The spring temperature, though cool, wasn’t uncomfortable and the ink black sky filled with bright stars and a partial moon gave just enough light to find my way through the dense cover with a lady following close behind. Pastel yellow and violet hues hinting in the eastern sky let me know we would be setting up at just the right time and we were in for some good weather. Our destination was a hunting blind on the high ground in a heavily wooded swamp, the perfect setting for a mid-May turkey hunt in the Thumb. … Read More
Duck… Duck… Goose… Spring is Finally on the Loose!
Oh, what sweet relief as the undeniable signs of spring arrive. From the distant gobble of a turkey and many bird songs, to the bulbs surfacing in my garden. One can’t help but smile, especially after such a challenging winter, with the ice storm of a century now just five weeks behind us. But perhaps one of our most pleasing encounters has been the almost daily stream traffic of ducks. We’re amazed at the unique details each possess. The distinct differences between male and female mergansers, at least at first glance, might lead one to … Read More
A Springtime Family Affair
The multiple sucker fish species in Michigan get a bit of a bum rap from some folks who consider them to be trash fish on the order of carp, which is very incorrect. Suckers get their name from their fleshy lipped mouths located on the underside of their heads and are for a fact, bottom feeders. However, they are what I consider clean bottom feeders in that they feed only on aquatic insects, crustaceans, snails, worms and algae. Suckers have also been accused of eating the spawn of other game fish species and competing with … Read More
Competing with Coyotes for Turkeys
Well, my friends, deer season is behind us. The snow is gone, and those toms will soon be gobbling away in the woods this spring. Your chance to put in for a 2025 turkey hunt has come and gone but, not to worry because there will be plenty of over-the-counter tags available for purchase and that late hunt can be a good one. Last year, I told the story I called “Double Trouble” in which my good friend Andy and I doubled on a couple of nice toms. Well would you believe me if I … Read More
Remembering when a lamb suddenly turns into a lion
There is an old saying – “In like a lamb and out like a lion” and vice versa, relating to how a winter will most likely be. Some of those old sayings often bear fruit, because they have been created by years of keen observance. Around my parts, this winter came in like a lamb, somewhat anyway, which makes me wonder what spring will be like. Some of the worst snowstorms I’ve ever witnessed in my Thumb area have occurred in the spring. It doesn’t seem like 50 years have passed by so quickly, but … Read More
Nice Ice Baby!
In Northern Michigan, we are currently “Under Pressure” as ice surrounds us on all sides. It’s beautiful but deceivingly dangerous. At moments you find yourself amidst the ultimate winter wonderland as ice glistens in minute detail. Pine needles, branches, and even each blade of grass hangs in their own ice cocoon. One can’t help but marvel in God’s creation at this spectacle. But then you hear the crashing of numerous trees falling from a distance, and some very close by. Your heart rate increases briefly at the ominous danger of it all. During the … Read More
2023 And Me: A Year to Remember
Author: Rodd Little. Anyone who hunts or fishes has years where everything he does falls right into place, while other years it seems like no matter what you do nothing goes right. In 50 years of hunting I have never had a year like 2023. It started during the spring turkey season with my 9 year old grandson Connor. I took Connor on my property in northern Bay County on opening day of the 2023 turkey season to a portable (tent) blind in a Grandpa Ray’s clover plot I had frost seeded in March. I … Read More
1968 – The year my annual spring turkey hunting adventures began
A very popular TV show when I was growing up was Michigan Outdoors, which was hosted by the late Mort Neff and aired every Thursday night. I looked forward to watching it each week because Mort Neff was always covering and promoting Michigan’s fantastic outdoor opportunities. A topic he kept tabs on was the reintroduction of wild turkeys (from Pennsylvania) to the Northern Lower Peninsula during the mid-1950’s. Limited Spring turkey hunts began in 1965 and getting a “gobbler tag” was done by applying through the mail to a special drawing. This was very similar … Read More
Trophy Wild Turkey Hunting
By the time the 20th century arrived, wild turkeys could only be found in isolated pockets of North America. This was due to the major destruction of habitat and unregulated hunting, with some states, such as Michigan, having its wild turkey population completely extirpated. Michigan began transplanting wild turkeys from Pennsylvania in the Allegan State Forest during the 1950’s. Efforts were made to successfully expand the wild turkeys’ range across the northern Lower Peninsula, and the first limited turkey hunt was held in 1965. This would continue with other northern Michigan areas having a limited … Read More
Becoming High on the Hog
One of the most widespread mammals in the world is “Sus scrofa”, the pig, also known as swine or hog. Its presence has been known in the “New World” since Columbus introduced them to the Caribbean islands during his second voyage in 1493. Hernando de Soto introduced them to what would become the continental United States in 1539, and during his 3-year expedition through what is now 14 states, pigs brought along as a steady food source, would often escape, and quickly adapted to the wild, and became what is known as “feral”. Wherever they … Read More