It's hard to imagine until you see it. I was at the wheel, headed West on one of America's flattest and seemingly straightest roads. We were headed to South Dakota's nowhere for an end of the season pheasant hunt. And I can officially say, I ended my season with a serious blast. Seriously. Fellow Pheasants Forever member Bruce Behm had invited myself and photojournalist Joe Harewicz out to his South Dakota ranch to close out the season and chase a few late-season birds. Exactly my kind of hunt. So, early Friday morning, we pointed the truck West and drove seven, long hours until we hit Wessington Springs, SD. From there, we headed another 30 miles out of town, mainly on dirt roads, following the small map Bruce had whipped up, until we rolled up on his old ranch house; a well-worn but welcome sort of place.

Now, Bald Eagle Lodge isn't a terribly fancy hunting retreat. This is the kind of place where serious hunters hang out. Old linoleum floors...a few bb holes in the rattling windows... faucets that whistled each time you twisted them on. A perfect hunting getaway.The guys had just finished up the morning hunt. They stacked their birds out front and snuck inside for a quick lunch. While they ate, I geared up for the cold hunt. I went through my checklist. Extra pair of socks...Check. Long underwear...Check. Winter hat...Check. We circled out front of the house and figured out a game plan for the next field. Bruce assigned guys to post and block and then we all drove to the field.  The hundred or so acres consisted of a bunch of prairie grass, sorghum and corn. Soon as we got close, we could see dozens and dozens of birds moving around. They acted like late season birds. Nervous and jittery, seemingly one step ahead of our game. The guys with the dogs started on the west end of the field. I walked alongside Bruce's father; 78-year-old Don Behm. Don and I had a good laugh as we watched, at best guess, a thousand hens and roosters shoot skyward. Some shot straight up and quickly out of range. Others popped up just over the tops of the sorghum and darted away, too low to take aim at. Still others, allowed us a few quick shots. We watched as the dogs retrieved the down birds. Like that, we had our limit for the day. Back in camp, Bruce, who is the self-appointed chef, pulled out a giant chunk of meat that would soon become ten ribeye steaks. The side of beef had somehow frozen. Bruce rigged up a defrost station. Great work Bruce! After consuming copious amounts of ribeye, I retired to my basement mattress and clicked out the light and wrapped up in my sleeping bag.  After a few seconds of sweet silence, a most peculiar sound cut through the darkness. The golden retriever, kenneled right next to me had started to howl (technically, it's called a whine). The pathetic sounds echoed in the concrete basement. I jumped up from my mattress, grabbed my ear plugs (which were supposed to be a backup should one of Bruce's visitors be a snorer) and dropped back in bed, nearly too excited to sleep. That's what happens before a big hunt. We all dream of the perfect day in the field....Lots of roosters, slow flushes, clean shots...Next thing I knew, my eyes were open and I could smell fresh coffee. 7:15 a.m.  Night had passed just that quickly. We would walk our first field at 10. I quickly showered, jumped into my hunting togs and headed upstairs.  As I rolled into the kitched and reached for a mug of coffee, I took a quick peek out the front window. Bruce was already laughing. We knew we had a chance for snow later in the day, but it had clearly come early. A thick layer of snow covered the trucks out front. The wind shook the shutters. Bruce tuned on the weather report as people slowly rolled out of bed. Radar showed a major winter storm rolling right over us. We all sat down to breakfast and figured out how we'd chase birds as we washed down french toast and pheasant sausage links with mugs of warm coffee.

As I stepped out into the weather, the bitterly-cold wind instantly snipped at my face. Bruce assigned a few of us to stand guard on the end of the field. I set up shop with the snow and wind coming from my left. Joe hid somewhere under layers of winter gear. A giant plastic bag around his camera snapped in the wind. These were definately some of the most drastic conditions I had ever hunted in. Upwind,well out of sight in the heavy snow,we could hear the shotgun pops of the guys on the other end of the field. We waited impatiently. The wind whistled through the line of trees blocking the northern edge of the field. Suddenly, two hens emerged from the snowy fog and quickly zipped past. We stood our ground, waiting for the pushers to near. Suddenly, bird after bird after bird appeared in front of us. I picked out a rooster and took aim. Bang! A miss. Rooster#2. Bang! Bang! Another miss. I quickly fumbled in my vest and grabbed three more shells. Bang! Bang! Bang! Yet another bird missed. These weren't easy shots. Roosters way up in the air, zipping overhead in the blizzard. Bang! A bird dropped right next to me. Don had his first rooster of the day. In all, we would walk three fields in that knarly weather. Walking Bruce's acres of habitat kept our bodies warm, although the wind and snow continued to cut at our faces. Just that fast, my late-season hunt had wrapped up. Joe and I needed to try and get back to Minnesota that afternoon. We packed up the truck and shook hands as Bruce and the guys headed back out into the weather for an afternoon hunt. Joe and I picked our way back to the East, wrestling some of the worst driving conditions I can remember. By five, the white out conditions forced us to find shelter in Mitchell. The two of us grabbed a hotel room and called it a day. As we clicked out the lights, I almost instantly started to dream of that crazy day of hunting. Suddenly, a peculiar noise cut through the darkness. I chuckled and reached formy ear plugs...

