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Wilma & Bob holding Deb (left)
and Larry (right).
Picture from 1959
Approx. 1955-1962. “Bob’s Supply
Center”. Bob’s store on wheels
before the shop was opened.
April 1963. Bob shown in front of
first addition.
February 1964 - Building at far left
shows original 9x12 with 12x16’
addition. Our home pictured on
the right. Dad always said, “No one
started smaller than we did.”
October 1965. Larry, Sandy &
Debbie shown with our 2nd
expansion.
July 1967 - Wilma shown in gun
department at original location.
1968. Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop
as it appeared from the road
when we opened at our current
location.
Tribute to Bob and Wilma Hayes, founders of Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop
Bob and Wilma Approx. 1990 Approx. 1993. Bob working one of his food plots.
Robert F. Hayes was born July 6,1935 and passed away into the arms of his Savior on Friday, April
19, 2019 surrounded by his family. He was 83 years old. Bob was born in Izard County, Arkansas to
William and Bernice Hayes and moved to Michigan at 2-3 years of age. He was raised on a farm in Robert F. Hayes
Freeport, Michigan along with his 8 younger siblings. He graduated from Middleville schools in 1954. 7/6/35 - 4/19/19
In his youth, Bob and his siblings were expected to work in the fields on the family farm. He also
developed a love and passion for the outdoors. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent as much
time as he could outside, exploring nature. He always described himself as a self-taught hunter and
fisherman.
He went back to Arkansas to visit family friends one summer and met a sweet Arkansas girl named
Wilma Taylor who would become his wife the following year after a brief courtship that consisted of
writing and sending letters to each other up to 2-3 times a week.
After getting married in Arkansas, they moved to Michigan where they eventually started their family.
Dad had been working a full time job at a local factory and was also selling from door to door, earning
money to pay his way through a 2-year sales program at Davenport College and also attended Dale
Carnegie classes. Decades later, he often credited this experience to much of his business success and
would recount certain instructors by name and valuable lessons he learned from them.
It was at this time in 1962 that Dad acted on his dream to combine his love for the outdoors with a
store. He and Wilma erected a tiny 9’x12’ shack with their own hands behind their Freeport area home
and Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop was born. They opened the store with 16 guns, a few boxes of ammo, and
some reloading supplies. Business prospered as they expanded the next year and again 2 years after
that. Bob continued to work the factory job for the first 5 years of the business while Wilma tended the
business and raised their growing family. They put every penny back into the store in those first few years along with whatever they could
contribute from his factory job to build inventory.
Finally, in 1968 they purchased property near Hastings and built a larger facility which is where Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop is located today.
Bob and Wilma worked long hours, often 6-7 days a week for many years to build the business. They endured the loss of a 10 year old
daughter in 1971. Bob lost Wilma to cancer in 1992.
Bob and Wilma both valued hard work and carried the very best of ethics at all times. They made it a point to treat everyone well. To
paraphrase what a long-time friend and former employee once said, “The thing I always appreciated was
you knew no matter what your status was in life, you always got treated the same.” Bob was driven and
didn’t have any quit in him. Although he was tough as nails, he was also kind and loving with a unique
sense of humor. Wilma was gentle and always had a kind word to say. Everyone loved her.
Bob continued hunting and fishing throughout most of his life. He enjoyed his out-of-state hunts and
pursued elk, moose, mule deer, antelope, caribou, and black bear in addition to Michigan whitetails. He also
enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with rod and reel in hand. He was passionate about making improvements to
his property to benefit wildlife. He planted hundreds, perhaps thousands of trees and continually planted
food plots whenever he could.
When Bob was in his 60’s, he decided to semi-retire from working at the store and handed management
responsibilities over to his children. It was during this time that he made the decision to accept Christ
as his Savior. A short time later, Bob was set up on a date by one of his children and eventually married
Geraldine Damm in 2005. Together they enjoyed going to auctions, thrift stores, and local restaurants, with
a daily trip to Bob’s Gun & Tackle Shop to check in and see how things were going.
Eventually Bob developed dementia but was able to live out his remaining years at his home with his wife, Geri and also with several wonderful
caregivers. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma, daughter Sandra, grandson Derek Williams, parents William and Bernice Hayes,
sister Helen, and brothers Kenny and Richard. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, son Larry (Jennifer) Hayes, daughter Debra (James
II) Williams, son Stephen (Jennifer) Hayes, daughter Cynthia (Gregory) Faubert, 19 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Bob is also
survived by brother Raymond (Linda) Hayes, sister Pauline (Mike) Schaendorf, brother David (Vicki) Hayes, sister Lois (Jamie) Carr, sister
Virginia (Ken) Berryhill, brother Michael (Sue) Hayes and many nieces and nephews.
To Bob and
Wilma, our
parents; we
miss you both 2 Miles West of Hastings
On M-37 & M-43
dearly. 2208 W. M-43 Hwy., Hastings, MI
269/945-4106
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 3
 By Tom Campbell Great finds from
SHED HUNTERS Oakland County.

FIELD NOTES
A deer nicknamed
Broadway was
found last year, an
11-pt. that scored

M
180-plus found by
y first shed find was prob-
ably like many others, RARE Larry Piotrowski (rt)
and a 9-pt., 183
unintentional. I was turkey
hunting near Hubbard Lake some 20
BIRD B.C. shed found
this year by Mike
years ago, using a deer trail to get Persichini. Oakland
through a thick area and there laid County rocks!
a matching set of 8-pt. sheds. Since
then I’ve spent numerous hours Gunnar
searching for sheds and never found
anything as nice. Miller
Seems I remember on that same and Drew
hunt, in the morning darkness, set- Geiger
ting up on a roosted gobbler once the
sun came up I noticed I was sur- with a
rounded by morel mushrooms! But ‘truck full’
check out these shed finders to the
right, amazing stuff and great photos of great
Terry Lancaster not only took
as well. his first turkey, it was a rare finds!
Speaking of turkey hunting,
there’s still time to get in on the
bearded hen, with rare color-
action, the season runs through the ing... a smoky-gray! He was
end of May and you can purchase a hunting Callhoun Co. this
tag over-the-counter. There certainly
seems to be some trophy toms out
there. We have a new state archery
spring and felt like he won
the lottery! Public comment opportunities available on
record bird already taken by Ross
Aldrich (see his story on page 38).
had a problem arise last month and
thought our readers would learn DNR recommended deer regulation changes
And Terry Lancaster’s first turkey; a from it. He took venison meat to The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has recommended a series
rare smoky-gray, bearded hen. have some sausage made as his first of deer regulation changes for the upcoming fall hunting seasons, which the
Need a place to turkey hunt? The batch ran out over the long winter Michigan Natural Resources Commission will be discussing over the next three
DNR now has four Turkey Tracts months. At the processers he was months.
with the opening of a new one in told his test specimen number did Several opportunities for public comment will be available before the com-
Oakland Co. near Holly. Turkey not show up on the DNR/LAB mission makes decisions expected in July. There are changes proposed state-
Tracts are designed to highlight site. Steve has taken his deer in to wide and for both of Michigan’s peninsulas individually.
public hunting areas where inten- be tested the past two years. So he The recommendations range from a baiting and feeding ban proposed for
sive habitat management for turkeys called the number on the lab stub the Core Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Area in the Upper Peninsula
has been conducted. Management and was told the DNR resets the and a moderate increase in U.P. antlerless deer licenses, to redefining bait to
practices include timber harvest, site at the beginning of the year, so exclude natural or synthetic food-scented materials not consumed by deer and
selective use of herbicides, invasive his number could not be accessed. moving the Liberty Hunt to the second weekend in September to avoid poten-
species treatment and removal, and Lucky for Steve the processer had tial conflicts between hound bear hunters and youth deer hunters.
prescribed fire. The other three tracts records and remembered him when Find out more on the proposed antlerless deer license quotas in the U.P.,
are in Allegan, Berry and Flat River. he went back with the information and the remaining proposed Wildlife Conservation Order changes, which were
Last chance to apply for bear and let him have his sausage made. offered to the NRC for information only at the commission’s May 9 meeting in
and/or elk license. The application From now on Steve will make sure Lansing.
period for 2019 bear and elk hunting he keeps a copy of the website page “Most any time changes are proposed to deer hunting regulations in Michi-
ends June 1. For more information results. He doesn’t understand why gan, you can count on a great deal of interest from hunters across the state,”
Michigan.gov/Bear and Michigan. he was never told about this over the said DNR Wildlife Division chief Russ Mason. “It is very important hunters
gov/Elk. have opportunities for their voices to be heard on what we are recommending
last two years. And now everyone
Long time reader Steve Melchert before any decisions are made.”
will know. Thanks Steve.n The following is a list of upcoming opportunities to offer public comment:
By email: NRC@michigan.gov or by mail: Michigan Natural Resources Com-
SEASONS mission, P.O. 30028, Lansing, MI 48909-7528
• May 22, 2019: Upper Peninsula DNR Listening Session: 1-3 p.m. EDT.
Open All Year – Pike and walleye season on Lower Peninsula Great Lakes, Lake Michigan Technological University, Memorial Union Building, Ballroom A,
St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers Houghton. Comments will be recorded and provided to the NRC. NRC Chair-
Open All Year – Salmon and trout season on Great Lakes, St. Marys River, woman Vicki Pontz is scheduled to be in attendance.
Lake St. Clair & St. Clair & Detroit Rivers
Open All Year – Catch-and-immediate-release bass season on all Michigan
• May 22, 2019: DNR Western Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Coun-
waters open to fishing cil meeting: 5:30-8 p.m. EDT, Michigan Technological University, Memorial
Now - December 31 – 2020 Pure Michigan Hunt application period Union Building, Ballroom A, Houghton. A brief update from the May 9 NRC
Now - June 1 – Michigan elk and bear application period meeting will be presented, along with other topics. Public comment on all top-
Now - May 31 – Spring turkey hunting with various hunt units and dates. ics occurs during this regularly scheduled meeting.
Now - March 15 – Walleye, pike season on Lower Peninsula inland waters. • June 10: Upper Peninsula DNR Listening Session: 2-4 p.m. EDT. Munis-
Now - Sept. 30 – Salmon and trout Inland type 1 and 2 streams and type A and ing Township Hall, Wetmore. Comments will be recorded and provided to the
D lakes NRC. NRC Commissioner Dave Nyberg is scheduled to be in attendance.
Now - March 15 – Walleye, pike season on Upper Peninsula Great Lakes, • June 10: DNR’s Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Council meet-
inland waters and St. Marys River.
May 25 - Dec. 31 – Bass catch and keep season on all waters, including Great
ing: 6-8:30 p.m. EDT, Munising Township Hall, Wetmore. A brief update from
Lakes except Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and Detroit River. the May 9 NRC meeting will be presented, along with other topics. Public com-
June 1 - March 15 – Muskie season on all Great Lakes, inland waters and St. ment on all topics occurs during this regularly scheduled meeting.
Marys River. • June 13, 2019: Public Comment to the Michigan Natural Resources Com-
June 1 - Dec. 31 – Muskie season on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair River and Detroit mission: Detroit Zoological Society, 8450 West Ten Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI.
River. • July 11, 2019: Public Comment to the Michigan Natural Resources
June 15 - Dec. 31 – Bass catch and keep season on Lake St. Clair, St. Clair Commission: MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 4125 Beaumont Road,
River and Detroit River. Lansing, MI
*Consult the Michigan Hunting and Trapping Digests, Fishing Digest, or other species- For more information on the Michigan Natural Resources Commission
specific hunting digests for a more complete list of dates and regulations regarding each
season or hunt period. visit: Michigan.gov/NRC or for more on deer, go to Michigan.gov/Deer. To find
4 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
more about chronic wasting disease see Michigan.gov/CWD.
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 5

Bow State Record
GOBBLER
Ross Aldrich...page 38
HUNTING
STANDING CORN
Deer hunters’ friend or foe?
John Eberhart page 18
COVER STORY...
Michigan Pheasant Hunting
Initiative creates pheasant
release program
page 27
Joel’s big buck
Guest Column page 40
BOONER BEAR
Richard P. Smith page 41
Whitetail activity,
patterns and vision
John Ozoga page 45
Using birds in training
Len Jenkins page 52
The Phantom Phenomenon
Dave Kushman page 58
FISHING
POWER TROLLING
for summertime walleye
Mark Romanack page 8
Coaster Brook Trout
fishery in the U.P.
Bill Ziegler page 14
COVER STORY...
Atlantic salmon of
Detour Passage
Mark Romanack page 22
COVER PHOTO
Atlantic Salmon...Mark Romanack
Pheasant and Decoys...MDNR
Deer Feeding...Richard P. Smith
6 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Next Bite...Is live bait dead? Michigan Outside...
Gary Parsons/Keith Kavajecz Trail running for fun and fitness PERSPECTIVE
page 26 Drew YoungeDyke page 24
COVER STORY...
Jika or Zeeka Archery Competitions and Keweenaw couple inherits
Dave Mull page 30 extinct elk antlers found deer feeding responsibilities
Randy Jorgensen page 32 Richard P. Smith page 28
Walleyes and Worms
Mark Martin page 42 Confessions of a frog lover FATHER’S DAY
Jonathan Schechter page 36 Tom Carney page 34
Top water bass
George Rowe page 44 TRAIL CAM PAGE...64 OPINIONS
Fish Marquette County Sporting Collectibles... Comparing Michigan’s
John Bergsma page 54 Readers questions and answers deer hunting numbers
Terry McBurney page 80 Mike Veine page 66
The schemes of fishermen
Calvin McShane page 60
Try these... On guard for 20 years
Sturgeon for Tomorrow
WALLEYE WATERS
Kenny Darwin page 70
Spring sucker festival the
Talaski Family way
Tom Lounsbury page 72
Flood Stage Steelheads
Mike Gnatkowski page 74
FEATURE
MICHIGAN MEANDERS Rick Fowler...page 78
A hotbed for world-class whittlers
Tom Huggler page 16
Dear Fish Diary...
NEWS A whole different kind of fishing
Ron St. Germain page 67
Oak Wilt Fungus
Oak trees...trees of life? A new generation
William Drews page 39 of hunters and anglers
Mark Sak page 68
COVER STORY...
Protecting natural resources
is everybody’s business! GUNS/AMMO
Katie Gervasi-MDNR page 46
GUN CHAT...Fishing guns?
Demanding deer season for COs Lee Arten page 55
Jeff Pendergraff page 50
Black Powder Turkeys
Stewart receives RGS award Darryl Quidort page 62
page 61
SMALLIE BOOM Wild mushroom season
Black Powder Shooting Sports
Living as our forefathers did
Kenny Darwin...page 12 page 66 Dennis Neely page 76
JUNE 2019
Woods-n-Water News
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 7

 Power trolling
For summertime walleye...
T
he trend in walleye
crankbaits these
days is heading in
a very predictable
direction. Min-
now divers like the
popular Rapala Deep Diving Husky
Jerk, Reef Runner 800 series, Bandit
5/8 Walleye and Berkley Flicker
Minnows are driving the show.
These select minnow profile baits
and a few others are popular be-
cause they catch fish day in and day
out. No surprises here.
When new crankbait models are
introduced, it’s these popular baits
that are being emulated. In fact, if
you look closely it’s not just emulat-
ing that is going on here. It seems
that the fishing industry is more
adapted to duplicating what already
exists rather than designing new and
unique products.
Minnow divers are for sure the
category of “walleye crankbaits”
most manufacturers are focusing
on. The growing popularity
of trolling crankbaits early
and late in the year is the
driving force behind the
increasing sales of these
lures.
The irony is that while
every manufacturer of
crankbaits seems com-
By Mark Romanack
pletely focused
on building
subtle action
baits designed for cool to cold water
trolling applications, no one seems
interested in building crankbaits
that catch walleye in the warmer
periods of the year. The irony here is
because walleye trolling with crank-
baits used to be primarily about high
action lures designed to be trolled
fast and in warm water. How times
have changed.
Having spent more than 30
years trolling for walleye on places
like Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie
has taught me a thing or two. Just
because trolling crankbaits in cold
water is currently what’s popular
doesn’t mean that walleye can’t be
caught trolling crankbaits in warmer
waters.
On the contrary, it could be
argued that catching walleye on
crankbaits in the late spring and
summer months is easier than get-
ting these fish to bite cranks in cold
water. The big advantage here is
that in the warmer times of the year,
walleye are more active and burn
through the food they consume more
8 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
quickly. That means that walleye in
the summer months are forced to
feed literally every day.
What Exactly Are High
Action Crankbaits
When talking about crankbaits,
I find it useful to describe them in
four distinctive categories includ-
ing stickbaits, minnow divers, shad
baits and high action baits. Stick-
baits are shallow diving minnows
or what bass fishermen would call
a “jerkbait,” while minnow divers
are deeper diving minnow profiles.
Shad baits are just that, bait profiles
designed to imitate gizzard shad,
thread fin shad, lake herring and
other short and compact baitfish.
High action cranks are a com-
pletely different category of lures
that are defined by the wide and well
defined side-to-side wobble these
baits generate. Some anglers might
go so far as to say that high action
cranks are actually “bass baits”
because most of the lures in
this category have a better
reputation for catching bass
than walleye.
Perhaps thinking of
high action crankbaits as
bass baits is helpful, but a
lot of these lures were actu-
ally designed to catch cold
water species
like lake trout,
salmon, steel-
head and brown
trout. So as not to confuse anglers
any more than necessary, let’s sim-
ply say that high action crankbaits
do a great job of catching both warm Summer time is crankbait trolling time if you know how to select the right
and cold water species. baits, colors and where summer walleye are going to be found. Jake
We can also say with confidence Romanack of Fishing 411 TV caught this nice walleye on Lake Erie by
that high action cranks produce best keeping his crankbaits in contact with the bottom.
in warmer waters and also when
trolled at faster speeds. This makes Also, the sound lures produce adds up to crankbaits that are excep-
perfect sense because as the water is a big issue regarding high ac- tionally effective at certain times of
begins to warm, predatory species tion crankbaits. High action cranks year.
like walleye become more active produce much more sound underwa-
and more willing to chase down Water Clarity Matters
ter than other crankbait styles. This Anyone who has fished crank-
desirable prey species. occurs because the faster and wider baits extensively will tell you that
Digging A Little Deeper wobbling action causes the hooks the best crankbait bites occur not
Now that we understand the to aggressively bang off the body of in clear water, but rather in various
different categories of crankbaits, the lure. It’s simply amazing how stages of stained water conditions.
the question still remains why do much noise is created simply by the Clear water simply allows fish to
high action baits perform better hooks striking the plastic body of see too much detail. Any way you
than stickbaits, minnow divers and the lure. slice it, crankbaits have a “mechani-
shad baits at certain times of year. It’s also true that high action cal action” that under close scrutiny
I think the answer to this question cranks routinely feature rattle cham- can easily be determined as a “fake”
comes down largely to action, but bers whereas many other styles of rather than the real McCoy.
other factors are involved. Fish that crankbaits do not have pronounced Stained water sets up a com-
are active and feeding aggressively sound chambers. The combination
are attracted to baits that have more of lures that produce an aggressive
action. action and more fish attracting noise Power Trolling page 10
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 9
Power Trolling:
from page 8
pletely different scenario. In stained
water fish can see things pretty well,
but not so well that fish can make
out fine-tuned details. Stained water
works in the angler’s favor as it al-
lows fish to be attracted from a con-
siderable distance, but at the same
time prevents them from enjoying
the benefits of closely scrutinizing
a bait. In this situation fish become
reactionary and either hit the bait as
it goes by or let it go.
Unfortunately, water clarity is a
slippery slope. When water condi-
tions are too clear, fishing becomes
tough and when water clarity condi-
tions become too dirty fishing is
also bad. Like Goldilocks, the “just
right” water clarity conditions for
fishing crankbaits is water that is
lightly to heavily stained.
Guys who fish crankbaits a lot
will tell you that if you can look out
the back of your boat and barely see
the prop on your outboard, those are
nearly ideal water clarity conditions.
Stained water is most common in
the summertime when energy from
the sun produces plankton blooms
that turn the water a nice shade of
green.
Exceptions to the Rule
The thing with fishing is for
every rule of the road, there are
exceptions to those rules. In dirty
water crankbaits can be surprisingly
effective at times. A good example
of this is when fishing in rivers.
Because rivers routinely have color
to the water, fish like walleye get
accustomed to feeding in situations
where visibility is limited.
The same is true of impound-
ments and natural lakes that natural-
ly have heavily stained water condi-
tions. In regions where the soil make
up is mostly clay, fine sediment is
constantly suspended in the water.
In these waters, fish become highly
skilled at feeding without the benefit
of clear sight. Instead, they use their
lateral line sense to hunt down for-
age fish and feed effectively.
High Action
Walleye Baits?
A number of high action crank-
baits do an excellent job of trig-
gering walleye into savage strikes.
Perhaps the most noteworthy
example takes place on the Western
Basin of Lake Erie. During May,
June and early July when white bass
and white perch are a huge problem,
charter captains in the know switch
out to the 3/8 ounce Original Storm
Wiggle Wart and speed up their
trolling speeds.
The Wiggle Wart has a very ag-
gressive action and is stable enough
10 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
When power trolling, the author likes to set up his boat to feature a sonar/GPS unit at the back of the boat.
The kicker motor does the lion share of the trolling chores in the summer time, but when the fish are active
the author also trolls using his primary outboard. The G2 Evinrude features digital throttle control that allows
the engine RPMs to be controlled to create precise trolling speeds. Not many V6 outboards these days will idle
down slow enough to be useful for trolling chores.
to be trolled at speeds fast enough
to out distance non-target fish like
white bass, white perch, drum and
even sub-legal sized walleye. Every
Western Basin Captain I know uses
the Wiggle Wart to make their life
easier and to box limit catches of
Western Basin walleye.
The problem here is that the best
lures are the ones that were made
prior to Storm selling out to Ra-
pala. Those original baits are highly
coveted by anglers who own them
and hard to find these days. Those
anglers who are willing to sell origi-
nal 3/8 ounce Wiggle Warts want
from $10 to $20 each depending on
the color.
Also in the Storm Lures cat-
egory, the 1/4 ounce and 3/8 ounce
Rattle Tot are excellent high action
lures. While these original lures are
a little easier to find than the Wiggle
Wart, the baits produced by Storm
prior to Rapala buying them are
considered by many of us to be the
superior crankbaits.
Perhaps the most productive
high action crankbait to hit the mar-
ket in recent years is the Mag Lip
series by Yakima Bait. The Mag Lip
could be described as a FlatFish on
steroids because these lures have the
same distinctive side-to-side wobble
of the classic FlatFish, but the
Mag Lip can tolerate a much wider
variety of trolling speeds. Mag Lip
3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 all tolerate trolling
speeds from just one MPH on the
slow side, to 4.0 MPH making them
ideally suited for warm water troll-
ing applications.
Ironically, the Mag Lip was
designed as a plug for cold water
species like salmon, lake trout, steel-
head and brown trout. This is one of
the few lures that could be described
as an effective “cross-over” as it
catches warm water species like
walleye as readily as it does cold
water species.
Mag Lip plugs are hand tuned
making them deadly effective right
out of the package. This is also one
of the few lures on the market that
feature a built-in “skip beat” or
“hunting” action that causes the bait
to blow out momentarily before re-
gaining control. This unpredictable
change in action sends a message
-- “it’s getting away” -- triggering a
strike response in the process.
Other high action crankbaits
worth noting include the Brad’s
Wiggler, Luhr Jensen KwikFish
K9, Salmo Hornet No. 6 and the
Rapala Shad Dancer No. 5. All of
these baits have that wide wobble
and distinctive vibration that turns
on walleye in warm water trolling
situations.
Stay in Contact
If you talk to any bass angler
who routinely fishes crankbait he
will tell you that a crankbait should
be kept in contact with the bottom,
weeds, wood, rock or some other
cover type. In the world of walleye
fishing, crankbaits are most often
used to target suspended fish.
High action cranks can be used
to target suspended fish, but they
shine best when fished in contact
with bottom or cover that is holding
fish. Nothing is quite as desirable
as a crankbait that appears out of
nowhere, bounces off rocks or tears
through weed cover.
This is how and why high ac-
tion crankbaits trigger such savage
strikes. When trolling crankbaits
for walleye it’s typical for fish to
be lip hooked only by the back
treble hook. When using high action
crankbaits it’s common for fish to
have the whole bait crammed down
their gullet. This occurs because
reactionary strikes tend to be more
savage than the strike from a wall-
eye that has been leisurely following
a bait.
Hooks Matter
The final piece of the puzzle
when fishing high action crankbaits
is to pay attention to hooks. Most
lures feature factory hooks that are
not exactly as “razor sharp” as they
could be. The answer is to either
take the time to hand file hooks to
a razor edge or switch out factory
hooks for premium after-market
hooks.
The Eagle Claw Trokar is widely
considered to be the sharpest hook
ever built. Even better, these hooks
are the only ones made in America
to exacting standards simply not
possible with other hook brands.
Eagle Claw produces two dif-
ferent kinds of Trokar treble hooks
including the TK300, a round bend
hook, and the TK310, a wide bend
style hook. Both are made from a
stronger wire than most treble hooks
which means they hold up to heavy
use without bending at the worst
possible moment.
Final Thoughts
Most of the crankbaits hitting
the market these days are minnow
divers or stickbaits designed for
delivering a subtle action for slow
trolling applications in cold water
conditions. During the summer
months when water temperatures
are warm and walleye become very
active, high action crankbaits and
faster trolling speeds deliver better
success. If it has been awhile since
you trolled crankbaits in the sum-
mertime, it might be a good idea
to dust off some of those lures you
haven’t used in years and crank up
that kicker motor a notch or two.
Summertime is crankbait time
if you know what crankbaits get the
job done on walleye.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 11
 MICHIGAN’S

SMALLIE
BOOM
I
By Kenny Darwin found near Bolles
could
see the
fish
hugging bottom in 30 feet
of water straight out from
Acme Creek in East Grand
Traverse Bay. I dropped my goby
imitation tube to the bottom, let it
pause waiting for a bite, gave it a
hop or two then inched the wiggly
soft plastic across the sand near a
big boulder. All of a sudden I had
a violent arm jolting strike and
instinctively set the hook. I could
tell the fish was big because it
sulked near bottom, violently shook
its head in an attempt to shake the
hook, then sprinted directly away
from my Minn Kota bow mounted
motor and stripped line off the drag.
For a second I thought it was a big
lake trout but when I pumped back
line the fish zoomed from bottom,
sulked 15 feet below the boat then
charged my craft and leaped out of
the water sending droplets of water
in a huge rainbow before crash-
ing down and immediately leaping
again.
This was no laker, it was a
Michigan trophy smallmouth bass
fresh from the depths of the Great
Lakes. When it neared the boat I
was in awe of its size highlighted
by a rotund beer belly, large tiger
striped colors and bright red eye.
This anecdote best describes the
fantastic trophy smallmouth bass
fishing on Michigan’s Great Lakes
and connecting waterways. Put sim-
ply, we have the hottest bronzeback
honey holes in North America.
Here’s where and why.
basin hotspots are
Harbor and the
dumping grounds where fish congre-
gate near the uneven bottom once
known as a walleye mecca. Now the
uneven bottom provides a smal-
lie oasis highlighted by water that
warms quickly with rocky humps
that attract gobies, baitfish and tre-
mendous smallies.
Erie smallies are large and it
takes a five-pound average to place
in local tournaments. The trick is
to focus on natural and man-made
structures. Wind, current and water
clarity are important factors influ-
encing catch. Look for fish to con-
gregate where currents brush past
structure and pool baitfish.
A variety of baits fool Erie smal-
lies but most anglers use heavy jigs
tipped with soft plastics or Berkley
Powerbait. Savvy anglers work
presentations fast when searching
for fish in deep water. Many anglers The author is convinced Michigan’s booming smallmouth population
have 50 fish days casting plastics. will provide trophy six to eight-pound unbelievable huge brown fish.
Modern smallie chasers cast tubes
and pop ’em along bottom, resem- Connecting Lake Erie and Lake with spinning outfits. Savvy anglers
bling a goby. Huron, this bronzeback mecca hosts use 3/8 oz. tungsten weights to
More recently anglers prefer fantastic numbers and impressive maintain bottom contact and feel. A
drop shot tactics and whacky op- size. Catching four-pounders is variety of soft plastics attract small-
tions that are very popular including standard size and five or six-pound ies on the hunt for minnows, gobies,
Kalin’s Wac-O Worm, Jackall Cross pigs are common. At one time the sculpins and crayfish. Try a Gamak-
Tail Shad, and Strike King Half fishery was leveling off but recent atsu football 24 jig with Zoom Fat
Shell worm, Berkley Gulp Min- hatching of baitfish populations has Albert Grub and don’t overlook the
now, Z-Man Hula StickZ and Realis caused St. Clair’s smallie population smallie catching power of a Lunker
V-Tail Shad. When Great Lakes to boom. City Fin-S head and Hydrotail grub.
waves get rockin’ some anglers drag
Lake Huron
Miles of weeds and riprap is
bottom while drifting downwind. home to a tremendous sport fishery
Others hop, swim or diddle plastics close to metro Detroit. Hard charg- Much of Lake Huron offers
across bottom to get the attention of ing bronzeback go nuts for tubes prime smallmouth habitat with
big water tigers on the prowl. in an assortment of goby colors endless jagged points, islands, reefs

Erie Lake St. Clair

From the mouth of the Detroit
River to West Sisters Island there
is a rich smallmouth bass fishery.
Savvy anglers target the rocky
shoals along the river outlet and
huge rock piles all along the Banana
Dike. Some anglers cast to the rocky
shore near the nuke plant and work
the humpy, bumpy rocks straight
out from Stony Point. Other western
12 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Many claim this is the world’s
greatest smallmouth fishery. There
is no place quite like it and the large
bass numbers are simply over-the-
top unbelievable, and impressive
trophy fish come daily. Lake St.
Clair is an ideal summer fishery
and hosts thousands of bass anglers
throughout the dog days of summer
when other fisheries fall flat.
dragged along bottom. On days
when fish are aggressive, popping
a tube a few inches off bottom can
be the ticket, although a sweep-
ing retrieve works best. Casting
short billed cranks produces savage
strikes from smallies suspended
above the weeds in 10-18 feet of
water. Some anglers cast Strike
King KVD 300 series jerkbaits
through the vegetation. Once fish
are located, switch to drop-shot rigs
and massive quantities of gobies,
sculpin and crayfish. While alewife
and smelt numbers are still stum-
bling after the federal government
overstocked millions of lake trout
and destroyed the forage base, goby
numbers are still on the rise. Smal-
lies throughout Lake Huron are fat
and sassy from burgeoning food
sources and numbers of trophy fish
are booming at a monumental rate.
Gobies can be found throughout
Lake Huron and smallmouth bass
prefer ambush points where they
can feed undisturbed.
Most smallie chasers prefer the
rocky shore found north of Harri-
son, but they are overlooking some
hotspots found along Point AuGres,
Point Lookout, Alabaster, and the
huge boulders all around the Charity
Islands. Savvy fishermen concen-
trate on the flats between big Char-
ity and Gull Island highlighted by a
huge rock cluttered sand bar, jagged
points and boulders the size of a
kitchen table. Long distance casting
with grubs and tubes to boulder hide
outs produce unbelievable catches
of monster smallies in the four-
to-six-pound class. Some anglers
prefer to work the shoreline of the
Thumb from Caseville to Port Hope.
Limit catches and fantastic bassin’
action awaits those who find rocky
structure and work plastics around
large boulders.
Lake Huron’s shallow shore
mixed with rocks, jagged points and
ideal structure is a boon to wading
anglers in search of record book
smallies. One well known hotspot is
found along the Tawas Point State
Park, which is a long point jetting
into Lake Huron. The huge structure
provides calm conditions from the
rolling waves and impressive num-
bers of brown bass are available on
both sides of the point. This massive
sand flat found on the inside loop of
the long point is home to schools of
bass patrolling the edge of the struc-
ture. Fishermen wade the shallows
and make long casts to huge smal-
lies going airborne on the hookset
and provide spectacular action. This
is a fly fisherman’s paradise with
wide open spaces, huge flats and a
beautiful environment resembling
Bahama sandflats.
From Alpena all the way to
Cheboygan is fast becoming the
smallie capital of Lake Huron with
its endless rock outcrops, jagged
reefs, islands, bays and ideal smallie
habitat. Hotspots are many but don’t
overlook Thunder Bay Island, Sugar
Island, Scarecrow Island, Sulphur
Island, Partridge Point, North Point,
Crooked Island and many more.
Thunder Bay and the entire coast
going north offers refuge from pre-
vailing westerly winds and anglers
can enjoy fishing by wading or boat.
Some prefer to wade and cast to
large smallies finning around struc-
ture in Misery Bay, Potter Point,
Huron Bay and Morris Bay.
The trick is to pinpoint the
structure holding fish and make
long casts using relatively light
line. Northern Huron’s crystal clear
water helps you to locate those four-
pound-plus hawgs, but sight fishing
for trophy smallies requires long
casting, use of polarized sunglasses
to cut water glare and six to eight-
pound fluorocarbon line used with is fantastic smallmouth fishing all and don’t think for a minute I don’t
spinning gear. Some anglers prefer along the Lake Michigan coast enjoy a drift boat ride down the
casting whacky rigged Senkos or from Benton Harbor north but I’ve Grand River in summer casting flies
green pumpkin grubs. The opportu- had the best luck in drowned river and tubes and landing hundreds
nity to land a seven-pound monster mouths. The lower Kalamazoo of smallies in the Portland region.
in shallow water can get your heart River is a good bet and Muskegon I love the solid tap of a bronze-
beating and when a monster goes Lake and pier head can be red hot. back when I’m jigging for monster
airborne I guarantee you will be I’ve seen massive numbers school walleyes on the mighty Detroit
back for more. between the narrow pier heads at River in early spring. Smallies are
Pentwater, Ludington and Frankfort. fast becoming the fish of choice for
Traverse Bay But the best fishing exists north of
Empire all along the rocky coast of
many anglers statewide and many
are bent on landing bigger and
Years ago savvy Michigan
fishermen discovered techniques Glen Arbor, Port Oneida, Shelda more fish over four-pounds. Don’t
for shallow wading and deep water Creek outlet in Good Harbor Bay wait until the fall bite to experience
casting for eight-pound huge small- and Carp River Point near Leland. I trophy fishing throughout the Great
ies in the Grand Traverse area. That love those hawgs hiding in the cre- Lakes. Now’s the time to go, during
fishery is still alive and growing in vasses and shadowy lairs under the summer when weather is ideal and
leaps and bounds. Recent high water huge boulders all along the Leland you can experiment with different
has increased the habitat for both jetties. presentations, seek out new destina-
smallies and massive numbers of Smallmouth bass populations tions and sample some of the best
gobies, crayfish, baitfish and sculpin are booming all across Michigan smallie action in North America.n
which is the primary food source for
Traverse bass. Both bays pool warm
water and the overall biomass is
ideal for smallies and populations of
bottom dwelling gobies. Huge bron-
zeback exceeding five-pounds are
common in this smallmouth para-
dise available to those who wade the
many flats, stalk fish along the shore
or cast in deep water.
I’ve caught smallie at the mouth
of the Boardman River to Bower’s
Harbor all the way to Old Mission
Point and Suttons Bay. But my
favorite area is the huge flats and
beautiful blue waters found on the
extreme southern end of East Arm
Grand Traverse Bay. I prefer to
launch near Acme creek and begin
early morning trips by casting the
flats and drop off using grubs and
whacky worms.
Then as the sun gets bright
I move to deeper water past the
drop-off where smallies congregate
around boulders and slight changes
in bottom structure. My hottest pre-
sentation is a 3/4 ounce tube jig with
soft plastic green pumpkin color.
Deep water smallies tend to follow
your offering as it ticks bottom and
resembles a goby puffing up sand.
Coaxing strikes can be somewhat
difficult if wave action is bouncing
your boat but detecting strikes is
no problem. Deep smallies require
a second or third hook set in order
to get the barb in their maw. They
strike with such a vengeance they
slam their jaws shut on the tube
making it difficult to get a solid
hook up.
The great thing about the Tra-
verse smallmouth fishery is often the
bays are calm and easy to fish when
winds are howling out on Lake
Michigan. Bower’s Harbor protects
you from east winds and the East
Shore Drive area is flat calm during
a west blow. Dog days of summer
may push big hawgs deep but winds
from the north can bump ’em back Smallie guru, Joe Bauer, with an impressive lunker trophy fish from
to the warm water shallows. Lake St. Clair. He uses primarily three techniques: casting tubes,
Now don’t get me wrong there whacky rigs and cranking shallow diver hard baits.
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 13
 Recent Research...
Pilgrim River typically in the spring
and are staying there in the summer
season.”
The researcher is tracking the
tagged brook trout with a series
of antenna stations at the Pilgrim
River and its mouth at Portage Lake.
When the marked fish moves past
the antenna station his equipment
records the specific fish and its
location. The PIT tag allows them to
follow individual fish as they move

Coaster brook trout fishery in the U.P.

around in the stream system and
out-migrate. Adams has commonly
observed brook trout movements
through stream reaches that have
fewer protective regulations, noting

A
that some coasters are vulnerable
to overharvest since they reside at
brook trout that trout spawned and lived part of their by fisheries management agencies times in waters having a seven inch
migrated from tribu- lives in 106 Lake Superior tributary and trout enthusiasts in taking steps minimum size limit for brook trout.
tary streams to Lake streams.
Superior was his- Coaster brook trout were very
torically reported vulnerable to exploitation (especial-
as widespread and ly angling and netting) and reported-
common. This type of lake run ly coaster numbers rapidly declined
brook trout was referred to in many areas of Lake
as a “coaster” by anglers. Superior in the late 1800s.
The mystique is great with Coasters first declined in
this variation of the native the most accessible areas of
brook trout because they Lake Superior. Reportedly,
can grow to a large size. coasters within 30 miles of
The classic fisheries text Marquette were “fished out”
Fresh Water Fishes of Can- by 1865. Intensive logging
ada reports a 14.5-pound in the watersheds and bar-
brook trout (coaster) was riers like dams in tributary
caught in the Nipigon
River of Ontario in By Bill Ziegler streams to Lake Su-
perior also degraded
1915. According to coaster spawning and
the Great Lakes Fishery Commis- nursery habitat. Coaster brook trout
sion’s ‘Brook Trout Rehabilitation were reduced to a few streams of
Plan for Lake Superior,’ historical Lake Superior by the mid-1900s.
evidence indicates coaster brook There has been renewed interest
to rehabilitate this coaster fishery in Unfortunately, the unprecedent-
Lake Superior tributary streams. Re- ed flood that occurred last June 17,
searchers, led by Dr. Casey Huckins, 2018 did considerable damage to
at Michigan Technological Universi- the infrastructure of the Houghton
ty (MTU) have been conducting re- area along with the Michigan Tech
search for a number of years. More antenna recording stations on the
recently, Michigan Tech graduate Pilgrim River. All of the recording
student Christopher Adams is lead- stations were destroyed, which was
ing a collaborative project follow- a big blow to this important but
ing coaster brook trout movement limited budget project. The Michi-
and behavior and habitat. Adams is gan Tech coaster study has received
also studying other factors like food financial support from the Copper
sources and river discharge that may Country, Fred Waara and Kalama-
affect brook trout movement in and zoo Valley Chapters of Trout Unlim-
out of the Pilgrim River in Hough- ited. Chris has been able to replace
ton County. Over 800 brook trout three of his antenna stations on the
have been PIT tagged in this study Pilgrim River and is looking to find
effort so far. Adams has documented funding to completely replace the
regular movements between brook other station. In addition, if fund-
trout from the Pilgrim River to and ing becomes available in the future
from Portage-Torch Lake, which is MTU researchers hope to study the
connected to Lake Superior. coaster brook trout recovery in other
Christopher Adams of Michigan Tech University holding a nice coaster Adams said the regular trout Lake Superior streams.
brook trout captured and PIT tagged and released on the Pilgrim River. movement between the Pilgrim Troy Zorn, Michigan DNR
Adams’ research study indicates there is a good population of coaster and the Portage Lake Waterway fisheries research biologist, said the
brook trout moving in and out of the Pilgrim River to the Por tage Water- “suggests that a coaster brook trout DNR had implemented protective
way and likely Lake Superior. Above right; The Pilgrim River and Houghton population persists. The rate of out- regulations on the Michigan Lake
area experienced a massive rain event and flood on June 17, 2018 that migration (brook trout leaving the Superior tributary streams and that
destroyed considerable local infrastructure. Here a road stream crossing river to Portage Waterway) gener- was their highest probability of
on the Pilgrim River near one of Michigan Tech University’s coaster brook ally increases after the fall spawn- reestablishing coaster brook trout.
trout antenna stations was completely washed out. ing period. The trout return to the The new regulations are a relatively
14 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
high minimum size limit (MSL) and
bag limit of one on all brook trout,
splake, or lake trout in the defined
lower sections of eight streams.
Zorn said “this is the same regu-
lation that was producing positive
results on coasters in Minnesota.”
The regulation affects the Pilgrim,
Silver, Slate, Ravine, Big Huron,
Little Huron, Iron (Lake Inde-
pendence outlet), and Big Garlic.
Special regulations were already in
place on the Salmon Trout River in
Marquette County (see pages 45 to
54 of the 2019 Michigan Fishing
Guide). Zorn felt that over-harvest
was the greatest limiting factor re-
stricting coaster brook trout recov-
ery and these regulations addressed
the highest priority streams to affect
coaster recovery in Michigan.
Henry Quinlan, fisheries biolo-
gist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in Ashland, Wisconsin said
that larger minimum size limits and
low bag limits in Minnesota and On-
tario, and Isle Royale National Park
(near shore waters) were producing
positive results in coaster brook
trout surveys.
Both biologists Quinlan and
Zorn confirmed coaster brook trout
have not been found to be geneti-
cally different than wild brook trout
in Lake Superior area streams. It
appears that coasters result from
a natural behavior to move down
some streams into a lake environ-
ment. Once in the lake, forage con-
ditions and growth potential are sig-
nificantly greater than in streams. As
a result, the coaster grows to much
larger size than resident stream
trout. In my 35 years of inland trout
surveys handling many thousands
of brook trout, the largest stream
brook trout we (DNR, USFWS and
U.S. Forest Service) captured and
measured was 16 inches. Stream
trout over 10 inches are very rare.
Of course, that would not be a very
large coaster brook trout.
There have been a number of
recent successful reestablishment
efforts on wildlife populations in the
northern lake states. A few examples
are bald eagle, wolves, U.P. moose,
and fishers. The coaster brook trout
appears to have potential to be
another successful reestablishment
of a historical unique fishery in Lake
Superior and some of its tributary
streams. Recent survey evidence
suggests the potential for coaster
brook trout increases are good.n
Henry Quinlan, Fisheries Biologist U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Ser vice holds a coaster brook
trout taken during a sur vey of a Lake
Superior tributary stream. USFWS photo

