By: Jim Kushner. As we get older our measure of success seems to change in more ways than one. Personally my measure of success in my teens was just to fill a deer tag. I was deer hunting crazy from well before I ever went on my first hunt. That first year at age 14 I think I saw only 3 or 4 deer in a full week of hunting. No one in our group filled a tag and as much as I badly wanted a buck I went home a very happy camper just … Read More
This Should Be My 46th Deer Season!
By: Jim Kushner. This should be my 46th deer season. I started hunting with my Dad & older brother on State land. We stayed for the first week of the firearm deer season in the family camper. It was a tradition to hunt there that started before I was born, that particular spot was always where they set up camp & even though it was on state land & a fairly well traveled dirt road I do not remember there ever being anyone else camping there. Maybe it wasn’t the great spot that we always … Read More
My Hunting Obsession Came Late
By: Adrian Zarantonello. I’ll start this story off with the fact that I’m by no means a hunting expert. I haven’t shot any “Booners” and I’m relatively new to hunting. However, for a newer hunter with limited background and experience, some components of hunting stick out more than others in terms of importance. Although my learning curve was steep, I’ve cultivated a great appreciation for scent control and prevention. I thought I’d share my observations concerning scent control and prevention, and its importance in a successful hunt. My hunting obsession started late; I was really … Read More
Death Of A Gun Safe?
By: Jim Kushner. A couple of weeks ago I was educated about the old saying “you get what you pay for”. In this case that applied to my Cannon gun safe. I don’t mind mentioning the brand name because this is all absolutely true. I bought my safe from a chain store and as safes go it was neither cheap or expensive. The electronic keypad was easily programmed and it runs on a single 12 volt battery. After a few years I noticed that the battery would wear out quicker than the one before it. … 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
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