Page 20 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 10-28-2015

OutdoorsOct. 28, 2015 Page 20

Bird hunters: brush up on

native shrubs for better habitat

Enter to win MiicnCThlohaaDesnei3ltatioesnwgus,eaettormemwifkgeCia’hsssslste.FeDwaodriiaonLntnabeekarell. by Joe Herring tributes most of this to more favorable
$10 in Clear Lake Iowa DNR District Forester winter weather and spring conditions
Chamber Bucks I can still remember the first during the past couple years. “For
and a choice of time my Dad gave me permission to pheasants, the catastrophic winters we
go pheasant hunting without his su- had from 2007 thru 2011 demonstrat-
another pervision. I was 16-years-old and ed pretty clearly how important good
prize. had barely had my driver’s license for cover is to overwinter hen survival.
a month. Up to that point, I’d gone Multi-row shelterbelts of conifers and
DALTON GRELL ZACH LESTER JOEY MONSON pheasant hunting plenty of times, but shrubs are vitally important for pheas-
always with an adult present --- now I ant survival during severe winters.”
Dalton is a sophomore and he Zach is a sophomore and he is the Joey is a sophomore and he plays was ready to break free and prove my Such cover can consist of eastern red
plays linebacker. He is the son of Lion’s quarterback. He is the son defensive end and left guard. He independence. I drove to my buddy cedars and spruces, nearly any kind of
Doug and Julie Grell. of Stacey Lester. is the son of David Monson. Luke’s house and before I could stop native, low-profile shrubs, and even
the car, he’d jumped in with his gun, willow thickets.
CLEAR orange vest, and a box of shells. Turkey hunters also know the im-
LAKE We hunted a piece of ground portance of shrubs. In the springtime,
that my Grandpa Bruce farmed in ru- hen turkeys will use shrub thickets
JACOB PETERSON SPEED TOYNE SEAN WENDEL ral Dallas County, a moderately slop- along woodland edges, draws, fences,
ing 80-acre field that he’d put into the and woodland openings to build their
Jacob is a junior and he plays de- Speed is a sophomore and he plays Sean is a sophomore and he plays Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) nests and lay eggs. The thick overhead
fensive end and left guard. He is running back and linebacker. He is defensive end. He is the on of Kim several years earlier. It was mostly just cover with bare ground underneath is a
the son of Mary Jo and Dean Pe- the son of Jason and Mari Toyne. and Vance Wendel. brome grass, but surrounding the field perfect hiding spot to protect their eggs
terson. on two sides were brushy, low-profile from predators.
woody shrubs that had grown up along
CONTEST RULES: 1. Only _ 12 N. 4th St., Return to the Reporter office by 5 p.m. each Friday the fence lines. Being old enough to **********
official entry blanks from hunt on our own, but apparently not If you are a landowner or know
the Clear Lake Mirror Re- Clear Lake OFFICIAL ENTRY BLANK (No Copies Please) precocious enough to be given one of someone who is, take an active role and
porter will be accepted. All Dad’s bird dogs to use, we loaded our plant some shrubs for the wildlife this
entries must have name and Circle the predicted winner guns and began making long zig-zags year. Almost every farm has a spot that
phone number included to through the field on foot, working sys- is out of the way or can be devoted to
be eligible. Blank tie breaker 1. Texas @ Iowa State 11. Vanderbilt @ Houston tematically. wildlife habitat, watershed protection,
scores will be zeros. 2. En- I don’t remember what the weath- and beautification. Plus, with grain
tries must be received at the 2. Maryland @ Iowa 12. Michigan @ Minnesota er was like that day---I don’t remember prices down and CRP rental rates up,
Clear Lake Reporter office if there was snow on the ground, or if there is no better time to visit your local
by 5 p.m. each Friday or 3. Ole Miss @ Auburn 13. Notre Dame @ Temple it was either cold or mild for that time USDA office to see what new opportu-
be postmarked Thursday! of year, or whether we ever did see any nities are available for conservation.
Any mailed entries received 4. Georgia Tech @ Virginia 14. Arizona @ Washington pheasants or not. What I do remem- The State Forest Nursery is offer-
after the following Monday ber though, vividly, are the quail --- a ing some great deals on wildlife packets
are not eligible. 3. Write in 5. Nebraska @ Purdue 15. Minnesota @ Chicago (P) big covey that we flushed from a plum this month that are specifically designed
your choice of winner on line thicket growing along the south fence for pheasants, quail, and turkeys, with
which corresponds with ad. 6. USC @ Cal 16. Green Bay @ Denver (P) line of the property. They exploded species chosen by experienced wildlife
Tie games do count. You outward in all directions, completely biologists. Varieties include wild plum,
may choose tie as a result if 7. Florida @ Georgia 17. Seattle @ Dallas (P) catching us off guard and practically dogwood, ninebark, eastern red cedar,
you wish. 4. You may enter giving two teenagers a heart attack. Af- and three different species of oaks,
as many times as you wish; 8. Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech 18. Cincinnati @ Pittsburg (P) ter taking a couple of wildly off-target depending on the packet. Add in the
