L&H Outdoors Magazine Summer '20

Glendalough State Park

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M N Public Land s

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Bringing Back a Dinosaur

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Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

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Contents

In This Issue 6

OFFICE

From the Office

by Erin Hintz

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PRODUCTS

The Perfect Hammock

For any Hammocker

by Patrice Peterson

18

FISHING

Musky Allure How a Musky Lure Cast a Dedicated Angler into a New Line of Work

by Alicia Underlee Nelson

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8

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HUNTING Turkey Tales

by Richard Massey

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Minnesota DNR

Bringing Back a Dinosaur The Red River Lake Sturgeon Restoration Past, Present and Future

by Nicholas Kludt, DNR Red River

fisheries specialist and Nathan Olson, DNR Detroit Lakes area fisheries supervisor

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Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

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FEATURED STATE PARK

Glendalough State Park

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BIRDS

The Common Loon

by Judd Brink

Volume 3, Issue 2 • SUMMER 2020

Guide/Naturalist, MN Backyard Birds

BUSINESS OFFICE

49 Minnesota DNR

MN Public Lands Infographic

Service Directory

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118 South Vine Fergus Falls, MN

PUBLISHED BY Compass Media

Publisher Kip Johnson

EDITORS Brent and Jennifer Rogness

Sales manager John Burns

ART DIRECTOR Kip Johnson

Sales staff Jerry Shea jerry@lakeandhomemagazine.com 218.205.7454

28 For advertising rates and information, contact artwork@lakeandhomemagazine.com.

Subscriptions available upon request.

Erin Hintz erin@lakeandhomemagazine.com 218.205.2120 Rebecca Haarstad rebecca@lakeandhomemagazine.com 262-994-8744

MAILING ADDRESS Lake & Home Outdoors 118 South Vine Fergus Falls, MN 56537 artwork@lakeandhomemagazine.com

W

e live in the neck of the woods where everyone grew up going to ‘the cabin’ for summer weekends. Ours, like most, was a time capsule. White metal kitchen cabinets, furniture that was probably made by hand a hundred and some years ago, creaky floors, and magazines dated 30 years before I was born. I’m certain that even the crayons that I drew pictures with were the same ones my dad used. This was a place without the luxuries of home. The bathroom was rough, there was no AC, there was a TV - a tube TV with no remote. Yes, you got out of your chair to manually flip through the two or three channels that the antenna might be picking up today.

None of those luxuries was what the lake was about. It was about family, friends, and neighbors. It was about waking up to bathe in the lake, spending the day with my dad teaching us how to ski, eating meals made completely off the grill, cannon ball contests, campfires, and moonlit swims with my mom. It was about staying up too late in the run-down old guest house with your cousins, playing cards, watching the stars, sneaking pops, and telling stories. It was about crawling into a bed with the familiar “cabin smell” on your sheets and bringing a little leftover sand with you, with a tight feeling on your skin from the sun, sore muscles from tubing, and calluses starting as you “break in your summer feet,” exhausted but so eagerly anticipating starting it all over again tomorrow. No matter what age, you can relate. There’s nothing like a summer spent at a Minnesota “cabin.”

Especially during these unprecedented times, I think we would all be a little better off if we unplugged, “social distanced,” and took some time to remember all of the little things that make a Minnesota summer so magical. When everything else can at times feel uncertain, the nostalgia of a Minnesota lake remains unchanged.

In this issue of Lake & Home Outdoors, we’re taking a dive into summer with articles on loons, musky lures made by Musky Safari, the Red River lake sturgeon restoration project, hammocks made by Superior Gear, and a feature of Glendalough State Park. You’ll also find a story about the adventures of hunting turkeys.

Thank you for continuing to follow and support Lake & Home Outdoors. Enjoy!

Erin Hintz

Marketing Consultant Lake & Home Outdoors

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OUTDOORS

PRODUCTS

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W

e’ve all read success stories about entrepreneurs who decided to develop a specialized item because of their own personal experiences. For Danny Warnock, a skilled hiker and veteran backpacker, the bright idea to make his own sleeping hammock happened during a solo four-day excursion to the Boundary Waters several years ago. A decision to explore nontenting options set him on a path that has impacted his life.

“My first career after college was in music as a full-time drummer, both teaching and playing gigs,” Warnock explains. “A bandmate of mine introduced me to camping in the Boundary Waters area, and I fell in love with it– eventually deciding to take some time by myself up there to think and pray and be in the wilderness.”

In an effort to lighten the load in his backpack for that trip (and NOT sacrifice any fishing gear), Warnock decided to try sleeping in a hammock instead of a tent.

“I did some research and realized that I would need more than a sleeping bag in the hammock to stay warm at night and prevent what many call ‘cold-butt syndrome,’’ he says with a laugh. “It turned out NOT to be that easy to get inside a bug net, then inside the sleeping bag, then on top of the sleeping pad, which kept sliding around. It wasn’t as comfortable as I thought it would be, and I had to keep stuffing extra sweatshirts around my shoulders to keep them warm.”

photo by Jenny B Photography 10 Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

"It made me realize there wasn’t anything else out there quite like it, so I decided to begin exploring the possibility of starting a business to make my sleeping hammock system for others."

Danny Warnock // Superior Gear

While the hammock sleeping system still seemed better than a tent for the kind of backpacking Warnock liked to do, he decided that next year he would try it again, but this time he would have the ultimate hammock– even if he had to make it himself.

That’s how it started out, anyway. Although he didn’t know much about sewing, and had never thought about starting a business, he knew a great deal about what it would take to make sleeping in a hammock more comfortable. He began putting together some design ideas that would overcome the issues he encountered in the Boundary Waters.

“I would buy down jackets at the thrift store and then I would work on ‘engineering’ issues, like how it would stretch when you laid in it, and how to keep the down lofted all around,” he says.

“The first few tries definitely weren’t perfect, and it took a long time and a lot of hits-and-misses to get it to feel right and look right.”

Once he finished his “prototype” and started using it, other people would see how well it functioned– and ask him how they could get one, too.

“It had been a lot of work to make that first one, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to make another one,” he says, “but it made me realize there wasn’t anything else out there quite like it, so I decided to begin exploring the possibility of starting a business to make my sleeping hammock system for others.”

Nothing in his background had directly prepared him for the kind of research he would have to do or the processes he would have to go through to start a new company called Superior Gear.

