When my wife Ginny and I started building our home in 1976, one of the first things on the agenda was digging a farm pond, and using the resulting dirt to fill in around three sides of the house. I can remember the “pond” being nothing but a large, empty crater in the ground. The first water into it actually came from our new well, and the well-digger had recommended doing so to assure that all the pipes were clear of sediment and any metal fragments. I had a long hose going from the hydrant … Read More
Suppressing those sudden loud noises during outdoor shooting adventures
Suppressors for firearms have become quite popular with American shooters, especially so since the $200 Federal Tax Stamp was dropped on January 1, 2026. Prior to that, besides the $200 required fee, it could take several months going through a complicated bureaucratic process to be approved to purchase a suppressor (aka silencer, which isn’t an accurate term, because sound is only suppressed and not completely silenced), which today usually only requires a week or two without all that previous fuss and muss. All the shooters I have talked to who have been using suppressors fully … Read More
The dependable Jeep, an American icon for 85 years and still ticking
The U.S. military began realizing during the 1930’s that it needed a light reconnaissance vehicle due to the quickly developing atmosphere of modern warfare. The British had been using some tough vehicles made by Austin, but they were two-wheel drive and causing issues during reconnaissance in rough country. It was determined the only way to go would be with a light and compact vehicle which featured four-wheel drive. The German blitzkrieg in 1939 put developing an ideal scouting vehicle into overdrive. 1940 found the Army Quartermaster Corps (QMC) seeking designs and bids from various American … Read More
Tick tock – it is “tick time” in Michigan
When growing up as a Thumb area farm boy, I rarely ever saw a tick attached to anything. I do remember seeing one attached to the forehead of one our barn cats, and the big tick was very visible because it was fully engorged with blood and all puffed up like a balloon. The cat wasn’t even aware it was there until I pulled the lethargic tick off with my fingers, threw it on the hardwood barn floor and stomped it into a messy splatter. I spent a whole lot of time outdoors in both … Read More
Made in Michigan – the Eppinger Lures Manufacturing Company
The family farm rests atop a range of hills above the Cass River. Whenever I had any free time as a farm kid during the summer, my favorite fishing holes were only a 10-minute bicycle ride away. My fishing gear was on the simplistic side, featuring a Zebco 202 spin casting rod and reel and only a couple red and white Eppinger dardevle lures, one small and the other medium sized. Nothing more was needed to catch rock bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike. A beauty of dardevle lures is they offer the perfect weight … Read More
The Legends Ranch dedicated to passing on promoting wildlife conservation and the hunting heritage to future generations
Featuring over 2000 acres of very diverse woodland habitat, including cedar-shrouded swamps and rolling terrain cloaked in a mix of dense conifers and hardwoods, the Legends Ranch near Bitley, Michigan, is the brainchild of a worldwide hunter, Arthur Gutierrez Sr, who wished to create a well-managed whitetail hunting paradise in 1998. The property is surrounded by high-fence to assist in developing and maintaining great genetics in very large-antlered whitetail bucks, and the Legends Ranch has become well known for its outstanding trophies. Due to the very spacious and mixed-habitat terrain, this is not a typical … Read More
Dramatic and very timely changes are in place for Michigan’s 2026 Firearms Deer season
During the early 20th century, deer hunting had been put on hold in southern Michigan for quite a while to allow whitetail deer numbers, which had previously been decimated, to rebound back. Its first deer season occurred in 1948, and because state officials believed too many hunters would be crammed together on the smaller state game areas found in southern Michigan, it was determined to establish what would become known as the “shotgun zone” for what they thought were safety reasons. The first couple of seasons allowed only buckshot to be used, but eventually shotgun … Read More
A spring gobbler rendezvous
It was 5 am on May 2nd, the opening morning of Michigan’s recent 0234 spring turkey season in Arenac County. Stars sparkled in a clear, predawn black sky and frost covered the ground. We quietly eased our way through dense cover to a hunting blind placed there the day before, and there was no wind to speak of, which was blessing after having a steady supply of strong winds statewide this spring, not to mention plenty of rain as well. Once in the tent-blind, we sat down to patiently wait for daylight to slowly ease … Read More
The feathered harbingers of spring
In my opinion the robin gets too much credit for being the harbinger of spring. Sure, most robins migrate each fall from Michigan to warmer places for the winter, but a few do remain behind in brushy creek and river bottoms and make an occasional appearance like a single bird or two here and there to confuse folks as to whether we are in for an early spring. I saw a couple robins on my farm a couple months ago feeding on small crabapples in our yard, back when the sugar maple sap began flowing … Read More
The kayak – today’s king of Michigan’s bountiful waterways
The kayak is a very specialized canoe which was first invented about 5,000 years ago by indigenous Inuit, Aleut and yupik people. It was constructed using a driftwood or whalebone frame that was covered with animal skins waterproofed by animal fat. Called a “qajak” (hunter’s boat), it was used to hunt sea mammals in frigid Arctic waters and was major means for survival in a harsh and often unforgiving environment. They were tailormade to fit the user who wore a special waterproofed skin jacket called a “tuilik” that was attached to the kayak and prevented … Read More