Autumn's going - Winter's coming

Hola, Baja Nomads. Yes, well…. I’m late for the party again, lo siento.

(First of all, please excuse me, but if the text & photos below are too wide for your screen…please press the CTRL and the minus (-) key at the same time to reduce the page to suit you. Photobucket...grrr… is giving me a hard time by blurring my re-sizing attempts.)

I’m checking off another item from this year’s bucket list. Even with a couple of Baja Sur trips to satisfy my Baja addiction, I’ve been missing my long-time Baja home in Coyote Bay, Mulege. Been traveling/wandering in some very distant places for a long time, so posting on Baja Nomads is the next best thing to actually being there. Thank God, some things are constant wherever you are, like the seasons…. the same in each hemisphere. For all of us, it’s autumn in Baja… and up here, too.


Autumn….signaling that time is passing. I’m becoming very aware of the truth in this…“It is not until autumn that most of us become aware that our tickets are stamped with a terminal destination.”


Of course, it’s a mite different Up North than in Baja Sur. For example, there are different kinds of ‘snowbirds’. Up North, two sounds of autumn are unmistakable...the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese. It is now October…a time when our memories demand that we look up at those familiar distant noises.

With that thought in mind…This was our scenario yesterday morning.

The strong lead bird of the first snow goose flock migrating south is a mature female veteran, having weathered this same central flyway for the last few seasons. She’s an expert on the sky paths and it’s conditions from the tundras of the Artic Circle to the marshes of Texas and Mexico. The huge V-flocks strung out behind for miles trust her memory and guidance…just as countless millions have followed the best-suited bird since their time began. (Co-pilot shows that infuriating Mona Lisa smile whenever the discussion is about…. why the lead goose is most often a female? Being a poker player, I’ve learned to spare myself a headache and simply accept nonsensical odds.)

As thousands of raucous snow geese flew overhead….here’s where some of us ground dwellers come into the scene.

It was time to feed and the leader scanned down through the early morning mist…onto the autumn fields of the Dakotas far below…and then spied some faintly familiar shapes. Human forms. The sight awakened learned cautions and she honked a little more rapidly now. Not a greeting to the forms below, but a wary recognition. She continued onward with stronger wingbeats, maintaining the flocks at a high, safe flight over the fall landscape and the forms below.




Watching the snows fly on by, we are experienced hunters who know when we’ve been spotted… and that’s as it should be. We trudge back to the Duk Shak’s warm kitchen for hot cups of coffee with Kahlua or whiskey. We sit and talk of missed opportunities and some errors in planning, all the while enlarging the cunning & size of the goose flocks with each telling. It’s what old hunters do in the fall.




Ah, this delicious Fall! It captures my soul, and if I were that goose I would fly about the earth seeking eternal autumns. As it is, I travel the seasonal roads on the ground…from Up North to Baja.

Sights and sounds kindle our imaginations during the Fall. Times of hoar-frost, burning firewood, cider, carving pumpkin smiles, tiny candy bars, crisp blue sky, the pungent smell of silage, and…those special autumn memories from our childhood. Jumping into piles of raked leaves….carrying a girl’s books home from school.

Look!..the land is blushing with flaming scarlet, lustrous gold, throbbing vermilion, and fiery orange.



Can you relate to…It's crispness, it's anticipation, it's melancholia, it's cool breezes? Up North these all say there will be no more days that can be mistaken for summer. It's long days out walking in the woods, harvest festivals, and being part of the cheering crowds in a football stadium. It's Halloween pranks, pumpkins grinning toothy smiles, the cracking of a pecan against pecan. Curls of woodsmoke, fresh blisters from pulling a rake. It's crisp and fresh and mellow and snug, solemn and melancholy. And it's very, very welcome.


Fence ivy turning red at my beloved Duk Shak…telling me Fall has arrived. It’s also telling me…”It’s time to get the grandkids up here and rake the leaves…and then take them duck hunting.”



Yes, indeed I love this poignant season.

"The air has that bracing autumnal bite so that all you want to do is bob for apples or hang a witch or something…."

I hope you are enjoying it too, amigos.



[Edited on 11-12-2014 by Pompano]

Welcome home. Was so happy to see your name, I checked quick to see what date it was . So happy to see it was today. You sound like your very happy.Hope your health issues are all resolved. God bless you Pomp so happy to see you back,k

Hey there you are!