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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 15

Michigan is a hotbed for world-class whittlers
C
hances are you know
someone who carves
objects from wood.
After all, interest in
this unique form of
American folk art
has grown rapidly in recent years,
and so have the number of people
who collect the best works of favorite
artists. Hand-carved wooden duck-
hunting and fish-spearing decoys
from the “golden age”—roughly
1850 to 1950 (before plastic models
took over the American market)—
can be worth a lot of money.
For example, a few years ago,
the “Ghost Fish,” a fish-spearing
decoy by Hans Janner, Sr. of Mt.
Clemens, sold for $42,000 at auc-
tion. A drake canvasback by Detroit-
area carver Ferdinand Bach
brought $55,000. These very
best works, including some
decoys commercially made
by Mason’s Decoy Factory
in Detroit, can be worth
thousands.
Because Michigan was
a hotbed for decoy carv-
Michigan Meanders
ing, it is now
a favorite for
By Tom Huggler
collectors. In
addition to Sagi-
naw Bay, where
more than 90 known carvers worked
their magic into wood, Lakes Erie
and St. Clair produced highly prized
pieces by Ben Schmidt of Centerline,
Detroit’s Tom Schroeder, Edward F.
“One Arm” Kelly of Monroe, and
many others.
The collecting craze is national
in scope. A few years ago someone
paid $1.1 million each for a pintail
drake and a Canada goose decoy,
both made by A. Elmer Crowell
(1862-1952) of East Harwich on
Cape Cod. You might want to dust
off Grandpa’s old mallard, tucked
away in the attic for years, and get a
professional appraisal.
The golden age roughly paral-
lels the Industrial Revolution, which
also saw the development of the
modern shotgun and the consequent
growth of sport hunting and fish-
ing. Woodworking as both a leisure
This ice spearing decoy was made by master car ver Tom Schroeder of
Detroit who created a different set of only 12 fish species.
16 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
and professional pursuit still attracts
many who belong to clubs like the
Greater Lansing Area Woodcarvers
and the Woodland Woodcarvers in
Grand Rapids. Some members are
world-class artisans whose coveted
work includes wildlife, both realistic
and ornamental.
However, the days of the old-
time carver, who shaped decoy
bodies with drawknife and rasp and
then created details with penknife
and other simple tools, are gone.
Fortunately, some of their work has
survived.
A few years ago I was invited
to visit the Decoy Room in the late
William Stout’s southeast Michigan
home. The author of Saginaw Bay
Waterfowl Hunting and Decoy Carv-
ers and his wife Mary had
displayed nearly 400 pieces
on their fireplace mantel,
bookshelves, custom stands
and ceiling-high shelves in
several rooms. Their col-
lection easily overwhelmed
the senses, in the way that
paintings by the Masters do
when admired
in a public mu-
seum.
“Invest-
ment” is the
password for most collectors, but
even the most ardent of speculators
have a not-so-hidden passion. Many,
like Stout, who retired from Ford
Motor Company and was 80 when I
met him, are avid hunters.
“I collect duck and fish-spearing
decoys because I like to look at
them,” he told me. “I paid way too
much for some, simply because I
wanted to have them. I’m also sure I
paid too little for others.”
The best decoys, bearing their
makers’ names and initials—what
collectors call “provenance”—might
have sold for as much as $1 each in
the inflationary post-Civil War pe-
riod. According to Stout, today they
could easily fetch $4,000 or more
each.
Like most serious collectors,
Stout was interested only in “work-
ing decoys,” those carved for hunt-
Above: This canvasback decoy
was car ved by John Kalash of
Gibraltar nearly 40 years ago.
Right: Provenance of a working
decoy often includes the maker’s
name and other details on the
bottom. Author photos
ing and not for ornamental reasons.
“Lots of decoys are not made well
enough for collecting,” he explained.
“There’s a lot of junk out there.”
Evidence of a working decoy
may include a weighted keel, tether
hardware or shotgun pellet marks.
Actual proof will be rig marks: the
maker’s name, initials or other sym-
bol on the decoy bottom. Such brand-
ing helped owners reclaim decoys
lost in storms, stolen or mixed up
with other stools, a common occur-
rence when hunters teamed up to put
out spreads of 100 or more decoys.
Stout’s favorite pieces included
a Ferdinand Bach drake canvasback,
a pair of Ben Schmidt old squaws, a
pintail pair by Nate Quillen, and any
of the 15 or so decoys he owned by
Hayes Finkle of which “no two are
alike.”
Mary Stout, who introduced
her husband to the joys of collect-
ing more than 30 years ago, always
looked for character in the pieces she
bought. “The bird has to speak to
me,” Mary said. “Bill is the techni-
cal expert; I’m the artistic expert.”
The Stouts built their collection by
buying and selling at Midwest trade
shows and auctions.
One of Mary’s favorite works
is a Frank Trombley drake mallard
she bought from a Clarkston antique
shop nearly 50 years ago. Tromb-
ley, who was born in 1849, was the
son of the co-founder of Bay City.
Written in old-style pen on the decoy
bottom is “F. A. Trombley, Maker,
South Bay City.” Four years ago the
piece earned “best vintage decoy” at
a collector show near Cleveland.
“I’ve never encouraged an offer
to sell it,” Mary admitted.
For every collectible decoy that
has survived, perhaps 10 or more
ended useful life in a fireplace or
landfill. That’s a shame, of course,
until you consider the great value the
survivors now have.
“Decoys make for great ambi-
ence in a room where hunting and
fishing is the subject,” said Gaylen
Byker, former president of Calvin
College in Grand Rapids and a col-
lector for more than three decades.
Some of his favorite pieces include
decoys by Ben Schmidt. “If the pro-
totypical dog for duck hunting is the
Labrador retriever,” Byker explained,
“then the prototypical Michigan duck
decoy carver is Ben Schmidt.”
A former Wall Street banker,
Byker was introduced to the works
of Cadillac native Oscar Peterson
whose fish-decoy carvings were on
exhibit at the Museum of American
Folk Art in Manhattan. Byker began
looking for Peterson decoys to own
and now has several.
Byker said he specializes in
buying “real good” decoys because
they are less expensive than “perfect
decoys.” Ben Schmidt carvings, for
example, are “simple yet elegant
with good heads and correct paint.”
To illustrate the difference be-
tween real good and perfect, Byker
told of paying $1,700 for a repainted
brant decoy by Massachusetts carver
Joe Lincoln. Another brant by Lin-
coln sold for $70,000 because it was
in original (unpainted) condition.
In the world of antique decoy
collecting, surprises like that occur
every day.
Not surprising, perhaps, is the de-
sire to own something of value. This
wanting is embedded in the human
psyche if not our DNA. Beyond the
dollar value of any collectible object
is its personal appeal. For decoy
collectors who also hunt and fish,
the connection is to a time when the
world turned more slowly and men
made things, at once practical and
beautiful, with their hands.n
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 17
 Deer hunters’ friend or foe?
STANDING CORN
L
ove it or hate it, field
corn is a common crop
that deer hunters have to
deal with. While most
bowhunters want it to
be harvested before the
rut phases to improve their odds for
opportunities, if it’s not, they want it
to remain standing throughout gun
season to improve the odds of bucks
surviving another season.
Other than the rare dry cattail
marsh there are few if any other
types of vegetation that grow tall
and dense enough to totally hide a
standing deer, headgear and all, and
no others double as a major food
source.
Corn is a crop that as it grows
transforms into a secure area that is
literally in a class by itself by the
time deer season rolls around. While
standing, cornfields are secure
daytime bedding areas, transition
corridors and feeding areas that
diminish daytime deer movements,
routines and sightings beyond their
perimeters to the point of affecting
the area’s hunting situation either
negatively or positively depending
on how you plan for them.
Unlike the unrealistic nonsense
seen on TV and in large managed
areas where monster bucks routinely
waltz into picked cornfields during
daylight, in the real world once a
cornfield is cut for silage or picked
it immediately loses its daytime
security status for mature bucks in
heavily pressured areas.
This loss of daytime security
cover eliminates the field’s acreage
as an area where mature bucks will
enter during daylight and forces
them into other secure bedding areas
within their core living area which
increases the likelihood of daytime
activity in other more traditional
hunting locations.
Most frequently corn is harvest-
ed prior to the rut phases, but throw
rainy fall weather into the equation
where corn fields remain standing
longer into season than normal and
it becomes a game changer.
Why, because many does in the
area will bed and feed in standing
corn during daylight and movement
habits of does is what breeding age
bucks gravitate to leading up to
and during all phases of the rut. All
mature buck activity during the rut
phases revolves around locating and
18 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
breeding does during estrus.
While mature bucks will also
bed in standing corn, it’s the does
spending so much time in them that
causes bucks to do so much of their
signposting in the form of rubs and
scrapes around the field’s perimeters
and less in the more traditional areas
away from them.
It’s common for some of the
saplings and trees along a cornfield’s
perimeter to have rubs on them or
scrapes beneath them. After all, the
one common thing about primary
scrape areas is they’re always made
where there is consolidated
and consistent doe activity.
Mature buck signposts
beyond the perimeters of
standing cornfields will
be fewer than in seasons
when most crops in the area
are short like soybeans,
alfalfa and cut wheat. It’s
also more likely
that mature buck
signpostings away
By John Eberhart
from the field’s perimeters were
made or are being revisited during
the security of darkness because
they typically remain in the corn-
field until dark.
The negative byproduct of large
standing cornfields is they are secure
bedding and feeding areas, transi-
tion corridors, and breeding grounds
in which mature bucks spend a lot,
if not nearly 100 percent of their
daytime hours in.
I interviewed two Michigan
gun buck pole owners that told me
during seasons when the majority
of corn is left standing, general deer
sightings and the number of bucks
and especially big bucks brought
into their contests are considerably
lower than average.
They both also stated that if the
majority of corn is down prior to
next year’s gun season, that there is
a higher than average number of big
bucks entered confirming that many
bucks spend most of their daylight
hours, even during the peak rut of
gun season, within the confines of
secure standing cornfields.
In heavily pressured areas where
most hunters are targeting any legal
antlered buck, bucks that survived
their first antlered season severely
react to human intrusions and are
much more nocturnal and in tune
with remaining in security cover
than their brethren in lightly hunted
and managed areas, and standing
cornfields are as secure as it gets.
So what does a limited property
access bowhunter do when their
hunting area has large cornfields
that are left standing throughout the
season?
If they don’t have access to the
farm on which the corn is planted,
their property doesn’t butt up to the
corn, there are no natural bedding
areas on their property, and there
are no natural food sources such as
apple or oak trees that are bearing
food and are within some
form of perimeter security
cover, there isn’t much they
can do other than pray to
catch a buck pursuing a hot
doe.
If you are fortunate
enough to have access to
a large standing cornfield
and the corn is
tall enough to
offer security you
might consider improvising your
hunting methods by learning to hunt
standing corn.
During the early part of the sea-
son most cornfields will be standing
no matter the weather conditions
and you can hunt in or along the
field’s edge without harming the rest
of the property with your hunting
intrusion. You can experiment with
stalking corn, setting up a makeshift
ground blind within it, or hunting its
perimeter with little if any detriment
to your pre-set rut phase hunting
locations away from the cornfield
that should be left totally alone until
the rut phases.
The first method is to stalk
or still hunt. While I have taken
several bucks while stalking corn I
have taken many does for property
owners and my own freezer, in fact
on one afternoon hunt I took three
mature does.
When gaining permission many
farmers will dictate that you take
some does and this is the ideal
manner to do so while still having
a slight possibility of taking a big
guy. Also, deer shot while stalking
usually die within the field, leaving
no invasive human footprint outside
of it.
Weather conditions, daily tim-
ing, and scent control are all impor-
tant factors when stalking corn.
Mother Nature must provide
the proper weather conditions for
bowhunters if they are to be suc-
cessful at stalking corn. To mask
your noise of walking through the
corn, extreme winds of at least 20
mph, a steady rain, or a combination
of the two are required. The odds of
getting an opportunity at a mature
deer on a calm day in a dry cornfield
are about zero!
Daily timing is also important.
Midday, between the hours of 10
a.m. and 4 p.m., when the deer are
likely bedded is the most opportune
time. During early mornings or late
evenings most deer will be up and
moving making it much more dif-
ficult to move in for the kill once a
targeted deer is located. It can take
up to 10 minutes to move into posi-
tion for a shot once a deer is located,
and if that deer is up and moving, it
is very difficult to do.
When stalking corn, 50 per-
cent of your viewing distance will
always be downwind of you and
for that reason a complete activated
carbon suit and rubber boots are
advised. Since ScentLok doesn’t
make a suitable pattern for stalk-
ing corn it’s advised to purchase a
light beige exterior garment (doesn’t
have to be camouflage) that blends
well in corn. The corn colored outer
garment should be washed in a non-
scent detergent prior to wearing it
over your properly cared for acti-
vated carbon suit.
You will want to dress on the
light side because you will be
slowly yet constantly moving. Once
you think you’re dressed just right,
take off another layer. This will save
you from having to go back to the
vehicle to drop off excess clothing.
Bows are cumbersome, so use a
bow sling for carrying your bow or
carry it in the least invasive manner.
You will quickly get frustrated if
you attempt to stalk corn with bow
ready and arrow nocked.
You will be stalking perpendicu-
lar to the cornrows and you start
the stalk about 50 yards up either
side of the field. Slowly poke your
head into each approaching row and
look both directions for bedded deer
and if nothing is seen look forward
through the rows for deer bedded in
front of you before stepping into the
Standing Corn page 20
 R I NG
HI ERS
W EL D

WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 19

Hunting Standing Corn:
from page 18
next row.
When stepping through a row,
plant your boot against the root
of a stalk and push the stalk side-
ways with your knee and then step
through the gap. If the wind is blow-
ing in gusts you may need to remain
stationary and wait for the next gust
before continuing the stalk. Contin-
ue this process until you have com-
pleted a pass through of the field,
then move down the field edge and
stalk back through in the opposite
direction and in the same manner.
How far you move down the
side of the field after each pass will
be dictated by how far down the
rows you can see. For example if
you can see 40 yards down each row
in each direction you would move
80 yards down the edge before re-
entering the field for the next pass
through. Basically you move down
the field edge twice as far as you can
see down each row. Continue this
until you have covered the entire
field.
If you see a deer, chances are it
will be bedded, and if it is a doe or a
fawn, chances are it will have fam-
ily members bedded in nearby rows.
If the deer is one you want to shoot,
guess at how many steps it is down
the row and how many steps you
would need to take to get within a
comfortable shooting distance. Then
step back five rows. Take your time;
the deer isn’t going anywhere. Very
slowly sneak down the row you are
now in, counting your steps as you
go and keeping a lookout for other
deer that may be bedded ahead in
nearby rows.
Once you’ve counted the
amount of steps you needed to take
to get within a comfortable shooting
distance, nock an arrow and slowly
stalk back through four rows until
you are one row from the row the
deer is bedded in. Slowly peek down
the row the deer is in and wait for
its attention to be elsewhere before
leaning into the row for a shot.
If the deer is one you don’t
want to shoot and it’s close, move a
couple rows back, sneak far enough
away from the deer (counting your
steps) so you can cross the row the
deer is in without being detected.
Cross the row, count your steps
back to your original position, and
return to stalking. At this point be
extra cautious for other deer bed-
ded nearby the one you just moved
around.
Stalking corn requires patience
because you may cover a lot of
field before seeing anything. Do
not get overanxious and go too
quickly through the field due to lack
20 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
a blind, you can also use a pop-up
blind of similar color to the corn
and stand some stalks against it for
added concealment cover. Any pop-
up blinds should be set-up and aired
out (to rid them of human and fabric
of sightings. Deer can and will be odor) outside long before ever set-
spooked if you go too fast no matter ting them up in any hunting location
what the weather conditions. that will be hunted soon thereafter.
Another method is to set-up a Make a V for shooting lanes
makeshift ground blind within the with the blind area being at the bot-
field. This method is likely your best tom of the V as this will give you a
bet if pursuing a mature buck. For visual lane and time to get ready for
this you need to walk the perimeter the killing lane and this will work
of the field that butts up to other from either direction.
transition cover, looking for the Cut the cornstalks to the target
most used runways when doing so. area (shooting lane) about 24 inches
When done, go back and follow the from the ground (just below a deer’s
best-used runways into the corn and chest level). Leaving as much stalk
While the author has taken several bucks while stalking corn and he
has taken many does for proper ty owners and his own freezer. This
doe is unaware of the author’s presence. John Eberhar t photos
try to find a location where other as possible will aid in your conceal-
interior runways converge with it. ment. Make sure to gain permission
Or you can simply walk the field from the farmer before cutting any
(similar to the stalking process) corn stalks and leaving a pop-up
looking for the rows that have the blind.
most traffic. It’s also common within fields to
It’s common to find rows that have rock piles and small openings
are wider than others and usually that were too wet for the corn to
those rows will have more traffic grow or for the tractor to plant in the
down them simply because it is spring and usually the inside edges
easier to transition down. If the field of these openings will be well trav-
has a rotary watering system, the tire eled. This is another type of location
tracks also turn into major transition that can be set-up in the exact same
runways through the corn. Once the manner with cut stalks or a pop-up
field has been stalked, go back and blind several rows into the corn and
set-up a location or locations in the V shooting lanes.
best spots you found. If doing this As a side note, when hunting a
during season, wear a ScentLok dry cattail marsh, you would set it
suit and gloves when making your up and hunt it in exactly the same
set-up. manner as hunting runways within a
Using cut or bent over corn- cornfield.
stalks, set-up a makeshift ground As described in the stalking
blind 5 to 10-yards to the side of the section wear a light beige exterior
peak of activity. garment when ambush hunting in
While I prefer using stalks for the corn of cattails. Whitetails have
excellent peripheral vision and will
likely immediately pick you off if
wearing a dark camo pattern against
the light vegetation.
Occasionally there are swales
with trees within standing corn-
fields. The edges of these will likely
receive transition deer traffic and if
a tree that offers suitable conceal-
ment cover is available, set-up in it.
While rare, I have hunted and
taken deer from large oaks within
cornfields during the years the field
was in standing corn and the oaks
were dropping acorns. In this unique
situation deer can feed on another
preferred food source while remain-
ing within the security cover of their
bedding area.
In natural openings within corn-
fields you can also set-up a mock
scrape. Being as scent free as pos-
sible, move to where the perimeter
deer traffic is most concentrated.
About four feet into the opening,
set-up a mock scrape by digging a
deep hole and planting a long four-
inch diameter or larger wood pole
(make certain it’s not a treated pole)
or cut tree into the ground, leaving
at least six-feet above ground.
Bucks may rub their antlers on
it so it must be planted deep enough
to take some side punishment and
not tip over. The best option is
to cut a tree that has a 3 to 4-foot
long-branch sticking off to the side
that will be at the right five to six
foot height to be a licking branch
over the mock scrape. When using
a pole you will need to cut a four to
six foot branch from a live tree and
fasten it to the pole to be used as the
licking branch.
Make a mock scrape below the
licking branch and originally douse
it with buck urine. You can also snap
the end off the licking branch and
leave it hanging and smear some
pre-orbital scent where the break is.
A mock scrape should be made
at least a day or two prior to hunting
the location. As soon as bucks rub
their velvet they begin jockeying
for pecking order and dominance so
mock scrapes can be made and hunt-
ed over during any time of season as
long as there is adequate perimeter
security cover, which standing corn
offers.
If you make one make sure the
farmer knows where it is otherwise
when he combines the corn and
hits your pole he could damage his
picker and you will likely lose your
permission and your inconsiderate
nature will be passed on to other
farmers in the area.
Ambush hunting within stand-
ing cornfields are most productive
during mornings and evenings when
deer are up and moving but can be
effective at any time of day because
bucks can feed or pursue does at
will in that type of security cover.
While entry and exit routes are
The author with a trophy 10-point he har vested along the perimeter
of a standing cornfield in rain.
critical for success with most typical
hunting locations, when hunting in
standing corn they are not because
deer can be anywhere. It is, how-
ever, important to be as quiet as
possible when entering and exiting
the field. Unlike stalking, weather
conditions are not a factor when
ambush hunting within a cornfield.
Ambush hunting along the
perimeter of a standing cornfield is
another deadly method. This method
requires you to walk whatever part
of its perimeter that butts up to other
transition security cover such as
woodlots, swamps, swales, weed
fields, etc. and set-up on the best
sign.
I like to set-up in locations
where there are runways and sign-
posts within shooting distance on
either side of my location into the
field. If on the edge, it’s advised to
cut a 25-yard shooting lane into the
field, you never know when a deer
may pass down a row within shoot-
ing distance and this will guarantee
a shot.
During late October while writ-
ing this article I rattled in two bucks
from a standing cornfield. The first
buck was sighted out in the corn
with a doe and a sparring sequence
enticed both the doe and 8-point
within 10 yards. They did not exit
the corn, but walked right through
the shooting lane I had cut into the
cornfield and eventually they lost
interest and disappeared back into
the corn.
About 30 minutes later I saw the
tassels on a stalk of corn thrashing
around. Because of the distance, I
performed a loud rattle sequence
in order for him to hear it. The
thrashing immediately stopped and
I could occasionally see the tips of
his antlers as he moved down a row
parallel to the edge I was in.
I performed another sequence
but he kept moving parallel to me
and farther down the field. After
paralleling well past my location
he turned and walked directly to
the field edge and began scraping
under a tree 50 yards away. He was
a wide 9-point with short tines and
I decided to mess with him a bit as I
wasn’t interested in taking him.
I performed several soft grunts
and watched as the buck made three
more scrapes under three different
trees while working towards me.
Once under my tree he freshened
both scrapes that were already there
and thrashed the licking branches
above them with his antlers putting
on quite a show right below me.
Hunting within or on the edges
of standing corn can be extremely
effective. Hopefully in the future,
by the time the rut phases roll
around in late October, most of the
corn will be picked, condensing
deer into natural bedding areas and
more traditional daytime movement
habits. But until that happens, or if
it doesn’t happen, you will at least
have options.
The author has 31 bucks in the
Michigan record book from 19
different properties and another
19 P&Y bucks from 13 different
properties on his 23 out-of-state
bowhunts and has co-authored three
instructional bowhunting books and
an instructional DVD series. What
separates John’s accomplishment of
having 50 record book bucks from
32 different properties from any
other hunter in the country is that
he’s exclusively hunted on public
and knock-on-doors for free permis-
sion properties. To listen to John’s
podcasts or for information on his
books, DVDs and two-day Whitetail
Workshops, please visit: www.deer-
john.net.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 21
 ATLANTIC SALMON
DETOUR PASSAGE
Like other salmon, Atlantics bite best early and late in the day. Being on the water before dawn and fishing until a few minutes after sun-
A
set is the best way to encounter fish like this exceptional specimen boated last June by the author.
bout a year ago my
friends Rob and Tara
Goedike invited Jake
and I to spend a few
days fishing for At-
lantic salmon at the
Detour Passage. For those who
aren’t familiar with this fishery, the
St. Marys River is stocked annu-
ally with about 30 to 35 thousand
Atlantic salmon fingerlings raised at
the Lake Superior State University
Aquatic Research Laboratory.
Roger Greil is the manager of
the LSSU Aquatic Research Lab
which will soon be called the Center
for Freshwater Research and Educa-
tion. This new facility funded in part
by a million dollar grant from Rich-
ard and Theresa Barch is actually
a state of the art 12 million dollar
project slated to open in 2021.
This expanded facility will
provide a larger hatchery facility,
more classroom space, an interpre-
tive center and broader opportunity
for aquatic research in the Great
Lakes. Roger Greil is credited with
establishing the most successful
Atlantic salmon hatchery program in
Great Lakes history. While Atlantic
salmon have been stocked in many
other places around the Great Lakes,
the St. Marys River fishery is with-
out question the most noteworthy.
While the number of Atlantic
salmon raised and stocked by the
22 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
of
Cover Story...By Mark Romanack
Aquatic Research Lab is modest
compared to the numbers of fish
stocked annually by the Michigan
DNR, the LSSU fish seem to enjoy
a better survival, better growth rates
and a stronger annual return com-
pared to Atlantics stocked by the
Michigan DNR.
One reason the Michigan DNR
fish have not enjoyed the popular-
ity of the LSSU fish is the DNR fish
are stocked at a variety of ports up
and down the Lake Huron coastline.
Without a large concentration of fish
at any port, catchable numbers of
Atlantic salmon remain fleeting.
With the expanded facilities on
tap for the Center for Freshwater
Research and Education at Lake
Superior State University, its hope-
ful that more Atlantic salmon will be
raised and stocked in the future.
Atlantic Salmon Are Different
For the angler interested in
targeting Atlantic salmon, it’s im-
portant to understand that these fish
are a different animal. Unlike their
Pacific salmon relatives, Atlantic
salmon have a much wider diet.
Atlantic salmon readily target
pelagic forage minnows like smelt,
alewife and gizzard shad, but they
are also readily adapted to targeting
bottom dwellers like round goby,
spottail shiners and sculpin. Also
on the diet for Atlantic salmon are
crustaceans like crayfish and a host
of aquatic insects.
Atlantic salmon are actually
more closely related to brown trout
than their Pacific coast cousins.
Atlantic salmon and brown trout are
similar in appearance and are com-
monly mistaken for one another.
A number of features can be
used to determine brown trout from
Atlantic salmon, but the easiest to
remember is that brown trout have
spots or markings across both the
top and bottom half of their flank.
Atlantic salmon have markings
primarily on the upper half of their
flank.
Atlantic salmon also live much
longer than Pacific salmon. Atlantic
salmon mature at about three years
of age and can live to six, seven or
even eight years of age.
Because Atlantic salmon are
different, anglers need to approach
fishing for them with a different at-
titude. Unlike coho and king salmon
that are literal eating machines,
Atlantic salmon range from being
binge feeders to having literal lock
jaw at times.
Not As Temperature Sensitive
Atlantic salmon like their
relatives the brown trout are not as
temperature sensitive as coho and
king salmon. As a result these fish
often end up feeding much closer to
the surface than Pacific salmon.
During our recent visit to Detour
Passage, most of the salmon we
marked on sonar were in the top 40
feet of the water column and the
majority of the fish that were caught
came 20 to 30 feet down. More fish
were caught in the top 20 feet of the
water column than were caught 40
feet or deeper.
Spoons Produced Best
Local anglers at Detour Passage
were fishing stickbaits and a vari-
ety of other plugs, but during our
stay in mid-June it was the trolling
spoon that produced the most bites.
We caught Atlantic salmon on three
different spoon sizes including the
Jr. Streak, Mini Streak and Standard
Streak. Of these three sizes the Mini
Streak and Standard Streak pro-
duced the best results.
Trolling speeds from 2.0 to 2.5
MPH worked well on downrig-
gers, diving planers and also lead
core line fished using in-line planer
boards. The most productive lead
core lines were the 5 and 7 color set
ups.
Bright Colors Please
It’s no secret that Atlantic
salmon like flashy tackle and also
that orange is a very productive
color. Our best spoon colors in-
cluded Orange Crush, Orange Chilly
Willy, Candy Corn and Jerry Lee.
Other spoon colors also caught fish, Cedarville on Highway 134. Lodg-
but it was abundantly obvious that ing is also available at St. Ignace
spoons with a lot of orange in them and at Sault Ste. Marie.n
produced more bites.
Atlantic salmon like this are fin
Monitoring Fin Clips clipped by the Lake Superior State
All Atlantic salmon planted by University Aquatic Research Lab and
the LSSU Aquatic Research Lab and also the Michigan DNR to monitor
the Michigan DNR feature various the success of stocking effor ts and
fin clips to identify who stocked the growth rates. This fish features a
fish and the year they were stocked. right pectoral fin clip indicating the
Fish stocked by LSSU in 2013 fea- fish was stocked by LSSU in 2015.
ture a left pectoral clip, fish stocked
in 2014 have left pelvic clips, fish
stocked in 2015 feature right pecto-
ral clips, fish stocked in 2016 have
right pelvic clips and fish planted in
2017 feature left pectoral clips.
Atlantic salmon planted by the
Michigan DNR feature an adipose
fin clip. This rather unique fin clip-
ping schedule makes it easy for
successful anglers to determine the
age class of a fish and also what
hatchery they are from.
Most of the ports where At-
lantic salmon are routinely caught
have fin clip fliers posted to help
anglers better understand this stock-
ing program. Also, many launches
are designated collection sites that
allow the Michigan DNR to ana-
lyze salmon carcasses so further
biological data can be collected and
researched.
Detour Passage
The best fishing for Atlantic
salmon at Detour Passage runs from
late May, through June and into
mid-July. Atlantic salmon stage
at this natural pinch point prior to
moving upstream to spawn in the
upper St. Marys River.
The lower end of the St. Marys
River between Frying Pan Island
and the Detour Light is where
most anglers are targeting Atlantic
salmon. Both the east side of the
river channel near the eastern end
of the Upper Peninsula and the west
side of the channel near Drum-
mond Island are prime places to find
Atlantic salmon. Anglers need to
keep their head on a swivel because
this stretch of the St. Marys River is
exceptionally busy with Great Lakes
freighter traffic.
Bonus Species
This area of northern Lake
Huron has a good population of
lake trout and a few king salmon
also turn up in the catch. Clearly
the reason anglers travel to north-
ern Lake Huron is to target Atlantic
salmon, a species that is rare in the
Great Lakes compared to coho and
king salmon, steelhead, lake trout or
brown trout.
If You Go
Lodging in the Detour area is
limited. A small motel is located in
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 23
 Michigan Outside - Finding fitness in the outdoors
TRAIL RUNNING
for fun and fitness
by Drew YoungeDyke
T
he trail wound uphill
into the forest and I
found a natural stride
which made me feel
like our ancient an-
cestors who persis-
tence hunted African antelope, run-
ning them to exhaustion over long
distances before killing and eating
them. At least that’s what I pictured
in my head up until about mile 12
of my first ultramarathon, when leg
cramps kicked in. I finished the final
19 miles alternating between walk-
ing and a slow jog, but I crossed the
finish line having run 31 miles, 50K,
on a trail through our public lands.
Just a few years ago, running an
ultramarathon would have seemed
impossible. When I turned 35, I was
50 pounds heavier, never ran, drank
too many carbonated beverages,
and ate like I had the metabolism of
the high school athlete I used to be.
Inspired by the burgeoning hunter-
athlete movement popularized by
Cameron Hanes, I ran the trail in the
nature area across the street from
my house one day after work – for
one mile. But I repeated that every
day for two weeks until it was a
habit, and that first mile set me on
a path to finding fitness and eating
healthier.
Endurance and physical fitness
used to be a critical component
of hunting. Dr. Dan Liebermann,
a Harvard evolutionary biologist,
theorizes that we actually evolved
through persistence hunting. Maybe
that’s why I feel the same instinct
when I’m trail running as when
I’m still hunting with a recurve.
At some point in our evolutionary
history, though, hunting and fitness
diverged. I suspect that was more re-
cently, though, as we started relying
more on ORVs to take us to blinds
to sit all day. But even for stationary
hunters who use motorized transpor-
tation, a healthy lifestyle can lead to
more seasons afield as you age. And
trail running is a natural fit for hunt-
ers and anglers looking to improve
their physical fitness – after all, we
already know our way around the
woods.
That’s what I loved about trail
running at first – the setting. Run-
ning on roads and sidewalks was
always too monotonous to keep me
running on previous false starts over
the years, but every bend of the trail
24 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
The author found trail running is a natural fit for hunters and an-
glers looking to improve their physical fitness.
holds something new – a doe with
fawns, scurrying squirrels, birds of
every color, and the consistently
changing conditions of the woods
throughout the seasons. Soon I was
running three miles, then six. My
footwork improved to avoid roots
and hurdle fallen logs and large
rocks in the trail. My ankles grew
stronger. And when the fall came, I
found that I could still hunt longer
across the public land hills I hunt
without getting exhausted. That year
I killed my first deer with a bow
and then my first buck with a rifle, a
three-and-a-half year old public land
eight-point, both by still hunting.
The next year I ran my first trail
race, a 5K held on the field archery
course at the Tomahawk Archers
club in Temperance, Michigan. I
also entered my first Train To Hunt
competition that year, and the next
year I added a 10K race, made the
Train To Hunt national finals in the
traditional bow division, and won a
5K race in Boulder, Colorado. Last
year I ran my first half-marathon
trail race and then my first ultra-
marathon (anything longer than a
marathon) at Run Woodstock, which
uses parts of the Pinckney State
Recreation Area. As my endurance
builds up over time, I continuously
want to push myself to see how far
I can go. Running those distances
isn’t necessary to improve your fit-
ness, though: all that takes is to do
more than you’re currently doing
right now.
Before you start trail running,
the dormant lawyer in me is going
to say to check with a medical pro-
fessional to make sure that you can.
Okay, now that’s out of the way.
The next step is figuring out
where to run. Luckily, we’re pretty
blessed with abundant public land
trails in Michigan. My favorites
are the Potawatomi Trail in the
Pinckney State Recreation Area,
combining the Orange, White, and
Blue Trails at Bald Mountain State
Recreation Area, the Shingle Mill
Pathway in the Pigeon River Coun-
try State Forest, and the Escarpment
Trail in the Porcupine Mountains
Wilderness State Park. Michigan
boasts 12,500 miles of trails and
pathways, though, so there’s likely
one near you. Most trailheads re-
quire a Recreation Passport on your
vehicle to enter and park.
Gear for trail running starts
with the shoes. Trail running shoes
will have more aggressive tread
and often a rock guard insert. Each
brand and model fits and functions
just a little different. Drop refers to
the distance from the heal to the toe;
I prefer the Altra Lone Peak model
because they have zero drop from
the heel to the toe, which I think
helps me maintain a natural forefoot
strike, instead of striking the ground
with my heels, which can lead to
knee issues. Some runners prefer
minimalist or “barefoot” shoes; oth-
ers prefer shoes with thick, cush-
ioned soles like those made by Hoka
One One.
Running clothes can be simple
– I started running in a tee shirt
and basketball shorts. Now I use
Patagonia Nine Trails shorts with
a built-in brief and their Capilene
tee with odor-reducing technology
because I can wear them on multiple
runs before I have to wash them. For
socks, I prefer merino wool running
socks from Smartwool, which keep
my feet dry by wicking sweat. A
simple foam trucker hat will keep
the sun out of your eyes and your
head cool. If I’m running a longer
distance, I carry water in a hydration
bladder backpack made specifically
for running from Ultimate Direc-
tion. If it’s cold, snowing, or icy, I’ll
wear nylon running pants, a hooded
fleece top like the Patagonia R1, a
merino wool hat, light gloves, and
trail gaiters or running crampons
over my shoes.
Trail running is inherently slow-
er than road running; you have roots
and rocks – and sometimes snakes –
to watch out for, the terrain is more
varied with hills and valleys, and
the scenery is better. Don’t worry
about how fast you run at first, or
 The author’s footwork
improved to avoid roots
and hurdle fallen logs and
large rocks in the trail.
And when the fall came,
he found he could still
hunt longer across the
public land hills and hunt
without getting exhausted.
Drew YoungeDyke photos

how far. Take it slow and pick a

distance you can manage. If you’re
running an out-and-back, remember
to turn around at half that distance.
Unlike road running, a trail through

Reliability comes in all sizes.

the woods can lead you far from
any roads. If you run five miles out,
you’re going to have to run, walk,
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traditional bow.
Other than persistence hunting,
trail running doesn’t have a direct

Reliability
correlation to the killing part of
hunting. The endurance it builds,
though, can help you sit out the cold
on stand, keep up with your dog
comes
Reliability in all
comes in sizes.
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DOWN
MONTHS
inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A.; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Example: 60 monthly payments of

ROSY BROTHER'S
DOWN APR INC. MONTHS
$16.67 per $1,000 financed. Offer expires 6/30/19. See us or go to KubotaUSA.com for more information.

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5727 DRYDEN 5727
inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, (810)
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ROAD
U.S.A.; subject to796-3770
creditROAD
© Kubota Tractor Corporation 2019. $0 Down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 60 months on purchases of select new Kubota BX80 equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock
approval. Some exceptions apply. Example: 60 monthly payments of

rosybros@yahoo.com
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KubotaUSA.com (810) 796-3770 (810) 796-3770 WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 25

KubotaUSA.com
© Kubota Tractor Corporation 2019. $0 Down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 60 months on purchases of select new Kubota BX80 equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock
© Kubota
inventory is available Tractor
to qualifi Corporationthrough
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 IS LIVE BAIT DEAD?
Next Bite...By Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz

W
ell, not totally.
Hang a min-
now or a leech
under a bobber
and it might
outperform
scented plastics. For most other
presentations, including jigging and
slow death, the benefits of today’s
artificials shine through.
The first gain comes from saving
time. Save 15 minutes (and $10) by
driving past the bait shop on the way
to the lake. Save a few casts a day
because soft plastics do not fly off
the hook during a cast. Fish can-
not steal the bait so no more fishing
with a bare hook and no time spent
re-baiting after a strike. Short strikes
come back again (and again) until
they eventually find the hook. Final-
ly, plastics can be worked much more
aggressively to cover more water.
The second gain is options.
Brighter chartreuses and oranges
stand out in darker water to visually
tempt the fish. Sizes vary from the
small Berkley Twitchtail to the larger
Ripple Shads. Vibration choices run
the gamut from straight-tails in the
Gulp! minnow to curly tails on the
Power Grub and Rib Worm and boot
tails on the Power Swimmer. In ad-
dition, the profile of the bait can be
chosen to match local forage.
Third, with proper storage the
baits can be kept in the boat all sea-
son. Even if live bait is a great option
for a specific bite, scented plastics fill
in when the bait runs out and serve as
a staple set of lures when the going
gets tough. The worry over invasive
species might just be the final straw
for the drawbacks of live bait for
walleyes.
Not convinced yet? Here are
some details that we have worked out
over the years.
Colder water and certain times
of the year walleye want bulked-up
thicker baits. Finding live bait that
mimics a thick shad profile can be
tough but piggybacking a 3-inch
Gulp! Minnow with a second 2.5-
inch version (or a small live minnow)
is now a classic option.
The Powerbait Rib Worm is
another early-season presentation
often used on the Mississippi. This is
the most flexible type of worm bait
followed by the similar-style Havoc
Beat Shad, then the Powerbait Pro
Jig Worm. Each of these products has
a different color scheme, scent, and
vibration option within the slender
profile.
Our top bait is a Bass Pro Shops
XPS Walleye Jig paired with a 2.5-
inch to 4-inch Gulp! Minnow. The
stand-up design of the jig combined
with quicker lifts that we use with
26 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
artificials really activates the straight-
tail of the bait. In this case the faster
fall with a 1/4 to 3/8-ounce jig kicks
out the tail at the top of the stroke
as well. Since the bait will not rip
off the hook, we use Berkley Fire-
line Ultra 8-Carrier braid instead of
monofilament so we can feel every
twitch and touchdown of the jig even
in deeper water. It is tough to find a
jigging situation where a Gulp! min-
now is not going to work.
If one angler in the boat is jigging
a Gulp! Minnow, the other generally
tries a 3 inch to 3.5-inch Berkley
Ripple Shad. The tail on these lures
activates even at slow speeds. This
lure can be jigged or used with a
straight retrieve like a crankbait. On
many days, we find that one or the
other works best.
The infinite quivering action of
the Berkley Pro Twitchtail Minnow
makes it the ultimate finesse walleye
lure. Similar in size to the 3-inch
Gulp! Minnow, the Twitchtail has a
thinner back half that will not quit
moving. When the fish do not need
the full Gulp! scent and the vibration
of the Ripple shad is too much, the
Twitchtail often saves the day.
The new Berkley Powerbait
MaxScent line of baits (especially the
longnose minnow and flatworm) not
only has a different scent than Gulp!,
it is also much more durable. These
lures can last all day and have shown
to outfish other scents on some days.
Slow Death rigging has its own
nuances when replacing live bait
with scented plastics. Larger hooks
are the rule (size 2 or larger) to
handle larger offerings. Some hooks
like the Berkley Fusion19 Slow-turn
are specially designed to work with
artificials. The Gulp! Killer Crawler
is the softest and most scent-filled now collection.
option followed by the Gulp! Fry Does the scent really matter?
and the Gulp! Crawler (especially Likely it does. Walleyes sample their
the watermelon pearl color). Make food. They suck in a meal and clamp
sure the hook and bait combination is down with their sharp teeth. At that
tuned with the boat speed to spin the point they must determine if the
presentation correctly. This is one feel of the food is correct. Offen-
case where working plastics sive food that does not taste or feel
side-by-side against live crawlers right is blown back out before the
highlights each of the advantages hookset. We are convinced that the
listed above. combination of scent and texture on
For color, the choice revolves the Gulp!, Powerbait, and MaxScent
around the amount of food in the lures have on many days been the
lake. If the walleyes seem thin or ticket…we just experiment to see
starved and you rarely see bait on the which one catches the fish the best
sonar pick a lure that matches the lo- during that time frame.
cal forage. The nightcrawler-colored These small improvements in
Gulp! Killer Crawler and the shiner plastics over the past few years add
Gulp! minnow would be our first up. Just like the extra time with your
choice. If bait is all over the screen lure in the water, longer casts, and
and the fish come to the boat plump walleyes that eat instead of play
and filled with food, gaudy colors with the bait. In most situations the
and/or flakes tend to produce better. tough, durable, and colorful lures
This is where chartreuse colors get with active tails can not only replace
the pick as well as the mixed colors live bait, but get more of what you
and ice options in the Twitchtail Min- want—The Next Bite.n
Captain Roger Gibson
U.S.C.G. Lic
Between Sarasota and Fort Myers
Located in Tarpon Capital of the world
~ Boca Grande, FL
Large Groups Available
Snook & Redfish Year-round
Fly Fishing Available
Tarpon Season April-October
Contact me today to book your trip!
941-457-0509
captainrogergibson@gmail.com
Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative
creates pheasant release program
Aims to get new hunters wingshooting this fall...

