Jake:

Good to see the report, I know ya been fishing, but hadn't seen much on the write up side. I have been on a drought on the water as we puppied up and I have been spending all my free time in the woods with the two labs, one 10 and the other just turning 16 weeks. Been getting in to some areas with good grouse numbers and woodcock for a period of time. While most including myself had thought the weather had sent the timberdoodles south, I heard last weekend while at R&H that there were still some good numbers to the North and west of us.

The ticks south of town have been ridiculous and to the north very tolerable. The night of the Pack-Vike game, the wife and I picked well over 50 of them off still crawling on the dogs coats after an hour walk. I went north after that. Two nights ago, after hearing the ticks weren't so bad to the SW of town, we spent an hour picking three dozen of them. So if you are mobile and want to stay away from the ticks while hunting the woods, stay north til the ground freezes or the snow covers it for good.

I am off to southern WI to hunt geese and pheasants with my family and my uncle and his kids!!! Then on my return, I hope to get into the boat a couple of times before it all ends.

Mark