2023 Turkey Season; More Great Memories With Dad

Keith KinyonHunting Stories & Adventures, Spring Fling

By:  Keith Kinyon. I have hunted and fished with my dad since I was 12 years old.  Some of my very best memories are experiences afield and on the water with my dad there to share the moment.  This year, with my dad approaching his 84th birthday in a month, we were able to share a turkey hunt that unfolded quickly and had all the components of an exciting hunt. This story started back in December when I had a group of 14 Toms and Jakes that made their way through my property every day.  … Read More

Getting prepared for Michigan’s annual spring turkey season

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling, Youth Hunts

…”Hearing that early morning gobble is a big reason I choose to turkey hunt each year”… By: Tom Lounsbury. With April finally arriving, I’m in the preparation mode for the impending spring turkey season, which includes getting reacquainted with my preferred shotguns. The title “Turkey Gun” conjures up a variety images in the minds of turkey hunters today. What seems popular is a compact and camouflaged shotgun which is equipped with a very tight-patterning screw-in choke tube. It will often be a 3-inch or 3 and half inch 12 ga “Magnum”, or even a behemoth … Read More

The “Sucker” Run Is On!

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

By: Tom Lounsbury. Spring sucker fishing is a very popular outdoor pastime in Michigan, which includes various techniques such as with hook and line, spearing (including bowfishing with archery tackle) and netting. In my agricultural Thumb area featuring countless drainages, I grew up with “sucker-spearing”, and it is a time- steeped pastime I much enjoy, and freshly cooked sucker is seasonal flavor I yearn for. For years, sucker-spearing had established seasons, typically set in April with various opening days occurring on different dates according to different zones in Michigan, which I had a problem with, … Read More

Enjoying Michigan’s fantastic spring turkey hunting opportunities is a great seasonal pastime.

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

By:  Tom Lounsbury. Having been an avid Michigan spring turkey hunter for over 50 years, I’ve been able to witness how this popular pastime has evolved, with the steadily increasing wild turkey numbers which have successfully extended their territory, as well as the hunting equipment, including calls, specialized ammunition and shotgun chokes. Some of the rules have changed as well, such as the most recent which allows turkey hunters on private property to be able to use shotguns from an elevated platform or tree-stand. Because I often like a change of scenery in our great … Read More

The Quest For A Grand Slam Began Near Spring Training

CJ VanWierenFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

By:  C.J. VanWieren. Several months ago I received a text message from my dad asking me if I would be interested in a Florida turkey hunt. Without hesitation, I said I was absolutely in for a hunt. One, I have never hunted the Osceola turkey and would need that feather in my pursuit of the Grand Slam. More importantly than that, it was the last feather that my dad needed for his Grand Slam and I wanted to be a part of that moment. My dad had waited 27 years to complete his slam and … Read More

The Annual Spring Malady Known As ‘Wild Turkey Fever’

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

By:  Tom Lounsbury. When April arrives I automatically develop a case of “wild turkey fever”, an annual spring malady that has been afflicting me for over 50 years. I find myself habitually sorting out turkey hunting gear, practicing with various turkey calls (when I do this indoors it eventually nets a rather blunt complaint from my wife, Ginny, who says some turkey lingo, such as hen purrs, are as annoying as fingernails scratching on a chalkboard) and patterning my turkey shotguns, of which I have a few favorites, at my backyard shooting range. To assure … 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

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

It is that time of year to begin harvesting the sweet bounty of the woodlands

Tom LounsburySpring Fling

By:  Tom Lounsbury. Foreward : By: Rebecca Morgan: “It’s a spring thing”  Cool, wet, muddy, but with anticipation of nicer days ahead…. That’s the nostalgia I’d feel every year as we’d approach sap season. My dad tapped trees for many years with the help of family and friends, bringing people together during a time of year when winter is getting old and summer can’t seem to come soon enough.  Gradually, my brother Craig took the reins of the operation, keeping our families well supplied with this delectable treat.   Our family might be described as bonafide … Read More

Spring turkey hunting in the beautiful rolling hills of Atlanta

Tom LounsburyFriends of ELO, Spring Fling

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