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2011 has come and
gone. Over the course of the year we have seen the highest
water levels in history on Lake Winnipegosis. High winds,
combined with the high water levels created an extensive
flooding problem. In the Spring of 2011, the ducks and geese
had been sitting on their nests when the water In the south
basin came up about seven feet! This totally wiped out the
first spring hatch. The birds moved up to the higher ground to
re-lay their eggs. Unfortunately, all of the coyotes, foxes,
and raccoons, etc. were also on the higher ground. Consequently
most of the nests there were destroyed. We saw very few broods
of ducks or geese in the late spring.
As fall approached there
was so much water inland, the ducks and geese did not have to
come to the fields in any great numbers for feed. The ducks
stayed in the meadows and ate the huge crop of duck weed.
Consequently, the fall hunt was decent for geese, but only fair
for ducks.
The 2011 Spring bear
hunt was very good. The bears were all on the high ground as
well (trying to stay dry). This made bating quite a bit easier,
except that access to some ridges and points on the lake was
impossible. The fall bear hunt started out great, but came to
an abrupt halt in mid-September as a record acorn crop filled up
all of the bears who then went into an early hibernation. This
should mean an excellent spring (2012) hunt.
Speaking of last spring,
for all of the problems caused by the high water there was a
“silver lining,” which was the fishing! Walleye and pike
fishing was awesome, the spawn filled the creeks with huge
amounts of fish, which should provide excellent fishing for the
next few years. This spring (2012) the water will remain high,
and the fishing should be superb for those who want to come up.
As the summer dried up,
the deer season was looking good, but as fall approached we were
not seeing the usual amounts of deer. We imagine that a large
May snowstorm (which contributed to our high water) may have
killed off many deer. In addition, there is a huge spike in our
wolf population. In the months of September and October, wolves
killed twenty five of my calves and must have killed many deer
and moose. We did shoot some decent bucks, but nothing that
made the books.
Our winter has been very
nice, with moderate temperatures and very little snow. We
managed to shoot quite a few wolves, so perhaps the deer
population will recover. If the lake level goes down a bit,
with all of the muskrat houses and new beaver houses, the birds
should have a good (and protected) nesting year.
In the beginning of
2012, we attended the gun shows in Fargo, Grand Forks, and the
sports show in Minot. We saw some old friends and made some new
ones. If we missed you, have a great year and I look forward to
seeing everyone soon!
John Procyshyn
South Shore Lodge |
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John
Procyshyn