By: Tom Lounsbury. The outdoor pastime of gathering “wild” edible plants goes back to the very beginning of humankind, in order to survive, and it is an atmosphere which truly goes hand in hand with hunting, trapping and fishing (hence the term “hunter-gatherers”). Mushrooms come to mind right away and when it comes to picking springtime mushrooms (of which there are a wide variety), I stick strictly to morels as they are the only edible fungi I’m truly familiar with and comfortable in eating. The fact is, I absolutely love eating morels which have a … Read More
Getting Kids Involved In The Great Outdoors
By: Tom Lounsbury. One of my greatest pleasures in life as a parent was getting my three sons involved with the various pursuits in the great outdoors, and mentoring them, one on one through the process which is truly the joy of sharing, and of course “passing it on”. As a grandparent, I’m even further pleased seeing my sons doing the same in passing it on with their children. This is something we humans as hunter/gathers have been doing since the beginning of time, although in today’s high-tech society, this fact in reality can become … Read More
One fine big game cartridge for Michigan hunting – the .450 Bushmaster
By: Tom Lounsbury. When the Michigan Natural Resources Commission passed the Limited Firearms Deer Season into law five years ago, it opened up a whole new avenue for southern Michigan deer hunters, allowing an array of straight wall cartridges (.35 caliber are larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches) in rifles during the regular firearms deer season (not to mention the Liberty, and early and late antlerless deer seasons as well). The new law is very well written, easy to understand, and it truly uses … Read More
Taming The Beast
By: Tom Lounsbury. Fire is no doubt a living creature of sorts which requires oxygen and fuel to survive. Primitive humans were able to ascend to the top of the food chain primarily due to being able to create and use fire in a constructive manner. There is no question they knew it could easily become a raging beast in its own near mystical might, whenever fire went out of control. Fire would ease humans out of the stone-age, through the various ages of metallurgy and even industry (steam and you name it) which remains … Read More
Plinking: “You’re a Daisy if you do”
By: Tom Lounsbury. The young boy avoided stepping on downed leaves and twigs and quietly eased up to the tree trunk for a steady brace, slowly shouldered his gun, took careful aim at the quarry as he 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 boy re-cocked his little lever-action and shot the apple again to make sure it was down for the count. My 10 year old grandson Orlando and I were … Read More
Squirrel Dogs…like lightning in a bottle
By: Tom Lounsbury. The first time that I ever hunted with what I would call a “squirrel dog” was back when I was a kid. I was hunting near the Cass River with a friend the same age as me, and we were using his unique hunting dog that was half beagle and half Border collie. This stocky dog weighed about 30 pounds and looked pretty much like a beagle with the black and white markings of a Border collie. Crossbreds for a fact can often be incredible hunters, and this dog was no exception. … Read More
Wintertime Predator Hunting – A Great Outdoor Pastime
By: Tom Loundsbury. Winters just wouldn’t be the same for me without my annual varmint hunting excursions. The “varmints” (aka predators) I’m referring to are the fox and coyote, and my home Thumb area has its share of foxes (both gray and red) and coyotes to keep an avid varmint hunter occupied for a long winter’s stretch. My preferred method is using various calling techniques, and my most productive daylight timeframes are right at daybreak or near sunset, although I’ve called varmints in at high noon as well (especially when I’ve located fresh tracks). I’ve … Read More
Preseason Readiness – Deer Season is fast approaching
By: Tom Lounsbury. Ever since my wife Ginny and I became the 4th generation to own the family farm 20 years ago, we’ve put a lot of effort since then into creating our own little wildlife paradise, thanks to various conservation programs our farm is enrolled in. My main focus is providing proper habitat for wild pheasants, and in so doing it has worked to the benefit of all wildlife, including deer. The majority of the farm entails prairie grass fields, which have evergreen windbreaks all around the outer perimeter, and it didn’t take … Read More
Gearing up and getting ready for the fall hunting seasons – that time is here
By: Tom Lounsbury. Mid-August is the perfect time to take a good look at your hunting gear and make improvements or additions as is necessary, because before you know it, you will be out in the field pursuing various autumn outdoor pastimes. That is what I truly appreciate about our great state of Michigan, the very diverse availability of outdoor pursuits, in which my home Thumb area is no slouch at all. The crow season is already in progress and in a couple short weeks, the early goose season opens up. Mid-September represents my … Read More
Crystal Falls Resort – Home of Michigan Outdoor Writers’ Association Conference 2019
By: Tom Lounsbury. The Michigan Outdoor Writers Association (MOWA) is the oldest organization of its kind in the country. Formed in 1944 at Blaney Park in the Upper Peninsula, it celebrated its 75th Anniversary recently at Crystal Mountain Resort located near Thompsonville in Northwestern Michigan, where MOWA members were offered a wide variety of outdoor options during a couple days of activities of their choosing which are readily available in the area. Fishing, hiking, biking and canoeing/kayaking, you name it, can be found there. I’ll never forget joining MOWA 35 years ago and how “star struck” … Read More