The Outdoor Scene

If you’ve ever spoken to me in person or on the phone, it’s immediately apparent from my accent that I hail from someplace cold and snowy. Though I live in South Carolina now, I’m from Wisconsin, where the cows are not nearly as cheerful as those goofy California cows in the commercials. Who can blame them when temperatures in the Dairy State can dip below freezing in September and after that, well, things can get really ugly.

I can tell you, though; Wisconsin anglers don’t let a little chilly weather deter them from having a good time. Usually by late December, little towns start popping up on the thick ice of Lake Wausau, and the local ice fishermen take their rightful place in ice shanties of all shapes and sizes. This time honored tradition takes place across the northern climes and perhaps nowhere more enthusiastically than Baudette, Minnesota.

Baudette’s claim to fame, besides being so far north that you could spit across the border into Canada, is it’s the Walleye Capital of the World. Lake of the Woods is a stunning body of water that is bordered by Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba as well as Minnesota.

And according to Denelle Cauble, Executive Director of Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods Tourism Bureau, it’s game on for the ice fishing faithful from the second week of December to the end of March.

Denelle is no stranger to the allure of quality ice shack time. Her dad taught her the art and science of ice fishing 20 years ago. His advice about being patient and “working at it” paid off for Denelle, as she pulled a 45” inch sturgeon out of the ice last December.

Her favorite species to fish for, though, is walleye because it puts up a good fight and its reputation as yummy table fare is legendary. But what she really loves about ice fishing is the chance to connect with the people who are important in her life.

“No matter what the weather is doing, you can ice fish. The ice house protects you even in a blizzard. You just jump on your snowmobile and you’re there,” Denelle said. “I love sitting on the ice, BS’ing with friends and family, eating venison jerky and just relaxing. There’s nothing distracting. Even if the bite isn’t going strong, it’s fun to visit. I’ve had some good quality talks with my kids and my dad.”

Denelle has a simple two-person black igloo style house, while her dad’s digs are a bit bigger with a radio and a fan to keep the moisture in check. Both ice houses are hooked up with propane heaters so there’s no chance of getting cold. However, Denelle said an ice shack is not mandatory for getting started ice fishing.

“Ice fishing can be as basic as you want it to be. First, you’ll need an ice auger. An electric auger is preferable, but you can do it with a hand auger. In addition to that, you’ll need a bucket to sit on. You don’t need a fancy rod and reel either. You can do it by cutting  a willow stick and wrapping some line at the end of it.”

Denelle said she often uses a jig tipped with a frozen shiner and relies on presentation to fool the big boys under the ice. But what works depends on where and when you’re fishing. She recommends that you rely on the advice at local bait and tackle shops on where to go and what baits and lures to use. Or you can make it really easy on yourself and book a room at one of the area’s fabulous lodges or resorts.

“All you need then is warm clothes and yourself. The resort areas will provide equipment, great places to fish and transportation to the holes,” Denelle said.

If you’re looking for a great winter adventure, check out the Lake of the Woods Web site for fishing reports, information on lodging, local attractions, events and more at: http://www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/index.asp

 While they’ve rolled up the carpet at SHOT, the outdoor industry’s mega trade show, my feet won’t soon forget the 715,000 square feet of exhibitor space. There, with 48,907 other attendees, I dashed from booth to booth, frantically trying to visit as many as possible of the 1,800 exhibitors. While I fell wildly short of seeing it all, my show floor travels took me to some pretty interesting places.

One thing that really jumped out was the growth in women’s outdoor apparel. For years, serious female hunters and shooters have clamored for apparel that fit, looked good and performed. And for years, retailers told us we don’t make cash registers ring. However, one women’s apparel vendor I talked to pointed out that in the past women weren’t offered what they really wanted. Often choices were limited to a token camo shirt and pair of pants cut down from men’s sizes. Or if there was something in a store or catalog, you’d have to be the guy on the Mentalist to find it. What I saw this year, more than ever before thanks to this industry’s female entrepreneurs, were entire booths full women’s shooting apparel, cold weather clothes, upland pants and vests, base layers and more. All the pieces were extremely well thought out with everything from  waterproof zippers, thumb holes to keep sleeves from riding up and pockets  exactly where you want them. And I practically drooled over the look and fit. Gone are the days when cold weather clothes made you look like the Michelin Man. Today we have sleek comfort thanks to performance fabrics and styling. What I didn’t see a ton of, and I’ll gladly stand corrected because I’ve already admitted I didn’t visit every booth, were women’s sized turkey vests, duds for duck hunting and boots.

