APRIL 2018 $4.

00

Woods-n-Water News
Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication

Crossbow - Typical
STATE RECORD
TURKEYS
Get Dangerously
Close to the Roost

WALLEYES
Crankbaits - Spoons - Stingers
• 2,176 Master Angler Catches in 2017 • Crossbow Tips for Gobblers
• 'Great White' Feeding Frenzy • Make Your Own Turkey Fan/Beard Mount
• Drain the Swamp? Never! • Deer Mount Stolen 41 Years Ago...Returned
www.woods-n-waternews.com • Like us on facebook Follow us on
 BROWNING & WINCHESTER

Browning Clothing
SALE! Visit with
— March 15 - 31 —
and Hats Combine sale prices and manufacturer Manufacturer's
30% rebates on most new Browning & Rep
F OF Winchester Firearms and Ammunition Saturday, Ma
(Brow ning by SPG items not inc
luded in sale)
for Fantastic Deals! rch 24
20% Mail-In Rebate on all Browning Ammo
+ Great Sale Prices = Great Deals!
Reg. Sale Sale After Rebate
22LR BPR
400 Round Box ......................................... $24.99 ..........$21.99............
$
1759
Case of 4 (1,600 Rounds) ........................ $99.96 ..........$83.96............
$
6717
22LR BPR w/Wood Box
400 Rounds .............................................. $29.99 ..........$26.99............
$
2159
22LR BPR
100 Round Box ......................................... $10.99 ...........$7.99................ 6
$ 39
Personal Defense BXP Series
380 ACP 95 gr. JHP
Box of 20 .................................................. $18.99 ..........$15.99............
$
1279 *Some restrictions apply. Rebate valid until March 31, 2018.
9MM 147 gr. JHP
Box of 20 .................................................. $18.99 ..........$15.99............
$
1279
40 S&W 180 gr. JHP
Box of 20 .................................................. $21.99 ..........$18.99............
$
1519 25% Centerfire Pistol Ammo Rebate*
+ Great Sale Prices = Great Deals!
45 ACP 230 gr. JHP
Box of 20 .................................................. $21.99 ..........$18.99............
$
1519 (*Mail-in rebate. Max. rebate $50)
(Max. rebate $25)

All Other Browning Ammo! 10% - Rimfire

Winchester Ammo
- Centerfire Pistol Plus
Rebate
On selected
25%
OFF all - Centerfire Rifle Includes 38 Spl.,Centerfire Pistol Ammo

10%OFF in store then get another

380 Auto., 357 Mag., 40 S&W, 45 Auto

200 Rd. Winchester USA $

3.00 Mail-In Rebate

20%Mail-In Rebate! Value Pack

9MM 115 gr. FMJ Turkey Loads
(Box of 10 Rounds)
Reg. $54.99
Sale
Double X 12 ga. 3"
1399
$
Tax Refund Rebate Reg. $18.99. ................... Sale After Rebate

49 Sale After Rebate 17

Double X 12 ga. 3-1/2" $ 99
$ 49
10%Back on Sporter Safes
Reg. $22.99. ...................

Sale After Rebate 17

Long Beard XR 12 Ga. 3" $ 99
Get OLIUSA9W Reg. $22.99. ...................

Sporter SP49 Wide El Dorado Gun Safe Buckmark Camper UFX Maxus Semi Auto
• ThermaBlock 1400°
F/60 min. fire
• Holds up to 65 long guns
• 60" tall x 55" wide x 25"
22LR, 5-1/2" barrel. Mossy Oak Shotgun
Bottomlands Camo 12 ga., 3-1/2" chamber, 28" bbl.
protection deep
• 12-gauge steel body MSRP $3849.00 Mossy Oak Shadowgrass Blades.
• Force deflector Bob's Price Reg. $439.99 Reg. $1509.99
locking system
Only
• CMS adjustable
shelving
• Quick access DPX
barrel rack
$
2999 99
Delivery expected
Sale
$
38249
After rebate. BRO051-513490
Sale
$
130449
After rebate.
• Holds up to 49 long
guns Black Label
• UL rated E-Lock Mark V MP33 2208 W. M-43 Hwy.,
Reg. $1569.99
Delivery
expected Tactical Safe Hastings, MI
2 Miles West of
Sale $149999
Blackout edition with
electronic lock Hastings On M-37 & M-43
Reg. $1299.99 269/945-4106
Sale After Rebate Sale
$
1349 99
Delivery expected
$
1239 99 STOP IN OR SHOP ONLINE AT BOBSGT.COM
Sale dates: March 15 - 31, 2018. Limited quantity available on all items. Not responsible for printing
errors. All items subject to prior sale. *Discounts off regular everyday selling prices.
 Be Sure To Check Out Chapman's

BOAT SHOW DEALS & INCENTIVES

Before You Buy At A Boat Show!
2017 189 2018 2075 TYEE 2017 1775
TYEE GL MAGNUM IMPACT SPORT

200 Mercury Veado 200 Verado 115 Mercury

Custom Trailer Shorelander Trailer Shorelander

2017 1600 2018 1875 2018 1650

REBEL SS IMPACT XS REBEL XS SS

40 Mercury 115 Mercury 60 Mercury

Shorelander Trailer Shorelander Trailer Shorelander Trailer

2017 BENNINGTON 2018 BENNINGTON 2018 BENNINGTON

21SF 22SSRXP 22SSX

4 point Fish 70 Yamaha Motor 90 Yamaha 115 Yamaha

NOW AVAILABLE LUND SPRING CATCH REBATES!

Save up to $2500.00 on a new Lund Boat. Call or email for details.
SALES: 810-653-0490
5605 Davison Rd., 4 miles east
of Downtown Davison
Open 6 Days: Monday - Friday 9am-5pm;
Saturday 9am-2pm
www.chapmanssports.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 3
 By Tom Campbell
Field Notes...
F
Michigan Anglers
irst, a reminder to all anglers,
you must purchase a 2018 fish-
ing license by April 1!
You must purchase a fishing
license if you are 17 years of
age or older to fish. If you are
under 17, you may fish without a license,
but you are required to observe all fishing
rules and regulations.
Any adult actively assisting a minor
who does not have a license must have a
fishing license. Please note, a license is
required when targeting fish, amphibians,
crustaceans and reptiles.
Annual resident fishing licenses cost
$26 and $11 for seniors (65 and older).
Nonresidents pay $76 for an annual fish-
ing license. Residents can also purchase a
hunt/fish combo package for $76, which
includes; your base license, annual fishing
license and two deer tags.
Do you sometimes forget to grab your
laminated paper fishing license when
heading to your favorite waters to fish?
Well, the DNR can help you; they have
developed an electronic license that al-
lows an individual to display an electronic
copy of his or her fishing license using an
electronic device. Technology to help the
forgetful!
Turkey Hunters
Second, a reminder to all spring
turkey hunters unfulfilled license quotas...
leftover turkey licenses are currently
on sale to unsuccessful applicants. On
Monday, March 19 anyone who qualifies
SEASONS
April 1 - 2018 fishing license required
Open All Year – Pike and walleye season on Lower Peninsula
Great Lakes, Lake St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers
Open All Year – Salmon and trout season on Great Lakes, St.
Marys River, Lake St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers
Open All Year – Catch-and-immediate-release bass season on
all Michigan waters open to fishing
Now-March 31 – Cottontail rabbit/snowshoe hare season
Now-March 31 – Crow season
Now-Dec. 31 – Pure Michigan Hunt Application Period
Now – Leftover spring wild turkey licenses go on sale to
applicants only
March 19 – Leftover spring wild turkey licenses go on sale
over-the-counter
April 28 - March 15 – Walleye and pike open in Lower
Peninsula inland waters
May 1-June 1 – Elk Hunt Application Period
May 1-June 1 – Bear Hunt Application Period
May 15 - March 15 - Walleye and pike open in Upper
Peninsula Great Lakes, inland waters & St. Marys River
May 26 – Dec. 31 – Smallmouth and largemouth bass catch-
and-keep on all waters, including Great Lakes (except Lake
St. Clair and St. Clair and Detroit Rivers.
June 16 – Dec. 31 - Smallmouth and largemouth bass catch-
and-keep on Lake St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers
*Consult the Michigan Hunting and Trapping Digest, Fishing Digest, or
other species-specific hunting digests for a more complete list of dates
and regulations regarding each season or hunt period.
MJC MJC
ARCHERY ARCHERY
MACOMB OAKLAND
19744 15 Mile Rd
Clinton Twp. 48035
3001 Rochester Rd
Royal Oak, MI 48073
586-791-4600 248-589-2480
4 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
BIG BUCK!
to hunt Michigan can purchase a leftover
license, “over-the-counter” (no applica-
tion process) on a first-come, first-serve
basis. The turkey season(s) run from April
23 through May 31, 2018. Detailed infor-
mation about spring turkey regulations,
management units, hunting hours and
more can be found in the Spring Turkey
Digest. Spring turkey licenses cost $15
(65 and older $6) and you must have a
base license to hunt in Michigan.
Bear Problems
The DNR reminds residents in
bear country, “the easiest thing people
can do to avoid problems with bears is
remove bird feeders during the spring
and summer months. With an estimated
2,000-plus adult bears in the northern
Lower Peninsula and almost 10,000 in the
Upper Peninsula, there are plenty of bears
searching for natural food that is plentiful
in forests, fields and wetlands.
Bears find birdseed and suet especially
attractive, as they are high-calorie and
reliable compared to other plentiful and Larry Smith of Vassar, Michigan was hunting on private proper-
natural food sources. Bird feeders can ty in Lenawee County when he spotted this monster. He’s been
draw bears past their natural habitat, watching it on the trail cameras for the past three years and
where they would normally be enjoying he only came out at night. This the first time he had seen him
roots of early spring plants and insects in in the daylight. He got a shot and took it. His beautiful droptine
trees and logs. Bears also typically will buck should score in the 180s! Congratulation Larry!
continue
to return to
a location
once they Submit your design for the first Deer
Management Cooperator Patch contest!
have found a
food reward
T
there.”n
he Michigan Deer Management Cooperator • “Successful
Patch has been a collector’s item for hunters Hunter 2018” must be
since the early 1970s. This year, the included in the design.
Department of Natural Resources is asking • “Deer
the public to design the deer patch for the first time Management
ever! Cooperator” must be
“Over the years, hunters or others have asked included in the design.
about or submitted patch ideas, but we have always • “mi.gov/deer”
hired an artist or used DNR staff,” said Jordyn must be included in the
Richardson, DNR outreach technician. “This year, we design.
thought, let’s make it a contest so we can get a lot of • Submitted entries
different ideas and bring some excitement back to the must be scaled to a size
patch.” of 3 inches by 4 inches
The DNR has been providing the patch as a thank- or 3 inches by 3 inches
you to hunters for bringing their deer to DNR check (the final size of the
stations. At check stations, the DNR collects valuable patch).
data about the state’s deer population. • Entries must include the DNR logo. (Feel free to
Those interested in participating in the contest create a circular placeholder. The minimum size of the
should submit their designs by April 2. Submissions logo on the final patch is 1 inch.)
must include artist’s name, mailing address and phone • Once a patch design is submitted, it is the prop-
number. erty of the DNR.
All entries must be mailed to: DNR Wildlife The DNR:
Division, Attn: Emilie O’Grady, 525 W. Allegan St., • Reserves the right to not use any entries submit-
P.O. Box 30444, Lansing, MI 48909 ted for patch design
• Reserves the right to use any entry as the basis
Contest Guidelines Are As Follows: for patch designs in future years.
• Entries must be submitted through U.S. mail. • Will protect the integrity of winner’s design
• Entries must be postmarked by April 2, 2018. composition as much as possible.
• Entries must include the artist’s name, mailing • May make changes to assist in the production of
address and phone number. the patch.
• Anyone can enter the contest. Children under the • Reserves the exclusive right to authorize the
age of 13 need parental/guardian permission. reproduction of the winning design.
(Permission is given by including parent/guardian sig- • Will not insure the entries received or be respon-
nature on the back of the entry.) sible for loss or damage to the entries.
• Work must be original to the artist and must be • Has the right to use the designer’s name and
submitted by the artist or artist’s parent or guardian. image for promotional purposes without compensation
• Entries may be any medium but must be submit- to the designer.
ted on paper, hand-drawn or printed. • Has the right to destroy submissions.
• Entries must portray a white-tailed deer and The winner will be contacted in early May.
Michigan habitat or represent Michigan deer hunting. For questions about the contest, contact the DNR
• Entries may include a maximum of seven colors. Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 5

Lake Superior’s unique
coaster brook trout fishery
Bill Ziegler...page 18
HUNTING
COVER STORY...
State Record Typical Buck
Richard P. Smith page 10
Avoiding the worst when towing
Do It Yourself...
Turkey Fan and Beard Mount
Darryl Quidort page 14
Never say Never...
Persistence finally
pays off in turkey woods
Randy Jorgensen page 26
Crossbow tips for
spring gobblers
Great white
Feeding
Frenzy
Kenny Darwin...page 16
Darin Potter page 36
Bowhunting...
Natural Destination Areas
John Eberhart page 38
Spring turkey tactics
George Rowe page 54
COVER PHOTOS
Turkeys Photo
By Kenny Darwin
Walleyes Photo
By Mark Romanack
State Record Photo
Provided By Gary Shear
6 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
FEATURE PERSPECTIVE
Deer mount stolen Michigan Deer Camp Traditions
41 years ago...RETURNED! Jake Dykstra page 42
Millard H. Holton page 22
Boat Smart...Going Fishing?
Story of a rod builder... Captain Fred Davis page 49
An education for a lifetime!
Mike Simcik page 30 Part II
Drain the swamp? Never! Trapping Southern Michigan
Jeff Pendergraff page 64
Jonathan Schechter page 32
The nation’s first
Do button bucks play
an active role in the rut?
John Ozoga page 55
female conservation officer
page 80
Looking back to the
‘Dodge Lodge’ OPINIONS
FISHING Betty Sodders page 60
Shifting to QDM to
The prepared steelheader Harvesting the sweet bounty fight deer disease
Jim Bedford page 8 Tom Lounsbury page 68 Guest Column page 73
Sporting Collectibles...
Mark Martin page 12 Sport Show Finds
Terry McBurney page 78
Understanding fish
spawning instinct
Tom Huggler page 20 OUTDOOR NEWS
Fine tuning crankbait bite for Conservation, hunting groups,
GREAT LAKES WALLEYE DNR discuss Wildlife Recovery
Mark Romanack page 24 Drew YoungeDyke page 50
ORV Safety eduction
Jigging for walleye...
instructors needed
to sting or not to sting page 58
Mark Romanack page 28
Part II...How to make a
DNR releases new Spring
Lake Michigan Fisheries
fly rod work for you
William Mangan page 44
Management Plan Strategies
page 58
Brian Miller...page 34
Fisherman’s Digest... Taxes and Trapping
Fishing the east side John Chagnon page 65
CWD...many questions
John Bergsma page 52
TECHNOLOGY and few answers
Enhances DNR’s ability to Mark Sak page 74
TROUT OPENER...
ARE YOU READY? gather, share information about
Kenny Darwin page 46 our natural resources GUNS/AMMO
Spoons for walleyes
Bob Gwizdz-MDNR page 66
Gun Chat...Winchester 97
Michael Veine page 56 Figuring out the DNR’s budget
page 72 Lee Arten page 48
Master Angler Black Powder Shooting Sports
DNR urges boaters
recipients increasing to take safety classes An Epic Colonial Musket
page 59 page 75 Dennis Neely page 62
DEPARTMENTS...
APRIL 2018 $4.00
Woods-n-Water News
Trophy Page. . . . . . 70 Classifieds . . . . . . . 82
Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication
News/Op-Ed . . . 72-75 Real Estate . . . . 83-89
1-810-724-0254
Crossbow - Typical
STATE RECORD
TURKEYS
Get Dangerously
www.woods-n-waternews.com
Close to the Roost
WALLEYES
Crankbaits - Spoons - Stingers P.O. Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444
• 2,176 Master Angler Catches in 2017 • Crossbow Tips for Gobblers
• 'Great White' Feeding Frenzy • Make Your Own Turkey Fan/Beard Mount
 www.facebook.com/woodsnwaternews
• Drain the Swamp? Never! • Deer Mount Stolen 41 Years Ago...Returned
www.woods-n-waternews.com • Like us on facebook Follow us on
GET IT! There’s only one place to get the best in
outdoor news, information and entertainment!
$4.00 JULY 2015

ews Woods-N
JANUARY 2016 $4.00
JUNE 2015

d s- -Water N -Wat Woods-

ER 20
1 5
N-Water News
$4.00

Woo
Woods-N-Water News OCTOB
er News
$4.00
N n ’s Prem
ier Ou
tdoor
Public
ation

2014
Michig
an’s P
rem ier Ou
Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication
a
Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication tdo
Michig or Pu
blicat

WALLEYE
ion

S li p p in ’ in ’
k
WISDOM And Chuc

Small STEELIES he
Stream Get Ready
For T CHRONIC
DISEASE FWOASTING
RUTG!
Bo n
Sandi Larry Kreps Jr.

BUo
LaFountain Crossbow

CKeSr 2015 BUCKS

Crossbow

in g s .. .
UND!
h
To S ta r t T

Rattle
ROCKIN Game Warren Walton

& S m a ll
IEW Sweet
Muzzleloader

Grunt 2 0 1 5 B ig
I N G P R E V Plus...
Wheeze HUNT Improve Lake
e a n s .. .
Smallies • Coyotes Close

TROUT
• Gogebic Perch
DEER TALK M ic h ig a n ’s
F a ll A ls o M
US K I ES Productivity Sandi
LaFountain
Cory
Williamson • Icy Hotspots
M
ne
No-Fly Zoogs

BIG
Shotgun Rifle
bl e? • Duc• k-
Grea t La
Th e D
lth P os si ut ke s
ll A•boTh StorTryifecta • Proj
• Is 10 0% Stea Dinners • It’s A Su cc e Ms-1 Whi
es ect Apples • Killer Moves For Steelies • Sizzling Cottontail Hunting • Handling Your Fish
tetail
• U.P. To Close Deer Season? • Walleyes For Warriors • Engraving A Legacy Stay Safe ent • Good Fish w anoada Goose • Staying eed •
on• MoreRifle • Embracing The Jig Pitching • Beaver
• Heat Loss Mechanisms • Modern Ice Fishing Electronics • Seasonal Memories
Ways To em gan’wswC.w ods-n-wFaollow Housoked
• Bear Hunters Short Changed • Swim Jigs For Bass -- Work! • Harnessing The Bite• 5 oodcock Manag y Bass • Michi k ternews Food Plot O Po
Tips • Trai ther Side • Crankb nd Brookies
• The Ned Rig • Bowhunting The Gun Opener • Deer Stories • Muskie Plants
• W ’s Hun gr c eb o o .c om • Lik l Cam Phot aits le
• Food Plots That Can Compete With ‘Mother Nature’ • Manistee Trout • October • L ik e us on fa e us on o of A Mis Ruwww.woods-n-waternews.com
July • Like us on facebook Follow us on
www.woods-n-waternews.com • Like us on facebook Follow us on ws.com fa cebook se d Opportu
ods-n -waterne Fo
ollow us
nity!
www.wo on

Woods-N-Water News
 New Subscription         Renewal
                                    (Please attach mailing label)

 One year $29  Two years $55

NAME  Check/Money Order       Visa/Mastercard
  Card #                       Exp. Date      
ADDRESS
Send to: Woods-N-Water News
P.O. Box 278 • Imlay City, MI 48444
CITY Or Call (810) 724-0254
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
STATE                ZIP Date               Ck#                     $

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 7


THE PREPARED STEELHEADER
T
he steelies are in the
river in big numbers
and you have just been
dropped off for an
all-day wade up three
miles of river. Your
partner has moved the car to your
take out bridge and is fishing the
reach above you. The conditions are
perfect: a cloudy day and a slightly
up and stained river.
Eagerly you begin tossing your
lure into likely runs in great antici-
pation of a hard strike. It only takes
two bends to get you
hooked up to your first
silver bullet. But, on your
first cast after releasing
the steelhead you hear a
funny ping as you flip the
bail. On your next cast
your bail doesn’t return
and you know that the
strange sound was your
By Jim Bedford
bail spring breaking.
Luckily, know-
ing that you were
going to be a long way from the car
and fishing all day, you have a spare
reel. Soon you are back in business,
hooking beautiful steelhead.
For most of us our time on the
water is precious and we don’t want
to squander a minute of it. Even as a
retiree who fishes 3 to 5 days week
I want to keep fishing and not be
walking back to the car for some-
thing I forgot or replacing equip-
ment that failed. I also want to be
prepared for changing water condi-
tions, the weather, biting insects,
minor mishaps, etc.
The focus of this article will be
on things that will keep the angler
on foot fishing but all will also ap-
ply to boat fishermen. It is easier for
the watercraft angler to carry extra
8 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
gear while the angler on foot must
consider weight and space limita-
tions. Of course, those fishing from
a boat must also carry tools and
replacement parts for their motor.
When possible, a back-up motor is
also important to have on board.
A vest is the wading angler’s
tackle box and having the right
items stowed in it can be the keys
to a successful outing on the river
or lakeshore. Most of these items
are already in your vest but we will
discuss some things you haven’t
thought of or did not
know were available.
At the very least it will
get you thinking about
optimizing the tackle in
your vest.
My goal is to always
have the right items for
the fish and the condi-
tions as well as the fix it
materials if some-
thing breaks down
or leaks. Being
prepared maximizes your produc-
tive time on the river. Of course you
can’t carry everything so you also
have to be selective and not try to
carry all the tackle you own.
Terminal gear is obviously a
very important part of the tackle that
you stow in your vest. If you are a
drift or bait angler you’ll want your
hooks, sinkers, leaders, swivels,
floats, drift lures, yarn, flies, bait
jars, and attractant scent all orga-
nized and easy to get to. A separate
bait container may be needed and
can be attached to your wader belt.
Good sized pockets allow for leader
cards and pre-tied rigs. It’s a little
simpler for the lure tosser since
except, perhaps, for a few snaps and
swivels, all you need are a couple
steelhead, and note spinner
box and pliers close at hand.
of boxes of spinners, plugs, and/or
spoons.
By taking note of the river size,
height, and clarity you can focus
your terminal tackle for the condi-
tions and leave some of that tackle
behind in the vehicle. For example,
I only carry two to three dozen spin-
ners on the river but they are select-
ed from a stock of over a hundred
lures that are carried in my duffel.
Likewise my minnow plug selection
is also based on the conditions.
Keeping your terminal tackle
in good shape and ready to catch
fish requires the stowing of several
tools in your vest. A hook sharpener
allows you to touch up those points
dulled by rocks. Either a hone or
a fine file will do the job and my
favorite is the thumb file with a
hole in it so it can be attached on
a cord to a “D” ring and be secure
from being dropped into the river. A
File Saver pouch impregnated with
WD-40 will prevent rust and also
keep the file from wearing a hole in
your vest pocket. Needle nose pliers
are handy for straightening hooks,
squeezing lead, and flattening barbs
in addition to unhooking steelhead.
Line clippers or small scissors will
save your teeth and the scissors can
also be used to trim yarn or spawn
sack material and cut braided line.
Split ring pliers will be helpful when
you need to replace a ring or a hook
on that plug that is working so well.
While a good number of the
items described here for a well-
stocked vest are optional, the above
mentioned pliers or sturdy hemo-
stats should be required for aiding
in the unhooking of fish. Walleyes,
northern pike, and all members of
the trout and salmon family have
sharp teeth and tough mouths.
A happy Brett Har tford with a
Struggling to unhook a steelhead
with just your hands usually results
in an overstressed or injured fish and
sliced up fingers.
Some other handy tools include
a reel wrench and screwdriver. In
addition to these take down tools I
also carry extra bail springs as this
is the most likely part to fail on my
spinning reels. A small bottle of oil
is carried to keep the reel running
smoothly. And, even though I’m
using the silkiest, most dependable
reels ever built, the original Swedish
Cardinals, I still carry a spare reel.
You never know when you might
get sand in the reel or dunk it in the
river in below freezing weather.
While it could be placed in the big
pocket in the back of your vest I
prefer to stash the extra reel in the
large pouch in your waders cre-
ated by the wader belt. When a bail
spring does break I usually switch to
the spare reel rather than changing
the spring on the water. Of course
if something goes wrong with the
spare reel you have a third backup in
the extra bail springs. Extra spools
for the reels are also carried with
different strength lines.
While it is possible to stow a
pack rod in the back of your vest I
usually leave my spare rod in the
car. I do carry extra tip tops, guides,
ferrule cement, matches, and a
roll of electrical tape. Sadly I have
broken a graphite rod on more than
one occasion but the rod splinted
with electrical tape by wrapping
overlapping the broken sections kept
me fishing. My dubious record was
landing six steelhead on a wobbly,
splinted rod.
Good vision is really impor-
tant to the river angler so polarized
sunglasses should always be tucked
away in a pocket. I prefer those with
a light amber tint because they let
ample light through while still cut-
ting the glare. Don’t forget to wear
a hat with a wide brim or long visor
to shade the bright sky from the
sunglasses.
A small first aid/personal com-
fort kit can make your day on the
river more pleasant. Mine includes
chapstick, bandaids, aspirin, toilet
paper. Obviously, in late spring
through the summer mosquito repel-
lent is a necessity and I usually also
wear a thin, nylon shirt with long
sleeves to reduce the area where
repellent is needed. On some of my
favorite trout and summer steelhead
creeks the poison ivy is extremely
lush so a small bottle of Oak ‘n Ivy
cleanser is added to my vest so I can
wash up when it is likely I’ve been
in contact with this “evil plant.”
Water and some high energy
food also keep you feeling good and
fishing hard. In the past I’ve frozen
water in a plastic bottle and drank
it as it thawed. New water bottles
with a built in purification system
allow you to utilize river water.
This is especially appealing when
you are fishing a cold trout
stream on a hot day. Dried fruit
and granola bars provide energy
and are easy to carry. Celery
sticks in a plastic bag can satisfy
both hunger and thirst.
Notes on the size and location of
the fish caught and river conditions
are kept using a pen and the backs
of old, out of date business cards
stashed in a small plastic bag. A
DeLiar type scale and tape lets you
measure the fish on the river. Water
temperatures are also taken and
recorded utilizing a cased, pocket
thermometer. Usually I stay with the
river but for those times when cut-
ting out across country a compass is
a good thing to have in the vest. A
small flashlight will help you see the
trail or read the compass when the
fishing is so good it keeps you on Mike Haars admires steelhead before release. Mike has a well stocked vest under his waders in
the river after sunset. addition to his outer fishing jacket with plenty of storage pockets. Author photos
The large back pouch in your
vest is a great place to store a pack-

able wading rain jacket. If it is cool
or threatening rain I will just wear
the rain jacket but if the rain stops
MICHIGAN
elongated cord loop around
my camera that goes around the
photographer’s neck and in many
years of hard use it has never seen

and the hot sun emerges it is great to
have place to stash the waterproof
coat.
As long as we’re talking about
staying dry it is important to be able
to patch your boots on the stream
if you have a bad encounter with
barbed wire or a sharp snag. The
flexible hot melt ferrule cement
in your rod repair kit can also be
used as a temporary wader patch
but a better plan is to have a tube
of AquaSeal UV in your vest. This
product cures in a minute in sun-
shine and slightly longer when it is
cloudy and cold. It also adheres to
wet waders. Regular AquaSeal is
compatible with the UV product so
you don’t need to try and remove
it when you make the permanent
repair at home.
While it is especially important
to me as an outdoor writer, I think
a camera belongs in the vests of all
wading anglers and on the boats
of anglers afloat. It allows you to
capture action shots as well as the
fish when they are freshly caught
and still alive. “Having proof” also
makes it easier to release those tro-
phy fish. Point and shoot auto every-
thing cameras are ideal. Obviously
cell phone cameras will also take
good photos but many don’t have a
way to be attached to keep you from
dropping them in the river. I have an
TIMBER PRODUCTS
the river. A Ziploc plastic bag
will protect the camera when it is
stowed and not in use. Of course,
you could buy and use a waterproof
model. But, just don’t drop it (or
a phone) in deep, relatively turbid
water. Buyers of Logs & Standing Timber
There are lots of vests to choose
from on the market. Pick one that • Wildlife Habitat Improvement
has the right number and size pock-
ets for your gear. If you fish both in • Selective Harvesting
the summer and the winter you may
want two--a lightweight, smaller,
nylon mesh model for the hot
• Timber Management
weather and a larger capacity one
for winter. Based on my experience
plain cotton vests are very comfort-
Ensuring Landowners Maximum
able but don’t last long. So I suggest
sticking with the polyester blends
Value for their Timber
For over 35 years.
for more durability.
In recent years it seems that
some anglers are opting for back-
packs instead of vests. They allow
more room for gear, but the extra Walnut Timber
weight can be a negative as your
back ages. Often they need to be Landowners—Get paid
taken off to get at the gear you want,
another negative. for your Veneer!
Hopefully this has given you
some ideas on what to carry in your
vest that will keep you prepared for
most anything you might encounter Tony Bryant
this spring and thus keep you fish-
ing. Similar items stashed on your
boat will do the same.n 269-967-2850
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 9
Typical Buck...

I
f it weren’t for Gary March. Another typical crossbow
Shear, we probably kill that scores higher could surface
wouldn’t have known that by then.
his twin brother, 78-year- Like so many older bowhunters,
old Cary from Ann Arbor, Cary hunted with a compound bow
bagged a pending state until he could no longer consistently
record typical crossbow buck last draw his compound under hunting
fall in Washtenaw County. conditions.
“My brother talked me into “What convinced me it was
having the antlers scored by Com- time to switch from my compound
memorative Bucks of Michigan to a crossbow was one day I was
(CBM),” Cary said. “I wasn’t even hunting over a mock scrape,” Cary
going to have the deer mounted, explained. “During the time I was
but my brother talked me into that, waiting for a deer to show up in
too. He told me, ‘You will never see my treestand, I got cold and started
another deer like that,’ and I’m sure shaking. That’s when an 8-point
he’s right.” showed up at my mock
The big 12-pointer that scrape. I tried to pull my
Cary shot with his Barnett bow back five times and
Wildcat Crossbow and couldn’t do it even though I
Rage Broadhead late in the had been hunting with that Cary Shear almost didn’t have his record book 12-pt. scored. His
day on November 11, 2017, bow for years.” twin brother talked him into it...net typical score was 175 5/8.
has an official gross score Cary has been hunting stand when a doe came out of the said he doesn’t use trail cameras, so
of 185 2/8 and nets 175 5/8, with a crossbow for about woods, walked across the food plot the whitetail could have been in the
according to CBM. The six years. During that time, and entered a cornfield. area and been primarily nocturnal
mature buck he’s scored on a
By Richard P. Smith
“The buck came out of the until the day he saw it. The arrow
also had a big couple of aver- woods on the doe’s tracks and he from Shear’s crossbow scored a
body, dressing age 10-point- was following her. When he stopped great hit, so the buck only went
out at 219 pounds. ers and a number of 8-points, all of at 38 yards, I took the shot. He was about 80 yards before dying.
The previous state record typi- which had antlers that were much ready to head the other way after the “I was really shocked when I
cal crossbow buck was arrowed by smaller than the 12 he got last fall. doe. I knew if I didn’t take that shot, saw the buck laying on the ground.
rural Allegan County resident Trent “I’m not a trophy hunter,” Cary I wasn’t going to get one. I have never seen a deer that big in
Smith in Allegan County on October said. “I hunt for the meat. But if a “I think that buck was lost. I had my life.”
22, 2016. That impressive 10-point- big buck comes along, I don’t have never seen him before.” Cary said he’s been deer hunting
er had a CBM score of 175 2/8. a problem shooting it.” The doe that buck was following for about 65 years. He started when
The Shear buck is a “pend- That’s exactly what happened was most likely in heat, and that’s he was 15. The only deer Cary has
ing” state record because the 2017 when Shear got the 12-pointer. He what attracted him to the area. Cary had measured prior to the 12-point
scoring period goes until the end of was hunting a food plot from a tree- was a big 8-pointer he shot with a
firearm in 1993. The antlers on that
Hot Shot Outfitters
SUCCESSFUL HUNTERS
buck measured 128.
Long tine length of the second,
Ray Hoody third and fourth points on each
antler contributed to the deer’s

GET YOUR
 high score. The second point on
the right antler was 14 inches long,
for example. The same point on the

DEER & TURKEY Goose Hunts

Youth Deer Hunts
left antler was 11 4/8 inches long.
Differences in tine length from one

OFFICIALLY SCORED!
antler to the other were deductions.
Turkey Hunts • Coyote Hunts Length of the third tine on the right
Whitetail Hunts side was 11 3/8 inches compared to

Go To: www.buckfax.com 6900 Huron City

Port Hope, MI 48468
12 inches on the left.
The antlers also had heavy
bases, measuring 5 4/8 inches
Commemorative Bucks of Michigan • P.O. Box 615 • Grand Ledge, Michigan 48837 • Phone (517) 679-6226 Mon - Fri: 989-428-5071 on the right and 5 5/8 on the left.
Commemorative Bucks of Michigan is a non-profit organization that measures and maintains records on trophy class Whitetail Deer, Weekends: 989-670-4336 Beam lengths were 24 1/8 and 24
Black Bear, Elk and Turkeys, taken by fair chase in the state of Michigan. We use the Boone and Crockett method to score all three
big game species. Visit our web site to learn more and get connected to the latest in Michigan hunting. www.Buckfax.com www.hotshotoutfitters.com 7/8 inches. The inside spread of the
antlers was 16 3/8 inches.n
10 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
 LET US buy your
Fishing License
THIS YEAR!
Buy any new G. Loomis rod, from February 15 to May 1,
at an authorized Dealer and receive your 2018 Michigan
State resident fishing license.

VISIT YOUR NEAREST DEALER

D&R SPORTS CENTER JOHNSON’S GREAT ANDERSON’S PRO BAIT

KALAMAZOO OUTDOORS PORT HURON
MONTAGUE
JAY’S SPORTING GOODS MICHIGAN TACKLE
CLARE & GAYLORD CLEAR H2O TACKLE SPECIALTIES
EDWARDSBURG BATTLE CREEK
FRANK’S GREAT OUTDOORS
LINWOOD SPORTSMEN DIRECT HICK’S OUTDOORS
PAPPY’S BAIT AND TACKLE HARRISON TOWNSHIP CLIO
WELLSTON AL AND BOB’S FISHING TACKLE GRAB BAG
GRAND RAPIDS DAVISON
LAKESIDE FISHING SHOP
ST CLAIRE SHORES ANDY’S TACKLE
MELVINDALE gloomis.com

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 11

 Avoiding the worst when towing
Even if you fish close to home, you can have trailer problems...By Mark Martin
W
hen it comes
to spending
hour after
countless hour
with mul-
tiple sets of
tires rotating upon the road, there’s
no doubt in my mind that career
fishing-tournament anglers lead the
way when it comes to cross-country
travel with boat and trailer in tow.
But just because you may only
travel short distances to and from
your favorite fishing waters doesn’t
mean you’re immune to the same
towing woes as those of us who
cross state lines often. In fact, due
to the nature of the road network
leading to where you fish most fre-
quently, you may be a candidate for
trailer problems more readily than
those who pack on the miles.
From ruts, potholes, extended
washboard surfaces and every exte-
rior in between, each road condition
will take its toll on your boat, trailer,
motor and tow vehicle.
There are several things you can
do, however, to keep problems from
occurring, as well as money-saving
tips and tricks you can employ all
year long.
I’m Tire’d
What are the most important
pieces of equipment on both my
Lund boat’s trailer and tow vehicle?
Why tires, of course; they are the
only thing holding both snug to the
road. No matter the weather condi-
tions.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before
(and now I’ll mention it again),
always be positive the air pressure
in all your tires, including the spare
tires, are at the manufacturer’s sug-
gested pressure for the load before
hitting the road.
Keeping tires at the perfect
pressure allows their tread design to
perform to their maximum ability,
permitting them to move water, dirt,
snow and ice out from under them
and keeping the most pure surface-
to-surface traction possible. And this
is a good thing.
Proper tire inflation will also let
both vehicle and trailer move along
with the least amount of resistance,
thus will increase your tow vehicle’s
gas mileage to it greatest.
Another thing most folks forget
to do is check their tires for dam-
age. All it takes is one single rub
against a curb, a hard ramming into
a pothole or just “checking” (splits
caused from sun damage) from age
and blowouts can occur. And the
worst thing about blowouts versus
12 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
just finding a flat tire in the drive-
way is it increases your chances of
having a bad, even fatal, accident
tenfold.
Slip Sliding Away
Proper greasing of wheel bear-
ings is another must. Water and
dirt can creep their way into hubs,
even if you think they are totally
sealed from the elements. And when
this happens it’ll only be a matter
of time before you, too, are one of
those poor souls that have to pull off
to the side of the road and wait for a
flatbed truck to haul your boat, with
bent axle on its trailer, off to the
repair shop rather than spending the
day on the water. Not fun.
Even trailer bearings that are
surrounded by hubs that have zerk
fittings for easy filling need to be
taken apart and re-packed with fresh
grease at least once a year. Do it.
Save yourself the headache.
And trailer hubs like what is un-
der my Lund Pro-V, which have oil
reservoirs instead of being packed
with grease, are no exception. They
need to be gone over annually to
make sure all is in working order.
And because I am not the most
mechanically inclined person, I take
my trailer to professional mechan-
ics—in my case Matteson Marine
on Gun Lake in Shelbyville, Michi-
gan—to make sure all is right with
them; thus I don’t have to spend
my time waiting for help along the
roadside.
Cover Me...
I’m Going Fishing
Taking a vacation with boat in
tow? Looking to increase your gas
mileage all the while keeping the
interior of your boat in good shape?
Then by all means, cover it.
My Lund came with a custom-fit
canvas cover, and I use it when pull-
ing it, especially for long distances.
It’s a proven fact that a boat
wrapped in a snug-fitting cover
creates less air resistance; thus your
tow vehicle will have improved per-
formance compared to when pull-
ing one that is uncovered. And then
there’s the rain, dirt and sun damage
that can be thwarted by enveloping
your boat in canvas.
In short, using a cover will save
you big money and lots of hard
cleaning up later on.
Changing Times
You don’t need to have me tell
you that gasoline prices rise during
peak seasons, which are the months
I usually have my boat in tow. And
this is why I find less expensive
Mark Mar tin, in the stern, fishing with friends; without proper trailer
preparation to haul his Lund beforehand, this trip may never have
come to be. David A. Rose photo
ways of travel; which may also
reduce my personal time behind the
wheel.
For example, the latest way I
have found to save on both is actu-
ally quite old school.
After doing the math, when
traveling west from my home in
Michigan’s southwest Lower Pen-
insula, I have found taking the S.S.
Badger from Ludington, Michigan,
to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, not only
saves me the time of driving around
Lake Michigan, but even when pay-
ing for my vehicle, trailer and two
passengers, saves me a quite a bit of
money in gas and tolls.
And it’s just a short, 4-hour ride
while the captain of the ferry does
all the work of getting me west of
the big lake; the employees of the
S.S. Badger even load my Suburban
and Lund onto the vessel for me. All
I do is pull up to the dock and let
the crew do the rest. It’s a different
change of pace for me, to say the
least.
Over all, in today’s economy,
taking ferries or other means of get-
ting passengers, vehicle and boat in
tow to and from one point to another
more than likely outweighs the cost
of gas and wear and tear on your ve-
hicle. Do the math… It’s well worth
the time and expense.
Didn’t See That Coming
Last but definitely not least is
being prepared for the unforeseen.
This means being properly insured
so as to cover my boat, motors and
all equipment in case of an accident
both on and off the water.
By far the best insurance for
anglers I have found is through
Worldwide Marine Underwriters
(www.worldwidemarineins.com).
Having great boat-owners insur-
ance is my piece of mind that no
matter what unexpected accident,
no matter how major or minor, that
all my equipment, big or small—as
well any persons involved—are
covered financially.
Trust me on this, although boat
coverage added to homeowners or
car insurance policies may look to
be enough, it rarely ever is. Make
sure you are covered by a boat
policy written for anglers and all the
unique gear they use.
Tow, Tow, Tow
Your Boat...
Looking to go fishing stress free
this coming season? Just make sure
you have everything in working
order.
Make sure your tires are fully in-
flated, have no damage and that their
hubs are properly lubed. Cover your
craft when towing it, find alternative
routes that may save you time and
money, as well as make sure you are
properly insured.
Your days on the water will be
more stress free, I promise.
Mark Martin is a touring wall-
eye pro, as well an instructor with
the Fishing Vacations/School found
throughout the Midwest. Check
out his website at markmartins.net
for more information on Mark, his
schools and links to any of the infor-
mation mentioned in this article.n
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 13
 Do It Yourself...
Turkey Fan and
Beard Mount
W
ild turkeys
have captured
the interest of
many hunt-
ers, especially
now, after
their very successful reintroduction
into most areas of Michigan. Some
hunters look forward to the open-
ing of spring turkey season with as
much anticipation as they have for
the fall deer season.
Calling a wild turkey gobbler
into range is an exciting challenge.
Success on the sharp eyed birds
doesn’t come easily though. There-
fore, after a successful hunt, many
hunters would like to preserve their
wild turkey trophy to hang on the
den wall for future enjoyment.
This can pose a problem. Since
wild turkeys don’t have a hard tissue
trophy, such as horns or
antlers, we are deal-
ing with a soft tissue
trophy. Unfortunately,
soft tissue trophies, like
mounted turkey tails and
beards, are susceptible
to damage by insects
such as clothes moths
and dermestid beetles
even after they have
completely dried out.
The larval stage of these
By Darryl Quidort
insect pests feed
on the keratin
protein of the
dried skin and feathers on the trophy
causing great damage to the mount.
Therefore, a soft tissue trophy must
be treated with a mothproofing agent
to preserve it.
Years ago, taxidermists dusted
mounts with powdered arsenic to
avoid this problem. When taxider-
mists realized the health dangers
involved with using arsenic in their
work, the change was made to borax
mothproofing. Many of the modern
dry preservatives used in taxidermy
today are borax based. Mothproof-
ing with borax works especially
well with thin skinned species such
as birds.
Borax (sodium borate) is a
naturally occurring, alkaline mineral
commonly found in the western
states. The white powder is widely
used in cosmetics, the cleaning
industries, as an anti-fungal com-
pound, a preservative, and as an
insecticide. Considered to be envi-
ronmentally friendly, it is commonly
used to control fleas and cockroach-
es in homes. Borax, often sold as 20
Mule Team Borax, can be found in
the laundry detergent aisle of your
local store.
14 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
1
Although borax is not acutely
toxic, I suggest using common
sense when handling it. Wear rubber
2
gloves and don’t breathe the dust or
get it in your eyes.
Making your own turkey fan and
beard mount is relatively simple.
Preparing the Turkey Beard
1) Carefully cut a small patch
of skin from around the base of the
turkey’s beard. Remove all feathers,
leaving only the long “hairs” of the
beard on the skin.
2) Remove any remaining meat
or fat and liberally dust the skin
with borax.
3) Hang the turkey beard up and
3
allow it to air dry. The borax will
mothproof and preserve the dried
skin.
Preparing the Turkey Tail-Fan
1) Carefully skin out the rear
of the turkey, leaving
enough skin, with feath-
ers attached, to cover
the base of the finished
tail-fan mount.
2) Sever the tail
bone, keeping the
triangle shaped “tail
4
sponge” attached to the
tail feathers. (Photo 1)
3) Using a sharp
knife, remove all meat
and fat from the
skin. Carefully
remove the top
and bottom of
the tail sponge, leaving the quills
of the tail feathers intact. Clip the
end of the tail bone from between
the quills. Remove as much meat
and fat as possible from the quills.
(Photo 2)
5
4) Liberally dust all skin and
feathers with borax powder and
“pack” the tail feather quills with
borax. (Photo 3)
5) Spread the tail-fan out evenly
on a sheet of stiff cardboard and
staple or pin strips of cardboard
over it to hold it firmly in place as it
dries. Arrange the tail feathers in a
natural overlapping fashion to form
a perfect fan and carefully posi-
tion the back feathers to cover the
base of the fan. Check the fan as it
dries to make sure it remains spread
evenly. Reapply dry borax pow-
der as needed as the tail-fan dries.
(Photo 4) or other suitable material to cover board covering and use hot melt
Finishing The Mount the cardboard. glue to fasten everything securely in
1) When the fan is completely 3) Make a small hole, centered place.
dry remove it from the cardboard. where the material is folded, and 5) The finished wild turkey
2) Cut and fold a circular piece push the skin of the dried turkey fan and beard mount can be
of light weight cardboard to cover beard through the hole so the beard hung directly on the wall or
the base of the fan both front and will hang below the finished tail fan. attached to a plaque for hanging.
back. Then glue your choice of felt 4) Center the fan in the card- (Photo 5).n
ROSY BROTHERS INC.
5727 DRYDEN ROAD
DRYDEN, Michigan 48428
810-796-3770

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 15

 Dadum... Dadum... Dadum... Dadum...

