2/8/11 – Here is the video of a nervous Bill and Cindy releasing the bobcat that was living under the deck.

2/7/11 – The bobcat story continues… Cindy had the great sighting of a bobcat with a squirrel in its mouth a few days ago (see story below). The next day we heard a loud thump outside the store. The dogs were already outside and the noise set them to barking. Suddenly their barks turned from routine “What’s that strange noise?” to frantic, high pitched “Oh my God, it’s time to panic.”
They headed around to the back of the store so I went out to investigate. Just as I stepped outside, the bobcat loped across the driveway about five feet in front of me with the two terriers in pursuit. The funny thing was that the big cat wasn’t really running and neither were the dogs. The dogs were game to give chase, but clearly didn’t want to catch a 25 pound wildcat. The bobcat headed under our house deck and Phoebe, our chief of outfitter security went under there too and barked at it for the rest of the afternoon and evening. She finally gave up and came inside when it got dark.
The next morning, there was a patch of frozen blood and a flying squirrel tail on the store deck in the same spot where the red squirrel had met it’s end the day before. Incidentally, flying squirrel tails are very interesting. They look like a large feather because the squirrels actually use them for steering while they are gliding around in the dark.
The next afternoon, Phoebe again started barking under the deck. We were going to town, so I put on coveralls and crawled under there to retrieve her. I was surprised to find that she and the bobcat were nose to nose with Phoebe barking and the bobcat growling. From time to time the bobcat would take a swing at Phoebe and she would yelp as if injured, but I don’t think it actually made contact. After dragging the excited terrier out from under the deck, I crawled back under and got these pictures.


Later that evening, just as the Superbowl was starting, I flipped on the outside light and was very surprised to find the bobcat right at my feet with its nose pressed against the sliding glass door staring into the living room. After careful discussion, we decided that considering its strange behavior and the hours of barking and growling that we were bound to endure in the future, that we would set a live trap and move the bobcat to a new location. The trap was set, baited with sliced turkey, and we soon had a caged bobcat.

We quickly drove our bobcat friend to an undisclosed and distant location and released it back into the wild. We recorded the release on video and I will post a link to it soon. – Bill

2/4/11 – While working in the office yesterday, Cindy heard a commotion outside on the deck near the front door to the store. She went to the glass door to investigate and was surprised to see a bobcat on the deck with a squirrel in its mouth! She and the three dogs were stunned by the sight and none of them made a sound for about 15 seconds. Then the dying squirrel gave a few final kicks and the dogs came to life with wild barking. The bobcat was unconcerned and continued to gaze at them through the door, less than 15 feet away, for more than a minute before trotting away.
We’ve been seeing more bobcats and lynx in recent years. When I was a kid, we saw them fairly frequently, but during the ’80s and 90’s I didn’t see even a single track. It is good to have the boreal cats back in the neighborhood. – Bill

1/30/11 – Mostly, I consider regular snowfall a wonderful gift. It is not only beautiful, but it enables our favorite outdoor activities. But, there are a few drawbacks. Plowing and shoveling are the routine chores, but when the snow gets to a certain depth some of our older buildings need to have their roofs shoveled. I use an old metal sign to slice the snow-pack into blocks and then slide them off the roof with a grain scoop. The process is kind of fun for the first few hours, then it begins to lose its charm. However, an iPod with a good book on it helps the time fly by. When the job is done, you can simply step off the roof and slide down the pile to the ground. – Bill

The old campground rules sign make the perfect tool for carving the snow on the shower house into blocks.

36″ of snow on the shower house.

Sliding a block.

The easy part.

1/19/2011 – It is hard not to love winter on a day like today. I stepped outside early this morning to be greeted by perfectly still, perfectly clear, crisp air with just the lightest of snows falling straight down. The trees are loaded with six to ten inches of brilliant white snow. My footsteps made the squeaky soda-cracker sound as I walked into the canoe yard and the ubiquitous blue jays set up a chorus of not-very-worried warning when they saw me. The powder snow that we received most recently makes perfectly sculpted ski tracks and provides for nearly silent snow shoeing. – Bill

1/4/11 – The great thing about this year, so far, is that it is solidly winter. Temperatures are just in the single digits during the day and below zero at night. There is deep snow everywhere, including on every twig and branch in the forest. The air is crystal clear, crisp and sweet. The pictures below are from our annual reunion of current and former Sawbill crew members. – Bill

The whole happy group toasting with champagne on Sawbill Lake just moments before 2011 begins.

Sliding fun.

Our little 4K ski trail is gorgeous right now.

Crew member Joe Daniels lives up to his nickname, “Snowbaby”.

12/30/10 – Following a long standing Sawbill tradition, current and former crew are returning to help celebrate the new year. After numerous card games, puzzles and conversation, the early arrivals adjourned to the canoe landing to create some Sawbill themed snow sculptures.
Happy New Year to all our Sawbill friends! – Bill and the extended Hansen family.

(l to r) Craig Hill, Caitlin Coomes, Carl Hansen, Dos the Voyageur (Uno’s cousin), Clare Hansen, Liz Foot, Luke Opel.

Homer (Moon) Hansen

Sawbill Sculpture Garden

12/27/10 – Four Hansens and three dogs traveled the first Kelso Loop of the winter season yesterday. It was a good ski for everyone except Homer the Retriever who hasn’t moved from his bed since we finished 18 hours ago.

Cindy and Clare at the Sawbill Lake canoe landing.

The Sawbill side of the Kelso/Sawbill portage.

Taking a breather at the mouth of the Kelso River.

Adam and Clare at the end of the ski.

12/26/10 – We had our own minor miracle here at Sawbill on Christmas eve. At lunchtime, a beautiful fox appeared under our bird feeder just a few feet from our dining room table. It could clearly see us and hear us but was completely unconcerned. It casually ate seeds spilled around the feeder and occasionally hunted for mice under the snow.
From time to time, we get a friendly fox around the property or out in the BWCA Wilderness. Years ago, a fox strolled into our campsite on Mora Lake and sat down between the two of us, facing the fire, joining us in our contemplation of the fire. Gradually, we resumed normal conversation and the fox just sat, so close we could have touched it easily, glancing at us from time to time and completely unafraid. After half an hour or so, it calmly got up and walked away.
Our Christmas fox hung around until well after dark. To our great surprise he was joined by another fox in the late afternoon. While the smaller female patrolled the feeders, the larger male curled up on the ski trail and took a nap! In the morning, they were gone and have not returned since. – Bill

Mr. Fox peers at us through the living room window.

Under the bird feeder.

Mr. Fox curls up for a nap on the ski trail just a few feet from the house.

12/20/10 – 1″ of snow overnight and it is still snowing. I’m measuring 13″ on the ground right now. It is very high quality snow, so skiing and snow shoeing are fabulous. – Bill