Bill Sherck - Bill@mnbound.com

Success is what you make it out to be. Last night, Mike and I again headed out to his shanty on good ol' Lake Minnetonka. Our quest was obviously the state fish. Our approach was similar to other outings, but with a slight twist. We didn't have time to move the fish house to a fresh spot, so we decided to hope for the best. Lately, we have been scoring some nice walleyes before the sun hits the trees, so I opted for a little bit of a mobile approach. Using the fish house as a base camp, I decided to spend the hour before sunset fishing a new area in hopes of finding a new spot for later.

If you know me at all, then you know that I have many areas that are already dialed in on my GPS. The best thing about large lakes like Minnetonka, is that there are always new areas to fish. With this in mind, I took advantage of a definite feeding window, and simply parked my butt on a spot I have never fished before. My goal with this was to find out exactly if this spot held walleyes. Knowing that the fish were going to move through at a specific time, I could determine if this spot was any good. After my research, I could decide to put it into my GPS and return later with the big house, or scratch it from my list. I didn't need to catch a lot of fish to know if the spot held walleyes or not. Actually, I just needed to see them come through the graph to determine if I will come back. Well, the verdict came in as a success! My GPS has a new spot in it, and you'll almost certainly be seeing pictures from there very soon. A good approach that I recommend trying. Many of us use this tactic when we go on a weekend destination trip, but forget about it when we are in our own back yards. We get comfortable in our cozy shacks, and forget how to be mobile. As Mr. Dave Genz has preached for years, "Mobility is the best way to ice fishing success."

How did the boys in the house fair? Well, they did as good as we could expect in a house that hasn't moved in a few days. They battled some nice fish, and lost one. I returned to the house later and caught a couple for myself. A successful outing that will surely turn into another successful outing. Just because I got off my butt and tried something new.

Tonight I will be hosting the WCCO Radio show live from the studio. I plan to discuss this topic further with Mr. Dave Genz himself, and local fishing guide Matt Peters. Tune in tonight from 9 to 10 if you would like to hear first hand what these guys and myself are up to. Until then, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Well hello again! I sure hope that you had a very merry Christmas vacation.  Actually, I'm sure many of you are still enjoying your break from work or school. If that's the case, then I suggest you make it a point to get out on the water and catch a few walleyes.  Here's a tip, they are biting! This update spans a stretch of several days, so bear with me as I highlight the latest and greatest on the ice.

Last Tuesday evening I was joined by a newcomer to the sport of ice fishing. Jeremy hopped on the back of the wheeler, and we were off to the shack. Jeremy is fairly new to ice fishing, and had only caught one walleye through the ice in his entire life. Ironically, that came only a few days prior to our trip, but he said it was very small. I was hoping to increase his totals drastically, and teach him a few things to help in the future. It was a fairly relaxed tutorial as we set up in preparation for the afternoon bite. I call it the "afternoon bite" instead of an "evening bite,"because the day before, we had 3 walleyes in the jar before the sun even thought about setting. Anyway, we were ready to fish by 3:30, and played the waiting game. Similar to the previous day, we had action before darkness set in. Jeremy learned how to catch a walleye on everything but his jigging rod, and even found out what it was like to lose a nice fish in hand-to-hand "rattle reel" combat. He went 2 for 3 on the rattle reels, and 1 for 2 on the tip-ups. Throw in a few dozen perch, and I would call this a successful excursion. By the time we wrapped it up that evening, Jeremy had tripled his lifelong totals for walleyes, and hopefully will be well prepared for the big trip in a few days. Jeremy will be back for 4 days on the water. Joining him on this trip will be his wife who has been stationed in Iraq, and 3 buddies from Texas. Stay tuned for these reports late next week, as I fill you in on this great story!

Jump forward a few days to Saturday. The time between Tuesday and Saturday were filled with Holiday gatherings and family time. Ok, so we pulled out Mike's house and geared up for the first over-night stay of the year. Obviously this is my favorite way to ice fish, so I was pretty jazzed to get the house on the spot. Katie and her pup Woody joined me, and she was first to land a walleye. Not a giant, but a nice lead-in to what Mike was about to catch.  After I dropped Katie off on shore, I returned to the house to nestle in the sleeping bag.  I didn't even get zipped in, and Mike was out of the bunk. Ding, Ding, Ding! The beautiful sound of the rattle reel turning. After an intense and well fought out battle by Mike, we were high-fiving and all smiles as we hoisted the first 10 pounder of the year. Talk about a good way to start the over night season. The fish was 29 inches long, and had an 18 inch belly. A true Minnetonka Fatty that is still out there for the next guy. Before the sun rose, we were greeted by a few more ding's from the rattle reels, and we put two more eaters in the jar. A great night on the ice, and a congrats to Mike on the trophy!

