MAY 2019 $4.

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USFW...
TO DELIST
WOLVES

SLAB
GILLS
TACTICS FOR
SILENT
GOBBLERS
• 2018 Top Typical Buck • SPRING KINGS • Steelie Bead Bite
• The U.P.'s Moose Population Up • Post Spawned Walleyes
• Lynx in the Thumb • Nutrition Impacts Does’ Maternal Care
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 3
 Field Notes...By Tom Campbell First Unusual

New fishing/boating law

Buck Deer

T
here are new boating and
fishing laws designed
to prevent the spread
of invasive species and
if you don’t follow the
rules a violation of the law is a state
civil infraction and violators may be
subject to fines up to $100.
According to the DNR, Michi-
gan’s Natural Resources and Envi-
ronmental Protection Act (Act 451
of 1994) Part 413 has been amended
with changes for boaters and anglers
that take effect March 21, 2019. The
changes are intended to strengthen
protection for Michigan waterways
against the introduction and spread
of aquatic invasive species.
What Boaters Need To Know
Prior to the amendment, the law
only required that a person not place
watercraft or trailers in the waters
of Michigan if an aquatic plant is
attached. In addition to this require-
ment, the new changes require all of
the following prior to transporting
any watercraft over land:
• Removing all drain plugs from
bilges, ballast tanks, and live wells.
captured fish, specifically:
• A person shall not release
baitfish in any waters of this state.
A person who collects fish shall not
use the fish as bait or cut bait except
in the inland lake, stream, or Great
Lake where the fish was caught,
or in a connecting waterway of the Brian Wilcox shared a trail cam
inland lake, stream, or Great Lake Michael Ritchie took his first photo from southwest Michigan
where the fish was caught if the buck, a record book buck, on of an unfortunate young deer
fish could freely move between the opening day of gun season with what you’d assume is a
original location of capture and the 2018. very large goiter?
location of release.
• A person, who catches fish
other than baitfish in a lake, stream, Unique
Great Lake, or connecting waterway
shall only release the fish in the lake, Catch
stream, or Great Lake where the fish
was caught, or in a connecting wa-
terway of the lake, stream, or Great
Lake where the fish was caught if
the fish could freely move between
the original location of capture and
the location of release.
Whether purchased or collected,
unused baitfish should be disposed Mike Filer III fishing with his father on Kent Lake in Kensington
of on land or in the trash – never in Metro Park last year caught this very unique 31 ½ inch pike. The
the water. Any baitfish an angler col- DNR believes it’s an ‘odd colored pike.’
lects may be used only in the waters

CWD identified in a
• Draining all water from any where it was originally collected.
live wells and bilges. Anglers who are catching and
• Ensuring that the watercraft, releasing fish should only release the

Montcalm County deer farm

trailer, and any conveyance used to fish back into the same water or in
transport the watercraft or trailer are a connecting body of water the fish
free of aquatic organisms, including could have reached on its own.
The Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural and Develop-
plants. What You Should Do ment and Natural Resources have confirmed chronic wasting disease in
This means that after trailering To comply with the law and a two-year-old female white-tailed deer from a Montcalm County deer
boats, and before getting on the road, prevent the introduction and spread farm. The sample was submitted for routine testing as a part of the state’s
boaters must pull plugs, drain water of aquatic invasive species, boaters CWD surveillance program for farmed deer.
and remove plants and debris. Viola- should: In Montcalm County, 83 CWD-positive free-ranging deer have been
tion of the law is a state civil infrac- CLEAN identified. This part of the state is an active CWD Management Zone. All
tion and violators may be subject to - boats, trailers and equipment. deer farms in Michigan are required to submit samples for testing regu-
fines up to $100. DRAIN larly; however, deer farms in a CWD Management Zone are quarantined
What Anglers Need To Know - live wells, bilges and all water - and must participate in increased surveillance.
For anglers, these amendments pull all drain plugs. As a part of MDARD’s disease response, an investigation will be con-
codify the Michigan DNR’s Fisher- DRY ducted to rule out exposure of any other farmed deer.
ies Order 245 regarding the release - boats and equipment. “The test results and age of the deer indicate that this deer was re-
of baitfish, collection and use of DISPOSE cently infected, emphasizing the importance of early detection through
baitfish and cut bait, and release of - of unwanted bait in the trash. surveillance,” said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM. “MDARD
and DNR work together, in partnership with the state’s deer farmers, to
SEASONS ensure the protection of all of Michigan’s deer.”
“With a disease like CWD, everyone’s actions matter,” said DNR
Open All Year – Pike and walleye season on Lower Peninsula Great Lakes, Lake state wildlife veterinarian, Kelly Straka, DVM. “Whether you are a deer
St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers producer submitting samples for surveillance or a hunter practicing
Open All Year – Salmon and trout season on Great Lakes, St. Marys River,
Lake St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers
safe carcass disposal, we all have a role to play in minimizing the risk of
Open All Year – Catch-and-immediate-release bass season on all Michigan disease spread.”
waters open to fishing Since May 2015, when the first free-ranging white-tailed CWD-pos-
Now - December 31 – 2019 Pure Michigan Hunt application period itive deer was found in Michigan, CWD has been confirmed in free-
May 1 - June 1 – Michigan elk and bear application period ranging white-tailed deer in the Lower Peninsula from Clinton, Eaton,
April 22 - May 31 – Spring turkey hunting with various hunt units and dates. Gratiot, Ionia, Ingham, Jackson, Kent, and Montcalm counties. Addition-
April 27 – March 15 – Walleye, pike season on Lower Peninsula inland waters.
April 27 – Sept. 30 – Salmon and trout Inland type 1 and 2 streams and type A
ally, a CWD-positive deer was found in the Upper Peninsula in Dickin-
and D lakes son County in October of last year. Baiting and feeding of deer and elk is
May 15 – March 15 – Walleye, pike season on Upper Peninsula Great Lakes, not allowed in the Lower Peninsula.
inland waters and St. Marys River. CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer,
May 25 – Dec. 31 – Bass catch and keep season on all waters, including Great mule deer, elk, and moose. CWD can be transmitted directly from one
Lakes except Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and Detroit River. animal to another, as well as indirectly through the environment. In-
June 1 – March 15 – Muskie season on all Great Lakes, inland waters and St. fected animals may display abnormal behavior, progressive weight loss
Marys River.
June 1 – Dec. 31 - Muskie season on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and Detroit and physical debilitation. To date, there have been no reported cases of
River. CWD infection in humans. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers
June 15 – Dec. 31 - Bass catch and keep season on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that
River and Detroit River. infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic
*Consult the Michigan Hunting and Trapping Digests, Fishing Digest, or other spe- animals.
cies-specific hunting digests for a more complete list of dates and regulations regard- More information about CWD can be found at Michigan.gov/CWD.
ing each season or hunt period.
4 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 5
 Senate Bill could
allow baiting deer
May’s Post-Spawn Walleyes
Michael Veine...page 68
HUNTING
When gobblers go silent
Mike Gnatkowski page 30
Kenny Darwin page 20
Find the flow, find the walleyes
Gary Parson/Keith Kavajecz
Raise hogs to hunt deer?
Darryl Quidort page 24
5 tips for public land toms
Darin Potter page 36
Customizing Midwest Finesse
Attack of the Giant Water Bug!
Jonathan Schechter page 28
2018’s Top Typical Buck
Richard P. Smith...page 23
I’ve changed hunting tactics
Guest David Ferianc page 40
The Rolling Hunter’s
Monster Buck
Richard P. Smith page 57
Dog Training...
Introduction to gunfire
Len Jenkins page 58
COVER PHOTO
By Rick Baetsen
6 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
FISHING
SLAB GILLS...
A Feeding Frenzy
Kenny Darwin page 8
Trolling tactics for crappie
Mark Romanack page 18
Mark Sak page 22
TOWING WOES...
Avoiding the worst
Mark Martin page 26
Fishing Michigan...
May’s Top Spots
Next Bite
page 34
“Must Fish” list for May
John Bergsma page 52
Spring Walleyes
George Rowe page 54
I love bead fishing steelies
Brian Miller page 59
Dave Mull page 70
FEATURE
C.A.S.T. for kids program
page 19
Nutrition Impacts
Does’ Maternal Care
John Ozoga page 48
Surveyors of Michigan
Kathleen Lavey page 50
Two unique stories in
our great outdoors
Jeff Pendergraff page 60
FOOD PLOTS
on marginal sites
Mike Veine page 62
When Gobblers Go Silent
Kenny Darwin...page 20
6 reasons to take your children
morel mushroom hunting
Guest Eric LaPaugh page 64
OPINIONS
The clock is ticking, sportsmen!
SPORTING COLLECTIBLE Randy Jorgensen page 14
Spring Show Finds
Terry McBurney page 72
Dear Fish Diary...My dad told
me to never talk politics while
out fishing with friends
NEWS Ron St. Germain page 69
U.P. Wolf Killed in Ontario
Richard P. Smith page 12
Gray Wolf Delisted?
Take your kids
USFW page 13 morel hunting
The U.P.’s Moose Population
Bill Ziegler page 16
Burning requires
caution, planning
page 17
Unusual wildlife of
Michigan’s Thumb
Tom Lounsbury page 32
Want to leave a forest legacy?
page 68 Guest Eric LaPaugh...page 64
PERSPECTIVE
GUNS/AMMO
Michigan Meanders...
A pheasant for Sarabeth Traditional Black Powder Hunting...
and Cooper and... Henry’s adventure of the bones
Tom Huggler page 38 Dennis Neely page 42
Book delivers fascinating look at Gun Chat...Savage 99
the development of field biology
Lee Arten page 55
Tom Carney page 47
DEPARTMENTS...
Cover Story. . . . . . . 13 Classifieds . . . . 74-75
News/Op-Ed. . . . 68-69 Real Estate . . . . 75-85
1-810-724-0254
www.woods-n-waternews.com
P.O. Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 7

 FEE D I N G
FR E N Z Y
By Kenny Darwin
he term feeding frenzy
sort of describes the
biting characteris-
tics of bluegills in
spring when they are
schooled in skinny
water and smashing
any presentation. Soon as your hook
taps the water surface and creates
a tiny shock wave they turn on the
afterburners and rush to smack the
offering. Sometimes they gulp and
spit out the hook before you can set
the hook but most strikes are brutal,
deliberate and fish frequently grab,
hold on and swim with the hook.
The fishing action is fantastic
as gills go insane and smash any
presentation at lightning speed. If
you want to catch zillions of pan-
fish, quickly land your limit and get
enough for a fish fry, now is the time
to go.
The fantastic fishing actually
has little to do with a feeding frenzy.
It is actually a reaction strike in re-
sponse to your offering encroaching
on a gill’s home turf. When panfish
begin spawning chores they move to
skinny water, sand flats, areas where
they can fan the bottom and make
depressions resembling divots on
the moon.
These saucer-shaped redds are
where spawning takes place and
eggs and milt are deposited. Usually
males are first to begin the nest and
they stake out a piece of turf that
becomes their bedroom where they
attract and hold hens ripe with eggs.
Once panfish take up residency over
a bed they become very territorial,
defending their home turf against
any intruders. They will snap and
bite at their neighbors, run off rivals,
chase away bass and bite any insect,
aquatic life or trespassers entering
the circular nest.
Along comes a fisherman and
he drops a fly on the surface above
the spawning bed and the gill
8 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
responds by grabbing the offering,
holding it in its mouth, dashing
away from the redd and spitting out
the fly. The same holds true for any
presentation and the fish is actually
not striking to feed but as a territo-
rial maneuver to get the intruder far
from the breeding location. This is
a boon for spring fishermen because
fish are in skinny water, easy to spot
and even easier to get strikes.
Increasing water temperature is
the key to success. Bluegills move
to shallow spawning areas when
water temperatures hit around 64
degrees. Nests or spawning redds
the size of five-gallon bucket top
are made by males in water one-to-
six feet deep, preferably on a sand
flat or gravel bar with small stones
on bottom. Males make nests by
fanning relentlessly and removing
sediment and exposing a shallow
depression on bottom. These areas
attract colonies of spawning fish
and become the hot zone for fishing
success. Easy limit catches hinge
on how well you identify spawning
colonies, locate specific bedding
locations and find beds covered with
active fish.
Savvy fishermen begin by using
bow mounted electric motors and
following the shoreline on a calm
sunny day. The idea is to sneak up
on a colony of spawning fish, slow
your speed and cast to active gills
in skinny water. At times you will
spook wary fish and if you anchor
the boat within casting distance the
spawning fish will eventually return.
Other times your best bet is to mark
the location and continue scouting
and locating gill hot spots.
Once you have some excellent
locations pinned down, return and
slowly motor into casting range and
quietly drop the anchor and begin
casting. Smart boaters keep the boat
far enough from target fish so they
do not spook them. Long distance
The author lifts a dandy slab gill taken from a Michigan lake on a
calm day when he could spot fish in the shallows by using polarized
sunglasses. He also likes to wear camouflage or drab colors so he
doesn’t spook fish when slipping kissin’ close to gills in skinny water.
casting can often make the differ- the hook makes tiny ripples on the
ence between landing your limit or water attracting territorial gills, gets
simply bumping fish off spawning their attention and causes them to
sites because your boat is too close charge and violently bite the in-
to target gills. truder.
I cut my gill teeth shore fish- I recommend using clear bob-
ing on Wixom and Sanford lakes in bers for this style of sneaky fish-
central Michigan. At a young age I ing and my choice is the Rainbow
learned how to slip along the shore Plastics A-Just-A Bubble with
wearing polarized sunglasses and surgical tubing center. Insert your
spot fish in skinny water. This tactic line through the hole in the center,
is deadly and often more productive pull on one end and twist the tubing
than casting from an anchored boat. to keep your hook at the desired
The trick is to slow your pace, move distance from the float. Forget lead
like a fox stalking prey and ease into split shot that makes a loud entry
casting distance of fanned shal- ker-plunk. This is stealth casting
low sandy spots that appear much with only a bare hook or flies on the
lighter in color than the entire lake end of your line and the idea is to
bottom. When you hook gills try to have a lure entry that is very silent,
pull them away from the colony and non-obtrusive to skinny water fish.
spook as few fish as possible. The The interior rubber tubing holds
sunglasses cut the glare on the water your line and allows you to quickly
and you can spot more fish. Always adjust the leader length depending
wear clothing matching the environ- on water depth. For most situations
ment, camouflage is ideal clothing you need about an 18-24 inch leader.
for this task and avoid herky, jerky Sometimes gills are spooky and you
body movements that fish detect. can lengthen the leader to three-five
Whether fishing from a boat or foot and slowly reel the offering
shore you need to concentrate on over beds and allow the hook to sink
your cast and try to present the hook close to bottom and slowly move
with the least amount of splash.
Done correctly the splash down of Slab Gills page 10
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 9
FEEDING FRENZY SLAB GILLS:
from page 8
through the colony of beds. A-Just-
A Bubble comes in two sizes, the
mini is 3/16 oz. and the regular is
1/4 oz. Savvy fishermen like the
clear plastic float for spooky fish.
In early morning or late afternoon
when it is difficult to see the float
it is a good idea to use the bright
yellow bobber. A-Just-A Bubble can
be used with fly line, spinning or
casting outfits. For extreme long dis-
tance casting you can allow water in
the bobber by pulling out the tubing
head and letting lake water in the
float for added weight.
The hottest fishing occurs in
southern Michigan in late April and
northern lakes have peak spawning
in May through early June. If cold
fronts arrive and push water temper-
atures below 65 degrees the spawn
will be delayed. But a warm front
with sunny warm weather causes
water temperatures to suddenly rise
and gills go on a spawning spree.
Females charge to beds once eggs
are ripe. Eggs are scattered on the
bed by females and suitor males
fertilize them. Eggs hatch in three to
five days depending on water tem-
perature and after hatching males
remain on or near beds for several
days to protect young.
Savvy gill chasers wear polar-
ized sunglasses which cut the sun’s
glare and allow fishermen to better
see their quarry. Locating targets is
easy because they are busy chasing
each other, making surface ripples
and splashing in shallow water.
However, waves caused by wind,
rain or cloudy conditions can cam-
ouflage colonies of gills and polar-
ized sunglasses are a must.
I love catching gills on fly
tackle and my tackle of choice is
a simple Zebco closed face Model
33 spinning reel. I still use flies
but place a cone-shaped A-Just-A
Author uses his bow mounted electric motor to stealthfully approach
fish in shallow water and recon new fishing hot spots.
10 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Bubble float on the line two-feet
above the offering to give it enough
weight for long distance casting.
I like to use a super tiny ant size
barrel swivel made by Blackbird
Tackle below the bobber and attach
a two-foot leader of four-pound
Seaguar fluorocarbon. The bobber is
used for long casts, the barrel swivel
keeps the leader from twisting after
catching hundreds of fish and the
leader material is almost impossible
for fish to see.
Sure flies produce results but I
catch far more fish on a plain brass
hook. Not just any hook but one
with baitholder barbs to hold a wax
worm in position. My hottest hook
is a style 181 Eagle Claw barbed
hook size #8 tipped with a wax
worm. In skinny water no weight
is needed and the single hook has
enough weight to make the waxie
sink and slowly drift toward bot-
tom. Simply cast to the beds, allow
the waxie to sink down and keep a
close eye on the bobber. If it jerks
backward it is signaling a strike, set
the hook.
Sight fishing panfish is fantastic
fishing fun and there is never a dull
moment. There is something power-
fully addictive about watching fish
rush to your presentation and inhale
the hook. You will feel your pulse
quicken as fish charge your offering
and in most Michigan clear water
lakes you actually get to see fish
grab the hook.
If gills are splashing the sur-
face, going bonkers near the surface,
use a spider fly. Slowly chug the fly
and make the rubber legs wiggle,
move, swim on the surface and the
action will attract fish. Another trick
is using custom tied brim flies with
striped legs, black eyes and they
look like a tiny surface fly or bug.
In early morning I use the bright
Gill tackle includes: small single hooks, brim flies, spider flies and
A-Just-A Bubble floats.
chartreuse fly with black striped
legs. During mid-day I opt for the
black shiny model or original brim
deep brown.
I tip the fly with a waxie and
allow the offering to slowly sink
to determine the active bite zone.
Sometimes gills want it touching
the surface, other days they smack
the tiny offering half way to bottom.
Often gills will hold tight to bottom
near beds and one deadly strategy is
to let the fly sink to bottom using a
three to five foot leader and slowly
pull and stop the offering near
spawning areas or around weeds,
rocks, stumps, logs or bottom struc-
ture.
If gills in your area were on
beds but a cold spell cooled water
temperature and spawners disap-
peared, work the drop off region
close to beds. Often fish will back
off to six-to-10 foot depths and
reposition not far from spawning
locations. Weather in Michigan is
ever changing and it is not un-
common for fish to move into the
shallows and back out when cold
temperatures cool local waters.
While southern Michigan fish often
are finished spawning in early May
it is not unusual for northern fish to
continue spawning chores through-
out the month of June.
The daily possession limit is
now 25 bluegills and once you hit
that magic number you must stop
fishing by Michigan law. Even
catch and release fishermen must
stop fishing at 25…you cannot sort
through smaller gills to get your
limit of 25 bigger keepers.
Wise fishermen use selective
harvest when hammering gills.
Sure, big fish are impressive but
conservationists understand the
need to protect future populations
by releasing those big 10-inchers
and allowing them to spawn while
harvesting the smaller eater size.
It is my opinion that over the last
decade we are unfortunately losing
stocks of top-end spawning panfish
to angler harvest. Moreover, the
destruction of big gills in a particu-
lar lake can only take one fishing
season. Keep in mind healthy gill
populations contain an abundance of
spawning fish over 9 inches. It sure
is fun to hammer panfish when they
are in skinny water, schooled for the
spawn and extremely vulnerable.
But do yourself a favor, don’t get
piggish and let those big slabs go,
release them unharmed.
Bluegills are prolific in Michi-
gan and found in most lakes, ponds,
reservoirs, rivers and streams. They
begin spawning chores at two-years-
old. Larger females contain more
eggs than smaller fish and a 10-inch
trophy fish produces around 25,000
eggs. Smart fishermen release large
females and allow them to spawn.
Big hens can live from six to eight
years.
Bluegills are the ideal fish to
recruit new fishermen. They are
scrappy fighters and fun to catch on
light tackle. Kids love catching them
and they provide fun filled adven-
ture for the whole family. Fishing
from an anchored boat with crickets,
worms, spikes, mousies or wigglers
is very popular.
Try a run-n-gun strategy and
use a bow mounted electric motor
to position within casting distance
of spawning locations. Once you
have taken a few fish use the
electric motor to stealthfully
find new fish. It is exciting to si-
lently sneak up on a large colony
of gills swirling in shallow water.
Just the sight of big adult fish in
skinny water can get your heart
pumping.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 11
 U.P. WOLF
killed in Ontario
Young female wolf collared in Michigan’s
U.P. travelled hundreds of miles...

S
tate and even country
borders are meaning-
less to large predators
such as wolves that of-
ten travel hundreds of
miles during
their lives in search of food,
a home range and mates. A
female gray wolf that was
captured and fitted with
a GPS radio collar by the
DNR in the eastern U.P. is a
perfect example. She trav-
eled east from where she
was collared,
leaving Michi-
gan for On- By Richard P. Smith
tario, spending
almost 10 months in Canada before
she was legally snared and killed.
Unlike Michigan, where wolves
are totally protected by law, both
hunting and trapping seasons are in
effect for the predators in Ontario.
Wolves have always been abundant
in Ontario.
DNR wildlife research biologist
Dean Beyer reports that the wolf
was trapped and radio
collared off of Pine River
Road (44N 4W section 2)
in Chippewa County on
June 4, 2017. She weighed
71 pounds at the time and
was thought to be a year-
ling. The collared wolf
spent about eight months in
the U.P.
According
to a map that
Beyer provided
of the wolf’s movements, her first
known position after being col- Michigan Wolf #1721: Female wolf estimated to be a yearling at time of
lared was northeast of where she capture. Captured on June 4, 2017 in Chippewa County, Michigan off Pine
was caught. Then she headed west, River Road, 44N 4W SEC2. Weighed 71 pounds at time of capture. Showed
crossing western Mackinac County, up on Drummond Island, Michigan on March 7, 2018. Crossed the ice
from Drummond into Canada March 15, 2018. First location on Manitoulin

MICHIGAN E-BIKE
Island on March 25, 2018. Snared legally by trapper in Canada on Janu-
ary 2, 2019. Straight line distance from capture location to first mor tality
location equals 147 miles.

750 Watt Folding Bike continuing west across Schoolcraft Island would be visible from the
1000 Watt County and then going south onto east side of Drummond and Mani-
Rear Hub Drive with front and back suspension the Garden Peninsula. The wolf toulin would be visible from the east

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STEVENSVILLE, MICHIGAN
12 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Garden Peninsula, entering Delta
weight: 48 lbs County, before going northwest.
The collared wolf went as far
west as Dickinson County, before
returning to the Garden Peninsula.
During that leg of her journey, she
went through northern Menomi-
nee County and southern portions
of Marquette and Alger Counties.
Then she headed back to the east,
returning to the area where she was
collared, but then continued farther
east.
She reached Drummond Island
at the far eastern end of the U.P. on snared.
March 7, 2018. Just over a week
later (March 15), she crossed the
ice from Drummond into Ontario
and went to Cockburn Island. Ten
days later (March 25), she reached
Manitoulin Island, but she didn’t
cross the ice from Cockburn to get
60 Volt Hunter there. She went to the northwest,
following the Lake Huron shoreline of the many miles it traveled in the
$3,000 in Ontario to the east for miles
before heading inland and looping
back to the eastern end of Manitou-
lin.
Drummond, Cockburn and
Credit Cards and
Bank Checks Accepted
Manitoulin Islands form a chain
from east to west and are fairly close and half that elapsed between those
together. On a clear day, Cockburn
shore of Cockburn. Drummond ex-
tends for almost 20 miles from east
to west and is 136 square miles in
size. Cockburn is about half as big.
Manitoulin is the largest island,
encompassing 1,068 square miles.
This island is 100 miles in length
from east to west. The wolf was
eventually snared near Manitowan-
ing, which is a town near the eastern
end of Manitoulin Island, on Janu-
ary 2, 2019. The wolf obviously
settled into a home range on the east
side of Manitoulin, spending more
than nine months there before being
Trapper Mike Phillips from
Manitowaning got a trail camera
photo of the animal on December 5,
2018. He found the predator in one
of his snares almost one month later.
The wolf weighed 78 pounds at the
time of its death, so it gained seven
pounds since it was collared in spite
meantime.
The straight line distance be-
tween where the wolf was collared
and she was killed is 147 miles,
but she obviously traveled many
hundreds more miles during the year
two points in time.n
GRAY WOLF
DELISTED?
USFW proposes to remove all gray
wolves from Endangered Species Act...
T
he gray wolf, an
iconic species of the
American West, had
all but disappeared
from the landscape in
the lower 48 states by
the early 20th century. Now it roams
free in nine states and is stable and
healthy throughout its current range.
This constitutes one of the greatest
comebacks for an animal in U.S.
conservation history. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service is reaffirming
the success of this recovery with a
proposal to remove all gray wolves
from protection under the Endan-
gered Species Act (ESA).
Thanks to the partnerships
involving states, tribes, conservation
organizations and private landown-
ers galvanized under the ESA, the
Service is now able to propose turn-
ing management of all gray wolves
back to the states and tribes who
have been so central to the species’
recovery. This proposal excludes
Mexican gray wolves, which would
remain listed under the ESA.
“The facts are clear and indis-
putable—the gray wolf no longer
meets the definition of a threatened
or endangered species. Today the
wolf is thriving on its vast range and
it is reasonable to conclude it will
continue to do so in the future,” said
David Bernhardt, Acting Secretary,
U.S. Department of the Interior.
“Today’s action puts us one step
closer to transitioning the extraordi-
nary effort that we have invested in
gray wolf recovery to other species
who actually need the protections of
the Endangered Species Act, leaving
the states to carry on the legacy of
wolf conservation.”
The gray wolf joins the bald
eagle, peregrine falcon, American
alligator, brown pelican and 33
other species of animals and plants
in U.S. states, territories and waters
that have been brought back from
the brink with the help of the ESA.
Countless more have improved or
stabilized.
The gray wolf has already been
delisted in the Northern Rocky
Mountains. The states of Wyo-
ming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and
Washington have shown their ability
to manage this delisted wolf popula-
tion responsibly so that it remains
healthy and sustainable. Populations
in Michigan, Wisconsin and Min-
nesota are also strong and wolves
have begun to expand into northern
California and Western Oregon and The gray wolf had all but disappeared from the landscape in the
Washington. In total, the range-wide lower 48 states by the early 20th century. Now it roams free in nine
gray wolf population stands at more states and is stable and healthy throughout its current range. This
than 6,000, exceeding the combined constitutes one of the greatest comebacks for an animal in U.S.
recovery goals for the Northern conser vation history.
Rocky Mountains and Western
Great Lakes populations. insufficient to safeguard its future, within 60 days of publication until
“It is a proud moment when we the Service can relist the species May 14, 2019. All comments will be
can tell our children and our grand- and assume gray wolf management posted on http://www.regulations.
children that the future is secure again. gov. This generally means any per-
for these magnificent creatures,” The Service’s proposal to delist sonal information provided through
said the Service’s Principal Deputy the gray wolf throughout the con- the process will be posted.
Director Margaret Everson. “Our tiguous United States will be open Information on the proposed rule
deepest gratitude goes to all our for public comment in the Federal and how to comment may be found
conservation partners in this victory, Register beginning on March 15, at: https://www.fws.gov/home/
particularly the states and tribes who 2019. Comments must be received wolfrecovery.n
are committed to wolf conserva-
tion and will continue this legacy
forward.”
The measure for listing a species
under the ESA is whether wolves
are in danger of extinction, or at risk
Randy’s Hunting Center
EXCLUSIVE
of becoming so in the foreseeable
future, throughout all or a signifi-
cant portion of their current range.
The ESA does not require wolves
to be present throughout all of their
former range or for populations to
77 Hawkeye 450 Bushmaster
be at historical levels for delisting to
occur.
“STAINLESS” Walnut
Peer-reviewed studies on a range
of factors including habitat and prey
availability, gray wolf adaptabil-
ity (including to changing climate
conditions), recovery activities and
post-delisting regulatory mecha-
nisms, and predictions about how Three position safety, controlled round feed,
these may affect the wolves in the full length extractor, what an elegant rifle!
future are consistent in guiding the
Service’s decision to delist. By any
$
scientific measure, wolves no longer
meet the ESA’s standard for protec-
tion.
The law mandates that the Ser-
vice delist species once they have
899.99
Over 190 different exclusive
recovered and turn management
back to the states. Every species Ruger models in 450 Bushmaster
kept on the Endangered Species List
beyond its point of recovery takes 3,000 ON HAND
valuable resources away from those
species still in need of the act’s Randy’s Hunting Center
protections. 721 E. Huron Ave.
If the wolf is delisted, the Bad Axe, MI 48413
Service will continue to monitor
the species for five years. Should (989) 269-GUNS (4867)
numbers decline to perilous levels www.randyhuntingcenter.com
or regulatory mechanisms prove
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 13
The clock is ticking, sportsmen!
All it takes is a strike of a pencil to be voted out of your treestand!
T
here are more outdoor
opportunities in Michigan
than you can shake a stick
at. Hunting, fishing, camp-
ing, hiking, miles upon miles of
ORV and snowmobile trails, boating
and sightseeing is this state's back-
bone. We're lucky in that regard.
Yet according to the most recent
surveys, our residents’ participation
in the outdoors is shrinking. Really,
it’s beyond shrinking, it’s disap-
pearing. We have an outdoor crisis
on our hands. So if the numbers
are correct, which I have no reason
to believe otherwise, all of us, all
sportsmen have
some monu-
mental work in
front of us.
In March,
at Showspan's
By Randy Jorgensen
Here are a few of the many graphs presented to the NRC at their March meeting, illustrating the decline in outdoor participation.
14 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Ultimate Sport Show, this very
subject was the focus of conver-
sation between, myself, Denny
Geurink, (longtime and celebrated
outdoor writer and TV host) and
Steve Sharp, R3 Coordinator for the
National Wild Turkey Federation of
Michigan.
As we chatted, I mentioned a re-
port which predicted by 2035 Mich-
igan deer hunter numbers would be
half of what they are today.
What’s that?
"It's a scary thought," Steve said.
"The most recent DNR license and
sales report was released to the NRC
(Natural Resource Commission) and
the downward trend continues. We
lost 20,000 hunters last year alone."
"When I was a kid we were rab-
bit and squirrel hunting all the time.
Kids just aren’t doing that today,"
Denny responded.
"Small game hunting is a great
way to introduce youth to hunting.
There is more action and you don't
have to sit for hours on end, lots of
activity and shooting opportunities,"
Denny went on to say.
"Things have certainly changed.
I remember the place I shot my
first pheasant, it's a Best Buy now,
outdoorsman need to see and un-
derstand what’s happening to our
outdoor traditions. The numbers are
real, outdoor pursuits are fading,
and it’s time we all realize it and try
to do something to curb it," Steve
went on to say. Steve fights this fight every day.
Steve later emailed me the charts
and graphs our NRC received for
their February meeting, prepared by
Dustin Isenhoff. I was told I could
share them.
The graphs illustrate both hunt-
ing and fishing licenses are down
3% from last year, non-resident
licenses are up 4%, and non-resident
waterfowl licenses are up 15%.
They also show snowmobile permit
sales are down over 30%, while
ORV licenses are down 9% but
recreation passport sales and trail
sticker sales are up 2.5%.
"We must and I think we can
help curb some of these trends, but
it will take a little time and a lot of
effort," Steve states.
As Michigan's NWTF R3 Co-
ordinator, he fully understands the
battle in front of us. R3 represents
'Recruit, Retain, Reactivate,' and
NWTF is leading the effort and
has a lofty goal of reintroducing 1.5
million hunters nationwide in ten
years and 200,000 in Michigan.
The clock is ticking and we must
find a way to create more outdoor
enthusiasts, more hunters and fish-
ermen. Think of the impact if we
don't, we would lose conservation
funds, votes for important outdoor
issues, perhaps a voice on guns,
property values would certainly
decrease on recreational properties,
wildgame management would surely
suffer and preserving our heritage
would be an uphill battle.
One of the biggest problems is
finding places to hunt. Those own-
ing hunting property seem reluctant
to share with others.
"Today, it's all about the white-
tail, I'm guilty of it too! We're afraid
of spooking the monster off our
property," Denny said shrugging his
shoulders.
"We have to be a little less self-
ish about our hunting and not so
protective. To develop new hunters
we have to take someone who does
not have the opportunities we do,"
said Steve.
Steve went to tell us mentoring
programs are having some impres-
sive results and he suggests we all
should do our part in preserving
the outdoor traditions of this grand
state.
"Turkey season is a great way to
expand youth hunting or shed hunt-
ing or squirrel hunting," commented
Steve.
"Michigan is pretty darn lucky to
have all these outdoor opportunities,
we just need to understand we have
an obligation to pass it on to some-
one else," stated Denny.
There are hundreds of programs
to encourage youth in the outdoors.
But Steve reminded us we can also
encourage the parents of youth to
hunt and fish, they shouldn't be
overlooked and are important in the
continued success.
"Everybody should create one
new hunter," Steve says. "It's a life-
style we're losing."
"What we must understand, and
take very seriously is our tradition
can be taken away unless we stand
up for it," Denny told us.
"Yes, all it takes is a strike of a
pencil to be voted out of my trees-
tand!" concluded Steve.
If you would like to learn more
about the many mentoring oppor-
tunities, start with NWTF's Mentor
Pledge, www.nwtf.org/mentor-
pledge. Or check out Mentor Michi-
gan at: www.michigan.gov/dnr.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 15
 The U.P.’s Moose Population
T
he 2019 Michigan
DNR moose survey
indicates an encourag-
ing small increase in
the west central U.P.
moose range. This
year’s moose population estimate
indicated about 509 moose in the
Upper Peninsula; up from about 378
in 2017. Wildlife biologists calcu-
late the moose population has been
growing at a long-term average of
about two percent per year.
Russ Mason, Michigan DNR
Wildlife Division chief, reported the
survey results at Thursday’s Natural
Resource Commission meeting in
Bellaire. Mason stated “the growth
rate is low, but remains positive.
Moose are continuing to maintain a
foothold in the Western U.P., con-
tinuing to extend the lineage of a
population airlifted to the area from
Canada in the mid-1980s.”
In 2017 the entire moose popu-
lation estimate could not be com-
pleted; the population estimate of
378 moose was calculated from the
core higher density zone where the
survey was complete. Researchers
think if they could have completed
the entire 2017 population survey it An aerial sur vey photo shows a “bachelor group” of bull moose south of Lake Michigamme in Mar-
would have yielded a population es- quette County. Neil Harri photo
timate between 420 and 470 moose.
Dr. Dean Beyer of the Michigan lation was growing by 10 percent a tier of the US moose range. Min- Minnesota moose population is also
DNR Wildlife Division monitors the year.” nesota has had a stable moose dropping from a recent high of about
Michigan moose population. In a Beyer explained the DNR’s population with a carefully regulated 8,000 as recently as 2006, down to
February interview Beyer said their survey efforts have been focused on hunting season for many years. On about 3,000 in 2013. Recent 2016,
“wildlife staff had completed the the western U.P. moose population the southern tier of the moose range, 2017 and 2018 Minnesota moose
aerial moose survey.” Brad Johnson, that was reintroduced in the “Moose state wildlife conservation agencies aerial population surveys indicate
wildlife technician that coordinates Lift” program. Beyer explained like New Hampshire and Montana the trend in their northeast herd is
the aerial survey, said “overall flying that the moose herd in the eastern have also reported a decline in their declining but has the rate has been
conditions were difficult, U.P. “likely number fewer moose population. Maine reports leveling off.
flights had to be cancelled than 100.” The source of declines in their moose population Although a number of factors are
on 23 days primarily the eastern U.P. moose is from about 76,000 five years ago to likely to have contributed to Min-
because of snow and high not known for certain. It is between 60,000 to 70,000 animals nesota’s moose decline, Minnesota
winds. On the days we possible that a few scat- now. New Hampshire reports their DNR suspended their 2013 moose
could fly, conditions were tered moose remained from moose population has declined hunting season as a precaution. Tom
good; snow covered most native moose although it almost 50 percent to 5,000 animals Landwehr, Minnesota DNR Com-
stumps and down logs and is also likely some moose now. New England’s moose herd’s missioner said “it is now prudent
we had good snow cover immigrated from eastern greatest problem is reported as to control every source of mortality

