Fake Wolfdog Story and Fake Big deer Story

Summer Bass Fishing using Tube Jigs for bait

Bass. You can catch them from shore, you can catch them by boat, catch them on live bait, catch them on artificial bait, you can troll for them, or stillfish for them, and it makes no difference. This summer, in Western New York, we have enjoyed some of the best smallmouth bass fishing available anywhere, and we can expect it to continue right into Fall. Bass season closes on November 30th. I am talking about smallmouth bass here, and we also have largemouth bass but the “smallies” are most sought after by our local population of fishermen. Yes, largemouth are just as tasty, and just as much fun to catch. Wilson Harbor gave up a 6 ½ pound largemouth specimen last year.

The guys that are able to fish out of the Buffalo harbor on Lake Erie have been taking limits of huge smallmouth from the opening day, [3^rd. Saturday in June] all summer, fishing the reefs. They use everything but the kitchen sink to latch on to those fighting warriors of the deep. Live bait, dead bait, no bait, it didn’t make any difference. The challenge was to catch a daily legal limit of five, which in most cases would range from three pounds and up, and that would be considered big smallmouth bass!

I know I will be criticized by some, but of all the freshwater fish, I hold bass as second to none, from fishing action, right up to the frying pan and on my plate.

Those that fish closer to home, Upper Niagara, Lower Niagara, and the bar at Fort Niagara out to the green buoy can brag that there aren’t many days when you can’t get on the water and bring home a limit. Even those trolling with hard baits along the Lake Ontario shoreline extending from the Niagara River as far as Wilson are having good results.

I asked a die hard salmon/trout fisherman that was having a lull in salmon/trout, and had just recently turned his efforts to bass fishing using lighter lines and smaller bait, which fish was more fun to catch, a bass or a salmon on heavy line and off a downrigger? The answer was bass fishing off much lighter line. When you latch on to a bass, you never know what it is going to do. It will dive and dig deep, or all of a sudden change course, making you think he got away, all the while swimming to the surface, and then all of a sudden, 15-20 feet away, he’ll burst out of the water all the while you are rushing to reel in the slack line so he doesn’t get away. Sometimes, when you least expect it, the lure will come loose from the fish when he is jumping, and you pulling, the lure will come flying back to you like it was on a rubber band. You had better duck!

My summer fishing has been fun with the bass cooperating anytime I got out with my son and grandson. I got my ears pinned back thinking I was going to use live bait and have an advantage on them because they were using artificial soft plastic baits called ‘tube-jigs.’ Truthfully, I have always been a live bait man, and always believed in it, seldom using artificial. I’ve always liked the feel of a fish grabbing on my bait presentation, and me setting the hook at the right time. This time out, I said to myself, “When in Rome, do what the Romans do, and use artificial bait just like they do.” I learned that the last time out when I got skunked using live bait, and they caught all the fish. I always have live bait with me just in case for back-up though. So this time we went out, the first thing I picked up was a tube-jig, an artificial hollow soft plastic bait around 4 inches long with little wiggly tails molded at the business end, just like they were using.

In the photo you see here, the top tube-jig skirt is a 3 inch crawdad color skirt with a ¼ ounce jig head above it. Bottom is a 4 inch Junebug color tube-jig skirt, with a 3/8 ounce jig head above it. Notice the 60 degree bend at the eye end of the hook. Hooks are size 4/0. Both have metal flakes and salt and garlic imbedded in the skirts.

The crawfish color bait was hot that day, but after experimenting with different colors by grandson Jesse, it seemed any color would work with him testing different ones. We started the day out going to the Johnson Drift, a slow drift along shore just north of the Peggy’s Eddy drift which is just North of Joseph Davis State Park. After Captain Dan, got the boat positioned and moving in 17-20 feet of water, the first cry out was “I GOT ONE” and that was by the captain of our ship, Dan. I’m glad I taught him so well when he was young on how to fish. Ha! He has surpassed me, and anything I could ever teach him in his younger days. He is now teaching his new methods to me and anyone else that fishes with him. Back then we never had baits like tube jigs that we are using today.

16 year old Jesse got an itch, and was nagging to go out to the bar in front of Fort Niagara to fish there. He wanted to catch bigger bass. After about an hour of putting him off, and we had nearly a boat limit, [limit is five per person] off we went, out to the bar. Once again, the captain maneuvered the boat around to get the right drift, and within minutes the first fish was landed. I don’t want to name the person that got the biggest smallmouth bass of the day, but if you look at the top of this story, and look at the authors’ name, you’ll know. Yes, it was caught at the bar just like Jesse figured; that’s where the big ones were.

You don’t need an engineer’s degree to fish with tube-jig bait. It isn’t difficult, just use a simple method. I use a 6 ½ foot, fast action tip Fenwick graphite rod, with 6 pound test monofilament line on my spinning reel. Kind of a light outfit for most people, but I think that is where the thrill is, and using light equipment increases the thrill. Try catching a 3 pound jumping bass on that outfit and you have your hands full. Of course if I was just fishing for food, I wouldn’t be fooling around with that light equipment. Our captain is outfitted with a 7 ½ foot bass rod and bass casting reel with the new thinner but heavier pound test Fluorocarbon line. That has to be the new modern way to fish I guess.

If fishing one of these tube jigs for bass or even walleye, you should make sure you are fishing bottom, letting enough line out to be sure. Even shore fishermen use this method by casting out, make sure you are on bottom, then reel in slowly, all the while doing what the name implies, jig it. Boat fishermen, need to do the same. While drifting, reel in slowly, jig the lure or twitch it just enough to make that bass think the ‘thing’ is alive down there, all the while cranking in the line slowly. Those little tails on the business end will flutter, and that would excite any fish into biting, making it think it heard the ding! ding! of the dinner bell. When you buy the tubes make sure they are scented, don’t buy them if they are not. I had one that was used for so long, my fishing went dead until I gave it a lick and discovered the taste and scent was gone. Changed the tube and within 5 minutes I was hollering “GOT ONE!” Everything was caught using tube-jigs that day.

We all know some days, fish just don’t cooperate, and that is when you need to change methods and bait, but for now, learn how to fish with those tube jigs!

Osprey living among us

There is a magnificent bird of prey that lives among us, one that's rarely identified by anyone who truly knows what it is. Last June, I received an email from John Eddy, an outdoorsman friend of mine who sent me a link to a video showing an osprey "fishing" for its next meal.

It is truly a fascinating video if you have never seen it before. You'll see this bird in flight, locate its dinner underwater, put its feet forward with its talons spread aimed at the prey, and then drop its head like a diver does as it hits the water. It then grabs the fish under water and flies away. Another part shows it grabbing what looked like a 5-6 pound rainbow trout. I must have watched this video probably six times in a row in complete amazement.

Visit the www.Arkive.org website and find out more about this highly skilled bird of prey. There are many osprey videos to view, such as one showing a great American Eagle attacking an osprey's young chicks being fed by its mom, and so much more. Visit www.arkive.org/osprey/pandion-haliaetus/video-00.html.

