Lake Ice

Winter weather came with December. On Thursday the 3rd it was real cold in the afternoon and I watched ice forming along the edge of the "Big Lake", by sundown we had ice as far as I could see. By Friday morning we were iced over past Goose Island.
November temperates were the third warmest on record. December is the 3rd snowiest month of the year with an average snow fall of 8.6 inches. The average temps start on December 1st at 29 degrees and by the 31st its 19 degrees.

The following is a story by CJ Fairbanks, daughter of Frieda Fairbanks who grew up out on Oak Point. The story is entitled: My Encounter with the Caretaker?

On a balmy Saturday evening, as I sat chatting with my favorite Auntie, a notion hit us, "Let's go set Net!" Setting net is a Northern Minnesota Native American Tradition. We have been doing this for centuries to supplement our food supply. We set our nets in the early dusk to avoid the boaters running around the lake. We leave the nets out all night and pick them up in the morning. But this encounter happens after we are done setting our nets.

We were forced to row out to where we drop net where we fish in the Narrows because the boat with the motor refused to be involved in our plans. As we were rowing back through the ever-darkening night we noticed a round light shining brightly over Goose Island. I pointed this out to my paddling Auntie and she said it was Venus, the first star that shines at night. I thought how smart she is to know that. "Well," I said "Auntie, the light is getting bigger and brighter." She said to "keep rowing." I told her I think it was an airplane. We kept rowing and the light kept coming closer and closer. Pretty soon it was right over us. We didn't hear a sound, just a bright light illuminating us like we were on Broadway. We quit rowing and sat in stunned silence.

From out of nowhere a huge launch came flying toward us. We were dead center in the middle of the channel. The launch was sure to hit us if we weren't under the glare of the light. Apparently, the launch saw us from afar and was able to go around us. We were alive. The caretakers light just disappeared. We don't know where it went and we didn't notice it when it disappeared. All we knew was that it saved our lives! We paddled as fast as we could to get back to shore and to this day I think about my encounter with my caretaker.

The old ones used to say that dead members of the tribe were put in the trees on Goose Island instead of being put in the ground. That is why I say caretaker, or should I say caretakers?

I enjoyed this story because it links the past to the present and it's about my local environs of the Narrows, Goose Island and Oak Point.

We went Christmas tree shopping out in the Chippewa National Forrest. For $5.00 you get a permit to cut your own tree.

No Lake Ice Yet

No ice on Leech Lake yet. With December 1st showing up in one more day we will not have ice by the 1st. I don't think that we are that far away from having ice. Most nights now are below freezing and with the shorter days ice over is not far away. When it does freeze I hope it freezes fast and we establish some good ice before we get some serious snow. We have had a dusting of snow on the ground this morning and on Friday morning but it melts fast.

On the wildlife scene this past week we had a couple of unusual sightings. The first was a black squirrel that showed up in our neighborhood twice this week. The black squirrel is a melanistic subgroup of the grey squirrel and shows up in 1 of 10,000 births. With the leaves down it's easier to see squirrels and other small animals. The second sighting was of a couple of flocks of what appear to be Trumpeter Swans. Trumpeter Swans are the largest waterfowl in North America ranging up to 30 lbs. with a wing span of 6 to 8 ft. They are one of the last groups that leave the far north on their migration south.

The firearms deer season is finished for 2009 except for muzzle loaders. The DNR estimate that 151,000 deer were harvested compared with 171,000 during 2008 season.

Oak Point

This map shows the whole area we call Oak Point. (Click on picture to enlarge). The majority of Oak Point is in two townships, they are Leech Lake and Unorganized #4. The Oak Point Road travel through Wilkinson and a small part of Otter Tail Peninsula Township to our area. In total the road is about 16 miles long from Hwy 371, including the loop at the end by the Narrows. Leech Lake is on three sides of Oak Point, Steamboat Bay to the left and the "Big Lake" to the right and the Narrows at the end. The darker green areas on the map are either private or tribal properties, The light green area are all owned by the federal government and are part of the Chippewa National Forest.

We had a rare treat with a couple of Pileated Woodpeckers in our yard this week. They are very large (crow sized) black and white Woodpeckers with a prominent red crest at the real of their head. They can reach 15 inches or longer in size.

We spent about a half a day this week doing our leaves once again. Hopefully that will be it for this fall. I could not help to wonder what the explorers two hundred years ago, like Pike and Schoolcraft and others would think of us with the green grass on our lawns and the need to rake the leaves off our lawns. After all the rick soil we now have came from decaying leaves and other vegetation.

We continue this November with above normal temps this week. I understand the temps are running about ten degrees warmer then normal. I had a conversation with a neighbor who told me that the ice spearing season for Northern Pike starts Dec. 1st. That date is now only nine days away with no ice in sight. Our weather has been upside down this fall. Above average temps in September, cooler then average with snow in October and now above average temps in November. The last two days we have had temps above 50 degrees.