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“I was born into a missionary-musician family, and lived in Africa for 11 years of my childhood,” he continues. “I majored in philosophy at Bethel College, had my first career in music, before teaching myself computer programming for my second career in software, which I would put aside for this venture. Business was the furthest thing from my radar at that time.”

After reaching out to a friend who was an entrepreneur, and another one who owned a marketing firm, he gained some business partners. A plan began to quickly emerge. His main focus has always been simplicity, and his genuine goal was to take the best ideas he had and simplify them. He took his initial prototype and began refining the design and building a production process in line with that simplicity.

Superior Gear’s entire hammock system for “tentless” camping includes a number of different items that can be used in many combinations, depending on the time of year, weather conditions, and many other

“I started using a hammock sleeping system to lighten my backpack, but there are also many other advantages, especially when you’re hiking in rugged areas, where it can often be difficult to find good, flat, soft ground to pitch a tent.”

Danny Warnock // Superior Gear

variables. Although each piece of the modular system can be purchased together or separately, the entire set, weighing less than 6 pounds, includes an insulated hammock, a top quilt, a bug net, a shelter tarp, all the ropes and stakes, and his patentpending “best suspension system on the market.” (see Sidebar) With custom aluminum buckles, it is lightweight and easy to set up.

“I started using a hammock sleeping system to lighten my backpack, but there are also many other advantages, especially when you’re hiking in rugged areas, where it can often be difficult to find good, flat, soft ground to pitch a tent,” he adds.

“The system I developed uses high-tech fabrics and a design that provides both comfort and warmth.”

Superior Gear offers a number of different hammocks to choose from, including one meant for everyday use – the lightest hammock in the world – called the DayLite, which weighs in at 4 ounces. The company also makes hammocks that are gear specific to winter camping, with ratings for different overnight temperatures. Warnock has

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“The people who have used our system are extremely satisfied, and looking to the future, we are planning for a period of growth, with some innovative new products in the pipeline.�

Danny Warnock // Superior Gear

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participated in a few group winter camping events called “Frozen Butt Hangs,” and last year he got a chance to personally test the limits of his hammock and equipment that has the most extreme official temperature rating of minus 30.

“When the Polar Vortex hit in January 2019, I was very excited to get out camping so I could really experience those extreme cold temperatures,” he says. “I chose the coldest place I could find in Minnesota at the time, Crosslake, where it got down to minus 38 that night. I had pounds of down all around me, and a wool blanket draped above, but I was really only cold for the few minutes from the car and setting up. Once in the hammock, I slept cozy warm through the night and didn’t wake up until 7 a.m.”

Besides the high quality of materials, it’s very important for Warnock to take care of his customers and offer them a high-quality experience. He ended up pausing his IT career for a year to concentrate fully on setting up a small, local manufacturing operation to “kickstart” the business, and those products are now offered online. (www.superiorgear. com).

“The people who have used our system are extremely satisfied, and looking to the future, we are planning for a period of growth, with some innovative new products in the pipeline,” he says. “We’ve maxed out our local production, so we’re also currently looking for a partnership to help with increasing our capacity to produce additional merchandise.”

Although he’s back to his “day job” in computers, and still plays music in his spare time, Warnock says that he has never stopped believing in the idea and the business, and is focused on thinking in the long term.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride with high highs and low lows,” he relates.

“I’ve grown and learned so much in the process– from the importance of marketing to the value in the details.

But I truly believe in our products, and that we have the perfect hammock for any hammocker, from casual to high performance.”

OUTDOORS

THE BEST SUSPENSION SYSTEM ON THE MARKET Danny Warnock never really planned to design a suspension system for the hammocks he was producing. After trying all the options on the market, however, he wasn’t satisfied with anything out there. They were either too heavy or too complicated or had slipping issues or lacked adjustability– or were almost impossible to loosen after being under a load. He is very proud of the suspension buckle he designed, which solves all of those issues, has a 400-pound rating and weighs only 7 ounces. An additional system with a 3.3-ounce suspension, foot straps and a rope sling, is also available.

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OUTDOORS FISHING

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Flashy Serial Killer

Between the accumulated life experience of a trophy musky and its basic lack of fear, tricking one into striking a lure takes some cunning. “They’ve got a few more brain cells up there than any other fish in the lake,” says Kleinschmidt. “You find that out quite quickly if you truly try to target them— they’re notorious for following that bait right up to the boat and not eating it.”

Quality control topped the list of issues Kleinschmidt noticed about the available lures. When he found bait that did catch the attention of muskies, the fish often struck with such intensity that they would damage the lure. Picking up a replacement— or even the same lure in another color— usually ended in disappointment. “You could buy 10 baits from the same manufacturer and they wouldn't work the same,” he recalls. “You could have 10 different actions.”

E

nticing a musky to bite is hard enough. When rewarded with a strike, an angler shouldn’t have to worry about whether the bait will fail.

Scott Kleinschmidt knows that feeling all too well. He became enthralled with chasing muskies despite the fact that it took two years to put his first one in the boat. “There's a pretty steep learning curve to it,” he says. “If you want to be successful and put fish in the boat regularly, there's a lot of things that go into being able to do that.”

“You have to know what it is that triggers those fish,” he says. For example, what sounds can a bait make to cause a musky to bite? Not surprisingly, bait became one of the most frustrating aspects of Kleinschmidt’s learning curve.

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“I discovered quite quickly that, of the baits that were available back then, there were some issues,” he says. Solving those issues led him into making his own lures and finally into founding Musky Safari Tackle Company.

“If you’re not a good musky fisherman, I don’t think you can make good musky baits.”

MUsKY MYsTIQUE

For those unfamiliar with muskellunge, affectionately referred to as muskies, the large fish— up to about 70 pounds — inhabit lakes and rivers across the northern half of the United States from the Great Plains eastward and sit at the top of the freshwater food chain.

Aside from humans and the occasional eagle or osprey, muskies fear very little and their size confirms it. These torpedo-shaped feeding machines call northern pike cousins and can reach lengths of 60 inches.

Bloody Ciscoe TigerTail

ADDREssING AssEMBLY

Another problem Kleinschmidt encountered centered on the hardware used to assemble the lures. “If you did hook a big fish, a lot of them couldn’t hold it,” he says. “The hooks would pull out of the bait or the screw eyes would pull out or bend, or even break.”

To address these issues, he and his friends took to buying lures and then retrofitting them with higher-quality parts and learning to adjust their design. “We’d been catching a lot of fish on some wood baits,” he says. “We were taking a manufactured bait at that time and altering it heavily to turn it into a glider.”