P
heasant hunters soon
may be finding and
harvesting more
pheasants afield thanks
to the Michigan Pheas-
ant Hunting Initiative,
through which select state game ar-
eas in the southern Lower Peninsula
will receive released rooster pheas-
ants over the next two seasons.
The Michigan Legislature
passed Public Act 618 of 2018,
which appropriated $260,000 from
the general fund to the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
for a pheasant release program dur-
ing fall 2019 and 2020.
“This legislation was made pos-
sible through the partnership of the
Michigan Pheasant Hunters Initia-
tive and Michigan United Con-
servation Clubs,” said Amy Trot-
ter, executive director of MUCC. The program hopes to expose a new generation of hunters to the thrill of Michigan pheasant hunting.
“Releasing pheasants on state game
areas was widely supported among eastern and southwestern regions of one-time hunting opportunities will is open Oct. 20 through Nov. 14 and
our membership through our grass- the state, and that includes exposing be announced as hunting season in select portions of Zone 3 from
roots resolution process and was a new generation of hunters to the draws closer. Dec. 1 through Jan. 1. In select areas
one of the recommendations made thrill of Michigan pheasant hunting. The pheasant releases are of Zone 1 (Upper Peninsula) pheas-
by the blue-ribbon advisory group In addition to the state game happening in partnership with the ant hunting is open Oct. 10-31.
charged with the responsibility to areas listed above, Allegan State Michigan Association of Game Pheasant hunters will need a free
examine the uses of southern Michi- Game Area (Allegan County) and Breeders and Hunting Preserves. pheasant/sharp-tailed grouse en-
gan state game areas. The group Shiawassee State Game Area (Sagi- Association members will release dorsement on their hunting license.
recommended elevating small game naw County) will host one-time birds on a weekly basis at desig- Anyone hunting pheasants will
hunting as a management output for special events geared toward hunter nated game areas. need this endorsement except those
state game areas.” recruitment and retention. The Al- “We are pleased to have the op- hunting pheasant only on hunting
Pheasant releases will be di- legan SGA event is Nov. 2, followed portunity to partner with the Michi- preserves. This free endorsement
vided into two periods: the October- by the Shiawassee SGA event Dec. gan DNR on this project,” said Lyle will help to identify the number of
November hunting period and the 14. Jaworski, president of the Michigan pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse
December period. “The pheasant releases at Association of Gamebird Breeders hunters in Michigan. It also will al-
“A limited number of roosters Shiawassee and Allegan state game and Hunting Preserves. “One of the low the DNR to survey a sample of
will be released at each site through- areas will offer opportunities to goals of the hunting preserves and these hunters to get their input about
out the pheasant hunting season in introduce new hunters to the sport,” gamebird breeders is to help main- the management of this important
an effort to reinvigorate pheasant said Dennis Fox, DNR recruitment tain and expand pheasant hunting in bird species, as well as on possible
hunting in Michigan,” said Al Stew- and retention manager. “We want to Michigan.” changes for the 2020 release strat-
art, DNR upland game bird special- keep Michigan’s great tradition of Pheasant hunting in Michigan is egy.
ist. “In addition to increased hunting pheasant hunting alive for current for male pheasants only with a two- Visit Michigan.gov/Hunting to
opportunities, folks will have the and future generations.” bird daily bag limit. Zone 2 and 3 learn more about small game hunt-
chance to put a delicious meal on Additional event details for these (Lower Peninsula) pheasant hunting ing opportunities in Michigan.n
their table.”
Pheasant releases this year will
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 27

Keweenaw couple inherits
deer feeding responsibilities
W
hen Richard and
Synthia Marsh
moved to their
rural home near
Calumet dur-
ing 2018, they
inherited an important responsibility
that they share with the Calumet-
Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club. They
help keep many of the Keweenaw’s
deer alive during the winter, and
that’s especially important during
winters like the one that just ended
when the peninsula got more than
300 inches of snow and winter
persisted into April. Due to the long
winters and deep snow common in
the Keweenaw, the deer herd would
only be a fraction of its current level
without winter deer feeding.
Synthia Marsh feeding a yearling doe named Peanut by hand.
28 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Recognizing that fact, the sports-
men’s club started their winter deer
feeding program years ago, this is
financed through donations
from the public. They buy
deer food by the ton to get
the best price possible, and
distribute the food to club
members who agree to feed
deer throughout the winter.
The deer food they buy is
high protein pellets special-
By Richard P. Smith
ly formulated to
provide winter-
ing whitetails
the nutrients they need to survive.
The pellets are also easy for deer to
digest.
All winter deer feeders like
Richard and Synthia are required to
•350-400 Deer Fed at one time
•400 Pounds of Pellets per Day
•16 Tons of Food by Early April
get a permit from the DNR.
The Marshes bought their cur-
rent home from someone who had
been feeding deer on the
property for 10 to 15 years.
When they purchased the
property, they agreed to
continue the deer feed-
ing program. There would
have been a lot of hungry
deer if the Marshes had not
continued winter feeding.
They estimated
that they fed
between 350
to 400 deer when numbers reached
their peak. That was the highest
number of deer being fed at one
location by members of the sports-
men’s club.
“We got our first snows in Octo-
ber,” Richard said, “but that melted.
We’ve had snow on the ground since
November. A lot of snow melted
during December. Our first big snow
came on December 27.
“We only had 50 deer in Janu-
ary, but we got more every time it
snowed or it got cold. By the end
of February, we reached our peak
numbers of deer. There was 40-plus
inches of snow on the ground by
then.”
Besides the protein pellets
provided by the sportsmen’s club,
the Marshes also bought hay for the
deer. They estimated that they spent
about $2,000 of their own funds to
feed the deer. That’s not including
all of the time they’ve spent actually
feeding the animals.
It’s a lot of work to feed that
many deer. Since the protein pellets
absorb moisture, it’s not a good idea
to distribute it in the snow. To feed
KEWEENAW AREA
•300 Plus Inches of Snow
•Winter Persisted into April
hundreds of deer, the pellets have
to be spread out over as large an
area as possible, too, to make sure
all of the animals have access to the
food. If there’s any fresh snow on
the ground, it has to be plowed away
before the deer can be fed, and there
were plenty of days that was neces-
sary.
The Marshes use a pellet spread-
er mounted on skis made by the
previous landowner to feed the deer.
They pour about 200 pounds of pel-
lets in the contraption and then drag
it along a lane where they normally
feed the deer, leaving a line of pel-
lets behind them. When the snow’s
gone, they use a wagon they’ve
modified to distribute food.
The couple was feeding up to
400 pounds of pellets a day when
deer numbers were at their peak.
They went through more than 16
tons of pellets by April 13 and there
was still plenty of snow on the
ground, but some of the deer they
helped survive the winter had al-
ready left to return to their summer
range. They said it was necessary to
feed the deer until May during 2018
and it may be the same this year.
Not all of the deer the Marshes
were feeding survived the winter.
Such a large concentration of deer
attracts predators such as wolves
and coyotes that prey on whitetails.
“We found 8 carcasses of deer
around here that were killed by
predators,” Richard said. “We prob-
ably didn’t find all of the predator
kills, but they only killed a small
percentage of the number of deer
we had here. The deer that hung out
in areas away from the house were
most vulnerable to predators.
 “I was amazed at how many
small fawns we had. If we hadn’t
fed the deer, I’m sure at least 30
percent of the fawns would not have
made it.”
After months of being fed, many
of the deer are used to being around
the Marshes and gather nearby,
anxious to be fed as they are filling
the feeder. In fact, some deer rush in
and grab mouthfuls of pellets from
the feeder as it is being filled. They
can feed one of the deer, a yearling
doe named Peanut, by hand. The
previous homeowner started feed-
ing Peanut by hand when she was a
fawn.
Two adult does were injured
among the hundreds the Marshes Richard Marsh filling his pellet feeder, with many hungry deer standing around nearby waiting to be
fed. They both had broken hind fed. Some didn’t wait and would try to eat directly from the feeder/spreader. Richard P. Smith photos
legs. In spite of their injuries,
those deer appeared to be doing so the majority of them should give estimated at 125 to 175. They were on “donate” at the top right corner
fine. The Marshes assume those birth to twin fawns. Once fawns up to 300 in 2015 and 350-plus in of the page or click on the “Deer
does were hit by vehicles when are born, the herd should increase 2017 and 2018. Feeding” tab. Checks or money
crossing roads. significantly. Anyone wishing to donate to the orders can also be sent to Calumet-
Richard said that the most Based on feeding records of the Calumet-Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Keweenaw Sportsmen’s Club, P.O.
unusual deer they fed had white previous owner, deer numbers have Club winter deer feeding program Box 283, Calumet, MI 49913, with
feet. Most of the does they fed came gone up steadily since 2007 when can go to their website (http://www. a note about what the donation is
through the winter in great shape, the number of wintering deer was keweenawsportsmen.org/) and click for.n

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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 29
 Jika or Zeeka
This finesse rig
flat-out catches bass
By Dave Mull
T
he Jika rig (pro-
nounced ZEE-kah) is
one of several new-
to-me finesse rigs
discovered on You-
Tube over the winter.
The first time we had it in the water
in April, it did not disappoint.
But before we get to the specif-
ics of this weedless setup for soft
plastics that basically dangles a
weight off the hook eyelet, I would
like to question something: Why
isn’t it spelled Zeeka? Everything I
can find out about it says it’s sup-
posed to be pronounced “ZEE-kah.”
The Jika was developed in
Japan and according to the online
Japanese-English dictionary, “jika”
means “straight.” So, why did the
30 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
knucklehead scholar who did the
translation decide to spell it j-i-k-a?
These are the kinds of ponderings
that can keep one awake at night.
So from here on, I’m spelling
it Zeeka and hope all red-blooded
American fishing writers follow suit.
But let’s talk about is how this
nearly snag-free rig can be such
an easy-to-use and efficient way to
catch fish.
According to the trusty internet,
the Zeeka came across the Pacific
to American shores about a decade
ago. It consists of a weight that’s
attached to a hook eyelet with a split
ring. You could say it’s a drop-shot
rig without the drop.
I first learned of this rig via a
short video on the AnglingBuzz in-
Author Dave Mull poses with one of several bass caught on “Zeeka”
rigs at Gull Lake in April.
ternet channel. I was self-medicating
for wintertime cabin fever by binge-
watching fishing videos. The Zeeka
video featured Capt. Ben Wolfe of
Sport Fish Michigan, (a group of
guides and charter captains). Capt.
Wolfe showed succinctly how to
rig a cylindrical drop-shot weight
on a split ring strung through the
eyelet of an extra wide gap hook.
He then rigged a standard tube bait
Texas-style with the hook point
barely nipping the tube’s skin to
make the presentation resist snags.
The cylindrical tungsten weight and
hook on the same split ring are what
constitutes the Zeeka. The soft plas-
tic bait on the hook can be a worm,
a creature bait, a lizard—anything,
really.
But the video shows a tube
on the Zeeka, and the result is a
phenomenal presentation. Under-
water video shows how the long
weight touches bottom while the
tube wavers along above, paral-
lel to the bottom (perhaps where
the “straight” label comes from).
It’s a unique presentation. A nose-
weighted Texas rig or soft plastic
on a jighead bounces along bottom
nose-first, perhaps looking like a
feeding baitfish. The Zeeka-rigged
tube looks like a crawfish, goby or
minnow just moving slowly along
the bottom. The presentation mimics
a tasty critter going about its daily
business. Bass love to ambush and
eat such creatures.
In late April I finally had a
chance to catch some fish on the
Zeeka. Longtime friend Jeff Wen-
zel accompanied me in my 17-foot
MirroCraft to Gull Lake, which is
a sizeable, super-clear impound-
ment between Kalamazoo and
Battle Creek. The lake has a great
reputation for producing lots of
largemouth and smallmouth bass,
many of them bragging size. In fact,
in the Michigan Kayak Trail tourna-
ment two days later, Rob Baginski
of Windsor, Ontario would win
with five smallmouth totaling 100
inches that he reportedly caught on
jerkbaits. They were nearly cookie
cutter giants, the longest 20 3/4
inches long.
That Thursday before the tourna-
ment, I was in practice mode for that
tournament and Jeff was helping
me see what lures might work so
I could achieve kayak tournament
glory. Unfortunately I would finish
22 with a smallish five-fish limit,
but three of them were caught on the
Zeeka; the other two hit a Z-Man
Jack Hammer chatterbait.
The Zeeka rigs I put together for
Jeff and myself were on the petite
side, incorporating Strike King
Coffee Fat Tubes, 2 3/4-inches long

in green pumpkin/purple—one of
the best colors for Gull, which is as
clear as Aquafina bottled water.
With a pair of split-ring pliers, I
first threaded a No. 3 size split ring
through the eyelet of a No. 1 Ga-
makatsu EWG hook. EWG stands
for “extra wide gap,” and that style
works well with tubes. Next, I added
a 1/8-ounce tungsten drop shot
weight from Motley Fishing, which
is the most economical source of
tungsten weights I’ve found any-
where. (Check the website at mot-
leyfishing.com.) With the split-ring
pliers, I had to pry and bend open
the tight line clip on the tungsten,
which is designed to clip to the drop
line of a drop-shot setup.
Once the tube was rigged, we
tied our 8-pound leader line of
Seaguar AbrazX on the split ring.
On Jeff’s very first cast the
lure landed inches from shore in a
shallow cove and he caught about
a 12-inch largemouth. I was soon
in on the action and caught three
largemouth and a smallmouth in the
12- to 15-inch range. We later each
lost bigger bass on the Zeekas in
another spot—Jeff’s was easily in
the 5-pound range.
I was sold.
The Zeeka rig consists of a
weight attached to a hook
eyelet via a split ring. A long
tungsten weight such as
these from Motley Fishing
is it takes practice to put the hook transmits bottom composi-
on the split ring—best do a few at tion and avoids picking up
home before you’re on the water. If debris. At top is a Strike
this rig grows in popularity, perhaps King Coffee Fat Tube, which
a hook company could create some is 2 3/4 inches long, rigged
sort of weight holder near the hook on a No. 1 Gamakatsu Extra
eyelet to allow anglers to easily plug Wide Gap hook. The bot-
in their own choice of weight. But tom lure is a 5-inch Z-Man
for now, get your split rings, weights ZinkerZ worm on a 4/0
and hooks and put together some of EWG hook with a 1/4-ounce
your own. The Zeeka’s ease of use
and productivity will quickly make
Motley tungsten drop shot
you a fan.n weight.
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This is a rig that works on fairly Features a Titanium-Enhanced

clean bottom, but that can also come
through reeds and bottom-hugging
vegetation fairly well. We fished
it down to depths of about 5 feet
with the 1/8-ounce weights, and I
rigged one with a bigger hook and a
bigger tube with a 1/4-ounce weight
and threw it on baitcasting tackle.
The fish seemed to prefer the much
smaller size as the big tube didn’t
get a bite. However, that heavier
setup maintained good bottom
contact in depths of 12 to 16 feet.
Tournament day I switched from
the tube to a Loch Ness Battle Craw
crayfish imitator on a different hook
and had one vicious strike. I missed
the fish.
Although we lost two bigger fish
on our practice day and I missed
whatever hit that Battle Craw, the
Zeeka hooked fish well. With that
small tube on a wide-gap hook,
almost every bite was money—the
fish got hooked and stayed hooked.
Also worth noting is how easy
this Zeeka rig is to fish. It’s a no-
brainer. You just cast it out, let it hit
bottom and reel just fast enough to
keep it moving, but slow enough
that you can feel the weight main-
taining contact with the bottom. The
tungsten weight transmits what it’s
dragging over—you clearly can feel
the difference between gravel, sand
and muck.
Also, although we mostly
used tubes, almost any soft plastic
lure—lizard, swimbait, crawfish or
worm—can work Zeeka-style.
The main drawback to the Zeeka
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 31
 Archery competitions and
extinct elk antlers found
Archery competition
at its very finest...
For some, picking up your
bow in September to dust it off,
check the sights and hit a paper
plate three times is enough. For
others, it’s a year-around sport
where placing an arrow in a dime
size circle at 30 yards is not un-
common.
Sweeping the state is an ar-
cher’s competition series called
Independent Archer Association.
The I.A.A. has well over a dozen
indoor and outdoor competitions
throughout the state of Michigan.
It features
the G5 Super
Slam Archery
Tournament,
the Schup-
bach’s Sports
Challenge, the I.A.A. State Tour-
nament and the I.A.A. Archer of
the Year.
C.R. LaFata introduced the
I.A.A., seeing a need for a new
tournament-style 3D archery
format. He used his own experi-
ences from shooting competi-
tions, as well as other seasoned
archer’s suggestions to build a
new association. One created
with the format, rules and classes
the archers wanted.
With 30 or more shooting
classes available there truly is
opportunity for all, from seniors
to youth, compound to long
bow and indoor and outdoor 3D
shoots across the state.
For more information on the
I.A.A. visit their website at:
www.iaaarchery.com
••••••

By Randy Jorgensen

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32 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
160 year-old elk CBM’s Official 11th edition
antlers found ...
Rann Launstien and
a friend were out look- MICHIGAN
BIG GAME RECORDS
ing for morel mushrooms
when they came across
a unique shed, partially
hidden deep in the woods. of DEER, BEAR, ELK and TURKEYS
It was dark and moss
covered. Clearly it was a
very old shed, more than
160 years old.
SOFT COVER HARD COVER includes

37 55
shipping
Rann believes it to
be the shed of an eastern $ 00 $ 00 & taxes
elk, which last roamed
mid-Michigan in the late
1870s. The eastern elk
was a large animal, tip- Rann Launstien with a rare and what is Maps AND County-by-County Listings
ping the scales at over believed to be a Eastern Elk antler which
1,000 pounds, that stood is over 160 years old.
OF Deer and Turkey
60 inches at the shoulder Includes Scoring Periods
and carried a rack of antlers six feet in length.
A few years back, Rob Sarka found a partial elk antler in a beaver 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons
hut while trapping in Lapeer County. The most impressive find of
all came from Sophia Daniels Moehle, 10 years old at the time, who ORDER ONLINE:
found bones and antlers while canoeing with her family in Benzie www.michiganbiggamerecords.com
County. Pictures of Sophia’s elk rack show it was incredibly pre-
served and gave you an idea of the size and beauty of the now extinct OR MAIL CHECK PAYABLE TO:
eastern elk.
Rann went to explain, “I really couldn’t believe what I had picked
WILLOUGHBY PRESS
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 33
Father’s Day
O
n the drive to Roscom-
mon on a trout opener
on which neither the
soles of my waders
nor the tippet of my
fly line would touch
the Au Sable, I found myself drift-
ing back in time.
The guy on talk radio was talk-
ing fish grillin’ with the host and
was waxing delicious about the po-
tential of walleye, especially those
“good eaters.”
“What’s your favorite way to
fish for them?” the host asked.
“Crawler harnesses.
Just the simple crawler har-
ness,” was the response.
The image of a nice, fat
juicy nightcrawler doing
its twisty dance along the
length of a red-beaded har-
ness immediately came to
mind. So did a steel min-
now bucket, two
buckets, actually;
the solid one to hold
By Tom Carney
water and the one
inside that, with the trap door and
colander-like holes to allow water to
drain out and make it easier to grab
a lively emerald shiner or a black
tail chub.
At that point, thoughts of blue-
winged olives, Hendricksons and
roll casts didn’t seem so important.
Like gazillions of other people, I
first dipped a line under the tutelage
of my father, but unlike others I
don’t remember much. An old black
and white photo in some long lost
family album shows me wincing
with the sun in my eyes and stand-
ing beside my kneeling father who
displays a stringer of perch that
reached from my feet to the top of
my head.
Then there was that one night
at our friends’ cottage on Mullet
Lake. We were welcome to stay at
the cabin on the weekends when
my father would come up to do
plumbing repairs for them. I wasn’t
allowed with him on that voyage as
he headed into the darkness to troll
for muskies.
Time passed. The night and the
lake grew darker. I might have felt
a little apprehensive as I headed to
bed.
By and by, the putt-putt of the
little outboard signaled his return,
and I slipped easily into
sleep.
The next morning, he
set to work carving up the
fish. He preserved the head,
brought it home, hung it
on a clothesline pole for
the insects to clean out,
shellacked it, mounted it
on a small piece of
plywood, and hung
it on the wall inside
our garage. It stayed
there for about 13 years until after
he died and my mother made me
throw it out.
Truth be told, I spent much more
fishing time with my father-in-law
Charles than I ever did with my
father.
Charles lived his entire life in
Algonac, near the Flats of the St.
Clair River. When he retired, he
fished the river from the small boat
he kept moored in the canal behind
the house where the daughter of his
late pal Barker lived.
Talk about crawler harnesses!
Ol’ Chuckie had harnesses in every
color bead you could imagine:
red, blue, clear, chartreuse, black,
orange; and he stored each one on
Par t of the fun of taking kids fishing is watching them battle between their
curiosity and uncer tainty when it comes to wet, wiggly and flopping things.
its own thin strip of wood he had
notched at both ends to secure it.
We caught quite a few walleye
on those trips that would begin with
Maureen’s and my arrival about 45
minutes before daylight. Mo didn’t
fish but stayed inside visiting with
her mother. One time, her mother
was particularly amused by what
Maureen had to say.
“He’s going to ask Dad if we
can get married,” Maureen told her.
They both laughed at how outland-
ish that notion seemed in the mod-
ern times of the mid-1980s.
Well, let me tell you! I’m my
own man, and I wasn’t going to do
any asking at all. I was gonna’ tell
him how things were going to be,
period. Yessir!
Just to be on the safe side,
though, I thought I’d better wait
until we caught a keeper fish. …
The fishing was slow. We had
boated a single, 13-inch walleye, a
keeper according to the regulations
set for the St. Clair River.
Just to be on the extra safe side,
I waited for just the right boat posi-
tion. …
There! As the boat’s drift swung
it to the closest point it would come
to the riverbank, I gauged I could
make the swim if Charles got mad at
me for asking … err … I mean tell-
ing him what I came there to say.
So I blurted, “MaureenandIar-
ethinkingofgettingmarried. What do
you think about that?”
“You’re both adults. I’d say you
can do what you want,” he replied.
And I lived to fish with Charles
another day.
But not all men are cut out to be
fathers. The lucky ones among those
become uncles. Our grandnephews
Henry and George, Chuckie’s great
grandsons, gave me the perfect
birthday card this year. The front
reads, “An Uncle loves you like a
father … And laughs with you like a
friend.” Ohhhh, yeah!
Then there’s that t-shirt that’s
now making the rounds with the
chest legend, “Uncle. The Man. The
Myth. The Bad Influence.”
The mothers and fathers of the
nieces and nephews I dote on are all
nodding in agreement with that one.
Not my fault man. If you
didn’t want me to uncle them, you
shouldn’t have had them.
My first bad influence was
Uncle Dutch. He was my mom’s
brother Milton, and I don’t know
where the nickname came from.
We had one adventure when
he took me from our hometown of
Center Line up to Alpena to get in
some wonderful fishing in Lake Hu-
ron. As I recall, we got up there, ate
dinner, and went to bed in a lakeside
cabin he had rented. The next morn-
ing we got up early to fish, motored

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around in the boat for 10 or 15 min-
utes, then headed back in, loaded the
boat on the trailer and left.
He had forgotten the boat’s drain
plug back home.
More memorable was the time
he took me to fish from the dock
at Lake St. Clair’s Metropolitan
Beach. I was about five then, and
was standing there dabbing my hook
and bobber directly below me in the
shallows. I noticed Uncle Dutch and
some other guy casting their worms
out there a ways.
Up North
Storage
Sheds
You know what they say, “The grass
is greener the farther out you can
cast your bait.” So I cast mine.
Except I didn’t know how to
cast, didn’t know how to place my
feet for balance and didn’t know
about momentum.
All I remember is being upside
down and looking up through the
water and seeing a hand reach for
my leg.
My mother later told me that
Uncle Dutch wrapped me in his
jacket and got me home as quickly
A child has no idea what adventures and memories await until an adult
hands him a fishing rod. Liz Balck photos
as he could. And then he fretted and us free rein. But once a year the
worried about what might have hap- boys attend a family reunion, and
pened and oh my gosh. we visit everyone for a day. Henry
As for me though, that might is still kind of cool to the idea, but
have been the first time in my life I when we visit, Georgie likes to get
thought, “Cool! No harm, no foul.” in some fishin’!
I’ve tried my best to badly influ- As of this writing he is at the
ence my sister Kathy’s boys Brian “curious but not enough to bait his
and Michael. But since they always hook or do more than poke a fish
lived so far away, I couldn’t get into with his finger” stage, but there is
any real trouble with them. hope he will develop as a fisherman.
Henry and George live close by, And I want to help.
and while it’s true we’ve been able For while not all of us can be
to have some messin’ around time fathers to children, we can all be bad
together, their Grand-Aunt Maureen influences and laugh with them like
is usually standing too near to allow friends.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 35
Confessions of a
FROG LOVER
I
’ve been in love with
frogs ever since I was a
barefooted toddler splash-
ing about mud puddles
and running half naked
around the swamps near
our rural home. Not much
has changed, but I’m a few
years older now and now
I understand more of what
happens when frogs get
in the mood for love and
romance. And I keep my
clothes on during frog spy-
ing expeditions.
April
was Na-
tional Frog By Jonathan Schechter
Month, and
now that all (I think) of the Upper
Peninsula’s snow has finally melted
it’s time for a belated celebration of
frogs. Frogs do some mighty strange
things, at least in the eyes of hu-
mans. To set the stage I’ll share a bit
36 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
of biology first before I hop into my
rambling dissertation on our long-
leaping, bug-eating, swamp-singing
amphibians of the wetlands and
meadows of Michigan.
Amphibian means “two lives,”
referring to the fact frogs
begin their life in water be-
fore hopping about the edge
of wetlands. In scientific
terms, “Amphibians are
a cold-blooded vertebrate
animal of a class that com-
prises frogs, toads, newts,
and salamanders. They
have an
aquatic gill-
breathing
larval stage
usually followed by a terrestrial
lung-breathing adult stage.”
That translates as: Frogs start
out as eggs laid in or near water.
In their next stage the eggs turn
into tadpoles. The tadpoles stay in
Bullfrogs can be eight inches long and are the largest species of
frog in Nor th America.
the water and breathe through gills
until they grow legs and develop
lungs and climb out of water. They
are then frogs and little kids chase
them. With that bit of science 101
out of the way we’ll move on to frog
music.
Frog Symphonies
Frogs do not “croak” because
they are happy. The males vocally
establish territory and sing to lure
the lady loves of their lives. The
courtship romance is short lived.
Spring peepers and chorus frogs
started their singing in late April
down in my current stomping
grounds of Oakland County but as
shallow waters warm, the creaky
sounding duck-like clatter of wood
frogs and the prolonged rumbling
call of leopard frogs kick in and
reach top volume. They should be
singing up a storm in the U.P. by the
time you read these words.
Gray treefrogs remained silent
today as I scribble these words on
April 27 but that’s because frost is
on the ground and a few snowflakes
fell in the highlands. As soon as a
hot and humid afternoon, or warm
weather thunderstorm rumbles into
town, treefrogs may explode into
their insect-like trilling song from
the branches of trees and nearly
impenetrable thickets.
Frog Tongues
Frog tongues are attached to the
front of their mouths rather than
attached way back in the mouth like
the tongue you and I have. When
a frog sees a squirmy insect, wig-
gly worm, or juicy bug it throws its
sticky tongue out of its mouth in a
lightning fast maneuver and wraps it
around its prey. Then it snaps back
in and all but throws the food down
the throat.
Frog Eyes
Did you know that frogs use
their eyes to swallow?
Well, they sort of do that. When
a frog gulps down a meal, it squeez-
es its large eyes closed. That muscle
movement sinks the eyes down into
the head and that helps push the still
squirming food down the throat. As
you may have guessed, frog eyes
excel at spotting movement of both
prey and predators, even when ev-
erything but their eyes and nose are
under the surface of the water.
Frog Skin
Frog skin, unlike toad skin,
needs to be moist. Frogs do not
drink water. Because they absorb
water through their skin, frogs are
excellent indicators of chemical
containments in water. Dr. Ruth
Marcec is the director of the Nation-
al Amphibian Conservation Center
at the Detroit Zoo and is acutely
aware of the plight of many species
of amphibians, including frogs.
She also works with rare am-
phibians and was quoted in the
Detroit Free Press last year saying,
“If you combine all the endangered
mammals and birds that still doesn’t
add up to the percentage of amphib-
ians that are threatened and endan-
gered.”
Consider frogs an early warn-
ing system of our wetlands. When
frog populations die, we should be
concerned for in the world of nature
all things are connected.
We all have our favorite frogs.
These five are mine:
Spring Peepers
National Geographic describes
spring peepers perfectly, “Spring
peepers are to the amphibian world
what American robins are to the bird
world. As their name implies, these
frogs begin emitting their famil-
iar sleigh bell chorus right around
the beginning of spring. Found in
wooded areas and grassy lowlands
near ponds and swamps in the
central and eastern parts of Canada
and the United States, these tiny,
well-camouflaged amphibians are
rarely seen. But in mid-March the
crescendo from amorous males is
for many a sign that winter is over.
Spring peepers are tan or brown in
color with dark lines that form a
telltale X on their backs.”
Here’s another fact of interest.
Their Latin name, Hyla crucifer, is
derived from the cross, or “telltale
X” on their backs.
Gray Treefrogs
Gray treefrogs spend much of
their time in shrubbery and trees and
sometimes use their suction cup-like
toe pads to climb up the outside of
a window pane. They are not the
Peeping Toms of the frog world, but
they do know opportunity. When the
light from inside the home attracts
bugs, the treefrogs climb up for
an easy meal. The scientific name
for the gray treefrog, versicolor,
is derived from Latin and means
‘variable color,’ which relates to this
species’ ability to change color to
blend into their habitat of the mo-
ment. Gray treefrogs may be shades
of gray, brown, bright green or a
combination of colors. They are true
masters of camouflage.
Green Frog
Green frogs are the second
largest species of frog species of
Michigan. They are the species most
seen, most loved, and most often
pursued by children. I think that’s
what I used to chase, but back then
a frog was a frog. The song of the
green frog is accurately described as
a banjo string being plucked.
Bullfrog
Bullfrogs can be eight inches
long and are the largest species of
frog in North America. These pop-
eyed inhabitants of large ponds and
wetlands are more than a mouthful
for some predators and occasional
turn the tables and eat snakes, small
birds, mice, voles, and other frogs.
They are well known for the deep
baritone call which is heard most
often on sultry summer days and
nights and is often described as
“Jug-of-Rum, Jug-of-Rum.”
American Toads
According to the University of
Michigan’s Museum of Zoology An American toad buried in the sands of South Manitou awaiting
there is no scientific distinction
between frogs and toads. Frog and
dinner in the form of big bugs. Author photos
toads both belong to the Anura or- of some beholders. The springtime Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake-
der, but are found in different fami- “penetrating sex trills” of the male shore. And in addition to hundreds
lies. The National Wildlife Federa- toads attract the female toads, hu- of campers and island day visitors
tion explains the difference simply, man frog lovers and predators. that I encounter I have some mighty
in ways even non-herpetologists Hognose Snakes have a non- big toads that keep me company on
such as me can grasp, “Basically, reciprocating love affair with toads. my not so lonely watch; including
toads are frogs that spend most of Toads are their favorite entrée. this “monster” toad partially bur-
their time on dry land. As a result These non-venomous snakes that ied in the sands of South Manitou
their skin is rougher, which helps can flatten their head like a cobra awaiting dark to ambush big bugs.
camouflage them in the knobby and hiss are rare in Southeast Michi- Jonathan Schechter is the Na-
world of dirt, sand and leaf litter.” gan but thrive in some sandy areas ture Education Writer for Oakland
That simple explanation works of Michigan, including South Mani- County Government and still chases
for me too. Life can be tough for to Island, where I will be heading in frogs and other critters in the wilds
toads, a species that is renowned for just a few weeks for my fourth tour of nature. Email: oaknature@aol.
its lack of beauty–at least in the eyes of duty as the Lighthouse Keeper for comn
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 37
STATE RECORD
GOBBLER
Guest Column By Ross Aldrich
I
have hunted turkeys in
the past but usually I hunt
only one day during my
season and call it quits
because I guess I am not
what you would call a
diehard turkey hunter. I have taken a
total of two toms in the past with my
gun but never have seriously hunted
with my bow for turkeys until this
year. I had retired from one of my
part-time jobs at the beginning of the
month so I thought this would give
me a better opportunity to hunt with
my bow this year knowing it would
probably be difficult to harvest one
with the bow.
The turkeys had been winter-
ing on our property this year and I
would typically see at least 20 toms
and just as many hens for most of
the winter right behind our house
and the adjoining fields. I knew
these birds would not be this numer-
ous come hunting season and I sure
was right. As soon as the weather
warmed up around the first of April
I rarely saw a bird or heard any toms
gobbling. To complicate things, the
farmer who leases our land tilled up
all of the farm fields on our property.
I had low expectations for a suc-
cessful turkey season using my bow
so the weekend before my season
started I placed my portable blind
near the middle of the property.
My first couple days of turkey
season were pretty uneventful,
watching two hens following the
same path to the creek, moving my
blind around and finally seeing a
tom following the two hens. But late
Friday afternoon I saw a big tom
hanging around my food plot.
So I decided to hunt out of my
blind I have on this food plot Satur-
day morning and heard a faint gob-
ble to the west of me. After listening
for a while it sounded like this bird
was on the move but not getting
closer to me. I kept looking to where
the two hens always came from and
it wasn’t too long before I spotted
them with a long beard in tow. They
were, as usual, working their way to
the south right to the creek although
this day they decided to walk further
away from me to the creek edge.
I kept looking in that direction for
any of the three to perhaps sneak up
the creek edge toward me. While
watching for them, I kept hearing
this other tom gobble every once in
a while and it sounded like he was
38 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
getting closer to me. I decided to try
to get out my box call and see what
happens. I figured I had nothing to
lose. I gave a couple of yelps on
the call and waited. Within a few
minutes I saw the three turkeys that
were by the creek now working their
way down the field edge toward me.
At this point I focused my attention
to them and kind of forgot about this
other gobbler.
After several minutes of watch-
ing these three, they were getting
really getting close to bow range and
I was getting pretty excited thinking
that I may really have a chance at
this tom. About the time I thought
this, I was again hearing the other
tom and he was extremely close to
me. I looked out the other side of
my blind and cresting the hill about
50 yards from me stood this big tom
surveying the situation. The two
hens were now behind me dusting
themselves in the plowed field and
the tom with them was now behind a
small rock pile, out of sight from the
tom on the hill. I had my hen decoy
set up sitting directly on the ground
in the food plot.
The hill top tom now started to
strut for these hens but I don’t think
they were too interested in him. Af-
ter they finished their dust bath they
started to slowly work their way to-
ward my location once again but this
time they would be heading almost
directly at the base of my blind. This
drew out the tom that was with them
originally away from his secluded
spot behind the rock pile, but now in
sight of the tom on the hill.
I believe the tom on the hill must
have been the dominant bird be-
cause as soon he saw the other tom
he went right after him. He ran on
a full sprint directly at him and that
first tom flew straight up and over
the dominant bird and landed several
yards away from him. I guess this
was still too close because once
again he charged at him and this
time landed right top of him. That
seemed to be enough of a battle for
the other tom as he took flight again,
this time flying out of sight.
The hens paid little attention to
all this commotion as they were now
right next to my decoy just slowly
feeding their way back toward the
creek. Now that the tom had got-
ten rid of any competition he set his
sights on these hens. He now was
strutting around trying to get the at-
Ross Aldrich of Laingsburg with his state
record tom taken with a bow, his first
turkey with a bow. The 5 beards measured;
10-1/2, 8-3/8, 7-13/16, 7 and 3-7/8
inches with 1 7/16 inch spurs. The previous
record was set in 2002 by Phillip Blaske,
his Cass Co. bird scored 33 15/16.
tention of these ladies. He kept get- would skin him out for me. I took
ting closer toward my decoy which the turkey over to his house to show
would offer up the best shot for me. him and my nephew Eric was look-
As the tom seemed to take forever to ing the bird all over and mentioned
get in sight of my window opening that it had several beards. I told him
he finally appeared. I drew back for I did see that it had more than one
the shot but he turned away leaving but he exclaimed there were five
the window opening. I had to let the total! He remembered earlier in the
arrow down and wait once again for year, when these birds were flocked
him to come back in this opening. At together, seeing one particular bird
last he did and was still in full strut. that had multiple beards and long
I drew back yet again and placed spurs. He said I should get this
the 20 yard pin on him as he was scored because after he gave it a
perfectly broadside to me and let the quick measure, looked up the record
arrow fly. Down he went! I could not book and said it might be close to
believe it! There laid this big tom the Shiawassee County record.
turkey, my first ever with a bow. I took the turkey the next day to
I called my wife and had my Buck Hagy, an official CBM scorer,
daughter, Lauren would drive back and he measured it. After I returned
on our ATV because I thought she back home Buck gave me a call
would be interested in seeing this and informed me that he checked
bird and also she probably wouldn’t the record books as to where my
believe that I really did get one. bird would place and he said that I
After tagging the bird we were probably had the new state record
admiring the nice long paint brush for a multi-bearded turkey taken
beard and his long, sharp spurs. As with a bow, and by seven inches! I
we were looking it over further we could not believe it. He said that I
noticed he had what appeared to had to have it rescored by a panel of
be another beard. We both thought three official scorers to verify this.
that was interesting but didn’t give The next day I took it back over to
it a second thought. I was still more them and the three of them scored
astonished that I was able to get one it once again. My official score was
with my bow. We took a few pictures 40.6 inches which measures all five
and loaded him up on the ATV and beards plus the length of the spurs.
went back to the house. I was sure glad I decided to try to
After having lunch I spoke with bow hunt this year and also thankful
my brother-in-law Greg Young to that I listened to my nephew Eric to
tell him the story and to see if he have this bird scored!n
Oaks Trees...
Trees of Life?
Don’t Risk Oak Wilt Fungus
Guest Column By William Drews
It was about 1956 or thereabouts
when we would visit my grandma’s
house on Sundays to enjoy her com-
pany and a great meal. Later in the
evening we would watch “Lassie”
and “The Ed Sullivan Show” on her
12” screen TV (we hadn’t gotten
that luxury yet). In the afternoon
between those two events, I loved to
hang out under the big red oak tree
in the front yard. Gathering up hun-
dreds of acorns was great fun for a
five-year-old. My father would later
show me how to whistle with the
acorn caps, explaining that should I
ever get lost, the high pitched sound
could be heard from long distances.
So oak trees and I go back a
long ways, and although that big oak
is now gone, the memories of family
reunions held under it will remain.
Allow me to point out many of the
wonderful benefits our oak trees
provide and ways to avoid any un-
necessary risks you may be taking.
We all want to make our hunting
properties as attractive to wildlife as
possible, so why wouldn’t we do all
we can to promote oak mast?
It’s been said, and I believe it
is very true, that a deer will walk
through a field of corn to get to a
white oak that’s dropping acorns.
I am convinced that deer know
exactly where every available food
source in their territory is, and just
like a kid, will eat the candy first.
I have spent hundreds of dollars
each year to plant and manage small
The oak wilt disease reproduces under the bark of oak wilt-killed trees.
This bark has been pulled away and reveals nitidulid beetles feeding on
the sporulating fungal structure of the oak wilt pathogen.
food plots that at best are good for
one or two seasons. I would esti-
mate the number of existing young
white oaks along the uplands of our
hunting property to be around 50.
They require very little care and are
reaching the maturity level where
acorns are being produced. What
value can be placed on those trees?
Do you know the tree species
component on your hunting prop-
erty? Do you know where the good
mast producers are?
During a recent seminar presen-
tation at our annual arborists meet-
ing (Arbor-Con), Dr. Doug Tallamy,
Professor of Entomology, from the
University of Delaware explained
the amazing role our oak trees play
in the wildlife community. Many
animals utilize the oak mast but
various caterpillar populations are
so vital for bird nestling survival
(1,000 caterpillars per baby bird
raised). He calls oaks the tree of life.
Are you willing to risk losing
any of your oaks by pruning, remov-
ing or hinge cutting during risk
periods?
Oak wilt is a serious threat to an
amazing resource. Certified arbor-
ists will agree that any warm season
activity with oaks can be risky and
should be avoided. The following
information will help you better un-
derstand the criteria for identifying
oak wilt and how it can get started.
The disease is oak wilt (Bretzi-
ella fagecaerum). New oak wilt in-
A red oak canopy six weeks after being infected by oak wilt. The
disease will now move from this infected host through connected
roots killing additional oak trees. Julie Stachecki photos
fections are easily started during the
spring and early summer when this
pathogen produces an abundance
of spores and the beetles feeding
on those spores are active – this is
known as the HIGH RISK oak wilt
infection period. Any fresh wound
on an oak tree makes it vulnerable
to infection. The risk of the new
oak wilt infections continues mid-
summer through fall but biological
conditions make the risk somewhat
lower than during spring-early
summer. Red oaks infected by oak
wilt will die quickly, often within
6-8 weeks despite the tree’s size – a
200-year-old red oak will succumb
as quickly as a 10-year-old red oak
tree!
Oak wilt spreads in two ways.
Overland infections occur when
native sap beetles (and a few other
types) feed on oak wilt spores and
then fly to wounds on oak trees,
carrying the spores on their bodies.
Once an oak tree is infected, the oak
wilt disease moves through the tree
into the root system and into all oak
trees that it shares roots with.
Roots are connected in a vast
system of “root highways,” allow-
ing oak wilt to move and kill acres
of trees until the disease runs out
of oak roots to move through. This
below-ground activity across root
grafts is responsible for the great-
est number of oak wilt-killed trees.
A tree’s roots can grow twice the
distance that a tree is tall. So, for
example, a 50 foot oak tree can have
roots 75-100 feet out from its base
in all directions.
Prevention of new oak wilt in-
fections is the key to managing this
disease and limiting its devastation.
Preventions actions include:
• Not injuring oaks during the
growing season (when leaves are on
the trees);
• rapidly sealing wounds if they
occur (beetles are strongly attracted
to fresh oak wood and have been
documented to arrive in 8-10 min-
utes!);
• do not move firewood
• monitoring for the disease and
prompt, positive identification of its
presence.
• positive diagnosis of oak wilt
requires the presence of spores and/
or the ‘pressure pads’ that grow un-
der the bark of oak wilt-killed trees
or a positive lab analysis.
While enjoying the benefits of
our native oak trees if you notice
something unusual, particularly a
change in leaf color, wilting and
rapid leaf drop at the wrong time of
year, contact a Michigan oak wilt
specialist to assist you with accurate
diagnosis. Oaks endure a variety of
pests which can be easily confused
with oak wilt symptoms.
If oak wilt is diagnosed, suc-
cessful treatment requires techni-
cal expertise and a multi-faceted
management approach. Go to
MichiganOakWilt.org to connect
with trained oak wilt specialists,
learn more about ongoing oak wilt
research in Michigan, find helpful
management information, links to
many references and a gallery of
photographs.
Author Wm. Drews is MI
Oak Wilt Qualified; ISA Certified
Arborist; Tree Risk Assessment
Qualified; ASM member; Oak Wilt
Coalition member; owner Woodland
Tree Services, Inc.; avid Michigan
outdoorsman. Some information
thanks to Julie Stachecki, MI Oak
Wilt Qualified; ISA Certified Arbor-
ist, Tree Risk Assessment Qualified;
ASM President; Oak Wilt Coalition
member; Site Specific, Inc.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 39
Joel’s Big Buck!
Guest Column…By Serge Bourdeaux

