Heitman Hits
Pheasants fall to bowman
Scott Heitman of the Ojibwa Bowhunters Club in New Berlin shot these three roosters at a 25 percent clip with flu-flu arrows Sunday.
So my ex- buddy Scott Heitman is better with his recurve than I am with my scattergun when hunting pheasants. This is notable. I don’t like people who are better than me with their recurve than I am with my scattergun; especially when the target is flushing, upland game.
It’s not like Scott sent a lucky arrow up and downed a flushing rooster during the Ojibwa Bowhunters club annual trip to hunt pheasant with bow and arrow only at the Newburg Sportsman’s Club. Actually, the 15 members or so from our club who traveled to Newburg did well with the 60 birds released, coming home with nine pheasants as a group.
But Heitman sent 12 flu-flu arrows into the sky during the morning of hunting, and connected with three roosters. That’s some pretty good odds and very good shooting, especially for a show-off. That percentage goes beyond luck, especially when we know that Scott does this on a fairly routine basis with his Ben Pearson Hunter recurve. I’ve watched him tag deer with the recurve and also know he has taken rabbits, squirrel, turkey, and even a lone coyote.
That “connection rate” is easier to understand when you know that Scott annually lands in the top 10, usually top few, in the Wisconsin State Traditional Archery competition held at various archery clubs throughout Wisconsin. This year’s August competition, in fact, happens to be on our home court at Ojibwa in New Berlin.
For details on the traditional shoot, pig roast and shoot, and many other events at Ojibwa Bowhunters this summer, connect with www.ojibwabowandarrow.tripod.com.
Crappies were hitting light in Iron County in warm weather that flooded 15 inches of ice with water.
Boats crowd the Fox at DePere as the run begins
Lenny Young prepares to release a walleye on the Fox
The summer-like warm weather of late February and early March brings out different ambitions in different sportsman. Brother Steve Ellis of Wausau returned to his cabin in Iron County, found 15 inches of ice flooded with water, but also found light-biting crappies cooperating. Long time friend and retired middle school science teacher Lenny Young found walleyes cooperating on the Fox River at DePere this week, and buddy Jim Olsson snuck onto Lake Michigan and caught smaller browns despite the high winds March 7 off of Oak Creek throwing casting spoons and flicker shads.
Lots of anglers are starting to head to Wisconsin Dells for walleyes, and look for action to steadily increase on Wisconsin’s main veins throughout the state in the coming weeks. In fact, if you want to read two really good articles on where and when to fish these rivers, and great tips for finding walleyes in their “hiding spots” during the run do yourself a favor. In the current March-April issue of On Wisconsin Outdoors (100,000 copies now on the streets and posted on this website’s homepage), read “Pick a River” by Tom Luba, and Shelf Life by Phil Schweik. They will put you on fish.
Jim Olsson worked casting spoons and flicker shads to find Lake Michigan Browns
The walleye runs on rivers across Wisconsin will mean great fishing and eating
With 70 degree weather whispering in February that I could improve on my golf game that stays at an even score of 50 regardless of where I play and under what conditions year-round, I put in 45 holes in over one week. Dedicated to improving my game, I would be at the desk by 5:00 am and on the course by 2:30 pm. I’m now officially shooting 55 no matter where I go or under what conditions.
I actually thought I would do well. When I can get away with it with no neighbors watching, I sneak out and blast a fairway wood from my front yard to a bluegill pond that was covered with ice across the street about 170 yards away. Because I wasn’t comfortable with my game for some reason, I made sure that I lined up behind two trees in my yard that made it seemingly impossible that I could hit my neighbor Peter Deinlein’s house which lies about 100 yards to the right of the target pond and maybe 150 yards from my ball placement.
I felt great contact, but you know that feeling when something goes wrong and you know it because you’re wearing a cringe waiting for a noise that you pray won’t come? Like a broken window noise? It seemed it took an eternity for the ball to travel that 150 yards and just when I thought I had gotten away with the world’s worst slice around two trees it happened….”wham”. “I thought Peter had metal siding,” I contemplated, as black lab Dallas, who I never did anything to in fact I invite him over for games of fetch with Micah and me often…immediately began to tattle on me from inside my neighbor’s house with an endless bark-howl.
So, yes, I walked across the street still cringing with my fingers locked on the top of my head sheepishly, to fess up. (What does “fess” mean? Fess Parker?) I did have one thing going in my favor. Peter is one of my two neighbor mechanics, and with my last two OWO delivery trucks having 329,000 miles and 230,000 miles on them respectively and counting, he gets a lot of work out of me, so even if he was mad I was counting on him being nice.
For those of you thinking “delivery” trucks mean I’m doing very well with probably a BMW and Mercedes in the garage, my delivery truck is also my every day car. In fact Lori won’t ride in it anymore, citing dog hair and deer guts… or something. And she makes me take showers before we take her car.
I got to Peter’s house and he comes out to meet me and my sheepish look but starts talking fishing. “He doesn’t know,” I think incredulously. But I Fess Parker-ed up anyway. And Peter says, “Oh, that’s why Dallas was going nuts.”
“Really?” I respond. “I didn’t notice.”
There’s no damage, that we could find in the siding anyway, except for one fresh hole with the imprint “Titlist” in the wood in reverse script that I forgot to show Peter. I thank Peter for his understanding, inquire on any tips for correcting a slight slice, and assure him that he could count on me for an alternator or starter or maybe the floorboards going at any minute.
As for me, I’m going to stick to hunting and fishing, arenas that I also stink at but in which nobody gets hurt, usually, and nobody’s home gets wrecked.
So… enough about my version of golf.
I also bought a new Glock 26 Gen 4 this week and am shooting a lot. Slicing a bit too, but to date have not hit Peter’s house.
You know how you personally can’t miss, as a hunter or fisherman? Stop at Kwik Trip on every trip you take. May I suggest one sausage, egg and cheese croissant, one donut, and one skim milk to make you think you’re watching your weight as the perfect morning start? And there are just too many good things on the shelves to even recommend an afternoon dining experience.
Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors. Shoot straight. Golf straight.
Somebody has to.
Dick Ellis