Got it the... Sportster

I FINALLY got it after months of talking and blogging about it and years of hard work to get enough money for it I finally got my motorcycle. And not just some foreign Japanese wanna- be cruiser bike, but one of the legendary Harley- Davidson’s. Last Friday my dad and I went to the Metro Harley Davidson dealership and finalized the deal on the Sportster that I had been looking at for a while now. We bought some headgear for safety, some accessories (which I will mention in a minute) and the bike itself. The Sportster that we decided on getting was a brand new 2009 Sportster XL Custom 1200 and the color was black with a silver piece of chrome riding on top of the gas tank. Needless to say I’ve been riding that bike every spare moment that I can get on it. Besides the bike I decided it necessary that we spruce the Sportster up with some customizing of our own, which included some after- market exhausts (Rush pipes) and a detachable backrest. I’ve heard the Rush pipes on the same bike that I have and there is only one word that can define them… LOUD! This also turns as a safety feature as well though as others on the road are more likely to hear you if they can’t see you and so I hopefully won’t be crushed by some oblivious driver in a car or truck. I’m not sure on my feelings about the backrest, something that my dad insisted we get, but I think it will make it look more like a motorcycle. Besides, it is detachable if I ever come to not liking it on the Sportster, and I think it will make the ride much more comfortable for any passengers. I’m putting all these things on this Friday, and will hopefully have the bike back after my dad and I take our trip to Omaha, Nebraska for the Berkshire Hathaway Meeting.

Southern Iowa Turkey Hunt

I also went turkey hunting this weekend on my Grandpa Ferguson’s farm, in the same woods that I always do near Barnes City, Iowa. I got to hunt two days this weekend there for the second turkey hunting season. The first day, Saturday morning, I set up on the same spot from which I had seen that big gobbler last year at about the same time, which I have spoken about in my previous posts. I heard three turkey toms in the set of woods that belong to my uncle Bob and one turkey that was in the set of much bigger woods from which I don’t hunt. The turkeys however came out on the other side of the creek that runs through the property and I could see them strutting away in the open pasture, which if they don’t pass the spot where I was set up that they go to, and that’s exactly what they did. I had seen them go out into this open pasture to strut dozens of times and without a doubt I should have set up there, but I was after this big tom and I have never seen him out there. I thought to cross the creek, but I also had tried this many times and failed every time, but one to get a good shoot off at these turkeys. I wasn’t desperate yet to get a turkey as I would get to come out tomorrow, so I decided to leave them be for the day without spooking them and I retired back to my truck. I went fishing that day after hunting and helping my grandpa and had some great success and caught eight or ten bass. The next morning I set up on the north side of the creek where they more often then not come out and strut in the open. As the morning sun started shedding it’s light on the world the turkeys warmed up with some gobbles and I gave out some yelps and clucks to let them know where I was. There was only one turkey that morning in my uncle’s timber and I heard two others a great distance from me. I called for an hour and I concluded that none were coming for whatever reason. But just as soon as that hopeless thought crossed my mind I heard a hen purring not ten feet from me. I had my back against a tree and this hen had come from behind, seemingly out of a huge pasture with nothing in it. Then hen got on my decoy and I was so surprised by this turkey that I pulled up my gun, I identified at that point and I heard some movement also behind me so I slowly turned back and saw I really nice tom, but at that point I had spooked that tom and he took off in flight, and the hen soon followed. Not my best moment, but it sure was exciting for a while.

Cedar River Hunt Continued

More update on the Cedar River turkey hunt to you all, I was talking to the owner of the land that I hunted on Tuesday as he had some inquiry as to where I had heard the turkeys. His brother and he are going hunting this Friday and he simply asked for some advice as to where he should set up. Hunters are a different breed of people and we love to help each other out and was glad that I could point them to the right direction. Evidently, I discovered that there is an island in this section of the river and it became clear to me as to why the turkeys sounded so near, even though I had believed they were completely on the other side of the Cedar River, which is usually 250 yards across generally. This island is much nearer to the side of the river that he hunted on and so it is possible to wade across this section of the river with chest waders, and that is the plan that he told me that he and is brother are going to do. They are going to wade across get on the island and set up for some gobbler action, I wish I had thought of this before my hunt. The turkeys on the island is an excellent location for them during the spring as the hens can have protection for their eggs and hopefully hatched chicks from predators and it provides quite a bit of protection and concealment for them as well. He spoke to me as well and said that he would call me back after their hunt and say if they had any luck with the hunt (this seems a very unusual hunt as you have to wade across a river and the fact that you are hunting on an island makes this all the more unique). He also spoke on the phone with me that he would like for me to come out again when I’m eligible for my fourth season license and come and hunt. I would really enjoy coming out there and hunting on an island that I would have to wade to and I think that I would have a good chance at these turkeys as well if I got onto this island.

Cedar River Turkey Hunt

I went turkey hunting this morning before school (April 21, 2009) and I’ll tell you right now that there is about no better way of waking up on a school day and going hunting before class. The night before I got permission from a family friend and neighbor whose house is on the river if it would be alright if I hunted on their acreage, and of course they said that would be fine. So, I set my alarm clock for four thirty am and went to bed early to get some rest before the hunt and another laborious day of school and track. Barely closing my eyes I promptly was waken up again by the sound of my alarm clock. I put on the camo clothes, that I also had set out the night before, and grabbed my twelve gauge along with a handful of shells which I thought I would hopefully get to use. I got to my truck and I was headed off just two or three miles from my house onto the river bottoms of the Cedar. It wasn’t before long that I was set up in my blind with a hen decoy lazily turning in the wind just a dozen or so steps from me. I waited a few minutes for my noisy approach to be forgotten before I started calling. As the sound of the first song birds started calling all around me I let out a few yelps and clucks with my mouth call. Not a half minute later the tom turkeys woke up, and responded with the gobbles recognizing their presence and attentiveness to the call. I continued calling, making sure I never called to much, which many times can make the toms get “cold”. I heard three or four turkeys, and three of them were slowly approaching my position. However, they almost all together stopped at the same time, and I couldn’t figure out why they had. Being unfamiliar with ever hunting in this spot it took my a few minutes to realize what was delaying their progress. The River. I knew my chances of getting a tom this morning went from good to poor if they didn’t cross the river, but if by some chance I could call them across the Cedar I was confident enough that I could bring them in the last couple hundred yards to my spot. This never happened though I spent the next hour pleading with the call for them to come over and if they did that they would find a hen, but they never did cross. Therefore, the hunt turned out unsuccessful, but it was still the best way I know how to wake up in the morning (especially before school).

Harley Sportster

I finally got the old man out of the house to go look at some bikes and we decided to go to the Hawkeye Harley Davidson in Coralville (Iowa). He really started to catch the thrill of owning a bike again as he and I first walked into the dealership. I started walking around looking at bikes by myself, but my dad soon got tangled up with a salesman whom after listening to my dad determined that we would be best off with a Harley Sportster. I came over and we started looking at the used Sportsters, but after some notable differences largely including carburetion versus fuel injected (the new bikes had this) the choice became clear. At first I have some objections at the Sportster and it’s really the only bike that I don’t 100% love its more like a 90%. The reasons in response to this include the exhaust pipes and the small size of the gas tank; to me it just looks like a smaller bike even though it does have a huge engine (1202 cc). It looks like the Yamaha V-star 250 in almost every aspect except of course that the engine is over 5 times the strength and that only one has the legendary logo of Harley-Davidson’s prestige and legend on the side. Besides that it is my only objection, and the tail pipes can even be fixed by putting on some screaming eagles pipes, which I certainly think I would insist on getting. Also a little bit on the wish list or possibly in the hand would include adding a sissy bar and a chrome guard on the front of the bike (if you have ever seen highway pegs on a bike these are what they are mounted in) which make the bike look bigger, adds more chrome, and helps prevent damage to the engine if the bike is rolled ever, which I pray it never will. I’m definitely warming up to the idea of the Sportster and my dad and I have got it narrowed down we think to a limited edition “root beer” colored bike or a blue one. My dad is going to call on Monday or sometime this weekend to finalize the deal and thus I hope I will be riding the bike to school next week in the earliest scenario, which is very exciting to me as I don’t know any 17 year old boys who get to own a brand 2009 Harley Davidson XL 1200C Custom.

