On March 3, 2007, I picked up my new ride:  a Lund Pro-V 1800 SE (in the classic Lund red) pushed by a Mercury Opti-Max 115 and a MinnKota 80# Power Drive Auto Pilot with Universal Sonar on the bow, all trailered by a Karavan galvanized swivel-tongue with power brakes.  I put a Lowrance X135 on the front and a Lowrance LCX-25C/LGC-2000 on the console.  With an Apelco marine radio, Sony CD stereo system, Lakemasters chip, enough storage for rods and tackle for every possible Minnesota game fish, a few sandwiches, a bag of seeds, and a few bottles of water, I can stay on the open water for days.

In case you hadn’t noticed, this is my dream boat!  I traded in the ol’ Fightin’ Jack Blue Fin Super Hawk, that had been in the family for 25 years, and returned to a Lund, the boat in which my dad first taught me to fish, but then it was a 14′ open bottom with a 9.9 Johnson on the back.

Year I with the Pro-V proved to be an excellent season.  Spike christened her with a hard hitting rainbow trout on Bad Medicine.  Then Paul and I went back to the walleye well that was Big Turtle this spring.  The walleyes of Bemidji produced all season long and this fall John and I and Kevin, Josh and I found the frenzied walleyes, perch, and pike on Leech.

Some nights I just sit in the boat in the garage playing the stereo and tinkering with tackle dreaming of open water and picture fish…..

   

   

   

 

November 2, 2007

Here’s a few pictures from the second trip to North Dakota this year.  The cast of characters for the second trip included Spike, Roger, Tom, Corey and Sadie, Paul and Magic, Bill, Shep, Toby, and myself.  I wasn’t able to make the first trip this year, but the one trip was still able to satisfy that “shoot ’em in the face” urge.

The only picture I don’t have included is a picture of the six-point buck who broad-sided my truck the second morning on the way to the lake.  He came out of the pre-dawn darkness hell bent for destruction until he realized the window of opportunity for his urgent flight did not stand between the third and fourth vehicles in our convoy.  He and I both slammed the brakes sending him into a skid in the oncoming lane, which he pulled out of just in time to kamikaze the Silverado.  We traded some hardware, he got my left, rear fender flare, mud-flap, and some paint, and left me with a few small dents, a loose running board, and one antler – he is now a three pointer!  After the shock of it all, we both walked away, I have video of it to prove it!  It was a good thing I was the last truck in the convoy to the lake that morning, or the person behind me would have had a full grill (truck, not barbecue) of deranged whitetail!

   

   

   

   

September 16, 2007

Saturday was the first day of deer archery season and small game opener, so there was going to be a lot of activity and pressure in the woods.  The cold front had passed as well, so the temperature was back on the rise.  I had little confidence in seeing a bear.  Heck, with all of the nocturnal activity on my scouting camera, I had NO confidence in seeing a bear.  In fact, I only brought out half as much bait as I usually do.

Before I even arrived at the spot where I park my truck, I counted three trucks and two four wheelers of grouse hunters.  All evening, there was a lot of shooting to the south of me; what I think were goose hunters because at one point they blasted off 19 shots in one single volley!  Half way through the evening’s hunt, I whispered into my video camera that I didn’t think we would be seeing much tonight because of all the commotion in the woods.  But I was wrong.  At 7:52pm Saturday night, seven minutes before the end of shooting hours, the bear that had been waiting for me to leave the stand each night, burst into the far end of the clearing on an almost direct route for the Stump.  I only waited for a broadside shot to squeeze the trigger.  One shot that passed through both lungs with the old reliable .308 at 15 yards rolled him sideways.  The rack and slide of my Remington 700 and the metal on metal bounce of the spent casing onto the platform of my stand rang through the forest canopy while the bruin crashed about 50 yards into the pencil brush as he tried to circle back from where he entered.  He had probably gone half that distance before establishing a considerable blood trail.  Unbelievable!  Nice!

This had to be the third bear that I had on the scouting camera that was the medium-sized bear.  He’s not the bigger bear I had on film, but he is the biggest I’ve ever taken, 175 lbs. field dressed (probably well over 200 live weight).  He is the first boar I have ever taken, and the first bear I have ever taken (or seen) beyond opening weekend.  Persistence had paid off, he had finally made his mistake, and I was fortunate enough to be there to take advantage.  After a dash back to town to pickup my lantern and atv (again, no confidence), and a buddy (Thanks Trapper!) to help drag him out, video tape of the blood trail, lots of pictures, and, the always interesting, drag out of the bear woods, we got headed for home at about 1:00am.  I apologize for the blood in the pictures!  The more I tried to clean him up the worse it got.  Once again the Ballistic Silver-Tips did some damage.  The first few pictures were from the previous night at the bait.