Grouse Hollow Journal for July 31, 2014 by Greg Koelker

They buzz at each other, they snipe, they dive right in and trash an entire group without thinking, they take off in pairs intent on beating each other down, they act without thinking, they are worse than hogs at a trough. Of whom or of what do I speak? No, not the Legislature or Congress; I am talking about the angry (sounding at least) little green and red throated sugar addicts at our humming bird feeder. For the last few weeks they have been really loading up. Ellen has been making hummingbird water (a cup of sugar with two cups of water brought to a boil and cooled) every day. They must be dry too, as we have observed them drinking from the allegedly ant-proof water-filled moat on top the feeder. They seem to have some personality too; if the feeder is empty one after another hummer will fly at our big kitchen window and hover there as if asking, “What's up? The feeder has run dry. Let's get on this, guys!” The little buzz bombers will be around until fall, so we'd better get more sugar.

I was mowing some of our open areas recently and I was pleased to see many milkweeds in the mix. I tried to miss as many of the butterfly friendly weeds as I could and still get the thistles and multi-flora rose monsters. There appear to be plenty of butterflies about as well.

Scout and I ran up the ridge yesterday (okay, she ran while I rode the four-wheeler) to check some of my tree stands. Over by the Oak Stand, we jumped a nice buck with tall velvety clubs atop his skull out of the nearby cornfield. In the Corner Woods, we startled a doe with a pair of fawns. El and I have to decide where to put her Christmas present two-person tree stand, soon. I am thinking we should put it up at the Oak Stand where we can observe the field and woods. I have seen grouse drum there, turkeys strut, skunks dig, squirrels play, raccoons trundle past, possums - well, play possum, hawks zoom in and miss, an occasional guernsey heifer browse through, and fox and coyote skulk through the clearing headed for a hunt along the field edges. I have also seen many whitetails there, killing three over some 37 years from my perch above this spot. I'd have to say that it is my favorite spot to hunt on the farm, but I haven't hunted for two years or more. El also mentioned putting her stand up in the Corner Woods where I saw many deer and arrowed one buck last fall. We could also put it down along one of the hillsides above a deer trail or up the Oak Hollow behind the tobacco shed where we know deer cross pretty regularly. There are a couple places we could put it that would be great venues to watch an October sunset too. Decisions, decisions; she gets to pick.

Ellen and I and Vince got out in the Queen this last week. At Stoddard Bay, Vince landed a nice catfish after a really fun fight, and a bit later, Ellen battled in a 16-inch smallmouth. I caught one - one, fingerling perch. Still it was great to be on the water. On Wednesday, Vinny and I went up to Lake Onalaska and tried a few spots we had luck on last year. We had some luck too, putting some bluegills and a crappie and a couple sheepshead in the livewell at one spot. He fished with crawler pieces and I with red worms. I caught a 3-pound catfish and we both caught decent-sized sheeps head. I had half of an ice cream pail full of filets by the time I got done cleaning the mess, enough for a fish fry. We stopped at Sloopy's for coffee and a breakfast of corn-beef hash with eggs, and pancakes.

Rumor had it that the panfish are starting to bite in the back waters and that trolling for walleyes has been good now that the river is down below flood stage. Ellen and I and Vinny launched at Goose Island on Saturday morning. We checked spots up behind the seminary and Dairyland Power and along Markel Lake, putting some nice bluegills and catfish in the live well. We had a fish fry that evening. We had zucchini chocolate cake, apple bundt cake, potato salad, fresh veggies with dip, hot bacon dressing over salad, bloody marys, and refrigerator dills. Oh yeah, and I fried fresh fish. Fresh fish, great food, and good friends; it don't git no better.

I am helping ramrod the annual De Soto FFA Jag Lake expedition again. Ag instructor and FFA Advisor Ron Von Glahn tells me we have a dozen kids going. We'll fish, do some tubing, swim, play volleyball and horseshoes and maybe euchre. We'll eat fried and grilled everything, including s'mores around the campfire, and just take a lazy four days in the north country to relax. Von and I and Curt Christensen will have coffee on the dock at dawn while watching our slip bobbers in what is usually glassy clear water. However, this is a working trip too, well sort of. I am also taking along my good Nikon and photographing senior pictures for one of my former students. Von and I have some good ideas for settings, but I know I will be going down to her farm to get some shots with her tractor too. I am really looking forward to all of it.

Until next time, get out - while writing about our fishing trip to Canada, I mentioned a particular type of jigs that were really successful - until they were lost to snags. Anyway, I failed to name them in the column and several people called me on this. The jigs were Howling Wolf jigs, made in La Crosse by Scott Cornish. They are available at Ace Sportsland and probably other places. I have since added to my tackle box about 20 assorted Howling Wolf jigs for future use and will for sure take them to Canada again next year. Finally, how about the Brewers? Ellen and I and Barb and Chuck went over to Miller Park on Sunday for the game. It is quite the spectacle even if the Brew Crew failed to generate enough offense to ever score. They are still on top of major league baseball, so we shall see - Enjoy.