You don’t have to hunt to enjoy the great outdoors. Being newly retired and living further north has provided me with ample opportunity to enjoy what’s all around me. I have a newfound understanding of why many hunters are so passionate about the hunt. I’ve learned that it’s not just about the hunt, but everything in between, as in truth, how many hunting adventures actually result in meat? The meat is great, God put it there for us. But it seems that hunting is so much more. I hope you enjoy a non-hunter’s interpretation of … Read More
The ever-unique atmosphere of spring turkey hunting
Spring of 2023 was a very lucky timeframe for me. I had purchased a raffle ticket from the Cass City Gun Club, for a turkey shotgun. I’ve been none too lucky when it comes to raffles and look at purchasing tickets as generally supporting a good cause and have no expectations of winning anything. However, my ticket was drawn for a Winchester SXP Longbeard 20 ga shotgun, which has turkey hunting written all over it. Being able to use this specialized shotgun a couple weeks later to bag my largest gobbler ever in over 50 … Read More
Spring Sucker Fishing Is A Great Outdoor Adventure
Sucker fishing is right at the top of my springtime agenda, and I have my special haunts for applying the various fishing techniques. The multiple sucker fish species in Michigan get a bit of a bum rap from some folks who consider them to be a trash fish on the order of carp, which is very incorrect. Suckers get their name from their fleshy lipped mouths located on the underside of their heads and are for a fact, bottom feeders. However, they are what I call “clean bottom feeders” in that they feed only … Read More
2023 Turkey Season; More Great Memories With Dad
By: Keith Kinyon. I have hunted and fished with my dad since I was 12 years old. Some of my very best memories are experiences afield and on the water with my dad there to share the moment. This year, with my dad approaching his 84th birthday in a month, we were able to share a turkey hunt that unfolded quickly and had all the components of an exciting hunt. This story started back in December when I had a group of 14 Toms and Jakes that made their way through my property every day. … Read More
Getting prepared for Michigan’s annual spring turkey season
…”Hearing that early morning gobble is a big reason I choose to turkey hunt each year”… By: Tom Lounsbury. With April finally arriving, I’m in the preparation mode for the impending spring turkey season, which includes getting reacquainted with my preferred shotguns. The title “Turkey Gun” conjures up a variety images in the minds of turkey hunters today. What seems popular is a compact and camouflaged shotgun which is equipped with a very tight-patterning screw-in choke tube. It will often be a 3-inch or 3 and half inch 12 ga “Magnum”, or even a behemoth … Read More
The “Sucker” Run Is On!
By: Tom Lounsbury. Spring sucker fishing is a very popular outdoor pastime in Michigan, which includes various techniques such as with hook and line, spearing (including bowfishing with archery tackle) and netting. In my agricultural Thumb area featuring countless drainages, I grew up with “sucker-spearing”, and it is a time- steeped pastime I much enjoy, and freshly cooked sucker is seasonal flavor I yearn for. For years, sucker-spearing had established seasons, typically set in April with various opening days occurring on different dates according to different zones in Michigan, which I had a problem with, … Read More
Enjoying Michigan’s fantastic spring turkey hunting opportunities is a great seasonal pastime.
By: Tom Lounsbury. Having been an avid Michigan spring turkey hunter for over 50 years, I’ve been able to witness how this popular pastime has evolved, with the steadily increasing wild turkey numbers which have successfully extended their territory, as well as the hunting equipment, including calls, specialized ammunition and shotgun chokes. Some of the rules have changed as well, such as the most recent which allows turkey hunters on private property to be able to use shotguns from an elevated platform or tree-stand. Because I often like a change of scenery in our great … Read More
The Quest For A Grand Slam Began Near Spring Training
By: C.J. VanWieren. Several months ago I received a text message from my dad asking me if I would be interested in a Florida turkey hunt. Without hesitation, I said I was absolutely in for a hunt. One, I have never hunted the Osceola turkey and would need that feather in my pursuit of the Grand Slam. More importantly than that, it was the last feather that my dad needed for his Grand Slam and I wanted to be a part of that moment. My dad had waited 27 years to complete his slam and … Read More
The Annual Spring Malady Known As ‘Wild Turkey Fever’
By: Tom Lounsbury. When April arrives I automatically develop a case of “wild turkey fever”, an annual spring malady that has been afflicting me for over 50 years. I find myself habitually sorting out turkey hunting gear, practicing with various turkey calls (when I do this indoors it eventually nets a rather blunt complaint from my wife, Ginny, who says some turkey lingo, such as hen purrs, are as annoying as fingernails scratching on a chalkboard) and patterning my turkey shotguns, of which I have a few favorites, at my backyard shooting range. To assure … Read More
A spring black bear hunting season in Michigan would be a great alternative
By: Tom Lounsbury. The black bear is a very adaptable critter and can be found in a wide variety of habitats. Its range goes from Canada, south to northern Mexico, and is found throughout the United Sates, with the only exception being Hawaii, which has no bears. Michigan has a steadily growing number of black bears with over 11,000 in the Upper Peninsula and around 3,000 in the northern Lower Peninsula, where the range is steadily creeping south. A black bear was recently captured in Grand Rapids and taken back up north and released. Typically, … Read More