A bow hunter was walking parallel grid lines in a canola field. A guy drove by and asked what he’d lost. “I shot a deer in those trees. It must have dropped somewhere in this field.” The passer-by replied: “I have two bird dogs with me. Let’s let them try.” They started the dogs downwind […] Read more
Stories by Joe Schmutz
Drought can have impact on wildlife
The summer of 2021 and the six years before it were among the hottest on record. In Saskatchewan, rain came in decent amounts in some areas but not others. The Western Producer’s temperature and precipitation maps showed a dry belt from Saskatoon westward and then south. Since 2013, I’ve been hunting sharp-tailed grouse on three […] Read more
Hawk poses little threat to grouse
As sage grouse rise and mostly fall, no one wants to be responsible for our failure to sustain them. Some blame the ferruginous hawk. Biologists, ranchers and the oil and gas industry have helped this threatened hawk by erecting pole nests where needed. Are we helping the hawk and hurting the grouse? How would we […] Read more
