Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-12-27
WINTER MILD IF
Wild LIFE KNOWS
Birds and Animals Making No Pre-.
Precautions for Cold. Old Timers
Think This Winter Won't
be Worthy the
Name.
WINTER STORES OF
FOOD ARE LACKING
Squirrels and Muskrats Erecting
Frail HabitatiOns-Flight of
Ducks Much Smaller Than
Usual and Fowls Still
Linger in North.

Linger In NOrtn.
Council Bluffs, Iowa-Men who
love the great out doors are wonder
ing if there is to be any winter this
year or not. Indications in the fields,
the marshes and the creeks are that
the denizens of the wild have made
no preparations whatever for a hard
winter, or winter of any kind.
Store houses, of squirrels, chip
hunks and other members of the
fraternity of wild creatures which
caches food against the coming of
cold and storm, are rare. Altho it
unusually is not at all difficult for
the observant lover of the out doors
to find such caches of nuts and ber-
ries which squirrels have laid away,
it is reported that animal stores are
rare this year. Those that have been
found contain very little food and
berries improperly protected against
the winter frosts.
Muskrats in streams, s,oughs and
creeks adjacent 90 this city have
built only the toughest temporary
shelters. The muskrat homes of
previous years have always been well
built of rushes, sticks and mud,
sometime from three to five feet
high, enormous domes of river and
lake fOatsam, erected on the edge
of the marshes.
Like the more timid beaver the
muskrat invariably builds a home for
itself and family which will keep OUT
the cold and withstand the storms
of the toughest winter. The little
animals rely entirely on their knowl-
edge of weather conditions to remain
alive during the winter. Attic the
shelters show no signs of careful
building or packing against the cold,
it is probable that the animals will
commence to. make their homes
warner as the winter advances, ac-
40 80; .Js ssaszS@~A'
Then there are the ducks which
hundreds of hunters have shivered
and waited for in vain during the
frosty mornings of the past month.
No large flights have been noticed.
Attic flights of mallards, widgeon,
blue bills and pitfalls were apparent
during the last two weeks, duck
hunters who know the game declare
that not one-fourth of the number
of ducks have come down from the
north this year as in the past.
Hunters in the north say that the
ducks and all water fowl are still
with them. The first few frosts of
the season started the flight of teal
and smaller ducks, but even many
of these are still remaining in the
half frozen marshes and swamps OF
the far north, according to reports.
Altho many local hunters have
been of the opinion that the ducks
had gone south, following a route
which did rot bring them over Iowa
it is said by those more familiar
with duck habits that the birds are
still to come and they will not leave
their northern homes and the pro-
lection of the vast stretches of marsh
land until the cold Of winter literally
drives them out.
Old timers in the outdoors say
they believe the winter this year will
not be worthy of the name. The |
rabbits still have green grass and
second shoots to eat and the buds /
are commencing to burst on the will
lows.
Many pelts which have been taken .
by trappers already this season bear !
the black marks on the inside of the
skin almost as thick as is usually on
a summer hide. The fur is consider
ed comparatively poor also, it being
sa... by the trappers that the wea-
Their will not be severe enough to
cause the furred creatures to change
into their regular winter coats.