When I began deer hunting in my home Thumb area in 1963, deer weren’t as numerous as they are today, and just seeing one, much less one with antlers and being able to shoot it. Back then, the “bucks only” law wasn’t a bad thing, in order for deer to better propagate in a region. Whitetail deer are in fact quite resilient critters, and when given a chance, can do some serious propagating. In 1970, the DNR realized something had to be done to help keep the deer herd in check with the habitat, and … Read More
Tuscola County’s monster “Seney Buck”
The late Mack Seney of Reese had his share of memories, with a couple of them relating to being very lucky. The first relates to a day in 1944 as an infantryman with 35th Infantry Division in France during World War II. The German forces were being pushed back so fast that American soldiers had to hitch rides on any sort of vehicle they could, including on top of tanks, to maintain the front line. Mack was in the back of a truck when it screeched to a stop and everyone was bailing out and … Read More
Paradise Restored
As an outfitter and guide, Gary Morgan rarely gets the opportunity to hunt. It’s been about 10 years since his last Great Whitetail quest. Living vicariously through the adventures of his clients and friends, that is enough. However, when a surprise invite came to him for a deer hunt in what some may describe as a modern day garden of eden for Michigan Whitetail, how could he refuse? The invitation was extended by Greg Compeau, who was once a “friend of a friend,” that friend being Rodd Little, a Michigan renowned master turkey hunter. It … Read More
An Unforgettable Archery Season
Folks, I don’t know about you but, I have always appreciated when hunting shows or writers include failures among their stories. I have always felt that those tales of failure make the stories and those telling them more real, and it makes me remember that mishaps can and will happen to all of us at one time or another. Thus is the case for this year’s archery deer season, well at least in my case. The season was not without a victory in the woods, but it came at a cost. My 2024 archery season … 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
Buckshot – an often misunderstood and maligned deer round
Buckshot has a long history of being a useful and efficient element in the American deer woods which dates from the flintlock era until now. It turns smoothbore firearms typically used for firing birdshot at small game, wild turkeys and waterfowl into useful hunting pieces for bagging larger game, such deer and wild hogs. It remains to be a favorite round for hunting in southern states per swampy and thick areas where even seeing the quarry is a close-up, fast-moving encounter in dense cover, an atmosphere for which buckshot is ideally suited. Single projectiles are … Read More
A Coastie turned Huntress
By: Nicole Foguth. It was October 1, opening day of bow season in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Unseasonably hot, I sat in my tree stand, bow in hand, batting away the gnats that were flying around my face. I had never dealt with bugs before while hunting, and let me tell you, I was annoyed. I should state now that I didn’t grow up hunting. Born and raised in small-town Colorado, mucking horse stalls and playing with chickens was what I knew. I had shot a gun a few times, but only every few years when … 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
Venison – which is an annual fall harvest for a lot of folks
November 15th is a revered day for Michigan deer hunters, and it is when the majority of deer are harvested statewide each year. It also represents a very busy timeframe for meat processors and good venison has a very succulent nature which is a primary meat source for my family that we all enjoy. I was a state meat inspector for almost 12 years, working on various “kill-floors” in slaughterhouses, where I did ante-mortem (making sure animals to be slaughtered were in a healthy state) and post-mortem (performing an autopsy of sorts) inspections to assure … Read More
From Forest to Table – It’s All Good
Few things bring people together more than food. The table is where conversations start and relationships begin. In families, this simple pastime is too often bypassed as a result of crazy, busy lives with little relief in sight. Yet this act of bonding is actually biblical, as frequently demonstrated by none other than Jesus! And how about the spirit of celebration He ignited through His first miracle! So we’ve established, food brings us together. How might that conversation be heightened when there’s a story behind the food, as in the challenge and victory of the … Read More