Something to bark about: 'Scon sled dog racing as wild and alive as ever

Happy Wednesday folks, and welcome to the Wiscampsin Weekly! We deliver weekly Wisconsin outdoor reads in less than 5 minutes.

Today's (belly) rubdown:

• 'Scons salivate for dog sledding 🛷 

• Ethical Hunters Award 🥇 

• Warming lakes = walleye woes 🐟

Something to bark about: 'Scon dog sled racing as wild and alive as ever

Just last week, in the oldest dog sled race in the contiguous US, Ryan Anderson from Cushing, WI took home gold for the 4th time at the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

Ryan and his team of sled dogs battled through 300 miles of blistering trails to take 1st place, qualifying them for the famous Alaskan Iditarod.

If you're thinking to yourself "cripes, must have had a few too many Old Fashioneds last night, I woke up in the year 1737!" you weren't over served by Sheryl at the tavern; dog sled racing is very pup-ular around our state.

'Howl' it works

• Dog sledding teams consist of as many as 8 dogs, a sled, and a 'musher' or pilot

• Now a sport, dog sledding was once necessity centuries ago, used to transport mail, supplies, and medicine to remote communities

• Sled dogs and their musher can travel as fast as ~20 miles per hour

• A dog sled race can take multiple days, requiring the dogs to 'ruff' it and sleep in the snow

Mush! Mush! Mush!

Dog sledding dates way back, when the Inuit People used dogs for transportation as early as 1,000 A.D. The last time the Chicago Bears won a Super Bowl, actually...

Once Europeans started traveling to the far reaches of the Earth, they witnessed the utility of dog sledding and it quickly caught on, leading to its use in settling communities in winter climates.

Which lead to legendary dog sledding lore such as Balto, the dog who championed a team of dogs 1,000 miles from Nome -> Anchorage -> and back to Nome, Alaska through a -50 degree blizzard in 1925 to deliver needed meds, saving the dying town from Diphtheria.

The need for wanderlust

The most popular breeds for dog sledding are Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Huskies, and Alaskan Malamutes, but qualifications to be a sled dog go deeper than just pedigree.

As Wisconsin-breeder and former racer Howard Thompson says, the dog needs to have a certain wanderlust. He says it's the idea that "somewhere else is better."

A dog's drive is so important that it dictates which position they'll be in when harnessed. For example, the Lead Dogs set the pace and apply mushers' verbal directions. Conversely, the Team Dogs are the workers or engines of the team.

Even though the dogs are exposed to harsh temps, sleep in the snow (on some hay, if they're lucky), and run hundreds of miles, they're happiest when on the trail.

The how's, when's, where's...

Surprisingly, dog sledding is a year-round activity (mushers add wheels to their sleds for Wisconsin's summers), so even the fair weather folks can get involved.

If you're not looking to be in it for the long-haul, there are a few options to rent out a sled team for day-and-weekend long tours. Perfect, we'll hit Cheese Castle on the way.

If you need a helping 'paw' to get into the sport yourself, signing up for a club like this one will get you around the right folks. Once you have all the gear, the dogs, and the curds to subject yourself to winter-race conditions, join a competition like The Apostle Island Sled Dog Race, the largest mid-distance race in the Midwest.

Whatever you and your four-legged friends decide to do this winter, just be sure to get out 'der.

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🏹 Ethical Hunter Awards: The DNR is seeking nominations for the 2021 Ethical Hunter Award! Sorry Uncle Chris, missing every deer you shoot at doesn't count as being ethical...

🐶 It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a... flying dog?: If you haven't seen the retriever exhibit at the Wisconsin Sports Show, you are missing out! Dogs, fishing contests, $5,000 in prizes - need we say more?

🎣 Walleye in hot water: Literally. Wisconsin's lakes are warming, and it's creating all kinds of problems for life underwater. For example: walleye, who prefer colder temps, are seeing a decline, while largemouth bass, fans of warm water, are thriving. Can't have a "largemouth" fish fry, though...