Stories from Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Iowa’s archery deer season got underway on Oct. 1 with an estimated 60,000 hunters heading to the timber over the next few weeks. For hunters in the derecho corridor, this year will not be like seasons past. “Scouting is always important, but if you’re hunting in the area damaged by derecho, it will be particularly important this year,” said Tyler Harms, deer program leader for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources...

Editor’s note: It seems that we’re always looking for new ways to fix fish. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has found four different recipes you might want to try. Over the course of four weeks, we will provide one of these recipes. Below is the third recipe. (Courtesy of Dennis Weiss)...

If you’ve ever gotten any bird seed at Bird Haven, located across the road to the south of Center Lake, you know that owner Wendell Hansen loves his wildlife, especially his birds. The yard is filled with all kinds of feeders and everything from squirrels to turkeys to deer to all kinds of songbirds. It’s constant action...

In the autumn season, fishing can be good. Really good. Fish instinctively know that colder water will be arriving soon. Their metabolism will slow down and they won’t be eating as much. They need to rely on stored energy to keep them going during the next few months of cold water, so they eat a lot in preparation of that cold water. ...

So, how do you know if the fall perch bite is happening on Big Spirit? Well, there are really two ways: look for the armada of boats scattered around the lake or check out the boat ramps. And, yes, the bite is happening right now! Even during the light rainfall that began midmorning last Saturday, there were “schools” of boats wherever you looked. Plus, as I left the lake around 11 a.m., there were a total of 57 trailers parked at Marble Beach, Templar ramp and the south shore ramp...

Harris-Lake Park topped West Sioux in a War Eagle Conference volleyball matchup Thursday, Oct. 1 in Hawarden. The Wolves defeated the Falcons in four sets. They dropped the opening set 25-12, but bounced back to win 25-21, 25-22 and 25-23. "Really proud of how our girls played," Harris-Lake Park coach Sarah deVries said. ...

Okoboji suffered a straight-set loss to West Lyon on Thursday, Oct. 1. The Pioneers fell 27-25, 25-7 and 25-13 "We played great in that first set and had a couple of opportunities to win it, but we just couldn't put the ball down," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. :We continued to stay scrappy, but their blocking was something we couldn't always handle."...

The Spirit Lake volleyball team earned a straight-set road victory over Garner-Hayfield-Ventura on Thursday, Oct. 1. The Indians topped the Cardinals 25-15, 25-22 and 25-21. Mackenzie Kauffman led Spirit Lake with 14 kills. Stella Donkersloot had 17 assists and Irish Knutson had 16...

Spirit Lake, Okoboji and Harris-Lake Park volleyball teams traveled east to compete at a tournament hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Saturday, Oct. 3. Spirit Lake and Okoboji went 3-1, and Harris-Lake Park went 1-3 at the tournament. The Indians picked up a pair of 2-0 wins over their Dickinson County counterparts, topping Okoboji 21-19 and 21-11, and topping H-LP 21-12 and 21-17...

The Okoboji volleyball team earned a Siouxland Conference road win over Sibley-Ocheyedan on Monday, Oct. 5. The Pioneers dropped the opening set 25-23, but bounced back to win 25-18, 25-16 and 28-15. "We started our slow the first set and ultimately made too many errors down the stretch," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. "We were able to battle back and take the next three. It was a team effort tonight with our attacking and defense."...

The Okoboji volleyball team dropped a Siouxland Conference home contest with Sheldon on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The Pioneers fell 25-23, 25-15 and 25-10 to the Orabs. "We played great the first set and were able to keep them out of system," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. "Sheldon was able to exploit our weaknesses in sets two and three and maintain control. Emma Larson had a good night behind the service line while Elli Hanson played great defense."...

The Spirit Lake volleyball team picked up a Lakes Conference home victory over Spencer on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The Indians topped the Tigers in four sets. Spencer took the opening set 25-17, but Spirit Lake stormed back to win the second 25-22, the third 25-19 and the fourth 25-23...

The Okoboji volleyball team earned a straight-set victory over Siouxland Conference foe George-Little Rock on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Pioneers defeated the Mustangs 25-23, 25-14 and 30-28 in Milford. "I was very pleased with how our girls worked together to pull out the win," Okoboji coach Ashley Linquist said. "It was truly a team effort. Elli Hanson played awesome in the back row while Ally Peters and Olivia Lorenzen took care of business in the front row."...

Okoboji and Spirit Lake cross country runners competed at a meet hosted by Estherville Lincoln Central on Thursday, Oct. 1. The Okoboji girls team won their race and the boys placed second. The Spirit Lake boys placed third and the girls placed fourth overall...

Heading into Friday night's contest against Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, the Pioneers knew it would be the last time they played on their home field in 2020. While Okoboji's 34-7 loss to the Cardinals was emotional for everyone on the team, first-year head coach Nick Plueger said it hit the seniors the hardest...

Harris-Lake Park capped its regular season slate with a homecoming victory over River Valley on Friday, Oct. 2. The Wolves suffered a bit of a second-half scare, but responded with a pair of late touchdowns to secure a 44-26 win over the Wolverines...

Editor's Note: This is the seventh installment of a weekly series previewing prep football in Dickinson County. The rankings are according to the latest Associated Press poll. Spirit Lake and Okoboji are the lone Dickinson County teams in action this week, as Harris-Lake Park will have the final Friday of the regular season off...