Woods & Water by Dick Herfindahl

 

There is an old country song titled “Ain’t it funny how time slips away” and I was just thinking about how it does indeed have a way of slipping away. Just the other day, I was thinking about how things were when the grandsons were younger and eager to spend time at the cabin when that song came on the radio. This got me thinking about the years we spent going to the cabin when the kids had a break from school in the fall.

There are times when I am at the cabin by myself that I will often sit on the bench that overlooks the lake and reflect on the days gone by and all of the fun times spent with my family. The cabin has turned out to be more than a structure in the woods. It is a place where I was able to bond with family and help the grandkids learn about nature and the outdoors. If I close my eyes I swear I can actually hear the laughter of those kids as they would come racing up the hill anxious to show grandpa their latest catch.

I have always enjoyed the time spent with those kids at the cabin and I have so many fond memories that I will always cherish. One of those memories is about the late fall trips that I would take with my son Brian and his boys over MEA break. Usually my mind is always in fishing mode, although when the weather is too cold to enjoy that sport there are miles of woods to grouse hunt in and a lake with waterfowl that was just waiting for some young hunters.

For a few years, Brian and I would go to the cabin in October and we would take his three boys along. This would be more of a hunting expedition than a fishing trip for the boys. Each morning we would wake up before daylight made its appearance on the horizon. Brian and the boys would be busy getting dressed for the morning’s hunt and checking their guns. Once they had left for the hunt, I would sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee and listen for the sound of gunshots. After the sun had made its appearance, I would listen for the sound of the boat motor as the young headed for the warmth of the cabin. That was my cue to begin making breakfast for the hungry hunters.

The wood stove keeps the cabin nice and cozy and the young hunters were happy to get in out of the cold damp morning. Once they had returned from the hunt, they would show me their birds and then would dress them. They learned from day one how to dress and clean their birds. Hunting is something that the boys enjoy doing and my memories of those days are special and I am sure the memories they made on those hunts will always be special to them.

One thing I can say about those boys is that they have been raised to be true sportsmen. After spending time in the blinds they had set up across the lake the boys were ready to enjoy the comfort of the wood stove and grandpa’s breakfast. Trevor, the oldest of the three boys, would eat and then head down to the lake and set out some decoys in front of the cabin and stay there until his dad called for him to go grouse hunting. I believe, even today, that kid would hunt non-stop if he could. Trevor is pretty much all about the outdoors as evidenced by his tendency to fish year round and he only drops the fishing pole long enough to pick up his gun for hunting waterfowl and any other critter that has feathers on it.

I have so many great memories of spending time at the cabin with all four of my grandsons and now my two little granddaughters are getting into the action. The girls love fishing on our little lake where they can catch bass, perch and bluegills. It is pretty hard to get them too excited about going to another lake when they are catching fish right on our lake.

As winter sets in, I always have the fear of a freeze-out on our lake. This has happened twice in the 17 years that we have been there. The good news is that the lake always comes back and usually for the better.

Yes, my granddaughters like to fish and go out in the boat, so even though my grandsons are all either in college or working full time jobs, I have these two little girls to mentor on the outdoors; which, in turn, will help keep grandpa feeling younger than he actually is.

For me, it is all about passing on my love of the outdoors and being a good sportsman. Our youth are the future of our outdoor heritage, so encouraging them to get into hunting and fishing is a great way to ensure that the future of the outdoors will be there for generations to come.

With that being said, the DNR released a positive report from the youth deer hunting season that has just taken place.

The inaugural youth deer season led to a record number of youth licenses sold. Nearly 5,700 young deer hunters harvested a deer during the DNR’s first statewide season, Oct. 17-20. The tally represents a 77% increase from the 2018 youth deer season, when the hunt was limited to fewer areas.

“We know that a number of youth license-buyers won’t be hunting until the regular firearms deer season, but the large increase in harvest reflects the great response to this new opportunity,” said Barbara Keller, big game program leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “Positive early hunting experiences go a long way toward starting or continuing a rewarding fall tradition.

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