By Bill Ziegler
for most of the survey
which aided our sur-
vey.”
Good snow cover makes the
moose stand out against the back-
ground vegetation and cover.
Beyer said “in the past the core
zone supported 80 to 90 percent of
the moose population.” He contin-
ued, “The western U.P. moose range
covers about 1,400 square miles in
parts of Baraga, Iron, and Marquette
Counties.”
This year’s survey indicated a
moose population of 509 moose
compared to only 378 in 2017 and
451 in 2013. Beyer stated, “From
1997 to 2007 the U.P. moose popu-
16 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Ontario or the west-
ern U.P. Moose also
maintain a strong
population in Michigan’s Isle Royale
National Park.
In 2011, the DNR Moose Hunt
Advisory Council, a legislatively
created council, investigated the po-
tential of a moose hunt in Michigan.
The council felt a moose hunt was a
feasible option provided the moose
surveys indicated that the moose
population continued to grow at a
sustained growth rate of over three
percent per year.
In recent years, concern has been
growing among wildlife manage-
ment agencies across the southern
winter tick infestations. Research-
ers report that 90 percent of moose
calves died from heavy winter tick
infestations. They found an overall
calf mortality rate of 70 percent
compared to about 15 percent two
decades ago. Frigid weather and ex-
tended snow conditions are thought
to keep winter ticks controlled. With
milder winters winter tick infesta-
tions are increasing.
The Minnesota DNR reports
they had two geographically sepa-
rate moose populations. The north-
west Minnesota moose population
dropped dramatically since the
1990s from about 4,000 down to
about 100 recently. The northeastern
we can as we seek to understand the
causes of population decline.”
Although the 2019 moose popu-
lation appears to be up modestly
there is still concern about long term
U.P. moose population trends. Re-
tired Michigan DNR moose biologist
Rob Aho said “the moose have not
filled all the available U.P. habitat.”
A good qualitative indicator that
moose have reached their population
potential would be when the moose
occupy the entire good moose habi-
tat. Future moose population sur-
veys that are conducted every other
year, will be necessary to identify
any long-term trend for Michigan’s
moose population.n
 Burning requires caution, planning
W
ith warmer
weekend weath- springtime also is an important time can be called off at the last
er in the forecast of year in forest management,”
for southern
Michigan,
many people
likely will be outside cleaning up
their yards or maybe enjoying the
first bonfire of the season. A word
of caution from the Department of
Natural Resources: Anyone plan-
ning to burn leaves or other yard
debris first should check with local
officials to see if conditions are right
for safe burning.
And although campfires still are
permitted during times of increased
fire danger, the DNR urges extreme
caution with all fires.
“Though fires can happen just
about any time of year, most wild-
fires in Michigan occur in April,
May and June,” said DNR fire
caution and prescribed burns, but so that a prescribed burn
possible minute, if neces-
Klingler said. “Prescribed burns sary.”
are an effective tool in helping to Stay up to date on
control invasive species, create criti- Michigan wildfires with the
cal wildlife habitat and regenerate DNR Wildland Fire Ap-
forests. plication. Learn more about
“We want the public to know wildfires and the DNR’s
that prescribed burns are carefully fire management program
planned, step by step, in consulta- – including prescribed
tion with local fire officials. We also burns – at Michigan.gov/
closely monitor weather conditions, FireManagement.n
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When fire danger is extremely high,
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 Trolling
tactics for
CRAPPIE
S
pringtime is panfish time
across the great state of
Michigan. The month
of May is especially
important to anglers who
love to target black and
white crappie. Throughout most of
the state both of these species have
wrapped up spawning in April or
early May. During the rest of May
and into June, the larger adult crap-
pie shift their preferred haunts from
shallow weedy areas to
deeper flats and open
water basins.
Like walleye, crap-
pies in some bodies of
water are not afraid to
suspend in the water
column. Crappie can
be found suspending
over the top of deeper
weed flats or relating to
pelagic forage species in
open water.
When
crappies leave By Mark Romanack
the shallows
behind, consistently catching them
becomes a trolling game. Trolling is
the best way to cover lots of water
while searching for roaming schools
of crappie and the only practical
way to target fish that can be found
literally anywhere in the water
column.
Jig Pulling
Aka Trolling
In the southern states where
crappie fishing is hugely popular,
avid anglers turn to jigs when it’s
time to target post-spawn crappie. In
the south, “trolling” is a dirty word
so anglers describe their favorite
fishing tactics as “pulling.” An elec-
tric motor is used to silently move
the boat along at .75 to 1.5 MPH
while long lining small “crappie
sized” jigs out the back of the boat.
Here in the north similar crap-
pie fishing tactics are employed
but with some subtle differences. A
few anglers in the south use in-line
planer boards for “pulling” chores,
but the majority of these anglers are
using long ultra-light action rods to
spread out their jigs and cover more
water.
Northern anglers are much more
comfortable with the use of in-line
planer boards, so it’s an easy transi-
18 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
tion to troll small jigs for crappie
using smaller planer boards like the
Off Shore Tackle OR34 Awesome
Crappie Board.
Instead of using long ultra-light
action spinning rods, most crap-
pie trollers in the north are choos-
ing to use light action trolling rods
equipped with the smallest size line
counter reels and six to eight pound
test monofilament line.
The most popular jigs for “pull-
ing” or “trolling” are
1/32 and 1/16 ounce
models equipped
with action tail grubs.
Precision Trolling Data
recently released jig
trolling data for a single
1/32 ounce jig, double
1/32 ounce jig rigs and
single 1/16 ounce jigs.
This data is based on
six pound test mono-
filament, all common
trolling speeds
from .75 to 1.5
MPH and lead
lengths out to 100 feet.
This data is available in a phone
app for both Android and iPhone us-
ers. Simply visit the Google Play or
Apple App Store and search Preci-
sion Trolling Data to learn more.
Crankbait
Trolling
Trolling or pulling jigs is most
productive when the water is cool
and crappies are moderately active.
As the water warms in May and into
June, crankbaits become important
trolling lures for slab crappie.
Common sense suggests that
smaller crankbaits would be the
most productive for crappie and to a
degree that is true. Small shad style
baits in the No. 4, 5 and 6 sizes are
some of the most popular and pro-
ductive crappie baits. Rapala Shad
Raps and Berkley Flicker Shads are
wildly popular baits among anglers
who routinely troll for crappie.
What a lot of anglers don’t real-
ize is that crappies are aggressive
feeders in warm water and the larger
fish will not hesitate to strike larger
crankbaits. The Bandit 100, 200 and
even the 300 series crankbaits are
widely used to target crappie. Other
good crappie crankbaits include the
Arkie 220 and 350 series, Coots
Bruce DeShano of Off Shore Tackle, a Por t Austin based company,
is an avid crappie angler who fishes many crappie tournaments
across the nation. Trolling is one of the least understood methods
for targeting these good eating panfish. Trolling is effective on both
white and black crappie pictured here.
Lures Rattlin’ Wasp 4 and 5 and the
Johnson Crappie Buster Shad 5 and
6.5 sizes.
Anglers who are targeting
crappie with crankbaits are more
inclined to use in-line planer boards
to spread out lines and cover the
maximum amount of water. Both
mini boards and full sized in-line
boards have a place in the crappie
trolling world. The larger full sized
boards work well when equipped
with articulating flag systems that
indicate light strikes.
The Off Shore Tackle Tattle Flag
system features an adjustable spring
tension system that allows for the
use of virtually any crankbait, live
bait rig or trolling speed.
Trolling
With Divers
As crappie start to suspend deep-
er and deeper in the water column,
crankbaits don’t always dive deep
enough to reach these fish. In this
case, using a sinking diver such as
the Resettable Tadpole Diver allows
anglers to fish deeper, keep trolling
leads modest and still present crank-
baits and/or jigs to waiting fish.
Divers can be fished using in-
line planer boards or they can be
fished as flat lines straight out the
back of the boat. When crappie sus-
pend at deeper depths, the boat mov-
ing over top of these fish does not
spook them. This situation is perfect
for flat line trolling Tadpoles with
crankbaits, jigs or small spinners.
A good set up for trolling with
sinking divers is a medium action
walleye trolling rod, line counter
reel and 10 pound test monofilament
line. When flat lining these divers a
cradle style rod holder mounted near
the back of the boat is ideal. When
fishing divers in combination with
in-line boards, tube style rod hold-
ers mounted a little further forward
work best.
Stealth Trolling
No matter if an angler is trolling
jigs, crankbaits, divers or spinners,
a wireless and silent electric mo-
tor with GPS tracking is the most
efficient means of moving the boat.
The MotorGuide Xi5 and also the
Xi3 series of wireless motors both
feature the Pinpoint GPS system.
Thanks to GPS navigation these mo-
tors can be operated via a key fob,
foot control or they can be Gateway
rigged and controlled via a Low-
rance HDS or Ti touch screen sonar/
GPS units.
Wireless GPS guided electric
motors can be programmed to
duplicate productive trolling passes,
navigate to selected waypoints and
much more. The ability to set up
precise trolling runs and also to troll
silently is a deadly one-two punch.
Summing It Up
Crappie trolling or pulling is
wildly popular in the southern
states. A rapidly growing number of
anglers in the north are also learning
how to use trolling tactics to find
and target suspended slab crappie.
In both the north and south, crappie
are abundant, great on the table and
a pile of fun to catch. Maybe your
favorite crappie lake has a trolling
bite just waiting to be discovered?n
C.A.S.T. for Kids Program;
June 9, Townsend Lake

T
he C.A.S.T. for Kids Kids by volunteering or donating, so formed in 1991 to connect volun-
Foundation enriches that you can have a positive impact teers who love to fish with children
the lives of children on a child’s life.” — Jay Yelas, Ex- who have special needs for a day of
with special needs, ecutive Director, C.A.S.T. for Kids fishing in the outdoors. The Founda-
supports their fami- Foundation tion became an official 501(c)3 in
lies, and strengthens About C.A.S.T. for Kids Foun- 1994 and currently hosts three pro-
communities through the sport of dation: C.A.S.T. for Kids Founda- grams: C.A.S.T. for Kids, Fishing
fishing. They empower families and tion (C.A.S.T. = Catch A Special Kids, and Take a Warrior Fishing.
communities to celebrate children Thrill) is a public charity that was Visit us at www.castforkids.orgn
with special needs, making these

THE ULTIMATE WOOD HEAT

children feel valued and loved so
they can overcome limitations and
be successful.
The C.A.S.T. for Kids Program
is designed to create an environ- Models available
for any size home or
ment where special needs children
application.
and their caretakers can leave their
More comfort for your entire home
problems on shore and share a day
of fun on the water that they may
not otherwise get to experience. The
charity furthers its mission by in-
creasing awareness of disabled and
disadvantaged children in communi-
ties across the nation and teaching
appreciation for natural resources. Keep the fire and mess outside - EPA-Certified
This is all made possible through the long burn times (24 hours or more)
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cooperation of government agen- Titanium HD Series
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America’s youth.
“We set out to help special
needs children by hosting fishing More convenience,
events across the country. And at
C.A.S.T. for Kids, we believe that
safety and savings than
every child is worth celebrating. any other method of
Each child receives their very own Burn less wood than an indoor stove, wood heat.
fishing rod, tackle box, t-shirt, cap deliver more heat

and plaque…. Kids can set out on

the water and celebrate a great day
of fishing.” — Jay Yelas, Executive
Director, C.A.S.T. for Kids Founda-
tion
A C.A.S.T. for Kids event will
take place on Townsend Lake near
Clarkston on Sunday, June 9, 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Event Directors are Steve
Atkins and Mary Wheeler for more
information, to register or to do-
nate to: www.castforkids.org/event/
townsendlake.
Through a joyful day of fishing,
kids, their families and community
volunteers come together for an
explosion of fun and inspiration.
C.A.S.T for Kids Foundation hosts
annual fishing and boating events
across America to fulfill our mission
of providing populations with spe-
cial needs the opportunity to enjoy a
quality outdoor recreational experi-
ence fishing on the water.
The C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation
works tirelessly to improve the lives
of children across the entire country
by hosting events in the community.
The work we do impacts everyone,
regardless of where the funds are
raised.
Call a Central Boiler dealer near you today!
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 19

WHEN GOBBLERS
GO SILENT
S
ome of the biggest
turkeys harvested in
Michigan with long
rope-like beards and
trophy spurs have one
thing in common; they
come in silent. In early
spring following break
up every gobbler in the
county is sounding off
and gobbling loudly to at-
tract hens. You gotta love
it when they are sounding
off, gobbling at the sound
of honking geese, crows
cawing, other turkeys
talkin’, doors slamming,
school buses hit-
ting their brakes,
loud thunder, By Kenny Darwin
noisy machinery and trying to talk
trash louder than any other sound
heard in Michigan’s great outdoors.
It is so much fun when you set
up, give some locator calls and love
sick gobblers answer immediately,
20 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
give up their exact location and keep
gobbling until they stroll in easy
shotgun range. But then turkeys
go silent. They just shut up, stop
gobbling, refuse to answer calls and
most turkey hunters are perplexed,
confused not knowing
what to do and somewhat
depressed about the lack
of birds in the immedi-
ate area. Truth is they are
still there, plenty of them
with big ol’ adult gobblers
mixed in sporting trophy
beards. The following
anecdote outlines this
phenomenon that occurs
each spring.
I set up long
before daylight in
the exact opening where a monster
gobbler sporting a 12-inch beard
was strutting the day before. I knew
he was roosting in tall hardwoods
leaning over a small creek and
duck pond along the Maple River
blers seek leeks for food in the
forest and they vacate fields
and follow hens in the woods;
which can make them suddenly
difficult to scout and locate.
in southern Michigan. The sky was
clear, morning dead calm with no
wind, the kind of morning when you
can hear an adult gobbler sound off
for long distances. But when the sun
slipped from pale pink to orange I
only heard some wake up calls and
one gobble in the flooding after I
made a few attractive yelps. My
fully fanned decoy looked attrac-
tive in the opening and soon after
daylight several hens showed on the
far side of the field followed by two
struttin’ gobblers. That’s when I saw
the huge black outline of the adult
bird I was hunting. He strolled to
the field edge, stood stationary with
head held high for several minutes
before entering the field and go-
ing full fan. I could see his wing
tips brushing the corn stubble as he
made tight robot-looking circles and
meandered toward the hens.
I hit him with a custom made
box call hand carved by Doug
Thornton and got no answer. I got
As spring progresses wild gob-
out the slate call and made some
seductive yelps and high pitched
hen sounds but the gobblers acted
like they did not hear me. Soon a
lead hen caught my position and
walked in the opposite direction
with the gobblers following and
eventually the entire flock melted
back into the safety of the forest. I
thought my trophy bird was gone for
good but stayed in position another
half hour when I spotted a black
form sneaking up the fence row
coming directly at me. One glance
through binoculars confirmed it
was a gobbler, not just any bird but
the huge boss bird I was hunting.
When he disappeared in some tall
grass I made a few soft purrs and a
yelp or two. His head popped up in
response to the calls but he did not
respond with a gobble and contin-
ued his silent stealthy approach. At
lightning speed he was suddenly in
easy gun range as he walked into
the opening, went half fan, began to
drum and spit and approached my
full fan decoy like he was looking
for a fight. His foot-long beard was
dragging on the ground as I brought
the Ravin crossbow to my shoulder
and centered the crosshair on his
chest. When the boss gobbler eased
kissin’ close to the decoy he slowed
his advance, puffed up his feath-
ers in aggression, offering an ideal
target and the bolt equipped with
a NAP Gobbler Getter rounded tip
smashed through bone. Suddenly he
was down and when I admired his
1 ½ inch spurs I thought about the
hunt and how the trophy gobbler
came in silent.
No one knows exactly why gob-
blers go silent. Traditionally as the
season progresses and breeding ac-
tivity slows gobblers sound off less.
Sure they gobble at dawn to wel-
come the day and locate hens, but as
the season progresses they gobble
less especially when following hens.
Most simply go silent because there
is no reason to call when hens are
already close. Smart gobblers shut
up because they have encounters
with coyotes that come running full
tilt boogie when they hear a gobble.
Love sick gobblers that are fanning,
constantly gobbling and downright
reckless make an easy target for
sly coyotes who understand how to
charge the sound and attack preoc-
cupied birds for a fast turkey dinner.
But you don’t need birds sounding
off in order to score. Here’s why and
how you can still whack ’em with
ease if you follow some easy steps.
Boss gobblers are more re-
fined and rely on visual stimulus
to determine where and how they
move. Over the years I’ve discov-
ered big toms sporting impressive,
long beards are often less vocal than
younger birds. They spend more
time standing alert, watching for
predators, listening and planning
travel routes rather than randomly
wandering toward any hen call.
Most stick close to traditional breed-
ing locations and become territorial.
Old gobblers are creatures of habit
and have specific strut zones, loca-
tions where they break into full fan
while they drum, spit and display in
an effort to draw receptive hens to
their home turf rather than wander-
ing aimlessly after hens that can
lead old smart birds into strange,
unsafe locations.
Your challenge is to try to set up
in a breeding location. Be patient
even if you hear no gobbling, let
birds come to you. Sometimes you
stay put if you know birds are in the
immediate area. Other times you
use run-n-gun tactics to cover more
ground and find new birds.
Big boss gobblers are very terri-
torial and while they may not come
running to any turkey call they will
quickly check out any new intruders
they see in their domain. This gives
hunters in the know a distinct ad-
vantage if they can pinpoint a trophy
gobbler’s strut zone or travel route
and set up without being detected.
My strategy is simple for
slammin’ those big call shy super
gobblers five years old or older and
sporting massive beards and im-
pressive spurs. I go to them, meet
them on their home turf and decoy
monster birds so close that archery
shots are child’s play. The tactics I
use to shortcut my odds to instant
success begin with scouting. More
often than not I determine home turf
of trophy gobblers by riding coun-
try roads with binoculars in hand.
I circle areas where I have hunting
permission and avoid actually walk-
ing on the ground because I do not
want to spook old wise gobblers.
I observe travel routes, determine
feeding locations and identify where
big birds are struttin’. If I can’t find
the bird I want on my home hunting
grounds I bounce to new locations
and begin the search all over again.
Once I locate a dandy I knock on the
land owner’s door and get permis-
sion. My goal is to intercept big
gobblers, let ’em see my decoy and
draw them close.
Years of wildlife telephoto
photography has taught me one
important lesson about wild turkeys;
big gobblers are super territorial.
I’ll never forget setting out test
Author hit on the hottest turkey hunting strategy going when he obser ved wild turkeys attacking gobbler decoys
with custom head and feathers. This decoy smackdown was the result of three adult gobblers attacking a runt
decoy with custom painted bright head. Kenny Darwin photos
decoys and I was not prepared for
what happened when I set out a runt
gobbler decoy with experimental
custom painted bright red, white
and blue head. Good Lord, gobblers
came running and they violently at-
tacked the runt decoy, slammed it to
the ground and stomped it, tearing
plastic body and bending the stake.
Same thing happened with a full fan
Primos Killer B decoy with real tail
feathers. Wild turkeys charged the
decoy, circled making verbal insults,
and knocked the decoy down at
lightning speed. Basically, I dis-
covered the secret to decoying wild
birds kissin’ close is using a life-
like gobbler decoy that has a bright
sex crazed looking colorful red,
white and blue head. To sweeten the
pie and guarantee large territorial
gobblers would come running for
the decoy I experimented with real
feathers.
You would flip if you got a
glimpse of my gobbler decoy that
brings wild monster toms on a run.
It has custom painted bright red
head, bright red waddle, extremely
white crown and the brightest auto
blue cheeks known to man. It has a
real turkey tail that captures light,
wiggles with a breeze and my decoy
looks like a huge gobbler all colored
bright for breeding and his stance
is a full fan breeding posture. Mine
also has real turkey wings draggin’
on the ground and feathers hot glued
to the entire body. This state of the
art turkey decoy is light years ahead
of the turkey hunting industry and
works like dynamite to guarantee
super-fast kills. Wild birds see the
intruder and they gotta come close
and try to kick some tail and run the
intruder out of their territory. Using
this strategy you don’t need wild
birds to announce their presence
and calling isn’t the key to bringing
them close. It is the visual cue of the
realistic decoy that attracts gobblers
and draws them close.
Sure, setting up in the right spot
is important but you need to concen-
trate on placing the decoy where it
can be spotted and draw wild birds
from hiding and bring them on a
string up close and personal. Set-
ting up still requires skill; you need
a hide that conceals your human
outline.
If you use a tom decoy with a
fake cloth or synthetic tail, get rid
of the junk and replace with real
gobbler feathers and get some bright
red, white and blue glossy auto paint
and repaint the head. It goes without
saying the bright head gets the atten-
tion of birds at long distances and
signals sexual readiness and real tail
feathers are the deadliest secret to
success. There is something power-
fully attractive about real feathers,
the way they shine in the daylight,
move with the wind and mimic a
live turkey gobbler fully fanned.
This visual cue draws wild adult
gobblers like nothing else and guar-
antees success. Dominant gobblers
view the decoy in breeding mode as
an intruder on their home turf and
they will come to investigate. No,
they are not looking for a receptive
hen. Their attention is riveted on the
tom decoy. To them it is an intruder
and when they approach their intent
is to kick some butt and run the
intruder off their domain.
I’ll make a few calls at daylight
or when I first set up just to let the
big boy know I’m in the area, but
if you want those call shy monsters
to come running the last thing you
want to do is over-call. Keep in
mind if you see the target gobbler
he can see the decoy and there is no
need to call, just let him zero in on
the decoy and he’ll eventually strut
up and jump in your hip pocket.
Many hunters blow opportunities
because they call too frequently and
get spotted by wary birds.
Some savvy hunters scout by
setting out cameras and they col-
lect them after dark and examine
intelligence. Cameras are fantastic
scouting tools and help you deter-
mine turkey numbers, age, and sex
and gather intel on gobbler daily
routines. Sometimes you need to
move cameras to pinpoint exact hot
spots and locate gobblers doing their
thing. Detailed information about
gobbler numbers, age, beard and
spur length, time of activity, dura-
tion they are in the area and travel
routes can help you to ambush birds
that have no idea you are set up on
their home turf. It is my prediction
in the near future modern turkey
hunters will be more successful
at filling their turkey tag based
on intelligence provided by
cameras.
Hey, just because your local
gobblers aren’t sounding off as
frequently does not mean they have
moved or your hunt is over. Keep
the faith, set up in likely locations,
call less and look more, be patient,
stay optimistic, use gobbler decoys
with a fully fanned all natural tail
and expect smart old gobblers to
show up out of nowhere and pick a
fight with your decoy.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 21
 MAY’S
POST-SPAWN
WALLEYES
By Mark Sak
M
ay is the month to
get on the water.
April is great
for big fish, but
cold weather and
April showers
often keeps many boats in shrink
wrap or in garages around our state,
especially in the Northern Lower
and Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
May’s warm breezes and warm-
ing waters shift walleyes into high
feeding gear after the spawn. It is
one of the best times to walleye fish
around our state. If getting some
nice walleye fillets in the freezer is
on the bucket list this spring, here is
some information regarding recent
walleye plants as well as tactics to
get them to play along.
Walleye fishing is open all year
long on the Great Lakes and con-
necting waters. Connecting waters
refer to those rivers like the Detroit
that connect Lake Erie and Lake St.
Clair. But inland lakes have a closed
season. In the Lower Peninsula, the
walleye season closed March 15 un-
til April 26. (The season opens tradi-
tionally on the last Saturday in April
which this year falls on April 27).
In the Upper Peninsula, the inland
walleye season closed on March 15
and doesn’t open until May 15.
Since 2015, walleye have
overwhelmingly been the biggest
emphasis in our state’s fish plant-
ing plan with almost five million
planted to date in both inland lakes
and the Great Lakes. There are too
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many lakes to mention here but
anglers looking for lakes that have
had significant plants can log on to
Michigandnr.com/fishstock. Inland
lakes like Black Lake in Cheboy-
gan County have and Cass Lake in
Oakland County has received plants
of well over 100,000 walleyes in the
last five years. Walleyes don’t often
spawn well in inland lakes and sup-
plementing the lakes with stocked
fish is a high priority of the State
of Michigan’s emphasis on shallow
water fisheries stocking program as
the state drastically cut back salmon
plants. It is a very good time to be a
walleye angler in our state.
Some new techniques and baits
are appearing on the walleye scene
and are turning heads at the boat
ramp. Probably the overwhelming
new bait that has proven to really
bring fish to the boat is Berkley’s
Flicker Minnow. I’ll be the first to
say I am always skeptical when
it comes to the latest and greatest
must have baits, but this bait really
catches fish. It is a shad imitator
with a fairly tight wobble, and it
fishes very well on both Great Lakes
and inland lake waters. Most anglers
will say the best thing about this bait
is it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg
like many cranks do today. Pay- The author with a dandy Great Lakes walleye.
ing $11 for a crankbait can kill the which always raises the price but Weights. These weights can quickly
fishing budget very quickly. Many sticking with a couple of standard be applied anywhere on the line
stores are selling Flicker Minnows colors like firetiger or chrome and using an OR-16 Snap Weight clip
at a regular price of 5.99 and a lot of black will catch just as many fish. to any size weight the angler needs.
sales offer them at a dollar off. These baits have a much smaller The Precision Trolling book now
Custom colors are a big thing profile, (four-inches), and fish the has standardized information on Off
inland lakes much better than the Shore Snap Weights so the angler
larger cranks as they match the for- now can run these baits right above
age much better. These baits are also the fish showing on the sonar. Off
great for casting. Shore Snap Weights allow anglers to
Bandit Deep Walleye baits have pull out those favorite floating Ra-
wobbled right into many angler’s palas or shallow Thundersticks out
tackle boxes for one big reason. of the tacklebox and run them 10-15
They dive very deep. They are one feet deeper than they ever could on
of the few large profile walleye baits their own. They revolutionize baits
that can dive to 20 feet. A six-inch already in the tackle box. They are
body bait, these baits are coming now a tool anglers utilize very suc-
out of the factory in custom colors
and on a recent trip to Lake Erie we
cessfully.
Take advantage of the incredible
targeted walleyes at 17 feet and did walleye fishing our state has to offer.
very well running these baits back Generous creel limits and increased
at 80 feet. They pull quite easy and planting should sell a lot of cook-
don’t cause the planer board to drag
back in the water.
ing oil this year. No matter where
you fish in Michigan there will be
Another technique that is quickly walleyes swimming nearby. I’ll see
gaining steam are Off Shore Snap you on the water.n
 2018’s TOP
TYPICAL BUCK
By Richard P. Smith
D
irk Stewart from
Manchester may
have collected the
highest scoring typi-
cal buck known tak-
en in the state during
2018 seasons and he did it with bow
and arrow just three days before the
December archery season ended.
The veteran bowhunter arrowed a
13-pointer in Hillsdale County on
December 29 that officially scores
180 1/8, according to Commemora-
tive Bucks of Michigan, qualifying
for a spot among the top 10 typical
bow kills in state records.
“I love bowhunting for white-
tails,” Stewart said. “I hunt 45 to 50
days a year every year. I’ve been
bowhunting in Michigan for 37
years.”
Dirk said he hunts deer exclu-
sively with bow and arrow. On the
morning of November 11, he scored
on a nice 3 1/2-year-old 11-pointer
with a rack that would measure
about 120. After sitting out gun
season, Stewart said he was having
difficulty seeing any older bucks.
That is until December 23.
“The first time I saw the big
buck was December 23,” Stew-
art stated. “He was coming into
a picked cornfield. This field was
picked late; about the middle of
December. There was a lot of spilled
corn. I was seeing 45 to 50 deer a
night while hunting along the edge
of that field.”
December 23 was the first time
he hunted the spot. Dirk hadn’t been
in his treestand 30 feet above the
ground for long when movement to
his right caught his attention. After
looking through his binoculars, he
made out the white throat patch of
a buck running toward him. The
whitetail was about 150 yards away
at the time.
Stewart suspected that he
spooked a big flock of turkeys as he
approached his treestand that went
running and flying away from him
that, in turn, spooked the buck. He
thought that’s why the deer was
running.
“The buck runs up to 60 yards
away,” Stewart explained. “I could
tell he was a good buck with long
tines.”
The buck ran by Dirk within
bow range and he drew his
70-pound-pull Bowtech compound
bow to prepare for a shot. He
mouth-grunted twice to try to get the
buck to stop, but the deer ignored
him and kept running, so he didn’t
have a shot.
“I hung my bow back up after
he was gone and I was shaking,”
Stewart remembered. “I didn’t
know how many points he had, but
I thought he was a solid 150-class
buck.”
Some smaller bucks and lots
of does soon followed after the big
buck, running in the same direction
across the cut cornfield. December
23 was the last day of muzzleloader
season, so Dirk thought that per-
haps movement of other hunters
was responsible for spooking all of
the deer. Two men eventually came
into view, but they were wearing
blue jeans and were not carrying
any weapons. A while after the men Dirk Stewar t, a veteran bowhunter from Manchester, hunts deer
went out of sight, a herd of deer exclusively with bow and arrow. He took a 13-pointer in Hillsdale
came running back by him from the County on December 29 that officially scores 180 1/8 by CBM.
direction they had originally gone.
The big buck was in the middle to dispatch the deer as quickly as coming off the buck’s head, so he
of the pack and he went by within possible as well as to make sure it avoided touching the antlers until
bow range again in the same place didn’t get back up on its feet. after they were officially measured.
he did earlier, but, once again, he “Before I even got out of the As a taxidermist, Dirk mounted
didn’t offer the bowhunter a shot. treestand, I knew his antlers would the buck’s head and antlers
“I still didn’t know how many score over 170,” Dirk commented. himself.
points he had after seeing him a sec- “The antlers looked so big after he Stewart said the buck only had
ond time,” Stewart said. “All I knew was on the ground.” a dressed weight of 155 pounds, but
is he was wide and tall. I decided I He didn’t realize how big the it was obvious by his loose skin that
was going to hunt every day of the antlers really were until measuring he had lost a lot of weight during
season that I could to try to get a them himself. Even then, he didn’t the rut. He is having the buck’s teeth
shot at that buck.” trust his measurements. Due to how examined by a lab to determine the
Dirk hunted the spot on the 24th late in the season that he got the deer’s age, but he guessed that the
and 26th without seeing the large- buck, Stewart was concerned about whitetail is probably 4 1/2 years
antlered whitetail. Then he had to the antlers being loose and possibly old.n
work on the 27th and 28th, but he
Captain Roger Gibson
was back in position during the af-
ternoon of the 29th. Plenty of other U.S.C.G. Lic
deer were already feeding in the cut
corn when the buck the bowhunter Between Sarasota and Fort Myers
was waiting for finally made an ap-
pearance. Located in Tarpon Capital of the world
Stewart came to full draw as the ~ Boca Grande, FL
whitetail approached his shooting
lane. When the buck was 27 yards Large Groups Available
away, Stewart released a carbon
arrow tipped with a G5 broadhead Snook & Redfish Year-round
that spined the buck, dropping it on Fly Fishing Available
the spot.
“I’m sure I was shaking and I Tarpon Season April-October
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had a bundle of clothes on,” he said
by way of explaining the shot place-
ment.
Dirk didn’t waste any time put-
941-457-0509
ting a second arrow on the string captainrogergibson@gmail.com
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 23
Raise hogs to hunt deer?
A
reas that produced
hogs a half century
ago are now produc-
ing some hog sized
whitetail bucks.
Brandon Cropsey,
Broker/Owner, sells hunting land
in Southern Michigan for Mossy
Oak Properties, Michigan Land &
Lakes. An accomplished deer hunter
himself, he has noticed that old hog
farrowing grounds are now some
of the best whitetail habitat avail-
able anywhere. Brandon was telling
me about deer hunting on old hog
farms.
“Hog farms?” I asked.
“Oh, the hogs are long gone
now,” Brandon explained.
“So, it’s not the hogs, it’s the
You may remember seeing the small
hog sheds spread out across the pas-
tures. Those little shelters are where
the sows made a nest and had their
young.
Two things changed the way
hogs were raised in Michigan. The
first was Classical Swine Fever, also
called Hog Cholera. It is a highly
contagious disease that causes near-
ly 100% mortality in contaminated
herds. The disease became signifi-
cant in Southern Michigan during
the early 1960s, putting many hog
farmers out of business. Brandon’s
dad remembers the days when thou-
sands of hogs, which had died from
Hog Cholera, had to be buried. The
good news is that with an intense
eradication program Classical Swine

Above: Trail camera photo

reveal the quality of bucks living
cover tly in the thick cover of
abandoned hog lots. Left: Bud
filled both of his deer tags with
these nice bucks, in less than
five minutes.

out to feed and I try to figure out

habitat. Right?” I asked.
“Yup, it’s the habitat, the thick
cover now growing in the old,
abandoned hog lots. The hogs didn’t
leave anything behind,” he assured
me with a grin.
Fifty years ago there were many
small, family owned hog farms all
across Southern Michigan. In those
days hogs were raised outside. The
sows were kept in farrowing pas-
tures where they raised their piglets
each summer. These ‘hog lots’ were
often situated in rough, hilly, or
rocky areas that were untillable with
the equipment
they had at that
time. Those
rough areas
were put into
production by
raising hogs.
By Darryl Quidort
24 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Fever was eradicated in the United
States by 1976 and remains so
today. However, the disease is still
prevalent in some other countries.
The other thing that changed
hog farming was the use of hog
confinement barns. By 1970 almost
all Michigan hog operations were
moved indoors into climate con-
trolled barns. Under these controlled
conditions sows could be bred year
around, piglets had better survival
rates, and there was less threat of
predation. Confinement barns are
still the practice today.
Farming has changed greatly
over the last half century as well.
Bigger farm equipment, removing
trees and fence rows, and tiling the
fields for better drainage has im-
proved farm production. However,
many of the old hog pastures which
are in less productive areas were left
to grow up with weeds and brush.
Brandon says this has resulted in the
best whitetail habitat in Michigan.
Although the old hog lots were open
pastures back then, they are the
thickest cover on the farm now.
“How do you hunt them?” I
asked Brandon.
“Think of it as a high ground
swamp and hunt it accordingly,”
he replied. “It’s a sanctuary for
deer and a perfect bedding area:
thick multiflora rose, high weeds,
vines, small second growth trees,
and brush, lots of thick brush. Early
bow season, when the crops are
in the fields, deer enter the area in
the morning to bed down for the
day. For morning hunts, I try to
hunt the edges to catch deer return-
ing to the cover. Bucks are smart
though, they use the wind to ensure
a safe entry to their bedding area.
You have to try to figure out their
routes. Evenings they are coming
which crop fields they are using
and set up between the thicket and
the food source. After the crops are
harvested in the fall bucks really
gravitate to the thickest cover avail-
able. That is usually the old hog lot.
You wouldn’t believe the deer trails
going in there. Most of it is so thick
that it’s hard for a hunter to enter.
My brother once hired a rotary
brush cutter just to cut a trail so he
could get access into the center of
an especially thick area. He eased
in there for a morning hunt and
laughed when he told me he saw a
‘hog’ that morning.”
“Another thing is that the big
whitetail bucks are very secretive,
no matter where they live. Without
using trail cameras you might not
realize the quality of the deer co-
vertly living in that thick cover.”
“Fifty years ago there were very
few deer in this area,” Brandon ex-
plained. “Now-a-days you wouldn’t
believe the deer sign in that thick
cover. When I started deer hunting,
in the 1980s, deer had a lot more ar-
eas to hide in and travel safely. Over
the last thirty years, I’ve seen farm-
ers clear many of the fencerows and
fence corners to turn smaller fields
into one large field better suited to
 Online, updated maps show
state forest roads open to ORV
Off-road vehicle enthusiasts can ride more than 6,300 miles of state forest
the new farming equipment. Re- Suddenly, the buck jumped back roads in the northern Lower Peninsula. That increased opportunity comes after
moval of some of this cover has over the fence in the exact spot changes approved by Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger
centralized deer movement into the where he had jumped into the thick at the February meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and
thick cover that is left, especially cover. With shaking hands, Bud implemented by DNR forestry staff in the weeks since.
after the crops are harvested. Many quickly reloaded his crossbow with Final maps detailing the 6,339.5 miles of northern Michigan state forest roads
hunters think that modern farming another bolt. Then he aimed care- open to ORV use – as well as printable maps by county – now are available on the
DNR website.
practices have hurt our hunting. fully and shot the deer again. Again To ensure maps for all state forest roads stay up to date, the DNR will evalu-
Actually, I think it has improved our it jumped the fence and disappeared. ate road data in response to changing road conditions and uses and update maps
deer hunting by concentrating the Worried now, Bud waited only a every year on April 1. All off-roaders are encouraged to regularly check maps to
deer into the cover. We have started few minutes before getting down make sure they are in compliance with rules for riding ORVs on state forest roads.
searching out the old hog pastures and walking over to where the deer It’s all part of a multiyear process tied to P.A. 288 of 2016, which directed
for hunting hot spots just because of trail crossed the old fence into the the DNR to comprehensively map and inventory all state forest roads and make
that premier habitat.” hog lot. A good blood trail was determinations on the open/closed status of each road. The DNR completed a
A buddy of Brandon’s (who visible where the buck had jumped similar evaluation and work for state forest roads in southern Michigan and the
didn’t care to have his name pub- the fence. Looking up, he spot- Upper Peninsula at the end of 2018.
lished, so I’ll just call him Bud) ted his buck lying dead only 20 Overall, there currently are nearly 7,600 miles of state forest roads in the
had a memorable hunt in the fall of yards away. After pushing through northern Lower Peninsula. The most recent mapping and inventory review pro-
2017. He was set up in a treestand the brush and multiflora rose, Bud cess yielded a net increase of 31.5 miles of roads open to ORV users, compared to
near a heavily used deer trail not far reached his deer and was happy a year ago. A few miles were closed to ORV use due to damage and the need for
from where it crossed a fence and with the nice sized buck he had natural resources protection.
entered the thick cover of an old, taken. “This was a great effort to increase the accuracy of our state forest road sys-
overgrown hog pasture. About 7:30 Then he noticed blood on the tem, be responsive to the variety of recreation uses that occur on state-managed
a.m. a buck with a heavy looking deer trail past where his buck laid. lands, and ensuring the protection of our valuable natural resources,” said Bill
set of antlers came down the trail “Did he go farther, then double back O’Neill, DNR natural resources deputy director. “DNR staff will provide regular
without a clue that Bud was watch- for the second shot?” he wondered. updates to the state forest road inventory and ensure appropriate use of these
ing him through the scope on his Curious now, Bud followed the roads.”
crossbow. At the shot, the buck blood trail for another 30 yards to Public feedback was a critical part of the mapping and inventory process,
kicked and ran hard for 60 yards where he came upon a second dead and the DNR will continue to provide the opportunity for people to share their
comments and ideas about proposed road changes for the next round of statewide
before jumping the old fence and buck which looked very similar to
map updates. People can view all maps at Michigan.gov/ForestRoads and submit
disappearing into the brush. Confi- the first one. feedback via the interactive maps. To have comments considered for potential
dent that it was a good shot, Bud sat Unknowingly, Bud had filled changes to the 2020 maps, feedback must be submitted by Aug. 31, 2019.
down to wait a few minutes before both of his deer tags that morning in For more on off-road vehicle opportunities statewide and other need-to-know
following him up. less than five minutes.n information, visit Michigan.gov/ORVTrails.

