It’s pretty easy to lose track of time on and between hunting trips. I missed Haiku Wednesday driving to South Dakota… and it doesn’t seem the same to write one on Thursday.

I’ve never seen water like this in the fall. I remember the summer of 1993 and even a bit more flooding in 1994, but Wednesday I saw ducks swimming in the water across Brown County Hwy. south of Barnard! And, of course, I’m only here to hunt pheasants… and the occassional rabbit that tries to bound away in front of me.

Some of my co-workers back in Wisconsin have also made the trip. One group is right now holed up in Britton, and the weather for their duck hunt is just perfect… but as for me, I don’t hate pheasant bad enough to chase them through the rain. Hopefully the weather will clear by Friday and Adam and Ethan can see some pheasant flush. We won’t make any promises about how good the shooting will be.

Until then, go places. Do things.

OK, I’m back on-line and I owe you two posts…one today and one tomorrow.  Wednesday will be tough but I’ll get things done.

First off… the must-have product of the week.  The Stormy Kromer Hunting shirt. Take a look at this handsome devil wearing such a great shirt.

The Stormy Kromer hunting shirt is top-notch.

Style and safety… two key elements for a good hunting shirt, and the new Stormy Kromer has them both.  Orange patches on the arms, front pockets and back shoulder panel make you highly visible. The double seamed arms, reinforced elbows and fortified yoke area (and extra layer of fabric in there) make this shirt wear like iron, but fit like a glove.  I also like that it has plenty of material to tuck in and stay tucked.  This is a piece of clothing built to last a lifetime.  Great for upland hunting, warm weather deer hunting and small game hunting in the woods.

If you don’t know about the famous Stormy Kromer hat, well, get on board. That hat is a fitted woolen wonder, famous around the northwoods for durability, warmth and style. Some guys have been buried with their Kromers on. This is a serious hat and their shirt looks to be the built just as tough.  Find out more and order your gear  at www.stormykromer.com

Find the  words to fill

The space between the minutes.

Who picks the subject?

Yeah, I know, Haiku is supposed to have some connection to nature. But I was thinking about what people talk about in the deer blind. I mean, spending time with a young hunter in a deer blind is a great way to exchange ideas and, in many cases, show what you believe in rather than just say it.

Have you ever spent time with a hunting party and then afterwards thought, “That’s not really how I want to do things.”?  I try not to pass judgement. Everyone has a different ideas about hhow they should act and decisions made while hunting are very personal.

But I challenge you to think about the time you spend in the field and the people you spend it with. What topics cross your mind? What do your actions say about you?

It’s after midnight… officially Tuesday morning. I was supposed to give you some great tip on a cool item to buy for Must-Have Monday. You know what. Go buy a duck call. I’m sure there are several good ones at the sporting goods store. Everyone needs another duck call.

There are just some days I don’t feel like I have all the answers… or even one answer. Those days are best spent wandering the woods or prairies, or sitting on the edge of a duck marsh. You ever wonder how a snowshoe hair feels when he’s turned white and there’s still no snow on the ground?  That’s gotta suck.

But still there are many things I can be thankful for: venison in freezer, dogs in the kennel and a roof over head. But autumn is catching up on me…slipping away actually. There is too much to do and not enough time in the day. Half the time I feel I should be hunting… the other half I feel I should be cleaning up the yard and preparing the boat for winter and the other half I feel like I should be holding down a full-time time job to pay for it all. Hmm. That full-time job can ruin your whole day.

I need 20-gauge shells… better gloves and boots that really keep my feet warm. Somewhere there is a great coat that does everything I want it to do, but is not decked out in some camo pattern. I have too many camo clothes.  And not enough 20-gauge shells.

Someday soon, a pheasant will flush, fold at the sound of the shot and the dog will disappear into the grass only to return with bird in her mouth… and all will be right with the world.

Adam dropped this doe in her tracks with one perfect shot.

I don’t know who was more excited, Adam or me, as I talked him through his first shot at a deer. The doe was about 45 yards away and I foolishly looked down at his trigger finger in an attempt to will him to squeeze gently. The little single-shot .30-30 barked and when I looked up, there was the doe down on her side. She gave one kick and expired.

“I didn’t even feel the recoil,” Adam said looking up at me. “I was so excited about the deer.”

