Summer 2019

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Official Publication of Michigan United Conservation Clubs

Summer 2019.indd 1 5/8/2019 9:09:49 AM
 When you plant the
seed of conservation,
you never know what
might grow.

Find a VOLUNTEER WILDLIFE HABITAT project near you and sign up at

www.mucc.org/ontheground
Summer 2019.indd 2 5/8/2019 9:09:50 AM
Summer 2019.indd 3 5/8/2019 9:09:50 AM
 VOLUME 73, ISSUE 2
Each Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine features
one or two cartoons drawn by Michigan's-own
Jonny Hawkins. I hope they make you laugh as
much as they did us.

contents

7 DIRECTOR'S DESK
8 ON PATROL
12 CONSERVATIONIST REP. TRISTON COLE
16 COVER STORY: MICHIGAN PHEASANT HUNTING INITIATIVE CHRIS LAMPHERE
22 STREAMER JUNKIES BLAKE SHERBURNE
26 LUDINGTON: MICHIGAN'S SALMON CAPITAL MIKE GNATKOWSKI
30 NO SUCH THING AS KAYAK FISHING STEVE GRIFFIN
34 IN THE DARK, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ANDY DUFFY
38 GO, GO, GO ISAAC RITCHEY
42 THE GREAT BAIT DEBATE DAVID ROSE
46 HOW NATURAL RESOURCES POLICIES ARE CREATED CHARLIE BOOHER
48 THE LONGTAIL KING NICK GREEN
50 MUCC & PARTNERS HOST SECOND ANNUAL HABITAT SERIES MORGAN WARDA
52 GREENWING CUSTOMS: BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP NICK GREEN
56 LADIES, GUNS AND ROOSTERS HEATHER SHAW
60 UP PREDATOR-PREY STUDY JACOB VANHOUTEN
62 MUCC SET TO KICK OFF ON THE WATER IN 2019 NICK GREEN
64 ON FINDING THE PERFECT OUTDOORSMAN'S VEHICLE ANDY DUFFY
68 FULL DRAW: POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE TOM NELSON
70 WHITETAIL SEX SEGREGATION JOHN OZOGA
74 LIFE AFTER BAIT, PART 2: STEER THEM TONY HANSEN
78 HUNTING MICHIGAN'S WILD WEATHER JASON HERBERT
88 GREEN BROKE NICK GREEN

STAFF REPORTS & MISC.
90 CAMP SEASON IS HERE! MAX BASS
92 HABITAT MATTERS SHAUN MCKEON
94 THROWBACK: HUNT TESTING ED ZEBROWSKI, JR.
96 ONE LAST CAST NICK GREEN

2 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 4 5/8/2019 9:09:50 AM

 bAsecamp Nick Green, Editor
WELCOME TO MICHIGAN OUT-OF-DOORS
MICHIGAN'S PREMIUM OUTDOOR JOURNAL

Albert Einstein wasn't a conservationist — at least

in the modern sense of the word. However, Einstein did
say, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing
over and over again but expecting different results."
While this may not be the Merriam-Webster
definition, I think Einstein was on to something.
Too many of our faults as hunters, anglers and
conservationists fall into Einstein's definition of
insanity.
We are losing white, middle-aged men as hunters.
So, we should keep grasping after a demographic
that is shrinking and hasn't proven effective? Women
are the fasting growing demographic in the outdoor Emily Green caught her first hex fish, a sizable smallmouth
industry. Yet, we should keep pushing our messaging bass, during a hex fly fishing adventure. Green had fly
and marketing dollars toward the old guard? Spanish fished once before she caught this bass.
and Arabic are the two fastest growing languages
in Michigan. So, the logical next step is to continue many cultures all over the world. We need to seek
printing our hunting and fishing digests exclusively in out opportunities to showcase Michigan's natural
English? resources to different cultures and people different
It's insanity. I don't have the answer to fixing a than us, and we need to do it in baby steps. Don't expect
crumbling conservation model in the U.S. But, I do someone to harvest their first deer and gut it with no
know that being exclusive instead of inclusive is introduction to properly carrying a firearm or bow.
the quickest way to ensure that there won't be deer, In the end, we just need to get more people outdoors
grouse, ducks or fish for my children or grandchildren and buying licenses — conservation in Michigan
to pursue. depends on it.
Change is scary. Talking and interacting with I challenge you this summer to get ONE new
someone who shares different values, speaks a
person outside with you on your endeavors. Take them
different language or doesn't look like you makes even
the surest-spoken of us feel uncomfortable at times. bluegill fishing, help them learn to shoot a bow, teach
The bottom line is that without hunting license them about the habitat species need to thrive and/or
buyers in Michigan, Michigan will no longer be able to anything else that helps them to dip their feet into our
fund conservation as we currently know it. world.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources This can be a person you have known forever or
Wildlife Chief Russ Mason has said on numerous
someone you just met at your local convenient store.
occasions that, because of hunter decline, small game
hunting will cease to exist in 20 years. Think about Send a note to editor@michiganoutofdoors.com about
that. your mentee, their accomplishments this summer and
Small game hunting was how I was introduced to what they hope to achieve in the outdoor world. They
hunting — much like a large percent of our readers, could be featured in the next magazine. Let's work
I presume. I learned how to properly carry a loaded together to make our outdoor pursuits inclusive and
firearm, the respect that should be paid to a harvested
spread the message of conservation to newcomers —
animal and how to properly clean game. On a deeper
level, small game hunting sparked a passion for the young and old. Our lifestyle depends on it.
outdoors and Michigan's natural resources that will
burn in me long after I am able to trek through aspen Yours in Conservation,
stands or climb into a treestand.
What then are we to do? To start, we need to
remember that hunting and angling are enjoyed by

Summer 2019.indd 5 5/8/2019 9:09:51 AM

 DEAR EDITOR,

MOMENTS of MEMORY
Just finished reading my fall edition
of Michigan Out-of-Doors, and
wanted to get with you on the new
design of the magazine.

Call me old school, but I enjoyed

the magazine better the old way.
When I normally read the mag-
azine its from cover to cover,
although my passion is mostly deer
hunting ,andThe bedrock
fishing of conservation
I enjoy reading is taking care of our natural resources so that they can be passed down to
future generations.
about some of the other passions The natural resources that we conserve today were conserved for us by generations of
conservationists
as well. preceding us, and these generations are ever changing, ever flowing. Here we honor the passing
of one generation of conservationists to the next.
And I liked it better with the shorter
stories that I could read in just a
few minutes in the morning before I
head off to work. In memory of

I do like the larger print now that

Lawrence Baker
from
the years have been added to my Marjorie, Kevin, Steve, Kris and Dena Baker
birth date, and the eyes don't do
so well. But that could be obtained In memory of
by reducing the picture sizes. I have
been reading the magazine for Robert York
probably over 40 years now, and from
hunting, and fishing the out doors Gary, Ruth, Rachel and Joshua Kuipers
for probably 10 years more than
that, and still find them both to be In memory of
refreshing, and joyful. I also liked
the smaller paper size of the old Dennis Knickerbocker
magazine, and soft covers for this from
Bill & Deb Woodworth;
allowed you to fold the pages and Thomas & Winifred Motherwell; James & Kathel Bedford; Bob & Beth
hold it in one had comfortably. I Garner; Dr. Tarak Mody & Family; and Peggy Parke
know I'm only one person and like
your final story different from all
others, but I really like the old mag-
azine much better. And truly agree
to Hunt Your Own Hunt. If you have recently lost someone you would like to honor here,
please contact Sue Pride at spride@mucc.org.
But do it ethically and honestly.

Sincerely, DeLoy C. Clark

Muckegon, MI

DEAR SIR,

Having recently finished reading the

new format magazine, my first im-
pression in a word is "slick". Upon

Summer 2019.indd 6 5/8/2019 9:09:52 AM

 LIFE MEMBER
Thank you to the following conservationists who have made a lifetime
commitment to conserving, protecting and enhancing Michigan's
natural resources and outdoor heritage by becoming Life Members
of Michigan United Conservation Clubs:

Ryan LaRose of Lowell, Michigan

Ralph Kaiser Jr. of Utica, Michigan

David Keller. of Dundee, Michigan

John Carlson of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

If you are willing and able to make a lifetime commitment to conservation, you can become a Life Member of
Michigan United Conservation Clubs with a $500 contribution to the organization.

Life members receive a lifetime subscription to Michigan Out-of-Doors, a Life Member MUCC ballcap,
a Life Member patch and a certificate commemorating your commitment to conservation.

Contact Sue Pride at spride@mucc.org or visit www.mucc.org/join_mucc and select "Life Membership."

Summer 2019.indd 7 5/8/2019 9:09:54 AM

 PUBLISHER
AMY TROTTER

EDITOR
NICK GREEN
editor@michiganoutofdoors.com

ADVERTISING
Nick Green Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) is a 501(c)(3)
edtior@michiganoutofdoors.com nonprofit organization founded in 1937 by sportsmen clubs
from around Michigan to protect conservation from politics.
PRESIDENT Representing over 50,000 members and supporters and
GEORGE LINDQUIST
approximately 250 affiliated conservation clubs, MUCC is the
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
largest state-based conservation organization in the nation.
THOMAS HERITIER MUCC members determine its conservation policies through
a robust grassroots process, which MUCC staff works to
VICE PRESIDENT implement by working with elected officials, state and federal
GREG PETER agencies, its members and the public. MUCC has published
Michigan Out-of-Doors since 1947 and operates the Michigan
TREASURER Out-of-Doors Youth Camp in Chelsea, MI. Learn more about the
FRAN YEAGER full range of programs MUCC uses to advance conservation in
Michigan and become a member at www.mucc.org.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MIKE TAYLOR
PATRICK HOGAN
JAY MAKI
JANE FINNERTY
CAROL ROSE
KAYLA MCKERN
MUCC Staff
CHUCK HOOVER AMY TROTTER NICK GREEN
RON BURRIS Executive Director Public Information Officer
BRUCE LEVEY atrotter@mucc.org ngreen@mucc.org
DOUG KRIZANIC
DAN MACUT MORGAN WARDA LOGAN SCHULTZ
TERRY VUKSANOVIC Wildlife Co-op Coordinator Digital Media Coordinator
mwarda@mucc.org lschultz@mucc.org

Michigan Out-of-Doors (ISSN 0026-2382) is the official publication of

MAKHAYLA LABUTTE SHAUN MCKEON
Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), 2101 Wood St., Lansing Habitat Volunteer Coordinator Education Director
MI 48912, and is published quarterly. Telephone: 517.371.1041. mlabutte@mucc.org smckeon@mucc.org
Receipt of this publication is through membership in MUCC. For
membership information, call 1.800.777.6720. Single copies available
to the public for $5.99 each. Periodicals postage paid at Lansing,
SUE PRIDE AMBER ALBERT
Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address Membership Relations Membership Coordinator
changes to Michigan Out-of-Doors, PO Box 30235, Lansing MI 48909. spride@mucc.org aalbert@mucc.org
All advertising communications should be sent to PO Box 30235.
Views expressed by freelance writers are their own and do not nec-
essarily express those of Michigan Out-of-Doors or Michigan United
AUTUMN CHRISTENSEN MAX BASS
Conservation Clubs. Copyright 2017 by Michigan United Conservation AmeriCorps Volunteer Camp Director, Educator
Clubs (MUCC). The Copyright Act of 1976 prohibits the reproduction of americorps@mucc.org mbass@mucc.org
Michigan Out-of-Doors without written permission from Michigan United
Conservation Clubs. MUCC members may reproduce one copy for IAN FITZGERALD
personal use without permission. For permission to reprint a specific
article, and for inquiries, contact the editor at editor@michiganoutof- Policy and Special Events Assistant
doors.com. ifitzgerald@mucc.org

