John Pollmann

A little snow makes hunting better

It ’ s early November as I write this column ( probably closer to mid-November than my editor would like ), and whatever skiffs of snow that fell on my corner of southeast South Dakota last month have long since disappeared . A look at the short-term forecast shows day-time high temperatures in the 50s and 60s , with overnight lows barely reaching the freezing mark . At this point , all signs point to a brown Thanksgiving , which would be good news for those who will be on the road visiting family and friends for the holiday . Even given this upside , I still can ’ t help but wonder if it wouldn ’ t be nice to have a little snow .

If my wife , Amber , would have any say in the weather for the coming months she ’ d order up an inch or two of the white stuff for Christmas Eve . As church musicians , the closing hours of December 24 provide a bit of relief for us both , having wrapped up another extremely busy season of hymns and carols . Having a little snow falling outside the window while we toast this accomplishment is nice . As soon as Christmas Day is over , however , Amber would just as soon not hear the words “ winter storm warning ” come from our weatherman until next December . Someday , she may very well try to convince me to move to a warmer clime in order to escape South Dakota ’ s winter weather .

The wetland enthusiast in me recognizes the role a good , hard freeze and deep snowpack play in setting the stage for breeding pairs of mallards , pintails , bluewinged teal and other ducks when they return to South Dakota in the spring . To have ducks , we need wetlands , and wetlands thrive when we have the aforementioned conditions . If months of cold and snow didn ’ t make life so miserable for those of us who live here , I ’ d encourage Mother Nature to let her rip year after year . She pays little attention to what any of us have to say , so we ’ re all left to ride the roller coaster of weather that dominates life in this part of the country . We enjoy the occasional respite from winter , and when skies turn grey and the snow begins to fall , we make the most of it . Some of us even find a way to enjoy opportunities within the elements of winter , especially hunters .

I ’ m not much of a big game hunter , but I suspect there are benefits to hunting whitetails , mule deer and elk in snow . My experience in this area has left me a bit jaded , however .

It ’ s been almost 30 years since I last hunted deer . I successfully drew an any-deer tag for Marshall County where I joined dad and family friends for a hunt in some pretty cool country . And by “ cool ”, I mean covered in 3 feet of snow . The

Page 16 , Dakota Country , December 2023 www . dakotacountrymagazine . com