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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 25


Towing Woes - Avoiding the Worst
W
hen it comes to
spending hour
after countless
hours on the
road, there’s
no doubt in my
mind that career fishing-tournament
anglers lead the way of all those
who avidly fish when it comes to
miles traveled 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 frequently, you may be a
better candidate for travel problems
than those who pack on the miles.
From ruts, potholes, extended rough
“wash-board” surfaces to every ex-
terior in between, each road condi-
tion can and will take its toll on
your boat, trailer, motor and tow
vehicle.
However, there are several
things you can do to keep problems
from occurring, as well money-
y Sprin
Turke
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26 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Tow, Tow, Tow Your Boat...
saving tips and tricks to employ all
year long.
I’m Tired
What are the most important
pieces of equipment on both
my Lund boat’s trailer and
tow vehicle? Why tires, of
course; after all, they are
the only thing holding both
tow vehicle and trailer snug
to the road, no matter the
weather conditions.
I’m sure you’ve heard
it before, always
be positive the air
pressure in all your By Mark Martin
tires, including the
spares, are at the manufacturer’s
suggested pressure for the load
before hitting the road.
By keeping my tires at the
perfect pressure, I am allowing 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 al-
low both vehicle and trailer to move
along with the least amount of re-
sistance, thus will increase your tow
vehicle’s gas mileage to it greatest.
Another thing most folks forget
to do is check their tires
for damage. All it takes is
one single rub against a
curb, a hard ramming into
a pothole or just “check-
ing” (splits caused from sun
damage) and blowouts can
occur. And the worst thing
about blowouts versus just
finding a flat tire
in the driveway 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 “sealed,” and when this happens
it’ll only be a matter of time before
you, too, are one of those poor souls
that have pulled off to the side of the
road and are waiting for a flatbed
truck to haul your boat—with bent
axle on its trailer—off to the repair
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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 of grease
need to be taken apart and re-packed
with fresh lubricant at least once a
year. Do it. Save yourself the head-
ache.
Trailer hubs like what is under
my Lund Pro-V, which have oil res-
ervoirs 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 be-
cause I am not the most mechanical-
ly inclined person, I take my trailer
to professional mechanics—in my
case Matteson Marine on Gun Lake
in Shelbyville, Michigan—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.
g
Bear
 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 better perfor-
mance than when pulling one that
is uncovered. And then, of course,
there is the rain, dirt and sun dam-
age that can be thwarted off 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 have been
on the rise. A lot... Too much, actu-
ally (but I digress).
It is the above-mentioned that
has me looking for less expensive
ways of travel and to reduce my per-
sonal time behind the wheel as well.
For example, the latest way
I have found to save on both is
actually quite old school. (Well, a
re-conditioned means of travel since
1992, anyways.)
After doing the math, when trav-
eling west from my home in Michi-
gan’s southwest Lower Peninsula, I
have found taking the S.S. Badger
Central Michigan’s premier hunting destination is waiting for you to make lasting memories, now and for the seasons to come.
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from Ludington, Michigan, to Mani-
towoc, Wisconsin, not only saves
me the time of driving around Lake
Michigan, but even when paying for
my vehicle, boat and trailer and two
passengers, saves me a quite a bit of
money in gas and tolls.
And it’s a short, four-hour ride
while the captain of the ferry does
all the work of getting me west of
the big lake; heck, the employees
of the S.S. Badger even load my
Suburban and Lund onto the ves-
sel for me. All I do is pull up to the
dock and let the crew do the rest.
It’s a 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 is less than the cost
of gas and wear and tear on your
vehicle. Do the math; it’s well worth
the time and expense.
I Didn’t See That Coming
Last but definitely not last 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
“Hunt your PASSION, not a price point!”
Whether hunting for your passion or making
memories with those you love,
the Refuge Ranch can help you accomplish both.
Call today for more information!
anglers I have found is through
Worldwide Marine Underwriters
(www.worldwidemarineins.com).
Great boat-owners insurance
is my piece of mind that, no mat-
ter what unexpected accident, no
matter how major or minor, all my
equipment, big or small (as well any
human involved) is covered finan-
cially.
Trust me on this, although boat
coverage from home-owners or car-
insurance companies may look to be
enough, rarely is it ever. Make sure
you are covered by a 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
The Refuge Ranch
9999 – 70th Ave. • Mecosta, MI 49332
By taking care of your boat
trailer you can focus on catching
more and bigger fish.
you have everything in working
order.
Make sure your tires are fully
inflated, have no damage and that
their hubs are properly lubed. Cover
your craft when towing it, fine alter-
native routes that may save you time
and money, as well make sure you
are properly insured.
Your days on the water will be
much more stressed free, I promise.
Mark Martin is a touring wall-
eye pro, as well an instructor with
the Fishing Vacations/School put
on throughout the Midwest. Check
out his website at markmartins.net
for more information on Mark, his
schools and links to any of the
information mentioned in this
article.n
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 27
 ATTACK OF THE GIANT WATER BUG!
T
he ruthless attack
comes swiftly, and
the mystery beast
is not reluctant to
take on prey many
times its size. It’s a
fierce predator, with
a pair of powerful
forelegs that are tipped with hook-
shaped claws to grasp and hold
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28 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
By Jonathan Schechter
prey. And then the real nightmare
begins, for this voracious predator
with a seemingly endless appetite is
equipped with a rostrum, a beak-like
projection that is used to pierce flesh
and then inject a potent enzyme that
poisons and begins to digest the
victim while it’s still alive.
Once the enzyme does its work
and liquefies the internal parts of the
sometimes still squirming victim,
the rostrum is used to suck up the
slurpee-like partially digested soupy
mix of flesh. That’s not science fic-
tion; that is science and the ambush
hunting behavior of Michigan’s Gi-
ant Water Bug.
I WAS ATTACKED
Well sort of. I lived.
Here’s my story of evasion and
escape with hats off to one of the
most amazing bugs on our planet,
the giant water bug, a fine-tuned
oddity of nature that gets a 10 on the
1 through 10 scale of weirdness, and
the same score on its ability to not
only survive, but thrive rather se-
cretly in a human-dominated world.
My close encounter occurred the
last week of March when a fire-
fighter friend called me in the early
morning about a “very weird” and
“scary looking” bug that was found
on the concrete pad of a fire station
in northernmost Oakland County the
night before.
“We have it confined in an
empty coffee tin and it’s absolutely
H-U-G-E and it looks like a de-
formed cockroach.”
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www.CONTROLGEESENOW.com
I responded to the scene to
investigate, for that’s what a some-
times foolish nature-embracing
naturalist does, even when the mys-
tery beast is described as a deformed
cockroach. Before I arrived I told
him it sounds like a water bug.
“No way; this thing is a mon-
ster” was the response.
I CAME ARMED
With gloves and my camera.
A three inch long giant water
bug sluggishly crawled in circles
at the bottom of the coffee can.
Giant water bugs are members of
the order Hemiptera, insects that
are true bugs. They are the largest
true bug in Michigan and for that
matter anywhere in North America.
They are actually rather common,
but rarely seen for our worlds don’t
blend sweetly together and they are
sometimes mistaken as very big
cockroaches.
Their extremely large forearms
that are powerful pinchers make
some think of praying mantises on
steroids. The giant water bug has
a rather flat unexciting appearing,
oval-shaped body that is generally
brown, and as mentioned earlier
it also carries potent weaponry. A
close handheld look (something I
do not advise everyone to do) will
reveal a short, pointed beak (the ros-
trum) on the underside of the head,
and folded wings that overlap at the
bottom end of the abdomen, forming
an “X” like pattern.
A WATER BUG WITH WINGS?
Yes you bet, for giant water bugs
also fly, usually at night, giving it
one of its two common nicknames,
“electric light bug.” Their ability to
fly is a huge asset when searching
for new habitat. For reasons best
known to the bug, they are attracted
to outdoor lighting and sometimes
are seen under porch lights or flit-
ting about near security lights, such
as the one that illuminated the back
side of the fire station just a few
dozen feet from a small marsh, its
most likely over-wintering habitat.
Dan & Co. LLC
780 N. S.E. Boutell Rd.
Essexville, MI 48732
989.415.0825
 “Toe-biter” is their other collo-
quial name since their prime habitat
is shallow weedy water where most
of its hunting occurs. It can inflict
a painful “bite” on a barefooted hu-
man.
I wanted to photograph the
fire department’s captive up close
without becoming a patient. I had a
plan and it’s important to note that
the temperature outside was still
hovering in the low forties. Bugs
are sluggish at that temperature
range. And so first with gloves on I
gently picked it up and set it on my
cap which was at that time not on
my head. It crawled slowly about.
I assumed it was probably too cold
to fly off or stab its rostrum into my
flesh and so off came my gloves
and with a bit of coaxing it slowly
walked onto my hand.
I’m not sure why it seemed so
comfortable exploring my hand, but
perhaps a human was something
beyond its ability to comprehend
and my hand was warm. Perhaps
the bug was thinking, “Oh man, this
feels good!” Or perhaps this ambush
hunter’s secret plan was to take me
by surprise and suddenly jab me
and try to dissolve my innards. That
thought crossed my mind for they
will take on and successfully subdue
creatures many times their size
including snakes and frogs. Most
of their prey however are minnows,
tadpoles, salamanders and aquatic
insects.
PICTURE TIME
For the next ten minutes it was
a photo capturing bonanza as the
water bug slowly warmed up and
explored the back side of my hand
and then my fingers when I went
palm side up. All at once I noted it
was moving more quickly, becom-
ing more alert and it then began to
firmly squeeze my finger between
its firm legs just as its head was be-
Our Great Lakes may be salt and shark free, but our marshes are home to the toe-biting ambush
hunter known as the giant water bug. Author photos
ginning to bob up and down. I could water, as it usually is, it remains food for thought for those that wade
not decide if it “liked” my finger a motionless in the shallows waiting barefoot on the wilder side of our
heck of lot; it was spring after all, to ambush a meal, with the snor- state, a state gifted with wetlands
or if it was thinking, “Dinner time, I kel reaching the surface. Bubbles from the last glacial retreat. Perhaps
can take this clueless thing down!” of surface air are trapped under its a giant water bug is waiting for you
I’ve never been bitten by one but wings and from there they enter the in those murky waters right now - - -
I took its increased activity as a sign spiriacles, a wonder of nature that think of the music from Jaws.
it might be time for us to part as just makes the giant water bug a master
friends. Just as I prepared to shake it hunter with its own scuba gear. Jonathan Schechter writes a
off my hand it took flight on its own weekly nature blog for Oakland
and in seconds reached a nearby TOE-BITING County Government, is a member
tree. With the grand encounter over I Our Great Lakes may be salt of the Wilderness Medical Society
headed home for a bit of giant water and shark free, but our marshes are and is always exploring the wilds of
bug research and discovered two home to the toe-biting ambush hunt- Michigan. Email: oaknature@aol.
other oddities about this creature, at er known as the giant water bug, comn
least oddities to the human mind.
DADDY DAY CARE
The female lays eggs on emer-
gent vegetation just above the water
level and then leaves her future
babies forever. Daddy bug sticks
around and guards them until the
hatch and will keep the eggs moist
during hot, dry spells.
SCUBA GEAR
The giant water bug is an air-
breathing insect but they do not
have lungs like you and I. They
breathe through tiny pores known
as spiracles spread over its body.
Snorkel like breathing tubes are also
located at the hind end of the abdo-
men. When the water bug is under
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 29
 Fishing
Michigan:
April showers may bring May
flowers, but it also brings great
angling action in Michigan.
Spring is in full swing by the
time May rolls around. The
weather is more consistent, the
snow has finally melted, waters
are warming and angling
opportunities abound...
F
ollowing are some can’t-miss angling op-
portunities in Michigan that you’ll want to
put on your May calendar.
Southeast Michigan Panfish
May is prime time for panfish. Blue-
gills and sunfish move shallow in May
as near-shore waters warm in prepara-
tion for spawning. Panfish also move
shallow to feed. Minnows migrate to the
tepid shallows, insects become active and
the whole food chain explodes in May.
Southeast Michigan is blessed with a
surfeit of great panfish lakes anglers will
want to target in May.
“One of our better
lakes that time of year is
By Mike Gnatkowski
Union Lake in Oakland County,” claimed Lake
Erie Management Unit fisheries biologist Jeff
Braunscheidel. “Union Lake is known for it’s big
bluegills and one of the best times to target them
is in May when they move shallow.”
Braunscheidel added that there are some very
nice crappies in Union Lake also. The crappies
will have probably already spawned by May, but
they can be found in deeper water off points on
30 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
May’s
Top
Spots
the west and south sides of the lake. Crappies
topping a foot are common and they average ten
inches.
Big, orange-breasted ’gills can be found stag-
ing early in the month on the drop-offs found on
the east and north sides of the lake. The bluegills
are likely to be tightly schooled, so you might
want to drift and try a variety of depths until you
make contact. Once the spawn begins, bluegills
will converge on the shallows in the southeast
and southwest end of the lake. The shallow fish
typically get hammered so don’t be afraid to try
water from 15 to 20 feet where some of the big-
gest bluegills spawn. Fishing is simple. Usually a
No. 10 gold Aberdeen hook, a split shot and half
a night crawler are all you need.
Union Lake’s 465-acres are located southwest
of Pontiac near the town of Union Lake.
Anglers will find public access off of
Union Lake Rd. on the west side of the
lake.
Portage Panfish
“The Portage Lake chain has decent
panfish fishing throughout, but Straw-
berry Lake is one that stands out when it
comes to big bluegills,”
suggested Braunscheidel.
Strawberry Lake,
257-acres, is part of the Portage Lake chain that
traverses Washtenaw and Livingston counties.
The chain includes Zuckey, Gallagher, White-
wood, Base Line and Big Portage. Getting to
Strawberry Lake is not easy. Access can be
gained via a private marina on Zuckey Lake that
charges a fee or at a public site on Big Portage
Lake that requires a boat ride of several miles,
but panfish fanatics will tell you it’s worth it.
There are a multitude of lakes in
southeast Michigan that
offer great fishing for bluegills
and crappies in May. Author photo
Strawberry Lake has a very limited littoral
zone and sharp drop-offs, which means spawning
panfish can be very concentrated where you find
shallow water. Look to the northeast shore of the
lake, which is shallow and receives an inordinate
amount of spring sunshine. There are also several
mid-lake humps that rise to within a couple feet
of the surface where spawning panfish congre-
gate. Near the lake outlet is also a hotspot.
Strawberry Lake is located in south-central
Livingston County fives miles east of Pinckney.
Stony Creek Impoundment
“May might be a little bit after the peak, but
it would still be a good time to target the big
crappies in Stony Creek,” said fisheries biologist
Jeff Braunscheidel. “It’s not a body of water that
you’d go to for numbers of crappies, but there
are some big ones in there.” The Michigan state
record white crappie, a 3.39-pound, 19-1/2-inch
slab, was caught from Stony Creek Impoundment
in 2000.
Braunscheidel said that 489-acre Stony Creek
is full of stumps, laydowns and brush– the type
of habitat that crappies love. The impoundment is
very shallow, warms quickly and weeds make it
difficult to fish later in the spring. Try off East-
wood Beach, near the dam and where the West
Branch of the Clinton River and McClure Drain
enter the reservoir. A minnow suspended under a
bobber is pretty hard to beat.
Catch and Release Bass
Three of Michigan’s most popular catch-and-
release lakes are located in Oakland County and
May is prime time. You’ll want to visit Kent,
Pontiac and Cass lakes early in the spring if
you’re a bass fishing fan. “We see a lot of inter-
est in the catch-and-release season, especially
on Kent Lake,” claimed fisheries biologist Jeff
Braunscheidel. “In fact, some of the biggest fish
of the season are caught then.”
Kent Lake has 1,000-acres and routinely
produces four to six-pound largemouths and the
occasional seven-pounder. And while Pontiac and
Cass lakes don’t produce bass as big as in Kent,
they have healthy populations for great early-sea-
son fun. If it’s variety you want, Cass Lake has
smallmouths; Pontiac has largemouths; and Kent
Lake has both.
For more information on great May fishing
opportunities in southeast Michigan contact the
Lake Erie Management Unit of the MDNRE at
(248) 359-9040.
St. Joe Salmonids
The tepid water of southern Lake Michigan
attracts a hodgepodge of trout and salmon off
the port of St. Joe in May. Salmonids congregate
there to feed before migrating farther north as the
summer progresses. May produces hot big-lake
action for a variety of species off this port.
“The fishing has been pretty good out of St.
Joe the last couple of springs,” said Captain Russ
Clark who runs his 36-foot Tiara Seahawk out
of the port of St. Joe. “We don’t get the packs of
alewives off the pier heads and river mouths like
we used to, but there’s still some good fishing to
be had.” Clark said there’s still some shoreline
fishing early in the month for browns and Cohos,
but by mid-May captains start heading northwest
out of the port. “We usually start shallow and
then just troll towards deeper water, as deep as
240 feet,” said Clark.
Captain Russ said, “You need to cover all the
bases when fishing out of St. Joe in the spring.”
Clark said the fish can be almost anywhere in the
water column regardless of the water depth from
the surface to 80 feet or more. That means pulling
out all the stops. Clark uses surface lines, divers,
downriggers and lead-core line pulling spoons for
a smorgasbord of trout and salmon that includes
lake trout, steelheads, coho and Chinook salmon.
The salmonids are gorging on a smorgasbord of
alewives, gobies and freshwater shrimp.
To sample St. Joe’s hot spring fishing contact
Captain Russ Clark at (269) 429-6110 or online
at www.fishseahawk.com.
Black River Brook Trout
By May, northern Michigan rivers are getting
lower, clearer and warming. It’s the perfect time
to catch trout on the Lower Peninsula’s premier
brook trout stream, the Black River.
Early in the month there still may be some
lingering snow banks in the woods and the water
will still be pretty cold. Bait fishing excels then.
Fish slowly and deliberately, giving the trout
plenty of time to make up their mind. As you get
farther into May, warming waters will spur hatch-
es, like the Hendrickson mayfly and Little Black
Caddis, which will get trout looking up. There is
a steady procession of hatches to look forward to
in May. Hardware fishermen can catch their share
of brookies, up to 16 inches, by casting Panther
Martin and Double Loon spinners into the tail
of runs, near logs and under the overhanging tag
alders the exemplify the Black.
The best brook trout fishing on the Black
occurs upstream of Clark Road Bridge on both
the East Branch and Main Stream. Both rivers
average 20 to 40 feet wide and overhanging brush
makes them a challenge to fish. Prime access
points on the East Branch can be found at Shingle
Mill Bridge and Barber Bridge. On the Main
Stream, you can get on the water at Chandler
Road, at Town Corner, Main River Bridge and at
Clark Rd.
For more details contact Parrott’s Outpost at
(800) 733-0412 or online at www.parrottsoutpost.
com.
Tittabawassee River Walleye
Saginaw Bay’s walleye population is boom-
ing and natural reproduction in the Saginaw
River system is largely responsible. One of the
most productive walleye spawning rivers in the
Saginaw system is the Tittabawassee River. When
we enjoy a cool, dry spring, the Tittabawassee
River is loaded with walleyes when the season
opens on the last Saturday in April. Savvy anglers
avoid the opening weekend hoopla and wait until
May to catch their share of ’eyes.
Schools of spawning walleyes collect below
the dam in Midland in March, do their thing and
then drop back down the river. The post-spawn
females leave fairly quickly, but the spunky
males hang around for awhile, especially if
heavy rains or snow melt don’t flush them out of
the river. Most the of the walleyes will average
one-and-a-half to five-pounds, but larger fish are
possible. The area from Freeland all the way to
the river mouth at the Saginaw confluence can be
good. There are plenty of other species that will
put a bend in your rod. My personal record for
one day is 10 species.
Tittabawassee River walleyes can be caught
using a variety of methods. Many anglers verti-
cal jig by slipping-the-current using ¼ oz. lead
head jigs tipped with plastic or a night crawler.
An alternative is to cast deep-diving crankbaits,
which works very well on the river’s expansive
flats. Anchoring or fishing from the bank with a
slip sinker and a crawler injected with a little air
can produce big catches too.
Boaters can launch at Gordonville Rd. down- THE ORIGINAL
stream from Midland, behind Gamm’s Hardware 4 SIZES, 30 COLORS
in Freeland, at Imerman Park, Center St., and at 1 7/8” MIDGET
Wick’s Park below the confluence of the Saginaw through
and Tittabawassee rivers. 3 7/8” LARGE.
For information on amenities and lodging Classic finishes.
contact the Freeland Chamber of Commerce at
www.2chambers.com/freeland or by calling (989)
695-6620.
Saginaw Bay Walleye
Once walleyes finish spawning in the Sagi- Silver & Blue
naw River system they fan out into the shallows Nu-wrinkle
of Saginaw Bay. Hungry after their spawning or- #18
deal, the ’eyes go on a feeding binge that anglers
can take advantage of. Favorites for
Two techniques produce the bulk of the wall- trout and salmon.
eye in Saginaw Bay in May. Diehard night owls Time tested
troll the shallow four to ten-foot depths at night and proven.
pulling inline boards and big body baits, like No.
18 Husky Jerks and Bombers. The stick baits
imitate smelt and other baitfish that the walleyes
are keying on.
Other anglers who keep normal hours catch
limits of walleyes trolling with crawlers harness- Genuine silver, copper
es in six to 12 feet of water along the reefs found
in the bay. On the west side, try off the Saganing, and 24K gold finishes.
Pinconning and Rifle bars and off Bay City State
Park. On the east side target Thomas, Callahan Proudly North American
and Duck reefs and the area known as “The Slot” Made.
between Sebewaing and Bayport. Key is to troll
super slow and keep adding or subtracting weight
until you hit on the right combination of depth
and color. The ’eyes will run from two to eight
pounds. PROVOCATIVE
For fishing reports, bait and tackle contact 1 SIZE 10 COLORS
Frank’s Great Outdoors at (989) 697-5341 or 3” 1/6 oz
online at www.franksgreatoutdoors.com. Bait fish profile.
Marquette Smorgasbord Ultra thin spoon.
Spring comes slowly to da U.P. hey. But by
May, the ice has receded enough that early birds
can get their boats in to sample the great spring Yellow &
fishing found along Lake Superior’s south shore. Orange #53
Several species of trout and salmon are drawn
to the shallows between Marquette and Munising
in May. Numerous streams and rivers enter the
big lake between the two towns and fishing pres-
sure is nil. The water coming in from the rivers
are much warmer than Lake Superior and attract
a plethora of game fish. The catch can include na-
tive lake trout, planted Chinook salmon, naturally
reproduced cohos, brown trout, steelheads, pink Stamped in
salmon and even coaster brook trout. spring brass to
The fishing is simple. Use small spoons and maintain its
body baits behind inline boards or off flat lines. shape
No need for downriggers or divers. Simply work
up and down the shoreline zigzagging between NOTHING MATCHES
six and 12 or 15 feet. Onshore winds help stack THE VISIBILITY
up the warmer water near shore. If variety is the The flash of genuine silver
spice of the angling life, this is a must-do destina- and 24k gold finishes
tion for May.
For information on lodging and accommoda-
tions contact the Marquette Chamber of Com-
merce at www.2chambers.com/marquette or call
(906) 226-6591.
May offers plenty of opportunities for Michi- /williamslures
gan anglers. The hardest part might be deciding
which ones to take advantage of.n www.mooselook.ca
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 31

Unusual wildlife of Michigan’s Thumb
R
ecently in early March,
I heard that a video had
been taken of a Canada
Lynx near Lexington,
and experts determined
the animal in the video
was definitely a Canada
Lynx. The last known sight-
ing of a Canada Lynx in
Michigan’s Lower Penin-
sula was near Oscoda in
1917 and one (per photos)
in 2010 in the Upper Pen-
insula.
On March 16, a Sanilac
County farmer near Ruth
By Tom Lounsbury
discovered an
animal killing
his ducks and
geese and was sure it was a lynx,
which actually displayed an odd,
calm behavior at relatively close
range and didn’t appear to be very
afraid of him as it walked away. The
farmer contacted a licensed nuisance
animal professional who trapped
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32 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Canadian Lynx and Wolverine...
the animal alive on Sunday morn-
ing, March 17. The animal was then
placed in a wire dog crate and it was
later identified as being a genuine
Canada Lynx.
On Monday, March 18, the lynx
was taken to a rehabilita-
tion center near Howell.
On Wednesday, March 20,
it was then transferred to
the Detroit Zoo where it
can be more effectively
cared for by professionals
who know how to do so.
In the meantime, the lynx
will be studied to determine
whether it had
been an escaped
or released
captive (you’d be surprised at what
can be purchased on the black
market), or a definite wild Canada
Lynx which may have managed to
cross over from Canada on a frozen
Lake Huron. It is rumored that there
might be a second Canada Lynx at
Canada Lynx trapped by Jordan Cook in Harbor Beach and held in a dog
crate until the proper authorities took over. Jordan Cook photo
large in the Thumb, but that has yet and Wildlife Service in 2000, what
to be confirmed. happens to this lynx falls under fed-
Because the Canada Lynx was eral jurisdiction. The majority of the
designated as a threatened species in Canada Lynx population (98%) is
the lower 48 states by the U.S. Fish found in Canada and Alaska, and the
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rest (2%) are found only in a hand-
full of northern states (as well as it
has been successfully reintroduced
to Colorado in recent years).
The Canada Lynx is a mid-sized
boreal forest carnivore and its key
prey animal is the snowshoe hare.
During a decline in snowshoe hare
numbers (typically every 10 years)
Canada Lynx will hunt birds or
other small animals in order to sur-
vive, and has been known to migrate
somewhat in search of food during
lean times. Its body size is 30 to 35
inches long and typically weighs
about 15 to 30 pounds, which is
very similar to its close cousin, the
bobcat. However, it has noticeably
longer legs than a bobcat, and has
distinctly larger paws which allow
it to more easily stay on top of deep
snows when pursuing snowshoe
hares. The Canada Lynx also has a
very noticeable “ruff” of hair around
its face and neck, and ear tassels
which stick right up.
I’ve seen bobcats in the wild
(per Michigan) and I was blessed
on two occasions while black bear
hunting in northern Ontario, to see
a Canada Lynx on two separate
occasions. In my opinion, there is
no mistaking the true identity of a
Canada Lynx from a bobcat (to my
eye after having seen both firsthand,
there is a distinct physical differ-
ence).
Actually seeing a bobcat in the
Thumb, although rare, isn’t unheard
of. I saw my first bobcat when I
was a kid while wade-fishing on
the Cass River near Cass City. I
was sitting on a rock in the middle
of the river to change lures when a
bobcat suddenly materialized out of
the willows on shore to get a drink.
While it was lapping away we made
eye contact and it disappeared like
a wisp of smoke. I kept this en-
counter to myself because I knew
nobody would believe a “tall tale”
from a kid, so why bother. Then a
few years later, my late father was
the Tuscola County Drain Com-
missioner and was on hand when
a dragline cleaning a ditch not far
from Caro, flushed out a bobcat.
I’m also aware of a bobcat being
illegally killed near Caseville about
20 years ago (it is illegal to kill a big
wild cat in our zone which includes
bobcat, lynx and cougar), as well
as about a dozen years ago when a
MDNR Conservation Officer was
dispatched to help a trapper release
a bobcat from a leg-hold trap at Fish
Point near Unionville, which had
to be an interesting and challenging
experience.
The recent discovery of a Can-
ada Lynx in the Thumb however, is
absolutely mind boggling to me. But
then, so was the wolverine!
I am eagerly looking forward to
what findings might come about on
the Thumb’s newest wild (maybe)
visitor. As of Friday, March 22,
the female Canada Lynx is doing
quite fine at the Detroit Zoo and is
receiving excellent veterinary care.
She was slightly dehydrated when
she arrived and had a cut near a paw
which was stitched up, and is receiv-
ing fluids and antibiotics. Examina-
tion of her teeth estimate she is less
than a year old, body weight is 18
pounds, and she has a total length of
4 feet.
A blood sample was also taken
and sent to the U.S. Forest Service
to analyze the DNA evidence which
will determine what region this lynx
originally came from. This is defi- Jeff Ford spent many, many hours setting trail cameras and follow-
nitely a major investigative step into ing the movements of the famed “Thumb Wolverine.”
a mystery which, like Michigan’s
only wolverine (also discovered in tate to eat carrion to survive. DNA body in the Minden City State
the Thumb), may never be solved. collected from hair samples would Game Area. This discovery truly
Because it was considered as determine that the Thumb’s wol- brought closure to what might have
being nonexistent in Michigan, the verine was a female with a genetic remained a mystery as to what actu-
wolverine had been removed from relationship to wolverines found in ally happened to Michigan’s only
the state’s endangered species list. the Canadian provinces of Ontario known wolverine. An autopsy would
Then on the morning of February and Manitoba. It remains a determine that she was nine-years-
24, 2004, the dogs of houndsmen mystery to this day as to how old and had died from old age heart
seeking fox and coyotes struck a she ever ended up in the Thumb failure (degenerative cardiomyopa-
trail just south of Bad Axe, of a of Michigan. thy). Her full-sized mount can still
very unusual animal, and the chase, On March 13, 2010, a pair of be seen on display at the Bay City
which would last for six hours, was hikers discovered the wolverine’s State Park.n
on. The strange animal would lead
the hounds in circles for over six
miles before it finally climbed a tree
near Ubly.
Arnie Karr, MDNR Wildlife
Biologist for the Thumb at that
time, received a phone call around
2 p.m. stating that a wolverine had
just been treed. He headed right out
to investigate, but was pretty sure
in his mind that the mystery ani-
mal was anything but a wolverine.
Once near the site, Karr managed to
hitch a ride on the back of a snow-
mobile to reach the treed animal,
and his timing couldn’t have been
more perfect, because the animal
decided to climb out of the tree and • Servicing most all ATV, UTV, Snow and MX.
resume running as the snowmo-
bile approached. This allowed the • Polaris Digital wrench and & Ski Doo
snowmobile to draw up alongside of
the animal and Karr would be able Can Am B.U.D.S. diagnostics.
to take the pictures which would
officially document the first ever • Ski Doo / Can Am & Polaris certified.
wolverine in Michigan.
The following morning (Febru- • Full engine rebuilds, chassis, lifts, portals,
ary 25, 2004) the wolverine was
put back on Michigan’s endangered full service and insurance work.
species list, and the discovery would
immediately get national media • MX, off-road complete engine
coverage. The wolverine would end
up spending the remainder of its rebuilds and service.
days in the Minden City State Game
Area in Sanilac County (actually an
ideal location for it), where it kept www.MCBPERFORMANCE.com
to itself and never bothered anyone.
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necessary protein, especially from
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 33
 Find the flow, find the walleyes
Next Bite - Post-Spawn Flats Walleye...By Gary Parsons/Keith Kavajecz
T
he idea that post-
spawn fish scatter is
only partly true. A
better description is
that they travel. At
some point in April,
nearly all of the fish were in rivers
and sure enough, in another month
most of the fish will be on deeper
reefs or well-defined weed lines.
Knowing key spots in between (and
why the fish are there) can turn a
mediocre day into a hot bite.
To understand the situation,
think like a fish. Food levels in
the river are not high enough, and
larger fish must compete with the
lingering smaller males for every
morsel. So, after spawn larger fish
ride the river currents back to the
lake and they dive right in to the
first food option they find.
In most cases, food is wait-
ing at the river mouth. All rivers
cut through some sort of delta or
shallow flat where baitfish have
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gathered in spring looking for
sun-warmed water due to the sand
and mud. This can be as simple as
a six-foot river channel surrounded
by a three to four-foot deep flat.
The larger the flat the better, and
anything deeper than 10 feet is
probably not worth checking.
Shallow deltas of rivers like
Brimley Bay near Sault St. Marie is
a shallow area with at least a small
amount of current. Further south,
some reservoirs only have creek
inlets and others only have inter-
mittent flow that reduce the overall
pattern. With the right flow, the
warm flats fill up with multiple spe-
cies including crappies, white bass,
and catfish but the walleyes will
be mixed in. As proof, the 2015
National Team Championship at
Milford, Kansas was won trolling
crankbaits on an inlet flat in May
that many other anglers labeled,
“catfish water.”
While possible, picking out
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walleyes with Lowrance Structure
Scan in this shallow water is just
not as efficient as throwing out a
couple of lines and driving around
for half an hour. We start these
situations with a 5 cm Berkley
Flicker Shad Shallow 10 to 15 feet
behind an Offshore Tackle OR-12
Planer Board near shore or parallel
to any reeds, bulrush, or simply as
shallow as you dare. For the rest of
the boards, run a combination of
Flicker Shads and Flicker Minnows
on as many legal lines as possible
to start combing the area at a rela-
tively slow speed of 1.1 to 1.5 mph.
Standard trolling gear includ-
ing 9-foot telescopic rods with
line counter reels deftly handles a
spread of planer boards. Fill each
reel with exactly the same amount
of 10-lb Berkley XT monofilament
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tom. Do not worry if the flat varies
a few feet in depth across its length;
a crankbait in the lower half of the
water column will drive strikes
from these active fish.
We always expect scattered fish
but unknown structure like a few
rocks, a small depression or hump,
can hold a surprisingly large group
of walleyes. For this, we waypoint
bites while trolling and keep jig-
ging rods ready. When two or three
boards go back at once in an area,
you will be convinced to switch
too.
To respond, we keep three or
four Cabela’s Prodigy 7’6” me-
dium-light, extra fast action rods
rigged with different-sized Bass
Pro XPS jigs on the front deck with
2.5-inch Berkley Gulp! Minnows
in many situations but Powerbait
Jerk Shads and Powerbait Ripple
Shads provide other options. The
longer rod paired with 10-lb Berk-
ley Nanofil or Berkley 8-Carrier
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braid makes long casts easy. Work
the shallow area quickly until you
contact fish. Later, a review with
sonar will indicate if the fish were
holding on something specific.
If we find some fish during
the day, we might come back at
night. Baitfish scatter in the sun,
but huddle together for safety in
low light. Obviously, this makes
it easier for big walleyes to feed.
Mark a safe trolling path during the
day and stay for a few extra hours
to see if trophy fish start feeding.
Flats fish are generally active so
one pass often clues you in on fish
densities. If not, another pass cov-
ering the four to six-foot depth will
be enough to know if the fish are
there. This pattern generally lasts
about two or three weeks depend-
ing on the stability of the water
temperatures. If the area warms
fast, the bait will eventually leave
for safer water with more depth. If
the winter holds a few more weeks,
the bait will stick around.
When the bait leaves, the wind
drives the next hot spot. Bait will The tough part is the water spring winds change so the whole water temperature holds the fish
end up at depths from six to 20 feet temperatures are optimum for both system moves. This is what makes hostage. As temperatures rise, it
in areas affected by the prevailing the bait and the walleyes so mul- the shallow flats pattern golden. is much tougher to find the ‘Next
wind. tiple patterns set up at once and the When it is on, the limited band of Bite.’n

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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 35
 5 Tips for public land toms
I
consider each gobbler
that I have been fortunate
enough to drape over my
shoulder and carry out of
the turkey woods a trophy.
But there is something
special about taking a bird
on public ground. Combine
the ingredients of hunting
pressure and add them to
the usual characteristics
of a gobbler and you have
yourself a challenging hunt.
These types of birds are
smarter and more cau-
tious than your typical
birds found on private dirt.
Filling your tag
requires patience, By Darin Potter
perseverance, and
the ability to adapt to a variety of
situations.
With that said, the following are
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Whitetail Deer Hunts
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36 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
five tips that will help you fill your
1
tag on public land.
Research: Before walk-
ing into an area blind I pull
up the DNR public land map.
This map highlights the areas that
are open to hunting in each county
throughout the entire state.
After clicking on the partic-
ular county that you would
like to scout a detailed map
appears allowing you to
zoom in. A map key con-
taining multiple colors will
indicate areas that are open
to hunting. It also shows
the different types of roads
that will allow you
to navigate around
public land. These
typically will consist of the follow-
ing governmental agencies-State
Wildlife /Game Areas, State Forest
BOOK N
FOR 20OW
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N early May to May 31. Not only does
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Land, State Parks and Recreation
Areas, National Park Service, and
the US Forest Service. Another
area that is oftentimes overlooked is
timber company lands.
If you’re not tech savvy like
myself and prefer a printed map
showing these areas, you can either
pick up a map of these lands from a
government agency or give them a
call and request to have one mailed
to you. Sometimes I highlight the
areas where I have been successful
or seen turkey activity. This will
save you time, especially when run-
2
ning and gunning.
Boots on the Ground:
During the fall and winter
months turkeys can be found
in large flocks. This is a great time
to keep track of the turkey popula-
tions taking up residency in seasonal
areas where food and cover is avail-
able. However, once spring ap-
proaches flocks will begin to break
up and change their daily routines.
Although I scout for turkeys year
round I don’t get real serious until
about six weeks before the season
begins. This narrow window helps
to find birds that are more consistent
in their daily routine. For the last
two years I have been hunting the
late season, which typically runs
this allow me to spend more time
in the turkey woods, it gives me the
opportunity to see where other hunt-
ers are spending time.
Patterning the birds that are in a
particular area is just as important as
patterning other hunters there also.
In (most areas throughout the
United States) Michigan the spring
turkey season begins around mid-
April and runs through the end of
May. Within this timeframe most
land that is open to hunting will see
a heavy influx of hunters. Serious
hunters should scout away from
easily accessible areas where birds
haven’t been pressured. This may
require hiking in longer distances or
using some type of watercraft such
as a boat, kayak or canoe to reach
these non-pressured areas.
During the early morning hours
use a locator call such as a owl
hooter, crow or coyote call from a
higher elevation to elicit a shock
gobble from toms. This will al-
low you to identify roosting areas
and mark them on a map or a GPS.
There are several different chunks
of public land that I drive through
to get to work every day which al-
lows me to utilize my time wisely
to find roosting sites. Oftentimes,
these outings require several differ-
ent stopping points before I hear any
gobbles so it is important to cover as
many areas as possible.
Once you have established
where a good location would be to
hunt turkeys put on a good pair of
hiking boots and begin scouting on
foot. When I enter these areas the
types of things that I begin looking
for is turkey sign. This consists of
tracks, droppings, drag marks, feath-
ers, dusting bowls, and scratching.
The direction of tracks and scratch
marks will tell you which direction
birds are traveling and their fresh-
ness and quantity could indicate that
they travel these areas often.

3
Adapt to the Unknown:
There are three differ-
ent ways for me to drive into
work, but on this particular spring
morning I decided to drive the
route where I had the best chance
of seeing a fanned out gobbler. I
had seen numerous birds along this
travel route during the previous year
while driving to and from work so I
figured this would be my best shot
at catching a glimpse of one during
the early morning hours. After all, it
was opening week of my hunt and
the first few days had been slow.
I was hungry to get back in the
turkey woods again. The winding
and hilly road cut straight through
the heart of thousands of acres of
public land in Northern Michigan
and was located only 15 minutes
from my house. This road allowed
me to keep tabs on turkey activity
prior to the spring turkey season and
locate the best areas to hunt once the
spring turkey season arrived.
After cresting the top of a hill
the road leveled off. In my usual
rubber-necked state this time of
year, I glanced to my left in an open-
ing next to a stand of mature white
pines and there they were– two gob-
blers with a small harem of hens–
their iridescent colors shimmering
in the morning sun. Throughout the
day while at work I daydreamed of
these birds and decided that once
work got out I would take a walk
through the area, which happened
to be state land. With a GPS in hand
I walked down an old logging road
and was pleasantly greeted by sev-
eral tom and hen tracks in a patch
of sand about a half-mile off the
main road. The tracks confirmed my
decision to return to this location the
following morning before work.
Locating birds such as this by
happenstance seldom happens to
Being on the move and making smar t decisions on where to setup
on a tom that you discover can make you a successful hunter.
Reaching remote areas beyond
natural barriers such as rivers,
lakes, streams, steep topography,
or thick and gnarly cover can put
you closer to non-pressured birds.
me, but when it does I take full
advantage of the opportunity. The
ability to adapt during these types of
situations is the key, especially on
public land.
Due to these large tracts within a
forty-five minute drive from where
I live the best method is to drive
my truck along two tracks and old
logging roads within these areas in
order to cover as much territory as
possible. This is commonly referred
to as running and gunning. Being on
the move and making smart deci-
sions on where to setup on a tom
that you discover can make you a
4
successful hunter.
The Road Less Traveled:
5
From my observations
each spring, the majority of Small Tracts of Land: A brief scouting mission revealed
turkey hunters who hunt on public The majority of hunters numerous tom and hen tracks
land set up within a few hundred head straight to public land, with wing drag marks along an
yards away from their truck. They which contains hundreds if not old two-track. Within twenty-
find the most convenient logging thousands of acres to hunt turkeys. yards of this travel corridor I
road or trail to hunt next to and This leaves many of the turkeys placed several sticks in the ground,
severely limit themselves by hunting on the smaller tracts of public land which were used to drape a 3-D
birds that have been pressured by free from any disturbances because cloth over to help conceal me.
other hunters. In order to be con- most hunters overlook these types of A few days later I returned to
sistently successful on public land areas. this location on a morning hunt
hunters need to take a GPS or com- Last spring I was able to connect and successfully called in a tom,
pass and venture away from these on a longbeard within about a sixty- which made the Commemorative
types of areas. Although this type of acre chunk of public land in north- Bucks of Michigan Records
hunting requires more effort, your ern Michigan during the late season. Book.n
chances of success will increase
the further away from easily
accessible areas you are willing to
travel.
Reaching remote areas beyond
natural barriers such as rivers,
lakes, streams, steep topography, or
thick and gnarly cover can put you
closer to non-pressured birds. When
encountering bodies of water use a
canoe, kayak or in some cases a pair
of chest waders to put some distance
between yourself and other hunters.
Push yourself to hunt in areas that THE FRIENDS OF NRA PROGRAM HAS BEEN OPERATING
you normally wouldn’t consider NATIONWIDE SINCE 1992. DURING THE PAST 27 YEARS, OVER
hunting. $3,875,632 HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN! AS
THE PROGRAM GROWS – SO DOES WHAT WE GIVE BACK!
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DATE EVENT CITY DATE EVENT CITY
3/21/2019 HOWELL 5/11/2019 MUSKEGON
3/30/2019 UNIONVILLE 5/11/2019 SAGINAW
4/5/2019 PORT HURON 5/17/2019 HILLSDALE
4/6/2019 LUDINGTON 5/18/2019 LAWRENCE
4/12/2019 HOUGHTON 6/7/2019 ALPENA
4/13/2019 SALINE 9/5/2019 COMMERCE TWP
4/16/2019 SHELBY TOWNSHIP 9/11/2019 BAD AXE
4/19/2019 ITHACA 9/19/2019 GRAND BLANC
4/25/2019 IRONWOOD 9/21/2019 LANSING
5/3/2019 WESTLAND 10/3/2019 SAULT STE. MARIE
5/3/2019 GRAND RAPIDS 10/5/2019 MONROE
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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.
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 37
A pheasant for Sarabeth and Cooper and…
T
here is something
spiritual about bagging
your first ring-necked
pheasant. Maybe it’s
that priestly collar of
white or the stained-
glass panoply of color. I’ve seen
young hunters count the bars on
a long-tailed bird and prick those
thorn-like spurs. When admiring a
prime rooster, it’s easy to get lost in
reverie, hypnotically so if
it’s your very first bird.
My own initiation oc-
curred more than 60 years
ago when I administered
the fatal charge from a Red
Ryder BB gun while Dad
held the rooster he had shot
during an opening-day hunt
in Saginaw
County. The
year was 1955, Michigan Meanders
the date was
Thursday, Oc-
By Tom Huggler
tober 20, and
Dad had allowed me to skip school
and join uncles, cousins and an
older brother for a family tradition
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that began shortly after World War II
was over and lasted until Michigan’s
wild bird population spiraled down-
ward. You never forget your birth-
day; better remember your anniver-
sary, too. But you are lucky, indeed,
if you can recall that initial pheasant
hunt. Even now I can’t erase from
mind those pretty feathers, looking
like a spreading oil slick when the
sun catches them just so.
On a Saturday in mid-
March, I got to relive,
vicariously, of course, the
first-ever for several young
pheasant hunters at Pine
Hill Sportsman’s Club near
Belding. The event was the
Third Annual Youth Hunt
arranged by the Michigan
Chapter of Left: Sarabeth Beeke and her father Sean with Sarabeth’s first pheasant.
Safari Club
International in
Right: Cooper Faust and his dad Warren with Cooper’s first pheasant.
each hunting party. Adults got to get my first one, too.”
Hudsonville.
In all, 31 kids
tag along but were not allowed to
carry firearms. Judge assigned my
Months earlier Daniel and I had
hunted wild pheasants without suc-
signed up for 13-year-old son, Daniel, to Flight cess. Although liberated birds were
the complimentary hunt, sponsored 3 with a tentative hunt time of one on the menu today, success was not
by Pine Hill, Rohde Construction o’clock. assured. Due to the onset of mating
and others including volunteer lunch We arrived at 11:00 just as season, most roosters in particular
cooks, guides, dog handlers and SCI youngsters from Flight 1 were do not readily hold for pointing dogs
organizer Bryan Judge. returning to the clubhouse for lunch. and can be tough to find and harder
Judge grouped the kids into four A happy Brendan MacLeod, age 16, to kill if they run before flushing.
flights, spaced about an hour apart,
with each flight further divided into
from Grand Haven was all smiles as
he reported pouching one pheasant
After Flight 3’s orientation and
mandatory safety seminar by Scott
groups of three youth hunters each. and missing another. I knew what Brosier, owner of Pine Hill, the kids
A guide/dog handler accompanied Daniel was thinking: “Maybe I’ll were more than ready to go afield.
First, though, came a few practice Lapeer, Macomb, Montcalm, Sagi-
rounds on clay targets. Using my naw, St. Joseph, Shiawassee, South
28 gauge over/under, Daniel busted Central, Thumb and Washtenaw.
six of nine targets. I was hopeful he More good news: The Michigan
could turn pitch and clay into feath- preserve hunting season is August
ers. 15 through April 30. No license is
Guide Brian Bachman and required.n
his six-year-old German shorthair
Quinn led our group into the mixed
habitat of native grass and food
plots of grain sorghum, still in sur- The author’s son, Daniel,
prisingly good condition after being held his fire on this rooster
hunted for months. Sarabeth Beeke, due to safety concerns.
12, from Dowling and Cooper
Foust, 11, from Hudsonville were
Daniel’s hunting partners. Bachman
spread them out while the shorthair
searched the cover for birds. Mean-
while three fathers, cameras ready,
walked behind.
Suddenly, Quinn struck a point
near Daniel. The guide flushed the
pheasant, a mature rooster, and
Daniel followed but didn’t shoot.
“I forgot to take the safety off,” he
confessed.
“That’s okay,” Bachman said.
“You were being careful. There will
be another chance.”
And there was. Quinn was cast-
ing back and forth while staying
close to the gunners when suddenly
he locked up, stub tail trembling.
Seconds later another ringneck
exploded, this time in front of
Sarabeth, who made a perfect shot,
allowing Quinn a short retrieve.
I couldn’t tell who was happier
or prouder—Sarabeth or her father
Sean. Although Dad and daughter
had hunted ducks together, this was