Summer 2019.indd 8 5/8/2019 9:09:54 AM

 You Have a Voice, Use it! Director's Desk
Amy Trotter, MUCC Exectuive Director

“No one asked me!” “Have you ever done a survey

of your members on this?” You don’t represent me!”
Chalk these statements up as things I most
commonly hear from members and non-members alike
who don’t participate in our grassroots, policy-devel-
opment process or our Annual Convention. It is unfor-
tunate because we are not excluding any one from our
member-driven process, and if someone participates,
they will directly have a say on the policy positions we
take in Lansing, at the Capitol or within the Natural
Resources Commission. It is not our staff who make
these positions up — we implement them to the best of
our abilities as we work with partners and members to
advocate for them.
MUCC’s policy process is much more like the a delegate. The IM delegates have the benefit of the
Michigan Legislature — a representative democracy. results of an online survey, where we actually ask every
And depending on if you are a member of MUCC through active IM member of MUCC with an email address their
one of our affiliated clubs or an individual member opinion on each of the proposed resolutions.
paying dues directly to MUCC, there is a different Now, not everyone “wins” the debates — but MUCC
process by which your representative is chosen and requires a two-thirds majority to get something passed
carries your voice in the process. But, EVERY member that requires our staff to go advocate for changes in
of MUCC has the ability to offer a resolution on what law or regulations. This is so we can say that a super-
they would like to put forward for consideration as a majority of our voting delegates have supported any
new policy position of the organization. They need to position we take. This is powerful when advocating
be supported with good, factual data and reasonable on behalf of our members — every new Michigan
arguments. Legislator and NRC commissioner learns about our
All members of MUCC are invited to attend any policy development process from the start of their term
meeting of MUCC and can share their opinion on the and understands the steps we take to ensure we are
decisions before the organization. There is an opportu- being reflective of our members.
nity to do so when the proposed resolutions are vetted Is it a perfect process? Probably not. And if you are
at our quarterly Conservation Policy Board meetings in not currently a member of MUCC (hello to you folks
September, December or March and then taken up for buying Michigan Out-of-Doors on the newsstands),
a final decision at our Annual Convention in June (this you are definitely missing out. I want to ensure every
year’s is June 21-23 in Houghton Lake, so there is still MUCC member has a voice in the process, and I hope
time to register if you would like to attend). that you will use it as we attempt to make Michigan
Members of our affiliate clubs discuss these a better place in support of our mission: to conserve,
proposed resolutions within their clubs and then club protect and enhance Michigan’s natural resources and
board members approve delegates to attend the Annual our outdoor heritage.
Convention and represent and vote on their behalf. The
club delegate carries votes based on their membership Yours in Conservation,
in MUCC, so clubs with larger membership rosters
have more votes.
For individual members (IM) in MUCC, there are
individual member representatives appointed to repre-
sent the region where they live. These representatives
from each of the eight MUCC regions serve on the
MUCC Policy Board and then carry votes at the Annual
Convention based on the number of individual members
in their given region. We often need more individual
member delegates in our more populated regions so we
are always looking for new individual members who
are interested in participating in the process of being

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 7

Summer 2019.indd 9 5/8/2019 9:09:55 AM

 ON
PATROL
In each issue of Michigan Out-of-Doors, we highlight some
of the recent cases our brave Michigan Deparartment of
Natural Resources conservation officers handle. You don't
want to find yourself on this list.
March 10 through March 23, 2019
How would you like to walk into
that den?
CO Cody Smith and
Probationary Conservation Officer
(PCO) Cole Vanoosten went with
local biologists to check a bear den
site.
Three bears were pulled from
the den, including a sow and her
two yearlings. The biologists
changed tracking collars, tagged
the yearlings, took blood samples,
and several measurements
including overall length, tempera-
ture, and weight.
At the conclusion of the collec-
tion of information, the bears were
returned to their den to continue
their hibernation.
An abduction in the Yoop
Corporal (Cpl.) Kevin Postma
and CO Calvin Smith, responded
to the scene of an abduction
involving a five-year old boy.
The child was taken from his
residence where several occupants
of the residence were bound with
duct tape.
Shortly after the COs arrived
on scene, the suspects' vehicle
8 |www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 10
was found in the driveway of a
residence located five miles away
on the Lake Superior shoreline of
Whitefish Bay.
The COs assisted deputies
from the Chippewa County
Sheriff’s Office and MSP troopers
with setting up a perimeter on the
house.
Eventually, contact was made
with the homeowner, and it was
determined that the suspects and
child were not there.
Two fresh sets of foot tracks,
along with impressions of what
appeared to be that of a sled, were
observed traveling east out onto
Whitefish Bay.
The COs quickly off-loaded
their patrol snowmobiles and
began to follow the tracks out onto
Whitefish Bay.
Cpl. Postma picked up Deputy
Mitchell who had already started
out on foot in pursuit of the
suspects.
The officers followed the
tracks for three to four miles
before locating the suspects and
taking them into custody without
incident.
The child, who the suspects
were pulling in a sled, was found
to be in good health and was trans-
ported to the staging area on shore.
The suspects were ultimately
lodged on numerous felony
charges.
That's one way to do it
COs Steve Butzin, Chris Lynch,
PCO Mike Oleson and Detective
Trey Luce investigated a complaint
of several campers burning on
Little Bay de Noc.
When the COs arrived at the
location, they located two campers
that had been completely burnt.
The COs contacted the owner
of the trailer at the scene, and he
admitted to setting the campers on
fire.
The campers had frozen into
the ice over the winter and he felt
it would be easier to burn them
rather than attempt to get them
out of the ice.
The incident is under inves-
tigation and could result in the
subject facing several charges,
along with having to remove all
the debris that was left behind.
After all, it's legal now in Michigan
While checking for fishing
activity at a local state boating access
site, CO Andrea Albert noticed a
suspicious subject sitting in a vehicle
in the parking lot.
5/8/2019 9:09:55 AM
 CO Albert ran the vehicle's plate
when he left the lot and conducted
a traffic stop due to the plate being
expired six months ago.
The driver was on probation and
was in possession of and admitted to
using marijuana.
Citations were issued for the
expired plate and for not having a
valid driver’s license. A report for the
probation violation was forwarded to
the probation office for review..
Triple whammy!
COs Josh Reed and Josiah
Killingbeck observed two subjects
ice fishing on Canadian Lakes in
Mecosta County.
Both anglers were found to be
fishing with too many lines.
One subject had 10 lines, and the
other had five. The subject with 10
lines was also found to be thirty blue-
gills over his legal limit of 25, along
with an undersized, out-of-season
largemouth bass.
While being questioned about
the over-limit of fish, the subject
attempted to hide the bass in his hand
and place it into a bucket holding
several other fish.
In addition to these violations,
he also failed to have his name and
address attached to his tip-ups.
Both subjects were educated on
the proper fishing requirements and
issued citations for fishing with more
than three lines and possession of an
overlimit of bluegill.
Brotherly love
While on another complaint, CO
Kyle Publiski overheard the Mason
County deputies being dispatched to
a domestic violence call where the
subject may have thrown a knife at
his brother and was now breaking
the windows out of the house with a
shovel.
CO Publiski arrived on scene and
witnessed the suspect trying to break
into the back door of the house.
The subject was ordered away
from the house. When officers
attempted to walk him back to a
patrol car, he refused and became
aggressively aggravated, striking a
Summer 2019.indd 11
deputy in the head with his elbow.
The deputy and CO Publiski got
the subject under control and placed
him under arrest.
After securing the subject in
thepatrol car, CO Publiski went into
the house to check on the victim.
As CO Publiski entered the
house, he noticed blood all over the
floor, kitchen cabinets and furniture.
The victim had been stabbed
in the bicep and leg and was being
treated by EMS.
The subject was lodged by the
sheriff’s office on multiple violations.
Homicide?
CO Mark Papineau assisted
the Arenac County Sheriff’s Office
investigate a suspicious situation
involving a possible homicide.
Arenac County deputies stopped
a vehicle near I-75 for numerous
traffic violations.
Upon contact, the driver was
acting very strange.
According to deputies, the man
indicated he was camping on state
land in Gladwin County and prac-
ticing survival skills.
The contact led to a vehicle
search and the discovery of an
uncased, loaded handgun along with
a pillow and tarp that was covered in
blood.
The driver was arrested, and CO
Papineau was contacted to assist in
the search for the camp.
After a brief search, CO Papineau
located the camp and a very detailed
search of the surrounding area was
conducted.
No evidence of foul play was
located. The incident remains under
investigation by the Arenac County
Sheriff’s Office.
Kidnapping Dogs
CO Dan Robinson was called
to an Isabella County hunting acci-
dent in January where a victim was
reportedly shot and injured.
The CO conducted interviews
with everyone involved in the
incident.
The victim had serious but
non-life-threatening injuries after
getting hit by buckshot at close range.
Statements given at the hospital
indicated that the subject slipped and
when he fell the firearm went off.
CO Robinson and Lieutenant
(Lt.) Jeremy Payne investigated the
scene where evidence and photos
contradicted statements given.
A second round of interviews was
conducted, and the subject admitted
to transporting a loaded shotgun that
fired as he was removing it from the
case.
The subject showed CO Robinson
the actual vehicle involved and the
case the gun was in at the time of the
incident.
The shot went through the case,
through the driver’s seat of the
vehicle and hit the passenger who
was exiting the truck.
This incident could have been
prevented had the individuals
followed basic firearm safety rules
and laws related to the handling and
transportation of firearms.
The report was given to the
Isabella Prosecutors Office, and
the individual responsible has
been charged with careless use of
a firearm, knowingly giving false
information to a peace officer, reck-
less use of a firearm causing injury,
and transporting a loaded/uncased
firearm in a vehicle.
These reports are
randomly pulled from the
DNR Law Enforcement
Division's bi-weekly
reports.
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 9
5/8/2019 9:09:55 AM
 Subscribe, become a member and get MUCC and
Michigan Out-of-Doors gear at www.mucc.org
and www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Get Michigan Out-of-Doors

by becoming a member of
Michigan United
Conservation Clubs
Visit www.mucc.org/join_mucc
or
Call Sue Pride at 517.371.1041

Affiliate Club members: Ask the person at your club who handles
membership about subscribing to the print edition
for a discounted rate.

10 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 12 5/8/2019 9:09:56 AM


Improving Michigan's Public Lands Since 2013
Summer 2019.indd 13
MUCC's OTG ("On the Ground") program is
in its sixth year, with multiple projects planned
across all ages and experience levels throughout
the state. Volunteers participate in on-the-ground,
public land, wildlife habitat projects and are
provided an opportunity to engage in hands-on
conservation while learning about wildlife habitat
needs.
On Friday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,
volunteers will be kicking off summer with an OTG
project at MUCC’s Annual Convention. MUCC
staff and members, along with local volunteers,
will be working together to plant fruit shrubs and
place protective fencing up at Backus Creek State
Game Area in Roscommon, Michigan. The fruit
shrubs are a good food source for the animals
that occupy the game area. The protective fencing
will be placed around the shrubs to ensure that
they reach maturity and produce fruit. Then,
on Saturday, July 6, the OTG program will
be helping Metro West Steelheaders with their
annual Clinton River Clean Up. July 20, OTG
will also be assisting with the annual Manistee
River Clean Up.
On August 3, we will be in the Lansing area
at the Rose Lake State Game Area removing
honeysuckle to build rabbit habitat.
It's a busy season, which means there are plenty
of opportunities to get outside and volunteer for
wildlife. For more information on event dates,
details and to register, please visit www.mucc.
org/on-the-ground or email americorps@mucc.
org.
5/8/2019 9:09:59 AM
 'Conservationist' Around MICHIGAN
CONSERVATION NEWS FROM TWO PENINSULAS AND FOUR GREAT LAKES

By Rep. Triston Cole (R-Mancelona)

Hunters and anglers are extremely valuable to

Michigan. Last year, hunting and fishing license sales
paid for $83.5 million of game and fish protection
activity carried out by the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources (DNR). A recent study published
by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs showed
Michigan’s 700,000 hunters and 1.1 million anglers
brought more than $11 billion in economic activity to
Michigan and supported more than 170,000 Michigan
jobs. These contributions by hunters and anglers across
the state are essential to the conservation of the state’s
natural resources.
As a proud conservationist, hunter, and angler living
in and around Michigan’s pristine natural resources, I
often receive blank stares from people when I begin to talk
about the significant roles that sportsmen and women
play when it comes to our public lands. As cochair of State Representative Triston Cole is the State Representative
the Michigan Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus, I take the of the 105th House District (Antrim, Charlevoix,
responsibility of educating and sharing the significance Montmorency, Oscoda, and Otsego Counties), Majority
of sportsmen and women very seriously. First of all, it Floor Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives
is time that we sportsmen and women start introducing and is serving his second term as a cochair of the Michigan
ourselves as conservationists instead of just hunters Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus.
and anglers. While hunting and fishing is something we
beautiful wife — all of whom participate in conservation
do, conserving our natural resources is who we are. We
efforts. It is a family affair that has been passed down
should not be labeling ourselves strictly by something
through many generations. I want to make sure that
we do a fraction of the time while we are in the woods,
our natural resources are protected so my daughters
on the water or on our leased or owned land. We are the
can continue the traditions that were passed down to me
people that stop along the river and pick up trash. We
from my father. I hope they will also pass these traditions
are the people that monitor invasive species. We are the
down to their children as well. Time spent in a blind or
people who invest in thermal cover, food plots, nesting
on the river is some of the proudest and most memo-
habitat, forest management and land preservation. We
rable moments that I have had as a father and husband.
stop erosion and improve our environment. We are the
Outdoor pursuits have created a bond and connection
people that fund the Michigan Department of Natural
that is helping me continue to have a close relationship
Resources through the purchase of hunting and fish
with my daughters through their teen years. There is
licenses. We are the people that donate to programs that
something about early morning turkey hunts and after-
work to conserve and protect our great state.
noon deer-blind time that promotes conversation, even
I am a proud father of three daughters and have a
between teenage girls and their dads. I have also greatly
enjoyed teaching about bird identification, tree species,
and the reason why we leave a buffer strip around our
wetlands.
In my role as a member of the Michigan House of
Representatives, I work to encourage my fellow represen-
tatives and everyone throughout our state to take the lead,
tell the truth and be honest when describing ourselves,
our passions and who we truly are. The true definition
is conservationist — all inclusive and all-encompassing.
The misconception that hunters take from the land and
only regard their own personal desires is unfortunate and
very far from the truth. It is our responsibility to correct
this false image for future generations of sportsmen
and women — the conservationists of the future.

