percent to 662,000, and scaup rose for the third straight year, up 12 percent to 4.2 million, the highest level since 1999.

The only species to show a drop in breeding numbers were redheads, which were down one percent to 1.0 million, and wigeon, down one percent to 2.5 million.

The PPR constitutes only 10 percent of North America’s breeding habitat but annually attracts two-thirds or more of all nesting ducks. The surveyed portion of the region includes North and South Dakota and a sliver of eastern Montana in the United States, and prairie Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada. About 75 percent of the PPR exists in Canada, which historically attracted 75 percent of the ducks that nest there.

During the wet cycle of the 1990s, duck production on the U.S. side of the border increased dramatically thanks to 5 million acres of grass nesting cover provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The Duck’s Nest: Custer State Park – South Dakota – Our first stop for camping was Custer State Park in South Dakota. This park is located in the hart of the Black Hills. It had wonderful campgrounds and was located near Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Badlands. …

Breeding Population Survey Released; Wet Conditions Attract Ducks … – The PPR constitutes only 10 percent of North America’s breeding habitat but annually attracts two-thirds or more of all nesting ducks. The surveyed portion of the region includes North and South Dakota and a sliver of eastern Montana in …

TuzigootJournal: South Dakota Flashback: Terry Redlin – Lots of rural scenes, often with birds streaking across them (he has won multiple competitions done by Ducks Unlimited for the art displayed on duck stamps), typically illuminated with light from various sources: sunrise, sunset, …

Year of the Bird: South Dakota – He was recently invited to go to the Badlands of South Dakota to help the Nature Conservany with a new property they had purchased, and asked me to join. I leapt at an opportunity to both explore a new habitat and at the same time contribute (a little! ….. Wood Duck 1/21 Bayville; 131. Slaty Backed Gull 1/23 Ithaca; 132. Scott’s Oriole 1/24 Union Square Park; 133. Yellow Bellied Sapsucker 1/24 Prospect Park; 134. Red Bellied Woodpecker 1/26 Croton Point; 135. …

Picable – Photo Page: Dawn Over South Dakota Lake – Photo about Dawn Over South Dakota Lake. … Dawn Over South Dakota Lake. by carolina girl. published on Jun 4, 2009. Dawn spreads over a lake in South Dakota illuminating decoys in wait for ducks. …

Federal Duck Stamp Marks Its 75th Anniversary – Federal Duck Stamp Marks Its 75th Anniversary. 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp. Designed by South Dakota artist Joshua Spies, the 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp features a long-tailed duck and decoy. USFWS

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The two most popular upland game birds in North Dakota are sharptail grouse as well as Hungarian Partridge.

Sharptail Grouse on Flickr – Photo Sharing! – Brad tells me this is a Sharptail Grouse. Since I dont know this bird from a hole in the ground, I’ll believe him.

Ruffed grouse counts up | International Falls Daily Journal – Sharp-tailed grouse counts in the northwest survey region increased 15 percent between 2008 and 2009, Larson said. Counts in the east-central region declined slightly. Observers look for male sharptails displaying on traditional mating …

This year’s spring gunning gets under way in mid September.  Spring counts of birds showed little variations from last year’s bird counts.  Game officials expect the gunning action to be about average.  There an be said to be plenty of sharptails in the western half of the state of north Dakota .  Most of the huns are in the same range except of Stusmen County in the east.  The counties having the most sharptails include Morton , Mc Kenzie , Mountrail , William Dunn and Billings .    The majority of the huns are already taken in Ward , Boutineau Morton , Williams , McHenry and Stutsman Counties.

birds, brushes and other stuff: Special Offer – White Gyr and … – For one month only we have cut the price on the white gyrfalcon and sharptail grouse print by £20! ( was £45 now only £25- uk and Europe, £35 rest of the world, all prices include P&P) This fantastic offer is only available until 31st …

Mystery Bird: Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus … – [Mystery birds] Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus, photographed at roughly 9am in the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. [I will identify these birds for you tomorrow] …

Sharptail Grouse – There are a few around the Sax-Zim Bog which isn’t too far away. I thought as long as I had posted some pix of a roughed grouse drumming, that you might like to see his close cousin in his mating ritual. Enjoy!