This is the last weekend of the firearms deer hunting season and I saw lots of blaze orange hunters in the woods. Of course the great weather brought the hunters out for one last chance for mister buck.

This coming week will bring us Thanksgiving. We are planning on traveling to our son and daughter in laws home to have the Holiday with them and our grand kids. I have so much to be thankful fore, great wife, family, grand kids and I get to live in the north woods on Leech Lake in a great neighborhood.

Lt. Zebulon Pike

Oak Point has many areas of historic significance. One is the location of the Northwest Company Trading Post which stood on 15 acres of Lot 1, Section 19 of T143N-R30W. The Northwest Company was the oldest and largest trading post and fortress on Leech Lake. In 1805 Lt. Zebulon Pike was commissioned to travel up the Mississippi to discover the source of this river which was believed to be Leech Lake. He was also ordered to take possession of this country for the United States of America. Pike was to advise the local traders that they must pay duty on goods brought into this country and to stop flying the British Flag. In February of 1806 Pike found the fort and ordered the British Flag to be shot down. For many years it was believed that this fort was located on Ottertail Point but was later corrected to Squaw Point, (now Oak Point) by historians. The area is called Star Point by the locals after the Star family that owns land nearby . Of personal interest, our residence is located on Lot 4, of the same Section 19. (see map attached) Oak Point Estates is located approximately 1 mile from this site.

It wasn't until 1832 when Henry Schoolcraft with an Indian guide identified Lake Itasca as the true source of the Mississippi. Schoolcraft visited the Northwest Company on Oak Point which was still operating under the US Flag before he went on to Lake Itasca. The explorer Zebulon Pike, went on to other expeditions was promoted to Brigadier General and was killed in the War of 1812 at the age of 36.

Our nice weather continued on from last weekend. Daytime temperatures were above normal. We even had a few nights that it didn't freeze. The forecast for the coming week continues with the warmer weather.

The MN DNR reported that the opening weekend deer harvest was down about 5% from last season. This was calculated from the number of deer registered at the registration stations. In my conversation with neighbors they reported slower action on Oak Point. One party said they only shot one deer, another reported two for two and another unofficial report from a party on my road had four deer taken. The hunters in this zone still have one more weekend to go this season.

Deer Opener

The 2009 Firearms Deer Hunting Season began yesterday, November 7th here on Oak Point. Lots of hunters in blaze orange were out. I counted 4 separate parties along the first mile of the Oak Point Road by mid morning. Roughly Minnesota sells close to 500,000 Deer Hunting Licenses per year with an estimated 200,000 deer harvested annually. Not a great success ratio here. However I think it is more about getting together with family and friends then the actual harvest. The family tradition all begins here in the north woods. Special meals, cribbage and stories are a part of the hunting traditions. Many of the local communities have "Hunters Supper", Cass Lake Chamber had a Chile Supper Friday evening at the Legion with numerous prizes to be given away. Many vendors have the "Biggest Buck/Doe" contests. By early next week I will know more about the local successes. Our early morning walkers decided to take a few days off until the excitement ends. The season in our area runs through Sunday November 22nd.
I heard a story earlier in the week about the "Three Buck Stand". A few years ago a group was hunting in stands out on "Oak Point" when one of there members saw a big buck deer come slowly into view. The hunter had to wait for a clear shot at this nervous deer. After what seemed like a long time. The deer finely walked into a clearing for a clean shot. The first buck was had. Then the hunter relaxed and let some time pass. But before he could get out of his stand to check on his first deer, yet another buck showed up just about as nice as the first one. Now after that one was shot the hunter was real excited. Never before had he shot two bucks with in ten minutes. You can probably guess the rest of the story, number three buck showed up with in a few minutes and that is how this particular stand is known as the "Three Buck Stand". The legend lives on.
Sometime during the last week/ten days the Leech Lake Loons have disappeared and did not tell us that they were leaving. Leech Lake has a number of our official state birds call the Common Loon, Gavia immer. The Minnesota birds migrate every October and fly 1,100 to 1,300 miles to the Gulf areas. They will return in late April or early May when the ice goes out. Loons take about 4 years before they reach breeding maturity and typically lay only two eggs. Both the female and male incubate the eggs and yes, the chicks do ride the back of their parents for a few weeks, I have seen this. Loons can live up to 15 to 20 years. On many a warm summer night we can hear the call of the loons which is music to our ears. Minnesota has about 10,000 adult birds in total with most of them living in the north woods lakes region.
Our graceful mighty oak trees that are the name sake for our area of Leech Lake have one minor drawback this time of the year. Their leaves. The leaves are as hardy as the wood, they are slow to drop from the trees and they don't deteriorate very fast. I mulch, rake and blow with my backpack blower and I still have my neighbor Dennis Yepma come by on Friday to pick up the leaves with his machine. I still have some leaves left in my yard trees and some more will blow in, but they will have to wait until spring. The oak wood heats our home every evening this time of the year.
Meteorologist Paul Douglas writes a piece on local Minnesota weather on http://www.minnpost.com/ that I like to read. Last week he forecast the great weather we had this weekend, but he also wrote about the normal November weather. Typically November is the second cloudiest and the third snowiest month of the year. Now that is depressing. However I am still excited and thankful about the great weather we are having today and yesterday. Yesterdays 60 degree day was the warmest day we have had since September.
The supervisor for the Oak Point Road project, who talked to us just about every day when we were walking, told us that they were stopping the project for the winter. Our road is in fairly good shape as long as it remains frozen. Just have to drive slower.