It was a perfect shot, breaking both shoulders and as we found out during field dressing, cutting across the top two arteries  of the heart. That deer was dead before it hit the ground.

You should have seen the boy smiling… and Adam was really happy, too. Let the hunting begin. I can’t wait for the next adventure.

Grey skies sinking low.

Birds leaving for warmer winds.

Who pulls down the leaves?

Autumn is in the air. It is a time of change, a time of incredible beauty, but also a foreshadowing of tough times to come. Golden leaves give way to rain and north winds showing the bare limbs of the trees. But in those limbs we see the framework of something that stands for many years, resilient and strong. The idea of a circle is common to many cultures and it is true that everything that goes around eventually comes around again. Wind, rain, snow and sun all appear when they are needed, not when they are called upon.

It’s really pretty simple. Just wait and things will change.

"...leaves no step had trodden black."

I knew Russ Keen. He sat across from me in the newsroom. His desk was always piled with papers. His soft spoken mannerisms and incredibly dry wit were perfect to offset the outspoken and opinionated Betsy Rice, who sat next to him. The two seemed like best friends.  Russ seemed like everyone’s best friend. He could talk to anybody. But then again, that’s was reporters are supposed to do. Still, the way Russ talked with people was not with the edge of hard-boiled reporter, but with the friendly tone of someone you knew you could trust.

Russ died in a car crash Sunday, leaving a hole in the newsroom that will never be properly filled.

I knew Russ Keen. He smoked and ate junk food. He could make the most mudane topic come to life on the pages of the American News. When I would compliment he accepted my words kindly, but typically brushed them aside  and responded with a compliment of his own about a column or a feature story I’d written. We would laugh and talk about Wisconsin. He said he went to Monroe High School, home of the Cheesemakers. There was nothing funnier than sitting with Russ and talking high school sports mascots in Wisconsin. We had Cheesemakers, Papermakers, Comets, Truckers, Coons, Old Abes, Crickets, Evergreens, Goslings and Granite Diggers. The conversation always ended with, “What were they  thinking?”

I knew Russ Keen. He was quick to smile; always there with a great quip or a comically droll comment and, at least on the outside, mellow beyond compare. He was a kind and gentle man; someone who cared about his craft, his community and his friends. And, most importantly in my eyes, he was a great storyteller. That is a the highest praise I give anyone, because I love a good story.

I knew Russ Keen. And I will miss him. In his little corner of the world, he did what any good person should. He made a difference.

We’ll try to hit the woods tomorrow in search of ruffed grouse. If the weather holds we should be able to find some birds in the morning. Time to break out the old 12-gauge and see if we can’t put some birds in the bag.

The fall colors are just about at their peak and both grouse and woodcock should be in the area.  We’ll give you a full report tomorrow after the hunt.

Geese drop from the sky

All wings and feet, necks craning.

Should I really shoot?

I love to watch geese landing. The huge wings cupped and feathers spread wide. Giant black feet dangling below their fat bodies. Their necks twisting to see all that is below them. Sometimes I feel like just sitting in the blind, waiting  and watching, trying to see how close to my location the geese will land. The sounds of honking and wind rushing through the wings is something everyone should hear.

Sometimes you just want to watch them land.

Must-have Monday slipped away during the Green Bay Packers’ loss to that team from those two cities over there. So, I’m on it this morning. How about some new snow goose  decoys?

As you know, record numbers of Snow and Blue geese are damaging the Arctic Tundra, and a desire by the US Fish and Wildlife service to reduce those numbers has resulted in extended seasons and bag limits.

For avid Snow goose hunters Final Approach® is offering new shell and floater Snow and Blue goose decoys for 2009.

The shell decoys come in either a 12-pack with upright heads or feeder heads. They are stackable and easily stored. They can be used to supplement full body sets or used by themselves.

Final Approach is also offering a new Snow Goose Floater decoy for those waterfowl hunters who hunt over water. The high definition decoys have a lifelike look with detail and vivid paint schemes. They come packed four to a box with three head positions. They have weighted keels to help them ride upright even in strong winds.

These new models of decoys from Final Approach compliment an already extensive line of goose decoys they currently offer.

For more information, visit www.fabrand.com or call consumer inquiries at 800-423-3537

So, if the plan is to stack up a bunch of snow geese this year, grab some Final Approach decoys and start setting up that J-pattern.