Cold Turkey

Earlier this week I was sitting there watching as the snowflakes steadily fell. Then a tiny question question popped up in my head: "Could this be the year I hunt turkey's in SNOW?"

We have been stuck in a very cold rut for some time now - 2 months to be exact. The culprit is a persistent western ridge that has been surrounding the driest states with above normal temps all winter. This ridge teams up with an eastern trof of cold low pressure and a ginormous teeter-totter gets tipped -dumping cold air on Iowa!

It's certainly not impossible that we could see snow into mid April, but it doesn't seem likely to happen. The western ridge will be on the move, bringing warmer temps to the region this week. Once the ground thaws, our strong spring sunshine will make it harder to freeze over. We will also lose the snow pack which has been a white welcome mat for our cold surges of air. Snow free ground will temper winter's chill and we will be launched into spring.

It is truly amazing what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, soil temps were in the 50s and I was on the hunt for Morel mushrooms! Spring was in full bloom and by the time first season rolled around, the turkeys were most of the way through their breeding season. This year may be the complete opposite as soil temps are near freezing. Vegetation will likely be sparse and turkey hunting could be fantastic -especially on the days we get sunshine.

But we are still in an active weather pattern so sunshine may be hard to buy. The spring outlook even features a moderate risk of flooding in some parts of the state. I think it's likely that we could settle into a cool and wet early spring pattern in April and transition to a warm and wet spring pattern in May.

Hopefully that doesn't mean you'll be stuck in the cold showers hunting turkey this season, but if we do get slammed with cool April showers, I'll be in the neighbors field getting soaked right beside ya!

T - 19 days...

What to Do When Winter Wont Quit

Once again I find myself adrift like the river ice - in between ice fishing season and open water angling. This time of year I'm typically wondering what to do while I shoot turkeys and catch bass from the comfort of the couch. Thank you satellite TV!

To break the funk, Heather and I went to the Iowa Deer Classic and got fired up on some of the turkey hunting tips and tactics from Outdoors Dan. I also picked up a great turkey hunting DVD from Jen and Matt with TrailCam Trophies. It was great to catch up with old friends and sample all the jerky, sausage and hot sticks.

All that food in my belly got me thinking - why don't I process the rest of my venison to pass the time while the ice melts? I get so much satisfaction from bringing my own food to the table. It's a lot of work, but I feel a sense of gratification and accomplishment that makes every bite taste better. There's also an element of culinary creativity that I enjoy during the process.

This year I made a variety of venison products including my usual 80/20 ground deer and deer jerky.

New this year, I attempted summer sausage and hot stix. I ground 45 lbs of deer with 10 lbs of beef, 20 jalapenos, and 4 lbs of cheese and mixed it with a store bought sausage mix. If you're going to go, go all out right?

Well, the summer sausage turned out fantastically! I baked it in the oven until the internal temp was 165F and the garden grown jalapenos gave it a wonderfully smooth heat.

I gambled on the hot stix - and lost. I tried smoking them, but my smoker couldn't get above 150 (an unfortunate combo of impatient operator error and cold temps). I had to finish the batch off in the oven to get that 165F internal temp, and they dried out a bit. Between that and the "harsh" smoke that comes with a colder fire, they're edible but below average. I guess I'll choke 'em down, or just give them away ;-)

So if you're left wondering what to do when Winter just wont quit... relive the harvest! From shot to finish, processing your own food can bring even more satisfaction from the hunt.

Surprise SNOW!

A monster blizzard dumps 10-20 inches and impacts over 30 states!

I don't know what's worse; our latest storm's unpredictability, Des Moines traffic in the snow, or my ice fishing chances now that a blanket of powder is insulating the ice.

A train of snowflakes over 1,000 miles long wrapped around this storm.

Snow insulates ice, allowing it to warm up and thin from below. So it appears my opportunities for ice fishing are beginning to slip away with every falling flake... and they just keep on falling don't they?

A heavy axis of 8" to 10" fell in central Iowa. Impressive.

Tuesday morning, the heavy snow swath shifted over 90 miles northwest blanketing unsuspecting parts of central Iowa with a heavy winter storm! Central Iowa packed on 6" to 12" of snowfall with a surprise left turn from the February 26th - 27th Blizzard.

Tuesday morning's snow forecast from a model = worthless.

While Iowa didn't see blizzard conditions, some folks picked up 10"-16". This storm's last minute moves surprised forecasters like myself. To make matters worse, the computer models that help us with snowfall predictions were useless and misleading. This all just makes me want to go ice fishing, but now I have shoveling to do...

Ice was 5 to 6 inches thick.

One week ago, I was able to get out on the ice in central Iowa with my neighbor. The edges of the pond had been shredded by wind and warmth, but further out on the ice burg, there was 5.5" of clear ice and we caught a few fish. The ice looked stressed and the overall thickness was borderline for me.

Wind and warm... bad for ice. Imagine this, covered up by snow.

Since then, temperatures have been averaging below freezing. Ice conditions in central Iowa have probably maintained, but I wont fish that pond again until ice-out. The new snow blanket makes it hard to see the quality of our thinning ice and the weight of two heavy snows in a weak will stress the ice. This will create dangerous conditions for central Iowa anglers, so please be careful if you decide to hit the hard water.



If there's one good thing about the tiny, white, hellions that wont seem to stop falling from the sky... they are quite pretty. You'll have to take a break from snow blowing and shoveling and look at the flakes up close. Colder temps and more moisture produce the biggest flakes, and their shape is highly dependent on the temperature of the clouds that created them. One thing's for sure, this latest storm had the perfect snow-making conditions.

Chart provided by Cal-Tech.

So while you're cleaning up the sidewalk, I'll mop up the mess in the Weather Center. We'll get the next one right ;-) Feel free to give me hard time if you see me at the Whitetail Classic. That's March 1st through March 3rd at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines.

Be safe and enjoy the snow!

On Thin Ice

Ice fishing season is dangerously close to being over in central Iowa.

This past week, central Iowa saw six straight days of ice loss and unfortunately, we've had several reports of fishermen going through thin ice.

I was out at a fishing spot yesterday to check the ice thickness. Temps were in the 40s, the edges were either open or pretty mushy and thin, but out on the ice the depth was still 6". Last week, the ice was 8" in that spot, and the current thickness lines up nicely with the expected ice loss of 1.5" to 3.5" from my blog "Ice Fishing Hanging on in Central Iowa".


Good news is in the chilly air today and tomorrow as colder Canadian temperatures dive southward. Average temperatures will be cold enough to re-enforce and maintain the current ice pack. Many locations will even grow some ice.

The pattern is changing after Monday. Colder temps will plunge down into Iowa and we will begin an active and cool pattern that could last through the end of the month.

Storm systems will line up and hit Iowa every 3-5 days. Each of these systems should swing in from the west and southwest bringing a brief warm-up, a chance of precip. and then 2-3 days of Canadian/Arctic cold.

Although any wind, rain, and above freezing temps may negatively impact the ice, the strength of the cold could keep ice fishing alive until March.

Good luck and stay safe!