A
good deer story has few minutes into legal light in walks
to have some kind a young four-point buck. In seconds
of introduction. I he is broadside to us at about 30
have a grandson, yards, and I whisper to Joel to take
Joel DeVaughn, he is the safety off and take your shot.
15-years-old, stands After we calmed down a little I
at 6 feet 2 inches tall, is a sopho- let him know that the deer was hit
more in high school, plays guitar, and we can go find his buck. He
and likes to deer hunt and fish. is now firmly into this deer hunt-
Well now, about two years ing thing with a crossbow and after
ago the conversation in the family completing his hunter safety course
somehow shifted to hunting and this past summer was ready for the
either or both his mom and dad said next chapter in his life which leads
he wanted to try crossbow hunting us to the main storyline.
with grandpa. As time went on we Saturday September 22, 2018
used my recurve crossbow and did a - Liberty Hunt, we left the house
little practicing in the backyard that about five in the afternoon and
progressed to shooting at a deer tar- walked out to the blind for the
get at 20 and 30 yards. In the fall of evening sit. A little after 5:30 a
2017 we got Joel a base apprentice fawn came in view out there about
license and during the early antler- 30 yards, and then the doe came
less hunt he connected on a young along but from a different trail. I
deer near his home. whispered to Joel that she was a
Now then, he was ready for the mature deer and he should be ready
next step; to sit in the deer blind to take his shot. She was not giving
with grandpa looking for a buck. In the broadside pose that Joel needed,
early October we set up in the blind when she threw her head up sudden-
before daylight and right on cue, a ly and went to attention. They both
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Joel DeVaughn, 15, with his trophy 10-point and the author.
had caught our scent with the shift-
back to the house and wait. Maybe
ing air currents and left in a hurry. 40-50 minutes later we came back
The evening sit continued on
equipped with headlamps, hand
for a while with no other sightings. light, sled, and field dressing gear to
I knew that the waning light of the find Joel’s 10-point buck that died
day could bring in more deer so I tangled in that fence line, which was
mentioned to Joel we were in the
about 25 yards from where the buck
prime time of deer movement from was shot. What a beautiful buck he
daytime bedding to nighttime feed-
was with nearly even beams and
ing. Around 7:30 I’m looking down tines and a likely candidate for scor-
at our stuff in the blind contemplat-
ing by Commemorative Bucks of
ing packing up things when Joel Michigan and a shoulder mount by
bumps me and whispers, “Grandpa, Mark Ditzel’s Taxidermy.
buck!” We became aware of that bucks
We were in the last half hour of presence back in June when we
legal light when in walks a 10-point
buck using the same trail as the doe.
He seems to not be in any hurry, but
were hanging out on the deck, he
decided to walk across the back
property just beyond the pond. His
I again whisper to Joel to wait for antlers back then went past his ears
that broadside pose. He stops at al- and with my binoculars I could see
most the same place as the doe had, at least six-points above his main
giving us a front quartering shot. beams. That sighting convinced me
Knowing what that doe did earlier, I to set out a couple trail cameras later
whispered to Joel, “Take the safety in August which led us setting up a
off and take your shot at that buck.” blind off from a trail leading toward
His response was quick and that the back yard.
bolt was so fast that when I blinked Joel’s crossbow was given to
that buck was in full retreat. He ap- him in June by me when I upgraded
peared to stop at the south property my bow to a Ravin R9. I had pur-
line fence, and within view with my chased that crossbow from Schup-
binoculars I could see him stagger- bach’s Sporting Goods several years
ing. I told Joel that he was hit but ago; a 6-Point GT Flex made by
we need to leave the blind and go TenPoint bows.n
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 Manistee County...
Booner Bear
L
ast September, John Koon
from Manistee bagged a black
bear with a skull large enough
to qualify for national records
maintained by the Boone and Crock-
ett Club in Manistee County, accord-
ing to Commemorative Bucks of
Michigan. CBM measurers came up
with an official score of 21 2/16 for
the skull and 21 is the minimum for
entry in all-time Boone and Crockett
Records. Bear skulls only have to
measure 18 to make it into
state records.
Manistee County is in
the Baldwin Bear Manage-
ment Unit (BMU). The
bear John shot was smaller
than the one he was after,
but it still proved to be big
enough.
“I had
trail camera
pictures of a By Richard P. Smith
bear that had a
blemish on his back,” Koon said. “It
was actually a big brown spot. That
was the bear I was after. It was the
biggest bear that I had photos of.
“I think the one with the brown
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spot was a little bigger than the one I
shot. I didn’t have any photos of the
one I ended up shooting.”
John said he passed up two or
three bears on the first day of his
hunt as well as others on subsequent
days, but he wasn’t sure if the ones
he saw each day were different ani-
mals or the same ones.
“I didn’t want to shoot a yearling
that only weighed 100 pounds,” he
said. “I’m not sure how many differ-
ent bears I passed up, but I
saw bears every day. There
were quite a few of them in John Koon of Manistee bagged this big black bear that qualifies for
the area.” national records maintained by the Boone and Crockett Club
John was hunting from
a tree stand about 40 yards 2017 that weighed approximately side.”
from a bait. His grandson, 300 pounds. He was hunting the Then John put a bullet from his
Jacob, was hunting with same bait when he bagged his Boon- .30-06 through the bear’s chest.
him. John said Jacob has er. It was the evening of September “He took off when I shot,” Koon
applied for a 13 or 14 when John scored. stated. “He ran right underneath the
state-issued
bear license in
“We saw what looked like a
shooter back in the swamp, but it
treestand I was in.”
The bruin had a dressed weight
the Baldwin disappeared,” John remembered. of 435 pounds. Its live weight would
Unit for a number of years without “The one I shot came to the bait a have been close to 500 pounds.
success. As a member of the Little little later. There was still plenty of “It took four guys and myself to
River Band of Indians, John drew a light left, and it was obvious he was get that bear out of the woods,” John
tribal bear license two years in a row. a shooter. I watched him for about said. “The bear’s ears, nose and face
Koon shot his first bear during 15 minutes until he turned broad- were scarred up from fighting.”n
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 41
WALLEYES
and
WORMS
Whether imitation or real, worms
work for catching walleye in
open water…By Mark Martin
T
hey wiggle; they
squiggle; they’re
soft and smell funny.
They’re worms. And
all that holds true
whether they are mod-
ern-day fake baits or the real deal.
The best thing about worms?
They work wonders when it comes
to catching walleye in open water.
But not all worms are created equal.
Not even the live ones.
Dive Right In
What is it about worms that
work so well for catching walleye?
Well, you don’t have to dive too
42 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
deeply in thought to figure it out.
Like all fish, walleye are opportunis-
tic feeders. In other words, they’ll
eat whatever passes by when they
are in the mood to eat.
What about all those minnows
and bugs walleyes feasting on all
summer long, you ask? Well, yeah,
they are still feeding on those, too.
But the cool thing about worms is
you can easily change their appear-
ance by adding a little bling to your
rig, or even just doubling them up or
nipping them in half. And you can
fish them fast, slow, and all speeds
in between. To boot, the fish like the
way they taste.
You’d be hard pressed not to find live nightcrawlers in the author’s
boat anytime he’s on the water.
The Livelier
The Better
You’d be hard pressed not to find
live night crawlers in my boat any-
time I’m on the water. But lethargic,
lifeless crawlers won’t cut it. In fact,
dying worms skewered onto a hook
will repel fish rather than entice
them to taking a bite.
Crawlers must be kept cool and
moist… not wet. When purchased,
most night crawlers are packed in
rich, black dirt. They should be
kept in this natural mixture for long
term storage, say, over a period of
months, as they get nourishment
from it. And they need to be kept
cool; somewhere in the mid-40
degree mark is about right. For
shorter term use, however, a pre-
mixed worm bedding is ideal. Best
if it comes pre-moistened with just
the right amount of water already
added. Night crawlers don’t do
well if their surroundings are too
clammy. Keep their bedding moist,
not wet.
When bringing along worms
aboard my Lund for the day, I keep
them in an insulated container. A
foam liner does two things, actually:
It keeps the temperature inside the
container constant and cool, and acts
as a shock absorber during travel
in my vehicle and boat. The latter
of the two is often overlooked by
anglers. Worms, no matter the type,
will perish quickly if jostled around
too much.
And when onboard, I keep my
night crawlers in a cooler rather than
adding ice to the container itself. As
the ice melts it will saturate the bed-
ding and eventually kill the critters.
Real VS imitation
Whether I use live crawlers or
softbaits that imitate the real thing is
up to the fish. And knowing when to
use one over the other comes from
many years of trial and error while
on the water.
Seeing as I have confidence
equally in live and fake baits, I
rarely start using one over another.
Instead, I base my choice on the
environment of the waterway I’m
fishing, my technique, as well the
other species of fish that reside in it.
Take, for example, when perch
are present and pecking away at my
live crawlers on a crawler harness,
nipping away at the meat until it’s
completely ripped from the hook.
This is when I’ll change up and use
Gulp! Night Crawlers instead of
live ones. Gulp! is soft, yet tough
enough that small fish can’t tear it
apart before walleyes get a chance
to take a poke at it. And Gulp! ex- out any spinner ahead of it. If the
pels scent that predator fish love. water’s dirt and I feel a little color’s
When casting and jigging, on the needed to attract attention, I’ll slip
other hand, I’ll often start out with one to three small brightly colored
softbaits as they stay on the hook beads ahead of the hook. Just pinch
better when being ripped through a couple split-shot a few feet above
structure such as weeds, wood the hook, or tie up a slip-sinker rig
and rock. Berkley’s 4-inch Pow- and hang on.
erBait worm, for example, as well 2019 SUMMER/FALL CLASS SCHEDULE
their Jigworm are two of my go-to Worm Roundup
baits when walleyes are in vegeta- June 1,The2019 — Mt.
only Clemens,
problem MIof
I know
when it comes to using worms,
tion. I skewer them onto a 1/8- to June 1, 2019— Somerset, KY
1/4-ounce Metallic Eye-Ball Jigs as whether live or imitation, is the
this particular model has a BarbWire Julyendless
13, 2019 — Mt.
ways Clemens,
in which MIthem
to rig
for the fishing situation at hand.
worm and grub barb on it that holds August 10, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI
Above were only a mere few, just to
the bait in place, snug to the head.
September 2019— Mt.
7, thinking.
get you Clemens,
When it comes TAK
MI to
Changing Form 2019 SUMMER/FALL CLASS usingSCHEDULE
worms, let your imagination
As I mentioned, worms work
October 5, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI
June 1, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI
run wild. TEST
wonders on walleyes that are fo- OctoberJust12,remember
2019— St. to keep your
Joseph, MI live
cused in on eating other forage. Af- Lethargic, lifeless crawlers won’t cut it. In fact, dyingJune 1, 2019
worms — Somerset,
skew- ones KY
lively,
APPROVED and use softbaits that
October 19, 2019— Gibraltar, MI
ter all, rarely do fish feed on worms, ered onto a hook will repel fish rather than entice July them to taking a
13, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI
smell like the real thing. Do so and Prou
anyway, because they don’t live in bite. Crawlers must be kept cool and moist but not wet. you’ll catch
November fish— on
2, 2019 Baythem
City,allMI
sum-
water. They are a natural forage for August 10, 2019— Mt. Clemens, mer long,MI I promise. After all, the
“The
fish, however, as a heavy rain will rig a night crawler onto a Northland Spinner. Walleyes are TAKE THE
more likely November
September 7, 2019— Mt. Clemens,
2, 2019
best thing MI
— Mt. Clemens, MI
about worms is they work Si
th
wash worms into the drink. 2019 SUMMER/FALL
Baitfish Spinner Harness.CLASSTheSCHEDULE
blade to take a bite at my bait if it’s been wonders when it comes to hood- 30 A
A spinner blade above a night onJune 1, 2019— Mt. Clemens,of
this rig has life-like images MI
October
shrunk down when TEST WITH US!
they5,are2019 — Mt. Clemens,
feasting winking MI walleye in open water.
crawlers, such as on a crawler har- minnows and small fishes imprinted on bugs. October 12, 2019— St. Joseph, Mark MIMartin is a touring wall-
June and
ness, give off the flash and vibration on them look—like
1, 2019 Somerset,
the realKY
thing. Worms, too, imitate the small eye tournament professional and in-
that attracts walleyes. Anytime I’m If walleyes are feeding on lampreys that Octoberoften
walleyes 19, 2019
eat — Gibraltar,
structor MI
with the Fishing Vacations/
July 13, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI Proudly Serving
pulling harnesses, whether high in insects, such as mayfly nymphs, I’ll during the midsummer period.
November 2, In — Bay
2019 Schools,
City, MIwho lives in southwestern
the water column behind Church August 10, 2019
use smaller blades— Mt. Clemens,
and only half MI rivers for example, I’ll just
“Thenip Great
the Lakes” corner of Michigan’s Lower Penin-
a worm on7,a 2019
Tackle in-line planer boards, or, near September single— hook spinner MI nose of a nightNovember 2, 2019
crawler onto Since— Mt.
a razor 1989!Clemens,
sula. Check MIout his website at mark-
Mt. Clemens, th
bottom behind bottom-bouncers, I’ll rig such as Crawler Hauler Speed sharp Diichi single hook with-
30 Anniversary martins.net for more information.n
October 5, 2019— Mt. Clemens, MI
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 TOP-WATER BASS
Great fishing fun...
B
ass anglers don’t
agree on much but
most of them would
probably concede
that catching bass
on top-water lures is
about as much fun as you can have,
fishing. On occasion, you can catch
more fish on top-water lures than on
anything else and those occasions
are to be relished.
Let’s start with plugs.
Top-water plugs come into
their own in June, accord-
ing to my records. It was
my good fortune to live on
a small private lake with
a good bass population. I
still fish it and, based on
a couple of years when I
counted, I usually
By George Rowe
catch around 800
a summer. The
most productive lure in June, by far,
has been a floater and they come in
many shapes and colors. My per-
sonal favorite is a big jointed model
in silver and black. This goodie is
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All through spring and
summer our charters produce
consistant, world class fish-
ing. Both eaters and lunkers
are typically caught on most
charters for the perfect mix.
Early Spring yields larger
sized walleyes with some
trout and salmon mixed in for
good measure. Late spring
and summer produces limit
catches on most charters
with more pleasant condi-
tions and some perch, bass
and pike mixed in. We fish
both the inner and outer por-
tions of the Bay including the
Charity Islands.
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44 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
cast out over deep weedy cover or
next to the lily pads and allowed to
just sit there for a few seconds. It is
shook or quivered then and allowed
to rest again. After several repeti-
tions, it is retrieved slowly.
Most of the hits come as the
plug is twitched and the hits are
almost always explosive. It appears
that the bass swim up to the plug,
examine it for a few seconds and
then, when it moves, they
bang it. When the fish are
really aggressive, they will
also hit the plug on the re-
trieve and that is also excit-
ing. There are other plugs
with more noise or action
on the retrieve and they
are also productive. Those
with a big wiggle
or propellers seem
particularly effec-
tive in June.
Poppers are a special breed of
surface plugs, with those dished
faces making very satisfactory
blurbs when given that little twitch.
The popping plugs seem to be most
effective early and late in the day.
Year after year, the top-water plugs
seem to produce the largest bass of
the season. While other lures will
sometimes produce more hits and
more fish, the big surface plugs al-
most always deliver the largest fish.
Fly rod lures are among the most
effective of top-water presentations.
Big poppers or deer hair bugs start
producing well as soon as the water
warms up somewhat late in May,
and they stay on top of the fish-pro-
ducing list until July, when the fish
leave the shallows and head for the
depths. Until then, working a popper
in the shallows and next to any kind
of cover or structure will be very
effective. There is a period early
in June when the dragonflies and
damselflies are hatching from larval
cases deposited on reeds and lily
pads. You can do some sight-fishing
then, cruising around and watching
for signs of feeding bass. If you see
one take a struggling dragonfly and
cast your popper to that spot, you
are almost guaranteed an instant and
spectacular strike.
On occasion, bass and big
bluegills will gang up on a shallow
flat downwind of a reed bed, feed-
ing actively on hatching dragonflies
and/or damselflies. If you can find
this situation on your fishing wa-
ters, a fly rod will produce fish after
fish as long as they are rising to the
struggling flies or until your arm
gets tired. If you fish much with a
fly rod, you will confirm that you
can cover more water with a buggy-
whip than with any other method of
presenting a lure. Most of the hits,
remember, will come as the lure is
worked on the surface, not on the
retrieve. The retrieve, therefore, is
largely wasted effort and a consum-
er of time.
With a fly rod, there is no re-
trieve, as such – you just raise the
rod, lifting the lure to the back cast
and shooting it forward to land in a
new spot for a little exploratory new
action. While fly rod fishing is my
favorite, any month in the summer,
I must admit that a big surface plug
will produce more fish and larger
fish, in June.
Spinnerbaits are classified as
surface lures, at least in my book,
since you can see them as they are
retrieved (if you retrieve them fast)
and the strike is also visible. That
special version known as the buzz-
bait also fits those criteria. While
spinnerbaits can be used in deep-
water fishing in the warmer months
This largemouth still wears the
top-water plug that fooled it.
of the summer, they seem most ef-
fective during the shoulder seasons,
early and late in the summer, when
the fish are mostly in the shallows.
In June and July, working a spinner-
bait through a shallow bed of rushes
or reeds can set off some really great
strikes. Many times, you can see the
fish coming in from the side, swim-
ming at top speed to intercept the
spinnerbait. This technique seems
particularly effective on smallmouth
bass. Spinnerbaits are also very ef-
fective in fishing over rather heavy
cover. If you find a weed bed that is
growing in deep water with just a
foot or two of water on top of it, you
can work that very effectively with
a spinnerbait. The bass will come
up out of that weedy cover and just
slam that whirling lure.
Top-water fishing is usually
best early and late in the day, by
mid-summer. If the day is cloudy,
however, or there is a little drizzle in
the air, top-water can be effective all
day long. Even in August, when you
just know that deep-running lures
will catch more fish than surface
lures, it usually pays to try the top
for at least a few casts. If you are us-
ing a deep-running plug, try popping
it at the surface before you pull it
under for a retrieve. If you get a hit,
you have a sure sign that you should
switch to surface lures for a bit.
The great pay-off in surface fish-
ing for bass is, of course, that visible
strike. “Takes” that you only feel
are okay, but tame by comparison.
There is nothing quite like seeing
and feeling that big largemouth
engulf your lure. That is what makes
bass fishing so popular across this
great land and that is what makes
surface lure fishing for bass so
special.n
 Whitetail activity,
patterns and vision
S
easonally, whitetails
are most active during
late winter and early
spring, and during the
autumn breeding sea-
son, with a substantial
decline in activity during summer.
(Car-deer accidents follow the same
pattern.) The high level of activity
in spring is due to high metabolic
demands, in the face of low forage
quality and depletion of body fat –
deer simply must spend more time
foraging to meet their needs.
The decrease in deer activity
during summer can be related to
greatly improved nutrition-
al conditions, and an abun-
dance of quality food close
at hand. Despite the high
energy demands associated
with lactation among nurs-
ing does, and antler growth
among bucks, forage
quality and quantity tend
By John Ozoga
to exceed metabolic
demands (except in
areas of deer over
population) – during summer, deer
can “fill-up” with nutritious foods
while expending a minimal amount
of activity.
Deer become increasingly ac-
tive during late summer and early
autumn, as many plants mature,
become dry and hard, and decrease
in nutritive value. At the same time,
energy demands associated with
growth, fattening, and breeding ac-
tivity increase. The decrease in food
quality, if not quantity, means deer
then must spend more time forag-
ing to meet their metabolic require-
ments.
Whitetails are considered to be
crepuscular creatures -­being most
active at dawn and dusk. However,
they sometimes exhibit lesser peaks
of activity occurring at mid-day,
when females are more active than
males, and twice during the night.
However, rutting bucks might be ac-
tive at any time of the day or night.
Typically, deer spend mid-day
in heavy cover, in preferred activity
centers, where they bed and chew
their cud, rising occasionally to
shift bedding sites or browse for a
while. As darkness approaches, they
become more active and head to
open areas that provide better food
sources, but generally are unsafe
during daylight. At night, they will
alternately feed and bed in the open,
then return to the safety of heavy
cover at sunrise.
Whitetails see very well at night,
and can detect even the slightest
movement under any light intensity.
They are well­adapted for crepuscu-
lar and nocturnal behavior, because
of a membrane in the back of their
eye known as the tapetum lucidum.
This membrane reflects light back
through the receptor layer of the
retina, brightening objects seen in
dim light, and accounts for the eye-
shine of deer when lights are shown
upon them at night.
They can also see well in bright
light, because of a ring of pigment
that surrounds the cornea in the eye.
This unique structure acts as an
antiglare device, and is not found
in other mammals that are strictly
crepuscular or nocturnal.
According to noted Whitetails have an especially wide field of vision; 310 degrees. This
researcher and professor, lets them see across a wide area and focus on the horizon, where
Dietland Muller-Schwarze, predators might appear. MDNR photo
“Day or night, a deer’s
visual acuity is excellent. Some researchers conclude that light conditions, day or night. They
Under strong light, the deer may not need to distinguish also have an especially wide field of
pupils of the eye close into colors in their natural environment, vision: 310 degrees. This lets them
a slit, focusing light onto even though they can do so in highly see across a wide area and focus on
a horizontal band controlled laboratory experiments. the horizon, where predators might
across the eye’s Certainly, whitetails are well- appear – all without turning their
retina. In exactly adapted to seeing under a variety of head.n
this streak are clustered the nerve
cells that function as signal conduc-
tors, carrying messages from the
photoreceptors to the brain. The ar-
rangement and density of the nerve
cells, called ganglion cells, in the
visual streak account for the deer’s
ability to detect danger from afar.”
In human beings, there is no
visual streak at all; the human eye
focuses on just one spot at a time
and cannot take in the whole hori-
zon without movement of the eyes
or head.
The visual acuity of deer is well
demonstrated by an experiment
known as the minimum separable.
An animal is trained to distinguish
stripe patterns so that the researchers
can determine how fine a stripe can
be seen at a certain distance before
the pattern blurs – kind of like a
doctor’s eye chart. According to this
test, deer have a visual resolution
similar to that of most other hoofed
animals. Humans have a visual
resolution about 12 times better than
that of deer.
Deer apparently have the proper
photoreceptors, namely rods and
cones, for color detection – although
not all studies agree. Some experi-
ments indicate that deer can dis-
criminate colors, under laboratory
conditions, at least, but not all stud-
ies agree that deer can distinguish
colors in their natural environment.
At best, they probably rely upon
their perception of only yellow and
blue, and are less sensitive to orange
and red.
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 45
 Protecting natural resources
IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS!
From conservation officers to private citizens...By Katie Gervasi-MDNR
S
ince the beginning of time, humans
have relied on natural resources.
Our natural resources have provided
for every generation, through every
century. Cavemen relied on game
and fish, just as many people still
do today. Our natural resources are
a valuable commodity, whether it’s timber for
shelter, venison to feed a family, copper in a mo-
tor, nickel in a battery or water in a glass. But if
overused or compromised, these vital resources
are put at risk.
To keep the Great Lakes State great, Michi-
gan’s natural resources require protection. It’s the
responsibility of a conservation officer to protect
and to preserve them for future generations.
“If no one was out there to protect the re-
source, the resource would lose every time,” said
Sgt. Steve Mooney, a conservation officer with
the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’
Law Enforcement Division in Van Buren County.
In 2017, Michigan conservation officers
logged over 450,000 contacts with people. While
most of these contacts resulted in public educa-
tion about rules and regulations, rather than tick-
Complaints received on the Report All Poaching hotline (800-292-7800) go
directly to the DNR Law Enforcement Division’s communications center. A dis-
patcher collects complaint information and then quickly contacts the nearest
conservation officer.
46 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
ets or arrests, every now and then, conservation
officers encountered a poacher.
Poaching is the illegal shooting, trapping or tak-
ing of game, fish or other natural resources from
private or public property. This includes possess-
ing or commercializing fish or wildlife resources
contrary to Michigan or federal law.
Poachers can be a significant threat to natural
resources. The penalties for this harmful activity
vary and are meted out by local courts. A poacher
could be issued a ticket, and need to pay a fine,
or he or she could lose hunting or fishing license
privileges and serve jail time.
“There are not enough conservation officers
to catch everyone,” Mooney said. “The eyes and
ears of the public can see more. The more people
calling and reporting, the more we know what’s
going on and can narrow down situations and
poaching suspects.”
The Report All Poaching hotline (800-292-
7800) is the DNR’s 24-hour dispatch center the
public can text or call to report suspected poach-
ing. Annually, the hotline receives more than
36,000 public calls.
“We definitely need the public’s help,” said
Conservation Officer Cpl. Dave Painter of Iron
County. “The great thing about texting the RAP
hotline is you can quietly text from the field, so
you don’t have to spook the game around you.”
Complaints received on the hotline go di-
rectly to the DNR Law Enforcement Division’s
communications center. A dispatcher collects
information provided from the complaint and
then quickly contacts the nearest conservation of-
ficer. The person calling or texting can choose to
remain anonymous.
When it comes to poaching, “no one season
is more prevalent then another,” Mooney said.
“Typically, the opening day of a season is more
common, because a poacher can lawfully possess
their game. As long as they can make their shot,
and get their game to the car, they think they can
get away.”
The reasons for poaching vary.
“With deer, we catch a lot of poachers prior
to, and at the end of, the firearm (deer hunting)
season,” said Mooney. “Just before opening
day, deer become more visible when they start
to move. Some poachers are after the antler size
and don’t want others to have the chance to get
the big buck. Whereas at the end of the season, if
someone hasn’t taken a deer yet, sometimes they
start to get desperate, sneaking around and doing
something they’re not supposed to do.”
Among the methods to stop poaching, conser-
vation officers rely on citizens of local communi-
ties. As first responders, conservation officers live
in the places they serve, allowing them to create
and cultivate relationships.
“Once the community learns they can trust a
conservation officer, individuals feel comfortable
contacting us,” Painter said. “It can take years to
develop these relationships, for people to talk to
us, knowing that we will keep the conversation
confidential. We rely on communities being in-
volved. Recently, someone in the grocery parking
lot told me about a poaching event.”
When a conservation officer receives a poach-
ing complaint, whether from the RAP hotline
or directly from a community member, he or
she chooses the best way to begin investigating.
Sometimes, this involves the use of a decoy.
DNR decoys can range from taxidermied
animals or birds to more elaborate presentations,
including fish with tails that move with stream
currents and mechanical and remotely operated
deer or turkeys.
“There’s nothing like having a decoy – you
can see what someone’s hunting ethics are – you
can see what someone does when they think
nobody is watching,” Painter said.
As simple as the decoy process is, it involves
a minimum of three officers.
“It’s all about location,” Mooney said. “You
have to pick a location where the poachers are
going to be.” One officer needs to be staked out,
eyes on the decoy. A second officer needs to
be ready to approach the poacher, and the third
needs to be in a vehicle nearby.
Decoys are great tools to catch trespassers or
people who have been shining lights or shooting
onto private property from a passing vehicle. If
a landowner reports this behavior, decoys are a
great bait to catch a poacher while in the act.
“Road hunting is where we get a lot of com-
plaints,” Painter said. “Camp owners, property
owners – they get upset when someone is shoot-
ing from the road and onto their property. Decoys
are a tool we use to make contacts, both good and
bad. Usually, the people hunting properly, ethi-
cally and legally, they love seeing us use decoys.”
Painter said he’s caught one poacher three
times, two of those occasions by using decoys.
“Once with a turkey decoy, once with a
grouse decoy,” Painter said. “The third time, the
judge took his gun because there was a pattern of
behavior and he wasn’t learning.”
Those patterns are common traits conserva-
tion officers see in poachers.
“When they’re breaking one law by poach-
ing, they’re likely breaking multiple others,”
Painter said.
Embedded within communities, conservation
officers can keep a close watch on changes on the
landscape.
“We’re always looking for tracks,” Painter
said. “We’ve learned to investigate – why did
someone pull over on the side of the road in a
remote area? Most of the time it’s as simple as
someone walking their dog or picking berries.
“But other times, we’ll find evidence of
poaching – such as dumped carcasses.
We’re going to look into finding the reason
that someone was driving down a dead-end
two-track.”
Trash piles included, conservation officers
pay attention to everything.
“Poachers tend to disregard the land,” said
Conservation Officer Sam Koscinski, who patrols
in Manistee County. “When I’m on river patrol
during the day, I’ll see a pile of garbage. I’ll
check that spot later at night and find a group of
anglers illegally fishing or conducting other il-
legal activity.
“Most people are creatures of habit. If they Conservation officers sometimes use mechanical and remotely operated deer
get away with something once, they’re more than or turkey decoys to investigate poaching complaints. MDNR photos
likely to come back and revisit that area.”
Conservation officers aren’t just in the woods, niques aside, conservation officers agree com- fish and other natural resources, coupled with
they’re also in the air. Flight patrols are used munity involvement is an officer’s best tool for the efforts of dedicated conservation officers and
to look for signs of poaching. When conducted preventing or stopping a poacher. concerned citizens, the likelihood wildlife popu-
during the day, flights can help identify illegal “We heavily rely on public information and lations will remain vibrant for future generations
bait piles, tire tracks or even an animal taken on calls or texts to the RAP line,” Mooney said. to enjoy is increasingly secure.
private property and dragged to the road. Night “If poachers aren’t stopped, our game num- Report witnessed or suspected natural re-
flights can help officers spot illegal shining activ- bers could be depleted, like some species came sources violations immediately, by calling or
ity. close to in the 1800s,” Painter said. “Proper game texting the RAP hotline at 1-800-292-7800. DNR
Officers in the air communicate to officers management, including limiting hunting and dispatchers are always available. Individuals may
stationed on the ground, so the ground officer can angling methods and equipment, setting daily bag remain anonymous if they wish. Tipsters may
contact a suspected poacher. limits and establishing seasons, help ensure game qualify for a reward if information supplied leads
Back on the ground, officers may conduct a populations continue to thrive.” to the arrest and conviction of a poacher or other
necropsy as part of their investigations. A nec- Historic accounts tell us that once passenger violators of the law.
ropsy is like an autopsy performed on an animal. pigeons were so numerous their flocks blocked Michigan conservation officers are fully
Often, an officer will recover a bullet from a out the light of the sun, until excessive hunting commissioned state peace officers who provide
carcass, which will provide evidence for a poach- helped diminish the bird’s population to extinc- natural resources protection, ensure recreational
ing case. The bullet can be matched to the type tion. safety and protect citizens by providing general
of firearm that killed the animal, along with other Similar tales can be told of overfishing and trap- law enforcement duties and lifesaving operations
techniques that can indicate the time an animal ping. in the communities they serve.
was killed. With laws, rules and regulations established Learn more about Michigan conservation of-
Technology, airplanes and investigative tech- since those days to protect Michigan’s game, ficers at Michigan.gov/ConservationOfficers.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 47
48 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 49
48 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 49

Demanding deer season for COs
Our Michigan
Conservation Officers
had another very
demanding deer
season, this is just a
few of the many cases
they were involved in...
CO Justin Vanderlinde inves-
tigated a hunter who had killed a
large 8-point buck without purchas-
ing a deer hunting license. The case
was referred to the Benzie County
Prosecutor’s office for review.
CO Mike Hearn received a com-
plaint from Camp Grayling Range
Control regarding fresh foot-tracks
in the snow where someone had
climbed a fence and entered their
tank range. CO Hearn responded
and set out on foot following the
foot tracks. After nearly a mile, the
trespasser was located seated in full
camo under a pine tree with a rifle
in hand. The hunter was arrested
and transported off the government
property.
With the assistance of DNR dis-
patchers, CO Mike Hearn responded
to a South Boardman residence to
follow up on a complaint of a pos-
sible illegally harvested 10-point
deer. Contact was made with the
hunter, who recounted the events of
the hunt to CO Hearn. The hunter
was vague about the specifics of the
hunt, and when questioned further
began making contradicting state-
ments to earlier previously men-
tioned details. Further questioning
determined that the deer was har-
vested illegally. The head and meat
were seized, and a warrant is being
sought through the Kalkaska County
Prosecutor’s office.
CO Micah Hintze received an
anonymous complaint from the RAP
hotline of an individual who had
taken two bucks in one morning.
The suspect asked his girlfriend to
purchase a license in order to put it
on one deer. CO Hintze was able to
contact the woman and hear her side
of the story. When asked she was
unable to produce a kill-tag before
claiming to have lost it.
When the deer heads were
reviewed there were uncharacteristic
signs of a tag that would have been
a week old in the elements. After
explaining the circumstances to the
woman, she admitted that she had
purchased a license on her way to
pick up the deer shot by her boy-
friend. When they heard a CO was
attempting to contact them, they
50 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Part II...By Jeff Pendergraff
removed the woman’s tag from the
antlers and placed the remaining
tag of the boyfriend on the buck.
This story was confirmed by the
boyfriend through a subsequent
interview. Evidence was seized, and
enforcement action was taken.
During an evening patrol, CO
Jon Warner was working areas
known for shining deer in Iosco
Social media has assisted COs in many cases of poachers hunting
without a license, using someone else’s license to tag their deer or
purchasing a license after the har vest.
County. He saw a light sweep
across the sky and started closing
in to locate the origin of the light.
CO Warner found the vehicle that
cast the light and watched it shine
several more fields. Upon stopping
the vehicle and further investigation,
CO Warner located three firearms,
two of which were loaded. Enforce-
ment action was taken.
CO Brad Bellville was con-
ducting a commercial deer proces-
sor inspection when he located an
8-point buck with a kill tag that was
purchased after dark on November
18th and validated that same day.
After a short interview with the
hunter, a full confession was ob-
tained. The man admitted to taking
a deer without a license and buying
a tag later that night. Enforcement
action was taken.
COs James Garrett, Casey Pul-
lum, Sgt. Bobbi Lively, and USFS
Law Enforcement Officer Mike
Phillips conducted a group decoy
patrol targeting shining activity.
They contacted one vehicle for shin-
ing the decoy and located a loaded
9mm handgun. The owner of the
handgun did not have a Concealed
Pistol License. Enforcement action
was taken.
CO Steve Lockwood received
a tip about a subject that had possi-
bly killed a bobcat. A check in RSS
showed the subject had purchased a
fur harvester license November 17
after shooting hours. CO Lockwood,
along with CO Joe Myers, contacted
the subject at his residence. After
a lengthy interview, he admitted
to having shot a bobcat without a
license. Warrants are being sought
against the hunter for the illegal
killing of a bobcat, as well as an un-
licensed taxidermist who had taken
possession of the illegal bobcat.
CO Quincy Gowenlock received
a complaint through the Report
All Poaching Hotline of a suspect
hunting deer without a license and
shooting two bucks. During the in-
vestigation, CO Gowenlock located
social media posts with pictures and
a video of one five-point buck and
one seven-point buck being shot.
When the suspect was questioned,
he denied hunting without a license.
When asked if he used social media,
the suspect put his head down in
shame. The CO told the suspect
that he had seen his posts, pictures
and the video on Facebook. The
CO advised that they were all time
stamped with a date of two days
prior to the suspect purchasing a li-
cense. Knowing that he was caught,
the suspect finally admitted to shoot-
ing the two bucks prior to having a
license. The antlers were seized, and
warrants are being sought in Bay
County for the suspect’s violations.
CO Joshua Wright received a
complaint that a person was put-
ting pictures on social media of
a 10-point deer they shot and for
which they did not have a license.
CO Wright met with the suspect and
he was more than happy to show
CO Wright pictures of the deer. CO
Wright learned the deer was at the
processor and the suspect said that
it was tagged properly. CO Wright
went to the processor and found
the 10-point with the suspect’s
girlfriend’s tag on it. CO Wright
returned to the suspect’s house and
the suspect explained the he lost his
deer license and when he found it
that it was unreadable, so he used
his girlfriend’s tag. CO Wright
looked at the suspects “old” tag and
it was unreadable.
When CO Wright asked the
suspect if he were to check the
suspect’s license history, if he would
see that it was bought before the
deer was shot. The suspect admitted
the he went and bought the license
when CO Wright went to the proces-
sor and destroyed it. The deer, de-
stroyed license, and the firearm used
to take the deer were seized. CO
Wright will be requesting charges
through the Tuscola County Pros-
ecutor’s office.
CO Joshua Wright received a
call from Tuscola County Dispatch
of a person that witnessed a vehicle
shinning for deer and then heard
gunshots. CO Wright was only a
mile away and could see the vehicle
coming towards him. CO Wright
stopped the vehicle and could see
two antlerless deer in the back of
the vehicle. All four of the oc-
cupants were uncooperative. The
driver was arrested for operating
under the influence and the vehicle
was impounded. A rifle and spot-
light were located in the vehicle
and seized. After CO Wright was
done at the jail, he was assisted by a
Tuscola Sheriff Sgt. on locating two
other deer that were shot where the
witness saw the vehicle. Ballistic
samples are being sought and will
be matched to the firearm that was
seized. All four occupants are facing
multiple charges and the potential
of losing all their hunting privileges
for the next five years. Charges are
being sought through the Tuscola
County Prosecutor’s office.
CO Sam Schluckbier received
a complaint of an individual who
had shot three large bucks during
archery season and was still hunting
deer with a firearm. The hunter also
posted two of the deer on Facebook,
indicating at least two deer were
harvested this season. CO Schluck-
bier interviewed the subject at his
residence and located a third set of
antlers. During the interview the
subject admitted to shooting a young
5-point and a large 8-point in Octo- shot and tagged the deer. Not sold
ber. Further investigation revealed on her explanation, CO Stawara
that in early November he shot contacted Sanilac County officers
an additional 12-point buck with to conduct an interview with the
his crossbow. The subject claimed boyfriend. CO Seth Rhodea later
that he didn’t tag them because he interviewed the boyfriend where he
wanted to continue hunting with his was able to gain a full confession
father. The deer antlers and meat that his girlfriend shot the deer and
were confiscated, along with the used his kill-tag to tag it to drop it
crossbow used. Charges are being off at the processor. The suspect was
sought through the Allegan County re-contacted where she too admit-
Prosecutor’s office. ted to shooting the deer. A warrant
CO Jeff Goss received a call is being requested by CO Rhodea in
from an MSP trooper about a com- Sanilac County with the assistance
plaint of someone shooting after of CO Stawara.
legal hunting hours. The trooper While checking hunters on
advised that the man had an un- Thanksgiving Day, CO Joseph Dep-
tagged doe in his barn. When CO pen received a call from Macomb
Goss arrived at the complaint the County Dispatch about goose hunt-
trooper briefed him on the situation ers discharging their firearms in the
and mentioned that the man said he north end of the county. CO Deppen
shot an 8-point buck earlier in the arrived and found a group of hunters
week. After discussing the untagged hunting just outside the safety zone
doe with the man CO Goss asked of a local fire station/police sub-
about the buck. The man freely station. Macomb County sheriff’s Illegal baiting keeps COs busy during the deer season.
showed CO Goss the photos of the deputies and CO Deppen conducted and the firearms were confiscated. our natural resources and because of
buck on his phone. CO Goss noticed a joint investigation relating to the An investigation is pending, and that we know there will be enough
the photos were taken Sunday night hunting activities. reimbursement will be sought for deer and other animals to hunt and
and knew that the man didn’t pur- The hunters had been hunting damages caused. fish to catch in the future.
chase his tags until Monday. When in the field and during the hunt, Again, lots of poachers shoot- The information about these
confronted with the discrepancy, the multiple shots were in the direction ing deer without first obtaining their cases was provided by the Michigan
man eventually confessed to shoot- of the fire station/police substation. hunting license. Greedy poachers Department of Natural Resources.
ing the buck without a license. There was vehicle damage to many taking more deer than they have There were over 40 pages of cases
While the man was scroll- of the vehicles on scene, including licenses for or out at night trying to that were reported over a two-week
ing through the photos, CO Goss patrol car windshields. CO Deppen poach a deer with the aid of an arti- period covering most of the 2018
noticed a large bait pile in one of the and sheriff deputies conducted inter- ficial light. After reading about these firearm deer season. That doesn’t
pictures. CO Goss asked if the man views with the hunters and started poaching cases and knowing it’s include the cases from September,
had any bait out and the man said an on-scene investigation of the just the tip of the iceberg you would October, the first half of November
a little. CO Goss informed the man field. Multiple shell casings were almost think there wasn’t going to and December.
that it was illegal to bait in Calhoun located, and the evidence pointed to be any deer left to hunt. Fortunately, Author is Jeff Pendergraff, re-
County and that the pile in the pic- a reckless discharge of a firearm by we have over 200 conservation of- tired Captain from the Law Enforce-
ture looked like it was quite substan- one or multiple hunters. Multiple ficers working diligently to protect ment Division of the DNR.n
tial. The man claimed that he put out pieces of evidence were recovered,
about 300 pounds of corn. Further
investigation of his phone revealed
a video of the man dumping a dump
truck load of corn in front of his
blind. Multiple charges are being
sought through the Calhoun County
Prosecutor’s office.
CO Goss was conducting a pro-
cessor inspection when he located
a deer with a suspicious tag. He no-
ticed the name on the cutting order
was the same man that he wrote a
ticket to three weeks ago. The ticket
was for loaning a buck tag to anoth-
er person. Turns out that he should
have kept his buck tag for himself.
Upon interviewing the suspect, it
was discovered that he shot a buck
but didn’t have a buck tag, so he had
his father go and purchase a tag for
the deer. Charges are being sought
for taking deer without a license and
borrowing and loaning tags.
CO Katie Stawara received
a complaint from DNR dispatch
regarding a suspect who posted on
social media that she shot her first
deer. The suspect did not have any
2018 deer licenses. An interview
with the suspect resulted in her say-
ing she posted the pictures as a joke
to make her ex-husband jealous. She
stated it was her boyfriend who had
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 51
 Using birds in training
By Len Jenkins
W
e won’t be able to effectively
train your bird dog unless
we provide him with plenty
of bird contact. If we rely on
wild birds alone, we’re not
providing enough predictable
contact since we have no control over the birds’
location or numbers.
To further complicate matters, we have no
control over the bird itself and have no guar-
antee the bird will even fly. In fact, oftentimes
wild birds will run or just hide while other times
they’ll flush wildly and unexpectedly at the most
inopportune times.
Since we can’t rely on wild birds, we’ll have
to provide your dog with bird contact by using
pen-reared birds which we can control. After
your dog has handled the tasks we’ve taught him
through set-up bird contact situations, we can
graduate him to wild bird work provided it is
legal to run him on wild birds since most states
prohibit this activity during the nesting season.
Face it. There’s no way to train a bird dog unless
we use birds and eventually shoot birds over the
dog.
While providing birds for this purpose does
entail some limited expense and trouble, the
problems are not insurmountable. You can train
exclusively with pigeons or start with pigeons
and progress to quail, pheasants, coturnix, or chu-
kars. While you should have no problem using
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52 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
pigeons or coturnix, the other birds enjoy legal
status as game birds so you’ll have to comply
with your state’s regulations regarding purchase,
maintenance, possession, and use of game birds
in order to keep your dog training activities on
the right side of the law.
Pigeons
Pigeons are excellent for bird dog training.
They are quite inexpensive and easy to keep. You
can trap your own in barns or on city buildings
by using traps or dead-falls. Commercially built
pigeon traps are available from various manufac-
turers and distributors. If you don’t want to trap
your own pigeons or pay someone to do it for
you, they can be bought inexpensively at live-
stock auctions or from pigeon breeders who want
to get rid of their culls.
While the maintenance of pigeons is dis-
cussed for later, you can just buy what you need
and not bother with keeping your own flock.
Many fine bird dogs have had all their early
training exclusively on pigeons which were used
in pigeon harnesses or spring-style bird launch-
ers. The birds fly well, particularly if they were
trapped from the wild, and make plenty of wing-
flapping noise when launched, creating excite-
ment for the dog.
Pigeons are a good size for training. After
you shoot one, you can freeze it and take it out
periodically to work on retrieving with your dog.
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Send check or money order to: Partridge Pointe Press, 2470 Strawberry
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Purchase online at www.tomcarneywriter.com
Author, dog trainer Len Jenkins believes: There’s
no way to train a bird dog unless we use birds
and eventually shoot birds over the dog.
Pigeons are great for training–they’re plentiful,
legal, inexpensive, and cooperative. Take ad-
vantage of their easy availability and game bird
qualities, and you can develop a classy gun dog,
compliments of the common pigeon.
Coturnix
The coturnix, also known as the Japanese
quail, is suitable for bird dog training provided
they are good, mature flyers. These birds are
fairly inexpensive because they are easy to raise
and lay eggs prolifically. If you use coturnix, be
sure they’re mature flyers since young underde-
veloped birds are reluctant to fly, causing your
bird dog training effort to fizzle.
Coturnix work nicely in the spring launchers.
After your dog has worked them in launchers,
Award-winning nature and outdoor
writer Thomas Carney returns to
form in his latest collection of
essays, Among the Aspens: Stolen
Moments in Secret Coverts.
As with his previous collections,
Sun-Drenched Days, Two-Blanket
Nights; and Bird Dogs and Betty
Cakes, Tom employs a variety of
perspectives and presentations
as his writing glides effortlessly
across the lines that delineate
serious writing, humor, nostalgia,
analysis, description and storytelling.
Different this time around: Instead
of moving from activity to activity
with the progressing seasons as he
did in his first two books of essays,
in Among the Aspens Tom delivers
the goods through a single form
of outdoor recreation: upland bird
hunting.
you can set them out dizzied and provide practice
and shooting over your dog as he hunts these
birds. Since coturnix are generally not consid-
ered game birds in most states, you can shoot
them over your dog anytime, provided of course
you’ve checked your state’s specific regulations
in this regard.
Coturnix quail are very suitable for train-
ing; they’re inexpensive and legal. They are also
the right size, and they’re easy to maintain until
you’re ready to shoot them. Give serious consid-
eration to their use, and you’ll be pleased with the
results. Your dog will gain much experience at
minimal expense to you.
Quail
Bobwhite quail are excellent for training your
gun dog. While you have to follow your state’s
regulations relative to purchase, maintenance,
possession, and shooting of pen­reared quail,
these birds provide plenty of opportunity.
While it’s best to begin training with pigeons
in the pigeon release harness, you can graduate to
quail sprung out of the launcher. Just position the
bird in such a way that it will fly away from you.
Have the dog work up to the bird. Then spring
the launcher by stepping on the lever if yours
is a pointing dog or pulling on a string if he’s a
flushing dog. A mature, flight-pen conditioned
quail will fly strongly. As it does, make your shot,
dropping the bird, and sending the dog out for the
retrieve.
Quail are the perfect size for teaching early
retrieving. Dogs really like them and you can
feast on the shot birds at the conclusion of your
training sessions. These birds are easy to main-
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tain for short periods of time and are available
from licensed game bird farms. Use a few quail
in launchers at the conclusion of your training
program and your dog’s early bird-finding educa-
tion will be complete.
Pheasants
This is an excellent bird for use in training
except that they’re expensive. Unless sprung
from launchers, they sometimes refuse to fly and
even when sprung they will sometimes just go up
a couple feet and come back down to sit or skulk
away. If you buy pheasant for immediate use in
your training, be sure they’re fully mature and
flight-pen conditioned.
Because of the expense, you may want to
use pheasants only in the final stages your
training. If you plan to hunt pheasants with
your dog, give him exposure to this particular
bird during training. You can start your training
with pigeons and perhaps graduate to quail. Let
your training program culminate with three or
four raucous ringnecks sprung from a pheasant-
sized spring launcher and your dog will benefit
immensely. These birds are exciting to a dog and
any prospective pheasant dog should have experi-
ence on pen-reared pheasants (even one) prior
to being taken out in pursuit of the bird’s wild
brethren.
The problem with wild pheasants is that they
don’t play by the rules. They’ll run, sit tight,
skulk away or hide, but they often won’t fly. Your
dog will have to learn how to handle this crafty
bird, but you can give him his first pheasant ex-
perience on a launched pen-reared bird that must
cooperate. Launch such a bird, make the shot, and
send the dog out to retrieve this big gaudy mon-
ster. After this experience you’ll have a dog that
wants more and more pheasant action. Again, you
have to follow your state’s regulations relative to
purchase, maintenance, possession, and shooting
of pheasants.
Chukars
Chukars are useful for training in that they
fly powerfully for good distances so you can
make some excellent shots, giving your dog a
better opportunity to practice marking falls.
The chukar is a perfect size, being a compromise
between quail and pheasants. While they’re
more expensive than quail and usually a little
less costly than pheasants, they’re worth using
in spite of the cost, particularly if you are a
grouse hunter.
Chukars can be sprung from launchers
positioned in the woods or brush land. You can
set them out in such a way that they’ll provide
great practice for your dog and be a pretty good
simulation of a flushing grouse. Just be sure that
in using chukars in this manner you mark the
location of your launchers and set them out in
consideration of wind direction.
If the dog you are developing is to be a
grouse dog, you’ll want him to point the bird
from a sufficient distance, no closer than 30 feet.
The chukar will work well for you in this regard
and will be worth the expense.
Since chukars are legal game birds in some
states, be sure to check regulations. There’s no
point in having your training session cut short
by a visit from the local sheriff or conservation
officer!n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 53
 Come and fish
Marquette County
O
pen water fishing is back
in full swing! You should
explore Marquette Coun-
ty, one of Michigan’s
best fishing destinations.
It has it all…whether you want to
chase some fish in one of the many
rivers, toss some small tackle and a
slip bobber for excellent panfishing
opportunites, get off the
beaten path to explore some
remote pike and walleye
fishing, or hit the big Lake
(Superior) for everything it
has to offer.
With the Escanaba
River to the south, Michi-
gammee River to the west,
Legendary Yel-
low Dog River to
the north, Choco-
By John Bergsma
lay River to the east and everything
in between, Marquette can provide
you with endless miles of explor-
ing. If river fishing is something that
interests you, come check it out.
River fishing is starting to emerge as
one of the fastest growing outdoor
activities here in Marquette. Not
only do we have great access and
beautiful scenery to go with it, we
have fish!
The seasonal runs of brown
trout, steelhead, coho and king salm-
on are tremendous, not to mention
the never ending creeks and streams
that are always producing limits of
brook trout.
For those of you want-
ing to catch a nice mess of
fish for your next fish fry,
we can help you with that
too. Enjoy many inland
lake opportunities - es-
pecially in the spring for
bluegill, perch and crappie.
One of the best early spring
techniques has
been small leach-
es and jigs under
a slip bobber. Watch for spawning
beds in shallow water and edges of
weed lines early in the season. A lot
of days you can sight fish them early
in the spring while they’re in shal-
low. Come check it out and be sure
to bring your fillet knife.
If large toothy critters are what
In addition to Lake Superior fishing, Marquette Co. offers plenty of
river and big and small inland lake fishing.
you’re after, muskie, northern pike
and walleye opportunities are plenti-
ful as well. While trolling for game
fish is generally a popular method in
much of the rest of the state, casting
your favorite lure, jigging or live
bait under a bobber are most popular
here. With everything from large
bodied inland lakes, such as Lake
Michigammee and Lake Indepen-
dance, to small inland lakes with
remote dirt launches - you can find
what you’re looking for.
Lake Superior is always a
favorite to visit. With great marina
facilities and the ability to run to any
of the favorite hot spots, Marquette
is a great location to start your trip.
Early spring you can expect a rush
of excitement every time you reel
in a fish as you never know what
it could be - brown trout, salmon,
steelhead, lake trout, coho, who
knows. Spoons, body baits, trolling
flies are all popular, before you hit
the lake be sure you’re fully stocked
so you can change until you find
what they’re after that day. If
you’re wondering about colors,
orange is traditionally the most
popular color.
If you’re heading to the area or
you’re thinking about planning a
trip, be sure to stop in or contact The
Bobber Shop in Marquette. They’re
located at 1320 S. Front. They have
the largest selection of live bait in
the area, tackle for whatever you’re
targeting and lots of local knowl-
edge. Stop in and say hi, give them
a call at (906) 362-3634 or check
them out on FaceBook @Bobber-
ShopLLC, they’ll be happy to help
you out!n