Find your escape.

a grinning Sarabeth’s first pheas-
ant. Now, she was hooked. No one
would have bet it would be her last.
Cooper was next to score on a
plump hen while the others held
their fire. He, too, was ecstatic,
especially when Warren, Cooper’s No matter where your passion for the outdoors takes you,
dad, said he would consider getting GreenStone can help you get there. We’re experts in
it mounted.
financing homes off the beaten path and properties
This was hunting, of course, not
necessarily killing. Daniel had two of any size.
other chances, missing both a hen Contact your local branch office to learn more,
and a ringneck. By the time he fired,
though, the birds were out of range. or visit us online to apply today.
Suddenly with Flight 4 coming
afield, we were out of time. 800-444-3276
My disappointment, howev-
er, turned to pride when Daniel said,
“I knew I took too long, Dad. But I
wanted to be safe.”
There will be another day and
another place. As I write this, the
Shiawassee County Chapter of
Pheasants Forever is hosting a Youth
Hunt in two weeks. I hope they have
an opening for Daniel.
If not, at least 15 of the 34 Mich-
igan PF chapters host youth hunts.
Know a kid who wants to go? For www.greenstonefcs.com
contact information see www.Michi-
ganPheasantsForever.org. Alphabeti-
cally, participating chapters include
Allegan, Bay/Midland, Clinton,
Grand Valley, Gladwin, Ingham,
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 39
 I’ve changed
hunting tactics
The Saddle Swingers Club…
Guest Column By David Ferianc
M
y approach to
deer hunting has
always been a bit
different from the
‘norm.’ While
my friends were
spending energy, sweat, and time
toting, hoisting and hanging stands,
I was still-hunting in the swamps,
thickets and fields and although they
razzed my methods, none of us were
killing much.
My ego and positive thinking
thoughts were, if Fred Bear could
stalk and kill deer from the ground,
so could I. In 1993 while wearing
military tiger stripe camo and toting
a Martin Warthog bow, I stalked
through some pines to within 10
yards of a mature doe and sent an
arrow through the vitals. While I
began deer hunting in 1989, this
was my first deer and I have been
hooked on bowhunting since.
While I never lost the adrenaline
rush of that first harvest, the fact that
I was getting busted on a regular
basis made me rethink my stalking
methods. Even though I hated how
cumbersome, clunky and uncom-
fortable hang-on and climber stands
were, the benefits of hunting from
above were obvious and I began
using them.
Between 1993 and 2005 I
took six 1 1/2-year-olds and two 2
1/2-year-old bucks and several does.
Being a Michigan resident I was
a realist so those monster bucks I
saw on TV and in magazines were
basically fantasy to me as those age
class and antler sized bucks just
didn’t exist where I hunted and I
missed the creative methods that
secured my first few deer.
In early 2006 I stumbled across
an out of place book resting on a
pile of marked-down hunting gear.
It was ‘Bowhunting Pressured
Whitetails’ and it was exactly what
I didn’t know I was looking for. I
couldn’t believe it when I read the
back cover and the author, John
Eberhart, was from Michigan!
Also on the back cover was a
picture of John kneeling in front
of a barn wall covered with mature
bucks he’d killed on public and
free permission lands in Michigan.
Those same positive thoughts once
again passed through my mind
again, if he can do it, so can I.
40 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Having bought and read that
book in three days, a reoccurring
theme in the book when hunting
pressured areas was to do things
most other hunters aren’t willing or
are simply too lazy to do, which was
right up my alley. Oh, yeah, and this
guy used ScentLok and hunted from
a saddle and had a complete chapter
devoted to each.
I had been using ScentLok, but
found out after reading the scent
control chapter that I was improp-
erly caring for it, using it and not
using everything else needed in con-
junction with my suit for a complete
scent free regimen. After learning
what all I needed and how to prop-
erly care for and store my ScentLok
garments, it made an immediate im-
pact on my success on taking mature
Michigan bucks.
I began assessing hunting areas
differently and keyed on accessing
hunting areas other hunters sim-
ply overlooked, wouldn’t access
because it involved crossing rivers
or lakes, or were difficult to access
because the swamps, cattails, briars,
brush or whatever were too dense to
lug those noisy, heavy and cumber-
some stands through and the book
mentioned those were the exact
areas where mature bucks were
pushed into during Michigan’s deer
season.
From that moment on I began
only targeting 2 1/2-year-old and
older bucks in Michigan and quit
considering even reaching for my
bow when a young buck came into
view. That was a strange new feel-
ing, but I felt empowered as a hunter
when they casually passed by.
I referred to the book during
each season and the saddle chapter
kept arousing my curiosity to the
point that I searched for what John
referred to as a “seatbelts gone
wrong” saddle and in 2010 I bought
a used one and quickly realized this
was 100 percent for me.
Its mobility, 2 1/2 pound weight,
360 degree directional shooting abil-
ity, lack of noise, security and the
comfort of being in a half sit/half
stand position was it, I was all in.
The saddle was a one time “stand”
I could roll up, store in my pack or
wear, and use in every tree I prepare
for the rest of my life. That alone
was a monetary game changer!
The author took this trophy 11-pt. buck on a DIY hunt out-of-state.
For my DIY freelance hunts,
there was the fact that the size,
shape, and straightness of trees just
didn’t matter anymore, I could hunt
exactly where I needed to. Why
didn’t I take it more seriously when
I first read about it in 2006? I was
completely sold after taking a doe
my first saddle hunt from a skinny
split-trunk walnut that was crooked
and leaning too much for any hang-
on or climber. I’m exclusively
hunting public and free permission
properties and since properly us-
ing ScentLok and hunting from a
saddle, I’ve killed all of my biggest
bucks, with my most recent being a
171 inch 11-point on a DIY public
land hunt and there’s absolutely no
way that buck gets killed had I not
been using a saddle.
Whether you believe me or not,
I’m living, breathing proof with
before and after stories and photos
that hunting from a saddle creates
more kill opportunities. Since using
a saddle I’ve been able to take bucks
from trees that were previously too
small in diameter, too crooked and
sometimes even too big in diameter
(as in the case of a giant ancient burr
oak in the middle of a corn field)
to accept conventional hang-ons or
climbers.
As the mature bucks began tal-
lying up, I became a proud, card
carrying member of a club I created
and termed as the “Swinger’s Club,”
for saddle hunters that “hypotheti-
cally” swing in trees.
In 2011 I took a good Michigan
buck and another from out of state.
During a midday November hunt
in 2012, I took a 3 1/2-year-old
Michigan buck. In 2013 I killed two
3 1/2-year-old Michigan bucks and
three does. In 2014, I took two good
bucks, one in Michigan and one out
of state. I believe you get the point,
in the eight seasons since using a
saddle I’ve arrowed and recovered
12 mature bucks ranging from 2
1/2 to 6 1/2 years of age and five
of those bucks were personal bests
when I shot them. They just kept
getting bigger because I was becom-
ing much more dangerous. Seven
mature does for the freezer have
also fallen in those eight seasons.
These stats aren’t to brag, but to
prove a point about the versatility
and effectiveness of saddle hunt-
ing. It simply makes you the most
dangerous hunter you can be when
hunting from trees. If further proof
was needed, I think the most recent
of my kills is a perfect example and
sums up the entirety of everything
I’ve covered about converting to a
saddle.
For the third time I drew a
coveted Iowa tag and had no private
permission. I decided a DYI pub-
lic hunt would have to do and felt
confident I could pull a decent buck
from one of the places I scouted
back in 2011. I’d never actually
hunted there, and hadn’t been back
since 2011, but aerial and topo maps
jogged my memory of a steep sided,
twisting creek bed. It ran north to
south through the entire public piece
and that meant one thing; there had
to be one or more preferred crossing
points for deer traveling east to west
or vice versa.
From experience, I knew the
steep banks along the creek would
somewhere drop down, creating an
easier area for deer to cross, sort of
like a pinch point or path of least
resistance. I showed up in the park-
ing lot and was surprised there were
no other vehicles. It was obvious I
wasn’t in Michigan anymore.
There I began my regimented
DIY hunt procedure of dressing for
the weather and wearing a ScentLok
suit as my exterior layer so as not to
leave human odor on any vegetation
I may brush against. I checked my
map and GPS and packed only the
necessities for this hunt. Making as
minimal noise as possible, I began
my blind hike into the timber walk-
ing slowly so as not to work up a
sweat. I traversed the south edge of
the property heading west until I hit
the creek and followed it up the hill
heading north. The twisting creek
had wood debris and deadfalls all
along it and there were an occasion-
al set of tracks and a few rubs along
it but not enough at any point to
make me believe I’d found the spot.
Then, hitting me like a ham-
mer to the side of the head, just up
ahead I could see where the steep
creek banks dipped down creating
a narrow flat on both sides of the
creek. From a distance it looked
to be the perfect crossing point I’d
been searching for and once there
I wasn’t disappointed as the sign
was there to back it up. There were
tracks on top of tracks heading east
and west and rubs and active scrapes
on the small stretch of flat ground.
This was “The Spot.”
I looked for a tree that could
cover a shot to the closest scrape
and to the heavy creek crossing. A
twisted, leaning maple with a dead
tree leaning against it stood out
plain and clear. I pulled my saddle
from my backpack put it on and
used it as my safety climbing belt
for attaching my Cranford strap-
on steps. I set up my ring of steps
where the dead tree intersected the
leaning maple. I would be well con-
cealed by the crisscrossed trunks at
roughly 20 feet up.
In Michigan I rarely hunt below
25 feet because mature deer actu-
ally look for hunters in trees and
are simply much more educated and
wary of elevated danger. However,
in Iowa, regardless of cover (even
on public ground), I knew I’d be
okay at this height.
I attached my lead strap, pulled
up my bow, and was hunting. The
forest understudy was thick and
infested with thorny briars, just the
type of stuff big bucks like to hang
out in and transition through.
For the record, my decision to
approach from the south had noth-
ing to do with wind direction, nor
did my final choice of tree or its
directional relationship to any of the
nearby signposts. I never consider
wind direction for a hunting location
or my approach to it. No, that’s not a
typo, you read it correctly. I believe,
no, I know human odor is control-
lable and the wind is not… but that
topic is for another time.
Within 20 minutes I saw move-
ment in the form of a harassed doe,
mouth agape and panting, running
from an overzealous spike. Follow-
ing him were two fawns, confused
and just trying to keep up with
mom. They all used the dip in the
steep creek bank and crossed the
creek exactly where I suspected.
About 30 minutes later, a four point
followed the exact same path, no
doubt picking up the scent of the
doe and her entourage. I paid close
attention to where he and the others
came from and went, storing away
information for potential future
hunts.
For the next 45 minutes I
periodically heard leaves crunch-
ing and twigs snapping beyond my
sight over one of the ravine hillsides
to my left. At first I dismissed it
as squirrels but some of the twigs
sounded too large to be snapped by
squirrels, hopefully time would tell.
If it were a buck, due to the ther-
mals and swirling winds created by
the undulating terrain features, he
should be able to wind the ruckus
that happened below if he had a
reason to do so. So, I tried to exactly
recreate it audibly to arouse his curi-
osity and entice him over the hill.
I performed two short grunts,
followed by one long whiny doe
bleat and before the bleat com-
pletely trailed off, the crest of the
hill exploded with a crash of sticks
and a flash of antlers as a monster
came thundering downhill towards
my set up!
The steepness of the hillside
gave me a bird’s eye view of his
thick rack and I knew immediately it
was at least 20 inches wide and was
a shooter regardless of how many
points he had. He hit the flat patch
at the bank of the creek and came to
an abrupt halt, head-on at 30 yards,
staring in my direction, looking for
what his ears told him should be
there. I noticed a breeze blowing
and swirling in almost every direc-
tion, including from me to him, and
he never once got spooky or con-
cerned.
Continuing to stare straight and
then looking left and right, display-
ing every angle of his character-
laden crown, he was convinced that
the deer making the noise must have
moved off. What does a frustrated
dominant buck do, well this guy
went about freshening his scrapes
instead of following the script and
hitting the creek bed crossing. The
biggest problem was he skipped the
closest scrape and worked the others
at bad shot angles! Also, the scrape
line angled away from my position
and it was semi-shielded by thick
bramble and with each scrape he hit,
Since changing his hunting tactics the
author’s success of har vesting older
class bucks has increased greatly.
he was that much closer to reaching
the outer limits of my effective bow
range.
Paying attention to where the
four-point had walked earlier was
going to pay off as I looked ahead
and remembered a small opening
in the brush at about 45 yards. I
watched glimpses of his legs and
colossal beams filtering through the
brush, getting slightly farther away
with each step until finally he ap-
proached that opening.
I drew my bow as his eyes were
shielded by a tree trunk and stopped
him with a vocal “myaat” noise. As
I carefully picked my spot I heard
rustling on the opposite ridge to my
right and to my surprise there ap-
peared another shooter buck! I knew
I better focus and send my arrow
before something stupid happened
and as I squeezed the trigger on my
release, Murphy’s Law slapped me
right in the mouth! Either to attack
the other buck, or gain momentum
for the steep hillside, he lunged
forward and I watched in horror as
my arrow arced towards the moving
target hitting him much farther back
than where I aimed.
The huge bodied buck spun
and bounded back to where he first
appeared, giving me a glimmer of
hope with a glimpse of blood drip-
ping from the opposite ham. He was
laboring to ascend the hillside and
then stood motionless at the top,
staring back towards the other buck
as if offended by the interaction.
I watched intently, hoping I hit
an artery and he would fall over. As
the footfalls of the other buck closed
in on my location, I took my eyes
off the wounded brute for just a few
seconds and when I looked back, he
was gone.
The mature eight-point passed
within easy bow range, unaware
that anything detrimental to his
health was within close proximity.
This proving further that my map-
scouted DYI location, meticulous
scent control and most importantly,
the mobility and versatility of my
saddle, was everything I knew it
would be...deadly!
With 45 minutes of daylight
left, I quietly released my saddle,
descended the tree and backed out
smoothly. While I hated the thought
of coyotes, the rain predicted in the
early morning, and this being public
land, I knew my best chance for re-
covery was to leave him overnight.
It would be a long sleepless night.
Back at camp my buddy Eric
waited anxiously to hear the details
and helped me pass the time with
conversation and dice games. Eric
sacrificed his morning hunt to help
me and we set out before first light
using our flashlights. I climbed
into my tree and told Eric where I
last saw the buck standing and sure
enough he found blood. I joined him
and we began to slowly follow the
sparse blood trail. After crossing
several small ravines, on a heavily
brushed mound topped with a fallen
tree, there he lay. A monster by any
standards but amplified by the fact
that he was taken on public ground
on the first hunt of my ‘do it your-
self adventure.’ A day in the life of
a bowhunter doesn’t get any better
than this.
There is a new company named
Tethrd Nation that offers a Man-
tis saddle and the saddle alone
weighs in at about 16 ounces and
is the most lightweight, mobile and
comfortable saddle ever introduced.
Tethrd also offers many accessories
to go along with the Mantis saddle
and at this time you can only pur-
chase them online at: www.tethrdna-
tion.com. Saddles have become so
popular that there is a talk forum
site totally devoted to saddle users
and there are threads on the site that
will answer any questions you may
have. www.saddlehunter.com is the
talk forum site.
I have no monetary stake in
Tethrd or the saddle hunter talk
forum, but if you’re interested in
upping your kill opportunities and
rates, you really need to check them
out as hunting from a saddle is a
game changer with many advantag-
es over any conventional stand.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 41
 Traditional Black Powder Hunting
Henry’s Adventure of the Bones...
G
Monday, 9 May, 1763:
oose wings swished.
Four birds passed
silent, shrouded in
darkness, tree-top
high. Deerskin moc-
casins whispered on a
familiar earthen path. The pre-dawn
stalk progressed through the dip, up
the rise, then across the hilltop to the
edge of a sequestered clearing.
Two close-growing young
oak trees formed the makeshift
lair that pleasant spring morning.
Wrapped in a walnut-dyed, wool
trade blanket, the forest tenant who
spent his youth among the Ojibwe
sat cross-legged, shrouded between
the tree trunks. A French
fusil rested on his lap. The
muzzle pointed in the direc-
tion of the greening prairie
grass.
“Whit, whit, tsu, tsu,
tsu, tsu, tsu…” A crimson
cardinal claimed territory
after first light. Sparrows
twittered about.
By Dennis Neely
Crows cawed to
the east. Robins
hopped and pecked. Two blue jays
perched and peered, but uttered nary
a warning. Wild turkeys remained
quiet.
The air smelled of rotting deer
pellets, stagnant snow-melt and
earthy freshness. In due time, two
sharp breaths, drawn with a kiss of
the lips through a single turkey wing
bone, beckoned an unknown suitor,
“Arrkk…arrkk.” The clucks drifted
on the gentle breeze. Peeper frogs
provided a constant background
medley.
A fox squirrel barked some-
where amongst the hardwoods,
northeast of the tiny clearing. Lazy
minutes ticked by. A bushy tail flit-
ted behind a tall, slender red oak,
two trees beyond the forked wild
cherry. The squirrel found a stout
branch, sat in the sun and again
chattered. Another kissing breath…
“Arrkkkk…”
The faint scratching of little
claws gripping rough bark hid
among that morning’s chorus of
woodland voices. The direction
sounded south, then north, then
overhead. Keen eyes focused on the
prairie grass and raspberry switches
with an occasional, inquisitive
glance to the tree tops.
Perhaps ten minutes later, a
bundle of cinnamon-colored hair
spiraled around the north oak,
a tomahawk’s length above the
hunter’s head. The fox squirrel re-
treated, then thumped to the ground,
42 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
the same distance from the French
firelock’s muzzle. Dark eyes grew
big. The critter’s bushy tail flipped
and twitched. A sunlight spear il-
luminated its glorious presence. The
fox squirrel turned a bit, bounded
around a keg-sized oak trunk and
disappeared into the clearing.
A gray head popped up. The
young hen turkey’s beak swung with
the supposed passage of the squir-
rel. A second pate appeared, then
both heads dropped out of sight. The
fusil eased forward and followed the
rise of the woodsman’s left leg. An
anxious thumb pressed on the ham-
mer’s jaw screw, but did not bring
the sharp, amber flint to attention.
Now and again a hen’s
head jerked up, looked
about, then returned to for-
aging. In all, five wild tur-
keys milled about just over
the crest of the clearing’s
little knob. Soft “pops”
and “clicks” mapped their
progress.
“Obl-obl-obl-obl!” Little details, such as priming from the horn or using a French amber flint
Beyond the nasty in a French fusil, are impor tant if a traditional hunter wishes to cross
thicket, up on the
time’s threshold and journey back to 1763.
hog-back ridge
and a tad to the north, a half-gobble hearing the “war-cry and a noise of ing on a bone. He thought it might
garnered Mi-ki-naak’s attention. general confusion” (78). He sought be that of a deer, but as daylight
With the small flock of hens but refuge in a French trader’s attic, entered the cave, “I discovered, with
twenty paces distant, the woodsman was discovered the next day, taken some feelings of horror, that I was
dared not cluck or yelp on the wing prisoner, and being English, faced lying on nothing less than a heap
bone. Patient waiting seemed best… certain death. of human bones and skulls, which
The patient waiting imposed A year prior, a Chipeway by covered all the floor!” (109)
upon a solitary wild turkey hunt did the name of Wa-wa-tam befriended The next night he slept under
not reflect the tenuous events of that Henry. Wa-wa-tam considered “an adjacent bush.” When Wa-wa-
date. A day’s travel to the east of Henry his friend and brother. Two tam returned, Henry told his bene-
the headwaters of the Riviere Aux days before the attack, Wa-wa-tam factor of his unfortunate discovery.
Raisins a Native American revolt warned Henry of “the noise of evil “Wa-wa-tam related to the other
began against the British. An Odawa birds” and urged him to leave for Indians the adventure of the bones.
leader, Pontiac, organized a confed- Sault Ste. Marie (75). All of them expressed surprise at
eration of Native peoples who laid On the seventh, Wa-wa-tam hearing it, and declared that they
siege to Fort Detroit. Four smaller brought many presents to the chiefs had never been aware of the con-
forts fell within the month, then Fort in charge. With a great oratory, he tents of the cave before…” (110)
Michilimackinac. secured Henry’s release. Wa-wa-tam Over time the small cave with
Alexander Henry was an English and his family took Henry to a near- the rounded back became known as
fur trader at Michilimackinac. Ac- by island that resembled a turtle, “Skull Cave,” based on Alexander
cording to his journal, the fourth of which the Ojibwe called michili- Henry’s narrative. Today, horse-
June was the British king’s birthday. mackinac, modern-day Mackinac drawn carriage tours stop at the
Henry recalled that “the Chipe- Island. They scaled “the mountain” site. Some folks read the historical
ways” (Ojibwe) played a game of in the middle of the island. marker; others can’t be bothered.
“bag’gat’iway” (lacrosse) with the “After walking more than half a Few fully comprehend the gravity of
Sacs “for a high wager” outside mile,” Henry wrote, “we came to a Alexander Henry’s harrowing situ-
the fort while the garrison watched large rock, at the base of which was ation in the context of the turmoil
(Henry, Alexander, Travels & Ad- an opening, dark within, and appear- that surrounded the Great Lakes in
ventures In Canada and the Indian ing to be the entrance of a cave… summer of 1763.
Territories, Burt Franklin, New Wa-wa-tam recommended that I For living historians and/or
York, NY, 1969, pg. 77). should take up my lodging...till he traditional black powder hunters,
The game was a ruse. The ball returned…” (108) a portrayal of an authentic persona
found its way over the fort’s picket Henry “broke small branches requires a significant amount of
wall. The players and spectators and spread them for a bed,” then research. First-person accounts
rushed through the open land gate wrapped himself in a blanket and provide a vital source of historical
appearing to continue the game, but slept until daybreak. When he treasure that guides the fleshing out
instead a massacre followed the pre- awoke, he felt himself “incom- of any character. Thus, the narra-
planned entry. moded by some object, upon which tives of Alexander Henry and James
Henry tells of writing a letter, I lay,” and discovered he was sleep- Smith, along with a journal kept
during the Siege of Fort Detroit,
contain invaluable passages that
contribute to the creation of Mi-ki-
naak, who hunts in 1763.
As my deerskin moccasins
crossed back over time’s threshold
on that fine May morning, I mulled
through the chapters I read from
Henry’s narrative the night before.
As it happened, they dealt with the
taking of Fort Michilimackinac,
Henry’s capture, his ransom and his
uneasy nights on the island. I had
visited Skull Cave several times, but
I had never viewed it through the
eyes of Mi-ki-naak.
In early October, a heavy mist
and swirling fog hung all about the
island’s fall foliage. No song birds
sang, no geese ke-honked, no wild
turkeys clucked. The only sound
was the “clip-clop, clip-clop” of
shod horses pulling a carriage up
“the mountain.”
At Skull Cave, the mystic soli-
tude ushered this traditional woods-
man back-and-forth through time’s
portal. On the one hand, Mi-ki-naak
experienced a feeling of pristine
kinship with his peers. On the other,
two and a half centuries later, his
alter ego stood on the same ground
as Alexander Henry, Wa-wa-tam and
the Ojibwe warriors who came to
see the bones.
By its very nature, traditional
black powder hunting is a unique
endeavor. The history and traditions
of our forefathers add an exhilarat-
ing flavor to the simple pursuit of
wild game. The linen-and-leather
clothing, the handcrafted accoutre-
ments and the ancient arms help the
mind suspend disbelief.
Thus, five hen turkeys milling
about a knoll crest elevated one’s
being to a whole new dimension; a
dimension shaped by 18th-century
Alexander Henry described the cave as “…nearly ten feet wide, I
found the fur ther end to be rounded in its shape, like that of an
oven…” Wild River tree photos

occurrences such as Alexander site devoted to traditional hunting at

Henry’s adventure of the bones.
Give traditional black powder
hunting a try, be safe and may God
bless you.
Dennis Neely maintains a web
www.traditionalblackpowderhunt-
ing.com. The “How to” category
includes instructions for making a
leather carrying strap and binding a
blanket roll.n

Oakland-Macomb
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Dinner Banquet
April 16th • 5:00PM
Palazzo Grande
54660 Van Dyke • Shelby Twp.

Every aspect of forest life is available to the traditional black pow- Join our efforts to support
der hunter. An integral par t of most hunts is the construction of a
period-correct shelter, which acts as the base camp for all hunting
the shooting sports:
excursions while “in character.” Women on Target, High School
Trap teams, 4H and more!
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May 3-5 - Spring Shoot: Grand Valley Cap n Ballers™: 616-681-0164 or 269-792-4384
May 3-5 - Mega Woodswalk: Sauk Trail Longrifles; 517-879-3096
May 4 - Pistol Shoot: Columbiaville Sportsman Club: 810-223-3956 or 810-793-7799
May 5 - Black Powder Cartridge Shoot: Pine River Long Riflemen: 989-835-9660
May 5 - Woods Walk: Clinton River Muzzle Loaders: Detroit Sportsman Congress: Club Level Committee Exclusive 2019 Gun of the year
586-292-6821
May 17-19 - Family Rendezvous: Grand Valley Cap n BallersTM: 517-435-3752 Raffles, Games, Auctions, Dinner and More!
May 18 - Service Rifle Woods Walk: Clinton River Muzzle Loaders: Detroit Sportsman
Congress: 586-292-6821 Reserve your seats online at:
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Or email FriendsNRA5@gmail.com for a paper form
May 30-June 2 - NMLRA Skeet & Trap Territorial: Grand Valley Cap n BallersTM:
616-836-5760 Questions?......Mike 810-523-5014
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 43
 SPRING KINGS
W Where and When to Find the Best Fishing
hile In the spring of the year
there are lots of fishing op-
portunities. Some anglers
might argue there are simply
too many noteworthy fishing
opportunities. Admittedly it
can be next to impossible to take advantage of all
the good spring fishing opportunities available in
the Great Lakes region.
May fishing opportunities are seemingly
everywhere, but for me it’s hard to beat the tackle
busting action provided by chinook salmon in the
spring time. Chinook come by the nickname “king”
naturally as they are powerful fighters at any time
of year.
However, in the spring kings are literally super
charged. Because the water in the spring is still
cold, king salmon spend most of their time in shal-
low water. For anglers who have never caught a
king salmon in shallow water it’s hard to describe
how much brute power these fish have. When an
angler is lucky enough to hook up with a spring
king, it’s the salmon that is running the show. Hold
on and hope your gear is up to the test, because
kings fight like a runaway freight train in the
spring.
Where To Go
Three areas of the Great Lakes host amazing
salmon fishing in the spring of the year. The region
of Lake Michigan from Benton Harbor south to
Michigan City routinely winters the majority of
the salmon living in Lake Michigan. The collective
stocking efforts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin can certainly be felt in southern Lake
Michigan during the month of May.
Western Lake Ontario is another “must see”
spring salmon fishing destination. Salmon show up
in huge numbers from the Welland Canal on the
west to the Niagara Bar and the port of Wilson on
the east. Fertile and nutrient rich waters from Lake
Erie pours into this region of Lake Ontario thanks
to the Welland Canal and also the Niagara River.
Nutrient rich waters attract alewife and in turn
staggering numbers of king and also coho salmon
during the month of May. Depending on the year
the best fishing kicks off in early May and runs
through mid-June.
The third noteworthy spring salmon fishing
destination takes place on the eastern end of Lake
Ontario near the famed Salmon River. This historic three different destinations for anglers who want to target G reat L akes salmon including southern L ake M ichigan near B enton H arbor , western L ake O ntario near
region of Lake Ontario enjoys more aggressive
stocking efforts than the rest of the Great Lakes
combined.
Because Lake Ontario warms a little slower on
the eastern end than the western end, salmon fishing fished on sinking lines like lead core. Lead core
near popular ports including Sodus Bay, Oswego,
Pulaski, Mexico Harbor and Henderson Harbor fires
up a little later in May.
Top Presentations
Because spring kings are routinely found in
shallow water and also defined bottom structure,
two lure groups produce the best action including
trolling spoons and high action wobbling plugs.
In Lake Michigan standard and magnum sized
44 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
B y M ark R omanack
B ig adult chinook salmon like this double header caught while filming an episode of F ishing 411 TV are the crown jewel of the G reat L akes . T he author recommends
the N iagara B ar and eastern L ake O ntario near the famed S almon R iver
spoons produce the most consistent action when
is fished as a segment of sinking line, sandwiched
between a backing line and a 30 to 50 foot fluoro-
carbon leader.
An in-line planer board like the famous Off
Shore Tackle Side-Planer are in turn used to spread
out these sinking lines in an effort to cover water
and also to saturate the water column with baits.
The most popular spring salmon set ups include 3, 5 present baits at depth.
and 7 colors of 27 pound test lead core.
Wobbling plugs like the Mag Lip 3.0, 3.5 and
. and deeper running gear (7 to 10 colors) on middle
4.0 are also popular with Lake Michigan salmon
trollers. Plugs are most commonly fished on down- fishing normally
riggers or diving planers.
In western Lake Ontario magnum spoons are
very popular and wobbling plugs are equally effec-
tive on spring salmon. Because salmon anglers in
western Lake Ontario are generally fishing along
the edges of the famed Niagara Bar, downriggers
and diving planers are the primary ways trollers
The Niagara Bar is a narrow strip of bottom
structure that starts out in water about 50 feet deep Ontario sinking lines and board fishing are just
and rapidly drops off to 300 feet of water. The best starting to catch on. The biggest difference between
takes place on the narrow and
rapidly sloping band of water found between 50 and the water is very clear and stealthy trolling tactics
100 feet of water.
On the eastern end of Lake Ontario salmon an-
glers have more room to spread out and as a result
most boats are fishing a full complement of spoons
and plugs fished using sinking lines and boards,
diving planers and of course downriggers.
Compared to Lake Michigan where everyone is
seemingly fishing sinking lines and boards, on Lake S p r i n g T r o l l i n g R e f i n e m e n t s
the two lakes is water clarity. On Lake Michigan
are required to consistently trigger salmon.
Meanwhile, on Lake Ontario the water has more
plankton and a nice green color making for nearly
ideal trolling conditions. Traditional gear including
diving planers and downriggers are used to take the
vast majority of the fish.
In recent years, Lake Michigan has become
clearer and clearer thanks to countless numbers of
zebra and quagga mussels that filter plankton from
the water. To be consistently effective targeting
salmon on Lake Michigan anglers have been forced
to use longer leads when fishing downriggers, div-
ing planers and even on their lead core set ups.
The most common leads for downrigger fish-
ing range from 50 to 75 feet behind the downrigger
ball. In the diving planer niche, a growing number
of anglers are using the Slide-Diver that allows
anglers to fish much longer leaders than with tradi-
tional divers such as the famed Luhr Jensen Dipsy
Diver.
The Slide Diver functions by threading the
leader through the diver. The trip arm mechanism is
locked down at the point where the leader and back-
ing line join. Fluorocarbon leaders ranging from
30 to 50 feet long are typically used with the Slide
Diver and most anglers are using 40 to 50 pound
test super braid as a strong backing line.
When a fish is hooked on a Slide Diver the
trip arm pops open and the diver slides down the
leader. A bead and barrel swivel tied in-line about
three feet in front of the lure prevents the diver
from sliding all the way to the fish.
Like other directional divers, the Slide Diver
can be rigged to fish on the port or starboard side of
the boat. Most anglers run their divers on a No. 2
setting that enables the diver to plane out to the side
of the boat and helps separate the diver lines from
downrigger lines.
On Lake Ontario anglers are blessed with more
fish and also stained water conditions. Shorter
leaders on downriggers and traditional divers like
the Luhr Jensen Dipsy are still very popular and
productive on salmon.
More stealthy trolling presentations such as
sinking lines fished on planer boards and Slide Div-
ers are growing in popularity on Lake Ontario. Just
a few years ago it was rare to see a salmon char-
ter fishing with in-line boards. These days, most
charters and recreational fishermen have adapted to
using in-line boards as a regular part of their salmon
trolling strategy.
Sinking lines like lead core are most often
fished in combination with spoons. The reason for
this is lead core trollers like to stack two or three
lead core rigs per side of the boat. In order to fight
fish without having to clear other lines, lead core
rigs are staggered in the water column by running
shallow diving gear (3 to 5 colors) on outside lines
and inside board lines.
If wobbling plugs are fished on lead core they
must be limited to the inside board lines. Because
the plug actually dives down deeper than the lead
core, you can’t stack multiple lead core line using
plugs without constantly running into problems
with lines tangling.
A more efficient approach is to limit plugs to
diver and downrigger lines and leave the lead core
lines equipped with trolling spoons.
Another trolling refinement that is growing in
S p r i n g K i n g s P a g e 46
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 45
 SPRING KINGS
W Where and When to Find the Best Fishing
hile In the spring of the year
there are lots of fishing op-
portunities. Some anglers
might argue there are simply
too many noteworthy fishing
opportunities. Admittedly it
can be next to impossible to take advantage of all
the good spring fishing opportunities available in
the Great Lakes region.
May fishing opportunities are seemingly
everywhere, but for me it’s hard to beat the tackle
busting action provided by chinook salmon in the
spring time. Chinook come by the nickname “king”
naturally as they are powerful fighters at any time
of year.
However, in the spring kings are literally super
charged. Because the water in the spring is still
cold, king salmon spend most of their time in shal-
low water. For anglers who have never caught a
king salmon in shallow water it’s hard to describe
how much brute power these fish have. When an
angler is lucky enough to hook up with a spring
king, it’s the salmon that is running the show. Hold
on and hope your gear is up to the test, because
kings fight like a runaway freight train in the
spring.
Where To Go
Three areas of the Great Lakes host amazing
salmon fishing in the spring of the year. The region
of Lake Michigan from Benton Harbor south to
Michigan City routinely winters the majority of
the salmon living in Lake Michigan. The collective
stocking efforts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin can certainly be felt in southern Lake
Michigan during the month of May.
Western Lake Ontario is another “must see”
spring salmon fishing destination. Salmon show up
in huge numbers from the Welland Canal on the
west to the Niagara Bar and the port of Wilson on
the east. Fertile and nutrient rich waters from Lake
Erie pours into this region of Lake Ontario thanks
to the Welland Canal and also the Niagara River.
Nutrient rich waters attract alewife and in turn
staggering numbers of king and also coho salmon
during the month of May. Depending on the year
the best fishing kicks off in early May and runs
through mid-June.
The third noteworthy spring salmon fishing
destination takes place on the eastern end of Lake
Ontario near the famed Salmon River. This historic three different destinations for anglers who want to target G reat L akes salmon including southern L ake M ichigan near B enton H arbor , western L ake O ntario near
region of Lake Ontario enjoys more aggressive
stocking efforts than the rest of the Great Lakes
combined.
Because Lake Ontario warms a little slower on
the eastern end than the western end, salmon fishing fished on sinking lines like lead core. Lead core
near popular ports including Sodus Bay, Oswego,
Pulaski, Mexico Harbor and Henderson Harbor fires
up a little later in May.
Top Presentations
Because spring kings are routinely found in
shallow water and also defined bottom structure,
two lure groups produce the best action including
trolling spoons and high action wobbling plugs.
In Lake Michigan standard and magnum sized
44 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
B y M ark R omanack
B ig adult chinook salmon like this double header caught while filming an episode of F ishing 411 TV are the crown jewel of the G reat L akes . T he author recommends
the N iagara B ar and eastern L ake O ntario near the famed S almon R iver
spoons produce the most consistent action when
is fished as a segment of sinking line, sandwiched
between a backing line and a 30 to 50 foot fluoro-
carbon leader.
An in-line planer board like the famous Off
Shore Tackle Side-Planer are in turn used to spread
out these sinking lines in an effort to cover water
and also to saturate the water column with baits.
The most popular spring salmon set ups include 3, 5 present baits at depth.
and 7 colors of 27 pound test lead core.
Wobbling plugs like the Mag Lip 3.0, 3.5 and
. and deeper running gear (7 to 10 colors) on middle
4.0 are also popular with Lake Michigan salmon
trollers. Plugs are most commonly fished on down- fishing normally
riggers or diving planers.
In western Lake Ontario magnum spoons are
very popular and wobbling plugs are equally effec-
tive on spring salmon. Because salmon anglers in
western Lake Ontario are generally fishing along
the edges of the famed Niagara Bar, downriggers
and diving planers are the primary ways trollers
The Niagara Bar is a narrow strip of bottom
structure that starts out in water about 50 feet deep Ontario sinking lines and board fishing are just
and rapidly drops off to 300 feet of water. The best starting to catch on. The biggest difference between
takes place on the narrow and
rapidly sloping band of water found between 50 and the water is very clear and stealthy trolling tactics
100 feet of water.
On the eastern end of Lake Ontario salmon an-
glers have more room to spread out and as a result
most boats are fishing a full complement of spoons
and plugs fished using sinking lines and boards,
diving planers and of course downriggers.
Compared to Lake Michigan where everyone is
seemingly fishing sinking lines and boards, on Lake S p r i n g T r o l l i n g R e f i n e m e n t s
the two lakes is water clarity. On Lake Michigan
are required to consistently trigger salmon.
Meanwhile, on Lake Ontario the water has more
plankton and a nice green color making for nearly
ideal trolling conditions. Traditional gear including
diving planers and downriggers are used to take the
vast majority of the fish.
In recent years, Lake Michigan has become
clearer and clearer thanks to countless numbers of
zebra and quagga mussels that filter plankton from
the water. To be consistently effective targeting
salmon on Lake Michigan anglers have been forced
to use longer leads when fishing downriggers, div-
ing planers and even on their lead core set ups.
The most common leads for downrigger fish-
ing range from 50 to 75 feet behind the downrigger
ball. In the diving planer niche, a growing number
of anglers are using the Slide-Diver that allows
anglers to fish much longer leaders than with tradi-
tional divers such as the famed Luhr Jensen Dipsy
Diver.
The Slide Diver functions by threading the
leader through the diver. The trip arm mechanism is
locked down at the point where the leader and back-
ing line join. Fluorocarbon leaders ranging from
30 to 50 feet long are typically used with the Slide
Diver and most anglers are using 40 to 50 pound
test super braid as a strong backing line.
When a fish is hooked on a Slide Diver the
trip arm pops open and the diver slides down the
leader. A bead and barrel swivel tied in-line about
three feet in front of the lure prevents the diver
from sliding all the way to the fish.
Like other directional divers, the Slide Diver
can be rigged to fish on the port or starboard side of
the boat. Most anglers run their divers on a No. 2
setting that enables the diver to plane out to the side
of the boat and helps separate the diver lines from
downrigger lines.
On Lake Ontario anglers are blessed with more
fish and also stained water conditions. Shorter
leaders on downriggers and traditional divers like
the Luhr Jensen Dipsy are still very popular and
productive on salmon.
More stealthy trolling presentations such as
sinking lines fished on planer boards and Slide Div-
ers are growing in popularity on Lake Ontario. Just
a few years ago it was rare to see a salmon char-
ter fishing with in-line boards. These days, most
charters and recreational fishermen have adapted to
using in-line boards as a regular part of their salmon
trolling strategy.
Sinking lines like lead core are most often
fished in combination with spoons. The reason for
this is lead core trollers like to stack two or three
lead core rigs per side of the boat. In order to fight
fish without having to clear other lines, lead core
rigs are staggered in the water column by running
shallow diving gear (3 to 5 colors) on outside lines
and inside board lines.
If wobbling plugs are fished on lead core they
must be limited to the inside board lines. Because
the plug actually dives down deeper than the lead
core, you can’t stack multiple lead core line using
plugs without constantly running into problems
with lines tangling.
A more efficient approach is to limit plugs to
diver and downrigger lines and leave the lead core
lines equipped with trolling spoons.
Another trolling refinement that is growing in
S p r i n g K i n g s P a g e 46
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 45
Spring Kings:
from page 45

popularity is using natural fishing free before applying scent products

scents that give off a scent stream in
the water. Salmon can detect both
natural and unnatural scents amaz-
ingly well. The king salmon’s sense
of smell allows these fish to follow
roaming schools of bait fish and also
to avoid predators.
Pro Cure is an industry leader
in the production of natural fishing
scents, gels, sauces and oils. The Su-
per Gel product is very popular and
is made by flash freezing baitfish
such as smelt, herring, alewife and
gizzard shad. The baitfish are then
dehydrated, ground to a fine texture
and mixed into a gel based stabiliz-
ing emulsion that gives the scent a
shelf life of up to 10 years without
refrigeration.
Most fishing scents are water
soluble and simply wash off as
quickly as they are applied. Super
Gel is very greasy and stays on hard
baits such as spoons, plugs and
spinners, giving off a natural scent
stream in the water that lasts about
30 minutes. A small amount of scent
about the size of a pencil eraser is
all it takes to make artificial lures
smell like the real deal.
A big part of using fishing scents
effectively is understanding the need
to eliminate unnatural odors from
lures before applying natural scent
products. Some of the unnatural
odors that commonly find their way
onto fishing lures include human
scent from bare skin touching the
baits, tobacco, skin creams, gaso-
line, insect repellant and one of the
most important scents to avoid is
fresh blood.
Often a lure that has caught
a fish will get soiled with blood.
Blood in the water puts game fish
on edge and makes them more wary.
The way to insure that lures are odor
is to scrub them with a little non-
scented dishwashing liquid. Lemon
Joy (non-ultra) formula features
no fragrances or bleach and does a
good job of cleaning artificial lures
when used with a scrub brush and a
little elbow grease.
In the Pacific northwest, salmon
anglers routinely use liquid WD40
to clean their lures. This popular lu-
bricant is petroleum based, but dries
odorless and does an excellent job
of cutting through the greasy emul-
sion left on lures after Super Gel
is applied. It’s important to clean
lures after scent products are applied
otherwise cross contamination of
scents occur.
Simply place a couple inches of
liquid WD40 in a plastic jar, drop in
a few lures, put a lid on the jar and
shake it for a few seconds. Remove
the baits, rinse them with clean wa-
ter and they are ready to be stored or
to re-apply scent again.
Wrapping It Up
Salmon in the spring of the year
are often found in huge concentra-
In-line boards are a com-
mon sight on Lake Michigan
where anglers use them to
spread out lead core and
spoon rigs. On other Great
Lakes waters such as Lake
Ontario, fishing with boards
and sinking lines is just
star ting to get popular. The
most productive salmon
lures for fishing sinking
lines are trolling spoons.
Diving planers and downrig-
gers are vitally impor tant
to spring salmon fishing
effor ts. The author recom-
mends using Slide Divers to
lengthen out trolling leads
and also to use longer 50
to 75 foot leads when fish-
ing downriggers.
tions as they target baitfish in key
areas. These powerful fish are also
routinely found in much shallower
water than at any other time of year.
Targeting adult king salmon in May
is the highlight of my entire fish-
ing year. Nothing in fresh water
fights harder than a spring king.
Nothing.n

