Starting today I am going to do a weekly post about a National Wildlife Refuge. I’ll start with the one I frequent here in Minnesota. I hope to hit at least one in each of the 50 states. I will also provide you with links associated with each of these NWR’s and hopefully some pictures and/or a map. I hope you enjoy.

Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge is located in the east central region of the state, approximately 50 miles northwest of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and 30 miles southeast of St. Cloud. The refuge protects 30,700 acres of habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.

The primary mission of the refuge is to represent a diverse biological community characteristic of the transition zone between tallgrass prairie and forest. Established in 1965 to protect and restore the habitats associated with the St. Francis River Valley, refuge management today focuses on the restoration of oak savanna, wetland and big woods habitats.


Recreation and Edcuation Oppurtunites
History of the Sherburne NWR
Visitor Info.

~Ben G.

Fist Turkey Track

Turkey tracks every where

Roost?

Droppings under Roost

The most promising of the two fields

Daffy on the way back to the car at the end of the day

Ben G.

Related Posts

Turkey Hunting Addiction (Part 1)

No Turkey

Turkey Tags

I started thinking yesterday after my post from the http://www.outdoorsweekly.com/ about the Minnesota moose population and the videos I saw on Way In The Bush. I have had a few memorable encounters with moose in the past and I thought it would be fun to share them.

The first time I ever remember seeing a moose was in the short time I lived in Alaska (six months or so). I was about six years old and my Mom, Ryan, and I lived with my Uncle and his family just outside of Anchorage. We were on our way to town just pulling out of the driveway in my Mom’s tiny car and there it was a giant bull moose standing in the ditch staring right at me. I remember being so scared I unbuckled my seat belt and hid on the floor until we were a long way away from the huge moose. I did see many other moose in the short time I lived up there, but none as memorable as the first.

I did not see another moose until I moved to Idaho about ten years later. I was snowmobiling with some friends off Lightning Creek Road. As we were going by some brush on a logging road out popped a cow and a calf right next to me. If I was not so startled, I bet I could have almost reached out and touched the cow. In my sheer amazement, I let off on the throttle just a bit, and in no time flat, they were off the logging road and into the forest out of sight.

In the following fall, I was out deer hunting with my good friend Josh. We were on our way back to Josh’s house from a long day out in the woods. Along the way, we heard something off in the distance. Then I saw some movement in the trees behind us. We both got our guns ready to shoot at what we expected to be a large Mulley buck, but to our surprise, it was a lot bigger then we originally thought. It happened to be a young bull moose running right in our direction. Josh yelled, “Moose!” We ran as fast as we could in opposite directions and out of the moose’s path (What a rush.) To this day, I still think something else spooked the moose because he did not even seem to see us as he ran past. I have not seen a moose since that wonderful fall afternoon.

Some day I hope to get the chance to see more of these beautiful, strange looking animals we call moose.

~Ben G.
Does this moose look real to you

Not to long a go I read an article in an outdoor publication about how the Trumpeter Swans were sticking around Monticello(where I live) for the winter in record numbers. The article said the Swans were staying because of the open water in the Mississippi River created by the Nuclear Power plant (I won’t go there now), and people feeding them. This is not an uncommon thing in the area with other birds like the Canada Geese and various ducks.

The big problem with the 1500(give or take) Swans is, they are protected here in Minnesota and the DNR is afraid that they will contract some disease which in turn will wipe them all out. They did make the residents in the area stop feeding the Swans, but they still didn’t leave. The swans just started dyeing which isn’t a good thing in the minds of the Minnesota DNR. I’m guessing because they spent a whole lot of time and money rebuilding the Swans population in the state, and they feel it would be a waste to let them just die. Needless to say the feeding of the Swans resumed about a week or two later.

I feel if these birds aren’t smart enough to know they need to fly south in the winter they better be able to find their own food. I say stop feeding them and let nature take its course a thinning of the flock so to speak. The dumb ones will die off and the smarter birds will not only live and prosper, but make the states population of Swans much stronger. This will then help avoid the whole problem again in the future.
Let me know your thoughts.

Ben G.

This is a story I have to tell everyone even though it’s not deer hunting season any more. So I deer hunt with a group of about eight guys in a NWR here in Minnesota. Most of us are family, along with a few friends. Great bunch of guys we always have lots of fun even if we don’t get any deer.

This past season was a rough one weather wise it was cold and very windy the deer didn’t want to move. The first week had gone by and I think we only had two deer for all eight of us which is very unusual by the end of the first weekend we always have at least half of our tags filled.