Getting the Two Wheels

With the weather turning nicer every day and with the grass starting to turn green and the woods starting to echo with the early morning gobbles of big toms and hopeful jakes my mind begins to turn back to getting my motorcycle, which my dad said I could get after April 15th (which is the mark of the end of tax season for him). I’ve been working extremely hard to keep my grades up, keep out of trouble with the law and my parents, and to do really well in sports (football particularly, but also track). I have upheld my end of the bargain and now is the time for me to be allowed to buy a two- wheeled vehicle of my choice. The search for the bike really begins now as I have been given the go ahead in getting a bike. I have narrowed it down to either the brands of Yamaha or Harley Davidson (my dad insists I get this brand). Both brands make some really nice bikes, but the difference mainly between them is buying the name of Harley Davidson as these bikes are much more expensive. I’m not sure exactly what type I’m getting as of yet but I want to obviously get a cruiser type bike with around a one thousand cc engine. Not only is the bigger motor obviously better, bigger, and safe, but it is also somewhat of a safety feature as the noise the engine this makes allows other motorists to know where I’m at because of the noise. I’m mostly just going to ride this bike around town and to practice, work, and school, but the gas that I’ll save will be a phenomenal amount compared to my Silverado truck, which is great for hunting and trapping but I bit hard on the wallet for gas money around town.

I have also noticed (side note) that there has been a bit of a motorcycle revolution in Cedar Rapids, as more bikes it seems are sharing the roads than ever.

Disappointment and Hopes in Track

This has been such a hard year for me and track and I’m really starting off the season in the hole. It is quite evident that something has taking a turn for the worse with throwing the shot put for me. Last year I was throwing forty two feet at track meets, which is a decent mark and would be a mark that would put me in a decent ranking this year as it seems all of the big bombers (those that could hit fifty feet on average at a meet) left last year and were all seniors or lost interest in the sport.
This year I’m throwing thirty nine and forty feet on average and that is a huge change and very negative change in regards to shot put throwing. This entire season so far has been to figure out why, why I’m not throwing forty fives and winning meets and getting points for my track team. My coach after sending an email to a big-time shot put coach in Illinois came to the conclusion that because I have grown and got bigger this year that my feet are not used to moving the same amount in the ring. This seems to any of you reading that haven’t thrown shot put competitively such a small and insignificant detail that it shouldn’t matter. You may wonder what kind of foot work and practice you would need in throwing a twelve pound shot, which essentially is a cannonball, but yet I’m thoroughly convinced that shot put throwing requires more technique than almost any other sport in the world with only a few exceptions.
One day I think I had the glimpse of the future of which I wish for and that is the day that I was throwing all forty twos and a near forty five feet throw also which became my new personal record (PR).

Trapping Thoughts and Spots Bewteen the Seasons

As the transition of the seasons continues and we experience yet again another snowfall and this time in April, my mind tries to switch from the mindset of trapping and ice fishing to turkey hunting and fishing the spawn. However, it seems more than ever right now that I’m thinking about trapping. When my mind is exhausted at night after a full day of school, track, and chores my mind races to the thoughts of pocket sets and game trails in which I could put a snare in front of them. I rarely dream but when I do it is typically of a fantastic day on the trap line. Maybe I’m focusing my thought son this more as I fear that this will be my last opportunity to trap and hunt like I have for years ever since I was in first grade (or was it kindergarten?). Either way trapping and hunting always been a huge part of my life and has always been a topic on my school work and even this very blog that I have created in which you are reading.
This year more than ever I REALLY want to catch a fox in trap as its something I have always spent time doing but have had no rewards from the work I have put into it. I think some what of a pitfall for me at this aspect is that it takes a while for the scent of a human to come off of a “dirt hole” set. However, this doesn’t mean that I haven’t ever had any action on any dirt hole sets that I have put out in hopes of catching one of these red coated critters. At least once a year I have one of my land sets that I have laid out set off and the set near destroyed. On those days I find myself extremely disappointed with the result, but I do get some hope knowing that I had put the trap in the right area for a catch and that there are still some foxes (coyotes I think more likely) around). One new trick that I’m going to try this year is to while I’m setting my traps to spray some of the deer hunting scent eliminator on my gloves and clothes and this will hopefully take a large majority of any scent that I have away.
Recently in the last week I have come upon a new trapping spot that is very local to home and is a hot bed of muskrat activity. I know next year and during the school week that I will find myself trapping this marsh, which name I do not want to give up to other trappers reading this just yet. Anyways though, along with next year being my last school year of trapping I want to have a higher catch number then ever and I think this hot spot of muskrats will help me do that.