12 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 14 5/8/2019 9:09:59 AM


By Drew YoungeDyke, National
Wildlife Federation
In 1964, Congress created the
Land and Water Conservation Fund
to invest royalties from offshore
energy development into outdoor
recreation opportunities for
Americans. After letting it expire
last fall, Congress recently passed
and President Trump signed into
law in March a bipartisan public
lands package to permanently
reauthorize it. The John D. Dingell,
Jr. Conservation, Management
and Recreation Act (Dingell Act)
permanently reauthorized the
Land and Water Conservation Fund
(LWCF) and included parts of over
100 different bills to expand outdoor
recreation opportunities and fish
and wildlife habitat protections,
including a few which have long
been priorities for hunters and
anglers.
Land and Water Conservation
Fund
The cornerstone of this bipar-
tisan compromise was permanent
reauthorization of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund. Since
1964, the LWCF has invested more
than $329 million in Michigan,
operating similar to Michigan’s
Natural Resources Trust Fund.
It takes royalties from offshore
energy development and invests
them through grants in communi-
ties around the country for outdoor
recreation opportunities. LWCF
expired once before in 2015, but
instead of permanently renewing
Summer 2019.indd 15
Bipartisan Public Lands Act
Permanently Reauthorizes LWCF,
Expands Habitat and Access
it as conservation organizations
including the National Wildlife
Federation and Michigan United
Conservation Clubs advocated, it
was only renewed for three years.
When it expired again in 2018, it
deprived conservation projects of
$350 million before it was reautho-
rized in the Dingell Act.
While the Dingell Act perma-
nently reauthorized the Land and
Water Conservation Fund, it did
not include dedicated funding, and
Congress must still appropriate
the money for it each year. Despite
being authorized to $900 million
each year, Congress typically only
appropriates less than half of that
amount. And President Trump’s
proposed budget wouldn’t fund it at
all — despite signing the bipartisan
legislation Congress sent him — he
proposed eliminating LWCF funding
altogether. for Fish and Wildlife program
All that could change under which helps private landowners
separate bipartisan legislation provide wildlife habitat and estab-
proposed by Sens. Joe Manchin lishes Theodore Roosevelt Genius
(D-W.Va.) and Cory Udall (R-Colo.), Grants for solutions to pressing
wildlife threats such as poaching
which would ensure full, perma-
nent, dedicated funding for LWCF. and trafficking. The WILD Act also
improves invasive species control
That could be critical to Michigan,
which could use additional outdoor through amendments to the Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act.
recreational funding to chip away at
a $275-million backlog in state park
infrastructure needs. Expanding Hunting & Fishing
Access on Federal Lands
The WILD Act
Parts of previous versions of a
The Dingell Act included parts “Sportsmen’s Act” were included
of more than 100 different bills. One in the Dingell Act, too. These either
of the most important for wildlife expanded or protected public
was the Wildlife Innovation and access for hunters and anglers of
Longevity Driver (WILD) Act. It federal lands. For instance, it allows
reauthorizes the Marine Turtle hunters to transport bows in a
Conservation Fund, the Partners vehicle through national parks on
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 13
5/8/2019 9:10:00 AM
 the way to lands open to hunting. It
also clarifies that federal lands are
open to hunting, fishing and recre-
ational shooting unless designated
otherwise. This doesn’t mean that
all federal lands that were closed
to hunting are suddenly open, it
just changes the presumption from
closed to open if it is not specified
in rule or law. However, the law also
directs a study and identification
of federal public lands currently
closed to hunting, fishing and recre-
ational shooting for a recommenda-
tion of lands that could be opened.
Wildlife Habitat Protections
More than 1 million acres of
public land wildlife habitat across
the country was protected through
special designations in the Dingell
Act, especially out west to protect
steelhead and trout waters and big
game wildlife migration corridors.
These included protecting
salmon and steelhead habitat in
Oregon through 200 miles of Wild
and Scenic River designation and
designating 100,000 acres of the
Umpqua National Forest as the
Frank Church Wild Steelhead
14 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 16
Management Area. Mining was
restricted in 30,000 acres along
the Yellowstone River in Montana
to protect habitat for Yellowstone
Cutthroat trout thanks to an amend-
ment by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
Migration corridors for mule
deer were also protected from
mining in 340,000 acres in the
Methow Valley in Washington.
In California, more than 300,000
acres of wilderness designation
was added, and the Department of
Interior was directed to study the
impacts of habitat fragmentation on
migrating wildlife in the state.
In Utah, some management
conflicts were resolved after a multi-
year stakeholder process through
wilderness designation for 600,000
acres of desert big game habitat
for mule deer, bighorn sheep, elk,
bears, and mountain lions.
And in New Mexico, over 200,000
acres of wilderness was designated
to protect quail, javelina and mule
deer habitat near Rio Grande Del
Norte National Monument and
over 20,000 acres was designated as
wilderness in the Organ Mountains-
Desert Peaks National Monument to
protect wildlife migration corridors
for mule deer, pronghorn, elk, black
bear and cougar moving between
New Mexico and Colorado.
The Dingell Act is a rare
example of bipartisan unity in
Washington and the most significant
conservation bill passed in decades.
It received 85 percent of votes in
the House of Representatives, 92
percent in the Senate and support
from sportsmen’s, conservation and
environmental organizations from
across the spectrum, including the
National Wildlife Federation and
Michigan United Conservation
Clubs. And it’s appropriately named
for the late Michigan congressman
and Michigan Conservation Hall
of Fame member who voted for
the original Land and Water
Conservation Fund and led the
passage of the Clean Water Act, the
Clean Air Act, and the Endangered
Species Act. While there is still much
work to do to ensure full and dedi-
cated funding for LWCF, the public
access opened and fish and wildlife
conserved through the Dingell Act
will be enjoyed by generations of
Americans to come.
5/8/2019 9:10:02 AM
 Spring 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 15

Summer 2019.indd 17 5/8/2019 9:10:02 AM

 MPHI
Trying to 'return hunters to Michigan's fields'
H
ow do we get more people involved in hunting,
especially small game?
Ultimately, that’s the question that a new state
pheasant-stocking program aims to answer …
or at the very least, shed some light on.
During the 2018 lame duck session of the Michigan
Legislature, lawmakers passed a bill package that
contained a one-time fund allocation of $260,000 to
implement the Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative.
Nick Green, public information officer with the
Michigan United Conservation Clubs, said this alloca-
tion was unique in the sense that the Legislature decided
to use public resources to fund a hunting program —
something that is virtually unheard of.
Ken Dalton, also known as Mr. Pheasident and a
Michigan United Conservation Clubs member, was one
of the primary advocates of this program and worked
with MUCC and legislators to obtain funding.
16 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 18
By Chris Lamphere
"The true grassroots process of MUCC allowed me
to run an idea through the organization, bring it in front
of the membership and make my case," Dalton said. "I
saw a need to return hunters to Michigan's fields, and
this idea is one I hope will help alleviate license decline
and further recruitment, retention and reactivation of
new and old hunters."
Green said the goal of the program is to collect
information over two years that could be used to
achieve improvements in three areas: recruitment of
new hunters, retention of existing hunters and reacti-
vation of hunters who are no longer active.
At the end of two years, they hope to apply this
insight not only to pheasant hunting, but all hunting
activities in Michigan.
"Small game hunting is one of the easiest ways to
get someone new into hunting — it's fairly easy, doesn't
require lots of specialized equipment and often yields
5/8/2019 9:10:03 AM
 "... it doesn’t hold a candle to what has
happened to small game participation,
which has decreased by about 50 percent
in the last 10 years." Russ Mason, DNR wildlife chief
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 17

Summer 2019.indd 19 5/8/2019 9:10:04 AM


success," Green said. "MPHI and
the Legislature's funding are proof
that we are missing, at least in part,
something in southern Michigan
that has long been a tradition: an
active, vibrant pheasant population
to hunt."
How the program will
work
The Michigan Association
of Game Breeders — working in
collaboration with the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
— will release pen-raised pheasants
at State Game Area sites throughout
southern Michigan.
Pheasants will be released at the
following areas: St. Johns Marsh in
St. Clair County; Pointe Mouillee
in Monroe County; Crow Island in
Saginaw County; Erie in Monroe
County; Lapeer in Lapeer County;
Pinconning in Bay County; Crane
Pond in Cass County; Rose Lake in
Clinton County; Cornish in Cass
Summer 2019.indd 20
County; Minden City in Sanilac
County; and Leidy Lake in St.
Joseph County.
They will also release pheas-
ants in Shiawassee and Allegan for
special youth/apprentice events.
Al Stewart, upland game bird
specialist for the DNR, said the
releases will be divided into two
periods: the October-November
release period and December
release period, coinciding with the
pheasant season throughout most
of southern Michigan.
In Pinconning, Crane Pond
and Cornish, there will be no
December releases because of
pheasant hunting closures in those
regions of the state, Stewart said.
There will be four releases per
period, and they will be done
outside legal shooting hours and
on random days to avoid interfering
with hunters.
Stewart said the program isn’t
intended to increase pheasant popu-
lations in the release areas, which is
why they will only be using roosters.
Photo by Tyler Butler
“Having a long-term impact
is not the intent,” said Stewart,
who added that pen-raised pheas-
ants aren’t as hardy as wild birds,
so they likely won’t last long
enough to add to the population.
Following both years of the program,
the DNR will mail out surveys to a
group of randomly-chosen hunters
that participated asking them about
their experience.
The first year of the program,
those who plan to hunt in the
release areas will be asked to sign
up for a free sharp-tail grouse/
pheasant endorsement on their
license, which would enable the
DNR to contact them afterward
with the survey if they are selected.
A bill currently is in the works that
would create a specialized pheasant
stamp to simplify the process of
sending out the surveys, but at this
time, it is still being considered by
the Legislature.
While they haven’t yet ironed
out all the details of the youth/
apprentice hunts at Shiawassee and
5/8/2019 9:10:06 AM
 Allegan, Stewart said the basic idea of at least seeing a few birds could more complicated, but this could
is to pair youngsters or new hunters light the same fire and passion in certainly be an added value for
with experienced mentors in the other people as it did in him. pheasant hunters.”
field. Pheasants Forever — a nation-
These events will be opportuni- ally-recognized group that focuses
ties to collect more focused informa- on improving wildlife habitats for What’s at stake?
tion about the hunters' experience the growth of pheasant populations
hunting in a controlled setting. — does not have a stance one way or DNR Wildlife Chief Russ Mason
Stewart said it’s uncertain at the other on the MPHI program. said within the next 17 to 30 years,
this time what sort of results would State Pheasants Forever we will see the extinction of small
be an indication the program is Representative Bill Vander Zouwen game hunting in Michigan.
succeeding or failing; they first need said while their goal remains more It’s a sobering thought that
to establish a baseline of relevant on the side of restoring the natural seems a bit exaggerated, but if
information. abundance of pheasants, he doesn’t statistics on hunting trends are
see any reason why their efforts any indication, Mason’s prediction
can’t complement those of the MPHI might not be far off.
Reception to the program While deer hunting remains the
program.
“Time will tell whether (the most popular form of hunting in
The idea of having a pheasant- Michigan, it is declining at a pace
stocking operation in Michigan isn’t program is successful in its goals
or not),” Vander Zouwen said. “I of about 2 to 3 percent a year due
a new one. mostly to demographic changes,
In the 1970s, the DNR ran think hunter trends are a little
a pheasant-stocking program
but eventually discontinued
it as a result of the prohibi- Photo by David Bowers
tive cost of raising the birds.
Bracco Italiano breeder and the
Hunting Dog Podcast host Ron
Boehme said the segment he
produced on the MPHI program —
which included an interview of Ken
Dalton — was one of the few he’s
done that elicited criticism from his
audience.
He said the critics asked why
the state would fund a program to
stock pen-raised pheasants when
they really should be focusing
on improving habitat to increase
pheasant populations, which have
been on the decline for many years.
“I think that’s the thing people
get confused about,” Boehme said.
“This program isn’t trying to bring
back pheasants; it’s trying to bring
back hunters.”
Boehme grew up near Chicago
and was exposed to hunting through
the state’s pheasant-stocking
program.
When Boehme learned more
about the connection between
pheasant hunting and the use of
hunting dogs, he was hooked for life.
“It lit a fire in me that didn’t
stop,” Boehme said. “I don’t know if
I would have ever gotten involved if
it wasn’t for that program.”
Boehme said having a place to
hunt where there is a good chance