I received an interesting email from Porter resident Skip Walton shortly after I wrote the deer and vulture story. He told of spotting an osprey at the north end of Dickersonville Road sitting on top of a telephone pole with a large fish in its talons. Walton commented, "I know the osprey well having lived in central Virginia for 15 years, and see them quite often on some water close to where we have a house. Just curious to know if anyone else has reported seeing an osprey in that area? I have seen them on the Niagara near Lewiston, but not that far out, and inland one half to 1 mile from the lake."

I assured Skip I would let him know if anyone else around here has spotted any.

Lo and behold, I received an email from a "mystery woman," a resident of Youngstown who was reluctant to have her name used. She said she is "an amateur naturalist and has been for some years." I believe her because her email was quite lengthy, describing the many different creatures of God that roam our backyards and woods day or night. I'll refer to them in future stories, but right now let's center on osprey.

In her email relating to this great bird, she starts by noting she is a "long standing member of the Georgian Bay Osprey Society, having originally been roped into it by a childhood buddy who was one of the founders. I've also watched osprey extensively in Florida, and once even seen a nest from which a large metal fisherman's net was hanging. She must have stolen the net and its fish!" the woman wrote.

I asked her about the osprey spotted on Dickersonville Road by Scott Walton. She responded, "I can tell you that osprey are excellent fliers and that seeing them inland, so long as there are ponds or canals (still water) containing fish, wouldn't be too strange. But they won't go very far from significant sources of fish. Dickersonville Road is still only a stone's throw from Lake Ontario and not too far from Bond's Lake."

This mystery woman told of having a nesting falcon (a merlin) on her Canadian property one season; the mother falcon screamed an annoying screech day in and day out at any bird coming within a country mile of her nest. She related, "I saw an osprey take one of her chicks. It flew right past my window and three of us saw it. The osprey carried it away, with the mother in screaming pursuit."

"She was fast, but the osprey made off with the baby anyhow."

Mother Nature at work here.

Osprey poles are erected for the purpose of helping osprey propagate in certain areas. These are tall poles, some as tall as 30 feet with a platform at the top with nesting twigs and sticks to encourage this great bird to nest. Ospreys are true "snowbirds" and migrate to Florida and warmer climes in the winter. But they always return.

In her email she offered a great idea that some civic organization could pursue. Perhaps a Boy Scout troop, maybe an outdoor club's project, it could even be an educational activity for a school project.

"There are two or three osprey 'poles' located near my Canadian property," the woman wrote, "and everybody there takes a huge interest in which nesting poles are occupied, which produce chicks, and additionally, in stewarding them to maintain their privacy and safety. It has become a community-wide bond. All to the good!"

"I would be happy to see poles along the Niagara River, since I've seen osprey both along the lower river on up to Fort Niagara," she wrote.

When I asked this woman if I could quote her on some things and use her name for a future article, she wasn't immediately in agreement. "My kids think I am already an eccentric embarrassment and that would put them around the bend, almost as much as having their friends find road kill in the freezer," she responded.

I laughed pretty hard at that statement. I thought it would be a good thing for her kids, and they would be proud of their mother for being a long-time amateur naturalist who has observed these things for many years. In asking her permission, I told her, "I'm sure your info will be very informing and interesting to the rest of my Sentinel readers."

She responded, "So, OK, you can use my name; how about just the first name (Andrea)? Or my nickname (Lynn)?"

So now everyone knows who this is mystery woman is. Her name is Andrea, and she's been a resident of Youngstown for more than 20 years.

And she has more to tell us about other interesting things, but I can't get it all in this story. Later.

Baby Deer Kill on Lake Road – Vulture Sighting

Saturday morning my wife and I were coming back from breakfast in Youngstown, and we passed someone in a pickup truck going in the opposite direction, and my wife noticed he had his tailgate down and what looked to her like a dead fox with its head hanging down over the tailgate. Being nosey, [I could say curious] I turned the car around to follow the vehicle to see just what it was. About a mile or so later, the guy saw me and pulled over and it was my friend Dave Gombert, who is the Deputy Town of Porter Highway Superintendent, and a guy that loves his hunting and trapping more that anyone else I know.

It turned out to be a late June or early July born white tail deer fawn, a little smaller than Bambi, and no red light on its nose. When I got out of my car Dave started telling me the story of how someone “killed his baby with their car.” Stating, “probably speeding of course, that’s why I cut the grass far back on the side of the road so these ‘idiots’ could see if something was going to cross.” Angrily, he started spitting nails. His hunting grounds are somewhere around Lake Road and that’s all I’m allowed to tell you, I know where, but I had to take the Hunters Oath. Dave was a little upset because about an hour earlier he was on a mission, and drove by his hunting grounds, and here was mom and her baby fawn standing in the field far off the side of the road just looking around. Dave was pretty proud of that moment. About an hour or so later after his mission was completed, and going back the same way, here was the baby lying on the white line in the middle of the road expired, still warm and floppy like.

Dave and I were standing at the back of the truck admiring the beauty of the markings of the recently born fawn. Still warm to the touch, and its coat was as soft as that of a new born child’s hair; it was clean, bright and pretty, with the white spots mixed in with the rest of the chestnut colored coat. As we were standing there talking, I could see the anger and the hurt in this hunters eyes. I had a sinking feeling in my belly, thinking how the mother feels, because she had to be right there with it when it happened. The supposed speeder apparently just kept right on going. No signs of skid marks on the road just the grim looks of a crumpled up baby deer.

If you remember an earlier story about Gombert, it was about the big dog that came into range on his hunting trail camera, a camera that is mounted to a tree or a post and will takes pictures 24/7 of any movement that passes by the lens, so a hunter would know by viewing the picture if he was in a fertile hunting area or not. In that story a large Newfoundland dog, a dog that can weigh up to 150 pounds, and belonged to someone in the neighborhood was photographed. It left everyone thinking it was the big black bear that was sighted a couple of years earlier in the Town of Lewiston and again in Newfane. That same camera keeps track of the comings and goings of any two legged or four legged critter that comes across the lens, Dave knows his hunting grounds are protected. He also knew that mom and the newborn were there too.

Being a Deputy Supervisor for Town of Porter Highway Department, Dave lives by the rules, and this little creature was disposed of in the proper manner. So if you are traveling Lake Road, keep your eye out for momma deer, she has already suffered enough grief, and probably pops is moping around in the woods too after the loss. NO SPEEDING!

Plenty of Vultures

Monday, about 9:30 am, traveling down Oneida Street near North Fourth in the Village of Lewiston, the sky was alive with a kettle of vultures circling around. As fast as I could count, I counted 18 or 20 of them just in my view. They must have had some fresh carrion on the ground they spotted, because they hunt for food in flight. There must have been enough to feed a family of these waste collectors. Referring to an earlier story from last March, I referred to them as being “waste collectors.” There was a good example; 18-20 vultures were about ready to clean up either a road kill or a dead rodent of some kind in the neighborhood, maybe someone’s yard right in the Village. Remember, vultures circling in flight, is called a ‘Kettle,’ when on the ground in numbers it is called a venue, meaning a place to gather. [and eat]

When you see these creatures, remember they are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and you can not harm them in any way. When they glide and soar, they are using the air currents caused from the warming air from the ground to the sky. Once in a while, they will flap their wings in flight but not often.

