Probably the most overlooked sense of humans as predators is the sense of smell. Yet we move through a world filled with odors, many of which can even jog the memory of past events. The odor of freshly baked pumpkin pie and roasted turkey for instance puts me in mind of Thanksgiving every time. The combined odor of Hoppe’s gun solvent and freshly brewed coffee reminds me of deer camp. Military snipers are a key example of tuning in all their senses, including that of smell, to locate their opponents. When in the field, snipers … Read More
Michigan Pheasant Phacts
Opening morning last year dawned into a beautiful sunrise and as my group of hunters and dogs spread out in the tall prairie grass, shotguns began popping away in some distant fields, flooding me with some very fond memories. Pheasant season in the Thumb had finally arrived, and it is a very special timeframe for me. I can remember October 20th as being a date when all the local schools in the Thumb closed, because the vast majority of residents as well as countless visiting hunters would be out for the pheasant hunting opener that … Read More
Youth Hunting At Its Best!
By: Tom Lounsbury. When summer winds down and begins to transcend into autumn, I automatically think of squirrel hunting, and you can’t beat Michigan for pursuing this unique outdoor pastime. It doesn’t require much traveling anywhere in this state to discover great squirrel hunting opportunities. The problem is, small game hunting on a whole in Michigan, which includes squirrel hunting, is at an all time low these days in regards to hunter participation. This is a fact that utterly amazes me, because I thoroughly enjoy the wonderful essence of early autumn squirrel hunting, and it … Read More
Bear Hunting Michigan’s Remote U.P. (incl. podcast) – part II
Staring out a window slit for several hours until dark may sound like a boring aspect to some folks, but I’ve never been bored waiting for a bear to show up, which can happen at any time and it is truly amazing how an animal so big can suddenly materialize without making a sound. Unlike deer with hooves, bears move about on soft foot pads, and their dense fur glides silently through the brush. I spend my time admiring the flora and any critters that may appear, and stay focused. I even named a pair … Read More
Bear Hunting Michigan’s Remote U.P. (incl. podcast) -part I
Early fall black bear hunting has been a passion of mine for over 30 years now, and I love the entire atmosphere of a bear camp, whether it is in a simple tent under some primitive conditions, or in a cabin with all the amenities. Personally, the older I get, the more I appreciate the latter form, although I’ll take whatever I can get to be a part of bear camp. Bear camp shares all the similarities of deer camp except for the daily timeframe for hunting. Unlike deer camp where you are out and … Read More
Michigan Bear Hunting Preparations (w/3 part Podcast).
By: Tom Lounsbury. That first bear hunt in the U.P. was a do-it-yourself affair with friends, and we didn’t set out any bear-baits until after we arrived for the hunt. Other than we knew we were in good bear country, we didn’t have a clue as to where any hotspots were. We had a great time camping out and being filled with the sense of anticipation for even seeing a bear, but the odds weren’t on our side. For that reason I began going on guided bear hunts in Ontario, Canada, because the … Read More
“Plinking” during those dog-days of summer.
By: Tom Lounsbury. I’m no shooting expert, nor will I ever claim to be one. However after sixty-odd years of dedicated shooting, I do consider myself as being a well-seasoned shooter, and needless to say I’m set in my ways. On occasion, I’ve heard expert shooters (and they truly are experts) refer to shouldering a rifle as forming a proper “weld” with the firearm. Well folks, being a farm boy accustomed to using a welder since my youth, being solidly bonded to something involving molten steel and with sparks flying during the process doesn’t appeal … Read More
Bow hunting at a fever pitch.
By: Tom Lounsbury. When August arrives I can feel an annual bout of bow season fever coming on, because with summer winding down, I know the Michigan archery deer season which opens October 1 isn’t all that far away (and the older I get, the faster time seems to fly). It is the key preseason time frame to get all of my archery equipment checked over and start doing some dedicated shooting practice. I’ve been avidly bowhunting local whitetails for quite some time now, mostly with traditional archery tackle involving recurve bows and longbows, and … Read More
Plinking – “You’re a Daisy if you do”.
By: Tom Lounsbury. The young girl avoided stepping on downed leaves and twigs and quietly eased up to the tree trunk for steady brace, slowly brushed a wisp of blond hair away from her shooting eye, shouldered her gun, took careful aim at her quarry as she eased off the safety, and then touched the trigger. At the shot, a little green apple lying on the ground several yards away rolled over with a direct hit. The girl re-cocked her little lever-action and shot the apple again to make sure it was down for the … Read More
Deer Calling – “Marlene” Strikes Again.
By: Tom Lounsbury. I enjoy watching old black and white movies and one of my favorite actresses was the late Marlene Dietrich, who was born in Germany in 1904. She starred in quite a few U.S. movies during the 1930’s and usually had an opportunity to sing with her unique voice that offered a deep and sultry nature to it. With Marlene in mind, I try to imitate her inflection when I duplicate a doe call, and when it comes to calling deer, inflection I have found after over 30 years of deer calling, means … Read More