Chippewa National Forest

WILDLIFE RESOURCES

BIG GAME

About 25,000 whitetail deer inhabit the Chippewa National Forest. Hunting is opened each even-numbered year, with a limit of one animal to a hunter. During 1940 the take for 17,000 hunters was approximately 9,000.

The regular season extends from November 15 to 25, inclusive, and during 1940 a special bow and arrow season was established in Itasca County from November 1 to 5.

There is no limit, of course, on the hunting season for camera fans, and Chippewa deer are of great interest to them. The fawns, single or twins, are born during May and throughout the summer are usually seen with the mother. They are frequently glimpsed in the evening along roadsides or the edges of fields.

Black bear are less frequently seen, although 150 are counted among the forest's four-legged occupants. The hunting season and take for bear are the same as for deer.

Rarely seen is the moose. It is estimated there are about 20 on the forest.

SMALL AND UPLAND GAME

There is a great abundance of snowshoe hare on the Chippewa, 100,000 being the estimated number. There are few cottontail rabbits, and about 500 gray squirrels.

Ruffed grouse are plentiful, and sharp-tailed grouse is increasing, the present populations of each being 150,000 and 5,000, respectively. Two thousand prairie chickens and 500 pheasants complete the census of upland game.

Favorite subject of picture hunters. F—365358

FUR BEARERS AND PREDATORS

Not many wolves or red foxes are to be found on the Chippewa. Coyote and wildcat are more common, but all are easily controlled by trapping and hunting.

The dams of a thousand beaver may be seen throughout the forest, and the marshes and flowage areas are dotted with the houses of muskrats. Comparable to the muskrat as a valuable fur bearer is the skunk, also common on the Chippewa. Weasels are plentiful, but raccoons and otters are seldom seen

WATERFOWL

The Chippewa, with its many lakes and extensive flowage areas, is host to many thousands of ducks during the nesting season and in the spring and fall when the ducks travel the great Mississippi flyway.

It is estimated that the number of waterfowl, with their young, which inhabit the Chippewa during the summer season is approaching 45,000. They include about 20,000 mallard, 7,000 golden-eye, 10,000 blue-winged teal, 4,000 ringneck, and 3,000 baldpate. Among other, less abundant species are the black duck, gadwall, pintail, green-winged teal, redhead, lesser scaup, ruddy duck, and beaded Merganser.

The Chippewa has 7 waterfowl refuges which make welcome resting places for the ducks during the fall hunting season, when they are migrating southward and hunters' guns await them almost all along their route. These refuges are not extensive enough to interfere with good hunting, however, as evidenced by the estimated hunting take of 70,000 in 1940. As might be expected, the greater part of this kill is among migratory fowl.

Local ducks plus the northern duck flight make good hunting on the Chippewa. Many resorts furnish duck boats. F—374876

FISH

Thousands of visitors come to the Chippewa each summer to enjoy the excellent fishing in Leech, Winnibigoshish, Cass, Bowstrong, Sand, Cut Foot Sioux, and many smaller lakes, where fine catches of wall-eyed pike, great northern pike, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and crappies may be made.