GET YOUR GLIDE ON

Gliders fall under a broader category of lures called jerkbaits. A glider often features a onepiece, cylindrical body with a slight taper toward the tail. The tow point extends from the nose, as opposed to the top of the head.

It does not include a diving lip, although a weighted body allows it to run below the surface on the retrieve.

Its action, however, represents the defining feature of a glider. Working one like a spoon, using a simple cast-and-retrieve technique, creates no bait action whatsoever. It’s just a

"If you want to be successful and put fish in the boat regularly, there's a lot of things that go into being able to do that. You have to know what it is that t riggers those fish."

Scott Kleinschmidt Musky Safari Tackle Company

Fire TigerTail

Serial killer muskrat “As far as I know, I'm the only guy that makes baits out of white oak,” he says. “I've never seen anybody else use it.” Kleinschmidt invokes a comparison to heirloom furniture that lasts generations: “You physically have to lose the bait in order not to have it the rest of your life.”

Whereas soft woods, such as the balsa used in many lures, may not stand up to the punishment of a musky strike, “that wood is so hard that the fish can't sink their teeth into it and destroy it,” he says. “You're going to lose paint on it over time— that's just wear and tear on the bait from using it— but as far as

"As far as I know, stick with hooks dragging through the water.

Working the rod properly, however, transforms a glider as if by magic. “Basically, the head of the bait will swing almost 180 degrees back and forth,” says Kleinschmidt. “If you work it correctly, they really look alive.”

as the reason gliders became the first lure he experimented with. “When we started figuring that action out, that’s the food that the fish really liked,” he says. “So, it was more fate than anything else as to why I made that bait first.”

The slower water speed of a glider fits perfectly with the sluggish mood fish exhibit in the coldwater of early spring and late fall, particularly on the opener. “It’s usually the first bait that I throw,” he says. “A lot of guys will start off with small bucktails and that type of bait, but I always start out with a glider. If you work it slow in the spring, I’m telling you— it’s a good bait to start out with.”

Once he understood how to transform a prepackaged lure to behave perfectly as a glider, the leap to making them from scratch followed naturally.

Only when the water warms up and the fish show willingness to be more active does Kleinschmidt switch to a bucktail or surface lure. “I can’t tell you how many hundreds of muskies I’ve caught the first week of the season on gliders.” He credits that record of success 22 Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

MAKING MAGIC

“There was no reason I couldn’t make my own,” he thought, “because all I have to do is spin the blank into the shape that I want.” Furthermore, making his own lures gave him a blank canvas to work from. The quality issues that caused so much frustration with commercially produced bait could be sidestepped completely. From wood choice and hardware to verifying the action, Kleinschmidt now had complete control over every aspect of his lures.

I'm the only guy that makes baits out of white oak.

You physically have to lose the bait in order not to have it the rest of your life."

Scott Kleinschmidt Musky Safari Tackle Company

the action of the bait, it's the same as it was the day I made it.”

According to Kleinschmidt, the body of each bait design is critical. It must have sufficient size to prevent the lure from sinking too rapidly, but not so large that it makes the action sluggish. It must accommodate weights drilled into the front and back ends of the lure and yet retain its integrity. Last, it must hold the hooks and tow point in place through the stress of landing a large musky.

“There was a lot of experimentation, figuring out the right body shape and the right diameter for the head,” he says. “My gliders, just like a fish would, taper down from the head to the tail.”

CAREFUL CRAFTsMANsHIP

The distinctive action of a glider (or any other bait choice for that matter) demands precise craftsmanship. The “walking” action of Kleinschmidt’s glider bait requires the right amount of weight in just the right places.

“When you get into a glider and you want that action to happen underwater, the bait has to be perfectly weighted because of all the resistance of the water,” he says. “When you put it in the water, it has to sink perfectly level— you can’t sink head-heavy and you can’t sink tail-heavy.”

To ensure that each lure behaves the same way, Kleinschmidt tank tests every one of his baits. “I attach all the hardware that is going to be on the bait when it is finished— all the screw eyes, the split rings and the hooks have to be on the blank when I weight it,” he says. “I tank test that blank until I get the weight in the front of the bait and the back of the bait perfect and it has the sink rate that I want.”

Custom Tigertails

At that point, Kleinschmidt removes all of the hardware, paints it, adds clear coat, reassembles the bait and then tank tests it again before he is through. The entire process from spinning the blank to final assembly can take him up to three hours, depending upon the complexity of the bait.

PROFEssIONAL PROGREssION

Kleinschmidt’s experimentation with retrofitting lures began in the mid to late 1990s. He lived in Kaukauna, Wisc., and was employed by a photo-finishing lab that catered to professional photographers, pursuing muskies only as a hobby.

On the lakes, people saw his glider catching fish and started asking him to make lures for them, too. Demand spread to friends-offriends as more people saw his glider in action.

With the advent of digital technology changing the photography industry, he made a proactive career change and accepted a management position at a dairy warehouse in 1999— but still found plenty of time to make musky baits.

Stumble bees "Some of it I pursued because I wanted to learn how to make a part icular bait.

For a lot of the baits I make, I had shops come to me because they couldn't get the bait anymore."

Scott Kleinschmidt Musky Safari Tackle Company

Loon baby spitzer By 2002, Kleinschmidt realized that demand for his glider was picking up steam, rather than waning, and launched a company—Musky Safari—to market his lure, now christened “Mr. Automatic.”

Because of the quality and reliable performance of his lures, he began to get requests for other styles and designs. “I started making bucktails, then I started making spinner baits,” he recalls.

Kleinschmidt tackled each one with the same attention to detail and quality that he used to develop Mr. Automatic. “Some of it I pursued because I wanted to learn how to make a particular bait,” he says. “For a lot of the baits I make, I had shops come to me because they couldn’t get the bait anymore— the maker went out of business, or maybe passed away.”

InnOVATIVE IMPROVEMENTs

Overall, he saw production inconsistencies across the industry as an opportunity to raise the bar on quality. “When you bought one, it was going to work and it wasn’t going to fall apart,” he says.

For instance, several of his bucktails— which he calls Hyper Hypnotizers or Tiger Tails— feature spinner blades with different shapes. When the two blades move through the water the variance in shape creates different resistance, causing them to move at different speeds. In order to keep the blades synchronized, staying 180-degrees apart as they spin around the axis of the lure, he invented what he calls a clevis lock. This innovation keeps the blades from bunching up as they spin. You find it only on Musky Safari lures.

