By: Tom Lounsbury. The outdoor pastime of gathering “wild” edible plants goes back to the very beginning of humankind, in order to survive, and it is an atmosphere which truly goes hand in hand with hunting, trapping and fishing (hence the term “hunter-gatherers”). Mushrooms come to mind right away and when it comes to picking springtime mushrooms (of which there are a wide variety), I stick strictly to morels as they are the only edible fungi I’m truly familiar with and comfortable in eating. The fact is, I absolutely love eating morels which have a … Read More
Getting Kids Involved In The Great Outdoors
By: Tom Lounsbury. One of my greatest pleasures in life as a parent was getting my three sons involved with the various pursuits in the great outdoors, and mentoring them, one on one through the process which is truly the joy of sharing, and of course “passing it on”. As a grandparent, I’m even further pleased seeing my sons doing the same in passing it on with their children. This is something we humans as hunter/gathers have been doing since the beginning of time, although in today’s high-tech society, this fact in reality can become … Read More
One fine big game cartridge for Michigan hunting – the .450 Bushmaster
By: Tom Lounsbury. When the Michigan Natural Resources Commission passed the Limited Firearms Deer Season into law five years ago, it opened up a whole new avenue for southern Michigan deer hunters, allowing an array of straight wall cartridges (.35 caliber are larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and a maximum case length of 1.80 inches) in rifles during the regular firearms deer season (not to mention the Liberty, and early and late antlerless deer seasons as well). The new law is very well written, easy to understand, and it truly uses … Read More
Plinking: “You’re a Daisy if you do”
By: Tom Lounsbury. The young boy avoided stepping on downed leaves and twigs and quietly eased up to the tree trunk for a steady brace, slowly shouldered his gun, took careful aim at the quarry as he eased off the safety, and then touched the trigger. At the shot, a little green apple lying on the ground several yards away rolled over with a direct hit. The boy re-cocked his little lever-action and shot the apple again to make sure it was down for the count. My 10 year old grandson Orlando and I were … Read More
Squirrel Dogs…like lightning in a bottle
By: Tom Lounsbury. The first time that I ever hunted with what I would call a “squirrel dog” was back when I was a kid. I was hunting near the Cass River with a friend the same age as me, and we were using his unique hunting dog that was half beagle and half Border collie. This stocky dog weighed about 30 pounds and looked pretty much like a beagle with the black and white markings of a Border collie. Crossbreds for a fact can often be incredible hunters, and this dog was no exception. … Read More
Are We Hunting For A Clean Kill ?
By: Jim Kushner. If you are reading this you are no doubt one of the millions(?) of hunting & fishing enthusiasts who participate and or browse the many Forums available on these subjects and much more. I am far more a browser than a participant in the many forums out there. Typically I am looking for some specific information on a particular firearm or load data etc. I also enjoy reading and seeing the many hunting stories that people post there. Recently I was compelled to start a post of my own after reading countless … Read More
Beagling
By: Tom Lounsbury “Beagling” is the act of hunting with a pack of happy beagles, and it is quite a popular pastime in this country for pursuing rabbits and hares. I know for a fact the outdoors just wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t go beagling, and I’ve been at it quite awhile. I’ve had a lifelong close association with dogs, and when it comes to breeds, owning a beagle or two is actually a necessity in my world, and I’ve always appreciated the beagle’s overall versatility and very amiable attitude. The beagle clearly … Read More
A Crossroads In The Balance
The beginning of each hunting season is in-and-of-itself a fresh start. I look at “this time of year” as a chance to change up my success ratio. A number of years ago I began a quest to do what, perhaps, most hunters do each year…establish a better method for my madness. Before I began my quest I decided to do what every sophomore philosopher would do … look in the rear view mirror to get a better handle on my journey ahead… In the mid eighties I re-ignited my deer hunting with a new bow … Read More
Deer Hunting Stands: Find the Best Funnels
Courtesy of John Eberhart & Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine. Deer & Deer Hunting presents an online hunting show for real-world hunters who chase whitetails on public land and highly pressured private parcels. This series features one of America’s top public-land hunters — John Eberhart of central Michigan. Eberhart is a master bowhunter who has taken dozens of trophy whitetails over the years while hunting highly pressured lands throughout his home state and other locales. Public & Pressured Land Deer Hunter with John Eberhart will air a new episode every Tuesday for 26 weeks on deeranddeerhunting.com, the DDH Facebook … Read More
Treestands: Pros & Cons of Climbing Systems
Courtesy of John Eberhart & Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine. The right tree climbing steps are key for staying light and mobile when hunting pressured and public land. With all of the treestands available to hunters, John explains the pros and cons of several climbing systems. Public & Pressured Land Deer Hunter with John Eberhart. Season 1. Episode 7. 8 VITAL SAFETY TIPS FOR SETTING UP AND CLIMBING TREESTANDS Deer & Deer Hunting presents an online hunting show for real-world hunters who chase whitetails on public hunting land and highly pressured private parcels. This series features … Read More