First Time Ricer

[Scott M]

Got my location, got a pushpole, 14' row boat, oars, and plans to buy a license. My question is, what else do I need for collecting wild rice? Should I be bringing some instruments to bend the plants over and gently tap the rice off? What works well? I have a guy doing the finishing for me, so I don't need any tips on that, but I'll take any advice for collecting anyone has...

[jentz]

Get some 3/4 inch dowel for your gather/thrash sitcks.With the right stick gather a dozen to two stalks bend them over the boat and with the left thrash with a sweeping motion,then do it on the other side get a rythem going while the boat glides through the rice.A canoe would be much easier through the rice.

[Rodbldr4fun]

First, you don't want a boat. The rice should be thick enough to stop the boat from moving. You need a canoe so you can maneuver in the rice and so it is easy to bring the rice heads over the gunnel to beat. Try to find several good, thick beds in you pre-ricing scouting.

How long is your pole? Wild rice is usually in muck that can be rather think. You need a long pole to reach solid ground to move the canoe forward; it should have a duck bill on the end. Sometimes you can only move 6" if the rice is thick (a good) and muck is deep.

Next,you need two 3/4" dowels to make beating sticks. Make them about 30" long and put rounded points on the ends. You alternate between hands. Pull the rice over the gunnel with the stick and hit the heads with the other stick. Hitting forward along the heads also helps.

One of the important things is to know when the rice is ready. You need to keep checking the bed. Pull on the rice heads gently to see how many grains end up in your hand. Also, check the inside of the grain, If it is milky rather than mostly solid, it still needs to ripen. You don't want to go into a bed too early. You work hard for very little and you damage the bed for when the rice is ready. The rice ripens in stages. Not all the rice will be ready at one time, but you want at least 1/2 the grains to drop easily when the head is hit or gently stripped by hand.

You are better off with a partner. Both are in the rear of the canoe. One pushes with the pole while standing up and the beater sits on a stool just in front of the poler. You will eventually get hung up. Its nice to have another person to help move the canoe along with the aid of a paddle. The work is hard and by the end of the day, you will want all the help you can get to haul the rice and canoe out.

Bring lots of water; it can get quite hot in the rice on a nice day. You will need sacks to gather the rice from the canoe bottom at the end of the day; heavy duty garbage will work, but grain sacks are better.

Spread the rice out on a tarp in a covered area to dry and wait for your final collection. I gets moisture out in preparation for the processing and allows the rice to ripen as it lays there. There will be a bunch of rice worms in the bags. If you leave the bad in the sun to heat up before spreading, they will crawl out of the bag (a good thing).

Wear long sleeved shirts and tuck the shirt in. The rice is bouncing around and can get inside your belly button... not good. Along those lines, keep your mouth shut so a grain doesn't get in there. They are very tough to get out due to their hull structure. Its like they burrow. I speak from experience. The grain scratches as it goes down and your throat will be quite uncomfortable for some time.

As I said, this is very hard work. That said, it is also one of the most satisfying activities I have done. It can be very beautiful in the rice beds that time of the year (Labor Day). Lots of wildlife and the sound of rice falling into your canoe is quite spiritual (at least for me).

Good Luck and Enjoy.

[troutned]

I've only riced once (plan to more this year), but I agree with everything mentioned above. Here in MN, we have strict requirements regarding the size of craft we use (length and width), and those dimensions would generally preclude use of a row-boat. There are also maximum lengths and weights of the sticks you use to knock the rice off the plants. I don't know if your location has similar restrictions, but look into it if you haven't already. Attire, hydration, and extras mentioned above are all key to enjoying your time out there. IMO, ricing is one of the most rewarding self-abuses you can inflict! Have fun!

[Scott M]

Thanks for the tips! I should be able to use a canoe that weekend.

[Chaska Fisherman]

I am looking for a finisher up in the Brainerd area..>Does anyone know of any? This is my second year and I absolutely agree that it is very rewarding

please post on here or you can email me at [email protected]

Rice on!

[gooty]

is it harvesting time?!?!?!?

[spivak]

The MN hunting regs. has all the legal requirements listed for canoe length/width, knockers, and pushpole. The 1854 Authority has some good links about wild rice on its HSOforum. The various reports make for interesting reading--the current number of ricers vs. numbers in the 70's for instance.

There does seem to be a lot of variation on how people actually do rice. I usually stand in the back of the canoe to pole and the knocker sits right in front of me facing the rice as I pole along. I've seen paddlers in the bow seat with the knocker in the stern, poler in the front with the knocker in the stern, poler in the stern with the knocker facing backwards in the bow, etc. We use a duckbill pusher and I've found people have opinions about that. Some of the native ricers use a tamarack or spruce pole with a natural vee of wood lashed to it.

Reading the ricing accounts of Paul Buffalo is interesting. I found it through the U of M Duluth. Tom Roufs compiled it. Accounts of native ricing and how closely it was monitored by an appointed council. Also the ricing techniques which were deemed acceptable and those which were thought too damaging to the rice plants. Paul also talks about hunting, fishing, sugaring--it's a fascinating account of native life in the northern lakes area of MN. You can find the entire biography online.