Out on the lake, there are always things to see. As the temperatures have swung back and forth and having rain fall on the ice, tracks have been in various forms. Some have enjoyed the icy conditions, some haven’t. People also leave their notes on the ice, too.
When there was still snow for skiing on the ice, a coyote track seemed to go between Townsend Shore and Stamp Act. It was a bit strange because the four feet were normal but there was an extra track of some form to the side. Seemed like something was being dragged but it didn’t look like an injured limb.
It didn’t seem like a normal track and a day later, when traveling near Townsend Shore, the reason for the track became evident. It has been the site of a feast for many although unfortunate for one. A coyote was taking food away from a kill to where it may not have been shared with other.
Coyote will chase deer and the deer sometimes figure that they can go out on the lake but their hooves and long legs can be a real problem. The hooves don’t dig into the ice and if their legs splay, they can’t get up. On slippery ice, the deer don’t stand much of a chance. With the coyotes nearby, it is not a good thing for the deer. At the same time, lots of food becomes available to the carnivores.The eagles were seen flying toward it and there were lots of tracks of foxes and others..
All that was left was the backbone with the rest of the deer taken off to be eaten. Life is hard in the winter for the animals and some get lucky when others don’t.
The ice also had other tracks and they changed over time. For a few days, the skiing was great and skate skiers were out on the lake. There were also snowmobiles and ATVs as the ice is now over 12 inches thick. In the fresh snow, you can see the ski tracks and then after a rain and warm temperatures, the the other frozen tracks are evident.
And lastly, there seems to have been a bit of enthusiasm for a football game early in February. Someone must have made a message in the snow and then with the rain and melting with subsequent refreezing, there is a message frozen in the ice. It isn’t perfect but it gets the message through……
