Freezing Rain in February

I awoke during the night from the sound of raindrops on my window pane. It was hard to get back to sleep what with worrying about all the problems it causes. The worst is the build-up of ice on the power lines, coupled with strong winds which pull down the lines . No power, no sump pumps, equals water flooding the basement.

Ice on the windshield a quarter of an inch thick gets the day off to a good start. Car door hard to open, windows frozen shut, roads like a skating rink.

But all that is minor when considering the effect freezing rain has on wildlife. With our two feet of snow, a frozen crust cuts the front legs of deer as they walk. Owls are unable to break through the crust to catch the mice they hear under the snow. Ruff Grouse can be sealed in their overnight shelter and starve to death.

I am not going to complain as I will not suffer any injuries or die of starvation.

Ruff and Sharp-tail Grouse

The last few days we have had Ruff Grouse take over our yard. They have been leaving tracks all around the house and acting as if they own the place.

Just yesterday I looked out the back door window and one was sitting on the roof of the basement stairs entry.

It took off when it saw me and flew to some dense woods south of the house. As soon as it took flight four more joined if from various spots in the yard where they were roosting or feeding.

Now that the small crabapples are covered by the snow they have gone back to their main food which is Hazelnut bush catkins. They love to tightrope walk out to the end of flimsy branches to pick off the catkins.

Occasionally they lose their balance when the branch fails to sustain their weight. When that occurs they take flight and move to another location and make it appear that was their intention in the first place.

When the weather turns cold or a storm occurs, the Ruff Grouse takes shelter in deep snow and then lets the snow completely cover it. It seems to know in advance when bad weather is on the way and they make sure their crop is full before taking shelter.

Once the weather improves they push aside the snow and go back to their quest for more food.

The photo shows where one Ruff Grouse spent a day or two waiting out the last storm. The dark red droppings in the middle of the pile are obviously from crabapples taken from our trees.

This afternoon while snowshoeing we flushed two Sharp-tail Grouse as we came out into a clearing. They flew rapidly off into the open field cluck, cluck, clucking into the distance.

Ruff Grouse prefer woods to open country while the Sharp-tail Grouse prefer open fields. They can be seen occasionally in the other’s territory but it is rare.

A few weeks ago we counted exactly fifty Sharp-tail Grouse flying in a long group from one field to another

Separation Lake Hunting and Rescue - Part 1 of 3 parts

It started as a two man deer hunting trip and grew until there was six of us.

We drove north from Kenora, Ontario up the Jones road about fifty miles to the Grassy Narrows Indian Reserve where we left the vehicles. We put the three boats into the English River and headed west, down stream.

The English River flows in a westward direction through a chain of lakes from the dam at Ear Falls until it joins the Winnipeg River’ close to the Manitoba and Ontario border. Our destination was a large Tourist camp that sits on Separation Lake.

It was late October and the camp had already been closed for the winter. One of the members of our group knew the area well as he had spent many summers as a fishing guide at the camp. His parents managed the camp and he obtained their permission for us to use a couple of the cabins.

During the twenty five mile boat trip down the English river and through the lakes we failed to see another hunting party or anyone else for the matter. It could turn cold very rapidly and freeze the lakes and rivers so you could get trapped by the ice if you were not careful. Our plan was to hunt Saturday after noon and stay overnight. The following day we would continue hunting but quit early enough to make our way back to the landing where the vehicles were parked.

To protect the camp from vandalism during the hunting season, a couple of Indian summer guides were hired to stay at the camp. They came from the Grassy Narrows reserve, where we left our vehicle. They would stay at the camp until the lake had frozen and was safe enough for a plane on skis to land and pick them up. They would finish closing the camp and fly back home the twenty five miles to the reserve.

When we arrived at the camp only one older Indian was there. The rest had gone back to the reserve by boat and into Kenora to pick up enough groceries to last them until freeze up. This was an annual ritual that had been going on for a long time.

Once we had unpacked our gear and settled into a cabin we arranged to spend the rest of the day hunting.
With two hunters to each boat we set off to hunt the many islands on the lake. We had done this before so we had a system. We would go to a medium sized island and look for deer tracks in the snow.

Once we established that there were deer on and island we would go by boat to the opposite end. The first hunter would be let off with just a shotgun. The second hunter would take the boat back to the other end, where we had seen the tracks. The hunter with the shotgun would start to drive the island and he would shoot any Ruff Grouse he flushed. He would walk a zig zag path in order to drive the deer ahead of him. He would shout once in a while so that the posted hunter would know where he was.

The hunter in the boat would go ashore and find a good place to view any deer that were driven his way. This system worked most of the time but some deer were smart enough to leave the island and swim out of danger. Usually a single shot was enough to down your deer. The kill was always close to the boat so it made the recovery of the game easy.

At the end of the first day we had three deer and many grouse. It had been a long day so after a few drinks we made plans for the next days hunting. We were all in bed early, as Sunday was going to be a busy day.

Read parts 2 and 3 that follow.

No snow!!

Here we are the middle of November and no snow.

This really makes tough sledding.

Now I am not praying for snow, but you cannot call it winter without snow. It does make life easier and safer for the elderly, a class which I have no intention of joining.

My dog lays out in the yard, staring at me as if the lack of snow is my fault. No snow, no snowshoeing. No snowshoeing, no joyful treks through the woods making trails.

The most noticeable change the lack of snow has caused, involves birds and other wildlife’s struggle for food. Many birds head south when the snow covers the ground and makes it difficult to find food. This year many have not yet left as food is easy to find.

The Ruff Grouse in our woods stay all year round and they adapt to the seasons and weather easily. This fall one of them discovered the small crabapples from my tree were lying in abundance on the ground and in plain sight.

It was not long before we had two of them and last night the crew grew to four. They arrive just before dark and have a little feeding frenzy for about five minutes and then zip back into the woods. The dog has learned it is pointless to chase them as they leap into the air and are off with a loud whirrr,…whirr of their wings.

They cannot swallow the cherry size apples so their first choice are the ones that have been stepped on. They quickly pick them up, shake them a few times and swallow what has not fallen off. The larger ones have frozen and thawed each day so they are becoming very soft and easier to eat.

The grouse have been eating here for more than a week and they are starting to fill out and will be in fine shape to deal with winter. I have noticed they eat seven to ten apples and when the crop is stuffed they either run at high speed for the brush or leap into the air, and with a burst of speed melt into the dark woods.

The Ruff Grouse are not hunted in my woods nor in the property around me as my neighbors feel as I do.
Each spring we have one or two batches of eggs laid and if we are lucky we get the odd chance to watch the chicks running about, catching bugs as if it is the last one they will ever see. As they get older the group starts to thin out. Owls and fox are the biggest threat.

During the winter I listen for the drumming sounds of the Ruff Grouse and it confirms we still have them in the woods. On some occasions I have heard three drumming in different directions around me.
The yard visitors better eat their full as the snow has got to fall shortly.