Several years ago, when two beautiful white swans first showed up in the Wisconsin River bottom west of Blue River, it was a big deal and local folks made short trips on Highway 133 to see them close up and perhaps get a picture. Signs went up about the birds with the hope drivers would give the birds the right-of-way. We received many exciting “swan calls.”
This year, we have already received calls letting us know “the Blue River Swans are back! “ However, the excitement level is lower. The peak “swan peek” was probably about the spring when a local couple was enjoying a Sunday morning breakfast and a house door flew open with an uninvited visitor proclaiming loudly, “There are four swans on “- - - -lake!
Happily, the local swan numbers have gone up. When we arrived in Muscoda the only swan we saw was a pet bird swimming on a pond on Frank Lloyd’s property near Spring Green. Seeing the big birds now is still a treat but not a surprise. The white birds are sometimes seen as they feed in local farm fields.
There was a time when there were not many deer in this area. Most folks who hunted them went north to find deer. A Department of Natural Resources news release in year 2000 read, “Too many deer in Northern Wisconsin.” A deer season targeting antlerless deer was proposed to reduce the size of the northern herd.
There is now a move going on in northern Wisconsin to have a bucks-only season in that area to let the herd grow. That proposal prompted my memory to recall a years-ago sign in a local business window, stating “Real Men Only Shoot Bucks!” That was during a period when any-sex hunting was first proposed for this area.
Another “old timer” and I were recently having a hunting discussion. We remembered when ruffed grouse hunting was popular in this area. The birds are now scarce. I have been told there was a time when bobwhite quail hunting along the High Bank area west of Muscoda could be a success. Now, a bobwhite whistle would likely be coming from a lonely bird.
Among the good news nature stories we have enjoyed in recent years has been the increasing number of bald eagles, sandhill cranes and perhaps bluebirds, that fly over us.
This year, we have already received calls letting us know “the Blue River Swans are back! “ However, the excitement level is lower. The peak “swan peek” was probably about the spring when a local couple was enjoying a Sunday morning breakfast and a house door flew open with an uninvited visitor proclaiming loudly, “There are four swans on “- - - -lake!
Happily, the local swan numbers have gone up. When we arrived in Muscoda the only swan we saw was a pet bird swimming on a pond on Frank Lloyd’s property near Spring Green. Seeing the big birds now is still a treat but not a surprise. The white birds are sometimes seen as they feed in local farm fields.
There was a time when there were not many deer in this area. Most folks who hunted them went north to find deer. A Department of Natural Resources news release in year 2000 read, “Too many deer in Northern Wisconsin.” A deer season targeting antlerless deer was proposed to reduce the size of the northern herd.
There is now a move going on in northern Wisconsin to have a bucks-only season in that area to let the herd grow. That proposal prompted my memory to recall a years-ago sign in a local business window, stating “Real Men Only Shoot Bucks!” That was during a period when any-sex hunting was first proposed for this area.
Another “old timer” and I were recently having a hunting discussion. We remembered when ruffed grouse hunting was popular in this area. The birds are now scarce. I have been told there was a time when bobwhite quail hunting along the High Bank area west of Muscoda could be a success. Now, a bobwhite whistle would likely be coming from a lonely bird.
Among the good news nature stories we have enjoyed in recent years has been the increasing number of bald eagles, sandhill cranes and perhaps bluebirds, that fly over us.
