The temptation to hunt alligators in AR

In reading about Labor and Delivery services by Mayo Clinic at Owatonna ending November 17, 2025, I feel badly. I wonder if the possibility of a Midwife on the staff could help the situation. With about 400 births in Owatonna per year currently, there must be a better solution than ending the service.

 

It is time to bring you the update on the part of the world I consider more important than the political: 

 

The state of Minnesota is putting an acoustic transmitter into larger size walleyes after making a small incision in the walleye. This transmitter is the size of an AA battery with the ability to transmit up to ten years. 

 

About 2,800 Black Bears were harvested in Minnesota during the 2025 bear season. Some of the bears were in excess of 400 pounds!!

 

I decided to hunt bear for one year at the same time I was hunting deer. (This was legal at that time.)

 

There was a light snowfall early one morning. As I'm walking to my deer stand, I see fresh bear tracks. Wow, maybe I can get a shot. After following the tracks into a swamp with lots of brush, I came to the conclusion my Winchester 32 Deer Rifle was no match for a bear in heavy brush in a swamp. The result was I followed my tracks out of the swamp a lot faster than I came into the swamp.

 

The pheasant hunters in Minnesota this year (2025) weren't very successful. It was very windy with very little corn harvested by the season opener. (Minnesota governor Walz did shoot one rooster pheasant.)

 

I have been tempted for many years to apply for an alligator tag to hunt alligators in Arkansas by snare or harpoon. Arkansas alligator season is two weekends in the fall with a quota of 200 alligators. In reading the laws, I read: There is no quota on the number of humans an alligator can harvest. (I didn't apply!!)

 

My hunting so far this fall (2025) has not been very successful. In trapping and hunting field mice in our garage, it's been very slim, “almost” none. One field mouse did trip my trap and left most of its tail in the trap!! You might refer to this as “A tail of a mouse in a trap.”

 

The last time the Federal Government couldn't agree on a budget, many things were shut down. One thing in this area was wayside rest stops on freeways, which included I35 by Faribault. The Native Minnesotans solved the dilemma by putting two big hand-painted signs as you pulled into the rest stop. The first sign by an evergreen tree read “Hers.” The second sign by an evergreen read “His.”

 

In closing this column: Rural Minnesotans Genie and I are proud to be Rural Minnesotans!! Why?? Because rural residents know how to step up with a helping hand - both monetary and personal. I'm referring to the burger basket fundraiser for Henry Beaver who suffered a traumatic brain injury while playing football at Alden Conger High School. He is a senior and captain of Alden Conger Knights football team.  

 

— — —

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.