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 •

54 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS

 GUN CHAT: Fishing Guns?
B
y early April, I’m tired Both are fine guns but I prefer re- with me. cylinder of the M28. I have under a
of winter and looking volvers as fishing guns. Except for the snubnoses, the half box left and am thinking about
forward to trout fishing. When I’m not carrying a larger guns I’ve carried fishing most are loading it into the Blackhawk if I
Since most places I fish gun I often take a snubnose .38. Ruger Blackhawks in .357 Magnum. take it fishing this spring. It almost
are still iced over, or in- The ones I have are among the I have two Old Models. My first duplicates my usual reload for the
accessible due to snow, easiest guns to carry, on was bought in Ontonagon .41 Magnum and may penetrate
I read about fishing while waiting the stream, or anywhere, in 1979. It was the second more deeply.
for winter to end. I often read Trout although they are not the centerfire handgun I owned The old Blackhawk and the
Madness and Trout Magic by Robert most powerful. I attempt to and came with a Hunter Hunter holster have covered a lot of
Traver. Traver’s descriptions of hedge my bets by loading holster. Although the gun ground since 1979. I first took them
trout openers in the Upper Peninsula them with Speer Gold Dot is heavy it carries well in in the woods in Ontonagon County.
are often classic laments about bad 135 grain hollowpoints. the old, scarred holster. Since then I have used them in sev-
weather and fickle fish. The rare The load is made for The second Blackhawk eral other parts of the Upper Penin-
tales of days when the weather and short-barreled guns and has an auxiliary 9mm cyl- sula, including Iron and Menominee
the fish cooperated give me a bit of has a good reputation as a inder. It shoots better with Counties. In the cedar swamps of
hope. stopper. the .357 cylinder but I Menominee County the .357 backed
Another thing to think about I bought a Colt By Lee Arten like the versatility of
having the auxiliary.
up my 16 gauge Winchester Model
while winter drags on is what gun to Woodsman .22 a few 12 in deer season.
take fishing. Traver wrote about car- years ago. It came with a holster It’s hard to run out of ammo for a The gun was also used in
rying a .38 Special revolver while and would make a good fishing handgun that can shoot 9mm, .38 NRA Hunter’s Pistol Silhouette
fishing. I’ve done the same but gun. I have passed it over, so far, Special, and .357 Magnum. Matches at the range at the
have also sometimes carried a 9mm in favor of larger caliber handguns. The last time I carried the older former K.I. Sawyer Air Force
pistol, a .41 Magnum S&W M58, or There are bears where I fish. My Blackhawk fishing it was loaded Base (outside Marquette), and in
one of my .357s. One year the .357 late parents used to see one every with rounds with lead semiwad- informal plinking sessions here
was a S&W M28, a former police is- time they visited a trout lake in cutter bullets that weighed 215 and there. It has a good trigger and
sue revolver. It fit the same holsters the next county. I’ve seen tracks grains and had a velocity of 1068 sights, and is a tough and accurate
that I used with the .41 Magnum and in that area, and elsewhere, every fps. The ammo was loaded by a revolver. I didn’t shoot the older
weighed about the same. One of the season that I’ve visited. Except for small company, no longer in busi- Blackhawk much last year. This
9mms was a Browning Hi-Power, when I was hunting them, I’ve seen ness. The ammo worked fine in the year, I plan to do something about
and the other a Colt Commander. bears only from a car. That’s OK Blackhawk, but was too long for the that.n

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

TROPHY PAGE

Dick Wilt of Bath

Eli Alexandrian took Jonah Morningstar
Patrick Martin, Sr.’s first walleye of the Dave Vallin of Lansing, of Imlay City, took took this trophy
this tom at 26 yards hunting Clinton Co., this nice tom taken tom bowhunting
season on the St. Clair River in Algonac in hunting near took this big tom with in Lapeer County Clinton Co.
April fishing with his son. Marshall a 10.5 inch beard on on April 26.
April 22.
Ryan Hanson
and his son While fish-
Lane, 10, ing on the
were spear- St. Clair
ing pike in River Elijah
Mecosta Naylor, 11,
Co. in early of Ma-
March, this rine City
one was 40 ½ landed this
inches long.
21 inch
Xander Walleye .
Traynor,
13, Ne- Madilynn
waygo Brown with Chase Mecosta took Leroy Wertz took his
Co. catch her father this dandy tom with first gobbler on May
and re- Wess, Uncle an 8.5 inch beard and 4 in Van Buren Co.
Brett and one inch spurs using A 23 lb. bird with a 9
lease 39 his gram’s 16 ga.
1/2 inch her very first inch beard.
deer on the
pike. last evening
of the 2018
Mason
youth deer
Crane, 18,
season.
of Manitou
Beach, took
a beautiful Noah
turkey with a Eisenmann
10 5/8 inch
beard and 1
of Brooklyn
inch spurs. harvested
Mason was his first tur-
hunting in key, a triple
Brooklyn bearded
with Connor tom, on
Davenport. opening
day. The
beards
measured 5 Jeffrey Haselhuhn of
3/4”, 7 1/4” Paw Paw sat all morn-
and 10” Kaitlynn Demers of ing with daughter
long with Rockwood took a nice Elizabeth and took
3/4” spurs. bird on opening this dandy tom. His
morning. secret ‘Cheesy Poofs!”
Don Stone took
Brian
his biggest
perch while Faber of
on Saginaw Mt. Pleas-
Bay, during ant with his
Zack Slick was bowhunting son Gabe.
with his girlfriend, Savannah an annual trip
with friends to Brian’s first
Christensen, in early Oct. and turkey with
she harvested her first deer Linwood. His
trophy was a a bow, a
with a perfect shot. In Nov. trophy tom!
Zack took his first buck with a 15 inch, 1.75
bow, hunting with his dad. pound perch!
56 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 57

The Phantom
Phenomenon
Guest Column...By Dave Kushman
I
t’s amazing how mature
bucks in Michigan can
turn into Houdini around
mid-September—leaving
no sign, photo, or hint of
their presence. Their cun-
ning maneuvers and basic means
of survival routinely outwit hunters
season-after-season despite all of the
advancements with technology and
equipment.
As hunters, we often wonder
where these deer vanish to during the
season even though we keep pressure
at a minimum and hunt them strategi-
cally. This “Phantom Phenomenon”
is fairly widespread throughout the
entire whitetail range as hunters from
all across the nation report of bucks
vanishing completely—even for a sea-
son at a time—then suddenly return-
ing post-season.
After hunting the same piece of
property for about eight seasons in
southern Michigan, I’ve experienced
the phantom phenomenon on numer-
ous occasions. Candlestick-tined gi-
ants vanishing from their late-summer
haunts. It’s as if they instinctively
know when to put on the magic tricks
and fade away.
However, there are times—and
very few times at that—when these
ghost bucks slip up, and I was fortu-
nate enough to be hunting with my
six-year-old son, Lucas, during the
2018 muzzleloading season when a
phantom buck succumbed to his urge
to feed during daylight hours.
The hunt for this buck began back
in 2017 when he was a goofy look-
ing seven-pointer—tall, spindly, and
asymmetrical. During 2017, I had a
few summertime photos of him—both
day and night, and only one photo
during archery season around mid-
night. For the rest of the season while
running four cameras, I did not catch
another glimpse of this buck, nor did
my neighbor, which is ironic as he
holds some of the best bedding cover
in the area.
During the summer of 2018, I set
up my four cameras in the usual areas
during a heavy downpour to cover
my scent, and I made sure wind was
also in my favor. Around the end of
August, I headed out during another
downpour coupled with a favorable
wind to pull cards, and it didn’t take
long for me to discover that I had a
real nice buck using my property. As
I reviewed the photos over-and-over,
I initially thought that I had a satel-
lite buck in my area that relocated
for some reason. However, over time
I had made the connection that last
58 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
year’s seven-pointer was now a nine-
point with the same goofy charac-
teristics from last year, but this year
he gained some nice assets—lots of
mass, crab claws, and much longer
main beams.
After determining that he was a
mature buck, I determined that my
next time in the area would be with
my bow in hand. Archery season
couldn’t come fast enough, and I was
fortunate enough to have the perfect
wind direction to hunt his summer
haunt the second day of the season.
Even though the wind was perfect and
there was a light rain that silenced
my one-hour approach to my stand
via a cornfield, I did not see him that
evening.
After the hunt, I checked film on
a camera that was very close to my
stand, and the buck had stopped using
the area entirely around mid-Septem-
ber. Clearly, checking SD cards at the
end of August didn’t tip him off to
my presence, so I assumed the buck
moved off to another food source as
the apple tree near my stand didn’t
have anything left hanging. Logic told
me that he was gone for the season;
imagination told me that he could still
be using the area just 10 rows into
the corn and off camera! Despite my
imagination and optimism, the season
was long and arduous without any
sign of him in person or on camera.
After taking a few does off other
properties, I decided to spend the last
week of muzzleloader season hunting
the phantom nine-pointer. Actually,
I would have taken any mature buck
during that point in the season!
The last week of blackpowder
season had two high-pressure, blue-
bird-sky days back-to-back, and I
elected to hunt the second day with
Lucas. Lucas and I have taken several
does together, but we had never taken
a buck together and he was really
itching for me to harvest a buck, es-
pecially after passing so many smaller
bucks throughout the seasons.
On the evening of December 18,
Lucas and I settled in under the very
treestand the buck was routinely com-
ing by during the summer months.
Using both background and fore-
ground cover to our advantage, we
melted into the brush line absorbed by
a clump of black cherry trees; Lucas
to my right sitting in a natural bench
formed between three trees as I sat in
a chair between the clumps of trees.
The CVA Accura was propped up on
shooting sticks in an effort to reduce
any extra movement that evening.
The conditions were perfect, and
Despite heavy hunting pressure and against the odds, the author was
reminded through this experience that success can come at any time.
it was ironic that it was a south wind
as the pressure was sky high (30.3 and
climbing) with temperatures in the
low 30s. The south wind was perfect
for us; however, my neighbor to the
south was hunting that evening, which
meant that his “wind” was blowing
into a certain part of the field where
most of the deer come to before dark.
As the sun began to set, I noticed
a brown blob moving along the dirt
road that separates bedding cover and
my property. Pointing out to Lucas
that there was a deer coming our way,
we slowly brought our binoculars up,
and then it happened. With one swift,
graceful motion, the deer brought its
head up providing a side profile image
of the rack. Immediately, I recognized
this buck as the phantom nine.
He was as slippery as a fox, for if
we weren’t looking at that spot at that
time, we would have never seen him!
He used every hill and contour to hide
his body and rack. He walked with the
grace and elegance of a cat; he made
more turns and sidesteps than a run-
ning back! Covering about 75 yards in
less than one minute, it was appar-
ent that this older buck knew to keep
moving until he found a safe zone in
the field to relax and begin to graze
upon the corn gleanings. As the buck
closed the distance, I routinely mut-
tered to Lucas to hold still, and I told
Lucas to brace for the shot as the buck
was about to walk into my neighbor’s
scent cone.
Catching my neighbor’s scent
cone, the buck locked up at about 100
yards; he was also facing me head-
on! In that instant, I started kicking
myself for not taking him when he
was at 140 yards quartering as my
CVA is a tack driver out to 200 yards.
I finally had the brute dead to rights
at a distance that is a chip shot for my
gun, and my heart sank knowing that
he was about to make a mad dash for
bedding cover any second!
For some reason, he put his head
down and then slightly turned, so I
thought that was my opportunity to
take the shot. As I pulled the ham-
mer back on the Accura and settled
into the Leupold, I noticed numerous
strands of corn stubble in my line of
fire. “The plot thickens,” I thought to
myself!
The buck quickly picked his head
up for a second time, and he stared
right in the direction of my neighbor.
As he played the head juke game to-
wards my neighbor’s direction, I was
able to slowly stand up—despite the
fact that three other deer had entered
the field—and then I was also able to
extend my shooting sticks. After all of
the adjustments, I thought to myself
that I just may overcome all of the
obstacles and get the shot off ethi-
cally! The big buck looked straight at
us, and I settled the crosshairs in the
center of his throaty patch. Impulse
told me to pull the trigger; reason told
me to wait for a better shot and to
slow the game down. Seconds seemed
like minutes, and eventually the buck
put his head down and turned provid-
ing a heavy quartering-toward shot.
Holding the crosshairs right
on the facing upper shoulder, I got
my breathing under control, and I
squeezed off the shot. The 100-grain
charge of Blackhorn 209 exploded in
a throaty roar across the cornfield fol-
lowed by the familiar thud of the 250
grain Barnes TMZ smashing through
vitals—thwap! Despite the smoke,
I watched the buck collapse as if he
was struck by the hammer of Thor!
As Lucas and I celebrated as
quietly as possible, I hurriedly
reloaded. Just as I poured another
powder charge down the barrel and
grabbed a bullet out of my reloading
bag, I noticed the ghost buck up and
attempting to run—sidewinding and
staggering his way—the short dis-
tance back to his bedding cover with
his tail tucked like a guilty dog.
Before jumping the road, he
stopped, and I watched his back
legs collapse on him twice in close
succession. A million thoughts and
anxieties ran through my brain, and
I was caught in an emotional roller
coaster. Logic superseded emotion
rather quickly, and a calming sense
of confidence helped me to maintain
my composure. I knew based on the
deer’s reaction at the shot, the amount
of time he spent on the ground, and
how he ran off were all signs of a
mortal wound.
However, it was hard to watch
a buck of this caliber—one that I
thought ceased to exist in my area—
get up and move for cover, disappear-
ing into the dense, dark tangles. Lucas
and I waited about twenty minutes
before approaching where the buck
actually dropped; we found evidence
of a mortal wound within seconds—
bright-red, bubbly, and prolific blood
in pools and splattered amongst the
corn stalks. After marking the blood,
we slowly eased our way along the
blood trail to determine the exact trail
the buck used during his final vanish-
ing act.
Unfortunately, we could not find
blood on our side of the road; there-
fore, we elected to back out for a few
hours just in case. The only problem
with backing out for a few hours was
that as a middle school principal, I
had to attend the Christmas Concert
that evening, so I knew it was going
to be a long night!
After the concert and securing
permission to track the buck across
the road, Lucas and I returned to the
property around 8:30 p.m. to begin
our search with the help of a good
friend and his son. We immediately
found blood across the street; how-
ever, the blood trail eventually disap-
peared. Reading and assessing the
blood spore, I knew that I either had
a high lung shot or a muscle hit that
may have nicked a lung. Either way, I
was out of blood, and it turned into a
three-ring circus of climbing through
tangles that would make a grouse
hunter cringe!
My calm and grace under pressure
was fading away into what could be
compared to a four-year-old’s temper
tantrum. It took all of my energy to
remain positive and upbeat in front of
my son. We searched for about three
hours that night before calling it quits.
On my way home, I thought that I
would come back first thing in the
morning to search, and that is when
I realized my work schedule at the
school the next day would not allow
me to leave. Retrieving the ghost buck
was starting to become more of an
illusion instead of a reality, and for a
moment I wondered if this was one
giant dream altogether.
I spent the next day at work
replaying the shot over-and-over
in my mind, wondering if I should
have taken the neck shot instead. I
couldn’t eat, I wasn’t present in the
moment with the staff or students, and
I couldn’t wait until school got out to
get after him! Swapping the shirt and
tie for blue jeans, boots, and a flannel,
I set out on a cavity search following
my pre-determined search grid. After
making a pass about 30 yards deep
and parallel to the road, I moved 20
yards deeper and continued dodg- The author was for tunate enough to be hunting with his six-year-
ing thorn bushes, deadfalls, and deep old son, Lucas, during the 2018 muzzleloading season when this
bowls. phantom 9-pt. walked in.
Walking half-way down a steep,
brushy ridge, I used my eyes to scan but I reassured him season-after-sea- been exhausted.
very carefully as I walked, and then son that someday it would pay off. Now, the European mount resides
it happened. White spot…one more Second, he was able to see that in Lucas’ bedroom, as promised, and
step…hind quarter…one more step… even when success is knocking at I know that those antlers will be a
and giant main beam—thick, gnarly, the doorstep, adversity and challenge symbolic reminder of all of the hunts
and dark—sticking up toward the can still stand in the way, and a calm, we’ve shared so far, and the lessons
setting sun! The spike of adrenaline positive response can counter any learned along the way. Plus, it’s fitting
catapulted me through the briars and setback. that the Phantom Nine is not part of
crabapple thorns as if I was shot out Lastly, he observed that giving up my antler room; he continues to lurk
of a cannon. As I wrapped my hands is not an option until all efforts have in the shadows.n
around his rack, I sank to my knees
as the adrenaline and emotion were
too much. Finally, the phantom nine-
pointer was mine forevermore.
He only had traveled about 150
yards total, and how he made it that
far is still a mystery—especially with
the massive wound channel of the
Barnes. Also, we had walked within
15 yards of the buck three times the
night before! The shot was slightly
higher than anticipated, but it came
in next to the spine and went straight
back on a downward angle demolish-
ing the lung, severing the aorta artery,
punching through the diaphragm,
slicing the liver, and exiting before
reaching the ham. Logic tells me
that if the buck would not have been
on high alert due to the neighbor, he
would have never gotten up.
The phantom nine-pointer was a
classic case of the “Phantom Phe-
nomenon,” and bucks like these are
constant reminders that anything is
possible when we are in the great
outdoors. Despite heavy hunting
pressure and against all odds, I was
reminded through this experience that
success can come at any time. I was
also reminded that success comes
through hard work and effort—both
prior to and during the season.
Most importantly, my son was
finally able to make some valuable
connections about hunting and life.
First, he quickly made the connec-
tion that goals are only accomplished
through self-accountability, integrity,
and reflection. It was hard for him to Open 7 Days
process why we were passing all of Mon-Thur 8-6 • Fri 8-7
those smaller bucks over the years, Sat 9-6 • Sun 10-4
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 59
 The schemes of fishermen
Is this beaver pond a portal to heaven...By Calvin McShane

A
s I mature into a when it came to my fishing educa-
well-rounded trout tion. As a kid, I was regularly con-
bum, I am starting to vinced to explore random streams,
master the schemes of far off lakes and other figments of
great fishermen. For my father’s imagination.
instance, when I am What I now know is these
throwing someone off my scent I am adventures served a dual purpose of
sure to sprinkle in a few truths in the intel gathering for my father and a
thick of deception. On the phone, lesson in scouting for me. He had
about a week ago, I was telling my an eager son who loved to fish and
friend John that last year about this loved more to impress his dad, so
time, the trout were still up tight what I lacked in skill I made up
to shore, holding off structure, but for with fervor. I never came home
hadn’t yet begun feeding on the empty handed, that is, if you con-
surface. sider a fisherman’s bounty beyond
The thing was I knew John bleeding gills.
wasn’t going to plan a trip out of John’s trip next weekend is
impulse but I was in dire need of much of the same exercise. He’s
help in regards to my early season visiting the U.P with the hopes of
brook trout plans. So even though bagging a couple big spring brook
the information I told him was true, trout, while I hope for a friend’s
the location of this observation help in dragging my flat bottom boat
was somewhere other than where to a place that exists only in my day-
I planned on taking the two of us. dreams. Why waste the prowess of a
Thankfully, his childlike gullibility young fisherman on a sure thing?
conceded to my concoction and he The spot I had in mind for John
agreed to head up the following and I comes from a hunch, a fish-
weekend. ing induced psychedelic vision I Fishing is following a hunch. Fishing is chasing, searching, learning, and
I was spared no grace period sometimes get while I drift off in a the reversion to childlike whimsy in the midst adult onset responsibility.
mid-day nap. In these visions the In a display of fishing genius,
trout are usually big and bite easily, I told John we’d be heading to a
the only schmucks I see wetting a reliable pond close to town, and
line are my alter egos. Such a hunch he was content to stick nearby and
sources from a hike along a small avoid horror movie-esque mobs of
feeder creek I took last summer. Af- blackflies. By the time he realized I
ter conferring with the map, I found had other plans, it would be too late
this creek to be a slight dotted blue to turn around and our bounty would
line that began in a conglomeration be worthy of his forgiveness. All I
of wetlands. The lower end of the had to do in the meantime was play
creek was scattered with crisp maize it cool, which I found pretty difficult
beaver chews and the alders lining to do when the road into my hunch
THE FRIENDS OF NRA PROGRAM HAS BEEN OPERATING the bank had been gnawed down to looked like a washed out alley in the
NATIONWIDE SINCE 1992. DURING THE PAST 27 YEARS, OVER inch long piers. aftermath of a category five Hurri-
$3,875,632 HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN! AS As I figured, those wetlands had cane and the buddy in my passenger
THE PROGRAM GROWS – SO DOES WHAT WE GIVE BACK! been dammed up, probably since the seat was beginning to catch on to
high water of a few years back. By my bull.
2019 BANQUET DATES now, brook trout had to have found
their way into a paradise only they,
By the time John put two and
two together, we were close enough
DATE EVENT CITY and myself, knew about. that a few more lies would convince
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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.

60 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS


him only a short walk separated us
from our destination. After a three
mile hell hike, and plenty of com-
plaining, we hit enough water to hop
in the flat bottom and pole our way
in the direction of, what I hoped,
would be a beaver pond.
It was bigger than I anticipated.
The lowlands that sourced the small
creek had been entirely backlogged
with water, the edges suffocated
with half drowned cedars. We
cruised the shorelines looking for
structure and to gather an idea of the
layout.
The pond was uniformly deep,
roughly five feet, with a mixed
bottom of organic soot and debris.
Eventually, we stopped paddling and
allowed the canoe to glide atop the
water’s surface, our wake diminish-
ing, with our eyes glued to the sides
of the craft. We counted out loud
the darting green backs of sizeable
brook trout. We got well past ten
before I was granted forgiveness and
we agreed it was time to fish.
We alternated between strip-
ping leach patterns and dropshotting
minnow plastics, slowly covering
every log and bush that jutted out
from the curvaceous shoreline. Four
hours later, with the sun nearing the
treetops on the western end of the
pond, we had boated 14 brook trout
(all released), the smallest around 12
inches, the largest somewhere near
16.
I say this now, with confidence,
after a thorough scanning of the
photos post trip. During our expedi-
tion, we were convinced each trout
might have been 17 inches, giddy
like school children disregarding
authority. In the moment, we won-
dered if this beaver pond might be a
portal to heaven or the manifestation
of nirvana. Each fish seemed bigger
than the next, our excitement only
contained by the small space within
the boat. Once we had hit double
digits, we decided to spend more
time exploring than fishing. With a
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network of beaver slides descend-
ing from a cluster of jackpines at
our backs, we smoked cigars while
adrift and kept a close eye on a pair
of loons feeding off our starboard.
Back at the truck, we hardly
noticed the mosquitoes and little
minded the bushwacking, there was
nothing that could infect our morale.
As we drank beer back at my
house, the day’s brook trout contin-
ued to grow: “maybe that one was
even pushing twenty?” Facts and
accuracy in fishing are meant for
the log, not for the reminiscences of
wonderment.
The next morning we would
look back over photos and realize
our overzealousness, but for now
we had seen what others have not, a
mystical hunch come to life.
For as many intel missions I
went on as a child, few were suc-
cesses; a ratio that has slightly, if
at all, improved in adulthood. But,
such is fishing. If fishing were a
guarantee, it would take on more
inauthentic egotistical qualities, like
the sort of mental exercises you see
on the golf course. Scouting is fish-
ing. Bushwacking is fishing. Hyper-
bole amongst friends is fishing.
Fishing is relaxing when you’ve
had enough, smoking a cigar, watch-
ing wildlife. It’s bending the truth
to friends, and outright lying to
everyone else. Fishing is following
a hunch. Fishing is chasing, search-
ing, learning, and the reversion to
childlike whimsy in the midst adult
onset responsibility.n
Stewart receives Ruffed Grouse Society award
The Michigan Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) and
American Woodcock Society Habitat Committee
recently honored DNR upland game bird specialist
Al Stewart for his dedication to young forest wildlife
conservation with an award at the annual RGS State
Workshop.
The organization’s State Drummer Fund, the only
program dedicated solely to ruffed grouse and Ameri-
can woodcock habitat enhancement, now has been
named the Al Stewart Drummer Fund.
A portion of the proceeds from each RGS chapter event goes toward the
Drummer Fund each year. In 2018, the Drummer Fund was leveraged to sup-
port over $450,000 in wildlife habitat improvement projects.
“This recognition is well deserved! Al Stewart is literally an institution,
a biologist with a legendary and international reputation as a grouse and
woodcock expert,” said DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason.
Stewart’s career has spanned over four decades. He has been the state’s
upland game bird specialist for close to 20 years. His contributions to young
forest wildlife are global, with milestones accomplished on a national and
international level.
Stewart has coordinated the enhancement of upland game bird habi-
tat, including young forests, with numerous grassroots-based conservation
organizations. He also has coordinated research efforts, working groups and
future management directions critical for young forest habitat. Stewart has
been a champion for the RGS and numerous other conservation organiza-
tions throughout the state.
“RGS wanted to recognize the lifetime of hard work that Al has invested
to ensure that the future of upland game bird and young forest habitat is
available for the next generation of upland hunters,” RGS wildlife biologist
Heather Shaw said. “Al has been a mentor to me throughout my career, and
I am thrilled to continue to foster a strong partnership between the DNR and
RGS.”
Scott Grush, regional director for the Ruffed Grouse Society, has touted
Al as being “incredibly supportive of RGS and its mission while participat-
ing in numerous organizational activities and events throughout the year. His
dedication to grouse and woodcock is unmatched.”
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 61
 Is 40 yards the new 25?

Black Powder
TURKEYS
By Darryl Quidort

R
ecently, I read an article Most of the old fowlers (shot-
in an outdoor magazine guns) were cylinder bored; that is
where the author, Brianthe barrel was a straight tube with-
Lovett, discussed the out any constriction at the muzzle.
new shotguns and “tur- They were not known for holding
key load” ammunition tight shot patterns but were effec-
which is now available for hunt- tive out to about 25 yards. I built
ing wild turkeys. The well written my 12 gauge flintlock double barrel
on a set of original Damascus bar-
article explained that new, precision-
made shotgun chokes and tungsten rels which are both cylinder bored.
shot pellets, which are actually Even after experimenting with many
heavier than lead, have greatly different powder, shot, and wad
improved long range shot patterns. combinations, I consider my maxi-
Although 40 yards has generally mum effective range for a clean,
been the accepted effective range on head shot kill on a big gobbler to be
wild turkey with a modern shotgun, about 25 yards with that gun. Past
the author opined that with the new that distance my 1 1/4 ounce load of
turkey gear, 60 yards is now the new #6 shot begins to spread too thin for
40. It’s amazing what technology a sure kill.
has done for shotgun ballistics. Sitting motionless against a tree,
Reading that article started me elbows on knees, and holding a
thinking of the ways muzzle load- shotgun up for a long period of time
ing shotguns have been improved while calling a gobbler all the way
for longer range effectiveness. I’m in to spitting distance can be an ex-
talking about original, or replicas citing challenge. While in that situ-
of original, muzzle loading smooth- ation, I quietly cocked the left ham-
bores. In addition to adjusting the mer on my flintlock double barrel as
combination of black powder, shot, my grandson, Chance, softly called
One of the author’s favorite flintlock guns. He built this double
and wad column, there are also other from behind me. A big gobbler barrel 12 gauge from a block of walnut and a set of original 19th
ways the old original smoothbores slowly strutted his way closer and century shotgun barrels. This 25 pound gobbler was taken on a
have been improved for better long closer to me. I held steady, with the memorable hunt with his grandson.
range shot patterns. front bead on his neck. At 30 yards my odds of success. behind watching a mixed group of
he stopped and stretched his Jug choking is a historical meth- toms and hens. Mike’s a good caller
head up searching for a hen. He od of improving shotgun patterns and he managed to call a tom away
was still too far away for a sure and it is still performed on black from the group. It came to him from
kill with my cylinder bore gun. powder smoothbores today. There is quite a distance across open country,
Then, in a half strut, he moved some controversy about just when but it held up when it didn’t see the
several yards to my right. Now jug choking was developed but the hen it thought should be there. Mike
my gun was out of position. process was patented by Sylvester took the shot and cleanly killed his
When his head went behind a Roper in 1866. The principal of jug gobbler at 39 long paces. An inter-
large tree I quickly shifted my choking is to ream out a section of esting thing about that bird is that it
aim. Slowly, the bird took a few the barrel near the muzzle to larger had three beards, one long beard and
more careful steps closer before than bore size. The amount of metal two small beards below the main
his head shot up and his pierc- removed and the angles of the ream- one. That was a real trophy to take
ing black eye locked onto me. ing can be adjusted to achieve im- with a muzzle loading fowler and
Time seemed to stand still. The proved long range patterns. This can Mike’s success can be attributed to
woods was completely silent. only be done on steel barrels with the jug choked barrel.
I imagined that his small brain enough wall thickness to accomplish Although many of us who shoot
had just realized that something it safely. Because a jug choke is not black powder enjoy shooting and
was terribly wrong. I touched a constriction type of choke, there hunting with guns that closely
off the left barrel. KaBoom! is no danger of excessive pressures replicate the guns of old, there are
That was the largest gob- being developed within the barrel. options for those interested in more
bler I’ve ever taken, a solid 25 One spring, Mike Yancey and I modern versions of “old timey” fire-
pounder with an 11 inch beard hunted down in South Texas for Rio arms. Interchangeable choke tubes
and an impressive set of spurs. Grande gobblers. Mike used a 12 are one concept that will improve
After the shot, as the turkey gauge, English Fowler made, and shot patterns on black powder guns
flopped his last, Chance said, jug choked, by gunmaker Danny just as well as they do on modern
“He was close! I kept wonder- Caywood. I was hunting a short dis- shotguns. Some replica black pow-
ing why you weren’t shooting.” tance from Mike when I heard the der shotguns can now be purchased
A large gobbler taken with a long After I explained the deal with boom of 90 grains of black powder with screw-in choke tubes.
shot from a flintlock fowler the author the shot pattern, Chance grinned pushing an equal measure of #5 My very first black powder
built using a “Turkey Choke” barrel. and suggested that I just pull shot. Mike was sitting on the ground turkey was taken several years ago
both triggers at once to better with only a large cactus to hide with a Pedersoli 10 gauge, percus-
62 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
sion, double barrel shotgun which
was equipped with screw-in choke
tubes. I was hunting from a pop-
up blind set up in a clearing in the
woods. A hen decoy was stuck in the
ground 20 yards out in front of me.
When the turkeys flew down after
daylight my calling was ignored by
the big gobbler. He had live hens to
deal with and followed them away
from me, gobbling all the way of
course.
I stayed put, calling every half
hour or so. Mid-morning the gobbler
came sneaking silently back look-
ing warily toward my decoy. Then
he hung up about 20 yards short of
the fake hen. I called to him softly,
but he wouldn’t budge. After a long
minute of indecision he turned to
leave, I touched off 100 grains of
2fg black powder pushing 1 5/8
ounces of #6 copper plated shot. To
my delight, the shot knocked him
flat and after the smoke cleared I put
my tag on a beautiful, mature tom
turkey.
From patterning that gun, I knew
that with full choke tubes screwed
into the muzzles, it would put more
than 100 number 6 shot in a ten inch
circle at 40 yards. That big tom was
approximately that distance. Screw-
in chokes are not historically correct
in muzzle loading shotguns, but they
certainly do work.
A few years ago Mike Yancey
and I both built new muzzle loaders
using the Colerain “Turkey Choke”
barrel. This is a 20 gauge barrel that
is restricted at the muzzle in the
normal manner of shotgun chokes
and is stout enough to withstand the
pressure of a heavy black powder
load. After doing some patterning,
I settled on 80 grains of 2fg black
powder and 1 1/2 ounce of shot.
This gun will also put over 100 pel-
lets in a ten inch circle at 40 yards.
In fact, it shoots such a tight pattern
that I put a rear sight on my gun
to insure that I wouldn’t miss on a
close range shot where the pattern is
very small.
That spring we headed for Wyo-
ming to try for Merriam’s turkeys.
Hunting turkeys in the mountains
was a new experience for me. It
was great! I really enjoyed camp-
ing and hunting on public ground
during early spring in the moun-
tains. Nights were cold but the sun
warmed things up nicely during
the day. On the second morning of
hunting we had a tom answering
our calls so we spread out in some
open Ponderosa pines, pulled on
facemasks, and both plopped down
against a tree. The tom seemed to be
heading for Mike, so I quit calling
and watched as Mike called him in.
However, due to the open cover, the
gobbler got wary when it couldn’t
see a hen. From where I sat, I
thought it might be too far away
when Mike shot, but his shot bowled
the bird right over at 37 paces. That
was sweet!
The next day a spring snow
storm drove us down out of the
mountains before I got a chance at a
Merriam’s turkey. That was disap-
pointing and I really want to try that
hunt again sometime.
Our Michigan season was open
when I got home and I immediately
went after an Eastern turkey. I fig-
ured the flock of turkeys I had seen
near a small woodlot just before
dark would be roosted there. Before
daylight the next morning, I set up
in a fencerow across a small field
from the woods. After the birds flew
down, I started calling aggressively
and soon four mature gobblers
came out of the woodlot and started
toward me across the corn stubble.
The competition soon turned their
approach into a sort of a walking
race. This was looking good!
The whole group was approach-
ing at a fast, steady walk. Suddenly,
when they were still 40 yards away,
a hen came out of nowhere and ran
past the group of toms squawking
like crazy. Three of the gobblers
immediately turned and chased
after her. The fourth tom seemed
undecided. I was ready and when he
turned to follow the others I care-
fully aimed at his head and neck
and shot. A cloud of black powder
smoke rolled out toward where the
gobbler flopped his last. That Coler-
ain Turkey Choke barrel will really
reach out there!
Using the same gun, the follow-
ing spring, my turkey tag was filled
with a nice tom which was cleanly
killed at a distance of 42 long paces.
Even with a choked barrel, that’s a
long shot for a flintlock smoothbore.
Technology always marches
relentlessly on. In some ways that’s
good; in other ways …not so much.
Technology certainly has changed
turkey hunting with modern shot-
guns, and it has also changed hunt-
ing with traditional style muzzle
loaders.
So…should 40 yards now be ac-
cepted as the new 25 with a muzzle
loading shotgun?
Personally, I don’t think so.
Just because we can shoot 40 yards
doesn’t mean we should. A lot can
go wrong when you pull the trigger
on a long shot; most of it bad. As
the range increases, the chance of
wounding the game also increases as
the pattern of shot expands. Turkeys
are tough and a turkey’s head and
neck makes a small, and often mov-
ing, target at long range, especially
with a fowler that has only a front
bead to aim with.
Even more importantly though,
I hunt with old time guns for the
challenge and experience of hunt-
ing like my forefathers did, not to
see how far away I can
shoot game. The thing is,
if I choose to hunt with
a muzzle loader I want it
to be a genuine one. Why
hunt with a primitive gun
that has been “modern-
ized” by technology. Isn’t
that defeating the pur-
pose?
All turkey hunting is
enjoyable, but looking
back, I now realize that
the big tom taken with
my old cylinder bore
double barrel was one
of my most exciting and
satisfying turkey hunts.
The skill and patience
needed to bring them in
close is what makes the
hunt satisfying. I feel that,
even though I was using
a flintlock firearm, some
of the turkeys I’ve taken
weren’t really called in.
They were just called
close enough to shoot.
This year I think I’ll
dust off the old flintlock
double barrel and actually After the black powder smoke from the big
“hunt” turkeys again, not 10 gauge double barrel drifted away, I put
just “shoot” turkeys.n my tag on a beautiful, mature tom turkey.
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 63
 TRAIL CAM/OUTDOOR PHOTOS
Join us in sharing interesting and sometimes rare
trail cam and/or outdoor photos with our readers.
Send your photos to: wnw@pageone-inc.com

Kayla Koresky’s trail cam caught these bucks with

early antler development in Sterling Heights. A beautiful barred owl with lunch
caught on camera by Andrea Trail cam visitor near Cedarville from Ed Green of Troy
Messina in Lincoln!