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Water Moccasins He also found innovative ways to improve the performance of propeller baits. This style of lure features a rotating tailpiece driven by blades that drag through the water and turn, creating noise and vibration that triggers a strike. The Musky Safari version is called the Naughty Scotty.

Retrieving propeller baits with too much speed causes the whole body to spin as a unit, rather than limiting rotation to just the tailpiece. Kleinschmidt increased the speed with which his bait could be retrieved by upgrading the hardware configuration and changing the shape of the body. “The belly of the bait is actually shaped like a boat hull,” he says. “It makes that bait ride a little bit lower in the water, which gives it stability.”

Kleinschmidt’s passion for bait making carried him through 13 years of building his company while holding down a full-time job. Finally in 2015, he made the switch to making lures fulltime. He now makes more than 5,000 units a year. “The only time I’m not making musky baits is if I’m on my boat, in a tree stand or on the lawn mower,” he says. “Other than that, if I am home I am putting in 10, 12 hours a day to do it. I make about 40 different baits now.”

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THE PERFECT PAYOFF

“Every bait that says Musky Safari on it, I made it from start to finish,” Kleinschmidt proudly states. “I spin out all of my own wood blanks. I do all my own painting. For all of my bucktails, all my spinnerbaits, I hand tie all of them.”

That kind of commitment does result in some trade-offs, however. “When you're a manufacturer, to be honest with you, you don't get out fishing as much as you would if you weren't making baits,” he says.

"I spin out all of my own wood blanks. I do all my own paint ing. For all of my bucktails, all my spinnerbaits, I hand t ie all of them."

Scott Kleinschmidt Musky Safari Tackle Company

In the long run, the satisfaction Kleinschmidt gets from his work more than makes up for lost time in his boat. “You're making a product that helps people be successful when they're out having fun,” he says. “And it's a lot of fun to hear people come up to you and say, ‘Hey, I was throwing this bait and I caught my biggest fish ever,’ or ‘We did really good on a trip with them.’”

“That means a lot because you made something that they bought, they used and they were successful with it. So, you take a lot of pride in that.” And to a musky angler, that’s what really counts.

OUTDOORS

Mr. Automatic

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OUTDOORS HUNTING

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W

hen turkey hunting moved out of southeastern Minnesota I was overjoyed. Out here in the rest of the state, we had been watching the flocks growing in numbers and chafing at the bit to get after them. I imagined the fun of being in my blind with the sunrise painting the eastern sky and a ringing gobble snapping me to attention. It was a dream come true.

A hunt in the spring at last. No sitting around waiting for open water fishing for me. Plans must be made. Calls and decoys and ground blind must be researched and purchased.

That would be half the fun. And it was.

Then the practice began. Opting for a mouth call made sense because it would be hands free. I would be ready when the big bird appeared. No dropping the call and raising my gun to tip off the gobbler with any movement.

Then I started trying to get that mouth call to sound like a bird. Not easy, believe me. But I persisted until I felt I could yelp and cluck, kind of. I was no Will Primos, that much I knew, but I also knew by the articles I had read that it was best to use the call sparingly. The way I sounded I could see the logic in that right away.

I had read enough to know what decoys to buy. A crouching hen with a jake decoy to place behind her. That would enrage a big tom to see an immature jake trying to steal one of his harem. He’d run in and I’d settle his hash with a load of No. 4 shot from my 10 gauge. The ground blind was next. I already had one that I had used for deer hunting that would do nicely. I shot some paper with the 10 to check out how my ammo patterned and that looked good but now came the big decision: Which season to hunt.

April seemed the best choice because the birds hadn’t been shot at and would be dumb and green. All of the seasons ran a week, so I’d have plenty of time since I was retired. I was

to regret my choice on that very first season. It snowed the night before and I had to shovel for an hour to get unstuck when my truck bogged down on a minimum maintenance road. I had placed my blind several days earlier and even had a Little Buddy heater in there which was much appreciated. The snow didn’t help and neither did the birds. Can you imagine a four-hour sit listening to yourself clucking and squeaking? Pure misery.

My research hadn’t told me that in early season, the whole flock travels together until later when they split up to get into the real breeding frenzy. So imagine my surprise when three days later after spending a lot of time hearing birds gobbling down in the river bottom and never getting them to come to my call, two dozen birds appeared on the top of my ridge. To my credit, I kept quiet and realized they were there to feed in the bean field I was next to.

As a unit, they spread out before me and I could take my pick of four big long beards. Selecting the biggest, I dusted him with a shot to the neck that flattened him and surprised me completely because the next biggest tom didn’t run off with the rest but attacked my dead bird with a vengeance. It must have been payback time, I thought, as the attack went on using beak and spurs. I could have easily had two gobblers that day. Though my bird was a 28-pounder and a real trophy, I realized a later season would give me a better chance to hunt those spread out gobblers looking for hens. It was clear that whole flock had followed the lead hen out to feed and my calling had been useless.

That next year I would try my decoys and calling in a later situation. C season was a few weeks later than my last year’s April 15th start. Again I was in my blind and clucking and purring my heart out, but several days of rain and an attack of wood ticks had me almost wishing for last year’s snow. Almost. Then my luck seemed to change. My son Will joined me in the blind with

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his Nikon. We marveled at a beautiful sunrise and thrilled to the gobbles that made that next day magical. We listened to the gobble get closer and knew that we would get our chance.

There he was. He came towards my calling and just as he was hitting my range, he turned and sidelined us as he made for the woods behind us. There went our gobbler, strutting and fanning by us and taking up a position at the edge of that woods behind us. To add insult to injury, he stood and bellered at our decoys for 10 minutes before walking slowly back into the timber. He did not let up with his gobbling when he was out of sight. That was a turning point in my career as a turkey hunter.

I was chafing at the fact that I had confined myself to that blind. I wasn’t going to let that bird get away. I’d get him another way.

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Old as I was, I could still move... and move I would. Leaving Will in the blind, I belly crawled to the woods and slowly tried to locate my bird. No problem there. As I watched, he emerged from behind the popples and gave a thundering gobble. It was his last. He was in range of the 10 and would grace my dinner plate that very night. I learned a very important lesson that day. There’s more than one way to skin a turkey. It was years later that I found out there was a name for what I had become. I now needed no blind. I would pursue my birds. I had become a “reaper.”