After an unsuccessful morning hunt on the second Saturday of the season. My cousin Aaron and I decide to go walk around across the river. After walking for quite some time we decided to sit on a log and take a break, get hydrated, and do a bit of chatting.

About fifteen minutes went by and we decided to change the direction we were walking and go west instead of south. We got up from our log, and after taking no more then ten steps I saw a white flag of a deer bounding through the woods. At that instance I called out deer. I contemplated shooting but it was at least 100 yards off and running full speed. I decided against shooting because I didn’t think the slug from my 870 was even going to come close to hitting any deer at that distance. Not to mention I had just gotten a scope for this season and didn’t have very much practice with it.

Not more then the time it took for the decision not to shoot went through my head, and I hear a loud boom from my right. I thought to myself why is he even is bothering to shoot. Then another shot rang out. I was fallowing the deer through the woods, but I looked away to see if he was going to shoot again. Nope he was done. We both just figured that he didn’t get it because we couldn’t see the deer any ware, but because of past hunts we decided we better go check it out.

Sure enough after a short search we found the deer lying on the ground dead as a door nail. Neither one of us could believe what we saw. The both of us just started laughing and laughing. Not only at the crazy shot but the size of this tiny deer I would guess about 70 to 80 lbs max. Sad but it was another deer.

So here is the amazing part. The bullet went through the hind quarters up through the heart. After we found the deer we stepped off the distance (the deer dropped where it was shot) and it was just over 120 yards with a stinking 12 gage slug gun. When I found out how far it was I just about fell over in amazement.

I don’t know if I will ever see a shot as amazing again but it was fun to witness.
Oh he did get tons and tons of grief from all the guys for shooting such a small deer.
Hope you enjoyed my story
BEN G.

First I will describe what each one is then compare the three.
Mouth call also known as diaphragm calls are typically a small horse shoe Shaped call that can have any where from one to three reeds on it. It is used by putting it in your mouth and applying pressure to the reeds with your tongue against the roof of your mouth and forcing air in-between the two.

Slate calls also known as pot and peg calls these calls are typically round slightly bigger then a hockey puck in diameter, and about half the height. They usually have a wood cup (pot) with holes drilled through the bottom and encased piece of slate. They can sometimes be different materials such as glass or aluminum. They also come with a striker which is used to rub across the slate to create the turkey sounds. The striker is made of wood, but can be made of other materials too.

Box calls are just what they sound like a box with a lid that is hinged to swing left to right. They kind of look like a one sided rolling pin. The turkey sound is produced with friction as the lid rubs on the edge of the box.

Ok so now you know what they are which one should you pick।I will rate each one one, two or three in ten categories and the one with the lowest score will be the best .I will give a brief description of each category.

Box 22 Slate 24 Mouth 12
Learning curve – amount of time it takes to learn how to use the call and difficulty. The box call is very easy to learn just move the lid back and fourth

Amount of sound- total amount of different turkey noise you can make with the call. The mouth call has a wide range of calls that can be made with it.

Volume Variation- range of volume you can make with each call. This one was a toss up between the Slate and the mouth call but I think you can make more variation with your mouth.

Ease of care- amount of maintain and difficulty. Mouth call is virtually matenince free.

Hands free- just as it says. Mouth call is the only one that does not require the use of your hands.

Price- In my experience the mouth call is far less expensive then a box call, but close in price to a low end slate call.

Carry-smallest and easiest to carry in you pack or pocket. The mouth calls by far because you can carry it in your pocket and the other two you need to put in a pack.

Noise other then turkey-Any noise made by the call when transporting. Although any one of these calls can be stored so it won’t make any noise when you get are getting the call out of your pack the mouth call won’t make any noise.

Weather effectiveness-How well will it work in all weather conditions. Now days they make most of the calls so the water won’t affect them, but come on the mouth call is in your mouth how can the weather affect it.

Easily misplaced-how easy is it to lose or misplace. Well by sheer size the box call wins this one the other two don’t even come close.

As you can see I think the mouth call is the best call you can use. If you can get past the difficulty of learning how it works it is well worth it.
Be back soon!
BEN G.

Hello again everyone!
Ok so now I have to write a bit about my Dog Daffodil (aka Daffy) and her breed Brittany's. Why you ask do I think Brittany's are the best all around Hunting/Gun Dog.

Number one the Brittany breed has more dual champions then any other breed. Dual champion meaning being a champion in the field and the next day after a bath and brush being a champion in the show ring. What else could you ask for a smart dog that cleans up good.

Number two they are one of the most friendly dogs I have ever come across. They are very happy to meet new people and dogs all the time. I guess I would describe them as the social butterfly of the gun dogs. For instance my pup Daffy just loves to meet new people when I take her out for a walk at our local county park or around the neighborhood. She is always walks up to strangers with her butt wagging and a friendly look on her face that says pet me please I want to be your friend.