Duane Schunk’s trail cam caught deer photo-

bombing in the fields of St. Clair Co.

Night trail cam photo of a coyote

Larry Piotrowski photo of a boss tom with 13 hens
from Ken & Dawn from Newaygo Co.
Scott Higgins
captured a
couple of hunt-
ers...far left a
blue heron on
a beaver dam
and a mother
bobcat with
lunch.
A beautiful bald eagle photo taken near
Loomis by Paul Vogel.

Doe and fawn trail cam photo taken in Onsted A close-up of a tom turkey taken in Livingston County by Eric Graetzel.
from Ron Stewart.
64 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
 MICHIGAN'S
NUMBER 1
OUTDOOR
RADIO SHOW !!!
Be sure to listen to Mike
Avery’s Outdoor Magazine
on one of the following
radio stations each week! Air Time
Frequency SA (9 AM)
City 102.3 FM SA (5 AM) Mike Avery’s
Station HOUGHTON
WHKB
95.3 FM SA (5 AM) Outdoor
BATTLE CREEK 1260 AM SA (7 AM)
WBCK HOLLAND 1090 AM SA (7:30 AM)
Magazine
WPNW MUSKEGON 1490 AM has a
WKBZ SA (7 AM)
ADRIAN 1460 AM
WABJ BIG RAPIDS 1240 AM
SA (6 AM) tradition
SA (5 AM)
WBRN ISHPEMING 96.5 FM SA (6 AM) of keeping
WIAN HOLLAND
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MARQUETTE 98.5 FM SA (7 AM)
WDMJ HOUGHTON LA
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1380 AM SA (7 AM)
and viewers
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 65
 Hot Topic In The Outdoors...

Comparing Michigan’s deer hunting numbers

T
here has certainly been
a lot of talk lately about
the deer hunting in
Michigan. Some people
love it, and some hate
it, depending I
suppose on individual situ-
ations, attitudes, goals and
success levels. A lot of avid
deer hunters from Michigan
though are so put-off by the
hunting here that they have
gone to the extreme of giv-
ing up hunting in their home
state altogether
and now focus all
their hunting ef-
By Michael Veine
forts elsewhere. So how does Michi-
gan stack up compared to other noted
deer-hunting states?
The Quality Deer Management
Association (QDMA) puts out an an-
nual Whitetail Report that inputs state
deer hunting statistics into an infor-
mative, very interesting read. There
are lots of side-by-side comparisons
and insight in the report.
It allows an evaluation of
the impact of various state
deer management programs
or perhaps even regional
differences in hunters too.
The QDMA, and particu-
larly Kip Adams, really did
a good job overall with this
report and it is
available to read
at the qdma.com
website. Keep in mind though that
the report cites data from 2017 even
though it is labeled a 2019 report.
For starters, Michigan leads the
country with the highest buck harvest
rate (4 per square mile). I’m not sure
if that’s a good or a bad thing though
since Michigan also has one of the
highest rates of yearling bucks in the
harvest too. Almost half of Michi-
gan’s bucks are yearlings, which is
a slight improvement from many
years past, but poor none-the-less.
Surprisingly. Wisconsin which is
well known as a “big buck” state,
led the nation with the highest rate
of yearling bucks in the kill at 65
percent. Michigan ranks a dismal
fifth from the bottom with a very low
percentage of bucks 3.5 years old or
older in the harvest (22 percent). That
ranking would be even worse if it
weren’t for the 14 counties that have
Michigan deer page 68

Wild mushroom season brings culinary

delights, but also food safety risks

I
t’s wild mushroom season in
Michigan, and foragers are
out in droves gathering the
tasty morsels by the bushel.
Wild mushrooms, like morels
and chanterelles, help define
the forests of Michigan and provide
potential income streams for forag-
ers, farmers, restaurateurs and food
entrepreneurs.
However, if improperly identified,
mushrooms can pose serious health
risks. If you are purchasing wild
mushrooms, you should only pur-
chase them from a certified mushroom
identification expert, as required by
Michigan’s Food Code, to assure they
are safe and edible.
Michigan’s Food Code requires
those who sell mushroom species
picked in the wild to either be certified
as an approved mushroom identifica-
tion expert, or to have each mushroom
individually inspected and found safe
by a certified mushroom expert.
“There are many varieties of
edible mushrooms that grow in
Michigan, but there are also toxic,
poisonous varieties, so there is some
risk involved,” said Tim Slawinski,
director, Food and Dairy Division at
the Michigan Department of Agricul-
ture and Rural Development. “There
are also many look-alike varieties for
some of our favorite wild mushrooms,
including morels. These ‘look-alikes’
can cause serious illness or death
when eaten, so it’s important to know
how to properly identify mushrooms
and to only buy mushrooms from
someone who is a trained, certified
mushroom identification expert.”
“The bottom line is: please enjoy
hunting for and eating your favorite
wild mushrooms, but make sure you
know how to properly identify them,”
said Slawinski. “If you plan to sell
your wild mushroom harvest, you
must be a certified mushroom identi-
fication expert; and if you operate a
store or restaurant and plan to pur-
chase mushrooms for resale to your
customers, they must be purchased
from an approved source and indi-
vidually inspected by a certified mush-
room identification expert. Finally, if
you’re purchasing wild mushrooms,
especially online through social media
platforms, always ask for proof of
certification before purchasing any
mushrooms.”
Foraging mushrooms on public
lands (including Michigan’s state
parks and game areas) for personal
consumption and enjoyment is al-
likely to grow. The morel Morchella
exhuberens often shows up the next
spring where pine trees have burned.
To learn more about other mushroom
search tools and tips, including reci-
pes, read this recent bulletin, “Show-
casing the DNR: Mi-HUNTing for
Michigan morel mushrooms.”
Mushroom poisoning refers to
harmful effects from ingestion of toxic
substances present in some mush-
rooms, with symptoms ranging from
slight gastrointestinal discomfort to
death. Common symptoms associated
with mushroom poisoning include
vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain,
weakness, lethargy and yellowing of
the skin or eyes (jaundice). Mush-
room poisoning is usually the result
of ingestion of wild mushrooms after
misidentification of a toxic mushroom
as an edible species. The most com-
mon reason for this misidentification

Hunting Adventures
lowed and encouraged. However,
the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources advises that selling wild
mushrooms harvested from public
Dear Woods-N-Water News: lands is illegal. Foraging of wild
I read Randy Jorgensen’s article in May 2019 with interest. Hunting is in- mushrooms is allowed in national
deed in decline among younger generations. While there are many causes, social forests, but a Commercial Use Permit
changes, electronic devices, the internet, one thing I’ve noticed is our own focus (available at each forest’s field of-
on success at all costs. fice) is required for any individual
While reading a national outdoor magazine at the dentist I was struck by intending to sell the mushrooms. No
every deer article describing expensive leases, food plot management, restrictive mushroom picking (either commer-
hunting methods, like not leaving the blind to avoid “contamination” of the area cial or for personal use) is allowed in
and ridiculing any buck under 150 B.C. points. national parks.
I started hunting at 14 with adults who made sure that every day was an Check out the DNR’s Mi-Morels
adventure, walking in the woods, exploring, stump shooting and observing wild- map at www.Michigan.gov/MIMo-
life. It seems like we ourselves have lost sight of the wonder of those adventures. rels to explore locations where large
Sincerely, prescribed burns were conducted last
David Guelette year, and where morels may be more
66 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
is close resemblance in terms of color
and general morphology of some toxic
mushroom species with edible species.
If you suspect mushroom poison-
ing, seek immediate medical assis-
tance, and call the Michigan Poison
Control Center at 1-800-222-1222.
For information about mushroom
identification training and certifica-
tion, including upcoming courses, or
to view a list of certified mushroom
identification experts in Michigan,
please visit MAMI’s website at www.
midwestmycology.org. To report po-
tentially illegal sales of wild-foraged
mushrooms, contact MDARD at 800-
292-3939 or send an e-mail to mda-
info@michigan.gov.n
 Dear Fish Diary: My Thoughts, My Views, My Opinions...
A whole different kind of fishing
Disposable doesn’t mean throw it in the lake or woods...
Dear Fish Diary:
By now I’m sure you’ve heard
of the shards of glass that have been
washing up by the thousands on the
shores of the Sleeping Bear Sand
Dunes. Let’s agree on a
couple of things. 1) The
amount of glass that has so
far been recovered didn’t
get there by accident. It
isn’t some freak thing with
the currents that washed
tiny broken pieces of glass
along that particular shore-
line. 2) By all
By Ron St. Germain
signs, this was
an act of some-
one who know-
ingly did this. It should be looked at
as nothing less than a terrorist act.
Thousands of tiny pieces have
been found along the Good Harbor
Picnic Area and park rangers believe
it to be a deliberate act. To some,
me calling this a terrorist act might
seem a bit harsh. But if your child
was severely cut, bleeding badly,
and you’re looking at a half hour
drive, at least, to the nearest hospi-
tal, you might think differently. A
terrorist act is one that is done with
malicious intent, and this, was a
malicious intent.
Some believe that the glass
was intentionally spread. It wasn’t
dumped in a pile, as it is evident
that the glass was dumped along
the shore fairly evenly for several
hundred yards. Terry Clark, a mem-
ber of the Traverse Area Camera
Club, has another idea. The camera
club does several beach cleanups
throughout the year and many times
he’s found shotgun shells. “It’s
possible during the winter that glass
bottles were set on the ice and shot
for shooting practice,” Clark said.
“It’s just my suspicion though, no
Examples of the shards being collected. Author’s photos
real evidence.” That’s actually not a
bad suspicion.
As the Park Service desperately
tries to not only clear the beach,
they’d like to catch the person or
persons responsible. There
was a similar incident like
this in 2017 in the same
area. You might possibly
know someone in that area
who collects glass bottles,
or even stores a large con-
centration of pieces of bro-
ken glass. You might know
someone who collects glass
bottles for the
purpose of
target practice
that lives in that area. It’s possible
both of these acts were committed
by the same people, I for one would
love to see them caught.
For the volunteers who frequent
the national lakeshore to keep it
clean, it’s a whole different kind
of fishing. I find it very discourag-
ing how disrespectful people can
be. The trash I see along the road,
the empty fishing containers I see
lining the forests of inland lakes, the
garbage I see left along hiking trails.
It all strikes a nerve with me.
I’m not sure I could emotionally
handle working with those volun-
teers without blowing a gasket every
five minutes. When I found a dirty
diaper I’d begin screaming – “I
will find you and leave this on your
porch or in your car.” When I found
a condom I would begin scream-
ing – “I will find you and put this
in your coffee.” Cigarette butts – “I
will find you and fill your yard with
these.”
These volunteers clean our
pristine places four times a year, I’m
not even sure I could handle one.
These are stewards of our beautiful
Volunteers comb the Good Harbor Beach looking for tiny shards
of glass among the washed up rocks. Thousands of pieces have
already been recovered. Volunteers need more credit for the type
of fishing they do.
lands and beaches and rarely do they
ever get credit. I have a hard enough
time picking up after my grandkids,
or myself for that matter. Picking
up after others, especially in our
protected parks, just sends me into a
panic attack.
Wrappers, plastic water bottles
and plastic bags are all things I’ve
routinely picked up over the years.
Leftover food, sometimes still in the
wrappers and bags always makes
me shake my head. I find tin cans,
bottle caps, fireworks leftovers, alu-
minum foil, newspapers, magazines,
propane tanks and all kinds of con-
tainers almost every time I visit our
parks. Whatever people don’t want
at the time, they leave. What’s real
frustrating is sometimes how close
to an actual waste container they
are. The fact people can bring it in
with them, but for whatever reason,
can’t bring it back with them and
take care of their mess riles me up.
Disposable doesn’t mean throw it in
the lake or woods, it means throw it
in the trash, just so you know.
They throw their trash all over
the woods and lakeshores and ex-
pect us to clean up after them. Yet,
when we find their wallet they want
us to return it to them. I want my
retirement job to be the guy writing
$500 tickets to people discarding
their trash in our parks. Shoot, I’d
work on a commission, that’s how
upset I get. Can’t pay the fine? Oh,
well your living room or yard will
become a landfill as we get to dump
one giant load there just for fun. Just
to see the look on your face.
Leaving thousands of pieces
of broken glass on our beaches is
a whole new evil. If it happened
at Sleeping Bear, it could happen
anywhere so use caution when
venturing the shorelines. And, if you
have a clue, or even suspicion that
you might know who is behind this,
call 231-326-4805 or email andrew_
blake@nps.gov.
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
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:
Woods-N-Water News,
PO Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444
Questions regarding Woods-N-Water News sub-
scriptions, newsstand sales, Outdoor Weekend,
stories, trophy page, contact our office
Mon.-Fri. 9 am-5 pm 810-724-0254
www.woods-n-waternews.com
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 67
 My Thoughts, My Views, My Opinions...
A new generation of hunters and anglers
S
eems most discussions
around the future of hunting
and fishing are more doom
and gloom lately. Hunting
and fishing license sales are down.
We complain kids are playing video
games all the time. Deep down we
know that we are probably more to
blame as adults than the younger
generation. Life is busy and
sometimes it is easier to
allow younger folks to sit
and play video games than
pack their stuff and take
them fishing for the day or
weekend. But there is some
silver lining in these dark
clouds.
By Mark Sak
Kids are kids.
Frankly, they just want
some kind of excite-
ment in their life. They are open
to anything. I have been involved
with several youth hunts and fishing
events over time, and I have never
once seen a kid say, “I don’t want
to go.” No matter what the condi-
tions or species, if they are with
supportive people and feel comfort-
able, they are all in. The numbers
and decrease in license sales simply
reflect on adults who are too busy,
lack access or have lost interest in
the hunting and fishing sports. I’d
be willing to bet that the numbers
of first-time hunters and anglers are
slightly up over the past few years.
Thankfully there has been a push
to expose and allow the younger
generation to see how exciting our
outdoor passions can be. Kids can
see their friends harvesting fish and
game at very young ages on social
media. Our regulatory agencies have
done a much better job at changing
Comparing Michigan Deer Hunting Numbers:
MAPRs too where the number of
older bucks in the harvest is greatly
improved. Wisconsin was dead worst
though in that older buck category,
so it really baffles me how the badger
state is still the top producer of Pope
and Young entries, probably due to
the very fertile western part of the
state where QDM has really become
entrenched for decades. Respec-
tively, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Okalahoma and Arkansas were the
top three-plus-year-old buck rate pro-
ducers, all with over half their bucks
being over three.
Interestingly, Michigan did not
share its fawn recruitment rates for
the report. Probably because they
are only available in the U.P. and the
data there is alarmingly horrible. Top
fawn producing states like Illinois
had 1.2 fawns per adult doe. After an
68 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
the regs to allow kids to get into the
field for a mentor hunt and there
are many clubs offering both open
water and ice fishing youth fishing
events to allow young people to see
how exciting it can be. We are also
seeing many high schools offering
more fishing clubs and colleges de-
veloping tournament fishing teams.
It is still up to us to allow
them to get involved.
Last summer I fished my
local lake with a seven-
year-old named Xavier
Britt. His mom Angela is
my wife’s cousin and they
purchased a small cabin
on our lake to be able to
come back to Michi-
gan to relax during our
wonderful summers.
Xavier had other ideas. He quickly
became a fishing machine. He
wasn’t happy with just catching pan-
fish. He started to target bass, and
he is getting very good at catching
them. Now he is watching fishing
shows to try to refine his attack. Last
summer I saw him leave the cottage
at 10 p.m. to go cast the beach in
front of his cabin. The 7-year-old
pounded them. He is now known
as the X-Man. I took him out and I
was immediately impressed at the
progress this young angler had made
in such a short time.
His bait of choice is a whacky
worm and he throws it with one
thing in mind, catching the biggest
bass in the lake. He has caught some
very nice bucket mouths and hooked
one of the biggest bass I have seen
on our lake in years, but it snapped
his line because his drag was too
tight. That was my fault. Then it
easy winter, during the fall of 2017,
the U.P. produced only .6 fawns per
adult doe and that number was much
lower after harder winters in previous
years. Much of Michigan is experi-
encing a glut of predators and fawns
are the primary segment of the deer
population that gets slaughtered when
predator numbers are out of whack.
Michigan comes in second only to
Texas in the total buck kill (226,656),
with Pennsylvania and then Wis-
consin coming in a distant third
and fourth. Michigan had the fifth
highest antlerless harvest (150,709)
with Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania
and Wisconsin beating us out in that
order.
Michigan has one of the highest
numbers of overall deer hunters in
the country, but sadly the percentage
of out-of-state tags sold in our state
Seven-year-old Xavier Britt with one of the many big bass he caught last summer.
really started to sink in to me that
this youngster really loves to fish
and how sad it would have been
if he never had the opportunity to
try a sport like fishing that gives so
much back to us. I’m sure there are
thousands of kids all over our state
that would gladly participate if they
had the opportunity.
There are many ways to get them
involved. If you or no one close to
you has the equipment or knowl-
edge to get them that first tug on
the line that is so important, look at
the various fishing clubs around our
state. There are several Michigan
Steelhead chapters as well as many
walleye clubs around our state such
as the Lake St. Clair Walleye Asso-
ciation, the West Michigan Walleye
Club or the Saginaw Bay Walleye
Club that offer youth fishing events
is only 2 percent, which was quite
dismal on the list (only one state
was worse). Colorado, Wyoming,
Arkansas and Kansas were tops in
that category with a lot more out-of-
state money pouring into those states
as a result.
Years ago, Michigan had the high-
est number of overall deer hunters in
the country with well over 800,000
deer hunters and perhaps over one
million total hunters. We also had
the highest number of bowhunters
too. Now days though, the rankings
of states with the highest number of
deer hunters are as follows: Texas
- 738,713; Pennsylvania - 700,000;
Wisconsin – 642,517; Minnesota –
600,000; and then Michigan in fifth
with 586,000. Michigan ranks third
in the total number of archery deer
hunters (311,000) with Pennsylvania
and will provide equipment and
usually start out from shore fishing
for bluegills or perch. Check local
boat dealers as they often know or
sponsor youth events. County parks
also offer youth fishing events quite
often. On most occasions all some-
one needs to do is ask and they soon
will have volunteers coming out of
everywhere to help.
Youth hunters need to pass that
hunter safety course and there are
many options to get in the field.
Pheasant Forever chapters across
the state often offer youth hunts that
are spectacular, and there is nothing
quite like seeing a youngster with
their first rooster. Here is hoping
the youngsters in your life find that
special balance the outdoors can
provide. I’ll see you in the field or
on the water.n
from page 66
taking top honors in that category.
We are also third in the number of
bow hunters per square mile with
Pennsylvania clobbering us there and
surprisingly New Jersey beat us out
there too. Our precipitously dropping
hunter numbers are most concerning
since Michigan’s losses have signifi-
cantly outpaced many other states.
In fact, some states have even shown
double digit percentage increases in
deer hunter numbers over the last 10
years with Tennessee, Texas, Geor-
gia, and Oklahoma leading the way.
It will be interesting to see if the new
leadership of Michigan’s DNR, a new
wave of NRC commissioners and
Lansing’s politicians can reverse the
negative trends in Michigan’s deer
hunting and perhaps begin to lead us
down the road to an improving hunt-
ing environment. We’ll see.n
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 69
 Try These...