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 19

Summer 2019.indd 21 5/8/2019 9:10:06 AM

 Mason said.
This decline has set off alarm
bells throughout the hunting
community for a number of years,
yet it doesn’t hold a candle to what
has happened to small game partici-
pation, which has decreased by
about 50 percent in the last 10 years,
Mason said.
“If we are concerned about the
loss of deer hunters, we should
be much more concerned about
the loss in small game (hunters),”
Mason said.
The decrease in small-game
participation is a complicated
issue involving multiple variables,
including changes in license costs
over time and decline of species
such as pheasants, Mason said.
Although Mason isn’t yet
convinced all the MPHI program
goals are achievable, he’s excited
about the possibility of exploring
one factor shown to correlate with
increased hunter retention and
license-buying behaviors: success
harvesting an animal.
“We want to get people out there
trying,” Mason said. “To experience
success in the appropriate places
Summer 2019.indd 22
"Stewart agreed that the 'locavore movement' is growing in popu-
larity, especially among young professionals, and could potentially
be a wellspring of new conservationists."
(in areas close to where they live,
rather than several hours away).”
The MPHI program also has the
potential to provide information
they can use to appeal small game
hunting to deer hunters, many of
whom don’t participate in any other
forms of hunting.
“The question will be whether
or not we can diversify the interests
of existing hunters,” Mason said.
“That’s one of the derivative bene-
fits of this. I think there are a lot of
possibilities there.”
Another demographic where
more small game hunters could
be activated is among people with
a deep interest to knowing where
their food comes from, Mason said.
“The general public won’t
support blood sports,” Mason said.
“But when we talk about the value
small game hunting has on the
habitat, it connects with the non-
game hunting public.”
Stewart agreed that the
“locavore movement” is growing
in popularity, especially among
young professionals, and could
potentially be a wellspring of new
conservationists.
In general, Stewart said the
MPHI program could help them
market hunting in ways that are
more accessible.
An example of this is
Thanksgiving.
Stewart said he enjoys watching
the “light go on” in the heads of
school kids when the source of the
food they are eating comes into
crystal clear relief.
“It’s a positive exposure to the
source of the turkey,” Stewart said.
“To see the guy wearing a funny hat
and carrying a blunderbuss.”
Stewart said they should have
initial data on the first year of
the program available for public
dissemination a few months after
the pheasant season ends.
Photo by Tyler Butler
5/8/2019 9:10:08 AM
 For more than 25 years Mike Avery has
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Winter 2018 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 21

Summer 2019.indd 23 5/8/2019 9:10:09 AM

 Streamer
Junkies
By Blake Sherburne

22 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 24 5/8/2019 9:10:09 AM

 A
year ago, some fishy friends and I took a trip to the
White River in Arkansas to try our hands at one
of the best streamer rivers in the United States.
Streamer fishing on the White is at its best when
Bull Shoals Dam is running extra water to generate power
or the floodgates are open so the river is up and moving and
so are the big browns. Unfortunately, we chose the weekend
of the annual Sowbug Roundup, a fly-tying and fly-fishing
show that is held the last weekend of March in Mountain
Home, Arkansas. This festival brings a lot of fly fishers into
town, so the Little Rock Corp of Engineers tries their best to
limit flows so that visiting fly fishers can wade and fish the
river. Minimum flows on the White are about 600 cubic feet
per second, which makes the river easily wadeable. The
flow can range up from there depending on power genera-
tion and flood gates to over 26,000 cfs. As a result, the dam
was only generating power the first few hours of our first
day, so we only had one morning of good streamer fishing
conditions out of our three days of fishing. We caught a
few on streamers before the water started to recede and
then we spent the rest of the trip staring at bobbers (indi-
cators, if you’re a stickler about the fly-fishing lingo) and
catching lots of planter rainbows and a few decent browns.
The water dropped so far that first morning that
the high water marks on the bank were above
head height when I was standing up in our
guide’s boat.
The highlight of the trip
was meeting, and getting to pick
the brain of, one of northern
Michigan’s streamer gurus, Alex
Lafkas. The relatively recent big
streamer revolution began in northern
Michigan, mostly through the genius
of Kelly Galloup, who used to own a fly shop in
Traverse City called The Troutsman. Lafkas is one
of the streamer junkies who took the big streamer game to
the White in Arkansas. You can watch videos on the Fly
Fishing the Ozarks Youtube channel of the White River
and Michigan guides talking about the streamer game
in Arkansas and how the Michigan guys showed up with
these giant streamers and started moving browns that local
guides had never really seen move to fly gear before. In the
course of our long conversation with Lafkas, I mentioned
that my fishing buddy Kenny and I had been spitballing
hiring him to show us some streamer techniques back in
Michigan for the past couple of years. He said he would call
me to set up a date when he got back to Michigan.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 23

Summer 2019.indd 25 5/8/2019 9:10:10 AM

 A few weeks later, Lafkas called
to tell me that he was home and
booking trips for Michigan. He was
excited after I told him that this was
really just a learning trip for Kenny
and me. We did not really care
about production. We just wanted
to learn about how to streamer
fish Michigan. A couple long tele-
phone conversations ensued where
we discussed timing for the trip
and what gear we should bring.
Usually, he told me, he provides all
the gear that would be needed for
the day, but since we were already
streamer junkies, he wanted to see
our gear to know what we were
using and whether or not he could
help us on that end. He told us to
bring everything. “Let’s load my
boat down,” he said. Lafkas told
me that the ‘trophy water’ on the
Au Sable River was running a little
high and was colored up without
being too muddy for browns to
see well — great streamer condi-
tions. In addition, the DNR had just
planted that section of the river, so
the big Browns would be out in the
high, colored-up water looking for
the easy protein that newly-planted
trout provided. Considering river
condition before a streamer trip
was something I did; however,
I had never considered taking
advantage of the DNR’s planting
schedule. We were learning about
streamer fishing before we even checked our rigs first. Kenny and I the hook on a fish by continuing to
had a chance to get in the boat. were both running three hundred strip in line aggressively once we felt
The trip was set for a Saturday grain, sink-tip streamer lines on a strike. A strip-set, as opposed to a
in early May. It is a long trip from eight-weight rods. Lafkas said that “trout set,” where one lifts the rod
Mesick, in northwest Michigan, set-up was perfect for the water we as one would to hook a fish that had
to the Au Sable on the east side would be seeing that day, but our taken a dry fly, keeps the streamer
of the state. Kenny and I wanted leaders left a little to be desired. He in the strike zone should the fish
to make sure we were not late, so cut both our leaders back to a thick- miss or lose its grip on the streamer
we left about 45 minutes before ness that would allow us to pull and come back around for another
we would have had to make the stumps out of the river and then tied try. This is something we had been
two-hour drive across the state. on a short section of 12-pound fluo- practicing but had not yet perfected
We arrived early, as planned, and rocarbon. A loop knot to an articu- (still haven’t), both through years
watched the river flow by for about lated streamer finished our set-ups, and years of being dry fly, nymph
a half hour before Lafkas arrived. and we were ready to get in the boat. and gear fishermen, and lack of
The river was up, as he had said, and The instant our flies were in the enough real-world opportuni-
foamy and perfectly colored-up. He water, Lafkas began extolling the ties to get comfortable setting the
virtues of the strip-set, that is setting hook on streamer-attacking trout.
Lafkas had set me up with a yellow
"...Michigan guys showed up with these giant streamers and started double deceiver. You can see how to
tie his version on Youtube. He had
moving browns that local guides had never really seen move to fly set Kenny up with something similar
gear before." in olive. I was the first one to move

24 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 26 5/8/2019 9:10:11 AM

 Above: Ken Mlcek poses for a hero shot with a 23-inch brown trout he caught while floating the AuSable River with Michigan
guide Alex Lafkas. Left: Sherburne poses behind guide Larry Babin on the White River in Arkansas after Sherburne landed
this 20-plus-inch brown on the first day of a three-day trip.
a fish, not far from the ramp. I trout
set like a rookie and Lafkas was not
shy about letting me know what I
did wrong. “Ooooh,” I heard, “the
big guy sets the hook like a newbie.”
I laughed at myself because I knew
what I had done wrong, joining
Kenny and Lafkas. I hoped the
embarrassment would set my mind
right for future opportunities.
Now, in my experience, landing a
fish in the first hole, or in this case,
almost within sight of the ramp, is
rarely a good sign for the rest of
the day. Luckily, I did not land, or
even hook, this first fish. It would
prove to be a good omen for the day.
Lafkas kept us moving just slower
than the current. He spent the time
in between fish teaching us to pick
our targets and be accurate with our
casts. We were looking for structure
in the river and the way the current
moved off the bank. He encour-
aged us to keep our streamers up
in the water column where we
could see them in case we had a fish
following that we could then entice
by throwing a little extra movement
in our streamers. As soon as our
streamers hit the water, he directed
us to keep one eye on our streamers
Summer 2019.indd 27
and one eye on the next piece of
water or structure we wanted to
hit. This also helped to keep the
fishing and casting entertaining.
Often we had to hurry a retrieve to
hit the next target or pause just long
enough to fish an eddy correctly.
This soon paid off for me with an
actual, landed brown trout. I was
able to strip-set semi-competently,
and the fish was quickly in the net.
It was not a giant, measuring about
18 inches, but my day was made. I
had a fish to hand and had learned
a lot from a guy who has a lot to
teach. Alex’s techniques helped
me land another fish that day, also
just in the upper teens. I was able
to strip-set again, and it paid off.
Kenny had to work a little harder
for his payoff. Lafkas decided to
switch him over to yellow, too, as
olive had not produced for him. The
brown came off a piece of woody
structure just off the bank. Kenny
set hard and the fish dogged for the
bottom. Lafkas kept instructing
through the fight and soon scooped
the big brown into the net. Kenny’s
specimen was big enough that Alex
rowed for the bank to give us good
footing for a quick measurement
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 25
and a hero shot. The big female
stretched the tape to 23 inches and
was our best fish for the day — also
Kenny’s personal best on a streamer.
The education was worth the price
of admission. Lafkas had taught us
what kind of structure to look for
in our sandy, northern Michigan
rivers. We spent the day fishing the
insides of the corners where the
current was slower and the browns
could catch a bit of respite. We
concentrated on submerged woody
debris and the edges of eddies where
trout could sit in a seam, ambushing
unsuspecting prey. It’s not rocket
science. It’s the stuff that most fish-
ermen target. Our suspicions were
confirmed in that the real challenge
is the grind. Steamer fishing is an
all-day sucker. Big streamers target
the most aggressive of the bigger
fish in the given water, and those can
be few and far between. We bombed
long casts with three hundred grain
lines on eight-weight rods all day
while trying keep focused on the
task at hand and ready to be in posi-
tion physically and mentally. And
strip-set. Always strip-set.
5/8/2019 9:10:12 AM
 Ludington:
Michigan's Salmon
Capital
F
ew anglers would disagree
salmon fishing on Lake
Michigan isn’t what it use to
be. If you were fortunate to
experience Lake Michigan salmon
fishing’s heyday during the late '80s
and early '90s, you know how spec-
tacular the fishing can be. Many of
us are spoiled and see the fishery
now as a pale facsimile of what it
use to be. Even so, catching a few
hard-fighting Chinook salmon, a
lake trout or two with a steelhead
thrown in for good measure can
make for an exciting day on the
water. And Ludington remains one
of the best places to do it.
Growing up in Saginaw, it
seemed like Ludington was on the
other side of the world not just the
other side of the state. It took forever
to make the journey across US-10,
and driving slowly down Ludington
Avenue seemed like an eternity
until you saw the lake. I remember
how immense and foreboding it
seemed then. I had no inkling that I
would one day spend more summer
days on the back of a boat on Lake
Michigan out of Ludington than I
would in my own home.
26|| www.michiganoutofdoors.com
26 www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 28
Although Ludington’s main
appeal is to anglers, it has so much
more to offer. Besides the depend-
able fishing, Ludington is popular
with anglers and their families
because of all the things there are
to do when you’re not on the water.
The sugar sand beaches are not
only considered some of the best in
the state, but the best in the country.
You can enjoy beach time at Stearns
City Park or head north along M-116
and pull off at numerous locations
along the beach. M-116 terminates
at Ludington State Park. More
beach access is afforded at the state
park, and visitors can stroll the
beach all the way to Big Point Sable
Lighthouse and beyond. Dogs are
not allowed on those beaches, but
lovers of man’s best friends can go
south of Pere Marquette Lake and
let their pets frolic in the surf at
Buttersville Park.
Ludington State Park is
extremely popular during the
summer months with visitors to the
area who come to enjoy the hiking
trails, Nordhouse Dunes and access
to Hamlin Lake. Ludington State
Park is one of the busiest state parks
By Mike Gnatkowski
in Michigan. There are thousands
of acres of state and federal lands
in the area where vacationers can
hike, bike, bird watch and explore.
Hamlin Lake is an excellent
base of operations for a fishing
vacation. The Lake Michigan
launch at Loomis Street is only
a short distance away or you can
reserve a slip at the Ludington
Municipal Marina for your big-lake
boat. On blow days, you can fish
Hamlin Lake. Hamlin is famous for
its panfish, walleye and bass fishing
and its smorgasbord potential. Drag
a crawler or fish a leech under a slip
bobber and you never know what
you might catch. It’s a sure way to
keep kids busy and a smile on their
faces.
Hamlin’s Lower Lake reaches
depths of up to 70 feet with plenty of
weed edges and contours to attract
game fish. There are numerous
resorts and cottages for rent on the
lake. Two favorites are Waterside
Resort (www.watersideresort.com)
and Country Haven Resort and
Motel (www.countryhavenresort.
com). There are several motels in
Ludington that cater to anglers
5/8/2019 9:10:12 AM
 that offer late-checkout, reason-
able rates, ice and plenty of secure
parking for boats and trailers.
Anglers will like Nova Motel (www.
novamotel.com) and Villa Vista
Motel (www.vistavillamotel.com).
Whether it's art fairs, fishing
tournaments, parades, shopping,
water sports, concerts, canoeing,
restaurants and Friday Night Live,
there’s plenty to do during a summer
week in Ludington. Ludington
has some great eateries including
Chuck Wagon pizza (chuckwagon-
pizza.net), treat yourself to a waffle
cone at House of Flavors (www.
houseofflavors.com) and an outra-
geous stack of homemade French
toast at Old Hamlin Restaurant
(www.oldhamlin.com).
When it comes right down to it,
Above: Flashers and flies are one of the most productive combos for salmon when
fishing is the main reason to come
fishing out of Ludington. Left: Visitors come to Ludington to enjoy the spectacular
to Ludington. Ludington is close to
sunsets, and sometimes they catch a fish or two. Bottom: Steelhead can be found
some of the state’s most productive
over many lake depths out of Ludington.
streams and rivers. Some of the best
structure for attracting and holding plant more brown trout at ports like Fortunately, other species can
bait and game fish can be found off Ludington and Frankfort, brown make up for the dismal brown
Ludington, and the port is situated trout have all but disappeared. trout fishing. More and more lake
between two prominent points — Big “I want to catch a brown trout trout have been showing up in the
and Little Point Sable. The port also this spring," I told my friend, shallows in the spring, and a lake
provides quick access to deep water. Captain Doug Strzynski, after being trout in cold water on light line can
Salmonids don’t know boundary away from Michigan for the last 10 give a pretty good account of itself.
lines, so a lot of fish planted in years. According to many anglers, lake
Wisconsin end up off Ludington and “Me too!” he joked. Last year, in trout that have been eating gobies
vice versa. Naturally-reproduced 12 trips targeting brown trout out and smelt are much more palatable.
fish come back to where they were of Ludington, he caught seven fish.
spawned, so salmon and steel-
head raised in the Pentwater, Pere
Marquete and Big and Little
Manistee rivers amass
off Ludington in late
summer, early fall and
again the following
spring. Those naturally
reproduced fish have
become even more important
in recent years because of reduc-
tions in plants by the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources.
Most years,
there is enough
reproduction to
produce a good
salmon and steel-
head fishery.
Brown trout fishing
use to be a big draw for small-
boat anglers and pier anglers at
Ludington. In spite of efforts to

