Firsts In Missouri 2022

[gitano]

There were a few "Firsts" for me this year on the deer hunt at Rick's this year. One was "First at Rick's" and others were "First Ever".

On the list of First at Rick's is a living striped skunk, (Mephitis mephitis). I've seen plenty of skunks. I've seen plenty of DOR (dead on the road) skunks at Rick's, but I've never before seen one alive at Rick's. I have now. Sorry, no pictures. It was at night while I was driving.

First on the list of First Ever is a bobcat, (Lynx rufus). I've seen plenty of lynx (Lynx canadensis) as I trapped them in my youth, but I've never seen a bobcat 'in the wild'. Can't say that now. While sitting in a stand at John's place, I saw what at first look I thought was a really big rabbit. (It was 200yd off.) Then at first glance through the binos and I thought, "It's a grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), because it was crawling on its belly, and I couldn't see the 'long' - relative to a grey fox's - legs. Then it stopped and looked toward me. It was then obviously a bobcat. Very cool! Slinking along on its belly at the edge of a field. Sorry, again no pictures. Too far away.

Next First Ever was hearing a white-tail deer buck grunt. I've heard recordings, and I've heard many grunt calls, but I've never actually heard a buck grunt "in the wild". Can't say that now. Again while sitting in one of John's stands, I heard what I thought was a grunt, but there were half a dozen does standing nearer to it than me, and they didn't even raise their heads. I thought I was "hearing things". The next evening, same thing; grunt, nearby does, no acknowledgement of the grunt by the does. However, I saw the buck, briefly, and heard him grunt several times over the next half hour. Very cool! The does never showed ANY sign of acknowledgement. That surprised me.

Finally, on the list of First Ever, is riding in a combine. Due to late rains, Rick's corn crop hadn't been harvested by the time the season started. Three days before the end of the season, Junior and his dad came to harvest the corn. Junior generously let me ride around with him for about half an hour in the daylight, then they went to their deer stands for the 'evening sit'. When they came back after dark, I rode around for another half hour. It was cool! Combines are pretty sophisticated machinery these days. I DO have pictures of that!

Here are the combines starting on the field in front of Rick's house.




Here's a look from the cab.


Early morning the next day.


This, along with shredded stalks and husks, is what comes out the back.




A partially harvested field.


The object of all the effort.




Here's a video of the combining. I took several, but this one "fits".
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zjFGis5Pt162bQjG6

You know me: Gotta find a use for everything I can. Those cobs were soft as popcorn in the center, and hard as nails outside the center. Hmm... Corncob pipes. A uniquely American artifact. I made two.





Paul

[Jamie.270]

Congrats Paul.



Pardon me, but it seems you've led a somewhat sheltered life!

[gitano]

Seems so at times, Jamie.270

Paul

[davidlt89]

First bobcat in the wild, wow!! I would never have guessed that. They are not commonly seen up here as most of the people I know have never seen one. Apparently I have been blessed, because I seem to see them all the time. The last one I saw was about two years ago standing in the middle of my road while I was running. I don't even live in bobcat "county", persay.
I wish we could trap lynx because they are everywhere now!

[Hunterbug]

Rick needs to get a good pheasant population going. Nice looking pipes, Paul.

[gitano]

I grew up in Alaska, where there are no bobcats. What many that are younger than 50 don't realize, is that "the good ol' days" weren't very good for hunting most things. Several species of game animals (bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and wild turkey to name three), were almost driven to extinction, and certainly extirpated from much of their original range. Even whitetails, that are now at nuisance levels in some places, were rare in some of those same places in the 50s. ALL predators, including bobcats, were "shot on sight", and consequently, were quite rare to see until the 90s.

As I said, I've seen A LOT, (several 100s for sure), of striped skunks, just never a LIVING one AT RICK'S. (At one point, I came very close to getting one for a pet.)

That said, there is still plenty of stuff for me to see and do for the first time. Even as a fisheries scientist that studied in the Midwest, I had never caught a smallmouth bass until a few years ago. I've still not caught a walleye. By the same token, how many walleye fishermen have caught an inconnu/sheefish, or even an Arctic grayling?

That's why I get excited when I get to see or do something new! Even if it's only "new" to the place where I saw it.

Paul