Backpacker Magazine – June 2001

Raptors Rule Wisconsin's Turtle-Flambeau Waterway

Paddle Wisconsin's Turtle-Flambeau waterway, watch the aerial show, and lay claim to your own island.

by: Eric Hansen

Tags:
• Adventures
|
• Weekends
|
• Paddling
|
• Secret spots
|
• Kayaks
|

---

Normally, the sight of a soaring bald eagle would hold my attention, but on this trip, eagles were as common as squirrels. As I glanced overhead at yet another ivory-headed raptor, my eyes were suddenly drawn back to shore, where something white flashed high in a tree. I noticed a woven bundle of branches and wondered who occupied the nest. The answer exploded out of the tree when an osprey rose to confront the eagle. A raucous, midair showdown ensued. With wings pumping furiously, the two birds circled and screeched at each other, a mere 3 feet separating their beaks. Before long, the eagle withdrew.

I was paddling the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, a long, meandering lake in northern Wisconsin, when I witnessed the aerial battle for territory. The Turtle-Flambeau boasts the highest density of bald eagle, osprey, and common loon breeding pairs in the state. One recent survey counted 11 pairs of nesting eagles, 18 pairs of osprey, and 21 pairs of loons among the hundred-plus bird species raising young on the flowage. Nonavian residents can be a little harder to spot, but include timber wolves, otters, bobcats, pine martens, black bears, and a moose here and there.

After 5 days of canoe camping in Turtle-Flambeau's eastern and southern branches, I selected the remote southern area—between Rat Lake and Otter Creek—as my favorite place for a quiet getaway. Most of the shoreline consists of sheltered nooks and crannies, dominated by a mix of hardwoods, pine, and an occasional cedar swamp. Isolated backcountry campsites are tucked away in the forest fringes on numerous little islands (195 all told), any of which can be yours for a day or 2.

Don't be scared off by the motorboats. If you do hear an engine, it'll be a lone fisherman puttering along. Water skiing and jet skis are rare, thanks to the prevailing etiquette and the dissuading power of submerged stumps, snags, and rock reefs.

My verdict? I'll follow the lead of the area's migratory residents and return next year.

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter