By: Bill Cowling. From the moment of our first hunt, my son’s anticipation of his first deer harvest grew exponentially. Little did we know, that anticipation would grow over 7 seasons of deer hunting before the moment came to fruition. As a youngster, my son, Dylan, immediately became infatuated with deer hunting. His first bow, delivered by Santa on his fourth Christmas, launched foam balls across the family room. The very next morning, ‘ol Dad woke early with the young lad standing and staring at me while still sleeping. “Dad, when can we go hunting?” … Read More
What deer hunting is really like
Written by a thousand deer hunters…. Months of anticipation, planning & preparation. Getting up early, sitting outside all day in the cold wind (yesterday) or the almost rain snow showers (today). Seeing nothing so you move mid day to another spot for a while. When you decide to get a late lunch and dry off a little you find that a deer walked on your footprints in the hour since you made them (today). You gear up and head back out but the wind has changed so you have to make a new plan for … Read More
A Crossroads In The Balance
The beginning of each hunting season is in-and-of-itself a fresh start. I look at “this time of year” as a chance to change up my success ratio. A number of years ago I began a quest to do what, perhaps, most hunters do each year…establish a better method for my madness. Before I began my quest I decided to do what every sophomore philosopher would do … look in the rear view mirror to get a better handle on my journey ahead… In the mid eighties I re-ignited my deer hunting with a new bow … Read More
Anticipation For Hunting Season
By: David Derusha. It is commonly called ‘fall’…but its really ‘hunting season’. The leaves are changing colors, dropping from the trees and forming a blanket to cover the green grass. I live for that moment. I love raking leaves, because I know in the back of my head that it is my favorite time of the year. It is the time I work so hard for year around, the time to go to those tree stands for the first time and hunt that buck you have on trail camera, or shoot that first Ruffed Grouse … Read More
My Buck From Dad’s Blind
By: Brian Smith. These trips are not about getting a deer. It’s about the drive up in the truck; leaving at 4am, having breakfast in a small town diner, hearing stories from Grandpa’s past 70 years of hunting in the UP. It’s about sharing a week with guys closest to you, but also having 12 hours a day by yourself sitting, waiting for something to move. 17 years ago, I made my first trip to the UP with my Dad and Grandpa. We stayed in one of the small cabins at the West Shore Resort … Read More
What’s New Is Old … Again?
…reflecting… In today’s society, instant gratification is virtually nonnegotiable. We want it, and we want it now, whether “it” entails grabbing a burger from McDonald’s or speeding down the highway on your way home from work. Simply put, we don’t like to wait around for stuff anymore. If we don’t have to, we won’t. That attitude has trickled down to nearly every aspect of our lives, including deer hunting. Growing up, the U.P. looked to me like a paradigm of the great outdoors. It was brimming with wildlife, a special, almost mythical quality surrounding all … Read More
Bear Hunting When Conventional Wisdom Ain’t Workin’
Michigan’s bear hunting permit system can challenge anyone’s patience ..including mine. After all, it is managed by the Dept. of Natural Resources. Most of us spent years reading the online results: “try again next year”. For one mid-Michigan hunter, Tony Dodak, he knew his efforts of getting a permit inside of the Red Oak bear management unit (BMU) was a work in progress. Nine years to be exact. He and his (hunting partner) brother, Aaron, began the planning process of unsuccessful permit draws back when the U.S. was in the midst of a financial crisis … Read More
A Classic Michigan Bear Hunt (w/video)
Black bear hunting in da U.P…..eh. On September 15th, 2016 my dream of bagging a Michigan Black bear came true. My name is Nick Grillo and I am an avid Outdoorsman. I have always been around hunting but I started out deer hunting when I was 14. Deer Hunting has always been one of my main passions in life, that is until I sat 7 yards from a black bear, face to face at ground level. Man….now that was a rush. I still love deer hunting, but definitely gained a huge respect and passion for … Read More
My First Michigan Bear
“This was my first Michigan black bear hunt and it was everything I hoped it would be. Wild Game Dynasty was exceptional! My hunting partner and I arrived at camp a day early to an excellent dinner after a long road trip. Prepared food was exceptional each morning & night.. The area is beautiful. There is a reason why the U.P. is called “God’s Country”. I could not believe how hard our guides worked for all of the guys at camp. I did shoot a nice Michigan black bear! The bear came in exactly how … Read More
Guided Spring Turkey Hunt
“As one of the extremely fortunate winners of the 2015 Pure Michigan hunt, I looked forward with great anticipation, to my guided Spring Turkey hunt. Despite pending, unseasonably foul weather in the forecast, Gary immediately put me on a great Tom, allowing me to fill my tag before the snows flew once more. A great hunt, put on by a great guide!!” – Mike DiLorenzo, Clinton Twp., MI