Fall is in full swing now and we’re still having lots of that great Indian Summer. Daytime temps are in the 50’s and sometimes even into the 60’s, which is quite balmy…making activities in the field very enjoyable. The nights are getting chilly but makes for that great sleeping weather. Goose down pillows and comforters are prizes of the day.




Recently I was on a drive over to some prime antelope country in Montana and drove by this familiar replica of a typical Crow teepee lodge. As usual, I was intrigued by the big iron cooking pot and had to stop and admire it, thinking of the many communal feasts that it provided. Something like that had to have been traded for at one of the many fur trading posts throughout the area. One can imagine how many beaver pelts it cost.



Later, I was near a big Cabelas store in Billings, Mt. and that Crow cooking pot I'd seen earlier made me decide to add something to the kitchen….and it will make a great addition to any camping list. I knew it when I saw these Dutch ovens. One of my favorite breakfasts is a compage made in a Dutch oven the night before so that it's ready for you over morning coffee.

Above…Ah...'Dutch ovens' & campfire cooking....It's damn good to know certain things haven't changed...

DUTCH OVENS AT CABELAS, BILLINGS, MT.



Want more to do on a nice fall day? Go out walking and look for sheds. Here’s an elk shed found in the Turtle Mts on the ND/Manitoba border. Kind of rare to find a complete shed. Usually the porcupines chew them up fairly quickly.



Lots of early settlers history is preserved. All legal immigrants naturally. Although the ‘Indians’ living there had no say about that.


This roadside display is a replica of a sod house created by the early Scandinavian pioneers. Your goat could graze on the roof.




PIONEER CABIN of some family ancestors. Originally it had a sod roof, but was long ago replaced with a wood one. Old Omund was semi-famous among the Soiux for his strawberries. Which is probably why they let him keep his scalp and live in peace. A little further west, Custer and his troops did not fair so well.





Here’s a gift idea for the waterfowler in your family. Made from an old fishing pontoon boat. Great camouflage. Anchored in a weedy slough, it has a ‘fatal attraction’ for the ducks and there’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee drank in it's comfort. It makes a terrific camera blind, too. I’ve had herons land 2 feet away and never spied me until I moved the camera. Uh…it’s best not to let them land, however…I’ve found they leave a trail of heron-poop about 6 feet long when spooked…not nice....whew.




In this part of the world, lots of Canadian geese (honkers) and ducks have been migrating through, but very few snow geese so far. They'll be along presently, I expect. By now the sandhill cranes are flying over some Mexican resort.

And now it's time to make ready for manana's foray...and hey, almost forgot...also get ready for the trick or treaters that get pulled around in a haywagon. We'll be ready for 'em!


BOO!






[Edited on 11-1-2014 by Pompano]

Something tells me there is a rake in your near future

Your Idaho amigo must have a fine time afield with his shed-finding golden. And…You’re in a great place for those wood ducks, Cypress. A beautiful bird..the Wood Duck. Co-Pilot, using cornflakes, enticed these and the mallards close to our campsite at Santee Lakes in San Diego County.

Quote:

Originally posted by Russ Something tells me there is a rake in your near future

Oh yeah, definitely always a use for rakes Up North, Russ. Thank goodness I have my Baja crew nearby..(nephews & grandkids make short work of it).. for the fall cleanup.





[Edited on 11-1-2014 by Pompano]

It’s November and Fall is trying to turn into Winter…where did the time go?

Seems like it was just yesterday that youngsters were enjoying….The local ‘spa’. Kids of all ages have fun in the mud found on the banks of the mighty Missouri.

MISSOURI RIVER MUDBATH




Oh-oh, now here are some omens of a severe winter to come….so says local legend and the Farmer’s Almanac.
Actually, these are just normal preparations for the coming winter. Unlike a lot of BajaNomads, these are not nomadic and stay put for the duration.

SOME BEAVER-GNAWED TREES




...used for food and making these:


BEAVER DAM


MUSKRAT LODGE



VISIBLE COAL VEINS

This is taken from my walleye boat while fishing on Lake Sakakawea…and right in the middle of the coal and oil grounds so much in the news about the ND boomtimes. Clearly shows the black coal vein. Coal, along with oil, makes this part of the USA so rich in fossil fuels.



