My Buck From Dad’s Blind

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

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?

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

…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’

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

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)

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

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

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz

“This was my first Michigan black bear hunt and it was everything I hoped it would be. East Lake Outfitters 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

Wild Game DynastyEast Lake Buzz, Spring Fling

“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

Nice Buck First Day Out

Wild Game DynastyEast Lake Buzz

Whether this is your first time hunting a certain species or a veteran in the wild, ELO has an experience awaiting you.                  

A Celebration And You’re Invited!

Wild Game DynastyTake A Hike!

Celebrate National Winter Trails Day January 7th with Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore chapter (HSS) of the North Country Trail Association or on your own if you are adventurous. The celebration is designed to introduce the public to winter trail sport activities that are available to the EUP community and visitors all day long throughout the winter season. The event is planned so that participants can enjoy one or more of the event options from early AM to well after dark! Those wishing to begin their day early in the winter woods can ski the Hiawatha National Forest … Read More

Will Work For Food!

Wild Game DynastyFriends of ELO

Many of us have booked a wild game hunt with an outfitter…at least once.  There are many reasons for trusting our hunts to someone else’s planning and handiwork, but few will admit they most need a professional to cover their ‘back side’.  WGD found a handful of some of the toughest hunting guides in the Midwest.  We recently sat down with them to get a feel of what drives their ambition.  “Most guides are in shape, physically…it’s the mental toughness that matters most”, says Ross Chambers, a professional guide in Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula.  Imagine … Read More

Family Traditions – An Invitation Awaits

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

family traditions

By:  Gary Morgan. Being a hunting guide for whitetail deer in Michigan has its challenges.  Specifically, the Eastern Upper Peninsula is a pure challenge.  Big timber goes as far as the eye can see, setting the stage for a way to find some of the greatest strain of trophy whitetails in the lower 48.  Finding a thriving band of deer in ‘da UP’ is like finding a ball cap full of morel mushrooms – they exist in pockets but not necessarily in the same area year-after-year.  “I’ve hunted trophy whitetails in a lot of areas…the … Read More