North Dakota Outdoors and beyond

1) Go to a second-hand store, buy a pair of men’s used work boots, a really big pair.

"Bubba,

This weeks outrage comes from the Smith County Sheriff’s Jail near Dallas, Texas.  Sheriff
J.B. Smith recently received a fax from the national headquarters of
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), one of the largest
animal-rights groups in the country, which is also virulent in its
opposition to hunting and fishing.    

PETA asked the sheriff and jail officials to refrain from serving
any meat products to inmate Christopher McCuin — a man jailed for
murdering his girlfriend and possibly participating in cannibalism of
the victims body.   PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich
wrote, It is up to [the Sheriff] to prevent McCuin from contributing
to any more suffering and death.  

Obviously, this is just another ridiculous request from the folks
who consider drinking milk and eating cheese crimes against nature.  But the true outrage lies in the reasoning behind PETE making such a request.   

Like humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, said Friedrich.  Only
in a culture where people routinely kill and eat living, feeling beings
would anyone even think to kill and eat a human loved one.  Friedrich
compared eating a hamburger to eating human flesh, saying that all meat
is from a corpse, and absurdly warned that the alleged murderer and
cannibal, McCuin, might become violent and kill if he ate meat!  

After grafting their extremist agenda to a cannibalistic psychopath, whats next?  Would PETA suggest that Americas hunters and anglers should be treated as murderers and cannibals?   

The fact that that question must even be pondered speaks volumes and reminds us, yet again, that PETA remains outrageous.

A great story about a solider from the 817th Sappers fishing trip from today’s edition of the Jamestown Sun.

The two had caught a couple crappie and a half dozen perch, but some
of the lines had gotten tangled, said Kropps mother, Mary, who wasnt
there but told the story on Brians behalf since he is now back in Iraq.

So Brian used his fathers Buzz stick, a gift from Brians godfather, John Kropp, who passed away about four years ago.

read the full story here

What is
the best way to spend a nice weekend? 
The big lake and the river are probably not your best bet as we
are definitely in the slowest time of the year but we still get those
reports that are on the positive side and we all know that fishing is
fishing and there is no sure thing. 
Pan fishing can be great this time of the year and if the weather
is going to be nice it is a good time to do some scouting and maybe get
that fish house moved before the inevitable cold spell hits us one more
time.  I have seen several
fish houses coming through the gas pumps on the way from the Sakakawea
to one of our many small lakes.  If
youre not into fishing the predator calling has been quite good and
with a little more snow it should even be better. 
Some of the coyotes are starting to rub but it is not too bad and
we are sure not foolish enough to try to hunt coyotes for a living
anyway with three dollar gas.  A
coyote, fox or bobcat coming into a call is about as good as it gets.

When it
comes to calling predators our assortment of tools has gotten better
every year and calling has gotten to be the sportsmans favorite way
of chasing the furbearers.  The
mouth call assortment has gotten much better and the new digital calls
are much more advanced, lighter and more dependable than the old
cassette players.  Now you
can even download calls off the internet for some of the more advanced
callers.  Decoys have also
gotten more popular and there is now a great assortment out there for
the calling enthusiast.  A
decoy can bring in that call shy coyote that would other wise hold up
and even more importantly it will take their eyes off of you. 
If you have a son or daughter who likes getting out in the
outdoors the remote call and a decoy take a lot of pressure off trying
to sit real still.  Camo is
still very important with the face, head and hands being the most
important as that is where the movement will be. 
I can remember the days of packing a white sheet around to pull
over ourselves when we had no white camo. 
Once you got the coyotes in on top of you that is when the moment
of truth comes in.  You are
only going to get one standing shot even if there is a pack of five
hungry coyotes.  Get out
there and do it, you might get hooked!

I spent
a couple days this weekend in the mountains chasing cats with friends in
Montana.  The snow was amazing with snow coming over the
windshields of the snowmobiles.  It was absolutely beautiful but we
did more than our share of shoveling and pushing as well.  The
muscles will heal but the memories will last forever.

If you
have information you would like to share please email it to andy@scenicsports.com

Andrus Outdoors, Dickinson (Lake Sakakawea, area lakes): Few
people went out last weekend. McKenzie Bay is good from 20 to 30 feet,
mostly in the morning and evening. Skunk Bay is good from 12 to 30 feet
for 16- to 21-inch walleye. Lake Ilo is fair for pike. Bowman-Haley Dam
is good for walleye. Odland Dam is still turning out 6- to 13-inch
perch. Lake Patterson at Dickinson is fair for walleye and crappie on
waxworms and minnows.

Cenex Bait and Tackle-Rodger’s Guide Service, Garrison (Lake Sakakawea-Lake Audubon):
Weather has kept lot guys off the ice. Try 30-feet-plus. Fishing is
spotty but still fair. Anglers have to search a little bit for fish.
Try different depths and different times of day. Some activity on the
big lake.

Dakota Tackle, Bismarck (Missouri River, Tailrace, Lake Oahe, area lakes):
Haven’t heard much activity. Tailrace is still producing some, but
fewer people out due to the cold. Dry Lake by Ashley has turned out
nice perch, but activity is spotty. Lake Tschida is quiet. Danzig Dam
slow, as is Sweet Briar. Crooked Lake steady for 3- to 7-pound pike.
Lake Aubudon is seeing a lot of activity, but catch is hit and miss.

Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City (Lake Sakakawea, Lake Audubon, Tailrace, Missouri River):
Lake Audubon is spotty for walleye at 22 feet on jigs and minnows.
Overall activity is slow but a few nice fish have been caught. Very
slow for perch and northern. Lake Sakakawea is slow for walleye. Also
some northern speared in the bays. The Tailrace was good with jigs and
minnows, but the weather has stopped much of that.