A lot of times, we don’t pay attention of our surroundings, and in this case probably people at home in that neighborhood, were maybe doing yard work, mowing grass, etc. never think to look up.

Possum or Opossum?

When famous Country singer George Jones passed away recently at the age of 81, the TV and radio broadcasters went with the tag name Jones earned during his career as “no show Jones” because in his younger years he had an alcohol problem, and didn’t show up for some of his shows. The other tag name he earned was “The Possum” which was supposedly an inside joke about his looks, or facial features. I could never see that but there it was.

Possum or opossum, whichever you want to use is your choice. I am not a Grammarist by any means, so lets stick with possum. A possum can be regarded as being kind of ugly, but at the same time cute, even with their long pointy nose, funny ears, naked nose, and long scaly tail. Some of you older folks should remember the comic strip “Pogo,” a very popular comic strip featuring all animals as its characters, and Pogo was the center of it all. Pogo ran in newspapers through the late 1940’s, up until the very early 1990’s. A loveable character he was. All possums are not as loveable like Pogo was. Adult possums don’t hang in trees by their tails like you think, only the real young do. “Playing dead like a possum” is not folklore. They really do when frightened by a predator, and predators generally won’t eat something they didn’t kill. Possum are “marsupials” meaning an animal that carries their young in a front pouch much like kangaroos do.

One day I was walking around my neighbors’ house that was vacant at the time, and I was also checking the shoreline erosion down near his shed. I started walking back up a slight incline along the side of the shed, and all of a sudden I heard this growling and hissing. I thought, what the heck is that. I turned and looked, and here was a possum, mad as hell at me, and running in a sideways fashion after me all the while growling and showing me his sharp pointed teeth, all 50 of them, like a feral cat. The picture you see is what this guy chasing me looked like.

I did what anyone else would do, I ran like the dickens up the incline toward my own yard, and in one jump, I hit the seat of my picnic table, and the other foot got me on top of it. Thinking to myself this animal is nuts! When I got on top of the table I looked down and this little guy was still running right like he was the one being chased. He ran right by me, straight to under my shed. While normally slow, I couldn’t believe this little creature could be so fast and so brave, and I was so frightened. I sat on the table watching for him to come out from under the shed, and he never did. The thought went through my head that what if it dies under there and the stink is so bad I can’t go into my shed. It didn’t happen anyway. I got to thinking that possum might have rabies or something, and later I was told rabies is highly unlikely in possums, plus they are known to seldom bite. Possum are normally nocturnal. Actually they are for the most part, a harmless animal that roams the countryside, and backyards, always looking for their next dinner spread. Mostly a possum’s home is in trees, and you never want one under your house or porch if you have a crawl space. They will tear up anything under there, like wiring, insulation, etc. They eat a variety of foods like grubs, chicken eggs, snails, and even human garbage, so keep your garbage lid on!

Some people make pets out of them, why I’m not sure, but I would bet that is illegal. [and silly] In some southern states, possum is table fare for some families in stews, sauces, and creamed etc. The label on the can you see pictured says, “Creamed Possum, with Sweet Potatoes, Garnished in Coon Fat Gravy.” Several years ago a friend of mine took a fishing trip to Florida and brought back a can of canned possum meat for me. I didn’t believe what it was because I never heard of it before. But I guess it was what it was, I never opened it, and if I look hard enough, its still hanging around someplace if it didn’t ferment and blow up by now. Believe it or not, all across New York State there is actually a hunting season for them that runs from October to February. There is no bag limit, and I know of no one around here that is a possum hunter. They are hunted for their fine fur, food, and sport.

About the size of a cat, these critters are not afraid of anything, not even cars. As slow as they are, they’ll wander right out in front of your car, daring you to swerve, and you won’t even know it until you feel the thump with your front tire, quickly followed by a thump of the rear tire. The next morning the Turkey Buzzards will be right there to clean up the mess. Talking about Turkey Vultures, you won’t see their majestic flights unless you look up to the sky.

Remember, “A good day fishing is better than a bad day at work,” Take that neighborhood kid fishing if you don’t have any of your own, and do not forget the elderly, they would love to go too. Be sure to visit www.OutdoorsNiagara.com for the latest in fishing information, and be sure to check the Lake Ontario webcam while you are there. It will give you live lake conditions for sailing, boating, or fishing real time. Comments, suggestions email me at [email protected]

Three Men in a Boat Saved by Youngstown’s United States Coast Guard

No doubt everyone in the area heard about the boat that capsized out near the red buoy off Fort Niagara Saturday April 6^th. The incident was reported by all local media outlets, now, here’s what really happened. According to the boat’s owner 49 year old Dan Crowner from Wellsville N.Y., the three men went out fishing about 7:30-8:00 a.m. that day and the lake had a little chop, but nothing serious. There were other boats out there fishing the same area and the fish were hitting quite well. As time went on, the chop picked up a little more into waves and not noticing the seriousness, a large wave came over the stern, and then another before anyone realized what was happening. The boat’s owner/captain for the day, Crowner, had his passengers quickly move to the front of the 19 foot Crestliner to try and balance the boat from the weight of the water. Then Crowner tried starting the 115 HP Mercury hoping to splash some of the water out the same way it got in, but it wouldn’t start right away, and that’s when the boat took a flip from another wave.

Naturally, when the boat flipped, a lot fishing equipment went into the drink with the three men. Besides Dan Crowner, his brother-in-law, 49 year old Bob Guinnip, also of Wellsville, and 59 year old fishing buddy Bruce Blank, from Andover N.Y., held on to the capsized boat until help arrived an hour or more later. Good thing the three men were wearing their flotation vests like the law dictates. Luckily, Crowner had his cell phone in his shirt pocket, and it didn’t get wet so he could call 911 emergencies. Crowner wondered why it took so many rings to 911 before anyone picked up the phone. Of course, when you are in a panic like that, three rings would have seemed like a lifetime. The Sheriff’s Department was notified, which in turn notified the ever so dutiful United States Coast Guard in Youngstown. The crew from the Coast Guard was assembled quickly, but had to trailer their rescue boat about 7 miles south to the Lewiston launch ramp to get in the water because the water level is so low, they couldn’t use the Fort Niagara ramps. Then they had to travel another 7 miles back, and out to the red buoy which is another 3.7 miles out into the lake.

While the men were struggling to climb on top of the upside down boat, Blank’s clothing was stuck on something and couldn’t get up there, Crowner was already there, and being cold himself from the 36 degree water, and seeing Blank in serious trouble, grabbed Blank, and with super human strength, pulled him free to keep him from going back under the boat. What felt like an eternity, the Coast Guard arrived, and shortly afterward a rescue helicopter appeared in the sky. The men were safely rescued but the boat had to be abandoned and left in its capsized position.