WALLEYE
WATERS
W
alleyes have fast become
Michigan’s most popular
game fish species. The
Great Lakes State of-
fers trophy fishing on a
monumental scale that
other states can only dream about and monster
fish tipping the scales over the 10-pound mark are
common in the Detroit River, Saginaw Bay, Bay
de Noc and a host of Great Lakes tributaries and
drowned river mouths. However, savvy anglers
are always looking for new hot spots producing
excellent catches. Here’s a rundown on some
productive waters not far from your home serving
up fantastic walleye action and plenty of hefty
catches for the fry pan too.
The Tittabawassee River will be over-run
with walleye fishermen on opener. You can
expect boat launches from Saginaw to Midland
to be packed with boats and trailers. The Tittaba-
wassee hosts one of the best river walleye fisher-
ies in Michigan. Once the opening day crowd
thins out you can still expect limit catches from
the pools, runs and walleye attracting waters.
My recommendation is to try the lower Tit-
tabawassee and launch in Saginaw at the Center
Street or downtown at the Rust Boat launch off
Lee Street. Motor upstream and concentrate on Kat Hawkes of Southfield
the deep holes and runs from M-46 to the mouth. with a huge walleye she
Jigs bounced along bottom tipped with a minnow caught at sundown while jig-
or crawler will guarantee strikes. When water ging a finesse minnow off the
temperatures reach 50 degrees, use nightcrawlers. Banana Dike in Lake Erie.
Savvy anglers also drag bottom with 1/8 oz. jigs
tipped with a crawler and use electric motors to
pull the offering over gravel bars and sand runs
where multitudes of walleyes are holding. Don’t spawners often congregate. Vertical jigging with holds fish during the day and vertical jigging is a
overlook the deep holes found slightly upstream minnows or slowly draggin’ a live bait rig across hot tactic. During overcast weather, rain and low
from M-46 at Shields and downstream from State bottom produces the most strikes. Make certain to light conditions walleyes move up on top of the
Road. wet a line around Grand Island and the cluster of humps. Slip bobber offerings work well in this
Cheboygan County’s Long Lake has long had smaller islands found north. Come warm weather, area. Hastings Point found further north is where
a history of producing great catches for those us- work the deeper water off Kaufman Bay or Whis- eater 2-3 pound walleyes like to congregate.
ing live bait and finesse tactics. Live bait rigging key Point. Trolling with crawler harnesses or deep diving
with long fluorocarbon leader material works like One of my favorites is Gun Lake found in cranks will outsmart fish hiding in the structure.
dynamite here and anglers rely on 3/8 oz. Lindy Barry County and is over 2,600 acres of prime At times I launch at Murphey’s boat launch and
Rigs to get crawlers, minnows and leaches into walleye habitat located in the Yankee Springs fish Murphey’s Point.
the strike zone. For information regarding Long State Recreation Area. A regular stocking pro- Don’t overlook the sleepy little town of Colon
Lake and other northern Michigan walleye lakes, gram has helped the walleye population to grow found south of Battle Creek in St. Joseph County.
contact the Gaylord DNR office. and there is excellent access which makes Gun a Colon has an active conservation club that stocks
Presque Isle County’s Grand Lake has an out- premier walleye waterway. There are two main walleyes in three lakes: Sturgeon (249 acres),
standing population of wall- basins on Gun Lake; east basin has deep water, Palmer (450 acres) and Long (220 acres). Palmer
eyes with some measuring islands, points and an abundance of walleye has sloping contour, gravel bars and deep water
around 27 inches. Grand holding structure. Chicago Point on the southeast 40 feet deep supporting healthy walleye popula-
Lake is a large body of corner is a walleye hotspot. I like to troll the drop tions. The 20-foot hole close to the boat launch
water with over 6,000 acres off with crawler harnesses and bounce fresh meat on the southwest corner provides steady walleye
and a multitude of ideal through the sand and gravel. Come sundown I get action. Locals drag crawler harnesses along the
walleye structure. Concen- out my in-line boards, glow stickbaits and slow drop-offs on the west and east shores. Cranks and
trate on points found near troll the shallows using the bow mounted electric worms take most of the fish here.
the islands where spring motor. Long Lake serves up excellent catches of
Make certain to try the series of humps found 24-inch walleyes falling prey to crawler har-
By Kenny Darwin west of Chicago Point in 12-35 feet of water
where walleyes congregate. The deeper water
nesses, live bait rigs and trolled cranks. Excellent
fishing is found near the boat launch on the west
70 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
shore where steep contour provides ideal walleye
habitat.
Sturgeon Lake is the northern impoundment
of the St. Joseph River. It is not as deep as Palmer
or Long but provides plenty of keeper walleyes.
Tactics that work in the more turbid waters in-
clude suspending live bait below bobbers, casting
crankbaits and slow trolling glow stickbaits and
crawler harnesses. For bait and information, con-
tact Colon Bait and Tackle at 269-432-3633.
Diamond Lake in southwest Michigan is
loaded with walleyes as the result of stocking.
The lake is large (1,020 acres) and is one of the
most popular lakes in southern Michigan. The
lake has an abundance of points, ideal walleye
structure and maximum depth is over 60 feet.
Drop-offs, weed lines and diverse bottom contour
attract fish. Hot spots include Drummond Lake
Beach, north end of Drummond Island and deep
water off Sandy Beach and ever changing bottom
on the east shore.
Casting shallow-water crankbaits can be
effective on the 5-12 foot Diamond banks sur-
rounded by weeds. Savvy anglers fish in early
morning or late afternoon when boat traffic is
minimal. Some trollers work glow stickbaits and
glow crawler harnesses in the shallows after dark.
While the St. Joseph River is best known for
its fantastic Skamania fishery, there is a grow-
ing army of walleye fishermen enjoying impres-
sive catches. There is fantastic fishing above
the Berrien Springs Dam where the water slows
and walleyes congregate in the swirling water.
However, most anglers concentrate on the large
spawners migrating from Lake Michigan into
the St. Joseph and provide great fishing almost
year round. Come opener boats will be plying
the prime holes with jigs tipped with minnows.
But as the water warms the crawler bite turns red
hot. Most anglers anchor boats above deep holes
and runs and they cast downstream and work jigs
upriver, making a crank or two and allowing the
offering to drop to bottom.
The Kalamazoo River has miles of unbeliev-
able walleye fishing both above the Allegan Dam
and below. Lake Allegan has plenty of walleyes
and fishermen work the structure all the way to
Allegan. But some of the best walleye fishing
takes place in the Saugatuck area of the mighty
Kalamazoo as walleyes back down after spawn-
ing. Make certain you test the waters at the begin-
ning of the long pier head where the Kazoo enters
Lake Michigan.
Drop back spawning walleyes tend to hold
and feed in the extreme lower Kazoo and offer
some exciting fishing. When weather warms and
thousands of spawning walleyes leave the river
they will stop and feed at the mouth of the Kazoo
where it empties into Lake Michigan. Savvy troll-
ers use in-line boards and cranks to work silvery
lures along the sand bottom. In May fishermen
can use Yakima Mag Lip, Flatfish, Hot-N-Tot
and other cranks to harvest walleyes, beer belly
brown trout and salmon from the current of
the river mouth where it empties into Lake
Michigan.
Lake Macatawa near Holland offers explosive
year round walleye fishing. This large lake has
been heavily stocked plus it gets a run of spawn-
ing walleyes from Lake Michigan in early spring
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Walleyes in the live well are an indication
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and each fall. Some call it the most productive
walleye waters along the big lake coast. Shortly
after ice out the fishing is on fire but anglers must
wait until the opener, the last Saturday in April,
before they can wet a line.
My favorite Macatawa tactic is trolling in-
line boards using Rattle Tots and Mag Lip 3.5. I
set lures far enough back so they are skimming
the weed lines and bottom contour and I prefer
to follow the shore. First thing I do is determine
wind direction and I troll downwind. Speed is
usually 1.5 mph early in the season but as water
warms I kick it up to at least 2 mph. Some days
I hit the monster boulders in the water at the pier
head at the crack of dawn and catch big browns
or salmon in addition to walleyes. Then I skip
back into Macatawa and troll cranks in Holland NEW ‘YO’
Harbour, Macatawa Bay near the Yacht Club and
the sand bar off Superior Point.
COLOUR
The winter ice fishing for walleyes on Mus- AVAILABLE
kegon Lake was on fire this year and great
catches also came from White Lake and Pentwa-
ter. You can bet once again this spring when those HN
drop-back walleyes hit Lake Michigan the pier Gold and Silver
fishing will be on fire. Last spring the walleyes
catches were awesome at the mouth of Portage Nuwrinkle
Lake, where the DNR has been stocking zillions
of fish. The Manistee pier provided limit catches
of big fish for about two weeks and White Lake
outlet was loaded with big water walleyes search-
ing for food.
When spawning chores are complete, wall-
eyes back down Lake Michigan rivers at light-
ning speed. But they stop and adjust to the cold • Stabilising ridge
water of Lake Michigan at the pier heads. Anglers • 3 sizes, 17 colours
begin to line the cement walls at sunset and by
midnight there is standing room only as hundreds • Mirror, Honeycomb
of big walleyes are hooked and landed. Most cast & Nu-wrinkle finishes.
shallow diving stickbaits into the frothing swells
and strikes frequently occur near the cement
structure.
So, if you are looking for a new walleye hot
spot and willing to expand your fishing hori-
zon, please take a peek at the above suggested /williamslures
locations.n www.williams.ca
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 71
 spring sucker festival
the Talaski family way
T
hat Saturday recently
in mid-April, al-
though a bit breezy,
dawned into a beauti-
ful and sunny day
as our caravan of
vehicles headed out to the first of
many “tip of the Thumb” bridges.
Once there, I watched the natural
teamwork of the participants getting
matters prepared and two large (8
ft. x 8 ft.) dip-nets were eased over
the bridge railing, suspended just
right by heavy duty ropes, and then
dropped in unison into the fast mov-
ing spring current, and allowed to
settle on the bottom. A couple of fig-
ures clad in chest waders and wield-
ing long-handled fish spears about
100 yards away began working their
way upstream toward the waiting
nets, using the spears to splash the
water, and to probe underneath rock
ledges and sunken logs to roust and
herd any suckers lying still in hid-
den pools. Any suckers trying to slip
past the spearmen were certainly a
target, but the main goal was to push
the suckers to the nets.
On command, the two nets
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72 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
resting on the river bottom were
suddenly jerked up and out of the
water and revealed a treasure-trove
of squirming suckers, the
weight of which required
other hands grabbing onto
the ropes to get matters out
of the water high enough
for other helping hands
with long-handled land-
ing nets that were used to
lighten the load, and allow
the dip-nets to
By Tom Lounsbury
be brought up
the rest of the
way with the remainder of the fish.
When you realize suckers can often
weigh a couple pounds apiece, a
bunch of them in the large dip-net
can add up.
The dip-nets being used feature
spring steel crosspieces that readily
flex with a load and allow the nets
to become a large pouch to depend-
ably hold fish and are the result of a
trial and error development process.
It was about 50 years ago when
the late Tom Talaski, Sr. of Rapson
decided a great family involved
adventure would be dip-netting for
suckers, and being a large family
entailing a dozen children who were
already used to teamwork on their
farm, it would prove to be
a fortuitous decision. This
is especially so with their
farm being located near
the tip of the Thumb which
features numerous rivers,
streams and drainages feed-
ing into Lake Huron that
are well known for annual
spring sucker
runs.
Once the
family discovered a source for
obtaining the large netting, the steel
crosspieces had to be figured out,
with the first being the curved tines
of an old (hay) dump-rake. Although
this worked to a certain extent, it
was discovered the stiff tines had
no give or flex when a load was
applied. It would be discovered the
best crosspieces were those made
from sewer rods entailing spring
steel. From then on it was a steady
learning process of how best to use
the equipment.
In this case, the Talaski clan
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uses 30 feet of heavy duty nylon
rope and a clevis to attach to the
crosspieces, and the dip-nets are
raised and lowered by hand (aka
brute force) from bridge railings.
It is a fishing technique they have
honed to literal perfection and with
distinct teamwork being performed
automatically. What began with 12
children would eventually expand to
at least four generations. It was al-
most 20 years ago when Tom Sr. in-
vited me to join his family for their
annual spring sucker festival, which
is clearly also a family reunion. It
is something I look forward to each
spring and I’m deeply honored to be
treated as a member of this family.
I grew up sucker spearing near my
family farm, and dip-netting for
suckers was a whole new adventure
for me that I have come to truly ap-
preciate.
As things happen and families
branch out, some family members
travel from various places such as
Detroit, Livonia and Midland to
make this special event. Tim Talaski
for example, has a five hour drive
from his home in southwestern
Michigan, but wouldn’t miss this
springtime family affair for any-
thing.
Originally, the Talaski clan
always held this special day when
the sucker-netting season officially
opened, which was typically on
April 1st, no matter what day of
the week that was. However, with
more and more children becoming
involved, they now select a Saturday
in order for family members of all
ages (and from more distant parts)
to be able to participate. This will
even include toddlers and a stroller
or two, and a whole bunch of folks
are on hand to share the moment,
and just being an onlooker is a
whole bunch of fun and excitement
too.
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 I’ve learned with this family to
avoid breakfast that morning and to
arrive there hungry, because a major
part of this scene is eating during the
entire process. This entails home-
baked cookies, brownies, chips,
crackers, cheeses, hot cocoa and
absolutely marvelous venison jerky
and hunter’s stick from the Talaski
smokehouse (they use hickory for
smoking venison and apple wood
for smoking suckers). Yep folks,
I’ve never walked away from this
family gathering being hungry.
The sucker is considered by
some (unknowing) people as being
a trash fish similar to the invasive
carp, but such is not the case at all
because suckers have been a part of
the natural scene for eons. They are
an important prey species for game
fish species such as northern pike
and muskellunge. Certain sucker
species also spend most of their time
in the deep water of the Great Lakes
and only venture up inland water-
ways to spawn in the spring. They
are what can be defined as “clean
bottom feeders” in that they feed on
aquatic insects, crustaceans, snails,
worms and in some cases, algae.
Suckers get their name from their
fleshy lipped mouths on the under-
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side of their heads, and there are a
number of sucker species found in
Michigan.
The most common species I’m
familiar with here in the Thumb is
the white sucker, but netting with
the Talaski clan introduced me to a
sucker they refer locally to as “red-
sides” (not to be confused with red
horse suckers). The technical name
for it is the long-nosed sucker due to
its longer snout, and it features finer
scales than other sucker species and
usually has a deep red stripe down
each side of its upper back. Our
catch that day entailed a number of
“red-sides” and they are truly beau-
tiful fish venturing in from very cold
and deep waters.
Suckers are a great and delicious
fish to eat cooked in a manner of
ways, and smoked or canned. Con-
sidered as being quite a bony fish,
I learned a long time ago to use a
“scoring board,” which is a series of
grooves cut into a hardwood board.
Filets are then placed on the board In the net is a treasure-trove of Upper Thumb squirming suckers.
skin down and “scored” (sliced)
cross-grain using the grooves as a actually unnoticeable. going strong. There is no doubt in
guide and by not cutting through Tom Talaski, Sr. passed away a my mind that when family dip-nets
the skin. Doing so makes the bones few years ago, but the legacy and hit the water each spring, his spirit
more palatable, and when the filet tradition with family involvement is close by and as always, heartily
chunks are deep fried, bones are he started over 50 years ago is still smiling.n
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 73
 Flood Stage
Steelheads
I
t’s the steelhead fisher- heads take the path of least resis-
man’s worst nightmare. tance when moving and resting
You arrive at your favor- under flood stage conditions.
ite stream only to find it To intercept them, anglers need
roaring, out of its banks to think about where migrating fish
and the color of might take up residence
strong cappuccino. Faced and fish slower, slack water
with such a predicament the areas, current breaks and
angler has three options 1) the insides of bends, places
go home, 2) head to a dif- you might associate more
ferent river that might be in with suckers or walleyes
better shape or 3) deal with than with spring steelheads.
it. Steelhead can be caught Steelheads under flood con-
under flood stage condi- ditions are often hundreds
tions, but to be of yards from
successful you
need to change By Mike Gnatkowski typical lies or
in completely
tactics and learn to think outside the different locations than they would
box. be under normal conditions. In fact,
Steelheads don’t like high water many times they might be right
anymore than you do. Fighting under your feet and you’d never
strong currents saps the strength know it.
from migrating steelheads they That’s exactly what I discov- Anchoring above a likely steelhead lie and then methodically, meticulously,
know that they’ll need to com- ered on Michigan’s Big Manistee inching plugs towards the fish presents lures to steelheads where they
plete their real calling. They can’t River. The Big M was roaring after can see, feel and hear them, gives them plenty of time to strike.
breathe; they can’t see. So steel- a freak early spring thunderstorm. The river went sky high and turned weapons featured slashes of orange,
the color of a mud puddle. Know- red, gold, silver and chartreuse so
ing that the sudden flush of water the rainbows could not ignore them.
BOOKS/DVDS BY RICHARD P. SMITH would undoubtedly bring a wave of
fresh steelies in, I elected to inter-
Two prime runs produced noth-
ing. The third run was a so-so spot,
cept them in the lower portion of but in the high water I reasoned it
the river. But where would they be might have some potential. Under
Great Michigan Deer Tales in the rushing torrent? That was the
million-dollar question.
normal conditions the run is shal-
MORE BIG BUCK STORIES low, but today was different. There
With visibility less than one was four feet of water where there
foot, plugs were our best bet I rea- were normally two. We fished
soned. Plugs have the flash, vibra- through the run to the normal tail
Tracking Wounded Deer tion, and noise to call up steelheads
under adverse conditions. Not just
out, but I decided to take it a little
farther, and a little farther, 50 then
Lots of NEW INFORMATION and ALL COLOR PHOTOS any plugs, but really big plugs; 75 yards past the end of the run.
oversized, noisy, rattling, flashy, “There can’t be any fish this far
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74 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
rod on the shallow side bent double
and a chrome jumper came skit-
tering across the surface with the
Magnum Wiggle Wart rattling in
his jaw. Fishing the “sucker water”
in the next few runs produced three
more steelies.
Flood stage steelies are where
you find ’em. They might be tucked
up in behind a logjam using the
debris to break the current. You
might find them on the inside of
a bend nearly at the feet of shore
anglers where the current slack-
ens or on the flats long after a run
has petered out. Or they might be
nose-tight to a midstream boulder.
You can bet though that they won’t
be where you’d find them under
normal conditions. Steelheads move
into much slower, slack water when
rivers are roaring for two reasons-
visibility and comfort. Steelheads
don’t like the debris and suspended
particles in the water they have to
breathe so they position where the
water is clearer and where they can
see better.
Because visibility is limited,
anglers need to slow down their
presentations regardless of the
technique they’re using to give
steelheads more time to find, see
and strike their offerings. Anchoring
above a likely steelhead lie and then
methodically, meticulously, inch-
ing plugs towards the fish presents
lures to steelheads where they can
see, feel and hear them, gives them
plenty of time to strike and takes
advantage of a plug’s maximum
flash, attraction and vibration.
The key is to slow down and give
rainbows time to react. The fish will
often take advantage of the murky
water to move through the shallows
throughout the day and anglers can
sit in one location and intercept
them. Instead of going to the fish,
the fish will come to you.
Many anglers don’t realize it
but spinners can be deadly high-
water lures. The thumping blade,
flash and vibration can help steel-
ies home in. Spinners can be fished
very effectively in the slack water
areas that flood stage steelheads will
be found in. Many spots that can be
fished with spinners can’t be fished
any other way. You can flip spinners
in behind logjams, in shallow tail
outs and under overhanging bushes.
The best spinners are big thumpers
with number five or even number
six blades in gold, silver, and black
highlighted with shades of hot col-
ored tape.
Back bouncing or walking
spawn can be a good option when
fishing with spawn under flood stage
conditions. Rather than rolling or
bottom bouncing with spawn posi-
tioning above the fish and slowly
working a sizable chunk of skein
spawn slowly downstream along the many a steelhead from water that six-weight outfit at home and come
bottom presents steelheads with a was the color of chocolate milk. prepared with a stout eight-weight
sizable bait that they can see, creates West Coast anglers are used to rig or plug rods with some real
a scent trail that the fish can use to fishing murky, stained water. Great backbone.
locate your bait, and allows that su- Lakes steelheaders usually don’t Steelheads in high water are
per slow presentation that gives the have to deal with such conditions. often on a mission. They take
fish plenty of time to strike. Anglers who fish skein spawn can advantage of the higher flow and
If bottom bouncing is your only take a page form the West Coast camouflage of murky water to blast
option, slow your drift down. Use steelheaders’ notebook and add upstream to the first dam or barrier.
plenty of weight to slow your drift. some color. Use a commercial Intercepting them in between can
Rather than trying to achieve that spawn cure that will make the be difficult. Your best chance is to
rhythmic tap-tap-tap as the spawn spawn a bright fluorescent orange catch them in resting lies as they
rolls along the bottom, don’t hesitate or hot pink to increase its attraction move upriver. But it’s a here-today-
to let the spawn bag hang up or stop in high, murky water. You can add gone-tomorrow proposition. The
to give steelheads a chance to see a piece of yarn or a Spin-N-Glow only other alternative is to join the
it and bite. And let the spawn bag or Birdie Drifter ahead of the skein fray and head for the dam or below
bounce completely through the drift to draw attention too. A rig like a barrier. Fishing pressure will often
and all the way below you into the that would normally scare the heck be intense in these areas when word
slack water. Steelheads in murky out of a Great Lakes steelhead, but gets out that the fish are in. If you
water aren’t nearly as spooky either under certain conditions it is just the can, get there early, fish on week-
so make short, controlled drifts and ticket. days, or give it a try after dark.
slow your presentation down. The Because steelhead can’t see as Another location worth checking
ultimate controlled presentation well under high water conditions out when rivers are roaring is below
might just be to attach a hunk of you can bulk up your tackle and feeder streams and creeks. Fresh
spawn to a pyramid sinker, plunk it you’ll need to if you plan on land- steelies congregate below clearer,
into a likely location and wait. It’s ing a good percentage of fish. Going and often warmer, feeder streams
not glamorous, and definitely not from a four- or six- pound test and creeks. Such locations can be
very hands on, but it can be very ef- leader to eight- or ten-pound test is great spots to hit to intercept fish on
fective when other tactics strike out. a good idea and you won’t get any their way upstream.
Another way of positioning fewer bites in the dirty water. The Catching steelhead under flood
baits in slack water areas where heavier leaders and line will come stage conditions can be difficult, but
steelheads might be resting is under in handy too when it comes time to not impossible. And to tell you the
a bobber. Bobbers are great for muscle a chromer in heavy current. truth, as long as I’ve got a line in the
presenting baits at eye level for Don’t spare the rod either. Leave the water I’m happy.n
prolonged periods of time to give
steelheads the maximum amount of
time to see and find the bait under
adverse conditions. Bobbers excel
in slow pools, behind logjams and
along current seams where the cur-
rent is so slow that other presenta-
tions aren’t practical.
Steelhead fishermen need to take
advantage of the additional attrac-
tion of color and scent when condi-
tions are tough. Plugs and crank
baits offer the advantage of lots of
flash and vibration, but lack the at-
traction of scent. You can add scent
to your hard baits by placing a jar
of Vaseline in a pan of boiling water
and allowing it to liquefy. Pour the
melted Vaseline into a film container
filling it half full; add your favorite
scent and stir. The concoction can be NO TIME
applied as a paste to your plugs to FOR A WEEK
add the element of scent for attract- AWAY?
ing high-water steelies. CALL FOR GREAT
Baits, like spawn, already have 1/2 WEEK
the attraction of scent, but you need SPECIALS!
to make them more visible in high,
dirty water. Dime-sized spawn bags
are the norm when the water is clear.
In murky conditions you might want
to tie jumbo bags the size of a quar-
ter. Use fluorescent colored netting
too. A friend who is an expert spawn
fishermen used to add a chunk of
chartreuse- or cerise-colored yarn
in his bags before he tied them. The
yarn provided some additional at-
traction, but didn’t float the spawn
off the bottom and kept it at the
fish’s eye level. I watched him pluck
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 75
 Living as our forefathers did
“A
re you ready?”
the range of-
ficer asked.
“Remember,
your ramrod
must remain
in the thimbles, except when load-
ing. This event is shot from the
pouch. Please demonstrate that your
flintlock is unloaded. ”
“Yes, I’m ready,” the forty-
something gentleman,
outfitted as a 1760-era pro-
vincial militia captain, said
as he removed the English
fowler’s wooden ramrod
and dropped it down the
bore. The flared, brass rod
tip pinged when it hit the
steel breech plug.
“Very good,
your time be- By Dennis Neely
gins when you
step between the stakes. Good luck.”
After a deep breath, cowhide
moccasins whisked over the imagi-
nary starting line established by two
steel tent stakes. The stop watch
clicked; the sweep-second hand
began counting in silence.
White linen shirt tails, dusty and
dirty from re-living history, flapped
and fluttered as the slightly out-of-
uniform colonial reenactor followed
the weathered rope that marked the
trail to the first target of the Seneca
run. The course zig-zagged around
two large sycamores, several small
maples, then veered east to the dry
creek.
Breathing heavy, the gentleman
grounded the fowler’s butt, pulled
the plug of his powder horn with
his teeth and poured black granules
into a copper measure that shook in
his left hand. The powder tumbled
down the smooth-bored flintlock.
At the Sauk Trail Long Rifle’s Hog Shoot, three woodsmen load from the
pouch, each using a different method, yet achieving the same results.
76 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
A dry tongue tried to damp a
linen patch. With the half-wet side
of the patch over the muzzle, a
wooden short starter poked a lead
musket ball into the bore. The ram-
rod again slipped from the thimbles.
The flared end thumped against the
ball with short, firm strokes. The
seasoned competitor knew bet-
ter than to take long strokes which
might over-flex the wooden rod.
Despite his care, he thought
he heard the hickory rod
crack. With a deep sigh,
he stopped with the ball
mid-bore. If he continued
and the rod broke, a serious
hand injury might result.
About that time another
shooter passed outside the
roped-off, Sene-
ca-run course on
his way to the
upper range. The militiaman asked
to borrow the newfound friend’s
steel loading rod. Fortunately it was
long enough for the English fowler’s
42-inch barrel. With the patch and
ball firmly seated on the powder
charge, the militiaman primed the
firelock’s pan and discharged the
load into the backstop, preserv-
ing the tin-cup target for the next
shooter.
A few minutes later, the disap-
pointed competitor explained his
predicament to the range officer. A
slight flex broke the hickory rod,
confirming his fears. “I dumped the
load into the bank. I didn’t spoil the
first target, so number six is open to
someone else,” he said.
“Thank you. You made the right
choice. You were lucky. Unfortu-
nately that disqualifies you from the
smoothbore Seneca, but you can
compete in the “open or flintlock
“Smoothbore frolics” test a shooter’s prowess with round ball, shot loads,
knife and tomahawk throwing and sometimes, fire star ting. Fun is the
name of the game! Wild River tree photos
classification.” ties tucked away in the corner of a
“I have a spare rod at camp, so shooting box sometimes save the
I’ll be back,” the disappointed pro- day; there is no such safety net for
vincial officer said as he buttoned loaded-from-the-pouch competi-
his sleeveless waist coat. tions.
Experience, attention to detail The rationale for primitive
and strict adherence to safety rules shooting is grounded in a fervent
pay big dividends, as the provin- desire to duplicate the situations and
cial militia captain demonstrated. circumstances documented in the
History-based black powder shoot- writings of our forefathers. With the
ing events are fun. The rules gov- founding of the National Muzzle
erning primitive matches are often Loading Rifle Association in 1933
different than those for shooting and the advent of Muzzle Blasts in
“line matches.” 1939, interest also grew for recreat-
Depending upon the event, ing primitive-style competitions that
“period-correct dress” is usually mirrored those of long ago.
required. Gun restrictions might Black powder enthusiasts sought
apply, such as “flintlock only,” “no a broader shooting experience, one
rear sight,” or not allowing auxiliary that captured the texture of a bygone
loading rods. And many of these era. Thus the exploits of historical
matches require all shots be “loaded figures like Daniel Boone, Simon
from the pouch.” Kenton, Jim Bridger, Alvin York and
Loaded-from-the-pouch calls for countless others spawned the primi-
a different mindset on the part of the tive genre.
shooter. All supplies needed to cre- Warren “Hawk” Boughton
ate an effective load must be carried devised “Kenton’s Run,” which in-
in a shot pouch or on one’s person. cluded knife and tomahawk throw-
For line matches, oddball necessi- ing and sought to emulate daily life
Muzzle Loading State Events
May 30-June 2 - NMLRA Skeet & Trap Territorial: Grand Valley Cap n BallersTM: 616-836-5760
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June 8-16 - NMLRA National Championships: Friendship, IN: 812-667-5131
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in the backcountry. Max Vickery
created the “Seneca Run” to simu-
late woodland warfare along Laugh-
ery Creek, which flows through the
NMLRA’s property in Friendship,
Indiana.
The first woods walk evolved
as a two-day trek with one night
spent in the forest as “a reflection
on the past.” The course started in
Lamb, Indiana and followed “the
Greenville Treaty Line” to Friend-
ship. Participants signed an Alaskan
wolf hide, which now resides in the
NMLRA museum.
Mountain man contests, smooth-
bore frolics and peg shoots became
popular, along with competitions
based on buffalo hunting, old-fash-
ioned turkey shoots and an assort-
ment of legendary tales. Snuffing a
candle flame, splitting a ball on an
axe, cutting a quill and “killing the
spider” (an “X” on a log) continue
today.
In the Rocky Mountain States,
“trail walks” incorporated a story
line with “shoot” or “don’t shoot”
scenarios. A wrong choice by an un-
suspecting competitor might result
in a simulated “rattlesnake bite” or
“grizzly bear attack.” Such fur trade
scenarios added a new meaning to a
“sudden death match.”
The black powder shotgun
sports—trap, skeet, quail walk, and
sporting clays—created “hunters
matches” at the behest of upland
game hunters. These events focus
on emulating actual field conditions
and call for loading from the pouch
in a designated area, often wooded.
Like real hunting, each hammer fall
counts, whether the charge ignites
or not.
The common thread in all of
these matches is “loaded from the
pouch.” The question becomes,
“What to carry?”
The loaded-from-the-pouch re-
quirement assumes the participant’s
black powder is carried in a flask
or horn that complies with standard
safe-handling rules. Further, these
same NMLRA safety regulations
require a separate powder measure,
attached to the horn strap, bag strap
or tucked in the pouch.
The items chosen for the shot
pouch depend upon the match and
the experience level of the competi-
tor. In addition, loading from the
pouch is an acquired skill. Line
matches provide sturdy benches
that support the rifle, smoothbore or
pistol while loading. That is not the
case with this type of competition.
Learning to keep the barrel pointed
up and away from body parts while
measuring powder and seating a
projectile takes thoughtful care and
range practice.
Sufficient projectiles, round ball,
bird shot or both, to complete the
course of fire are a must. Patches,
pouch. Smoothbore frolics usually
add three or more flying birds to
the mix, which scores the combined
proficiency of multiple skills.
And in the end, all accoutre-
ments, all choices must work
together in harmony. A loose fitting
shot pouch, a flying powder horn or
an unsecured knife or ’hawk burden,
rather than assist the shooter.
After all, the goal of load-from-
the-pouch events is to have safe
fun while recreating a meaningful
black powder shooting experience,
to approach as close as possible the
On a cold March morning, Rick Evans pushed his powder horn to his back everyday circumstances of Boone,
for safety, then clicked his flint to the steel striker. A spark caught, and Kenton, Bridger and York, to live as
after three hear ty puffs, the tinder erupted in flames. “Six-point seven our forefathers did.
seconds,” the range officer declared.
Give the black powder shooting
patch lubricant, wads and potential ’hawk hang from the belt, along sports a try, be safe and may God
cleaning supplies must be addressed. with a fire-starting kit in a leather bless you.n
A spare flint, touchhole pick, ball-
puller, worm and a turnscrew (18th-
century name for a screwdriver) are
common items, either contained in
a small leather or linen sack or just
allowed to remain free in the pouch.
Many shooters opt for a loading
block for timed matches. Five or
more holes bored in the hardwood
slab hold patched round balls ready
for the muzzleloader’s bore. The
block is placed over the charged
bore, a short starter punches the
patched ball into the muzzle and the
1-800-700-2628
competitor seats the ball with the
ramrod, thus minimizing loading
time.
Often load-from-the-pouch
matches include throwing the knife,
tomahawk and/or starting a fire
with flint and steel. The knife and
QUESTIONS? PLEASE CALL
THE BAY CITY STATE PARK
(989) 667-0717 OR EMAIL
MASSUNGJ@MICHIGAN.GOV
OR
SAGINAWBAYWATERFOWL@GMAIL.COM
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 77
 Sturgeon for Tomorrow...
On guard for 20 years
M
ay 2019 marked
the 20th year of the
Sturgeon Guard-
ing Program under
the auspices of
the Sturgeon For
Tomorrow organization on the Upper
Black River. This undertaking has
proven that citizens who watch over
the river have significantly reduced
the poaching of these magnificent
fish while helping to ensure the
protection and proliferation of the
species. In fact, local Conservation
Officer Tim Rososhacki says, “There
have been no reported incidents of
poaching sturgeon in the past fifteen
years.”
Each spring, sturgeon migrate up
the rivers to spawn at known spawn-
ing sites. At this time a large percent-
age of the adult population in the sys-
tem are concentrated in a small area.
When sturgeon are spawning along
the rocky riverbanks they are fairly
oblivious to nearby human activity
and are susceptible to poaching.
According to Brenda Archambo,
President of the Board of Directors
for Sturgeon For Tomorrow (SFT),
“Here we are 20 years later and con-
tinue to remain true to our mission.
Two decades is a long time, relative-
ly. Yet Lake sturgeon can live 80-150
years, so in terms of our long range
strategic plan we are just nicely get-
ting started and beginning to see the
fruits of our efforts. We know that
sportsmen and women care about
the sturgeon here and support our
program.
“However there are also dozens
of volunteers who are not anglers but
just want to assist in the welfare of
these fish. As a result, we have been
able to guard the sturgeon, leverage
research on the species and educate
with outreach programs. Yet all of
these behemoth efforts could not
continue without the collaborative
efforts of different organizations,
agencies and of course volunteers.
SFT oversees the Sturgeon Guards.
Conservation Officers and other
volunteer groups are also concen-
78 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
trated in these areas 24 hours a day
to protect the sturgeon from harm
and poaching. If the poaching were
left unchecked, it would reduce the
population and eventually destroy the
sportfishery.”
Protection is vital to survival,
but so too is need to repopulate the
species. The 2019 Black Lake re-
search season began in late April and
usually operates until late May. The
process involves Michigan State Uni-
versity and Michigan Department of
Natural Resources researchers who
capture adult Lake Sturgeon ascend-
ing the Upper Black River. As of this
article, 170 had been captured during
the current spawning season.
Brenda Archambo, President of the
Board of Directors for Sturgeon
For Tomorrow, has been passionate
and a par t of this sturgeon project
for all 20-plus years.
These adult fish are analyzed,
weighed and implanted with a pas-
sive integrated transponder tag which
will aid future management efforts.
Their movements are also monitored.
When these tagged fish pass by
strategically placed antennas along
the river, the tags notify researchers
which fish came by.
The current research efforts also
include collecting eggs and sperm
which are then transported to the
Kleber Dam location which houses
a nearby rearing hatchery where
reproductive work begins. However,
By Rick Fowler
researchers are constantly focusing
on factors that may contribute to
reproductive success i.e. those that
can be quantified by data collected
from the Radio Frequency Identifica-
tion antennas as mentioned, that are
placed throughout the Upper Black
River, including migratory patterns
and sperm quality.
According to a MDNR Manage-
ment Plan issued in 2016, the 30-year
license for this dam and the others on
the Black River was renewed in 1994
with specific direction to the licensee
regarding assistance as mitigation to
the Michigan Department of Natu-
ral Resources’ efforts to protect and
enhance Lake Sturgeon in the Black
River downstream of the projects.
The license requires the owner
to operate the project in run-of-river
mode, and to work with the MDNR
to construct a Lake Sturgeon rear-
ing facility when deemed necessary.
Eventually the MDNR determined
stocking was necessary to help reha-
bilitate the Black Lake population of
Lake Sturgeon.
In 2005, a temporary streamside
rearing facility was constructed near
the mouth of the Upper Black River,
and research concentrating on the rel-
ative fitness of Lake Sturgeon rearing
in the streamside rearing facility
versus those reared in a traditional
hatchery was conducted. The results
of this research revealed that stream-
side facilities were preferable to
traditional hatcheries. Consequently,
Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership,
in consultation with the MDNR, con-
structed the current streamside Black
River Lake Sturgeon rearing facility
adjacent to Kleber Dam in time for
production to begin in 2009.
Collaboration was and is needed
for successful operations to thrive.
In addition to the State of Michi-
gan and tribes, Black Lake Chapter
of Sturgeon for Tomorrow (SFT),
Michigan State University, Black
Lake Association, Huron Pines, Tip
of the Mitt Watershed Council, the
Northern Inland Lakes Citizens Ad-
visory Committee, and Tower-Kleber
According to the DNR, there
have been no repor ted inci-
dents of poaching sturgeon in
the past fifteen years.
Limited Partnership all contribute to
this enormous project of guarding
and maintaining the sturgeon popula-
tion. As stated earlier, the mission of
SFT is to assist fisheries managers
in Lake Sturgeon rehabilitation, to
advance education, to further other
charitable, educational, and scientific
objectives, and to engage in and fa-
cilitate scientific research. This group
has direct interest and involvement
in the current and future sturgeon
fishery, rehabilitation of the popula-
tion through the streamside hatchery
program and efforts to restore river
function, outreach and educational
activities, and the Sturgeon Guarding
Program.
In addition, Michigan State
University has worked cooperatively
to secure grants and conduct research
on various aspects of Lake Sturgeon
life history traits, while also rearing
Lake Sturgeon for recovery efforts.
Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership,
under Article 406 of its current
license agreement, cooperates with
the MDNR in implementing sturgeon
recovery through the establishment
of the Upper Black River streamside
hatchery.
The Black Lake Association
works cooperatively with the agen-
cies to maintain the high quality
cool water fisheries of Black Lake,
whether through additional stock-
ing efforts, habitat enhancement, or
information exchange. Tip of the
Mitt Watershed Council organizes
the volunteer lake monitoring studies
crucial to understanding the chang-
ing parameters of Black Lake. The
charge of the Northern Inland Lakes
Citizens Advisory Committee is “to
review, understand, and provide rec-
ommendations and direction into the
fishery goals, objectives and manage-
ment plans for lakes in the Inland
Waterway and connecting waters.” It
is a platform for information shar-
ing between interested citizens and
managing agencies.
Dave Borgeson, Northern Lakes
Huron Management Unit Supervisor,
Fisheries Division of the MDNR told
volunteers and researchers gathered
recently overlooking the sturgeon
capturing site, “This is the best stur-
geon study in the United States. Look
at all the efforts of so many people,
groups, and agencies.”
Arcahmbo reiterated her passion
for saving these fish that are native to
Michigan, “We have to work col-
laboratively with so many others. We
have to do legacy work so the work
we are doing now will galvanize the
next generation.”
Interested in the Guarding Pro-
gram for next year? For more infor-
mation on Sturgeon For Tomorrow
memberships, camping ambassadors,
and stream guards please visit their
website: www.sturgeonfortomorrow.
org or call 231-625-2770.n
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WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 79
 Sporting Collectibles...

Readers’ questions
and my answers
I
get a lot of questions over designed for ice fishing. It was not. the company because other versions
the year about all kinds of The Stubcaster was designed for the of the Stubcaster were created for
old fishing tackle. Some everyday freshwater angler and for several of the major retailers of the
are emailed to me, but most trolling or casting. day, including Sears under their J.C.
I get at the different sport Waltco Products was the sport- Higgins brand name. I would think
shows and antique shows I ing goods subsidiary of Kleinzway, that two other key Chicago-based
attend. I know the answers to many Inc., a Chicago dry cleaner that retailers, Montgomery Ward and the
of them. However, sometimes I need specialized in cleaning furs. Kleinz- True Value Hardware chain, were
a little help, so I go to my way was owned by Walter also clamoring to buy their own
library of books that I carry L. Klein and his younger private-label versions.
with me. Other times I get brother, Sidney J. Klein. Waltco also began promoting the
on my smart phone and call The first mention of Waltco Stubcaster at regional sport shows
one of the experts if I get Products I have been able
stumped . . . and now and to turn up was a series of
again, I end up doing some identical ads run in the late
hard research to come up spring and early summer of
with the answers. Here are 1948 promoting the “New
three challeng- Stubcaster.”
ing inquiries By Terry McBurney The ad high-
and my an- lighted several
swers that should be of interest to key points: “Thrilling, live 5-ft.
my readers. action – Yet only 21 in. long!” and
My first “question and answer” “coil spring action gives full length
involved the Waltco Stubcaster steel rod action” all with “greater accu-
rod. Though it was made in Chicago racy – maximum distance” . . . and
and not in Michigan, I normally it will fit in your tackle box – “21”
display one in my “Show and Tell” overall, breaks to 14.” This first
display that I take to different sport Stubcaster print ad reminded me of
shows just because it is so unique some of the exaggerated statements Top: The Waltco Prod-
and provokes so many comments. that Ron Popeil claimed twenty ucts Stubcaster 21-inch
Normally, a show goer picks it up, years later when he promoted his rod – the first model is
gives it the once over, flexes the revolutionary Popeil Pocket Fisher- on the right side and
21-inch rod and wonders out loud: man so successfully on television. the second version is
“What kind of ice rod is it?” My re- The Stubcaster ads were hyper- on the left side. Author
sponse surprises the many Michigan bole to the maximum. They must photo Middle: The Stub-
anglers who think it was originally have been extremely successful for caster came packed in
an attractive cardboard
box. Almost none of the
rare boxes have sur-
vived but were thrown
away. John Kuenzer col-
lection Bottom: A press
release photo from the
January 1948 Illinois
Spor tsmen’s Show
features 17-year-old
Betty Lehman admiring
the newly introduced
Stubcaster rod.
in early 1948. Accompanying this aluminum handle with Tenite plastic
article is a press release photo of inserts. A new improved “second-
17-year-old Betty Lehman, of Ar- version” Stubcaster came along
lington Heights, Illinois, examining several years later but was built with
the Stubcaster at the Illinois Sports- a circular coil that supposedly gave
man’s Show. The press release “50% greater tip action.” Waltco
stated: “. . . the Stubcaster, new type also introduced their 4 ½-foot
fishing rod on display at the Illi- Longcaster steel casting rod at the
nois Sportsmen’s Show here. Short same time, which complimented the
enough to make a neat trolling rod, Stubcaster rod. A complete Long-
the design of the device gives it full- caster, handle and rod blade, sold for
length rod action for casting. Rod is $7.95. Or anglers could buy just the
made by Waltco Products, 2300 49th Longcaster blade for $4.95, which
St. Chicago.” would then fit into the unique Stub-
The “first-version” Stubcaster caster pistol grip handle. Accord-
came packaged in a descriptive ing to these Waltco ads “300,000
cardboard box and featured an fishermen can’t be wrong” and these
This was Waltco’s first ad promoting the Stubcaster, which ran during the national ads were being run in Out-
spring-summer of 1948. Right: This 1957 Stubcaster ad is one of the upright circular coil spring on a
chrome-plated steel rod. The rod door Life, Field and Stream, Sports
last ones they ran. They were selling off remaining inventory at “½ off.” Afield, Popular Science, Boys Life,
was mounted on an attractive cast
80 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
the Saturday Evening Post, Esquire
. . . and many more plus advertising
in 305 newspapers. That’s quite a
lineup.
Waltco also introduced an ar-
ray of solid fiberglass rods starting
in 1950 that ranged from $7.95 to
$13.50 retail. And again, they must
have been successful because they
ran full-page ads the following year
promoting C. W. Frale of Chicago
who caught a 54-pound muskie on
September 8, 1950 at Moen’s Camp,
Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Cana-
da. Mr. Frale’s muskie won the first
prize in Field and Stream’s fishing
contest for the largest muskie caught
in 1950 . . . and on a 5-foot Glass-
caster solid fiberglass casting rod!
By 1957, Waltco’s Stubcaster
sales evidently dropped substantially
as they ran national ads promoting
the rod for half price or only $3.47
postpaid. The ad humorously added
that the offer was “limited to first
5 orders from any county in the
U.S.A.!”
My second “question and an-
swer” item this month is the rela-
tively hard-to-find Kitkast Pocket
Rod made by Maguth Industries of
Carlstadt, New Jersey. In a lifetime
of collecting, I have only seen a half
a dozen of them. I own two of them
and use them at sport shows to dis-
play special casting reels that I want
to feature and to demonstrate. Quite
a few anglers have asked where
they could buy one or two of them
because they could easily be carried
with a mounted baitcasting or spin
casting reel and then packed away
in a tackle box, a glove compart-
ment or in the trunk of a car ready to
fish when the opportunity presented
itself. My answer is to be patient
and keep looking considering their
rarity.
The Kitkast rod measures 17
¼-inches long at full extension and
only 12 ¾-inches when the rod is re-
tracted. It has an aluminum reel seat
and fittings, a chrome plated spring
steel blade and a comfortable handle
of extruded cork. The only ad that I
have found for the Pocket Rod was
from 1950, which listed a $3.00
retail plus 25¢ handling. This well-
done ad featured the “World’s Most
Compact Precision-Made Casting
Rod” as the title, and emphasized
an interesting point that the angler
could fish with the Pocket Rod us-
ing an overhead cast as well as an
underhand cast on bushy streams.
The last item has bewildered a
number of readers for some time,
so I have dug out some information
that I have saved over the years.
A Woods-N-Water News reader
first sent me photos of an example
that he had purchased over twelve
Above: This Emergency Sur vival
Fishing Kit was built during WWII by
the Ashaway Line and Twine Manu-
facturing Company of Rhode Island.
Left: This “To Bring ’Em Back Alive”
ad featuring the Emergency Sur vival
Fishing Kit ran in the May 1943 is-
sue of Field and Stream magazine.
years ago in Kalkaska. The photos
showed a green canvas bag with
twelve sewn-in compartments that
held various kinds of fishing tackle
that were clearly meant for saltwater
fishing. What he had found was an
Emergency Survival Kit made by
the Ashaway Line and Twine Manu-
facturing Company of Rhode Island
during WWII. I have always won-
dered how that Emergency Survival
Kit got from saltwater to Michigan,
but somehow, it did . . . maybe there
was a good buy years ago at a local
Army-Navy Surplus Store.
Gifford Pinchot, who served two
terms as Governor of Pennsylvania
from 1923 to 1927 and again from
1931 to 1935, was also a noted
forester and ichthyologist. During
Above: The neat Kitkast Pocket Rod
came packed in this cardboard box
John Kuenzer collection. Right: The
only known Kitkast Pocket Rod ad
ran during 1950.
WWII he helped organize a commit-
tee of scientists and noted saltwater
anglers to design a survival fishing
kit that our servicemen could use
to catch fish while they drifted in
open boats and rafts after the loss
of a ship or a downed aircraft. The
first thing this committee did was to
interview over two hundred survi-
vors to hear their stories, and then
these experts sat down and over a
two-month period put together two
basic Emergency Survival Kits, a
small one for use in collapsible rub-
ber rafts carried aboard airplanes.
The second kit was a larger version,
and it came packed in a water-tight
metal can that weighed about three
pounds. When taken out of can,
the kit either was worn as a vest or
apron over the life preserver of the
man in charge of the boat. It con-
tained extensive instructions printed
on waterproof parchment paper on
how to use each item in the kit, as
well as what seafood or birds were excellent article written by saltwater
good or not good to eat. The instruc- angling expert, Kit Farrington, in the
tions also included information on May, 1943 issue of Field and Stream
what to do if confronted with sharks magazine entitled “Men Adrift –
or whales! New Emergency Fishing Kits Will
The Emergency Fishing Kit had Save Lives in U.S. Armed Forces.”
twelve compartments that contained Feel free to contact the author
the instructions, a packet of dehy- at antiquefishing@comcast.net
drated pork rind bait, a number of with your questions. Photographs
different fishing rigs, a small har- are important, so please send
poon or spear head that could be tied them. They help me with identifi-
to an oar, as well as a floating knife cation and give me an idea of the
and a sharpening stone. The kit also condition of the item.n
contained a snag hook that could be
WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?
thrown if the fish were not biting.
There was also a folding dip net that
was used to scoop small fish out
Every so often, I
of the water. The last compartment come across some-
contained a pair of cotton gloves thing in an old tackle
supplied to protect the men’s hands box that has me
from sharp teeth and fins when completely stumped,
fighting a fish. Everything packed so I decided to run
in the kit was designed to float with a “What the Heck
each different rig tied around indi- is This” sidebar this
vidual wood line-winders. month and every so
By the way, the Ashaway Line often in the future
and Twine Manufacturing Company when I spot some-
thing really unusual.
is still in business today making
world class racket strings, medical This item was at the
bottom of a tackle
threads, as well as braided twines
for the textile industry, braided box that I recently acquired. My
first impression, of course, was
nylon cores for fly fishing lines, and
many other custom braided lines. that it looked like a little hatchet.
I would like to thank John Kue- It measures 6 ⅝-inches in length
and is made out of steel. It has not
nzer for allowing me to photograph
been sharpened. So, readers, let
his Stubcaster rod and the Kitkast me know what you think it is and
Pocket Rod, both in their original what it was used for. Email me at
boxes, for this month’s article. I antiquefishing@comcast.net.
would also like to acknowledge the
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 81
 Woods-N-Water News Classified Section
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FOR SALE
POND SUPPLIES: Live game-
fish for stocking. Large selection of
lake, pond and watergarden sup-
plies. Free catalog! Stoney Creek,
Inc., Grant, MI (800) 448-3873,
www.stoneycreekequip.com FS-4-7
..............................................
HUNTING
2019 MICHIGAN BLACK
BEAR HUNTS. Baraga unit.
Contact Chris at 734-765-9325 or
chris@keweenawbearhunts.com.
Visit www.keweenawbearhunts.
com for more information. H-6-1
..............................................
BERGLAND UNIT: Guided bear
HUNTING
ROOSTER RANCH -
great pheasant hunting, 15
different farms! Excellent cover.
Your dogs or ours. Field hunt or
European style. Meals, lodg-
ing, dog training. Half, full or
multi-day hunts. Open 7 days
a week, now through April
30th. Any size group. Gift cer-
tificates available. Since 1986.
roosterranch.com 989-658-
2332. H-11-TFN
TRIP OF A LIFETIME –
HUNT IDAHO! Elk, Mule Deer,
Bear and predator hunting. Guided
rifle or bow hunts. 208-935-8186.
HUNTING
BEAR HUNTS FOR
NEWBERRY UNIT. Join
us at Yooper Outdoors #906 –
First season is a five day hunt,
second season is a seven day
hunt. Both include room and
board. We hunt over bait on
mostly private land. We hunt
from ladder stands and box
blinds. Last year we had 90%
in first hunt and 75% in second
hunt. We’ve been guiding for 30
years, we do the work so you
don’t have to. Bows and guns
are welcome, two baits per
hunter. We skin, quarter and
freeze. Give us a shot, we’ll
give you one! Call John Rahn
RESORTS/RENT
CABIN FOR RENT ON
BEAR CREEK IN
MANISTEE. Sleeps 5, kitch-
en, sat. TV, AC, BBQ. Over
3,400 feet of private access
frontage and miles of wooded
trails available. Clean quiet and
safe. 231-590-1136. R/R-3-4
50 ACRES TOTALLY PRI-
VATE LAKE IN WESTERN
LAKE COUNTY near Branch on
2000 acre family preserve. 3 bed-
room cottage with boats, beach,
large dock, swim raft, swings, fire
pit, etc. Excellent fishing for bass,
pike, trout and panfish. Miles of
streams and hiking trails. Caretaker

Subscribe
Toll free 1-877-434-2440 hunts over bait. State and Federal
H-6-1 906-586-3047. H-6-2 lives on property 1 mile away.
F-12/17TFN licensed bear guide. Call Rich 715-
.............................................. $1200 per week. 248-559-7744.
R/R-4-2
663-0459 or upbearhunt.com H-6-3

Today!
NORTH FORK CUR- NORTHERN ONTARIO ..............................................
..............................................
FISH FOR STOCKING: ALBERTS BEAR GUIDE RAN, MI Gun and Bow 1,000 BEAR HUNTS
acres. Best deer and bear RIVERVIEW HIDEAWAY
Most varieties, pond, lakes. SERVICE: Bergland and Baraga
GUARANTEED TAGS!
Laggis Fish Farm 269-628-2056 hunting in Michigan! Modern Booking now for September 2019 & IS TAKING RESERVA-

(810) 724-0254
Units. Federal license. 27 years TIONS. Located below High
days; 269-624-6215 evenings. bunk house that holds 8 hunt- 2020 starting May 10th and May
experience. Cell 906-231-9136 Bridge, your own private dock
ers, full kitchen, 2 full baths, 25th. No fall hunts this year.
F-5-2 Home 906-827-3731. H-6-3 on the Big Manistee River. Look
heat, air, large TV and rec Includes comfortable cabin, boat
room. Deer hunting includes and motor, baited stands. Very us up at Riverview Hideaway,
big, home cooked meal every experienced guides. High success Big Manistee Info/Contact 231-
To reach an immense outdoor market use the . . . night. Good deer blinds with rate. 3 hours from the Soo. 690-2855. RR-4-3

Woods-N-Water News Classified food plots for all hunters. $950

per hunter/week for deer. Call
References on request. $1,650 U.S.
single hunter, including taxes and
Classified ad rates: $30 for the first 20 words for bear hunting with baited non-resident bear license/tag.
Every word over 20 is .25¢ per word -- Box your classified, $5 additional charge
lines. $2,000.00 Book early, will Cheaper rate for more than one TRAILS END RESORT
This effective advertising is simple to do, place your ad by . . . sell! Call Rich at 734-341-7397. hunter. $650 deposit required. Call ON BIG MANISTIQUE
• Calling 810-724-0254 Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
H-5-5 705-869-3272. www.texasandsons. LAKE, Curtis Michigan -
• Email your ad to wnw@pageone-inc.com Hunting, fishing and sightsee-
com H-8-12/18
• Faxing your ad 810-724-8552
• Complete your Classified online at www.woods-n-waternews.com .............................................. ing. 2 Bedroom modern house-
• Mailing your ad to Woods-N-Water News, P.O. Box 278, Imlay City, MI 48444 GONZO BEAR CAMP - Bear keeping cabins. Boats, motors
Specialist - We had 80% success. and pontoon rentals. Call 906-
Classifieds MUST be paid in advance of publishing; MasterCard, Visa accepted. Make 2019 MICHIGAN BLACK
Baraga, Gwen and Amasa Units - 586-3515. R/R-6-1
check/money orders payable to Woods-N-Water News. Classified ads can not be BEAR HUNTS. Newberry/
billed and once a classified is processed no refunds can be made. Limit of 75 words. Modular hunts start at $995. 7 days Gwinn B.M.U. 1st and 2nd sea-
lodging included. Write for more sons. Seven day hunt/lodging/
All classifieds posted to our website FREE!
information on how to apply for bear stands/skinning/tag/sealing
Use one of these useful classified categories... permits on May 1st - 2730 S. Dort bear. Year around lodge. Great HUNTING LEASE
A = Archery FP = Food Plots HW = Help Wanted SM = Snowmobiles Hwy., Flint, MI 48507 or call Dale at area for fishing, grouse hunt-
ATV = ATVs FW = Firewood M = Miscellanous T = Taxidermy (810) 814-8936 days 9-4 or eve- ing and 4-wheeling. 42 years
B = Boats G = Guns RE = Real Estate TK = Trucks HUNTING LAND FOR
nings John at (989) 257-2725 for of service, convenience store,
D = Dogs H = Hunting RR = Resorts/Rent TR = Trailers RENT: 100 plus wooded
F = Fishing HL = Hunting Leases RVC = RV’s/Campers W = Wanted more information www.gonzo- state and federally licensed. acres. Manistee Co. 231-590-
F = Free bearcamp.com. Like us on Contact Tom Losiewski, North 1136. HL-3-4
JULY 2019 CLASSIFIED DEADLINE JUNE 3, 2019 Facebook. H-4-5 Country Hunting Adventures.
.............................................. 1-269-330-0480. Like us on
CLIP AND MAIL Facebook. H-4-4
Woods-N-Water News Classified Advertising BEAR PAW
CAMP NORTHERN ON-
TRAIL
REAL ESTATE
(Please print clearly. We are not responsible for unreadable orders.)
Make sure phone number is included in your ad! TARIO: Excellent bear hunt-
ing service. Baited stands, HUNTERS OR NATURE
2019 MICHIGAN BEAR
NAME preparation meat and hide for HUNTS: Newberry/Gwinn.
ENTHUSIASTS DREAM. 11+
you to take home. Average wooded acres in southern Lenawee
ADDRESS Just outside of Seney Wildlife
size bear 200 pounds, we've County close to state highway and
Refuge. High success rate.
taken 500 pound bears before. Ohio line. Surveyed. $30,000. Call
CITY                                           STATE                      ZIP 35 years. State and Federal
$1,200 U.S., $200 deposit, Diana at Faust Real Estate, LLC
licensed and experienced.
517-270-3646. RE-6-1
DAYTIME PHONE NO. book now for spring and fall. Guaranteed active baits. 6
..............................................
Over 25 years of experience, nights, 5 day hunt includes
VISA/MASTERCARD#                                                       EXP: call Willie 705-369-2013, P.O. lodging and meals. Start at
Box 149, Opasapika, Ontario $750. Bow and rifle deer hunts. LOT 727 AND 704 AND
CLASSIFICATION OF AD                      MONTHS TO RUN Canada POL-1Z0 H-6-2 $125 per day. 906-439-5242. HALF INTEREST IN 703.
www.bucksportinglodge.com. Located in Indian Glens of the

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
H-6-4 AuSable in South Branch Town-
RAY’S U.P. HUNTING – Over ship, Roscommon, MI $10,500.
(7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) 25 years experience guiding for 517-403-1294. RE-6-2
deer and bear. Baited stands in

(13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) Amasa, Baraga, and Bergland
Units. Lodging Available. Call Ray BAIT PRIME HUNTING LAND. 150
(19) (20) $30.00 $30.25 $30.50 $30.75
at 906-265-9420 or cell 906-284- Acres. Deer, turkeys, small game.
2216. Licensed and Insured. H-1- BAIT & FEED: Sweet Cherries Located in Mason County. QDM
$31.00 $31.25 $31.50 $31.75 $32.00 $32.25
12/19 with syrup in barrels. Cherry Syrup practiced. Very nice, must be seen.
.............................................. in barrels or 250 gal. tote. Cherries $2000/acre. Call 231-510-1492.
$32.50 $32.75 $33.00 $33.25 $33.50 $33.75
ELK & DEER GUIDED in syrup blended with wheat midds, RE-6-1
$34.00 $34.25 $34.50 $34.75 $35.00 $35.25 HUNTS 100% success, Northeast a moist feed or bait. Also a limited ..............................................
MI no license needed. Plus, great amount of dry ground cereal with
$35.50 $35.75 $36.00

Enclosed is $                                               for
$36.25 $36.50 $36.75 fishing for bass and bluegills, cabin
with boat and motor. Text or call
granola bars. Call or Text for more
info. 616-862-0122. More Classifieds
Next Page
989-493-2909. H-9-12/18 BT-6-1
BOX MY CLASSIFIED - $5 Extra .............................................. ..............................................
words to run                     months.

82 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS

 Woods-N-Water News
Classified Section
REAL ESTATE
67 ACRES Prime Hunting land
for sale in Mecosta County 178,000.
Roughly, 30 acres open rolling fields
remaining acres encompass woods,
pond, river, creek and marsh. Email
frebesp@gmail.com or call 989-
423-7874. Please leave message if
no answer. RE-6-1
..............................................
REAL ESTATE
40 ACRES NICELY WOOD-
ED PARCEL IN GOOD
DEER COUNTRY with all oil,
gas, and mineral rights included.
$75,000. Call for more details. Call
Koske Realty Co. 989-732-1012
Gaylord, MI RE-6-1
..............................................
10 ACRES WOODED PAR-
CEL with hardwood trees and lake
 E
REAL ESTATE
40 ACRES OF SECLUDED
PAGES 83 - 93
FOREST with a not so rustic
cabin located in the middle of thou-
sands of acres of state land.
Hundreds of miles of orv, snowmo-
bile, and 4wd trails right out the front
door. This is a Sportmans paradise.
Call 989-802-2095. RE-5-2
..............................................