While most of rural American is losing it’s open spaces, there is still plenty left. Why? Low population and because there’s not a traffic jam or a mini-mall every 2 miles! On the other hand taking a drive might develop into a long trip...and..

...you can make great gas mileage with no mountains or big hills to climb….put the pedal to the metal, as they say. Used to be in these parts that the speed limit was whatever was ‘safe and reasonable’.

“LIFE IN THE VAST LANE”



GRAIN ELEVATORS

There was once one of these every 50 miles across the vast wheatlands of the Midwest States and central provinces of Canada. No longer much needed and mostly abandoned these days. A nostalgic and forlorn scene on the Great Plains.



If you get bored with so few big city perks, a new hobby is always fun. Try your hand at how to..TRAP A GARBAGE BEAR.



Enjoy what's left of the fall...while you can.

So glad to see you back with another lyrical post! I really do enjoy your tales.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano “LIFE IN THE VAST LANE”

Thanks much ...

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

Me neither, Nathaniel...and I like to use this week's outside time by setting up waterfowl decoys with friends. But... 'sunshine' is a bit scarce around these parts lately. Up North, we're now in the grip of some very serious global cooling. Hmm...I thought we were in for 'global warming'? Which is it, anyway? This whole part of the USA is 20-40 degrees below normal for this time of year. The weather people have dubbed it Winter Storm Atlas.

So...preparation is everything in a successful undertaking.

BRINGING HOT SPICED CIDER TO A FREEZING GOOSE HUNTER.



Hey, looks like the sun may come up after all. A welcome sight to help my cold feet.




These are some Canadian Honkers looking over our spread below. Shot them with my Nikon D-40.






One approach to decoying geese...waving a flag to imitate the wings of landing birds.



These are commonly called, 'coffin blinds'. I could have come up with a different nickname. They are kind of cozy on a cold day, though.



A typical spread of decoys named Bigfoots...because of their huge feet that keeps them upright in the field. Like some hunters I know...




Lots of waterfowl in this part of the Central Flyway and incoming groups are frequent in the early morning. Like any good aviator, they will always approach into the wind.





I am frozen in place...but ready anyway, just as soon as I thaw out.





Back at the Duk Shak, some hunters get ALL the perks.





This wise old owl seems to be telling us..."WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET YOURSELF SOUTH!"



Well, says I, I would...but first we have things to do. Like feeding some deer, helping tag a batch of mallards, and going to a DU banquet and auction.

I have loved Baja and all it’s magic for many decades…..but what I missed most after 8 months each year was the long return to my homeland Up North and it’s vast forests of pine, so many lakes & cottonwood-lined streams, the freshness of sudden rain showers, and truly magnificent natural wonders.

Hah...my favorite expression to Co-pilot when it was time to leave Baja for the north was..."One can take a brown & leafless land for only so long!" A smile and a hug and we were packing.

Ah…the Fall! I love to be in that country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Autumn is a time for being afield, to revel in nature, and make great memories…like these:

FALL ND SCENES… ..This is what the countryside looked like just a few days ago….certainly changes fast.



It’s a great time to get a dove dinner…walk a few miles…and come across some tasty crabapples for a snack like this scene from so many years ago. Memories! I can still taste those dove breasts and the tart crabapples.



Sharing the times and hunting with lifelong friends. Priceless.



Keeping the kids tree fort intact..even though they are almost grown men today.





The hundreds of potholes and sloughs are why we are the original Duck Factory.



These young fox are happy to make a playhouse out of a hay bale.. and are not camera shy at all.



Goose flocks cover our skies in the fall.




Lots of old history….and photo ops. Everyone loves old barns! Places full of memories, and I often imagine what happened to the people and how they lived their lives there.



Try sneaking up on your Co-pilot in those dry leaves…crunch, crunch, crunch….EEK! ROGER! ANIMALS-ANIMALS!!



Fall is a great time for some camo-painting…fun stuff, but you should plan on reselling to a duck hunter.






Now we are in the grip of any icy blast from the artic.

Storm clouds moving in…fast.




Accompanying a potent November arctic outbreak, the season's first significant snow from Winter Storm Astro, is hammering parts of the Upper Midwest, Northern Plains, and Northern Rockies.

The first big snow is falling across the Upper Midwest this week, with over 20 inches possible in some locations.

