Hook and bullet club

Ruffed grouse season is just around the corner but the forecast does not look good, again. The DNR is telling us that the bottom of the 10-year cycle is still at hand. If that sounds familiar, it is. This is really the fourth year of being at the bottom of the cycle. But according to the DNR, the cycle is not a perfect curve.“There was no change in our area from last year,” said DNR wildlife guru Tom Rusch. “Basically the counts were at rock bottom.”This time a rough winter wasn’t to blame, it was a lousy June that likely caused the count to be down again. “We had decent roosting snow last winter but to have an increase in population you have to have a real good nesting season. Then you’ll see a lot of birds. Basically we had a monsoon June which is not good for ducks, grouse or quail because it’s just too wet,” said Rusch. The numbers will go back up, just not necessarily at a steady rate each year.“These trends are normal. It’s a bummer from a hunter’s standpoint but these swings are normal, we know it’s going to swing around again. We’ll get some good reproduction but you have to remember, nothing’s perfect in nature,” said Rusch. That leaves open the question each grouse hunter has to answer on his own as he heads out into the field this fall. Do I shoot the birds I do see, or do I let the population recover? For a lot of guys, the answer is an easy one. Let the population recover a bit, and you’ll have better hunting down the road. If you hunt the same area repeatedly, this should be a no-brainer. There are plenty of other critters out there hunting grouse already. If you take out three here and five there, you’re only slowing the time to when the population starts picking up again.There’s sure to be plenty to disagree with that and point out that Mother Nature controls the bird population much more so than Winchester, Browning and Beretta do. (Wouldn’t that be a great name for a law firm?).* * * * * * We’ve more reports come in of cougar sightings, including one in the trailer court on the east side of Ely.Previously a horse had been attacked by a cougar or mountain lion east of Ely near Winton. There seems to be an agreement there are some big cats in our area, yet there is disagreement on how they got here. Some believe they are true wild animals that came here from out west. Others believe these are pets or the offspring of unwanted pets that have survived in the wild.Without consulting with one of our local game wardens, one would be led to think a dead cougar will show up one day in our area.There is probably some law against it, but don’t be surprised if come deer season there’s a dead cougar found in the woods. * * * * * * The annual Ely-Winton Rod and Gun Club’s Hawg Fishing Contest is slated for August 20.This area-wide event often brings in some nice fish, especially in the northern pike category. Based out of the Longbranch in Winton, the event will no longer coincide with the CWCS annual meeting. Previously the two events were held at the Longbranch at the same time, kind of an outdoorsman’s two-for-one. Instead CWCS will hold an auction fundraiser the next Saturday at R&R Transfer in Ely. So, mark August 20 on your calendar for the Hawg Contest and August 27 at 3 p.m. for the CWCS fundraiser.