Animal Tales
Winter is in full force on the Gunflint Trail and the wildlife is aware. The moose have found their favorite salty spots and they can be seen on their haunches licking the road. There are numerous moose in their normal areas of the Trail as well as a large population at the end of the Trail. There’s a group of three moose that frolick around the Seagull Guard Station and their mother obviously didn’t tell them not to play on the road.
The deer are running scared with all of the snow in the woods. Their tiny hooves are not meant for soft deep snow and they struggle to travel as they poke through and try to make their way. Unfortunately the wolves have absolutely no problem traveling in the deep snow and for that reason they have been quite well fed so far this winter.
A cabin owner reported a story of deer versus a pack of wolves and I can imagine the outcome. He was outside of his cabin with builders when he saw a deer come running up the shore from the lake. The deer stopped, out of breath with a sheen of sweat covering him, before he took off down the road. Not long after a lone wolf appeared exactly where the deer was, paying no attention to the men in the yard, he took off in the direction of the deer. The rest of the pack wasn’t far behind and before long two pairs of wolves had made their way up through the yard and onto the Gunflint Trail in pursuit of their next meal.
The pine martin is back attempting to make our outfitting building his winter home again. I’ve heard of snowbirds but never snow martins. There’s a fox or two roaming around the neighborhood and various other tracks from small critters and birds.
Yes, winter is here in all its’ splendor for all of us to enjoy.