Hunting, nationwide, has seen steadily decreasing hunter numbers in recent years. States have been trying to recruit new hunters and Michigan, for example, has developed a mentor hunting license for youth hunters 9 years old and under, and an apprentice hunting license for10 years old and older, which includes adults. There are also special youth-related hunts focused on getting new generations involved, all of which I fully support. I also fully support a new trend in the hunter statistics which represents women becoming more involved in hunting, as well as other shooting pastimes. The fact … Read More
The Legendary “Trash Panda”
The raccoon gets its name from the Algonquin word “aroughcoune”, meaning “he scratches with his hands”. Raccoons are unique in possessing thumbs (although not opposable) which allow them to gain access to many items, such as taking the lids off garbage cans, hence the nickname “Trash Panda”. Being very adaptable, the raccoon is at home in the woods as well as in urban settings, including even thriving in big cities. Toronto, for example, is known for being the raccoon capital of North America. The development of civilization has been kind to the raccoon, because it … Read More
Wyoming Adventures Long Remembered
The late Bob Brislawn is known by the USDA as being the founder of the Spanish Mustang as an American horse breed. I can remember a large picture of him in Life magazine in January 1969, in which he was wearing his trademark large Stetson with a small American flag protruding up out of the hatband. The Life magazine article about wild mustangs featured a bit of Bob’s history and his dedicated efforts to save the Spanish mustang as a breed. He had worked for the U.S. Geological Survey during the early 20th Century as … Read More
Nothing beats a day spent in good “rabbitat”
Growing up on a Thumb area farm, I have a long association with the cottontail rabbit, a wild, carefree critter which I much admire, and it was the first game animal I ever harvested. This occurred when I was a kid and had just finished my morning chores at the barn and was returning to our farmhouse. When I walked past the corncrib, a cottontail flushed from near it and headed lickety-split to our orchard nearby. I went to the house and grabbed up my single-shot .410 shotgun, and a couple shells. A fresh, fluffy … Read More
Nighttime Serenading For Predators – especially coyotes
By: Tom Loundsbury. Predator hunting has become quite popular, with the main star of the event these days being the coyote, an amazingly adaptable (and very prolific) critter which has expanded its range across North America (beginning in the 20th Century) and has recently even ventured beyond the Panama Canal into South America. It is now found in states where coyotes have never been documented before, and can be found in every county of Michigan, even in suburban and urban areas. I first began seeing coyotes in the Thumb area during the 1980’s, and their … Read More
The History Of Deer Hunting In Michigan
By: Tom Lounsbury. Humankind certainly has a way of changing the face of the world, especially in the name of progress, and Michigan is a prime example. When Europeans first made their appearance in the Great Lakes State, the southern Lower Peninsula featured more open areas, including prairies and bogs, which was ideal habitat for whitetail deer and elk. The northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula entailed a very dense, unending old growth forest which allowed very little sunlight to penetrate through. This was an ideal habitat for woodland caribou and moose, and detrimental to … Read More
Southern Michigan’s Straight-Wall Cartridge Revolution
By: Tom Lounsbury. In June 2014, Michigan’s Natural Resource Commission (NRC) changed what was once known as the “Shotgun Zone” into the “Limited Firearms Zone”, which would allow centerfire rifles chambered for straight-wall rounds .35 caliber or larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches. This law relates to case length only and not overall cartridge length. The law is designed to allow deer hunters in southern Michigan more diversity in firearm selection, as well as better accuracy and to also offer lighter weight rifles featuring … Read More
The Luck Of The Draw – Sometimes It Does Really Happen!
By: Tom Lounsbury. When it comes to raffles, I have never had much luck and whenever I purchase a ticket, I automatically assume I’m helping a good cause, and that is the end of that. As they say, if you don’t at least try, you will never win anything. My name did get drawn for a 12 ga Remington Express shotgun at a Ducks Unlimited Banquet, but that was back in 1986, and nothing occurred from then on, after purchasing countless raffle tickets. Maybe the 2020 Michigan Elk Lottery was a turning point. Call it … Read More
Getting prepared for Michigan’s annual spring turkey season
…”Hearing that early morning gobble is a big reason I choose to turkey hunt each year”… By: Tom Lounsbury. With April finally arriving, I’m in the preparation mode for the impending spring turkey season, which includes getting reacquainted with my preferred shotguns. The title “Turkey Gun” conjures up a variety images in the minds of turkey hunters today. What seems popular is a compact and camouflaged shotgun which is equipped with a very tight-patterning screw-in choke tube. It will often be a 3-inch or 3 and half inch 12 ga “Magnum”, or even a behemoth … Read More
The “Sucker” Run Is On!
By: Tom Lounsbury. Spring sucker fishing is a very popular outdoor pastime in Michigan, which includes various techniques such as with hook and line, spearing (including bowfishing with archery tackle) and netting. In my agricultural Thumb area featuring countless drainages, I grew up with “sucker-spearing”, and it is a time- steeped pastime I much enjoy, and freshly cooked sucker is seasonal flavor I yearn for. For years, sucker-spearing had established seasons, typically set in April with various opening days occurring on different dates according to different zones in Michigan, which I had a problem with, … Read More