About this time of year, it seems winter begins to wear out its welcome. Though I’ve enjoyed the beauty of the snow, especially during a recent snowshoeing adventure, the activity of wildlife slows. The birds who’ve been left behind, namely Chickadees, Nuthatches, Pileated Woodpeckers and Sap Suckers, provide the majority of wildlife sightings. We see the Bald Eagle near the creek looking for a defenseless victim, likely an unsuspecting Mallard Duck. Deer come and go as their dietary needs arise. After that, any other wildlife viewing is likely by way of trail cam. With … Read More
Pursuing wintertime bushytails
When winter finally rolls in, I automatically begin pondering squirrel hunting, and there is little doubt in my mind that a highly underutilized outdoor pastime is pursuing wintertime bushytails. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy every opportunity to go squirrel hunting, and I have my favorite spots on both private and public land, not only in my home Thumb area, but also elsewhere in the state. A beauty about squirrel hunting is that you don’t have to travel far to find ample opportunities anywhere in our great state of Michigan, and with plenty of public land available, … Read More
Turning trophies from the field into ‘Art’
Being an outdoor writer has taken me to many places and adventures, but the best part of it all is the people I meet who readily share their special outdoor-related niche. While many of the folks I meet often entail planned adventures, I am never surprised when things happen in a very fortuitous manner, and I meet someone totally out of the blue. And nope, folks, I’m none too shy at all about striking up a conversation with total strangers! Such was the case while I was recently picking up packaged venison at Outback Meats … 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
Humility and Kindness; Pass It On
Sometimes the sport of hunting becomes a “dog eat dog” world filled with pride and selfishness. Most hunters who have been at it long enough have stories to share about their frustrations related to this. They may even have to admit their own shortcomings on occasion as the pressure to succeed or “show off” builds. I’d like to propose another approach based on my experiences that takes a detour from the negative aspects that oftentimes taint this amazing sport. Let’s start with a story about farmers in years past who when tilling their fields, would … Read More
Reflections in The December Woods
There’s just nothing like deer hunting with snow on the ground. For those of us in Michigan, that seems to be a rare occurrence these days and your best chance of getting to hunt in some snow (while there is still no guarantee) is during the month of December. Well, my friends, if you are hunting in December and are still looking for a big buck, that means you’re either pulling your archery equipment back out of the closet or you’re grabbing the old muzzleloader. Well, at least it used to. In recent years in … Read More
.41 Great Lakes – a new and truly amazing straight wall cartridge
When Michigan’s Shotgun Zone became the Limited Firearms Zone in 2014, it would completely change the complexion of deer hunting in southern Michigan, and other midwestern states with shotgun zones would soon follow suit with similar formats. A key feature is that only straight wall cartridges .35 caliber or larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and maximum case length of 1.80 inches are allowed. This is a straightforward approach which is easy to understand, and I do appreciate it. This would easily allow handgun-related calibers to be used in rifles, and I … Read More
It’s Always An Adventure In Michigan’s U.P.
By: Ryan Foguth. Being born and raised in Michigan, I grew up hunting, fishing and trapping and was blessed with my dad building a cabin in the eastern Upper Peninsula In 1999. I spent large chunks of my childhood at that cabin, hunting and trapping until I joined the Coast Guard in 2011. When I met my wife Nicole, who was also active duty Coast Guard, while stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, she had never hunted before. With it being one of my life’s greatest passions, she didn’t have much of a … Read More
Foul Weather Gobblers Can Be A Challenge
Walking into the Cass City DNR Field Office at 4:30 am just prior to going turkey hunting is always a delight for me, because ladies all clad in camouflage, will be having donuts and coffee while excitedly anticipating heading out with their mentors during the annual 2-day Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) Turkey Hunting Workshop. I greeted the 2 ladies who I was going to mentor, Anna Bucholtz, and her 10-year-old daughter, Delilah and we were soon headed out in my Jeep to some private property I had permission to take them hunting on and … Read More
“Busy As A Bee” Season
After a quiet winter, at least in respect to wildlife, there’s a lot of buzz going on in the outdoors, and I don’t mean the bees or gossip. As I go for my almost daily walks, I never cease to hear or see something that fills me with wonder. I often hear what I refer to as the percussion section, with a well-played drumroll from an unseen partridge, let’s call him Danny from the Partridge Family (Okay, I’m dating myself here.) This soft drumroll also reminds me of the days when I could hear the … Read More
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