however, you must use an shots, we watched as they regrouped forty other species of hardwoods, ev-
official entry blank from this 9. Boise State @ UNLV 19. San Francisco @ St. Louis (P) further down the line a few hundred ergreens, and shrubs that the nursery
paper. No copies will be ac- yards away, in the same fence row. We sells, and you can have a blast designing
cepted. 5. Each previous 10. Miami (Fla.) @ Duke 20. New York Jets @ Oakland (P) laughed out loud as we caught our your very own wildlife mecca for you
week’s winner will be listed breaths. “Well,” I said to Luke, “let’s and your family to enjoy.
in the Mirror-Reporter. 6. In Name _________________________________Phone_____________________ TIE BREAKER: go find ‘em and try it again!” You can go online to see what’s
case of ties, the tie-breaker Address__________________________________________________________ TOTAL POINTS OF We had an absolute blast for the currently available and place your or-
guess will determine the next hour: flushing, chasing, and re- der at www.iowatreeplanting.com, or
week’s winner. 7. Weekly GAME #1______________ flushing the same birds as they scat- by calling 1-800-865-2477. Orders
winners will receive $10 in tered to a different spot in the fence are being filled right now for fall and
Clear Lake Chamber Bucks CONTEST RULES: 1. Only official entry blanks from the Clear Lake Reporter will be accepted. All entries must have name and phone number included to be eligible. Blank tie breaker scores will be zeros. 2. Entries must be received line each time. I remember being spring planting, with some species
and the choice of another at the Clear Lake Reporter office by 5 p.m. each Friday or be postmarked Thursday! Any mailed entries received after the following Monday are not eligible. 3. Write in your choice of winner on line which corresponds with ad. Tie amazed by their fidelity to the woody limited in numbers. Your local DNR
prize. games do count. You may choose tie as a result if you wish. 4. You may enter as many times as you wish; however, you must use an official entry blank from this paper. No copies will be accepted. 5. Each previous week’s winner will be brush, and it is a lesson that I’ve never District Forester can assist you with de-
listed in the Mirror Reporter. 6. In case of ties, the tie-breaker guess will determine the week’s winner. 7. Weekly winners will receive $10 in CL Chamber Bucks & your choice of a travel mug, insulated lunch tote or Stadium Cushion. forgotten --- quail love shrubs. sign, species selection, and cost-sharing
opportunities for your particular situa-
This contest brought to you by these community minded sponsors ********** tion.
Todd Bogenschutz, Upland
The Perfect Place For A Tire Store Wildlife Research Biologist for the **********
... And A Whole Lot More! Iowa DNR, shares my understand- I haven’t been back to that 80-acre
Senior Living ing of this concept in more scientific farm to hunt for pheasants or quail in
terms: “Research on quail shows that nearly 20 years. The CRP eventually
405 27th Ave. South • Clear Lake, IA 880 Hwy. 18 W. on average, they are never more than expired, and not long after that Grand-
641-357-7083 • Email: [email protected] Clear Lake 70-feet from shrubby cover during the pa retired from farming and passed
winter. So if an average winter home away. The land is no longer in the
and: 300 Lyndale St., Osage, IA. (641) 357-7117 range for a bobwhite covey is 20-40 family. But I still have the memories
641-832-2270 acres, that’s a lot of shrubs if you want and I wonder if the shrubby fence lines
the entire home range usable during are still there, and whether any young
the winter.” kids these days ever go there in search
The problem is, the amount of of pheasants, quail, and the freedom to
shrubby cover throughout Iowa is roam without parental supervision.
declining. Data from the US Forest Luckily, my parents now live on
Service indicates that Iowa’s forests are a farm of their own in rural Dallas
aging, and what used to be shrubby, County, and over the past eight years
young forest habitat has grown up we’ve enrolled portions of it into the
to larger-diameter saw timber forest CRP Quail Buffer program, planted
which does not provide the same kind evergreens and shrubs for windbreaks,
of high-density habitat that quail and planted hazelnuts, plums, and dog-
pheasants need. To boot, taller trees wood shrubs along the ditches and
provide perches for avian predators. fence lines, and each year Dad has some
Meanwhile, Iowa has experienced a food plots. For these efforts we are re-
decline in the acreage of brushy draws warded handsomely with abundant
and fence rows in recent years as land- numbers of pheasants that we pursue as
owners have cleared land to improve it a Thanksgiving Day tradition when all
for agricultural production: recent data the cousins and siblings get together.
out shows a net loss of nearly 98,000 And, in the summer evenings, al-
acres of forest land. ways the cheerful whistle of the Bob-
Although recent roadside surveys white Quail, teasing us and the dogs
show pheasant numbers beginning that maybe we’ll get a chance to find
to rebound in Iowa, Bogenschutz at- him come fall.

200 Hwy. 18 W., Clear Lake • 357-8118

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