Spring 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 27

Summer 2019.indd 29 5/8/2019 9:10:14 AM

 Now that anglers can keep lake trout
year-round, they are a welcomed
addition to the spring catch.
Spring salmon are an enigma
at Ludington. Some years, they
show up in May and provide excel-
lent sport. Other years, they don’t
make an appearance until June or
even July — usually just before the
Ludington Sport Fishing Classic.
The key to having spring Chinooks
is water temperature: Water
temperature attracts baitfish, and
Chinooks follow the baitfish. It’s
a never-ending cycle. Consistent
south and southwest winds push
tepid surface water warmed by
strong spring sunshine into the
giant bay created by Big and Little
Point Sable. North and east winds do
the opposite. Reports of good fishing
in Grand Haven means Chinooks
Ludington is home to the largest charter boat fleet in the state. It is also a great city to launch your big-lake boat or to get a slip
at the marina to keep your salmon-fishing boat at the ready.
28 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 30
will be in Ludington a week to 10
days later. Anglers run south first
to Pentwater and Little Point Sable
then to intercept the kings.
King salmon zero in on
Ludington in late summer like a
bull’s eye on a dartboard. A substan-
tial portion of the salmon these days
have been spawned in local rivers
and are returning to procreate.
Some are stays from other plants
and other rivers and possibly
Wisconsin. With natural reproduc-
tion now producing the lion’s share
of salmon, anglers focus on the
waters from Ludington north where
the most significant contributions
to the fishery originated.
The area known as The Ledge is
a massive draw for maturing salmon
and salmon anglers. Between the
outlet of the Pere Marquette River
and Big Point Sable and beyond the
shoreline, dips and undulates out
to 70 feet from where the Lincoln
and Sable rivers enter the big lake
and then quickly plunges to 100, 150
and then 200 feet. Structure-loving
kings, as well as lake trout and
steelhead, stack up on The Ledge
to heard baitfish on one last feeding
binge. The schools of salmon attract
a mass of boats during August week-
ends. Savvy skippers slide into the
shallows before daylight as August
wanes and mature salmon hone in
on their natal streams. Battling a
feisty king in the shallows in the
gathering dawn is one of freshwater
fishing’s greatest thrills.
It’s about this time the
migrating Coho salmon show up,
too. In the past, Coho salmon were
only planted in Platte Bay, but the
5/8/2019 9:10:15 AM
 Ludington offers the opportunity for mixed-bag catches of trout, salmon, steelhead, perch and other warmwater species on
days that lake conditions aren't conducive to taking a boat out.
MDNR is now making plants in
other rivers, which may provide
for a more prolonged Coho fishery.
Planted as yearlings, Michigan
silvers spend the majority of their
life in southern Lake Michigan
and along the Wisconsin shoreline
before making a beeline across the
lake to Ludington in August.
The Ledge isn’t the only place to
catch summer salmon at Ludington,
though. Taking the path of least
resistance can result in big catches
and less hassle. “When in doubt,
go straight out” is a motto that
can pay big dividends. Anglers will
find structure in 100 feet of water
straight out of the harbor. Though
not as abrupt as the structure to the
north, the contour from 100 to 150
feet holds salmon and attracts fewer
boats. Similar fishing can be found
taking a southwest heading out of
the port to the 100-foot depths found
off the Consumer’s Energy Project.
Summer 2019.indd 31
Although there are fewer
salmon in the lake, the salmon
that remain seem to be bigger. Last
season, kings topping 30 pounds
were reasonably common. That is a
trophy in anyone’s book.
Steelhead are readily avail-
able near Ludington from June
through the summer until it gets
too cold to fish and again in the
spring. Steelhead sustained the
charter boat industry when salmon
numbers plunged in the early '80s,
and adventurous anglers discov-
ered the mother load of steelhead in
the middle of Lake Michigan. The
steelhead there are a hodgepodge
of rainbows from all over the lake.
They accumulate there during the
summer months. It’s not a long run
out of Ludington to reach 500 feet of
water where the summer rainbows
reside. Fall steelhead converge on
area river mouths and drowned river
mouth lakes like Pere Marquette
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 29
Lake. The steelhead are available to
boat and pier anglers. Spring finds
another surge of chrome steelhead
headed up area rivers.
Perch fishing at Ludington can
be hit or miss. When it’s good, it
can be excellent off the break wall
and near the Consumer’s Energy
Project. A strong year class of perch
from 2015 should provide some
decent perch fishing for the next
couple of years on Lake Michigan.
Whether it’s the opportunity
to take in a spectacular sunset
on the beach or off the back of a
boat, Ludington has a lot to offer
summer visitors. For more infor-
mation, contact the Ludington
Convention and Visitors Bureau at
www.pureludington.com or call
800-542-4600.
5/8/2019 9:10:17 AM
 No Such Thing
Kayak
as
Fishing

By Steve Griffin

30 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 32 5/8/2019 9:10:18 AM

 T
here’s no such thing as kayak
fishing.
At least no such single
thing. In Michigan, a variety of
species and settings are perfect
matches for the kayak.
We talk about kayak fishing
— sometimes even contract the
two words into kayakfishing —
as if it were a singular pastime,
easily defined. But in Michigan,
it’s a cluster of pursuits: Great
Lakes salmon and trout trolling;
inland lake angling for bass, pike
and panfish; river fishing adrift,
anchored or in waders, for trout,
salmon, smallmouths or others.
What they share is fishing inti-
macy, excitement and, sometimes,
economy. Kayaks offer a closeness
to the water that perhaps only
the wader-clad can understand.
A feeling of self-reliance perhaps
shared with the backpacker, who Kayak fishing doesn't always mean that you are restricted to chasing warm water
makes the most of the least. Self- or smaller species in lakes and ponds. The author's favorite type of kayak fishing
direction is valued by anyone who is for Chinook salmon on Lake Michigan.
has had to do — or not do — what- within a hollow cockpit, and sit-on, Muskallonge Lake, coho salmon
ever the captain says. which not surprisingly puts one from Lake Michigan off New Buffalo
I was just getting my feet (and, atop a sealed hull. You can fish from and other species elsewhere — and
yes, my seat) wet in plain-vanilla, either — but it’s far easier from a sit- yet, I’ve only scratched the surface
recreational kayaking nearly two on-top, with more rigging options of Michigan’s potential.
decades ago when, on a Lake Huron and freer movement. You get a little The last major consideration
beach, my wife and I watched a more wet, but you’ll likely catch is power: paddle, pedal or even
pair of young guys pull up, toss more fish. electric motor. I love a traditional
two plastic kayaks off their pick-up What about length and width? paddle and have learned to cover
and load them with gear. They told The longer and narrower the boat, distances, fine-tune fishing presen-
us they’d hammered lake trout the the quicker it moves and straighter tations, and battle and boat fish with
day before, and then they vanished it tracks. The shorter and wider, the a safety-leashed paddle in my hands
across the water. faster it turns and more stability it or across my lap. Others love pedal
Maybe my mouth hung open. offers. drives: like a drummer on a kit,
Perhaps my eyes glassed over. But Were I a specialist, I might pick one’s feet can do one task (power
my wife said softly, “I can tell what a longer boat for bigger water and the boat) while the arms do another
you’re thinking.” a shorter one for little places. But, (fish!). Electric kayak motors are
Within a month, I’d made some I’m a generalist; my boat is 15 feet very pricey and to me, transform a
truly fumbling forays onto small long, 28 inches wide, and in it, I am kayak into a powerboat.
ponds near home in a short, sit- comfortable pursuing Platte Bay’s Weight matters, too. My car’s
inside kayak and read a pioneering salmon on Lake Michigan, blue- luggage rack is rated for up to 100
book on kayak fishing and, a few gills on a no-name borrow pit and pounds, but my kayak’s roughly
weeks later, carried a sit-on-top smallmouth bass and walleyes in 60 pounds is all I want to hoist up
fishing kayak on my Subaru almost my hometown Tittabawassee River. there. A trailer is a popular option,
full-time, sliding it into an inland I’ve caught pike from the U.P.’s but I like the spontaneity that comes
lake, a river, or a Great Lake at
every opportunity. "But, I’m a generalist; my boat is 15 feet long, 28 inches wide, and in
And boy-oh-boy, do we have
opportunities. it, I am comfortable pursuing Platte Bay’s salmon on Lake Michigan,
But first, let’s leave some kayak
basics in our wake. bluegills on a no-name borrow pit and smallmouth bass and walleyes
Kayaks come in two configura-
tions — sit-in, the kayaker seated in my hometown Tittabawassee River."
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 31