It only needed a slight tweaking to make me even more successful in my pursuit. Others were getting out of their blinds, too. They first used a turkey fan to crawl behind. Then the manufacturers got going and made a fan and turkey face combo to cover your movements even better. Finally, now we have the umbrella device that you can open and

close to really agitate any gobblers who see them. In the commercials the real gobblers will charge you while you hide behind them. I had to have one!

That very next year I was itching to try that new apparatus out. I also got an idea that it would be great not to have to deal with any wood ticks so I put in for that first season in April again. You can imagine what I thought of my luck when again I faced a snowy landscape.

But I was wrong. To get to my blind I had to walk a mile along a tree line. Setting out, I was further dismayed by the loud crunching I was making on the way. There was nothing I could do to quiet my steps so I continued on until at the halfway point and still in darkness.

It startled me when I heard toms bellering at the end of the tree line.

I crouched down to gather my wits. I was hearing more than one tom, and it was still dark. They had to be still up in the roost tree getting ready for morning. I developed a plan. If it worked I’d be able to walk right up to them. I kept on down the trees, but not walking as I had been. If I played this right they’d think I was a deer coming at them.

Taking three steps and stopping is the habit that deer get into. They never go far without stopping to sniff the air and look carefully around. It worked like a charm!

I was right up near the roost tree, a big cottonwood.

As it began to get light I could see five big black balls of feathers in the branches. Their heads were still tucked into their chests except one. He was up and getting ready to go. I measured the shot from where I crouched behind my umbrella.

Could I pop one in the tree? Just as I decided to try that, the one who had fully awakened swooped down next to me in the snow covered bean field. I opened and closed my umbrella and he saw that and charged me.

I went on autopilot and leaned around the rim for a clean shot. He saw me and juked like a running back for his escape. Lucky I had the 10. Missing him with the first shot, I was fortunate to flatten him at 60 yards. And the other four toms blew out of the tree and sailed across the slough to safety. All that remained to do was to pick up my bird and head home. The hunt was my shortest yet...

Ten minutes from sunrise to finish. I’ll use my nifty umbrella again, because it really worked great, but I’ll never again have the good luck I had that day.

Finally, there's yet another approach love to take when I can. That’s to drift into range with a kayak. Can you imagine what my umbrella hunt would have looked like if I had my son Will behind me with his Nikon? The river hunt

was another of those. Up before dawn isn’t a favorite of Will’s, so the day I drifted the river began the day before. We left a vehicle downstream where my hunt would end. It would be there so Will wouldn’t have to get up with me at zero dark 30. The next morning when there was just enough light to see, my hunt began. Drifting quietly, using the paddle only to correct my drift, I was heartened when I heard a robust gobble along the river ahead.

I drifted to shore and tied up to listen. Another gobble and I slid ahead making virtually no sound at all. That’s just why I love that kayak.

Another gobble took me down closer until I could see my longbeard out on a sandbar with his hen. He was strutting up a storm doing pirouettes punctuated by occasional gobbles to celebrate the morn. It was almost too classic a scene to interrupt. Almost. But

being the predator I am, I had to try to bag it.

No question about it, patience was the key. I couldn’t hope to drift into range on that open stretch of river. I’d wait until the hen got hungry and led him away. That’s just what happened.

Next I drifted near the sandbar, hoping he and his lady weren’t too far away. I’d use jealousy as my weapon. I can do a fair gobble on my shaker call and I let go with a blast. Hearing an approaching ruckus, I made ready. Sure enough he ran out on the sandbar with his head on a swivel. He was still searching for me when the load of lead ended our hunt. I slid on down to the sandbar and laid him out to admire. It was a great bird with a nice long beard and nasty long spurs. Best of all though was the thought of the great eating he would be for me.

I called Will and told him of my luck and he was there with his Nikon to capture my arrival at the landing.

Now if you’ve never tried to hunt turkey there’s a lot of fun and great eating that you’re missing. There’s a lot to learn before you can

be successful, but it will all be worth it when you can outwit this king of the game birds. We are so fortunate that our DNR was successful in their effort to reintroduce another of our lost species into the Minnesota landscape.

OUTDOORS

SUMMER 2020 Lake & Home Outdoors 35

OUTDOORS MN DNR

Juvenile (6 – 8 inches in length) lake sturgeon prior to stocking. Note the dark “camouflage” patches on the fish, a unique characteristic that will fade away as it grows.

LEFT: From 2002 - 2019, DNR partnered with local government, watershed districts and lake associations to remove or modify 39 of the 75 dams on the Red River and its tributaries. More dam removals will occur, and are proposed in the coming years.

BELOW: The rock arch rapids provide fish passage and can be used as spawning habitat by a variety of species, including lake sturgeon. Because fish move upstream and downstream to complete their life cycle, dam removals often enhance the upstream sport fish community.

It’s February in western Minnesota and the landscape is frozen. On the icy Pelican River in Otter Tail County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries biologists, engineers and a team of construction workers are hard at work in the snow. Their focus is on a pair of dams that are being demolished.

The dams are being replaced with naturallooking rapids made of boulders and smaller stones. One hundred miles to the north on the Sand Hill River, another team, another dam and the same goal - all part of an ongoing effort to restore a swimming dinosaur to its home in western Minnesota. It’s another step in a 35-year odyssey to bring the lake sturgeon, an ancient giant, back to the Red River of the North.

LAKE STURGEON HISTORY The Red River of the North is steeped in history.

Intertwined with that history is the lake sturgeon.

Lake sturgeon are an ancient species, living through the fall of the dinosaurs and swimming in the waters that would later become the Great Lakes. Early Native American peoples

of the region knew it as “Namé,” or “King of Fishes.” They used it for food, oil and leather, and developed a waterproofing agent from the fish’s swim bladder. In 1800, the fur trader Alexander Henry the Younger recorded the abundant lake sturgeon population in his journal as he traveled the Red River.

In the mid-to-late 1800s, a series of events doomed the once-abundant population.

Dams began appearing on many Minnesota rivers and streams, some with water wheels that powered everything from grain mills to sawmills. These dams prevented lake sturgeon from reaching their spawning and overwintering grounds. These large fish were considered a nuisance because they easily broke through commercial fishing nets. They were piled on shorelines like firewood and the carcasses were sometimes used as fuel to power steamboats because of their high oil content. In the late 1800s, lake sturgeon eggs were popularized as a dining delicacy.

