Raccoon River Greenbelt Newsletter Published by the Dallas County Conservation Board SUMMER SOLSTICE EDITION 2015 Inside This Issue Woodland/Prairie Perspectives Summertime Fun Summertime Fun By Mike Wallace, Director Orphaned Wildlife A couple weeks ago my son-in law and I spent a day fishing at a local lake. We were Thank You fortunate to be fishing the right day at the right time and at the right place. We caught a basket full of crappies, good sized ones too. We topped off the day by bringing them home, cleaning them and then had a good “ole fashion” fish fry with the rest of the Bow Fishing family. It was somewhat of an unplanned event because I had just made a last minute decision to go fishing and he was available. Having the fish fry was also unplanned Redfield and because we did not give my wife much advanced warning (sometimes we don’t catch Dawson: Two anything), but she and my daughter helped make things happen. I’d like to say that my Towns With Rich grandson helped too, but he was more concerned about eating crackers instead (hey, he is only about 1½ years old!). Histories Anyway, this activity brings back a Calendar of Events lot of memories for me growing up. Summertime fishing with family! It’s an activity that does not really Thank You Beth require much equipment, just a basic Shields rod, reel and tackle, maybe some worms and you’ve got what is really A Wild Story Comes necessary. Head on down to the Full Circle nearest lake, pond or river and there is the chance to catch the big one. I still get excited every time I catch a Unexpected fish. It does not matter what size or Encounters= what kind it is, it’s just plain fun to do this. Just think about it, that hook is under the Teachable water and all of a sudden something grabs and pulls on it. Moments ~ continued on page 2 Email: [email protected] ♦ www.conservation.co.dallas.ia.us Woodland/Prairie Perspectives Summer Fun ~ continued from pg 1 You won’t know what it is until you reel it in. Is it a crappie, bluegill, bass, catfish, or walleye? It’s that feeling of excitement of the unknown that keeps you throwing your line out. Of course the one that got away was probably a world record. If anything, the story told about the size of the one that got away keeps getting bigger. What is even more important about spending time fishing is the fact that you are doing something outside, enjoying our natural resources. The Dallas County Conservation Board (DCCB) has areas that provide opportunities for fishing. For river fishing, the DCCB has areas along the North, Middle and South Raccoon Rivers. These areas include: Kuehn Conservation Area, Hanging Rock, North Raccoon River Wildlife Area (Snyder Tract), Dawson Boat Ramp, Puckerbrush Boat Ramp, and Redfield Dam/Boat Ramp to name just a few. Also at our Glissman Conservation Area we have a 7 acre pond that holds a variety of good sized fish. Our gravel pit ponds located at the North Raccoon River Wildlife Area (Snyder Tract), west of Minburn, is also a great place to go fishing. Beaver Lake (Iowa DNR Area) north of Dexter is a popular site too. In the 2015 Iowa DNR Regulations there’s a list of a few changes in the fishing regulations that you should be aware of. Those include the following: • It is no longer legal to hand fish. • Walleye length limits will be established by posting or publishing. The Black Hawk Lake daily bag limit and possession limit for walleye is 5 and 10; there is no length limit. • Iowa/Minnesota border lakes regulations have been modified. • Snagging, bow and arrow fishing and spearing is prohibited from several inlet and outlet areas on Clear Lake/Ventura Marsh, Lost Island Lake/ Barringer Slough, and Lower Gar Lake. • Special Paddlefish License for Missouri River and Big Sioux River. RESIDENT FISHING LICENSES: Annual 16 years old and older $19.00, 3-Year $53.00, 7-Day $13.50, 1-Day $9.50. Annual Third Line Fishing Permit $12.00, Trout Fee $12.50, Lifetime (65 years old and older) $52.50. Boundary Water Sport Trotline $22.50, Fishing Tournament Permit $25.00, Fishing, Hunting, Habitat Fee Combo $47.00. Special Paddlefish License $22.00. ~ Continued on page 14 2 Nature Lore Orphaned Wildlife? By Justin Smith, Deputy Director./Biologist The onset of Spring and Summer often brings an onslaught of phone calls to our office regarding orphaned wildlife. “I found a baby( insert animal name here). Now what do I do?” In most cases it is best to leave the wildlife there. As hard as it is, usually the best thing to do the next time you find young wildlife that