Summer 2019.indd 33 5/8/2019 9:10:20 AM

 with a car-topped boat at the ready.
Where to fish from a kayak?
Truly, just about anywhere there’s
water. And in Michigan, that’s
almost everywhere.
The little boats — secure,
subtle and even sneaky, may shine
brightest on inland lakes. I love slip-
ping along a shoreline so quietly a
homeowner working on his lawn
jumps when he hears the splash
of the spawning crappie I’ve just
hooked.
I once snuck through a Wixom
Lake culvert, through which a boat
couldn’t have passed, to work a pod
of bedding bluegills no one but a
few property owners could cast to.
Never mind the spiders…. the ‘gills
were epic!
Spinning, spin casting and bait-
casting are little changed in a kayak,
while fly fishing is a bit tougher
because of the low-to-the-water
seated pose. Pivot the backcast a bit
higher or — and I don’t practice or
even recommend it — learn to stand
and fish.
On rivers, kayaks make great
transport and fishing platforms,
easily moving up, down or across
the current. Some favor a trolley-
rigged anchor, to stay in position
and fish a hole thoroughly; I prefer
free-drifting and then paddling back
upstream for another pass. Using a
kayak to hop-scotch from one wade-
able fishing spot to another works
well, too.
But when it comes to my kayak
fishing first love, it’s trolling, espe-
cially with Great Lakes trout or
salmon in the crosshairs.
A friend was fishing the pre-
dawn, Platte Bay surf in waders the
day I boated my first kayak Chinook.
He knew it happened without actu-
ally seeing the strike and the fight: I
was running full navigation lights,
and from a half-mile he saw their
movement speed double when the
king took off for Manitou Island,
pulling me behind on a freshwater
‘Nantucket Sleighride.’ When the
lights no longer moved, he figured
I’d either broken off or boated the
fish — a challenging task of its own,
sliding a hook-dangling Chinook
onto one’s
32 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 34
lap. But a fish brought boatside to or pedal boat festooned with rods
a kayak is typically exhausted, and in holders, armed with electronics,
this fish was well-hooked. secured by trolley anchor systems
I was grinning at the big fish in or shallow-water poles, all over-
the little boat. seen by a Go Pro or other camera
Troll crankbaits on a pair of systems. Besides budget-straining,
rods, one out each side of the boat; this all adds serious weight, espe-
the pull of a diving plug will twist cially when batteries are added.
your boat to one side unless coun- What do you really need?
tered by another. I love crankbaits Start safe: invest in clothing —
fished clean, but planers, trolling dry suit, wet suit, rain gear, what-
weights and even down-sized down- ever — that matches the conditions
riggers are options. under which you’ll fish — water,
Kayak fishing follows a predict- not air temp. Get a life jacket made
able progression: one purchases a for kayaking, and wear it. I carry a
kayak for its simplicity and light- throw rope, lights and emergency
ness — and then begins gathering signals, whether required by law on
gear that compromises both. today’s fishing waters or not.
You’ve seen the images: a paddle For fishing gear, start with rod
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5/8/2019 9:10:20 AM

Kayak fishing combines simplicity with efficiency, creating the perfect storm for an
intimate fishing experience.
holders: you need a safe, trouble-
free way to carry and fish with
expensive rods.
Navigational gear is a good
idea. If you're new to kayak fishing,
you’ll marvel at how much less of
the world you see from the water’s
level. It's kind of like ground-blind
deer hunting after hunting from
an elevated blind. Even though my
fishfinder/GPS combo rides along
on most trips, I still also carry a
hand-held, waterproof GPS, so
that fog, darkness or confusion
can easily be overcome, even if the
sonar’s battery runs out.
What about fish finders? They
add cost and, with their batteries,
weight, too. Then, there’s the hassle
of mounting transducers and
running cable.
I’ve got a Humminbird combo
unit on my sit-on-top kayak, and I’d
often be lost (truly and metaphori-
cally) without it on big waters. The
sonar keeps me apprised of water
depth, structure and the presence
Summer 2019.indd 35
(or lack) of fish. The GPS and chart-
plotting features keep me in the
know about where I am, where I’m
going and what’s along the way.
But the biggest job of my GPS
is speed monitoring. Each lure has
a speed at which it runs best. My
favorite Hot’n’Tots, for example,
work best for me at about 2 mph.
But my kayak loves to cover the lake
at nearly double that, paddling so
easily it takes real effort to go slow.
The GPS keeps me honest, and it’s
easier than watching rod tips pulse.
In shallow water, your trans-
ducer cone is too small to be of
much help marking fish. Still, reli-
able depth information can help you
trace drop-offs and other features
that likely hold fish.
But if you know your lake, and
don’t need to see fish to believe
they’re there, you can maintain a
free-spirit approach with an elec-
tronics-free kayak.
When mounting electronics
straight ahead or on gunnels, make
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 33
sure you can reach their controls
while they remain out of the way for
line rigging, paddling or pedaling
and fish fighting. Transducers can
be glued (and occasionally reglued)
inside the hull, mounted to shoot
down through specially-designed
scupper holes or suspended from
an arm reaching out from the side
of the boat. Influencing your rigging
choices is whether you want to be
able to strip the gear at trip’s end
for safe storage or use on another
watercraft.
And electrical power? Most
kayakers still use lead-acid
batteries, a minimum of seven amp
hours for short-day use, 10 to 20
amp hours for longer outings and
multiple days. Lithium batteries
are winning converts for their light
weight and steady charge — but
they do cost more. I’ve switched over
to a 15 aHr lithium battery that’s
small, light and powerful. I love
everything but its $125 price tag.
There are rods, life jackets and even
electronics designed specifically for
kayak fishing, and many sporting
goods stores have sections dedicated
to the sport. Regarding kayaks them-
selves, beware. For some makers the
addition of a molded-in rod holder
or two makes their discount kayak
an angling boat; higher-end boats,
often designed by veteran anglers,
are rigging-ready, plus often have
additional stability designed-in.
Where to kayak fish, you might
ask? Nearly any place that fish
swim.
My battles with Chinook
salmon, a three-hour drive from
my home, were nearly duplicated in
time and feistiness by a big catfish
in the Tittabawassee River three
miles from my driveway. In between
are a ton of bluegills and some great
river runs.
Each brand of kayak fishing is
its own special pursuit, and each
of them has its place in Michigan.
Your place? In the seat of one of
those fishing boats.
Call it all, or any part of it, kayak
fishing. Just don’t be surprised if
you wind up calling it your favorite
kind of angling.
5/8/2019 9:10:20 AM
 In the dark, anything
can happen;
Either Cupid or a monster might
The Hexagenia
Limbata starts
appear
hatching in mid-
June, and it can be
a favorite mayfly to
imitate in the dark
for Michigan fly
anglers.
“Y
ou and me going
fishing in the
dark,” wrote song-
writers Jim Photoglo and Wendy
Waldman. The Nitty Gritty Dirt
Band crooned the tune, and the world
began singing along.
And why not? The song had all the neces-
sary elements for a hit – spring, love and fishing.
What more could anyone ask for?
The song is almost a miniature version of
Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It
contains people outdoors at night who are bewitched by
love. The only major ingredient missing is the super-
natural elements Shakespeare included in his play. It
seems to me that Photoglo and Waldman implied super-
natural elements are at work at night, though. And
although the song isn’t necessarily set in Michigan, it
could be. The Wolverine state really is a magical place
where the song could have taken place. In fact, during
every summer, I daresay, such events do take place
here.
I don’t know if my dad ever heard the tune. He
wasn’t listening to the radio much by the time the song
was released. He was a big fan of fishing in the dark,
though. I know that.
Anyway, I don’t remember my dad doing a lot of
34 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 36
By Andy Duffy
fishing. He was always busy with his job, cutting grass,
gardening and doing a million other things. Dad was
nothing if he wasn’t responsible. He didn’t have a lot of
time to fish. He seemed more interested in hunting than
fishing. Still, he took time to teach his boys a little about
fishing. He took us out creek fishing for trout a time or
two, he took us lake fishing a handful of times and once
we floated the river that ran near our home. Plus, he
bought us fishing rods and was always happy to share
his knowledge with us. And, always in the background,
was the understanding that our father had once been
an avid angler. The fishing rods he had and his battered
old tackle box attested to that.
Dad was born in Flint in 1922. His dad worked in the
automobile industry. When a kid, I didn’t even under-
stand the historicity of that. Only 14 years had passed
since Henry Ford introduced his Model T. The auto
industry was still in its infancy. The way things were
going, though, Dad may have been raised a city kid.
Then the Great Depression struck. My granddad lost
his job, and the family moved up north to the rural area
where granddad grew up. There, the family eked out a
living. My dad worked with my granddad on farms and
in the woods. Dad learned how to drive a team of horses.
He learned to use a peavey and a cant hook. He also devel-
oped an interest in hunting (and fishing, too, apparently).
Dad graduated from high school in the spring of 1945.
5/8/2019 9:10:21 AM
 left in our driveway. They were fair
"I fished for several seasons without ever catching a bass. My game. Often after a shower, I would
dad, though, started telling me that I should use a black Arbogast tie an open safety pin to one end of
a piece of string and tie the other
Jitterbug and go fishing in the dark." end of the string to a stick. Then I
would stand for hours fishing in a
That was a remarkable achieve- could follow the tracks I found. puddle. I imagined subterranean
ment. He had missed a year of school Occasionally, I walked up on a rabbit. passageways that would bring
at some point because of a family It would sprint off, leaving me in the fish to me. Even today, I have
move, and he had planned to end awe of its speed and agility. Rabbits the same faith that if I’m patient
his schooling without a high school just reinforced my belief that rural enough, I might catch something.
education as so many did in those countrysides were special places. As I grew older, of course, the
days. When the opportunity to attend And somehow, I was bred to fish. rules governing the river loosened.
high school presented itself, though, Until I was in fifth grade or My brothers and I got fishing rods
Dad made up the year he missed and so, I knew better than to go near and, during our summer vacations,
graduated right when he should the river that ran behind our we would fish the river for hours on
have. Then, the following December, house. My parents warned me end. We didn’t catch much. A sucker
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. often of the danger it posed. was a prize. A little pike might occa-
Dad enlisted in the Navy and spent A different set of rules governed sionally strike one of our Dardevles,
the war years on a net tender in San my access to the puddles rainstorms but we were more apt to lose our
Francisco and on a destroyer in
the South Pacific. After the war, he
found employment in the automo-
tive industry, nearly lost a finger to
a punch press and decided he liked
life in the Navy better than life as a
civilian. He rejoined the Navy and
was in during the Korean War. He
was in Cuba and bought a fly rod
and a shotgun there. He got married
in 1950 and finally left the Navy for
good in 1952. Dad and Mom bought
27 acres of sandy land that lay
along a river, Dad went to work in
a factory, and I entered the picture.
Somehow, even when a kid, I
sensed the magic found in rural
living. My great uncle, who lived
on the old family place a few miles
away, was still driving a team of
horses. He worked for a nurs-
eryman in town, and he and his
team were perfect for working the
plot of land there. I didn’t know
the word, but I realized he was
living the life of a rustic. I was, too.
When I arose in the morning, sun
glistened on a vast expanse of dew
in front of our house. I didn’t think
a city kid could enjoy life nearly as
much as a country kid could. In the
winter, rabbit tracks lay across our
yard. Each morning that followed
a snowfall, I could see where the
rabbits had been the night before.
Rabbit tracks lay across the yards
of the city kids, too. But unconfined
by tiny plots of land that kept city
kids from tracking the rabbits, I

