Sounds like a Christmas Carol, right? That’s not what I’m going for here. Afterall, we just celebrated The Resurrection. It will be a few months before we celebrate His birth again. Let’s enjoy this season and the wonders it entails, such as… Can the pursuit of Morel Mushrooms in Michigan inspire one to answer some of life’s thought-provoking questions? I’d like to think that indeed it can. While I enjoy a few mushrooms in various foods, the real draw is the challenge of the hunt and the feeling of satisfaction when success is finally achieved. … Read More
There’s More To Be Said
As the legendary musician, Dave Matthews says…. “So much to say, so much to say, so much to SAY!” So does Gary Morgan have a lot to say, or at least his blog, newsletter, and podcast do. These voices have come from many sources over the years, from outdoor writers, some who are members of the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association (MOWA), to some who just enjoy writing as a hobby or happen to have a natural gift or interest in related topics. Of course, there are many with the gift of gab or have a … Read More
Kayaking in an Abandoned Mine
Have you ever paddled a kayak in an abandoned, underground mine? Well folks, this year on our spring break trip to Kentucky, we did exactly that. We have been paddling for almost ten years now, ever since my wife surprised me on my fortieth birthday with a guided adventure paddling the Pictured Rocks along Michigan’s shorelines on Lake Superior. After that trip, we came home and went kayaking crazy. We bought ourselves a used Old Town Loon tandem as well as a couple of cheap Sun Dolphins for the kids. Over the next several years we … 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
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
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
Enjoying The Outdoors The Air Rifle Way
The first air guns/rifles appear in history during the 1580’s. They were mainly used by wealthy sportsmen for hunting, but due to their unique functioning characteristics, were sometimes used in warfare. Napoleon, for example, didn’t much appreciate opposing special snipers armed with air rifles which caused morale issues in the French ranks. The fact there was no telltale smoke or loud report caused the French to wonder at first if some “magic” was entailed during a time of flintlock muskets as being the primary arm. Lewis and Clark took a Girardoni air rifle on their … Read More
The Sweet Bounty of the Woodlands
One of my fondest memories as a teenager was working for a neighbor in his woods gathering sap to make maple syrup. This began first with “tapping” maple trees using a hand-drill and hammering in metal spigots (aka taps) on which we hung special metal buckets which had lids to keep out moisture and debris. Some trees on the smaller side only required one tap, while bigger ones could handle more. There was a lot of snow that particular winter, and we had to do some serious wading during our first attempts to reach the … Read More