Wildersmith on the Gunflint: November 14

Wildersmith adds his “many thanks” to all who stood up and pledged during the membership drive of last week. It’s most heartwarming to see so many wonderful WTIP followers come to the front for this vital support endeavor.                                                                                             
To everyone who put a paddle in the water for WTIP during this past event or earlier in the year, you can’t be thanked enough for sharing your bounty. Hurray, the fundraising goal was reached once again!                                                                                                                  

Halloween is over, but it’s hard to tell because there are still plenty of big orange costumed objects out in the woods. Now most of the orange is of the hot variety, and rather than being at ground locations as pumpkins usually grow, the orange characters are silently hanging out up in trees throughout the territory. 

We are a week into the state firearms deer hunting season and from what I’m told by the locals, the venison pickin's, are pretty slim. The border country predators have done a job of culling the herd into a “bucks only” season. With such low numbers, most likely not too much ammo will be expended.

I suppose it will take a few years for the white tail numbers to rebound, what with the hungry population of bears and wolves continuing to stalk this particular hunting zone. However, hunters fear not, for Mother Nature will find a way to make things balance out. 

This scenario of sparse deer numbers may speak well for the dwindling moose herd. Perhaps the element of fewer deer, as hosts to brain worms which can result in devastating neurological disease in moose, might set the stage for a resurgence of those numbers.  Only time will tell on this issue, along with a balancing out of the predator problem. 

Not only is the area void of deer, more importantly, we need moisture. The upper trail neighborhood continues to be bypassed by major precipitation deliveries. Yes, we’ve experienced a few trivial snow efforts, but that is about it for the past several weeks.  

On the other hand, temperatures are about normal, thus allowing old mother Earth to cool enough for the support of what little snow has fallen. The landscape is minimally white, but at this news gathering, more was in the offing.                                                                          

Remembering last winter, this neighborhood did not get a substantial snowfall until Thanksgiving Day. That’s when winter really began to get going in earnest. So we should not be too dismayed about a major dumping not yet having been recorded.

A couple critter species that change their wardrobe color seasonally have completed the task at my last sightings. This process might indicate that convincing winter conditions are just around the next curve in the byway.     

We’ve discovered that a “gam” of ermine has apparently taken up winter residence under the insulation blanket on our septic mound. They have finished their apparel conversion to pure winter camo except for the black tip on their tail.

It was a treat when we discovered the little weasels darting in and out from under their new digs during a brief white-out squall last Saturday. There was so much scampering about it was hard to decide just how many had taken to the new residence.   

Meanwhile the latest lagomorph observation found the north woods “wabbits” are in readiness to fool predators as well, with their newest snow bank disguise. In the case of survival for these hares, it’s often all about “splitting hairs,” and the hip-hop colony around here is prepared in full dress whites. 

With intensifying cold there are murmurs throughout the forest other than winds through the pines. For the last week, I have not been made aware of any bear sightings or engagements. It would be a good bet that the hum from area Bruno dens could, at last, be the snore of “sloth” sawing logs. Happy dreams to all, and to all, a long winter’s nap!  

Keep on hangin’ on, and savor a bounty of north woods memories!

(Photo by Fabio Bretto on Flickr)