Michigan’s U.P. Deer – “not a ground ball”.

Adrian ZarantonelloBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Adrian Zarantonello. Despite the favorable conditions, opening day didn’t yield any activity for me. My father-in-law Jeff shot a nice 8-point on opening day, his first deer in 5 years. Jeff could care less about antler points and would equally have someone else have success as himself, so as he regaled us with the story, of his first 8-point, I was glad that someone so selfless had found some personal success. With the wind changing to the southeast the next day, a location change was in order. The morning of the 16th, we were greeted … Read More

Active Scrapes, #1 Natural Hunting Location.

John EberhartBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  John Eberhart. As you likely know by now the Michigan NRC has banned baiting in 12 counties for the 2018 deer season and in Michigan’s entire southern Peninsula for 2019 due to issues with chronic wasting disease or better known as CWD.  For at least a generation and a half (30 years) a pretty high percentage of Michigan bow and gun hunters have been introduced into the deer hunting world by exclusively hunting over bait and have known no other method for taking deer.  Also many hunters that began hunting without using bait have … Read More

How To Judge A Black Bear

Richard P SmithBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Richard P Smith. After more than 50 years of hunting, photographing and studying black bears, I’ve learned a number of reliable methods for judging the size and sex of the animals that rely on the differences in body length and height as well as the proportions and positions of the ears on the head and front foot size. Obvious sex organs are important, too, of course. If you see a penis sheath hanging down in front of the hind legs on a side view or testicles from a rear view of a bruin, you … Read More

One fine big game cartridge for Michigan hunting – the .450 Bushmaster

Tom LounsburyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO, Youth Hunts

By:  Tom Lounsbury. When the Michigan Natural Resources Commission passed the Limited Firearms Deer Season into law five years ago, it opened up a whole new avenue for southern Michigan deer hunters, allowing an array of straight wall cartridges (.35 caliber are larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches) in rifles during the regular firearms deer season (not to mention the Liberty, and early and late antlerless deer seasons as well). The new law is very well written, easy to understand, and it truly uses … Read More

Have Wolves Destroyed The (Michigan) Deer Population?

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

By:  Carol Stiffler. Lou Bennett owns 20 acres of land east of Newberry and says he’s fed deer herds there for 30 years.  It was perfect, he said. The woods offered plenty to eat, and many places for deer to hide. There was no pressure. Each winter, he’d feed between 250 and 300 deer. That began to change a few winters ago, and Bennett saw the herd drop hundreds of animals at a time.  “Last year I was down to about 100, 125,” he said. “This year, not one deer came back. Not one.”  Bennett … Read More

The Bear Necessities Of Bilateral Symmetry – Its A Michigan “Thing”

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  John Buczek.  Over 50 years ago my Dad introduced me to one of Michigan’s favorite pastimes – hunting.  Each adventure out of doors was an opportunity for us to share many of life’s lessons. I fondly remember how respectfully he treated other people.  I remember him saying “it takes more energy to treat people poorly, so why do it?”  My outdoor experiences continued in mid-Michigan, which included pheasant hunting in “the thumb”, deer hunting “up north” and eventually an occasional turkey hunt in “God’s country” .  Of course, specific areas of the state provided … Read More

My Hunting Obsession Came Late

Adrian ZarantonelloBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

By:  Adrian Zarantonello. I’ll start this story off with the fact that I’m by no means a hunting expert. I haven’t shot any “Booners” and I’m relatively new to hunting. However, for a newer hunter with limited background and experience, some components of hunting stick out more than others in terms of importance. Although my learning curve was steep, I’ve cultivated a great appreciation for scent control and prevention. I thought I’d share my observations concerning scent control and prevention, and its importance in a successful hunt. My hunting obsession started late; I was really … Read More

Gearing up and getting ready for the fall hunting seasons – that time is here

Tom LounsburyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Tom Lounsbury.             Mid-August is the perfect time to take a good look at your hunting gear and make improvements or additions as is necessary, because before you know it, you will be out in the field pursuing various autumn outdoor pastimes. That is what I truly appreciate about our great state of Michigan, the very diverse availability of outdoor pursuits, in which my home Thumb area is no slouch at all. The crow season is already in progress and in a couple short weeks, the early goose season opens up. Mid-September represents my … Read More

A look back at the christening of Wild Game Dynasty (ELO)

Jim KushnerBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

By:  Jim Kushner. The summer after Gary first purchased his place at East Lake I helped him out with some demo & remodel.   The “priority project” was removing a really old tub & toilet and replacing with new plumbing and shower stall.   The old pipe was black metal and came apart (more or less) in our hands. Seriously, it was as old as it was ugly! My friend, Matt,  also helped out with the project.   When fall rolled around we planned a 4 day hunt with Gary. I believe we were the first to actually … Read More

Big Woods Duck Hunt

Wild Game DynastyEast Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

By: David Derusha On September 30th, 2018, opening day of Duck Season in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, I prepped for two hunters who came to Wild Game Dynasty’s camp to enjoy a few days of Duck Hunting in the Big Woods. You may think all duck hunting is created equal, but I am here to tell you it isn’t. Duck Hunting the big woods is challenging but extremely fun! With the help of my friend Sean and my cousin Coot, we were in for some good hunting on ponds deep in the bush.             Hunters Mike … Read More