Number three they are one of the easiest dogs to train in my opinion because the are just so darn smart. About a month ago my wife Amber was watching one of those dog training shows on TV and saw them teaching this dog to leave things alone like a treat for instance. So Amber decided she wanted to teach Daffy how to do this. I kid you not it only took my wife three tries and Daffy would leave the treat on her foot alone. I could go on and on about how smart my Brit is we just love it.

Number four They are small what else can you ask for if you want a dual purpose dog in the house. Ok so I can take her out in the woods with me come home bathe her and then she is the perfect little lap dog for Amber. (and me too!)

Number five They are great with small children. I was told to watch Brittany's with small children. Which is true when you are playing with them, but wow I am amazed at how well Daffy is with our four and a half month old son Wyatt. She loves our little guy so darn much. Daffy lets Wyatt do things to her that I can't even do to her with our getting a reaction. I can hold Wyatt above her when I am petting her and he will grab Daffy with his Sharp little finger nails and squeeze at most Daffy will just walk away but most of the time she just takes it. Then she will turn around and lick Wyatt in the face.

Well if this doesn't turn you toward Brittany's I don't know what will.

I'll be back soon.

Ben G.

Today I went to The St. Cloud, MN Sportsmen Show. I hadn't been to this show since I was quite young. It was a lot of fun, I met my brother-in-law Gary and three nephews and we went around the whole event.

At first I was a little disappointed because it seemed so small, but there was a lot of good hunting information for me to learn. I enjoyed looking at the trailer of shame from TIP. I can't believe some of the stories these poachers come up with. Like the two bear cubs that the poacher said he thought they were both yearlings. When even my 10 year old nephew Isaak even said those cubs must have been just born not long before they were shot.

The trout pond was also a nice attraction they even let you keep the fish. Seven minutes to fish with a two fish limit. Although I didn't partake in the fun Nathan and Sam two of my nephews did Nathan caught one and they even put it in a cooler so he could come back and get it after we went through the rest of the show.

I saw some sort of cool fish cleaning board that held the fish in place and didn't make a mess as you were cutting up your fish.

I also saw this really cool little gadget that allowed you to attach your video camera to your Shot gun, rifle scope or bow. So now you can record your own deer hunt no need for a film crew. Sweet!! Right you just better hope you have a remote for you camcorder otherwise you take the risk of missing your shot by turning your camera on.

They had five black bears there I never knew bears like to eat oranges, green peppers, and carrots, but you learn something new every day.

I also got some information on a great Game Farm in Avon, MN. It sounds like a good place to take my little Pup Daffy out to learn a bit more about hunting.

There was a hole other side to the show it was full of boats, docks, fish houses, campers, and even an air plane. I did see one strange, but probably not very new tool to clear your beach of weeds. I thought it was pretty darn neat.

Some of the campers at the show were bigger then my first apartment. Not to mention way nicer. It's crazy to think that someone tows these giant things behind their truck. I got kind of an extra run down of the campers because one of my other Brother-in-laws Nick works for Elk River RV. They were the only RV delear at the show.

There was lots of other good stuff too just about something for everyone who enjoys hunting, fishing, camping and the outdoors.

That's it for now check back later.

Thanks Ben G.

Whoo Hoo!!!
I received my turkey permit. For those of you not from Minnesota we are not granted our tags unless we win a lottery. If you can't tell I'm pretty pumped about getting it. My good buddy didn't get one but that's ok. He is still planning on going with me and doing some calling, just for the experience. That was our intention any way if only one of us got a tag the other would go and help out.

So this is will be first experience either one of us has had turkey hunting. I'm slowly getting all of the gear I need. I can't believe all of the options there are for camo its unreal, but I am sorting it out and picking up what I think is the right stuff.

I bought some mouth calls about a month and a half ago. I enjoy the challenge of learning how to use them. I know I have at least five of the ten calls on the CD down and I'm close on about three more of them. I love riding in the car listening to the CD and practicing. (Amber doesn't appreciate it when I practice in the house)My dog went crazy at first but now she seem use to it now.

I also bought a slate call which my wife is better at using than I am. I think I almost have everything I need. Luke and I went out and got some decoys. Along with some other stuff we didn't need. The only thing I don't have any info on and need to find some soon would be how to field dress a Turkey. I guess I'll just have to go buy a book or something.

Well that's it for now I can't wait till April 30th. Oh before if any one has any advice on Turkey hunting please send me as much info or links to articles as possible.
BEN G.