On the following Wednesday, Dan Crowner and his brother-in-law Bob Guinnip, were out searching the shoreline hoping to find their boat. Sure as heck, it was found still up-side-down near the shoreline of Four Mile Creek. While struggling with the thought of how they were going to retrieve the boat, one of my neighbors asked what they were doing, and he directed them to my house and told them there is a possibility I would know someone who could help retrieve their boat.

It was funny, here was a guy knocking at my door, and when I answered, this gentleman asked if I was Mark, I told him “yes,” he said, with an outstretched hand, “my name is Dan Crowner” I must have had a blank look on my face when he said, “I’m one of the guys that was rescued in the lake last Saturday.” He was thinking I would recognize his name, but I didn’t. I said to him, Holy Smokes! you are a lucky man to be alive. He agreed, with a hand over his heart. He went on to tell me the story about the rescue and how much people around here in Lewiston and Youngstown, were so kind, generous and helpful. He even stressed how the people at Saint Mary’s hospital took care of them in such a professional and caring way treating their hypothermia, and how much so many other people cared about others around here, all the while commenting on how much the Coast Guard meant to them.

The only name that popped into my head for helping them retrieve their boat was Josh Stack of The Boatworks on Blairville Road in Youngstown. I called Josh and told him of the men’s dilemma and put Dan on the phone with him. Josh got over to the creek as soon as he could to assess the situation. After looking things over, he noticed gas was just starting to drip out of the boat and knew something had to be done quickly. Josh phoned the NYS Park Police and told them what was happening, and told them the only way he could get to it is if he drove his Toyota four wheeler through the walking trail in the woods so he could upright the boat. On the phone, he was told to go ahead and do whatever needs to be done quickly, we don’t want another disaster on our hands. So, Stack and his helpers, Rew Hooker, and his father Pat Stack, managed to maneuver that Toyota through the narrow trail, and was able to hook a heavy rope from the Toyota’s roll bar to the boat side rail, and upright the Crestliner. The minor gas spill was taken care of in a quick fashion, and getting that Toyota four wheeler in and out of there was a chore. Josh said a door was banged in, the front and rear fenders suffered, along with other bumps and bruises because it was muddy and the vehicle was slipping sideways, bumping into trees, while blazing a wider trail to get to the boat.

I guess you could say I am a critic of cell phones, saying hell, what did we do before we got cell phones? Here’s what we did: We went to the corner and dropped a dime to call someone. But what would Josh have done when he saw gasoline starting to leak? Run to a corner? What about the three men in the capsized boat do? Swim to a corner phone? Cell phones are an important part of our lives today, so I guess I’ll just eat crow, and shut up. But a funny thing did happen as Dan was telling me that when they were discussing things on shore after being rescued, one of the young Coast Guard men asked Dan without thinking I suppose, “don’t you have a marine radio on your boat?” Probably thinking why he didn’t use it. Dan said “Yeah, but it wouldn’t work, it was under water with the rest of my boat equipment” Oops!

Just to keep things on an even “keel” here, Dan is not new to Lake Ontario or the Lower Niagara, and not new to boating and fishing around Lake Erie and Ontario, but fishes mostly at Chautauqua Lake where the waters there are more forgiving. He said he has been around boats and fishing with his dad ever since he was a little kid in single digits, it wasn’t a case of carelessness or anything like that, things just happened that way.

To end this story, because of rough waters, it wasn’t until Sunday morning that the boat could be towed back safely to the launch ramp, and taken to the Boatworks boat yard for further evaluation.

Lesson learned: Don’t go boating without proper safety equipment, life saving equipment, and use common sense for whatever conditions you encounter.

Water Witches around the Lewiston-Porter Area
Outdoors in Niagara

OK, you don't need an imagination here, what I am going to tell you, I believe is true. Water Witches are people that can find water, unscientifically, deep under the ground with a tree branch shaped like a Y or two wires bent in the shape of an L, made from a simple wire coat hanger, the ones I have seen. In fact, there are scientists, engineers, and professors that will argue until they are blue in the face, that you can't find water underground by using a Y stick or bent wire like an L. They'll tell you there is no scientific evidence that anyone can find water in this way.

Water Witches in more modern days are called "Dowsers," and dowsing it is said, is a very unscientific way of finding water underground. A few weeks ago the Discovery channel had a show called 'Backyard Oil' I saw men dowsing for oil, and very successfully I might add. When dowsers are looking for oil, it is called "doodlebugging." The show I saw, a man was doodlebugging, and pointed out an area to drill for oil. The show takes place somewhere in Kentucky, and a lot of these people have become what they describe as backyard millionaires, dowsing and drilling their own wells. Drilling wells can become expensive, and scientific exploration can add to that cost. Doodlebugging they found was a more accurate way of finding oil.

Dowsing goes back to ancient times, the times of the Pharaohs, Moses, and others of those eras. As in everything else, there are skeptics like those engineers, scientists and such as mentioned above. Guess what, like many of you that have experienced dowsing by doing it yourself, maybe you know someone that is actually a dowser, maybe you never heard of dowsing.

I am not a dowser, I found that out as I stood next to a friend that was one. He tried to show me how to clear my head, with a dowser stick in my hand, and walked me through the process all the while his stick was pointing to the ground showing me how his was working, and how his stick was pointing to the ground. His stick even showed which way the water was flowing underground.

A friend of mine, John "Johnnie Greengrass" Tower, who worked for the Town of Porter, was a dowser. When the sewer/water department needed to locate a waterline that was unmapped underground, he was the go-to man. He took out his divining rods, he had the L shaped devices, and would be able to tell you where that underground water pipe or drain was, and which way the water was flowing. This all sounds paranormal, something that takes place outside of scientific explanations, but here it is.

My Brother Ed, and his wife Gerri bought a house in Cambria several years ago, and every spring their basement would flood. They were warned by the former owner that this house had that problem since it was built. After a couple very wet springs, even with additional sump pumps running, the flooding always got out of control. They called a contractor to see what could be done. The contractor, Bob MacVie Construction in Youngstown, went to the rescue. After looking around the area in question, and not being able to identify exactly where the water was coming from or going to, he had an idea, but advised to get a dowser to make a decision as to exactly where to dig. A dowser was called, a lady from Lewiston that is well known for her experience, and in a matter of minutes, described to MacVie exactly where to dig, how wide, and how deep to go. She described it as an underground stream that would overflow and consequently end up flooding the basement, because it flowed right beneath the house. Lo, and behold, she was right on the money. MacVie dug and installed a large drain pipe, and diverted the water to a lower ditch, ending the problem.

Art King, a Youngstown native was another dowser known in the area. For years, King would be called on by his neighbors and friends to come to their place, dowse, and tell them where to dig for water in their yards. Again, he was the go-to man. He dowsed for his own well, dug, and found water in his back of his yard.

Dr. Paul Vendrell, an educator at the University of Georgia would visit my neighbors each summer for a couple of weeks. He was an avid fisherman, and a well schooled individual. He and I would go at it, when it came to dowsing and dowsers. He was a non-believer, and he ran with the fact that there is no scientific evidence of it being possible. He might have been right by saying there is no scientific evidence, but am saying I am right, I saw it happen in front of my own eyes.

