The Hunter, The Dreamer

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Bob Morgan. There is movement.  Rich bronze against a maze of greens The muscled neck swings gracefully upward and intelligent eyes search the difference. Nose raised to the air, a search for unfamiliar scents. A slight snort, sharp hooves paw the earth and the whitetail moves back into the maze of green, completely obscured.  I, too, am obscured. From my stand high in a tall oak, I have watched the buck reveal himself, then once  again hide. His wariness, his wiliness impress me.  I did not move, I could not have been seen or … Read More

Are You Scouting For Success?

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

By:  Gary Morgan. Much has been written about ‘scouting whitetail deer’ causing a pause before I chose to partake in ‘just one more’.  Of course, my hunting friendships offering me that phrase have rarely caused me to decline…so I shall embark.   My Peeps know where my home range is but for everyone else let’s focus on Michigan …particularly the upper peninsula.  I’ll affectionately refer to this land mass as big timber…thus, Big Timber Whitetails.  My journey for a different kind of hunt began in the late 90’s when family and work constraints had formed my…”my … Read More

Rare (Michigan) Bear Behavior

Richard P SmithBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO, Uncategorized

  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

Keith KinyonBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

  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

Bruce TerBeekBucks n Bears, East Lake Buzz, Friends of ELO

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

Tom LounsburyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO, Spring Fling

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

Tom LounsburyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO, Youth Hunts

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

John EberhartBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

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”.

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

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

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO

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