This week’s polar plunge is driving temperatures down to as much as 40 degrees below normal across the Plains and Midwest, and is giving many locations the season’s first taste of snow. The storm, which began late Saturday night and will continue through Wednesday morning, has already brought over six inches of snow to parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota as of Monday morning.

Global cooling or warming..? Who cares? Makes a great opportunity to Huddle!




A very winded tree on the frozen prairie. Can you feel the cold?




Here’s a MSNBC newscaster hunting snows with us a while back. Oddly, he must have forgotten his boots, cuz he was wearing tennis shoes. We nicknamed him Frostbite Ed.




Some of our early snowfalls….








DEER FEEDING TIME in ND’s TURTLE MOUNTAINS.

In 1900, only an estimated 500,000 whitetails remained in the United States. Thanks to conservation work spearheaded by hunters, today there are more than 32 million.

Whitetail deer are increasing in alarming numbers almost everywhere and sometimes overgraze their normal food sources, so kind-hearted volunteers with federal agencies put out lots of food. Naturally, care must be taken that this practice will not accelerate reproduction and become disastrous to the health of the entire herd.





Now for a bit of a rant.

Politeness and responsibility seem to be becoming things of the past in today’s society and government. In this case, gaining access to someone else’s property for hunting...it is easy…or at least it always used to be. Usually all it takes is a small thing like a phone call or knocking on the door..…”May I?”
Because of some slobs, nowadays you see a lot more of these.

ASK BEFORE ENTERING SIGN



A real sportsman respects land ownership and rights. A man’s true character is shown as by his manners.
.

Time for some fun!

DECOYS SEEN FROM THE AIRPLANE. This was a very fun day and made for memories.

Warning: This photo shows a prank with foul language-intentionally done by friends.

This is how it all unfolded during our goose hunt.

One balmy October day 4 of us had risen gawd-awful early to set out snow goose and honker decoys…and then we waited, and waited and waited… and almost fell asleep. Nothing was flying, at least not where we were. So 2 of us decided to jump in the airplane and scout around a bit...to see where all the birds were flying and feeding.

After cruising a large part of the countryside from a safe height we decided to fly over our decoy spread and check up on our other 2 hunters. I guess we had been gone too long and had completely forgotten their request for some lunch…because as we flew over the set below, we saw this.

They had re-arranged some of the snow goose decoys in what only can be construed as a..message…then lowered their pants and ‘mooned’ us. Tsk-tsk, guys…you’ll never attract any geese with language like that!



Our revenge: We found a package of snacks in the plane and Twinkie-bombed them.



DU AUCTION DECOY…from a local Ducks Unlimited dinner and auction.

A sportsman’s mecca, the area has many auctions and charity dinners featuring a wildlife & nature theme.
For avid decoy collectors, this shorebird ‘confidence’ decoy one was a good find for me at a good price. I might take up carving as my next hobby.




A wood duck mount just back from a local taxidermist is a prized addition to the Duk Shak.




Also at an auction, was found this rare beauty.
I added this rifle to my gun collection. It’s a 1874 Sharps-Shiloh Creedmore rolling-block single-shot rifle in bristol condition. Caliber is 45-70. This is the type of firearm used in long range hunting and the popular international shooting matches of that era. At 500-700-1000 yards this was the rifle of choice by sharpshooters. The workmanship is superb and reflects a special time in our history.






This is another annual Ducks Unlimited event that we like to donate time to…helping in tagging waterfowl for studies of migration and health. A huge net is ‘shot’ over a group of waterfowl (ducks in this case) that has been attracted to a feeding site. The netted birds are handled very carefully and a aluminum tag is attached to a leg with current info recorded. When you harvest a bird with a leg tag you send it in to the state or federal wildlife organization and receive back the history of that bird with a thanks.

DU NETTING AND TAGGING PROGRAM




As you can see, there’s still plenty to do Up North if you love nature…..BUT….this is what is planned before the next snowstorm hits!

Our motto: The first snowflake may hit us, but the second one won’t!

IF WINTER IS ON IT’S WAY….THEN IT’S TIME TO GET OUT OF DODGE!

(I got prepared when the weather was lots nicer!)




I’ve always wanted to yell….”Tally HO! The games afoot”…and now I have.


p.s. Note to self: Never have too much Jack and coke when writing these posts...they get a little long.




[Edited on 11-17-2014 by Pompano]