I would like to know what other people think, and if you have had experiences in dowsing. Do you know a Water Witch? Did you ever witness it being done? Let me know. Email me at [email protected]

Food for thought: If you lost your left arm, then your right arm would be left…..Huh? More food for thought: Take that neighborhood kid fishing if you don't have any of your own, and do not forget the elderly, they would love to go too. Be sure to visit www.OutdoorsNiagara.com for the latest in fishing information, and be sure to check the Lake Ontario webcam while you are there. It will give you live lake conditions for sailing, boating, or fishing real time. Comments, suggestions email me at [email protected] .

'A tidy boat is a happy boat;' ...........U.S. Coast Guard stirring things up
Outdoors in Niagara

Famous 'Erie Dearie' pictured

A short while back, I wrote a story about doing some fishing for a couple of days with my son, Joe, at Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County. While we were having conversations, something popped in my head about walleye fishing, and out of the back of my head a memory came back about the times my fishing pal Joe Ognibene and I made trips to Port Clinton, Ohio, also known as the "Walleye Capitol of the World." A few times we hauled a boat with us and as time went by, somehow Joe got tied up with Capt. Jim Fofrich who fished out of Port Clinton. Fofrich asked if we wanted to take a trip out with him on his 25-foot SportCraft. Of course, the offer was gracefully accepted and it was free. Who wouldn't like to take a fishing trip with a seasoned charter captain like Fofrich? We did, and learned things that will never be forgotten.

Fofrich supplied all the bait, the lures, and shared his knowledge on how to fish a weight-forward spinner for walleye. A popular spinner at the time in Ohio was the "Erie Dearie." It had a special shaped lead weight on the front followed by a spinner, red beads, and then a long-shank No. 2 gold hook with a worm. The "Erie Dearie" was invented by another Lake Erie captain, Dan Galbincea, in 1961. In 2010, the spinner was purchased by a larger company, but it's still making the revolutionary Erie Dearie. The photo you see is an original Dearie from my tackle box.

The western end of Lake Erie is well known for walleye, and bass is the second most sought-after fish. Around here, we enjoy the eastern end of Erie anywhere from the Pennsylvania border to Buffalo for walleye, bass, and jumbo lake perch.

Fofrich liked drift fishing using these spinners and if the wind got too "heavy," which made drifting too fast, he brought out a sea anchor.

A sea anchor is nothing new, but this one was to me at the time. It consists of a cone-shaped bag made of light canvas or something similar, and at the top end of the cone three ropes are fastened around the circle; a long rope is attached to them, which is fastened to the boat. At the bottom of the cone is a hole in the center to let the water flow through it, much like a funnel. It was a brainy idea probably thought up by some sea faring captain, somewhere.

There is a second rope that is fastened to the bottom of that funnel, and that's for pulling in your anchor. You'll need to pull that rope in order to pull the bottom to the top to release the water, so you will need strength to it pull back in. It's like turning it inside out.

The first time we went out with Fofrich he stressed his feelings about having a tidy and clean boat, which makes for a happy boat. There were four other guys on this trip - all great fishing enthusiasts. I can remember one guy was a "Noodler" and he entertained us by telling some of his Noodling stories that day.

Noodling is the art of catching catfish, sometimes referred to as mudcats by your hands reaching underwater along the shoreline with only your bare hands far into holes and crevices. You can probably find videos of Noodlers on YouTube if you would like to see how it's done.

Another guy owned a patent on his own walleye fishing lure. Funny thing was, he never used it on this trip.

Back to the captain's "tidy boat, happy boat." If someone took a worm out of the bait box that sat on the engine cover and dropped some bedding, Fofrich would reach over, pick it up, put it in the box where it belonged, and say to everyone, "a tidy boat is a happy boat." Before long, he had us all saying it either to ourselves or singing it out loud to our own made up music.

Today, as I write this story it is singing in my head. Try it yourself; say the words while putting your own melody to the words. It sticks. It's like listening to a song you haven't heard in ages, and then when you do it sticks in your head all day. If someone of the six of us dropped as much as a gum wrapper or moved a rope out of place, someone in the crew would say, "a tidy boat is a happy boat," and it would be picked up immediately.

It was a great lesson learning that. How many times have we been out and just laid things down, or dropped things on the floor, or maybe just pulled the boat anchor in and let the rope sit to walk on or trip over? A fishing rod had to be put in its proper place; the landing net had its own place. Nothing laying around made for a safer, happy boat.

Oh, and a fish. Fofrich would never allow us to bring a fish in and just flop it on the floor. If it was to be released, you unhooked it over the side and let it go. If was a keeper, you took the hook out over the side and dropped it in the live well. Plus, the only thing you tossed into his Lake Erie was a fish or a worm, never any "junk."

I lost track of Capt. Fofrich over the years and hopefully he is still around teaching fishermen and new potential fishermen the ropes. He was a really great Lake Erie fisherman, teacher, and environmentalist.

U.S. Coast Guard loses its fury on western Lake Erie

Talk about stirring things up. Charter boat operators on the west end of Lake Erie got a lesson from the U.S. Coast Guard recently when some over-reacting Guardsman crew pulled a captain over after a day of fishing. They were seeking documents as proof if his boat was made in the U.S. All his other documentation was in order except for being able to produce proof of where his boat was manufactured. When he couldn't produce it, he was warned that he could be fined $40,000 for the first offense, and a half-million for any further offenses. The captain had to leave his vessel docked for five days while things got straightened out. He claims he lost nearly $3,000 while in port.

The boat this captain owns is a SportCraft like the one Fofrich ran, and these boats were made in the U.S., however he had no documentation. The law the USCG was enforcing is an old 1920 law that is called the "Coastwise Trade Act," also known as the "Jones Act." The act was formed back in 1920, just two years after World War I to protect American shipbuilders against foreign competition, mainly large ships. In those days, the act was more concerned with shipping of merchandise in U.S. coastal waters, never a tiny little vessel like a Great Lakes fishing boat. After lawyers got involved and the Charter Captain Association got rolling, the Coast Guard apparently decided it was a bad move, and is backing off for now.

What kind of fish has no jaws but prey on fish many times its size?

Outdoors in Niagara
Mark Daul

Wonder no more, the answer is here. Some will argue they are not a fish but are “Vertebrates.” If you really want to know what a “Vertebrate” is, Google it, but, in the meantime lets treat them as a pre-historic, blood sucking fish that attaches itself to other fish and proceeds to suck the blood and the life out of fish 10 times their size. According to the NY Department of Environmental Conservation, [DEC] “Sea lamprey have two separated fins on their back (dorsal fins) and suction disk mouth filled with small sharp, rasping teeth and a file-like tongue.”………. “The sea lamprey is a jawless parasite that feeds on the body fluids of fish.”

The sea lamprey, an eel that has created havoc with our trout and salmon fishery for years, is a parasitic creature that will attach to not just trout and salmon, but to walleye, northern pike, and many others including our native, prehistoric lake sturgeon, which by the way, are listed by the NY DEC as being an endangered species.

