Conversing in the field

He had me at “sandhill cranes.”

For the sake of this week’s paper, I interviewed a couple of Steele County sportsmen who took part in the governor’s pheasant hunting opener. One of them, Al Steinbauer, was in the field with Governor Walz and his companions. Al was impressed, by the way, with the governor’s skill and familiarity with the hunt. Taking part in the opener was apparently not only for the sake of the publicity, but also for the pleasure of being in the field.

Somewhere during our conversation, Al mentioned that sandhill cranes congregate in a marsh near the hunting site. He said that, being retired, he would be glad to introduce me to the location, apparently commonly visited by bird watchers.

So at 7:30 the next morning, I was at his door. Twenty minutes later we were parked near a marsh on a remote gravel road, listening to the chatter of what sounded like dozens of birds. Unfortunately, thanks to a cool wind and threatening rain–or to some other circumstance we couldn’t discern–the birds didn’t move much, so their calls and noises were nearly all we got, when it comes to birds.

One pair did eventually come within range of my telephoto lens. It was a delight to see them flying, and to see them wading in the nearby shallow water.

Thanks to those photos, and thanks even more to the stories and conversation, I count the experience as a definite win. Al provided some personal perspective on hunting with the governor, including the security arrangements–a subject I was curious about. One topic drifted to the next as we watched the sky and listened to the birds. Al mentioned that he takes part in bass fishing tournaments, a matter I had always been curious about: How can there be a contest in a sport which so famously relies on luck?

Though he is an amateur, Al informed me the “professionals” no longer trust anything to chance. He described the electronic equipment typically found on their boats. They often have three screens: one which shows the topography of the underwater landscape, one which shows their location on an overhead view of the area, and one which displays the readout from a sonar device that constantly scans the “field” 200 to 300 feet ahead of the boat. Such sonars, he said, show hazards and prospects which anglers can, respectively, avoid or target–the images, he commented, are sharp enough to show the angler where his or her lure is in relation to the fish.

As the cranes continued to gabble in the distance, the conversation wandered further and further afield, one tale for another. Fireworks, steakhouses, wild turkeys, hummingbirds, winter. 

I’ve commented before that I’m “no good” at being retired…that I give up a lot of what might be called “free time” to work for the newspaper.  But I wouldn’t have been where I was, chasing photos of sandhill cranes, if it hadn’t been for my work as a reporter. 

Thinking of that, maybe I’ll stop complaining…for a day or two, anyway.