GREAT WHITE FEEDING FRENZY

Fish were so thick our electronics
could not mark bottom as schools
zoomed past at lightning speed
chasing minnows to the surface
in a flurry of fins and tails. Bait-
fish inches below the surface
zigzagged to avoid thousands
of silvery bullets with gnash-
ing teeth slashed at the shiners.
That’s when my fishing partner
Jose Ruiz from Mason grabbed
his rod and made a short cast

“F
into the swirling mass of fish.
ish on!” He shouted as he
cranked the reel with rod
bent double. Soon a silver
prize came to the surface
and Ruiz flipped it in the
boat. What a beautiful
chrome-sided prize with forked tail, large black
eyes and firm flanks from the cold spring water.
By the time I unhooked the prize and slipped it
into the live well, Ruiz had another in the boat
that flopped off the hook and he tossed the jig
overboard and immediately hooked another.
“Better get your line in the water Kenny D,” he
shouted as he struggled with another fish. “For-
get walleyes! This is the fastest pace fishing fun
I’ve had all spring. I’m not bored, no longer cold
and the fish are smashing every presentation,” he
exclaimed.
We were fishing walleyes on the mighty
Detroit River in April when we discovered the
mass of Lake Erie silver bass schooled at a warm Jose Ruiz loves catching fish to feed his family. He’s a fish catching machine in the purest form and
water discharge. My rod was rigged with a 5/8 likes to stay on the water until he catches his limit. The last couple years he prefers hot white bass
oz. jig and plastic Wyandotte black worm. I casu- fishing to boring walleye outings. Kenny Darwin photos
ally tossed the offering into the current, allowed
it to sink a few feet and began reeling. POW! I We booked a room at the Best Western in frenzy. When he would lift a fish from the froth-
was greeted with a savage strike but I missed the Trenton which has a fish cleaning table, hose ing water several whites would splash near the
fish and continued reeling. BANG! I had another and fresh water. The next day we hit the Detroit surface attempting to get a bite. Ruiz was laugh-
solid strike and this time hooked the great white, early in search of walleyes but the big fish from ing out loud because he was no longer casting but
brought it to the boat and lifted the silvery prize the previous year were not to be found. What simply stripping only 6 feet of line off the reel
aboard. I admired the catch. Whites are special, happened to all those trophy walleyes from the and plunking his jig/plastic boatside and holding
thick bodied, stout with broad shoulders and the previous year? It has been my experience there the twister tail in the current. Bass were smash-
killer instinct to strike like a great white shark are two reasons massive sport species numbers ing his offering directly below the boat. It was
gobbling fresh whale blubber. There is nothing disappear, pollution and commercial gill nets. certainly a pleasure to see my son smiling from
dainty about the take. They smack the lure at I called my son Zach and he joined us at the ear to ear pulling fish left and right in the mid-day
mach speed and if you miss the hook set another Wyandotte boat launch around noon. We ran sun on a beautiful spring day. The scene illus-
will turn on the afterburners and attack the of- upstream to the discharge, tossed the anchor trates some of Michigan’s finest sport fishing.
fering. The fishing fun is simply exhilarating. and began casting for whites. The fishing action White bass are beautiful silver-colored prizes.
With this style of fishing you are constantly busy was off the hook exciting, unbelievable swarms The state record is a 6 lb. 4 oz. bass caught on
catching fish, unhooking, of hungry silver bullets attacked our lures. At Saginaw Bay. Most weigh about one pound
recasting, and reeling with times we would have triple headers with every- with relatively large mouth, huge black eyes
no time to relax. At lightning one cranking big fish. I snapped photos of Zach and a series of diamond shaped blackish stripes
speed we had our limit. No and Ruiz doubled up on dandy fish. The sun was that run vertically the length of their body. In
we didn’t land any 6-pound- high, water was emerald green and clear, seagulls spring, females are full of eggs and their sides
ers, but we put several in and Arctic tern joined in the frenzy as I sat back are bulging with roe, many tip the scales around
the box around 17 inches and watched my son and fishin’ pal giggle at the 2 pounds. When spawning fish arrive they gather
that pushed the scale past 2 constant action. Zach was using a white twister in huge schools by the hundreds, sometimes
pounds. tail but soon snapping jaws with sharp teeth de- thousands, and they can be caught on just about

By Kenny Darwin
stroyed the plastic and he switched to chartreuse any lure using any presentation. While many
with sparkles that drove the whites into a feeding Michigan fishermen think walleye is king along
16 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
east Michigan, it is my opinion that last spring the Ren Cen to the Elizabeth Park boat launch to the boat.
white bass earned the Motown crown. Last spring in Trenton Channel. Some prefer to cast from Jose Ruiz has a large family and several fish-
the walleye fishing was dismal at best but the the wall at Belanger Park but parking is limited loving grandkids that love deep fried great whites
great whites rocked. Consider the zillions of fish and you might have to wait until anglers catch and he has a recipe that will knock your socks
caught by hundreds of anglers in boats and shoul- their limit and leave an open car parking spot. off. “The trick to maintaining the flavor of fresh
der to shoulder along the bank during the spring Another location is found along West Jefferson fish is to keep the fish on ice,” he explains. “I like
run, the outdoor recreation white bass provide is west of Mud Island, slightly upstream from the to toss my fish in the live well and keep them
unrivaled. The feeding frenzy great whites offer Ecorse boat launch. This park has a long cement alive until I have enough ice to cover the catch
anglers is legendary in Motown. walkway with shoreline metal railing and room and keep the meat ice cold. Next I fillet fish soon
I caught my first white bass in the 70s, fish- for hundreds of people to cast for bass. At times and rinse the meat with cold water. Place them in
ing for walleyes on the Tittabawassee River off the park gazebo is filled with musicians playing a large dish, cover with ice water and allow fish
the South Center Street boat launch in Saginaw instruments, providing live music for happy fish- to sit in the refrigerator overnight to remove any
in early May. Come late May the Tittabawassee ermen filling 5 gallon buckets with fresh fish. fish taste. “Great whites are delicious eating and
would get a run of monster white bass that were The location of our discharge hot spot is no my kids gobble them because they taste just like
master angler size. With fond memories I recall a secret and plenty of white bass anglers are famil- bluegills after I toss them in Drakes batter and
trip with Fred Trost and Bob Garner from Michi- iar with the steel mill discharge found a couple deep fry golden brown,” he explains.
gan Outdoors TV and we all caught master angler hundred yards downstream from the Belanger I’ve spent a lifetime chasing trophy walleyes
certified monster white bass over 16-inches long. boat launch. Launch fee is $10 at Belanger and from Lake Gogebic to Saginaw Bay, Lake Erie,
At times the Tittabawassee is choked with huge you motor a short distance downriver to the steel Muskegon, White Lake and many more. Come
bass and anyone casting small cranks can pull fence where water roars into the mighty Detroit the first thaw in March I ready my boat for De-
fish like crazy. The Saginaw still gets a run of River. Whites gather at the discharge in unbe- troit walleyes but last spring walleye fishing was
monster white bass and each year many trophy lievable numbers and you can fish in 3-20 feet the pits. Oh sure, I caught plenty of eater wall-
white bass are caught by trollers pursuing wall- of water. Some folks anchor and cast spinners eyes but finding 8-pound fish was very difficult
eyes on Saginaw Bay. Also, don’t overlook the tipped with plastic twister tails, some throw small and most anglers said they were not there. I got
fun that white fishing Lake Macatawa and the St. cranks. Most drift downstream with the current tired of boating dinky walleyes and freezing my
Clair River provide each spring. and use a bow mounted electric motor to work buns off and I made the switch to great whites.
The great white bass run on the Detroit jigs tipped with minnows along bottom in search The white bass were always accommodating,
system is much larger and lasts longer, well of walleyes. This tactic produces some walleyes biting like crazy, providing fun filled adventure
into June. Limit catches of 50 fish are common, and allows fishermen to mark exactly where the all day every day. I made treks during mid-day
although if you fish the Canada side the catch is big schools of white bass are located. Once you and caught limits faster than a speeding bullet.
unlimited. Both sides of the mighty Detroit host find them, see the huge schools on your electron- When Zach joined me at noon we were back at
monumental numbers of white bass. Some show ics you switch to jigs and twister tails, forget the launch by 3 o’clock with a cooler stuffed with
up in early April but the spawning run arrives expensive minnows and you work fish that are fish. That’s when it hit me, catching great whites
when the Detroit River water temperatures hit the suspended. One sure-fire strategy is to anchor at is fantastic fishing. This winter I’m dreaming
45-50 degree mark. Last spring was very warm the discharge outlet and cast exciter lures into the about warm spring weather and exciting outings
and massive schools of whites were available fast current and crank the offering upstream back to Detroit’s hottest fishery going…white bass.n
in early April. But when weather cooled the run
continued to strengthen with unbelievable num-
bers arriving throughout May and June.
Great whites will strike just about any pre-
sentation but after making several trips we settled
on twister tails. We prefer white plastic twister
tails 3 inches long, although we caught fish on
all plastics we used like worms, minnow imita-
tion plastics and many more. The Detroit has a
relatively fast current and in deep pockets we
used 5/8 oz. jigs and in shallower water 3/8 oz.
jigs. Jig head design makes little difference to
white bass. Just a plain jig will get the job done
but other colors that produced excellent results
included white, chartreuse, yellow, black, purple,
lime green, orange and many more. Some anglers
prefer to cast spinners like a Mepp’s, Vibrax or
Rooster tail. Worden’s has a Rooster Tail spin-
ner called Bleeding Shad and Chrome Whitetail
in 1/2 oz. size that whites love. Many anglers
prefer casting crappie spinner baits tipped with a
jig head and twister tail. Silver and white spinner
blades are popular colors for Motown bass, ham-
mered chrome is a favorite.
Ruiz hit on a honey hole one day when he
noticed flocks of Arctic Tern and seagulls swarm-
ing a discharge slightly south of Belanger Park.
The water at the discharge was slightly warmer
than the river and whites were crammed into the
swirling current like sardines. It was simply im-
possible to cast into the current without hooking
a fish. We quickly forgot about walleyes and con-
centrated on catching white bass. Soon our live
well was packed with fish and we ran to the boat
launch, iced ‘em down, put the packed cooler in
the truck and headed back out for walleyes.
When the whites arrive, thousands of fisher-
men flock to the Detroit River shore in search of
fresh fish. They congregate along the shore from Zach Darwin with a dandy white bass caught on a beautiful day with calm wind and bright
sun. Detroit River white bass come from Lake Erie where the population is booming.
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 17
 Lake Superior’s unique
coaster brook trout fishery
A
brook trout that mi-
grated from tributary
streams to Lake
Superior was his-
torically reported as
widespread and com-
mon. This type of lake-run brook
trout was referred to as a “coaster”
by anglers. The mystique with this
variation of the native brook trout is
great since they can grow to a large
size. The classic fisheries text Fresh
Water Fishes of Canada reports a
14.5-pound brook trout (coaster)
was caught in the Nipigon River
of Ontario in 1915. According to
the Great Lakes Fishery Commis-
sion’s Brook Trout Rehabilitation
Plan for Lake Superior, historical
evidence indicates coaster brook
trout spawned and lived part of their
lives in 106 Lake Superior tributary
streams.
Coaster brook trout were very
vulnerable to exploitation (especial-
ly angling) and reportedly coaster
numbers rapidly declined in many A coaster brook trout caught during MDNR survey on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Lake Superior tributarie. Troy Zorn, MDNR photo
areas of Lake Superior in the late brook trout found in Lake Superior by one good fisherman and one poor had implemented protective regula-
1800s. Coasters first declined in the and its tributary streams. He also one; fish 2 to 3 pounds are com- tions on the Michigan Lake Superior
most accessible areas of Lake Su- referred to heavy exploitation of mon.” tributary streams and that was their
perior. Reportedly, coasters within those fisheries and the vulnerability Henry Quinlan, Fisheries Biolo- highest probability of reestablishing
30 miles of Marquette were “fished of fisheries that were readily acces- gist for the US Fish and Wildlife coaster brook trout. The new regula-
out” by 1865. Intensive sible. In Roosevelt’s 1865 Service in Ashland, Wisconsin said tions are a relatively high minimum
logging in the watersheds book, Superior Fishing, there were several major factors size limit (MSL) and bag limit of
and barriers like dams in when he stated “The finest limiting coaster brook trout reha- one on all brook trout, splake, or
tributary streams to Lake trout fishing in the world bilitation. Those being brook trout lake trout in the defined lower sec-
Superior also degraded can be obtained in Lake exploitation and lack of regulations tions of 8 streams. Zorn said “this is
coaster spawning and nurs- Superior” he was referring protection, habitat degradation, and the same regulation that was produc-
ery habitat. Coaster brook to numbers and size. He competition with other fish species. ing positive results on coasters in
trout were reduced to a few also wrote of extremely Quinlan said that larger minimum Minnesota.” The regulation affects
streams of Lake Superior large numbers of trout be- size limits and low bag limits in the Pilgrim, Silver, Slate, Ravine,
by the mid-1900s. ing taken by anglers. He Minnesota and Ontario, and Isle Big Huron, Little Huron, Iron (Lk.
By Bill Ziegler
Robert Barnwell wrote in the vicinity Royale National Park (near shore Independence outlet), and Big Gar-
Roosevelt in his 1862 of Bayfield, Wiscon- waters) were producing positive re- lic. Special regulations were already
book, Gamefish of sin (Apostle Islands) sults in coaster brook trout surveys. in place on the Salmon Trout River
the Northern States of America and “250 pounds of speckled trout Troy Zorn, MDNR Fisheries in Marquette County (see page 55 of
British Provinces, referred to large (brook) have been taken in one day Research Biologist, said the DNR the 2018 Michigan Fishing Guide).

Lund ‘Catch of the Year’

Lund 1650 Rebel XS SS Lund 1650 Rebel XS SPORT
MSRP $21,868 MSRP $23,483

$17,997 $19,789
*All prices are in US dollars
and do not include dealer
freight and prep charges,
taxes and registration.
with 60 ELPT with 60 ELPT

Always
Service After 10 Miles East of Bay City on M-25 in Quanicassee
the Sale 989-893-9931 • www.lindyssales.com
18 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Zorn felt that over-harvest was the Both biologists Quinlan (US- Iron River National Fish Hatchery There have been a number of
greatest limiting factor restricting FWS) and Zorn (MDNR) confirmed maintains approximately 10,000 recent successful reestablishment
coaster brook trout recovery and coaster brook trout have not been adult and juvenile captive lake trout efforts on wildlife populations in the
these regulations addressed the found to be genetically different and coaster brook trout brood stock. northern lake states. A few examples
highest priority streams to affect than wild brook trout in Lake Su- USFWS biologists need to keep are bald eagle, wolves, U.P. moose,
coaster recovery in Michigan. perior area streams. It appears that adding wild genetics to this captive and fishers. The coaster brook trout
Quinlan felt stream habitat coasters result from a natural be- brood source by periodically captur- appears to have potential to be
degradation for coasters was most havior to move down some streams ing wild fish and taking spawn from another successful reestablishment
severe in Wisconsin, Michigan, and into a lake environment. Once in them. These efforts have been tar- of a historical unique fishery in Lake
Minnesota. Some of the trout habitat the lake, forage conditions and geted at the wild coaster population Superior and some of its tributary
degradation is still present from growth potential are significantly at Isle Royale. Biologist Quinlan streams. Recent survey evidence
intensive logging that occurred on greater than in streams. As a result, said “we’ve developed a Lake Su- suggests the potential for coaster
the Lake Superior tributary water- the coaster grows to much larger perior coaster brood stock from Isle brook trout increases are good.
sheds in the late 1800s and early size than resident stream trout. In Royale over the last two decades. Zorn felt there is potential for coast-
1900s. This would consist of loss 35 years of inland trout surveys Production fish are stocked in Lake ers in the more remote streams in
of long lived conifer riparian zones, handling many thousands of brook Superior at various locations. In upper great lakes, especially the
sedimentation of spawning and food trout the largest stream brook trout recent years, three tribal natural U.P.’s east end along northern Lake
production gravel, sedimentation we captured and measured was 16 resource departments; Keweenaw Huron.
of holding pools, and loss of large inches. Stream trout over 10 inches Bay Indian Community, Grand Por- Note of interest…the author,
wood cover from deadfalls of large are very rare. Of course, that would tage Band of Lake Superior Chip- Bill Ziegler, used to supervise the
riparian trees. be a small coaster brook trout. pewa, and Red Cliff Tribal Fishery Ashland USFWS Fisheries Office
Additional habitat degrada- The US Fish and Wildlife Department, have stocked these before coming back to the MDNR in
tion occurs when historically high Service (USFWS) Wisconsin’s fish.” the U.P. in the early 1980s.n
abundance of beaver resulting from
ample riparian aspen (regrowth
after logging) leads to damming
coaster trout migration up streams.
Increased beaver also results in in-
creased sedimentation of gravel and
warming of streams (due to beaver
impoundments) sometimes above
summer water temperatures that
would be tolerable to brook trout.
More recent habitat degrada-
tion to coaster habitat would result
from numerous culvert road cross-
ings that can often act as a barrier to
stream movement by these fish that
require movement to live out their
life cycle. Of course, man-made
dams are also major barriers to trout
movement in streams in addition
to all the sedimentation and stream
warming covered above.
Quinlan also felt coasters were
impacted by competition from other
fish species and salmonid (trout
and salmon). Many former coaster
streams have strongly established
Coho salmon, Chinook salmon,
brown trout, steelhead, splake,
suckers and other warm waters fish
species that would not have been Coaster brook trout sur vey by MDNR Fisheries crew on one of Lake Superior’s coaster research
present in those streams historically. streams. Troy Zorn, MDNR photo

Subscribe Today and Enjoy Michigan’s Best Outdoor Newspaper

F LE RIVER MARKE
RI 720 East Center
Omer, Michigan 48749
Mini Barns • Storage Sheds • Deer Blinds
T


 New Subscription  Renewal
Rustic Outdoor Furniture • Produce • Deer Feed                                              (Please attach mailing label)
Garden Supplies • Nursery • Spring Greenhouse • Flowers
 One year $29  Two years $55
Phone: (989) 653-2068
Cell: (989) 501-0782 NAME
Fax: (989) 653-2058
ADDRESS
“Large Quantities” of Wholesale Deer Feed CITY                        STATE           ZIP
Bulk & Bagged Apples, Sugar Beets, Carrots,  Check/Money Order  Visa/Mastercard - Card #                        Exp. Date      
Corn, Statewide Delivery; or pickup. Send to: Woods-N-Water News FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
P.O. Box 278 • Imlay City, MI 48444
Gas Station & Independent Contracts Available Or Call (810) 724-0254 Date           Ck#          $

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 19

Understanding fish spawning instinct
N
ow he cruised the
weedy, warmer shal-
lows of the lake’s
north end. The bass,
a three-year-old
male, weighed a
pound and was 12 inches long. He
was searching for something he had
never seen before. Somewhere in his
piscatorial brain an electric im-
pulse insisted upon this wandering
behavior. So he finned his
way from place to place,
stopping for a moment near
a drowned log and then a
drop-off. Weeds, both old
vegetation and new growth,
increased after he entered
a shallow bay between two
rocky points.
Later in
the spring, his
near cousin, Michigan Meanders
the smallmouth
bass, would By Tom Huggler
find the gravel
off those points highly attractive.
But this male, a largemouth, swam
on.
He grew excited at a spot in the
dishpan bay, close to shore where
the water was three feet deep. Im-
TM
HISTORY«HERITAGE«MARKSMANSHIP
Fundamentals
of Rifle
Marksmanship
Upcoming
Weekend Courses
April 21&22 Battle Creek
April 21&22 Dorr
April 21&22 Fenton
April 28&29 Lapeer
May 12&13 Houghton Lake
May 19&20 Watervliet
For Information and to Register
www.appleseedinfo.org
20 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
mediately he began using his fins
and tail to sweep way the dead
vegetation and to expose the hard
sand beneath. The male was build-
ing a nest.
Fish spawn in many different
ways. Some species, such as wall-
eyes, yellow perch and northern
pike, are broadcast scatterers: the fe-
male lays her eggs while suspended,
and one or more males fertilize them
with milt. The eggs then
fall to bottom. Here they
attach to gravel or rocks—
in the case of walleyes—or
sticks or weeds if the adults
are northern pike or yellow
perch. After completing
reproduction the broadcast
spawners abandon their
eggs.
The
stranded eggs
of striped bass
and white bass
actually drift in
the current until they find something
to attach themselves to. The nest
builders, though, are different. One
fish, usually the male, builds a nest,
attracts a spawning female, fertilizes
the eggs, and then protects them un-
til they hatch into fry. Some minnow
species lay their eggs upside down
on pieces of wood to protect them
from predators. Others, like the
stickleback, build a nest that they
can enter and exit. Catfish choose an
enclosure or depression, such as a
muskrat hole, that they can get into.
Largemouth and smallmouth
bass are nest builders, too. In the
northern latitudes the largemouth
spawns when water temperatures
warm from 62 to 65 degrees. The
nest will usually be less than two
feet in diameter and about a half-
foot deep. Sand or gravel is pre-
ferred, but the male will choose silt
or even clay if nothing else is avail-
Both largemouth and smallmouth females will carry from 2,000 to
7,000 eggs per pound of body weight. How many hatch and grow
to fingerling size?
Smallmouth males nearly always choose nesting sites in gravel,
rough sand or small stones. They build their nests in deeper wa-
ter—up to 20 feet—and they vary in diameter from 15 to 30
inches. Illustrations by Ed Sutton in honor of his memory!
able. The nests are usually several
feet apart, and they are built close
to shore in water that is usually less
than five feet deep.
Smallmouth males nearly always
choose nesting sites in gravel, rough
sand or small stones. They build
their nests in deeper water—up to
20 feet—and they vary in diameter
from 15 to 30 inches. Spawning oc-
curs when water temperatures are 60
to 70 degrees. Depending upon lati-
tude, both species sexually mature at
two or three years of age or about 10
inches in length.
Over evolutionary time different
kinds of fish have come to spawn at
exacting conditions that vary from
species to species. Thus, some fish,
such as walleye and northern pike,
are early spawners, laying their eggs
soon after the ice melts. Bullheads,
on the other hand, spawn in sum-
mer. Salmon and most trout lay
their eggs in fall, but some strains
of steelhead spawn in later winter.
This is nature’s way of separat-
ing the species and ensuring that
various ages of fish are available as
food for others throughout the year.
Nature is thorough in another way,
too. Broadcast spawners usually lay
more eggs than do nest builders,
which produce more young than do
those that reproduce through live
birth. This’s because the odds for
survival to adulthood improve dra-
matically for living things that take
increasing responsibility for the care
of their young.
Both largemouth and small-
mouth females will carry from
2,000 to 7,000 eggs per pound of
body weight. How many hatch and
grow to fingerling size? The number
varies greatly but in self-contained
pond studies in Michigan, research-
ers found that survival could be as
high as one in eight or as low as one
in 8,000 or more. By comparison,
studies show that the odds of a wall-
eye living from spawning through
the first year of life are about one
in 10,000. With yellow perch the
survival rate is much lower again.
After awhile, a female swam
close, and the male darted out to
greet her. He bumped into her excit-
edly and then swam around her
several times while touching her
with his nose, fins and tail. Enticed,
she entered the spawning nest with
him and deposited several hundred
eggs. Instantly he fertilized them
with milt.
The female left but came back
later in the day, and the pair re-
peated their behavior. Still later,
another female, this one much larger
than the first, laid eggs in the nest,
and the young male serviced them,
too. Then he positioned himself as
a sentry over the eggs while rapidly
fanning his pectorals. He did this for
two purposes: to provide life-giving
current with its dissolved oxygen to away. Somewhere in another part of next try. He was surprised at how the eggs would hatch, and the fry
the eggs and to keep the nest clean his brain, an electric spark prompted tenaciously the small fish fought. remained on the nest until absorb-
from silt. the male to attack. On the third pass After bringing him alongside the ing their bulging yolk sacs, nature’s
Meanwhile, the sky darkened he left the nest to follow, and on the boat, the fisherman carefully re- way providing food until they could
and the temperature fell. A cold fourth pass, he struck. moved the hook, held the fish forage on their own.
front had arrived and it brought with A boat fisherman tossed his underwater a moment, and released Eventually they would grow
it a spring storm. The male noticed red-and-white crankbait to what he it upon feeling life surge through into fingerlings and then adults,
that waves were beginning to build thought was a bass bed. Shaped like his hand. provided there was enough food and
and the lake surface was dimpling a lunar crater, it appeared opalescent The bass, unaware of anything their instincts were strong enough
with thousands of raindrops. Al- in the light of this brilliant morn- other than the sting of steel in his to elude predators. These included
ready turbidities from suspended ing. He had seen the fish move on jaw, returned to the nest and re- their mothers and once-protective
particles were clouding the nest, and his third cast and hooked him on the sumed his vigil. In a week most of fathers.n
this prompted him to increase the
tempo of the fanning process.
The fertilized eggs of fish may
lie unmolested for long periods
of time before they hatch. Fe-
male salmon, for example, build a
redd—a hollowed-out area which
may contain several nests—deposit
their roe, and then cover them with
gravel right after the male has done
his part. The protected eggs incu-
bate over the winter and will hatch
in spring if they are not eaten or
disturbed.
Lake trout, on the other hand,
do not spawn in rivers but rather lay
their eggs over shoal-water reefs.
The eggs require cold water, from
40 to 50 degrees, to survive. Salmon
species typically die after their first
spawning because they age more
rapidly and are exhausted after
long journeys that include ascend-
ing swift rivers. Such fish may live
only two to four years, compared to
largemouth bass. Biologists know,
for example, that a 20-inch large-
mouth may be 10 years old and
nearing the end of its life cycle.
If all goes well, 80 percent of
bass eggs may hatch in as soon
as five days if water temperatures
suddenly reach 80 degrees or in 10
days if the temperature averages 65
degrees. A sudden drop in tempera-
ture may cause the female to stop
laying eggs and the male to desert
the nest. Besides becoming a target
for predators, the unprotected eggs
may also develop a fungus that will
kill them.
In the Great Lakes, whole year
classes of smallmouths have been
lost when chilling temperatures and
high winds conspire to drive the
males from the nest and cause the
females to stop spawning and reab-
sorb their eggs. This phenomenon
can occur with panfish, including
bluegills, too.
Shafts of light began to penetrate
the bedding area. The young male
had not eaten since building the nest
although he could have dined on any
of the minnows that winked silver as
they scooted by in the morning light.
Later he noticed faint vibrations
that grew steadily stronger and then
suddenly stopped. There was a light
splash and a small object entered
the water nearby before swimming
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 21
Deer mount stolen
41 years ago...
RETURNED! By Millard H. Holton
T
his past January 30 I
cal inches. The buck sported brow
received a call fromtines that scored almost 10 inches in
a former neighbor, length.
Darwin Shaver, who As the story unfolded, it was
amazing to me that the antlers could
enthusiastically related
a story about how a have endured the following events
stolen mount of a trophy buck he and were able to survive in such
good condition. I was advised that
had shot as a youth had been located
in Northern Michigan. Now, as a this deer was first spotted in late
long time measurer for Commemo- August, 1963 by State Trooper,
rative Bucks of Michigan, I had Doug Holiday on my farm just north
previously scored some big bucks of where I built my home. After a
for Darwin. few sightings along Edgar Road the
Darwin proceeded to relate the deer was not seen again for a few
months.
entire story of the stolen deer mount
to me that included the harvesting of On November 28, 1963, Thanks-
the buck, the subsequent events of giving Day, 23-year-old Darwin
was hunting with his father and two
the theft, and the circumstances that
uncles less than two miles north
led him to recover the deer. He fur-
of my home in a field just south of
ther advised that a local taxidermist,
Steve Snapp, was in the process of Kiwanis Park by the old Holt High
changing the cape on the mount and School. The open field contained
the antlers were now separated fromseveral swales and the deer was
spooked out of one of these hiding
the mount. He requested that I score
the antlers for the State Record places where he encountered a slug
Book while he waited on a new from the barrel of Darwin’s shotgun.
cape. On January 31 I scored the big Darwin had the deer mounted
eight-point buck at 149 6/8 typi- and hung it in his home until he
moved to a new house
in 1972. At that time
he thought it would be
more appropriate if the
big deer mount was
hung in the lodge at the
“Bone Head Hunting
Club” in Montmorency
County, where he was
a member.
In 1976, during
the Labor Day Week-
end, Darwin’s new
home near Holt was
broken into and all of
his guns and Police
uniforms were stolen,
never to be recovered!
Darwin had served as
a Police Officer for
36 years, retiring as
Chief Deputy with the
Ingham County Sheriff
Department.
Coincidentally,
the deer mount disap-
peared from the lodge
at the Montmorency
County deer camp on
the very same week-
end, and Darwin never
Darwin Shaver with his deer in 1963 as it ap- recovered his trophy
peared in the Lansing State Journal. until this year, Janu-
22 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
The record book 8-point after its reunion with hunter Darwin Shaver
who shot it in 1963 and then had the mount stolen in 1976. Since
the recovery the tall-tined trophy has received a new cape.
ary 19, 2018. Chan Gerber, a retired
Sergeant from Arenac County
Sherriff’s Department stopped by
the home of a member he knew
from the Bone Head Hunting Club
as a social call, and during their
conversation an inquiry was made
by Chan, referencing anyone at the
club ever having a big deer head
stolen. The member recalled the
disappearance of Darwin’s buck and
the information was enthusiastically
passed on to him!
Chan advised when he was
17-years-old, in 1976, his dad and
three other hunters owned a hunting
camp near Fairview, Michigan. One
day at the camp, one of the mem-
bers brought the big buck and left
it in the cabin. When Chan’s father
inquired where the hunter obtained
the buck, he replied, “He bought
it.” Chan’s father was very skepti-
cal about the claimed purchase,
and stated, “No one sells a buck
like that!” At this point the member
with the deer mount “clammed up.”
The deer was hung in that camp for
years. When the camp was eventu-
ally disbanded in 2000, the deer
head was almost thrown away as the
owner no longer wanted it.
Chan hated to dispose of the
deer head as it arrived under suspi-
cious circumstances and he felt it
belonged to someone, somewhere,
and he retained that feeling over a
long period of time. Chan had taken
the deer head home to preserve it
while trying to locate the rightful
owner. Meanwhile he stored it in his
garage attic while the search contin-
ued. Over the years Chan inquired
of several area deer camps, hoping
for a clue as to the deer’s ownership,
without success.
Based on the information Chan
learned from the club member, he
contacted Darwin on January 19,
2018, and advised him he might
possibly be in possession of his
missing deer mount. Darwin, armed
with a 1963 picture of the deer that
had formerly been published in the
Lansing State Journal, headed north
with the hope and excitement that
he might at last find his long lost
trophy!
After the long trip north, Darwin
was able to see the deer and com-
pare it with the above picture from
the Lansing State Journal, in order
to prove it was his deer! He returned
home with the antlers and contacted
me about measuring it.
One can only imagine the joy
that Darwin felt, when he saw the
deer mount for the first time in many
years and learned that it matched the
above picture.
It is easy to understand the im-
portance of recovering such a trophy
as this deer had also been featured
on the Mort Neff, Michigan Out-Of-
Doors, television show, as well as
appearing in both the,Detroit Free
Press and Outdoor Life Magazine.
When the antlers receive their
new cape they will rightfully be dis-
played among Darwin’s many other
trophy deer. Even though I have
never bagged a buck during my 65
years of hunting that compares with
Darwin’s big bucks, being a CBM
measurer does allow me to see many
of Michigan’s finest trophies, as
well as hearing some of the rarest
hunting stories ever told!n
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 23
 Fine tuning the crankbait bite for
ost walleye an-
glers in the spring
are thinking about
jigs and jig fish-
ing. It’s easy to
see why jigs get
so much attention during April in
the Great Lakes state. Some amaz-
ing jig fishing opportunities exist on
the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers, the
reefs of Lake Erie and also when
the season opens in late April on
the Saginaw River and around the
dredge island in Saginaw
Bay.
Jigs are hands down the
way to catch numbers, but
when it comes to targeting
larger fish the jig can’t hold
a candle to the fish catch-
ing powers of a crankbait.
Early in the spring what
could only
be described
as “world COVER STORY
class” walleye
trolling takes By Mark Romanack
place on both
the Michigan and Ohio waters of
Lake Erie and also on Saginaw Bay.
Crankbaits are the lures that produce
these trophy class fish, but not every
crankbait is a winner when it comes
to trolling for walleye in icy cold
water.
Cold Water Cranks
The shelves at popular tackle
shops are literally lined with hun-
dreds of crankbait brands, sizes,
models and colors to choose from.
Among this literal “sea” of lure
choices, I find it ironic that only a
handful of these baits are routinely
productive when targeting wall-
eye in cold water. Most crankbaits
The EZ Crankbait Tuner is a new tool designed to take the guess
work out of tuning crankbaits.
24 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
simply have too much wiggle and
action to interest walleye when the
water temperatures are hovering in
the 40 degree range.
Immediately following ice out,
the most productive crankbaits
are the most subtle action lures
available. Stickbaits including the
iconic Rapala Husky Jerk series
and Smithwick’s Perfect 10 have
very little action when trolled, but
this is precisely what walleye are
looking for when the water is cold.
Subtle action baits fished in
combination with the Off
Shore Tackle Snap Weight
is how anglers get these
baits to the deeper depths
where early spring walleye
stage prior to spawning and
where they head immedi-
ately after spawning.
The Preci-
sion Troll-
ing Data app
provides depth
data for the
most popular
stickbaits including the Rapala Hus-
ky Jerk 12, Smithwick Perfect 10
and Rapala No. 18 Minnow, fished
in combination with a two ounce
Snap Weight. This data includes all
the popular lead lengths and trolling
speeds including 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5
MPH. Greg Yarbrough of Starcraft Marine took this impressive walleye
A Little More Wiggle trolling in the Michigan waters of Lake Erie on a Deep Jr. Thun-
As the waters of Erie and Sagi- derStick, one of the few minnow divers that routinely produce big
naw Bay begin to slowly warm up, walleye on Erie, Saginaw Bay and other Great Lakes fisheries.
the crankbaits that produce the best have more action than stickbaits, but is also using planer boards to help
action become baits with a little these lures still have a fairly subtle spread out their lures. Both tradi-
more action than the stickbaits we action. tional “mast system” planer boards
just outlined. Diving minnow baits As the water warms to the upper and in-line boards are effective. His-
like the Rapala Deep Husky Jerk 40s these minnow divers start to torically, mast systems have enjoyed
10 and 12, and Bandit 5/8 Walleye become critically important for tar- an edge in that they allowed anglers
geting walleye. This is also the time to fish more lines per side than in-
frame when another iconic walleye line boards.
crankbait starts to shine. The Reef These days new rigging methods
Runner 800 Series Deep Diver has for in-line boards allows anglers to
a little more action than the Husky stack as many in-line boards as they
Jerk or Bandit. As the water natu- want per side of the boat. A rigging
rally warms, the 800 Reef Runner method popularized by Off Shore
becomes a critically important bait Tackle makes it practical and easy
to put into action. to stack, two, three, four or more
Other noteworthy crankbaits that boards per side of the boat! Even
have their days include the Berkley better, the Off Shore boards can be
Flicker Minnow 9 and 11, the Yo- rigged to release eliminating the
Zuri Crystal Minnow and the Storm need to clear inside board lines to
Original Deep Jr. ThunderStick. The fight a fish hooked on an outside
actions on each of these lures is a board.
little different and some days one The rigging method made pos-
bait produces better and on other sible by the Off Shore OR12 Side-
days a different lure lights up. Planer is a game changer. On the
Stacking Boards tow arm of the board a factory sup-
Just about everyone who trolls plied OR19 (orange) planer board
crankbaits in open water for walleye line clip makes it easy to rig the line
to release from this clip. Meanwhile,
mounted at the back of the board a
second line clip known as the OR16
(red) holds the line securely thanks
to a pin between the rubber pads that
prevents the line from popping free
of this clip.
When a fish is hooked, the
angler can simply give the rod tip
a little jerk to release the line from
the OR19 allowing the board to spin
around in the water, but remain at-
tached to the line via the OR16 Snap
Weight Clip. This simple system
keeps the board pinned to the line,
but no longer planing to the side.
The board and fish naturally slide
to the back of the boat, where the
angler can reel in boat the tripped
board and fish without having to
clear a single line. Slick!
Not only does this rigging
method allow anglers to stack
boards without fear of having to
clear lines to fight fish, once a fish is
hooked and the board released, the
angler isn’t fighting the resistance of
the board making the fight a more
enjoyable experience.
Some anglers still use the old
school method of releasing the in-
line board and allowing the board
to slide down the line via a snap
swivel until the board hits a stop
placed on the line a couple feet in
front of the bait. This method makes
it easy to release boards without
clearing lines, but once the board
slides down to the stop the fish pulls
the board under water making for a
miserable experience trying to reel
in the board and fish together.
The Off Shore rigging method is
not only easy to rig and use, trip-
ping the board makes reeling in fish
a more enjoyable experience. Also,
just as important because the board
is tripped, fish cannot use the board
as leverage to tear free during the
fight.
Mono or Braid?
In years gone by the majority
of anglers trolling for walleye used
monofilament lines. Modern wall-
eye trollers are about equally split
between using monofilament line
and super braids as their main line
for trolling applications.
Monofilament is less expensive
when it comes to loading lots of
trolling reels. Super braids are more
expensive, but more resistant to UV
rays allowing these lines to be used
effectively for two or three seasons.
Both the fans of monofilament
and braid can rig their in-line boards
to release by simply using different
releases and line clips. For mono-
filament rigging the OR19 release
on the tow arm of the board and the
OR16 Snap Weight clip at the back
of the board works flawlessly. Those
who prefer to use braid as their
main line can purchase after-market
releases like the Silver Horde Sam’s
Release for the tow arm of the board
and the Off Shore Tackle OR18
Snapper Clip for the back of the
board.
The Sam’s Release is the new
kid on the block and designed to
allow braided line to be wrapped
around a plunger that is in turn
controlled by a simple set screw for
tension. Because the Sam’s release
is relatively new most retailers are
not stocking them yet. The best
place to find these line releases is
by using E-Commerce sites such as
www.offshoretackle.com.
Cranking All Summer
It used to be that avid walleye
anglers fished crankbaits in spring
until the water warmed up to about
55 degrees and then they switched
over to trolling with spinner rigs.
Because both Lake Erie and Sagi-
naw Bay are loaded with undersize
walleye thanks to some very pro-
ductive spawning years, a growing
number of anglers are using crank-
baits to avoid the problems associ-
ated with catching undersized fish.
By simply speeding up the troll-
ing speed to around 2.5 MPH and
switching to higher action crank-
baits like the Storm Wiggle Wart
and Hot-N-Tot, anglers can keep
FREE Deluxe American Plan 4-Day Fly-in Fishing Trip
the catch rate focused squarely on
adult walleye. Other good high ac-
TRIP
tion crankbaits for summer trolling For 4 people. Includes all meals, lodgings, boat, motor and gas. Float plane
include the Yakima Mag Lip 3.0 and ride to lodge and return from Wawa, Ontario. (Does not include bait & guide)
3.5 sizes, the Salmo No. 5 and No. 6 GIVEAWAY! Visit our booth at the Ultimate Sport Show in Grand Rapids March 15-18
Hornet and the Rapala Fat Rap.
A Tuned Bait
is a Happy Bait
One of the biggest problems
associated with crankbait trolling is
many of these lures are not “tuned”
out of the package to allow the
PACKAGE BEES &
BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES
bait to dive straight into the water.
A crankbait that is out of tune will
catch few fish because it does not Start a New Hobby, Become a Beekeeper
have the right action and/or diving
ability.
A needle nose pliers is the tool
most anglers use to tune crankbaits #3 Bee Package: $110.00
by bending the wire pull point on March 31st, May 3rd, May 19th
the diving lip of the bait a small
amount left or right to allow the bait
to dive straight down into the water.
Pliers work, but they are a trial and New Beekeeper Kit w/ Bees:
error tool that often involves more
failure than success when it comes $475 (see website for details)
to tuning baits. A new tool on the
market by Off Shore Tackle called
Woodware, Suits, Smokers, Hive
the EZ Crankbait Tuner is a modi-
fied pliers that features a spring ten- Kits, Honey, Beeswax & More
sion adjustable jaws ideally suited to
making tiny adjustments to the pull
point of a crankbait. Like its name
implies, this unique tool makes tun-
Come Visit
ing crankbaits EZ.
Summing It Up
Jigs are the lure group that most
OSAGE FARMS
Our New Store….
walleye anglers think of first when
OPENING
targeting spring walleye. The truth Avoca, Michigan
is, jigs are great lures for catching 810-324-9108
walleye in cold to cool water.
The same is true for a select
group of crankbaits. Walleye anglers
www.osagebees.com
osagefarms@hotmail
SOON
who slow troll with subtle action
crankbaits, in-line weights and
planer boards have the edge when You can thank a pollinator for 1 out of 3
it comes to boating big walleye all
across the Great Lakes basin.n bites of food you eat. Let’s help save them!
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 25

www.ROOSTERRANCH.com
Open Since 1987
7480 Germania Road • Ubly, Michigan 48475
Visit us on the Web: WWW.roosterranch.COM
989-658-2332
No Membership Required!
OPEN Through April 30, 2018
Field and European Hunts!
 1000 Cover filled Acres w/ Many Ponds
 10 Different Farms to Hunt
 4000 sq. ft. Hunting Headquarters
 2 Overnight Lodges
 Many Hunt Packages to Choose From
 Your Dogs or Ours - German Short Hair Pointers

or Black/Yellow Labs, Flushers or Pointers
450 Pheasants released each shoot w/full squad.
Includes *country breakfast *5 stand –wabble
trap *European shoot *Great BBQ lunch
*walk up hunt w/guides and dogs *all birds
cleaned and evenly divided
Individual Partners, Groups Or Private Shoot Dates For Your Group Or Company. We Can Customize Your Hunt!
NOW BOOKING FALL, WINTER & SPRING HUNTS! QUALITY PHEASANT HUNTS
26 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Never say
NEVER!
Persistence really can pay
off big in the turkey woods
A
few years back, I found those dog gone spring
wild turkey's to be about as cooperative as your
tax man.
It had been a long sea-
son, nothing went as planned.
I thought about packing up my calls
and gun and moving on to a long list of
items my wife wanted done around the
house.
The harder I hunted for those birds
the worse the hunt went. I couldn't get
close enough to put a shotgun bead on By Randy
the head of anything other than a chicka- Jorgensen
dee.
I hunted one big old bird hard, and like I mentioned
each time he gave me the slip. Most often he was seen
in the center of a well wooded field, strutting around,
trying to garner as much attention from the many hens in
the area as he could. There was very little need for him
LLC.
European Hunt Dates:
 Pheasant – Saturday 3-3-18  Pheasant – Sunday, 4-8-18
 Pheasant – Saturday 3-10-18  Pheasant – Saturday, 4-21-18
 Pheasant – Sunday 3-25-18  Pheasant – Sunday 4-22-18 NO Small Game License Required! Hunter Orange REQUIRED!
HAVE YOUR DOG TRAINED BY
PROFESSIONAL BRETT WALLA
Spring & Summer Dog Training Available beginning April 1st
Spots Filling Fast, Book Your Date TODAY!
Friends • Family • Corporate
to come to a call of a hen when
they were coming to him.
And he was a big old boy,
although I didn't realize just
how big until the very last
day of my hunt, May 31st.
If there was ever a case of
being in the right place at the
right time, well I certainly was
on that day. The last day of the
season.
As always the wild birds
would work their way along the
edge of the woods next to this
field I was telling you about.
It was a miserable day, high
winds, rainy and cold. But what
the heck, I thought, give it one
last try.
It ended up being a classic
hunt. Like on cue, two hens
worked their way along the edge
of this field, where I had been
seeing them. They fed as they
walked, not paying much at-
tention to anything but feeding,
when I noticed the big old tom
make his way from across the
field, angling his way toward the
hens.
As luck would have it the
hens stayed close enough to
bring the tom smack dab into
my lap. Occasionally, he would
drift a little too far west, so I
used my slate call with some
very gentle and quiet whines
and purrs. Each time I purred
he would gobble and get back
on a more easterly angle to the
hens.
I had finally learned that
A little help from a hen is key.
year, if the ole Tom loses inter-
est in your calls, it does not
mean he will be more interested
if I call louder. Kind of like
the startle you get sitting next
to the speakers when the band
starts. Quiet, gentle strokes. I
favor slate or box calls because
I make too many mistakes with
diaphragm calls.
Anyway, back to the hunt.
At about 35 yards I noticed
just how big he was, his beard
dragging the ground when he
lowered his head making his
way closer to me.
I couldn't believe I was actu-
ally going to get a chance at
this bird. Making just a couple
more purrs, he walked within a
few yards of me for a clean and
quick kill.
Never say never! The big-
gest fish is always caught on the
last cast! And it ain't over till it's
over!
The old tom was bigger than
I thought, tipping the scales
at 24 pounds, and was double
bearded, 11 1/2 inches and the
other 8 1/2 inches, sporting just
over inch long spurs, my biggest
bird by far.
Maybe, just maybe 'Lady
Luck' shined down on me that
day and maybe it was just pure
persistence that finally paid off.
Either way, I was one happy
hunter!
I'm ready for the turkey
woods again, it's been a long
winter. n
Kenny Darwin photos
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 27
 Jigging for walleye...
To Sting or not to Sting
By Mark Romanack
F
or most of my adult life
I’ve had a love/hate
relationship with stinger
hooks. Any walleye
fisherman who has put
in his or her time fishing
stinger hooks knows exactly what
I’m expressing here. Stinger hooks
help us catch more walleye, but they
are clearly a pain in the butt cheeks
to use!
Besides catching more walleye,
stinger hooks have the annoying
habit of catching on just about
everything else including the river
bottom, landing net mesh, in the
boat carpet, on fishing gloves and
literally everything else they come
in contact with!
A little discussion on how I deal
with the question of “to sting or not
to sting” seems appropriate con-
sidering the best jig fishing of the
season is almost upon us.
Stinger Technology
Before we dive into when to use
a stinger and when not to use stinger
hooks, we need to first touch base a
little on stinger hook technology. To
be frank, most of the stinger hooks
on the market are next to worthless.
Stingers tied on steel leader material
and/or heavy monofilament line are
way too stiff to be effective walleye
jigging.
The stiffness of the stinger hook
robs the minnow or soft plastic bait
of that natural flip action that trig-
gers strikes. I look for stinger hooks
tied on 10 to 12 pound test fluoro-
carbon or monofilament line.
The most productive size treble
hooks for walleye stinger fishing
tend to be No. 10 and No. 12 size
hooks. When targeting exception-
Hifive Kennels
Wild Bird Dog Training
• Proven Training Program
• All Pointing Breeds
Bruce & Neal Minard
• Pups & Started Dogs
231-499-3060
28 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
ally large fish a No. 8 hook size is
acceptable.
Stinger hooks work great when
fishing minnows and most styles
of soft plastic baits. Stingers how-
ever do not work well when fish-
ing live nightcrawlers as the treble
hook tends to “ball up” the crawler
destroying the natural action in the
process.
Cold Water
A stinger hook can be used any-
time an angler is fishing a jig tipped
with a minnow or plastic, but clearly
the biggest advantage comes when
fishing in cold water and lethargic
fish. Early and late in the season
when the water temperatures are 40
degrees or below represent the ideal
conditions for stinger hooks.
In warmer water, most of the
time the bite is going to be good
enough that a stinger hook can only
marginally improve fishing success.
That stated, on those days when the
fish are seemingly “closed mouth”
a stinger will hook and land fish
that would otherwise be missed.
This tidbit of knowledge holds true
regardless of water temperature.
In other words, stingers are most
useful in cold water, but they can
also be useful in tough bites no mat-
ter what the water temperature or
time of year.
Heavy Jigs
The other rule of thumb involv-
ing stinger hooks plays to the jig
size. In general, the heavier the jig
used, the more likely a stinger hook
will improve fishing success. I gen- The author believes that stinger hooks are wor th the effor t, es-
erally fish stinger hooks on 3/8, 1/2, pecially when targeting walleye in cold water conditions. Walleye
5/8, 3/4 and one ounce jigs. are well known for being a species that often bites light or strikes
When fishing lighter jigs, shor t. To maximize fishing effor t, adding a stinger hook often is the
normally the fish has no trouble difference between a fish dinner and going home empty handed.
Premium Wildlife
Habitat Creation
YOUR PROPERTY IS OUR PRIORITY
• Food Plots
• Brush Hog Serving
• Trail Creation Lower
• Hinge Cutting Michigan
• Soil Testing
• Free Quotes
Hifivekennels.com
Mention This Ad For $50 OFF
Hifivekennels@aol.com John Wittig 586-255-7676 DeerMeadows4U@gmail.com
Michigan - Georgia
inhaling the entire jig and minnow. I personally have no faith in caught jigging or live bait rigging. also true that using a quality stinger
Larger jigs are more difficult for dangling a stinger hook. My I like to use stingers when jigging hook helps anglers land more and
walleye to suck completely into feeling is this practice hooks for lake trout in deep water and I’ve bigger fish.
their mouth and hence best used few fish and increases the also found stinger hooks invaluable To sting or not to sting is a
with stinger hooks. chances of snagging. when rigging for pike and bass with personal decision every fisherman
will eventually be faced with. What
Attaching the Stinger Other Species large shiner minnows.
separates the men from the boys in
Different stinger hooks attach to Stinger hooks are often used Summing It Up this discussion is the knowledge that
the jig in different ways. Some have by walleye fishermen, but the truth It’s true that stinger hooks are stinger hooks really do help catch
small clips that can be attached to is stingers can be very useful for a pain to deal with and create more more fish when used in the right
the “eye tie” of the jig or a special a multitude of species routinely work for the angler. However, it’s situations.n
stinger hook loop molded right into
the jig. Others slip over the hook
point after the minnow has been
added to the hook. 229 W. 5th Street • Pinconning
989-879-1110
For some time now I’ve been us-
ing a fairly unique stinger hook pro-
duced by Golden Gator Tackle. The
GGT stinger features a slip-knot tied
in combination with a small bead.
The angler slips the small loop over
the hook point and pulls the stinger
up tight to the hook shaft by pulling
on the stinger. When it’s time to re-
bait, simply grasp the bead and pull
gently opening up the loop so it can
be slipped off the hook point.
This unique set up in stinger
hooks technology also helps to keep
the minnow from working loose
from the jig hook. I typically fish
the three-inch models with a No. 10
treble hook.
Tying Your Own
For those anglers who enjoy
making their own fishing tackle,
stinger hooks can be tied up in a
jiffy. To get started anglers will need
a good supply of No. 10 and No. 12
treble hooks, some small clips, line
connector sleeves and some 10 to
12 pound test fluorocarbon line. A
quality round bend style treble hook
such as the Eagle Claw L960 Lazer
Sharp is available in bronze and fish
attracting colors such as red.
An Egg Loop knot is ideal for
attaching the treble hook because
it helps the hook lay straight on the
fluorocarbon line. At the other end
the small clips that fly fishermen use
so they can change flies rapidly are
ideal for attaching the stinger hook
to the jig eye.
For most walleye fishing ap-
plications the stinger hook should
be approximately three inches long.
Shorter stinger hooks tend to posi-
tion the treble hook too close to the
jig hook to significantly improve the
hooking ratio.
Stuck or Dangling
Normally a stinger hook is stuck
into the flesh of the minnow or
pierced into the soft plastic bait so
that the hook is positioned per-
fectly for short biting walleye. Some
anglers feel that letting the stinger
hook simply dangle allows the bait
to have the maximum amount of While supplies last. NO RAIN CHECKS
natural action. Check us out at . . . www.northwoodsoutlet.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 29
An education for a lifetime
From 1957 to 2018, I have restored and rebuilt over 1200 bamboo rods…By Mike Simcik

A
t age 13, I never
lacked for things to
do as I became leg-
endary in our tiny
town for fixing just
about everything.
These things came easy for me as it
was never a problem to figure out
what to do. My course of action on
a project was always clear.
One Saturday morning, my
friend Freddie came over to my
house, yelling his usual comical
arrivals, “Can Mikey come out and
play?”
Freddie was a tall, lanky,
55-year-old gray-haired man who
hated his wife and mother-in-law
but was possibly the best fishing
buddy any kid ever had, next to my
dad. I mowed his lawn every week
in the summer and shoveled his
snow every winter.
Fredric Finedel worked as a
concierge and desk clerk at the
fanciest hotel in Chicago and he
commuted from our little town in
the ‘burbs to the Loop every day.
But Fred had a plan and a secret no
one knew about, not even me.
Freddie was standing on our The author in his happy place, making old rods look beautiful and functional again or creating a new
porch one day wearing a big floppy rod from scratch just like he did back then in his dad’s workshop. Author photo
hat, with his waders in one hand, a
spinning rod and can of worms in were born. chest and paced about 30 feet apart. over and handed it to Dad, with
the other. Mother laughed at him My magic wand of choice The action started in only a few an explanation of what happened
saying, “Kids come in all sizes, was a split bamboo fly rod Dad minutes with Freddie hooking the at the lake. Pop took his name and
small, medium and large.” had bought for me on one of our first black bass. phone number to call him when
Running out to the front door, I infamous train rides to small town We never expected anyone to the rod was ready to be picked up.
said: “Give me two minutes to grab USA, just to have lunch and get a join us, but I heard splashing on Dad, Mother, Fred and my friends
my stuff and I’ll be right with you.” haircut. the shore and turned to see what always had faith in my abilities to
We only had two blocks to walk to Freddie and I reached the was up. A stranger waded out to accomplish anything I set my mind
the lakeshore back then. Right be- water’s edge and we rigged a night fish nearby. He noticed the bamboo to.
hind Gene’s Park Side Tavern were crawler harness adorned with small rod in my hand and said, “I wish I First thing I did was go to the
the kind of lake weed beds where spinner blades and a small bobber knew someone who knows how to public library and I asked the lady
big fish stories and local legends to our rods. We waded out to our work on those kinds of rods.” He at the desk, “Is there anything
explained that he had been given on bamboo fishing rods or how
FOOD PLOT INSTALLATION one from his father.
Without hesitation, the words
to make them or fix them?” She
looked up a reference guide and
Let us do the work! just blurted out of my mouth, “I’ll
fix it!” The stranger asked, “What
found a book from the Herter’s
Company in Waseca, Minnesota.
Servicing Services include: could a kid like you know about After reading it cover to cover
Area • Brush Hogging fixing bamboo fly rods?” several times, I learned that only
• Hebicide Application Freddie waded over saying, “If basic hobby tools from a work-
►

• 3-point Disking Mike says he can fix it, I promise
you he will. Why not give the boy
• 3-point Rototilling a chance and see what he can do. If
• Firming of Seed Bed he ruins your rod, I will pay you the
Land improvement full price out of my own pocket,”
Hunting • Wildlife Viewing and he put his hand out to shake on
it.
Over 30 years’ experience in custom food plots. The stranger agreed to the deal.
Contact us today for more info on how to reserve a slot for your customized food plot. So, I gave him my address to bring
the rod over to my house. Late that
810-531-1214 or email: Dan415@frontier.com afternoon, the man brought the rod
30 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
shop were required. My dad had a
16-foot lighted work bench in our
basement.
The bamboo rod was a Heddon
#20, in poor condition, so I took the
rod completely apart. Ferrules were
removed. The cork grip, the reel
seat and each of the three pieces
had six segments that were delami-
nating and had to be re-glued. Dad
ordered the proper adhesive, ferrule
glue, new line guides, thread, and a workshop. stream or off my dock. they were living together in a small
cast iron rod wrapper plus a small From 1957 to 2018, I have If you’re wondering whatever mansion, with his own personal
bottle of varnish and sealer from restored and rebuilt over 1200 happened to Freddie? Two years lake, in Eastern Pennsylvania.
the Herter’s Company. I used an old bamboo rods. And, from 1986 to later in March of 1959, Fred just There was a PS note on my card
long bread pan with a notch I cut 2018, I have built 477 new bamboo disappeared from home and work asking me to keep his whereabouts
out and filled it full of sand, then and hardwood fly rods. But the real one day. But later, I got a birthday a secret.
I heated it up on the stove top to fun for me is, I get to test cast every card from him telling me he met a Freddy also had faith in my
remove the cork grip and reel seat. one of those rods in my yard, on a beautiful, wealthy, widow lady and ability to see things clearly.n
It took me a week to strip off
the old varnish, re-glue all 18 seg-
ments together, bind them with
twine and get them straight by
hand. I then scraped, sanded and
varnished the completed sections.
The ferrules had to be re-glued and
the retaining pins replaced. The
cork and reel seat were put back
in place. I cleaned up the strip-
per guide and taped the new snake
guides temporarily in place on the
rod’s new spine. I learned how to
wrap the thread on the guides and
when finished, I sealed and var-
nished over the wraps.
Five weeks had passed due
to trial, error, and school. I had
ruined two shirts and a pair of pants • Daiwa • Fenwick • Jackall
with glue and varnish. I learned • Quantum • Shakespeare • Garmin
• Shimano • Berkley • Strike King
how to take out a set and find the • G. Loomis • Stren • 13 Fishing
new spine. But now it was finally • Minn Kota • Okuma • Terminator
finished and Dad called the man to • Humminbird • Rapala • Vicious
pick up his fly rod. • MotorGuide • Storm • Lucky Craft
•Abu Garcia • River2Sea • P-Line
What happened next surprised
even me. The owner of the rod
showed up at our house and looked
over his reconditioned fly rod in
amazement. He took it outside, Register To Win A Fishing
placed his reel on it and began to
lawn cast it. Satisfied with the con- Trip with Mark Zona
dition and cast-ability, he disassem- Plus, earn an extra chance to win for every $100 of Daiwa
bled the rod saying, “It’s perfect,”
then looked at me and asked, “How
merchandise purchased
much do I owe you, young crafts- during the show
man?”
I replied, “Not one dime
because I just got an education of
a lifetime and I will probably fix
many wooden rods for other people
in the future.”
The rod owner said, “Mike you
should keep this rod as it will be
$
16,595*
put to better use and it will be a lot
safer here than at my house,” then
handed it back to me. Sixty-one
years later, I still have the Herter’s
book, the rod wrapper along with
that Heddon #20 and it is still in
solid fishable condition.
At the time, I didn’t know
how prophetic my statement about
an education of a lifetime would
become. I love being at my work-
bench with the radio on, listening to
the oldies on the radio. At 74, I’m
in my happy place making old rods
look beautiful and functional again
or creating a new rod from scratch
just like I did back then in Dad’s
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 31
 Secrets of late winter cedar swamps in Michigan...