Motivation and Education

At times, at almost all times in my life I find it really difficult to intrinsically motivate myself to do things I’d rather not do. These types of things include doing homework, raking the same leaves over and over, or being in a sport which I continually get frustrated with. (I don’t want this blog post to seem like me whining and if at any point it is STOP reading.) It is just when I’m thinking about doing these things that I find there is no motivation for me to perform this action. I lose face in school when my teachers act like asses and I don’t want to be in their class. Why should students have to bear poor teachers because they shouldn’t? I’m very fortunate this year to have some absolutely great teachers, but in the past I have had some bad ones. There is no excuse for a student if they are being behaved that they should have to hear a teacher going in a rant. I hope I haven’t led this off topic too much, but I brought this up because I’m usually not motivated in school and the only thing that gets me through the day is the idea that this one day closer to summer and that now I can relax. Luckily, I have had some unusually great motivation this term to get things done as I will get to have a motorcycle in the next couple of weeks if I stay out of trouble and keep my grades up. Noticeably my grade point shot up in the last two terms when the motorcycle was promised to me (4.1 during fall and 4.4 during the winter trimester). I think another thing I struggle with in motivation is that of the long old statement of students saying that they should be paid to go to school, this is an incredibly ignorant statement to say. Yet there is some truth in this bold statement, why should we waste our time in learning skills that we have no use for in the real world. I’m not going to be a biologist and only a very minute minority are going to be yet I have spent two years already in my high school studying it for the entire year. I think this is a reason America is behind in education as we are not tailoring it to teach students specialized skills in job career options of their choice. This I think has been signaled by American jobs and industry going over seas, and in the current economic situation that we are in.

Late March Snow- Old 'Coon

How ironic it is to have the last day of SPRING break have snowfall, and not just a flurry but an accumulation of near three inches. Spencer, my friend, and I were going to go fishing for those walleyes on this last night as we at least knew that there was a large front coming in (yet we hadn’t heard the reports of snow). About an hour before we were going to go the snow really started falling so we ended up calling off that fishing venture. The snow lasted the night and the next day largely, but a lot melted off that day and the rest disappeared the next day after a rain. I think this weather with all of these fronts is really upsetting the walleye spawn and I know that it will be difficult to go fishing at a good time (when I might have a chance at catching some). This was quite the end to spring break I thought.
Prior to this eventful snowfall I had went down to the Ferguson farm for two days to help out my grandpa and say hello to my hound dogs and see how they were faring in the off- season. As I helped my grandpa tear out a very large stretch of fence and to care after the calving Angus in the pasture. At one of these particular pastures which to the west side of Barnes City, which is the farthest away from my grandpa’s house we were driving back into the pasture after we feed the cows to scout out some turkeys. Although we found a number of deer we didn’t spot any of the elusive turkeys (turkey season is less than two weeks away!!) and we also saw a dead ‘coon. As my ‘coon hunting blood starting getting stirred around within me I found myself unconsciously going over to investigate this ringtail as it was so unusual to see it like that in the water I thought. The dead ‘coon was in the flow of a small ditch which was about ten feet away from the tile that went under the road that we took to get back home. As I came over to the spot I noticed that he had one paw that was being forced under water and immediately I had suspicions about what this “crime scene” was. The ‘coon had died (and pretty recently at that from what I saw) from a trap from which the trapper (poacher) just left when the season closed. This is the kind of actions that give trappers a bad name and jeopardize the loss of our rights to harvest fur. I took the responsible action and let loose the ‘coon carcass from the trap and hid the trap so that this didn’t further the argument to outlaw trapping if this scene was observed by some kind of activist.