March 9, 2007 - TOP 5 STORIES
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Ice fishermen beat the storms for Bass Lake fishing contest
Temporary re-routes open snowmobile trail system
Country singer Gentry sentenced in bear killing
Deer Hunter Ethics Award winners announced
Warming Superior: Scientists wary of effects of warming lake
Ice fishermen beat the storms for Bass Lake fishing contest
Families enjoy Bass Lake contest
By Mike Yurk, Staff Columnist
BASS LAKE, Wisc. - Although winter storms forced the cancellation of the February 24 Bass Lake Ice Fishing Contest, another round of storms a couple of days later did nothing to hamper the fun on the rescheduled date, last Saturday, March 3. After a second round of snow storms that began mid week, the day of the contest broke sunny and clear with only a hint of wind on Saturday.
The blue skies was a great relief to not only the organizers of the annual event but also to the thousand plus ice fishermen that converged on Bass Lake, near Somerset, Wisc. One of the reoccurring conversations between fishermen was how good it felt to be fishing rather than blowing snow out of their driveways.
It was getting positively festive by the time the contest officially began at noon. At stake was $50,000 dollars in prizes that ranged from a Ford 150 4x4 pick up truck to augers, shotguns and fish finders. There were fifty prizes for the adult division and another ten prizes for the kids division.
But it was more then just prizes that brought the fishermen and fisherladies of all ages to Bass Lake. It was just good fun and entire families were participating. And it sure was a great break from the winter storms we had earlier. It was a chance to catch a fish and who knows; maybe even win a prize. All proceeds of the ice fishing contest went to the Somerset Youth Athletics Association (SYAA).
The organizers had made a Herculean effort to get the contest set up after two major blizzards in less than a week. They had everything set up for the February 24 contest but cancelled that morning because of a blizzard accompanied by high winds that began that day. That blizzard lasted through the weekend. The contest was rescheduled for the following Saturday, March 3.
By mid week volunteers were on the ice, plowing the parking area and setting up the contest site again. However, another blizzard was moving in and dumped almost another foot of snow. Although the second blizzard was winding down by Friday morning, to a few snow flurries when volunteers were back on the ice plowing and getting the contest site ready for the next day. There were still working after dark on Friday night.
On Saturday morning volunteers were out before daybreak putting the finishing touches to the contest area. At 6 am in the morning, eighty volunteers working in two men teams began drilling holes through the ice in the sixteen acre contest area. Using power augurs provided by Eskimo in Cumberland, Wisc, it took the teams forty five minutes to punch over 5,000 ice holes. The augurs were later raffled throughout the afternoon during the contest.
Registration began at 9 am and when the contest began at noon over a thousand people had scattered across the contest area staking out that ice hole that looked lucky to them.
“We are seeing a lot of families out here,” said David Praschak, vice president of the Somerset Youth Athletics Association. “It is good to see the kids.”
As the ice contest began, Mike Kurre, master of ceremonies and announcer stated, “You won’t see something like this in Florida.” Mike is the Gander Mountain Pro Staff Manager and co host of Fan Outdoors for KFAN AM 1130. Gander Mountain along with Eskimo, River’s Edge, MARCUM, Remington, and John Deere are sponsors of this years ice fishing contest.
Although there were prizes and raffles to be won, the event was about having fun while fishing. And people were having fun. One of the youngest fishermen there was six year old, Ryan Sachsenmaier fishing with his father, Chet, and mother, Jodi and grandfather, Wayne Watson. They all were from Hudson, Wisc. They had not caught a fish when I saw them about half way through the contest but Ryan was having fun.
An Irish setter was running across the ice, chasing a ball. Several groups brought footballs out with them to idle away the time while watching tip ups. A group of young boys got into a miner snowball skirmish. By two in the afternoon the hot dog and bratwurst stand had gone through over two thousand brats and were sold out. This is Wisconsin so someone made a made dash to get more bratwurst and grill kept frying more brats.
Cheering could be heard along the ice as someone would catch a fish and then make the mad dash to the weigh in tent. A out of breath, eleven year old, Derek Chock of Osceola, Wisc., came running to the weigh in tent to the sounds of cheers that followed him across the ice. He had a perch to be weighed. “My father had gone to the restroom when his bobber went down and I pulled the fish in,” he related. His perch won him sixth place in the kids division and he was given a air soft gun.
In the last few minutes of the contest young Robby Raley of Hudson, Wisc, was startled to see the flag from his tip up spring up. Dropping to his knees he set the hook and pulled the fish in hand over hand, flipping what looked to be a good sized bass onto the ice. He made the run to the weigh in tent and came back a few minutes later. His bass weighed in at 1.83 pounds and put him in second place in the kids division. With only fifteen minutes left until the contest closed it looked he was going to be a winner. He described the experience as being “sweet.” Robby’s bass did take second place and he was awarded a Play Station III.
How did your Outdoors Weekly Staff Writer do? As I was writing some notes, the light ice rod that was sitting across a bucket began to dance and I looked down as my float disappeared under the water. Dropping my notebook and pencil into the bucket, I set the hook and felt a fish pull back. It put up a scrappy fight and in a moment I had a bass come through the ice hole. I measured it and it was only a little over thirteen inches. All bass entries had to meet Wisconsin’s minimum size requirement of fourteen inches to be accepted. My fish went back down the hole. But at least I caught my first bass of the new year.
When the contest ended some people had caught some fish and some people won some prizes and a bunch of bratwurst got eaten but everyone was part of a little fishing community on the ice. You sure can’t do that in Florida.
2007 TOP 10 RESULTS
1. James Moe 2.71 northern
2. Ron Ricker 2.51 northern
3. Jerry Mullenberg 2.36 northern
4. Ryan Copeland 2.33 northern
5. Brandon David Sovor 2.22 northern
6. Brian Bexell 2.02 northern
7. Josh Woofer 1.92 northern
8. Zac Schiavona 1.88 northern
9. Bob McVitty 1.87 bass
10. Steve Sivek 1.86 northern
For more info, visit www.somersetyouthathletics.com
Temporary re-routes open snowmobile trail system
DNR News
The snowmobile trails in Beltrami Island State Forest and Lake of the Woods County are changing. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and local club members have identified temporary routes using forest roads, unmaintained forest roads and management routes to be signed and groomed starting March 3 and continuing until the snow melts this year.
Logging is occurring in the forest and snowmobile riders are reminded to use caution on all plowed portions of the re-routes. The DNR is working with local clubs to permanently re-route the trails before the 2007-08 snowmobile season.
The temporary re-routes were made to address a recent decision by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians to close approximately 10 miles of snowmobile trails in Beltrami Island State Forest and Lake of the Woods County. Due to the sovereign status of the Red Lake Band, tribal lands are private lands and should be respected as such. They are not posted in any unique way. As is the case with all private lands, snowmobile riders who cross tribal lands without permission from the Red Lake Band could be cited with trespass. For more information, contact the Red Lake Band Department of Natural Resources at (218) 679-3959.
“While we work through the re-routes over the next year, we are asking riders to stay off Red Lake tribal lands,” said Mike Carroll, DNR northwest region director. “Make sure you know where you are when riding in the vicinity of the reservation and tribal lands and treat those lands just like you would private property.”
For more information about the trails impacted, see the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us or contact the Thief River Falls DNR office at (218) 681-0889.
Country singer Gentry sentenced in bear killing
Must give up hunting in Minnesota for 5 years
DULUTH, Minnesota (AP) – Troy Lee Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, has been sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine for killing a captive black bear.
He also must give up hunting in Minnesota for five years.
Gentry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in November. Under a plea deal, he agreed to forfeit the bear and the bow he used during the hunt near Sandstone. The 600-pound bear has been part of a taxidermy display at Gentry’s home in Tennessee. He was sentenced Friday, Feb. 23.
The bear was killed in October 2004 at the 80-acre Minnesota Wildlife Connection. Owner Lee Marvin Greenly sold the bear for $4,650 and orchestrated the hunt, which Gentry videotaped and edited to make it appear the bear had been killed in a fair chase hunt, according to authorities.
Montgomery Gentry, which includes co-singer Eddie Montgomery, are known for hits such as “My Town” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.”
Deer Hunter Ethics Award winners announced
DNR News
The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association (MDHA), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Turn In Poachers have announced the winners of the 15th annual Deer Hunter Ethics Award. The hunters were honored at the 2007 MDHA State Habitat Banquet on Feb. 17 at the Kato Ballroom in Mankato.
The Deer Hunter Ethics Award honors deer hunters who have exhibited conduct during the 2006 season that can serve as an example of admirable hunting practices, according to Mark Johnson of the MDHA. “The ethical hunter awards are designed to bring the spotlight to those we hope positively represent the majority of hunters – ethical, thoughtful outdoors people,” Johnson said.
“The few rotten apples who endanger our hunting heritage by unethical and illegal behavior hog the headlines too often,” Johnson said. “Again this year, we received many excellent nominations of wonderfully ethical hunters. Everyone should be proud of these people. We are.”
Wayne Edgerton, DNR agriculture policy coordinator and a judge for the contest, agreed. “We received an array of exceptional nominations describing high ethical standards and compassion for other hunters and the game they pursue,” Edgerton said. “Seeing both adult and youth nominated for similar activities is very gratifying to me as a deer hunter.”