Drain the swamp? Never!

D
ismal, dreary, forbid-
ding, impassable,
impenetrable and
treacherous. Those
words have all been
used to describe
swamps. Just say the word ‘swamp’
and the first image some conjure up
is a muddy mire “infested” with mos-
quitos, alligators and snakes; a wet-
land that must be drained to make it
safe for humans. Politicians of every
persuasion have used the metaphor
“drain the swamp” to generalize on
their political goals of change, forget-
ting, or perhaps not understanding
that wetlands - including swamps -
are in many ways giant sponges that
hold water, replenish aquifers, sustain
life and keep our landscape healthy.
Swamps are in fact one of na-
ture’s most amazing habitats. They
are diverse both in size and structure.
The development and evolution of
these post-glacial features of Michi-
gan differ, but they all started out
as a shallow body of water such as Creek flowing through a Michigan cedar/hemlock swamp.
pond, lake or even a slow moving
river. Shrubs and moisture-loving Swamps seem to evoke fear, an seen in morning mist or after an early in the southernmost part of our state,
trees took root in the shallow waters unfortunate fact of our language and spring snowfall. and our only venomous reptile, the
and as thousands of years passed, disdain for the word swamp, with the Windthrows are all too often Eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Aka:
decaying plant material accumulated exclusion of biologists and natural- looked at as a catastrophic phenom- swamp rattler) will slither about
and organic soils formed as ists that love the wonder enon rather than a natural disturbance its life in the shadows of the cedar
the water became shallower. of swamps. My love for that drives ecosystem patterns of the swamps in my home base of Oakland
It’s not easy to define a swamps started at about the swamp and actually aid in regen- County.
swamp with everyone hav- age of five or six, in rural eration and increase the value of the Last month I explored a cedar
ing preconceived notions, Connecticut where I was al- swamp to a myriad of creatures. Ce- swamp in Ogemaw County with Da-
but an acceptable layper- lowed to run barefoot at the dar trees in swamps are well adapted rin Potter, a DNR Parks and Recre-
son’s definition of a swamp edge of our swamp that to to the potential of toppling and unlike ation Division Park Officer. It was a
would read something like me was a wonderful world an oak tree that falls, the very act of spectacular blue sky day and we were
this, “A wetland dominated of sights, sounds and smells. falling creates opportunity for new en route to the Michigan Outdoor

By Jonathan Schechter
by woody
plants,
saturated
soils during growing season, and
standing water during various times
of the year.”
Some North American swamps
are enormous, such as the 1.5 mil-
lion acres Everglades National Park,
a subtropical wilderness barely a
stone’s throw from Miami. And
then there is 26,276 acre Congaree
National Park outside of Columbia,
South Carolina, formerly known as
Congaree Swamp National Monu-
ment. Technically, Congaree is not
actually a swamp because it does not
contain year round standing water, a
defining feature of swamps. It’s actu-
ally an intact old-growth bottomland
hardwood forest that floods about
ten times a year giving it a swamp-
like appearance. Interestingly, when
the “S” word, swamp, was dropped
from its name in 2003 when the na-
tional monument became a national
park, the number of visitors soared.
32 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
I’ve been
addicted
ever since.
Most Michigan nature lovers and
deer hunters (and often they are one
and the same) are well aware of cedar
swamps, a swamp dominated by
northern white cedar (Thuja occci-
dentailis). They are places of solitude
and exquisite beauty, especially at the
dawn of spring when pockets of snow
persist.
A cedar swamp is always chang-
ing and much of that goes back to
its formation and the underlining
terrain. Because the groundwater is
close to the surface, northern white
cedars are shallow-rooted. When
winds howl, cedars can quickly
topple, creating what is sometimes
called a windthrow or tip-up mound.
Those mounds form when the roots
and clinging soil are pulled from the
ground as the trees topple. Initially
the windthrow base may be more
than 12 feet tall and they create an
eerie almost ghostly spectacle when
growth. The USDA Natural Resourc-
es Conservation Service explains,
“Layering may account for a signifi-
cant portion of northern white cedar
reproduction in swamps, because
adventitious roots can be produced
from any branch or stem. It is most
common in young stands and those
with leaning trees, where the lower
branches become covered by moss.
New trees also develop vegetatively
from uprooted trees where roots are
formed from vertical branches.”
The holes that are formed when
the root mass rips free of the earth
creates mini habitats for amphib-
ians, and in early spring are breeding
grounds for wood frogs and some
species of salamanders. The moist
mounds of decaying matter and rich
soil that cling to the exposed roots
rapidly become home to fungi, li-
chen, and mosses and often provide a
site for the growth of new cedar trees.
In another month, spectacular wood-
land wildflowers will appear on top
of some of the older moist mounds
Writers Conference gathering at the
DNR’s Ralph A. MacMullan Confer-
ence Center on the north shore of
Higgins Lake in Roscommon County.
Our planned diversion was perfect as
we trekked under the tangle of cedars
noting the abundance of deer sign
and the early emergence of sphagnum
moss near the base of cedars that
gave way to storms in years gone by.
Potter said, “In Ogemaw County
where I live, vast areas of northern
white cedar, which is the dominant
tree species in these swamps, are
distributed throughout the region.
These conifer swamps provide food
and cover to deer, snowshoe hare and
a variety of other species during the
winter months.” Our trek inspired me
to dig deeper into the world of cedar
swamps and so while attending the
weekend conference, I explored a
small creek that meandered through
another smaller cedar swamp adja-
cent to the conference center.
Fresh mink tracks drew my at-
tention to where the creek emptied
in Higgins Lake and it was there I
found owl pellets that “belonged” to
Michigan’s swamp owl, the barred
owl. At the base of the very same tree
were bobcat tracks, perhaps it was
searching for a meal of snowshoe
hare. Later that day I watched a pile-
ated woodpecker whacking away for
a meaty meal of grubs or carpenter
ants in another cedar swamp near the
Cross Country Ski Headquarters on
nearby Cut Road. The concentration
of deer tracks in all the swamps cre-
ated questions in my mind about deer
movement in the Upper Peninsula,
an area I am less familiar with. At
the suggestion of Russ Mason, Chief
Armed with new “swamp”
knowledge from the Michigan DNR,
and my muddy boots on the ground
explorations, I will look forward to
my next cedar swamp trek. And I
will remain an unabashed partisan of
Michigan’s cedar swamp diversity,
and the role it plays in the environ-
mental theater of nature’s real life
drama, and the creatures that call it
home. Drain the swamp? Never!
Jonathan Schechter is the Nature
Education Writer for Oakland County
Government and an active explorer
of the wilder regions of Michigan.
Email: oaknature@aol.comn Large windthrow in cedar swamp. Author photos

229 W. 5th Street • Pinconning

of the Wildlife Division of the DNR,
and a speaker at our conference, I
contacted Terry Minzey, the DNR

989-879-1110
regional wildlife supervisor for the
Upper Peninsula.
Minzey and I chatted and I
discovered that in the U.P. the closed
canopy of the cedar swamps is highly
attractive to deer, especially during
severe winters, and some deer will
travel over thirty miles during their
seasonal transition in search of winter
habitat. The reason: In dense cedar
stands, the temperature is warmer,
wind speeds are lower and the snow
is shallower than the surround-
ing area, factors that tip survival in
favor of the deer. Minzey went on to
explain that during the seasonal mi-
gration in the Upper Peninsula, deer
have been documented moving over
30 miles, with their favored winter
habitat being the cedar swamp, a hab-
itat that also hosts eastern hemlocks. I
queried him on how much less snow
is on the ground in these mixed grove
conifer swamps, and the answer was
50 percent, a factor that certainly
makes life easier for the white-tailed
deer. Knowledge of this sort is also
important as the Michigan DNR
monitors for chronic wasting disease,
which is spread through direct animal
to animal contact or by direct contact
with saliva, feces, urine, and blood
and contaminated soil.
Minzey also explained that deer
are able to withstand extreme cold
with relatively little trouble if they
are in good condition because of their
thick coat of hollow guard hairs and
their dense undercoat that keeps the
cold out and warmth in. Deep snow
can be a major problem, but deer
have also evolved a survival mecha-
nism, torpor. Minzey added, “As you
and I know, deer do not hibernate
but they do at times go into a form of
winter torpor which will slow down
their metabolism but about 20 per-
cent.” Coupling that factor with their
ability to “seek out closed canopy
conifer swamps” and they are able
to get by with less while conserving
energy and heat. And according to
the Michigan State University, “A
deer will lose less energy by eating
nothing under a cedar stand than for-
aging for food in deep snow and cold While supplies last. NO RAIN CHECKS
temperatures.” Check us out at . . . www.northwoodsoutlet.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 33
 Spring Turkey Hunting Strategies and Tactics...By Brian Miller

Dangerously close to roosting trees

Standing in the cool darkness of the spring
morning, I was excited to finally be back in the
woods. The stillness of the woods and poten-
tial of the morning hunt had me excited. I was
there early, almost too early for most hunters.
However, this wasn’t your easy going turkey
hunt. I was moving in close to a big tom’s
roosting tree and couldn’t take any chances.

W
ith all my gear
organized and
gun in hand,
it was time to
sneak in. I knew
exactly where I
wanted to be and started a silent ap-
proach. It was lights off, no need to
alarm them of my presence. I slowly
moved through the woods in a pre-
determined route. As I moved along
I picked my way around the woods
avoiding any thick brush that would
cause extra noise.
It didn’t take long before I found
myself relaxing against a big tree
trunk. For a while I was completely
relaxed, taking in the calmness.
After a bit, the first glimmer of light
broke the silence. The birds started
waking up the woods with their
chirping, chipmunks scurried, and
dry leaves began rustling. Not long
after, the first turkey tree gobbled.
It sounded so loud. I slowly moved
my eyes in an attempt to locate
the turkey roosted above me in the
trees. The silhouetted birds started
appearing within sight. I was close,
deadly close.
Early in my turkey hunting
career I could not have pulled that
off. Putting myself that close to
a roosted bird doesn’t happen by
chance, it was planned. Only after
learning some turkey hunting secrets
from nearly professional turkey
slayer Colby Apel was I able to slide
in tight. Colby Apel, in his own
rights, is crazy about turkey hunt-
ing. He is so intense about hunting
spring gobblers that he guides an-
other two dozen hunters throughout
the season and always comes home
with a longbeard.
After talking with him, you
realize just how much knowledge
he carries along with him. It’s more
than just hunting a bird, his strate-
gies, understanding behaviors, and
stealth far exceed many. I was able
to get Apel’s secrets on how to get
dangerously close to roosted birds.
It’s a bit of an art form, so let’s learn
34 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
how he puts together a complete
strategy.
The Dark Side
When the alarm goes off at 4
a.m. it’s easy to hit the snooze a
couple times. That decision is one of
the most costly mistakes to sliding
in on a roosted bird. Apel cannot
stress the importance of getting
into the woods well before daylight
if you know where the birds are
roosted. He is leaving the truck at
least 1 ½ to 2 hours before legal
shooting light.
Not only does he leave that ear-
ly, but everything is organized and
ready to hunt. The decoy is pulled
out with the stake in it and ready
set, his mouth call is in, any Velcro
unleashed, zippers are open. It’s all
about being deadly silent from that
moment forward.
By going in that early you’ll
often hear a bird gobble early. When
this happens, this is a big advan-
tage because he just gave away his
position. With an early gobble you
can make any last-minute changes.
Make sure to move silently and not
rush yourself into making noise
while getting set up. Apel says, “If
you take your time and get up ear-
lier you will see an increase in your
success!”
How Close? The real question is how close do you dare to get to a roosted
The real question is how close gobbler? Unfor tunately, there is no cut and dry rule. It really
do you dare to get to a roosted gob- depends on your situation, the location of the bird, ground clutter,
bler? Unfortunately, there is no cut your comfor t level and how early you arrive. Kenny Darwin photo
and dry rule. It really depends on
your situation, the location of the saw the bird go in. Once he has gets a bird that gobbles, he slowly
bird, ground clutter, your comfort reached the 300 yard mark he ini- closes the distance until he can see
level and how early you arrive. tially will go to an owl call. Give a the bird up in the tree. He feels like
Most importantly, it is key to locate few series of hoots. If there is not that’s what makes him different over
a roosted a bird the prior evening. a response give a 60 second break, other turkey hunters. Quite frankly
Apel is looking for birds from his then proceed with another series of that is far more aggressive than most
truck and watching as they go into hoots that ends with a gobble. This of us hunt. However, Apel wants to
the woods right before dusk. This second series is an attempt to shock see exactly what tree that bird is in.
gives him his first big clue that there gobble, so you can pinpoint his ex- He stated, “I have been as close as
will be a roosted bird nearby in the act location. He encourages hunters 30 yards to a roosted bird the next
morning. to not be discouraged if the bird or morning and not spooked him.”
The next morning he’ll walk other birds don’t gobble. How do you get this close? It
within 300 yards of where he last Now it’s game on. Once Apel starts with his 4 a.m. routine of hav-
ing everything ready. Furthermore,
understanding how the terrain is and
how to use it effectively is impor-
tant. Using any hills, ridges, creeks,
logging roads, all to the hunters’
advantage when sneaking tight to a
roosted bird. “It is all about being
quiet and slowly picking the way
through the woods.” This is where
the extra time in the morning plays
a huge role. Apel says, “A huge
mistake I see is people rushing to
a roosting area in the morning and
unfortunately bumping birds.” It
doesn’t take much to ruin a morning
hunt, one snap of a twig, tripping
over some brush, or walking too
quickly through crunchy leaves.
Sometimes you’ll find birds
roosted on the edge of the woods.
When hunting open fields or a fence
row, Apel want to be 80-100 yards
from that roosted bird. If he is hunt-
ing in the timber, he closes the gap
to 50-80 yards. He wants to watch
that bird from the time he wakes up,
so he can understand his behavior
up on the limb. That is dangerously
close, and many hunters feel that is
getting too close a roost.
Over-Calling
Limb Birds
Over-calling is one of the big-
gest mistakes a hunter can make.
I’ve done it myself too many times
and paid the price. In the morning
it’s exciting to hear birds calling off
the limb. Most hunters want to get
birds fired up before they fly off the
limb. A tom gobbles to attract other
hens to him. While roosted, if he
hears a hen yelping, cutting, or purr-
ing he’s going to stay up on the limb
until he visually sees the hen.
When hunting the timber you can close the gap to within 50-80 yards.
It’s all about being deadly silent and everything organized and ready to hunt from the moment you leave the truck.
Hunters are doing the opposite. We
are wanting to call the bird to us
while in a stationary position. In
the wild, the toms gobble and a hen
goes to the tom. Apel rarely will
call to a roosted bird. The only time
he calls to a roosted bird is when
he can watch his every move in the
tree.
Block Party
Locating a large group of toms
and hens can be exciting. There is
always lots of calling and move-
ment within the woods. Hunting
big groups of birds is tougher than
hunting a single bird. In these situ-
ation’s it’s important to locate both
the roosting trees and where the
birds are going. Big groups often
stick together and it’s near impos-
sible to pull a lone bird away from
the group. You need to get to the
locations they want to strut and feed
right after they are flying down.
When Apel is targeting a big-
ger group of birds he does not call
until they are off the limb. He likes
to let the group do their own thing.
Don’t try force them to gobble in
the morning when roosted. Big
groups are on a schedule so don’t
disrupt the norm. Instead, find out
the schedule and intercept after
they fly down and start moving and
strutting. Don’t hesitate to get close
to the roost unless you know where
they are going. If you know where
the birds are going, set up at that
spot and wait patiently.
Lonely Birds
We have all had toms pulled
away by a group of hens. That is
one of the most frustrating parts of
spring turkey hunting. We’re com-
peting with the real deal. Apel loves
to target a lone tom rather than hunt
a roosting area with a bunch of toms
and hens. Most hunters get excited
around big turkey groups and would
naturally gravitate towards these
types of areas. The risk is that toms
with hens are very hard to call them
away.
Hunting a lonely tom or group
of toms are far more likely to com-
mit to your yelping right off the
roost. Apel suggest only using 1-2
hen decoys when hunting a lonely
tom. His favorite setup in this situa-
tion is a breeder hen, an upright hen
and a strutter decoy.
He has found that most lonely
toms have been attacked by other
birds and are excluding themselves
from being around other birds.
Therefore, in this situation using a
tom decoy and hen decoy will often
scare away a lonely bird.
If you’re hunting a group of
lonely birds Apel likes using a tom
decoy with a breeder hen and some-
times adds an upright hen into the
mix. Since calling can be so effec-
tive on these birds hunting is often
action packed. Birds will respond to
the calls and move in very quickly.
Areas like this often have lower bird
densities and when a tom locates a
hen they will fight over her. Under-
standing the tom to hen ratio in your
hunting area will really help you
understand the ideal decoy set up
and calling techniques.
Get Moving
Once you are setup under that
bird, you can almost taste the suc-
cess. This is turkey hunting and we
know that everything doesn’t always
come together. The bird flies down
in a different direction, he is pulled
away by some hens, or he catches
you moving. It happens! For most of
us it happens far too often, but that’s
what drives us to hunt these birds.
When things don’t go as
planned, your hunt doesn’t have to
be over. When Apel realizes that his
birds are heading away from him,
he is already working on a backup
plan. After just 10-20 minutes when
he realizes that they are not coming
he makes a quick move. His goal
is to intercept them. Just because it
doesn’t happen right off the roost
doesn’t mean you’re packing it in
for the day. Do whatever it takes to
maneuver ahead of the bird. This is
one time to be overly aggressive on
moving, then get aggressive on the
calls. Sit tight in that new spot and it
often takes just a few minutes before
he’ll be right in your lap.
When it comes down to getting
dangerously close to a roosted bird
it’s all about being prepared. Sliding
this close means you need to be in
the woods extremely early, become
stealthy and determined with every
movement and understand turkey
behavior. When you put together
these things, a majority of the time
you’ll walk away with a heavy bird
over your shoulder. Do your home-
work correctly and the chances of
you killing that bird is very high.n
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 35
Crossbow tips for spring gobblers
Crossbows have become very popular for all turkey seasons...By Darin Potter

I
t’s no breaking news that
crossbow has become a
household word when it
comes to hunting spring
turkeys in Michigan.
Alongside a shotgun and
a compound bow, crossbows have
proven to be another excellent alter-
native to putting a thunder chicken
on the ground. Many hunters are
choosing to hunt with a crossbow
over a compound or traditional bow
because it requires less motion when
a turkey comes into shooting range
and increases their level of confi-
dence.
Mike Avery, the host and pro-
ducer of the Outdoor Magazine Ra-
dio Show here in Michigan has been
hunting turkeys with a crossbow
for around eight years. He states,
“I hunt with a crossbow because
it gives me confidence in a quick,
clean, and humane killing shot. I
realize it might not be the challenge
of chasing gobblers with a recurve,
which I have done before, but I
like the confidence that a crossbow
gives me. I know that when I put the
JOE THOMAS PRO SERIES ROOSTER TAIL
crosshairs on an animal and pull the
trigger, there’s a very good chance
that critter is going down fast.”
A few years ago my wife be-
came interested in crossbows after
shooting mine, which I had pur-
chased used. She enjoyed shooting it
so much that while walking through
the crossbow section inside of an
archery shop, a particular crossbow
caught her attention. It was a Parker
Challenger. She decided to take
a few shots with it on the archery
range and instantly fell in love with
it. It fit her perfectly and she felt
very confident in shooting it. Her
decision was easy–this would be her
new weapon of choice for spring
longbeards.
After practicing several months
prior to the season she finally had The author’s wife Jody used a crossbow to take this spring gobbler.
the opportunity to take it with her
into the turkey woods. It wasn’t very longbeard, causing it to drop within help save you multiple trips down
long into the second morning of the fifteen yards. the range to see where your bolts are
2014 season when she connected Before heading afield with your hitting the target.
with her first gobbler using her new crossbow this spring here are some It’s also a good idea to practice
crossbow. I watched as she placed a tips that will help increase your shooting while sitting down, kneel-
Rage mechanical broadhead straight chances of notching a turkey tag. ing and standing if you plan on run-
Practice
through the boiler room of the ning and gunning.
Practicing with your crossbow Tent Blinds
well in advance of the season is es- Even though a crossbow doesn’t
®
sential if you want to put a bird on require much movement it is still

DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY
the ground. There are several targets to your advantage to hunt turkeys

FOR BASS
available on the market which are
specifically designed for both cross-
bow field tips and broadheads that
will allow you to remove your bolts
with no issues.
After sighting in your crossbow
Classic Rooster Tail w/HD
on a shooting bench, practice taking
Split Ring & Pre-Sharpened shots out of a tent blind (if this is
Black Nickel Hook what you will be hunting out of) in
a seated position off a shooting stick
Pulsating Hackle/Tinsel at a variety of distances out to your
Dressed Hook Attracts Fish
effective range. Also, when practic-
Genuine Silver, ing I like switching up the angle of
Brass and/or the target to imitate a turkey com-
Painted Blades
ing into shooting range at different
angles. Using a range finder will
from inside of a tent blind. The dark
interior and small window openings
provide enough concealment to talk
turkey on a box, slate, or push-pull
call without being spotted. It will
also allow you to make any last min-
ute adjustments while getting into
shooting position if you opt to shoot
free-handed or from a shooting rest.
Most tent blinds come with
mesh netting that can be temporar-
ily placed on window openings,
which prevent a turkey from looking
inside, yet allows the person sitting
in the blind to see out. Hunters using
a crossbow have the ability to shoot

Time to think of prevention of

those beaches, golf courses,
condo grounds, parks and
recreation areas.
This new Rooster Tail was designed with
input from professional angler Joe Thomas ULTRA CONCENTRATED CONTROL
and built specifically for bass and schooling
stripers. Special components make it extra Will solve your goose problems!
strong to handle the toughest fish, and it features all the
attributes that make Rooster Tail so productive. Available in two sizes, It’s time to order your
½ and ¾ ounce for long casts and fast retrieves, the Joe Thomas Series
Rooster Tail comes in 12 finishes hand-selected by Joe Thomas.
summer Control to rid those
pesky geese problems.
Remember when the grass starts
turning green its time to apply
ULTRA CONCENTRATED CONTROL!

www.CONTROLGEESENOW.com
36 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
bolts through these mesh covers
without fear of it flying erratically.
On one spring hunt my wife
and I were seated in one of my tent
blinds when a tom snuck up on us
from behind. Thankfully, he gobbled
far enough in advance to give us a
heads up. Even though it was short
notice, the blind saved the day by
allowing her enough time to place
her crossbow onto the tripod and
prepare for the shot before it came
into view. When the gobbler ap-
peared, it was so preoccupied with
fighting the strutting tom decoy that
I had positioned in front of us that
she was able to take her time and
make a perfect broadside shot.
Although running and gunning
for turkeys with a crossbow offers
some challenges it is possible to
take a turkey with this method if you
take the time to conceal yourself.
When choosing a location to setup
on a nearby longbeard find a tree
wide enough to hide your outline if
at all possible. It will also provide
some concealment if a gobbler ap-
proaches you from behind. When on
the move bring along either a 3-D
leaf cloth that is roughly six feet
long or a wrap-around style blind.
Both of these will allow you to get
into position in less than one minute
when a gobbler is approaching fast
and time is valuable.
The Business End
With a wide variety of broad-
heads available for crossbow bolts
that are designed specifically for
turkey hunting it isn’t hard to find
one that will put a gobbler on the
ground. If you are unsure of which
type of broadhead to use, stop into a
sporting goods store and speak with
an archery pro or someone that has
been successful in shooting a turkey
with a crossbow.
According to Chris Larsen,
Manager at www.CrossBowExpert.
com, “I highly recommend using
mechanical broadheads for turkey
hunting. A turkey’s vital area is
much smaller than what you’re
shooting on a whitetail. You’re look-
ing for the largest wound channel
possible. Two blade broadheads are
very popular for whitetails because
they provide an excellent blood trail.
You’re not going to get a massive
blood trail with a turkey so the goal
is to inflict massive damage to the
animal. A three blade mechani-
cal offers a larger wound channel
and more blade surface than a two
blade.”
For those of you wondering
which grain broadhead you should
choose Larsen adds, “Most cross-
bow hunters use the 100 grain tips
that come with their crossbows and
arrows. Moving to 125 grains will
slow the arrow down initially but
the energy carries better downrange. A tripod shooting rest will steady your aim when a gobbler comes
More importantly, adding more into shooting range. As proper shot placement is extremely impor-
weight to the front of the arrow tant when hunting turkeys with a crossbow due to their small vitals.
increases accuracy. Keep in mind, if
you switch to 125 grain tips you’ll die. Shoot low, they go.” wing right in the middle of its back.
need to sight in your crossbow If the bird is facing you, put Again, if the arrow is right on you
again. If there isn’t time to sight in, the crosshair right at the base of the will break his back. If it’s off a bit
stick with the 100 grain.” neck where the wattles meet the you’ll be right in the vitals.”
After purchasing new broad- feathers. If the arrow hits the spot Although I currently hunt tur-
heads take a couple of shots at a you will sever the spine right there. keys with both a shotgun and a com-
crossbow approved target. This will If you’re slightly off, the arrow will pound bow I hope to someday take
help give you piece of mind on your go right into the vitals. along a crossbow and try my best to
bolt’s shot performance. If the turkey is moving away tip over a longbeard. After all, they
Shot Placement from you look for the spot where
the right wing crosses over the left
have proven to be deadly accurate
and stealthy in the turkey woods.n
Proper shot placement is ex-
tremely important when hunting
turkeys with a crossbow. With
small vitals and the fact that they
leave very little if any blood for
trailing it is essential that you place
a bolt in the vitals so that you can
easily recover your bird. Accord-
ing to Larsen, “When it comes to
shot placement, broadside is bestRandy’sRandy’s
but you can shoot a turkey from just
HuntingHunting CenterRandy’s
Exclusive
Center Exclusive Hunting
about any direction. If the turkey is
broadside, follow the legs straight Ruger
Ruger No. No.Bushmaster
1 .450 1 .450 Bushmaster
Ruger$1,399
$1,399 No. 1 .450 B
up and shoot for the upper third OVER 3,500 OVERRUGER 3,500AMERICANS
RUGER AMERICANS IN STOCK! OVER IN STOCK!
3,500 RUGER AM
of the body. Most bowhunters are
used to aiming low and to the front16” Stainless 16”Barrel
Stainless$629Barrel
22” SS$629 Ranch22”$599SS Ranch $599 Barrel $629
16” Stainless
on a deer. The opposite is true 16” on a Blued Barrel
16” Blued $399Barrel 22”$399 Standard 22”Barrel
Standard 16” BarrelBarrel
$499Blued $499 $399
turkey. The front third of a turkey
is the breast. The vitals are up 16”high Left Hand16” $529
Left Hand22” $529LEFT 22” HAND LEFT $499
16” HANDLeft Hand$499 $529
near the spine. NEW
NEW Gunsite Scout Gunsite
Rifle in .450Scout Rifle in with
Bushmaster .450 Bushmaster withfor
a Walnut stock a Walnut
$879.95! stock forScout
NEW Gunsite $879.95!
Rifle in .450 Bushm
We like to say “Shoot high,Also they AlsoNEW
IN STOCK the IN STOCK the 1NEW
Ruger No. Ruger No. 1 Stainless/Laminate
Stainless/Laminate .450 Bushmaster .450
Also and Bushmaster
IN STOCK
the and the
the NEW Ruger No. 1 Sta
NEW exclusive
NEW exclusive BLUED WALNUT BLUED WALNUT
with sights with sights!No. 1 CLASSIC
No. 1 CLASSIC !
NEW exclusive BLUED WALNU
Hundreds ofHundreds of stockavailable
stock variations variations
andavailable and in stock
in stockHundreds
NOW! NOW!
of stock variations a
• Camo
• Camo • Realtree • Realtree • Mossy
• Kryptek • Kryptek
Oak ••Green • Muddy••Green
Mossy Oak Camo • Muddy
Girl RealtreeGirl• Kryptek •M
• Laminate stocks• in
Laminate stocksvariations
several color in severaland
color variationsoptions
thumbhole • Laminate
and thumbhole options
stocks in several color v
ALL CAMO stocks, allALL CAMO stocks, all
variations variations
+$100 +$100 Leupold
Leupold VX3i 3.5-10x40 VX3idial
w/ 300 yard 3.5-10x40
ALL w/
+$399 300 yard
CAMO dialall variations
stocks, +$399 +$100 L

MAG-NA-BRAKE
ALL LAMINATES andALL LAMINATES
WALNUT Stocks and WALNUT
+$200 Stocks
Leupold rings, +$200
installedLeupold
and borerings, installed
sighted ALL and
+$20 bore sightedand WALNUT
LAMINATES +$20 Stocks +$200 L
Leupold MK AR 3-9x40Leupold MK dial
w/400 yard AR 3-9x40 w/400Mag-Na-Port
+$299 yard dial Brake
+$299(16”Mag-Na-Port BrakeLeupold
threaded barrels) (16” threaded
+$150 MK AR barrels) +$150yard dial
3-9x40 w/400 +$299 M
Leupold
Leupold VXII 3-9x40 with VXIIdial
300 yard 3-9x40+$319
with 300Mag-Na-Port
yard dial Brake
+$319(forMag-Na-Port
22” barrels)BrakeLeupold
(for 22” VXII
+$229 barrels)
3-9x40 with+$229
300 yard dial +$319 M
Check out bothCheck out both
YouTube, YouTube,
Michigan Michigan Out-of-Doors
Out-of-Doors TV shows Check outTV both
showsYouTube, Mich
• Reduce Recoil on the 450 on the
bushmaster,450 bushmaster,
watch both watch
the 2016 both
and the
2017 2016
shows and
on the 2017
450 shows
bushmaster, watch b
• Reduce Muzzle Jump Randy’s Hunting Randy’s
CenterHunting Center
FREE CAMO 721 E. Huron 721
Ave. E. Huron Ave.
• Quality Porting Since 1971 STOCK ON ANY
STAINLESS RUGER Bad Axe, MI 48413 Bad Axe, MI 48413
450 BUSHMASTER (989)
(989) 269-GUNS (4867) 269-GUNS (4867)
41302 Executive Dr., Harrison Twp. MI 48045-1306 www.randyhuntingcenter.com
www.randyhuntingcenter.com ww
th th
Ph: 586-469-6727 · Fax: 586-469-0425 Randy’s
Randy’s Hunting Hunting
Center Open
OverCenter
House Open
Saturday,
800 leupold House
scopes Saturday,
inOctober
stock, October
7Randy’s
most , 2017
with dial7system
Hunting
the cds , 2017
Center
that Open Ho
Email: email@magnaport.com withon
with Factory reps Factory
hand reps on
from
is included hand
Ruger
with &from
every Rugerat&
Leupold!!!
scope bought Leupold!!!
withHunting
Randy’s Factory reps on hand
Center.
www.magnaport.com Darton ShootingDarton 3x9x40Factory
Shooting
Trailer with with the 450
Trailer bushmaster
with
Reps!!!Factorydial startDarton
Reps!!! at $299. Shooting Traile
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 37

Natural Destination Areas
A
s bowhunters we
oftentimes tend to
make things much
more difficult than
they need be. For
instance from the late
60s through the mid-80s the amount
of hours I spent on stand per kill
was much higher than what it’s been
since. In fact, since the late 80s the
amount of time I’ve spent on stand
has steadily decreased whereas
my success rate has significantly
increased.
How did I hunt differently back
then compared to now? I used to
hunt short crop field treeline edges,
perimeters of marshes, swamps and
bedding areas, in stands of ma-
ture timber with no security cover
understudy, at water sources in areas
with lots of water and along well
used runways in areas with many
of them. All of which are a shotgun
approach to hunting.
A shotgun fires a blanket of
pellets in hopes that one will hit the
target and those locations required
many hunts per season because there
were so many entry and exit routes
into the bedding and or feeding
areas, so many waterholes for deer
to choose from, and many runway
options in each type of area.
I’ve abandoned the broad shot-
gun approach for a single projectile
approach that requires precise aim
at a very specific target location
and now am laser focused on small
natural destination locations, tight
pinch points in transition corridors
and at small water locations in areas
otherwise devoid of it (very rare by
the way).
Since I exclusively hunt public
and knock on doors for free permis-
sion properties, I deal with heavy
consequential hunting pressure
(hchp) where there are 10 to 25
bowhunters per square mile and the
majority of them are targeting any
legal antlered buck. In such areas
bucks surviving beyond their first
set of antlers seemingly have PhDs
at avoiding hunters.
The most critical requirement
that every natural destination loca-
tion in an hchp area should have
is some form of perimeter security
cover around the kill zone as well as
adequate transition security cover to
a known bedding area. On many oc-
casions I’ve scouted properties and
found natural destination locations
without adequate security cover
and in each case, I abandoned the
property.
No matter how much or awe-
some the buck sign looks at a desti-
38 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Bowhunting...By John Eberhart
The author with his Michigan 10-point taken from along a standing
cornfield in 2015.
nation location, it’s meaningless for
hunting if it were made during the
security of darkness due to the lack
of security cover because the odds
of a daytime visit by a mature buck
are slim to none. I love hunting as
much as the next person, but hunt-
ing over meaningless sign is a waste
of my time.
If you’re happy taking sub-
ordinate bucks and does or just
like seeing deer, which is totally
understandable, the security cover
requirements negates exposed open
areas as hunting sites for mature
bucks. While monster bucks in
managed and lightly hunted areas
are filmed being taken in short crop
fields, food plots, and in exposed
areas on a regular basis, you likely
don’t have the luxury of hunting
such areas.
There’s no better way of ex-
plaining the importance of natural
destination locations than to put it in
a human perspective. If I wanted to
take photos of humans and couldn’t
take another step once I planted my-
self for the stakeout, which is what
we do when ambush hunting, there
are places with nearly a 100 percent
chance of an opportunity on the first
attempt and all of them are natural
destination locations. Examples
are in the bedroom closet within a
few feet of the bed, in or next to the
kitchen where the drinks and food
are located, along the driveway, or
at their workplace.
Remember, I can’t move and
notice I didn’t say in the garage be-
cause they may choose to park out-
side and go in the front door, nor in
the dining room because they may
choose to eat or drink elsewhere in
the house after leaving the kitchen,
next to an entry door because most
homes have two or more entries, or
along a route to work as they may
choose a different route for some
reason. Hiding in these secondary
locations would lower my odds of
an opportunity and may require I
make additional attempts which
would up the odds of either getting
caught or interrupting the target
victim’s routine before the task is
accomplished.
The point is, the more defined
and small the destination location,
the higher the odds of a kill encoun-
ter. Whereas the more peripheral
the ambush site is from an actual
destination point, the less likely of
an opportunity and the more likely
of altering routines with several
intrusions.
For blue collar bowhunters
pursuing 2 ½ year old and older
bucks in hchp areas, if your loca-
tions offer some form of perimeter
security cover at them and transition
security cover to them from known
bedding areas, the likelihood for
opportunities will be far greater than
if the locations are visually exposed
to open areas or there’s no security
cover understudy in the area.
While I had above average
success in my early years because
I spent a lot of time on stand, even
back then I paid attention to and
evaluated my failed hunts and sea-
sonal success and adjusted accord-
ingly. As seasons passed I began
focusing on more precise locations
and noticed a very consistent up-
swing in my success rates.
By the late 80s I was focusing
nearly 100 percent of my scouting
and hunting time on precise natural
destination locations and tight pinch
points within transition areas that
offered both perimeter and transition
security cover. Being laser focused
on where and how to prepare loca-
tions and how and when to hunt
them became key to hunting smart,
spending less time on stand and
having more consistent success on
mature bucks.
In no particular order, depend-
ing on the time of year or season,
mature buck movements revolve
around food, bedding, sex and
security during daytime movements
and just like us they have preferred
specific areas for each.
During daylight when mature
bucks are most vulnerable, adequate
perimeter and transition security
cover is essential at destination loca-
tions for daytime visits. Perimeter
security cover doesn’t mean being in
the middle of a briar patch or being
totally surrounded by tall marsh
grasses or autumn olive, it sim-
ply means there needs to be some
adequate height cover protecting the
location from a visual to open areas
around it. The transition security
cover is required for an entry to the
destination location as well as for a
quick and secure exit area from the
location if needed. If a mature buck
uses a transition zone with security
cover to enter a destination location,
he will use the same route as an exit
strategy if there is danger because
he had already used it safely.
As hunters it’s our scouting job
to identify destination locations suit-
able for daytime mature buck visits,
properly set up at them, choose
the right time of day and season to
hunt them, and enter and exit them
properly.
 If you own or lease property
with natural destination locations
that don’t offer sufficient security
cover at or to them for daytime
visits by mature bucks, you should
consider intervention in the form of
property manipulation by creating
areas of security cover around them
and security cover in the best transi-
tion zones to them from known
bedding areas.
On a few private parcels I’ve
scouted for others I was mildly
shocked to see food plots where
they were not needed and were in
my opinion a hindrance to success.
It’s became clear that many property
owners or leasers think that if they
don’t have food plots, they can’t kill
mature bucks. After all that’s what
the vast majority of TV and video
personalities and print media writers
have programmed hunters to think.
I’ve never hunted over a food
plot and will admit that I don’t know
much about them other than they of-
fer a preferred food and are exposed
areas. However, I do know deer
behavior in heavily pressured areas
and I am absolutely positive that if
you have access to natural destina-
tion food sources and other types
of destination locations offering
adequate security cover, food plots
are not needed and can have a nega-
tive impact on your hunting psyche
and success.
In hchp areas, if you have mo-
tion cameras on food plots, most
if not all the mature buck pictures
you have will be taken during the
security of darkness. Having bucks
you want to kill yet can’t because of
the manner you altered the property
and hunt can impact your hunting
psyche. While food plots in large
managed and lightly hunted areas
might work great, they are definitely
not a daytime traffic cure all on
small private parcels surrounded by
hchp properties.
While the film media may want
you to believe their generic hunting
methods and techniques work no
matter where you hunt, that can’t be
farther from the truth because they
don’t. Successful bowhunting meth-
ods, techniques and tactics should
vary greatly according to the type of
area you’re hunting in.
In Michigan for instance, I
put much more thought into every
aspect of every step I take when
hunting than I do when I travel out-
of-state to areas where there’s far
less hunting pressure, more mature
bucks, and where deer in general are
far less wary of human intrusions
and move with more regularity dur-
ing daylight hours than their breth-
ren in hchp areas.
In hchp areas, 90-plus percent
of my scouting and location prepa-
ration is done during post season
when I can still identify the previous
season’s rut sign and spooking deer
is irrelevant. I learned over 30 years
ago that spooking mature bucks with
my pre-season scouting and location
preparation intrusions turns them
nocturnal through the early part of
the season.
When I go out-of-state, my
scouting and location preparation
is done the day or day and a half
before I begin hunting. I would
never have that as a seasonal plan in
Michigan.
In order of importance; primary
scrape areas, fruit and mast trees,
interiors of bedding areas, pinch
points within transition corridors
and water sources in areas other-
wise devoid of water are the top
five types of destination locations I
search for.
NUMBER 1
A primary scrape area can
consist of one very large scrape to
as many as a dozen scrapes in a
relatively open yet small area and
they are always located in high
doe traffic zones most commonly
within close proximity to a preferred
food source, at pinch points within
transition corridors where multiple
runways converge and where differ-
ent terrain features meet and force
consolidation of general deer traffic.
A primary scrape area is not to be
confused with runway scrapes along
a particular buck’s travel route.
Each ground scrape will have
one to several overhanging lick-
ing branches that are socially scent
marked by does and bucks in the
area with their saliva, preorbital,
nasal, and forehead glands and the
appeal of them increases leading up
to the rut phases with peak activity
being during pre-rut.
While scrape areas are usually
perennial, crop rotations and fruit
and mast production can cause them
to appear only during the seasons
the trees produce food and the fields
are in the right crops. In hchp areas,
if a scrape area is located on the
perimeter of a short crop field or
large exposed area and it’s being
used by a mature buck, it will likely
be during the security of darkness
whereas subordinate bucks may visit
it during daylight.
While rare, if a scrape area is too
large to cover or the terrain design
doesn’t allow full coverage from a
single ambush point, choose a loca-
tion within a comfortable shooting
distance to the largest and most
cupped out scrape as it will likely be
the one most used by older bucks.
If they’re all similar sized, set up to
shoot to as many as possible while
keying on the one with the most uti-
lized overhanging licking branches.
No matter the area or state, well
over half the bucks I’ve taken in the
past 30 seasons were from active
Author, John Eberhar t, inspecting a primary scrape area found dur-
ing post season.
primary scrape areas surrounded by
some form of security cover with
adequate transition cover leading to
them.
NUMBER 2
When fruit trees such as apple,
pear and crabapple, and mast trees
such as oaks that are located within
perimeter security cover bear food
they are awesome locations that
oftentimes become primary scrape
areas due to the consistent doe traf-
fic feeding at them.
During post season scouting you
won’t know if the trees will produce
food in the fall, but if they fit the
security cover requirements, they
should be set up as hunting locations
and checked prior to season for food
and deer sign. If they don’t produce
that fall it will be less work you’ll
have to do when they do produce
food.
Isolated fruit and mast trees are
excellent early season as well as
rut phase locations if they are still
dropping food. The fewer of them
there are in an area the more deer
will compete to get there first in the
evening. I will not hunt fruit trees
on morning hunts because I used
to consistently spook deer feeding
at them with my before daylight
entries and in big timber areas with
no surrounding ag fields I don’t
hunt oaks in mornings for the same
reason.
I will hunt oaks in mornings in
agricultural areas where deer are
typically in crop fields at night and
I will be on stand a minimum of an
hour and a half before the crack of
dawn so as not to spook a mature
buck that may leave an exposed
crop field before daybreak and may
feed on acorns in a more secure area
until dawn.
If in timber with lots of oaks,
search for white oaks, and if there
are a lot of them, choose the one
closest to the best transition cover or
nearest a known bedding area as it
will likely be the first tree a mature
buck would visit in the evening.
White oaks are identified by
their rough bark up the tree and out
each branch, rounded lobes on their
leaves, and their dime sized acorns.
Burr oaks found in wet areas like
swamps or along rivers are a species
of white oak that have big fuzzy
caps on their acorns.
Red oaks are identified by their
smooth bark up and out each branch,
pointed lobes on their leaves, and
large quarter sized acorns.
Do yourself a favor this fall and
pick up one of each. Shell them and
eat the white first and then the red.
You will not forget this test and will
immediately know why deer prefer
whites. You’ll spit out the red due to
its strong bitter tannins.
Deer definitely eat red oak
acorns, but if there are whites in the
vicinity and they offer similar secu-
rity cover, they will visit them first
during daylight.
NUMBER 3
Depending on the circum-
stances, for the life of me, I can’t
understand why hunters don’t stra-
tegically hunt within bedding areas
where mature bucks spend most of
their days.
Bedding areas have many entry
and exit routes with unlimited direc-
tions a deer can go when outside
them, so with limited rut phase
hunting time, why not strategically
Natural Destination page 40
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 39
Natural Destination Areas:
from page 39
hunt within the tighter confines of
their home?
In hchp areas the vast majority
of daytime chasing and breeding by
mature bucks takes place within the
secure confines of bedding areas.
Never forget that killing and not
listening from the outside perimeter
of a bedding area, is the end goal.
Many state gun seasons coin-
cide with the peak rut when mature
bucks are typically with or are in
search of estrus does, so unless you
have control over a large area, the
likelihood of a mature buck wander-
ing beyond your fence line and get-
ting shot is pretty good. So why not
strategically plan a couple all-day
interior bedding area bowhunts just
prior to gun season.
Interiors of bedding areas need
to be scouted for more precise des-
tination locations. This scouting and
location preparation must be done
during post season when spooking
deer with your intrusions will be
irrelevant to fall movements.
When scouting, search for
scrape areas, isolated mast and
fruit trees, scrape and or rub lined
runways, rub clusters, and small
openings where several runways
may converge.
Large standing cornfields are
bedding areas and mature bucks will
transition between them and border-
ing timber wherever the most secure
transition route butts up to them.
While I never hunt perimeters of
short or picked cornfields in Michi-
gan, I do hunt perimeters of stand-
ing cornfields and punched my first
2015 buck tag on a 10-point from
such a location.
If you know a field will be
planted in corn and there’s a lone
oak within it, it needs to be prepared
as a location. During the years the
oak has acorns and the field is in
standing corn, hunting it at any time
of season can be productive.
Swales or openings in standing
• Drive-in housekeeping camp for Walleye, Pike & Smallmouth
• ATV-in island outpost on Wenebegon Lake for Walleye & Pike
• Train-in outpost on Goldie Lake for Pike & Smallmouth
• Black Bear hunts, excellent success rates, all baiting, retrieval
skinning and quartering included. Tree stands or ground blinds.
705-864-0201 Chapleau, Ontario / 352-503-9577 Nov. 1 - April 30
Web: www.fivemilelake.com • Email: fivemilelake@xplornet.com
40 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
cornfields are also great locations as
deer will oftentimes skirt their edges
when transitioning. These locations
may require a ground blind be pre-
pared later in the summer.
On private parcels, if there are
several hunters with equal authority,
if you hunt within the bedding areas,
they may want to as well. Interi-
ors of bedding areas are for very
specific and strategic solo hunting
so if this is the case, leave them as
sanctuary areas otherwise multiple
hunter intrusions will severely alter
daytime movements.
Most public lands are large
enough that if you research aerials
and do the legwork, you can usually
locate an isolated honey hole where The author crossing a river during post season to access remote area.
others are unwilling to go due to the
work involved in getting there and
those are the exact locations mature
NUMBER 5 likely places to find them are with
bedding areas. The odds of mature
Pinch points or funnels within bucks searching these haunts for hot
bucks are pushed into once the ava-
transition corridors can be simulated does during daylight hours are high
lanche of pre-season scouting and
to an hour glass where deer move- due to the peaking of their testoster-
hunting begins.
ments from one area to another one levels and hunting them midday
Two musts when hunting with
tapers down to its narrowest pas- between the hours of 11 a.m. and
bedding areas, you must be quietly
sageway point. While pinch points 3 p.m. have proven to be the most
on stand an hour and a half prior to
are not true destination locations productive.
daybreak so as not to spook bucks
where deer linger, they are natural My top four location options
transitioning into them prior to day-
travel corridors that connect destina- all have one common denomina-
light, remain on stand all day and
tion sites or areas. tor; they are all natural destination
not leave until after dark. Anything
Funnels can be between or in locations where deer will linger for
short of that and you’re likely going
large stands of timber, long mean- a period of time making proper loca-
to spook deer.
dering saddles and draws, along tion preparation an absolute must
Another must is a serious scent
brushy and marshy areas that border so you don’t get picked. Because I
control regimen as deer may come
and follow rivers and creeks, bed- hunt from a harness I set up on the
in from any direction.
ding areas, along terrain feature opposite side of the tree and use the
NUMBER 4 breaks such as along bottoms of
ridges, at the tip of a protrusion of
trunk as a blocker from the destina-
While rare, a small pocket of tion site. For stand users make sure
cover that extends out into a crop you’re set up high enough to not get
water in an area otherwise devoid
field, dry ground gaps in boggy picked as lingering deer are always
of water is a phenomenal
marshes and swamps, and where looking around in trees.
destination location, especially
crop fields are misconfigured. I can’t reiterate enough that a
during warm weather. Areas
One of my favorites which are requirement every destination loca-
devoid of other water sources
visually difficult to identify are shal- tion in an hchp area should have
exclude areas with wet swamps,
low areas of creeks and rivers. Deer is some form of perimeter security
creeks and rivers and areas after
know where shallow areas are in cover around the location as well as
a hard rain when there would be
standing pools of water. Deer have waterways and will go out of their adequate security cover along the
to have water and if the source of- way to cross there because they can transition routes to it.
fers the right security cover it will walk across the waterway as op- John has 31 bucks in the Com-
have daytime traffic. posed to having to swim across. memorative Bucks of Michigan
Pinch points between bedding record book from 19 different
and feeding areas get used the entire properties in 10 different counties
season however the amount and type and has another 19 P&Y bucks from
of hunting pressure an area receives 13 different properties on 22 out-
coupled with the security cover the of-state bowhunts while exclusively
transition corridor offers will dictate hunting public and knock-on-doors
whether or not a mature buck will for free permission properties.
use it during daylight hours. Eberhart’s Whitetail Workshops
From an amount of sits standpoint, - Whether you hunt public, free
my history of success on mature permission, family owned, leased,
bucks in hchp areas in funnels be- managed or out of state properties;
tween bedding to open feeding areas attending one of John’s 2 day in-
is so dismal that I rarely prepare field/classroom workshops will give
those types of locations anymore. you the knowledge to take those big
Transition corridor funnels bucks you get on camera.
between bedding areas are a prefer- For information on Eberhart’s
ence and are only hunted during
the rut phases as mature bucks are
Whitetail Workshops please visit:
www.deer-john.net or contact
laser focused on searching their core John by e-mail at: deerjohn51@
areas for estrus does and the most gmail.comn

What is an Eberhart’s Whitetail Workshop?
They are 2-day (day in woods and day in classroom) events aimed at taking years off your learning
curve by providing the insights to take mature bucks.
They are NOT land management workshops but rather educational workshops for hunters wanting to
learn how, when, where and what to do to take mature bucks whether hunting public, knock-on-doors for
free permission, family, leased or managed properties, or travel hunting.
After all wouldn’t you rather wrap your bare hands around the antlers of the bucks you pursue rather
than looking at their pictures taken from a motion camera.
Hunters spend hundreds of dollars on upgrading equipment, new advertised gadgets, land manage-
ment, stands, bait and oftentimes food plots that are not needed with the belief these things will make
them more successful hunter’s, and that can’t be farther from the truth. Whether or not you have the best
of everything money can buy is irrelevant if you’re hunting skills and strategies don’t offer the opportunity
to take advantage of them.
If; you hunt public land or in a heavily pressured area and feel lost trying to figure out what to do
to see let alone take bucks; you were mentored with old school hunting methods that don’t seem to be
working; you rely on the expense and routine of hauling bait to see deer; you’ve spent thousands of dollars
on land manipulation yet struggle to kill the mature bucks caught on your motion cameras; you want to
prepare more locations but can’t afford the stands to do so; you get nighttime photos of mature bucks yet
can’t get daytime opportunities; you struggle with choosing and properly preparing locations, how to enter
and exit them without spooking deer and what’s the best daily and seasonal time to hunt each of them;
your scent control regimen is such that you have to hunt according to wind direction; or you’re a novice deer
hunter that simply wants to cut years off your learning curve.
If any of those hunting scenarios sound familiar or you have other issues hampering your success, at-
tending a 2 day workshop will address them as John feels there’s no hunting situation he hasn’t partaken
in at some point in his 50 plus years of deer hunting. John’s goal is for you to utilize your time to its fullest
potential by learning the skills to be successful in pressured areas and once that’s accomplished you can
go anywhere in any state in the country and consistently put yourself on the best bucks the area has to
offer.
Why John?
In John’s 50 plus Michigan seasons he’s scouted 18 public parcels and over 100 knock-on-doors for
free permission properties and has taken fifty eight 2 ½ years old and older bucks from them with 31 be-
ing listed in the Commemorative Bucks of Michigan record book. John has also taken 19 P&Y bucks on
his 22 out of state bowhunting trips from 13 different properties in 5 states.
What separates John from most other successful hunters is he’s exclusively hunted on public and
knock-on-doors for free permission properties while keying on what the property naturally has to offer.
BEGIN UTILIZING YOUR TIME TO ITS FULLEST POTENTIAL BY
ATTENDING ONE OF JOHN EBERHART’S WHITETAIL WORKSHOPS.
For more in-depth information and future workshop dates please visit:
www.deer-john.net or www.eberhartswhitetailworkshop.com
or email John at: deerjohn51@gmail.com
Arguably there is no one more adept at consistently filling his tags on heavily pres-
sured trophy whitetail bucks than John Eberhart. I would like to think that after 40
years of pursuing whitetails across North America that I know a thing or two about
bowhunting them. However, there is one whitetail expert out there who’s advice
I still heed when I hear or read it and that is John Eberhart. John knows whitetail
deer and what it takes to consistently be successful, year after year. As I mentioned
earlier, when John talks, I listen.
Tom Nelson - Host - American Archer TV Show
“John Eberhart is the most impressive whitetail hunter I’ve ever met. His ability to
dissect hunting properties and target specific animals is legendary. John is also an
extremely effective hunting educator who is always willing to share his tips and tac-
tics with others. His skills and abilities make him one of the most popular guests
on my Outdoor Magazine Radio show…..”
Mike Avery
Real deer hunting experts are the guys who can kill free-ranging deer on their own,
and do it through hard work and determination, not through a fat wallet or a friend
who happens to be a land baron. I’ve been unbelievably fortunate to have known
and learned how to hunt from a handful of true whitetail pioneers. John Eberhart
is near the top of the list. His no short-cuts approach to hunting pressured deer is
among the best I’ve seen in my 20+ years with Deer & Deer Hunting, America’s
First and Foremost Whitetail Source®.
Dan Schmidt – Deer & Deer Hunting magazine - Editor-in-Chief
I was brought up in a hunting family and blessed with a curious mind and a strong
desire to learn. Having been in the hunting industry since 1991, I’ve discussed
hunting techniques, tactics and observations with many industry writers, TV and
video hunting personalities, and guides. Most agree that due to their cunning be-
havior and ability to adapt, that taking a mature whitetail buck in a pressured area
is the ultimate trophy. No hunter has shown more insight, fortitude, in depth knowl-
edge and had more success on pressured mature bucks than John Eberhart. If I had
new land, wanted to learn the best way to hunt an existing property and otherwise
wanted my best opportunity at taking trophy bucks, John would be my go to person
for guidance. John’s advice has aided me on taking specific bucks and made me
a better overall hunter; knowledge I may never have gained even in 100 years of
hunting! Invaluable lessons!
Greg Sesselmann - Founder and Inventor of Scentlok Technologies
Dedicated, passionate deer experts don’t copycat. Instead, they are notorious for
establishing their own ways of hunting. John Eberhart is such a person. If anything,
he is an extreme example who has mastered the craft of tackling big bucks on
heavily pressured hunting areas. He accomplishes what many say is impossible,
and it is in this wisdom that I have learned so much about ‘real’ whitetail hunt-
ing. There are few in my realm of knowledge that can hunt whitetails on par with
John. He is packed with genuine experience and knowledge that will help anyone
improve their deer-hunting success.
Joe Bell, Executive Director, Pope and Young Club
Former Editor, BOW & ARROW HUNTING Magazine
Author, TECHNICAL BOWHUNTING
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 41
Michigan Deer Camp Traditions
A series of stories about Deer Camps in the Great State of Michigan...