On the Outdoors Niagara website there is a forum where anyone can post fishing questions or facts or inquiries of any kind. It is a well read forum, mostly postings by locals. We do get visitors from around the world occasionally, and we had a person by the name of Simon McCabe from Great Britain [UK] looking to buy Lamprey eels as fishing bait in his UK stores. This inquiry from Great Britain was responded to by a local Youngstown fisherman, and nearly retired, Mike Gillis who replied “There are plenty of lampreys in the lower Great Lakes. Other than pulling them off of parasitized fish, how would one go about catching lampreys? I'm sure that we would love to export as many of these pests as we can to you.” McCabe replied; “Hi Mike, “What I was looking for is a commercial supplier for Lamprey. We have had contacts in Latvia and Lithuania who have supplied us in the past, but they are not able to supply. I believe that they catch them in eel traps. In the UK we use Lamprey as bait for Pike. It is considered to be very effective bait over here. We would probably need about a tonne of the suckers to get us started.” Wow, 2,000 pounds! If they are ever shipped from a supplier in the U.S. they would naturally have to be frozen and that is the way they would want them.

Then more recently, there was a posting from a rather large fishing bait supplier in Oregon saying, “I am looking to buy 3-7 thousand pounds of lamprey, trying to find a supplier for them. Please get hold of me.” This supplier is Extreme Northwest Bait Company, Lebanon OR. [http://xtremenorthwest.com ]

Sea lamprey is considered a nuisance fish to us on the eastern seaboard and every effort is being made to control them because of the damage they do to other species. The scientists have come up with a partial solution, they developed a chemical called “Lampricide” [TFM] a chemical treatment put into creeks, rivers and streams to stem the population of them in the larval stage, where the first three to six years of their life is spent in the soft bottoms of these waterways before they mature into adults and grow to their parasitic adult form. Total life span from eggs to larval stage, to adult is said to be five to eight years. The adults die after spawning.

There was another interesting post on the Outdoors Forum by a person named “Blue Bonnett”, certainly a pen name, but he stated: “When I catch a trout or salmon with one attached, I immediately kill the lamprey. The fishery commission likes anyone who fishes the Great Lakes to report their catches to help them study these invaders. The commission is interested in the number of your catch, the species, whether your catch had an attached lamprey, or if your catch had a scar, they want to know where you were fishing. All of this information helps the commission combat these invaders by their control programs, and these programs have helped to remove almost 90% of them. Your help is needed to continue the commission’s efforts in controlling the lamprey populations of the Great Lakes.”

Years ago, when these eel were first being recognized as a threat to our trout and salmon fishery, I caught a salmon with one attached, and pulled it off the fish, then tossed it in the fish box. When I got to my shop, I put it in an aquarium with water to show people what these newly recognized critters were all about. It lasted about two weeks with no complications, and then one morning as I opened the store for the day, I noticed he/she had jumped out, right over the top of a 30 gallon aquarium with low water. Still alive, it was put back in the aquarium. Two days later, the same thing, but after this time I put a piece of ¼ inch hardware cloth over the top. The lamprey lasted about two more days before it squirmed out at the edge of the cover before he/she was found expired and squirming no more. It was an interesting thing to watch while it lasted, and for people to learn about. The kids used to stop by after school to “see the fish at the tackle store.”

Picture from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission website. Lots of info and more: http://www.glfc.org/sealamp/how.php

Please “Take a Kid Fishing,” and teach them right, like the old Chinese proverb says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Comments, or suggestions for this column, contact [email protected] or go to www.OutdoorsNiagara.com for loads of outdoor information.

A fascinating animal found in Niagara County
Outdoors in Niagara
Mark Daul

Did you ever hear of an animal that can pay for its own yearly maintenance, like veterinarians fees, room and board, and be a great pet at the same time? In Niagara County, the Lewiston-Porter-Newfane areas especially, there are some people harboring critters that can do those things, while at the same time making a hobby of raising and caring for these docile animals. Of course, there are many of these critters in other counties across the state and the country, but Niagara County has its own distinction.

These animals stand between 32 and 39 inches tall at the shoulders, weigh between 105 and 185 pounds, have straight legs when looked at from the front or the back, and each foot has only two toes. Their back legs have a 45-degree bend like those of other four-legged creatures when looked at from the side.

Looking closer, you see that their ears are spear-shaped, like those relic Indian spears we have all seen pictures of. These animals are related to the camel family, but they normally don't spit at humans like their bigger relatives do. They are known as alpacas, an animal that the Chavin culture in the Andes (Peru) in South America some 6,000 years ago harbored for meat, work, and fleece. Later, the Incas were credited with domesticating these pack animals, and they were raised for their fleece, which was woven into fine clothing, particularly reserved for royalty at the time.

It is estimated there are about 3 million Alpacas worldwide and only about 17,000 of them in the U.S. Alpacas are not used for meat production like they were centuries ago. Today they are used for the production of a highly sought-after fleece, which is higher quality, much softer than sheep's wool, lighter, stronger, hypoallergenic, and having no prickly feel like wool. They were introduced in this country in 1983.

Robert and Dee Oberlander have a horse farm on Braley Road in the Town of Porter, boarding horses for local owners. They had an extra barn that was underused and decided to get two alpacas for a hobby. In six short years the family has grown to 14.

Robert (Obie) and Dee harvest their own fleece from a herd of alpacas they harbor on their farm and keep all 14 of them. Obie says, "You never know, we keep adding to our family now and again." He added, "Holy smokes, we just adopted a Suri the other day."

There are two breeds of alpacas, and the Oberlanders favor the Huacaya, (pronounced "wa-ki-ya") because it is easier to treat and prepare the fleece for weaving. The other is called the Suri (pronounced "surrey"). The fleece of the Suri is stringy with longer curly fibers that make it harder to work with, although it feels softer and fluffier when woven.

From raising, to feeding, caring for, shearing, washing, dying, carding, weaving, and knitting; to creating hats, gloves, sweaters, scarves, capes and socks for their family and friends, the Oberlanders do it all themselves. Their herd is sheared every spring, and each animal gives up about five to seven pounds of fiber.

On a visit, I saw scarves, sweaters, capes, purses and hats, all handmade from alpaca fleece by Dee from scratch. Obie says they shear in the spring; this way the summer heat isn't so hard on their "family." The Oberlanders note there are about 20 to 22 different shades of color that alpacas have, and white can be dyed any color. White and black are the favorites among many. Dee uses a food coloring process and warns not to use clothing dyes like Ritz. She also warns not to use aluminum pots for the dye, only enamel or stainless steel. The food dyes work perfectly like they do on Easter eggs, because they both have a lot of protein.

Carding is a process where the raw fleece of the alpaca is broken up into clumps of fiber, and then aligned to individual fibers that prepare the fiber for easier weaving into strands called a "cloud." After the cloud is hand-rolled into strands, it is then separated as it is being run through the spinning process. Dee started out with hand carding, but quickly turned to drum carding. Seen in the photo, the drum carder machine is hand-cranked and makes the process much easier, putting strands into a treadle-powered spinning wheel. Dee took lessons to learn this process. Her teacher showed how it was done back in ancient times, by making yarn by hand spinning. It's an art still used today in some countries and with hobbyists.