Summer 2019.indd 37 5/8/2019 9:10:21 AM


lures to the old pilings left in the
river from early bridges or to the
rocks that littered the river’s bottom
than to hook a fish with them.
I fished for several seasons
without ever catching a bass. My
dad, though, started telling me
that I should use a black Arbogast
Jitterbug and go fishing in the dark.
It’s not really news that people
fish even after the sun goes down;
anglers commonly fish for trout
and steelhead, crappies and catfish
in the dark. They spear suckers in
the dark. And, of course, people fish
for bass late. I’d never thought of it,
though. But I decided to give it a try.
In those days, it was a rare occa-
sion when any cash flowed my
36 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 38
direction. My money mainly came
from Christmas and birthday cards
and from the occasional odd job
someone paid me to do. And my
money always quickly disappeared
in the dark river winding by my
home. My tackle box was marked
more by its empty compartments
than by its full ones. Still, I often had
a Jitterbug. Topwater baits, they
didn’t get hung up on the bottom like
so many of my other lures did. And,
despite the tricks of the currents, I
could often steer them around the
old bridge pilings remaining from
pioneer days. Plus, because of dad’s
recommendation, when I did have
cash, I used it to buy a Jitterbug.
So, one summer evening after
the sun was down and every-
thing was dark, I wound my
way along the snake grass and
poison ivy-lined path to the river.
Even though the river rules had
loosened considerably since my
preschool years, I was still confined
to a 30-foot strip of sand bar at the
river’s edge. Upstream and down-
stream from the sandy edge, the
river sloped sharply into murky
depths, and the current was strong.
I knew the fishing rules were
there for my safety, and I obeyed
them. So, restricted to my narrow
strip of sand, I began casting.
The mosquitoes were eating
me alive, and I couldn’t ignore
them. I would swat, cast, reel and
swat some more. I made two or
three casts and was about to quit.
Before giving up, though, I made
one last desperation cast. In the
dark, I could hear my lure gurgling
my direction, but I couldn’t see it.
With my ears, I followed its progress.
The lure was right at my feet,
and I was about to lift it from the
water. Suddenly, though, an unholy
commotion rocked my world. Water
splashed. A turbulent maelstrom
opened at my feet, and I thought
it would suck me in. I was panic-
stricken. My heart leaped into my
throat. I knew I couldn’t escape
whatever monster was there.
My rod bent. Line zipped
through my line guides. I finally
realized I had a fish on. I played
it in. It was a smallmouth bass,
the first one I ever caught.
And right then, I knew the world
was a magical place, a place where
anything can happen. We talk
about pure Michigan. Well, that
was the essence of it right there.
That was years ago, but Michigan
remains a magical place. The magic
might come from falling in love
in the middle of the night just as
the songwriters wrote. Or, it might
come as a raging monster surging
from the water to devour a young
angler. No matter what happens,
though, Michigan is an enchanted
peninsula. Anyone who doesn’t see
the enchantments in the daytime
should just try fishing in the dark.
5/8/2019 9:10:21 AM
 Above: Nick Green, editor of Michigan Out-of-Doors, nets a trout during a nighttime fishing excursion. Below: Matt
Hildebrand understands the charms of bass fishing in the dark. He took this smallie from a central Michigan river.
Left: Vernon Duffy, the author’s father, served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. He returned to
Michigan, raised a family and recommended fishing in the dark.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 37

Summer 2019.indd 39 5/8/2019 9:10:22 AM

 'Go, Go, Go:'

By Isaac Ritchey

Summer 2019.indd 40 5/8/2019 9:10:23 AM

 High school senior finds time to groom young anglers for
tournaments, invest in Michigan bass fishing
D
an Brown, 18, sits on a brown leather couch in
his living room and is taken back to summer
weekends spent swaying on a 22-foot Starcraft
Islander in Grand Traverse Bay.
It is there, with his father Jeff, mother Kristen and
sister Erika, the Mount Pleasant native came to enjoy
the adrenaline rush he associates with hooking a fish.
“We used to have a pond in our yard with 5-foot
perch in it,” said Jeff, who fished professionally for six
years. “As soon as Dan could walk, he was out there on
the dock fishing.”
Over the last couple of summers, Brown has
competed in almost 30 local, state and national bass
fishing tournaments. He finished fifth in the Michigan
High School State Championship. In 2018, the high
school senior toured in Fishing League Worldwide as a
co-angler with professionals Clayton Reitz and Daniel
Houser. He was the youngest member of the tour.
Brown is also the founder of two bass fishing youth
clubs in Mid-Michigan — one at Mount Pleasant High
School and the other was started in his basement.
Brown said the clubs have allowed him to assist other
young anglers and answer questions as they begin
making their own bass fishing stories.
“When I was a kid, (bass fishing) was the coolest
thing — the pros wearing their jerseys and the cool bait-
casting reels,” Brown said. “That fascinated me more
than the older men in camouflage trolling through the
swamps on their walleye boats.”
Growing up, Brown and his father trolled cowbell
and spoon lures for big-water fish like salmon, whose
Michigan population is down 75 percent since 2012,
according to an article written by Randy Claramunt, a
DNR Great Lakes fishery biologist.
Brown’s fascination with bass fishing came about
as Salmon populations
dwindled and said he was “I want to make (bass fishing) grow,” Brown said.
introduced to competitive
bass fishing on YouTube. “Bass fishing is like the new NASCAR — it's huge in the
It was on the online video south and is moving its way up to Michigan."
site Brown began watching
professional bass fishermen
like Kevin VanDam.
“(The decline in salmon population) made fishing
hard, and I just wanted a different species to fish,”
Brown said.
Since being introduced to the sport, Brown has real-
ized there is a lot that goes into becoming a skilled bass
fisherman.
“There is a difference between skilled (bass) fish-
ermen and your ‘weekend danglers,’” he said. “For bass
fishing, there is a lot of science because of the biology
Summer 2019.indd 41
of the fish.”
During pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn, Brown
has found bass act and eat differently. Bass are also
influenced by water temperature and are not in the
same location year around, he said.
“You may go out in May, mark a big brush pile on
your fish-finder and catch a few fish, and then go back
in August and there is nothing there,” Brown said. “If
you know why, that is skill.”
Skilled fishermen do not only improve upon their
fishing technique, Brown said. They must learn water-
ways, baits, tackle and how to drive a boat at 70 mph.
Brown, who has participated in varsity sports through
high school, compared this to baseball players who are
always improving their skill sets and must learn how to
bat, field, catch and throw to be a great player.
“It’s not the most fit guy out on the lake, but the
smartest guy who is catching all the fish,” he said.
Tending to fellow fishermen
When Brown is not fishing in tournaments or
editing video from his fishing trips — a hobby he enjoys
— the fishing enthusiast is mentoring fellow anglers at
Mount Pleasant High School and in Mid-Michigan.
Brown wanted others his age to develop the same
passion he has for bass fishing and looked into creating
a high school bass fishing team. He soon realized a
bigger difference could be made at a club open to many
schools and age groups.
As a sophomore, the young fisherman started
Mid-Michigan Youth Anglers (MMYA). The club is now
the fastest growing bass fishing group in Michigan
with 35 members. The club holds monthly meetings for
sophomores, juniors and
seniors.
“I want to make (bass
fishing) grow,” Brown said.
“Bass fishing is like the new
NASCAR — it's huge in the
south and is moving its way
up to Michigan."
Through the club, the young anglers have spoken
with individuals and gotten to know the fishing industry.
More importantly, Brown said the club has allowed for
members to make connections with each other.
Brown has also benefitted from these connections
since he never had a friend whose passion for fishing
equaled his own. Brown said, through his club, he has
gotten to know people like Sawyer Woods, who is now
his best friend.
Woods, 18, said MMYA has opened a lot of doors for
Winter2019
Summer 2018| |Michigan
MichiganOut-of-Doors 57
Out-of-Doors 39
5/8/2019 9:10:23 AM
 Above: Dan Brown competes as a co-angler at Fishing League Worldwide's T-H Marine Bass Fishing League Tournament
June 9 at Mullett Lake. Brown and professional angler Clayton Reitz placed 33 out of 110 pairings at the tournament. Right:
Members of Mount Pleasant High School Bass Fishing Team receive their Favorite rods and baits from Googan Baits.
him and allowed him to fish in tournaments he would
not have otherwise. The high school junior finds his
relationship with Brown to be mutually beneficial.
“Dan, my god, he knows everything about the
fishing industry,” Woods said. “(Dan and I) have been
able to bounce ideas off each other, but I have learned a
lot from Dan."
Both Brown and Woods have stepped down from
their respective positions as president and vice presi-
dent of the club to focus on their careers and upcoming
summer tournaments.
Following the success of MMYA, Brown went to
Mount Pleasant school administrators in hopes they
would support the establishment of an official bass
fishing team. Due to Michigan High School Athletic
Association (MHSAA) rules and suspected liabilities,
the Mount Pleasant High School could not ordain the
establishment of an official club.
However, the school did allow Brown to form an
unofficial team, which shares the school’s name —
Mount Pleasant High School Bass Team. The team of
six competitors compete in state tournaments in groups
of two anglers on three separate boats.
Tournaments begin by shotgun fire, Brown said,
and boats are launched in order into the lake. Each
competitor is allowed five fish which can be substituted
by culling, a process of releasing a smaller fish for a
superior one.
The team’s first tournament is June 15 on lakes
40 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 42
Cadillac and Mitchell. Through his tournament fishing,
Brown also qualified the team for the Michigan state
championship on Lake St. Clair in August.
“I’ve fished (Lake Cadillac and Lake Mitchell)
before, but some of the guys on the team have no tour-
nament experience,” Brown said. “That’s why I created
the team. I wanted to provide that experience to them.”
With Michigan’s clean fisheries and abundance
of waterways, Brown believes Michigan could be the
first northern state to make bass fishing a recognized
varsity sport. Brown said he is helping lay the founda-
tion necessary to do so.
“Bass fishing is not sitting in a lawn chair
with a rod,” Brown said. “It is go, go, go 70 mph
and will take off once MHSAA recognizes it.”
Still a Student
Over the past couple of years, Brown said his career
as a fisherman has “exploded,” making it harder to
balance school. In class while others do their home-
work, Brown prepares for his future as a fisherman,
which sometimes gets him in trouble, he said.
Brown often completes assignments ahead of time
to fish and compete in tournaments. Other times, Brown
said his busy schedule makes it hard to get classwork
done at all.
“There are times where I have to be like, ‘OK, let’s
do some homework real quick,’” Brown said.
5/8/2019 9:10:23 AM Mic
 Despite a busy schedule, Brown said he is still a
typical high school senior suffering from senioritis.
Brown works at a local deli and enjoys interacting
with customers. When he is not working, Brown takes
his “dinky” car to the ponds outside Theunissen
Stadium — a baseball stadium on Central Michigan
University’s campus.
In the fall, Brown will begin studying marketing at
Michigan State. He feels comfortable with marketing
since all he has been doing for the past two years
is marketing himself to professional anglers and
companies.
Through his career as an angler, Brown has made
connections with individuals and brands like Favorite
Rods and Lure Lock. He said these relationships bring
his aspirations of working in the fishing industry closer
to reality.
While in the industry, Brown plans to work toward
becoming a professional angler.
“If I can go to school, run two youth clubs and fish
in tournaments, I think I can work a full-time job while
chasing my dream of becoming a professional fish-
erman,” Brown said.
While fishing in the Southern United States and
the Great Lakes Region, Brown has begun making a
name for himself. Still, he correlates his successes and
achievements to weekends spent fishing for panfish on
a 22-foot Starcraft Islander in Grand Traverse Bay.

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Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 41

Michigan
Summer Outdoors
2019.indd 43 ad.indd 1 10/29/18
5/8/2019 9:10:232:19
AM PM