E
very tradition, inevita-
bly, must have a begin-
ning. Some traditions
start merely out of habit.
Many deer camps start-
ed with a grandfather
purchasing a large chunk of wooded
land. As time passes, children move
away, and with grandchildren, the
distance increases all the more, yet
the property that Grandpa purchased
still remains the knot that ties the
family together every November for
decades to come. As customary as
this may be for many deer camps,
some traditions begin with a more
definitive purpose.
It’s been said in the past, “If you
do not know where you come from,
then you don’t know where you
are, and if you don’t know where
you are, then you don’t know where
you’re going. And if you don’t know
where you’re going, you’re probably
going wrong.”
For family members Mark,
Doug and Brian, an annual deer
camp retreat had yet to begin. In
1983, however, not having any fall
rituals to speak of, and not know-
ing where these endeavors would
take place, an ultimatum was made
between the trio; “Before we get
married, we must have a
deer camp tradition set in
place, that way after we’re
married, we never have to
ask permission to go.” And,
with the father’s full sup-
port, three had become four
and a deer camp tradition
was in the making.
The excited
tradition setters
still had one mi-
By Jake Dykstra
nor problem; they
still had yet to Wildlife Realty
determine where
they would hunt. Michigan’s Up-
per Peninsula had many other deer
camps started in the past was at least
a starting point. With nearly 895,000
acres of public land, the Hiawatha
National Forest offered plenty of
space to start.
While vacationing in Oregon,
Mark picked up a 15x15 wall tent,
which was exactly the tent that all
of the old school U.P. deer hunting
pictures had in them. This would
provide more than enough room for
four hunters to stay in. For the next
fifteen years, Mark, Doug, Brian
and Jerry spent the open-
ing week of Michigan’s
rifle season hunting in the
National Forest. Hunting
in the Hiawatha started off
great, and many deer were
taken by the group there. As
time progressed, however,
the deer numbers began to
decrease, and the
four found them-
selves searching
once again for
another place to
keep the tradition
alive. For the next few years, they
tried other hunting grounds includ-
ing Baraga State Forest, Manistique,
and even a lease in Escanaba, but
with many unpleasant experiences
with local hunters, the need to relo-
cate to other hunting grounds was a
recurring issue.
Doug recalls building a make-
shift ground blind late one after-
noon, going to extra measures to
brush it in nicely before he left.
When Mark and Doug approached
a lease in Bark River. This property
featured a luxurious log cabin and
200 acres of private ground to hunt.
After twenty years of hunting from
a wall tent, the idea of taking warm
showers every night and sleeping in
a warm comfortable bed wasn’t too
hard to take. With no reluctance at
all, the group booked their annual
tradition for the second week of gun
season. It wasn’t until they had ar-
rived that they truly realized what an
opportunity laid before them.
Since they began traveling to
the U.P. Mark, Doug, Brian, and
Jerry would start off every trip
by meeting in the Tractor Supply
parking lot. After a short word of
prayer thanking the Good Lord
for the opportunity to hunt, asking
for traveling mercies, and saying a
blessing for the wives at home, the
four would set off on the 6 hour trek
to their newfound paradise. Without
a tent to set up, arriving late in the
evening, tired and sore from the
long trip across the state, was no
longer an issue. The musty cabin
air warmly greeted its guests as the
weary campers entered the front
door. There was no need to organize

IT’S HOG
the blind early the next morning, gear and sleeping bags to optimize
a voice came out of the darkness space, with spacious bedrooms and

HUNTING TIME!
and bellowed, “There’s someone
already here!” Before the last word
was uttered, streak of light flashed
in the air, and a shot rang out. As
Mark and Doug took off running,
they vowed never to hunt that piece
of land again. Although the flame
keeping these camper’s traditions
alive was but a glow, the group was
left with a hard decision to swallow;
forfeit the deer camp tradition, or
look for another alternative.
It wasn’t until the summer
of 2005 that the spark needed to
reignite the flame was found. While
searching online for private hunting
land options in the U.P. Mark found
a fully furnished bathroom, each
could claim his own space and live
however he pleased for the next
full week. With satellite TV, a fully
furnished kitchen, multiple couches
to recline on, and a fully stocked
refrigerator, this was truly a vaca-
tion in a bachelor’s paradise. Having
an established hunting base that
provided electrical hookups both
inside and out even allowed the
group to bring their battery operated
ATVs. Outside of the cabin stacked
neatly against the wall was a pile of
cut and split firewood that could be
used to enjoy any warmer weathered
evenings that may occur throughout

Enjoy
Upland Bird Hunting
CHECK OUT August 15—April 30
OUR BUTCHER
SHOP & LODGE

Your Hunting Spot Since 1988! No Hunting

 License
TROPHY RANCH INC. Required!
Kevin 4076 Spencer Rd. • Ubly, MI 48475 Michigan Association of
Anthony www.trophyranch.com
Gamebird Breeders & Hunting Preserves
Call (989) 658-8634 for info and free tour! For information & listing of our preserves near you go to:

HUNT BIG RAMS $550 www.michiganhuntingpreserves.com

42 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
the week.
As wonderful as this sports-
man’s lodge may sound, the 200
acres it resided on was even more
impressive. The current landowner
took great pride in setting up his
guests for success in attempting to
harvest free range Michigan white-
tails. Three small hay fields sat be-
hind the cabin. Five acres of finely
manicured clover girdled the wood-
line. The Bark River ran through
the property, which provided many
acres of thick cattails and cedar
swamp bedding for the deer herd.
To ensure that his campers would
be able to find all six enclosed box
blinds in the dark, the landowner
cleared lanes with a chainsaw from
the cabin to each one. Each of the
paths that navigated the dense river
bottoms was wide enough to drive
Mark’s three-wheeler through.
This allowed for hanging multiple
treestands on the first day of
arrival without issue. One year,
Mark, Brian, and Doug hunted
during the muzzleloader season.
There was so much snow that walk-
ing to the stands would be almost
impossible. Unbeknownst to them,
prior to their arrival, landowner took
his snowmobile through the trails,
packing down all the walking paths.
Such hospitality cannot be over-
stated!
For the first eleven years of
hunting there, the group actively
monitored trail cameras located
over the major deer trails. These
efforts greatly helped them harvest
many does and smaller bucks over
the course of time, but also allowed
them to pinpoint larger deer move-
ment. Due to the thickness of the
swamp, the bucks would only travel
outside the sanctuary during the rut,
which Mark, Doug, and Brian were
never able to time their trips accord-
ingly with. In 2017, however, the
three hunters would be able to put
their prior knowledge to the test as
they booked their hunting trip for
Lake Leelanau Narrows Resort
Great Northern Michigan Fishing
• Cabin rentals include boat slip
• Onsite bait and tackle shop
Reservations call: 231-994-2108
www.lakeleelanaunarrowsresort.com
the first week of rifle season.
On the third day of their trip,
Brian sat in one of the box blinds
late in the afternoon. As he dozed
in and out in the warmth of the sun,
grinding out a long all day sit, he
suddenly heard pheasant cackle.
The startled Brian jerked upright,
and in doing so, was able to catch
a glimpse of movement through
the underbrush in the cedar swamp.
Having harvested many deer from
this blind over the past decade, he
positioned his rifle out the window,
pointing down a lane the deer would
likely saunter through. As a strict
buck hunter, Brian noticed that this
deer was much larger than most of
the deer previously harvested here.
Peering through the scope at 75
yards, he was able to make out four
points on both sides. Soon after, the
rifle cracked, dropping the group’s
first ever eight-point right in its
tracks. Throughout the course of
the week, Doug would shoot a wide Another successful week in the U.P. for Mark, Doug, Brian and Jerry.
four-point without brow tines as
well as two additional does. Mark and memories with your family and you have taken. When your hunting
too would add to the buck pole, friends wherever you hunt. And if traditions are founded upon the rela-
harvesting a nice six-point and two you know where you came from, tionships made and your increasing
does as well, his first deer in the you can appreciate each and every love and passion for the outdoors,
U.P. in over twenty years. moment in the woods, regardless it’s impossible to be going wrong
Although harvesting a large of antler size or the number of deer direction.n
eight point was a climax for Mark,
Doug and Brian, the group readily
admits that their hunts are not mea-
sured by the size of the deer they
shoot. It’s about the camaraderie;
that’s what memories are made of.
Each deer harvested, whether it be
a doe, spike, or a large eight-point
buck, provides an endless supply of
stories and excitement that will last
for years to come. With each and
every moment shared in the field,
standing over a six-point buck with
your brother never gets old. That’s
what hunting traditions are all about.
Like Mark, Doug and Brian, you
may not know where you are hunt-
ing on any given year, but you do
know where you’ve come from. You
carry your deer hunting traditions
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 43
 How to make a fly rod work for you
By William T. Mangan (FFI) Certified Fly Casting Instructor
Part II:
# 2 Essential Casting Arc

N
ot only do I teach fly casting
here in Michigan, I also teach
fly casting schools out West,
each year. Several times a year I teach
with other Fly Fishing International
(FFI) instructors, from the United
States and other countries, quite often
having met them for the first time
just prior to instructing. One aspect
of the FFI I particularly like is that
the instructors use basically the same
methods and techniques to instruct, as
a result, students are able to compre-
hend the instruction and benefit from
it.
Here are a few terms you should
familiarize yourself with.
• Casting Arc: Rod angle created
by the rod butt as it is rotated during
the cast, from RSP to RSP, with the
rod butt as the pivotal point.
• Translation: The piston like back
and forth motion during the cast.
• Rotation: Rod angle change dur-
ing the casting stroke, bending of the
wrist, elbow or body.
• Casting Stroke: Total distance
the rod tip travels during the cast.
• Total Casting Stroke: casting arc,
translation and rotation combined.
• Trajectory: Upward or down-
ward slanting direction of the casting
plane, relative to the surface (water,
grass etc.) during a casting stroke i.e.
casting high on the back cast and low
on the forward cast.
• Tracking: The path the rod tip
travels (with good tracking the tip
travels in a straight trajectory, not wa-
vering side to side or up and down.
• Creep: Rod rotation during the
pause in the direction of the next cast.
Allowing the fly line to move forward
while line is still extending on the
cast.
• Drift (rotation): Rod rotation
during the pause in the direction of the
current cast.
Author demonstrating shor t line/shor t casting arc, long line/long casting arc.
• Drift (translation): Hand transla-
tion during the pause in the direction
of the current cast.
• Rod Straight Position (RSP):
The location of the rod at the begin-
ning and end of a casting arc when the
rod is straight (unloaded).
• Follow through: It is a second,
separate motion of the rod and casting
arm (without power) which follows
the complete stop at the end of the
forward casting stroke.
• Turnover Point: The point at
which the rod stops, reversing its bend
from one direction to the other, and
converts energy of the bent rod to the
line.
The casting arc is the piece of pie
or V-shaped angle of the rod, specifi-
cally the rod butt, as it travels from
RSP to RSP, which are the start and
stop positions of the cast. Note: At
the end of a casting arc the rod must
be stopped, which starts forming the
loop, the fly will go in the direction
that the fly rod tip was stopped. On
the crisp stop the bent rod will unload,
rod tip straightens to RSP, the tip
counter flexes past the turning point,
continuing with follow through with-
out passing the RSP.
The crisper the stop the tighter the
loop, this applies for both the forward
and back cast.
The casting arc must accommo-
date the rod bend, the deeper the rod
bend the wider the casting arc must
be. Several things affect the rod bend.
The fly line has weight, therefore the
more line you are casting outside the
rod tip, the more the rod will load
(bend). The faster you cast, the more
the rod will load. Also the weight of
the line affects the rod bend. Take for
example a #5 weight fly rod with a
#5 weight fly line. The #5 weight line
has less weight/mass than a #6 weight
line. All things being equal, line
speed and length of fly line outside
the rod tip, with the same fly rod, now
oversized with a #6 weight line the
rod will load more, therefore the cast-
ing arc must be widened with the #6
weight line.
The shorter the amount of line you
are casting outside the rod tip, the nar-
rower or shorter the casting arc must
be. The longer the amount of line
you are casting outside the rod tip, the
wider or longer the casting arc. See
Fig. 1.
In simplest terms remember; if
you’re casting a narrow candy cane
or V-shaped loop, the casting arc (rod
butt angle from RSP to RSP) is correct
for the amount of fly line, and ac-
celeration (speed), in which you are
currently casting the line, the rod tip
will be traveling near a straight line
path (SLP).
If your loops are wide or open, the
rod tip is traveling in a convex (dome)
shape. The casting arc must be nar-
rowed, (rod butt angle RSP to RSP),
think cast a smaller piece of pie!
Most often, especially with begin-
ners, wide loops are caused by too
much wrist rotation. Typically there
should be no more than 20 percent of
wrist rotation used. If you are using
too much wrist rotation, try increasing
the casting stroke length. By increas-
ing the casting stroke length, while
maintaining the same casting arc, the
rod tip will travel farther, which will
better accommodate the rod bend, get-
ting the rod tip to travel closer to an
SLP. Remember you can create rota-
tion with your arm and body instead
of your wrist, this makes it less likely

Author demonstrating three finger wrist rotation with noodle tool.

44 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
you will over rotate.
The angle between the rod butt
and your wrist should be approximate-
ly 3 of your finger widths wide. If
you keep this angle you will not rotate
your wrist too much. There are differ-
ent techniques to aide in stopping to
much wrist rotation, like putting the
rod tip inside your sleeve or tying the
wrist to the rod butt etc. The problem
with these techniques, I believe, is that
it restricts the wrist to much.
If you’re having a wrist rotation
issue try my favorite technique: Pick
up a kids swimming noodle and cut
off about a 4 inch long section, then
trim 2 sides of the noodle section so Author demonstrating drift and follow through.
that the total width is approximately
3 of your finger widths wide. Now Tailing loops are caused from an now been shortened, there is now too forward cast, to eliminate any slack
cast with the section of noodle slightly abrupt application of power, some- much mass/weight of line, to properly that may exist in the system prior to
gripped (not a death grip), between where during the casting stroke. One accommodate the rod bend. reaching the critical starting point of
your wrist and rod butt. Keep just of the most common faults for a tail- Remember when the casting arc is the cast arc required for that particular
enough pressure on the noodle section ing loop is creep, and usually occurs too short for the amount of line out- amount of line. Although very uncom-
so that it stays between your wrist on the back cast. Creep, as already side the rod tip, the rod will load too mon, creep can occur with the forward
and rod butt, without falling out, if stated, is rod rotation during the pause much, causing the rod tip to travel in a cast, easily fixed with follow through.
it falls you opened your wrist up too in the direction of the next cast. For concave path, dipping below a straight See Fig. 3.
much. When applying the “crisp example, on the back cast instead line path, causing a tailing loop. There are several other causes and
stop,” slightly tighten your wrist on of stopping the rod at RSP, holding A good fix for creep, is drift, and fixes for a Tailing Loop, which will be
the noodle. This is the first go-to it there and pausing (waiting for the most good casters drift. After the covered in the final part of this series.
technique I use when students have line to straighten) the caster slowly “crisp rod stop,” move (drift) the rod See you with the next Essential,
a wrist rotation issue and it works. moves, creeps the rod forward, then back, in the direction of the forming enjoy, and tight lines!

SPEND LESS 1
Practice with the noodle section # until stops and waits. The farther the rod loop, which in reality lengthens the Bill is the owner/operator of
theTHE WORLD’S
angle, between SELLING
rod butt and wrist, TRACTOR
creeps forward, HAS
the more slack that casting arc necessary for the particular Mangan’s Cast a Fly, an FFI Certi-
becomes second nature. Fig. 2. is introduced, and the shorter the re- amount of line being thrown. The fied Fly Casting Instructor and
If your loops are tailing, then you maining casting arc will be. Because extra length of the cast gives you a Michigan DNR Certified Fly Fish-

AND GET
must widen the angle of your casting of creeping the distance needed for buffer zone by allowing more dis- ing Guide. Please check out his web-
arc (rod butt angle from RSP to RSP). completing the proper casting arc has tance of translation travel time on the site: www.manganscastafly.comn

SPEND
MORELESS AND
DONE.
GET MORE
NO WONDER DONE.
98% OF MAHINDRA OWNERS
WOULD
NO WONDER 98% OF MAHINDRA
RECOMMEND ONE TO A NEIGHBOR
OWNERS
WOULD RECOMMEND ONE TO A NEIGHBOR
Shown: eMAX 20S

Shop with Us and Save!

$100 Gift Certificate with FREE Case and a
all New Mathews Bows Dozen Bolts with
*Cannot be used on bow purchased all CX Crossbows
98/MOfor
Get monthly payments
Get monthly payments
for as low as
* $
Plano Kids Plano Hard
Hard Bow Case Crossbow Case
as low as $ 5297 W Stoney Corners*Rd
98/
Ellens Equipment
MO
McBain MI 49657
$29.99 $79.99
231-825-2416
www.ellensequipment.com 10% OFF All Food Shoot All Day on
SMITH TRACTOR
*eMAX 20S HST tractor. 3.99% for 84 months or $8,495 cash. For a limited time only. With approved Plot Supplies Indoor Range $5
0000 Street Name .Town Name
credit. Program restrictions may apply. See dealer for details. All offers expire April 30, 2018.
New Expanded Archery Department *Fridays only
000.000.0000 .dealersite.com
810-686-6494 4483 E. Vienna Rd
*eMAX 20S HST tractor. 3.99% for 84 months or $8,495 cash. For a limited
time only. With approved credit. Program restrictions may apply. See dealer for
www.edsarchery.com Clio, MI 48420
details. All offers expire April 30, 2018.
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 45
 TROUT OPENER; YOU READY?
M
y buddy Jack Duffy
and I could hardly
contain our excitement
as we slipped past
swirling holes full of
trout. I begged Jack to
stop and allow me a
few casts. He insisted that we continue to a honey
hole in search of a huge brown trout with a mas-
sive white tipped kype nicknamed “Booger Nose”
by Grayling natives. I thought he had completely
lost his mind and we had no chance of hooking the
legendary brown trout on opening day. I
was dead wrong!
We were fishing the AuSable River
near Grayling where it intersected with the
Kid’s Stream that flowed from the DNR
trout hatchery. Several monster trout were
released by hatchery workers and the big
brutes would roam from the trout rearing
facility to the main branch of the Au-
Sable. It is rugged terrain along the mighty
By Kenny Darwin
AuSable lined with brush and
endless cedar swamps. But the
fish friendly crystal clear wa-
ter is ideal trout habitat where the hatchery raised
models lived to monumental size.
Three canoes had already passed the loca-
tion where Jack knew the big brown was hiding. As
skeptical as I was about Jack’s fishing hole, I knew
his instincts to catch record stream brown trout are
Camping along trout waters is an ideal way
to fully enjoy Michigan’s great outdoors, get
away from modern living and catch wild trout.
46 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
unsurpassed. I tied on a favorite nymph and set my
strike indicator about three feet, so the black fly
would linger just off bottom. Occasionally I would
tug the offering upstream, and then let it sit in the
current in anticipation of a solid strike. Jack was
using a similar presentation and soon we were both
hooking into dandy stream trout.
I had a solid strike and when I set the hook my
rod bent double and we could see a large torpedo
shaped behemoth splash the surface. “That’s him,
you hooked Booger Nose!” Jack yelled. The 36-
inch long finned submarine made a couple rod
pounding head shakes, turned and with a
single sweep of his large tail ripped line off
my fly reel and dashed into the shadows
of a fallen cedar tree with sunken roots. I
could feel my line rubbing on submerged
branches, then it tightened and with a vio-
lent tug the monofilament leader snapped. I
felt sick, heartbroken that I lost the trophy
fish but we continued fishing and soon had
our limit of feisty spring trout. However,
doing battle with a record
book brown trout burned deep
into my memory. Just the sight
of his huge white maw, large black spots and wide
open eyes was an exhilarating trout fishing op-
portunity that happens very seldom. Every winter I
dream about the monster brown, the rushing water
babbling over rocks and sand and the sweet aroma
of aquatic life on a Michigan trout stream and I
can’t wait for opener.
The huge brown was eventually caught by a
Grayling kid and it made the cover of the local
newspaper announcing the trophy catch which
weighed over 18 pounds. Even though many people
catch trout on the AuSable, the colossal trout was
rare, legendary and I was fortunate to have a first-
hand encounter with the monster. Since then I’ve
had many trout outings but the exciting experience
hooked me on trout opener fishing. This is also the
case for many Michigan trout chasers. The lucky
few do battle in close quarters with a behemoth or
smart stream fish that simply kicks butt and serves
up an everlasting bitter pill of humiliation. Most
importantly the battle automatically kicks in an
adrenaline rush leaving you shaking and kindles
everlasting sweet memories that keep you coming
back on opener for more.
Opening day has a strong Michigan tradition
and many trout clubs will come alive long before
opener. There will be card playing among members,
plenty of wild game dinners, cold drinks and expen-
sive liquor as trout anglers rally for opening day.
Most camping sites are full and off road vehicles
will pound winding sand trails to reach distant
trout hot spots. Trout opener has a strong following
and thousands of wader clad anglers take to local
streams regardless of rain, wind, fishing pressure or
high water. Most venture afield simply because it is
the opener.
At times the fishing conditions are ideal and
catches are impressive. Everyone is geeked to be
the first angler to cast to receptive fish that have
not seen a hook since last September. Many times
virgin trout provide unmatched action and slam
offerings but cold weather, snow or frost can put a
damper on hot bites. Over the years I’ve had best
Rainbow trout are known for their beauty and acrobatic fighting ability. Rainbows can be caught
on a variety of flies, lures and bait. Author photos
luck when warm spring rain brings oxygen, nitro-
gen and warming high water.
On many Michigan streams you will need to re-
lease undersized trout or fish that are over 15 inches
long. Check the Michigan Fishing Digest for
regulations, size limits, daily possession limit and
specialized rules regarding the water you intend
to fish. If the trout are snapping it is not unusual to
land plenty in a single outing.
Trout bite a variety of flies, lures and bait come
opener. Dry fly fishermen may have to really work
to get a take but if they switch to sinking midges,
nymphs or scuds their hook-up rate will definitely
increase.
As a kid I spent countless hours fishing for trout
on the Cedar River near Gladwin. I spent just about
every weekend chasing local browns and rainbows
and called the stream home. Man, I dreamed about
those beautiful trout all winter and when opener
arrived I wouldn’t sleep the night before and I’d be
on the water before daylight. I learned a lot about
trout while plying the swift currents of the Cedar,
Sugar, AuSable, Pere Marquette and East Branch
of the AuGres. On small streams I hammered fish
using garden worms dug fresh from grandma’s
chicken coop. My strategy was simple, stalk along
trout streams wearing polarized sunglasses to
pinpoint deep holes and fish holding structure like
fallen trees, boulders, logs and more. I’d sneak side-
stream or upstream from holes and bottom bounce
lively worms in the current. The tactic was deadly
when I’d place a couple #7 split shot two-foot
above an Eagle claw style 181 size #8 hook. But
once in a while I’d see larger fish that ignored my
presentation. Eventually I made the move to casting
small spinners like Panther Martin, Mepp’s and
Rooster Tails. The switch to spinners brought fewer
trout but my overall size increased.
To make a long story short, I began catch-
ing steelhead and found the deadliest tactic was
float fishing using a small micro jig tipped with a
wax worm. So, I began throwing jigs for stream
trout and had fantastic success on Michigan trout
streams. I’d use 1/80 and 1/100-ounce models on
creeks and 1/60-ounce size jigs on slightly larger
streams. While black and white are the hottest
colors going I hand painted some models green or
brown and matched up feathers from wood duck or
hen mallard. The drab colors imitate nymphs and
small crustaceans.
I’d drift the small jigs below a float and the
small profile did not spook wary trout and I could
use the tactic in deep slow moving holes without and you get to witness the savage attack up close.
disturbing skittish fish. Floats drift naturally with If your goal is to catch a big brookie this spring, ya
the current and provide a realistic presentation better find a source for skein.
drawing big trout from shadowy lairs. They have The trick is to get some skein, cut it into bite
an insect profile with meal appeal and trout attack size pieces and roll the bait in 20 Mule Team Borax
them like no other. powder soap. The Borax cures the skein, tightens
I like to walk upstream to likely trout hideouts. the membrane and makes it easier to handle. I
However, I prefer to fish floats by casting side keep king eggs caught in August and put them in a
stream and allow the offering to drift with the cur- Foodsaver plastic bag, suck the air out and freeze.
rent downstream. This means standing upstream Come opener I thaw the skein, cut with scissors
from trout and I learned to avoid wading while and sprinkle with Borax. Hey, cut skein also works
wearing bright clothing that can spook wary trout. for brown trout, catfish and just about any fish that
Sure, in larger rivers you can wade like crazy but swims. Try it!
in most Michigan trout streams highlighted by Like many trout chasers I grew up in Michi-
clear relatively shallow water I found you gotta go gan’s North Country fishing trout on a daily basis.
stealthy with your approach. Back in the 60s I drove a Volkswagen Bug down
You really have to scale down your gear for sand trails and had miles of river all to myself. I be-
fishing micro jigs in creeks. For small streams and came friends with trout club members and enjoyed
creeks, I like a 6 ft. light action rod with fast action fresh fried trout cooked crispy served with wine in
tip and reel spool filled with 8 lb. test. I use a small a log cabin on the banks of the mighty AuSable.
ant size black barrel swivel made by Blackbird set The smell of cedar and pine enhanced the wilder-
18 inches above the jig. The split shot size you use ness environment where I learned the importance of
is determined by the current; for most creeks I like opening day of trout season.
one shot or a couple BB shot above the swivel. I Trout streams are awesome places for family,
like to use fluorocarbon Seaguar line for leader friends and kids, young or old. Most are closed dur-
material. ing winter but come the last Saturday in April they
Back in those days when I chased big trout on come to life as fishermen scurry to test the waters.
the AuSable near Grayling I would roll creek rocks The good news is that streams and rivers will soon
and catch hellgrammites. They bite the heck out of be opening and they are filled with trout. There is
you but if you toss them into trout water you bet- no better time than now to plan a trip. I guarantee
ter hang on to your rod. Duffy and I would spend you won’t be disappointed.n
daylight catching hellgrammites and when the sun
went down we would position above large holes
and drift the black demons into deep pools. Big
river browns would leave the comfort of undercut
banks and snag infested holes and slide into feeding
position above holes and in deep runs. We would
roll the hellgrammites across the sand bottom and
feeding trout absolutely slam this offering. I think
they hit the crustaceans hard as heck because they
don’t want to get pinched.
My grandparents were caretakers on the Mc-
Carther ranch found on the banks of the AuSable
River northwest of Grayling and when I was a kid
I went bonkers over brook trout. I grew up on Sand
Hill Lake found near Hartwick Pines State Park
with the AuSable River in our back yard. I learned
how to catch dainty, beautiful trout on a fly rod
before I was a teen. I tried every fly, bait and stream
fishing tactic to put brookies in my creel. But it
wasn’t until I learned how to catch Great Lakes
trout and salmon that I hit on the hottest brookie
treat going, cut spawn.
You know brookies are robust biters and will
eagerly take a spinner, fly and any bait. But if you
take a quarter-size chunk of fresh salmon or steel-
head roe and put it on a hook and cast it gently
into a brookie stream you will catch trout like you
never dreamed possible. My strategy was to use a
couple #4 split shot 19 inches above a single hook
and hold the egg cluster at the head of holes choked
with brush, snags and undercut banks. Just hold
cut spawn in the current and watch it milk into
the stream and send a strong chemical message to
trout holding downstream. Brookies go bonkers for
the fishy odor and will slip from cover and dash Warm spring weather with bright sun and blue
upstream and pounce on the offering. Sometimes skies can bring crowds of anxious fishermen
two or three trout will race for the egg cluster treat to Michigan’s trout streams on opening day.
WNW NEWS APIRL 2018 47
 TROUT OPENER; YOU READY?
M
y buddy Jack Duffy
and I could hardly
contain our excitement
as we slipped past
swirling holes full of
trout. I begged Jack to
stop and allow me a
few casts. He insisted that we continue to a honey
hole in search of a huge brown trout with a mas-
sive white tipped kype nicknamed “Booger Nose”
by Grayling natives. I thought he had completely
lost his mind and we had no chance of hooking the
legendary brown trout on opening day. I
was dead wrong!
We were fishing the AuSable River
near Grayling where it intersected with the
Kid’s Stream that flowed from the DNR
trout hatchery. Several monster trout were
released by hatchery workers and the big
brutes would roam from the trout rearing
facility to the main branch of the Au-
Sable. It is rugged terrain along the mighty
By Kenny Darwin
AuSable lined with brush and
endless cedar swamps. But the
fish friendly crystal clear wa-
ter is ideal trout habitat where the hatchery raised
models lived to monumental size.
Three canoes had already passed the loca-
tion where Jack knew the big brown was hiding. As
skeptical as I was about Jack’s fishing hole, I knew
his instincts to catch record stream brown trout are
Camping along trout waters is an ideal way
to fully enjoy Michigan’s great outdoors, get
away from modern living and catch wild trout.
46 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
unsurpassed. I tied on a favorite nymph and set my
strike indicator about three feet, so the black fly
would linger just off bottom. Occasionally I would
tug the offering upstream, and then let it sit in the
current in anticipation of a solid strike. Jack was
using a similar presentation and soon we were both
hooking into dandy stream trout.
I had a solid strike and when I set the hook my
rod bent double and we could see a large torpedo
shaped behemoth splash the surface. “That’s him,
you hooked Booger Nose!” Jack yelled. The 36-
inch long finned submarine made a couple rod
pounding head shakes, turned and with a
single sweep of his large tail ripped line off
my fly reel and dashed into the shadows
of a fallen cedar tree with sunken roots. I
could feel my line rubbing on submerged
branches, then it tightened and with a vio-
lent tug the monofilament leader snapped. I
felt sick, heartbroken that I lost the trophy
fish but we continued fishing and soon had
our limit of feisty spring trout. However,
doing battle with a record
book brown trout burned deep
into my memory. Just the sight
of his huge white maw, large black spots and wide
open eyes was an exhilarating trout fishing op-
portunity that happens very seldom. Every winter I
dream about the monster brown, the rushing water
babbling over rocks and sand and the sweet aroma
of aquatic life on a Michigan trout stream and I
can’t wait for opener.
The huge brown was eventually caught by a
Grayling kid and it made the cover of the local
newspaper announcing the trophy catch which
weighed over 18 pounds. Even though many people
catch trout on the AuSable, the colossal trout was
rare, legendary and I was fortunate to have a first-
hand encounter with the monster. Since then I’ve
had many trout outings but the exciting experience
hooked me on trout opener fishing. This is also the
case for many Michigan trout chasers. The lucky
few do battle in close quarters with a behemoth or
smart stream fish that simply kicks butt and serves
up an everlasting bitter pill of humiliation. Most
importantly the battle automatically kicks in an
adrenaline rush leaving you shaking and kindles
everlasting sweet memories that keep you coming
back on opener for more.
Opening day has a strong Michigan tradition
and many trout clubs will come alive long before
opener. There will be card playing among members,
plenty of wild game dinners, cold drinks and expen-
sive liquor as trout anglers rally for opening day.
Most camping sites are full and off road vehicles
will pound winding sand trails to reach distant
trout hot spots. Trout opener has a strong following
and thousands of wader clad anglers take to local
streams regardless of rain, wind, fishing pressure or
high water. Most venture afield simply because it is
the opener.
At times the fishing conditions are ideal and
catches are impressive. Everyone is geeked to be
the first angler to cast to receptive fish that have
not seen a hook since last September. Many times
virgin trout provide unmatched action and slam
offerings but cold weather, snow or frost can put a
damper on hot bites. Over the years I’ve had best
Rainbow trout are known for their beauty and acrobatic fighting ability. Rainbows can be caught
on a variety of flies, lures and bait. Author photos
luck when warm spring rain brings oxygen, nitro-
gen and warming high water.
On many Michigan streams you will need to re-
lease undersized trout or fish that are over 15 inches
long. Check the Michigan Fishing Digest for
regulations, size limits, daily possession limit and
specialized rules regarding the water you intend
to fish. If the trout are snapping it is not unusual to
land plenty in a single outing.
Trout bite a variety of flies, lures and bait come
opener. Dry fly fishermen may have to really work
to get a take but if they switch to sinking midges,
nymphs or scuds their hook-up rate will definitely
increase.
As a kid I spent countless hours fishing for trout
on the Cedar River near Gladwin. I spent just about
every weekend chasing local browns and rainbows
and called the stream home. Man, I dreamed about
those beautiful trout all winter and when opener
arrived I wouldn’t sleep the night before and I’d be
on the water before daylight. I learned a lot about
trout while plying the swift currents of the Cedar,
Sugar, AuSable, Pere Marquette and East Branch
of the AuGres. On small streams I hammered fish
using garden worms dug fresh from grandma’s
chicken coop. My strategy was simple, stalk along
trout streams wearing polarized sunglasses to
pinpoint deep holes and fish holding structure like
fallen trees, boulders, logs and more. I’d sneak side-
stream or upstream from holes and bottom bounce
lively worms in the current. The tactic was deadly
when I’d place a couple #7 split shot two-foot
above an Eagle claw style 181 size #8 hook. But
once in a while I’d see larger fish that ignored my
presentation. Eventually I made the move to casting
small spinners like Panther Martin, Mepp’s and
Rooster Tails. The switch to spinners brought fewer
trout but my overall size increased.
To make a long story short, I began catch-
ing steelhead and found the deadliest tactic was
float fishing using a small micro jig tipped with a
wax worm. So, I began throwing jigs for stream
trout and had fantastic success on Michigan trout
streams. I’d use 1/80 and 1/100-ounce models on
creeks and 1/60-ounce size jigs on slightly larger
streams. While black and white are the hottest
colors going I hand painted some models green or
brown and matched up feathers from wood duck or
hen mallard. The drab colors imitate nymphs and
small crustaceans.
I’d drift the small jigs below a float and the
small profile did not spook wary trout and I could
use the tactic in deep slow moving holes without and you get to witness the savage attack up close.
disturbing skittish fish. Floats drift naturally with If your goal is to catch a big brookie this spring, ya
the current and provide a realistic presentation better find a source for skein.
drawing big trout from shadowy lairs. They have The trick is to get some skein, cut it into bite
an insect profile with meal appeal and trout attack size pieces and roll the bait in 20 Mule Team Borax
them like no other. powder soap. The Borax cures the skein, tightens
I like to walk upstream to likely trout hideouts. the membrane and makes it easier to handle. I
However, I prefer to fish floats by casting side keep king eggs caught in August and put them in a
stream and allow the offering to drift with the cur- Foodsaver plastic bag, suck the air out and freeze.
rent downstream. This means standing upstream Come opener I thaw the skein, cut with scissors
from trout and I learned to avoid wading while and sprinkle with Borax. Hey, cut skein also works
wearing bright clothing that can spook wary trout. for brown trout, catfish and just about any fish that
Sure, in larger rivers you can wade like crazy but swims. Try it!
in most Michigan trout streams highlighted by Like many trout chasers I grew up in Michi-
clear relatively shallow water I found you gotta go gan’s North Country fishing trout on a daily basis.
stealthy with your approach. Back in the 60s I drove a Volkswagen Bug down
You really have to scale down your gear for sand trails and had miles of river all to myself. I be-
fishing micro jigs in creeks. For small streams and came friends with trout club members and enjoyed
creeks, I like a 6 ft. light action rod with fast action fresh fried trout cooked crispy served with wine in
tip and reel spool filled with 8 lb. test. I use a small a log cabin on the banks of the mighty AuSable.
ant size black barrel swivel made by Blackbird set The smell of cedar and pine enhanced the wilder-
18 inches above the jig. The split shot size you use ness environment where I learned the importance of
is determined by the current; for most creeks I like opening day of trout season.
one shot or a couple BB shot above the swivel. I Trout streams are awesome places for family,
like to use fluorocarbon Seaguar line for leader friends and kids, young or old. Most are closed dur-
material. ing winter but come the last Saturday in April they
Back in those days when I chased big trout on come to life as fishermen scurry to test the waters.
the AuSable near Grayling I would roll creek rocks The good news is that streams and rivers will soon
and catch hellgrammites. They bite the heck out of be opening and they are filled with trout. There is
you but if you toss them into trout water you bet- no better time than now to plan a trip. I guarantee
ter hang on to your rod. Duffy and I would spend you won’t be disappointed.n
daylight catching hellgrammites and when the sun
went down we would position above large holes
and drift the black demons into deep pools. Big
river browns would leave the comfort of undercut
banks and snag infested holes and slide into feeding
position above holes and in deep runs. We would
roll the hellgrammites across the sand bottom and
feeding trout absolutely slam this offering. I think
they hit the crustaceans hard as heck because they
don’t want to get pinched.
My grandparents were caretakers on the Mc-
Carther ranch found on the banks of the AuSable
River northwest of Grayling and when I was a kid
I went bonkers over brook trout. I grew up on Sand
Hill Lake found near Hartwick Pines State Park
with the AuSable River in our back yard. I learned
how to catch dainty, beautiful trout on a fly rod
before I was a teen. I tried every fly, bait and stream
fishing tactic to put brookies in my creel. But it
wasn’t until I learned how to catch Great Lakes
trout and salmon that I hit on the hottest brookie
treat going, cut spawn.
You know brookies are robust biters and will
eagerly take a spinner, fly and any bait. But if you
take a quarter-size chunk of fresh salmon or steel-
head roe and put it on a hook and cast it gently
into a brookie stream you will catch trout like you
never dreamed possible. My strategy was to use a
couple #4 split shot 19 inches above a single hook
and hold the egg cluster at the head of holes choked
with brush, snags and undercut banks. Just hold
cut spawn in the current and watch it milk into
the stream and send a strong chemical message to
trout holding downstream. Brookies go bonkers for
the fishy odor and will slip from cover and dash Warm spring weather with bright sun and blue
upstream and pounce on the offering. Sometimes skies can bring crowds of anxious fishermen
two or three trout will race for the egg cluster treat to Michigan’s trout streams on opening day.
WNW NEWS APIRL 2018 47
 GUN CHAT: Winchester 97
Y
ears ago there was a 97s for years. Then, a friend found a
small sporting goods 16 gauge, cleaned it up, and sold it,
store in a neighboring before I knew it was on the mar-
town. I bought fishing ket. I like the 16 gauge and would
tackle and a sheath have that 97 today if I’d known he
knife there. What was moving it. Later, the same guy
brought me into the place most was found a short-barreled 97 “guard
the used gun rack. gun” and we shot it in the yard of
One of the guns that fascinated his farmhouse. That 97 had been
me was a Martini-action single shot used by guards at a local powder
.22 target rifle. I was shooting on the company years earlier. It looked im-
JROTC rifle team then and pressive and still shot well.
wondered how the British But it was collectable and One of John Moses Browning’s designs, the Winchester 97 is harder
rifle would do against the too pricey for me. to find than it used to be. Author photo
Remington 37 and Win- I’d shot a little Cowboy chester 97 12 GA FULL” on the left
here, I haven’t managed to shoot my
chester 52 .22 bolt rifles we Action and knew that 97s side. On the right are MADE IN
97 yet. In the long run, it may not be
used. Unfortunately, I was were approved for the shot- USA, WINCHESTER REPEATING
shot much anyway. I bought it just
too broke to find out. gun stages of the game. I ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN CONN
because I’ve wanted one for years.
The other gun I looked always thought that I might and patent dates that run from 1890
I do plan to shoot it in practice a bit
at was a Winchester 97 find an old 97 cheap, have to 1910. That indicates that the 97
and then take it out for grouse once
pump shotgun. The the barrel shortened,
old hammer gun was
designed by John
By Lee Arten and shoot more
matches. I never
or twice. I might also use it as a foul
weather gun for grouse or deer.
was made in 1910, or afterward.
Except for the plastic “upgrade”
At some point the 97s stock had on the grip and the rubber recoil
Moses Browning. It predated his seemed to have the money when a pad, the gun is steel and walnut
been shortened and a recoil pad was
Model 12 pump by 15 years but the suitable gun was up for sale. throughout. The barrel is 21 and a
installed. Someone also “custom-
97 was made, alongside the Model Then, late last year, a 97 ap-
ized” it with a white plastic cap on half inches long so it may have been
12, until the 1950s. The 97 in the peared at a local pawn shop. The
the pistol grip. The gun shows finish cut down. That probably helped
rack was a long-barreled duck, or price was right, so I put some
wear and evidence of some rough make it less expensive than others
pheasant, gun. I couldn’t afford it money down in December and paid
use. The bore is in good shape, how- seen in recent years.
either. the gun off in February, 2018. Be-
ever. The barrel is marked “Win- I started deer and small game
After the store closed I saw few cause of cold and the depth of snow
hunting with a single barrel shotgun
with a hammer. After a while I got
Open Mon thru Fri good at cocking the hammer as the
9am-7pm • Sat 9am-6pm stock moved toward my shoulder.
Sun 9am-4pm The 97 will need to be handled
1380 N. Cedar the same way when I hunt with it.
(517) 699-0597 As soon as I can in the spring I
(½ Mile South of Holt, 127 to
Licensed Shooting Preserve intend to pattern the shotgun with a
Cedar St. exit, North 2 Miles) Mayville, MI variety of birdshot loads. I have 12
Over 2,000 Guns in Stock (989) 843-6576 gauge buckshot and slugs and will
try it with them too.
INDOOR GUN RANGE • Dogs with Guides Available • Clubhouse A guard gun with a short full-
• Open 7 Days A Week • Bird Cleaning choke barrel would be unusual but,
Hand Guns, Long Guns, Muzzleloading,
• Fields With Excellent Cover & • Morning And Afternoon
Reloading Supplies, Ammo, Archery & Accessories back in the day, gun manufacturers
Safety Fields In Between Hunts
• CASH FOR USED GUNS • INDOOR GUN RANGE would take and fill orders that were
• Birds Released After You Arrive • Extra Birds Shot are Free
• GUNS, NEW & USED • CCW COURSE • GUN SAFES (In Stock) • No Gun Or Membership Fees • Gift Certificates Available
out of the ordinary. They would take
Full Line of Gunsmithing • NRA Certified Instructors large orders or make one single gun.
Located 17 Miles North of Lapeer All it took was money. All it took
Full Line Archery & Fishing Tackle • Live Bait & Tackle Available was money, and a lot of time, for me
2018 GUN & KNIFE SHOWS
www.jankspheasantfarm.com to find an M97 too.n
For information call (517) 676-4160
Mar. 24-25 . . . . . . 300 Tables . . . . . . . . Cadillac May 5-6 . . . . . . . . 700 Tables . . . . . . . Birch Run
Mar. 30-31 (Fri.-Sat. Only).....900 Tables......Novi May 19-20 . . . . . . 300 Tables . . . . . . Cheboygan
Apr. 6, 7, 8 . . . . . . 440 Tables . . . Lansing/Mason
May 26-27 . . . . . . 275 Tables . . . . . . . . Harrison
Apr.14-15 . . . . . . . 450 Tables . . . . Grand Rapids
Apr. 21-22 . . . . . . 275 Tables . . . . . . Kalamazoo June 2-3 . . . . . . . 900 Tables . . . . . . . . . . . Novi
Apr. 28-29 . . . . . . 400 Tables . . . . . . . . . Monroe June 23-24 . . . . . 450 Tables . . . . Grand Rapids
Sport Shows Promotions, INC.
www.migunshows.com • sportshows@gmail.com
P.O. Box 404 • Mason, MI 48854
Ph: (517) 676-4160 • Fax: (517) 676-6824
Frankenmuth Jackson Lansing/Mason Ingham
Credit Union Manistee Little River Casino ORS Field House Port Huron
Event Center Intersection 500 Thomas Edison Pkwy County Fairgrounds
3055 Shirley Drive
I-75 @ Exit 136 US.31 & M-22 Jackson, MI
Blue Water Convention Center 700 E. Ash
Grand Rapids Novi
Cheboygan Ice Arena Dort Federal Event Cntr.
3501 Lapeer Rd. 4 Mile Rd Showplace Suburban Collection Showplace
480 Cleveland 1025 Four Mile Rd. N.W. Grand Rapids
Flint, MI 48503 46100 Grand River
Monroe County Alpena (New Location) Kalamazoo County Cadillac: Wexford Arena Harrison
Fairgrounds 751 Woodward Ave. Expo Center Clare County Fairgrounds
MBT Expo Center Alpena, MI 49207 2900 Lake St. 131 & 13th St. 418 Fairlane

48 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS

 BOAT SMART: Going Fishing?
B
y the time you read could even be totally unlawful.
this issue, March will If you are taking your own boat
be finishing up and and have not attempted catching the
April will be quickly big ones, take along a sturdy net. If
approaching. The mes- you intend to fish in salt water, you
sages were out there will need good rinse equipment to
– don’t go out on the ice, it’s just too flush your motor. You will want to
risky. The report of guys abandon- be sure to wash down your rods and
ing their ice shanty and ATV after your trailer. Salt water can ruin just
breaking through the ice near Sebe- about any fishing equipment and
waing probably convinced dissolve your trailer, if it’s a
everyone it was time to fresh-water brand, in a very
hang it up. Huron County short time.
Sheriff Kelly Hanson’s It can be tough to deter-
comment after he flew over mine all you may need to
the popular ice fishing area take. One thing to con-
was, “A person to go out sider if you haul your own
there right now is really boat is road service. Extra
pushing the envelope.” No, tools and trailer parts are a These markers guide you along what is known as “the bowling al-
I’m not the Sheriff’s cam- good idea, perhaps even a ley,” leading to the ocean from one of the many tributaries. Be very
By Capt. Fred Davis
paign manager, spare tire for mindful of each aid as you cruise along. Capt. Fred Davis photo
(I quoted him the trailer. A
in last month’s couple cans of rals. When you chose one, check to If you travel across a border to
article also). I just appreciate that Fix-A-Flat may come in handy and be certain they are licensed. Make fish, by land or trolling by water,
he looks out for everyone’s safety takes little room. Be sure to check sure they have all the required safety once again, do your homework. You
on the waterways. your first-aid box to be sure it is equipment including good PFDs will want to abide by that country’s
It’s still early, however, to well stocked. aboard. If you’re in a southern state, laws which may be different. Check
launch your boat and get on the big Chartering may present the best cover up with long sleeves and a out how to obtain emergency help if
water so maybe you should head option because everything is fur- hat to avoid sunburn. You may need required, that may differ also.
south for a fishing vacation. You nished. Look up the charter busi- something extra to keep you cool or Most of all have a great time and
will, however, need to do your ness online or ask around for refer- shed water depending on conditions. hope you haul in some big ones!n
homework. Are you taking your
boat or will you rent one? Perhaps
you will book a charter boat or plan
ULTIMATE FISHING ROD TIES
on visiting a friend who has a boat.
It’s a good idea to study the laws
and rules for the area you plan to
visit before you go. In some areas
if you fish on a charter boat, you do
not need a license. You will want
to know about what limits apply to • Adjustable
the various fish you will seek; size • Locking
and numbers. There could also be • Floats
restrictions on bait and tackle to be • Quick Release
used. Available in over
Fishing in an area totally un- 700 stores
known can present many variables
such as; can you use dip nets or drag
nets for shrimping. On some bodies
of water, spear guns are prohibited fishingbutler.com
at certain times of the year and 905-807-3221

 THE RINGNECK

 RANCH, LLC.
4 Birds $85 per gun Upland Game
Wing Shooting in Jackson County, MI
TOWER SHOOTS
On Select Weekends! RINGNECKS - Dogs & guides available.
See Web For Rates and Dates Excellent cover. Full and half day hunts. No membership
fees. One hour or less from Ann Arbor, Battle Creek,
Affordable pheasant hunting on 317 acres of Lansing, the Indiana and Ohio State lines.
switch grass, dwarf-milo sorgrum, and corn.
Traditional Ringneck Pheasants • Extra birds shot are free. Gift certificates
Morning or afternoon hunts. • Bird Cleaning is available. AVAILABLE.
Excellent dogs and guides - $60 per 1/2 day.
Brass or Steel shot loads only.
www.affordablepheasanthunting.com
Walkiewicz Farms 517-524-8294
6115 Chapin Road • Deford, Michigan 48729 FIELD HUNTS AND
EUROPEAN STYLE SHOOTS
1-989-683-2749 www.theringneckranch.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 49
 Conservation, hunting groups,
DNR discuss Wildlife Recovery
Meeting with Congresswoman Dingell takes place at the Detroit Zoo...
O
n a rainy Friday,
February 23, Con-
gresswoman Debbie
Dingell (MI-12) met
with leaders of con-
servation and hunt-
ing organizations and key staff with
the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources at the Detroit Zoo, joined
by members of the zoo’s conserva-
tion staff, to discuss the bipartisan
Recovering America’s Wildlife
Act, which Dingell co-sponsored
with Republican Congressman Jeff
Fortenberry (NE-01) in December.
Congresswoman Dingell and the
group toured the rehabilitated bald
eagle exhibit, directly across from
the bison exhibit – perhaps Amer-
ica’s most iconic wildlife species,
and two of its greatest successes
in saving species from extinction.
After the short tour, the participants
sat down for a round table
discussion about the legisla-
tion.
“More than a third
of species are at risk of
extinction right now, so we
have a crisis,” said Mike
Shriberg, executive direc-
tor of the National Wildlife
Federation
Great Lakes
Regional By Drew YoungeDyke
Office.
“This bill is so important because I
think it’s the message we need: bold
action.”
“The legislation takes $1.3 bil-
lion, annually, of existing revenue in
oil and gas royalties,” said Ding-
ell, “and it gives it to the states so
that they can implement their state
Wildlife Action Plans. We’re not, at
the federal level, telling people how
to spend money, where to spend
money – the states are already doing
these plans. The states are the clos-
est to knowing what’s going on in
their states, what species are endan-
gered, what we need to focus on.”
Each state has an existing
Wildlife Action Plan which lists
its species of greatest conservation
need, and specific steps it plans to
take to conserve and recover those
species, In Michigan, this includes
animals like bald eagles, com-
mon loons, moose, sturgeon, and
monarch butterflies which, Dingell
noted, have declined by 90% in the
past 20 years.
“Michigan’s Wildlife Ac-
tion Plan is really about proactive
50 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
conservation to keep species off the
(endangered) list, but it also allows
for some reactive conservation,”
said Amy DeRosier, Wildlife Action
Plan Coordinator for the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
(DNR). “These plans are really
developed and ready to hit the road
running.”
After a round of introductions
from each participant, much of the
discussion turned to how the Re-
covering America’s Wildlife Act
can leverage sportsmen’s dollars to
improve both game and nongame
habitat.
“The sporting community – at
least so far as I can speak for them
– is really enthusiastic about the
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
When we look at all the different
interrelationships between game
and sportfish species and nongame
wildlife, you know we
don’t manage habitats
in silos and they aren’t
compartmentalized spaces.
These are places that are
being used and utilized by
both game and nongame
species,” said Dan Eich-
inger, executive director of
Michigan
United Con-
servation
Clubs.
“Historically, conservation
funding – at least in the state of
Michigan and this is generally true
across the country – has been born
primarily by the hunting and fishing
community through the excise taxes
on our sporting arms and equipment
through (the Pittman-Robertson
Act) and (the Dingell-Johnson Act),
but also through our hunting and
fishing licenses as well. But even
though we have these wonderful
60- and 80-year old legacy funding
programs, the demand and the need
for doing wildlife conservation has
far outpaced the rate of growth in
those funding sources,” Eichinger
continued.
“More hunters are aware, but
sometimes they’re not, about how
much conservation is driven by the
investments they make,” said Brent
Rudolph, conservation policy direc-
tor for the Ruffed Grouse Society.
“And we will often claim a real
great contribution by doing that,
but the fact of the matter is there’s a
mechanism there that collects those
funds and directs them in ways that
Left-right: Amy DeRosier (DNR), Brent Rudolph (Ruffed Grouse So-
ciety), Mike Shriberg (National Wildlife Federation), Congresswoman
Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Dr. Paul Buzzard (Detroit Zoo).
they end up benefitting from, lots of
other wildlife have benefitted from
and been recovered because of that
funding mechanism and because of
that work. But there’s still far more
work that needs to be done, which
is testified by the fact that we have
these Wildlife Action Plans.”
Michigan has used the limited
funding it’s had for its Wildlife Ac-
tion Plan to work with partner agen-
cies and organizations to recover
species including ospreys and the
Kirtland’s warbler.
The Detroit Zoo, for example,
worked with the DNR and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service on numer-
ous bird projects through the years,
according to Dr. Paul Buzzard, field
conservation officer for the Detroit
Zoo. “We were involved with the
reintroduction of osprey to southern
Michigan and we still work with
that species on some monitoring and
banding efforts. We also work on
the piping plover recovery, which is
a federally endangered species.”
“We have a demonstrated suc-
cess of working with rare species,
and I’ll use the Kirtland’s warbler as
an example,” said Dan Kennedy, the
DNR’s endangered species coordi-
nator. “We’ve been able to take that
species from the brink of extinction,
to now they’re considering de-list-
ing that species.”
The Recovering America’s Wild-
life Act received an introductory
hearing in the House Committee on
Natural Resources - Public Lands
Subcommittee on February 15.
While no vote was held on the bill
that day, the roundtable participants
were optimistic about the opportu-
nity provided by the legislation.
“The bill is very exciting,” said
DeRosier. “I think that there’s a
real great opportunity, and there are
partners that are ready and willing
to help us move forward and really
take the next big step in conserva-
tion across the country,”
“This is a really nice way to
extend the purchasing power of our
sporting license dollars and be able
to bring in a new funding source to
deal with what we all acknowledge
is a huge backlog of need,” said
Eichinger.
“The state Wildlife Action Plans
are exciting; they’re there, they’re
ready to go, and with the configura-
tion of resources this way, it’s going
to have major impacts on species
across the board,” said Shriberg.
That, of course, is if the legisla-
tion receives the momentum it needs
from additional legislative co-spon-
sors to move in Congress.
“There’s very little going to
the Congress that’s bipartisan on
anything, but I think there’s an op-
portunity to get this through,” said
Dingell.n
 CSOUTDOORS.COM
PAmerica’s
(989) 569-3482 / service@pcsoutdoors.com
Oscoda, Michigan 48750
PCS
Feather Light

Trapping and Predator Hunting Outlet

Dog Proof
Coon Traps

Made by John
Chagnon & Family
989-569-3482 • service@pcsoutdoors.com
Lenon Lure’s - $6.00/1 oz. • $17.00/4 oz. Bottle Traps by the Dozen Sale (1/2 Dozen Divide by 2)
$12.00 Each Bridger Coil Spring Traps Duke Coil Spring Traps
$125.00/Dz.
“On the Market Every Year Since 1924”
1.65 Coil Traps 5 3/8”..............................$95.00 1 Coil Spring Trap 4”..............................$61.60
Feather Light •Beaver Super All Call•Bobcat Nature Call•Bobcat Super 1.65 Coil OS Traps 5 3/8”.......................$96.00 1 1/2 Coil Trap 4 3/4”..............................$59.18
Dog Proof 1.75 Coil Traps 5 1/8”...............................$96.00
All Call•Coyote Nature Call•Coyote Super All Call•Coyote 1 3/4 Coil Trap 5 1/4”............................$84.75
Trap. Amer- 1.75 Coil OS Traps 5 1/8”.........................$97.00 1 3/4 Coil OS Trap 5 1/4”.....................$87.75
ican Made Super Range All Call•Fisher Super All Call•Fox Nature 2 Coil Traps 5 7/8”..................................$126.00 1 3/4 Coil 4x4 Trap 5 1/4”..................$105.75
DP Trap. Pull 2 Coil OS Traps 5 7/8”.............................$127.00
All Call•Fox Super All Call•Fox Super Range All Call•Marten 1 3/4 Coil OS 4x4 Trap 5 1/4”...........$107.75
Trigger only. 3 Coil Traps 6 1/2”....................................$148.00 2 Coil Spring Trap 5 1/2”.....................$92.95
Cast Super All Call • Mink Nature Call • Mink Super All Call • Mink Super Range All Call 3 Coil OS Traps 6 1/2”.............................$149.00 2 Coil OS Trap 5 1/2”............................$96.95
Aluminum
•Muskrat Super All Call•Otter Super All Call•Raccoon Super All Call 5 Coil 4x4 Traps 7 1/2”............................$264.00 3 Coil Spring Trap 6”............................$117.95
& American 2 Dogless Coil Traps 5 1/8”..................$137.00 3 Coil Spring OS Trap 6”...................$122.95
chain & swiv- •Otter Super All Call•Raccoon Super All Call 3 Dogless Coil Traps 5 1/8”.................$164.00 3 Coil Rubber Jaw Trap 6”................$139.95
els. Truly a
PcsOutdoors Offers - AuSable Brand “Superior”Two Handled MB Coil Spring Traps 4 Coil Spring 4x4 Trap 6 1/2”..........$140.95
new standard
Largest Lure Selection Anywhere Fleshing Knife 4 Coil OS 4x4 Trap 6 1/2”..................$142.95
of Traps! MB-450 FH 4 3/8”...............................$182.00
-AuSable Brand Knives are Designed & Made in the U.S.A.-
Blackies Blend, Carmans, Cavens, Clint Locklear,
has partnered with Dexter Russel to MB-450 OS 4 3/8”...............................$183.00 Duke Body Grip Traps
Cronks, Deep South, Dobbins, EJ Daileys, Eplers, PcsOutdoors
Duke DP bring you the ultimate in fleshing knives. MB-450 Fox 4 3/8”..............................$184.00 110 Body Grip Trap 4x4”......................$39.95
Coon Traps Forsyth, Grawes, Hawbaker, Jameson, Jim Tate 120 Body Grip Trap 4x4”.....................$69.20
Wolfen Lures, John Grahams, Kains Lure, Leather 13” blade with one edge sharper than the other for MB-550 RC-CL 5 1/2”.......................$203.00
fleshing your animals. It features textured, slip-re- MB-550 RC-OS 5 1/2”” .....................$204.00 155 Body Grip Trap 5x5”.......................$76.16
Creek Lures, Leggett Lures, Lenon Lures, Mark June,
Mark Steck, Milligan Brand, Night Owl, O’Gorman sistant, easy-to-clean, polypropylene handles and MB-550 4x4-CL 5 1/2””.....................$219.00
160 Body Grip Trap 6x6”.....................$86.24
Lures, Papio Creek, Johnny Thorpes, an impervious blade-to-handle seal provides MB-550 4x4-OS 5 1/2””.....................$219.00 220 Body Grip Trap 7x7”....................$107.28
the utmost in carbon steel. Made
Miranda Lures, Welch’s Lure MB-550 4x4-CL 5 1/2””.....................$219.00 280 Body Grip Trap 8x8”...................$149.95
of DEXSTEEL™.
All Lures, Baits, Books & DVDs MB-650 OS 6 1/8””.............................$209.00 330 Body Grip Trap 10x9”.................$179.90
$11.00 Each Ship for a Flat Rate of $5.90!!! MB-750 BEAV. 7 1/2””........................$279.00 Duke HD Wire Stretchers
ONLY
$89.95 Each Trap Dyes & Waxes #1 Muskrat $19.95/6 or $34.95/Dz.
AuSable Brand Pack Baskets Beaver Knife “Ontario” Maple Burl Handle Andy Stoes Speed Dip Qt.................$10.95 #4 Coon & Fox $38.95/6 or $68.95/Dz.
$115.00/Dz.
W/Harness Don’t be fooled by the great looks White Trap Wax 1lb.................................$3.25 #5 Coon & Fox $39.95/6 or $74.95/Dz.
American Maple Hardwood Veneer - Made in USA of this knife it’s functionality and White Trap Wax 5lb..............................$14.95 #6 Coyote &Cat $48.95/6 or $84.95/Dz.
Coon Caps If you’re serious about balanced body make it a knife Red Logwood Trap Dye 1lb................$3.85
Protects your exploring the outdoors, you Duke Cage Traps - Most Affordable
that cannot be matched by other Red Logwood Trap Dye 5lb..............$18.25
bait from the need a serious pack basket. industry standard skinning knives. Dakotaline Trap/Snare Dip Qt..........$11.95 #1109HD (26x9x9)..................................$27.16
elements such Handmade with unwaver- This knife has U.P. Quality all over #1112HD (30x12x12)..............................$46.54
as snow and ing attention to detail, this it. $130.00 Each. Pete #1114HD (36x15x14)...............................$72.78
rain. line is expertly woven with a Watch for additions in the near future to our
(Dog Proof tighter more intricate style. Our Great Lakes Knives Series. Rickard AuSable Brand Meat Fed
Bait Anti Theft AuSable Brand Pack Basket Fresh Quality Animal Urine
Cap) Collection is the trapper’s perfect companion. Animal Pint Quart 1/2 Gallon Gallon
$12.00/Dz -20”...$52.95 -16”...$47.95 Yellow Trap Wax 1lb..........$3.79 Powder Anti-Freeze..............$2.95 Red Fox $5.50 $9.50 $14.00 $25.00
Yellow Trap Wax 1lb..........$16.35 11” Fox Gloves..........................$5.95 Coyote $6.00 $10.00 $16.00 $27.00
Look for the full selection of sizes on Mink $6.00 $10.00 $16.00 $27.00
PcsOutdoors.com. Crystal Logwood Dye.....$5.39 14” Gauntlet Gloves..............$6.95
Raccoon $6.00 $10.00 $16.00 $27.00
Liquid Logwood Dye.......$4.95 31” Insulated Gauntlets.......$32.00
Bobcat $8.00 $15.00 $22.00 $39.00

AuSable Value Stake Package
Bundle Pack
AuSable Brand Trap Anchors
Cable Stakes are perfect for
trapping everything from coon
to coyote. AuSable Trap Anchor
Cable Stakes are 1 - 1/2 Wide
x 3 -1/2 Long providing a large
surface area that will stay where
you put them. The AuSable
Brand Trap Anchor Cable Stake
has been used with years of success all around
North America. 15” Length Cable
Package includes 2-Dozen AuSable Brand Cable Stakes Rebar
& AuSable Magnum Cable Stake Driver!
Price : $29.95 - Savings of $12.00
Quality Trapping Tools & Accessories AuSable Brand T Handle Stake Driver
AuSable D Grip Handle Metal Trowel 26” $23.95 •AuSable Standard Metal
Trowel 26” $18.95 • AuSable Trapper’s Digging Sod Hoe $18.95 • Trap Hammer Drives AuSable Brand Stake Ends &
4 1/2lbs $17.95 • Metal Dirt Sifter $12.00 • MB CP Swivel $6.95/Dz. - 100 Pack Wolf Fang Style ends! 12.00 Each
$45.95 • AuSable Aluminum Setting Tongs (160-1000) $17.95 - Mini’s $9.95 AuSable Brand Trap Anchor Stakes
Classic Video by Herb Lenon DVD John Chagnon DVD Series Only $5.25 Dozen or
Learn trapping today...from a famous This 3 DVD set series has Canine, $39.95 Per Hundred
master of the past! DVD includes: Coy- Water Trapping & Fur Handling DVDs.
ote, Fox & Wolf Trapping. 55 Minutes. Come along with John as he traps the AuSable Anchor 15x3/32” Cable Attached....$12.95
$39.95 Each woods of Northern Michigan. $29.95 ea. AuSable Anchor 20x3/32” Cable Attached...$14.95
Rebar & T-Bar Stakes by - AuSable Brand Products -
Stakes 18x3/8” 18x1/2” 24x3/8” 24x1/2” AuSable Brand Rotating Trap Drags
$17.95 $19.95 $21.95 $23.95
T-Bar $18.95 $20.95 $22.95 $24.95 $23.95/Dz. Coyote & Bobcat Drags 3/8”
Prices Reflect Price per Dozen $14.95/Dz. Fox & Raccoon Drags 1/4”

AuSable Trapping Products & AuSable Fur Products

Can be Found at the Following
Michigan Retail Locations
IR
AuSable™ Fur Products
E S W E L COME Men’s & Women’s Quality Winter Outerwear!
I NQU
Earmuffs, Headbands, Mittens, Scarves, Coats, Blan-

DEALER
kets, Trooper Hats, Teddy Bears, Tanned Decorative
Pelts, Fur BackPacks, and much much more!

We also do custom work. Send us your professionally tanned fur & we

will turn it into a beautiful accessory for you. Select from any of items
above and we will make it.
Free Shipping in U.S.A. (989) 569-3480 www.ausablefur.com
Michigan Sportsman
Essexville, MI

J & K Fur Exchange FireBird Shooting Supply has over 500 New & Used Guns in Stock.
Whittemore, MI 48770
Speciality Guns, Ammunition, Reloading Supplies. Pistols, Rifles,
PcsOutdoors - 5911 Mission St. Shotguns, Muzzleloaders. Michigan Certified FFL Dealer!
Randy’s Gun Shop Oscoda, MI 48750. (989)569-3482
in Bad Axe service@pcsoutdoors.com 1000’s of Products Available ---www.firebirdshootingsupply.com

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 51

Fisherman’s Digest...By John Bergsma
Fish the east
side this spring
Alpena’s early season
There are many spring opportu-
nities in the Alpena region that you
need to experience if you have never
taken advantage of them before.
When the walleye season opens on
the last Saturday in April, Hubbard
Lake has some great walleye action
that remains strong until June. The
fish are hungry after the spawning
season and fall victims to crankbaits
trolled after dark in the shallows.
Rapalas, Reef Runners, and Smith-
wick Rogues are just a few of the
baits I have found to be successful
in taking limits this time of year.
Usually the fish are found in less
than 15 feet of water, but it doesn’t
take them long to move deeper. If
you aren’t having much luck shal-
low, gradually work out deeper
and keep the lures close to bottom.
Trolling parallel to the shoreline will
produce the best results since most
with your host
n B e r g sm a
Jo h Now on...
Fox Sports Detroit • Sundays 7am
Visit our website and find out about . . .
• Destinations • Fishing Reports •
• Our Show • Cooks Corner •
52 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
of the fish aren’t suspended and usu-
ally you can keep your lures closer
to bottom with this technique.
Another world class fishery in
Alpena is the lake trout fishing in
the spring months. Large aggres-
sive Lakers prowl the shallow water
all along the shoreline and can be
caught as soon as the ice leaves the
harbor and lake. To target them ef-
fectively you should use a combina-
tion of downriggers, diver rods, and
planer boards together. These fish
eagerly take many different styles
of offerings such as spoons, cranks,
cowbells, and paddles/dodgers with
spin-and-glos.
Another deadly combination is
copper/lead-core and a spoon behind
an inline board. 100-150 feet of
copper or 5-7 color lead-cores are
deadly in the 40-60 feet of water.
Running spoons near bottom re-
sembles an easy meal and they can’t
seem to resist this method. Running
deep diving cranks off boards can
produce limits of these hard fighting
fish in the shallow water. Variations
of chrome, chartreuse, and purple
cranks have caught many of these
early spring fish.
Another phenomenal fishing
With nearly 17
miles of public
access, the
lower Au Sable
offers some
of the state’s
finest steelhead
fishing!
opportunity is the Atlantic salmon
fishery. This fishery remains strong
from ice out until June in the shal-
lows. These spectacular fighters
can be caught very shallow if you
target them like steelhead. They like
smaller offerings and a much faster
speed than lake trout. I have caught

limits of these fish when trolling
smaller spoons high in the water
column. Keep your baits in the top
15 feet regardless of the depth and
troll no less than 2.5 mph.
Some of my favorite baits are
the Flintstone slammer spoons, and
number 7 and number 9 Rapala
floating minnows. I run a combina-
tion of body baits and spoons to see
which offering they prefer that day,
and then switch according to their
mood. These fish are known for
their incredible fight and excellent
table fare, not to mention they are
one of the most highly prized trophy
fish. If you are looking for a great
local guide, contact my friend Steve
Hubert at Chum Bucket charters.
He’s simply the best in the area.
Steve’s number is: 989-6574646.
Au Sable River
One of the overlooked trea-
sures of Northeast Michigan is
the mighty Au Sable River. With
nearly 17 miles of public access,
the lower Au Sable offers some of
the state’s finest steelhead fishing.
From mid-March through April you
can experience an adrenaline rush
hooking up with a fresh run steelie.
Hot shotting with plugs to floating
spawn bags, many of these chrome
beauties can be had. The best way
to experience this fishery is to hire
MICHIGAN E-BIKE
Distributor and Retailer for QuietKat Bikes and Trikes
Importer of our own MI-E bike Electric Bikes
No Smell - No Noise - No Sweat
48 Volt Hunter
(Reg. $5,800)
$3,000
Clearance Price
ONLY 3 LEFT AT
THIS PRICE
For More Info E-mail
Paul@MichiganQuietKat.com
269.325.3163
Stevensville, MI
The author with a pair of
dandy Lake Erie walleyes.
a licensed captain to guide you on
the river. If you are looking to go
out with a great local guide, my
friend Gene at Calypso Sportfish-
ing Charters has served the area for
over 30 years. For a “Top Notch”
trip contact Captain Gene Kirvan,
989-739-2313, email calypsochar-
ters@yahoo.com or visit the website
www.calypso2.com.
Lake Erie
Excellent hatch rates from 2014
and 2015 have produced millions of
legal-sized fish ranging from 18 to
22 inches that will be available for
the catching. Early season ice-out
will start with a majority of the
females spawning around the reef
complex in the Western Basin with
the males to follow. Jigging these
reefs early in the season will pro-
duce some very quick limits and a
lot of fun for those that wish to fish
that way.
Another great way to target the
larger females going to and return-
ing from the spawning grounds on
the reefs is to troll. Troll the outer hours on top of the reefs spawning, depending on the depth of the fish
range markers (A, B, C & D cans) mostly a night before moving off to will produce a great opportunity to
covering water ranging in depth of deeper waters. Here they will rest catch a fish of a lifetime! A lot of
15 to 20 feet. and feed to recover from the spawn anglers fish Ohio where 28 inch-
Post-spawned females seem before they start their slow trek back plus walleye will be there to catch!
to like to retreat to 20 feet-plus of east. Trolling stick baits such as One of the better captains in the area
water after spawning. The female Reef Runners, Bandits, Husky Jerks, is Captain Kelly at www.eriegard-
walleye typically spends only a few P10’s, and more, both high and low lesssportfishing.com.n
Oakland-Macomb
Friends of NRA
Dinner Banquet
Why walk when
you can Ride! April 17th • 5:30PM
Palazzo Grande
Gets your Trophy out 54660 Van Dyke • Shelby Twp.
of the Woods!
Join our efforts to support
the shooting sports:
Women on Target, High School
Trap teams, 4H and more!
MI-E 35 750Watt
$1,799.00
Ted Nugent autographed guitar 2018 Gun/knife of the year
Raffles, Games, Auctions, Dinner and More!
Reserve your seats online at:
friendsofnra.org/eventtickets/Events/Details/23?eventId=55209
MI-E 25 MI-E 15 Folding
$1,450.00 Bike 750Watt Or email FriendsNRA5@gmail.com for a paper form
$1,450.00 Questions?......Mike 810-523-5014
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 53
 SPRING TURKEY TACTICS
T
urkey season opens for
Michigan hunters on
April 23. In some areas,
mostly in the north, the
season will run
through May 6,
with some areas having the
season split into two hunts.
Some southern units will
have four hunts, with some
extending to the end of May.
As usual, the “Guaranteed
License Hunt” will be most
of the month of May, starting
on the 7th and end-
ing on the 31st with By George Rowe
no quota.
Many serious hunters will have
done their scouting by now and, hope-
fully, have some birds located. There
are a number of traditional techniques
for hunting turkeys in the spring. Here
are three of the most promising.
Roosted Birds
This was the favorite technique
used by locals when I hunted in New
York and Pennsylvania, in those years
before we had good numbers of tur-
keys in Michigan. The hunters would
go out and walk the rustic two-tracks
or hike over the ridges, in the half-
light of evening, using some sort of
shock-gobble call. An owl
hoot or a tom turkey call was
used to try to elicit an answer
from a roosted gobbler. If
there was an answer, the
hunters crept close, but not
too close, looked around the
area carefully to locate some
landmarks and made plans
to return in the morning. We
didn’t have hand-
held GPS units then
but that would be a
great tool now, for this hunting.
Before first light the next day, the
hunters were back at that same spot,
having carefully moved in to about
150 yards of the roosted birds before
taking a seat next to a couple of big
trees. As the light started to seep into
the woods, the first quiet clucks were
heard from the tree-tops and then a
couple of thunderous gobbles broke
the dawn. Over the next 20 minutes,
turkeys were heard all over the area,
with both hens and toms announcing
their presence.
About 30 minutes after first light
but before sun-up, the first furious
fluttering was heard as a turkey flew
down from the roost. In the next few
minutes, a dozen more hit the ground
and their get-together talk grew even
louder. The hunters added their own
calls, giving subtle hen yelps on a
slate call with each being answered
by at least three gobblers. Within 10
minutes, the first gobbler strutted into
view, followed by two more. The
hunter already had his shotgun braced
on his knees and as the gobbler strut-
ted into range, he touched the trigger
and claimed a fine big bird.
The Feeding
Strutting Area
Careful scouting will often locate
an area that attracts turkeys every
day. It could be a hidden crop field or
perhaps a small meadow surrounded
by woods. It will almost always be a
clearing of some sort and it is likely to
be well away from the usual haunts of
man. When turkeys venture out into
the open, they want a safe place. The
birds will have been roosted near by,
perhaps no more than a few hundred
yards from the feeding/strutting area.
At dawn, they will fly down, get
together and walk directly to the field
or clearing.
The hens will feed actively and
the gobblers will trail along, strut-
ting and showing off but perhaps not
feeding at all. If there are any jakes
(young males) in the group, they will
also trail along, hoping to get in on
some mating activity, to no avail.
They will forego feeding in vain. The
best bet for the hunter, in this situa-
tion, is to get between the roost trees
and the clearing and begin to call just
as the birds fly down, hoping to attract
a tom before the hens gather them
up. If the birds get together immedi-
ately, however, the hunter may lose
his chance. If the gobbler is following
the hens as they walk to the clearing,
all is lost, at least for the moment. It’s
very difficult to call a tom away from
the hens.
The hunter can still succeed, with
the application of a little patience. Af-

Superior Game Ranch

Route 3 Box 163 • Cornell, MI 49818
Incredible U.P. of Michigan
Hunting Opportunities
Private farmland in south Marquette
County Michigan, fully guided
bow and firearm hunts in
hunting preserve for: Elk,
Whitetail Deer, Buffalo, Wild Large Russian Boar
Boar, Red Stag & Fallow Deer. Hunts Available!
Manufacturer of Fine Northern Hardwoods
Firewood
Buyers of by the Semi-Load
Standing Timber
SFI Trained Buyers of Standing Timber
Loggers and Forest Consultants
SFI Trained Loggers and Forest Consultants
Trophy Elk,
Wildlife andandTimberland Improvements
Wildlife
Select
Select
Timberland Improvements
Cutting; Clear
cutting; Clear cutting
cutting
Trophy Red Stag &
Mechanized logging and handcutting
Mechanized logging and handcutting Trophy Fallow Deer
Contact
Contact one
one of our buyers
of our buyerstoday
today Lodging available for
brad@billsbylumber.com or jim@billsbylumber.com groups of up to 12 people.
brad@billsbylumber.com
(616) 634-1522 or or (989)
jim@billsbylumber.com
544-9342 Still Booking Hunts!
2725 Larch Rd. • Harrison, MI 48625
(616) 634-1522 or (989) 544-9342
2725 Larch Rd.
www.billsbylumber.com Call (906) 238-4482 or

FIREWOOD BY T H E
Harrison, MI 48625
www.billsbylumber.com (906) 630-1617
SEMI-LOAD
for more information and reservations.
www.superiorgameranch.com
54 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
ter the birds have fed (and that could
take two hours or more), they will
head back to the woods probably right
along the same route they used at
dawn. If the hunter is stationed along
that route, it might now be possible to
call a gobbler away from the hens and
I have done that a number of times.
On one occasion, I had my decoy set
out along the edge of the field when
the birds first came into the field.
They ignored it at the outset but,
two hours later, as they were headed
back to the woods, they spotted the
decoy and one by one, the gobblers
split off and raced to the decoy, with
the hens trailing along behind. I was
no longer behind the decoy, having
moved through the woods to the spot
at which the birds had entered the
field. After the birds milled around
the decoy, they walked directly to
my location and the first big gobbler
that sauntered into the woods fell to
my shotgun. Even if you are unable
to call a gobbler that has been out in
a field with feeding hens, you have a
good chance of ambushing the birds
as they return to the woods and that
has worked more often than calling to
a mixed flock.
Run and Gun
If you fail to call in a bird at a
location you have scouted and it is
getting toward mid-morning, it might
be time to hit the road, provided that
you know of other spots that might
hold some birds and you have permis-
sion to hunt there. The plan now is to
THE FRIENDS OF NRA PROGRAM HAS BEEN OPERATING
NATIONWIDE SINCE 1992. DURING THE PAST 25 YEARS, OVER
$3,561,632 HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN! AS
THE PROGRAM GROWS – SO DOES WHAT WE GIVE BACK!
2018 BANQUET DATES
DATE EVENT CITY
3 /22/2018 HOWELL
3 /24/2018 MONROE
4/7/2018 SALINE
4/13/2018 ITHACA
4/14/2018 UNIONVILLE
4/17/2018 SHELBY TOWNSHIP
4/19/2018 COMMERCE TWP
4/20/2018 GRAND RAPIDS
4/28/2018 LAWRENCE
5/4/2018 WESTLAND
Please consider attending an event in your area, or joining a local
FNRA committee to help support this great fundraising program!
Visit www.friendsofnra.org/mi For more information.
To find a committee near you; to help start a committee; or to request a grant application
and put this money to good work contact your Michigan NRA Field Representative.
drive or walk around to a number of
likely locations and call at each for a
few minutes, to see if you can get a
response. Usually, by mid-morning,
the gobblers have already checked out
the hens in their immediate area and
they will be looking for additional
female companions.
This situation becomes even more
likely in mid-May when the hens are
tending to eggs in their nests. The
hens will leave the males after an
hour or two and go to their nests. The
gobblers immediately start looking for
other hens and are really susceptible
to calling. At this time of the morn-
ing, they can sometimes be spotted
walking along energetically, covering
ground, looking for hens. You may
have to try a number of spots in your
“run and gun” activity until you locate
a bird but this tactic works more often
than not.
During one of those endeavors,
we walked way back to a distant ridge
that sometimes held birds. We reached
the top and let loose a short series of
yelps that was answered immediately.
We put out a couple of decoys, backed
up to a big tree and called some more.
That bird must have come all the way
at a dead run because he was there in
just a couple of minutes and he stayed
for dinner.
There are many tactics and
techniques that will put a spring
gobbler in the freezer and they all
promise suspense, uncertainty and
hunting thrills as well as a very spe-
cial meal.n
DATE EVENT CITY
5/5/2018 MUSKEGON
5/11/2018 CHEBOYGAN
5/12/2018 SAGINAW
5/17/2018 LUDINGTON
5/18/2018 HILLSDALE
6/1/2018 ALPENA
9/12/2018 BAD AXE
9/15/2018 LANSING
9/27/2018 SAULT STE. MARIE
Do buck fawns play an
active role in the rut?
By John Ozoga
D
eer living on the fertile farmlands of the Midwest enjoy
mild climate, excellent year-round nutrition, and live at low
densities with minimal social stress. These superb living
conditions permit both sexes to exhibit an advanced rate
of physical and behavioral maturity, and many achieve
puberty when six
to eight months old.
One-half, or in some cases
more, of doe fawns com-
monly breed on the intensively
farmed lands of Illinois, Ohio,
Iowa, and southern Michigan.
Although a few of them may
breed during late November,
peak breeding for doe fawns
normally occurs between De-
cember 10 and 15, while some
may even breed in January and
February.
In other words, most doe
fawns breed after intense hunt-
ing pressure has removed 70 to
90 percent of the adult bucks.
How can this be?
Certainly, if some doe
fawns achieve puberty and breed in any given population, some buck
fawns must also attain sexual maturity. For example, 40 percent of 130
buck fawns collected in southern Illinois in January 1966, were judged
to be fertile. Likewise, sexual maturity and successful mating by buck
fawns has been documented with captive deer in New Hampshire.
Apparently, sexual maturity among buck fawns is a function of body
weight and age. In order for them to become fertile when six to eight
months old, they must be born early – during late May or early June --
enjoy a high level of nutrition, and grow to weigh 90 pounds or more by
December. These are the individuals that commonly develop polished
button (“infant”) antlers.
Buck fawns that develop “infant” antlers are presumably physiologi-
cally advanced, and probably fertile, because elevated blood levels of the
male hormone testosterone are required for antler maturation (mineral-
ization). Since antlers are secondary sex characters, antler envelopment
at fawn age in deer is considered indicative of their attainment of sexual
maturity.
The frequency of “infant” antlers among free-ranging buck fawns is
unknown. However, in our studies at the Cusino Wildlife Research Sta-
tion, in Upper Michigan, pen-raised male fawns fed unlimited nutritious
artificial diets routinely grew “infant” antlers by December 12. Like-
wise, 84 percent of the male fawns raised in the Cusino square-mile deer
enclosure grew button antlers when provided with unlimited supplemen-
tal feed. Most achieved antler calcification and polishing during early
December, but some as early as late November, and all cast their small
antlers before March.
While doe fawns readily bred in our small pens at Cusino, it is
noteworthy that only one of 208 doe fawns in the larger enclosure bred
during the same period. Thus, a high incidence of “infant” antlers among
male fawns may not necessarily indicate frequent breeding among
female fawns in the same population. Even when well-nourished, social
and density stress may suppress breeding activity among young subordi-
nate females.
What role buck fawns might play, if any, in the whitetail’s breeding
season is unknown. Normally, the domination by older bucks would pre-
vent buck fawns from mating. In areas like southern Michigan, however,
at least in the past, antlered bucks were heavily exploited by hunting
during November, yet thousands of doe fawns bred during December
and later, when mature bucks are scarce.
Likewise, it’s important to recognize that whitetail does in estrus
respond more favorably to bucks close to their age. Given what we know
about the situation, one must wonder if buck fawns play a significant
role in breeding doe fawns during late stages of the rut.n
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 55
Spoons for Walleyes
Try this highly efficient trolling method…By Michael Veine
A
nglers will see some
prime walleye fishing
with spoon trolling
programs at two of
Michigan’s wall-
eye hot spots: Both
Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay had
huge walleye year classes in 2015
and those fish will be in the “prime
eater” size range this spring and
summer. When walleye numbers
are especially high, like they will be
this year, then trolling with spoons
becomes an especially deadly fish-
ing method. Read on for some
leading edge savvy for catching tons
walleyes with this highly efficient
trolling method.
I’m not sure what happened
in 2015 in the walleye spawning
world. In Michigan, 2015 brought
us a rainy, windy spring with high
waters in the tributaries. We also
had several big blows on the reefs
during and right after the spawning
season. Nonetheless, for some rea-
son, walleyes in both Lake Erie and
Saginaw Bay pulled off a bumper
crop of walleye recruitment and they
seemed to survive well since then
too. In 2016 there were millions of
cigar sized walleye pestering anglers
and in 2017 fishermen saw nonstop
action on both lakes from walleyes
in the 13 to 14 inch range, which
were legal to keep with Saginaw
Bay’s new 13 inch size limit, but
were throwbacks on Erie.
This year though those fish will
The author’s favorite spoons are Moonshine Walleye Spoons.
56 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
be several inches bigger and anglers
on both waters will be inundated
with those 2015 fish along with
larger ones too from previous year
classes. It’s that super abundant
2015 year class though that will
drive some behavioral changes in
all the walleyes swimming in those
two bodies of water. When walleye
numbers are super high, they tend
to be a lot more aggressive feed-
ers overall and they also suspend a
lot more during the middle of the
day chasing baitfish nearer to the
surface. When walleyes are super
active and up higher in the water
column, that’s when spoons really
shine as an ultra-effective walleye
lure, especially when water tempera-
tures are above 60 degrees.
Anglers will certainly still be
able to catch walleyes using spin-
ner/crawler rigs or crankbaits and
when the walleyes are holding tight
to bottom, spinners may be the best
bet. The problem though is that
other non-target fish (junk) also
seem to have had bumper crops in
2015 too. White bass, white perch,
sheephead and other non-desirables
will tear up crawlers mercilessly
and even crankbaits can get fouled
with junk fish at the slower trolling
speeds necessary for those baits to
catch walleyes consistently. Spoons Spoon programs seem to work best when water temperatures are
though are best trolled at higher
speeds at or above 2.0 mph. Those
higher than 60 degrees. That’s when walleyes become very active.
zippier speeds tend to leave junk walleyes have no problem chasing muss and fuss.
fish in the dust, so to speak, but down those fast moving targets. These days, two of the most
Faster trolling speeds also allow popular ways to take spoons down
anglers to cover a lot more water to the active fish is with either
more efficiently so you can better diving planers or weighted lines.
find those heavy concentrations of Weighted line is typically lengths
active fish. Most spoon programs of leadcore line, sinkers or both.
are also quicker and easier to set I’ve used leadcore line plenty back
than anything else I’ve tried and in the olden days and just hate the
are certainly a lot less messy than hassle of using this method. I only
crawlers. Trolling efficiency is at its use sinkers with a spoon program
peak when running spoons. when fishing very shallow water or
There are lots of different ways when walleyes are right up near the
to troll with spoons. The simplest surface less than 10 feet down. With
way is to just long line a couple rods any type of weighted line technique,
out the back of the boat with sinkers attaining any degree of precision
to take them down to the fish. Most depth control is very difficult since
savvy anglers though don’t seem the lure running speed will greatly
to be too concerned with simplic- influence the diving depth.
ity and opt for a maxed out trolling For the brunt of my spoon fishing
spread using planer boards. A spoon for walleyes I prefer Luhr-Jensen
spread is so efficient to administer Jet Divers. I’ve tried several dif-
that many anglers really saturate ferent brands of round, mini-discs
the water with a dozen or more and found Jet Divers to be superior.
lures. I fall somewhere in between They dive down straighter, reach
though and usually just run an eight certain depths with repeatable ac-
rod spread with six Church Tackle curacy much better and they float
Walleye Boards and two more flat up on the surface when setting
lines set right behind the boat. Eight them back. If they sink to the bot-
rods have always been plenty of tom then they can become fouled,
firepower for me to put limits in so that is especially important in
the box on most days with minimal certain areas where weeds or rocks

can snag lures. Jet Divers also hit
consistent depths at a wide range
of trolling speeds too, so you can
speed up or slow down without
affecting the running depth of the
lures much. When fish hit a spoon,
a large enough Jet Diver will tend to
plane the fish to the surface so they
can be more easily reeled in without
tangling the other lines, which is
another big plus.
My preferred walleye line is 15
pound test, clear monofilament. For
Jet Divers I attach the snap swivel
to the front end of the diver. A five
jobs are super tough and can with-
stand hundreds of walleye attacks
and still look good. One more thing
that I love about spoons is that they
don’t get all tangled up in the net
like harnesses and crankbaits, and
the faster you can box a fish and re-
deploy the lure the more fish you’ll
likely catch. Very efficient indeed.
The author offers fishing charters
specializing in Saginaw Bay wall-
eyes. Contact Mike Veine at www.
trophyspecialists.com or 734-475-
9146.n
FISH FOR STOCKING
Trout, Bass, Pike, Walleyes, Catfish, Pan Fish,
Minnows for Fast Fish Growth, Hybrid Bluegills.
• FARM PONDS • FISHING CLUBS • LAKE OWNERS
(Fish available during the months of We also sell pond supplies...
April, May, October and November)
Fish may be picked up in small pond dyes, chemicals,
quantities or we deliver by truck. aeration and fish pellets!
Imlay City Fish Farms, Inc.
Fish Consultants
1442 N. Summers Rd., Imlay City, Michigan 48444
Phone: (810) 724-2185
www.ImlayCityFishFarm.com

PLANT YOUR HABITAT

foot leader of 14 pound test fluoro-
carbon line connects the Jet to the
spoon. That leader has a snap swivel
on each end. If the spoon does not
already have one, a split ring may
need to be installed to increase lure
action.
I mainly use 030 Jet Divers, IT'S TIME TO ORDER YOUR TREES AND SHRUBS
THROUGH YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATION DISTRICT!
which theoretically will take a
lure down 30 feet with 100 feet of
line set back. That diving depth
though is highly impacted by the Place Your Order Now For Spring Planting Projects. We Offer Evergreens,
line diameter. That 30:100 formula
was derived decades ago using Hardwoods, Fruiting & Flowering Tree and Shrub Seedlings and
old-fashioned 17 pound test mono
line. Today’s premium lines though
Transplants. Great Pricing Too! Purchase your plant stock from Michigan
are much thinner than those from Conservation Districts and support Local Conservation Programs!
CREATE
yesteryear. The 15 pound line I use
has about the same diameter of 10
www.michigantrees.org
WILDLIFE
pound test line from decades ago,
so with 030 Jet Divers, I can hit 30
foot depths with as little as 80 feet East Lansing, MI 48823
HABITAT Phone: 517-324-5274 • Fax: 517-324-4435
of line set back. I have found though
that even if I do let out 100 feet of
line, those 030 Jet Divers seem to
max out at about 33 feet down. I ALCONA CD DELTA CD IONIA CD MISSAUKEE CD
have used 040 Jets before, but it 320 S. State St. 6822 US 2-41 & M35 431 Swartz Court, #300 6180 West Sanborn Road, Ste 3
seems like once walleyes are hold- PO Box 291 Gladstone, MI 49837 Ionia, MI 48846 Lake City, MI 49651
Harrisville, MI 48740 906-553-7700 616-527-2620, Ext. 101 231-839-7193
ing deeper than 30 feet, then spoons 989-724-5272 www.deltacd.org www.ioniacd.org www.missaukeecd.org
really don’t work all that well. In www.alconaconservation.org
DICKINSON CD JACKSON CD MUSKEGON CD
that case, it’s time to break out the ALLEGAN CD 420 N. Hooper Street 4735 Holton Road
211 West Ganson Street
crawlers. I basically tested 030 Jet 1668 Lincoln Road (M-40 North) Kingsford, MI 49802 Ste 200 Twin Lake, MI 49457
Divers in various water depths from Allegan, MI 49010 906-774-1550, Ext. 101 Jackson, MI 49201 231-828-5097
269-941-6162 www.dickinsoncd.org 517-784-2800, Ext. 5 www.muskegoncd.org
15 to 35 feet and can feel them hit- www.allegancd.org
ting bottom with a hand held rod. EATON CD www.jacksoncd.org
NEWAYGO CD
ARENAC CD 551 Courthouse Drive, Suite 3 940 West Rex Street
That’s how I developed my own
4490 W. M-61 Charlotte, MI 48813 KENT CD Fremont, MI 49412
personal dive chart for my setup. 517-543-1512, Ext. 5 3260 Eagle Park Drive NE 231-924-2060, Ext. 5
Standish, MI 48658 Grand Rapids, MI 49525
I can use 030 Jet Divers from 10 989-846-4565 Ext. 5 www.eatoncd.org www.newaygocd.org
616-942-4111, Ext. 4
to 30 feet down by simply adjusting www.arenacconservationdistrict.com GENESEE CD www.kentconservation.org OAKLAND CD
the setback. Oftentimes, we will tar- 1525 North Elms Road
BRANCH COUNTY CD Flint, MI 48532 7150 Dixie Highway, Ste 2
get fish all over the water column at 387 North Willowbrook Road 810-230-8766, Ext. 3
LEELANAU CD Clarkston, MI 48346
Suite F 8527 E. Government Center Dr. 248-922-7822
the start of the trip and then zero in www.geneseecd.org Ste 205
Coldwater, MI 49036 www.oaklandconservationdistrict.org
on the hottest setbacks and patterns 517-278-2725, Ext. 5 GRATIOT CD Suttons Bay, MI 49682
for non-stop action. www.branchcd.org 301 E. Commerce Drive 231-256-9783 TUSCOLA CD
Ithaca, MI 48847 www.leelanaucd.org 1075 Cleaver Road
There are dozens of different Caro, MI 48723-1166
CALHOUN CD 989-875-3900 Ext. 3009
brands of walleye trolling spoons 13464 Preston Drive www.gratiotconservationdistrict.org LENAWEE CD 989-673-8174, Ext. 3
on the market these days and most Suite 120 1100 Sutton Road www.tuscolacd.com
of them will catch fish, but some Marshall, MI 49068 HILLSDALE CD Adrian, MI 49221
269-781-4867, Ext. 5 588 Olds Street, Bldg 2 517-263-7400, Ext. 3 VAN BUREN CD
are just better than others. I prefer www.calhouncd.org Jonesville, MI 49250 www.lenaweeconservationdistrict.org 1035 East Michigan Avenue
spoons in the 3” range for walleyes 517-849-9890, Ext. 3 Ste A
CHIPPEWA LUCE www.hillsdalecd.org Paw Paw, MI 49079
and colors with purple and pink MANISTEE CD 269-657-4030, Ext. 5
hues seem to be consistent produc- MACKINAC CD HURON CD 8840 Chippewa Highway www.vanburencd.org
2847 Ashmun Street 1460 South Van Dyke Bear Lake, MI 49614
ers. One odd thing though is that Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 Bad Axe, MI 48413 231-889-9666
walleyes on Erie seem to prefer 906-635-1278 989-269-9540, Ext. 3 www.manisteecd2.org
www.clmcd.org www.huroncd.org
spoons with gold backs, while MARQUETTE
Saginaw Bay’s eyes’ usually prefer CLINTON CD INGHAM CD COUNTY CD
spoons with silver backs. My favor- 2343 North US-27 1031 West Dexter Trail 780 Commerce Drive, Ste C
ite spoons are Moonshine Walleye St. Johns, MI 48879 Mason, MI 48854 Marquette, MI 49855
989-224-3720, Ext. 3 517-676-2290 906-226-8871, Ext. 102
Spoons as they have some super www.clintonconservation.org www.inghamconservation.com www.marquettecd.org
productive patterns and the paint
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 57
ORV safety education instructors needed
Candidates must attend training in Roscommon or Escanaba...

T
he MDNR is seek- academies is mandatory, there is no
ing instructors for its charge for instructor candidates. En-
off-road vehicle safety rollment is first-come, first-served.
education program. Dates and locations are:
This volunteer op- • Friday, April 27, through
portunity allows ORV Sunday, April 29, at the Ralph A.
enthusiasts to pass along their love MacMullan Conference Center in
and knowledge of the sport to new Roscommon. The deadline to apply
riders, while teaching them safe and for this academy is Friday, April 20.
responsible ORV operating skills for • Friday, June 8, through Sun-
an enjoyable riding experience. day, June 10, at the U.P. State Fair-
All instructors must attend a grounds in Escanaba. The deadline
three-day academy to learn poli- to apply for this academy is Friday,
cies and procedures, classroom June 1.
management and teaching concepts. Anyone interested in becoming a
Instructors will have the chance to certified ORV instructor must:
experience various aspects of ORV • Be at least 18 years of age.
operation, including basic hands-on • Be a high school graduate
operational skills on off-highway or possess a graduate equivalency
motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, diploma.
utility-type vehicles and winching • Possess a current, valid driv- The DNR is accepting applications from qualified individuals inter-
recovery equipment. er’s license. ested in ser ving as volunteer instructors for its off-road vehicle
Current instructors also are • Have no felony convictions. safety education program. MDNR photo
encouraged to attend and brush up • Have no misdemeanor convic-
on their knowledge and skills, and tions within the past three years. review and may result in the rejec- check will be conducted once a
to become familiar with changes in • Have no convictions that tion of any application. completed application is submit-
equipment. resulted in the revocation of ORV • Maintain a high moral, ethical ted. Successful applicants then
There are two instructor acad- privileges within the last five years. and mental character. will be contacted to schedule their
emies and each class is limited to Other convictions of natural re- Applications are available by attendance at one of the mandatory
24 students. While attendance at the source law violations are subject to calling 517-284-6055. A background instructor academies.n

n Je n ki
ED'S NEW DVD
ULTIMATE
CORN-BASED
DEER KILL PLOTS L e ns
HUNT CLUB
Takes you to a new concept of deer attraction.
Deer will freely enter your kill plot during daylight due
to the security and endless variety of forage deer prefer

Send Check or Money Order

ORDER Made Out to:
YOUR Edward Spinazzola
COPY 815 Sleeth Rd.
TODAY! Commerce, MI 48382

New DVD ~ $25 includes shipping Custom Gun Dog Training English Setters
Name
Address
City State Zip
4989 Abbot Road • Reading, MI 49274
Phone #
Hunts Conducted On

ULTIMATE LAND MANAGEMENT FORAGE & COVER SEED FOR MICHIGAN PLOTS
Tony Lapratt and associate Chris Pierson
with new associate Ed Spinazzola
HARD-FLYING PHEASANTS
The Brassica Blend provides both summer feed and winter forage. The Ultimate Blend is
an excellent mix that includes both annual and perennials. The Wildlife Cover and Forage Blend
is designed to keep deer on your property by providing them a bedding area and food in close

In Good Cover
WEBSITE -- tonysulm.com proximity. Go to deerattraction.com for a full list of ingredients and detailed planting instructions.
(Including Blues)
ULTIMATE DEER FOOD PLOTS OR CALL ED AT 586-784-8090 FOR MORE INFORMATION
BOOK & DVD Seed Cost # Bags Total We Don’t Fool Around,
GUN DOG TRAINING
Michigan Brassica Blend
ORDER YOUR (6lbs) $25

EVERY SUNDAY
Michigan's Ultimate Blend
COPY TODAY (6lbs) $35
Wildlife Cover and
Send Check or Money Order
Made Out to:
Forage Blend (6lbs) $50
Your Dog & You Will Be Great (Lunch Provided)
Shipping and handling – $11.00 first bag $7.00

QUALITY ENGLISH
“DEER ATTRACTION” Lower Peninsula Michigan each additional bag
Book $25 then mail to: Shipping and handling – $12.00 first bag $8.00
Upper Peninsula and the each additional bag
DVD $20 Deer Attraction
SETTERS
rest of the Continental US
Includes 815 Sleeth Rd. TOTAL
REMIT BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER
Commerce, MI 48382 MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
Ed Spinazzola • 24150 31 Mile Road, Ray Twp, MI 48096 From 47 Years Of Selective Breeding
Check the Following: Book @ $25 each DVD @ $20 each WEBSITE: deerattraction.com Farm Raised, Exposed to Gun Fire and on Pheasants
Name Name

CALL NOW! 517.283.1559

Address Address
City State Zip City State Zip
Phone # Phone #

58 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS

 Master Angler DNR releases new Lake Michigan
recipients increasing Fisheries Management Plan
It was another great year for Michigan fishing,
as 2,176 anglers representing 24 states and Canada The MDNR Fisheries
submitted catches recognized in the state's Master Division has completed the
Angler program - a significant increase over 1,807 agency’s first Lake Michigan
Master Angler fish in 2016. The program, in place Fisheries Management Plan.
since 1973, recognizes large fish caught by recre- The plan can be found online
ational anglers and has more than doubled since through a partnership with
2014. Michigan Sea Grant at mdn-
Of the entries accepted by the Michigan Depart- rlmfmp.wordpress.com/.
ment of Natural Resources, 1,250 were in the catch- The plan sets long-term
and-keep category while 926 were in the catch- vision and goals for the Lake
and-release category. A total of 266 anglers received Michigan fishery and estab-
certificates for fish placing in the top five lishes a process to continu-
for both categories. ously involve the public to The MDNR’s recently released Lake Michigan Fish-
Here is a breakdown of the most popu- seek alignment on shorter- eries Management Plan will help the DNR and its
lar 2017 Master Angler entries by species: term strategies and tactics. par tners manage the lake's world-class fisheries.
• 228 bluegill • 121 pumpkinseed sunfish This char ter boat leaves Grand Haven for a day of
The plan was developed Lake Michigan fishing! MDNR photo
• 118 smallmouth bass • 111 crappie through engagement with
• 95 rainbow trout • 93 freshwater drum focus groups, advisory committees, DNR staff and public meetings.
• 90 channel catfish • 62 cisco (lake her- “We’re ready to start implementing the plan and to continue to
ring) • 59 lake trout. receive feedback from stakeholders,” said Jay Wesley, the DNR’s Lake
Master Angler entries for 2017 in- Michigan Basin coordinator. “As we work together to manage Lake
cluded two new state records, a 27-pound Top: Dolores Jones caught-and- Michigan’s world-class fishery, it’s important to have a common vision
bigmouth buffalo caught on the River Rai- released this Master Angler red ear and to be adaptive in our approach to managing it. We will annually
sin (in Monroe County) by Roy Beasley of sunfish through the ice in 2017. report on outcomes during the fall of each year and will also make ad-
Madison Heights and a 6.36-pound cisco Bottom: Michael Paoletti with his
lake whitefish caught in 2017. justments to the plan based on public feedback and ecosystem changes.”
(formerly known as lake herring) caught The plan focuses on five goals:
in Lake Ottawa (Iron County) by Michael Lemanski of Florence, Wiscon- (1) Healthy aquatic ecosystems and sustainable fish populations, (2)
sin. Providing diverse fishing opportunities, (3) Strategic resource partner-
Submissions for the 2018 Master Angler program already are being ships, (4) Strategically focused assessment and decision support tools,
accepted, and will be until Jan. 10, 2019. To download an application, and (5) Strategic funding of plan priorities.
visit michigan.gov/masterangler. Anglers are encouraged to submit ap- For more information, contact Jay Wesley at 269-685-6851, ext. 117
plications as they catch their fish, rather than holding applications until or wesleyj@michigan.gov.
the end of the year.