She started out with a small spinning wheel, then graduated to a better one, then another, and finally settled on the one she is using today. Her household contains four of these wheels and all are still operable. It goes to show how hobbies can become an obsession. Her hobby occupies two rooms, one downstairs for the carding process, cleaning, drying, and storage. The upstairs room is the spinning room, where everything finally comes together.

One day while driving by I stopped and visited with the alpacas. They were friendly and unusually nosey. One after the other came over to see me. One hung around staring me in the face, and made a low, clucking, friendly type of a sound. I had a conversation with him, and he seemed to know what I was saying over the fence. I asked if he would smile at the camera, and the picture you see is what I got. What an elegant pose.

One interesting thing I learned on my visit is that alpacas are very tidy; they use a communal dung pile somewhere in a corner of their corral where they do not graze. Females have a tendency to "follow the leader." When one goes, the rest of the females line up at the same time, and go in the same place one at a time.

A few days later, I again visited the Oberlander's at their farm, and asked about that "friendly guy" that greeted me at the fence. Obie said, "Oh, you must be talking about the 'Old Man!' " He explained the "Old Man" was his very first alpaca of the pack and is a really friendly character. "He likes everybody," I was told.

Alpacas of Niagara, located on Tonawanda Creek Road in Lockport, is a large Western New York breeding farm, offering all kinds of services to other owners and breeders. Recently they held the area's first "Alpaca Fiber and Harvest Festival" at the former Amherst Museum, featuring an Alpaca fashion show, a first in Western New York. Among the many assorted vendors, there were live alpacas and dozens of vendors with handmade and selected imported alpaca products.
The farm includes an Alpaca Shop where you can purchase alpaca knitted goods with an emphasis on locally produced, hand-made, and made-in-the-USA items. Visit their website for more information and location: www.alpacaniagara.com .

Those with elementary-aged children might want to think about taking a trip to visit these friendly alpacas. The Oberlanders welcome children and would show them all about these ancient beasts of burden. The alpaca is a clean and fascinating creature, and children could even take them for a walk without being spit upon. Phone Dee at 716-745-3173 for arrangements in the spring; maybe you can even watch the shearing and learn how that is done.

Yes, the great outdoors is where it's at. Enjoy it frequently.

Fish stocking: See how it's done and why

New York state operates 12 fish hatcheries throughout the state, raising muskellunge, walleye, brook trout, brown trout, lake trout, rainbow, Coho and Chinook salmon.

Money is all derived from license fees and in each state throughout the U.S., a 10 percent flat federal tax is collected on recreational goods, from the Wallop-Breaux Tax Act. Everything purchased is taxed from fishing tackle, guns and ammo, boats, gasoline, etc. The federal tax collected is then doled out to each state, with amounts depending on license sales and the land and water area in each state on a 60-40 split. This program was initiated by sportsmen and conservationists to provide the states with funding for fish and wildlife management and research, habitat acquisition and sportsmen educational programs. In other words, sportsmen pay their own way, not just fishing, but hunting, too.

On Saturday, April 9, there will be a state Department of Environmental Conservation hatchery truck arriving to stock a load of baby brown trout, numbering roughly 4,440, at the Lewiston Landing. These tiny tots will be about 8-9 inches when stocked. The truck should arrive at about 10:45 a.m. The trucks are large, equipped with oxygenated tanks, and if you go bring a camera and stay out of the way of the workers. Releasing these fish doesn't take long, so get there early in case the truck arrives early. It's a good event for the kids to learn about, and maybe a good thing for a school project.

When you see how small these little brown trout are when they are stocked - then grow in size up to 30 pounds - you will be amazed. A New York state-record brown tipped the scales at 33 pounds, two ounces, caught in Lake Ontario, in June 1997. These baby browns were incubated and raised at the Rome Fish Hatchery north of the city of Rome, east of Oneida Lake. Annual fish production in New York alone reaches 1 million pounds of baby fish, salmon, trout, etc., raised and stocked in freshwater waters throughout the state. Why? Two good reasons, and off the top of my head: to improve and sustain recreational fishing, and to restore native species that once called our waters home.

Pictured is a little brown trout that jumped out of the tank at a stocking site in Wilson while attempting to transfer it to his new home.

Other spring hatchery trout stocking in Niagara County waters will be taking place through April and May. Gill Creek and Hyde Park Lake will see almost 2,500 brown trout introduced in April, plus another 100 browns and 200 rainbow stocked at Oppenhiem Park pond in Wheatfield. This spring, Olcott and Wilson will receive 12,500 rainbow trout and 22,180 brown trout each. All counted here is a total of almost 77,000 fish in Niagara County alone, with more to come. Actual stocking dates cannot be determined very far ahead of time because of weather, maturity, hatchery schedules, water temperatures, etc. Another thing that should make local fishermen happy is if there are surplus fish in the hatcheries, they are directed to our area waters; stocking dates go unannounced.

As spring arrives, stocking of area waters gets into full swing along Lake Ontario and the Niagara River. The Lake Ontario Trout and Salmon Association starts their pen raising project with Chinook salmon and rainbow trout, as does the Niagara River Anglers Association pen raising steelhead (rainbow) trout. Wilson has a loose association of dedicated fishermen that created a highly successful pen-rearing project a few years ago in 12-mile Creek. These projects are all volunteer-based, and the work done by dedicated sportsmen. The rearing of these newborn fish get imprinted to these waters, and after being released the great majority return as adults to waters that is familiar to them, spawn, and this gives sportsmen a run for their money and efforts. A great cycle.

The squirrel represents different things to different people
Outdoors in Niagara
Mark Daul

Whenever I hear the word "rodent," right away I think of mice and rats, but in the rodent "family" there are many different sizes and types of relatives. All rodents have the distinction of having a single pair of incisors in both the lower and upper jaws, especially made for gnawing.

I have several rodents that entertain me, but they are much larger than their lower class relatives of mice and rats that are not "good entertainment." A couple other mammals you are probably familiar with are those timber dwelling chipmunks, house pets like guinea pigs, and of all things, the beaver.

I have gray and black squirrels, a nuisance pest to many people especially if they infiltrate your house, usually in the attic. These visitors can be removed and shut out, and are not welcomed back. They are the smartest four-legged critters you will ever get to know, and their acrobatics are better than those Chinese acrobats we see on TV. Watch them for a while playing, making heroic jumps, climbing up and down trees, chasing one another and making all kinds of playful chattering noises.

In the mid-afternoon on those hot summer days, it's siesta time. They like to stretch out in a spread-eagle position on the flat surface of the fence or on the roof of the shed or on a tree branch and just take life easy. They get up early in the morning, eat, play, rest and then eat again in the evenings. Yes, squirrels close their eyes when they sleep.