SPECTACULAR
WOODED ACRES secluded
estate property in SWMI Wine
Country. Includes rolling hills, wet
lands, ravines, hardwoods, and
CALL
102
access. Also has a driveway. Good
deer country. Ideal for camping or DOGS
your new home. $26,500. Land
Contract terms. Call Koske Realty BIRD DOG TRAINING BY

wildlife. Build your own estate or
have your own hunting preserve.
Glendora Road, Buchanan, MI
$509,000 Contact Dennis Bamber
Cressy & Everett Real Estate 269-
273-8431. RE-6-1
..............................................
Co. 989-732-1012 Gaylord, MI
RE-6-1
..............................................
160 WOODED ACRES WITH
900’ FURNISHED CABIN IN
IOSCO COUNTY NEAR
EAST TAWAS. Cabin has fur-
nace and wood stove with well
water, cell phone and internet ser-
810-724-0254
THE BEST! David Grubb is the
only trainer in history to win a na-
tional championship bird dog in five
different game birds. David has won
almost 100 open championships
and was elected to the National Bird
Dog Hall of Fame. He has retired
TO PLACE YOUR
AD TODAY!
from bird dog field trials and now
will only train gun dogs for the foot

HUNTING CAMP WITH
40 ACRES AND POND
- Three insulated blinds, three
bedrooms, one bath and sun-
room. Hermansville, MI. Asking
$70,000. Call 231-525-8269.
RE-6-1
SPECTACULAR
CABIN HOME UNLIKE ANY
LOG
OTHER YOU’VE SEEN.
Sitting on 43 private gated acres.
Property includes stocked pond and
shooting range. 10459 M 60, Three
Rivers, MI 49093 $889,000. Contact
Dennis Bamber Cressy and Everett
Real Estate 269-273-8431 RE-6-1
..............................................
LAKEFRONT WITH A ..............................................
CAMPER AND 12’ X 16’
GARAGE WITH ELECTRIC
DOOR OPENER. Driveway
and gate on 2.69 acres. Ideal place
for camping. $37,900. Call Koske
Realty Co. 989-732-1012 Gaylord,
MI RE-6-1
..............................................
10 ACRES BEAUTIFULLY
WOODED with 1885 acres of
state land across the road.
Excellent deer country. Ideal place
for camping. $23,900. Land
Contract terms. Call Koske Realty
Co. 989-732-1012 Gaylord, MI
RE-6-1
..............................................
vice available. Prime hunting, 2
ponds with Kunzy Creek running
through the back of the property.
Lots of deer and other wildlife
including partridge, coyote, bobcat,
coon and more. Also listed on Zillow
with many photos. Asking $289,000.
989-225-0362.
RE-6-3
..............................................
LUCE COUNTY: 20 acres of
U.P. hunting land with many nice
cabin sites. Deer, bear, grouse and
more. Excellent snowmobiling and
ATV area. Property has good sea-
sonal access and borders State
Land $27,000 231-689-2067
RE-6-2
CAMPGROUNDS FOR
SALE One in the U.P. with Great
Lake frontage $485K. One in North
Central Michigan $700K. Briggs
Realty www.briggsrealtyonline.com
616-942-1071.
RE-6-1
..............................................
BIG BUCK COUNTRY! 60-90
minutes from Metro Detroit. 23.77ac
surrounded by farmed land near Mt.
Morris, MI, wooded. has turkeys,
small game. 60 foot Bray Rd ease-
ment. Camp on the easement and
hunt the land. Call 248-891-2024.
RE-5-3
..............................................
hunter. With all this experience, let
him train your dog/pup today! Labs
welcome. David Grubb 248-860-
1009. D-6-2
..............................................
GOLDEN RETRIEVER
PUPPIES AKC Fam-
ily raised, easily trained, great
with children. 1st shots, vet
checked, and started on crate
training. $1,000. Call or text
810-956-3971 or 810-488-
3967. D-6-1
GOLDEN DOODLE PUP-
PIES/ENGLISH CREAM
Raised in our home, super
smart and sweet. Basic training
started. $1500. Call or text 810-
956-4268. D-6-1
GERMAN SHORTHAIR
POINTER PUPS: Males
and females available. Excel-
lent hunting dogs and superb
family pets. Close working dogs
with strong point and retrieve
instincts. Reasonably priced for
the sporting family. Money back
guarantee. Eulenhof Kennels,
Gladwin, MI.
http://www.eulenhof.com
989-426-4884 D-6-2
www.woods-n-waternews.com
10 ACRE PRIVATE WOODED SETTING.
Beautiful log sided home with an open floor plan,
lots of windows, an unfinished walk-out basement
and a new roof. 40x48 pole barn with 12’ OH door,
electric & concrete floor. Close to lakes, snow
trails and State land. Just listed at $159,888 MLS
#318477 (Hawks/Millersburg area)
518’ LAKE NET-
TIE. Affordable up
north get-away on
a quiet all sports
lake. 3 bedrooms,
2 bath home with
a full-length deck
overlooking the lake,
a breezeway, tiered
landscaping and boat dock. Great fishing, swimming
and year-round sporting activities. Snow trails &
state land close by. Motivated seller wants an offer!
$119,000 #308591 (Millersburg area)


P.O. Box 278 • 594 N. Almont Ave. • Imlay City, MI 48444
Phone: (810) 724-0254 • Fax: (810) 724-8552
Check out our website:
GRAYLING LOG HOME ON 17 ACRES!
Nearly 3000 sf of living space, 3 bedrooms, 3
baths, finished walk out basement w/family
room & 2nd kitchen, wrap around deck,
3-1/2 car garage w/heated workshop, 1 car
storage garage, RV station w all hook-ups.
Excellent hunting! $329,500 #313950
149 SECLUDED ACRES! Trail roads, 11
established blinds, small clearings for food plots,
trail roads and a creek. Nicely wooded with a mix
of evergreens & hardwood, mostly high ground.
Abundant game. Close to Hammond Bay
Harbor. $159,000 #313641 (Millersburg area)

Your Woods-N-Water News is

www.woods-n-waternews.com

“Just a Click Away!”

• Subscriptions 50’ ON RAINY LAKE. Affordable waterfront home 13 ACRES W/PRIVATE LAKE & 380’ ON
with 3 bedrooms, 1½ baths, sunroom and deck, THE OCQUEOC RIVER. Beautiful rolling
• Email the Editor a new wood stove and attached garage. Deep parcel in a secluded setting. There’s a
spring fed all sports lake with sandy frontage. small cabin roughed in, a hunting blind
• Classifieds - Buy, Sell, Trade Great fishing! Snowmobile trails and 1,000’s of overlooking the lake with its own deck,
acres of State land are just a mile away. Asking a well and electric hook ups for your
• Send Photos or Story Tips only $103,750 #318658 (Millersburg area) camper. Land contract available. $99,900
• Advertising Information RE/MAX NORTH
Carol Steiger, Associate Broker
www.woods-n-waternews.com (231) 627-9991 Office
(989) 351-0110 Cell
It’s Easy . . . email: carol.steiger@remax.net
846 S. Main, Cheboygan, MI
VISIT TODAY! www.liveupnorth.com

WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 83

 Real Estate and Living Estate Auction 121 Acres
FRIDAY, JUNE 7 • 10AM
11497 S. Woodruff Road in Blanchard, MI
40 acres of Hunting Bliss. Ranch home Near Marlette
with a full walk out basement, 3 bedrooms, in Sanilac County
2 full baths, gourmet kitchen. All season
Sun room with separate entrance. Attached
$302,500 or
3 car garage plus a 32’ X 48’ Pole Barn (can
$2,500 an acre
fit 2 semi trucks) 14 ft doors. Deer, rabbit Will consider all offers.
& turkey are bountiful. There also is a small
pond and swamp area on the property.
Hunters Paradise is at 2152 Five Lakes Rd,
Metamora, MI 48455 $459,900

Over 3,000 sq ft gorgeous home with 3 bedrooms, bonus

room, walk-out basement, 4 bathrooms, large kitchen,
State Wide Real Estate of Mio
2 large pole buildings, 2-car detached garage, 2-car BEAUTIFUL WATERFRONT
attached garage, in-ground swimming pool, 375 sq ft cabin HOME - Mio, 96 ft of great
frontage on Mack Lake, large
on its own pond on 80 acres with a river that winds through.
lawn, 3 bd, 2 ba, fireplace, newer
FOR COMPLETE LISTING AND DETAILS, GO TO FURLOAUCTION.COM windows, fantastic sunroom
OR CALL MIKE 989-835-1581 off the kitchen, kitchen island,
master suite, central air, generator
Furlo Auction Service LLC is one of backup, detached garage, steel
Michigan’s Premier Real Estate Auctions roof, well cared for waterfront
home. $149,900 D-391

Tom Galbraith • 989-826-3292

(2) Parcels on a Peninsula Surrounded by the Croton Dam Pond
Starting Bids: Parcel A: 9.8+/- acres of vacant land
$7,500 Each Parcel B: 14.96+/- acres of vacant land
Parcel A, Lake Shore Dr.
Newaygo, MI 49337
Parcel B, Marclay St.
Newaygo, MI 49337
3BD Home on Muskegon River with Indoor Pool
Starting Bid: Featuring a nearly 3,500 sq. ft., 3BD, 2BA
$50,000 home with an indoor pool. Offers 130’ of
Muskegon River frontage on a 1.5 acre
parcel that also includes a 30’ x 24’ con-
crete floor pole building.
3471 Riverview Dr., Hersey, MI 49639
(3) Vacant Wooded Lots in Private Development at Gillan Lake
Parcel A: These wooded, lakefront parcels are
5.5+/- acres of vacant land the remaining single family building
sites in the 12 site development &
Parcel B:
includes 165’ of lake frontage on
2.5+/- acres of vacant land
Parcel C: Gillan Lake.
Lots located on:
1.95+/- acres of vacant land
S. 128th Ave., Rothbury, MI 49452
Starting Bids:
$7,500 Each
Online Real Estate Auction
Tuesday, June 4 • Bid from 8am-7pm
For more info and to bid, visit
LASTBIDrealestate.com
or call 1-800-527-8243
84 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
C oventry R ealty LLC
CAROLE PORRETTA, GRI, BROKER-OWNER
810.678.2288 Office / 231.818.2157 Cell
www.CoventryRealtyLLC.com
Springing New Listings Your Way!
3723 THORNVILLE - $885,000
NE
W
!
• 29 Private Acres in Metamora Hunt Country!
• Custom 3600 sq ft w/2000 sq ft outbuilding
• 4 beds/4 bath, study, Mstr w/access to laundry
• Fam rm w/coffered clgs, 2-way fireplace to…
• Hearth rm Kitchen w/SS appl, granite, pantry
• 2500 sqft LL walk/out, Gym w/rubber matts
• Billiards, Theatre, Rec, Bedrm, Bath, storage
• Geothermal, Generator, Woods, Pond w/ Bass
• Estate opportunity for horse farm or hunting!
LAKE GEORGE RD VL - $1,150,000
• 40+ Acres in Metamora Hunt Country!
• Rolling hills, pastures, hay fields & pond!
• Heavy woods, trails, riding or hunting!
• Land Contract terms, More land available
• Electric; Property split from larger estate
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!
6340 WOLF - $2,995,000
• 160 Beautiful Acres and a hunter’s paradise!
• 10,000 sq ft Barnum custom finished log home
• 5 Beds, 5 baths, 1st flr Master, Fully Fin walkout
• Connects to log garage, 20 collectibles or storage
• Huge children’s rec room/ home theater, elevator
• Sep 11,000 sq ft Retreat residence for 24 hunters
• Dog kennels, Equip storage, RV/trailer hookup
• 2 ponds, cedar nursery, heated elevated blinds
• True pheasant preserve w/turkey & trophy deer!
BOWERS RD VL - $329,900
• 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
 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
& 70+ MILLION IN
MICHIGAN LAND SALES

I NG I NG
END END
P P

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,

Isabella County, 80+/- Acres, Duck Excellent Duck, Deer & Turkey Hunting. Jackson County, 105+/- Acres, WRP Jackson County, 76 Acres, Lapeer, 102 Acres, This property offers 40+/- Acres Mecosta, Fenced
And Deer Hunter’s Paradise, Over Area Of Other Large Property Owners. Program, Mature Hardwoods, Great 50+ Acres of Tillable, Great Crop room for multiple building sites and is In Pastureland And Pond. Perfect For
A Mile Of Pony River Frontage. “Man Cave” w/Game Cleaning Station. Deer, Turkey & Waterfowl Hunting Yields, Beautiful Build Spots. just 3 Miles from the city of Lapeer. Equestrians And Cattle Owners!
$160,000 $875,000 $199,000 $272,000 $340,000 $97,900

6+ Acres, Mis-
saukee County,
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,
48’x80’ Pole Barn With Living Quarters, 38 Acres, Newaygo County, 80 Acres, Newaygo County,
Midland County, 80 Acres Mature Newaygo County 4+/- Acres White Cloud Cabin/Home, Five Food Plots, Mature Timber Value,
Whitetails! Tillable, Timber, Swamp, And Loaded
12 Miles To Mount Pleasant, With Deer Sign! This Property Truly Muskegon Riverfront, New Cabin, Mile Creek Frontage, Deer, Loaded With Deer And Turkey,
Excellent Hunting Price Right!! Beautiful Landscaping, Secluded Woods. Bear, Turkey, And Seclusion! Economically Price!
Has It All And Is A Must See!
$176,000 $55,000 $1,100,000 $220,000 $165,000 $160,000

I NG L D
END SO
P

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
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!
$199,000
Van Buren County, 63 Acres -
Beautiful Farm House - 2 Large Pole
Barns - Blueberry Farm - Must See!
$350,000
Van Buren County, 80 Acres - Apple
Tree Farm - Apple Trees Consist Of
Honey Crisp, Gala, Supra, And
Rubyjon. Beautiful Building Spot.
$399,000
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 JUNE 2019 85
 Atlanta, Michigan 599-18-0056 - 2 bedrooms; 1 bath; log home; 1428 sq ft. Come home
to your own piece of heaven in the north woods of Northeastern Michigan. This spectacular 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home on 20 acres. Full finished walkout basement.
white cedar full log cabin/home is nestled amongst a mixture of towering, evergreen pine and Detached 3 car garage. Set back from road. $200,000 #318682
hardwoods with your very own beautiful 323’ frontage of the Thunder Bay River, designated as a
blue-ribbon trout stream, running by the front yard. The cabin/home looks and feels very secluded Affordable 1 bedroom home in Rogers City with 26 x 32 pole barn. Ideal
yet town is just a short walk away. You can grab a kayak from the kayak holder and launch right
from the front yard. After a pleasant one hour river float you can get out at the township park. You can connect with ATV/snowmobile trail
up north retreat. Close to trails, marina and beach. $49,000 #318333
#4 and #9 right from the cabin/home at the end of the gravel driveway, and ATV’s can be driven on the edge of Montmorency County roads Log home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, attached garage on 3 lots. Near Lk
with proper DNR trail permits. A 24 x 30’ garage with a large 9’ tall automatic garage door will hold two vehicles and still has plenty of
room to keep your toys safe. The garage also has great storage on the built in heavy duty shelves. A separate bunk house is attractively set Huron, bike path and marina. $210,000 #318665
up for two guests to help you and your family enjoy this sports paradise. A screen room, located next to the woods, gives you additional Affordable 2 bedroom home on double lot. Room to build a pole barn.
outdoor space to relax and enjoy watching the birds and animals without them noticing you are there. And then there is that great cabin
front porch...where you can sit and rock, or enjoy the porch swing, while watching the ducks, Louie the loon, and other wildlife at the river. Located in Rogers City and close to marina, shopping and restaurants.
If that’s not close enough for you, take a cup of coffee to the dock and enjoy sitting at the river’s edge for a closer look at that eagle flying $31,800 #318020
by. You can even catch smallmouth bass right off the dock. Or lay back on the hammocks next to the dock and watch the birds fly over you
in the sky. Try not to fall asleep if you can, or go ahead and fall asleep if you want to. Pull some wood off the firewood shelter and start a Farm house on 3 acres with a small orchard, outbuildings. The home is 3
campfire in the fire pit. You can sit comfortably around the fire in heavy Adirondack chairs and plan your next adventure while munching bedroom, full bath and eat in kitchen. $65,500 #317916
on s’mores. Don’t worry if the power goes out, (it rarely does), because there is a whole house, bunkhouse and garage generator that
automatically turns on if the power goes out and automatically turns off when power is restored. You don’t even have to lift a finger! All
this and we haven’t even talked about the inside of this stunning custom built “up north” cabin/home which comes completely furnished! STATE WIDE REAL Check out our web site for
additional properties of all types.
Come see it for yourself. Schedule an appointment to see this beautiful piece of heaven today because it won’t last long... $278,900
ESTATE OF HAWKS www.statewideofhawks.com
OF HAWKS FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT ONE OF OUR AGENTS: 989.734.4840

Atlanta, Michigan 599-

18-0051 - 4 bedrooms;
Hillman, Michigan 599-16-0014 - 3 bedrooms; 1 bath; 1
3 baths; 1 story; 2112
Millersburg, Michigan 599-
18-0022 - 2 bedrooms; 1 bath; 1 153±
story; 1355 sq ft. What a great cabin
ACRES

S
1/2 story; 1300 sq ft. New pictures coming for this move in looking over the Rainy River with
sq ft. Beautiful! Peace

d
eR
ready home on the water. Looking for your Up North home/ a short trip onto Rainy Lake. Enjoy
and quite. 40 acres of Pease Rd South & Wildt Hwy

as
cottage then look no further than this nicely maintained up a fire in the gas fire place while
hardwoods. Close to

Pe
north home with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath on beautiful Ess
pigeon river state forest.
looking at the beautiful tongue and BELLEVUE, MI
ONLINE AUCTION
Lake in Hillman Mi. The home shows pride of ownership and groove pine walls. Plenty of room
is very comfortable for year round living or vacation living. 1/2 way between Atlanta in the yard for a volley ball court
and Lewiston. If you want and horse shoe pits. close to trail
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5
Even on those rainy days you can enjoy the view in the three
season porch. You really need to see this to appreciate it. Call it all... this is probably it. systems for snowmobiles and ATVs.
for your appointment to view before its gone... $219,900 $259,900 $84,900 Walkover Inspections Welcomed
Property Class: Ag-Vacant, 102
12631 State St. Zoning Code: LA

PO Box 663 OUT

ONLINE BIDDING ENDS AT 1PM

Atlanta, MI 49709
989-785-2600 Office • 989-657-4904 Mobile Wildt Hwy
(517) 676-9800
aerorealestate.usa.mls.com SheridanAuctionService.com

THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING? Woods ‘N’ Water News

Southern Michigan June
Brandon Cropsey 269.816.3010

1/8 page = $300

x’s 1 run(s) = $300

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

G G
LI STIN TIVE LI STIN LD ICE ED
NEW AC NEW SO PR UC
D
RE

Branch County 43.41 +/- acres Tuscola County

List Price $164,900 - Saginaw Bay Duck Lodge
An excellent 43+/- acre hunting and Cass County List Price $890,000 - Top
recreational parcel of ground with 67.6 +/- acres quality 2880 square foot home Berrien County
food plot, creek, some tillable with a List Price $258,400 - An sitting on Fish Point in the 160 acres Ontonagon County
potential building site, and timber. exceptional mixed use 67.6+/- Saginaw Bay with water around 3 List Price $1,699,000 - 80 +/- acres
Property is enrolled in the Qualified parcel of ground in Cass County, sides of the lot, spectacular views, 1/2+ mile of St. Joseph River List Price $119,000 -
Forest Program which offers reduced Michigan with EXCELLENT a 2 story duck blind, and 35’ Frontage, 85+/- tillable acres, Wooded acreage in the
property taxes to the owner. Comes Hunting, potential building 1938 Defoe Tugboat to move the nice rolling woods with Western Upper Peninsula
with a camper, and camp site for sites, and tillable ground blind to your preferred Waterfowl timber, and a ranch home with beautiful turn key
your weekend getaways. generating farm rent yearly hunting location on the Bay. with 3 outbuildings D-style log cabin
EACH MOSSY OAK PROPERTIES OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED
86 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 87

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY!
statewiderealestate.net
• Houghton
Crystal Falls • Manistique •
• Gladstone
Escanaba •
• Powers
Menominee •
Marinette
Contact Your Nearest State Wide Real
Estate Office To Buy or Sell In Michigan
ALPENA
1100 W. Chisholm, 49707
email: alpswre@speednetllc.com
989-356-2142 • Fax: 989-356-2144
ALMONT
844 Van Dyke Road
lafrancesharon@yahoo.com
810-798-8591 • Fax: 810-798-8079
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
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
88 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Offices Serving Lower &
Upper Michigan
Bringing people and places together since 1945
Marquette
•
Curtis
• kitchens and bathrooms,
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
1285 S. Michigan Ave., Howell, MI 48843
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
For Sale
$239,000
Cheboygan MI.
8291 E. 4 1/2 Mile Road
Motel & 3 bedroom house Luther, Michigan
on 3 acres 19 acres. 2 br, 1 bath. All appliances stay.
Call for more information! Custom quality built year round home.
$169,900 MLS #18040935
SNOWMOBIELING, BOATING, ETC!
Bellabay Realty Lakeshore
231.571.9004 (office)
Newberry
HUNTING, FISHING,
• Sandy Sirianni
Motel 3-4 rooms with efficiency 231.343.7259 (cell)
www.bellabayrealty.com
Onaway community laundry room
• • Hawks
Hillman
• •
• Atlanta
Alpena 300 Acre
Mio • • Harrisville
Licensed
Custom 3 bedroom home
Deer
Farm
Home with 3 bedrooms many Located between Charlevoix
This great little slice of heaven is an income
upgrades
producing opportunity located across from Black and Traverse City.
• Almont Lake access. This is zoned commercial and
residential and is on two lots with over 1000 acres
10 foot x 3 mile fence.
Howell • Mostly wooded, mostly maple.
state land behind it.! PERFECT FOR HUNTING!
Trout pond, includes
shooting ranges.
$700,000
231-330-9210
MARINETTE, WISCONSIN
1460 Marinette Ave., 54143
email: statewidemarinette@yahoo.com
715-735-9964 • Fax: 715-732-1107
MARQUETTE
856 W. Washington, 49855
email: sw@statewiderealestate.org
906-228-9312 • Fax: 906-228-8069
MENOMINEE
3631 10th Street, 49858
email: statewideone@newbc.rr.com
906-863-9905
Fax: 906-863-7935
MIO
102 West 8th St., P.O. Box 395, 48647
email: info@statewidemio.com
989-826-3292
Fax: 989-826-2108
ONAWAY
M-33 & M-68,
P.O. Box 478, 49765
email: bigdan@frontier.com
989-733-6522
Fax: 989-733-2427
POWERS
W3776 US2 & 41, 49874
906-497-4190
Fax: 906-497-5328
holly@statewiderealestate.net
APPROX.
250 DEER
186 RANDY MINTO 370 ACRES
ACRES Always Working Hard for You!

REALTOR
SANILAC COUNTY APPROX. 100 ELK Direct:
Amazing Applegate Hunting Preserve! 1/2 Million+ 810.449.1286 Drummond Island - Cabin
Dollars Worth Deer/Elk Inventory Included in Sale. - OR -
Ranch Home & Lodge - Several Outbuildings Office: & Cottage on Lake Huron
*DV 810.653.4500
$1,250,000 *DV $949,000
SPECIALIZING IN UNIQUE, LUXURY AND LARGE RECREATIONAL PROPERTIES
DEER & NATURE LOVER’S DREAM PROPERTIES

NE
W NEW 80 ACRES

OGAMA COUNTY 170 ACRES GENESEE COUNTY

10,000 SQ FT
TUSCOLA COUNTY 1700 Sqft 2 Story Home Amazing Ranch Home & Guest House,
Commercial Building Landscape Business 24x 48 Pole Barn, Edwards TWP Private Lake
*DV $299,500 $129,500 *DV $289,000 *DV $1,650,000

NEW L DCLUB
PARADICE HUNT NEW
S O $3,950,000
AMAZING LOC
ATION
LAPEER COUNTY 5-8 ACRES New Built 2018, 3000 SqFt Building, Excavating
2019 Custom Built Home Great Building & Landscape, 36 Bins, Located on 5 Acres
7.74 Acres Sites from SELLING BUILDING & PROPERTY ONLY (NOT BUSINESS)
*DV $399,000 $69,900 - $89,900 *DV $485,000

LICENSED DEER RANCH

NEW
LAPEER COUNTY GENESEE COUNTY

Beautiful Setting
34 ACRES 60-80 DEER Chalet Home
192 ACRES GENESEE COUNTY 10-15 TROPHY BUCKS 40 x 80 Pole
Beautifully renovated historic Victorian Bed Barn with
Woodland Deer Ranch in Davison, 6-car garage,
and Breakfast with horse facilities. pond, 5 blinds, 3 lg feeders, Lg polebarn, 4BD, 3BA 6 Horse Stalls.
*DV $1,490,000 *DV REDUCED $835,000 *DV
72 ACRES $595,000

GENESEE COUNTY DAVISON

E N D ING 10 SANILAC COUNTY
P ACRES
LAPEER COUNTY
6 ACRES Beautiful Brand New
Over 4,800 sq ft of Living Space Commercial Properties 2000 sq ft Ranch 55 acres + 38 Bonus Hunting acres,
Amazing Setting on Private Lake $85,000 to Home Gorgeous Home plus Hunting cabin
*DV $425,000 *DV $595,000 *DV $299,000 *DV $459,000

G 30 ACRES NEW 60 ACRES

PEND
IN NEW 21
ACRES
289 ACRES

40 ACRES SANILAC COUNTY

SANILAC COUNTY 85% Wooded, Delaware SANILAC COUNTY VAN BUREN COUNTY LUCE COUNTY
Gorgeous Ranch Home, Township, Great Building Deer Hunters Dream Property 80% Wooded. Well 1,800 SQFT Cabin, Completely Solar
Pole Barn, Pond Site/Hunting Property 700 acres of state land known for big bucks powered, 90% Wooded
*DV $399,000 *DV $75,000 $119,000 *DV $179,900 *DV $349,000

1154 ACRES NEW NEW 76 ACRES 1240 ACRES NEW

Luce County
Schoolcraft Columbus
County GRATIOT COUNTY Township
Seney Great Hunting
Township Over a 1/2 mile on Pine River Property
Deer Hunters & Nature Lovers Dream Property 24x20 Cabin
$595,000 *DV $795,000
*DV $219,000 *DV

DRONE
*DV VIDEO GO TO: MIDREAMPROPERTIES.com
OR CALL 810-449-1286
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 89
 SPRING CLEARANCE

SPRING CLEARANCE! • DISCOUNTED PRICES! • SPRING CLEARANCE! • DISCOUNTED PRICES! • SPRING CLEARANCE!

SPORTSMAN’S PARADISE: 115 acres of softwood and
hardwood bush uncut with creek flowing into lake huron.
Shoreline is over a half mile facing south with a 2-bed-
room cabin with a well, solar generator power and sev-
eral outbuildings. ASKING $279,900 US.
1,350 ACRES: Prime hunting property - 50 min. East of
International Bridge. Hunt camp, hardwood 900,000
board feet, and also some softwood. Timber info avail-
able on request. Miles of trails thru-out. Beaver ponds
and streams. Small amount of open area. $749,900 US.
MACDONALD PROPERTY: 759 acres with hunting
camp, 25 miles east of Sault St. Marie Ontario, property
is gated, isolated and wooded, with an insulated 4 bed-
room, 2-story cabin. Generator wired. 20-acre lake and 2
streams. Great Bear Hunting! Two Deer plots! Five
deeds, no guide required, underpriced at $249,900 US.
WOW ONLY $329 PER ACRE. Terms available, excel-
lent buy!
One-10 ACRE SAND BEACH LOT (this lot has it all):
60 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie. 300’ frontage on Bright
Lake near Hwy 17 East (lake area approx.. 24 sq. miles),
year-round access with power to property. Inland lake
has Perch, Bass, Walleye and Northern Pike. Priced to
sell at $109,900 US.
SPRING CLEARANCE! • DISCOUNTED PRICES! • SPRING CLEARANCE! • DISCOUNTED PRICES! • SPRING CLEARANCE!
EXCLUSIVE LAKE HURON WATERFRONT & WATER-
VIEW ESTATE LOTS LOCATED IN THESSALON,
ONTARIO 50 MILES EAST OF SAULT STE. MARIE,
ONTARIO ON HIGHWAY 17 EAST: Lighthouse Point
serviced with hydro, telephone, sewer, water, gas, cable
on paved street. Airport, marina and hospital in area.
No time limit for building. Waterfront lots 100’– 478’ front-
age, waterview lots 80’ frontage. Prices from $10,000
US and up.
160 ACRES HARDWOOD & SOFTWOOD: Large bea-
ver pond. Only 2 miles off year-round maintained road.
35 minutes East of Sault, Ontario. $54,900 US.
400 ACRES OF ROLLING HARD-AND SOFTWOOD
HILLS: Large beaver pond and creek runs thru property,
next to above property if more acreage is required.
Property is great for bear hunting, white tail and grouse.
Four miles off year-round maintained road. $109,900 US.
ONLY $275 PER ACRE.
140 ACRES HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD UNCUT
BUSH ON HWY 17, 48 MILES EAST OF SAULT,
ONTARIO: this is in a great hunting area and close to
bruce mines for supplies etc. Power at the property line
with fields adjacent to this parcel. ASKING $52,900
O.B.O.

FINANCING AVAILABLE O.A.C.

CANADIAN PROPERTY CLOSE TO
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN BORDER
OTHER PROPERTIES AVAILABLE!
NO GUIDE OR OUTFITTER REQUIRED!
LAJAMBE OFFICE: (705) 248-9663 CELL: (705) 941-8355
FAX: (705) 248-1110

ENTERPRISESINC. Frank Lajambe

flajambe@lajambe.com
715 Finns Bay Road www.lajambe.com
Echo Bay, Ontario CAN POS 1C0 *Prices subject to change.

3 Bdrm, 1 bth, lake home. Big Stevens Lk. Well

2 Bdrm cottage. Sturgeon River frontage, kept on 4.84 acres with 278’ frtg. Great hunting/
snowmobile trail access, Hwy 13. Nahma. fishing. Snowmobiling! Gar. Wetmore.
$63,900 1105794 $145,900 1112478

THOUSANDS OF
ACRES AVAILABLE
FROM $12,900 TO $325,000. 2 Bdrm 1 Bth Camp 155 Acres, 2 Bdrm, 1 bth, log home. On 1 Bdrm, 1 bth cozy cottage near
Bar, Sheds, Blinds, Food Plots, Cedar River. Large garage. Steven’s Lake. Elec. Generator
Escanaba Orchard. Rapid River. Cedar River. included. Deck. Gar. Wetmore.
2209 Ludington Street $260,000 1111078 $199,000 1112404 $54,500 1113683
(906) 786-1308

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
90 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
 WEST BRANCH HALE WEST BRANCH
R S ALE R S ALE
M-33/M-55 OFFICE F O OFFICE F O LOOP OFFICE
1953 S. M-33 3160 North M-65 2575 S. I-75 Business Loop,
West Branch, MI 48661 Hale, MI 48739 West Branch, MI 48661
10 miles north of I-75 exit 202 “Gateway to Huron National Forest” 1 mile north of I-75 Exit 212

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

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

“UP NORTH” HOMES AND COTTAGES

WEST LONDO LAKE!! 2.36 ACRES!! AMISH REMODELED!! VICTORIAN WEST BRANCH!! DEEDED LAKE ACCESS!!
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 2-bdrm, 2 ba home just down the road from
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 boat access & near sandy beach! Wood
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 & floors, nice kitchen w/lots of cupboards, deck,
nishings, AC & much more!! plus 24x32 pole bldg, both wired for electric & much more! TLED ON 20 ACRES w/groomed trails & 4 blinds!! more!! 2 story garage & more!!
$289,900 1856419 $134,900 1848848 $249,900 1855393 $79,000 1856504 $114,900 1849895

LARGE DOUBLE LOT!!
Cute 3-bedroom, log home in great rec-
reational area not far from lakes and State
lands. Wood stove, garage, screened porch
and mostly furnished!!
$49,900
NICE VIEWS OF E TWIN LAKE!!
Updated 2-bdrm home near many all sports
lakes!! Laminate floors, stainless steel ap-
pli, attic that could be dbrm #3, garage &
pole bldg!!
1850311 $84,000
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!!
1856575 $249,900 1858694
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!!
$57,500 1858471

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!! LITTLE CLEAR LAKE!!
Spacious 4-bdrm, 2.5 bath Cape Code on 2 ACRES 1200 square foot home w/90’ on canal lead-
w/both detached & attached garages, full finished ing to private lake! Open floor plan, newer
walkout bsmt, master suite, stainless steel appliances, appliances, deck, boat dock, beautiful views
stone field FP, office, AC, wood floors & much more!! & move-in ready!!
$249,900 1858287 $59,900 1853977
1.9 ACRES!!
3-bedroom home needs some TLC but has
fireplace, full bath, lots of kitchen cupboards,
laundy area w/washer & dryer, family room,
2 garages & beautiful countryside views!!
$60,000 1859610

NEAR POPULAR CLEAR LAKE!! CUTE AND CLEAN!!
3-bedroom, 1.7 ba home w/garage located 2-bedroom, 2 bath ranch-style on two lots!
in fantastic recreational area near all sports Well-maintained, open floor plan, appliances,
lake & state lands! FP, porch, main floor sunroom, wooded back yard, garage & ac-
master & more!! cess to all sports private Lake Ogemaw!!
$72,000 1859595 $59,900
LAND OF SIXTY LAKES!! GEORGE LAKE!! YEAR ROUND!!
Spacious year round 2-bedroom, 1.7 ba Cute 2-bedroom, move-in ready home w/ 2 large bedrooms, open floor plan, some ap-
home on 10 ACRES. Beautiful countryside access to all sports George Lake w/newer pliances, full bath, garage, fenced yard for
views, pond, 2 garages, carport, pole barn, metal roof, newer well, appliances, deck, your pets, shed with fireplace & screens for
fenced yard & much more!! sheds and also near all sports Rifle Lake!! relaxing & near lakes & State lands!!
1859169 $109,900 1860082 $59,000 1858789 $58,000 1859683

LOVELY PARK-LIKE SETTING!!
3-bedroom, 1.5 bath on just over ¾ ACRE,
183 of beautiful water frontage on Channel
Lake, AC, garage, lakeside shed, sandy
beach, deck, covered porch & more!!
$149,900
HARDWOOD LAKE!! FRESHLY PAINTED!! IMMACULATE LAKEFRONT!! ALMOST ¾ ACRE!!
Cozy 2-bedroom cottage w/large living area, Cute 2-bedroom home that has fresh paint Beautiful 3-bdrm home, over an ACRE w/ Cute 2-bedroom home on 5 wooded lots for
some furnishings & appliances, sunroom inside and out, nestled among beautiful hard- frontage on all sports Lake Ogemaw & tons elbow room with a garage for storage. Great
with spectacular sunsets, garage, shed, woods and convenient to all sports, popular of superior & spectacular amenities you just place to call your weekend getaway near
sandy beach, roll-in dock & more!! 785 acre Sage Lake!! have to see!! many lakes, Rifle River & State lands!!
1860098 $154,900 1859766 $39,900 1848932 $429,900 1860120 $43,900 1858769

WATERFRONT PROPERTIES

“NO MOTOR” LAKE!! RIFLE RIVER!! ALL SPORTS LAKE OGEMAW!! 2.07 ACRES & CREEK FRONTAGE!! FLOWAGE LAKE!!!!
Partly wooded lot on Fawn Lawn and poten- Two lots with frontage on the beautiful Rifle Over a half acre with frontage on all sports Beautiful property in nice subdivision with Beautiful lot with water frontage on Flowage
tial spot for building your new home. Also not River and potential site for building your Lake Ogemaw and a gentle slope to water. 151+ feet of water frontage on Ogemaw Lake. Potential building site and just minutes
far from all sports lakes, State land and with vacation or dream home. Great location to On paved road, potential bldg site and LC Creek and great site for building your new from town for dining and shopping. Several
access to Rifle River!! enjoy excellent fishing & kayaking!! terms available!! home or weekend getaway!! other sites also available!!
$15,900 1850114 $29,900 1860204 $59,900 1790612 $76,000 1855912 $101,000 1763733

FOR MORE LISTINGS

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.CAHANES.COM
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 91
 EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT ON EBERHART!
I don’t use the term turnkey very often
but this property is ready to go, just
Woods-N-Water News
show up and hunt! 118 acres over three Michigan’s Premier Outdoor Publication
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
Get Dad the gift that
will give all year long!
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!
What will you do with 120 acres to
call your own? Hunting, ATV riding,
nature hikes and so much ore are at
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
timbered and will provide a great return right away if select cut, not to mention helping the  New Subscription  Renewal
                                             (Please attach mailing label)
habitat. If you need more ground to hunt and play on, the Kawkawlin Creek State Wildlife Area  One year $29  Two years $55
and Gladwin Forest Unit are close by, giving you an additional 8000 acres to roam. This property NAME
is calling your name and won’t last long so call today!
ADDRESS

Matt Smith CITY                        STATE           ZIP

 Check/Money Order  Visa/Mastercard - Card #                         Exp. Date      
matt@modernrealty.us
Send to: Woods-N-Water News
989-948-3738 989-486-9770 P.O. Box 278 • Imlay City, MI 48444 Or Call (810) 724-0254
Real Estate and Habitat Specialist • Modern Realty • NSCA Personal Trainer/NETA Wellness Coach

Heritage Exclusive Marketing Agents for Northeast

House Michigan Properties
RealtyPC Located in the Heart of the Huron National Forest, on the
“Personalized Service is the Difference”
Shores of Lake Huron and the banks of the AuSable River

1200 Chris Rd 744 N US 23 1176 N Montana Rd

1830 sf, 2 bed, 1.5 bath with 1200 sf, 3 bed, 1 bath with 1520 sf, 3 bed, 1.5 bath with
partial basement and full basement ant attached full basement and attached
attached garage on 2.5+ garage, easy access to Lake garage on just over 4 acres
acres with year round views Huron and Harrisville. Enjoy within walking distance to
of the lake from your large the feeling of being away Jewel Lake. Come see this
deck. This gem is a must from it all while still having move in ready home, ideally
see to fully appreciate. Call easy access to town. located for access to year
today at this price it won’t REDUCED $99,900 round recreational activities.
last long. NEW $80,000 NEW $110,000

4998 Cedar Lake Rd 4215 N US 23 4625 River St

2 acres of beautiful frontage This is your chance to walk 1248 sf, 2 bed 1 bath with
on Cedar Lake would make into a well-established attached garage and soon
ideal building location for Antiques and Furniture store completed new roof. Enjoy
that dream home you have with several detached all the wildlife that visit the
always wanted. Sites this commercial rental units and area daily while still having
large are rare to come 10 residential rental units the convenience of being in
across, especially ones that with good history including town. $89,900
have not been touched. almost 5 acres. Priced to
NEW $110,900 sell at $625,000

1184 Cruzen Rd 840 S Stockton Rd 1535 E Spruce Rd

1050 sf, 3 bed, 1 bath with 1440 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath with 1500 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath with
attached garage and full 61 acres ideal for hunting or attached garage is move in
basement. In need of interior recreating close to trails and ready for you today. Ideal
finishing touches or remodel state land. As a bonus location in town keeps that
to your tastes. Would make includes a standalone guest rural feeling but still only
a great Up North retreat or house ideal for visitors. minutes away from Alpena.
investment opportunity. $198,500 $82,900
NEW $52,000

406 E Fowler Rd 109 E Church St 610 Marilyn Lane

1770 sf, 3 bed, 1.5 bath with 1150 sf, 3 bed, 2 bath with Beautiful 10 acres with rustic
40 acres ideal for the attached garage and to cabin waiting to be finished
upcoming hunting seasons many updates to mention and ready for all those up
or just to enjoy as your new here. This is a must see coming hunting seasons.
getaway. This is one of home that will not last long. Offering superior location for
those hidden gems that Fenced in yard ideal for all seasons of hunting and
doesn’t come along very family or pets. recreational activities year
often. REDUCED $143,700 REDUCED $104,900 round. NEW $39,000

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

92 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
Beautiful Rolling Hills 420 Acres With Private
153 Acres Lake in Central Michigan
Newaygo
County
7370 E 16 MILE ROAD, REED CITY, MI
$280,000
Just outside of Reed
City, MI. Great land for
hunting and recreational
activities. Income
420 acres with 100 + acre private lake All maintenance equipment included,
possibility through timber with dam for sale in central Michigan mowers, tractor, dozer, crane, etc.
harvesting. Call me to set (great investment opportunity). Great Would make a great church camp,
up a showing! fishing and hunting—Michigan trout hunting resort or lake development.
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
Keller Williams GR North make 30 log homes. Seven miles of best offer. Special terms for non-profit.
3237 Platinum St NE trails, rolling hills, paved roads, has
Grand Rapids, MI 49525-0000 natural gas line on property. Lodge Call Robert Clark at
(brick house) with fireplace. Three 810-629-9376
Katherine L. Bourgois
Pure MI Real Estate
231.250.4251 stoarge buildings and workshop.
Includes all boats with pontoon boat. Email: johnclark1954@hotmail.com

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 an
older 1 BD, 1 BA trailer, well
and septic. Access to the
beach is right up the road
and federal land is only a
1/4 of a mile away. Nice
area to enjoy everything the
great up north has to offer!!
MLS 18043192 $39,900
10 Acres with Federal land in
the back and front... literally
miles of federal land all around!
The 1 room ‘’rustic cabin’’
needs a little TLC but has end-
less possibilities. Beautiful with
a nice mix of trees on a county
maintained road.
MLS 18050484 $45,000
2 BD, 1 BA mobile home
with pellet stove tied to the
ducts and an addition for
extra storage. The large ga-
rage has a work room area
and more storage. Presently
used as a weekly/weekend
rental for extra revenue!
MLS 19000585 $46,900
10 acres with trails through-
out, mature trees and under-
growth with lots of wildlife.
Comes with mobile home
that offers sleeping for up to
7 people. Well, septic and
electric already in place and
ready to use.
MLS 18048689 $50,000

Gorgeous frontage on
Blood Creek! Just under an
acre of beautifully wooded
property with a 3 BD mobile
home. Great place to get
away and enjoy the peace
and quiet. The mobile is
being sold as is.
MLS 18048193 $34,900
Almost 4, partially wood-
ed acres, with 132 feet
of prime Little Manistee
River frontage. Property
is less than 1 mile west
of Luther. Great place to
camp or build your dream
house or cabin.
MLS 18051595 $25,900
150 feet of frontage on no
wake Honeymoon Lake!
The property is nicely
wooded and perfectly lo-
cated at the end of the
street for extra peace and
quiet. Come take a walk
around today!
MLS 19012951 $21,900
66 ft on Mill Lake! This
parcel comes with a 20 ft
camper with an attached
screened in porch. Per-
fect spot to get away and
enjoy the great up north!
Call to schedule your ap-
pointment today!
MLS 18033873 $29,900
Vacant lot with 60 feet of
frontage on no wake Bas-
ford Lake! Nicely wooded
with a perfect spot to build
your up north cottage!
Also, there is deeded ac-
cess to Big Star Lake just
down the road!
MLS 19012518 $35,000
WNW NEWS JUNE 2019 93
 33 rd Annual Woods-N-Water News

Outdoor Weekend
September 6 - 7 - 8 th th th

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www.OutdoorWeekend.net
94 JUNE 2019 WNW NEWS
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