Commercial harvest for caviar targeted spawning runs in the newly dammed rivers, removing thousands of fish until the population crashed in the early 1900s. In 1930, Minnesota closed all harvest of lake sturgeon, but the damage was done.

Biologists refer to this type of event as an extirpation, which means "to root out and destroy completely." In scientific terms, it refers to the elimination of a native species from a portion of its geographic range. If enough extirpation occurs, an extinction follows. In the Red River of the North, the only lake sturgeon remaining were isolated individuals scattered across the landscape. The once-thriving population was gone with little chance it would ever recover on its own.

INITIAL RESEARCH Fortunately in 1986, a new chapter began in lake sturgeon history. Recognizing a need to conserve and enhance the remaining population in the region, Minnesota DNR fisheries biologists began research on the lake sturgeon to develop a statewide restoration plan. Lake sturgeon were not well understood at the time, so research was critical to any recovery plan. The DNR and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources started a tracking project in Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River. The goal was to learn about lake sturgeon biology and apply it to restoration statewide. Lake sturgeon were captured and fitted with radio transmitters. Their locations and travels were monitored by a team of biologists.

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RESTORATION EFFORTS Armed with research findings, a coalition of resource agencies, including the Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Red Lake Nation, White Earth Nation and Rainy River First Nations, began a long-term effort to reintroduce the lake sturgeon to the Red River. To begin, 378 lake sturgeon between 4 and 10 years old were transferred from the Rainy River to the Red River in 1997 and 1998. Other efforts included annually

In 2002, the Minnesota DNR began reconnecting rivers. Instead of the concrete and steel fish ladders commonly associated with salmon in the Pacific Northwest, DNR chose a more natural path. Dams were replaced with a “rock-arch rapids,” a ramp of boulders and rocks built to mimic natural rapids. The curves in the structure concentrate flow in the middle of the river, with slower flow along the edges. The middle provides enough depth of flow for a lake sturgeon and other large fish to pass, while the slower edge flow benefits smaller-bodied species.

ABOVE: Lake sturgeon will travel a hundred miles or more to spawn downstream of rocky riffle habitats perfect for developing eggs.

Water moves over the rocks and is agitated and charged with oxygen.

The study provided insights into critical spawning sites, seasonal movements and population dynamics, providing critical information to fuel reintroduction efforts in the Red River. Biologists learned that lake sturgeon are long-distance travelers and extremely long-lived. The male life span is typically 55 years, while females live 80 - 150 years.

Females sexually mature around 22 - 26 years of age; males mature around 15 – 18 years.

Although adults may spend most of that time in lakes or quiet places of large rivers, they will travel a hundred miles or more to spawn.

Spawning habitat is on the downstream side of riffles or rapids, where water is agitated and charged with oxygen as it moves over and amongst the rocks. These natural aerators create the perfect rocky environment for lake sturgeon eggs, and are sought out by spawning adults. After they spawn, adults return to deeper water habitats to forage and grow while the juveniles live in the shallower streams before joining the adults. Mature females make this spawning migration once every four to nine years, while males spawn every two to seven years.

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RECONNECTING RIVERS In order to naturally reproduce and truly recover, lake sturgeon need a way to reach quality spawning areas. The Red River Basin is dotted with dams that prevent lake sturgeon passage to this critical habitat. Lake sturgeon aren’t the only species cut off by dams. It is common to see the fish community above a dam missing many species found below the dam. Historically, these dams were built to provide power and water storage and are usually located at sites with natural rapids or falls–also prime lake sturgeon spawning sites.

As these reservoirs age, they fill with sediment and the riffle and rapid habitats under the reservoirs slowly become buried in muck. This brings us back to that cold week in February highlighting the most recent effort in a long habitat restoration journey.

ABOVE: Fisheries biologists prepare to measure a lake sturgeon captured in a gill net on the Rainy River. Lake sturgeon were fitted with radio transmitters to track their locations and travels to learn about lake sturgeon biology and apply it to restoration statewide. collecting eggs from adults in the Rainy River Basin and transferring them to state and federal hatcheries. Once hatched, some of the fry were stocked into the Red Lake and Roseau rivers. The remainder were held in the hatchery to grow into 6- to 8-inch juveniles before being transferred to tribal and state agencies for stocking at various locations in the Red River Basin. With lake sturgeon now inhabiting the Red River, efforts shifted to ensuring its survival by reconnecting the rivers along the Red River Basin.

Dam removals create habitat and, more importantly, provide access to habitat.

From 2002 - 2019, DNR partnered with local government, watershed districts and lake associations to remove or modify 36 of the 75 dams on the Red River and its tributaries.

The three dams removed that chilly week in February raised that total to 39. The LessardSams Outdoor Heritage Fund, part of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that Minnesota voters passed in 2008, has assisted greatly with these projects. Two additional dam removals are funded and scheduled, and five are proposed in the coming years. These local projects are all part of a bigger picture to restore connections to special habitat within Minnesota’s northwestern river system.

A NEW PHASE OF RESEARCH DNR biologists are now able to track reintroduced lake sturgeon to evaluate their growth and movements through parts of the system that are now reconnected. Lake sturgeon sampled by the DNR are implanted with a PIT tag, which is roughly the size of a pencil eraser. Biologists can scan a fish, detect its identification number from the PIT tag and track the growth of that individual.

As a backup identifier, fish are also marked with a numbered external tag secured near the dorsal fin.

standard lake monitoring. Mature males have been showing up to prospective spawning locations for several years. Anglers are also encountering lake sturgeon regularly in some locations. In the spring of 2019, something exciting happened. The first sexually mature female from the reintroduction was detected in the Otter Tail River by DNR fisheries biologists. She showed up a few years earlier than expected (remember, females are slower to mature), and may be part of that initial transplanting from the Rainy River. She is hopefully the first of many spawners to slowly

repopulate the historic range of this species.

As the next phase of lake sturgeon restoration begins in the Red River of the North, DNR fisheries biologists are hopeful that stocking will be replaced by natural reproduction.

Presently, connectivity to spawning habitat is available in some rivers. Others will require more work before this great fish can come and go freely once again. Dam removal and stream habitat projects can be a challenge, but when you’re working with dinosaurs, challenges are just part of the landscape.

