By: Richard P. Smith. After more than 50 years of bear hunting in the UP, I experienced something I’ve never seen before during the 2021 bear season. Before discussing that rare event, some background information is important. I drew a bear tag for the third hunt in the Baraga bear management unit, as did some friends from the Traverse City area who I usually hunt with out of Lac La Belle Lodge in Keweenaw County. The group included father and son Amos and Doug Esman along with father and sons Kent, Shamus and Seth … Read More
Atlanta Muzzle Loading Adventures
By: Keith Kinyon. For the 2021 muzzleloader season I headed north to Atlanta Michigan, just like I had for the previous two seasons, to hunt with Gary Morgan of Wild Game Dynasty. The 2019 season Gary acquired a new 40 acre piece of property to hunt and what a surprise that turned out to be for me! I shot a nice 9pt. that is the biggest buck I’ve taken during muzzleloader season. The 2020 season is a blur, not having had as much time to go up and hunt, I did not harvest a … Read More
Another U.P. Deer Hunting Experience
By: Bruce Ter Beek. It has been almost ten years ago since I first contacted Gary Morgan at Wild Game Dynasty and scheduled my first hunt with him. In my previous article for Wild Game Dynasty I wrote about my first deer hunt with my dad at age ten. He taught me to be a steward of the land and of our game resources, to hunt ethically, and how to practice conservation. For nearly the next six decades November 15th was our “new years day” as we prepared for the next season. After his passing, … Read More
A spring black bear hunting season in Michigan would be a great alternative
By: Tom Lounsbury. The black bear is a very adaptable critter and can be found in a wide variety of habitats. Its range goes from Canada, south to northern Mexico, and is found throughout the United Sates, with the only exception being Hawaii, which has no bears. Michigan has a steadily growing number of black bears with over 11,000 in the Upper Peninsula and around 3,000 in the northern Lower Peninsula, where the range is steadily creeping south. A black bear was recently captured in Grand Rapids and taken back up north and released. Typically, … Read More
Michigan’s Deer Seasons Are Fast Approaching
By: Tom Lounsbury. As I write this, August has arrived, which means summer is winding down and fall will soon be easing in. For many Michigan hunters, this is the time to start preparing for the various deer seasons, and there is no question that the whitetail deer has become our state’s most popular big game animal (actually, this is a fact almost nationwide). The “Liberty Hunt”, which will take place September 11th and 12th this year, is a favorite time of mine to look forward to, as I truly enjoy taking a kid deer … Read More
Freelance Hunting – with a plan in hand
By: John Eberhart. Grabbing my bow, backpack and freelance pack I set off through the public land timber to a patch of white oaks I’d hunted the previous season. To my disappointment none of the oaks had acorns, the two scrapes from the previous season were inactive, there were no nearby rubs and the heavily used runways from the previous season were barely noticeable. It was late October and the mature bucks were beginning to break their nocturnal habits in search of early estrus does which I term as the pre-rut and because of that … Read More
Happy Memories While Hunting “Heartbreak Hill”.
By: Tom Lounsbury. In the spring of 2015, I had achieved 7 points per applying for a fall Michigan black bear tag, and I thought it best to contact a professional guide/outfitter in the event I got lucky on the draw. I needed to know what bear management unit to apply for, and I also knew a guide/outfitter would be the best way to go per hunting black bears over bait, because knowledge of specific area bears as well as an ongoing baiting program would up the odds towards success. After some research, I contacted … Read More
Marine enforcement, and search and rescue on Tip of the Thumb waters
By: Tom Lounsbury. With Memorial weekend fast approaching, and not to mention a whole bunch of folks tired of being literally cooped up during the past year due to the pandemic restrictions, the various Huron County ports found on Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay will most likely be a bit busy soon with a lot of boaters. Without question, the Marine Division of the Huron County Sheriff’s Office will be ready, waiting and ever watchful, especially in the event of any emergencies, which it is well equipped and prepared for. Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson … Read More
Is Michigan’s Bear Season Poised For Change?
As a avid bear hunter since the 1980s (mostly over bait and a property owner of 100 acres in the Eastern upper peninsula), I strongly believe we should separate the Bait & Hound seasons. The conflict and animosity between bait hunters and houndsmen has steadily grown. Since I have been hunting I personally have felt the the aggravation and pain of spending a large amount of time, effort, and money in a bear hunt only to have it ruined by houndsmen’s dogs tracking and running bears off my bait. No matter how deep in the … Read More
It is that time of year to begin harvesting the sweet bounty of the woodlands
By: Tom Lounsbury. The full, silver-tinted moon recently beaming out of a cloudless night sky let me know it was going to be a real cold night. The following day’s temperature was predicted to reach the mid-forties, a perfect situation to trigger sap to begin flowing in maple trees. The month of March is typically the key timeframe to begin harvesting the sweet bounty of the woodlands known as maple syrup. Actually, it is a time-steeped process which goes back eons, beginning with Native Americans, who would boil the maple sap down to sugar form, … Read More