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
An Ontario DIY Bear Hunt
By: Jim Kushner. Soon after buying a cabin in Ontario I learned that a non-resident could legally hunt moose & bear without an outfitter/guide within the game management until that their property was in. It wasn’t long before I had recruited a good friend to help me try and get my first black bear. That summer we fished and we scouted likely spots and we collected bait, mostly old doughnuts that we packaged tightly and froze. It is legal to use barrels etc. to bait bears in Ontario and I happen to have a 35 … Read More
A Backpack Fishing Adventure
By: Jim Kushner. Not long after moving to northern Michigan I found myself quickly becoming friends with Matt,a local guy. Our common interests, hunting & fishing was of course one of the things that ignited what would become one of those rare friendships that lasts a lifetime. Matt became one of those friends who will spend his days off helping you when you really need it, one of those friends who says “whats mine is yours” and means it. Of course it was not always that way. When I first found out about Matt’s interest … Read More
Spring turkey hunting in the beautiful rolling hills of Atlanta
By: Tom Lounsbury. There is no question that spring turkey hunting in Michigan will be forever in my blood, and has been since 1968 when I happened to be one of the 30 lucky recipients to get a special spring turkey license for the Baldwin area, which entailed a metal leg-tag. Turkey hunting in Michigan was in its infancy back then and I had learned about this special hunt from watching Mort Neff’s Michigan Outdoors TV show. Needless to say, I was stunned when a large envelope from the DNR arrived in the mail, and … Read More
Persistence Pays Off For Turkey Hunting
By: Jim Kushner. During my first few years trying to bag a gobbler, I learned a couple of important things about turkeys and hunting them. First, you must find out where they are. That means scouting a short time before season opens. I’ve scouted a spot several weeks in advance, only to return later and find the turkeys had moved on or had become call-shy because other hunters had been there ahead of me. That doesn’t mean you won’t see turkeys there. One year I found a small piece of state land with several toms … Read More
A look back at the christening of Wild Game Dynasty (ELO)
By: Jim Kushner. The summer after Gary first purchased his place at East Lake I helped him out with some demo & remodel. The “priority project” was removing a really old tub & toilet and replacing with new plumbing and shower stall. The old pipe was black metal and came apart (more or less) in our hands. Seriously, it was as old as it was ugly! My friend, Matt, also helped out with the project. When fall rolled around we planned a 4 day hunt with Gary. I believe we were the first to actually … Read More
Converting a Remington 870 into a Handy Defense Gun
By: Jim Kushner. Back around 1980 I bought my first shotgun, a used Remington 870 Wingmaster “Magnum” 12 gauge with a 30 inch full choke barrel. Having little intention of waterfowl hunting I quickly bought a shorter barrel with a mod. choke. These were fixed chokes, no screw in choke tubes back then. Last year I was wiping down the old 870 and asked myself when was the last time I even carried it. My only bird hunting has been for upland birds and a 20 ga Special Field has become my favorite for that. … Read More
Are We Hunting For A Clean Kill ?
By: Jim Kushner. If you are reading this you are no doubt one of the millions(?) of hunting & fishing enthusiasts who participate and or browse the many Forums available on these subjects and much more. I am far more a browser than a participant in the many forums out there. Typically I am looking for some specific information on a particular firearm or load data etc. I also enjoy reading and seeing the many hunting stories that people post there. Recently I was compelled to start a post of my own after reading countless … Read More
Mine Is A Marlin 336 In A .35 Remington!
By: Jim Kushner. It is that time of year when there is not a whole lot going on in the world of hunting & fishing. Depending on where you live in the State of Michigan there may be good ice or not. There are some predator hunters or trappers still out there but mainly it’s that time when you are either preparing for the spring turkey hunt or in my case, just thinking about hunting. Lately, I am thinking and doing a lot of reading about rifles & cartridges. My focus on long guns has … Read More