Weekend in the Wisconsin Northwoods

Monday, March 8th, 2010

We saw many grouse, like this guy, strutting his stuff during the sunny weekend in Wisconsin's northwoods.

My wife and I spent a long weekend at her Grandma’s cabin just off the Namekagon River.  After the sprint to Pheasant Fest, this was a much needed respite.  It was a glorious weekend of melting snow as temperatures cleared 50 degrees.  All around us, man and beast alike, were thinking spring.  Here are a few observations from the weekend.

Ruffed Grouse: With the assistance of our German shorthaired pointer, Trammell, we saw more than a dozen grouse from walks along snowmobile trails.  The birds were grouped up in twos, threes, and fours.  I had thought perhaps these birds were thinking about an early mating season as the males were in full display (evidenced by the photo on the right); but after reading Michael Furtman’s book Ruffed Grouse, Woodland Drummer over the weekend, I’m leaning toward a theory that these were mostly male grouse trying to establish their territories for the coming drumming and mating seasons.

Deer: It’s undoubtedly been a tough winter on the whitetail with all the snow, but we did see dozens of deer also in groups of twos, threes, and fours.  

Turkeys: There were plenty of tracks, but the birds seem to be heading toward the elusive spring hunting season mode.

Fly Fishing: I picked up a new fly rod & reel combo at the Hayward Fly Fishing Company.  Owner Wendy Williamson was incredibly helpful and even pointed me toward a few awesome looking flies for my new quest – to catch a musky on the fly!  Look for Wendy and her husband, Larry, at the upcoming Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo in Bloomington, Minnesota later this month.

Prime Rib: Looking for the best prime rib in the Wisconsin northwoods?  Check out Rosenthal’s on Saturday night.  It’s worth the drive!  They report a good year of business in the woods due to an increase in snowmobilers this winter. 

Pheasant Omen: We even spotted a rooster pheasant on Highway 8 as we came into St. Croix Falls on our way home; a fitting omen to my return to the work of Pheasants Forever on Monday morning.