I'm sure everyone has some backyard squirrels. Mine, I turn into friends. They get so friendly I can sit on my back porch and they'll come visit looking for a handout. Seldom do I let them take food out of my hand because it's not really a good idea. Their eyes are placed in their heads where they can't see too well up close, and you can accidentally get nipped. They'll reach up with their front feet and try to knock your offering out of your hand, and those little feet have claws like needles that will prick you, not realizing they could hurt you. So many times they hear the back door open, and right away there could be two, three or even four of them rushing up the steps looking for me. At least I like to think it's me they are looking for, but it's really the handout of old bread or crackers, and sometimes I'll offer peanuts in the shell. Squirrels in the U.S. are not known to cause rabies.

My grandkids think grandpa's squirrel colony is cool. Gramps doesn't have to get his pets shots, clean up after them, be home to feed them, no vet bills, they eat and drink for nothing, and yet when he comes outside, they are there to greet him.

They are hard to identify and put names to, but I had some identifiable friends. One was named "Chips" (pictured), because of two chips out of the tip of his left ear. He was the friendliest of all.

Then I had one named "Gimpy." He was a guy with a deformed front leg that he couldn't use, but he did quite well with just three legs. He held his food in his left paw while eating. He did have trouble climbing trees, but he did it. "Chicken" was so named because he was the scaredy-cat of the bunch. He would come near, but never up to the porch to see me. He would sit on the picnic table and stare at the others and me. Then there was "Blackie," obviously because he was a friendly black squirrel, and once in a while, he would bring another black friend, but the friend wouldn't get involved.

My backyard gang was numerous at times and I don't know what kind of lifespan they have. But when spring comes each year it seems all my old friends are gone or maybe they found a better feeding spot.

Speaking of feeding I had my own "miniature Nik Wallendas" when I hung my bird feeder on a long thin wire from the plastic coated backyard clothesline. Squirrels would climb up the tree, and tightrope the clothesline out to the feeder, slide down the wire and help themselves to the birds' sunflower seed. I quickly found that wasn't a very good idea to keep my friends from raiding the bird's precious sunflower seed. I thought I was smart using the thin wire, thinking the wire won't allow them to grip it, but they were smarter than me. They just put those little feet to work grabbing the wire tight, and slowly slide down, then jump to the ground when done.

After buying different so called "squirrel-proof" bird feeders over the years, I solved the raiding problem by driving a 2-inch galvanized pipe in the ground and mounted my common, wooden feeder on the very top. They could still climb the pipe and get up there until I cut a piece of aluminum drip edge I had laying around, and attached that in an upside-down cone shape near the top of the pipe under the feeder. That works really great, stopped them in their tracks, no more stealing from the birds. If you do this, make sure there are no trees or other objects close by, they can climb and jump to the feeder. They are very smart, and I have seen them jump as far as five feet, and as high as four feet.

Hunting squirrels is a challenging sport. In New York State, from Sept. 1 to Feb. 28 hunters get out in the woods to hunt squirrel from sunrise to sunset. Hunters are allowed a daily bag limit of six, and they make a good meal when prepared correctly. Most hunters are good wild game cooks, and they advise to never broil or grill a squirrel; they will get chewy like the tongue of your shoe. Young squirrels can be roasted, fried, boiled or in soups. The old guys probably should be simmered or crock-pot style cooked until tender.

Cleaning them for the pot can be tricky, and I watched this being done once, but I didn't learn a thing except let an experienced person do it for you. Maybe search YouTube for a video. You must have a valid small game license to hunt squirrels.

Mepps, a large U.S.A. company that makes fishing lures, and in particular spinners, has a squirrel tail program. They buy squirrel tails from hunters and other individuals and use them for dressing on the hook behind the spinner. Apparently fish like this little added attraction and squirrel tails do the best job in providing a pulsating action provoking fish to bite. The company pays as high as 26 cents each for premium tails. Of course there are rules you need to follow. Go to their website for the details at http://www.mepps.com. Even if you don't fish, the website is interesting, and you can see what the added attraction looks like. You can even request their free lure catalog there.

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Coyotes that roam Niagara County

by Mark Daul
Outdoors in Niagara

Niagara coyotes are described as the Eastern coyote (canis latrans), and the theory is they migrated to New York state in the late 1930s and early '40s. In the 1970s they became very abundant across the state, and in some pockets they over-populated.

They are an admirable animal to just sit and watch. Coyotes are very smart, wily, adaptable, and good hunters, eating small rodents and rabbits, and in summertime they add grass, berries, large insects and birds at times. Coyotes are mostly nocturnal, and they love cats that are left out at night, so make sure your pets are safe and sound. Raccoons get blamed for a lot of things that coyotes can get into, and they can tip your garbage can over in a jiffy and feed just like the raccoons.

Coyotes are about 4 to 5 feet long including the tail; about the size of a mid-sized German Shepard, and weigh 35 to 45 pounds with long thick fur and bushy tail. Color varies and the ones I have seen are generally dark tan and black. Coyotes may be seen alone or in small groups. They are often spotted crossing the Robert Moses Parkway anywhere between Lewiston and Fort Niagara, and oftentimes during the day in late summer and fall, when the adults send their offspring away to fend on their own, find their mates, and take up a new territory.

I live in a neighborhood where there are virtually no dogs, and many times this time of year, I go out in the morning only to discover piddle on my car tires and against my shed and other objects in the yard. It's a sure sign I had visitors through the night marking their territories. I have never seen one in my yard, but I know it was them casing my territory. I never found any feces, but if I did I would know what to look for, as it is made up of what they eat; parts of animal hair and bones, and pieces of nuts and fruits, things they can't digest. Through the winter snow coverage they can hear a mouse tunneling under many inches of snow and then pounce on it for another meal. In the spring time when food gets scarce they have been known to take down a new born fawn to get a couple of meals out of, or even freely eat off a dead deer along the roadside.

Rabies are rare in coyotes with only a few cases reported in New York state. But they are known to show aggressive behavior sometimes, so you should always be cautious if walking your dog through a wooded or grassy area; they like to show off their superiority toward other dogs. You should report any aggressive behavior to the state Department of Environmental Conservation or a nearby police agency and let them handle it. Dogs and coyotes do not interbreed.

Getting close to Mother Nature is a great thing, and many of us are blessed to be able to get outdoors in Niagara to enjoy the solitude, especially with winter snows approaching where we can get out and actually track a lot of winter creatures. Coyote tracks can be a little confusing; they look similar to medium-sized dog tracks. Sometimes when tracking you will see where one caught his meal and a scuffle ensued only to see feathers and bones left. You may even hear the eerie howls and yelps of the lonesome coyote in the wind. (They can be heard up to three miles away on a quiet day or night and favorable wind.)

These critters don't hibernate and they hunt all winter. Hunting them is regulated, and you can hunt or trap them in New York state from Oct. 1 to March 25. And you must purchase a small game license to do so. There are no limits on what you take and you don't have to report your harvest.

There is a wonderful story about coyotes on the Outdoors Niagara website written by local outdoorsman Mike Gillis, a lifelong resident of Youngstown. He goes a little more in depth where he actually encountered these creatures of nature. For more, visit www.outdoorsniagara.com/coyotes.htm.


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