This story started with its title, or more accurately, an observation that led to its title. The snow filled and chilling past week has kept Michiganders inside, for the most part. The most outdoor activity I’ve engaged in is bringing more wood into our cabin home to keep us toasty and cozy. So was I ever surprised when I glanced out between the steep snowbank lined creek to see 5 Mallard duck couples. And to my delight, it was Valentine’s Day! Of course, my husband was in the U.P. with Bobcat hunters. With my … Read More
The unique and amazing black bear
The American black bear has long proven to be highly adaptable to an ever-changing world. Unlike its less adaptable North American cousins, the polar bear and grizzly, black bear numbers are on a steady incline and in some cases, especially due to dedicated bear management efforts these days, are even extending their typical range, making it the most numerous bear species on this continent. This means humans and black bears frequently share the same ground which at times can lead to conflicts, even in urban environments, and black … Read More
Shortcuts – Friend or Folly
We’ve all taken shortcuts at one time or another. Many live by the shortcut. Some, if we were to admit, have fallen by the shortcut. In a world where we want everything stat, patience is not only a virtue but a rarity. We live in an instant society where most of the time we can get answers in a moment with a google search, or alexa inquiry. Let’s face it, we don’t like to wait. But when it comes to nature, this may not be the best way to glean success, at least in the … Read More
Sometimes Lessons Need To Be Relearned
Well folks I don’t know about you but we had a decent deer season for 2024. A total of 6 deer were taken off the property we hunt this year and every one of them by yours truly. Not for lack of effort by my son or the landowner (Steve) and his daughter, but I just seemed to be the one blessed with the most opportunities. The old saying goes, I’d rather be lucky than good any day. Not to discount the skill and knowledge that are needed to successfully hunt a mature whitetail, but … Read More
Ode to the magnificent rimfire “Double Deuce”
There is little doubt that the most popular rifle and handgun cartridge in this country is the .22 rimfire round. Annual ammunition sales also state that it is the most fired round in America, and it is extremely versatile for being used from target shooting and simple plinking, to small game hunting and even personal defense. The fact that it isn’t overly loud with its report and lacks any noticeable recoil causes the .22 rimfire to be the perfect round to introduce new and young beginners into the shooting pastimes. Having shot the .22 rimfire … Read More
Diehard – A Battle of Wills
The following article is about an extraordinary hunt as told by our nephew, Derek. Derek Harrison experienced the hunt of a lifetime on opening weekend of gun season 2024. It all started on the second day of the hunt, November 16 on his father-in-law’s property in Hillsdale county. It was a fluke of a site, as a few weeks earlier he’d set up his hunting spot in the dark. Heading out on the morning of the hunt, and running late, Derek reflects on saying to his brother-in-law, Kenny, “I know there are big deer, we … Read More
Drink What You Like …an Adventure along the Bourbon Trail
I have returned from an amazing adventure shared with three friends on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Narrow roads wind past horse farms and through the verdant rolling hills of central Kentucky. The weather was perfect with the fall colors at their peak. We shared great conversations and wonderful meals paired with bourbon tastings. What is bourbon? It is whiskey distilled from grain. What makes it unique is bourbon is defined by law! To prevent unscrupulous distillers from mixing turpentine, battery acid or tobacco juice into clear alcohol, the food and drug administration defined that bourbon … Read More
When rare birds suddenly arrive for a short visit
An enlightening moment for me was when my wife Ginny and I attended the annual mid-May Tawas Point Birding Festival in East Tawas several years ago and seeing the amazing amount of folks who took bird watching quite passionately. Michigan is located smackdab in the middle of both the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways and countless songbirds flying north while following the shoreline of Lake Huron, are literally given a “right hook” at Tawas Point, which abruptly turns them south, and they perform what is known as the Great Fallout, and the birds land in mass … Read More
Whenever hunter-pressured whitetails go nocturnal, nothing beats an old-fashioned deer drive.
At high noon a few December muzzleloader deer seasons ago, I was on a deer drive with friends and acting as a stander at a likely location on the corner of a briar-infested woodlot bordering a hayfield. According to all the fresh tracks there were plenty of deer seeking refuge in the thick and snarly cover, and I was anticipating plenty of action, which can be the case with a well-organized deer drive. Deer drives don’t have to involve a lot of hunters, especially when everyone knows the lay of the land. In this instance, … Read More
Pursuing wild ringnecks in the long grass
Native only to Asia, the pheasant can be found in many parts of the world today, primarily due to the fact it is an outstanding upland gamebird. It belongs to the Order Galliformes, the same as as chickens and peacocks, a couple of reasons rooster pheasants are not only colorful, but a delight to eat as well. The first official release of pheasants in Michigan occurred in 1917, which were already hybrids from game farms involving Chinese ringneck and Mongolian blood. Subsequent private releases from hunting clubs as well as escapees from game preserves would … Read More