appears orphaned is to leave it alone. Spring is a busy time for wildlife parents, and they are often forced to spend long periods of the day away from their young. White-tailed Deer for example may only return to their fawn 2-3 times a day to nurse the young one. The fawn spends the rest of the day utilizing it natural camouflage (spots) hiding in a safe place. Female deer - called does - are very good mothers, but they don't act like human moms. Mother deer often leave their young alone - carefully hidden - while they feed or even sleep. Humans finding young deer alone in the woods or meadows often think the baby is orphaned. But the doe - often frantic at seeing humans so close to her young - is usually very close to the scene. Too often, people take the fawn to a conservation or wildlife rescue group - when the young deer usually doesn't need rescuing at all. A doe will hide from other deer while giving birth and during the first weeks of the fawn's life. The doe wants to keep away from any possible danger to her fawn. The mother deer hides the fawn almost all the time - except when the fawn is nursing. The mother even eats the fawn's droppings and urine to keep the area free of scent that attracts predators. Wood Ducks are another example of wildlife parents who may not seem to know what they are doing. Wood Ducks, like other waterfowl, spend much of there lives on or near water. Wood Ducks, however, often times nest a substantial distance from water. Being true to their name Wood Ducks nest in trees. The parents pick a suitable site (usually a hollow cavity in a tree or even a man-made nest box) and wait for the eggs to hatch. The day after they hatch, the nestlings climb to the entrance of the nest and jump down to the ground,. The mother calls them to her and leads them to water. This often times happens in urban areas where people become concerned when they suddenly spot a bunch of ducklings scurrying through their lawns. Again the best thing to do is leave them alone. The mother Wood Duck will get them to water. ~ Continued on page 4 3 Nature Lore Orphaned Wildlife? ~ continued from pg 3 Other animals may appear to be orphans but are actually independent at a very young age. Rabbits are independent of their mothers at 16 days. They are still small and will fit in the palm of your hand. Their eyes are open and their ears will rotate. Squirrels are independent when their tails are bushy and they are about half the size of an adult. Opossums are independent when they quit hanging on their mothers back. They are usually about 6 inches long (excluding the tail) and are fully furred, with open eyes and well developed teeth. Really the best way you can help these animals is to keep pets away. Remember, dogs and cats are predators, so it is up to you to keep them away from the young wildlife. Also, keep children away from the young animals. Too much disturbance can have unintended consequences to the young wildlife. If you absolutely feel that an animal has been orphaned a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found at the following website: www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/files/wildliferehab.pdf Be sure to contact a rehabilitator before doing anything else. Never attempt to rehabilitate an animal yourself. It is against the law to do so unless you have the proper permits. Donations — Thank You! We appreciate your support! Raccoon River Valley Trail Thomas & Gwendolyn Harvey Phil Tuning Stephen Zimmer Frank & Lonna MeCammond Dave Egleston Jake Ritter David & Linda Gobberdiel Jon & Susan Dutcher Gene Gabus Paved Crossings Project Andrew Gangle Troy & Kim Zeleznik 4 Wildlife Management Bow Fishing Greg Sieck- Natural Resource Manager For the avid whitetail hunter bow fishing is a way to enjoy the warm summer months as we await the arrival of fall. It is also a fun activity nearly anyone can enjoy. I find bow fishing extremely challenging and fun. I enjoy wading in the cool water on a hot summer day alongside a shallow lake or trolling around in a boat looking for the slightest movement in a shallow vegetative cove. The term rough fish comes from the course scale of the fish acting like armor. This relates to carp, gar, suckers, bowfin, drum and other various fish species. Many of these species are not sought by sport anglers but are very popular in the commercial fishing industry. Legal Method of take: Rough fish (carp, buffalo, quillback, gar, sheepshead, dogfish) can be caught day or night, by: hand fishing, snagging, spear, or bow and arrow.