I was looking for elk on Thanksgiving day and my companion who had already filled his tag brought along his ice fishing gear. We spent the morning glassing for elk and watched mule deer feeding along the edges of small patches of timber.
I figured by midday that the elk hadn’t made their way into the area yet so I joined Harry in testing ice on a nearby lake. Four inches seemed to be the average making it safe enough to fish and after three hours we had put at least 20 rainbow trout on the ice and kept 7.
Thanksgiving day is the earliest I can remember ice fishing and it’s the only time I can remember considering ice fishing during elk season. Although, I was glassing for elk while waiting for the next flag to pop on my tip-up so technically I was elk hunting too. I guess that makes another first for me because I’ve never elk hunted and ice fished simultaneously before either.
And while I was glassing for elk and ice fishing a muskrat walked along the ice and I realized that trapping season is open and I could be hunting trapping and fishing all at the same time. Just then, Harry commented on the smoothness of the ice and how nice it would be to play hockey while we waited for fish to bite, elk to show and traps to snap.
How many outdoor activities can I participate in simultaneously? I think this one is going to require some serious field testing and when I get the results I’ll let you know. In the meantime I’m still trying to find the downside to ADHD…
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