By: Tom Lounsbury. For a long time, hunting especially was pretty much a “men only” pastime, although there were certainly exceptions, women who ignored status quo and went hunting. Annie Oakley is a prime example, who ventured into this atmosphere at an early age when her father died, leaving her mother and large family destitute. She would start hunting, first to feed her family, and then to provide an income (market hunting was legal in her era). Annie would sell game to a growing list of customers and because ammunition cost money, she learned to make each shot count, causing her to … Read More
Wild Turkey Fever
By Tom Lounsbury. When April arrives I automatically develop a case of “wild turkey fever”, an annual spring malady that has been afflicting me for almost 50 years now. I find myself habitually sorting out turkey hunting gear, practicing with various turkey calls (when I do this indoors it eventually nets a rather blunt complaint from my wife) and patterning my turkey shotguns, of which I have a few favorites, at my backyard shooting range. Although I already know how each shotgun patterns, I need to assure that I am still in tune with them, … Read More
Life And Times Of Michigan’s Wild Pheasant
Featured Pic (above): Dr. Kelly Straka is the new MDNR Wildlife Division Veterinarian and is proof positive ladies love to hunt wild pheasants too. Her favorite shotgun for wild Thumb roosters this past December is a semi-automatic 12 ga. The MDNR places a strong focus on pheasant (and small game) hunting in Michigan. By: Tom Lounsbury. The pheasant’s history in Michigan is relatively short when you figure overall events in century form. I’m always amazed by the amount of folks today who believe the pheasant is an indigenous (native) wild bird species to North America. The … Read More
Where Are The Brakes On Skiis !!?
By: Tom Lounsbury. This certainly has been an unusual winter here in the Thumb. The atmosphere mostly represented spring-like weather, and a lack of snow, which in turn may have prevented me from getting a few “lumps”. Then just recently over a foot of snow (my 14 inch rubber chore boots are topped out in the white-stuff) dropped down on our farm, almost overnight. Old Man Winter seems to be making up for lost time, which has me pondering taking advantage of it. I must admit I’m not much of a skier. I tried downhill … Read More
Closure to the one that got away
By: Tom Lounsbury Most hunters these jet age days have a bucket-list of far away adventures they would like to do, and of course I have mine. On my list there is red stag and wild boar hunting in Argentina, hunting various antelope in Africa and hunting desert mule deer in old Mexico. I had a wonderful opportunity for the Africa hunt last spring, but I had to pass because Africa’s hunting season is during our spring and summer and I had a good portion of our farm going into new conservation programs that required … Read More
Black Bear Hunting in Northern Ontario
By: Tom Lounsbury The older I get, the more choosey I am about who I go on adventures with in the “wild country” because if the chips are ever down, you need to know they will be right in there covering your “six” or enduring matters with you in a skillful manner. That is why when fellow outdoor writer Jay VanHouten of Midland wanted to know if I would be interested in going on a northern Ontario black bear hunt with him, it was a no-brainer for me to come back with an automatic “yes”. … Read More
A Way To Jump Start Kids Into Hunting!
By: Tom Lounsbury. The recruitment of young hunters into hunting is definitely quite important in regards to the future of hunting, especially in today’s high-tech society where kids can easily be drawn to multiple interests other than the outdoors. This is why I had strongly supported lowering the age to allow kids to go hunting, and then finally (after much debate) having a certain age requirement being dropped entirely was a definite no-brainer for me. I fully support the “Mentor” hunting license which allows kids of any age to be able to hunt with adult … Read More
Old Tyme Hunting Adventures
By: Tom Lounsbury. I must admit that I have a strong passion for reading, and when it comes to reading material, I have a real soft spot for that relating to history and if it entails matters associated to the outdoors as well so much the better. I came across a real jewel some time back, “The Hunting Expeditions of Oliver Hazard Perry”, based on his hunting diaries from 1836 through 1855. An article in an outdoor magazine brought this literary work to my attention, and I first located it through my local library. After … Read More
High Noon Gobbler
By: Tom Lounsbury. Atlanta, MI hunting guide John Jones (left) prefers to use a Woodhaven conditioning stone to “sweeten up” his (Rod Benson Calls) Cherry Poppin’ slate call. Time flies when you are having a good time because it sure doesn’t seem like I’ve been hunting springtime wild turkeys in Michigan for over 45 years. In the early days this all took place “up north” and there was a chancy lottery that had to be dealt with, and you could only hunt in the morning. I was quite fortunate on the draw for a spring … Read More
Simple Stick and String Fishing
“The ever dependable cane pole” – By Tom Lounsbury Primitive humans probably first began fishing with spears and nets. Somewhere along the way, someone figured out a convenient way to catch fish, especially in deeper waters, was to use a baited hook and line. This was in the form of hand lining (just plain hanging on the line with bare hands – a method actually still used today). No doubt it was learned that attaching the line to a tree limb hanging out over the water took a better, shock absorbing beating than bare hands. When … Read More