My Buck From Dad’s Blind

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Brian Smith. These trips are not about getting a deer.  It’s about the drive up in the truck; leaving at 4am, having breakfast in a small town diner, hearing stories from Grandpa’s past 70 years of hunting in the UP.  It’s about sharing a week with guys closest to you, but also having 12 hours a day by yourself sitting, waiting for something to move. 17 years ago, I made my first trip to the UP with my Dad and Grandpa.  We stayed in one of the small cabins at the West Shore Resort … Read More

What’s New Is Old … Again?

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

…reflecting… In today’s society, instant gratification is virtually nonnegotiable. We want it, and we want it now, whether “it” entails grabbing a burger from McDonald’s or speeding down the highway on your way home from work. Simply put, we don’t like to wait around for stuff anymore. If we don’t have to, we won’t. That attitude has trickled down to nearly every aspect of our lives, including deer hunting. Growing up, the U.P. looked to me like a paradigm of the great outdoors. It was brimming with wildlife, a special, almost mythical quality surrounding all … Read More

Wisconsin Example of How Michigan Bears Could be Better Managed

Richard P SmithBucks n Bears, Friends of ELO

By:  Richard P. Smith. Wisconsin is a perfect example of how Michigan could better manage their bear population. During 2016, Wisconsin issued 11,520 bear licenses to hunters in the state and those hunters registered 4,682 bears, according to a report issued by the Wisconsin DNR. Michigan only had 6,896 bear licenses available in 2016, resulting in 1,636 bruins being registered by hunters. Wisconsin hunters harvested almost three times as many bears as Michigan and almost twice as many hunters (1.7x) had the opportunity to hunt bear in Wisconsin than Michigan even though Michigan has more … Read More

A Superior Experience In Michigan’s U.P.

Adrian ZarantonelloBucks n Bears

By: Adrian Zarantonello The Smith family has been traveling to Michigan’s upper peninsula for the whitetail deer gun season for well over six decades. When I married into the family I became part of that tradition…a tradition I embraced and hold near to my heart.  This year, 2016, ‘our opening day’ began with the first weekend of the season.  Saturday and Sunday were marred by a snowstorm that had 20-30 mph winds and gusts of 45 mph. This storm dropped 2-4″ of snow on the eastern UP as well as drive temperatures down into the … Read More

The Land Of Superior…as its affectionately called.

Wild Game DynastyBucks n Bears

In today’s society, instant gratification is virtually nonnegotiable.  We want it, and we want it now, whether “it” involves grabbing a burger from McDonald’s or speeding down the highway on your way home from work.  Simply put, we don’t like to wait around for stuff anymore.  If we don’t have to, we won’t. That attitude has trickled down to nearly every aspect of our lives, including deer hunting.  Growing up, the U.P. looked to me like a paradigm of the great outdoors.  It was brimming with wildlife, a special, almost mythical quality surrounding all it … Read More