Friday, February 22, 2008 6:47 PM CST
COLUMN: Winter walk provides information, enjoyment and exercise
By DAVE SHADOW, Hunting and fishing columnist
Most of us don’t get enough exercise — or at least not the right type of exercise — during the winter months, so here’s an idea to help with that inadequacy.
If you’re a hunter and becoming a couch potato because most of the hunting seasons are past, it’s time to get up, shut off the television and hit the woods again. There’s a lot to be learned about the travel patterns of the animals in this “off season” by just walking through the woods and observing the trails and tracks. This may give you some greater insight to where to set up a stand or blind for the next season.
Another fun reason to get into the woods at this time is to find the antlers that bucks have lost during these weeks of late winter. The bucks shed last year’s antlers after the mating season and will grow a whole new set for next year. If you find a good set, that’s a sign that the buck survived the hunting season, and if he survives the road traffic and other hazards, will be around with an even bigger rack next season. That is, providing he is still in the process of maturing, and the odds are real good in that favor. Very few bucks reach full maturity of seven-plus years and start to decline in antler size. Most are harvested in some manner or another long before this.
Still another reason to hit the woods at this time, on the lands where you leave stands or blinds up from one year to another, is to repair or rebuild the stands and blinds. By doing this at this time, they will lose all of the “man smell” and unfamiliarity that comes with working on your equipment right before the season starts.
Last and probably not least is the need for winter exercise. How hard and how far you should walk in cold weather depends on your particular physical condition and may be limited by health conditions. Be sure to follow your doctor’s advice if you have any conditions that prohibit or limit cold weather exercise. However, most of us will profit more from the exercise than we will suffer from any side effects caused by the colder air.
It is always advisable to do any of the above activities with a good partner It’s not impossible to get injured or ill in the woods, and the cold takes its toll much faster than warmer weather. If you venture out alone, take your cell phone and advise someone trustworthy of where you are going and when you will return. Ask them to check on you if you have not returned, or do not advise them otherwise.
Even if you’re not a hunter or don’t have any special place to go, get out and walk through the parks and nature trails provided by the cities and state facilities. There are hundreds of acres of public lands around Lake Shelbyville and other state parks that provide excellent opportunities for exercise and observing the birds and animals that Central Illinois has to offer. If you’re not taking advantage of these opportunities, you’re missing some of the most fulfilling and also low-priced activities available. Now, shut the TV off and get out there!
Pheasants Forever meeting
The Lincoln Heritage Chapter held its February organizational meeting Feb. 18 at the Coles County Airport Restaurant with the new officers officiating and several members attending. Discussions were many and varied with emphasis on habitat and food plots with Matt Homann presenting information on a new no-till planter from Trotters Mfg. that will work on a three-point hitch or behind a four wheeler.
Discussions concerning the very popular 2008 banquet were abundant with one idea surfacing concerning the addition of a new bow-hunting prize table. With this type of hunting growing in popularity each year, this seems to be an attractive addition to the many fine quality guns and other impressive items that are raffled off at each years event.
Reports of the recent sponsor appreciation pheasant shoot at the Quail Shed were shared, and everyone indicated this was not only a fun experience but that it should be repeated in coming years. Approximately 32 people participated in this year’s event.
The tentative date and location for the 2008 Pheasants Forever Banquet is Sept. 13 at the Worthington in Charleston. Mark your calendars, get your tickets early and enjoy this evening of fun that supports the very worthwhile cause of protecting and enhancing habitat and abundance of our wildlife.
It’s faith, family and fishin’.
Dave Shadow is the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier’s hunting and fishing columnist.
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