Save Ottumwa Post October 30, 2024

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•••••OCTOBER 30, 2024•••••

Pheasant Season Pheasant season opened this past weekend. Where I was raised in northern Iowa, this was the most important day of the year, more important than deer season. Where I live now in southern Iowa, things are reversed. We have too many predators and not enough of the proper cover for a healthy pheasant population. Thirty miles to our north, there are more row crops and fewer coyotes, raccoons, and bob cats allowing pheasants to flourish.

Growing up, near Storm Lake, Iowa, conditions were perfect for ring necked pheasants.

Corn fields are planted with rows a half mile to a mile long. Enough grass and weeds grew between the rows and at the ends of the fields to provide protection from both the weather and predators. On opening day, everyone with a shotgun was out hunting for the wily ringneck.

Pheasant was on the menu for Sunday lunch and dinner and for many days to follow.

During the week, most people brought their shotguns to (Outdoors cont’d on pg 2)

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and ignore it. Other ing zone. It certainly times, he would grab looked like a rooster, school so we could the pheasant like a so I pulled up, hoping go hunting directly good dog and bring to get lucky at such a from school rather it back to me. On our long shot. It dropped than wasting precious first trip through the like a rock. Instantly time going home in field, my trusty dog re- someone yelled “who the short amount of trieved a rooster I shot shot the hen?” Realiztime we had between and one other person’s ing my mistake, I kept when school got out bird while ignoring quiet, hoping everyone and shooting hours several others. After would forget by the closed. On any given collecting the downed time we got to the end. weekday in November, birds the dog chose to Everyone was gaththe average school ignore, we spread out ered by the vehicles parking lot contained across the end and when my trusty dog, enough guns and am- in unison, started the who I had not seen the munition to hold off a mile long trip. I was entire round, showed foreign invasion if the near the outside edge up with my hen pheasneed arose. We would and my dog was off ant in his mouth. This generally form small somewhere in the field is one time I wished groups and race out hunting, hopefully not he had not retrieved. to our favorite smaller stuck on point where I had to admit to my fields to get in a couple nobody could see him. mistake. of hunts while we A pheasant jumped up

By Monday could. at the far edge of the morning, everyone at One of our group and was flying school knew what I friend’s family owned toward me gaining had done. After a few several hundred acres elevation as he went. It years, most people with mile long rows of is traditional to yell hen forgot the incident, but corn. We did not have if a hen pheasant flies I will always remember time to hunt this large up, so nobody makes to be very sure of my field during the week. the mistake of shoottarget.

We knew nobody else ing it. It is not neceshad been there, so we sary to announce a made plans at school rooster because the with several other nearest individuals are people to hunt there already shooting at it. on Saturday mornA strong breeze was ing. At the time, I had rustling the dry corn a German shorthair stalks, so I did not pointer. In standing hear if anybody yelled corn, there is no real “hen!” I was wonderadvantage to having a ing why nobody was pointing dog. Most of shooting or yelling hen the time, nobody can but thought perhaps it see him if he does go was behind the row of Ray’s on point. His ability to hunters and nobody retrieve was marginal. saw it. The bird was Longbranch Homemade 1/2 lb. Tenderloins Sometimes he would quite high by the time & Hamburgers look at a downed bird it got to my shootDrakesville, IA • 722-3355

OCTOBER 30, 2024

(Outdoors cont’d from pg 1)

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OCTOBER 30, 2024

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FOR SALE Sheep Goats Ducks Chickens 641-722-3641

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Unexpected Travel Bumps Curt Swarm, Empty Nest

The following short story was written by one of my Creative Writing students, Ron Hawn, who lives near Marshalltown. I thought Ron’s story too well written and cute to not share.

The land of opportunity, prosperity, entertainment, friendship, and all sorts of challenges: Las Vegas. Challenges may be more obvious than the first four expectations, however you always expect the unknown in any new experience. You shouldn’t have challenges, but you do. It’s just part of the natural outcome of doing stuff. And it wasn’t my intention to travel through LV to begin with. It just so happened to be part of the itinerary between A city and B city. I have been to LV before, but never by air, only by auto. And therein are the challenges. First, I remember when flying was fun, the “looking forward to going and getting there fast,” instead of what it has become: narrow seating, TSA, waiting in lines, going early to wait for a flight two-or-three hours later, taking off shoes (usually waived if you are over the age of 73, the old age benefit), emptying all your pockets, unzipping your pants, all in the name of passenger safety.

I learned several flights ago to ask for wheelchair assistance when I picked up my boarding pass. The distance from gates, bathrooms, baggage claims, etc., really makes it convenient for mobilized old people, who are usually in the way, while searching the concourse for hard to read

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OCTOBER 30, 2024

ATTENTIONbow hunters Come see all our bow hunting supplies!

• Targets • Hunting Chairs • Blinds • Bows & Accessories

I’m Brenda Curran. I was raised in Ottumwa at a time when Iowa’s public schools were the country’s best and the pride of every Iowa town.

I believe the private school voucher giveway is the worst legislation in the history of Iowa. As your state representative, I will work to return our money to Iowa’s public schools.

20927 ICE AVENUE BLOOMFIELD, IA 52537 641-722-3357

boarding schedules. I Soon, I reached let the valets, who know a men’s room and the way to everywhere, wheeled through a find the “where” I need- generously wide door. I ed to be. They actufound a stall on one end ally sign up for dodging and wheeled up to the other wheel chair drivers door, disembarked, and through a maze of the left the chair near the old people that decided next stall. to take their lives in their I heard a banging hands to run raggedly sound, as well as a few to their missed flights, expletives. Not being an so they can plan a next experienced wheelchair day flight to frantic fam- operator, I had inadverily members waiting for tently parked so close to their missing grandmas my neighbor’s stall, that and grandpas. These he had become trapped. youthful, healthy, and I imagine his flight was energetic transporters, soon to take off, and he have the responsibilwas desperately tryity of a timely delivery, ing to escape. An unwhile you kick back in derstanding passerby your chair, as they race stranger relocated my to your gate destinaride, and placed it out of tion. A five-dollar remu- the way of the swearing, neration lends to a less aggravated toileteer. stressful and valuable I was having my experience. own kind of challenge, At the lengthy as I have mentioned layover in LV, a much earlier. When I stood needed potty break was from my seated posirequired. This became tion, the toilet flushed another challenge I immediately, and simulhadn’t considered. My taneously, my billfold fell wheelchair valet had out of my back pocket deserted me at my gate, onto the toilet seat. It so I tried to manipulate bounced twice and I the thing into a rather watched in horror as crowded gambling casi- it caromed toward the no. There were whirring flushing billfold eater. and dinging machines But, PTL! It took a in every quadrant, along friendly hop the other with liquor counters and direction and fell on the rows of restaurants, floor. Whew! I gasped to maneuver around and began praising and through. I know I the Lord! All my cash, just imagined some of credit cards, and other the fliers saying things pertinent data flashed like, “why can’t these before my eyes, but the crippled old people fly Lord was with me, even somewhere else?” in the potty!

Vote November 5!

PUBLIC DOLLARS belong in PUBLIC SCHOOLS Vote Curran for Iowa House Paid for by Brenda Curran for Iowa

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