Timberdoodle Dancing

Peeenntt 

Nature's mysteries are all around us, and many don't know it. Consider the American Woodcock. It is widely distributed in the Midwest, but because it is often active at night and migratory, most have never seen one. However, late February through March in Ohio are the perfect time. This is when the males perform their courtship dance at dusk. Find an open area with successional brush and marshy or soft ground. Listen for a distinctive "peeentt" sound (you can hear it in the video below). Then watch for the bird to take flight, circling and climbing until it corkscrews back to earth.

 It's also, if you're interested, a great time to scout for these birds for the fall seasons. And a great excuse to get outside. You can even follow their migration live via satellite tags.

So Fetch!

Part of a GSP's repertoire has to be retrieving - and retrieving from water. And it is hardwired into them. In a thoughtless, bone-headed dog owner move, I casually threw a stick into a flooded river when Jurgen was a pup. He went after it full force, which wasn't my intent, but the current and water depth was more than he bargained for.

Since that time, he hadn't swam. He did get back in the water, but as for getting his beyond wading, he wasn't having any of it. And that's kind of big deal for a dog that's supposed to retrieve ducks like it's second nature. I didn't want him to get laughed at by people and Labradors. Something had to be done.

As luck would have it, we were going out of town and didn't have anybody to watch him overnight. So I called the breeder, Tate Stratton and he said that he had room and could keep him. When we got there, I sort of mentioned that he didn't like to swim. He said "I think we can get him swimming." And the result was Jurgen completed his first live-bird retrieve and water retrieve in the same day.

Hunting Dog Breeds

Hunting without a dog sucks. In my opinion, any way. Dogs bring enthusiasm and vibe to the event that never lets up. That's why, as much as I enjoyed the challenge of bowhunting, I don't go because I can't involve a dog. On my very first hunt ever at 12 years old I watched amazed as a German shorthair - from another hunting party - swept the field before us. My father was a bowhunter and for us in the uplands as a kid, we took turns being the "dog." It was pretty evident when they left the field that the real deal had not left much to be found by us.

At that time, a real hunting dog seemed out of reach. I had Siberian Husky that was hell on groundhogs, but the February she put up 7 pheasants on a random walk woke me up. I took a dog every time I could, regardless of breed. A terrier mix. What our Southern Ohio neighbors called squirrel dogs but looked like no recognizable breed. No matter what breed if any, they have better noses and perspectives that humans will never understand.

When I found out that my roommate in college had Brittany Spaniels, owning a legitimate bird dog seemed more real. Then my friend moved to Missouri and got his first GSP, Fowl Weather Abby and it seemed possible. And actually happened with Sundance West Eva Diva, and now Jürgen vom Stillwater I have had well-bred GSP for sometime now, but I'm glad that this list from Field and Stream includes what some would call non-traditional hunting breeds. 

Any dog makes almost any hunt better in my opinion.

Grass Connectors and Roadways

We need more native grasses in Ohio. It's that simple.

Virtually everything that lives here depends on and needs those plants at some point during the year. During my commute, one of the very obvious things I've noticed is what appears to me be unnecessary mowing - a big why? Why do we mow so much land along our roadways? If nothing else, go ahead and mow from the road to the ditch, but from the ditch to the fence establish warm-season grasses. Nobody walks or plays ball there, or will they ever. And all kinds of wildlife would benefit from the better habitat.

I couldn't come up with a valid objection in my head, so I looked for more informed opinions. I wrote a letter to the ODNR asking if they had a program working with ODOT to somehow minimize mowing and allow for warm-season grasses to grow. I received a very cordial return phone call from John Kaiser at the ODNR Division 5 office. He let me in on some of his current roadside grass project, which were very close to what I had been thinking. And he let me know what I could do personally: write a letter to ODOT. Letters can be persuasive and get attention. So that's what I'm doing and encouraging others to do.

Here is my letter to ODOT.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -

Shawn Anverse
Ohio Department of Transportation
Transportation Administrator
1630 W. First Street
Springfield, OH 45504

Dear Mr. Anverse,

I would like to propose that we find a solution other than attempting to mow everything on the roadsides and make space for native grasses and forbs. Native plants benefit all kinds of wildlife in addition to reducing costs in the long run. I know that Indiana and Minnesota have plans involving roadsides and grasses. I'd like to think that Ohio is leading the way on this area but it doesn't seem to be the case.

I'm aware that there is a pilot program in Darke county, but believe that we should move swiftly to enact some sort of program statewide. I propose that we begin by continuing to mow from the road to the ditch but return the area from the ditch to the fence to native plants.

This would create vast natural corridors for wildlife and plants and enable the mowing to attend to mowed sections more often and improve their appearance.

I am willing to help, discuss, communicate, whatever it takes to make this happen. Please let me know how I can be of assistance.

Sincerely,

Devin B. Meister

There, I Fixed It - In 3D

If you want an example of how tech and manufacturing are changing before our eyes, you don't have to look very far. 

Recently my daughter wanted a holder for her kayak paddle to keep it from rolling around the top. It's nice to have if you're fishing or want to take your hands off of the paddle to take a picture .

She happens to be a mechanical engineering student, so naturally she was going to make something.

When I was her age I would have probably made something out of a crushed beer can and duct tape. You can scratch the probably because I likely did that for the boat I had when I was in school. And never mind the age, that's probably the solution I'd arrive at today.

Nope. Not her, not now. They have access to 3D printers at school. 3D printing, if you're not familiar is the process that's very similar to regular ink printing on paper. Instead of ink the machine drops a plastic resin that solidifies into hard plastic. Instead of one pass over a sheet of paper, the 3D printer can make multiple passes to build up the piece into the final design. 

She designed a snap-on piece that swivels to accommodate the angle of the paddle no matter where it's placed on the cockpit of the boat. It's two pieces but made in one printing. Nice. Certainly better than a beer can. 

Lighting the Way to Summer

Lightening bugs have always been fascinating. Seeing the first one is the definitive harbinger of summer. When they disappear too soon in late summer it's always a wistful feeling knowing that summer is drawing to a close, no matter how much I enjoy fall. 

I saw the first firefly of this year, 2015, on May 23, from the patio at Station One while listening to the Nate McDonough band. I'm making a more concerted effort to record data on events outdoors. It's a hard habit for me to start I'll admit. But here is another start. 

While this flashing bug was flying solo, others are capable of a rhythmic group performance, like this one from Thailand.

What's Biting Here?

There has to be a better way. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is discontinuing their weekly district fishing forecast. This will force many anglers to adopt new ways of getting information about local lakes. But frankly, I'm not sure a lot of thought or research went into some of those reports. "Channel cats are being caught off the bottom on cut-baits and chicken livers" appeared for a number of lakes from June to September. Probably accurate, but not that helpful.

With hands forced, I'm certain with smart phones and technology the outdoor community could crowdsource a better and more reliable fishing forecast machine that would benefit anglers and the ODNR.  Scan a QR code and get a map of the lake and updates from people that actually fished the lake. Over time if you could sort the results by time, date, species and lure that would provide great information for anglers arriving at the body of water and for the ODNR.

It might look something like this: Fish Fox Lake.

I recently learned that Minnesota has an app to enable anglers to participate in a creel surveys every time out. That's great and will save them money. It could also provide additional data. Or not. What's missing is an immediate benefit for the angler to know more about the body of water they are fishing right now. That would be powerful.