OUTDOORS

A small subset of fish get a different type of tag, called an acoustic tag. This tag is surgically implanted into the fish using the fisheries biology equivalent of a surgical suite set up on the river bank. For the next six years, the acoustic tag will occasionally emit a coded signal. The signal is detected by receivers positioned in strategic locations in the water. The result is a tracking history of each fish as it passes the listening stations throughout the river system. Lake sturgeon seasonal movements in the Red River will be tracked, along with habitat preferences. This will have implications for future conservation planning for the entire system. It is the first ABOVE: Lake sturgeon are stocked near potential spawning locations. Evidence suggests they will return to these habitats to spawn, similar to salmon.

LEFT: Rocky river bottoms and riffles (far background) are critical spawning habitats for lake sturgeon. Recovery of lake sturgeon depends on availability of these habitats. Dam modification projects create fish passage to these once unavailable areas.

BELOW: Ever wonder what the inside of a DNR stocking truck looks like? Onboard oxygen keep these juvenile sturgeon alive, as things can be a bit crowded. DNR uses well water to avoid aquatic invasive species transport. time lake sturgeon have been tracked in the Red River and is a cooperative effort among Minnesota DNR, Manitoba, Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the North Dakota Game and Fish department.

The results of the research and recovery are promising. Throughout the region, lake sturgeon detections are increasing during DNR

SUMMER 2020 Lake & Home Outdoors 39

OUTDOORS

STATE PARKS

Enjoy a colorful fall paddle along the creek and explore Glendalough State Park’s chain of six lakes. Canoes, kayaks and paddleboards are available to rent at the park.

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N

estled between the prairie and hardwood forest lies Glendalough State Park, near Battle Lake. Glendalough’s gently rolling topography combines with scenic views, speaking the story of its unique and interesting history.

The park was originally a private summer retreat until it was sold in 1928 to F. E. Murphy, owner of the Minneapolis Tribune Company.

Murphy expanded the property and started a private game farm. He then sold it to Cowles Media Company in 1941. Cowles also acquired more land and continued to operate the game farm and use it as a family and corporate retreat. He hosted executives, politicians and dignitaries, including two future U.S. presidents – Eisenhower and Nixon – at the historic Glendalough Lodge.

On Earth Day, 1990, the property was donated to The Nature Conservancy. Ownership was transferred to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1991 for use as a state park.

Glendalough, which in Irish means “the glen between two lakes,” has a primitive, nonmotorized park theme, both on land and water.

A wide variety of opportunities await visitors who want to simplify and escape civilization - from cart-in and canoe-in campsites, yurts and camper cabins, to canoe routes that meander the creek connecting pristine lakes.

One of the last large tracts of undeveloped lakeshore in western Minnesota, totaling 9.2 miles on six lakes, lies within the park. The park is also home to some of the most cherished and threatened landscapes in the state – native prairie. According to the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan, the tallgrass prairie once covered about onethird of Minnesota or approximately 18 million acres. Over the last 150 years, the prairie has been largely converted to row crop agriculture.

Explore Glendalough State Park’s chain of lakes in a canoe or kayak by starting at Annie Battle Lake and paddling the connecting creeks. Wet a line or enjoy a picnic along the lakeshore.

Four cart-in camper cabins with propane stoves provide a camping out experience without the tent. All are located near Annie Battle Lake.

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The 350-acre Annie Battle Lake is designated as a Heritage Fishery – no motorized boat traffic is allowed and there are special fishing regulations in place. The 3.3-mile Annie Battle Lake Trail circles the lake and is open year-round.

reduced bag limits for bluegill and black crappie (five each per day) that sustain a steady supply of large fish. Fishing novices or enthusiasts can borrow a fishing kit from the park office. Minnesota residents do not need a fishing license to fish on Annie Battle or Molly Stark lakes.

In the winter months, snowshoeing is allowed anywhere in the park except on the 8 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. There is a sliding hill and warming houses at the Trail Center and lodge.

In 2008, Minnesotans approved the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, which placed new emphasis on conservation in Minnesota and prioritized the acceleration of natural resource management work at state parks and trails. With legacy funding, state park resource specialists have been transforming once-plowed lands into some of the highest-quality, most species-rich restored prairies in the state. To date, 794 acres have been restored (29 percent of total park acres). Resource crews harvest the precious prairie plant seed to plant more prairie on other state park lands.

Visitors will encounter a variety of trails to hike, bike, ski, snowshoe and mountain bike.

The trails offer wildlife viewing opportunities (including a bald eagle nest), interpretive signs that share cultural and natural history information, incredible views of Annie Battle and Molly Start lakes and remote hiking exploring wooded landscapes. The Prairie Hill Interpretive Trail leads to a panoramic view of the prairie wildflowers that splash the landscape with an array of color in spring, late summer and fall. The 2-mile Lake Emma Trail features an observation platform on Lake Emma.

The 11.8-mile paved Glendalough Bike Trail connects the park to the city of Battle Lake.

It includes a 5.4-mile loop around two lakes.

Bicyclists can ride the scenic loop or connect to shops and restaurants in Battle Lake, just 3 miles away.

Glendalough has six lakes to enjoy and explore. Water lovers can take a swim or picnic at two sandy swimming beaches, explore the chain of lakes by canoe or kayak, or enjoy a variety of lakeside views of pristine shorelines from the hiking and biking trails.

Annie Battle Lake, located within the park, offers anglers a tranquil, quality fishing experience. It is designated as a "heritage fishery" with special fishing regulations that prohibit electronic equipment (depth finders, GPS units, etc.) and motors of any type, and

The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment placed new emphasis on conservation in Minnesota. With legacy funding, DNR Parks and Trails resource specialists have transformed 29 percent of Glendalough’s park acres into high quality, species rich restored prairies.

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For overnight getaways, there are 22 cartin campsites easily accessible from the parking lot and three canoe-in sites on the northeast shore of Annie Battle Lake. There are four camper cabins with electricity and propane heaters, all are available daily April

The historic Glendalough Lodge. Browse displays highlighting the history of the park or enjoy lunch overlooking Annie Battle Lake.

through October, and in the winter, Thursday through Sunday. There are two yurts that are accessible by canoe or by biking or hiking the Annie Battle Lake Trail. Yurts are available daily April through October, and in the winter, Thursday through Saturday. They do not have electricity and are heated by wood stoves.

A tent-only group camp that accommodates 40 is located on a shaded knoll along the creek between Molly Stark and Annie Battle lakes.