Another topic on women’s lips is the proliferation of pink. I saw pink guns, pink apparel and pink backpacks. One exhibitor I talked to swore that it “flew off the shelf.” However, many of the women I talked to were skeptical of this hue’s place in the hunting and shooting world. One well known female hunter said when the pink trend first started on behalf of breast cancer she could see the relevance. However, as a marketing ploy, she found it condescending. I’m already looking forward to SHOT 2010 to see what shakes out.

It also was evident at SHOT that women have more of a voice than ever before. The Women’s Outdoor Communicators, a committee of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, met at the show and initiated a mentoring program. A new organization, the Women’s Outdoor Media Association, also launched there with the goal of offering networking and mentoring opportunities. The real challenge for both of these efforts will be reaching outside of the core group of women who are already in the know.

With the hunting and shooting ranks starving for new participants, all this comes as good news. Whether or not this innovation really moves product remains to be seen. Stay tuned because 2009 is shaping up to be a wild ride.

Some 15 or 20 years ago, when I worked for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the agency hired its first female game warden. At the time, I was banging out magazine copy and probably the bravest thing I had done was edit out unnecessary commas. So I was in awe of this woman who had the moxie to walk up to a pickup in the dark and question its gun toting occupants. I wanted to interrogate her in the worst way, to find out what made her tick. Now, many years and commas later, I got my chance to talk to a woman who has made a career choice the average person can’t even comprehend.

Jasmine Grossnickle, a wildlife officer for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is one of four female officers working afield in the Buckeye State. This Ohio native has two years of experience under her belt and a passion for her job that’s evident, even over the phone.

She admits, though, that she really didn’t expect to go in that direction. Armed with a wildlife management degree from Ohio State University and a history of enjoying fishing, hiking and camping with her family, Jasmine thought she was destined to be a wild manager. However, a job search led her to wildlife law enforcement instead, a decision she’s glad she made.

I’ve always wondered what it takes to be a wildlife officer, and what Jasmine outlined did not sound like a walk in the park. First, there’s 16 rigorous weeks in the classroom learning the legal aspects of the job such as search and seizure, Miranda rights and more. That’s followed up by nine weeks of specialized wildlife training, which Jasmine told me is what she really looked forward to. She especially enjoyed the training stations set up that simulated a fishing, hunting or trapping scenario that the students had to treat like an actual field contact. After their approach and contact, the senior officers would critique their performance. There was also a challenging physical fitness schedule with one example being early wake up calls so the students could begin the day on a dead run.

Today, her schedule still includes insanely early mornings, late nights and weekends - whatever it takes to protect the wildlife resource from poachers and serve the residents of her county. But that’s what Jasmine said she loves, the chance to work outside and the job’s unpredictability. Every day is a surprise that unfolds when she checks her messages. Depending on the time of year, she may be out of the house before dawn checking waterfowl hunters or hitting the woods in the middle of the night to follow up on spotlighting complaints. No two days are the same. She also said she enjoys opportunities to teach at Passport to Fishing events and then seeing a young person she mentored fishing just a few weeks later.

I had to ask Jasmine about how she deals with the scary unknown. Handling a belligerent contact in the field, especially alone, would shake most people’s confidence. Jasmine admitted that the potential danger is a downside of her job. However, when she feels like the situation might get thorny, she contacts the county dispatch or a fellow game warden with her location. And she pointed out that she’s properly trained and equipped to deal with those kinds of situations and stays on her guard. To date, she’s not encountered anything too hair raising.

Jasmine also had great advice for women who are considering a wildlife officer career. First, a candidate needs to not only have a strong interest in the outdoors but a wildlife or law enforcement degree to back it up. And if you’re the type of person who can make contact with people and not be intimidated, this job will be a better fit. She said it’s an extremely competitive career path, though. Out of the hundreds of candidates who apply, only a handful are hired. While the hiring process is long and arduous, you can more successfully navigate it if you have an insider’s perspective. That’s why Jasmine recommends trying to first get a seasonal position or internship with the agency and learn as much as you can.

Being a wildlife officer is no job for a cupcake. I’m thankful for those special few who love being outside rain or shine and yearn for the excitement, danger and fulfillment their job brings. For me, though, I think I’ll just stick to doing battle with punctuation.