Contrary to popular opinion, I draw a LOT of clean, family-oriented cartoons.
Here is just one example from the current issue of Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine.
Category: Wildlife
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Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine
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Northwest Oklahoma
The sign on the highway claims you’re entering the Gloss Mountains. It’s a typo. This exotic area has always been referred to by locals as the GLASS Mountains. Located near the Cimarron River in Major County near Fairview, OK , Gloss Mountains State Park has hiking trails, picnic facilities and a gorgeous view of an unusual landscape. The glass (or gloss) moniker comes from the Selenite or isinglass that sparkles in the red dirt mesas.
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Pike on a fly rod
What’s the old saying? Even a blind hog finds an acorn every once in a while? My long-time fishing buddy and fellow Heart Of America Fly Fishers member Bill Lindley boated this 42.5″ northern pike on a 7 weight fly rod recently.
Where? Someplace between Nebraska and Canada. Wish I had been there to slap high fives with him … after he washed his hands of course. Pike are really slimy.
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Heart Of America Fly Fishers
I always look forward to our One Fly Tournament. The last few years it has been held at Lake Of The Forest in Bonner Springs, KS. This is a very old residential lake surrounded by homes and is full of fat, sassy bass and bluegill.
This year we were joined by some veterans from Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing.
A light rain fell all morning with temperature hovering in the low seventies: a fisherman’s dream. As usual those who arrived early and fished from kick boats or float tubes were the most successful.
The idea is to use one fly all morning. Theoretically if you lose your fly you’re done for the day. Small prizes are awarded for the biggest fish and the most fish and it’s all done on the honor system. Yes, some fishermen are actually honorable. This year the biggest fish award went to a guy who caught a 21” bass (that turned out to be “only” 19” when measured). The award for the most fish went to someone who landed an astounding 63 bass and bluegill. All fish were released.
The morning was capped off with a delicious picnic lunch, lots of bragging and probably some lying. But I didn’t hear ANY bitching.
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My first banded duck
I don’t remember what year it was but it had to have been in the sixties. That’s a ’63 Ford Falcon in the background. Don’t remember where I shot it . Probably the Marais Des Cygnes Waterfowl Management Area near La Cygnes, KS. Could have been John Redmond Reservoir near Burlington, KS.
I’ve been duck hunting since 1964 and I have eight bands on my lanyard now. You see guys in magazine ads with duck and goose bands hanging down to their knees. Do they plink birds with pellet guns in parks? It might be believable if they were old geezers like me who have hunted for years, but they all look like they’re in their 20s and 30s.
No way!
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Tweener Time
Once again it’s “Tweener Time”. A Tweener is a cartoon too filthy and degenerate for outdoor publications yet too outdoorsy for Playboy.
For you non duck hunters…so-called dabbling ducks – mallards, pintails, teal and others -tip up to feed on edible stuff in the water like invertebrates, seeds and plants. When you see a dabbling duck doing this it is not mooning you, it is eating.
Diving ducks such as scaup, canvasbacks, and redheads dive completely under the water to find their food. What we call “trash ducks” such as mergansers eat old tires, discarded condoms and oil that has leaked from drilling platforms.
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Canada geese nest in strange places
Today I walked up to one of our duck blinds and a Canada goose leapt from the roof. She actually had a nest up there. Goose nests are not much better than dove nests, only bigger. Just a little pile of sticks. No wonder skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and black snakes eat most of the eggs and goslings.
Also lots of blue wing teal and a few shovelers still hanging around. They’re the first to come down in the fall and the last to leave in the spring. They must like it here.
Couldn’t get a very good photo. Use your imagination.
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Look what showed up…
Look what showed up on my trail cam at our farm right after the Missouri fire arms deer season ended. This guy made it through the gauntlet , possibly because he’s totally nocturnal (look at the time signature). But he still had the rest of archery season and maybe black powder season to go.
I’m not deer hunting in Missouri right now because I’m turning into an ancient geezer who can’t climb up into and out of a tree stand and because MODOC wants to charge me over $200 for a deer tag to hunt on my own land where I pay Missouri taxes. But it’s funny how, if you’re not hunting, you sort of start rooting for the deer. I’m glad this little buck made it through another season but I hope he winds up in somebody’s freezer before he gets old and tough.
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My new shotgun
You’re driving on I-49 in western Missouri and hear a loud noise that rattles the windows in Butler and Rich Hill, sends wild animals scurrying west across the highway in panic and causes your vehicle to shudder uncontrollably don’t be alarmed. It’s just me patterning my new shot gun before the upcoming spring turkey season.
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Lone Oak Duck Club: New Members
Things are looking up at the Five Guys and a Swamp Duck CLub since my last post. We’re still not seeing any ducks but now we don’t really give a damn. Our two new members have made sitting in the blind on a slow day a lot more interesting.