TROPHY SPECIALISTS
FISHING CHARTERS
CHARTERS STARTING AT ONLY $400 - GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!
Captain Mike Veine targets the hottest action at the best
places, during peak trophy producing periods.

Erie’s Trophy
 Walleye’s

Charter Directory
Early spring on Lake Erie
serves up the best trophy
walleye fishery in the world.

 From ice-out in March

through April, Lake Erie
offers outstanding trophy
walleye action.

DETROIT RIVER WALLEYE FISHING Saginaw Bay

Experience some of the best
walleye fishing in the country.
This year’s walleye run is going
to be one of the best in years.
DON'T MISS OUT.
Reserve your date today.
Morning & afternoon trips
(5 hours) available.
Up to three people.
313-319-0100 or Greatlakesbassfishing.com
Walleye
All through spring and
summer our charters
produce consistant,
worldclass fishing.
Catch limits there are very
generous too. Both eaters
and lunkers are
typically caught on most
charters for the perfect mix.
734-475-9146
www.trophyspecialists.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 59
 Looking back to the ‘Dodge Lodge’
For over a decade, I searched for photos and text
of the historical Dodge Brother’s Lodge known as
the Munuskong Hunting and Fishing Club. Here’s
a looking back at John and Horace’s property in
the eastern Upper Peninsula.
Over time, the Dodge Brothers,
John and Horace, of Detroit auto-
mobile fame, were recognized as
self-made millionaires, well known
for their accomplishments as well as
for their risqué attitude and playboy
appearance. It was well
regarded that Detroit’s ‘old
money’ society folk looked
down on them and neither
the Dodge Brothers nor
their spouses, ever attained
status among the Motor
City’s high society.
Gossip followed the
pair as they were well
By Betty Sodders
known for their
daring, their
rudeness, their
fast driving and their hunting and
fishing abilities. To the latter, they
purchased a large tract of waterfront
acreage along the marshy Munus-
cong Bay shoreline of the St. Mary’s
International River, 15 miles east
of the Village of Pickford in the far
eastern end of Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula.
Native Americans called the
area, ‘the Bay of Rushes.’ Ar-
cheological ‘digs’ have produced
evidence of early man‘s presence
throughout these landholdings. For
that matter, the entire St. Mary’s
River shoreline including the Islands
of Drummond, Lime, St. Joe’s
(Canadian), Neebish and Sugar, all
bear a wealth of evidence towards
historical Native American occupa-
tion.
The brothers wanted to provide
Horace and John Dodge with gentlemen hunters at the Munuskong.
60 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
an up north, hunting/fishing mecca
for their friends and associates. John
and Horace Dodge more or less cre-
ated their own society. They were
extremely loyal to their friends; as
were their buddies towards them... a
genuine mutual admiration
society! Research indicated
that the lodge was always
crowded with high-spirited
friends of the Brothers
Dodge!
The Lodge…bore the
name, ‘Munuskong (Spell-
ing: Also known as ‘Mu-
nuscong) Hunting & Fish-
ing Club.’ An
unnamed news-
paper clipping,
described the lodge and grounds in
the following manner: “Munuskong
Lodge property held a main build-
ing, the lodge itself, plus a smaller
cottage for the caretaker and five
guest cabins that recorded as being
built somewhat later. All the build-
ings were of native white pine and
cedar siding that had been rubbed
with linseed oil; finally finished
with creosote for added protection
from the adverse Upper Peninsula
weather.
The inside of the lodge was
basically white pine, varnished and
stained, holding a beamed ceiling in
the living room; floors sported bird’s
eye maple. Bookcases held glass
doors to protect the many books
that were placed on shelves within.
The lodge was filled with famous
Stickley (twig) furniture that was
The Dodge Lodge complex at Munuskong Bay, Chippewa County includ-
ing three of five cabins, lodge, and boathouse. Carolyn Person, member
Chippewa County Historical Society, Bruce Township Historical Society and
Pickford Area Historical Society photos.
John’s preference. Besides the main
or ‘great’ room, there was also a
dining room and kitchen as well as
four bedrooms.
In the large kitchen area, sup-
plies were kept in a tin-lined locker
that prevented wild critters from
thievery when the lodge was va-
cant. And of course, there was extra
storage space for a generous liquor
supply. It was said that both Horace
and his younger brother, John, were
heavy drinkers. Various reports drew
attention to the fact that Horace
had red hair and a temperament to
match.”
Munuskong Hunting & Fishing
Club’s original founding members...
“James R. Hayes, Oliver Nelson
Gardner, Fred Postal, George Stroh,
George Osius, John Dodge, Horace
Dodge and A.A.Schantz.”
An assessment of wildlife on
Club acreage…taken from the
December 1927 issue of The Wilson
Bulletin, written by the former club
caretaker, K. Christoffersen: “Deer
and bear in large numbers and can
be seen frequently. Bear, moose,
foxes, coyotes, bobcats, skunks,
beaver, mink, weasels, porcupines,
rabbits, red and flying squirrels are
present throughout the acreage.
Ducks use the marsh as a breed-
ing ground including black, wood,
teal, pintail, mallard and others.
Ruffed grouse are present in large
numbers. Four great horned owls
have been shot this year and two are
held in captivity. A July 1927 census
revealed 60 grouse with at least one
taken by owls.” a summer afternoon exploring the
A March 1906 issue of a publi-
cation called, The Clarion, reported
on Munuskong Bay fishing: “The
fishing here is not excelled in the
country. The bass fishing is less
than three miles from the clubhouse.
There are miles of splendid pike
grounds, while in the deeper waters
are excellent muskellunge fishing.
These are caught principally with
the troll. The perch and bull-head
fishing are good all over the bay.”
It was the aim of the Munuskong
Hunting & Fishing Club to make the
Club a ‘Hunter’s Paradise;’ a place
where members could hunt and fish
from year to year and combine good
companionship with the hunt.
The property owners proposed
buying all the land touching the
water which aggregates about 2,000
acres. At that time period the land
could be bought cheaply and was
deemed to become, without excep-
tion, the best hunting and fishing
property in that part of the world.”
Human interest stories regarding
the Dodge Brother’s Munuskong
Club…Carol Story of Pickford
advised that her great uncle from
the now ghost town of Stirlingville,
often told a story about a day when
Horace Dodge stopped to observe a
huge buck with a monster rack taken
by Bill Hill whose brother Joe was a
well liked game warden of that time.
Horace asked if Hill would take $50
for the buck. Bill accepted the deal.
A few days later, a Detroit newspa-
per showed Horace in a photo aside
the monster buck and a caption read,
“Horace Dodge with a large, nicely
racked buck taken in the Upper
Peninsula.”
The second story is from Doctor
Richard Morrison, DDS of Pickford
regarding memories of trips to the
derelict property; “I have memories
of riding my bike as a kid out to the
property from our home in Pick-
ford with other kids just to spend
old cabins and lodge buildings. We
were able to get in the abandoned
lodge and look around and we
thought it was real cool and prob-
ably a little spooky. That would
have been in the late 1950s. My
Dad would take me out there to hunt
ducks. We kept a small boat on the
shore during duck hunting season
and would go out after school or on
the weekend and take the boat out to
a duck blind we had constructed in
the bay. ‘I always thought it would
be fun to research the history of that
property. I would love to see some
photos. As you probably know, the
lodge was taken across the ice to
Rocky Point by Jack Babcock. I
believe it was in the late 60s or early
70s.”
Caroline Person, member of the
Chippewa County Historical Soci-
ety, Pickford Area Historical Soci-
ety, and Bruce Township Historical
Society and Richard Wiles, a histo-
rian from Petoskey, both searched
their files and provided text/photos
for this article. Through interviews,
we exchanged a host of informa-
tion about the era, the Munuskong
Hunting & Fishing Club, the men
involved, and eventually, the land
being deeded over to the State of
Michigan, and the eventual task
of moving the buildings to Rocky
Point.
The hunt club becomes the
Dodge Brothers’ Munuskong State
Park… By 1927, six of the founding
fathers of Dodge Lodge were report-
ed deceased. George Osious and A.
A. Schantz, as surviving members
of the Munuskong Hunting & Fish-
ing Club, represented the former
owner’s heirs, sold the property to
Dodge Brothers, Inc. then finally it
was deeded to the State of Michigan
at no cost to the State as a memorial
to John and Horace Dodge with the
absolute approval of their surviving
spouses. Newspapers of that time
period advised the land and Club
buildings were valued at $80,000. It
was touted that Michigan residents
would have an opportunity to enjoy
a wonderful new unspoiled rustic
state park.
Because of the care afforded
the main lodge and cabins, along
with the well-forested acreage itself,
some 600 acres out of the total acre-
age of 3,500 acres, were set aside
for a wildlife/waterfoul preserve.
No hunting was permitted. Marsh-
lands controlled by a series of dikes
were still evident and placed un-
der the direction of the Michigan
Conservation Department providing
an excellent breeding ground for not
only area waterfowl but flight ducks
and geese migrating to and from
Northern Canadian waters as well.
The buildings were put to
good use by various groups, such
as the Boy Scouts and the Michi-
gan Horticultural Society with the
former Dodge Lodge serving as the
park’s headquarters. Cabins were
rented by vacationers, parking areas
provided, a campground established
three miles to the north with miles
of hiking trails provided through a
pristine hardwood forest, and a 50-
foot spruce log tourist observation
tower was erected that was built by
students of Dunbar Forestry School
and the Dunbar CCC Camp located
some six miles distant. The park was
touted as being a remote ‘Nature
Study Park.’ This all sounded good;
however, over the years, the visi-
tors just did not materialize in the
numbers anticipated.
Today, a DNR Forest Service
Campground holding 50-campsites
and a double boat launch facility is Buck pole at Dodge Brothers’ Munuskong Hunting & Fishing Club, 15
provided on a branch of the Munus- miles east of Pickford…circa: early 1900.
cong River about one mile distant
from the landing to the stream’s Canada geese at Munuscong. removed. Even old nest boxes
entry into Munuscong Bay of the What is Munuscong’s status to- have virtually disappeared as the
St. Mary’s River. During water- day? No records showed a refuge at DNR‘s Wildlife Division promotes
fowl hunting, the campground is Munuscong between 1950 and 1965 Munuscong returning to its natural
nearly overcrowded on opening day; but the Dodge estate’s dike system state. The dikes are no longer in
however, it appears to basically be a was still evident and the Michigan service. Potholes have been created
one-day local use as hunter activ- Department of Conservation re- for waterfowl breeding areas. Wet
ity falls off soon after the season tained them, declaring the marsh- meadow sections are being encour-
opener. lands a posted refuge in 1966. Ref- aged. Today Munuscong holds over
Big changes occur at Munus- uge status was officially removed in 8,000 acres providing a unique
kong…About the year 1947; the l997 by a Michigan Department of resource for waterfowl utilized by
Michigan Conservation Department Natural Resources director’s order, hunters and nature lovers alike as
dropped the waterfowl refuge. The but the Munuscong’s Wildfowl Area it continues to return to its former
park was determined as being too remained closed to motor and off- natural state.
isolated for state park continuation. road vehicles. At Munuscong…vast marshes,
Boy Scouts and various groups still Today all signs of former ponds and grasslands continue
utilized the property but it was not habitation are gone. The old hunt to provide unique resources for
until 1962 that plans were made to club cabins and lodge have been waterfowl.n
move the buildings across the ice
some six miles SE to Rocky Point
which was being touted as a resort
development by Sault Ste. Marie
furniture store owner, Jack Babcock.
The large, 60 x 80-foot Dodge
Lodge building was chain-sawed in
half prior to the move and hauled in
two sections by bulldozer across the
ice-filled Munuscong Bay to Rocky
Point. One half was purchased by
the Kennedy family and still resides
off Kennedy Lane in Rocky Point
subdivision where nearby a light
house formerly existed with a crew
that serviced the lower St. Mary’s
River buoys and range lights. The
other half of the lodge was taken
to the end of Babcock Lane where
it remained until it burned to the
ground in the early 1960s.
In 1977, over 100 Canada geese
were ‘planted’ at Munuscong Bay
by the DNR in order to encourage
the warm water/cold water marshes
for usage by breeding waterfowl.
With wings clipped, the geese could
not fly, and they would breed at
Munuscong in the spring and take
their young with them when they
would fly south in the fall. Most
of the young would return the
following year. The geese were
shipped before ice- out. In addi-
tion to the Canada goose project,
the DNR planted buckwheat, winter
wheat, barley and oats to attract up
to 150,000 migratory ducks and
up to 25,000 geese, including blue
and snow geese over and above the
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 61
 Black Powder Shooting Sports...By Dennis Neely
An Epic Colonial Musket
"S
NAP!” Four onlookers,
all dressed in 18th-centu-
ry clothing, groaned at the
sickening sound. Larry
Horrigan stepped back and peered
over his spectacles at the ragged
remains of a gimlet bit clamped in
the brace. “That’s about the fifth bit
I’ve broken on this gun,” he said in
a matter-of-fact manner.
“You’re coming,” Dan Segel
said in an encouraging tone. He,
like several other living historians,
volunteered to apprentice with the
frontier gun builder.
“Yup,” Horrigan replied as he
scrounged in a dovetailed tool tray
for a pair of hand-forged pliers.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as
he worked the fragment out of the
maple stock.
A young lady in a white chemise
and off-white petticoat printed with
pink flowers joined the spectators.
“What’s Larry doing today,” she
whispered to one of the gentlemen.
“I’ve got my line drawn,” Hor-
rigan said with a quiet smile as he
pointed to the stock’s wrist. “This is
Fishing... Hunting... Or Just Simply
A Getaway Cabin To Enjoy Nature!!
Solid Logs with Perma Chink between
Cedar or Pine
• Fully Insulated
• Front Porch or Side Porch Styles Available
• Custom Built to Your Ideas!
• Stained & Preserved
• Delivered to Surrounding States
• Sizes from 8’ to 36’ Long!!
• Single and 2 Story Styles
• Delivered & Priced Fully Assembled
62 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
the guide I’m using to drill for the
tang screw. The tang is this metal
tail on the breech plug, which is
threaded into the barrel.
“Typically the tang screw
doesn’t go up through the trigger
guard into the tang, but a few did.
Some of the English guns used that
style. In this case, they didn’t have
a trigger plate to anchor the screw.
I drilled from the trigger guard up,
then Dan turned the stock over and
I broke the drill bit boring from the
tang down.
“I’m through the metal. If I
can get a small hole through to the
other hole, I can take a file and clean
it out,” Horrigan instructed as he
turned the bit by hand. He picked
up a thin, rat-tailed file. A faint
grin appeared on his face as the tip
of the file emerged from the hole,
just ahead of the bow in the brass
trigger guard. The file worked back
and forth. Fine sawdust drifted in
the morning breeze. “We’ve got a
good channel in there now,” he an-
nounced.
“It’s really surprising how far
Relax In Style!
1205 N. SR 5
Shipshewana
260-768-7511
Open:
Monday-Friday • 8-5
Saturday • 8-3:30
Above: Horrigan drilled a pilot hole in
the hard maple stock with an 18th-
century brace and gimlet. A hand-cut
tap followed. The screw is made of
wrought iron, not steel, so it’s soft.
Without tapping the hole, the head
would sheer off. Right: Using a wood
mallet cut from a yellow birch tree
and a flat chisel, Horrigan finished
the lock mor tice. Wild River tree photo
Larry came with the gun in a week,”
John Snyder said as he watched
Horrigan turn the long screw up
through the trigger guard.
The 36th Annual Midwest
Rendezvous returned to Michigan in
July of 2017. The Grand Valley Cap
‘N’ Ballers™ hosted the weeklong
event at their home grounds, located
at 3576 26th Street in Hopkins.
The “Midwest,” as it is called, is
a history-based, primitive event. All open-sided, wood-shingled picnic
lodges (tents and shelters), clothing, pavilion. His wooden tool tray and
accoutrements and visible camp- a meager set of period-correct tools
ing equipment must be “pre-1840” occupied the structure’s weathered,
in style and appearance. The term rough-sawn plank workbench. To
“rendezvous” refers to the coming his left, a heavy trestle table secured
together of traders, merchants, trap- a blacksmith’s leg vise. That bench’s
pers and hunters of the Western fur base was wild cherry and the top
trade from 1825 to 1840. black locust.
From the joyous opening “I’ve got a bunch of antique
ceremony on Friday afternoon to tools here,” Horrigan said early in
the melancholy closing at noon the the week. “I’ve purchased some and
following Friday, registered par- had some generous donations from
ticipants live in a wooded canvas close personal friends who under-
village as their ancestors did cen- stand what I’m trying to demon-
turies ago. Blacksmiths, weavers, strate. The gimlet is an antique as is
spinners, coopers, leather-workers, the brace, which dates to the 1600s.”
silversmiths and a host of other arti- “You’re building a gun the hard
way,” Roy Walker said. Walker
sans demonstrate their trade. Larry
Horrigan was the camp’s resident was the apprentice on Tuesday and
gun builder, and his goal for the provided the educational commen-
week was to build a musket, start to tary while the master craftsman filed
finish, using 18th-century tools and threads on a handmade woodscrew.
methods. “You have to remember there are
Horrigan set up shop under an only so many tools and supplies
you can bring in a canoe to set up a
frontier gun shop.”
A pierced-tin candle lantern
sat to the left of the tool tray. The
hand-dipped beeswax taper offered
more than flickering light. When it
came time to cut the screw from the
wrought iron rod, Horrigan lifted the
glass, plucked a drip or two of wax
from the candle’s base and rubbed it
on the hacksaw’s blade.
Another time the colonial gun
builder used the candle’s soot to
black the lock’s sear bar to locate
where it was hanging up in the mor-
tice. “The lighting, or lack thereof,
has been one of the most difficult
things to deal with,” Horrigan said.
“In Diderot’s Encyclopedia they
show very large windows facing the
predominant sun. What I’m do-
ing here is similar to what they did
at Fort Michilimackinac, Fort St.
Joseph and Fort Ponchartrain.
“This is a Committee of Safety
musket. During the American War
for Independence, the colonies
formed Committees of Safety. They
needed muskets. This musket is
based on pictures of an original
attributed to Pennsylvania. These
were patterned after the British
Brown Bess, with a round barrel,
flat-faced flint lock, brass side plate,
competent black powder gunsmith)
and proof tested for safety.
“The lock is the Davis Colonial
American flint lock. The side plate
is brass from a Brown Bess, but it
had to be cut down and modified to
fit the lock’s length. The brass butt
plate is also Bess, filed and shaped
to match the picture (of the origi-
nal).
“Committee of Safety guns
were built with spare parts, so this
one is, too. They were knocking
these guns out as fast as they could Throughout the week, crowds gathered in the makeshift gun builder’s
with the parts they had. War was shop and watched Horrigan’s fascinating work.
coming and they weren’t supposed
to be pretty,” Horrigan explained. “I not sure what load to use in stander gasped. A large hole at the
Late Tuesday curly shavings this gun,” Horrigan said as he mea- upper left of the “10X” ring peered
and coarse sawdust started cascad- sured black powder. “I have ‘.675’ back at astonished onlookers.
ing into the dirt beneath his moc- and ‘.690’ round balls to play with.” Minutes later a second, solid “10”
casins. “I always begin on the off “Well, this is the moment of pushed the week-long vigil to epic
side, away from the lock, that way truth,” Dan Segel said, leaning status.
I’m not tempted to shoot it. I work against the loading bench, reveling “A 240-year-old barrel, a maple
to the centerline on the wrist and in his friend’s accomplishment. slab, a flint lock and assorted parts,
comb. I’m just getting rid of excess The shiny brass butt plate eased put together with no power tools
wood now. I enjoy shaping, work- to Horrigan’s shoulder; his cheek under primitive conditions. Then
ing the wood.” Horrigan paused and rested against the bare maple stock. the first two shots are ‘10s’? Well,
scrubbed the sweat from his face The hammer fell. Sparks flew. The this ain’t a fly by night operation,”
with the tails of the block-printed pan flashed. Larry Horrigan said with a broad
scarf that hung about his neck. “Kla-whoosh-BOOM!” Yellow smile.
Stock shaping, inletting ramrod flames belched from the musket’s Give the black powder shooting
pipes, scraping contours and rough muzzle. White smoke churned. sports a try, be safe and may God
sanding ate up Wednesday. Late the “I don’t believe that!” A by- bless you.n
next morning, Horrigan marked out

Black Sheep
‘hazelnut’ trigger guard and brass the touch hole. The backcountry gun
butt plate. builder dug a bit from the tool tray
“The stock is hard maple, taken and started drilling by hand with a

Outdoor Services
from a slab I cut. The barrel is jeweler’s drill.
original; it’s military. A young man “This is the last hole I have to
carried it over his shoulder at the drill on this gun, so I can take my
Contemporary Longrifle Association time,” he said. “Twist drills aren’t Specializing in Wildlife Land Plots
Show. He offered to sell me the bar-
rel. I told him I was a barrel maker
period-correct for this job. They
started at the Civil War. Today we Over 25 years Experience
• Insured/Serving
and could duplicate that barrel. An call [the drill style] a spade bit. I
hour later he came back to my table don’t know what they called it back
and said, ‘I’m tired of carrying this
barrel around. Give me forty dollars
then.”
After a modest lunch at a
Northern Michigan
and it’s yours.’ I said, ‘I can’t make
a barrel for forty dollars.’
friend’s camp, the frontier gun
builder’s appearance and demeanor
• Selling High Quality Hay
“I inspected it, cut the breech changed. He donned a shot pouch • Offering Custom Food
off and installed a new breech and horn, left his spectacles at the
plug with a finer thread. The bore bench and wrapped a black silk Plots/Pasture Replanting
is .72-caliber. Now it is 41 inches, scarf about his head. With a lilt in
round and tapered from the breech his step, the seasoned woodsman • Brushcutting, Tractor/Track
walked the long sandy trail to the
to the muzzle. Any older or original
barrel needs to be inspected (by a covered shooting range. Skid Loader Services
• Snow Removal, Equipment
Muzzle Loading State Events Hauling, Lawn Mowing
Michigan State Muzzle Loading Association State Shoots
March 31-April Fool Shoot: Benzie Sportsman Club: 231-378-2145
April 7-8-Steak & Dollar Shoot (Rifle & Trap): Grand Valley Cap n BallersTM: ALSO SELLING
269-792-4384 or 616-836-5760
April 8-Woods Walk: Clinton River Muzzle Loaders:Detroit Sportsman
Congress: 586-731-6088 &
April 10-Aug 28-Summer Aggregate: Benzie Sportsman Club: 231-378-2145
April 14-Spring Blanket Shoot: White River Muzzle Loaders: Rothbury:

1.231.342.6716
616-218-7037
April 15-Novelty Shoot: Bridgeport: 989-746-0723 sdao608@gmail.com
April 21-Sporting Clays (Modern Shotgun): Grand Valley Cap n BallersTM: 3083 Kettle Lake Road NE
616-307-7728 or 616-836-5760 Kalkaska, MI 49646
April 28-Woodswalk & BP Cartridge Trap: Chief Okemos Sportsman Club:
Dimondale: 517-927-7264 www.blacksheep-outdoor-services.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 63
Trapping in Southern Michigan
T
Part II
rapping has been around for several
hundred years. In the beginning,
man trapped for food and money
either selling or trading the hides
for other goods. Native Ameri-
can tribes used raccoon hides not
only for winter clothing, but for ornament. Our
country has a long history with trapping. In North
America trapping began with the first settlers
and is still going on today. But, trapping today
has dropped off to a much smaller scale. Today’s
trappers normally aren’t trapping for food, but for
money, sport or for predator control.
Last month I covered trapping
coyotes and fox that damage our small
game population and deer. This article is
about mink, skunk, raccoon, muskrat and
possum. Muskrats aren’t predators, but
they have been a very popular fur bearing
animal that have been trapped throughout
southern Michigan for a few hundred
years.
Muskrat dinners are still By Jeff Pendergraff
very popular in Wyandotte,
Michigan during Lent and used for fundraisers in
churches and for wild game dinners in southeast
Michigan. For many generations of metro De-
troiters, mostly of French-Canadian fur trapper
descent, muskrats are considered a great meal
with the practice going back to the early 1800s.
Muskrats are everywhere, if there is a ditch
alongside of a country road, a small pond or cul-
vert, most likely you will have muskrats. My first
experience with muskrats was when I worked in
southeast Michigan in the early 1980s. A large
prime muskrat (’rat) was worth close to $8.
There were so many ’rats along the Lake Erie
and Detroit River coastline there were trappers
making a few thousand dollars a year trapping
them. I knew one trapper from Flat Rock, trapped
over 1000 ’rats in a given year.
It’s hard work, especially if you are trap-
ping in a marsh. The Point Mouille State Game
Area was a prime example, a large man-made
dike in a marshy area (for waterfowl hunting)
that contained thousands of muskrats and their
lodges. You could see their lodges throughout the
marsh, which looks like a beaver lodge, but much
smaller. Muskrats are well known for their de-
structiveness in ponds, streams and dams. If gone
unchecked they can destroy the banks near any
shoreline, including your pond. They are easy to
trap with several methods. You can place a coni-
bear trap in the runways they use in the water or
runways they use leading into a bean or soybean
field. You can find locations where they are eat-
ing the cattails and place a leg hold trap there. A
colony trap looks like a small live trap. You place
it in underwater runways the ’rat(s) swim into it
and can’t swim out.
When most people, especially non-hunters,
think of raccoons, they think of those cute little
animals with a bandit mask on their face. It’s far
from the truth! Raccoons can be very aggressive
animals. They eat just about anything. Their diet
consists of about 40 percent invertebrates such
as snails, spiders, etc., 33 percent plant foods and
27 percent vertebrates such as mice and reptiles.
Let’s not forget your garbage if given a chance.
Most farmers hate raccoons because of the crop
damage they do. They can eat a lot of corn and
64 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
can raise havoc in their corn fields by pulling
down the entire corn stalk. I can tell you from
firsthand knowledge they can eat a lot of your
bait while you are baiting for bears.
Raccoons are normally nocturnal. They live
just about everywhere and anywhere; from hol-
lowed out trees, abandoned houses and barns,
chimneys and attics, to the sewer systems in
urban areas. Their two biggest threats are hunters/
trappers and motor vehicles. With their ability to
climb it’s very difficult for another predator to
pose a threat to them.
The fur market in the early 1980s was in full
swing and for a large prime raccoon fur
you could get up to $50. Today, they are
only worth a few dollars. There aren’t
a lot of trappers setting traps for rac-
coons but there are hunters who hunt
them behind their dogs. Many of those
hunters aren’t killing the raccoons
because of the down market. Hunting
behind hounds started in America in the
late 18th century. In the 19th
century there were several
thousand coonskins taken
and many used as a means of payment for goods.
Most trappers trap raccoons for predator
control or damage control on their property.
Raccoons will eat eggs of any birds; pheasants,
grouse and turkeys, just to mention a few. There
are some people who keep them as pets and the
males have been known to become very aggres-
sive as they get older or near mating season.
Skunks and possums, like raccoons will eat
eggs they find. Both skunks and possums are
omnivorous, eating both plant and animal mate-
rial including frogs, snakes, salamanders, birds,
moles and of course eggs. They play havoc on
our hatching game birds.
There are some people who do eat raccoon,
but there isn’t much of a market for either skunk
or possum. Both species are mostly nocturnal,
and their biggest threats are trappers and motor
vehicles. There aren’t really any predators out
there that prey on skunk because of their ability
to spray them. If given an opportunity to make a
meal out of a possum some of our larger preda-
tors may do so. One positive thing about possum
is that they can eat up to 5000 ticks in a year.
Skunks and raccoons are also known to be carri-
ers of rabies!
Raccoons, skunks and possums are very easy
to trap. All three spend a lot of time along creeks
and ditches looking for food. Simply placing a
leg hold trap with some smelly bait will do the
trick.
There is another type of trap that works very
well that’s called a DP trap. DP means dog proof.
It’s a trap that has a small opening in it. You place
bait inside it and the raccoon will place its paw
in there and the paw gets caught in the trap. They
are very effective and designed to keep dog paws
out of the trap.
You can also get a five- gallon bucket, cut
wedges in the top so you can place a Conibear
trap in the opening and place bait in the back of
the bucket. The raccoons enter the bucket to get
the food and the trap goes off. I had a friend who
was having problems with raccoons getting into
his barn and over the summer he caught 29 rac-
coons in the bucket set.
We have set several traps in the area around
A mink Trail.
our bear baits and have caught as many as three
raccoons in one evening, all close enough for the
others to see the other raccoons already caught in
another trap and they still keep coming in.
My friend Charlie Sant Angelo is an example
of a trapper who traps for predator control on his
farm. Besides catching fox and coyotes he is also
setting traps for raccoons, skunk and possum. At
times he also catches those three in his fox and
coyote sets.
The number of turkeys and pheasant in his
area has dropped significantly over the past few
years. A big part of the reason is because there
are so many predators running around and there
are very few trappers anymore because there is
no value in their pelts.
With no management of predators, their
numbers are growing by leaps and bounds and its
having a tremendous effect on deer and our small
game population.
In the past few years Charlie and his friends
have been killing over fifty coyotes behind dogs
during the winter and it doesn’t appear to have
a major impact on the coyote population in the
area he lives in. As of March 7, 2018, they have
already killed 46 coyotes behind their dogs in the
area of southern Michigan where they live.
One fall I was hunting at his farm and before
I left to return home I went with him to check his
traps. Just in one night he had a possum, a rac-
coon, a skunk and a coyote! That tells me there
are a lot of predators running around on his farm.
Unlike setting traps for coyotes or fox you
don’t have to worry much about human scent on
the traps or in the area of your set trap. It doesn’t
really brother them.
Mink fur has been highly prized for use in
clothing for decades. Trapping has been the num-
ber one way of harvesting mink, until farming of
mink gave way.
Mink prey on fish and other aquatic life, small
mammals, birds and eggs. My friend had several
chickens and discovered one morning that they
all had been killed. He set a live trap and much
to his surprise the culprit was a mink! Mink are
very fond of rabbits and are known for depleting
a small pond of its fish.
Mink like to live near the water and are
seldom found very far from riverbanks, lakes and
marshes. Even when roaming looking for food
they tend to follow streams and ditches, which
is where most trappers set traps for them. They
are found throughout southern Michigan. Just
about anywhere you find a ditch along a road-
way, most likely you will find mink.
One method is called a pocket set, it also
works for raccoons. You get into the water
where there is a steep bank. You dig a hole in
the bank, place bait in the hole and set a leg
hold trap in front of the hole. As they search for
the bait, they step into the trap. Another method
is to find a trail they are using (the trail really
stands out in the snow) and set a Conibear trap
in the trail. As they walk through the trap they
Taxes and
will trigger the trap and set it off.
Just a couple of years ago mink were going
for about $20, now they go for less than $10.
These are just a few examples of how trap-
pers set traps for skunk, raccoon, possum, mink
and muskrats. There are seminars throughout
Michigan on trapping. If you are thinking about
getting into trapping you should attend one or
get with a local trapper and maybe he or she
might show you a thing or two. There are a lot
of rules when it comes to trapping. Make sure
you read the hunting and trapping digest. 1-7/8” - 2/5Hz
The author is Jeff Pendergraff, retired
Captain from the DNR Law Enforcement 16 HHHHuHH
Division.n
HHH�nH, tHHHHHnH HH
jHHHHnH, H HHHHH�HH
muH�HpHHHHH HuHH.

Trapping...
By John Chagnon...PcsOutdoors.com

I
f you’re like me, you are going to continue to trap whether you make or lose money. The tax
laws were set up to collect taxes from profitable business and provide relief for those that lose
money. Most new trappers will not recoup their investment in trapping supplies in their first
couple of years. In the trapping industry we experienced a decline in the amount of revenue we
take in from furs, while the prices for traps and trapping supplies continue to increase.
Trapping is a business venture, whether you do it full-time or part-time. We collect revenue from
the sale of our furs and pay expenses in the process of collecting the furs. When the total amount we
collect from the sale of our furs is less than the amount we spend on supplies and other expenses; we
can take a loss on our tax return, which lowers the amount that we have to pay Uncle Sam and Mr.
State. Or, if you already have a refund coming, the trapping loss would increase your tax refund, as- H
suming you have a job that withholds taxes from your paycheck.
If you receive a Form 1099 Miscellaneous Income Statement from the sale of your furs, you will HHHHHHHHHHHHH
be required to report that income, because a copy of the form is also forwarded to state and federal tax
authorities. You could just report the income and pay taxes on it, or file a Schedule C and deduct your HHHHHHHHHHHHHH
expenses from the income.
We will leave the details for filling out the tax returns and Schedule C to the tax preparers. The
income side is easy. It is simply the money collected from the sale of your furs. The expense side is
any expense you incurred in the course of prospecting, trapping and handling your furs including lures,
baits, traps, wire stakes, trade magazines, any other supplies and your travel mileage. I would suggest
getting professional advice, because there are more complicated rules. Travel looking for fur, checking GHnuHnH HHHHHH,
traps and any other travel associated with your trapline, including travel to state and national trapping
conventions (or trade shows) are generally deductible. 24k HHHH H
Normally work clothes are not tax deductible, but trapping gloves, waders, and snowshoes used for
trapping could be deductible. Fur shed supplies like knives, stretchers, and even your fur sheds are de- HHppHH finHHHHH
ductible. Once again, if you are going to deduct your fur shed, a tax professional should be consulted.
The fur shed would be deducted over a number of years through depreciation expense. When you are
trying to add up expenses, you want to include everything used. The important thing is document all
expenses incurred during the year. It is too hard to remember details when you’re filling out your tax
return, and a whole lot harder to explain to an auditor. PROVEN HOLOUR AHHENTS + GLOW
A file should be set up to keep all documents, such as copies of checks for expenses, mileage log
book, invoices (receipts), and any notes that help clarify the trapping use. The mileage log book should YO GLOR BKCH
include dates, miles traveled and purpose. Any notes should include date, amount and reason the ex-
pense was incurred. Not only will this organization help you fill out and support your tax return, it will
provide you with useful information to use in the future.
For example, the logbook will let you know where you were last trapping season when you caught
10 foxes in one day. Or the copies of supply bills will let you remember which supplier provided the
items you liked or did not like.
The bottom line is if you incur an expense related to your trapline, it is tax deductible. And remem-
ber, you’re not cheating anyone by deducting them. You are just using the tax system that was set up
for all Americans, whether you’re corporate America or a proud American trapper.
Besides tax time for most folks April is a time that most of us put away our trapping gear for the
season. A little time organizing and cleaning equipment before storing for the season can save a lot
of time come next fall. Clean traps with a wire brush removing excess dirt and debris, also removing
stakes and drags. Traps and stakes that need repair should be set aside for repair during the summer
months. Any unused lure or bait should be stored in a dark cool place.
I freeze my coyote and fox glands and beaver castors during the fall and winter months and
thaw them to start the lure making process in April. With a little hard work I hope to have 2018/2019
season’s supply of Lenon Lures ready for the National Trappers Convention to be held in Escanaba on
July 26-28, 2018 at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds, 2401 12th Ave. North, Escanaba, Michigan.
This will be the 59th Annual NTA Convention. The NTA annual convention will have trapping demon-
strations and suppliers from all over the country. /williamslures
I welcome you to visit my websites at PcsOutdoors.com and LenonLures.com. I always welcome
calls from fellow trappers at (989) 569-3480 ext. 225. www.williams.ca
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 65
 Technology
enhances DNR's ability to
gather, share information
about our natural resources
By Bob Gwizdz…MDNR
W
ith an electric cur-
rent pulsing through
the waters of a
secluded stream,
brook trout and
other fish swirl into
view – stunned briefly – before they
are captured, measured, counted and
released.
The information gathered from
these sampling efforts helps fisher-
ies biologists assess stream fish
populations.
Meanwhile, the use of electro-
shocking is one example of how the
MDNR employs technology to help
produce, retrieve or collect valuable
data on a wide range of subjects.
Technology is defined as the
application of scientific knowledge
for practical purposes. From that
perspective, the DNR has always
been a high-tech agency.
But as technology advances,
the DNR continues to adopt new
concepts and techniques as it carries
out its task of managing the state’s
natural resources.
Some technological applications
are explicit to the DNR’s various
divisions, like those specialized for
The DNR tags fish like walleye and sturgeon to help monitor habitat use.
66 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
managing forests, fish or wildlife.
Others are wide-ranging and involve
the entire department.
Geographical Information Sys-
tems (GIS) technology, for example,
is used across the DNR. GIS uses
maps and aerial photography to
display various layers of data, from
political boundaries like county
lines to forest types, locations of
campgrounds or other information.
Maps can be created with GIS
displaying specific layers of data the
user is interested in, while omitting
others.
“It’s all about data,” explained
David Forstat, who runs the DNR’s
Resource Assessment Section
(RAS). “We work with all divisions
within the department.”
The Resource Assessment Sec-
tion has 20 employees. Most of
these workers are headquartered
in Lansing, but several employees
are situated in the northern Lower
Peninsula with plans to add a person
in the Upper Peninsula.
“We use the data to answer
questions,” Forstat said. “We know
where the deer are, where the
wolves are, we keep track of the
Mapping technology is an indispensable tool for DNR foresters.
trees – we have tools to go out in the
woods and map where the trees are.
“We know how old the trees are,
we know where we have diseased
trees and healthy trees, which trees
need to be cut, whether they’re a
certain age or a certain size. We
know where young trees are that
need to be thinned out.”
Forstat said the DNR’s Forest
Resources Division supplies 50
percent of the RAS budget and is its
biggest beneficiary.
“If a chip board company wants
to come into Michigan, they need to
know where the trees are, a certain
age of trees, a certain size of tree, a
certain kind of tree,” Forstat said.
“They want to know about the trans-
portation system, where there’s a
big highway or railroad so they can
haul the lumber in, process it and
ship it out. They may need to know
if they have a source of electricity or
water.”
Michigan has been working on
GIS since the late 1970s, but the
data collection just continues to get
more sophisticated.
“We’ve got 1,000-plus different
data layers,” Forstat said. “We’ve
been flying the state every year or
every other year to get high-resolu-
tion aerial imagery.”
Forstat points to a popular
DNR program – Mi-HUNT – as an
example of how the DNR’s Wildlife
Division provides information to
hunters across the nation from data
provided by the Resource Assess-
ment Section.
The online mapping applica-
tion directs hunters to the nearly 10
million acres of land open to public
hunting in the state.
Wildlife biologist Mike Dono-
van, who heads up Mi-HUNT, said
hunters can find all the places – state
game areas, state and national forest
land, state park land open to hunt-
ing, even private land available to
hunters through the Commercial
Forest Act or Hunter Access Pro-
gram – they can go for their next
hunt.
“It’s an interactive map that
shows you where the land is and
provides aerial photos – leaf-on and
leaf-off – topographical maps and
vegetative cover types,” Donovan
said. “It’ll tell you the size density
and the age of the trees.
“And it’s really the best place
to go for HAP information because
that stuff can change so quickly.”
The public has access to all the
RAS data.
“People who recreate outdoors
are probably our biggest users,”
Forstat said. “Most DNR field staff
use GIS, but the public – people
who use trails or camp or hunt – use
it more than our folks.
“We even have an app to find
morels, to look for a place where we
had a forest fire or a controlled burn,
because morels like to grow where
there’s been a fire.”
Forstat said the DNR uses GIS
data in its conservation officer ve-
hicles, on its boats when collecting
fisheries data and in state forests in a
variety of ways.
“When you have things that
come up quickly, like a forest fire,
you want all that data at your finger-
tips,” he said.
The DNR is also using geo-
graphic data to keep track of the
state’s cultural resources.“The
Resource Assessment Section is
working on a project for the Michi-
gan History Center to assist with
cataloging all the historical markers
with GPS coordinates,” Forstat said.
“And we developed an application
that can be used on smart phone
devices. Staffers used the applica-
tion to verify marker locations,
condition, and for the collection of
photographs of the markers around
the state.” Now travelers and others
interested in Michigan history can
easily find historical markers with a
quick search at www.michigan.gov/
markers.
Forstat, who studied geology,
began his DNR career inspecting oil
and gas wells. “You had to take all
of your books, all of your maps out
there with you. I figured there had
to be an easier way to capture the
locations of all the wells in the state,
their conditions and any pollution
problems associated with them,” he
said.
DNR staffers developed a pro-
gram to track them from the office.
“After that, GIS just exploded,” he
said. “Computers were the way to
Tags implanted in fish provide DNR fisheries managers with a wealth
of information.
One way the DNR uses electroshocking to briefly stun fish in order to collect data. MDNR photos
go.”
Forstat said that the big push to
digitize this data came in the 1980s,
when the DNR converted paper
maps to digital maps. “I remember
we had one computer and you had
to sign up to use it,” Forstat said.
“Now we have more data on our cell
phones than we had on that com-
puter.”
Gary Whelan, the DNR Fisher-
ies Division’s program manager for
research and fish health, said acous-
tic tags – transmitters implanted in
the body cavities of the fish – are
giving fisheries managers access to
information that seemed like science
fiction just a few short years ago.
The DNR has set up a series of
dozens of receivers that pick up the
tags’ signals.
“We have them in walleye, stur-
geon, whitefish – anything we want
to know when and where the fish
are using habitats – what spawn-
ing habitat, which prey resources
they’re using,” Whelan said.
“An example is Saginaw Bay
walleye – we can find out when a
fish leaves the inner bay and we
have receivers all the way up Lake
Huron and all the way to the bridge.
They produce an ungodly amount of
data.”
Another fish-tagging program
involves using pop-up tags that
attach to a specimen’s back and
eventually release, to record temper-
ature and depth data. The tags send
a signal to a satellite, so fisheries
researchers can locate and recover
them.
“It tells us a lot about what
habitat the fish are using day by
day,” Whelan said.
Other high-tech fisheries proj-
ects involve using remotely operated
vehicles, towed by fisheries research
vessels that can carry video camer-
as, hydro-acoustic units to estimate
prey abundance and water-quality
monitors. “We’re using a lot of Go-
Pro cameras too,” Whelan said. “We
use them to count gobies – drop a
GoPro on a tripod on a reef, for in-
stance – and we’re using GoPros on
our research nets, to see how they’re
fishing and whether fish are avoid-
ing them.”
The DNR has been using mod-
ern communications media, such as
Facebook and YouTube, to com-
municate to the public for years. But
it’s also developing communication
tools for department’s website that
give the public more information
than ever before.
Eric Hilliard, a digital media
and web resources specialist with
the DNR’s Wildlife Division for the
last five years, has recently com-
pleted an online waterfowl count
“dashboard” that shows hunters how
many and which species are using
the state’s managed waterfowl areas.
It’s available at www.michigan.gov/
wetlandwonders.
“Last year it had 30,000 views,”
Hilliard said.
Even the technology used to
collect that sort of information has
changed.
David Luukkonen, a wildlife
research biologist, said that DNR
staffers who fly over the state to
survey waterfowl have always made
notes as they flew. Now they use
voice recorders with an app that
applies a GPS pin as it records, so
the DNR knows exactly where the
birds are.
This is coming in especially
handy, Luukkonen said, as the DNR
is conducting a survey of diving
ducks and other pelagic (open-
water) birds. As energy companies
push to build off-shore wind facili-
ties, the DNR data will show which
areas of the lakes the birds use to
help avoid conflicts.
Meanwhile, Luukkonen is
working with a graduate student at
Michigan State University on a mute
swan study. Forty-five GPS-collared
swans transmit data to cellular tow-
ers whenever they are within range
of a tower, which is practically all
the time.
“The idea is to develop a
population model of mute swans,
so we can effectively manage
them,” Luukkonen said. “We’re
finding out all kinds of things
about them we didn’t know. We
thought they were fairly residential
birds, but we’ve found that they
travel a lot more than we knew. And
we’ve even found them feeding in
fields, something we never sus-
pected.”
As technology continues to
advance, one thing is clear – im-
proving the DNR’s ability to collect
and share information benefits both
Michigan’s natural resources and the
people who enjoy them.n
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 67
Harvesting the sweet bounty
Making maple syrup has become a seasonal family affair for all three generations...

O
ne of my fondest
memories as a teen-
ager was working
for a neighbor in his
woods by gathering
sap to make maple
syrup. This began first with tapping
maple trees with a hand-drill and
hammering in metal spigots (aka
taps) on which we hung special
metal buckets which had lids to
keep out debris. Some trees on the
smaller side only required
one tap while bigger ones
could handle more. There
was a lot of snow that win-
ter and we had to do some
serious wading at first to
reach the trees, but eventu-
ally we established some
notable trails from our
continual foot-
travel through
the woods. By Tom Lounsbury
The trees, I
would discover, had their individual
character when it came to produc-
ing sap, which almost reminded me
of our milk cows producing milk.
Some were dependable sap produc-
ers while others were on the moody
side and only so-so one day, then
doing double duty the next, and the
dependable trees let me know it
wasn’t just the weather. The weather
however, being variable as it can be
at that time of year, did have a daily
effect on all the trees, causing sap
buckets to not be so full one day and
then to the point of actually over-
flowing the next day.
Other kids were working with
me in gathering sap, and we each
had a pair of five-gallon buckets to
pour in the sap from each tree, and
when they got to be on the heavy
side, we headed to a large tank on
wheels being towed by a tractor that
was following a winding
trail through the woods.
This in turn was hauled to
the “sugar shack” where
my neighbor was tending
the fire while boiling the
sap down into maple syrup.
It takes about 40 gallons of
sap to make one gallon of
syrup, so that
represents a lot
of painstaking Bob Walker of Kingston checking the color and texture of boiling
boiling. The maple sap in his “sugar shack.”
steam escaping from the roof open-
ings of the sugar shack had a distinct over a tree root and spilled the con- environment has a natural way of
earthy scent which is a very unique tents of a bucket all over me which keeping you warm.
aroma announcing a sweet bounty soaked me to the skin, that it could Gathering maple sap in this
being created during the bubbling be a bit sticky. I had to literally peel fashion often has a lot to do with
process. my clothes off after I completed my dealing with thawing snow be-
Maple sap is usually about 98 day, and getting wet in that environ- cause freezing nights with daytime
percent water and 2 percent sugar, ment was nothing new due to some temperatures in the 40s is ideally
and though it looks like water, it perspiring work in the continually required to start the sap flowing.
does possess a slightly sweet flavor. thawing snow and besides all that, Depending upon the weather this
I also discovered when I tripped hard physical labor in a woodland can be an on again and off again
experience. Usually early March
represents the typical starting

NOW TAKING RESERVATIONS timeframe, but the last two win-

ters here in the Thumb, everything

IN ILLINOIS FOR 2018

began happening by mid-February.
It is clearly in the hands of Mother
Nature and a touchy part about all
this is to accomplish gathering the
LIMITED HUNTS LEFT IN IOWA sap before maple trees begin their
natural transition of forming buds,
Illinois - Non Resident Archery Application Period – June 1-30 because when this happens the sap
5 DAYS WITH MEALS AND LODGING becomes cloudy and not as plenti-
ful or flavorful as before. Typically,
PRICES FROM $1,500 everything is finished by April in
our Thumb area, but in some years,
much sooner.
CALL FOR MULTI-HUNT DISCOUNTS Bob Walker of Kingston has
been learning all of this during the
last three years in his woods, which
he purchased near his home ten
years ago. On the first year of mak-
ing maple syrup, he boiled sap in
the open air, but the following year
he constructed a sugar shack, where
he and his wife Dar and their two
CALL RAY POTTER sons and their families all pitch in.
Making maple syrup has become a
AMERICAN HERITAGE OUTFITTERS seasonal family affair for all three
generations which they clearly enjoy
855-626-6900 and look forward to.

www.americanheritageoutfitters.com
The maple syrup they create
together is strictly for their own use
and matters are kept on a smaller
68 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
scale than could otherwise be done.
They maintain 50 taps on about
three dozen trees which are in close
proximity to the sugar shack in
order to keep the effort of gather-
ing sap to a minimum, and these
trees have proven to be depend-
able producers to meet their needs.
Their woods certainly has a lot more
maple trees to offer which could
also be tapped, but the Walker fam-
ily clan is quite happy to keep mat-
ters in a more simple and laidback
nature they all truly appreciate. It,
however, still requires a lot of hard
work, but is clearly a labor of love
on their part and involving a bit of
family teamwork.
Earlier this year had been ideal
weather conditions for gathering sap
when I decided to recently pay the
Walkers a visit at their sugar shack
and to get a grasp on how they do
matters. I have a number of maple
trees which I had planted almost
40 years ago along my driveway as
well as in my backyard and they are
of a size now (the tree needs to have
at least a 10 inch diameter before
it can be tapped) where I believe I
can tap them and start the process of
making my own maple syrup, some-
thing I have been contemplating for
some time now.
As I meandered through the
woods using the smoke rising up
out of the sugar shack’s chimney
to keep my bearings, I was greeted
with the distinctly pleasant aroma
of boiling maple sap steam blending
in with wood smoke wafting in the
wind, which automatically brought
back wonderful memories of gather-
ing maple sap in my youth.
I was hearing a whacking and
thumping sound as I neared the
14 year old Hugh Walker of Cass
City splitting wood to feed a
hungry fire while boiling maple
sap into maple sugar. It takes
40 gallons of sap to make one
gallon of syrup.
Walker sugar shack and soon spot-
ted 14 year-old Hugh Walker of
Cass City using a splitting maul to
downsize large chunks of ash to
properly feed the fire, which can
be a hungry beast, in order to keep
things as hot as they should be.
Hugh’s father, Ryan Walker of Cass
City, was inside the shack helping
grandfather Bob tend to matters
while the sap boiled in two large
steaming pans on top of a big iron
woodstove. One pan was for the
actual boiling, while the other pan
was for adding fresh sap and heating
it up before adding it to the actual
boiling pan. As Bob explained, only
using one pan can become a more
lengthy process because adding
fresh sap cools matters, and the boil-
ing process has to start all over.
The final process is transferring Gathering maple sap is a family affair for the Walker clan, when
the boiled sap which has become the making enough maple syrup for three families.
right color and texture to a large pot
on a single burner gas stove, where shack was the all important sap taps, because they are durable and
it is poured into the pot through barrel, which had formerly been a can hold a lot of sap. The contents
a strainer to remove any possible 40 gallon, plastic water drum with of these were poured into buckets
debris. Then the boiling down is a spigot at the bottom. When full of which when full, were hauled to the
completed with a close eye kept on sap, it would represent one gallon sugar shack close by and dumped
the temperature, with 219 degrees F of syrup. The contents of this too into the sap barrel, a very simple
being key when using a thermom- would be strained through some and handy process.
eter. Bob also uses a spoon that mesh into a bucket during the trans- The end result, hopefully
when the syrup clings to it and drips fer of sap to the boiling pans. anyway according to the whims of
off just right, it is completed, and Ryan’s other two children, Mother Nature, is to harvest enough
care must be taken during this final daughter, Claire and son, Oliver maple syrup to cover the needs of
process so as not to burn the soon arrived with their grandmother three families for a year. And noth-
syrup, which of course would Dar to help gather sap from nearby ing is sweeter than maple syrup
ruin matters. trees. The Walkers use heavy vinyl gathered and processed by a family
Off to the side of the sugar “wine bags” for hanging on the in their own woods.n
Church Tackle Co.
ALL MADE
IN THE USA
New for 2016!
WE DIDN’T INVENT THE PLANER BOARD, WE JUST PERFECTED IT! Locking Arm
easy to open & close
Locking Arm
Lock-Jaw
Adjustment Adjustment Screw
easy to open & close
Mini Lock-Jaw
Screw
For drop weights & Release Release Hole for drop weights
or other applications
This clip may be mini but when it comes to holding power it’s second other applications Prevention Prevention
only to it’s big brother, the original Lock-Jaw! Holds mono, super
braids, power pro, lead core or copper lines without damaging the line!
Replaceable
The Mini Lock-Jaw fits The Walleye Board, TX-44, TX-22, TX-12 & TX-6 1 7/8” Long Pad
Pad
planer boards, but we recommend the full size Lock-Jaw for the TX-44. 1/2” Wide Locator holes for Line Protector inside
keeps line from making
Locator holes for
attaching to side-planers
The Mini Lock-Jaw is designed to fit other side planers, drop weights and attaching
to side-planers
WE DIDN’T INVENT CLIPS, contact with screw
Stingray
works for many other applications.
WE HAVE PERFECTED THEM!
Part# 40620, 2pk Color - yellow Replacement Pads part# 40701 6/pk Diving Weight
TX-007 Stern Planer & TX-005 Mini Stern Planer TX-44 Tournament Series Unique error-proof design allows anglers to put
more fish in the boat! Water strikes top surface,
The TX-44 is the first and the only in line planer to pull the large Divers,
(10 1/4” long, weighs about 3 oz) (7” long, weighs about 1.5 oz) Lead Core, Wire or Copper Lines and Heavy Weights. The size of the TX-44 forcing the Stingray downward. A fish on will
An all new type of planer! makes it harder for fish to pull the board under, however it is still easy to force the nose upward & Stingray to the surface.
retrieve. The Vise Clip comes standard with the TX-44; especially Available in unpainted or painted. 2 snaps for
rch Tackle Co. designed for lead core & copper, makes accidental each weight included
Chu E-Z Store Famous
release almost impossible. snaps off & on in seconds Lock-Jaw
TX-44 Tournament Series now for easy removal & storage Clip Size #1 - .7 oz
Easy to attach and remove.
available which comes with a #40300
Great for trolling in congested areas and more effective contour trolling along unpainted #40302 black
Lock-Jaw Clip, Stainless Steel
drop offs contour lines, reef edges and weed lines in rivers, lakes or the ocean. Rear Pin and E-Z Store for easy
Effective for all species. Run more lines out the back of the boat by staggering tow-arm removal. Part# 30630 Size #2 - 1.4 oz
the Stern Planers. Run any distance from the boat yet maintain desired depth. Standard TX-44 Part# 30610 Stainless Steel Rear Pin (14” x 4 1/4” x 7/8”)
EZ Store! For Your Planer Board Allows for easy Tournament Series
planer storage! Change #40303 unpainted #40304 orange
-22 SCop
RIGHT
ecia
TXChurch Tackle odus, MI
.S l
tow-arm & clips in a snap!
Upgrade Kit
Size #3 - 2.7 oz
hurchtackle.com
www.c
for TX-44, TX-22 &
Optional E-Z Store devise easily
TXChurwcwhwT.acchkulrchtackleo.codusm, MI
-22 eSCop .S
ecia
The Walleye Board
l
attaches to the Walleye Board, TX-44
LEFT
& TX-22 side planers. Slide the tow-arm off for storage or change Includes a Lock-Jaw Clip
to another tow-arm & clip then slide back on when you’re ready to E-Z Store & Stainless
fish again. Part# 40519 sold 2 per package 1 left & 1 right Rear Pin Assembly. (Part# 30640) #40305 unpainted #40306 chartreuse
Please check with your local tackle shop first, if they don’t carry our products visit us at www.churchtackle.com to view all
of our great American made fishing gear, or call us at 269-934-8528 to request a catalog.
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 69


TROPHY PAGE

Liz Merchberger, featured

in the March Woods-N-Wa-
ter News, (the lady with the
recycled liquid fertilizer con-
tainer fish shack) speared
this 44.5 inch muskie.
Emily Thompson of Manistee
caught this beautiful steel-
head on the Manistee River.
Andrew Martinez and his boys,
6-year-old Jr. and 4-year-old Freddy,
Sara Thompson catching with the big 9-pt taken on Eichorn
bass on Portage Lake. family farm.

The Grajewski Family of Branch is grateful for a success-

ful deer season. Top: Diane, 8-pt. Nov. 29, Mike, 7-pt. Nov.
16, son Eric, doe Nov. 25, son Mark, 8-pt. Oct. 2 crossbow,
Granddaughters Amara, 13, spike Sept. 16 and Sophie, 7,
doe Oct. 15 crossbow. Grandson Miles, 10, doe Nov. 12
crossbow. Bottom: Diane, 8-pt. Oct. 25 crossbow, son Matt,
8-pt. Oct. 18 bow and John Weidner, 8-pt. Oct. 2 crossbow.

Isabella County Hunters Have

Successful season in Memory of
Tim Coughlin! Top: Tim’s wife,
Jean, 9-pt. Nov. 16, 7-pt. Oct.1
bow; Daughter, Trixie Onstott,
hunting dad’s blind 7-pt. Oct. 13,
6-pt. Nov. 16. Middle: Son-in-law,
Tim Onstott, 5-pt. Nov. 16; Grand-
son, Cooper Onstott, 6-pt. Sept.
15, 13-pt. Nov. 15; great-niece, Ky-
Christopher lie Pifer, doe during gun season;
Young, age 13, nephew, Jared Pifer, with son,
Rich Gusa of Har- harvested this Eli Alexandrian Brady, and 11-pt. Oct. 25. Bottom:
bor Beach caught beautiful buck took this six-point Tim’s dad, Dick Onstott, 5-pt. and
this red fox chasing near Brown City. near Olivet with a 8-pt. Nov. 15; and niece, Angie
a rooster pheasant. muzzleloader. Pifer, with a 9-pt. Nov. 15!
70 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
32 Annual - Woods-N-Water News

d
nd

Outd o o r W ee k e n
OVER

240
Outdoor Exhibits!
Seminars, Puppies
Gun Auction, Wild
Animals & More

e b ra t i n g O u r O u t d o o r H e r i t a g e !
C el
September 7 - 8 -9 th th th

Eastern Michigan State Fairgrounds in Imlay City

www.OutdoorWeekend.net
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 71

Figuring out the DNR’s budget
At first glance, the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources’ budget of almost $409
million this fiscal year is enough to make a
taxpayer blanch...” By Bob Gwizdz MDNR
H
owever, many Michi-
gan taxpayers may not
know that only 14 per-
cent of the DNR’s cur-
rent budget is financed
by state taxes.
Of the state’s $56.7 billion overall
budget, DNR funding is roughly 0.7
percent. From the state’s primary or
General Fund budget of $10.2 billion,
the DNR receives 0.6 percent. The
state’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to
Sept. 30.
“For the most part, we are a
pay-to-play department,” said Erik
Eklund, the DNR’s chief budget of-
ficer.
The DNR’s bills are paid from
some 60 different funds, all of which
have various revenue streams, but
many of which are made up of user
fees paid by those who hunt, boat,
fish, snowmobile, camp, harvest
timber, ride off-road vehicles or oth-
erwise take part in natural resources-
based activities.
From there, some of the details
can get complicated, but it’s worth the
effort to gain a better understanding of
how the DNR is funded.
Important Revenue Streams
The single biggest revenue source
for the DNR is the Game and Fish
Protection Fund, which contributes
$83 million, about 20 percent of the
overall DNR budget. This fund is
made up largely from hunting and
fishing license fees.
License fees paid by hunters make a significant contribution to
funding the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources.
72 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Hot Topics in the Outdoors...
The fund also receives money
from the Game and Fish Protection
Trust Fund, which collects royalties
from oil, gas and mineral extraction
or timber sales on lands acquired with
Game and Fish dollars.
The Game and Fish Protection
Fund receives $6 million annually,
plus whatever interest and earnings
the trust fund generates in a year. Last
fiscal year, the trust fund showed a
balance of $190.4 million.
Federal contributions make up the
next-largest component of the DNR
budget, about $70 million. Much of
that figure comes from federal pro-
grams that collect taxes and fees for
specific activities and redistribute that
money to the states.
In 2017, for instance, the DNR
received $24.2 million from the
Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restora-
tion Act, a law passed in 1937 that
collects an excise tax on firearms and
ammunition. The Dingell-Johnson
Sport Fish Restoration Act, which
collects taxes on fishing equipment,
chipped in $10.7 million to the DNR
budget last year.
“The federal funding we receive
is absolutely essential,” said Russ Ma-
son, chief of the DNR’s Wildlife Divi-
sion. “We access that money based on
the size of the state and the number of
hunters we have here.”
General Fund
State General Fund money, ap-
propriated by the Michigan Legisla-
ture, accounts for $56.9 million of the
DNR’s budget. Those tax dollars are
spent for a variety of purposes.
In this fiscal year’s budget, the
largest share of that money ($15.6
million) was allocated for a variety
of one-time appropriations, some
multi-million-dollar items, like state
park infrastructure improvements
and development of the Iron Belle
Trail, and many smaller appropria-
tions to deal with specific issues, such
as swimmer’s itch or shooting range
construction.
General Fund money also is used
to fund operations that are outside the
realm of some DNR divisions’ main
charges.
The DNR’s Law Enforcement Di-
vision received more than $11 million
this year to compensate for conserva-
tion officer activities outside of their
typical duties, which are game and
fish law enforcement, snowmobile
and off-road vehicle enforcement, and
marine safety.
Michigan conservation officers are
fully empowered peace officers who
do everything from conducting search
and rescue operations to responding to
traffic incidents.
“Conservation officers are not
just fish and game cops,” Eklund said.
“They’re often the first responders in
many rural areas in the state.”
Other General Fund appropria-
tions to the DNR this year include
$7.6 million to the Forest Resources
Division for wildfire protection
(much of which takes place on private
land), $5 million for invasive species
management, $4.7 million for the
Michigan History Center and roughly
$1 million for the Summer Youth
Employment Program, which brings
at-risk youth into state parks to teach
them job skills as they work on park
improvements, such as building picnic
tables.
Otherwise, most DNR divisions
are funded through user fees.
Users Contribute
The DNR’s Parks and Recreation
Division has the largest division
budget, $94.7 million. It is funded
by a variety of revenue sources, such
as sales of Recreation Passports,
boat registrations, snowmobile trail
stickers, off-road vehicle license fees
and trail stickers, and camping fees
collected at state parks and forest
campgrounds.
The DNR also receives two-per-
cent of the state’s gas tax – 80 percent
of which goes to the Waterways Fund,
used to operate and maintain harbors
and boat launch ramps.
The Parks and Recreation Divi-
sion also receives money from the
Park Endowment Fund, which col-
lects the bulk of royalties from oil, gas
and mineral extraction on public land.
Every year, 50 percent of the royalties
generated and any interest or earnings
from the body of the fund are avail-
able for spending.
“I am pleased with the strong
public support for our great parks and
recreation system,” said DNR Parks
and Recreation Division Chief Ron
Olson. “We depend greatly on user
fees, and last year’s growth provided
for sustaining our world-class natural
resources that allow tremendously
diverse outdoor recreational opportu-
nities.”
The DNR’s Forest Resources Di-
vision, with a $48.5 million budget, is
funded largely by the timber industry,
which pays fees when harvesting
timber from state forests. The division
also receives federal funds from the
DNR’s Budget page 74
 Hot Topics in the Outdoors...Our Thoughts, Our Views...
Shifting to QDM to fight deer disease
R
By Erik Schnelle, State Chapter President, Michigan QDMA and Leon Hank, Chairman of the Board, QDMA
ecent developments
regarding the spread
of chronic wasting dis-
ease (CWD) in central
and western Michigan,
along with a spike
in bovine Tuberculosis (TB) in the
northeast, are creating unprecedented
concern for Michigan hunters, farm-
ers, and conservationists. Our deer
herd and hunting heritage are clearly
threatened, and hunters around the
state are asking what can be done.
To prevent catastrophe, we will
need to manage deer diseases ac-
tively and intelligently, using sound
science where it can guide us. We
also need to recognize the role of
hunting and the importance of keep-
ing hunters afield. The good news is
if we can achieve this balancing act,
we will slow the spread of disease,
keep prevalence rates low, and enjoy
quality hunting experiences for many
decades to come.
Key Actions Necessary
To Meet the Challenge
• Control the spread of CWD by
limiting the movement of both live
deer and deer carcasses: CWD has
been spread great distances through-
out the U.S. by human transport.
Deer farmers have moved infected
live deer and elk, and hunters have
moved infected carcasses. We need
stronger measures to prevent addi-
tional infection arriving from outside
Michigan, as well as measures to
limit the spread of disease within the
state.
• Reduce spread through limita-
tions on baiting, recreational feeding,
and livestock feeding: The science is
clear; one of the most effective ways
to spread TB and CWD is through
bait piles and feed troughs where
deer are exposed to high concentra-
tions of infected saliva, urine, and
feces.
According to DNR surveys, bait-
ing is still popular with the majority
of Michigan hunters. The DNR has
also had difficulty enforcing baiting
laws due to unsuccessful prosecution
of citations. All stakeholder groups
are going to need to work together
to limit this risk, co-creating regula-
tions hunters will support, and law
enforcement can enforce.
• Increase and improve wildlife
habitat: When quality habitat is
scarce, deer will congregate in high
densities, sometimes travelling long
distances, to obtain the food and cov-
er they need to survive. These high
densities expose deer to infection
from other deer and their environ-
ment. In Michigan, winter is when
thermal cover and food are most
scarce, and we see large groupings
of deer throughout the state. Another
important period spotlighting habitat
is fawning season, when mature
does become most territorial and
exclude all deer from their fawning
territories. If the population is dense
and the neighboring habitat is also
filled by mature does, yearling does
and bucks will be forced to disperse
great distances. (“Population den-
sity influences dispersal in female
white-tailed deer” by Lutz et al) To
minimize disease, hunters, and the
DNR will need to work together to
create and enhance more high quality
winter and spring fawning habitat.
• Harvest more Does: In the
CWD and TB areas, along with
much of the rest of the Lower Pen-
insula, we have high deer densities.
Those densities result in greater
disease risk, increased damage
to wildlife habitat and crops, and
more human/deer conflict. Reduc-
ing doe numbers is the only proven
way to reduce herd size. Research
has shown to reduce the size of a
herd, more than 30% of the antler-
less component should be harvested
every year. We aren’t coming close
to that number!
According to the 2017 QDMA
Whitetail Report, Michigan is har-
vesting does at a much lower rate per
buck (.7) than virtually all of the top
whitetail states. Examples include
Wisconsin (1.0), Illinois (1.3), Iowa
(1.2), Indiana (.9) and Ohio (1.4).
These comparisons make it clear we
can have high quality hunting while
harvesting more does.
Additionally, we know from
DNR check station results our does
are much older than our bucks. At
a late 2017 TB work group meet-
ing, Chad Stewart, DNR Deer and
Elk Biologist, shared that 60 – 65%
of the does checked within the core
TB area were 3.5 years or older.
Research on CWD and TB tells us
the older a deer is, the more likely
it is to be infected. Because ma-
ture bucks 3.5 and older are all too
rare in Michigan, the prevalence of
older does presents the larger risk.
We need to look at our regulations,
seasons, and hunter education to
increase doe harvest.
For example, evidence shows
regulations protecting yearling
bucks cause hunting pressure to
shift towards does, especially in the
early years. At the May NRC meet-
ing, Chad Stewart, DNR reported
in Antler Point Restriction (APR)
counties of Northwest Michigan, doe
harvest was up 13% while doe har-
vest declined 16% in the surrounding
non-APR counties. To bring densities
down, we will need to achieve even
better results in our disease manage-
ment areas.
• Protect the majority of yearling
bucks: If you are a deer hunter, what
animal dominates your dreams the
night before a hunt? Which animals
are you hoping to see in your trail
camera pictures? If you are not
a deer hunter, and want to better
understand what motivates hunters,
pick any deer hunting advertisement
in any hunting magazine. Which deer
is featured in ads? Advertisers know
what motivates hunters.
Seeing more bucks and hav-
ing the opportunity to harvest older
bucks excites hunters, drives invest-
ments in hunting land, equipment,
trips, habitat improvements, and
licenses. Those older bucks motivate
hunters to sit in deer stands, improve
habitat, and to work together to bet-
ter manage our deer herd.
Why protect the majority of year-
ling bucks? Yearling bucks are no
more likely to be infected with CWD
than yearling does. They are roughly
only 25% as likely to be infected as
3.5 year old buck, and only about
half as likely to be infected as a ma-
ture doe. (Grear et al. “Demographic
Patterns and Harvest Vulnerability
of Chronic Wasting Disease Infected
White-Tailed Deer in Wisconsin”).
We see similarly low TB infection
rates in yearlings, as well as increas-
es in TB prevalence in older deer in
northeast Michigan.
• Minimize Yearling Dispersal: If
yearlings are less likely to be infect-
ed than mature deer, it is fair to ask,
why should we be concerned about
them with respect to TB or CWD?
The answer is dispersal. Yearling
deer disperse to new territories in
spring and fall, and can take disease
with them when they do. For this
reason, dispersal should be consid-
ered as a part of any comprehensive
approach to TB or CWD. In an
article titled “Ready, Set, Scatter” in
the November 2017 issue of Qual-
ity Whitetails magazine, research
from Maryland and Pennsylvania
indicated Quality Deer Management
(QDM) -simply defined as allowing
most yearling bucks to survive, and
increasing doe harvest, can reduce
spring dispersals by all yearlings,
delay fall dispersals by bucks, and
reduce dispersal distances.
In a paper titled “Effect of
Population Demographics and
Social Pressures on White-Tailed
Deer Dispersal Ecology” research-
ers found after implementing QDM,
fall dispersal rates fell from 70% to
50%. They attributed this drop to the
presence of more older bucks, which
in turn reduced competition amongst
younger bucks.
In a study titled “Population den-
sity influences dispersal in female
white-tailed deer” by Lutz et. al. they
discovered spring dispersal was a
function of deer densities per area
of prime fawning habitat. If nearby
territories are also filled by protec-
tive mature does, dispersal rates
and distances can be quite high, as
yearling deer will travel until they
find available habitat.
Given this risk, a pragmatic
strategy would be to delay timing of
dispersal, reduce dispersal rates and
reduce dispersal distances. Quality
Deer Management practices have
been proven to support all of these
outcomes.
• Increase Landowner, Hunter,
Farmer, and State Partnerships:
QDMA Deer Cooperatives have been
growing rapidly across Michigan.
Research at Michigan State Univer-
sity has shown these cooperatives
increase hunter engagement and sat-
isfaction. This research also shows
deer cooperative members are far
more likely to harvest does. These
same deer cooperatives have estab-
lished strong working relationships
with their local DNR biologists,
farmers and land owners. The growth
of co-ops should be encouraged to
enlist these influential hunter groups
in the fight against deer disease. We
would also like to see these proven
partnerships work to improve deer
habitat on state and federal lands.
Lastly, how can we ensure qual-
ity hunting experiences when we
are working to significantly reduce
our deer herd? Let’s look at one
example:
Pennsylvania implemented a
comprehensive program in 2002
that included liberalized antlerless
seasons, antler point restrictions, and
a one buck rule. Today, Pennsylva-
nia hunters are harvesting almost
twice as many does per buck than
Michigan hunters (1.3 vs .7), while
harvesting bucks at a rate similar to
Michigan’s (3.1 vs. 3.4 per square
mile). Due to these changes, Penn-
sylvania hunters are also harvesting
much larger bucks than ever before,
evidenced by new state and county
records every year. Most importantly,
shifting to a “quality” approach has
paid off in keeping hunters hunting.
Over the past 10 years, hunter num-
bers have declined at a slower rate in
Pennsylvania (5%) than in Michigan
(14%). Antler point restrictions have
also retained a 60-70% level of sup-
port in Pennsylvania throughout 15
years of implementation.
Nationwide, Quality Deer Man-
agement has become increasingly
popular, with polls showing 70% or
greater support from hunters. While
practicing QDM does not require
APR regulations, the 2016 Michigan
Harvest Survey showed hunter sup-
Fighting deer disease page 75
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 73
 Hot Topics...My Thoughts, My Views, My Opinion
CWD…many questions and few answers
R
uss Mason, the head
of the MDNR Wild-
life Division was the
featured speaker at
the Michigan Outdoor
Writer’s conference at
the Ralph A. MacMullin Center on
the shores of Higgins Lake in mid-
February. Writers from across Mich-
igan eagerly anticipated a discussion
that would help us understand how
all things deer were going to change
in our state due to the recently
discovered Chronic Wasting Disease
(CWD). Would new rules be placed
on high fence cervid facilities?
Will baiting in all of Michigan be
banned? Will antler point restric-
tions be removed and for that matter
will a cull be put in place to lower
numbers in the affected areas? All
appropriate questions for the head of
Michigan’s wildlife division.
CWD is a neurological disease
that causes spongy degeneration
of the brain and nerve tissue of
infected animals resulting in ema-
ciation, abnormal behavior, loss of
bodily functions and death. There
are several phases of the disease and
this turned out to be an important
part of this discussion. More on that
later. Approximately 50 deer have
been identified with the disease in
five counties in mid-Michigan.
Russ Mason certainly knew the
questions were coming. The Michi-
gan DNR obviously knows how
strongly hunters feel about the deer
Figuring the DNR’s budget:
U.S. Forest Service.
The Wildlife Division’s budget
of $42.5 million comes largely from
the Game and Fish Protection Fund
(mostly hunting license fees) and
Pittman-Robertson funds. The divi-
sion received a little more than $2.6
License fees paid by anglers make a significant contribution to
funding the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources.
74 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
herd. They’ve held regional meet-
ings to receive feedback on whitetail
management in the past and were
overwhelmed with the response.
Some folks were supportive and
some were angry. They
are aware of the differ-
ent stakes many have held
throughout Michigan. Bait
dealers, agriculture, proces-
sors, QDMA groups, people
for and those against antler
point restrictions. Most of it
really amounted to there is
a great deal of passion
when it comes to the
deer herd in Michigan. By Mark Sak
One of the most interesting
aspects of our visit with Russ
Mason is he immediately wanted to
highlight all of the positive things
that are happening with wildlife in
Michigan. Turkey hunting and the
new pheasant restoration initiative
were all doing well. I felt like I had
just been thrown a knuckleball by
Phil Niekro.
Why are we highlighting other
programs when we have an assault
on one of our most sacred animals
in our state? My personal opinion
is he surely didn’t want to spread
the doom and gloom that CWD can
bring to any state.
When we finally got into the
teeth of the discussion on CWD
it was apparent that this disease is
one that has more questions than
answers. When talking about best
from page 72
million in General Fund money this
year to combat wildlife diseases, in-
cluding $1 million in one-time funds
for chronic wasting disease.
The Wildlife Division also re-
ceives an additional $215,000 in Gen-
eral Fund money for work on Belle
practice to manage CWD, there
doesn’t appear to be a clear one
in most of the states that are in-
fected. No one has ever been able to
eradicate CWD once it establishes
in its second phase. Prions,
which are abnormal protein
particles from the disease,
are known to infiltrate the
soil, water and surrounding
vegetation, and there is no
known way to get rid of it.
Obviously, no one wants to
see the disease get to that
second phase of con-
taminating the environ-
ment. Prions associated
with this disease are thought to have
an incubation period of a year or
more so it has obviously been in
Michigan for some time.
Right now, at this moment, Russ
Mason stated they are really looking
at options but are not yet ready to
change things statewide. They are
surely hoping the change that really
needs to happen is all of the groups
involved will come together for
what is best conservation practice
for our deer herd. There may be
many changes down the road and
it will be much easier if all of the
groups work toward the overall
health of whitetail deer. What that
will be exactly has not been outlined
nor was he ready to throw options
on the table.
When we look at what other
states are doing there is much vari-
Isle ($100,000) and with privately
owned facilities for captive deer, elk
or other cervids ($115,000).
The DNR Law Enforcement
Division’s budget of $42.4 million is
made up from 14 sources. The single
biggest contributor is the Game and
Fish Protection Fund, which chipped
in $20.5 million this year, including
35 cents for every hunting and fish-
ing license sold to fund the Report
All Poaching hotline. Other funding
sources include money collected from
ORV license fees and trail stickers
and watercraft and snowmobile recre-
ation fees.
The DNR also provides over $40
million in grants through a variety
of different programs. Examples
include grants for invasive species
prevention and control; motorized and
non-motorized trail improvements;
acquisition and development of public
outdoor recreation areas; fish and
wildlife habitat improvement; assis-
tance to county sheriffs for
ORV, snowmobile and boating
law enforcement; and the Summer
Youth Employment Program.
The DNR Fisheries Division’s
$31.6 million budget is funded largely
ability. Testing is vital. I’m sure we
can expect a strong suggestion to
get deer tested before we eat them.
Another question is how that will
be paid for, especially if the disease
continues to spread. MDNR paid
over 1.4 million dollars to test last
year. If the disease goes statewide
it’s a budget-breaker. CWD is in
the same family of diseases as Mad
Cow disease, which can cause
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in hu-
mans. It is not yet known if CWD
can infect humans but as it mutates
and spreads the Centers for Disease
Control will become more involved.
Sick deer need to be reported to the
DNR so they can track the spread
of this disease. Some states have
suspended APR regulations in CWD
areas. Baiting will be banned in
CWD areas. We may eventually
see it banned in surrounding coun-
ties adjacent to CWD zones. Not a
surprise.
One thing that may be a posi-
tive for Michigan wildlife managers
is the fact that hunting continues
in states that have had CWD for
years. It is not an end to the white-
tail legacy in our state. Who knows,
it may actually bring our hunters
closer together if we understand that
bringing back basic conservation
strategies may be the best prescrip-
tion for battling CWD in Michigan.
For more information on CWD
log on to www.cwd-info.org or
Michigan.gov/emergingdiseases.n
by the Game and Fish Protection
Fund and federal Dingell-Johnson
funds, as well as lawsuit settle-
ments from companies involved with
resources damages, such as power
companies whose hydroelectric plants
have caused fish kills.
Overall, administrative expenses –
everything from the Michigan Natural
Resources Commission ($77,100) to
property management ($3.7 million)
– are funded by contributions from
the funding sources that finance the
DNR’s various divisions.
In short, 86 percent of the DNR’s
current budget comes from sources
other than state taxes.
Michigan is a year-round play-
ground with a wealth of exceptional
natural resources to enjoy. In large
measure, it’s the state’s anglers, boat-
ers, hunters, snowmobilers, campers
and others who fund improvements
and maintenance for the pursuits we
all enjoy.
We should all be grateful for their
significant contributions to Michi-
gan’s proud natural resources and
outdoor recreation traditions.
Get more information on the DNR
at www.mi.gov/dnr.n
 Hot Topics in the Outdoors...
DNR urges boaters
Fighting deer diseases:
to take safety classes
from page 73
port for Antler Point restrictions at themselves make CWD or TB go
59%. If those expressing no opinion away. We will only be successful in
are dropped, statewide support is protecting our deer herd and deer Education is key to ensuring a safe boating season
65%. In Northwest Michigan, where hunting if all stakeholder groups can
antler point restrictions have been partner to co-create a comprehensive With spring approaching, the Michigan Department of Natural Re-
implemented, support for the regula- Michigan approach to fighting deer sources encourages boaters to avoid the rush and enroll in a safety course
tions has grown to 77%. Michigan disease. The QDMA at the local, prior to the boating season. The reminder coincides with the national
hunters will support a shift in man- state and national level is committed Spring Aboard – Take a Boating Education Course campaign that runs
agement approach to fight disease to working with the Michigan DNR, March 18-24.
and improve their hunting experi- Natural Resource Commission and
“Michigan and boating go hand in hand,” said 1st Lt. Tom Wanless,
ence. all other stakeholders to achieve this
We need to make a statewide outcome. Michigan’s boating law administrator. “But being on the water carries
shift from quantity to quality man- To learn more about the responsibilities, especially when it comes to safety. The best way to ensure
agement, and we need to make this Quality Deer Management an enjoyable experience is to be prepared before getting into a boat. Don’t
change immediately. CWD and TB Association – “Where Deer wait until the season starts. Sign up now for a boating safety course.
will not wait for us to act. Fight- Hunters Belong” visit us at www. There are many options across the state and online, making it affordable
ing deer diseases and protecting our QDMA.com and like and follow and convenient.”
hunting heritage is complex, as of us on Facebook (Michigan QDMA Boaters born after June 30, 1996, and most personal watercraft opera-
now, there are no magic wands, or & Quality Deer Management tors must have a boater education safety certificate.
regulations, or vaccines that will by Association).n Because of a growing number of accidents involving non-motorized
vessels, which include canoes and kayaks, Wanless encourages all boaters,
regardless of age or experience, to take a safety class.
My Thoughts, My Views, My Opinions The U.S. Coast Guard reports that of the nationwide accidents in
which the level of operator education was known, 77 percent of boating
Share your thoughts, views, opinions or shor t stories with deaths occurred on vessels where the operator never received boating
Woods-N-Water News readers by emailing education.
wnw@pageone-inc.com or mail to During the Spring Aboard awareness campaign, some course provid-
Woods-N-Water News, PO Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444 ers may offer discounts or other incentives for students who enroll in
or complete a course. The campaign is promoted by the National Asso-
Questions regarding Woods-N-Water News subscriptions, ciation of State Boating Law Administrators, the U.S. Coast Guard and
newsstand sales, Outdoor Weekend, stories, trophy page several public and private organizations.
contact our office Mon.-Fri. 9 am-5 pm 810-724-0254, Get more information on boating safety, including who is required to
www.woods-n-waternews.com or facebook woodsnwaternews take a safety class, on the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/boating.

NO TIME
FOR A WEEK
AWAY?
CALL FOR GREAT
1/2 WEEK
SPECIALS!

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 75

 Free habitat workshops
L
andowners looking to
attract deer, songbirds,
pheasants and pollinators
like butterflies onto their
property, while improving
air, water and soil quality,
are invited to attend one of several
free workshops about the programs
and tools available to help create qual-
ity wildlife habitat.
Michigan United Conservation
Clubs – along with local conservation
districts, Quality Deer Management
Association branches, Pheasants For-
ever chapters, the National Wildlife
Federation, the Michigan Department
of Natural Resources and many other
partners – will hold a series of special
habitat workshops around the Lower
Peninsula this spring about how to
plant, manage and fund grassland
habitats on private land.
Grassland habitats provide
significant value to wildlife and to
Michigan citizens. They filter water,
collect carbon to help clean the air
and hold down soil to prevent erosion.
They also provide homes and food for
a variety of wildlife, including deer,
songbirds, turkeys, pheasants and in-
sects like bees and butterflies that help
Tom Carney
Among the Aspens
To purchase: $34.95 (Michigan residents, please add $2.10 sales tax) plus
$6.35 postage/handling
Send check or money order to: Partridge Pointe Press, 2470 Strawberry
Farm St. NE, Belmont, Michigan 49306.
Purchase online at www.tomcarneywriter.com
76 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
pollinate important agricultural crops.
These workshops are hosted
in part by the Michigan Pheasant
Restoration Initiative Coalition. The
Michigan Pheasant Restoration Initia-
tive is a conservation initiative to
restore and enhance Michigan pheas-
ant habitat, populations and hunting
opportunities on private and public
lands via pheasant cooperatives. The
initiative works by acquiring state and
federal resources to assist landown-
ers in the cooperatives to improve
wildlife habitat on their properties and
by improving habitat on selected state
game areas, recreation areas or other
public lands.
Workshop details:
• Barry County: Tuesday, April
17, at 7 p.m., Pierce Cedar Creek
Institute, 701 W. Cloverdale Road in
Hastings
• Branch County: Thursday, March
29, at 7 p.m., Coldwater Township
Hall, 319 Sprague Road in Coldwater
• Cass County: Tuesday, April
24, at 5:30 p.m., Camp Frieden-
swald,15406 Watercress Way in
Cassopolis
• Clinton County: Friday, April 6,
at 7 p.m., Smith Hall, 819 W Park St.
Award-winning nature and outdoor
writer Thomas Carney returns to
form in his latest collection of
essays, Among the Aspens: Stolen
Moments in Secret Coverts.
As with his previous collections,
Sun-Drenched Days, Two-Blanket
Nights; and Bird Dogs and Betty
Cakes, Tom employs a variety of
perspectives and presentations
as his writing glides effortlessly
across the lines that delineate
serious writing, humor, nostalgia,
analysis, description and storytelling.
Different this time around: Instead
of moving from activity to activity
with the progressing seasons as he
did in his first two books of essays,
in Among the Aspens Tom delivers
the goods through a single form
of outdoor recreation: upland bird
hunting.
in St. Johns
• Eaton County: Tuesday, March
27, at 6:30 p.m., USDA Service Cen-
ter, 551 Courthouse Drive in Charlotte
• Genesee County: Thursday,
March 22, at 11:30 a.m., Asbury
United Methodist Church, 1653 Davi-
son Road in Flint
• Gladwin/Midland counties: to be
determined
• Gratiot County: Thursday, April
5, at 7 p.m., Gratiot-Isabella RESD,
1131 E. Center St. in Ithaca
• Huron County: Tuesday, March
13, at 7 p.m., Rooster Ranch, 7480
Germania Road in Ubly Lakeview
• Ingham County: Monday, April • Monroe County: Monday, April
30, at 6:30 p.m., Wilson Talent Cen- 2, at 5:30 p.m., Cabela’s, 110 Ca-
ter, Rooms 505/506, 611 Hagadorn bela’s Blvd. E. in Dundee
Road in Mason • Muskegon County: to be deter-
• Kent County: Wednesday, May mined
2, at 6 p.m., Eagle Park, Room 105, For more information and to reg-
3260 Eagle Park Drive NE in Grand ister to attend a workshop, please visit
Rapids www.mucc.org/pollinators. Please
• Lapeer County: Thursday, contact Anna Mitterling at amitter-
March 22, at 6 p.m., Hadley Old ling@mucc.org or 517-346-6454 with
Town Hall, 3551 Hadley Road in additional questions.
Hadley For more information about
• Mecosta County: Wednesday, the Michigan Pheasant Restoration
April 25, at 6 p.m., Hinton Township Initiative, visit www.michigan.gov/
Hall, 3 Mile Road/90th Avenue in pheasant.n
BOOKS/DVDS BY RICHARD P. SMITH
TRACKING WOUNDED DEER
Lots of NEW INFORMATION and ALL COLOR PHOTOS.
“A MUST FOR THE DEER HUNTER” ~ Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine
LEARN HOW TO:
• Determine Type of Hit • Read Blood and Hair Sign
• How Best to Recover • Avoid Being Injured by
  Your Deer   A Wounded Deer
Quantity Cost
____ *NEW* Tracking Wounded Deer - 3rd Edition ($25) _______
____ Black Bear Hunting - 2nd Edition ($40.00) _______
____ Walking with Whitetails DVD ($24.00) _______
____ Deer Hunting - 4th Edition ($35.00) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 6 ($16.50) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 5 ($16.50) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 4 ($16.50) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 3 ($16.50) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 2 ($16.50) _______
____ Great Michigan Deer Tales - Book 1 ($15.50) _______
____ Deer Tales Set - 2 for $28; 3 for $40; 4 for $50; 5 for $60; 6 for $72 _______
Please specify which books sent to the same address.
____ Stand Hunting for Whitetails ($19.00) _______
____ Understanding Michigan Black Bear - 2nd Edition ($20.00) _______
SEND FOR YOUR ____ Animal Tracks & Signs of N.A. ($23) _______
AUTOGRAPHED COPIES TODAY. ____ TOTAL _______
Name
Address
City State Zip
Phone #
Please remit by MasterCard, Visa, Check or Money Order.
Circle card type:
MC/Visa #
Expiration Date Signature
Make checks payable to: SMITH PUBLICATIONS
814 Clark St. • Marquette, MI 49855
www.RichardPSmith.com
 MICHIGAN'S
NUMBER 1
OUTDOOR
RADIO SHOW !!!
Be sure to listen to Mike
Avery’s Outdoor Magazine
on one of the following
radio stations each week! Air Time
Frequency SA (9 AM)
City 102.3 FM SA (5 AM) Mike Avery’s
Station HOUGHTON
WHKB
95.3 FM SA (5 AM) Outdoor
BATTLE CREEK 1260 AM SA (7 AM)
WBCK HOLLAND 1090 AM SA (7:30 AM)
Magazine
WPNW MUSKEGON 1490 AM has a
WKBZ SA (7 AM)
ADRIAN 1460 AM
WABJ BIG RAPIDS 1240 AM
SA (6 AM) tradition
SA (5 AM)
WBRN ISHPEMING 96.5 FM SA (6 AM) of keeping
WIAN HOLLAND
WPNW
1320 AM SU (6 AM) his listeners
MARQUETTE 98.5 FM SA (7 AM)
WDMJ HOUGHTON LA
KE
1380 AM SA (7 AM)
and viewers
WUPS PO RT HU RO N
1400 AM informed
WPHM AR IE SA (6 AM)
UL T ST . M 1450 AM
WKNW
SA
IRON MOUN TA IN
790 AM
SU (9 AM) and
SU (7 AM)
WMIQ SAGIN AW
1450 AM SU (5 AM) entertained.
WSGW ALPENA
WATZ LANSING
1320 AM SA (7 AM) Don’t miss
1480 AM SA (7 AM)
WILS TAWAS 94.9 FM SU (9 AM)
any
WIOS ST. JOE 1450 AM of his
WSJM SA (9 AM)
NEWBERRY 100.5 FM M-W-F (12 PM)
WNBY SAGINAW 1360 AM
programs.
WSGW FM SA (7 AM)
CARO 98.7 FM SU (9 AM) Outdoor
WKYO LU INGTON
WLDN
D

580 AM SU (1 PM) Magazine
TRAVERSE CITY 1570 AM SA (5AM)
W TCM

FLINT 1600 AM SU (7PM)
is brought
WWCK ANN ARBOR 1340 AM to you by
WAAM S SA (5AM)
GRAND RAPID 1600AM
WJRW An n Arbo r
1340AM
SU (7PM) these fine
WAAM Grand Rapids companies.
do ors.com
Aver yOut
WJRW
w.M ike
ww

Check us out on Facebook:

facebook.com/OutdoorMagazine

SCAN FOR RADIO APP

Woods-N-Water News
Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication
www.woods-n-waternews.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 77
 SPORT SHOW FINDS
A Heddon 210 Surface wood bait circa 1919 to 1934 was supposed to be painted blue and white. This one has a marbleized blue head. Author photo
T
he first lure pictured
in this month’s article
turned up last spring at
the Grand Rapids Ulti-
mate Sports Show and
was easy to identify
since it was stenciled “Heddon 210
Surface” on its belly. The wood bass
bait was, at first glance, finished
in sky blue and white enamel, the
classic color that Heddon used on
their very first lure, the “Dowagiac”,
introduced in 1902. The Dowagiac,
and later the 210 surface bait, were
fished with a steady retrieve that
produced “two small fountain-like
spouts of water rising up from the
collar.” Anglers did not jerk or
twitch the bait. Doing that would
cause “the plug to ride up and over
one’s line when jerked. The belly
hook then became entangled with
the line…”
The lure had a nickel-plated
slanted collar, what collectors call
“L-rig hook hardware,” plus it
The 3 ½-inch Bar ton spoon that hooked and then lost the “Monster Pike”
out of Fletcher’s Pond in 1960. Larry Walter collection
78 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
showed some age cracks. This made
sense because the lure was made
between 1919 and 1934,
the last year that L-rig
hardware was used. There
were also two significant
tooth marks perhaps made
when a northern pike had
hammered the bait! What
was unusual was the lure’s
head. Instead of just sky
blue, the head had what I
would describe
as a “marbled”
blue finish. At
By Terry McBurney
first glance, I assumed that the lure
had been repainted by some talented
artist. The problem was that major
repaints significantly hurt the value
of wood fishing lures, so I put it
away and forgot about it.
A month ago, I took a closer
look at the Heddon plug examining
the age cracks and its other flaws.
Every imperfection looked old, and
after using a black light, the paint
appeared to be original as well. This
convinced me to seek a “second
opinion” about the marbled
blue head, so I contacted
Don Lyons at the Heddon
Museum in Dowagiac. Don
agreed with me that the
marbled paint was the real
thing and had come out
the Heddon factory look-
ing that way. He felt that
the Heddon painter had
used too much
paint thinner in
the blue paint,
which created the marbled look.
My question was whether this
lure was what is called a “Friday
Night Special,” where someone had
done some experimenting with a
special mix of sky blue paint, liked
the effect and then took the neat
looking lure home. Or was it a com-
pany experiment to develop a new
painting technique. I tend to believe
that it was probably the former, and
years later I was lucky enough to
have discovered this unique cre-
ation…a one of a kind Heddon 210
surface bait.
The second lure this month came
out of Larry Walter’s tackle box
last September during the Woods-
N-Water News Outdoor Weekend.
Larry is a longtime outdoor writer
for Woods-N-Water News. In fact,
his first article was in their second
issue! He had some classic lures in
this particular tackle box and was
nice enough to let me take a look at
them. The lure that drew my inter-
est was a “shoe horn-shaped” spoon
called the Jim Barton #2 spoon that
had been made in Detroit, a Made
in Michigan lure I was not familiar
with. The tarnished 3 ½-inch spoon
had been carefully wrapped along
with a note he had written many
years ago.
The note read - “Fishing Fletch-
er’s Pond while on our honeymoon.
It was a Jim Barton spoon (this one
I believe) which hooked that infa-
mous monster pike which resulted
in our boat banging freely about
from stump to stump – that is my
being pre-occupied with battling this
beast. (Of course, there is no way
to confirm it but perhaps it could be
considered that it was Betty’s per-
sistent screams which convinced the
beast to let go. It was truly a trophy
pike.”
Larry and his bride, Betty, went
on a tour of many of Michigan’s
best fishing spots for their hon-
eymoon in 1960. They picked a
very windy day, however, to fish
Fletcher’s Pond with winds gusting
from 25 to 35 mph. Fletcher’s Pond
had been created in 1931 with the
completion of the dam on the Upper
South Branch of the Thunder Bay
River. The dam created a shallow
reservoir of 9,000 acres filled with
a forest of standing pines, as well as
thousands of stumps left over from
earlier logging. Add in the drowned
trees and stumps along with weed
beds, and you have a perfect envi-
ronment for some great fishing…
for northern pike, largemouth and
smallmouth bass, bluegills, black
crappies and jumbo yellow perch.
They couple rented an aluminum
semi-Vee boat with a small motor
and took off in spite of the increas-
ing wind. They headed across the
turbulent open water to fish a stump-
filled spot that had caught Larry’s
attention. He started fishing the
Barton spoon because casting just
about any other lure into the wind
was almost impossible. The Barton
spoon’s aerodynamic shape was
perfect as it cut through the wind.
The northern hit the spoon hard
and dived towards the protection
of the stumps. Larry kept fighting
what he estimated was a twenty-five
pound pike while the boat pounded
into stump after stump with Betty
screaming in alarm as their boat
came close to swamping. Soon, the
big pike and the spoon parted com-
pany. Larry lost the fish, retrieved

his spoon, got the boat under control
and headed off the Pond.
Not much is known about the
Barton Tackle Company spoon.
George Richey states in his book,
Made in Michigan Fishing Lures II,
that the 3 ½-inch spoon was made in
Detroit in 1940. The only colors that
he had seen were copper and nickel-
plated and no painted models were
known. I have seen two painted col-
ors – black and white plus red and
white along with all chrome, copper
and brass. The ½ oz. spoon came
with a standard 1/0 treble or a weed-
less treble, and anglers could also
buy either the standard or weedless
models trimmed with bucktail. The
box that is pictured is a cardboard
tents for exhibitions, carnivals,
outdoor meetings and contractor
tents that would house construction
crews, horses and machinery. They
also sold cots, stools and chairs plus
a nice line of camping accessories.
Camping in the United States
began after the Civil War when
families and friends began enjoying
the simplicity of camping out and
the adventure of being outdoors.
The popularity of camping exploded
with the advent of the automobile,
especially with the introduction of
Henry Ford’s Model T in 1908. Cars
became more affordable, our state
and national roads improved, and
public and private campgrounds
were established near popular desti-
burgh, Cleveland, Lorain, Buffalo,
Erie, Williamsport and a thousand
other small towns, we took our
camping outfit to the shore at Atlan-
tic City…to rest up. Then it started
to rain. Then it started to pour; then
it commenced to blow, and such a
gale. Through the terrific storm…the
BARCO stood…the test.”
I would like to thank Don Lyons
of the Heddon Museum in Dowa-
giac (www.heddonmuseum.org)
for his help with the Heddon 210
surface plug. I would also like to
acknowledge Bill Sonnett’s excel-
lent book Deconstructing Old Ads –
Volume Three, published by White-
fish Press. Bill is a top historian of
Three Jim
Bar ton
spoons in
brass, black
and white
and red and
white date
from the late
1940s and
1950s. Bill
Wazelle col-
lection
all things fishing, as well as being
an accomplished angler. Read one of
his three volumes of fishing history
and you will be “hooked.”
I would also like to thank Larry
Walter for allowing me to photo-
graph his Barton spoon and sharing
the story of the monster pike from
Fletcher’s Pond. Thanks as well to
Bill Wazelle for letting me photo-
graph his Barton spoon collection.
Feel free to contact the author
at antiquefishing@comcast.net with
your questions. Photographs are im-
portant, so please send them. They
help me with identification and give
me an idea of the condition of the
item.n

SOMETHING FUN TO DO…

(Left) Har vey M. Shelley’s letter from the 1927 Barco catalog writing
about his family’s 4-week auto camping trip the summer before. (Right)
Page 7 of the Barco catalog featured “The Famous Barco Tourist Tent No.
29” available in a 7’ x7’ or a 7’ x 9’ model with or without a floor.
box with a plastic lid, which was
available in the late 1940s and after.
More information needs to be found
about Jim Barton and his “shoe
horned-shaped” spoon. Hopefully,
one of my readers has some new
information and will contact me.
The last item this month is an in-
teresting look at early auto camping
in the United States. My wife found
a near perfect “BARCO” camping
catalog entitled “Know the Plea-
sures of the Open Road,” which dat-
ed from about 1927. BARCO was
the acronym for the Barnett Canvas
Goods and Bag Company located in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cata-
logs and old outdoor magazines are
great sources of information, art-
work and vintage ads that help piece
together the stories of early sporting
collectibles and the companies that
made them. The BARCO catalog
featured canvas tents for auto camp-
ing, family camping tents, specialty
nations. By the middle of the 1920s
there were an estimated 12 million
campers in the U.S.
The BARCO catalog featured a
great letter dated March 3, 1925 that
was written by Harvey H. Shelley.
Let me quote some of Mr. Shelley’s
lines because they explain so well
the enjoyment of auto camping…
especially with a BARCO No. 29
Tourist Tent.
“We are regular auto touring
fiends, and when warm weather
comes, we pack up our children
and camping utensils and harken
to the call of the open road, and the
undiscovered country. Each year we
seek new fields to conquer in the Tin
Can Tourists’ country, and each year
brings us new scenes and greater
experiences…Last year, after tour-
ing for nearly four weeks, in a trip
which took us through Baltimore,
Washington D.C., Mount Vernon,
Hagerstown, Cumberland, Pitts-
Michigan Hunting & Fishing Collectors Club
SPORTING COLLECTIBLES SHOW
Saturday, April 7, 2018, 9 AM to 3 PM
Held at the Eagles Hall, 301
Detroit St., Jackson, Michigan The
Michigan Hunting & Fishing Collec-
tors Club (MHFCC) is holding their
annual Sporting Collectibles Show
running from 9 AM to 3 PM.
The show will feature
approximately 100 tables of
sporting collectibles including
hunting back tags, fishing
& hunting licenses, Michi-
gan game & fish digests,
Michigan license buttons,
successful hunter patches,
Bear Archery items, vintage
fishing tackle – lures, reels,
rods & accessories, spearing decoys,
waterfowl decoys & game calls.
General Public $5 admission & chil-
dren under 16 admitted free with an
adult. (www.mhfcc.net or call 248-
760-7785).
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 79
The nation’s first female conservation officer
Huldah Neal nominated to Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame…
By all accounts, Huldah Neal was no one to fool with.
That’s not to say she wasn’t liked or respected through-
out Grand Traverse County, which she called home
for 70 years. In fact, her 1931 obituary mourned her
loss, describing Neal as a “loved pioneer” who was

B
“highly esteemed by a large circle of friends.”
ut, Neal was the the way she performed her danger-
epitome of what con- ous duties, and in how she broke
temporary newspapers free from typical roles that society
referred to as “the new forced on women at that time. She
woman” of the 1890s. paved the way for new generations
Civic-minded and of women who proudly serve as
socially engaged, Neal had little pa- guardians of our natural resources.
tience when problems were ignored Huldah Neal left a positive legacy
and allowed to fester. So, while it for our state. On behalf of all con-
probably raised eyebrows outside of servation officers, it’s a privilege to
Grand Traverse County, those who nominate her for induction to the
knew her likely weren’t surprised Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.”
when she grew frustrated by the Born circa 1855 in Ohio, Huldah
rampant poaching of fish and game Jane Valleau moved with her family
in her area and requested an ap- to Grand Traverse County in 1861.
pointment as a game warden, so she She married Warren Neal in 1872
could handle the problem herself. and the couple raised two children These sketches of Huldah Neal accompanied a profile of her in the
With the stroke of a pen by state on their farm near Long Lake. She Aug. 15, 1897, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer . Neal’s appoint-
game warden and future Michigan shared her husband’s love of the ment as the country’s first female game warden made news across
governor Chase Osborn in 1897, outdoors, a passion that didn’t go Michigan and the nation. Many contemporary repor ts expressed
Neal became a deputy game warden unrecognized by newspapers report- confidence in her abilities to perform the dangerous work of a
for Grand Traverse County, cement- ing on her appointment as deputy game warden, due to her tenacity and outdoor skills.
ing her little-known legacy as the game warden.
first female conservation officer in “Mrs. Neal is a woman of deter- Mrs. Neal will stand no fooling.” Neal carried out her duties on
the United States, according to press mined character, and has excellent Neal’s appointment generated horseback, in rowboats and without
reports of the day. qualifications for such a position,” statewide and national attention, communications equipment makes
To recognize her contributions, the Traverse City Record-Eagle including an extensive write-up in her accomplishments even more
and mark the observance of March wrote on June 6, 1897. “She is an the Aug. 15, 1897, Philadelphia impressive.”
as Women’s History Month, the active woods-woman, a good shot, Inquirer. After all, “The duties of In addition to her game war-
Michigan Department of Natural and can give cards and spades to game warden are of such a nature den’s duties, Neal was a community
Resources Law Enforcement Divi- any man in the manipulation of the that many men would not care to fixture, even delivering mail three
sion is nominating Neal for induc- fishing rod. Besides being an expert undertake to fill the position,” the times a week to Traverse City.
tion to the Michigan Women’s Hall in these respects Mrs. Neal is an ar- Inquirer said. Today, after leading a productive
of Fame. A panel of judges will dent supporter of the state game and News coverage in that era was life that bettered her community and
decide if she merits induction later fish laws, and takes much interest quite a departure from the social raised the ceiling for other women,
this year. in their preservation. The appoint- and journalistic norms of today, as Neal rests with her husband in Long
“Huldah Neal was a trailblazer, ment is a good one, and Mrs. Neal evidenced by descriptions of Neal Lake Township’s Linwood Cem-
literally and figuratively,” said Gary will wage an aggressive campaign as a “plucky little woman” and etery.
Hagler, DNR Law Enforcement against violators of the law; and of- the expressed amazement that she It would be 80 years before
Division chief. “She was fearless in fenders in her locality will find that “wears pantaloons just like those of Michigan hired its next female con-
men and can handle the rifle like a servation officer. Marquette native
veteran marksman.”

NORTH WOODS MINISTRIES

Rev. Steven J. Moffett Evangelist
Email: northwoodsministries@yahoo.com
Website: northwoodsministries.com
Reaching out to those who love
the great outdoors
With the Gospel of Jesus Christ
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting LIFE”
NORTH WOODS MINISTRIES
Email: northwoodsministries@yahoo.com
Website: northwoodsministries.com
80 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Press accounts also credited
Neal for having an immediate im-
pact on fish and game law viola-
tions. “She is energetic and watch-
ful, and already poaching has begun
to diminish. The worst gangs of law
violators have ceased operations,”
the Jackson, Michigan, newspaper
reported in March 1898.
Hagler said Neal faced many of
the same risks that confront today’s
DNR conservation officers.
“Patrolling remote areas without
nearby backup assistance always has
been an occupational hazard of be-
ing a conservation officer,” Hagler
said. “It’s still true today, even with
modern vehicles, weapons and com-
munications. The fact that Huldah
Kathryn Bezotte became Michigan’s
first of the modern era when she
began her duties in 1977. Today,
nearly 20 women patrol Michigan’s
woods and waters as conservation
officers.
Neal and Bezotte were pioneers
in their own right. They opened the
door for subsequent generations of
women who have served their state
by earning the right to wear the
badge and uniform of a Michigan
conservation officer.
The DNR is an equal opportuni-
ty employer. Hagler encourages men
and women interested in becoming
conservation officers to follow the
detailed guide to the application
process at www.michigan.gov/
conservationofficers.n
 Ever wanted to be on the cover of the
Woods-N-Water News?
Now you, your child August 2011

or your hunting and

fishing buddy can be!
Woods-n-Water News
Michigan’s Premier Outd
oor Publication

Yes, you can have your outdoor photo on the

cover of the Woods-N-Water News. Maybe your
first deer, biggest fish or fondest outdoor Custom
Headline
memory captured for the entire family to enjoy

Great Gift!
•Birthdays •Holidays Optional
•Special Occasions secondary
•Decorate your Cabin caption
Just email (wnw@pageone-inc.com) your
photo attached as a jpeg or tiff file with
your suggested custom headline, optional
secondary caption and any additional text you
may want. Or complete the form below and
mail your photo. Must be paid in advance.
More info please call 800-387-7824

Sent ready for matting and framing

(Please remember some photos may not reproduce Additional Text Here
properly, we will make sure the photo looks good.
LIMIT ONE PHOTO. ADDITIONAL $5.00 FOR EXTRA PHOTOS)

Woods-N-Water News reserves the right to refuse any order if it is considered to be in poor taste or unethical.

$
15
Mail to: Woods-N-Water News, PO Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444
Please write in your Custom Headline,
Optional Secondary Caption and additional text below.

#1) Custom Headline LIMIT ONE PHOTO.

ADDITIONAL $5.00 FOR EXTRA PHOTOS
#2) Optional Secondary Caption We will design and
#3) Additional Text
mail a customized
Woods-N-Water News
(Please complete information below) Total # of Photos:
1 photo included in $15 charge. Any additional photos, $5 per photo, per cover extra. cover of your favorite
Name Total # of Covers: Total Price:
outdoor photo of you,
$15 per cover with 1 photo your child or your
Address City State Zip hunting and
fishing buddy
Phone # Email This price includes full color,
(11” x 14”) delivery to your
MC/Visa Expires Check home with your custom
headline and copy.
(Limit one photo. Add $5 per additional photo. Please allow four weeks to process your order, be specific on your order, date and caption.)

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 81

 Woods-N-Water News Classified Section
MISC.
AN ADJUSTABLE BED with
queen iComfort mattress included.
New in plastic, As Seen On TV.
Cost $3,800. Sell for $975. 989-
923-1278. M-3-18-TFN
..............................................
A TEMPUR-PEDIC
M E M O RY FOAM
MATTRESS SET. Clean. Never
used. As seen on TV. Cost $1700.
Sell for $695. 989-832-2401. M-4-
14-TFN
..............................................
AN AMISH LOG
HEADBOARD AND QUEEN
pillowtop mattress set. New. Sell all
for $275. 989-923-1278.
M-4-14-TFN
..............................................
AMISH LOG BEDS, ANY
SIZE $199. 5 drawer log chest
$199. Good quality. Lowest prices
in Michigan. 989-839-4846. M-4-
14-TFN
..............................................
MISC.
LOG BUNK BEDS. $495.
Amish lodge furniture. Call Dan
989-832-1866. M-4-14-TFN
..............................................
WALNUT TIMBER
Get
LANDOWNERS.
paid for your walnut veneer.
Michigan Timber Products. 269-
967-2850. M-4-6
WANTED
TIMBER: Buying all types of tim-
ber, 5 acres or more, top price paid.
Cash in advance. Improve wildlife
habitat. Patco Forest Products,
989-539-7588 after 6 p.m. W-10-
12/17
..............................................
Subscribe Today! (810) 724-0254
WANTED
TIMBER MANGEMENT:
Insuring landowners maximum
value for their timber for over
35 years. Michigan Timber
Products 269-967-2850. W-4-
6 surrounded by private hunt
FOR SALE
POND SUPPLIES: Live game-
fish for stocking. Large selection of
lake, pond and watergarden sup-
plies. Free catalog! Stoney Creek,
Inc., Grant, MI (800) 448-3873,
www.stoneycreekequip.com FS-4-7
..............................................
LARGE COW ELK RUG -
$800. Call 734-854-3602 leave
message. FS-4-1
..............................................
VAUGHN CREEK ARCHERY
FISHING
CANADA FISHING:
Want to go fishing? Come to
Northern Walleye Lodge for
Great Walleye, Small Mouth,
Northern, Jumbo Perch, Lake
Trout for 6 nights $450 U.S. per
person with 4 or more. Includes
remote lake front cabin with
own dock, 2 people per boat,
15hp electric start Yamaha
motors, fish finders and swivel
seats. Upgrade boats available.
3.5 hours North of Sault Ste.
Marie. See web site for specials
and more info . . .
www.northernwalleyelodge.com
email: fishingtrips@outlookcom
Toll free 1-877-434-2440
F-12/17TFN
ARCHERY
HUNTING REAL ESTATE
RAY’S U.P. HUNTING – Over
HUNTING PROPERTY:
25 years experience guiding for
One mile on dead end County
deer and bear. Baited stands in
road, one and half mile
Amasa, Baraga, and Bergland
deep, 720 acres in Presque
Units. Lodging Available. Call Ray
Isle Michigan. Property is
at 906-265-9420 or cell (906) 284-
2216. Licensed and Insured. H-1-
clubs. 1600 square ft. cement
12/18
block cabin with septic and
..............................................
NORTHERN ONTARIO
indoor plumbing, wood burning
heat, generator electric, wood
BEAR HUNTS: Booking now for
shed and tractor garage.
Spring of 2018. Includes comfort-
$1,300,000. Contact 586-438-
able cabin, boat and motor, baited
0157. RE-12-6
stands. Very experienced guides.
High success rate. 3 hours from the
Soo. References on request. $960
80 ACRES OF PRIME
U.S. 705-869-3272 www.texasand-
HUNTING LAND IN
sons.com H-10-12-17 HARDWOOD, MI (Upper
.............................................. Peninsula). Good trails throughout;
mixed timber including several
acres of hardwoods. Legal access
RESORTS/RENT directly from county road.
$78,900.00 RE-4-4
COHO BEND RIVERSIDE
RV RESORT Seasonal-only
..............................................

Custom Traditional Longbows camping at a private, gated

Straight laid, Reflexed & Deflex/ HISTORIC HUNTING
paradise on Big Manistee River. LAND: 160 acres in the
Reflex Designs. Duff Streeter Large, wooded sites, full hook-
To reach an immense outdoor market use the . . . rolling hills of Ogemaw Co.
Bowyer 989-965-0557 or ups, boat ramp and docks,
Woods-N-Water News Classified www.vaughncreekarchery.com
A-1-8
surrounded by NFS land. Quiet,
peaceful, lots of wildlife! 231-
80% wooded with marketably
aspen, pine, birch, maple and
Classified ad rates: $30 for the first 20 words .............................................. cedar. Excellent hunting, deer,
Every word over 20 is .25¢ per word -- Box your classified, $5 additional charge 723-7321 www.cohobend.com turkey and small game. Good
RR-4-7 artesian stream with brook trout.
This effective advertising is simple to do, place your ad by . . .
• Calling 810-724-0254 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm HUNTING An outstanding lodge site in the
• Email your ad to wnw@pageone-inc.com 50 ACRES TOTALLY PRI- maples overlooking a 3 acre
• Faxing your ad 810-724-8552 KENTUCKY TENNESSEE: VATE LAKE IN WESTERN lake. Access by paved road
• Complete your Classified online at www.woods-n-waternews.com Hunt fair chase unpressured trophy LAKE COUNTY near Branch on with electric bordered by large
• Mailing your ad to Woods-N-Water News, P.O. Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444
bucks. In my opinion with only two 2000 acre family preserve. 3 bed- acreages of private farmland.
Classifieds MUST be paid in advance of publishing; MasterCard, Visa accepted. Make hunts per season on each of my room cottage with boats, beach, Located in the Rose City area
check/money orders payable to Woods-N-Water News. Classified ads can not be thousands of acres of private farms, large dock, swim raft, swings, fire priced at $2,000 per acre. By
billed and once a classified is processed no refunds can be made. Limit of 75 words. my farms could be some of the best pit, etc. Excellent fishing for bass, owner 989-820-5858. RE-4-2
All classifieds posted to our website FREE! whitetail hunting anywhere. New pike, trout and panfish. Miles of
hunters are welcome to come visit streams and hiking trails. Caretaker
Use one of these useful classified categories... my farms. Four day hunts as low as lives on property 1 mile away.
35 ACRES: Osceola Co. Good
A = Archery FP = Food Plots HW = Help Wanted SM = Snowmobiles $900. Free brochure 270-348-4281. deer hunting-wooded thick cover-
$1200 per week. 248-559-7744.
ATV = ATVs FW = Firewood M = Miscellanous T = Taxidermy H-4-2 small creek, paved road, electric
B = Boats G = Guns RE = Real Estate TK = Trucks R/R-3-2
.............................................. available. Birds $56,000. Call 231-
D = Dogs H = Hunting RR = Resorts/Rent TR = Trailers ..............................................
F = Fishing HL = Hunting Leases RVC = RV’s/Campers W = Wanted 920-3652. RE-4-2
F = Free ..............................................
MAY 2018 CLASSIFIED DEADLINE APRIL 2, 2018
2018 MICHIGAN BLACK
BEAR HUNTS. Newberry/ WANT TO LEASE LAKE DIANE — Beautiful
wooded lakefront lot on this 400
Gwinn B.M.U. 1st, 2nd, 3rd acre +/- all sport Lake in SW
CLIP AND MAIL seasons. Seven day hunt/lodg- ARCHERY DEER LEASE
Hillsdale County MI. 100’ of water
Woods-N-Water News Classified Advertising ing/stands/skinning/tag/sealing
bear. Year around lodge. Great
WANTED. Jackson, Kalamazoo,
Ann Arbor area. 2 responsible, long frontage and almost ¾ Acre on a
quiet cove. Only $49,500. Central
(Please print clearly. We are not responsible for unreadable orders.) time hunters, looking for good mix
area for fishing, grouse hunting sewer. Call Larry at Faust Real
Make sure phone number is included in your ad! of timber and crops, 100 acres
and 4-wheeling. Convenience Estate, LLC 517-270-3645. RE-4-
NAME store, State and Federally li- minimum. Call Joe 708 670-3725 or
Larry 248 765-1901. HL-3-4 1
censed. Contact Tom Losiews- ..............................................
ADDRESS ki, North Country Hunting ..............................................
Adventures. 1-269-330-0480.
CITY                                           STATE                      ZIP Like us on Facebook. SPORTING GOODS
H-5-3
FOR RENT BUSINESS in N/E MI
DAYTIME PHONE NO. with wide range of products,
REMOTE DELUXE HOUSE- guns, ammo, hunting, fishing,
VISA/MASTERCARD#                                                       EXP: SAVE A FAWN - REDUCE KEEPING COTTAGES. Great camping and outdoor gear.
COYOTE POPULATION ON fishing for walleye, northerns, bass, Turn-key operation with lots
CLASSIFICATION OF AD                      MONTHS TO RUN YOUR LAND. Experienced perch and lake trout. 519-636-3697 of room for growth. Excellent
hunter looking for places to hunt www.foxsdenlodge.ca. FR-4-3 hunting, fishing and camping

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) coyote. No cost or obligation to you. .............................................. nearby. Owner retiring. Asking
Will ALWAYS call for permission $149,900 plus inventory 989-
351-8256. RE-4-4
Classifieds
(7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) before hunting. Call Tom to discuss
(734) 612-8330. H-4-1

(13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) .............................................. work! 50 ACRES PRIME DEER
GONZO BEAR CAMP - Bear
(19) (20) $30.00 $30.25 $30.50 $30.75 Specialist - We had 80% success. (810) 724-0254 HUNTING IN HILLMAN
Baraga, Gwen and Amasa Units - TOWNSHIP, west end of
$31.00 $31.25 $31.50 $31.75 $32.00 $32.25 Modular hunts start at $995. 7 days Monday- Hiawatha Lake. 3 out buildings, well
and septic. $130,000 Call for details
$32.50 $32.75 $33.00 $33.25 $33.50 $33.75
lodging included. Write for more
information on how to apply for bear
Friday – 810-656-4179. RE-4-2

$34.00 $34.25 $34.50 $34.75 $35.00 $35.25

permits on May 1st - 2730 S. Dort 9am-5pm ..............................................
Hwy., Flint, MI 48507 or call Dale at
$35.50 $35.75 $36.00 $36.25 $36.50 $36.75
(810) 814-8936 days 9-4 or eve-
nings John at (989) 257-2725 for
or try our Subscribe
Enclosed is $                                               for more information www.gonzo- website Today!
bearcamp.com. Like us on
words to run                     months. BOX MY CLASSIFIED - $5 Extra Facebook. H-4-5 woods-n-waternews.com (810) 724-0254
..............................................
82 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
 Woods-N-Water News Classified Section 
GRIFFON
DOGS
WIREHAIRED POINTING
STUD
NEEDED. I have 2 AKC champi-
DOG
DOGS
GERMAN SHORTHAIR
POINTER PUPS: Males
and females available. Excel-
RIVERHOUSE
DOGS
KEN-
NEL: Bird dog training, point-
ing and flushing breeds. Point-
 100’ ON BLACK RIVER. Just up river
from Black Lake & seated gently atop a
slight hill offering great views! 3 bdrm,
2 baths, storage shed, a ‘’Bunk House’’
by the river, well maintained & move in
onship bloodline females - Lapeer
Co. willing to drive within 100 miles.
810-691-7194 ask for Tom. D-4-1
lent hunting dogs and superb
family pets. Close working
back-force breaking to retrieve
- gun breaking. Gun dogs, field
PAGES ready. Natural gas. $109,000 #302752

..............................................
COUNTRYSIDE KENNELS
OF NORTH BRANCH NOW
OFFERING PRIVATE ONE-
ON-ONE training sessions, board
and train programs available and
lab puppies. Call 989-551-7790 or
visit www.countryside-kennels.com
D-2-4
Classifieds Work! (810) 724-0254
dogs with strong point and
retrieve instincts. Reasonably
priced for the sporting family.
Money back guarantee. Eulen-
hof Kennels, Gladwin, MI.
http://www.eulenhof.com
989-426-4884
D-3-3
trial dogs, AKC hunt test and
Navda. Tom Godlewski, Irons,
Michigan 361-319-8028. D-3-3
83-89
PROFESSIONAL DOG 100’ ON MULLETT LAKE & 1.5 ACRES!
TRAINING AT ITS FIN- Fabulous sunset views. Premium wooded par-
EST with pro-trainer Brett cel on the northeastern shore of Mullet Lake
Walla (586-482-4101). Avail- and on the famous Inland Waterway. Permit-
ability starting April 1st at ted building site mapped out (land evaluation
Rooster Ranch 989-658-2332,
has been completed). $197,750 #307090
www.roosterranch.com D-3-2

Your Woods-N-Water News is 93’ ON RAINY LAKE. This is a real

charmer with a country décor and stone
fireplace. 2 bedrooms, extra deep lot

“Just a Click Away!” and elbow room between the neighbors.

2 minutes to the trail system and State
land. Great fishing! $77,700 #311470
Carol Steiger, Associate Broker
(231) 627-9991 Office
(989) 351-0110 Cell
email: carol.steiger@remax.net
846 S. Main, Cheboygan, MI
www.liveupnorth.com
North

TARGET REAL ESTATE SPECIALIZES IN

WATERFRONT HOMES AND HUNTING PARCELS
• Subscriptions “WE REPRESENT BUYERS AND SELLERS”
WHITTEMORE NATIONAL CITY
• Email the Editor
• Classifieds - Buy, Sell, Trade
• Send Photos or Story Tips
33+ well wooded acres fronting 2 roads. Includes a 2 bdrm/1.5
80 acre Poncho’s Sand Creek Longhorn Ranch now
• Advertising Information bath 1360sf home with 2 car garage, plus an additional
structure/home on adjoining road to finish as desired.
available. Working farm with 5 bdrm/1 bath home, barns,
outbuildings, pastures and approx. 10 acres of woods.
MLS #1831615 $110,000 MLS #1819844 $215,000

www.woods-n-waternews.com OSCODA-$1,500, Nicely wooded lot located at Lakewood Shores in Oscoda. Ownership includes use
of all Lakewood Shores amenities. Private Lake Huron Beach front, private Cedar Lake beach front, tennis
courts, and much more. See www.lakewoodshorespoa.com for more details. MLS #1832422
WHITTEMORE-$8,500, 3.12 acre cleared building lot in a country setting at the corner of Nile and
Also, check us out on Keystone Road on a county maintained paved road. MLS #1835860
WHITTEMORE-$18,000, 11.15 acre parcel located on Nile Road. Previously farmed, this

Facebook cleared parcel would be perfect for a small hobby farm or a couple of horses. Additional smaller parcels
available. MLS #1835859
EAST TAWAS-$19,900, Potential building site on Tawas Lake with nice views and great fishing

and Twitter! opportunities. The deep 50x241’ lot has lots of mature Oak throughout. Located just minutes from East Tawas
and Tawas Bay. MLS #1832928
OSCODA-$64,900, 113’ of sandy shoreline awaits at St. George’s Point on Cedar Lake. What a great
location for your dream home. City water, underground electric and natural gas are available. MLS #1837111

It’s Easy . . .
OSCODA-$124,000, 227’ of sandy frontage on Cedar Lake in St. George’s Point Sub. Build your dream
home on this .74 acre lot surrounded by upscale homes. MLS #1826558
AU GRES-$150,000, 75’ of Lake Huron frontage. Paved street, city water, electric and natural gas. 380’
deep wooded lot with additional lot available. MLS #1825912

VISIT
MORE PARCELS ARE AVAILABLE . . .
CALL TODAY FOR MORE DETAILS
866-496-4400
TARGET REAL
ESTATE COMPANY

TODAY!
701 W. Bay Street, East Tawas, MI 48730
Office (989)362-4400 • Cell (989)370-2152
info@TargetRealEstate.com
www.TargetRealEstate.com

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 83


VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY!
statewiderealestate.net
• Houghton
Marquette
Iron Mountain • Manistique •
• Gladstone
Escanaba •
• Powers
Menominee •
Marinette
Contact Your Nearest State Wide Real
Estate Office To Buy or Sell In Michigan
ALPENA
1100 W. Chisholm, 49707
email: alpswre@speednetllc.com
989-356-2142 • Fax: 989-356-2144
ALMONT
844 Van Dyke Road
lafrancesharon@yahoo.com
810-798-8591 • Fax: 810-798-8079
CURTIS/NEWBERRY
Main Street, P.O. Box 305, 49820
email: swcurtis@sbcglobal.net
906-586-9606 • Fax: 906-586-9607
ESCANABA
2209 Ludington Street, 49829 1285 S. Michigan Ave., Howell, MI 48843
email: escanaba@statewiderealestate.net
906-786-1308 • 800-900-0777
Fax: 906-786-1388
GLADSTONE
1401 Delta Ave.,
Gladstone, MI 49837
906-825-9000
email: judy@statewiderealestate.net
HARRISVILLE
430 S. US-23, 48740
email: sold@anjstatewide.com
989-724-5711 • 800-655-5735
Fax: 989-724-6833
84 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
Offices Serving Lower &
Upper Michigan
Bringing people and places together since 1945
•
•
Newberry
Curtis
•
Linden •
HAWKS
8383 Hwy. 451, 49743
email: rita8383@yahoo.com
989-734-4846
HILLMAN
14938 State Street, P.O. Box 98, 49746
email: statewidehillman@yahoo.com
989-742-4523 • 800-228-7856
Fax: 989-742-3931
HOUGHTON
500 Shelden Ave., 49931
email: dick@statewideofhoughton.com
906-482-6955 • 800-676-6323
Fax: 906-482-7699
HOWELL/LINDEN
email: statewid@earthlink.net
517-546-9060 • 800-531-4449
Fax: 517-546-9148
IRON MOUNTAIN
231 East A. St.
Iron Mountain, MI 49807
906-828-2525
Fax: 906-828-2727
email: steve@multistatewide.com
MANISTIQUE
10 N. State Highway M-149
Cooks, MI 49817
906-644-2304
email: dekeysermary@yahoo.com
HORSE PEOPLE
10 ACRE PARCELS IN HORSE COUNTRY, 7 Miles west of Big Rapids,
a stone’s throw from 5,000 Acre Manistee National Forest trail system.
High walkout sites. $30,000
HILLVIEW LAKE
EAST OF BIG RAPIDS. Huge waterfront lots, ranging from 2.68 acres
with 237 ft. frontage to 8.9 acres with 300 ft of frontage. Priced from
$99,000. Build your dream home or get-away.
LARGE 2 BEDROOM CABIN/COTTAGE with fireplace and deck on 4.15
Acres with 589 ft. frontage. Great fishing and recreational lake. $189,000
RYAN CREEK
A LARGE CREEK that looks like a small river. East of Big Rapids.
Beautiful building sites. 16.88 Acres, $59,500 • 34.28 Acres, $87,500
Jack Frizzell
(231)598-6700
http://jackfrizzell.fivestarmichigan.com
Onaway
• • Hawks
Hillman
• •
• Atlanta
Alpena Absolute Auction -250+/- Acres Real Estate
Mio • • Harrisville Located at 9615 Keller Road, Delton, Michigan on:
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Personal Property sells at 10 A.M. – Real Estate sells at 1 PM
An exceptional property Near Gun Lake & Yankee Springs in
Barry County w/agricultural land, ponds, streams, forests, hunt-
ing land, home & buildings at absolute. This is a tremendous
• Almont opportunity to purchase a truly unique property that is protected
by a State of Michigan Conservation Easement. The 250+/-
acres will be sold as one parcel and the purchaser will take
title subject to the terms and conditions of the Conservation
Howell •
Easement which prohibits any dividing, development or division
of the property. Call for additional information.
WILLIAM BLACKMORE ESTATE
Linda Blackmore, Owner
Stanton’s Auctioneers & Realtors
144 S. Main, P.O. Box 146, Vermontville, MI 49096
(517) 726-0181 office • (517) 726-0060 fax
Email: stantonsauctions@sbcglobal.net • Website: www.stantons-auctions.com
MARINETTE, WISCONSIN
1460 Marinette Ave., 54143
email: statewidemarinette@yahoo.com
715-735-9964 • Fax: 715-732-1107
MARQUETTE
856 W. Washington, 49855
email: sw@statewiderealestate.org
906-228-9312 • Fax: 906-228-8069
MENOMINEE
3631 10th Street, 49858
email: statewideone@newbc.rr.com
906-863-9905
Fax: 906-863-7935
MIO
102 West 8th St., P.O. Box 395, 48647
email: info@statewidemio.com
989-826-3292
Fax: 989-826-2108
ONAWAY
M-33 & M-68,
P.O. Box 478, 49765
email: bigdan@frontier.com
989-733-6522
Fax: 989-733-2427
POWERS
W3776 US2 & 41, 49874
906-497-4190
Fax: 906-497-5328
holly@statewiderealestate.net
 Blake Ver Woert 231-652-7000
OFFICE:

Jake Dykstra
BLAKE:
616-308-3122
JAKE:
Hunting Land Specialists 616-916-8354

SELL YOUR PROPERTY WITH US!

537 +/- 160+/-
ACRES, ACRES,
JACKSON OSCEOLA
COUNTY
Excellent Duck, Deer & Turkey Hunting. Area COUNTY
of Other Large Property Owners. “Man Cave” Trail System, Near Reed City, Tons of
w/Game Cleaning Station. Deer and Turkey Sign, Food plot areas
$1,074,000 $359,000

Antrim County 52+/- Acres, Arenac Co, 167+/- Acres Jackson County, 105+/- Acres Lapeer County 102+/- Acres,
Rolling Hills, Pole 3,500+/- ft Lake Huron, 6 Calhoun County, 74 Acres, Calhoun County, 67+/- Acres WRP Program, Mature Hard- Trail System, Mixed Mecosta County 70+/- Acres,
Barn Lodge, Snowmobilers/ Bedroom Lodge, Guest Cabin, 1/2 Tillable ,1/2 Wooded, 300 ft. All Sports Prairie Lake, woods, Great Deer, Turkey & Hardwoods, Pond, Food plot Mixed Hardwoods and Tillable
Hunters Paradise Great Duck & Deer Hunting. Trophy Buck Genetics Tillable Acreage Waterfowl Hunting areas, Tons of Deer Sign. Land with Pond
$119,000 $599,000 $280,000 $275,000 $211,000 $380,000 $154,500

G
DIN
N
PE

Newaygo County, 40 Acres

Midland County, 80 Acres
12 Miles to Mount Pleasant,
Excellent Hunting
$176,000
Missaukee County Missaukee County, Newaygo County Newaygo County 20+/- Acres, 32x48 Pole Barn with Water &
46+/- Acres, Excellent 10+/- Acres, Amish Built Newaygo County 8.5+/- Acres, Custom Excellent Deer Hunting, Electric, 20 Ac Old Apple
Hunting Setup, Log Home, 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1+ Acre Lot Sites, Built Home, Wildlife Galore, Mixed Hardwoods, Great Orchard, 20 Ac Hardwoods,
Mosquito Creek Frontage Adjacent to State Land Muskegon River Access. Class A Trout Stream Deer Bedding Great Hunting
$87,500 $199,900 $37,000 $239,900 $50,000 $199,000

Newaygo County, 125 Acres, Osceola County, 163+/- Acres,

Newaygo County 80+/- Acres, Three spring fed lakes, Ontonagon County, 169 Acres, Great Trail System, Presque Isle County, 80 Ac Presque Isle County, 47 Acres, Wexford County 80+/- Acres,
Hardwoods, Swamp, Tillable, Excellent Deer, Turkey Extremely Secluded, Awesome Hunting, Creek Frontage, 24x24 Garage, Cabin and Pole Barns, Hunter and Snowmobiler Para-
Awesome Deer Hunting and Waterfowl hunting Wildlife Galore Rolling Hills, Must See! Excellent Hunting Great Hunting dise, Adjoins National Forest
$275,000 $375,000 $160,000 $290,675 $90,000 $99,000 $260,000

www. WildLifeRealty.com
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 85

LEGENDARY JACKSON COUNTY 103
ACRE PARCEL BORDERING STATE
PRISON FARMS ONLY $399,995.00!
Once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a
prime deer hunting 103 acre +/- parcel bordering
thousands of acres of non-hunted state prison
farmland! Owner has been practicing QDM
(Quality Deer Management) for 7 years as has his
larger landowning neighbors. The bucks grow big
on this beautiful parcel that has the Portage River
gently meandering through it. The state prison
farms that border the property on 2 sides provide
a sanctuary for bucks to mature and the practice
of QDM completes the perfect scenario for trophy
deer. The property includes a barn that is habitable
for staying in. Potential purchasers must provide
evidence of preapproval for financing, which I can
assist you with, or proof of funds available for the
purchase of the property before visiting the property.
Call real estate broker Loren Romain today at
734.216.1822 to arrange a private tour of the property.
Heritage Exclusive Marketing Agents for Northeast
House
RealtyPC
“Personalized Service is the Difference”
5710 Clouse Rd, Glennie
990 sf, 2 bed, 1 bath with 12
acres on dead end road.
Interested in having a hobby
farm? This is for you, room to
roam, some fencing, ideal
location. $85,000
For more information text
R569702 to 52187
4950 N Lakeshore Dr
2200 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath Cape
Code with 100 feet of
gorgeous Lake Huron
Waterfront. You must see to
appreciate all this Move in
Ready Home has to offer.
$229,900 For More Info Text
R435894 to 52187
5684 Riverview Dr
1800+ sf, 3 bed, 2.5 bath
with deeded access to Foote
Pond. Move in ready home
with 2 car attached garage.
Must see to appreciate all
this home has to offer.
$159,800 For More
Information Text R435893 to
52187
405 E Church, Harrisville
1750 sf, 4 bed, 2 bath
Victorian in downtown
Harrisville. Own a piece of
history with this move in
ready gem. $119,900. For
More Information Text
R306384 to 52187
Call 800-650-5566 - Glennie or 800-982-0102 - Harrisville - www.HeritageHouseRealty.com
86 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
N
W E
Near
3,960 ft
S
Marlette 121
in Sanilac Acres
County $375,100
OR
$
Will 3,100 per acre
consider 1,320 ft
all offers.
CALL
810-724-0254
TO PLACE YOUR
AD TODAY!


Michigan Properties
Located in the Heart of the Huron National Forest, on the
Shores of Lake Huron and the banks of the AuSable River
345 S Sleeper Dr, Lincoln 1009 Zimowske Rd, Mio
1000 sf, 3 bed, 1 bath with 1500+ sf, 3 bed, 1.5 bath with
some updates. Enjoy your detached garage and barn on
evenings overlooking 50 feet 25 acres. Come see what
on Brownlee Lake. Looking living up north is all about on
for that retirement retreat or your new covered porch or
place to escape the hustle of covered deck with this Move
everyday? $74,000 For in Ready Gem. $149,000
more info text R559197 to
52187
1455 E F-30, Mikado 3464 Kimberlin, Glennie
1420 sf, 3 bed, 1 bath on 1.5 20 acres perfect for building
acres with full unfinished or hunting with small pond
basement. Remodeled with and nice mix of wooded and
2 car attached garage offers open areas. Structures have
plenty of room to roam. no value and sold in “as-is”
$89,900 For More condition. $50,000 For More
Information Text R615688 to Info Text R627991 to 52187
52187
124 Smith St, Oscoda 6997 Woodlea Rd
930 sf, 2 bed, 1 bath well 2170 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath mostly
maintained with attached remodeled with access to all
garage. Ideal location close Lakewood Shores has to
to everything Oscoda has to offer including private
offer with this move in ready association access to Lake
home. NEW $64,000 For Huron. $135,000 For More
More Information Text Info Text R664325 to 52187
R69609 to 52187
480 acres on Mitchell Trail 2485 Armstrong Rd
Perfect investment for any 24 acres of mixed
sportsman/woman. 2 private woods/fields with well and
lakes, borders federal land electric on site make this an
on all sides plus it has two ideal hunting / camping /
cottages on site with electric. building location. Also has
Hunting and fishing was pine river feeder creek
never easier than here. frontage! $40,000 For More
$1,300,000 For More Info Info Text R381220 to 52187
Text R505657 to 52187
 WE SELL LAND

BRANDON CROPSEY CHUCK KEEFER EDMUND NOGASKI JAKE EHLINGER JUSTIN OLK
Broker, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist
Michigan Central Michigan Northern Michigan Southeast Michigan West Central Michigan
(269) 816-3010 (989) 600-4112 (231) 330-4107 (517) 937-2118 (616) 648-6156
MICHAEL TURNER SHAD WOODRUFF SHAWN KELLEY TONY HANSEN
Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist Agent, Land Specialist
Eastern Michigan North Central Michigan Southeast Michigan Central Michigan
(248) 770-4898 (989) 330-4032 (586) 292-1812 (269) 420-9510
CONTACT AN AGENT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BUYING AND
SELLING HUNTING, FARMLAND AND TIMBERLAND

w hi t eta il pr ope rt ies .com

Whitetail Properties Real Estate, LLC | dba Whitetail Properties | Nebraska & North Dakota DBA Whitetail Trophy Properties Real Estate LLC. | Lic. in IL, MO, IA, KS, KY, NE & OK - Dan Perez, Broker
| Lic. in AR, CO, GA, MN, ND, TN & WI - Jeff Evans, Broker | Lic. in OH & PA - Kirk Gilbert, Broker | Lic. in TX - Joey Bellington, Broker | Lic. in IN - John Boyken, Broker | Lic. in LA, MS & AL - Sybil
Stewart, Broker | Lic. in TN - Chris Wakefield, Broker | Lic. in TN - Bobby Powers, Broker | Lic. in AR - Johnny Ball, Broker | Lic. in SC - Rick Elliot, Broker | Lic. in NC - Rich Baugh, Broker
Lic. in MI - Brandon Cropsey, Broker - Broker Address: 410 E. Chicago Rd., PO Box 165 White Pigeon, MI 49099

WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 87

 VACANT 1.4 ACRES VACANT 1.25 ACRE VACANT 3.29 ACRES VACANT 10 ACRES VACANT 20 ACRES
2 Storage Buildings Well Septic & Electric Well Septic & Electric Wooded Recreational 24x32 Rustic Cabin & Shed
MLS 17047388 $14,900 MLS 17029876 $16,900 MLS 17021677 $16,900 MLS 18006044 $23,900 MLS 18005459 $54,900

VACATION CABIN 1 BD, 1 BA FURNISHED W/BUNK HOUSE 3 BD, 1 BA 2 BD, 1 BA

1 BD, 1 BA 1/2Acre, Garage & Deck 3 BD, 1 BA Garage & Horse Barn Garage & Storage Shed
MLS 18001717 $18,500 MLS 17055721 $29,900 MLS 17051149 $55,000 MLS 18004724 $57,900 MLS 18003214 $59,900

84’ LITTLE TWIN LAKE 233’ LOON LAKE 969’ BALDWIN RIVER 90’ ALICE LAKE 192’ BALDWIN RIVER
3 BD, 2 BA 2 BD, 1 BA 2 BD, 1 BA 3 BD, 2 BA 3 BD, 2.5 BA
MLS 17014727 $72,500 MLS 17019280 $144,900 MLS 17056932 $149,000 MLS 17028472 $189,900 MLS 17053602 $189,900

Looking for Affordable Vacation Property?

LAND CONTRACTS ARE AVAILABLE
Call us today & get started on the path to owning
your own little piece of Northern Michigan!

2 Bdrm cottage. Sturgeon 1 Bdrm Camp. 7.5 Acres. 7

River frontage, snowmobile 2 Bdrm Camp. Built 2012. 160 Mile Marsh Rd. Built 2000.
trail access, Hwy 13. Nahma. Acres. Remote. Rock. Bark River.
$63,900 1105794 $189,000 1104899 $47,000 1104950

THOUSANDS OF
ACRES AVAILABLE
FROM $6,900 TO $707,420. 2 Bdrm, 1 bth, Waterfront cottage. 2
Acres w/225’ on Ostrander & Corner 1 Bdrm camp. 540 Sq Ft. Blk bath
Lk. Well & septic. Private on dead house. Out house. Great hunting. 80 Acre Hunting Camp on
Escanaba end road. Chain-of-Lakes. Wetmore. Stella Lk and Sturgeon River. Stonington Peninsula.
2209 Ludington Street $149,000 1106501 $59,900 1103597 $120,000 1103374
(906) 786-1308

Powers
W3776 US 2 & 41
(906) 497-4190

Gladstone
1401 Delta Ave.
4 Bdrm, 2 bth Lodge. 640 Acres! 1 Bdrm camp. 40 Acres. Nice 2 Bdrm, 1 bth camp. 18
(906) 825-9000
Mostly all high ground with high ground. Great hunting. Acres. 2 Car gar with deer
high timber value. LaBranche. Well built. Perkins. blinds. Ensign.
$789,900 1101443 $84,900 1101098 $49,900 1097355
88 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS
 WEST BRANCH HALE WEST BRANCH
R S ALE R S ALE
M-33/M-55 OFFICE F O OFFICE F O LOOP OFFICE
1953 S. M-33 3160 North M-65 2575 S. I-75 Business Loop,
West Branch, MI 48661 Hale, MI 48739 West Branch, MI 48661
10 miles north of I-75 exit 202 “Gateway to Huron National Forest” 1 mile north of I-75 Exit 212

Local: 989-345-2662 Local: 989-728-2540 Local: 989-345-0315

Toll Free: 800-535-6520 www.CAHANES.com Toll Free: 800-495-2540 www.CAHANES.com Toll Free: 866-345-0315

“UP NORTH” GETAWAYS AND YEAR ROUND HOMES

OVER 3000 SQUARE FEET!!
4-bdrm, 2.7 baths, appliances, master suite,
cathedral ceilings, 2 bdrms on each floor, full
walkout bsmt, 2.5 ACRES, finished garage,
large deck, privacy fence and much more!!
$209,900 1837404
TRANQUIL FAWN LAKE!
Lovely and spacious 3 bedroom home with ac-
cess to “no motor” lake. AC, partly finished bsmt,
master suite, garage, deck, newer shingles &
laminates!! Seller giving carpet allowance!!
$149,900 1838336
20 WOODED ACRES!!
Bedroom home on full bsmt /2 car garage. Main
floor laundry, recently updated kitchen & bath,
large covered rear deck with beautiful views and
trails for nature walking or the hunter!!
$154,900 1840412
SECLUDED HUNTING CAMP!!
18 WOODED ACRES w/2 bedroom home is the perfect
place to call your hunting cabin that is also ADJACENT
TO STATE LANDS!! Propane lights, range, refrigera-
tor, wood heat, gravity tank and wired for generator!!
$64,900 1805656
NEAR RIFLE RIVER!!
Neat 2 bedroom cabin with large fenced yard in
Skidway Lake area. Natural gas heat, newer roof,
newer water pump & shed with electric & hose wa-
ter hook-up. Great getaway also near many lakes!!
$24,500 1838322

NEAR LAKE GEORGE!!
Recently remodeled 3 bedroom, 2 ba w/garage on 2
lots at end of cul-de-sac. Open floor plan, gas log FP,
newer floorings and newer counter tops. Enjoy the public
access and boat ramp at this desirable all sports lake!!
$74,900 1840493
4 ACRES!!
Spacious 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home w/garage and heat-
ed workshop and pole barn. AC, front & rear decks, full
bsmt, paved driveway, maple & apple trees & more!! With
some TLC, this could be your year round country home!!
$129,900 1839823
CLEAR LAKE AREA!!
Beautiful 3-bdrm home perfect for year round
or nice getaway! Freshly painted, newer carpet,
large kitchen & living area, garage & nice patio.
Near popular Clear Lk & acres of State lands!!
$139,900 1842036
1300 SQUARE FEET!!
This 2 bedroom mobile home w/garage is near Hale w/
just under a half acre fronting on paved road. Afford-
able weekend/vacation getaway in super recreational
area near lakes, streams & Huron Nat’l Forest!!
$29,000 1840769
PRIVATE LAKE ACCESS!!
Enjoy access to “no wake” lake w/this 3-bdrm, 2 full ba
home with oversized garage, open floor plan, laminate
and tile floors, newer roof in Feb 2018, AC, custom oak
cabinetry & natural gas heat. Definitely move in ready!!
$139,500 1843357

TWO FOR ONE!!
There are 2 homes included in this listing both w/one
bath and large lot. Near several lakes for swimming,
boating and fishing and not too far from State lands
for the hunter! Live in one, rent or sell the other!!
$19,000 1840529
1.44 ACRES!!
Spacious 3-bdrm home in need of some TLC, but has
been painted and newer flooring has been installed.
Open floor plan, enclosed porch, wood stove, base-
ment, a bath on each floor and large garage!!
$75,000 1838514
NEAR RIFLE RIVER!!
This one bedroom mobile home would make a
pleasant getaway on an ACRE of property and
near lakes and the beautiful Rifle River for fan-
tastic fishing and superb canoeing/kayaking!!
$25,000 1831259
OVER 5 ACRES!!
Gorgeous custom built 3 bedroom, 2 full ba home has
over 1800 square feet, cathedral ceilings, floor to ceil-
ing windows on both levels, large deck, pond & heated
garage. Beautiful setting w/RIFLE RIVER FRONTAGE!!
$174,900 1839528
1.24 ACRES!!
This cute 2 bedroom cabin sits on 6 lots and is in
great resort area with several inland lakes nearby
for swimming, boating and fishing! Perfect little “Up
North” getaway for year round recreational fun!!
$19,900 1840716

CUTE AND WELL-MAINTAINED!!
2-bedroom home on large lot w/appliances, natural
gas heat, family room, storage shed, fire pit and
nice deck for relaxing outdoors. Cozy year round
or affordable getaway in great recreational area!!
$37,500 1828738
FAWN LAKE!!
Custom built 3-bdrm home with garage on approx a
half acre w/40 feet on “no wake” lake. Open living and
kitchen areas, separate laundry area, nice foyer, fire-
place, master suite w/walk-in shower & move in ready!!
$109,900 1843131
ACREAGE AND WATERFRONT!!
210’ of sandy frontage on popular, all sports CLEAR
LAKE and just over 2 ACRES!! 3 bedroom home, over
2600 square feet, full walkout bsmt, skylights, gas FP,
garage, pole bldg, boat dock, apple orchard & more!!
$139,900 1839256
PEACH LAKE WATERFRONT HOME!!
60 feet of frontage on this all sports 208 acre lake
w/this 3-bedroom, 2 ba home. FP, newer furnace,
roof & flooring, a place to dock your boat, fan-
tastic views from lakeside deck & storage shed!!
$114,900 1843392
NICE LAKE VIEW!!
3 bedroom home with a view of all sports RIFLE LAKE
and newer drywall, flooring, countertops, back splash
& updated bath. Garage, sunroom, bonus upper level
16x18 room, garden area & a fenced spot for your pets!!
$80,000 1838970

CREEK FRONT GETAWAY!!
Just over a HALF ACRE w/2 bedroom home & 221’ of
frontage on Silver Creek. Newer roof in 20167, newer
well & newer septic, 2 storage sheds, screened porch,
beautiful views and near many lakes!!
$54,900 1832428
ON CHANNEL TO ELBOW LAKE!!
3 bedroom home w/detached garage, nice
kitchen w/pantry, island & breakfast nook,
master suite, nice views from wrap-around
deck, on an ACRE with your own pond!!
$149,900 1810533
NEAR STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS!!
This “Saltbox” style home has 3-bdrms, 2 ba, 1732
square feet, AC, wood stove, newer carpeting in Feb
2018, 2 garages and 2 sheds, newer roofing on one
garage, near popular Clear Lake & on 1.54 ACRES!!
$94,900 1843353
OPEN FLOOR PLAN!!
This possible 2 bedroom home sits on nicely treed
lots and is not far from many lakes and the gorgeous
Rifle River for excellent fishing and canoeing/kayaking!
Newer and windows in 2013, some furnishings & more!!
$31,900 1830854
ON CUL-DE-SAC!!
Nice 3 bedroom home with 2 car garage and access
to BUSH LAKE for boating, swimming and fishing.
Large kichen, FP, natural gas heat, front and rear
decks, paved driveway & lake just across the road!!
$59,000 1840484

BEAUTIFUL RIVERFRONT!!
Gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2.5 ba home has heated ga-
rage w/upstairs, fenced garden area, extensive deck-
ing, wood floors, FP, AC, 8.8 ACRES & 1170’ on AU
GRES RIVER w/breathtaking views & much more!!
$265,000 1798150
1.8 ACRES!!
2 bedroom singlewide, manufactured home on partly
wooded property! Not far from all sports Long Lake
for water activities and near acres of National Forest
for the hunter!! Great weekend cabin or hunt camp!!
$35,000 1838366
LAKE GEORGE WATERFRONT!!
Lovely home w/frontage on allsports lake just min-
utes from town. FP, large family room, recently re-
modeled kitchen has newer cupboards, backsplash
& laminate floors and so much more to enjoy!!
$99,000 1839413
1.5 ACRES!!
Nice and cute 2 bedroom home w/spacious garage
that has a convenient lean to. Great setting with trails
at rear of prop leading to Silver Creek! Pleasant year
round home or enjoyable weekend getaway!!
$39,900 1833833
10 WOODED ACRES!!
Lovely 3 bedroom, 2 ba home w/garage! Great kitchen
w/island and appliances, FP in spacious living area,
master suite w/walk-in closet and private bath. Great
location near lakes & State land w/gorgeous views!!
$129,900 1840732

FOR MORE LISTINGS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.CAHANES.COM
WNW NEWS APRIL 2018 89
 Dan Dan The Mattress Man
SPORTSMENS FURNITURE PARADISE

Solid wood bunk w/ mattress $

- Woodcrest 2400 bunk 275 Rustic Tables
- Hundreds to choose
$
149 - Choose your fabric 649
Made in Michigan Wood Fouton $

GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES

Child Recliners $
99
249 Unique Log Beds
- Queens start at
$ Solid Wood
USA Chest
$
199
www.DANDANTHEMATTRESSMAN.com
802 Ashman St. • Midland
989-832-1866

90 APRIL 2018 WNW NEWS

 It’s tim
e
to go
fishing
!

BEST PRICING OF THE YEAR!

Angler Qwest Angler Qwest Angler Qwest

824 Pro Troll, 822 Troll, 822 Pro Fish,
150 hp four-stroke and Trailer 150 hp four-stroke and Trailer 150 Suzuki and Trailer

Call or visit Freeway Sports Center for these special package pricing!
Holding Power
Retrievability • Durability The Chene Anchor
201 Industrial Way, Fenton, MI • 517-202-2949
or available at...
THE KNOWLEDGEABLE BOATERS A BETTER
SPORTS
CENTER
BEST CHOICE MOUSE TRAP
Visit us at www.freeway-sports.com for a complete listing of boats!
FULL SERVICE PARTS & ACCESSORIES
Service Department • Indoor & Outdoor Storage
(810) 629-2291 Hours: FLINT FREEWAY
SPORTS CENTER
SPORTS
3241 Thompson Rd. Mon.-Fri. 9am - 6pm EXIT 84
59

FENTON
CENTER
Sat. 9am - 5pm
PONTIAC
Fenton, MI 48430
23

w w w. f r e e w a y - s p o r t s . c o m
Closed Sunday's
96
Exit 84 on US-23 ANN ARBOR DETROIT sales@freeway-sports.com
 GALCO HOLSTERS
LARGEST SELECTION
IN MICHIGAN!
20% OFF
SELECT ITEMS

31516 Harper Avenue

St. Clair Shores, MI 48082 Available at: Layaways Welcome
Phone (586) 296-2360
Fax (586) 264-8307

STORE HOURS: 
Mon. - Fri: 10am-7pm;
Sat: 10am-4pm; Closed Sunday
Michi-GUN
www.michigunandtackle.com