The first knife I ever carried was a small, bone-handled pocketknife with a single two-inch blade. This occurred a couple years before I even started school, and I was allowed to carry it. I looked upon it as a status symbol, because just about everyone I knew carried a pocketknife, even my mother. It is a handy item to have readily available, especially on a farm. And yep, folks, back then, I always carried a pocketknife even in school as it was a natural part of my dress and a necessary “working tool”, a fact … Read More
Preseason readiness for fast approaching deer hunting adventures
When my wife Ginny and I put most of our farm into grassland programs, our focus was providing proper habitat for wild pheasants, and in so doing it worked to the benefit of all wildlife, including deer, wild turkeys, songbirds, and even butterflies and other insects. Our ground entails a mixture of warm season prairie grasses and wildflowers, with evergreen windbreaks all around the outer perimeters, and it didn’t take long for us to realize the very adaptable local whitetails absolutely love prairie grass fields which are tall enough for absolute concealment. Yep, folks, if … Read More
Hook and line adventures during the Dog Days of summer
Most folks often assume the Dog Days get their name from the mid to late summer’s dry and hot weather which of course, can be hard on dogs. However, the name comes from the late summer timeframe in which the Dog Star, “Sirius”, named by ancient Romans, can be readily seen. The Dog Days timeframe is typically July 3 to August 11, but for me, it runs from the beginning of July all the way to mid-September, and it is when I truly enjoy fishing during a very relaxing and often sultry atmosphere. I’m primarily … Read More
Throwing in the towel to the invading red demon horde – time to call in the “Critter – Gitter”
Generally, I prefer to handle my own problem wildlife issues around my home, such as dealing with destructive garden-raiding raccoons (which once tried to reside in my attic), and I have usually been successful. That is until now. Red squirrels are considered as being pests in Michigan, and I fully agree. I used to have both fox and gray squirrels (the larger tree-squirrel species) near our home, and I much enjoyed watching their antics, especially viewing all they went through to raid my birdfeeders. I had an ongoing and enjoyable contest in finding ways to … Read More
The beautiful jewel of the Straits which takes you back in time
There is no question that when you step off a ferry boat onto Mackinac Island, you are taking a literal step back into time, very similar to the late 19th Century. This is because motor vehicles have been banned (with the exception of emergency vehicles such as fire and ambulance, and on rare occasions, the Michigan State Police can be seen driving around in a vintage 1930’s patrol car). Commerce here depends solely upon horses, and tourists have a choice of walking, using bicycles or riding in carriages pulled by horses. Everything goes at a … Read More
Dependable ‘Chuck rifles – tools for a great summertime outdoor adventure
My first hunting trip to Canada 40 years ago might surprise most folks. It wasn’t for moose or bear, but rather for that ground-dwelling rodent called a woodchuck. The area was rolling farm country interspersed with hardwoods and stone fences, and it gave you the impression that you were in New England, and not Ontario farm country on the Bruce Peninsula. My three hunting companions were avid woodchuck hunters, who lived and breathed the pastime. When most hunters look upon spring/summer as an off-season period, it is the time when woodchuck hunters shine. The Ontario … Read More
The First Annual Free Cass River Rough Fish Derby was a great day for all
The Dead Waters of the Cass River has a lot of local history associated with it. Its name has nothing to do with being stagnant but is in reference to the fact that it lacks very little current caused by a pair of river-wide limestone shelves located over a mile apart creating a natural basin possessing a unique limestone-associated river bottom topography. In essence, it is a long and narrow lake. In 1900, a wooden bridge spanned where M-53 is now located, and where Pinney Lodge catered to visiting anglers, and even … Read More
Ticks – an unseen and often unnoticed menace ready and waiting in Michigan’s great outdoors.
While growing up on a Thumb area farm and enjoying local outdoor pastimes such as fishing, hunting and camping whenever possible, I don’t remember ever seeing a tick. However, that has all changed in recent years, and last year was one of the worst in my memory. This is in relation to my kennel of hunting dogs which entails two mountain curs, a redbone coonhound and a German shorthair pointer. I consider all my dogs to be versatile hunting dogs and use them for just about everything which primarily include hunting for squirrels, rabbits and … Read More
Anticipating when the wonderful birds of spring finally arrive in Michigan
The robin seems to get all the glory of being the key harbinger of spring in Michigan, and in some ways that is true. However, not all robins migrate south in the fall, with some of them wintering through, where habitat will allow, such as river bottoms. I often hear folks believing we are going to have an early spring when they have sighted robins in January and February, but I am sure they have had an occasional sighting of winter holdouts. I put more faith in seeing male redwing blackbirds, which normally show up … Read More
Foraging is a great and popular outdoor pastime
Humans from the beginning of time have been foragers seeking edible plants in order to survive, and foraging in the wild remains to be a highly popular outdoor pastime today. When spring finally makes its appearance after a lengthy winter, foraging becomes a primary focus for a whole lot of folks, me included. There are great books available today to enlighten potential foragers on how to go about searching for edible plants, and most important, how to properly identify them. May is well known for being “morel month”, especially in Michigan. Springtime weather and temperatures … Read More