Grouse Hollow Journal for the week of October 17, 2013

Grouse Hollow Journal for the week of October 17, 2013 by Greg Koelker

You can blame the congress for the journal being shut down last week if you want to, but in reality it was my fault. I was on a hunting trip to North Dakota. I headed west last Sunday for a week of waterfowl hunting near Lehr, North Dakota with my old friend Doug Ledbury and his hunting buddies, Steve Taverna and Jim Bayer all of the Nelson, Wisconsin area. The sun shone in our eyes some times, and we passed through some thunderstorms traveling east out of the Dakotas. (At least it wasn't snow.) Gasoline was as low as $3.21 in western Minnesota. We were riding in Doug's relatively new Chevy pickup, pulling his “dog” trailer, filled with coolers, hunting clothes, decoys, blinds, seats, etc. and of course - dogs, Brock, Casey, and Josie in kennel compartments in the front of the trailer. We stopped for breakfast at the Classic Diner in Rogers and filled up for the day on huge platter breakfasts of eggs, taters, toast, and veggies. I had eggs benedict.

Jim had already been out in Lehr for two days or so, and he called to report that it had rained with strong winds the entire time. He stayed in a motel one night and one night in one of Schnering Rental's houses. He said he spent a lot of time reading the paper and watching TV as it was too miserable to even fish. Great. The trip took over 8 hours but we weren't hitting the road too hard, stopping to eat and let the dogs stretch, and get ice.

We stopped in Lehr to visit my high school buddy, Don Schnering and his wife Vicki. Don is the mayor of Lehr. Lehr is mostly an agricultural/retirement community out on the rolling prairie; the guys I was with say it is a sportsman's paradise too. Don also guides fishermen (for walleye, perch, and northerns), sells licenses, runs a rental by owner business mostly for sportsmen, and manages a variety of other concerns while remodeling his new home, an old church. (Don and Vicki are also battling cancer; she was having surgery in Bismarck the next day. @#$! cancer.)

Doug was in the process or purchasing the house next door to Don. He gave Steve and I a tour; the old house was full of antiques that were to be gone in two weeks; I wonder. The place is two story with lots of room and a large yard. Anyway, real estate in eastern North Dakota is a pretty good deal and has been for awhile, low price and low real estate taxes. Doug also bought a section of farmland with 12 pot holes on it a few years ago. He plans on retiring in January, and at 61, becoming possibly the youngest resident of Lehr for at least a few months a year anyway.

We finally motored out of Lehr and headed west to our hunting lodge, situated out on the prairie some 10 miles from Lehr. The distance is broken only by long fence lines, angus cows, blue water and a few cotton wood trees. The place is an old farmstead surrounded by huge fields and pastures, lakes, and potholes, and lots of sky. There is an old dairy barn, several sheds, and the old farm house. The roof is covered in shake shingles and the siding painted camouflage. Doug and the boys have stayed there a few times. I had to admit I was taken aback just a bit when I walked through the door. The place was clean but it is old and run down. I noticed the outhouse out back and thought, great. (It turned out there is a commode up stairs and in the basement and a tub too.) Still after we got the dogs out and our gear and food moved in and got our beds set, it started to seem a little like home - no TV. For $35 a night per guy, a warm place (it had electric heat) to sleep and eat (electric stove, two refrigerators, freezer, microwave, and a coffee maker) and some 5,000 acres of prairie fields and potholes to hunt on seemed a pretty good deal. Plus, who wants a place where you have to worry about every little bit of dirt you drag in? I nicknamed the house “Casa del Fink” as it is owned by farmer Tom Fink.

Our licenses started on Monday morning, so we piled back into the truck and went on a scouting ride. In places we saw clouds of ducks and geese circling harvested grain fields. We drove through Doug's place and chose one of his potholes to hunt in the morning. Then it was time for cocktails and relaxing outside at the “lodge” and then an early lights out.

Until next time, get out - this trip was special for me as I was asked to take my old friend Greg Lenz's place. Greg had been going hunting with these guys for a number of years but he passed away after a long fight with Cancer. We toasted him with his favorite drink, Captains and Coke on Sunday night. More on North Dakota next time. On the way home, there was lots of color in central Minnesota, and it is just starting here. I hope to get in some bow hunting this week here at Grouse Hollow. Enjoy.  

trail cam shot from the Mushroom Hole

trail cam shot from the Mushroom Hole