Last night Katie and I returned for an afternoon bite. Before the sun could set, we battle two nice eaters onto the ice. It was pretty hectic as the perch and walleyes were mixed, and the rattles were dinging like crazy. The funny part is you never know what to expect when its such chaos. One time it's a small perch, and the next you set the hook on what feels like a rock. Good stuff, and made for a great sunset picture. We left for evening church shortly after that, and I returned with Mike to spend the night. The wind picked up after that, and the fish turned completely off. Oh well, there's always next time. Now that the ice is in good enough shape to move the houses, I anticipate many photos and stories. Stay tuned, and remeber, Keep on Livin' the Dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com

Technology is constantly changing the ice fishing world. Yesterday, I had a chance to experience one of the biggest changes, which I also classify as a, "duh, why didn't I think of that ten years ago kinda thing..." Yesterday, fishing buddies Brian "Bro" Brosdahl, Paul Hansen and I took out Frabill's new, R2-Tech out to test the latest portable shelter technology.The R2-Tech is lined with a quilted Norpac's insulated material which uses Thinsulate. Now, we wanted to know just how warm one of these shelters is compared to canvas-covered shelters. Keep in mind, the R2-Techs are a few hundred bucks more expensive. I figure we wanted to know if the added price is worth the technology.

In very unscientific terms, we took turns zipping ourselves in and warming up the shelter with a Buddy Heater. Guess what? We had to shed layers. Almost uncomfortably warm at times.  An absolutely amazing difference, in my opinion. Now, in very scientific terms, 3M and CanvasCraft (which produces the Norpac material) tested the R2-Tec in a refrigerated, ice cream truck. They dropped the temp to -10 below zero and tested the heat-holding properties ofR2-Tech next to a standard canvas shelter. Side-by-side, the R2-Tech averaged +40 degrees warmer than the canvas shelter. In all honesty, I was absolutely blown away by the R2-Tech. I don't know I'll ever be able to go back to a canvas shelter. Be sure to watch for the story on this new technology in an upcoming Due North Outdoors. It's pretty cool to see how 3M tests this stuff.

Meantime, Bro, Paul and I had great fishing yesterday afternoon. The tip-ups weren't very active, but when they popped, we had something on the end of the line. I love tip-up fishing for pike. A big tip Bro handed me last season, use circle hooks on your tip-ups. They essentially set themselves and you'll find you rarely deep-hook your fish. I can't say enough about them. Now, right about 4:15 yesterday, we watched wave after wave of sunnies and crappies start to zip under our Frabill Shelter. Bro figures the fish were moving from near shore, out into the main body of the lake. They were also on the move chasing blood worms. The good news? We were using Bro Gill-Getters and Bloodworms (both new from Northland) and they were deadly. Makes for a darn, fun afternoon! I'm not a sales pitch kinda guy, but you really should check out Frabill's insulated shelters. They will change the way you fish. See you on the ice!

Bill Sherck - Bill@mnbound.com

For most, this cold weather means it's time to hunker down by the fire, or find inside activities to pass the time. Not for this guy! While I find massive cold fronts to slow a bite down drastically, I do know one thing. You cannot catch a fish while sitting on your couch. Yes it has been cold, but it has been cold for several days now. With that being said, I just had to get back on the ice last night. I considered it a mini vacation from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and happenings.

Dusty and I headed out to Tonka in search of ol' marble eyes. Until this recent cold snap, most of the lake had only minimal ice, and 1 to 2 inches was the norm. Last night we were able to get to any spot that we wanted to fish. I chose a honey hole that I have been anticipating all year. Last season we spanked 'em on this particular weed edge, and I was hoping for more of the same.

After about 30 minutes of trying to thaw the frozen gear, we were finally fishing. Soon after, the sun hit the horizon and I was battling the first fish of the evening. Regardless of what Dusty will tell ya, I do think this fish was on steroids, and I don't believe that it was a walleye. A quick blip on the vexilar, and the set-line almost flew under the ice. As quickly as the bobber popped, the rod was following right behind. I caught it as it was heading down the hole, and that became my hook set. I battled it for a bit, and then it got off. Chaotic and exciting, but left us wondering. A few minutes later I got another bite, and I calmly landed a rather unhealthy looking 28 incher. A normal fish out of Tonka is usually super fat, so this was a rare sight.

Since Dusty and I were enjoying the peace and quiet of the fish house, we hung out for a few more hours. A couple lookers came in during that time, but they were not takers. Shortly before we called it an evening, Dusty finally landed his first walleye of the season. I laughed when I heard that was his first one, but I'm glad it finally happened. Now that we got that bad luck out of the house, we may start catching them like normal. You'll have to stay tuned to see if I am right. Until next time, Keep on Livin' The Dream!

Travis Frank - Travis@mnbound.com