I
spent much of Sunday in the sun, traveling to Stevens Point and back.
I rode along to the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association Convention with
my friends Jake and Gregg Sikora and Brock Venner. Jake got a call
earlier in the week that he had won the WBA's Learn-to-Hunt bear
harvest youth essay contest. Jake had to meet the requirements and
write a 500-word essay about why he should be the one selected. The
prize is an all-inclusive guided bear hunt and basically a free
family vacation next August in northern Wisconsin. Jake told me his
dad's friend Dave sent Jake the information about the contest. Here
is a brief excerpt that I think probably tipped the scale in Jake's
favor: “My dad’s friend Dave, who is an
experienced bear hunter, gave me a bear claw necklace several years
ago. He made this necklace from a previous bear that he had shot. At
the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I still do. In
fact I continue to wear it as a good luck charm whenever I go
hunting. Every time I put it on, I think about what it was like for
him to shoot the bear, and I imagine myself one day being able to add
claws to my necklace with a bear I shot.” When Jake was
introduced, he was asked if he had any words he's like to share. It
is a good thing he writes well because, “Uh, thanks?” is all he
could muster. He got a laugh and another round of applause.
Anyway, the 2015 WBA convention will be in Oshkosh. If you go, plan
on going on Saturday as most of the vendors and booths were checked
out already on Sunday morning.
Last
week one evening “we” were “watching” TV when Ellen remarked
that she could hear Scout whining out in the kitchen. I couldn't,
but that would be nothing new as the old rock and roll hardened ears
only hear what they want to - besides it's pretty hard to hear much
when you are snoring. Anyway, Scout came tip toeing into the living
room - she rarely comes into this part of the house as she doesn't
seem to like the slippery wood floor - and then I heard her too. She
finally came into the family room and started pacing all about and
whining and yelping and growling softly and acting like she wanted us
to do something. Ellen asked her, “What's the matter Lassie? Did
Timmy fall in the well?” (Those of you of a certain age will get
the humor.) We both laughed, but we checked around the house and and
outside and found nothing. Eventually, Scout settled down, but we
were perplexed. What the heck? Then the phone rang about 9:30 and
the lady apologized and told me that she was from a security company
and that one of our neighbors had an alarm go off and the security
people couldn't get ahold of them. She said we were on their list of
contacts. She added that the fire department and police had been
alerted. I was about to put on my coat and head over when I thought
I'd call first. Our friends were okay. They are doing some minor
remodeling and one of the kids had disturbed a smoke alarm and set
off the alert. Whew! We decided that Scout could hear the alarm
going off and somehow intuitively realized a threat at the neighbors.
After a good laugh, I recalled a time when I was cleaning fish in
the shop one cold winter evening with the milk house heater going
right next to me. Scout, then just a pup, started whining and
padding about the shop adding an occasional bark. I asked her why
she was acting so goofy and then realized my insulated coveralls were
on fire! By the time I got them out, a hole big enough to pass a
basketball through had burned and melted in one leg. Saved by the
dog.
Until
next time, get out - we are considering changing Scout's name to
Lassie - her middle one anyway. I just got in from a short, brisk
walk. Short because I turned around half way out. Brisk because,
well, because the north wind was nasty. Anyway, the sun is shining
and it is March, can spring be far behind? Well, can it? I mean -21
on March 3? Forget it. I'll believe it when I see something green
and growing in the yard. I suppose I should get some cheese to go
with my whine and another treat for Scout. Ellen did say that the
other day she heard someone say, “Look on the bright side, I
haven't seen a mosquito in months.” Enjoy.
The following is a draft of Jake's winning essay:
Essay
By
Jake Sikora
I love hunting and being outside whether I am in the woods on a cool fall morning looking for squirrels or on the fog filled marsh looking for ducks. Being outdoors makes me happy, either way, because for me it is not about the kill. It is about the experience and the whole hunt. Like when you get out your clothes from storage with the smell of the woods is still stuck on them from last year. Then, checking over the regulations so I know the rules, and sighting in my rifle so I know where it is going to hit. Also, clearing out some of the brush from my spot and even sometimes clearing most of the leaves from our trail to the spot. Finally, the night before opening and I’m laying there thinking about the hunt in the morning but still knowing that I have to get up early. But I know that as soon as my alarm clock beeps I will be up. Then I get all ready; make sure I have the right ammunition. As we leave we head up to our spot thanking ourselves that we cleared out most of the leaves. When we get up to our spot we wait mostly for an animal but also for the sun to get up and warm us up. As we wait we hear the woodpeckers looking for grub, and the squirrels noisily looking for acorns as we mistaken them for our prey. Then we realize that there are sounds that are not a squirrel, but him, the bear. He is standing in front of us. Do you feel the excitement? I do and that is what I think bear hunting would be like and I would like to go!
I
take hunting very seriously. I go out and practice a lot, mostly with
my bow because I can do that by myself as opposed to practicing with
my gun were I need my dad to supervise. I think that practicing is
important so that I do my best to make sure that I don’t wound the
animal that I am hunting for, and that I make a clean shot. My
practicing has paid off because I have taken first place in peep
sights for my age group at the Vernon County sheriffs’ department
.22 shoot against about one hundred other kids.
My
dad’s friend Dave who is an experienced bear hunter gave me a bear
claw necklace several years ago. He made this necklace from a
previous bear that he had shot. At the time I thought it was the
coolest thing ever and I still do. In fact I continue to wear it as a
good luck charm whenever I go hunting. Every time I put it on I think
about what it was like for him to shoot the bear, and I imagine
myself one day being able to add claws to my necklace with a bear I
shot.
All
of these are reasons why I would like to go bear hunting and receive
the bear tag but the number one reason is that bear is delicious!
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| Jake says thanks. |
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| Jake on the podium at the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association Convention. |
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| Brock Venner and Jake Sikorra at the Wisconsin Bowhunter's Convention. |
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