I had full intentions of bringing to you a neat story about our black powder hunt last week in Kansas. Throughout the course of the hunt I had taken notes regarding the happenings on and around the ranch we were hunting. Stifling temperatures hovering around 102 made it seem like I was back in a delta cotton field rather than carrying a musket in search of a legendary buck. I had never been afforded the opportunity to see a wild prairie rattler and I assure you I got to see my share. Ticks and chiggers attacked in droves. Incessant winds, companied with the heat, parched the soul. Hardly the setting, as you can imagine, for pursuing Kansas bucks but that’s the hand we were dealt.
Arriving back home, I was all set to bring this adventure to your dens to share with you. I would make a quick loop to check on the grain harvest and retire to my study to write. That’s when it all changed.
Technology on today’s farm equipment is so advanced it’s almost scary. Yields can be observed and recorded as the big machines gobble up a crop. Yield monitors are blowing out the top with record soybean and corn crops this year. It’s not uncommon to see corn yields bump the 300 bushel per acre mark in spots and soybean yields hit the 100 bushel per acre mark in many places in the field. It’s easy to find the weak spots with this technology and then we can address any fertility issues or weed control problems with the ever increasing plague of herbicide resistant weeds. Of course, like the plans to tell you about Kansas, this also is a topic for another time.
Coupled with last week’s column about nature, the combine ride created an encore to our discussion. I often think about continuing a particular topic from time to time and I guess this one just happened “naturally.” I was watching the yield monitor constantly. Whenever we would get into a grassy spot the yields would plummet from competition from those noxious weeds. But alas, there was a bright spot to those weedy patches, though not financially. I’ll explain.
Each pass through the signal grass and escaped pigweeds would disrupt the hiding of either a field rat or a little cottontail rabbit. It was comical as they made mad dashes for the next patch of weeds or for the safety of the briars along the turn rows. Suddenly several other characters entered the stage and the comedy took on a different light for the rest of the cast.
As the little rodents and rabbits ran for cover, two bald eagles and numerous red-tailed hawks fell out of the sky to prey upon these easy pickings. I understand where the clichés, the eye of an eagle and hawk-eye came from now. As soon as a bunny would bound from the beans, from out of nowhere a bird of prey would be diving to catch it with its razorlike talons. The quest from predator and struggle of prey brought last week’s column home to me with a definitive emotional attachment. Man, the combine, would disrupt the hiding of the furry creatures and afford the opportunity for protein for the raptors. Sometimes the rats and rabbits would make it to cover safely, sometimes they wouldn’t. I found myself becoming emotionally involved and rooting for the little “fuzzies” to make it to cover.
In reality, I should have remained neutral. Other than the “man-made” disruption by flushing the potential meals for the bird of prey, this was a classic example of nature and how “it” flourishes. On several occasions I contemplated shooting around these noble birds of prey to distract them from catching the “helpless” creatures. Then it dawned upon me that the rabbits and rats are part of the food chain necessary to carry on the balance of nature. The producer and I had done enough to complicate what is natural so anymore intervention would have just created more chaos.
Throughout the afternoon we witnessed many “engagements” between predator and prey. Surprisingly, the hawks and eagles were successful a lot less than you would think. I would estimate there was a 10 percent success rate by the birds. That’s a lot of energy expended for little return. If we, in business ventures, were only successful one out of 10 times I’m quite positive our bosses would let it be known and there would be quite the job turnover.
The balance of nature comes to us in many forms with the influence of man. The toad on your patio searching for insects drawn by your lights is a classic example of a predator prey relationship with influence from humans. Again, man intervened by affording the light. We plant gardens which in turn affords habitat for insects. Birds then find the protein source because of what “we” did. As simple and balanced as nature is, it seems man always finds a way to intervene and complicate it. Maybe soon I will find a perfect example of nature without us sticking our nose into Mother Nature’s business. And just maybe I will continue the outcome and what went on in Kansas last week without “bogging” down in some deeper topic. We’ll see.
Until next time enjoy our woods and waters and remember, let’s leave it better than we found it.