Scooter Pursley

here’s your MN trails area update—

Warroad/Baudette

The eastern and southern segments of the Beltrami Island State Forest
snowmobile trail are in good condition, with a 1-4 inch groomed
surface. Nearby, the Algoma Cross Country Ski Trail is listed in good
condition, with a 6 inch groomed surface. Local snow depth is roughly
10-11 inches.

Walker

The northern segment of the Heartland State Trail is in fair to good
condition for snowmobiling, with a 0-3 inch groomed surface. The shaded
areas of the trail are in the best condition, and the exposed areas
have some bare spots. The western segment of the Heartland Trail,
located near Park Rapids, is ungroomed and in poor condition, with bare
areas. Local snow depth is roughly 10 inches.

N of Detroit Lakes

The snowmobile trails running through White Earth State Forest are in
good condition overall, with a 4 inch partially groomed surface. Please
note that there are some exposed areas at the road intersections and
corners of the trail. The ground is covered in roughly 1 foot of snow.

Outing

The Washburn Lake Ski Trail running through Land O’ Lakes State Forest
has a 4 inch partially groomed surface, and is reported to be in fair
condition. Only the 7-mile northern segment is being groomed this
winter. Eleven inches of snow covers the ground in this area.

Brainerd

The ski trails running through Crow Wing State Park are listed in fair
condition, with a 5 inch base. Expect some icy and hard-packed
sections. The snowmobile trails are in poor condition, with a 4 inch
base. Some bare spots have been noted on the curves and along the
unsheltered portions of the trail. The forested areas are best for
snowmobiling at this time. Both trails are fully groomed. Snow cover is
averaging 8 inches in the park. Just to the north, the Paul Bunyan
State Trail is reported to be in fair condition for snowmobiling. The
trail has a 1-2 inch partially groomed surface. Conditions are poor for
the snowmobile trails running through nearby Pillsbury State Forest. A
total of 8-9 inches of snow is on the ground in this area.

here’s where to go and what to do in Central North Dakota this weekend

Jamestown Reservoir, Dans Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Spotty for walleye with not many reports.

Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Cold weather limited activity.

Lake
Audubon, Audubon Natl. Wildlife Refuge, Coleharbor: Ice fishing and
auto tour route access remain good with fair fishing success on Lake
Audubon.

Lake Josephine, Tuttle: Spotty for walleye and northern pike with occasional perch.

Lake
Ashtabula, Bay Shore Resort, Valley City: Cold weather curtailed
activity but those still going out found perch and small walleye
activity. Nice perch but not big numbers. No reports of bass or
northern pike.

click to the Jamestown Sun for the full report

here’s the latest updates for Fargo area trails system

Snow Conditions
Updated: January 24, 2008
Amount of Snow:  8-12 inches
Recent Snowfall: dusting
Snow Depth:  4 inches
Current Weather for Fargo
Trail
Conditions:  The section of trail south of Fargo is open and is fair to
good condition.  The section of trail north of Casselton and Mapleton
is open and in fair to good condition. This trails will not be groomed.
The trails south of Casselton and Mapleton are closed due to lack of
snow. 

The East Central Valley trail system is located in the
southeast portion of North Dakota and covers more than 220 miles in
Cass County. Two clubs maintain and groom the trails within this
association: Red River Sno-Riders and Rural Cass Snowmobile Club. The
Red River Sno-Riders maintain approximately 100 miles of trail
including the towns of Wild Rice, Hickson, Christine, Walcott, Kindred,
Davenport, and Horace. The Rural Cass Snowmobile Club maintains about
120 miles of trail, connecting Amenia, Casselton, Mapleton, Davenport,
Leonard, Arthur, Argusville, and Harwood. The East Central Valley trail
system includes some off-road riding, as well as some nice ditch
riding. The trail is groomed regularly. The trail system connects with
the Sheyenne Valley Trail system, the Southern Valley Trailriders
system and is about 20 miles from two different points on the
Mayville-Portland Trail System (21 miles from Hillsboro and 17 miles
from Galesburg). This trail also connects to two Minnesota trail
systems: Clay County Trail Blazers and Felton Roughriders.

Clubs:

Red River Sno-Riders
PO Box 2295
Fargo, ND 58108

Rural Cass Snowmobile Club
PO Box 58
Casselton, ND 58012
www.geocities.com/snowmobileclub

Contacts:

Joanne Seifert
412 North 3rd St.
Casselton, ND 58012
701-347-9874

A great story about a solider from the 817th Sappers fishing trip from today’s edition of the Jamestown Sun.

The two had caught a couple crappie and a half dozen perch, but some
of the lines had gotten tangled, said Kropps mother, Mary, who wasnt
there but told the story on Brians behalf since he is now back in Iraq.

So Brian used his fathers Buzz stick, a gift from Brians godfather, John Kropp, who passed away about four years ago.

read the full story here

looks like this weekend should be more enjoyable outdoors. check out the latest reports and then get out there
here is the full report

DEVILS LAKEIce
conditions continue to improve. According to the most recent report
from Ed’s Bait Shop, fishing has been fairly good, but spotty. Best
bets for perch include the north end of Six-Mile Bay, mouth of Creel
Bay, the Dome House/Towers area, Swanson’s Point and Black Tiger Bay.
Perch are coming from 30 to 45 feet of water and are hitting small jigs
or spoons tipped with waxworms, spikes or minnow heads. Perch have been
congregated in tight areas, so anglers should keep on the move until
they mark or catch fish.

For walleyes, the best action is early and late. Spots worth trying
include the north end of Six-Mile Bay, Rocky and Military points,
Swanson’s Point, the Fort Totten/Cactus Point areas and the Stromme
Addition. Work the trees or deeper rocky structure with blade baits or
jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head.