Glendalough has many other amenities. The restored historic Glendalough Lodge on the

north side of Annie Battle Lake, Trail Center and Molly Picnic Shelter can be reserved for meetings and events. Bicycles and watercraft rentals are offered at the park through a vendor, and winter equipment rentals are available at the park office.

For more information on Glendalough or other Minnesota state parks visit www.mndnr. gov/state _ parks.

OUTDOORS

There are 22 cart-in campsites at Glendalough State Park. Keeping with the park’s primitive, non-motorized theme, there is no vehicular traffic in the campground.

Campsites are located in a wooded area from 200 to 1,200 feet from the parking lot.

Carts are provided free of charge.

An extraordinary array of prairie flowers and grasses, including this bottle gentian, splash the hillsides at Glendalough State Park in spring, summer and fall.

Leave the motor vehicle and civilization behind. Canoe, bike or hike to “camp out” in a yurt on the southeast side of Annie Battle Lake. Yurts are insulated canvas tents with wood floors, bunkbeds and a skylight. They have no electricity and are heated by woodstove in winter months.

SUMMER 2020 Lake & Home Outdoors 43

OUTDOORS BIRDS

The common loon (Gavia immer) or the

four years here before returning to breed. The

“great northern diver” is Minnesota’s official

other loon species are red-throated, yellow-

state bird. The American Goldfinch (Spinus

billed, Arctic and Pacific, all nesting along the

tristis) was the state’s first designated state

Arctic or the coasts.

bird but was changed to the common loon in 1961. Minnesota has the highest common

Having loons on our many lakes is special

loon population (12,000) outside of Alaska in

and is an indicator of how clean and clear

the United States. The Land of 10,000 Lakes

the water is. Loons are very sensitive to any

provides adequate habitat of clean and

changes in their environment; water quality

deep lakes. The common loon is one of

is very important for them and it should be

five species of loons found in North America

for us too. Many of us are fortunate to live in

and is the only one that nests in the lower 48

an area where loons are commonly seen

states. The common loon winters in the Gulf

or heard during the summer season. For

of Mexico and immature loons spend three to

many, it’s the loon that is the true symbol of

the north! Over the years people have asked

mainly fish. Another unique attribute of loons

me to show them the common loon as it's

is that their bones are not hollow but are

very uncommon in many places across the

“honeycomb” in structure which allows them

country.

to sink or submerge without a splash (like a submarine). When watching loons through

The common loon is a large bird weighing

a pair of binoculars you can clearly see this

8-12 pounds with a 46-inch wingspan. Loons

technique as they dive for food or escape

are very interesting in many ways, such as

danger. The common loon also has red eyes,

how far back their legs are on the body,

which allow it to see underwater.

making it very awkward and difficult for them to walk on land (it’s nearly impossible).

The common loon might be one of the most

Loons are exceptional divers with depths

vocal of all of the water birds. It can be heard

reaching nearly 200 feet! They also have

throughout the day, but is mostly known for its

great speed and agility underwater for

haunting calls during the night.

chasing and catching their prey, which is

SUMMER 2020 Lake & Home Outdoors 45

The loon has four basic calls‌the yodel, tremolo, wail

The hoot is less obvious than the others and is generally

and hoot.

used between adults and young.

The yodel is given only by the male to declare and

Loons arrive soon after ice-out; in most years it’s within

defend its territory from other loons. The tremolo is an

days. Soon after arriving at their breeding locations the

aggressive call and is used when it’s disturbed.

first priority is to establish a territory that includes a nesting location. Larger lakes may contain several pairs of loons

The wail sounds like an eerie laugh and is used to

with each pair defending a specific size or portion of

find other loons nearby, so it makes sense that this is

the lake within its territory from other loons. Once a lake

one call heard during the night...often played in the

is chosen and a territory is established, their attention

background of many movies!

shifts to nesting. It's hard for loons to nest away from water due to their feet being set far back on the body.

Most loon nests are at the water’s edge so they can just

nesting success. Loons usually lay two to three eggs

slide off the nest and into the water. The nest is usually

that hatch about 30 days later. In June you can watch

constructed by both adults with whatever is available

the young chicks riding on a parent's back to keep

around them, mostly reeds, grasses, rushes and mud.

safe from predators. Because loons nest so close to the

Almost all loon nests are found along natural vegetative

water’s edge they are very susceptible to nest failures

shorelines along sheltered bays, peninsulas, islands,

that result from flooding or wave action. A rise of just

floating vegetation mats and constructed platforms.

a few inches can be detrimental to a loon nest and

Loon nesting platforms are sometimes placed at

waves from any powered motor craft can be deadly

specific locations by the Minnesota Department of

too. It’s very important to stay away from marked or

Natural Resources (MN DNR) or through some lake

known loon nesting areas.

home associations to provide better protection and

SUMMER 2020 Lake & Home Outdoors 47

In 2010, the largest oil spill occurred in the Gulf

Enjoy Minnesota’s waters, but please remember to

of Mexico with over 5 million barrels of crude oil

respect and share the water with our state bird.

released into the gulf. This will have an everlasting

I would encourage you to join the LoonWatch

impact on wildlife and its habitats. Many of us were

program for your lake. It’s a great way to learn

greatly concerned for our wintering loons and for

more about the common loon. Remember,

the juvenile loons that spend three to four years in

having loons on our lakes is a good indicator of

this ecosystem. Some loons and many other birds

how healthy and clean our lakes are. The MN DNR

were found dead or covered in oil unable to fly

started a volunteer Loon Watcher Survey Program

or fish. From this disaster, a new study started to

back in the early 1980s to help monitor loon

learn more about loon migrations. Several loons

populations on our many lakes. Volunteers sign

from the state were safely captured and fitted

up to monitor loons on their lake, or one nearby.

with a special tracking device that measures and

All the forms are provided and you are asked to

calculates their migration pattern showing the

survey the loons throughout the summer nesting

dates, locations and distances. You can follow

season. Crosslake, Minn., is possibly the future

one or more of these loons as they migrate to the

home of the National Loon Center! This facility will

Gulf of Mexico and back. To learn more and track

be home to loon education and research and

the loons, search for “loon migration.”

many interactive displays. Happy birding!

48 Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

OUTDOORS

50 Lake & Home Outdoors SUMMER 2020

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

FLOORING

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR

HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING

CONSTRUCTION

LUMBERYARD

INSULATION

RADON TESTING & MITIGATION

MARINE / WATERCRAFT REPAIR

LANDSCAPING