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46 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 Book delivers fascinating look at the
development of field biology in America
Y
ou’re blowing snow
after one of those
blistering storms we
had in Michigan last
winter. You pause and
notice fresh tracks
crossing the driveway ahead of you.
“Whitetail, came through after the
snow” you tell yourself and continue
on your way.
Or you’re leaning against the
nice, wide trunk of a white pine
in the spring woods at daybreak,
watching the sunlight slowly bring
the dwarf irises into view as you
await the vocal interplay between
the hen and tom wild turkeys, and
you hear what sounds like one beep
from the cartoon Road
Runner. “Woodcock,” you
note, and enjoy this portent
of spring.
You might be resting
against the bank of your
favorite trout stream await-
ing the start of the hatch. A
flute-like trill cascades from
By Tom Carney
a tree behind you,
engages your peace
of mind, and you
recognize, “hermit thrush.”
At this stage of your life, it is
second nature for you to make those
judgment calls. But how did you
first learn that was the track of a
whitetail; the peent of woodcock;
the clucks, purrs and gobbles of
the turkeys; the dwarf iris or the
song of the hermit thrush? How did
you find out about them? In most
cases, one way or the other we learn
these things from someone older.
And those folks had to learn from
someone older, and so on, and so
on. But that knowledge had to start
somewhere.
At some point in the not-too-
distant past, someone had to first
take note of and then establish the
identity of such common items in
nature, even everyday species such
as pokeweed, crabgrass or prairie
dogs. Someone had to bring samples
to the academics who kept track
of such things at the schools and
museums in the East. Someone had
to catalog and keep track of the
thousands of different “common
items.” Someone had to teach others
about them. And somehow that in-
formation needed to be conveyed to
us, whether informally from a parent
or other elder or formally, through
class lectures, field guides or public
presentations.
Taking us back to those very
beginnings, “This Land Is Your
Land: The Story of Field Biology
in America” by Michael J. Lannoo,
is a fascinating and important text
that both fills a void and establishes
itself as a cornerstone in one’s un-
derstanding of the history of nature
study in the United States. And it
does so by offering up exactly what
it purports to: the tale of field biol-
ogy as it developed in this country.
Establishing a clear purpose ear-
ly on, Lannoo, Professor of Anato-
my and Cell Biology at Indiana Uni-
versity School of Medicine in Terre
Haute, says, “Much of everything
in field biology … can be traced
back to Asa Gray, Spencer Fullerton
Baird and C. Hart Merriam.” Near
the end of the book he adds, “These
biologists were all there when it
mattered. … They saw, and
when they thought about
it and wrote about it, they
were eloquent. Their his-
tory is largely the history of
field biology in the United
States, an endeavor whose
commodity is so valuable
it continues to be exported
globally.”
Between those
two passages he
presents mini-biographies of such
biologists, which means he is also
presenting the story of field biology.
The language is neither high-
spirited nor over-complex but rather
basic exposition in which Lannoo
presents each biologist in the same
manner, which makes things easy on
the reader. Additionally, he identifies
a historical ladder of stages to trace
the development of field biology
from its foundation, to natural histo-
rians, ecologists, wildlife biologists,
conservation biologists and restora-
tion biologists. The mini-bios appear
as components of that framework.
The book is superbly researched, to
the point where it would be under-
standable for a reader to keep track
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of the biologists by creating a
“family tree” of them.
Four of the many take-
aways from the book: For
some reason, probably
because of their proximity
to the colleges, universities
and major museums, most of
the “important” early field
biologists came from the
Midwest.
Also, scientific expe-
ditions played important
roles throughout the
19th century even as American about
expansionism continued. Scientists it, the publisher
were scouring the land to identify also could have created that fam-
new biological samples at the same ily tree of biologists to save us the
time other Americans were ma- trouble of doing it ourselves.
neuvering to grab lands from First “This Land Is Your Land: The
Nations people, through treaty, Story of Field Biology in America”
purchase or conquest. is a good read for anyone who is
In another interesting move, as captivated by the notion that his
early as the 1840s, at the same time knowledge of things like deer tracks
they were exploring the wilderness, or bird calls can be traced to its in-
testing themselves against nature ception over 200 years ago, not long
and helping create the mythology after the birth of the United States.n
that portrayed them as the most
rugged individuals to venture west
of the Alleghenies, mountain men
would often appear at museums
bearing plant samples for scientists
to purchase as a way of supplement-
ing their income from hunting and
trapping.
Finally, the second-last chapter
of the book includes an intriguing
discussion of the complexities of es-
tablishing and maintaining effective
predator control measures through-
out the 20th century and how those
efforts evolved with the changing
view of the predator’s role in the
natural balance of things.
The only complaint about the
book from this end is the publisher
could have spent a few more dollars
to make the tables and graphs larger,
thus easier to read. Come to think Even the
best turkey
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hunters appreciate
less recoil and
Ray Hoody
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 47
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 Nutrition impacts
does’ maternal care
M
any factors
can influ-
ence a young
fawn’s growth
rate, general
well-being
and prospects for survival. However,
the mother’s level of nutrition dur-
ing her last trimester of pregnancy
is probably the most critical factor
determining fetal development and
survival prospects.
Malnourished does invariably
give birth to small, weak fawns
that die within a few days; some
nutritionally-stressed does may even
abandon large, seemingly healthy
newborn. In either case, scavengers
such as black bears and coyotes are
quick to secure an easy meal, often
leading to inflated predation rate
estimates.
The nursing doe’s nutritional
requirements are probably equally
important. Lactation is considered
to be one of the most energetically
demanding factors of maternal care Lactation is considered to be one of the most energetically demanding factors of maternal care in mammals and can
in mammals and can impact the impact the mother’s fitness, behavior, and ultimately the young fawn’s chances of sur viving. Larry Piotrowski photo
mother’s fitness, behavior, and ulti-
mately the young fawn’s chances of fawns demonstrate a form of ma- delayed lactation or sometimes rainfall to as much as 90 percent
surviving. Unfortunately, this aspect ternal defense, or territoriality, for a produced no milk at all, but food during years of drought.
of nutrition in white-tailed deer has period of four to six weeks. shortage did not reduce the doe’s In contrast, on northern range,
not been well studied. Young whitetails are “hiders.” milk nutritive value. Hence, nutri- winter weather severity and length
Within a couple of weeks the new- tional stress can adversely impact a of snow cover determines deer
Behavioral Basics born are introduced to their mother’s nursing doe’s total milk yield (and survival and reproductive suc-
The northern whitetail’s repro- fawning range that generally varies her maternal behavior) but not milk cess. Even relatively short winters
ductive schedule is closely regulated in size from 20 to 30 acres. They quality. (January-March) of only modest
by seasonal changes in daylight seldom leave the boundaries of this winter food shortage may result in
hours (i.e., protoperiod). range, unless led by their mother. In- Possible Limitations 25 percent newborn fawn mortality.
Most does breed during a stead, they rely on inactivity Generally, this late-spring, If cold temperatures prevail well
relatively short period in and hiding cover separate early-summer period is a time of into mid-spring, delaying snow melt
early November and give from their mothers for their abundant resources necessary to and subsequent green up, the loss
birth to fawns during late first four weeks, while they satisfy the pregnant doe’s high may be much higher.
May or early June. This are almost totally dependent energetic requirements for late-term Typically, open areas lose snow
generally assures that fawns upon their mother’s milk fetal growth, subsequent maternal cover about two weeks earlier than
are born during times of for sustenance. Meanwhile, care, and lactation. However, there forested cover, and provide winter-
lush new vegetation, giving the doe must find sufficient are exceptions. Certain social and stressed deer their first source of nu-
them ample time to food within this environmental factors, which vary tritious forage. However, our studies
achieve maximum
body growth and
By John Ozoga relatively small area regionally, can sometimes nega-
to meet her physi- tively impact resource availability
conducted in Upper Michigan
revealed that opening green-up may
fatness prior to winter onset. cal needs as well as the enormous for whitetails during the time of occur as early as the first part of
Hence, natural selection has energetic requirements for milk lactation and result in higher than April, but sometimes not until early
minimized the occurrence of poorly production. expected reproductive failure. May. Likewise, vegetation killing
timed births on northern whitetail The doe visits, grooms, and For example, although less of a frosts are not unusual in June. Based
range. For obvious reasons, the separately nurses each fawn only problem on northern range, drought upon fetal examination, nutrition-
timing of breeding and birthing is two or three times daily (about eight has frequently resulted in high ally related newborn fawn mortality
less critical and more variable in the ounces per meal), then leads them newborn fawn mortality in Texas. rates ranged from 45 percent during
South. to a new bed site. Siblings normally In south Texas, researchers reported years of late (May 3) spring green-
Female whitetails live within do not bed together until they are that annual fawn mortality rates up versus only 5 percent during
a highly organized matriarchal about 25 days old – when they are varied appreciably, depending upon years of unusually early (April 12)
society. Related females socialize physically capable of fleeing from the amount of rainfall, which in turn opening green-up.
with one another and share ancestral predators. determined the quality and avail- High deer population density,
range during most of the year. In Studies conducted at Michi- ability of deer foods and newborn and associated social factors, may
spring, the pregnant doe may range gan’s Cusino Wildlife Research fawn hiding cover during spring and also contribute to limited resource
quite widely within her ancestral Station, in the 1960s, revealed that summer. Fawn losses ranged from availability for the lactating doe. An
range. However, does with newborn food-stressed does often exhibited 10 percent during years of heavy expanding deer herd can seriously
48 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
reduce deer forage quantity and
quality. Even at densities of over
100 deer per square mile, our studies
showed that deer preferred to feed
on spring vegetation instead of rich
supplement feed. Unfortunately, as
deer numbers increased, the quantity
of the best forage species decreased.
Conversely, other less nutritious
plants increased, probably because
they were less palatable, masking
the true effects of deer overabun-
dance.
Likewise, because does with
newborn fawns defend their fawning
grounds, when deer density is high,
subordinate (generally younger)
does must occupy less desirable
habitat where they are more poorly
nourished and their young are more
vulnerable to accidents, predation,
or abandonment.
In Theory
Given nutritional shortage, for
whatever reason, Quebec research-
ers led by Jean-Fancois Therrien
suggest the doe’s resource needs
may no longer be sufficient to cope
with high energy needs of lactation,
growth and replenishment of body
reserves. If so, they theorize that lac-
tating does should adopt a conser-
vation strategy, ensuring their own
future reproduction and survival at
the expense of their current newborn
offspring. Accordingly, they say,
“This trade-off in energy allocation
could be expressed through changes
in behavior. For example, females
may decrease nursing activities and
increase time spent foraging when
food resources decrease.”
Some prior nursing behavior
studies suggested that total time
spent suckling by the fawn could
be an index to the amount of milk
the fawn received. However, more
recent investigations indicated this
is not the case.
On the other hand, the rate at
which offspring solicit their moth-
er’s suckling and rate of rejected at-
tempts by the mother could provide
information on offspring hunger and
motivation. This could also reveal
how other aspects of maternal care,
such as the mother’s willingness to
nurse, change in response to nutri-
tion.
The Canadian researchers fail
to acknowledge that outright fawn
abandonment by wild food-stressed
does can be a serious factor, ulti-
mately leading to the fawn’s death
from starvation or predation.
The Study
Using captive deer, Therrien
and his cohorts manipulated food
availability to simulate nursing doe
food shortage during summer. At the
same time, they monitored maternal
care traits and fawn behavior when
fawns have high energy needs for
growth and survival and are almost
totally dependent upon their mother days of age. their own good.
for sustenance. A total of 16 fawns also died As I’ve discussed in numer-
Eighteen prime-age (3-8 years during the study, 14 of them in ous other articles, it’s my personal
old) female whitetails were used in the food-restricted group, all after view that limitations in nutrition
the study during two consecutive 16 days of age. Assuming equal – especially during late stages of
years. All were fed ad libitum diets distribution of fawns according fetal development and within a few
except in summer, when one group to mother’s diet, this amounted to days after birth – can retard fetal
of nine does was fed full rations but 88 percent mortality, versus only development, disrupt maternal care
the other food-restricted group was 13 percent mortality in the control traits, and ultimately lead to aban-
fed only 80 percent as much from group. donment and death of newborn
late May through August. Fawns Although researchers col- fawns. If study animals in the above
had access to special feeder troughs lected and examined dead fawns, mentioned study had not been pen
and were weighed as often as pos- they could not determine if fawns confined, I suspect outright aban-
sible on electronic platform scales. died from disease, starvation, or donment and fawn deaths would
Starting when fawns were about both. Clearly, however, compared have occurred sooner.
five days old, the researchers ob- to controls, food-restricted fawns Most importantly, all available
served the behavior of both groups, gained 26 percent less body mass evidence indicates that summer
until fawns were about 80 days old. from birth to 80 days, and suffered food stress, for whatever reason, can
Nursing Behavior extremely high mortality. contribute to unusually high new-
The most striking differences Implications born fawn mortality that would be
in lactation behavior between the Despite the shortcomings of mistakenly credited to predation.
two groups occurred during the first the referenced Therrien study, the From a management standpoint,
30 days, when fawns relied almost evidence indicates that summer these findings also indicate that
entirely upon maternal milk. Time nutrition can be an important factor certain measures could be taken to
spent suckling decreased sharply in determining white-tailed deer wel- minimize such loss. For example,
both groups after 30 days. Although fare and productivity. on northern range, early green-up
mothers and fawns from the food- In addition to high (24 percent) plant species should be encouraged,
restricted group spent more time for- newborn fawn mortality at birth, as should drought resistant plants
aging than controls, they obviously I find it especially interesting that on southern range. In either case,
could not compensate for shortages food-restricted mothers suffered controlling deer density is important
in the artificial diet. such high (88 percent) loss after so that the abundance of preferred
Fawns from the food-restricted fawns were 16 days of age. This plant species is not reduced or
group also spent more time suckling rather clearly indicates that stressed possibly even eliminated, due to
and soliciting suckling from their mothers sacrificed maternal care for overgrazing.n
mothers than fawns from the well-
fed mothers, suggesting they tried
harder to get milk. Even so, fawns
from food-restricted mothers grew
slower and suffered higher mortal-
ity.
After the first month, differ-
ences between treatment in suckling
frequency and total suckling time
decreased, probably because all
mothers reduced their energy alloca-
tion to milk production. However,
fawns in the food-restricted group
still solicited their mothers and were
rejected more often than control
fawns, suggesting they were still
trying to compensate for milk short-
age earlier in life.
Food-restricted mothers also
spent 21 percent more time foraging
than well-fed does, in an apparent
attempt to compensate for energy
shortage. This supports the energy
conservation theory.
More Questions
Than Answers
Note, this was a behavioral
study, conducted under highly arti-
ficial penned conditions, the results
of which may or may not apply
directly to whitetails living in the
wild.
This study was also plagued
with rather low conception rates (1.2
fetuses/doe) and exceptionally high
newborn fawn mortality from the
start, despite does presumably fed
full nutritious rations during most
of the year. Of 42 fawns born,
10 (24 percent) died prior to three
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 49
 By Kathleen Lavey - MDNR
Surveyors of
Michigan
Meridian Road, Baseline Road,
Townline Road, Rangeline
Road, Section Street...
T
hese road and street
names refer all the
way back to the early
1800s, when the U.S.
Congress established
a General Land Office
and created the Public Land Survey
System. Early land surveyors sys-
tematically divided Michigan into a
grid of 1-mile squares, marked with
wooden corner posts at half-mile
intervals, following a north-south
meridian, an east-west baseline,
township lines, range lines and sec-
tion lines.
The posts – known as monu-
ments – would be the basis for docu-
menting ownership of land and es-
tablishing cities and villages, roads,
streets, bridges and the boundaries
of public and private lands.
Tough Job for
First Surverors
Life for a surveyor back in those
days was not one of luxury. Michi-
gan was vast, forested and swampy
with no roads, no GPS and no easy
ways for the surveyors to get where
they were going. It wasn’t uncom-
mon for surveyors from southern
Michigan to make their way to the
western Upper Peninsula by walking
to Saginaw Bay, where they’d catch
a steamer to Sault Ste. Marie. There,
they might hook up with a canoe-
paddling voyageur for a ride west
before walking inland to commence
their surveying work. Now that’s a
rough commute.
“The logistics of what they had
to do to survey some of the areas
of our state is just amazing,” said
Jeremy Pipp, a surveyor with the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources who is based in the U.P.
town of Norway. “You’ve got to ap-
preciate these extraordinary individ-
uals, enduring these hardships, and
completing their assigned work.”
Pipp is one of seven land sur-
50 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
veyors and four technicians who
mark as many as 1,000 boundary
corners in a year on 4 million acres
of state forest land. They’re called in
to mark boundaries for timber sales
and resolve property line disputes
between the state and private prop-
erty owners.
“We want to define the boundar-
ies for the benefit of the department,
which also benefits the adjoining
land owners and the public,” Pipp
said. “Good boundaries make for
good neighbors.”
DNR Surveyors
The DNR puts monuments on
its corners using galvanized steel
pipes, capped with an aluminum
disc stamped with the land sur-
veyor’s license number and the
corner’s location within the Public
Land Survey System. Mirroring the
work of the original surveyors, DNR
surveyors mark (blaze) nearby trees,
inscribe them and provide measure-
Above: Professional sur veyor Jeremy
Pipp uses a Total Station, an elec-
tronic theodolite (transit) integrated
with an electronic distance meter,
to measure angles and distances.
Left: A Michigan Depar tment of
Conser vation corner monument from
the 1950s is shown. Corner monu-
ments constructed from materials
such as steel, brass, and aluminum
are used to increase durability and
longevity as compared to traditional
wooden post monuments. Below: A
bearing tree is a marked tree used
to ensure a corner could be found if
the monument marking was de-
stroyed. Sur veyors mark trees with
prescribed marks, noting the tree’s
species, size (diameter), and loca-
tion relative to the corner. MDNR
photos
ments as to how far they are from
monuments. These “bearing trees”
or “witness trees” help surveyors
locate the monument again when
needed. All the information is
recorded in the county Register of
Deeds’ office.
State surveyors are responsible
for finding and re-marking the sites
of the original boundary monu-
ments put in place during the 1800s.
That task often involves a good bit
of old-fashioned sleuthing, which
might start by looking up land
records at the county courthouse and
end by searching for clues out in the
woods after riding a four-wheeler or
a snowmobile to the area.
“It’s a nice mold of art, sci-
ence, archaeology, mathematics
and geometry all mixed into one,”
Pipp said. “You gather all of this
information and say, ‘What does this
mean and how does this all come
together?’”
The original wooden posts from
those early surveys have weath-
ered away over time, and often all
that remains is a depression in the
ground or, just below ground, the
pointed base of an original survey
post.
“Underground a post point can
be preserved like the day they put it
in,” Pipp said.
Finding one of those is “fantas-
tic,” Pipp said.
“Someone drove a post into the
ground and took some notes nearly
170 years ago, and through your
retracement skills you were able to
recover this monument,” he said.
In 2012, state surveyor Matt
Dontz and a student assistant found
an original monument post set in
1850 – a sharpened cedar log – im-
mersed in water that protected it
from the elements.
“At that moment I knew I was
living the highlight of my survey-
ing career to date and possibly my
entire career,” Dontz wrote about
the incident.
His quest started with handwrit-
ten copies of original land office
notes in Montmorency County,
north of Atlanta in the northeast
Lower Peninsula. Those notes led to
a stream in a swampy area, where
the original stake was found.
John Nutkins, who works out
of the DNR’s Newberry office, has
been surveying for 19 years. He
also has found an original post or
two, but said it is more common to
find the bearing trees nearby. Those
include originals and trees that were
marked in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
“Actually, you see quite a few
of them; it’s neat,” he said. “It’s the
ones that haven’t been found by
somebody else yet that you get re-
ally excited about.
Be sure to
check out the
Woods-N-Water News
OUTDOOR
WEEKEND
Sept. 6-7-8, 2019
Eastern Michigan
State Fairgrounds
Imlay City
Besides marking the grid lines
for townships, ranges and sections,
the original surveyors also were
charged with evaluating the environ-
ment in the area where they were
working.
Field Notes
A 19-point list of things to put in
field notes included:
• A description of the land
surface, “whether rolling, broken or
hilly.”
• The soil, “whether first-, sec-
ond- or third-rate.”
• Trees listed in order of preva-
lence.
• A description of all rivers,
creeks and smaller streams.
• All lakes and ponds.
• All minerals and ores and “all
diggings therefore.”
• All settlements, roads and
trails.
Many of Michigan’s early
state surveyors were meticulous,
as is evident by comparing record
measurements with those made with
modern equipment. Other survey-
ors weren’t quite as precise, which
can mean more detective work for
today’s surveyors trying to trace old
lines.
Michigan’s state surveyors
these days use a combination of
old-school and modern techniques.
Surveying has continued to evolve
to use GPS, and some surveyors are
using technology such as drones.
But the heart of the profession is Top: General land office plat maps, original sur veyor’s field notes and exist-
the same: to ethically determine and ing corner records are used to determine proper ty lines. Above Left: A cor-
mark property lines. ner post from Michigan’s original sur vey is shown. This post was set on July
“Some of the (early) surveyors 30, 1850, and was unear thed in 2012. Above Right: A tree shows township,
were really diligent conducting their range and section markings.
original surveys, and some were
not,” Pipp said. When the original
points are elusive, “you’ve got to try surveying (Michigan Technological good moral character.
and come up with a hypothesis and University and Ferris State Univer- • Pass written and practical tests.
find evidence to support that. The sity offer them in Michigan). • Work in the field for three
• Complete four years of expe- years for those who have a master’s
goal is to be in harmony with the
original survey.” rience for those with a bachelor’s degree and four years for those with
degree or three years for those with a bachelor’s degree in surveying.
Where Does a graduate degree in surveying. Learn more about professional
It All Start? • Pass two national examinations surveying through the Michigan
Michigan’s grid of townships, and one state-specific examination. Society of Professional Surveyors at
ranges and sections originates from • Apply for a license and be of MISPS.org.n
a location southeast of Leslie, now
FOOD PLOT INSTALLATION
memorialized in the 108-acre Me-
ridian-Baseline State Park. The park
straddles Ingham and Jackson coun-
ties and contains Michigan’s two
initial points. It’s about a 1.5-mile
Let us do the work! (Available 7 days a week)
round-trip hike to the historic points. Spring Planting: May & June Services include:
The park is on the west side of Me- Fall Planting: August & September • Brush Hogging
ridian Road, just north of Territorial
Road. The exact coordinates of the ► Servicing • Herbicide Application
Area • 3-point Disking
historic point, for anyone interested,
are: LAT 42.422854000000001 • 3-point Rototilling
LONG -84.364743000000004. • Firming of Seed Bed
Becoming Land Improvement
A Surveyor Hunting • Wildlife Viewing
To become a licensed surveyor Over 30 years’ experience in custom food plots.
in the state of Michigan, jobseekers
must: Contact us today for more info on how to reserve a slot for your customized food plot.
• Obtain a college degree in 810-531-1214 or email: Dan415@frontier.com
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 51
“MUST FISH”
LIST FOR MAY
W
ell, with the Nice catches of steelhead, coho and
winter finally even lakers will be mixed in. This is
letting go of a small boat fisherman’s dream situ-
its strangle- ation, and quite frankly, not enough
hold on us anglers realize how easy this can be.
all. I’ve got Here’s the quick tactics.
a quick list of some “Must Fish” Fishing 12 to 40 feet of water,
opportunities. Many of you have trolling rods and reels with one to
known or considered doing day trips three colors of lead for the spoons.
to these waters to wet the boat in an Trolling rods with 14 pound mono
early fishing excursion, well this is for body baits and three sets of
the year, and here’s my “Must Fish” in-line trolling boards (I like the
list. Off-Shore boards). The colors are
oranges, greens, silver Take advantage of the great fishery out of Holland for coho.
Holland and golds. Simple flatline
trolling near creek mouths creek mouths, river mouths and pier
and Muskegon and pier heads can produce heads are best. Give this a try and
“into catching” nice gills and crap-
pie, then this west shore gem is the
This area offers some great catches. get hooked on early “near shore”
flat out awesome early shal- spot to get the boat wet early. The
Here’s a very important fishing! weeds start growing here right after
low fishing. I mean right off rule, find some colored wa- ice out and the fish are in the shal-
the beaches! ter. These shallow fish will Hamlin Lake lows in and around that new growth.
This bite starts as soon hold much better in water Another one of those “must fish”
as the floating ice is gone Without sounding like a broken
that is stained panfish lakes. Now this one is no
By John Bergsma
and will go for a secret but that doesn’t stop me from record, the presentation is bobbers,
from outflow.
good 2-3 weeks. That’s why reminding everyone that if you are light line and either small jigs with

with your host

n B e r g sm a
Jo h Now on...
CBSSN: Saturday’s at 7:30 a.m January-March
Fox Sports Detroit: Sunday’s at 7:00 a.m January-June
Online viewing at: www.fishermansdigest.com
Visit our website and find out about . . .
• Destinations • Fishing Reports •
• Our Show • Cooks Corner •

52 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS

live bait or hook and sinker with live Monroe Here’s my early season recipe for
and Luna Pier
bait. Let’s face it, one of the things success. I love trolling crankbaits,
that we all love about panfish is that and this is one of the best areas to
they are not hard to catch, and they Here’s some awesome early do this effective presentation. My
may be the best eating of all the walleye action. I have spent many three favorite early baits are Ban-
game fish. Hamlin is one of the best days fishing the great Lake Erie. dits, Strike King Banana Shads and
panfish lakes in Michigan. This lake always astounds me at Deep Husky Jerks.
how good it remains year after year. I prefer the new custom colors
that many retailers have come out
with. When choosing colors, I fol-
Chef Grant’s Country Smokehouse “Recipe of the Month” low these rules: If the bait has any
Smoked Salmon And Kale Salad combination of pink, chartreuse, or-
ange, green, white, black or purple,
1 bunch of fresh kale chopped it will work on Erie. I also adhere to
1 red bell pepper diced fishing metallic color combinations
1 orange bell pepper diced on sunny days, and florescent colors
1 yellow bell pepper diced on cloudy days. Early, late or very
1/2 red onion diced dark days means darker colors like
1 lb. diced cooked bacon purple will work best…well there’s
1 cup fresh shaved Parmesan no proof of any of this, but it has
cheese always worked well for me.
16 oz halved cherry tomatoes A couple other tips would be to
try to get a couple buddies to go and
1 1/2 cups poppyseed dressing
be able to then run six rods. This
The author loves walleye fishing
2 lbs. shredded Country Smokehouse smoked salmon
gives you the ability to put a spread on Lake Erie in the spring.
Combine all salad ingredients and mix thoroughly. Top with the of two baits at three different depths. up then troll 2-3 mph. Remember
desired amount of dressing and toss. Top finished salad with gently This really helps in finding where this, the faster you go, the more lure
shredded smoked salmon and enjoy! the fish are biting. Speeds will vary tuning is required to keep the baits
with water temperature, but this catching fish. I’ll switch to Dream-
should help. Water temperatures of weaver Mini spoons at about 2 mph.
This recipe was provided by Chef Grant Bergsma at Fisherman’s Digest TV. 35-45 degrees means I’ll troll 1-1.5 These little guys are fish catching
For more recipes and excellent video fishing reports check out mph. If it’s 45-55 degrees I’ll troll machines and come in a bunch of
www.fishermansdigest.com or on Facebook@Great Lakes Fishermans Digest. 1.5-2 mph, and 55-75 degrees and colors.n

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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 53
 SPRING
WALLEYES
Early Season Tactics…By George Rowe
A
nglers across the
State of Michigan
will be ready and
rarin’ to go when
that last Saturday
in April (the 27th,
this year) finally comes along. Ice
fishing is okay but it doesn’t really
stack up to open water fishing.
Bass probably still account for
more fishing effort than walleyes
but the fish with the strange eyes
is making some rapid gains in this
state and in many others. They
aren’t great fighters, even when
reaching maximum weights, but
they are a wonderful challenge.
They aren’t particularly hard to
catch but they are hard to find
and the walleye angler is
constantly called upon to figure
out where the fish are and how
to deceive them. There is a
special bonus, too, in fishing
for walleyes – many agree that
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
54 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
these are the best eating fish that
swim in fresh water.
Finding the Fish
Finding walleyes in the spring is
even more challenging than finding
them in the summer or fall. There
are a couple of things you can al-
ways try, however, and one of them
is likely to work.
The first thing to try is the
water around likely spawning areas.
Opening day, late in April, comes
just after the spawning period and
many walleyes are apt to remain
around the mouths of the creeks
and rivers that run into your favor-
ite lake or around the rocky shoals
and points that provide spawning
gravel right in the lake. There is
another reason to fish those stream
mouths and that is warmer water. If
the meltwater or rainwater running
down in that creek is warmer than
the lake water, it will attract bait
Award-winning nature and outdoor
writer Thomas Carney returns to
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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
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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.
fish and minnows which, in turn,
will draw the walleyes and other
predators to the area. Any source of
warmer water can have that effect,
and that water could stem from
springs, or it could be water warmed
by the sun. Shallow flats are espe-
cially attractive in the spring.
Finding the Food
Finding walleyes at any time
of the year is often just a matter of
finding their food. In the spring,
they will be feeding on wigglers,
minnows, fry (the young of any fish
and that will include perch, bull-
heads, bass, bluegills, crappie, pike,
suckers and even walleyes) and
crayfish. Those shallow flats can re-
ally be hot, especially if your special
lake has a good population of the
giant Hexagenia mayflies. Those lar-
vae or wigglers will be getting fatter
and moving around more along the
bottom in late April and May and
the walleyes will really be getting
after them.
Fish the Shallows
Fishing the shallows is a good
bet early in the year. Many anglers,
new to walleye fishing, have a hard
time recognizing that walleyes feed
in really shallow water, especially
during the low-light hours. It is their
habit to invade the shallows at dusk
and they may remain there all night,
moving out gradually as the light in-
creases in the morning. They can be
caught at dawn in water as thin as a
few feet and many are caught in wa-
ter less than six or eight feet deep,
early in the morning. If their cur-
rent source of food is concentrated
in shallow water, the walleyes will
remain there until mid-day, some-
times. And, if they move, they will
only move to slightly deeper water,
if the bait fish or other source of
food makes that same move. Even
when the sun is bright overhead, one
can continue to catch walleyes in
Finding
walleyes in
the spring is
challenging.
water less than twelve feet deep.
Spring fishing methods can
be the same as those favored any
other time of the year. Trolling is a
good bet, particularly for exploring
and until you find the right bottom
characteristics and depth that holds
fish. Then it will probably be more
efficient to stop and cast. Once you
discover, for instance, that fish are
holding on a flat with eight feet of
water and thin weeds on a mud bot-
tom, you can look for those charac-
teristics elsewhere and probably find
fish there too. Feeding fish will take
small plugs readily, if you use one
that has a good wiggle action close
to the bottom. Leadhead jigs, tipped
with a small minnow, can also be
productive and may be the best
choice for fishing the shallows. For
trolling, plugs or nightcrawler har-
nesses can be effective and so can a
spinner and minnow combination.
As a general rule, trolling speed
should be very slow and an adjust-
ment should be made to even slower
speeds if the fish seem reluctant to
strike. Walleyes never seem to be
willing to move very much or very
fast to take any sort of lure and your
presentations need to have that in
mind.
Expect to find the fish ganged
up in the spring. The conditions that
favor feeding may be very limited
in scope and the fish may be on
one flat that seems to be exactly the
same as another but there is some
difference that is difficult to discern.
If you find a fair concentration of
fish on a given flat, it is usually a
good idea to fish the heck out of it,
simply because there may not be
another situation that is nearly so
productive on the entire lake.
Early walleye fishing – it’s a
really enjoyable challenge and a
wonderful opportunity for some real
fishing after a long, cold winter.n
 GUN CHAT: Savage 99
T
he first Savage 99 I saw
had been hunted with
so much it had little fin-
ish left. It was an early
version with the rotary
magazine and a round
counter in the receiver. The caliber
was .38-55 and the owner said he was
having trouble finding ammo for it.
He also had doubts about the amount
of rifling left in the barrel. The words
“shot out” may have been used.
I never got a chance to shoot the
old 99 and see if it was still accurate.
I think the supply of .38-55 may be
greater now than in the late 1960s but
the rifle owner and I have lost contact
over the years.
The looks of the 99
always appealed to me. And
they were more easily scoped
than some other lever deer
rifles. They were also strong
enough to adapt easily to
calibers like the .308. A left-
handed hunter I met in Utah
preferred the Savage 99
to other rifles. His was
chambered for the .284 By Lee Arten
Winchester. Another short-lived caliber
in the 99 was the .358 Winchester. I
always thought that would have been
a fine deer and bear rifle. The rifle also
came in .300 Savage and .250-3000
(.250 Savage), and other calibers. I
have looked for one in .250 Savage
for a long while but still don’t own
one. Prices started out high and have
continued to climb while I looked.
I borrowed a 99 in .308 and hunted
with it for a day outside Crystal Falls
in Iron County. I didn’t have a doe tag
and only saw one large doe. The rifle
felt good to carry and the lever-locking
safety intrigued me. I think that 99
also had a rotary magazine although by
then the 99 was being offered with a
detachable box magazine. Before pro-
duction ended I heard some 99s were
made in Spain and imported. Finally,
even that didn’t reduce costs enough
and the 99’s production run ended.
Arthur Savage of the Savage
Repeating Arms Company developed
the rifle in 1892 and refined
it in 1895 and 1899. One of
its many good points is that
it is a strong action that could
safely use pointed bullets.
Rifles from competitors were
restricted to round, or flat-
pointed bullets, because of
their tubular magazines.
Proprietary calibers
like the .250 and .300
Savage, and the .22 High Power gave
Savage an early marketing boost.
The ability to easily adapt to modern
calibers like .308 and .243 Winchester
kept the 99 as a factor in the deer rifle
market for years.
Some engraved 99s were made
over the years. The flat sides of the re-
ceivers gave engravers lots of room to
work. I’ve seen pictures of engraved
99s that could make collectors think
about mortgaging their houses. The
wood was the best walnut available,
and the engraving, if not perfect, must
have been very close to it. I have never
handled one of those fancy 99s and
that may be a good thing.
The 99 I found is not that upscale
and not collectible either, having been
refinished. It’s a takedown rifle in .22
High Power with a Marble’s peep
sight on the tang. The original Savage
iron sights are still on the barrel. The
steel buttplate is curved and reminds
me of the buttplates on Kentucky
rifles. Since the .22 High Power is a
light-kicking round there was no need
for a soft pad. The takedown feature
may make the rifle less accurate but is
interesting.
In the old days, takedown rifles
and shotguns were also practical travel
pieces. Taken down they could be put
in cases that would fit into the luggage
compartments on passenger trains.
Some 99s could also take a .410 shot-
gun barrel. That made the rifle into a
single-shot shotgun. I am not sure if
the .22 High Power rifles could take
the .410 barrel.
The idea of taking a train to the
woods may sound odd now, but my
grandfather and my great uncle used to
take the train to a neighboring county,
fish rivers there all day, and then flag
the afternoon, or evening, train and
ride it home.
Since it was made for a small cali-
ber my M99 is lighter and sleeker than
rifles in larger calibers. The peep sight
is one of the best Marble sights I’ve
used. The rear aperture is large enough
to use quickly, but not too large for
precise shooting. The stock
is plain walnut, with no figure. It
is well-shaped and feels good at
the shoulder. The forearm is slim
but not a splinter. There’s enough to
hold onto.
I got two boxes of the .22 High
Power with the rifle and still have a
few rounds left. The bullets were 70
grain softpoints, and the velocity
was quoted at about 2,800 fps. I in-
tended to reload for the 99 when I
got it but haven’t as yet. Hornady
used to make bullets for the .22 High
Power.
The caliber is gone from the mar-
ket in the U.S. Because it was used in
drillings, combination guns popular
in Europe, it was still being produced
there till recently. Supply there seems
shorter now too. I plan on making a
more thorough search on ammo sales
websites for loaded ammo and, if I find
some, will shoot the 99 again this year.
It’s too fine a rifle not to shoot now
and then.n

CBM’s Official 11th edition

MICHIGAN
BIG GAME RECORDS
of DEER, BEAR, ELK and TURKEYS

SOFT COVER HARD COVER includes Hello, this is Charlie Morse.

37 55
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Includes Scoring Periods
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ORDER ONLINE:
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OR MAIL CHECK PAYABLE TO:
WILLOUGHBY PRESS
P.O. Box 306, Owosso, MI 48867
Call with questions 989-723-6850
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 55
 Chris Reed...The Rolling Hunter’s

MONSTER BUCK
O
ne of the biggest Crockett caliber antlers, and may be
bucks bagged in the first to do so in North America.
Michigan dur- And that’s not the first trophy buck
ing 2018 seasons to Reed’s credit. He collected big
was collected by a bucks each of the last three years.
hunter Chris Reed In fact, the 8-pointer Chris ar-
from Constantine. Chris, also known rowed during the fall of 2017, which
as the Rolling Hunter, is setting an has an official score of 161 3/8,
example for others like him that are according to CBM, also qualities for
disabled, showing them entry in national records
that his disability doesn’t maintained by Boone &
keep him from doing what Crockett. In 2016, Chris
he loves…hunting. While nailed a 10-point buck with
doing so, he arrowed an antlers that measure 156.
18-point nontypical in St. Reed’s string of big buck Chris Reed with his two trophy bucks taken the past two deer seasons.
Joseph County on Decem- success is exceptional for
ber 4, 2018 with a spe- able-bodied hunters much these things on his own. He credits mented. “All I do is pull the trigger.
cially-designed crossbow. less those who are handi- his circle of family and friends and Everybody else takes me out. It’s a
The buck has capped.
By Richard P. Smith
at least one landowner who are com- group effort.”
an official net Chris mitted to helping him do what he Reed was paralyzed during a
score of 193 has clearly wants. Their combined efforts have swimming accident in June of 1998
6/8, according to Commemorative shown that handicapped hunters made Reed’s exceptional success when he was 20 years old. He has
Bucks of Michigan (CBM). can accomplish the same things as possible. no feeling from the chest down. He
Reed is certainly the first any other hunter and his example “I want to make it clear how has limited use of his hands and
wheelchair-bound hunter in Michi- is inspirational. He makes it clear, blessed I am to have the support of arms. His right arm is stronger than
gan to bag a buck with Boone and however, that he didn’t accomplish family and friends,” Chris com- his left.

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56 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 “I grew up hunting and fishing with the family; my
dad, uncles and cousins. After the accident, I thought
I would never be able to do those things again.”
“A rope swing came off in shal- built a new hunting shack. I also
low water and I fell on my head, bought a new crossbow that year, a
breaking my neck.” Chris said. “I Mathews Mission. Up until then I
grew up hunting and fishing with the hadn’t had much luck.”
family; my dad, uncles and cousins. The Mathews crossbow was
After the accident, I thought I would customized like the previous one,
never be able to do those things which allowed Chris to use his
again.” hands to aim the bow. The cross-
Fortunately, that mindset gradu- bow also has a mechanical cocking
ally changed. Chris’ family made mechanism. Once on target, Reed
sure he was eventually able to blows into a tube to fire the cross- Chris Reed with his trophy buck from 2018, held by good friend Tim Miller
resume hunting. bow. and his circle of family, friends and landowners who are committed to
“In 2000, my dad decided to “Once the crosshairs are lined helping him do what he wants. Their combined effor ts have made Reed’s
adapt a crossbow for me, so that I up, there’s one little puff and the ar- exceptional success possible.
could start hunting again,” Chris row’s on its way,” Chris said. On the evening of November 9 that gest buck. He saw the nontypical
wrote on his website. “I had instant After Chris started hunting from year, I shot a 10-pointer that scores frequently on earlier hunts, but he
success! That fall, I shot a little his new hunting shack, he began 156. He came in behind a doe that would never come into the food
four-point buck from my wheelchair seeing a lot of bucks, but they were was coming into heat. plot. By December, the whitetail
and the thrill of being able to hunt out of bow range. Unable to connect “He was 28 yards away when was more interested in gaining
again gave me goose bumps. I real- on a buck, he shot a doe. Then in I shot him. That’s my sweet spot. I weight lost during the rut. The buck
ized that with the help of my family 2015, a 5-acre food plot consisting waited for the buck to turn broad- was 28 yards away like the other
and friends, I had achieved a unique of radishes, turnips and some other side before I shot him. I had to wait two when Chris finally got the shot
accomplishment. I knew that with things was put in by the hunting about a minute and a half for him to he was waiting for.
the support system I had, anything shack to help bring bucks within turn.” The 10-pointer that Chris got
was possible!” range of Reed’s crossbow. On November 8, 2017, a similar during 2016 had a dressed weight
After early success with his It worked. That fall, Chris scenario played out as a big buck of 186 pounds and he thought the
customized crossbow, Reed expe- connected on a 100-inch 8-pointer followed a doe into the food plot whitetail was seven or eight years
rienced difficulty filling more tags. during late November while hunting that was coming into heat. Chris sold. Both the bucks he got during
Things took a turn for the better in with his brother Aaron. also shot that buck at 28 yards, but 2017 and 2018 were aged at six
2014. “In 2016, we started getting he had to wait a nerve-racking six years old. The 8-point had a dressed
“We had been hunting property pictures of three big bucks on our to eight minutes before that buck weight of 185 pounds. The 18-point-
where the landowner gave me per- trail camera,” Chris continued. “So finally gave Reed a good shot. er only dressed out at 165 pounds,
mission to hunt for four years at that I started letting nice bucks go while Chris had to wait until De- but he lost a lot of weight during the
point,” Chris explained. “The guys waiting for shots at the big ones. cember of 2018 to shoot his big- rut.n

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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 57


Introduction to gunfire
G
un-shy dogs are
not born; they are
made. Shooting
birds is the reward
you’ll reap from
good dog work.
It will do you no good if your dog
handles easily, works the fields
thoroughly and points stylishly, but
runs for a place to hide when the
gun is fired. Gun-shyness can ruin
a dog and complicate all training.
Therefore, prevent this problem by
properly introducing your dog to
gunfire.
Let your young pup get used to
lots of noise. When he’s on point or
pursuing game birds, make noise as
the bird goes up. If you’re training
a young pointer or setter to whoa on
point when working with the wing
on the fishing rod line, make noise
as you flip the wing into the air. You
should also fire your blank pistol so
your pup gets accustomed to the gun
report when the bird flies up.
Once your pup is used to noise
and does not react adversely in any
way, you’re ready to introduce him
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Dog Training...By Len Jenkins
to the actual shotgun blast. To do
this, you’re first going to show him
that the loud blast is nothing to fear.
In fact, by the time we’re finished,
your young pup will associate the
gun report with birds, expecting to
find a downed bird whenever he
(Lunch Provided)
hears gunfire. To get your dog to
this point, you’ll need an assistant.
The entire process of getting the
pup accustomed to and excited over
gunfire takes only one well-staged
training session. The tools for ac-
complishing this extremely impor-
tant aspect of your dog’s training are
basic: a shotgun (.410 or 20 gauge
preferred), at least one box of inex-
pensive shells, three birds (quail or
pigeons), check cord, and a spring
bird launcher or release harness.
Here we go!
We’re going to prevent one of
the worst problems of all through
careful, systematic introduction to
gunfire. Have your assistant, who
obviously should be knowledgeable
regarding firearm safety, go out into
a field about two hundred yards and
wait there for your signal–a nod of
the head or the loudly yelled word
‘Shoot!’ While you are with your
dog in the original location, you
should do everything possible to
keep him in a relaxed, happy mood
by playing with him and letting him
do things he already knows well
(whoa, heel, come, etc.).
Your manner and voice must be
very upbeat. While you’re doing
this, be noisy–clap your hands, talk
loudly, blow the whistle or have
another person talk loudly with you.
Then signal to your assistant to fire
into the ground, making sure that
the blast is just one of many noises
being made simultaneously. This
way the dog hears gunfire while he’s
active and happy and comes to real-
ize that this particular sound, like all
the others he is hearing, is in no way
frightening.
Then walk toward the gun,
making a lot of happy noise. As you
do this, signal the shooter to fire,
getting progressively closer until
most of the rounds have been fired
off. Keep up the happy noise. When
you’re about twenty feet from the
shooter, signal him to fire. Come
up to within five feet of the gun and
signal again, having your assistant
shoot another round or two. Keep up
the happy noise by cheerful fun talk.
If you do all this properly and if
your dog has never had any adverse
experience with gunfire, you’re
almost done with this lesson.
The next thing we need to do is
to couple gunfire with birds. To do
this you need to set out one of the
birds in either the release harness or
spring launcher. Work the dog in this
direction, having your assistant hang
back a short distance while you
advance toward the bird by making
lots of excited noise like ‘birds in
here,’ or ‘find the birds,’ clapping
as you go. Then have your assistant
fire off another round. There should
have been no negative reaction.
As your pup approaches the bird,
‘whoa’ him into a point. (If he’s a
flush dog, keep up the noise and
excitement by urging him on.) Flush
the bird at the right time. Have the
assistant shoot the bird, dropping
it in front of the excited pup while
you keep up the loud fun talk in an
enthusiastic manner, yelling ‘dead
- dead!’ excitedly as the bird drops,
running toward the dropped bird to
excite the pup over this new expe-
rience. If all works out well, as it
should, this will probably be an ex-
perience your dog will never forget,
leaving in his memory an indelible
imprint in which you and he were
having a great time in the field. He
located and handled a bird, the bird
flew up and that wonderful, exciting
sound (gunfire) was heard. Then the
bird dropped to the ground, at which
time you and your dog got very
excited, and you praised him for a
job well done! Wow! This is getting
better and better all the time! Set out
the other two birds and repeat this
procedure.
Now that your dog is accus-
tomed to gunfire and realizes that
the sound is heard in conjunction
with falling birds, we’re ready for
the next step which has already
been introduced (fetch). We’ll find
the bird on the command ‘dead,’
thereby adding one more piece to
our mosaic. Before long the
picture will be complete, and
you’ll have a gun dog that will
thrill you by his performance
and dazzle you with his style. All
this will be possible because you
were careful and thoughtful in the
way you introduced him
to gunfire.n
 I love bead fishing steelies above
nearly everything else I have tried
I
picked up some beads on
a whim several years ago.
My good buddy Easter was
in town from Colorado. We
had a day and a half to get
to the west
side of Michigan to
try and get him as
many steelhead as
possible to refuel
his arms before he
was sent back to
the Rockies. We
stopped at the Mus-
kegon Fly Shop in
Newaygo to get him
stocked up on some
terminal tackle. The
Muskegon Fly Shop
has always treated
me very well. They
are always willing
to go the extra mile
to hand out great
By Nathan Miller
customer service.
While we were
rummaging around
the shop one of the guides there
asked us what we were up to. We
told him and he asked if we had ever
tried bead fishing. I had heard of
it, read a little about it, but had yet
to try it. He managed to pique our
interest enough to give it a go. We
picked up some beads and pegs and
went down to the Mo to give them
a try.
The Rig
If you are a float fisherman, then
the rig will be familiar and easy to
set up. Just like rigging a simple
hook for a spawn bag, you are sim-
ply adding the bead on before the
hook is tied. Preference to where the
bead is placed seems to be a com-
mon question, but everyone is usu-
ally within an inch of the next guy.
Personally, I run my beads one-
and-one-half to two inches above
my hook. I gauge this with my index
and middle finger. I’ve seen and
read where others will go as much
as four inches above the hook. I
have run my beads that far above
in the past, but I felt my hookset
wasn’t there when it needed to be.
I secure my beads with the plas-
tic pegs that are usually found next
The author’s bead fishing rig...he likes to run his bead one and
one-half inch to two inches above the hook.
to the beads in any given bait shop.
There are ways to tie the bead onto
the leader and I have succumbed to
using toothpicks when forgetting
to purchase more pegs. Pegs are
simple and hold
the bead well while
still allowing you
to adjust the bead
wherever you like
on the line.
Above the bead
on the mainline I
have found using
the familiar tapered
split shot, ranging
from your largest
split shot just below
your float tapering
down to three to
five smaller split-
shots just above
your micro swivel.
How much shot is
needed depends on
depth, current, and
float being fished.
Using a bead on a tapered split shot
rig really gets your bait out in front
of the rest of rig. I believe that’s
one reason bait fishing is so effec-
tive and many have come around to
doing it. The presentation it gives
has a better chance of hooking up on
those days when the fish seem to be
skittish or pressured. Float fishing
can be manipulated in many ways
and the bead bite has one of the best
ways of manipulating fish.
For the guys running fly rods,
I have seen them using beads on
a chuck-and-duck rig as well. The
only difference from fishing a float
setup to a fly or chuck-and-duck rig
is I use an octopus hook on the fly
rig instead of a straight shank hook,
as I would under a float rig.
The Hooks
When picking your hook for the
bead bite, I like to go a size bigger
than the bead itself. Seventy-five
percent of the time I am running an
8mm bead; therefore, I will tie on
a size #8 or #10 hook. The other
25 percent of the time I am bead
fishing, a 10mm bead and tying a #6
or #8 size hook. The type of hook
is something I am always paying
There are many bead manufacturers on the market today that offer
a wide variety of colors and sizes. Although the author is par tial to
more natural colors, you need a variety depending on water clarity,
fishing pressure, etc.
attention to.
I have become a big fan of
Bloodrun Tackle Company. I have
no affiliation with them, other than
they also are a fellow Michigan
based company revolving around
salmon and steelhead fishing. They
pay particular attention to river and
float fishing for steelhead. When I
am running beads or any float type
rig, I run their terminal tackle almost
exclusively. Their Tailout Hooks are
a straight shank hook designed for
float fishing. They are a strong hook
I have yet to break. Their sharp
hook and straight shank give suburb
hooksets. Obviously, this always
depends on how fast your reaction
time is to setting that hook when the
float dunks. Many other companies
offer the same hook orientation. I
am partial to the straight shank for
bead fishing, but will slide to their
Skeena hook that offers a knot to be
snelled on the reverse bend of the
hook when floating spawn.
The Colors
There’s overwhelming choice of
the colors of beads. There are many
bead manufacturers on the market
today that offer a wide variety of
colors and sizes. Some friends and I
were fishing the Betsie River up in
Benzonia. We had made it down-
river a good way and had put in a
couple hours of fishing with only
a fish or two to show for it. When
the fishing is tough I tend to start
thinking outside the box. I start
moving my bead up and down my
leader and trying new colors. I had a
10mm purple bead in my box and I
pegged it on. First drift through the
bend and I had a fish on. Three drifts
later, I had another bright fat hen
that would be my personal best. This
bead went through a half dozen fish
that day. I was happy to give out the
other two purple beads I had to my
fishing buddies, to help bring over a
dozen fish to the bank this day.
I am partial to more natural col-
ors of roe when it comes to fishing
beads but I have fished many colors
and I have taken fish on nearly all of
them. I feel it is vital to keep natural
colors in your box and always have
a few off colors (purples, pinks,
chartreuse) as well. Water clarity,
fishing pressure and just being dif-
ferent can all play a part when pick-
ing the bead of the day and it goes
to show that steelhead love the bead
bite in a variety of colors.
Conclusion
The bead bite is such a simple
and effective way to fish for steel-
head. It works well from November
through the last stretch of the late
spring runs. This approach has
proven successful to so many fisher-
men. A bead imitating a single egg,
much like an egg fly, can be used
to catch fish, whether from the boat
or the bank. Enough can’t be said
about fishing beads and with the
many options, bead styles, and col-
ors available to the fisherman, it can
set you up for some fantastic days of
fishing in the future.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 59
 Two unique
stories in our
great outdoors
Lake Trout and
Corn on The Cob
Normally corn on the cob and
lake trout shouldn’t come up in a
sentence unless you are serving both
on a dinner plate. This is a strange
story and if I hadn’t heard the story
from someone I know and the pic-
tures to go along with it I wouldn’t
have believed it.
Marty Skiba, an avid fisherman
and hunter from Alpena, told me a
fish story that was very unusual to
say the least. If you recall I wrote a
story about Marty and his brother
Jim who had each taken a very
large bear in the fall of
2017. Marty was fishing for
Lake Trout in Lake Huron
off Alpena. He was fish-
ing with friends Jeff Avery
and Ray Henry. They were
fishing for lake trout when
Marty hooked and landed a
16-pound lake trout.
By Jeff Pendergraff
After
getting the
lake trout on
board they observed something very
strange inside of the lake trout’s
mouth. Upon further investigation
much to their surprise they saw a
corn cob inside.
Once back at the cleaning station
there happened to be a DNR Fisher-
ies employee who watched Marty
and his two fishing companions Jeff
Avery and Ray Henry along with
several charter captains witness the
16-pound lake trout being filleted
and witnessed the corn being re-
moved from the stomach of the fish.
In total, there were two ears of corn
inside the lake trout.
No one there had ever seen corn
cobs being removed from the belly
of any fish, let alone a lake trout. I
have caught fish with corn before.
As a young child growing up in
Flint I used to fish for carp with
corn and shredded wheat as bait on
Thread Lake. But, I along with all of
the witnesses had never heard of this
before.
Marty also told me he was
fishing in 150 feet in the shipping
channel that the freighters use. Lake
trout are normally at or near the bot-
tom of the lake. My thought along
with Marty is most likely the corn
cobs were dumped overboard from a
passing freighter. At times there are
several that pass through the ship-
ping channel every day. Most likely
the lake trout was feeding along the
60 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
bottom, found it and swallowed it.
There really isn’t any other expla-
nation as to how the corn cobs got
inside the fish.
If indeed it was dumped into the
lake by a freighter, I wonder what
else is being dumped into our great
lakes by freighters passing through!
There you have it, another fish story.
A strange one, but a true one.
Bobcats
Moving South Above: looking in
the mouth of this
Living in northern Michigan I am
used to seeing bobcats, in fact I have 16 pound lake
trout caught on
hunted them for years with a preda-
tor call and have called in Lake Huron out
several for friends and my- of Alpena, you
self. I was very surprised can see the corn
when my son Joe, a Michi- on the cob. Left:
gan State Trooper, called
me and told me about a
After cleaning
bobcat found dead in east- and filleting the
lake trout two full
ern Washtenaw County on
Pontiac Trail. The location ears of corn were
is very close found?
to the Wayne ing I have only once seen a bobcat moving into southern Michigan,
County border when I wasn’t hunting them. I saw Mountain lions in the Upper Penin-
and the city of two at night crossing the road while sula, a lynx and a wolverine in the
Detroit. Detroit is located on the far driving in northern Michigan. thumb, and black bears on occasion
eastern portion of Wayne County. I have several friends who moving farther south into metro
My son was working that day hunt southern Michigan a lot, trail areas, what’s next?
in the Salem Detachment of the cameras out by the dozens as well as Keep in mind there is no open
Brighton State Police Post when two friends who spend the entire win- season on bobcats in southern
Washtenaw County road commis- ter chasing coyotes with dogs and Michigan. t would be illegal to
sion workers stopped by and told none of them have seen any cats on kill one or even possess one you
him they found a dead bobcat lying trail cameras, cut their tracks in the found that was dead. The bobcat
on the side of the road near a road snow, treed any with dogs or caught that was found was turned over
kill deer. There aren’t a lot of big them in traps. But they are here! to the DNR. If you’re interested
woods in this area, mostly farm Makes me wonder if there aren’t in hunting bobcat or trapping
lands. Everyone was very surprised other areas of southern Michigan them, you can find the rules in
to see the bobcat in this part of the where bobcats have wandered into. the Michigan hunting and trapping
state. My son said it appeared to There must be, they just didn’t de- digest that the DNR puts out each
have been just recently killed and cide to go from northern Michigan year.
weighed at least 30 pounds. He has to Livingston or Washtenaw Coun- Author is Jeff Pendergraff,
taken a 30-pound male while hunt- ties and decide to make it a home. retired Captain from the DNR Law
ing with me several years ago with a Now we have proof bobcats are Enforcement Division.n
predator call and felt the bobcat was
as big as his or bigger.
I contacted Dennis Tison, a
wildlife biologist for the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
who works out of the Grass Lake
Office. He told me that in the past
few years bobcats have started to
show up in the Livingston County
area. A couple have been hit by
cars. They are mostly males look-
ing for new areas. These bobcats
were tested and found to be from the
wild, not ones that could have been
an escaped pet.
Bobcats are very nocturnal, out
of the hundreds of hours I have Bobcats are wandering fur ther south, unfor tunately this one in
spent in the northern woods hunt- Washtenaw County was struck and killed by a vehicle.
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 61

 FOOD PLOTS
on marginal sites
I
t certainly would be great
if all new food plot sites
were level, cleared and
easily accessible with
rich, heavy, neutral pH
soils. It would also be
nice if there were no rocks or other
debris in the way too. In the real-
world though, especially in wood-
lands, most food plot
sites are far from ideal.
There’s no reason to be
discouraged though just
because your land poses
some food plotting
challenges. In fact, the
satisfaction level is ex-
ponentially higher when
productive plots are
produced on marginal
sites. Read on for some
tips and know how on
how to cost effectively
By Michael Veine
produce world
class food plots
on rough and
tough ground.
In 1995 I realized a dream and
purchased a chunk of Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula for recreational
hunting purposes. This remote 230
acre parcel was unimproved, rugged
land composed of about an even mix
of high and low ground. A brush
choked, beaver pond studded stream
bottom runs through the property
adding both character and logistical
62 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
issues too. The property was a “gem
in the rough” with lots of potential
that would take a considerable in-
vestment in time, money and effort
to realize.
The land hadn’t been timbered
in over 100 years, so I didn’t waste
any time contracting for a timber
treatment on the property. About 40
acres of mostly aspen
were clear cut and those
areas quickly sprang
back into lush, thick,
deer preferred habitat.
Other areas were select
cut and we also had
some strip cuts done
in some of the white
cedar stands to break up
that monoculture too.
Those strip cuts really
created some highly
deer preferred habi-
tat with young
cedars and brush
right in there
with the great winter, thermal cover
nearby.
Next on the hit list was improv-
ing access to the property and
improving the deer nutrition there
with some food plots. In 1997, after
walking the property with a local ex-
cavator, I hired him to improve and
make some roads through the prop-
erty and also create a couple initial
food plots. I had no natural open-
ings on my property, so the food
plots would need to be carved out
of the forests by clearing stumps,
tops and standing trees along with
pushing rocks and other debris out
of the way. This excavator had an
hourly rate that seemed very reason-
able, so he seemed like a logical
choice, but unfortunately I failed to
research him adequately and ended
up paying for that mistake big time.
It first became apparent that I had
made a mistake when he showed up
with just an old, run down bulldozer
that seemed inadequate for the task.
Sure enough, the small dozer had
great difficulty pushing bigger trees
and stumps and he floundered in
wet spots. He labored all day using
up my budgeted expenditure on the
project while only completing about
one quarter of what he claimed he
could get done in a day. What was
done was poor too. The roads were
miserable, muddy things that were
mostly impassable and the food
plots were only partially cleared.
Lesson learned: When hiring
an excavator for hunting property
work, the hourly rate needs to be
factored into the size and quality of
the machines being used. Also, do
yourself a favor and really learn all
the nuances of whatever excavation
work you’ll need performed so you
can really plan and conduct those
projects with confidence on doing
This nice stand of Imperial
Whitetail Clover was grown on a
no-till food plot and is thriving
very well indeed.
it properly while keeping expenses
minimized.
Regardless of the shortcomings
of that first food plot project, I was
now among the legends of “official
food plotters” as I enthusiastically
worked on those two small plots
until they were covered with a thick
matt of Imperial Whitetail Clo-
ver. The deer took notice too and
inspired by that limited success, I
made more plans to really improve
the access on my property along
with greatly expanding my food plot
acreage too. This time though, I was
determined to do it right, but I’m no
rich dude, so it would still have to
be done on a budget.
After a lot of research, I decided
to rent an excavator and perform a
lot of the roadbed prep work myself.
I contracted for three days rental on
a mid-sized machine that was big
enough that it needed to be deliv-
ered by a semi on a low-boy. I had
never operated an excavator before,
but those things are actually pretty
easy to master and within minutes
I was good to go. Actually, it was
a downright blast to operate that
magnificent machine. It was big
enough that I could knock over trees
or just reach out and yank them up
from their roots and toss them aside.
I built up existing roads and cleared
and built up new roadways with
great efficiency. In just a few days
of work, my property was laced with
new roads and I dug some real nice
water holes in strategic spots too.
Had I hired an excavator contractor
to do all that work, it would have
cost me thousands of dollars more
than the rental rate, and so I saved a
lot of cash in the process.
Because bulldozers are expensive
to rent and haul, especially for a big
enough one (John Deere 550 is the
minimum size for serious food plot
work), I decided to contract with an
excavator to grade my new roads
and to clear more food plot sites.
This time I did a lot more research
though and found an excavator that
had the right tools for the job and
also lots of experience making food
plots. In eight hours of pushing,
that experienced and highly skilled
operator had nicely finished off
my roads and had also cleared five
more acres of food plots too. It was
money well spent.
Clearing small rocks (and other
debris) from a food plot is not really
complicated. There’s the manual
way (the way I mostly did it) and
there is the easy way by using a rake
attachment on a tractor. Where pos-
sible I would just toss them off to
the side, otherwise I would deposit
them in a small dump trailer pulled
behind my ATV and then relocate
them to a better home off my food
plots. Big boulders though require
more work. My ATV has a winch
mounted on the front of it. For a
bunch of boulders that the dozer
missed, I had to dig around them
with a shovel, and then winch them
out with my ATV. It took me many
hours of labor to remove most of
the rocks from my food plots and
every time I run a disk over it, more
always work their way to the surface
and need to be removed. It just goes
with the territory.
Over the years, I have created
additional roads and small food
plots on my own by renting mini-
excavators. These machines are
widely available at heavy equipment
rental outlets and are a true bargain
due to their utility and the broad
range of projects they are great for.
The best mini-excavators for taming
rough terrain are going to be on the
larger side, although small ones can
suffice, but will require additional
time. A couple years ago I rented a
John Deere 27D, with a nine-foot
digging depth and a two foot wide
bucket. That machine weighed in at
about 6,500 pounds and it was great
for pulling stumps and small trees.
It also has a dozer blade which is
awesome for pushing stuff out of the
way and leveling things out. With
it, I cleared and built up a new road-
way piling up dirt from holes dug
(borrow pits). Afterwards, I leveled
off the road using the dozer blade.
The road was about an eighth of a
mile long. I also created two smaller
food plots of about a quarter acre
each that day. That mini-excavator
had a rock picker bucket, so ridding
the plot of boulders and other debris
was especially nice. I even dug
some water holes with the machine
and did some landscaping by my
cabin too, and all in just eight hours
of working time for about $200.
I’m planning on installing another
road, and food plot this year with
that same machine too and highly
recommend it for do-it-yourself
food plot work.
A great spot to install food plots
is along wetlands as deer tend to
gravitate to these areas due to the
thick cover provided. Swampy areas
often dry up during the summer
allowing food plotters to access
these areas with a mini-excavator to
dig out water holes with the dredge
spoils being spread around the holes
forming the food plot area. I have
created several of these types of
food plots/water holes and they have
all turned out to be fantastic hunting
sites that draw in loads of deer and
A mini-excavator with a rock picker attachment on the bucket is ideal for clearing a food plot of
stumps, rocks and other debris.
also get lots of use by waterfowl and
other wildlife too.
There are spots on my property
where I wanted food plots where
not even an ATV can easily ac-
cess the locations. The stream that
flows through my land creates an
obstacle, but I can still have excel-
lent food plots even in areas where
access is limited to foot travel. The
simple solution is no-till food plots.
I have created a bunch of small food
plots using nothing but hand tools
and a backpack style sprayer. The
best sites for no-till plots are on
somewhat level ground that is well
drained with plenty of sunlight. If
there are too many trees in the area,
that can easily be remedied with
a chainsaw. I like to clear all the
trees and brush from the site and
pile up the debris in strategic loca-
tions. Leaving stumps on the site is
no problem at all. The next step is
to spray the site with a herbicide.
Usually, it will take at least two or
three sprayings, one month apart, to
really kill off all the unwanted plant
life, which is necessary to properly
prepare the food plot seedbed. After
it is really “browned down” then
go over the site with a big leaf rake
removing most of the dead grass and
debris, thus exposing the soil. I usu-
ally take a soil test of any potential
food plot site before starting any
work there and add some lime right
away if needed. After raking the site
though, I add even more lime right
at the time of seeding.
Like the name implies, seed
selection for these no till food plots
is perfect for Imperial Whitetail
No Plow. Another awesome annual
that I really like on my no-till plots
is Imperial Whitetail Secret Spot.
Deer love forage variety, so in many
of my no plow food plots, I have
some parts of the plot planted with
annuals while other sections are
planted with perennials like Imperial
Whitetail Clover.
About any time a new food plot
is carved out of forest land where
trees once stood, the pH will likely
be rather low and acidic. My pH
was about 5.0 on most of my U.P.
plots, so lime was prescribed, and
lots of it. At first I applied lime from
50 pound bags, which worked OK
on the small plots. When I expanded
my food plot acreage though, I
knew I’d have to get serious about
liming. I bought a small, tow behind
lime spreader that I pull with my
ATV. I get a bulk delivery of lime
dumped in a centralized location on
my property along the edge of my
largest food plot and then spread
the lime from there. I still spread
the lime by hand from bags on my
no-till plots. Liming is certainly a
dirty, time consuming job, but the
improvement in forage production is
well worth the investment.
I rely upon regular herbicide ap-
plications on my food plots to keep
them thriving. I mainly use an ATV
sprayer with a double nozzle boom
that sprays about a six foot swath
with each pass. I also use a five
gallon backpack sprayer a lot too
on my small plots. These sprayers
require lots of water, but unfortu-
nately, my property does not have a
well and even if it did, I don’t have
electricity to pump it. In the past,
I would just take water from the
stream that flows through my land.
Even a trout stream though has dirty
water that needs to be filtered or it
will plug up the sprayer nozzles. I
made a filter using multiple layers
of cheesecloth fastened over the
fill opening of the tank with a big
rubber band. I filled the tank with
buckets of water pouring it through
the cheesecloth. Eventually though,
I dug waterholes on or near all of
my larger food plots and rigged up a
12 volt pump to fill my tanks. I still
filter the water through the cheese-
cloth. The pump hooks up to my
ATV battery and makes quick
work of the filling process
making the spraying tasks go
much faster.
My U.P. hunting property cer-
tainly presented food plot challenges
galore. Once my plots were estab-
lished and tamed though, my, they
really produce a lot of high quality
forage for deer and other wildlife.
I have seen a marked increase in
the average body sizes of the deer
in my area that I attribute to better
deer nutrition. In fact, no less than
20 dandy bucks that weighed over
175 pounds dressed have occupied
my buck pole over the last 20 years,
which is proof positive that food
plots on marginal sites can pay big
dividends.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 63
 6
reasons to take
your children morel
mushroom hunting
Studies show that children spend 4-6
hours per day in front of a digital screen
and less than 30 minutes outside!
Guest Column By Eric LaPaugh
I
remember the first time I
found a morel mushroom. I
was nine-years-old, it was
late May and I was staying
with my grandparents for
the weekend. I remember
telling my grandfather that I was
bored. That’s when he said, “Come
with me.” We were going out to “the
back 40 to find morels.”
I remember him saying that
there is no way a kid should be
bored when they have “all that the
woods has to offer.”
We hadn’t gone far when he
pointed towards a southwest fac-
ing hill and told me to look over
there. He told me “that’s where they
like to grow first” due to the longer
direct sunlight on those hills. After
about an hour and a couple different
locations, we came across my first
morel mushroom. Well, actually,
my grandpa came across it and then
called me over so I could find it. It
took me a minute and some guid-
ance but then, there it was; the mys-
tical morel mushroom. Only about
three inches tall and barely peeking
out from under a pile of fallen elm,
maple, and ash leaves. I was ecstatic
and gave out a little squeal of joy.
He handed me his Case pocket
knife, the blade already stained with
patina, and told me to “harvest” the
mushroom. I was hooked from that
day on. Every spring my grandfather
and I would walk out to the back
40 and hunt for morels. It was our
tradition.
I still use that same Case pocket
knife, even more stained with patina
now, to harvest morel mushrooms
with my children. This past spring
my oldest son, five-years-old, found
his first morel mushroom and I
was able to vicariously relive that
wonderful memory I have with my
grandfather.
I am now a mental health coun-
selor that specializes in wilderness
therapy and I have four young chil-
dren, all of whom I take into “the
back 40 to find morels” every year.
As a wilderness therapist I know
how important it is to be in nature
together, even if we don’t find any
64 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
mushrooms.
Recent studies have shown that
children spend four to six hours
per day in front of a digital screen
and less than 30 minutes per day
of outdoor time. Dr. Richard Louv,
author of the 2015 book, Last Child
in the Woods, coined the term
Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) due
to the epidemic of loss of connec-
tion to the natural world and our
youth. To connect/reconnect to the
natural world here are six reasons to
take your children morel mushroom
hunting.
1) Outdoor time is essential to
children’s mental health.
Research shows that children need
at least two hours per day outdoors
for optimal growth and develop-
ment. Researchers from Aarhus
University in Denmark found that
time spent in wild spaces is associ-
ated with an “up to 55 percent lower
risk of mental health disorders in
adulthood.”
Residential green space in child-
hood is associated with lower risk of
psychiatric disorders from adoles-
cence into adulthood by Kristine
Engemann. I guarantee you will
need to spend more than two hours
in the woods looking for morel
mushrooms.
2) Walking in the woods looking
for morels can be physically
beneficial. Physical activity is nec-
essary for children to build strong
bones as well as strong muscles. It
has been shown that hiking in the
forest can burn 400-700 calories per
hour. Walking off trail, as you will
need to do, will definitely give you a
work out; ducking under and climb-
ing over fallen trees, hiking up and
down hills all while searching for
the elusive morel mushroom.
What you might not know is that
hiking/exercising in the woods can
improve you and your child’s cogni-
tive ability, lower stress, increase
self-esteem and release endorphins.
In a recent article (https://www.
google.com/url…) from the New
York Times, Dr. Zarr, a pediatrician
at Unity Healthcare in Washington
DC, commented that, “…population
The author’s five-year-old son found his first morel mushroom.
studies [show] that closer proximity
to nature is connected to positive
effects on a wide range of health is-
sues from obesity, hypertension and
diabetes to depression and anxiety,
and many more, though much of the
research is still preliminary.”
3) Spending time together look-
ing for morels builds stronger
connections between you and your
child. Child development studies ex-
plain that the more time spent with
your children doing unique, or out
of the ordinary things, the stronger
the bond between you becomes.
This is because our brains are hard
wired to remember the out-of-the-
ordinary things as an evolutionary
adaptation for survival. According
to a 2017 study published in the
Children, Youth, and Environments
Journal, spending time in nature
improves “dyadic cohesion,” or,
relationships between two people.
4) Having family traditions can
build stronger family bonds
that are beneficial through gen-
erations. We all have some family
traditions such as the holidays and
what we do during those times.
Other traditions include family
fun night, pizza night, and annual
camping trips. Building the tradition
of hunting for morel mushrooms is
an amazing family tradition even if
you do not find any. Recent research
(Isolation. Retrieved from https://
www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-
th…/issues/isolation and Olien, J.
(2013). Loneliness Is Deadly) has
shown that closer connections to
family and friends is a better indica-
tor of life longevity than diet and
exercise.
5) Looking for morels is a form
of mindfulness. When walk-
ing in the woods looking for mo-
rel mushrooms we are ever in the
present moment scouring the forest
floor for signs of morels. Mindful-
ness has recently been shown to be
extremely beneficial for children
and adolescents in regulating their
emotions, anxiety, depression, ADD
and ADHD. A 2014 Japanese study,
Forest medicine research in Japan.
[Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi. 2014],
found that being out in the woods
will increase your brain’s serotonin
and dopamine output and lower the
cortisol; which will help your child
to be happier, healthier, and sleepier.
For some children this will be as
close to getting them to practice
mindfulness as we will get.
6) Time spent in nature will help
your child develop an apprecia-
tion for nature. Studies show that
the more children are exposed to the
beauty of nature and all its splendor,
that they will develop a deeper con-
nection and sense of stewardship for
wild places.
Author Randy White explains,
“regular contact with and play in the
natural world” is what develops a
love of nature and a desire to protect
the environment or, in his words,
a positive environmental ethic.
Another study was conducted at the
University of British Columbia that
exposed a direct correlation be-
tween adults who wish to protect the
environment and their experiences
with childhood outdoors. Catherine
Broom conducted the experiment
and found that “when outdoor
experiences are positive in young
children, their love for and comfort
in nature will carry on.”
Spending time in the woods
looking for morel mushrooms will
expose your children to all that our
natural spaces have to offer. With
the way morel mushroom hunters
guard their spots, it’s hard to imag-
ine any morel hunter not advocating
for a cleaner environment.n
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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 65
Michigan’s most remote state park
This is part of a series of stories to mark the centennial of Michigan state parks. On May 12, 1919, the Michigan
Legislature established the Michigan State Park Commission, paving the way for our state parks system. The
Michigan Department of Natural Resources is celebrating this milestone throughout the year with special events,
podcasts, historical stories, videos, geocaching and more. Find more details at Michigan.gov/StateParks100...
By John Pepin-MDNR
I
t was a strange late No-
vember afternoon with a
couple of inches of wet
snow covering the twisting
dirt road that cut through
wetlands and wound up
into the hills of hardwoods at Craig
Lake State Park. The temperature
had climbed into the low 50s and
the boiling clouds on the horizon
told me it wouldn’t be long before
rain would be falling. Rain showers,
with snow and ice on the ground
in late November – strange indeed.
These conditions added to the mys-
tique of this most remote of Michi-
gan’s state parks. Rugged and wild,
Craig Lake State Park is known for
its wilderness-style experience – a
place in Baraga County glorious and
peaceful.
It was “Black Friday,” the day
after Thanksgiving, when many
American consumers, with ferocity
and dedication, famously hunt holi-
day shopping bargains. I was among
those who decided to take a break
from the November-December holi-
day tsunami storm surge to opt for
the outdoors, to get some big deep
breaths of fresh air, here along the
bubbling waters of Nelligan Creek.
The tannin-laden, whiskey-colored
water, leached from the cedar
swamps, bubbled out from under
piles of snow and cascaded over ice-
covered rocks. This little creek runs
south, out of the park and across the
highway, but not before providing a
great deal of beauty and atmosphere
to this wondrous place.
Just being here was a special
treat so late in the season. After mid-
November, those attempting to drive
the road into the park often find
themselves stranded, their vehicles
stuck in the snow. Today, I was
fortunate. I could drive in farther
than usual before parking to get
out to walk the snow-covered dirt
roadway.
There are six lakes here, three
of them named for the children of
Frederick Miller of the famed Miller
Brewing Co. In keeping with the
Miller beer theme, there is also a
nearby lake, just northwest of the
park, named High Life Lake. Craig
Lake, the largest of these lakes, and
Teddy Lake were named for two of
Miller’s boys, while Clair Lake –
known for its smallmouth bass wa-
ters – was named for his daughter.
66 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
The family once owned thou-
sands of acres around Craig Lake.
They had also built a lodge, a
caretaker’s residence and several
outbuildings there. Unfortunately,
tragedy would mar the idyllic setting
the Millers had discovered in these
tranquil north woods.
Miller, a famous beer brewer
and former All-American tackle
for Notre Dame, was among those
who helped bring the old Boston
Braves to Milwaukee. He was 48
and his son, Frederick Jr., was 22,
Above: One of several ponds at
Craig Lake State Park provid-
ing habitat for moose. Left: The
National North Country Scenic Trail
runs for more than 7 miles at Craig
Lake State Park. Below: Campers
enjoy a sunny afternoon at Craig
Lake State Park. MDNR photos
when they died in a plane crash in
Wisconsin in December 1954. The
Millers were flying in a private
twin-engine plane piloted by two
brothers, Joe and Paul Laird, ages
39 and 32, respectively.
“The Milwaukee crash occurred
exactly a minute after Miller and
the others took off for Winnipeg,
Manitoba, for a pre-Christmas hunt-
ing trip in the brewery-owned B34 The wreckage of the plane came Evening News reported in 1970.
(Lockheed-Ventura) plane,” the to rest in a snow-covered field. The By that time, the new state
Holland Evening Sentinel reported. men suffered severe burns and other park-to-be had been dedicated, but
“The younger Miller, a Notre Dame injuries. All but the elder Miller funding had not yet been appropri-
student, had driven from the school were killed instantly. Frederick ated for its development. Michigan
to make the trip.” Miller succumbed to his injuries at a Department of Natural Resources
Just after the plane had taken off, local hospital about five hours after Parks and Recreation Deputy Direc-
witnesses saw sparks coming from the accident. tor Glenn Gregg explained to the
one of the two engines. In the wake of the tragedy, the newspaper this park was expected to
“Paul Laird, at the controls, told family sold its land to a Marquette- be different than all the rest.
the Civil Aeronautics Authority con- based logging company. The state of “This would be the first move
trol tower he had engine trouble and Michigan, which owned about 2,100 the DNR ever has made to manage
was turning back,” the newspaper acres in the area, acquired some of a park area for wilderness values,
said. “The plane crashed before he the former Miller property. outdoor recreational activities and
could make the swing, however. “Through a series of purchases timber production,” Gregg said.
“Flames 40 to 50 feet high burst and land exchanges beginning in Craig Lake State Park was to be
out as the craft smacked down three 1956, the state acquired several key managed as a semi-wilderness park
quarters of a mile from the airport parcels within the park area total- with limited development, but some
near a residential section.” ing more than 2,300 acres,” the Soo of the back lands would be managed
for logging and timber stand im-
provement, Gregg said.
Today, the park covers more
than 8,400 acres and has maintained
its sense of wilderness. From the
granite bluffs that tower behind
Craig Lake to the numerous ponds
providing homes for beavers, loons,
fish, frogs and other wild creatures,
to the quiet backcountry campsites
and trails, this park remains a vital
refuge from the numerous challeng-
es to peace and quiet posed by the
noise and pressures of daily living.
Craig Lake State Park has walk-
in campsites and other camping
options, including yurts and rustic
cabins. The park has a main trail
covering 8 miles, while the National
North Country Scenic Trail runs for
more than 7 miles here too. Beyond
hiking and camping, the park offers
visitors opportunities to fish, hunt,
paddle, bird-watch and take photo-
graphs.
Craig Lake itself is 374 acres
and features six islands and high
granite bluffs along its northern
shoreline. The forests here are quiet
and green. Rounding a corner, the
tracks of a moose had been cut into
the snow on the road. They looked
as though they had been made with
a cookie cutter. The hoofprints of
this single meandering animal came
from an old logging road that split a
stand of pines. The tracks continued
as the side road headed to the south-
west, stopping at a downed tree
before sidestepping the road into a
wide clearing. No sign of the moose,
but I could almost feel the living,
breathing moose within those tracks.
Not too far back, a ruffed grouse
had pointed its head down and ran
across the snow into a tangle of
fallen tree trunks and low bushes.
The skies were filled intermittently
with small flocks of twittering gold-
finches. With the raindrops falling
harder now, I turned around and
headed back. On the way, I discov-
ered another set of moose tracks not
far from a bridge over the creek. I
took a few more long looks at the
countryside.
Moments later, I was turning
back onto the highway heading into
the gathering darkness of a dying
afternoon.
To plan your visit to Craig
Lake State Park, check out
Michigan.gov/CraigLake and see
this park map. Find out more about
special fishing regulations set for
lakes at the park in a Baraga County
section of the 2019 DNR Fishing
Guide (pg. 28).n

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WNW NEWS MAY 2019 67

 Hot Topic In The Outdoors - My Thoughts, My Views...
Senate Bill would allow baiting
SB-37 would override the DNR/NRC decision to ban feeding and baiting of deer...
S
enator Curtis Vander-
wall introduced legisla-
tion (SB-37) that would
take away the authority
of the DNR/NRC to
regulate baiting and
feeding of deer in Michigan.
This year the DNR/NRC made
sweeping regulation changes ban-
ning the use of bait for deer. They
even banned recreational feeding of
deer in all of the Lower Peninsula.
They are also considering expansion
of that ban in the U.P. too. These
unpopular new laws were enacted
to possibly help prevent the spread
of chronic wasting disease (CWD)
in Michigan’s deer herd. Many
hunters, me included, feel that this
baiting ban was a knee-jerk reac-
tion to the problem was not thought
through.
In a recent DNR poll, the clear
majority (71%) of Michigan’s deer
hunters still either support or strong-
ly support the use of bait for hunting
deer. So this new law that the DNR/
NRC decreed was enacted despite
widespread public disapproval. The
logic for the law is questionable too
since the science on CWD does not
support such baiting bans as hav-
ing ever worked elsewhere in other
states where tried. There are many
negative consequences for a baiting
and feeding ban too that the DNR
failed to consider.
Want to leave a forest legacy?
Federal Program can help...Prepared By the MDNR
L
andowners who want to
ensure that their prop-
erty remains forested
and sustainably managed
forever are invited to apply
to participate in the Forest
Legacy Program.
The nationally competitive pro-
gram, administered by the U.S. Forest
Service, uses federal and matching
funds to sustainably manage environ-
mentally important forests. This may
involve buying the property outright
or purchasing development rights
through a conservation easement.
“Loss of forested areas can cause
big problems for overall health of
a region’s natural resources,” said
Kerry Wieber, forest land administra-
tor for the DNR’s Forest Resources
Division. “This program helps private
forest landowners make certain that
future generations can enjoy and use
68 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Wisconsin’s DNR enacted a total
baiting/feeding ban after they dis-
covered CWD there in 2002. That
year firearm deer hunter numbers
fell by 11 percent and archery hunt-
ers dropped by 13 percent as a direct
result of the baiting ban. That repre-
sents a net loss of millions of dollars
in just license revenue for
the state not even count-
ing other ancillary income
lost in the process. The real
bummer though was a huge
drop in the deer kill in 2002
with firearm hunters killing
40 percent fewer deer and
archers taking a whopping
By Michael Veine
47 percent less
deer. This was at
a time when the
Wisconsin DNR was trying to lower
overpopulated deer numbers, so the
baiting ban really backfired on those
efforts and certainly made matters
worse. Michigan’s main reason for
implementing the baiting ban is
to combat disease, but how can a
bigger deer herd as a result of fewer
deer being killed in the most popu-
lated areas help that goal?
In 2003 the Wisconsin legisla-
ture stepped in and overrode the
DNR’s baiting ban with a new law
governing the practice similar to
what Michigan’s SB 37 is trying
to accomplish. With baiting legal
again, it didn’t take long for hunter
these forests.”
The program provides economic
incentives to landowners to keep
forests as forests, encourage sustain-
able management and support strong
markets for forest products.
One successful Michigan project
is the Pilgrim River Forest on the
Keweenaw Peninsula, a 1,299-acre
project awarded $550,000 in federal
funding matched by local partners
with $350,000. Currently awaiting a
funding decision is the Elk Forest at
Black River project (in Montmorency
County), which would protect 597
acres with $1.5 million from the For-
est Legacy Program and a $500,000
match.
All interests in land acquired
by the Forest Legacy Program last
forever, and agreements must contain
language to ensure perpetuity. Michi-
gan’s program also requires that land
numbers to recover and for success
rates to jump back up once again
too. Even with CWD in Wisconsin,
many hunters feel that they still
have some of the best deer hunting
in the country today and still lead
the record books in many categories
too.
There are other con-
sequences to worry about
with a baiting ban besides a
huge drop in hunter num-
bers, lost DNR revenue,
and a decline in the deer
kill. Michigan businesses
stand to lose millions of
dollars as a result of the
ban. Bait produc-
ers, wholesalers
and retailers will
be hit hard with many going out of
business as a result. Many jobs and
livelihoods will be lost and for little
if any gain. General sporting goods
sales associated with deer hunting
will also take a huge loss too. Every
business that depends on deer hunt-
ers for income will feel the pinch.
Even agriculture will get hit: Not
only from a loss of income from
bait sales, but also from more
deer eating their crops too. Vehicle/
deer accidents are also sure to in-
crease with fewer deer being killed,
so virtually all Michigan residents
that drive the roads could be im-
pacted.
remains open to the public, at least
for nonmotorized access. Landown-
ers who don’t have an existing man-
agement plan will need to create
one before a project can be com-
pleted.
Applications are due June 14.
Projects that meet eligibility require-
ments will be reviewed and priori-
tized. The DNR may submit the top
three projects to compete nationally
for funding. Projects nominated by
June 14 will compete for funding
during fiscal year 2021, which begins
Oct. 1, 2020. The state can request
up to $7 million for an individual
project.
More than 155,000 acres in
Michigan are managed through the
Forest Legacy program. Learn more
at Michigan.gov/PrivateForestLand
or contact Kerry Wieber at 517-643-
1256.n
The loss of hunters and a lower
deer kill will make herds balloon in
the milder snow areas of the state,
but a loss of baiting and especially
winter feeding in the big snow
country will have just the opposite
impact and could have tragic con-
sequences on the deer herd during
hard winters there, especially in the
U.P. There are many places in the
U.P. where a loss of supplemental
feeding would virtually wipe out
the entire deer herd. Deer numbers
are depressed enough in most of the
U.P., so a further decline due to a
feeding ban would be catastrophic
and would result in far more deer
being lost than CWD would ever
claim.
Because the majority of deer
hunters in Michigan use bait, a bait-
ing ban will ultimately turn thou-
sands of normally law abiding hunt-
ers into violators. A baiting ban will
create a lot of strife and discontent
among hunters too lowering the ma-
jority of hunter’s satisfaction rate to
a new, low level. Even hunters like
me that don’t depend on baiting to
kill deer can see that this was a bad
idea and support SB 37. As I write
this, SB 37 is scheduled for senate
hearings on April 10 and April 16,
2019. If you have an opinion on
this bill, then please consider con-
tacting your legislators and
the governor.n
My Thoughts,
My Views, My Opinions
Share your thoughts, views, opinions or short
stories with Woods-N-Water News readers by
emailing: wnw@pageone-inc.com or mail to:
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 Dear Fish Diary: My Thoughts, My Views, My Opinions...
My dad told me to never talk politics
while out fishing with friends...
Dear Fish Diary:
I didn’t think it was great advice
40-some years ago, but I’ve since
changed my mind. Why would I
question Dad? He always had great
fishing related advice and some-
times that advice spilled
over into my non-fishing
life. So, when he told me
to never talk politics while
out fishing with friends,
well…I just laughed. I was
ten; I didn’t have a clue
what politics was. I was five
years away from being able
to vote for our class presi-
dent or home-
coming court at By Ron St. Germain
my high school,
six years away from being elected
class clown, and eight years away
from being a registered voter.
My fishing friends must have
gotten the same advice from their
parents. Over the years, amidst hun-
dreds of fishing excursions, politics
never came up in conversation. It
wasn’t until social media became a
thing that political warfare became
ugly among friends. While hammer-
ing on a keyboard, hiding behind a
screen, people’s inner bully began
to emerge. Before long, they were
becoming the same exact people
they claimed to despise and doing
the exact same things they ridiculed
others for. At the same time, they
were disposing of friendships, real
friendships.
It’s not my place to change your
mind, change your views or alter
your thoughts. I am however, try-
ing to change your tactics so your
fishing friends remain your fishing
friends. Never in my life have I seen
such division among the American
people and such non-stop hate be-
ing spread on so many levels. And
for what? The personal attacks,
the name calling, the finger point-
ing should have us all bowing our
heads in shame as we somehow have
become the stars and gripes. We’ve
turned into a bunch of spoiled little
kids trying to play junkyard dog
with people who may not see things
as we do.
We’ve become a nation of search-
ers, searching for anything negative
rather than reveling in the posi-
tives and opportunities we have and
how good we actually have it. On a
whole, we’ve stopped saying thank
you when someone opens the door
for us, lets us into traffic, lets us cut
in line or gives us a helping hand. In
fact, we’ve kind of stopped opening
the door for others because it’s easier
to watch the door close in the face of
the person behind us.
We pound our chest, scream
from the hilltop and demean others
because we know the facts. When
the real fact is, no matter what side
you’re on, we get only half
the proper information we
need to actually pose a
proper argument. We launch
ourselves into these debates
of scrutiny unarmed yet we
think we know better than
everyone else. None of us
really know anything for
certain and we certainly
don’t know the
whole truth. It’s
because we’ve
become accustomed to believing
media articles that make accusa-
tions and implications but don’t list
the actual sources or the names of
the people who are being quoted or
giving the information, or actually
giving us the entire story. But we
take it as fact if it’s what we want to
believe because that’s what we want
to believe.
What separates winning and los-
ing sometimes isn’t always about the
wins and losses, but how we handle
it. The winners shouldn’t pound their
chest, ridicule and demean. Los-
ers shouldn’t point their finger and
blame everyone else.
Instead of pledging allegiance to
the flag we’ve turned our flags up
side down. Instead of “to the repub-
lic for which it stands,” we kneel.
Instead of “one nation under God,”
we’ve eliminated God. Instead of
being indivisible we’ve become
individual. Instead of justice for all
we’ve lost sight of justice altogether.
Regardless of where anyone stands
on the issue of God, it appears the
alternate way to honor and respect
our country is to eliminate the
pledge altogether because we’ve be-
come afraid of attacking real issues
head on. Instead of putting our hands
on our heart, we appear to have lost
our heart and we just make excuses
and find new ways to dishonor and
disrespect this country I thought we
all loved.
With each mass shooting, car-
jacking or armed robbery, we
somehow think we can end these
unthinkable crimes by ridding the
law-abiding citizens of their fire-
arms, rather than just get tougher on
crime.
We spend more on education than
any country yet produce lower tiered
educated students compared to those
other countries. Yet, we all claim to
know it all. We replace our history,
and as a result, instead of learning
from our past we seem destined to
repeat our past mistakes.
We practice a double standard
by pointing the finger at one who
we think is lying while protecting
another we know is lying and finding
skewed reasons to justify the unethi-
cal, untrustworthy actions. Like one
liar is better than another.
We tell law enforcement how
to do their jobs when we’ve never
spent a day on the streets risking our
lives to protect the lives of others.
Instead of holding our heads high,
our heads are down, stuck in our cell
phones, tuning out our surroundings,
while claiming we know better than
anyone else what is going on around
us.
To put things in perspective, I like
pike fishing. Maybe you don’t like
pike. Maybe you think pike are det-
rimental to the bass fishery you love,
even though they have coexisted in
the same environment for…well, for
millions of years. You should un-
friend me on Facebook, but not until
you’ve called me every four-letter
word in the book, exposed me to
your friends and let them recklessly
pile on too. Tell me I’m an idiot for
liking pike but never tell me why
I’m an idiot for liking pike. That’s
the way this new society seems to
like to handle things. Sad, but true. If
you’re having one of those days and
you just aren’t catching any fish, I’m
pretty sure it’s because the fish know
who you voted for. I heard that from
a good source.
So this is what I’m asking of my
outdoor friends. I’m asking you to
set a standard in hopes it will change
our culture and stop our downward
spiral. I’m asking that you be a little
kinder to those you may not agree
with. I’m asking you to be part of
the solution instead of part of the
problem. I’m asking you to listen,
and think before you speak. I’m
asking you not to rush to judgment
I like pike fishing. Maybe you
don’t like pike, but...
before throwing long time friend-
ships away. I’m asking you spend
more time trying to find the positives
rather than spending your entire
short life pointing out every fault
and injustice you can dig up. I’m
asking you to keep opening doors,
even if others let it slam in your
face. I’m asking you to keep history
alive in hopes our younger genera-
tion takes heed and learns from past
mistakes.
I’m asking that you not reckless-
ly, verbally attack someone simply
because you don’t have a reasonable
solution to an issue or logical answer
to a question. I’m asking that instead
of calling others four-letter names,
you call them by their first name
when addressing a difference of
opinion. I’d ask our politicians to put
away the elephant and donkey when
taking office, and do what’s right
for us, regardless who the majority
is. Nobody is going to remember or
care who gets the credit. As long as
the right thing is being done for the
right reasons, everyone will get the
credit and all of us will benefit.
Because when it comes down to
it, “us” is what it’s all about. Not
you, not me, “us.” Be kind to each
other and look both ways before
you cross the street or cast your next
ballot.
Funny fish stories wanted:
Strangest thing you’ve ever caught!
Send a short description of your
“best or worst” fishing day, or worst
fishing-related adventure, or strang-
est thing you’ve caught to me. You
don’t have to write the entire story,
just a brief outline of what hap-
pened. If it has some humor to it
I’ll be getting in touch with you and
we’ll work on the completed story
together.
Contact - Woods-n-Water News
columnist Ron St. Germain by
calling (517) 626-2814, e-mailing
DaPhotoDude@aol.com. Visit the
author’s Facebook page www.Face-
book.com/BearwaveBooks.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 69
 Customizing Midwest Finesse
Kayak Bassin’…Nail Polish, Trimming and Ned Heads
A
s I dug through the
nail polish bins at
the local Dollar
General the other
day, the thought
occurred: “Man, I
must just look super creepy.” Older
fellows comparing nail polish hues
in broad daylight and a public
place can spur that kind of thought
amongst the general populace. But I
really don’t monitor public opinion
all that closely, and I needed some
jig heads with different colors. For
$10, I got 10 bottles of nail polish.
Nail polish is great, durable
paint for the little jig heads we pair
with soft plastics to make Ned rigs.
You’ll find out how durable if you
accidentally get some on a fingernail
while painting a jighead and it dries
before you can wipe it off. Ask me
how I know. Almost 10 days later,
the fingernail of my index finger still
sports some squiggly lines of bright
blue.
Ned rigs are so little and cute to
begin with that many bassin’ men
refuse to use them. Bass fishing, af-
ter all, is a manly sport. Set the hook
and cross that fish’s eyes! Choke
it with a frog! Finesse stuff with
light line and lures that are less than
three-inches long can be just too, je
ne sais quoi for some manly men in
their Ranger and Nitro bass boats.
Those guys like beefy tackle and
lures that let them fish fast and cover
lots of water, hopefully finding a
bass that will react to the chatterbait,
spinnerbait or crankbait that blasts
through its strike zone. And there’s
nothing wrong with that.
Maybe for kayakers in particu-
lar, slowing down and thoroughly
covering a piece of struc-
ture with a simple, single-
hook lure that looks like
something the fish eat is
the best way to go. Kayak-
ers don’t have the option
of covering a 20-stop milk
run over 40 miles of water,
so successful ones
generally find a con-
centration of fish and By Dave Mull
thoroughly work through it. Small
lures such as Ned rigs can keep
those fish chomping.
Slow Fall
Let’s focus on the fall of a Ned,
and how a slow fall often gets a
lot of strikes. While a fast fall can
garner reaction strikes, a slow,
tempting fall that looks natural can
also provoke fish into biting. Ned
Kehde, the 70-something-year-old
namesake of the Ned rig is a big fan
of the 1/32 ounce Mushroom Heads
70 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
made by Gopher Tackle, but those
jigs are currently hard to find these
days.
A great alternative to these
super-light jigs comes from Jade’s
Jigs in Missouri. They’re tin/bis-
muth alloy, not lead. Although I still
frequently use the stock ShroomZ
and Ned LockZ from Z-Man and the
Gamakatsu 211 Round Head, these
tin/bismuth jigs can rock when the
fish want a slower fall. Plus, owner
Joey Doza will customize them with
several different hooks to meet the
buyer’s desires.
Jade’s Jigs is a part time endeav-
or by Doza, a firefighter in Republic,
Missouri. He started the company
to help pay for the medical treat-
ments that his daughter Jade needs.
Instead of lead, he uses tin/bismuth
alloy, which is lighter, less dense
and more environmentally friendly
than lead. Among his wide variety
of hooks, his jigs with a sickle hook
are flat out sick, as the kids might
say today. They work great. Un-
painted, the alloy is a bright silver
that hasn’t shown signs of tarnishing
after a year in my tackle-
box. But if you don’t want
silver or one of his many
other colors, you easily
can customize with finger-
nail polish. His 1/16 ounce
size is flatter and a bit
wider than lead jigs of the
same weight. It gives
a soft plastic lure a big
splash of color on the
nose, plus it sinks more slowly than
a lead jig.
If you want an even slower
fall, you can take a side cutter or a
Dremel tool and easily snip or grind
off parts of the tin/bismuth and get
a much lighter jighead. Tin/bismuth
doesn’t carry any of the warnings
that lead does, so you don’t have to
worry about the snipped-off pieces
being toxic, either. After snipping,
you don’t need to file to smooth the
edges; just coat with nail polish to
smooth it all out.
color
Considerations
Two colors that have worked
especially well for catching fish are
the stock red that Jade’s offers, and
white, which I apply from a dollar
bottle of nail polish. Why red works
is probably the same reason blue
works. Fish just want it sometimes.
However, I think a little color does
make a jig that otherwise looks
natural to a fish, look a little “dif-
ferent.” There’s something wrong
about a minnow with a red face or
a crayfish with a tail that’s just too
bright of a blue.
And then there’s pink. Who
knows why pink works, but bass
love that color, especially in clear
water. I gave some bubblegum-col-
ored TRDs to a young companion I
was mentoring in one of our kayak
tournaments and he caught five
largemouth on them. Meanwhile, I
caught four, within sight of my little
buddy, on more natural colors. One
smallmouth fanatic I know who
fishes the storied big smallmouth
waters of northern Michigan uses
small pink tubes all the time. And
by all of the time I mean small pink
tubes are the only lures in his boat.
It’s easier to theorize why white
works. White on the leading tip of a
Ned rig might look like a fish swim-
ming around carrying food or with
Above; nail polish offers an
inexpensive yet durable way to
spruce up jigheads for Ned rigs.
Left; trimming and painting a
jighead can result in a creation
that just plain catches more fish.
its mouth wide open. Or maybe it
looks like a sick fish with some sort
of fungus on it. White just works.
For more info on Jade’s Jigs,
contact Joey via email at jadesjigs@
yahoo.com or call him at (417) 841-
7997.
Pizzazz Factor
Nail polish adds more pizzazz,
and maybe that gives the angler
more confidence using it. If you
have a favorite color, you concen-
trate on what you’re doing, not let-
ting your mind stray to whether you
should be using something else. As
the not-so-famous Irish philosopher
William Hazlitt once wrote: “As is
our confidence so is our capacity.”
Another real good Ned rig head
that can use a touch-up with nail
polish is the Gamakatsu 211 Round
Head Jigs, in either the 1/16 or 1/32
ounce sizes. These jigs feature a
terrifically sharp, short shank hook.
The short shank allows the impaled
soft plastic lure to have more wig-
gle. With a shorter shank, the hook
gives the soft plastic less of a spine,
so to speak, compared to a jig with a
standard, longer hook shank.
But as sharp as the hooks are,
the heads, unpainted, are just plain
dull. A little nail polish makes them
look awesome.
This season, go to your local
dollar store and buy some different
colors of nail polish to spruce up
your jigs. The results your painted
jigs deliver will be worth feeling
creepy.n
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 71
 SPRING SHOW FINDS
I
just finished attending four
spring sport shows in seven
busy weeks. Two were an-
tique fishing tackle shows
held in Montpelier, Ohio
and in Jackson, Michi-
gan where I photographed vintage
and antique tackle for my different
Woods-N-Water News articles. The
second two were consumer sport
shows – the Outdoorama, Michi-
gan’s Original Sportsman’s Show,
held in Novi, Michigan and the
Grand Rapids Ultimate Sports Show
where I set up my displays of an-
tique fishing tackle, photograph all
kinds of fishing gear and offer free
appraisals to attendees who bring in
old tackle for me to see. This year’s
shows were the best ever, and I
photographed some amazing tackle
ranging from some rare fly rod
lures from the 1930s to several near
perfect examples of Heddon classic
lures to three unique Bud
Stewart lures. Hopefully,
they will be of interest to
my readers.
Julie and Scott Vander-
laan of Hudsonville inher-
ited some fly fishing tackle,
which included some
extremely rare fly lures that
I had previously read about
but had never
seen in person. Sporting Collectibles
They had five
colorful Colo- By Terry McBurney
rado Floating Moths in near perfect
condition. The Colorado Moths had
been invented and patented by Paul
Haberl of Denver, Colorado where
he was a jeweler, as well as the own-
er of the Perfection Tip Company,
a manufacturer of patented fly rod
tips. Haberl applied for a patent on
his floating moth on April 17, 1931,
and patent #1834277 was granted to
him on December 1, 1931.
Haberl apparently had an exclu-
sive sales agreement with Denver’s
Max Cook Sporting Goods Com-
pany who introduced them in their
1932 spring catalog, as well as pro-
moted “The New Colorado Floating
Moth” in national outdoor maga-
72 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
zines including Field and Stream
and Fur-Fish-Game magazines. The
first year’s ads included typical hy-
perbole such as “The Greatest Fish
Lure on Earth” (where have I heard
that line before), “This Startling
New Invention Revolutionizes Fly
Fishing,” and my favorite “HUMAN
BEINGS look at it in amazement
expecting it to creep or fly away any
moment. . .” Twenty different pat-
terns were originally introduced in
1932, each with beautifully colored
details. The Colorado Moths retailed
for $.50 each.
The Colorado Moth had a wood
body and waterproof two-piece
plastic wings with air chambers that
made the fly lure virtually unsink-
able. Both the top and bottom of
the wings were identically painted,
so the moth always landed upright.
Twenty-five new moth patterns
were added in 1933 for a total of
forty-five different designs!
That’s a lot of different
bodies, wings, hooks, and
head caps to stock.
Sales had to be disap-
pointing as the number of
styles available in 1935
dropped to twenty-five, and
in 1936 the offering de-
clined to only fifteen mod-
els. The retails
also dropped
to $.25 for
the trout size
and $.40 for the bass size. 1937 and
1938 were the last two years the
Colorado Moth was cataloged. Ten
styles of moths were listed during
a “Clean-Up Sale” selling for only
$.19 each.
The Colorado Floating Moths
only lasted a total of seven years
from their introduction in 1932
to their last year in 1938. They
probably were only produced for
two years because they evidently
stopped selling, $.50 was a lot of
money during the Depression, and
several other challenges hurt their
sales. They were difficult to cast.
The hollow wings acted like a pro-
peller and twisted in the air. Second-
Top: Five rare Colorado Floating Moths were sold by Denver’s Max Cook
Spor ting Goods Company from 1932 to 1938 (Julie and Scott Vanderlaan
collection). This colorful introductory 1932 ad pictured seventeen differ-
ent patterns of the Colorado Floating Moth even though twenty patterns
were initially produced (July 1932 Fur-Fish-Game magazine).
ly, they apparently did not catch fish crackleback”), with L-rig hardware
all that well! And over time, they and a “downleaping bass box with
could chip, bend or break. Regard- a red border.” First introduced in
less, Colorado Flying Moths are 1904, the #150 Underwater Minnow
rare beautifully created fly lures and went through many transformations
highly coveted by today’s collector. in size, numerous new colors, and
Larry and Shirley Rose from changes in hardware over the years
Freemont brought in two excep- lasting through their 1956 catalog
tional Heddon lures for me to see. year, an amazing 52 years! The
The two lures were “near mint”
in every detail. The first lure was
Rose’s example had L-Rig hardware
that was introduced between 1915
a Heddon Punkie-Spook, the fly
lure version of the popular Heddon
to 1918. It was packaged in a red
bordered downleaping bass box with
Punkinseed lures. This one-inch a solid red lure in the fish’s mouth.
plastic lure weighed in at 1/20 of an This style of box dates from 1924
ounce and was introduced in 1939 to 1927. Prior to this, the lure in the
in six colors: bluegill, crappie, shad, fish’s mouth was red and white.
rock bass, sunfish, and red and white Heddon’s new “upward leaping
shore minnow. It lasted in Heddon’s bass box” was introduced starting
lineup through the 1956 season. in 1927, so we can date the Rose’s
What made their Punkie-Spook so #150 Dowagiac Minnow to about
exceptional was that it was “new in three years, 1924 to 1927. This
a very special Heddon cardboard makes me wonder where and why
window box.” The box had a cutout these two near perfect Heddon lures,
where the lure was mounted with a one produced between 1924 to
cardboard harness over its back. 1927, and the second from 1939 to
Their second extraordinary the late 1940s, had been sitting all
lure was a Heddon “Classic” – the those years!
Heddon #150 Dowagiac Minnow I have been lucky enough to
in fancy green back, white belly have photographed hundreds of Bud
(or as collectors called it, “green Stewart’s remarkable fishing lures
and spearing decoys over the last
several years, and when I opened
Don Watson’s “garage sale” tackle
box at the recent Grand Rapids
Ultimate Sports Show I was imme-
diately drawn to two of Bud Stew-
art’s lures. The first was one of his
common Crippled Mouse lures in
bad shape with lots of cracked and
peeling paint. Normally, I would
have passed by the lure because of
its condition, but there was some-
thing special about the 2 ¾-inch
wood bait. There was an oval cutout
on the top of the mouse’s back
where Bud had glued a swatch of
squirrel hair!
Bud had trapped for quite a few
years, as well as trading in furs as
a wholesale buyer. He earned his
nickname of “The Rat Man” be-
cause of that. Bud also had a sense
of humor, and he was also always
experimenting when he was carv-
ing or painting a lure or a decoy. I
was not surprised when I spotted
the little lure I nicknamed “The
Crippled Mouse with the Toupee.”
I wondered if this was a Crippled
Mouse that did not pass his inspec-
tion. Did it have a knot or a split on
its back? When Bud spotted a blem-
ished lure or decoy, he would not
throw it away. Generally, he covered
up the problem area by painting
“flowing blood” over the imperfec-
tion. Was this one of his creations
concealing a flaw? I decided that it
probably was and a “one of kind”
Bud Stewart lure.
The second lure looked just like
a Hootenanna wood lure made by
the Montpelier Bait Company, of
Montpelier, Ohio during the 1930s
through the 1950s. It, however, had
an unmistakable Bud Stewart paint
job, so I picked it up and closely
inspected it. The 3-inch lure turned
out to be a Bud Stewart Cockeyed
Pad Hopper and was a near copy
of the Hootenanna except for the
distinctive Stewart painting and that
Left: This “Never-Been-Fished” Heddon Punkie-Spook in crappie was produced sometime between 1939 and the
late 1940s. Right: This near perfect boxed example of Heddon’s classic #150 Dowagiac Minnow in fancy green
back was manufactured between 1924 and 1927 (Larry and Shirley Rose collection).
it was weighted differently.
The Montpelier Hootenanna is
a great topwater bass bait that is
slightly weighted with a rear metal
cap. The Bud Stewart bait, how-
ever, had a hole inside the back of
its mouth that was filled with what
looked like pencil lead, so it would
swim differently. The Stewart lure is
weighted so it would hang vertically
in the water after being cast with
about an inch of the lure extend-
ing above the water. It would move
quickly horizontal when jerked for-
ward spitting water with each pull, a
different action than the Hootenanna
and hopefully a better fish catcher.
The Cockeyed Pad Hopper came
in two sizes – a smaller 3-inch ver-
sion and a larger 3 ¼-inch model.
It got its name from the eye place-
ment. The two eyes are placed on
each side of the head, of course, but
are positioned about an inch off cen-
ter. I am hoping to find one in poor
condition, so I can fish it. It looks
like a “killer” of jerk bait.
Tony Przybylo from National
City, brought in this last Bud Stew-
art lure into the Novi Outdoorama.
Tony, a major Bud Stewart collector,
had just acquired this unique Bud
Above Left: A unique Bud Stewar t Crippled
Mouse with an oval cutout on the top of the
mouse’s back where Bud Stewar t glued a
swatch of squirrel hair. Above Right and Left:
Bud Stewar t’s 3-inch Cockeyed Pad Hopper
had a hole inside its mouth that was weighted
with pencil lead (Don Watson collection). Be-
low: A rare example of a Bud Stewar t “Triple
Trouble” made with gold foil during the 1960s
(Tony Przybylo collection).
Stewart lure and wanted me to see Bud Stewart sold a number of the
it. Bud called it the “Triple Trouble” small single minnows ranging from
for obvious reasons. Bud created a 2 to 3-inches, as well as quite a few
whole series of hand painted cedar “Double Troubles.” He only made
bodies combined with gold foil dur- a few, maybe less than a dozen, of
ing the 1960s. Most of them were the “Triple Trouble” versions. This
some minnow variation from small, example’s front minnow measures
stubby ones with and without diving 2 ¾-inches in length with the two
lips to crippled wigglers to shin- smaller minnows measuring 2
ers to large “Hammer Handles” to ¼-inches.
a few spearing decoys. Bud carved I would like to thank the fol-
the bodies, painted the bait’s head, lowing people for bringing in their
back and belly and then applied the fishing tackle for me to photograph:
gold foil to the lure’s body. Finally, Julie and Scott Vanderlaan for their
he sealed the entire lure with a clear Colorado Floating Moths, Larry and
lacquer. He would press the gold Shirley Rose for their Heddon lures,
foil usually to some kind of metal Don Watson for his Bud Stewart
screening to create a scale effect lures and Tony Przybylo for his Tri-
before applying it to the lure. ple Trouble lure. I would also like
to recognize fishing lure historians,
Jim Brown and Cliff McDaniel for
their article entitled “The Colorado
Floating Moth” published in the
December 2003 issue of the NFLCC
(National Fishing Lure Collectors
Club) Magazine. For more on Bud
Stewart, read my two articles “Bud
Stewart, Michigan’s Extraordinary
Lure Carver - Part I and Part II”
in the November and December
2017 issues of Woods-N-Water
News.
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
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 73
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Use one of these useful classified categories... bearhunts.com or visit
Keweenawbearhunts.com for more RAY’S U.P. HUNTING – Over
A = Archery FP = Food Plots HW = Help Wanted SM = Snowmobiles
information. H-5-1
ATV = ATVs
B = Boats
FW = Firewood
G = Guns
M = Miscellanous
RE = Real Estate
T = Taxidermy
TK = Trucks ..............................................
25 years experience guiding for
deer and bear. Baited stands in
HUNTING LEASE
D = Dogs H = Hunting RR = Resorts/Rent TR = Trailers Amasa, Baraga, and Bergland
F = Fishing HL = Hunting Leases RVC = RV’s/Campers W = Wanted
F = Free ROOSTER RANCH - Units. Lodging Available. Call Ray HUNTING LAND FOR
great pheasant hunting, 15 at 906-265-9420 or cell 906-284- RENT: 100 plus wooded
JUNE 2019 CLASSIFIED DEADLINE MAY 6, 2019 different farms! Excellent cover. 2216. Licensed and Insured. H-1- acres. Manistee Co. 231-590-
Your dogs or ours. Field hunt or 12/19 1136. HL-3-4
CLIP AND MAIL
European style. Meals, lodg- ..............................................
Woods-N-Water News Classified Advertising ing, dog training. Half, full or
multi-day hunts. Open 7 days
ELK & DEER GUIDED
HUNTS 100% success, Northeast
(Please print clearly. We are not responsible for unreadable orders.)
Make sure phone number is included in your ad! a week, now through April
30th. Any size group. Gift cer-
MI no license needed. Plus, great
fishing for bass and bluegills, cabin
FOR RENT
NAME tificates available. Since 1986. with boat and motor. Text or call
roosterranch.com 989-658- 989-493-2909. H-9-12/18 FOR RENT: Baldwin, MI.
ADDRESS 2332. H-11-TFN .............................................. Fully furnished 2 bedroom
NORTHERN ONTARIO cabin in the woods, multi-sports
CITY                                           STATE                      ZIP BEAR HUNTS area, state and federal forest
MICHIGAN BEAR GUARANTEED TAGS! neaby. Call for rates! 269-718-
DAYTIME PHONE NO. HUNTERS: Newberry district Booking now for September 2019 & 4659. FR-4-1
hunts. 1st and 2nd week hunting. 2020 starting May 10th and May
VISA/MASTERCARD#                                                       EXP: Schoolcraft and Luce Co. 25th. No fall hunts this year.
Registered with DNR. Bait only, no Includes comfortable cabin, boat
CLASSIFICATION OF AD                      MONTHS TO RUN dogs. Gun or bow. Call Jim 231- and motor, baited stands. Very REAL ESTATE
883-1268. H-4-1 experienced guides. High success

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
rate. 3 hours from the Soo. BIG BUCK COUNTRY! 60-90
NORTH FORK CUR- References on request. $1,650 U.S. minutes from Metro Detroit. 23.77ac
(7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)
RAN, MI Gun and Bow 1,000 single hunter, including taxes and surrounded by farmed land near Mt.
acres. Best deer and bear non-resident bear license/tag. Morris, MI, wooded. has turkeys,

(13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18)
hunting in Michigan! Modern Cheaper rate for more than one small game. 60 foot Bray Rd ease-
bunk house that holds 8 hunt- hunter. $650 deposit required. Call ment. Camp on the easement and
(19) (20) $30.00 $30.25 $30.50 $30.75
ers, full kitchen, 2 full baths, 705-869-3272. www.texasandsons. hunt the land. Call 248-891-2024.
$31.00 $31.25 $31.50 $31.75 $32.00 $32.25 heat, air, large TV and rec com H-8-12/18 RE-5-3
room. Deer hunting includes .............................................. ..............................................
$32.50 $32.75 $33.00 $33.25 $33.50 $33.75 big, home cooked meal every CAMPGROUNDS FOR
night. Good deer blinds with SALE One in the U.P. with Great
2019 MI GUIDED BLACK
food plots for all hunters. $950 Lake frontage $485K. One in North
$34.00 $34.25 $34.50 $34.75 $35.00 $35.25 BEAR. We have a few spots
per hunter/week for deer. Call Central Michigan $700K. Briggs
left for second season.
$35.50 $35.75 $36.00 $36.25 $36.50 $36.75 for bear hunting with baited Realty www.briggsrealtyonline.com
Bergland unit.
lines. $2,000.00 Book early, will 616-942-1071. RE-5-1
Call Jeff 231-740-5266.
Enclosed is $                                               for sell! Call Rich at 734-341-7397. jeff@turtlecreekoutdoors.com
words to run                     months. BOX MY CLASSIFIED - $5 Extra H-5-5 licensed and insured. H-4-2 More Classifieds
Next Page
74 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 Woods-N-Water News 300 Acre

 E
Licensed

Classified Deer
Farm
Located between Charlevoix

Section
and Traverse City.

PAGES 75 - 85 10 foot x 3 mile fence.