ADULT WINNER
The adult winner is Charlie Nordlund, a 65-year-old hunter from Cambridge. While hunting in the Browerville-Long Prairie area, Nordlund came across a blood trail of a wounded deer. He followed the trail and eventually found a nice buck with a big rack lying dead on the ground. He waited for some time, but when no one showed up, he cleaned the deer and dragged it to the road. Charlie then asked neighbors in the area if anyone had wounded a big buck. They suggested he check with the Pederson family who had hunted in that area. There he learned that 14-year-old Casey Pederson had shot at a deer but thought he had missed it. Nordlund had a different idea. He brought Casey and his father to the buck he had found. When the teenager realized he had actually shot the big deer, he had a huge smile on his face. The Pederson’s are thankful that Nordlund went the extra mile in finding the hunter who shot the deer instead of claiming it as his own.
YOUTH WINNER
The youth winner is 17-year-old Michael Bringgold of South St. Paul. He was hunting during a youth archery deer hunt at Camp Ripley. Two deer, one healthy and one wounded, wandered by his stand. As he drew on the healthy deer, he saw the wounded deer about 25 yards away. He made the decision to shoot the wounded deer. He could tell it was a kill shot. He followed the blood trail to the deer. When he arrived at the deer, two other hunters were already there. They asked Michael if it was his deer. He said yes, but that he shot it knowing it was already wounded. One of the other hunters said he shot the deer but had lost the blood trail. They asked Michael if he wanted the deer. He said no because he did not draw first blood. He only wanted his arrow back, which he did recover. By his actions, Michael exhibited ethics we hope every hunter would employ. He is an excellent example to us all.
YOUTH WINNER HONORABLE MENTION
Erin Goebel of Mankato earned honorable mention honors in the youth division. Last fall, she was part of a three-person party hunting on private land. Each person was situated in a deer stand.
Two does passed close by Erin’s stand. She chose not to shoot. Her hunting partners wondered why there were no shots and that maybe she was not paying attention.
As it turns out, Erin decided not to shoot because the deer were in the “no shooting” lane that the group had established. She realized if she did take a shot, she would be firing directly towards another hunter.
Later in the season, the hunting party was back in the same deer stands. This time a big buck wandered by Erin’s stand about 75 yards away before disappearing into the woods.
She did not have a clean shot, so she chose not to shoot. She explained to her hunting party that since it was not a clean shot, the buck would probably end up being wounded and left to die.
Erin was disappointed she did not fill her tag again this season, but certainly showed her hunting party that she has what it takes to be a great deer hunter. For her sound and consistent judgment, Erin received the honorable mention award.
Each of the 2006 Ethical Hunter Award winners received a framed MDHA print, complimentary MDHA membership, and a $250 gift certificate provided by Cabela’s. Banquet organizers would like to sincerely thank the dozens of people who took time to forward nominations for this award.
Warming Superior: Scientists wary of effects of warming lake
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – For Jay Austin, who has made a career of studying the Great Lakes, the warming climate around Lake Superior is no mystery.
But he was surprised to find the waters of the lake itself warming even more rapidly.
Austin, a Duluth professor and a researcher with the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Large Lakes Observatory, has studied decades of data. What he found was water temperatures rising almost twice as fast as air temperatures – more than 4 degrees for the average surface temperature.
The increase is having dramatic effects.
“The date of what we call the spring overturn has been getting earlier in the year,” Austin said. “It’s basically the start of the summer season in the lake. It’s when you start to develop strong positive stratification: warm water sitting on top of cool water.”
In two decades, the spring turnover has moved up two weeks from early July to mid-June.
Part of that likely is due to a loss of ice cover. Since ice is reflective, when it’s not there it makes it easier for the lake to absorb heat.
In another 35 to 40 years, Austin said, Lake Superior will have very little ice cover.
While that may sound good to people who swim or sail on the lake, it’s not so good for plants and animals, including the lake’s native whitefish.
“If there’s less ice over time, and there appears to be, there’s a chance for greater storminess in the sort of shallow water (bays) that the whitefish spawn in,” said Steve Coleman, who directs the Large Lakes Observatory.
Bob Sterner, a University of Minnesota biologist, said warming usually speeds the growth of fish and the plants they feed on. But when it’s too fast, it can create big problems.
“Paradoxically, you may well see the lake essentially becoming even more desert-like in the sense that you’ve reduced the flow of nutrients into the system across that temperature gradient,” Sterner said.
The research will be published soon by the American Geophysical Union. The Duluth scientists’ next project is trying to prove their suspicion that diminishing ice is contributing to falling lake levels.
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation