It’s opening day of Deer Season 2025, at least for gun hunters. So much preparation and anticipation goes into this annual activity. For some, it involves year round scouting. As the days of the hunt draw near, serious planners consider not only deer sign, but wind direction. As such, they would do well to have back up sites ready to go based on this factor alone. For those hunters fortunate enough to have a shooting opportunity, their next challenge is surviving a sudden surge of adrenaline that at times does not serve them well at … Read More
A Snowy Deer Recovery
There’s something about the first snow that has always excited me. As a young boy it meant snowmen, forts and snowball fights. Now as a grown man, the first snow brings with it beauty and peace, the thoughts of approaching holidays and time spent with loved ones. And of course, if the first snow comes early enough, I get the chance to hunt deer with snow on the ground. This year, that day was November 9th. It had been forecast that we would see accumulation that day, so I made plans to be in my … Read More
Rifles for deer hunting are the most popular in southern Michigan today, but don’t sell shotguns short.
The shotgun has played an important role throughout the history of firearms. From matchlock and flintlock “fowlers” to today’s wide array, shotguns can be considered as multitask tools because they can handle a wide variety of shot, including heavy duty buckshot, and even solid projectiles for a heavier and very effective “punch”. This was originally a large lead round ball, but it was usually not consistently accurate at long range. All of this would change when Karl M. Foster, who wished to help American hunters put meat on the table during the Great Depression, developed … Read More
Rutting whitetails and jack-o-lanterns are a timeframe which goes hand in hand
Jack-o-lanterns and whitetail deer have something in common because Halloween is the key timeframe when the whitetail rut in Michigan starts warming up. It is a time when using various deer vocalizations, as well as rattling, can pay dividends for hunters. I’ve been using deer vocalizations and rattling for quite some time, and knowing what call to use, and when, was a trial-and-error learning process. Calling in whitetails remains to be my favorite deer hunting technique, and today there are even how-to DVD’s available along with a wide array of deer calls, and with something … Read More
“The Chamber Flashbacks” – Holly Holy
By now, if you’ve been following our Chamber of Flashbacks, you might wonder how it is that Ross has made it this far? This final Ross feature is a tribute to his lovely wife, Holly. We consider her to be practically a saint for all she’s endured, thus our title track, Holly Holy. (Neil Diamond fan here.) Throughout his career and even in retirement, Ross marches to the beat of his own drum. This means that he fills his time how he chooses and is very much an individual thinker. Sometimes with “genius,” it’s difficult … Read More
A Bear Hunt To Remember
I will miss the call of the Raven and the sound its wings made as it took flight. I will miss the hoot of the owl, and the feeling that I felt as I wondered what might be lurking in the woods around me as I waited patiently for a Michigan Black bear to appear. My friend Andy drew a first-hunt bear tag for Michigan’s Red Oak unit in 2023, and he harvested a bear the last night of his hunt with Gary Morgan and Wild Game Dynasty that year. As for me, well I … Read More
Life Is A Highway
There has been a lot of traffic at our place in recent months, so much so, that a particular song came to mind… “Life is a highway. I want to ride it all night long,” by Rascal Flatts. Even at dusk and dawn, we’re enjoying the unexpected wildlife sightings from our front row seats, though for the late night jaunts, we can only guess. They nonchalantly parade past our sliding door as if they own the place, and in reality, it is theirs, as they were likely here first. We share this outdoor paradise. We’ve … Read More
Liberty hunt memories – deer camp jokes and paybacks
Ever since the Liberty hunt came into being, I’ve made a point of taking a kid out hunting during it, and I have some fine memories in doing so. It was 8 years ago when 13-year-old Dale Skinner of Akron took a Hunter’s Safety class I was helping with. He was seeking to get a hunting certificate, but having recently lost his father, he had no one to take him hunting, and yep, folks, I gave him an invite. Whenever the occasion occurs, my wife Ginny and I call our home “deer camp”, and during … Read More
A lucky lady and her dandy Michigan bull elk
Due to the odds, drawing a Michigan elk tag is a matter of pure luck. It only took me 36 years (of faithfully applying each year) to finally draw a tag in 2020. Up until then, I had always applied for “bull only”, but getting a bit long in the tooth caused me to apply for “any elk”, and I drew an antlerless-only license, and I was mighty glad and excited to receive it in the mail. I had the early elk season which is divided into three 4-day periods in August, September and October, … Read More
The Chamber of Flashbacks – Sploosh!
No one makes a Grand Entrance quite like Ross Chambers. Gary and Ross were to meet up to pregame for bear hunting season, with much preparation to be done. His first trip to East Lake was a memorable one as around midnight he turned off East Lake Road with his red Ford Ranger pickup, which Ross affectionately referred to as his DeRanger, and proceeded to go down the boat ramp directly into East Lake with a Sploosh! In his defense, it was dark out and with no artificial light, it does get a lot darker … Read More