Chequamegon-Nicolet Partners with Groups to Help Sharp – tailed … – On March 28th members of the Wisconsin Sharp-tail grouse Society (WSGS), staff from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) volunteers from the Student Chapters of the UW-Madison and UW-Stevens Point Wildlife Society, …

News Releases: Minnesota DNR – Licensed prairie chicken hunters will be allowed to take sharp-tailed grouse while legally hunting prairie chickens. Sharptails and prairie chickens are similar looking species and the general closure on taking sharp-tailed grouse by …

Hunt Lake Manitoba Narrows

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Spring will soon be onway in Manitoba non – withstanding

You can count on two things

Fishing at Lockport and Manitoba spring hunters.

2009 Hunting Agenda….

- Well today i changed my blog name from “Manitoba Bowhunter” to ” Manioba Bowhunter’s”….209 will be my son (Dalton) first year of hunting and I plan to have him in bear stand with bow in hand this spring. I can’t wait, I will have him …

The Right to Hunt

- We all know when the right time to hunt is. We know the “hunting season” is not in baby booming spring. We know when it’s just the right time for hunting some good ol moose. For those of us that have enjoyed the fine taste of moose meat …

www.bitsandpeaces.com: Happy Spring Everyone!!!!

- He explained that all Inuit children learn to have one specialty, when learning about ‘the wild lands’ of the tundra and that strong hunting groups rely on the combined knowledge of ‘the group’ for successful hunts. … To date, he and his wife have lived in Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia where these art creations have been donated to elementary schools. ” I feel, deep in my heart, that the children of today will play the most significant part in creating a …

Kaska Goose Lodge – Hudson Bay Lowlands, Manitoba – Manitoba … – Kaskattama Goose Lodge is one of the few goose hunting lodges left on the Hudson Bay coast. Located on Cape Tatnam near the mouth of the Kaskattama River in northern Manitoba, Kaska is a hunters’ paradise. Manitoba Hunting Northern.

Freedom Manitoba: Hunting “Rights” is a Racist Policy – A man has won a five-year legal battle against the Manitoba government with a landmark court ruling on Métis hunting rights. Status Indians and Inuit in Canada have treaty rights that allow them to hunt without a license, …

Metis Win Hunting Judgement (CJOB News First) – It is seen as a victory for Metis in Manitoba. Thursday morning in Brandon Provincial Court, Judge John Coombs ruled Will Goodon can hunt without a Manitoba hunting license.

Metis Win Hunting Judgement – It is seen as a victory for Metis in Manitoba. Thursday morning in Brandon Provincial Court, Judge John Combs ruled Will Goodon can hunt without a Manitoba hunting license. The President of the Manitoba Metis Federation David Chartrand …

Métis hunting rights to be decided (Portage Daily Graphic) – BRANDON — A ruling on a two-year-old court case over Métis hunting rights in Manitoba was to be released Thursday. Judge John Combs was to decide in Brandon provincial court whether Will Neal Goodon can hunt without a Manitoba hunting …

Iowa Sportsmen’s Radio Hour – Stars On “The Iowa Sportsman” – Tonight. Stars_ice_girls_ron_michael There are plenty of reasons to be an Iowa Stars Hockey Fan…and tonight on the other radio show I do, The Iowa Sportsman we’ll talk hockey! (This was simply an excuse …

Blogroll – Blogroll. Ducks Unlimited Homepage Ducks Unlimited Homepage: Wetlamds , Conservation , Waterfowl , Duckhunting; Province of Manitoba Hunting and Wildlie Province of Manitoba Manitoba Conservation Wildlife Ecosystem Protection …

manitoba hunting information – i have been throwing around the idea of possibly going to manitoba for a goose/duck hunt in fields next year, and i’m looking for some information…

A Hunting And Fishing Trip To Canada – Can You Bring And Import … – You may be a hunter traveling to Canada – especially Northern Canada for the hunting vacation of your dreams. You may be a simple tourist on a holiday “Up There” to the North to visit Canada. You may of heard of Canada’s gun laws and …

