By: Gary Gorniak. First, let me introduce myself. I am Gary Gorniak, President of the Straits Area Sportsmen’s Club (SASC), Vice President of The Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance (UPSA) and Vice Chairmen of the Eastern U.P. DNR Citizens Advisory Council (EUPCAC). I am not anti-wolf; a gray wolf has a place in wildlife. But like all wildlife, the gray wolf has to be managed. You can’t pick and choose to manage one without affecting the other, especially a skilled predator as the wolf. Our 2020 deer season in the U.P. was a disaster and will … Read More
The Rompola Buck
By: Dan Schmidt. The Rompola Buck. If you’ve been around the deer world as long as I’ve been, a few names need no introduction. That one is perhaps the most infamous. Was it real or just an elaborate fake? And, if it were real, how could it just seemingly disappear almost as fast as it appeared? Let’s back this up. This story starts back in November 1998. The world was a lot simpler then. Relatively few people had computers (no, not tablets) with Internet access. Fewer had cell phones. Most of us were still … Read More
Have Wolves Destroyed The (Michigan) Deer Population?
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
Home Waters – Don’t Be Fooled About Wolves
By: Dennis Smith. At a wolf symposium in Grand Junction (Colorado) in August of 2018, Dr. Valerius Geist stated: “I’m here to tell you why the wolf does not belong in settled landscapes. Wolves do unbelievable damage to wildlife, they do great damage to agriculture, they pose a real threat to public health and safety and they kill humans under now well-known circumstances. Moreover, after all the pain, suffering and depredations that wolves inflict on people in settled landscapes, after the enormous public expenditures to maintain wolves, all the effort and costs are for naught … Read More
Ontario Wolf Hunting In -40 Degrees (f)
By: Nick Grillo. Not many people can say that they have seen a wolf in person while in the wild and many more people have not been lucky enough to have a chance to harvest a wolf. Well last year in January of 2019, I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to go on my first wolf hunt. Where can you wolf hunt? Well obviously for the time being, my home state of Michigan is not an option, so Ontario is the closest, next best option for a chance at a big wolf. I … Read More
The Bear Necessities Of Bilateral Symmetry – Its A Michigan “Thing”
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
Speed Touring during Pre-Season…get to know it now!
by: John Eberhardt. How many times have you heard of or witnessed a nice buck consistently come out and feed in the same location every evening during the summer only to dissipate into thin air just prior to season. In areas with a heavy consequential hunting pressure this vanishing act happens far more frequently than not. Unknowingly, many hunters create this vanishing act with their overzealous pre-season scouting and location preparation. By traipsing through the woods, busting through brush, hanging stands, clearing shooting lanes, and marking entry and exit routes just prior to season, hunters … Read More
All’s Well In Love & War but not necessarily with Michigan Bear Hunting
By: John Buczek. For the past few years, I’ve volunteered as a cook with an outfitter based out of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This outfitter conducts deer, bear and turkey hunts in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Throughout my time helping this outfitter, I’ve witnessed an issue that I believe affects bear hunting in the state of Michigan. What I’ve both seen and experienced doesn’t just feel like an isolated or local problem, but perhaps something more widespread that needs to be addressed. …The following is … Read More
Dr. Bastion Discovers CWD Testing Breakthrough, Paves Road for Vaccine
By: Bruce Billingsly, contributed by John Eveland. Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (Unified or USP) and Louisiana State University (LSU) have recently entered into a mutually beneficial agreement to raise research funds for Dr. Frank Bastian toward eradicating chronic wasting disease (CWD) from Pennsylvania and throughout America and protecting human health. Unified has taken the national leadership role on The CWD Project. (Visit www.gousp.org to join the partnership.) Impacts of CWD. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family of wildlife. It is rapidly expanding throughout America, … Read More
Big Woods Duck Hunt
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