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
Spring Sucker Fishing Is A Great Cure For Spring Fever
By Tom Lounsbury. The various sucker fish species in Michigan get a bit of a bum rap from some folks who consider them to be a trash fish on the order of carp, which is a very incorrect attitude to have. Suckers get their name from their fleshy lipped mouths located on the underside of their heads and they are for a fact, bottom feeders. However, they are what I call “clean bottom feeders” in that they feed only on aquatic insects, crustaceans, snails, worms and in some cases, algae too. Suckers have also been … Read More
Operation Injured Soldier – Disabled veterans healing through hunting
by: Tom Lounsbury Listening to 20 beagles howling at various places in the surrounding woods, accompanied by a crescendo of (shotgun) shots here and there on a brisk winter morning is certainly a very unique sound that was quite frankly, music to my ears. I was observing a recent rabbit hunt for disabled veterans through a program called “Operation Injured Soldier” (OIS) on 400 acres of excellent wildlife habitat owned by Dr. Richard Horsch of Mayville. Personally, I’ve been on a lot of rabbit hunts with beagles in my day (which is quite a few … Read More
A bird in the hand on Heartbreak Hill. (w/3 part podcast)
By: Tom Lounsbury. I’ve hunted with licensed and insured outfitters in Canada and in other states, but never in Michigan. Then I recently heard of East Lake Outfitters (WildGameDynasty.com) based in Michigan and I contacted owner Gary Morgan to discuss his operation and find out what is offered. It is a relatively new venture that began in 2011 and is named after East Lake in the Upper Peninsula, where Gary has his bear camp that is located less than an hour drive north of the “Big Mac” Bridge. The regularly baited sites are located in … Read More
The Sweet Flavor Of Spring
I always look forward to my annual spring pilgrimage to the Battel sugarbush located just a few miles northeast of Cass City (on Ritter Road – a couple miles west of M-53), to stock up on freshly made maple syrup, a very sweet flavor of spring I always yearn for. This usually occurs not long after the first day of spring, because the typical timeframe for gathering sap from tapped maple trees in the Thumb runs from March 1 to April 1. (I thoroughly enjoy the annual Battel Maple Syrup Open House the third … Read More
Ode to the Dependable Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 pump-action shotgun first hit the market in 1950, and quickly became a favorite of American hunters (several million have been manufactured and sold). I can remember pump 870’s being in the hands of quite a few visiting pheasant hunters on our farm when I was a kid. I handled and shot an 870 for the first time about 40 years ago. I had stopped to visit a friend, and he and his brothers were just getting ready to do a pigeon harvest at a neighbors barn. This entailed flushing the birds … Read More