Mostly wooded, mostly maple.
Trout pond, includes
shooting ranges.
$700,000
REAL ESTATE
40 ACRES OF SECLUDED FOREST
231-330-9210
CALL
with a not so rustic cabin located in the middle of
thousands of acres of state land. Hundreds of
miles of orv, snowmobile, and 4wd trails right out Near W
N

E
the front door. This is a Sportmans paradise. Call

3,960 ft
989-802-2095. RE-5-2
Marlette S

810-724-0254
.........................................................
in Sanilac 121
LITTLE TWO HEARTED RIVER, 32 County Acres
acres. McMillan Township Section 2. Brook
trout, snowmobile, ATV, blueberries, deer,
bear. Great building site on ridge. $72k.
TO PLACE YOUR 40 acres of Hunting Bliss. Ranch home
$
314,600
AD TODAY!
OR
quantumdog99@yahoo.com RE-5-1
with a full walk out basement, 3 bedrooms,
Will $
consider 2,600 per acre
2 full baths, gourmet kitchen. All season
BEAUTIFUL TWO STORY HOME ON
25 ACRES with frontage on a private lake.
Located in Western Lenawee County. Four bed-
rooms, 3 ¼ baths. 24 x 48 Pole barn w/electric


Sun room with separate entrance. Attached
3 car garage plus a 32’ X 48’ Pole Barn (can
fit 2 semi trucks) 14 ft doors. Deer, rabbit
all offers. 1,320 ft

and water, 10-12 wooded acres. Priced Below

Recent Appraisal. Immediate Occupancy. P.O. Box 278 • 594 N. Almont Ave. • Imlay City, MI 48444 & turkey are bountiful. There also is a small
$375,000. Call Jim at Faust Real Estate, LLC Phone: (810) 724-0254 • Fax: (810) 724-8552 pond and swamp area on the property.
517-902-6655. RE-5-1 Check out our website: Hunters Paradise is at 2152 Five Lakes Rd,
.........................................................
SECLUDED GATED, 33 ACRES,
www.woods-n-waternews.com Metamora, MI 48455 $459,900
HARRISON, Amish log cabin, Muskegon River
frontage off grid, bathroom, mature forest, wild-
100’ ON THE
life, fishing trails surrounded by State Forest. BLACK RIVER.
$168,000. Call 231-903-1080 or 231-788-3443. Just up river
RE-5-1 from Black
......................................................... Lake & seated
gently atop a
slight hill offer-
DOGS ing great views! GRAYLING LOG HOME ON 17 ACRES!
Nearly 3000 sf of living space, 3 bedrooms,
3 bedrooms, 2
full baths, stor- 3 baths, finished walk out basement w/fam-
TOPLINE ENGLISH SPRINGER ily room & 2nd kitchen, wrap around deck,
SPANIEL PUPS. AKC field bred 3 white and age shed, a ‘’Bunk House’’ by the river. Lovingly
maintained and move in ready. Some furnishings 3-1/2 car garage w/heated workshop, 1 car
liver females available. Ready for new homes are included. Natural gas too. Affordably priced at storage garage, RV station w all hook-ups.
May 4th. $1,000 each. Call or text for more info Whitetail Realty, $99,000 #302752 (Cheboygan area) Excellent hunting! $329,500 #313950
989-737-0825. D-5-1 Lake City, MI
... LLEWELLYN ENGLISH SETTER
PUPS FOR SALE. Tri-Colored, 1 female, 5
231-839-8142 or
office@lakecityrealestate.com
males, 8 weeks on May 7, 2019. FDSB regis- lakecitymirealestate.com
tered. Excellent blood lines. Will have had their
first shots and be dewormed. $800 Call 989-670- North Missaukee • MLS# 201802412 • $82,900
4863. D-5-1 • 40 Wooded Acres on a deeded access
......................................................... • 12 x 16 rustic cabin with a wood stove 518’ LAKE NETTIE. Affordable up north get-away on a quiet 149 SECLUDED ACRES! Trail roads, 11 estab-
• Lots of good deer sign on the property all sports lake. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath home with a full-length lished blinds, small clearings for food plots, trail
• Adjoins 1000’s of acres of state land deck overlooking the lake, a breezeway, tiered landscaping and roads and a creek. Nicely wooded with a mix
GERMAN SHORTHAIR POINTER boat dock. Great fishing, swimming and year-round sporting of evergreens & hardwood, mostly high ground.
PUPS: Males and females available. Ex- North Missaukee • MLS# 21124526 • $22,000 activities. Snow trails & state land close by. Motivated seller Abundant game. Close to Hammond Bay Har-
cellent hunting dogs and superb family pets. • Rustic cabin in the north woods wants an offer! $129,000 #308591 (Millersburg area) bor. $159,000 #313641 (Millersburg area)
Close working dogs with strong point and • 9 Treed Acres for recreation
retrieve instincts. Reasonably priced for the • State land and trails are close by
sporting family. Money back guarantee. Eu-
lenhof Kennels, Gladwin, MI. North Missaukee • MLS# 201801783 • $249,000
http://www.eulenhof.com • 80 Wooded Acres of Prime hunting Land
989-426-4884 D-4-2 • 3 Bedroom 1 ½ Bath home
• Basement, Back entry/mud room
• 36’ x 60’ Pole Barn with 11ft door 325’ OCQUEOC RIVER FRONTAGE! 3 13 ACRES W/PRIVATE LAKE & 380’ ON
Classifieds • 16’ x 36’ 3 sided addition to Pole Barn ACRE PARCEL ON A PRIVATE ROAD. Gen- THE OCQUEOC RIVER. Beautiful rolling
tly rolling land that’s ideal for a walk-out parcel in a secluded setting. There’s a
work! North Missaukee • MLS# 201800647 • $89,000 basement. Great place to camp or build your small cabin roughed in, a hunting blind
up north cottage. Trout fishing or kayak- overlooking the lake with its own deck, a
(810) 724-0254 • 28 x 48 Pole Barn with Electric
ing. Land contract terms possible. Reduced! well and electric hook ups for your camp-
• 12 x 24 addition setup for sleeping qtrs.
Monday- • 15+ wooded Acres for recreation use $25,700 #295457 (Millersburg area) er. Land contract available. $99,900
• State land and trails just ¼ mi away
Friday RE/MAX NORTH
9am-5pm McBain Area • MLS# 201802322 • $94,900 Carol Steiger, Associate Broker
• 40 Acres of Recreational Property (231) 627-9991 Office
or try our • Rustic older House used a for Hunt Camp (989) 351-0110 Cell
• Butterfield Creek runs along West side email: carol.steiger@remax.net
website • Property has Open, wet & wooded areas 846 S. Main, Cheboygan, MI
• Several Hunting blinds included
woods-n-waternews.com www.liveupnorth.com

WNW NEWS MAY 2019 75

 2 Bdrm cottage. Sturgeon River frontage, 3 Bdrm, 1 bth camp. Fish and Hunt! 40 Acres.
snowmobile trail access, Hwy 13. Nahma. Good access. Power, well, & septic. Perronville.
$63,900 1105794 $74,900 1106801

THOUSANDS OF
ACRES AVAILABLE
FROM $12,900 TO $325,000.
2 Bdrm 1 Bth Camp 155 Acres, Bar, Sheds, Blinds, 2 Bdrm, 1 bth, log home. On Cedar River.
Escanaba Food Plots, Orchard. Rapid River. Large garage. Cedar River.
2209 Ludington Street $260,000 1111078
(906) 786-1308
$199,000 1112404

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

Gladstone
1401 Delta Ave.
2 Bdrm, 1 bth camp. Septic 1 Bdrm Camp. 4 Acres. Elec- 1 Bdrm, 1 bth Cabin. Large
(906) 825-9000
and drilled well. 36 acres. tric. Yr round access. Great bdrm with 3.5 acres. Extra
Great hunting. Skandia. location. Cornell. large garage. Rapid River.
$80,000 1112412 $33,000 1112567 $90,000 1107870
76 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
& 70+ MILLION IN
MICHIGAN LAND SALES

52+ Acres, Benzie County,

Arenac Co, 167+/- Acres, 3,500+/- ft
Lake Huron, 6 Bedroom Lodge, Guest
Cabin, Great Duck & Deer Hunting.
$550,000
Arenac County, Au Gres, 773.42 Acres,
Whitetail Paradise, Road/Trail System,
Large Pond, 10 Gun Shacks,
Awesome Deer Hunting Property.
$1,850/Acre
Near Interlochen and Traverse City,
Great Road Frontage, Beautiful
Build Spots, Great Hunting,
National Forest Adjoins Property!
$99,000
Calhoun County, 67+/- Acres Calhoun County, 80 Acres, Big Buck Gladwin, 142 Acres,
300 ft. All Sports Prairie Lake, County, Lots of Deer Sign, Fully Furnished Deer Ranch.
Tillable Acreage Oak Ridges, Rolling Hills. The Rack Ranch
$275,000 $249,900 $835,000

Jackson County, 432 Acres, Jackson County 38.14 Acres,

Isabella County, 80+/- Acres, Duck Excellent Duck, Deer & Turkey Hunting. Jackson County, 105+/- Acres, WRP Jackson County, 76 Acres, Log Home/Cabin, Tillable, Lapeer, 102 Acres, This property offers
And Deer Hunter’s Paradise, Over Area Of Other Large Property Owners. Program, Mature Hardwoods, Great 50+ Acres of Tillable, Great Crop Timber Value, And 30 Year Old room for multiple building sites and is
A Mile Of Pony River Frontage. “Man Cave” w/Game Cleaning Station. Deer, Turkey & Waterfowl Hunting Yields, Beautiful Build Spots. Walnut Timber Stands! just 3 Miles from the city of Lapeer.
$160,000 $875,000 $199,000 $272,000 $249,000 $340,000

D
6+ Acres, Mis-
OL
saukee County,
S Secluded 34’X16’
Pole Barn - Deer
Camp! This Is A
Must See With
An Incredible
Track Record Missauke County, 320+/- Acres, 3
Of Harvesting Bedroom, 3 Bath, Large Brick Home,
Mature 48’x80’ Pole Barn With Living Quarters,
Lake County, 7 Acres, Little Manistee 40+/- Acres Mecosta, Fenced Midland County, 80 Acres Tillable, Timber, Swamp, And Loaded Newaygo County 4+/- Acres
River Frontage, Cozy Cabin, In Pastureland And Pond. Perfect For 12 Miles To Mount Pleasant, Whitetails! Muskegon Riverfront, New Cabin,
Price Right!! With Deer Sign! This Property Truly
Great Hunting and Fishing Equestrians And Cattle Owners! Excellent Hunting Has It All And Is A Must See! Beautiful Landscaping, Secluded Woods.
$125,000 $97,900 $176,000 $55,000 $1,100,000 $220,000

38 Acres, Newaygo County,
White Cloud Cabin/Home, Five
Mile Creek Frontage, Deer,
Bear, Turkey, And Seclusion!
$165,000
80 Acres, Newaygo County,
Food Plots, Mature Timber Value,
Loaded With Deer And Turkey,
Economically Price!
$160,000
Newaygo County, 125 Acres, Three
Spring Fed Lakes, Excellent Deer,
Turkey And Waterfowl Hunting
$325,000
Oceana County, 40 +/- Acres,
30 Acres Tillable, 20 Acres Planted In
Jersey Supreme Asparagus,
Great Deer And Turkey Sign!
$194,500
Oceana County, 67 Acres, Great Deer
And Turkey Hunting, Tillable,
Thick Forest Floor, Food Plots, Pond,
Hunting Shack And Pole Barn.
$159,000
Oceana County, 149 +/- Acres, 1 Mile
Away From Lake Michigan, Multiple
Building Sites, 40 Acres Wooded, Great
Deer And Turkey Habitat!
$349,900

LD
SO

Osceola County, 120 Acres, Trail
System, Near Reed City, Tons Of
Deer And Turkey Sign, Food Plot Areas
$255,000
Osceola County, Evart, 278 Acres,
Major Deer Sign, Multiple Food Plots,
Rolling Terrain,. Thick Bedding Cover,
Near State Land, Great Deer History.
$517,000
Presque Isle County, 1,500 Acres,
High Fence Deer Ranch, 50,000+ Sq.
Ft. Lodge, Rolling Hills, Caretakers
House, And Pole Barn.
$6,400,000
Roscommon County, 480+/- Acres,
High Fence Deer Ranch, First Class
Lodge And House, 120’X60’ Pole
Barn, Quality Deer Herd.
$2,900,000
Van Buren County 50 +/- Acres,
Rolling Terrain, Creeks, Ponds,
Food Plot Areas, And Loaded With
Deer Signs. Great Build Spot!
$210,000
Van Buren County 89.6+/- Acres,
Producing Blueberry Farm, Duplex
Currently Being Rented As Well. Great
Income Producing Property!
$375,000

SELL YOUR PROPERTY WITH US!

BLAKE VER WOERT: 616-308-3122
JAKE DYKSTRA: 616-916-8354
CURT BRYAN: 616-745-2759
MAX WIERDA: 616-834-2010 WWW.WILDLIFEREALTY.COM
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 77
 NEWEST LOCATION Off US 31 2175 Riegler Rd. Muskegon MI
78 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 Recreational Property Leaders 877-843-0910
List and Buy with the Experts
www.TrophyClassRealEstate.com
PE
ND
IN
G

Lake front home on beautiful Mud Lake, 6 80 acres, ranch home, creek & pond, 72 acres, contemporary home, hanger with
bedrooms/4 Bathrooms, 4.2 Acres wooded & great hunting! living quarters & air strip
$399,000 $315,000 $589,000

Little Manistee River, 15 acres stunning 83 acres, tillable, small stream, christmas 300’ of Muskegon River frontage, 3.60 acres,
home, secluded & pristine, guest cabin trees (less acreage available) fantastic views & great fishing! Build that dream!
$570,000 $210,000 $225,000
PE
ND
IN
G

Awesome craftsman home, 4 bed/3.5 Bath, Muskegon River frontage for great fishing, 3 Beautiful condo, 3 bed/2 bath, spacious lofted
3-stall garage, spacious lot, near Lake Michigan bed/2 bath log home, 45 acres adjacent to hunt! area, walk to water front town of Grand Haven.
$309,900 $319,000 $232,000

243 awesome acres!! Stunning main home,

bunkhouse, carriage house, work shop. 40 acres with stone house & older cabins, Log home on 200 acres (more acreage avail),
Just fantastic! Gilchrist Creek frontage, artesian well. top notch food plots, pole barn, trails throughout!
$699,000 $129,000 $449,000

41 acres with 15 acres of high producing 57 acres zoned ag, approved commercial use
102 acres on private trout creek, formerly christmas blueberrys. Home has 3 Bed/3.5 Baths, as outdoor grow property. Land splits avail.
tree farm, wooded, mobile with well/septic 42x28 pole bldg. Irrigation. Hunting grounds!
$149,900 $540,000 $399,000

NEWEST LOCATION Off US 31

2175 Riegler Rd. Muskegon MI
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 79
 North Hill Drive Lake Frontage – 120’ on all sports Rainy Lake. Has 24 x 40 garage, electric, well
Thompsonville, septic, etc. $65,000 #317996
120 acre farm with spacious home with 4bed/1.5 baths, full basement,
MI, 49683 attached garage. Numerous outbuildings in various conditions. $235,000

Parcels A, C & D #315022

Affordable 2bed/1bath home on double lot in Rogers City. Close to trails,
marina, beaches. $31,800 #318020
OWNERS RETIRING Beautiful ranch with 3bed/1.5 bath w/ heated attached garage, full basement,
landscaped yard. Detached garage. Close to marina, trails, etc. $198,000 #316501
OPEN TO OFFERS! Farm home on 3 acres. Features 3bed/1bath, eat in kitchen, small orchard,
several outbuildings. $65,500 #317916
Available on Land Contract at ...
20% DN., Monthly Bal. at 6% Interest. STATE WIDE REAL Check out our web site for
additional properties of all types.
ESTATE OF HAWKS www.statewideofhawks.com

Walter R. Berjeski Marilynn E. Berjeski OF HAWKS FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ONE OF OUR AGENTS: 989.734.4840

313-410-8125 313-801-0473
All parcels offer great country views. (Parcel D has awesome views of Crystal Moun-
tain all the way to Kaleva). Very secluded, nicely sloped 5+ acre parcels. Parcels C
and D adjoin state land, close to snowmobile and horse trails, and Crystal Mountain.
Britz Realty inc.

Underground power and phone install on private road. A true nature lovers paradise.
Parcel A:
5.20 acres, rolling/hilly, sloped,
partly wooded, hardwood,
country views, near state land.
Parcel C:
5.44 acres, rolling/hilly, sloped
wooded, hardwood, country
views, adjoins state land.
Parcel D:
5.10 acres, rolling/hilly, sloped,
partly wooded, hardwood,
pines, views of Crystal
Mountain and country side.
758 West US-10 • Evart, Michigan 49631
Ph. 231-734-5554 Fax. 231-734-2055
email. britzrealty@sbcglobal.net
160 ACRES
EVART AREA. 160 ACRES OF RECREATIONAL PARADISE. SOME TILLABLE LAND, AND LOTS OF WOODS.
OVER 3800 FEET OF ROAD FRONTAGE. FANTASTIC HUNTING LAND. GREAT MIXTURE OF TREES.
PRICED AT $310,000.00 MLS #19002553
MUSKEGON RIVER
SPRING SPECIAL A-FRAME HOME WITH 300 FEET OF MUSKEGON RIVER FRONTAGE IN THE EVART
AREA. BEAUTI FUL RIVERFRONT PARCEL ON 3 ACRES OF LAND. HOME IN GREAT CONDITION. LARGE
POLE BARN ALSO INCLUDED. ONE OF A KIND. $153,500.00 MLS #19008299
30 ACRES
BARRYTON AREA. 17 ACRES TILLABLE. WOODED, CORNER PARCEL. GREAT HUNTING OR IDEAL
BUILDING SITE. PRICED AT $62,500.00 MLS #18035850
LITTLE LONG LAKE
EVART AREA. 4 LAKEFRONT LOTS ON PRIVATE LAKE. NO WAKE LAKE. JUST ENJOY THE QUIET ON THIS
GREAT FISHING LAKE. PRICED AT $49,900.00 MLS #18012160

3 BD, 1 BA mobile on 10
acres. It has been used as
a deer camp, yet has all the
comforts of home. The mo-
bile can be lived in all year
with great access on a nice
private road. 10x14 shed for
storage and room to roam.
MLS 18031425 $34,900
10 wooded acres with a well
maintained 2 BD, 1.5 BA
mobile close to town yet se-
cluded. Located in the heart
of the trail riding and hunting
area it is within walking dis-
tance to federal land. Has a
24x32 pole barn!
MLS 19010104 $65,900
3 BD cabin in the Big Star
Lake area! Located on a qui-
et, paved road in a great rec-
reational area. Sitting on an
acre of land with a detached
2 stall garage. House sits off
the road for privacy with a
nicely wooded lot.
MLS 18054346 $55,000
2 BD, 1 BA mobile home is
bright, airy, has washer, dry-
er, pellet stove and an addi-
tion for extra storage. Large
garage has a work room
area and more storage.
Year around home, week-
end getaway, or AirBnB!
MLS 19000585 $46,900
1 BD, 1 BA clean, comfort-
able cabin nestled in the
woods across from Reed
Lake public access. Bor-
ders Federal land with riding
trails visible from the front
yard! Home offers large loft
and an enclosed porch!
MLS 19005485 $57,000

Nicely wooded vacant land
in Cherry Valley Township.
4.48 acres just north of
US-10. Enjoy year round
access and the benefits of
camping in an un-zoned
township. Low down land
contract terms are available.
MLS 19004231 $15,900
80 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Wooded 10 acres close to
public lands and trail access.
Year round enjoyment can be
had on nearby snowmobile &
ATV trails along with hunting,
or fishing in the nearby lakes
and rivers. Land contract
terms available.
MLS 17017427 $26,900
2.69 acres within walking
distance to Federal Land.
Borders snowmobile trail
340. Great spot for hunting
or camping. Easy access
from a paved, county main-
tained road. Land contract
terms available.
MLS 17037582 $13,900
2 acres right in Irons! Prop-
erty already has a clearing
in place ringed with some
very nice trees. Access is
not a problem, off county
maintained Brooks Rd. with
Federal land right across
the street.
MLS 18057396 $15,900
Wooded 7.5 acres with
access from a county
maintained road. Enjoy
as a camping site or build
a cabin for a hunting
camp. Federal land only
a mile away. Available on
land contract.
MLS 18022244 $23,900
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 81

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY!
statewiderealestate.net
• Houghton
Marquette
Crystal Falls • Manistique •
Escanaba •
• Gladstone
• 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
CRYSTAL FALLS
225 Superior Ave
Crystal Falls, MI 49920
PH: 906-874-3500
PH: 906-396-3002
email: steve@statewide.estate
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
82 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
Offices Serving Lower &
Upper Michigan
Bringing people and places together since 1945
• Newberry
Curtis •
•
Linden •
HARRISVILLE
430 S. US-23, 48740
email: sold@anjstatewide.com
989-724-5711 • 800-655-5735
Fax: 989-724-6833
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
MANISTIQUE
10 N. State Highway M-149
Cooks, MI 49817
906-644-2304
email: dekeysermary@yahoo.com
EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT ON EBERHART!
I don’t use the term turnkey very often
but this property is ready to go, just
show up and hunt! 118 acres over three
parcels with diverse timber including soft
& hardwoods & fruit trees that are now
bearing consistent fruit (Apple & Pear).
Located off Hamilton Rd is a 40x32 pole
building that has a 27x14 lodge neatly
tucked away inside that sleeps 6 and is
complete with wood stove, kitchen space, dining/card table and bar top. The property has been
meticulously designed to maximize the habitat with food plots and a sanctuary for bedding.
Examples of forage planted include clover, brassicas, corn and a cover mix with millet, sorghum
and native grasses. Take some time to view the pictures and also watch the video on YouTube.
SANCTUARY ON STURGEON!
Onaway
• • Hawks What will you do with 120 acres to
Hillman
• Alpena call your own? Hunting, ATV riding,
•
• Atlanta nature hikes and so much ore are at
Mio • • Harrisville your fingertips with this property.
Not to mention a fantastic building
site boasting city water (available
at the road) and a perk site that has
been completed. Need more? How
about having all this and still be only
10 minutes from Midland Mall and Mid Michigan Regional Hospital? This property has not been
• Almont
timbered and will provide a great return right away if select cut, not to mention helping the
Howell • habitat. If you need more ground to hunt and play on, the Kawkawlin Creek State Wildlife Area
and Gladwin Forest Unit are close by, giving you an additional 8000 acres to roam. This property
is calling your name and won’t last long so call today!
Matt Smith
matt@modernrealty.us
989-948-3738
989-486-9770
Real Estate and Habitat Specialist • Modern Realty • NSCA Personal Trainer/NETA Wellness Coach
MARINETTE, WISCONSIN
1460 Marinette Ave., 54143
420 Acres With Private
email: statewidemarinette@yahoo.com
715-735-9964 • Fax: 715-732-1107
MARQUETTE
856 W. Washington, 49855
email: sw@statewiderealestate.org
Lake in Central Michigan
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, 420 acres with 100 + acre private lake All maintenance equipment included,
P.O. Box 478, 49765 with dam for sale in central Michigan mowers, tractor, dozer, crane, etc.
email: bigdan@frontier.com (great investment opportunity). Great Would make a great church camp,
989-733-6522 fishing and hunting—Michigan trout hunting resort or lake development.
Fax: 989-733-2427 stream, mature bucks harvested every Frontage on three county roads. Grave,
year. Over two miles of water frontage, sand deposits on property, also oil
standing timber with enough pine to rights. Ann Clark’s Trust. $4,000,000 or
POWERS
make 30 log homes. Seven miles of best offer. Special terms for non-profit.
W3776 US2 & 41, 49874
trails, rolling hills, paved roads, has
906-497-4190 Call Robert Clark at
Fax: 906-497-5328 natural gas line on property. Lodge
holly@statewiderealestate.net (brick house) with fireplace. Three 810-629-9376
stoarge buildings and workshop.
Includes all boats with pontoon boat. Email: johnclark1954@hotmail.com
 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” HOMES AND COTTAGES

ACROSS FROM LAKE!!
Well-maintained 2-bdrm home with a beautiful view of
all sports RIFLE LAKE and just across the road from 20
foot access spot! Spacious living area, hickory cabinets,
knotty pine interior, carport, deck, covered porch & more!!
$79,500 1847245
WEST LONDO LAKE!! 2.36 ACRES!! AMISH REMODELED!! VICTORIAN WEST BRANCH!!
Nice 2-bdrm home w/garage & 120’ on 180 Spacious brick and vinyl 2-bdrm home with 1674 square Gorgeous 3-bdrm w/custom cabinets, mobile Spacious 3-bdrm, attached garage, open
all sports lake! Wood floors, 2 full bath, floor feet of living space, formal dining, some appliances, family kitchen island, Amish built furnishings, FP, 2 floor plan, AC, master suite, full bsmt, natural
to ceiling windows, beautiful views, some fur- room w/its own entrance, huge 72x39 heated 5-car garage covered porches, oversized garage and all NES- gas heat, blacktop drive, porch, generator &
nishings, AC & much more!! plus 24x32 pole bldg, both wired for electric & much more! TLED ON 20 ACRES w/groomed trails & 4 blinds!! more!!
$289,900 1856419 $134,900 1848848 $249,900 1855393 $79,000 1856504

ACROSS FROM NAT’L FOREST!! DEEDED LAKE ACCESS!! SPACIOUS CHALET!! LARGE DOUBLE LOT!! NICE VIEWS OF E TWIN LAKE!!
This 3-bdrm home sits on a deep lot with some shade 2-bdrm, 2 ba home just down the road from Over 2300 square feet of living space, 3-bdrm, 2 full bath Cute 3-bedroom, log home in great rec- Updated 2-bdrm home near many all sports
trees and has been freshly painted. On almost an acre boat access & near sandy beach! Wood and 4-car garage. Home has beautiful views from multiple reational area not far from lakes and State lakes!! Laminate floors, stainless steel ap-
of land and located in great recreational area and not floors, nice kitchen w/lots of cupboards, deck, decks & is located in great subd w/access to 2 all sports lands. Wood stove, garage, screened porch pli, attic that could be dbrm #3, garage &
far from lakes. Exterior of home does need some TLC!! 2 story garage & more!! lakes, golf course, tennis courts, trails, camping & more!! and mostly furnished!! pole bldg!!
$45,900 1848661 $114,900 1849895 $143,900 1846541 $49,900 1850311 $84,000 1856575

20 ACRES!!
3-bdrm home on full basement with garage!! Some
recent updates include updates to kitchen and
bath. Outside there is a large covered deck w/
beautiful views and trails for walking or the hunter!!
$154,900 1840412
IMMACULATE LAKEFRONT!!
Beautiful, completely remodeled 3-bdrm, 1.5 ba
home w/detached garage & 75” on all sports Peach
Lake. Tons of updates, appliances, deck, sunroom,
gas fireplace, beautiful views & much more!!
$249,900 1858694
NICE RECREATIONAL AREA!!
2-bdrm cottage on 2 lots & paved road. Near acres
of State lands for the hunter and not far from many
lakes for fishing, boating & swimming. This getaway
in need of TLC is a perfect “Up North” getaway!!
$17,000 1857949
SPACIOUS 3-BEDROOM!!
On 2 lots & totaling almost an ACRE w/garage in beau-
tiful wooded setting!! Not far from many lakes and the
gorgeous Rifle River famous for excellent fishing & ca-
noeing/kayaking. Nice deck for relaxing & great views!!
$39,900 1858010
NEAR FEDERAL LANDS!!
Well-maintained 3-bdrm home & 2-story garage
on 2 wooded lots. Affordable and located in
great recreational area also not far from lakes
and also the Ausable River for year round fun!!
$44,500 1838111

LOTS OF RECENT UPDATES!!
Cozy one bedroom home w/approximate $15K in up-
dates, including remodeled kitchen and bath, newer coun-
ter tops and appliances, newer flooring, newer oak pan-
eling, newer pumps, newer doors, newer vinyl & more!!
$64,900 1858471
VIEWS OF WEST LONDO LAKE!!
Cozy one bedroom home w/deeded access to 190 acre
lake. Sunroom, wood floors, newer well, newer roof &
newer siding on heated garage. Nice deck for relaxing
outdoors and there is a community boat dock!!
$65,000 1818008
BEAUTIFUL LAKEFRONT HOME!!
Over 2100 square feet & 3-bdrm home on pleasant
Big Williams Lake! Master suite, large open kitchen/
dining area, fireplace in living area, on demand wa-
ter heater, sunroom, deck, fantastic views & more!!
$92,000 1842289
ACREAGE AND LAKEFRONT!!
Large 4-bdrm on 9.8 ACRFES and frontage on 28 acre
all sports Mills Lake! Gas stone FP, wood floors, main
floor master, upper bedrooms, 3 season room, beautiful
views, patio, garage & shed for storage and level to lake!!
$109,900 1858273
BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE VIEWS!!
Spacious 4-bdrm, 2.5 bath Cape Code on 2 ACRES
w/both detached & attached garages, full finished
walkout bsmt, master suite, stainless steel appliances,
stone field FP, office, AC, wood floors & much more!!
$249,900 1858287

VACANT ACREAGE

80 ACRES!! 45 ACRES!! 36+ ACRES!! 9.82 ACRES!! EXCELLENT HUNT CAMP!!

Fantastic hunting parcel with a great mix of mature
trees and creek running thru the property! Lots of wild-
life in the area including deer, turkey & bear. Beautiful
setting and the property has never been timbered!!
$144,900 1848502
Heavily wooded property and an excellent spot
for your hunt camp just across the road from Loon
Lake with trails thru-out, driveway, lots of wildlife
in the surrounding area and 4 hunting blinds!!
$119,900 1818920
Beautiful rolling property, nicely wooded with
electric available, trails, hunting blinds, out-
house, picnic area, firepit, lots of wildlife in the
area and a 1998 29-foot Wildwood camper!!
$105,000 1828040
Fantastic hunting parcel with frontage on Nester
Creek, a hunting blind and trails!! Electric at road, the
driveway is in and there is a large shed that could be
used as your sleeping quarters after a day of hunting!!
$35,000 1851406
Over 10 ACRES, mostly wooded and a 24 foot
camper for sleeping is included plus a hunting
blind! Surrounded by both open areas and woods
with lots of wildlife in the area! Survey on file!!
$24,900 1852622

12.38 WOODED ACRES!!
Beautiful, wooded and rolling property! Partially fenced
with gated driveway. Cement slab, well, septic and elec-
tric panel all set up for your RV or potential bldg site.
Just a short distance to Rifle River and many lakes!!
$44,900 1858615
5 BEAUTIFUL ACRES!!
On paved road in fantastic recreational area and po-
tential site for bldg your new home or getaway. Great
variety of wildlife in the area for the hunter and near the
gorgeous Rifle River for excellent fishing & canoeing!!
$21,900 1851238
LOCATED IN NICE COUNTRYSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD!!
This 7.7 acres would make the perfect place to
build your “Up North” hideway or year round resi-
dence in nice subdivision with underground utilities,
natural gas & more! Adjacent parcel also for sale!!
$59,000 1763263
40 WOODED ACRES!!
Beautiful parcel of land just off of country maintained
road and potential site for your new home or perfect
place for your hunt camp with 1,320 feet also on
Silver Creek for great fishing, including trout!!
$85,000 1855401
ALMOST 164 ACRES!!!!
An entire NW quarter of WOODED property with Hope Creek
flowing thru and fantastic deer hunting as well as small game
and fowl. Rustic one room cabin on property could be your
hunt sleeping quarters for you and your buddies!!
$285,000 1852503

FOR MORE LISTINGS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.CAHANES.COM
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 83
 C oventry R ealty LLC
CAROLE PORRETTA, GRI, BROKER-OWNER
810.678.2288 Office / 231.818.2157 Cell
www.CoventryRealtyLLC.com
CHAPPLE REALTY INC.
YOUR LAKE AND RECREATIONAL PROPERTY CONNECTION!
www.WESTMICHIGANLAKES.com

Spring Into These Opportunities! (269) 623-4058 269-207-3280

118 E Orchard St. Delton MI 49046 Drew Chapple Associate Broker

3695 MERRITT LAKE - $625,000
RE
DU
CE
D!
• 35 woodsy acres on Merritt Lake
• 3000 sq ft custom brick, 3+ car garage
• 3 bed/3.5 bath, 1st floor master suite
• Kitchen w/dbl ovens, granite island
• Oak floors, Pewabic tiles, Trex deck
• Sunken family & living rms, frplscs!
• Custom Oak trim, newels & doors
• Antique hardware, doors, generator!
• LL w/o, fam rm, bath, prep bedr/study
DRYDEN RD VL - $124,900 - $172,900
• 3 Parcels: 24/18/19 acres, wood/pastures
• Metamora Hunt Country-61 acres total
• Perfect for horses, farming or hunting
• Nat’l gas, paved road, schools of choice
• Original family farm with easy commute
LEVALLEY RD VL - $194,000
• 60 acres total! Beautiful wooded parcel
• 58 acre nature preserve w/10 acre lake!
• 2 acre building site on Levalley adjoins
• Private, fruit trees, serene trails, wildlife
• Perfect for photographers/nature lovers!
5675 PHILLIPS – $439,900
NE
W
! rain with Breathtaking views, Hardwood
• Custom-built Red Pine log home
• Beautiful appointments & woodwork
• Spacious kitchen. Hickory cabinets
• Newer appliances & large island
• Bentwood railings, open staircase
• 20 acres with breathtaking views
• 8 acres are hardwoods for hunting
• Morton barn! 42X75, radiant heat
• Horse barn, run-ins, pastures, fenced
BOWERS RD VL - $349,900
• 71+ acres, paved rd, nat’l gas, rolling
• E of Lapeer, close to schools & shopping
• Rent or farm for $3000+ yearly income
• Great Solar Field opportunity in place
• Develop a subdivision or private estate
BALDWIN RD VL - $360,000
• 48 acres! Woods and Centennial trees!
• Ponds and pastures! All split rights
• Paved road, nat’l gas,1900 ft frontage
• For an estate, development or hunting
• Add’l 6+/- acres avail for $67,900
Pleasant Lake, Barry County -
2000' of Pristine Pleasant Lake Frontage
& 35 Acres of Natural Paradise, rolling ter-
Forest, Pine Groves, Spring Fed Pond,
Open fields covered with Wild Flowers
and Native Prairie Grasses. The Stunning
Estate offers 8352 sqft of Spacious Living Area including Main Floor Master Wing, 3
Bedrooms En Suites, 4 Fireplaces, Custom Kitchen, Formal Dining Rm, Great Rm
w/Wet Bar, Game and Billiard Rm w/Kitchenette, Exer-
cise Rm, 5 Car Garage/Heated w/Screened Porch, Boat
House, and 3 Car Garage. The Lake House interior was
designed to enhance the Lake Views from every room in
the house, and Decks give the opportunity to enjoy Na-
ture. Additional Acreage available. Priced @ $1,900,000
(19010447) Call Drew Chapple 269-207-3280
Acreage - Pristine/Picturesque 23-acre Country Estate with
completely restored Turn-of-the-Century Farmhouse & Barns w/
original beams & stone of the 1900's. Property is well suited for
a Hobby Farm, Horse Ranch, Wedding Venue, and A Family’s
Lifetime of Memories. The 3158 sqft Farm House includes 4 Bed-
rooms, 3 Bathrooms, Custom Kitchen w/Maple Cupboards, Rec
Room, Living room w/Wood Stove, and office area. Includes a
32 x 40 Barn w/stable
area, 34 x 38 Barn
Studio/Apt/Office,
and 56 x 30 Pole barn. Additional Acreage
available. Property is a convenient drive
to Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Battle
Creek. Priced @ $589,900 (19008705)
Call Drew Chapple 269-207-3280

Heritage Exclusive Marketing Agents for Northeast

House
RealtyPC
“Personalized Service is the Difference”
Greenbush Resort
With 300 feet on Lake
Huron this resort is a major
destination for many with 11
cottages for rentals and the
main home for you to enjoy
the area as well. This is a
must seize opportunity as
resorts this nice are rarely
for sale.
Michigan Properties
Located in the Heart of the Huron National Forest, on the
Shores of Lake Huron and the banks of the AuSable River
4625 River St
1248 sf, 2 bed 1 bath with
attached garage and soon
completed new roof. Enjoy
all the wildlife that visit the
area daily while still having
the convenience of being in
town. $89,900

519 Lake St London & Goddard Rd

1058 sf, 2 bed, 1.5 bath with
finished 2 car garage.
Enjoy the year round view
of Lake Huron from your
steps or cozy up around the
fireplace and relax. Great
location in town but still feel
like your miles away.
$99,900
744 N US 23
1200 sf, 3 bed, 1 bath with
full basement ant attached
garage, easy access to
Lake Huron and Harrisville.
Enjoy the feeling of being
away from it all while still
having easy access to town.
$110,000
Cedar Lake Rd
37 acres ideal for hunting,
recreation, or just your new
retreat away from it all. Has
private deeded and locked
easement off Cedar Lake
Rd for privacy and security.
Mostly wooded with newly
cleared access. $42,500
123.5 acres at the corner
with plenty of hunting
available, flowing creek,
current farming lease,
woods, fields. All makes for
a great opportunity for the
4215 N US 23, Oscoda upcoming hunting seasons.
Great opportunity in this turn key business. Well $209,950
known Antiques and Furniture store complete
with full inventory offering a unique blend of 840 S Stockton Rd
antiques, new furniture, gently used furniture, 1440 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath with
jewelry, glass ware, cooking supplies, etc., too 61 acres ideal for hunting or
recreating close to trails and
many items to list individually. Excellent state land. As a bonus
customer base and ideal location just outside of includes a standalone guest
town making this a frequent stop of many while house ideal for visitors.
traveling. There are also 10 residential rental $198,500
units and several commercial rental units
allowing for steady, consistent income streams,
with seller financing option, this will cover your 109 E Church St
monthly payment alone. This is one of those 1150 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath with
attached garage and to
purchases that only comes around once and many updates to mention
with all the possibilities that exist for this the here. This is a must see
uses and future are only limited by your home that will not last long.
imagination. Call for your own personal tour . Fenced in yard ideal for
family or pets.
REDUCED $104,900

Call 800-650-5566 - Glennie or 800-982-0102 - Harrisville - www.HeritageHouseRealty.com

84 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
 THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING?
Southern Michigan
Brandon Cropsey 269.816.3010

Mid-Michigan
David Cergnul 989.324.9443

Michigan Land & Lakes

Southeast Michigan America’s Land Specialist
Jim Lochrie 248.840.5668

(office) 269.357.7036 • MOSSYOAKPROPERTIES.COM

LLY IVE
G
ICE ED
TICACED T LD DIN
A S
DR EDU AC SO PEN PR UC
D
R RE

Cass County
Barry County 67.6 +/- acres
99.6 +/- acres List Price $258,400 - An
List Price $549,000 - exceptional mixed use 67.6+/-
Beautiful cabin parcel of ground in Cass County,
overlooking a spring Michigan with EXCELLENT
fed fish pond on Hunting, potential building
rolling wooded sites, and tillable ground
acreage generating farm rent yearly
EACH MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED
Calhoun County
100 acres
List Price $299,000 -
Recreational Paradise
with rolling woods,
a creek, swamp, and
potential building sites
Berrien County
160 acres
List Price $1,699,000 -
1/2+ mile of St. Joseph River
Frontage, 85+/- tillable acres,
nice rolling woods with
timber, and a ranch home
with 3 outbuildings
Ontonagon County
80 +/- acres
List Price $119,000 -
Wooded acreage in the
Western Upper Peninsula
with beautiful turn key
D-style log cabin

BUYING RECREATIONAL LAND:

Winning Over the Non-Hunting Wife
Okay, before I start, let me say I know of
plenty of women who hunt, so what follows is
not based on any gender stereotype. Rather,
it is based on a simple factual observation:
Most buyers of hunting land are men, and
the number one obstacle I encounter to
men purchasing a hunting property is the
lack of buy-in from their wives. Now, I am
not blaming the women for their lack of
buy in – the cluelessness of most men (this
writer included – just ask my wife) deserves
at least an equal share of the blame here. In
the Biblical account of the creation of man
and woman, some have noted that Adam was
created outside the garden of Eden in the
wild and is later placed in the garden by God,
while the woman is created within the garden.
This may be the first clue that as a general
rule (not absolute), there is something about
wilderness that seems to call to the heart of
most men more than to the heart of most
women. For whatever reason, women tend
to be a much harder sell for the purchase of
hunting land than do men.
So I come to the pragmatic for men
looking to buy hunting land and to those
who own it and love investing time and
money managing it. How do you bring your
non-hunting wife along as more of an equal
partner? I offer here some suggestions from
one who has done it mostly wrong. They fall
into three categories: people, passion, and
pampering.
People: In general, women tend to be
more relational than men (Gasp! Really?).
So, a hunting property must account for her
desire to connect with people – children,
grand children, and friends, particularly other
women. This means the hunting property may
have to be located within easy driving range
of activities promoting these relationships
– a lake front beach or a quaint town with
boutique shopping, restaurants, ice cream
stores, putt- putt golf courses can enhance
appeal to young children, teens, or friends.
Or, if not located near these attractions,
sometimes encouraging wives to establish
their own traditions in the woods with friends
may be the trick. A quiet woman’s weekend
away, which may or may not be centered
around activities of interest like art, crafts,
scrapbooking, whatever.
Passion: Passion is the second category.
While your wife may not enjoy hunting, she
may find other ways she enjoys connecting
with nature. Possible activities include fishing,
farming/gardening, planting wildflowers,
bird watching, photography, morel hunting,
berry or apple picking. Or, just getting
away in a quiet place to do some writing,
painting, reading, or walking in the woods
may be something she treasures. The key is
to encourage her to find things she enjoys
doing on the property as much as you enjoy
hunting.
Pampering: The third category is
pampering. Men, don’t forget that even in
the wilds, your wife wants to be treated a bit
like a queen. This may cost you something –
bulldozing the musty old hunting shack and
replacing it with a nice cottage or newer RV
for example. Or installing a sauna or nice
wood burning stove to cozy up an existing
cabin. Plumbing is critical – many men don’t
care that much about hot and cold running
water, showers, and flush toilets. Most women
do. You’ve got to make the place somewhere
she looks forward to relaxing in, a place
where she feels a little pampered.
All this may mean buying a smaller
hunting parcel in order to get the right
location to appeal to your wife, or to leave
enough funds for a nice cottage. This month’s
two featured properties both have the
potential to score points with non-hunting
wives at two different price points. So go
ahead - scheme what it will take to make
your hunting property appeal to your wife
and then give me a call to help you find that
dream place!
WNW NEWS MAY 2019 85
 33 rd Annual Woods-N-Water News

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www.OutdoorWeekend.net
86 MAY 2019 WNW NEWS
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