Canada Fishing Trip – Angling Classics – Canada Fishing Trip – Angling ClassicsBritish Columbia Canada canada fishing rules, bow canada fishing fly river. canada fishing canada fishing cabins canada fishing flyin in ontario. 9 9 9 9 canada fishing trip: fishing vacation canada …

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“Apparently drunk as a lord on the wine of the north wind and the mysterious call of the season, bluebills may come in from all sides, at all levels, now skimming over the surface of the water, now swooping down from above. Stand up suddenly in your blind and you’re likely to get your cap knocked off — if not your head.” — Jimmy Robinson
Arkansas has its mallards, with their florid feathering and graceful aerobatics — poetry on wings. But the north country, particularly that part of the north that is blessed with large lakes, is the province of bluebills, or scaup. These birds arrow southward from the subarctic at autumn’s last call, an eyelash ahead of winter and freeze-up. No waterfowlers appreciate these black darts — these “rockets of the north,” as the late Jimmy Robinson described them — more than Minnesotans. Charlie Hays of Princeton is one. “Bluebills are just a wonder to watch and to hunt,” Hays said. “Anyone who loves ducks can’t help but love bluebills. To see a flock of 25 or 30 turn for your decoys with their wings set can scare the hell out of you.”

Hays’ duck camp — bluebill camp — is on Lake of the Woods, near the Northwest Angle. It’s there that, on the first Saturday of October, he will hunker in a plain wooden blind on a nondescript island and … shoot one bird.

“That’s the rule we hunt by at our camp,” Hays said. “Opening day, you get one bird. The thrill is in seeing them, watching them.”

These days, bluebills — scaup (they come in greater and lesser varieties) — are in the news. And not in an encouraging way.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has imposed a one-bluebill limit on Mississippi Flyway hunters for 40 days of the coming 60-day season, with two ‘bills allowed the remaining 20 days.

The reason: Bluebill numbers have declined significantly the past two decades

Minnesota waterfowlers hollered “foul” louder and more often following the service’s action than anyone else, and the state’s Department of Natural Resources has appealed the reduced limit.

Forty-five days of two birds daily, with one bluebill allowed the remaining 15 days, would be fairer to hunters, the agency believes, and no less protective of the bird.

What’s more, argues DNR waterfowl specialist Steve Cordts, a two-bluebill daily limit would keep most Minnesota duck hunters from running afoul of the law by mistaking bluebills for similar-looking ring-necked ducks — whose limit this fall will be six daily.

• • •

However the impasse is resolved, the fracas that has followed the USFWS bluebill-limit reduction has underscored anew how much Minnesota waterfowlers love this bird.

Such affection might be beyond the understanding of waterfowlers in Tennessee, Iowa, Missouri or even Arkansas.

How, they wonder, can a small black and white bird with a reputation (in the South) for tasting “fishy” entice so many duck hunters?

The answer blows in the cold winds that jump-start the bluebill’s late migration and the wintry weather that washes these birds southward.

In mid- to late October, lakes and rivers near The Pas, Manitoba, about 400 miles north of Winnipeg, will freeze, driving vast rafts of bluebills into the air, where they will circle in great waves, gaining altitude.

Lake Manitoba awaits to the south, a vast inland ocean, and just beyond, Delta Marsh.

It is on Delta Marsh that bluebills will seek food and refuge. It is there also so often over so many years that Robinson and guests at his Sports Afield duck camp hunkered in phragmites on frigid mornings, awaiting these rockets of the north.

Nourishing themselves a final time, the ‘bills will soon take to the air once more, vectoring now for Lake of the Woods — where Hays and scores of other Minnesota waterfowlers have awaited them for generations.

Days — perhaps weeks — later, the birds will continue southward to Lake Winnibigoshish, Leech Lake, a smattering of lakes near Ashby, some waters near Willmar, then, too, farther south onto and over the Mississippi River.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/28092844.html?page=2&c=y