The Leaves are Falling

I had the opportunity this week of meeting Frieda Fairbanks, a life long resident of Oak Point where she lived and raised five daughters. Frieda told me a family legend concerning her husband's grandfather, John Ogema. In October of 1898 a battle between the Pillager band of Chippewa and the US Army took place. The troops under the command of Major Wilkinson, took a barge from Walker pulled by a steamer called the Flora headed toward Sugar Point to arrest the local chief Bug-o-nay-ge-shig. The Oak Point Indians including grandfather John Ogema had a group hidden in the woods along the narrows armed with guns in case the troops stopped at Oak Point. The troops didn't stop and no shots were fired . But family lore has it that if any shots had been fired grandfather would have headed home as fast as he could go. Frieda says you have to understand Native American humor to appreciate this story. What is interesting is that her family story is living history of our Oak Point area. I hope to have further talks with Frieda to learn more about our Oak Point area.
We found a local fruit this week called "Wild Crab Apples" that I didn't know even existed in this Oak Point area. We had to ask a local neighbor who spent her youth in the area what these fruits were. Pictured here are some Wild Crab Apples that we took off the Internet. The fruit we found was past peak ripeness but next year maybe we can get enough for some jelly. Apparently there are a number of these bushes or small trees down by the narrows. We are still enjoying our wild grape jelly with homemade English muffin bread.
Fall back is the word for tomorrow when daylight savings time ends on November 1st. My walking buddies and I will be glad to see that happen. We start walking at 7:30 AM every morning weather permitting. These last few days are real dark at 7:30 AM aided by overcast skies. This time of the year we wear blaze orange so that traffic can see us. Our 3 to 4 mile walk usually takes less then 1 1/2 hours , depending on the number of distractions. By distractions I mean how many neighbors stop and talk. If Jimmy Whipple stops he usually shuts off his car and we exchange neighborhood news. This week he wanted to talk about deer hunting.
More stories and talk about the deer opener coming up next Saturday the 7th. The neighborhood hunters are all going to the rifle range sight in their rifles. With the snow yesterday afternoon the deer are starting to move. We saw one this morning cross the road in front of us walkers. With hunting pressure and the upcoming rutting season the deer will be very active at night. That means slowing down with your cars on Oak Point Road. I hit a deer a few years back and it's not a pleasant thing, plus the hassle to get your car fixed.
We ate the last of our Leech Lake Walleyes. With my boat put away and the dock out. I will have to buy my fish now. We baked these fish with a shake and bake recipe and were they good.

Late October

In my opinion, fall is the most beautiful time of the year. Pictured here is the golden/yellow needled pine tree called Tamarack. Tamarack is the North American species of the larch tree, and are the only deciduous coniferous tree. They are commonly found in swampy areas and are very cold tolerant. These trees were found along the Oak Point Road. Other than the Tamarack the majority of the fall coloration is past their peak. Close to Leech Lake the mighty Oak Trees still have the majority of their leaves, their coloration has dulled, but they hang on the trees for a long time.
I also have a picture of the lake waters called the "Narrows". This connect the "Big Lake" to the Walker Bay area. This area is about 1/2 mile from the entrance to Oak Point Estates. Just to the right of the Narrows and to the south is the city of Walker. The Narrows is a great duck hunting area. Lots of boats pass through the Narrows on a daily basis.
The conversation at the local cafes and other neighborhood gathering areas has turned to where deer stands are going to be placed, what they are seeing with their trail cameras and the need to sight in rifles. The firearms season for Deer begins Saturday November 7th. Oak Point area is located in zone 100 that has a season from November 7th to the 22nd. Deer season is like a local holiday with many people coming back to their cabins and the locals have their friends up. I don't hunt deer and will have to rely upon my neighbors and friends to get me a venison taste.
The water temperature on the lake has come down quite a bit with the cold weather we have been having. The surface temperature is now in the mid 40's, down about 20 to 25 degrees in the last three weeks. We have had three days of rain this week which is helping the sloughs and wetlands.
The Oak Point Road project had a muddy week but the work continued every day. They replaced a number of culverts rain or shine. I still hope that the weather straightens out for a few more weeks.
Please contact me if I have made an error, last week I misspelled a critical word that was pointed out to me that I have now edited. Thank you. My email is nitchals@paulbunyan.net and my home phone is 218-335-2879 and cell phone is 218-760-3727. Give me some ideas on what you would like to read about.