RAIN ** DEER ** TOAD

Hoyt with 8-pt. buck taken late Sunday

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Rain began falling softly, shortly after dark, as Hoyt pursued a buck he shot with a bow in the east side woods of Washington Island.

This was the first rain of any significance in awhile, maybe as much as half an inch accumulation overnight.  Normally, darkness and rain would make tracking a challenge as raindrops wash away droplets of blood, but Hoyt's arrow was placed within a vital area near the heart of this buck, and the deer didn't run far as a result.  After waiting to ensure his deer didn't, and wouldn't, get up and run away when pursued (as it might with a shot to the lungs), Hoyt went home to help put his boys to bed, and to retrieve a garden cart to aid in transporting his deer to the road.  

Several hours later, with darkness and rain now adding to the challenge of navigating in thick woods, Hoyt successfully relocated his deer and began the trek toward his truck.  He dragged the cart several hundred yards through thick woods, but without a clear route before him, he left the deer and cart behind to find his way first.  It was 9:45 pm when I joined him by the roadside, after responding to his cell phone call.  I held flashlights while he field dressed the eight-pointer.

This past weekend marked the beginning of the deer bow hunting season that lasts into the early new year of 2012, with a break during the ten-day the traditional gun season in November.

Toad likes Ferry Terminal


Our resident toad, spotted again on the walk next to the Island Ferry Terminal, was pointed out to me by Janet Hanlin and Carol Meyer.

I've seen large toads such as this one before, but its been several years.  According to our office staff, this one has made his presence known, periodically slipping from nearby flower beds to find bugs and greet the public near our building.  He is a lump.  I'd guess he approaches a pound in weight.

Charles Long, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Stevens Point and an island summer resident, has remarked that this particular type of toad is, he thinks, quite unique to Washington Island.

Of any island toads I've seen, this one is the grand-daddy of them all (or grand-mommy, as the case may be.)   Nearly as wide as he is long, this toad was quite docile and well-behaved in the palm of my hand.

The light colored stripe down his back, according to Carol Meyer, who has observed him on several occasions, seems to widen and narrow with mood, or temperature.

 -  Dick Purinton