Take opening morning of the early special Canada goose season last week, down on the upper Maumee River. Vaughn Hoblet and Tom Rumpf, both of rural Perrysburg, had situated themselves exactly in the right blinds hard by the riverbank. They had their limits of geese before 9 a.m. The rest of us – Ron Stieben, the property owner and host, Ron Gniewkowski, of Genoa, Jeff Palicki, of Toledo, and me – chose to take up posts slightly inland nearer a soybean field that the geese have been grazing to death. We took one bird – that is, Palicki did – by 10 a.m. Growing heat put an end to flying flocks and put an early end to a hunt in which 100 yards made all the difference. On balance, the lemon-colored dawn, dew-coated spiderwebs backlit in the rising rays and the ringside seat to the show – scores of geese and ducks trading upriver and down – made it worth getting up early. The goose-getting efforts of a rural Sandusky County neighbor evenings last week followed a similar pattern. One evening all he could do was watch as the flocks passed a mile south of his wheat stubble. The Sunday evening just before sunset, the birds dumped into his decoys and he was ready. His shotgun said so, three times.Scott Butterworth, wildlife management supervisor for Ohio Wildlife District 2, said action for geese and doves during the first week was spotty, especially for geese. “It was so darn hot,” he noted, applying the remarks to both hunters and the birds.

With doves, Butterworth said, usually such places as the state’s managed fields at various wildlife areas produce very well on opening day. Results this year were very uneven. Don Schooner, of Weston, who annually grooms two parcels for doves, estimates hunting success for his crew – led by Bruno Hankins, of Pemberville – is down so far this season by 30 to 40 percent. He said plenty of doves were about last week, but they seemed to be much more scattered than prior years, possibly because of the presence of more wheatfields. Many of those fields were tilled post-harvest much earlier than usual and the early tillage, Schooner added, could keep birds less concentrated. From here on out, the usual march of cold fronts are likely to move out local doves, but the same fronts may bring down more northern birds, Schooner said. Saturday’s early special teal season opener was somewhat slow at the state’s Magee Marsh in Ottawa County and Killdeer Plains in Wyandot County, Butterworth said. But the state’s Pickerel Creek area and adjacent Sandusky Bay seemed to have a lot of teal around, the supervisor added. The early goose season ends Monday, but teal season continues until Sept. 21. Dove season continues until Oct. 22, with a late split from Dec. 9 through 26. The other main season in play is squirrel and Butterworth said lots of them are to be found but not so with squirrel hunters. So the odds on bushytails are good. • Discounted antlerless deer licenses of just $3 for residents and $30 for nonresidents are being offered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for Kent County in hopes of encouraging an increased bag there during the statewide Sept. 18-22 private land antlerless season. Kent County is the site of the first known case of chronic wasting disease among deer in Michigan, CWD having been confirmed recently in a game farm doe. The MDNR has quarantined game farms statewide as a result, among other measures, and has instituted a CWD surveillance zone in nine northern Kent County townships. Hunters in the townships will be required to have their deer sampled at a check station for CWD testing. For any deer that may test positive, the hunter will be given a replacement permit and the MDNR will keep the carcass. For other details on the early hunt visit online at michigan.gov/dnr. • The inaugural “Cars for Critters” benefit car show is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21 at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, 14000 West State Rt. 2, Oak Harbor. Friday is the deadline for advance registration. Proceeds from the show will benefit Back to the Wild, a nonprofit private wildlife rehabilitation center at Castalia. Mona Rutger, head of the center, will have live eagles, hawks, owls and other native wildlife on display, and some of the car classes in the show will be set up for cars with animal names. For example, a 1969 Ford Mustang may compete against a 1962 Chevrolet Impala in the “best mammal” class. Classes for all types of cars are planned, with trophy plaques awarded accordingly. For details and registration, call Eddy Pausch, assistant refuge manager, at 419-89…, extension 31. • The deadlines for ordering fish fingerlings of several species for stocking ponds is coming up within the week in Ottawa and Lucas counties. The Ottawa Soil and Water District deadline is Friday for bluegill, channel catfish, largemouth bass, redear sunfish and white amur, or grass carp. Call the district office for order details, 419-89…. The fish will be delivered Sept. 18 at the district office on Lake Street in Oak Harbor.

The Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District sale’s order deadline is Monday. The district offers the same species as Ottawa, plus yellow perch and fathead minnows. Pickup will be Sept. 21 at the district office at 130-A West Dudley St., Maumee. Call the office for order details 419-893-1966 or visit online at co.lucas.oh.us/LSWCD.

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