The Great
Bait Debate
W
hat you’ll find in my
boat is never exactly the
same each and every
trip out, especially when
it comes to lures and live bait. While
I have just about every conceivable
contraption for catching fish on
board at all times, I usually have a
mindset before climbing aboard on
the tactics I’ll be using for the day
and will grab a little extra of what-
ever it is I think will catch fish. Some
days it’s a tackle tote full of specific
lures, other days it’s a cooler with
containers of crawlers and leaches
inside or a bucket of minnows.
Today’s tackle has many anglers
questioning if live bait is even neces-
sary, however. Lures donning life-
like looks and realistic movements,
as well the latest super-pliable soft
baits, fool fish more now than they
ever did. Heck, even innovating fly-
tiers are creating bugs, streamers
and the like that look more real than
the creatures they’re emulating with
today’s modern tying materials.
With that said, as an outdoor
writer and fishing guide, I’m on
the water more than the average
42 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 44
Joe and have concluded that
there’s a place for both artificial
baits and the real deal. The key is
using the right one for the tech-
niques your employing at the time.
Trending
“I don’t remember the last time
I’ve had live bait in my boat,” said
Ben Neilson, who fishes bass tour-
naments throughout his home state
of Michigan, as well nearby states,
including the BASS Open series.
“Then again, I cover immense
amounts of water during pre-fishing
and tournaments and need to use
lures that I can cover a lot of water
with, and that’s not the perfect
scenario for using live bait. And live
bait is not allowed to be used in the
majority of bass tournaments.”
Overall, the general rule when it
comes to using live bait versus lures
or flies is how fast your fishing.
When Neilson is in the bow of his
boat and fan-casting fast, it’s lures
like spinnerbaits, crankbaits and
jerkbaits that are what you’ll most
likely find tied to his lines. Once fish
By David Rose
are located, on the other hand, he’ll
slow down and fish tubes or crea-
ture baits; but he’s not still-fishing
those soft-bodied baits.
“Because of its buoyancy and
flexibility, however, I can fish baits
made from ElaZtech super slow and
know they’re looking nearly as alive
as the real thing,” Neilson adds.
ElaZtech is exclusive to Z-Man prod-
ucts and is remarkably pliable and
soft. “Baits made from this mate-
rial have about as-close-to-realistic
movement as anything phony
can, even when fished slowly.”
The real deal
Overall, live bait comes into play
when still-fishing, vertical jigging,
drifting and the like: methods where
fish have time to study your offering
versus striking out of reaction. And
the scent of the real deal also plays
a huge part in using it.
“Walleyes are some of the
pickiest fish that swim, and the
scent of live bait is sometimes what
it takes to get them to hit,” said
fishing pro Mark Martin. Martin,
5/8/2019 9:10:25 AM
 a Michigan resident, has fished
these fickle fish in just about every
waterway they swim in throughout
the United States and Canada, as
well placed high in the ranks in
several different walleye tourna-
ment tours. “You’ll find live bait in
my boat nearly all the time, just in
case the fish want something fished
very slowly. Is it a must? No, but
there are times when, say, a cold
front has passed through and the
fish become lethargic. Sometimes
tantalizing a fish in a negative mood
with a crawler, leach or minnow
is the only thing that will work.”
Cross-over
There are times when using
either real or fake baits for the same
tactic comes into play.
“Pulling crawler harnesses
(whether near bottom behind
bottom-bouncers or high in the
water column behind in-line planer
boards) is one of those techniques
where I’ll start with one and often
end up using the other,” said Martin.
In waterways where pesky panfish
Summer 2019.indd 45
are continuously tearing up night
crawlers on his rigs, for example,
Martin will often have to switch
live night crawlers over to Berkley
PowerBait or GULP! Crawlers. This
wards off having to endlessly reel
in and check to make sure there’s
still bait left on his hooks or to make
sure he’s not been dragging around
a small fish for a while.
“The good thing about the imita-
tions nowadays is they are scented,
and even the pickiest fish will strike
because of the added scent trailing
behind,” he adds.
And speaking of scent trails,
walleye pro Mark Brumbaugh, a
touring tournament pro from Ohio,
gave me a tip years ago that he uses
to increase his catch on crankbaits.
Brumbaugh pinches off a 1/2
to 1/3 piece of night crawler and
then fixes one end of that onto the
front hook of the crankbait. The
crawler chunk is forgiving so it
won’t hinder the action of the lure,
yet, that little piece is all that’s
needed to create a scent trail. This
really works well when trolling — it
gets fish that are following to strike.
Garden hackle
There’s been a great bait debate
amongst trout anglers since the
beginning of time: Is it more chal-
lenging to catch fish on a fly than
is with garden hackle (a worm)?
Perhaps the other way around?
Years ago, good friend and fly-
fishing expert Kelly Galloup told
me that it takes just as much skill to
catch a trout with a live worm as it
does to fool one with a fly. And I’ll
say that I have to agree. Again, it’s
knowing what to use for the condi-
tions at hand.
Years ago, for example, a buddy
told me he was struggling to catch
fish with live bait in a local river.
However, while he was fishing a
run, another angler waded by who
was fly fishing and was picking off
fish out of the very waters he had
just fished. The water was low, and
stable weather had a few tiny bugs
hatching. In this case, the trout were
looking up, targeting small insects
on the surface instead of paying
attention to the forage wafting near
5/8/2019 9:10:26 AM
 Left: Walleye Pro Mark Brumbaugh
holds a walleye that bit his crankbait
with a chunk of night crawler nipped to
its front hook.

The author, David A. Rose, is

a writer, photographer and
fishing guide who lives in the
Traverse City, MI area. You
can check out his website at
www.wildfishing.com.

the bottom. Had the weather been

different and the water roiled and
flowing faster, my bud’s worm tech-
nique may have out-fished anything
buggy. You just never know…

Examination
Is there really a great bait
debate? Seems the answer is no.
Whether you choose to fish with
lures, live bait or flies should depend
on the conditions at hand, as well as
the technique to employ. There’s a
place for both fake baits and the real
deal. I know nothing will change in
my boat; some days it’ll be a tackle
tote full of specific lures, other days
a cooler with containers of crawlers
and leaches inside or a bucket of
minnows.

44 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 46 5/8/2019 9:10:28 AM

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Summer 2019.indd 47 5/8/2019 9:10:28 AM

 How natural resources
policies are created
Part 1: The Natural Resources Commission
By Charlie Booher, MUCC Intern

Making policy is a complicated,

sticky process. There are lots of
people and institutions involved,
and all of them have a long history.
Thankfully, we can break these
procedures down into manageable,
bite-sized pieces. In the next three
issues of Michigan Out-of-Doors,
I will be examining the bodies that
govern our natural resources here
in the State of Michigan and how
they interact with each other. These
will include the Natural Resources
Commission (NRC), the Michigan
State Legislature and the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
(MDNR). This edition will highlight
the Michigan NRC — an institution
that is often misunderstood.
To start, an understanding The Natural Resources Commission presents Tony Demboski with the Thomas
of natural resource management L. Washington Lifetime Commitment to Conservation Award at the December
history might help: In the United meeting.
States, wildlife and sportfish are
held in a “public trust” that is state legislatures, as these bodies appointed, they are not required to
under the jurisdiction of each state are responsible for the creation of have backgrounds in wildlife or fish-
— that’s why you need a separate laws — more on how this institu- eries biology, ecology, agriculture
license to hunt in Wisconsin or Ohio tion is involved next quarter. Many or natural resource management.
if you drive across the border. Much of these legislatures, like ours here However, many of them do, and they
like a financial trust, the beneficia- in Michigan, decided at some point are appointed with recommenda-
ries or owners of the public trust that it would be more efficient to tions from the state Senate and the
do not manage the resources held delegate natural resource manage- MDNR. Each commissioner serves
within it; this responsibility is left to ment to an appointed body than for a term of four years. The first
a given “trustee.” With wildlife, the to make all decisions through the Michigan NRC was established in
beneficiaries are the citizens of the lengthy legislative processes neces- 1922 to oversee the state Department
state where that wildlife lives and sary for other laws. Thus, the NRC of Conservation, a precursor to the
the trustee is the government of that was born. current MDNR.
state. This means that, under most The Michigan NRC is a public As a whole, this autonomous
circumstances, the three branches body consisting of seven citizens body oversees the actions of the
of government that oversee the of the state. All seven members of MDNR at the discretion of the state
rest of the state (legislative, execu- the NRC are governor-appointed, legislature. In theory, this removes
tive and judicial) also oversee with the Senate holding advice and natural resource policy from the
these natural resources. Naturally, consent power over the appoint- politicking of the legislature and
most of this rulemaking fell to the ments. As commissioners are allows scientific research to guide

46 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 48 5/8/2019 9:10:30 AM


decision-making. However, this
decision was not made wholly by
the state legislature. In 1996, the
citizens of Michigan voted to adopt
the Michigan Wildlife Management
Referendum, also known
Proposal G. This ballot initiative
as
granted the Commission the exclu-
sive authority to regulate the taking
of game and sportfish. “Taking,” in
this case, includes the creation of
license quotas, season lengths and
bag limits. These are made with
recommendations from wildlife and
fisheries researchers within the
MDNR, outside research institu-
tions, including some of Michigan’s
15 public universities, and stake-
holders. As of 2016 (Public Act 382),
the NRC is authorized to designate
species as “game animals” and
establish the first open hunting
season for these animals. This
allows the commission to further
incorporate scientific research into
the responsible management of
these species.
All regulations are first
proposed to the NRC through
an order. Each order is an offi-
cial addition to the state Wildlife
Conservation Order, which
contains a complete listing of all
regulations and legal descriptions
pertaining to sportfish and wildlife
in Michigan. All orders are offered
before a public forum at each NRC
meeting. These are listed online on
the commission’s monthly agenda
as either “for information” or “for
action.” It often takes two or three
NRC meetings for an order to move
through the information process,
which includes an opportunity for
members of the public to weigh in.
During this time, many experts and
scientists will also testify to provide
the NRC with the best available
knowledge on the outcome of their
vote. Orders can be passed by a
simple majority of the commission
after being posted “for action.” All
regulations, including the length
of many of our hunting seasons,
fishing license quotas and the fine
print of hunting and fishing digests,
are decided by the NRC through
this process.
The NRC conducts monthly
Summer 2019.indd 49
NRC
public meetings throughout the
state of Michigan, and locations
will range from East Lansing to
Marquette in 2019. All of these
meetings are open to the public to
attend and make comments on the
business of the NRC. If you are
Commissioners
unable to attend in person, each
meeting is also streamed live online Keith Creagh
by MUCC via Facebook Live. Williamston, MI
The commission, like all other 517-290-7776
bodies of government, is subject to Appointed: 10/24/18
a variety of checks and balances by
the other branches. Commissioners Term Expires: 12/31/22
are appointed by the governor (exec-
utive) with the advice and consider- Louise Klarr
ation of the state Senate (legislative) Jackson, MI
in a process similar to the nomina- 248-417-5782
tion of judges. Likewise, the actions
of the NRC itself can be checked by Appointed: 12/28/12
actions of the state legislature or Reappointed: 12/16/16
by ballot initiatives. The MDNR is Term Expires: 12/31/20
checked by the commission, as the
orders of the NRC are directives for David Nyberg
the department, but the MDNR can
provide information and advice to Skandia, MI
the NRC for these orders. 906-250-6339
All of this is to say, at the very Appointed: 10/08/18
least, that policy-making is compli- Term Expires: 12/31/22
cated. Wildlife policy-making is
especially complicated because it
requires a combination of ecolog- Vicki J. Pontz, Chair
ical science, complex economic Ionia, MI
systems, administrative experience 517-643-2295
and knowledge of state politicking. Appointed: 12/31/13
However, this cannot and should Term Expires: 12/31/19
not discourage us as citizens who
care about the natural resources of
this great state. Conservationists Rex Schlaybaugh, Jr.
have engaged themselves in this Harbor Springs, MI
process because it is fundamental 313-377-0152
to the places, species and heritage Appointed: 1/05/12
that we love.
I hope that this article has given Term Expires: 12/31/19
you a better understanding of the
NRC and that you will continue Chris Tracy
reading this series in the next issues Richland, MI
to learn more about the role of the 269-806-7380
MDNR and the state legislature in
this process. MUCC works closely Appointed: 12/16/16
with all three of these institutions Term Expires: 12/31/20
to conserve, protect and enhance
Michigan's natural resources and John W. Walters
outdoor heritage. Will you join us? Vanderbilt, MI
231-313-0057
Appointed: 12/21/17
Term Expires: 12/31/21
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 47
5/8/2019 9:10:30 AM
 The 'Longtail King'

By Nick Green

T
here’s two kinds of duck hunters in Michigan; shotgun pointed up and moving back and forth meant
well, maybe three: Those who hunt puddle ducks, crippled bird on the water and two hands up meant
those who hunt divers and the third group who come to me.
partakes in any duck hunt available. I fancy myself a Schnautz set McKeon and I up about 40 yards apart
member of the third group. in our layout boats. Trying to gather my sea legs, I
Last November, MUCC Education Director Shaun moved around, squirmed and did all I could do to see
McKeon and I had the opportunity to hunt on Saginaw Captain Stephen Schnautz, owner of R & D Guide Service,
Bay out of layout boats with Captain Stephen Schnautz, displays a drake longtail after retrieving the bird in the
“the Longtail King” and owner of R & D Guide Service. tender boat.
Schnautz is a gruff fellow whose enthusiasm for all
things ducks is contagious and inspiring.
Despite some early morning hiccups because of
frozen throttle cables and a trip to the car wash to
get things thawed, we made our way out in 25-degree
weather with moderate winds. Schnautz motored us
about four or five miles out of the Au Gres launch and
began to set up.
If you are a waterfowl hunter and haven’t had the
opportunity to hunt out of layout boats, I suggest you
try to arrange a trip with someone to do it. Essentially,
layouts are small, floating saucers with a low profile
that the hunter lays in. Decoy strings are then attached
to the front of the layout and strung off the front with a
heavy anchor weighing the end of the master line down
about 20 yards or so in front of the layout.
After some safety recommendations, Schnautz went
through gun motions after a bird is taken. A shotgun
straight up in the air meant dead bird on the water,

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Summer 2019.indd 50 5/8/2019 9:10:32 AM

 what the boat was capable of. It was not tipping over.
The key to layout hunting is knowing when to sit up
and take the 50-mile-per-hour-flying birds as they race
down your decoy lines. Before we knew it, we had both
emptied a box of shells with only a bird or two to show
for it.
We quickly learned to not let the birds decoy
because once they land, the bobbing waves make it
extremely difficult to find them. We had several birds
that decoyed perfectly, but we lost them in the waves
after they had landed. “Take them when their feet come
down,” Schnautz said.
After a quick move by Schnautz to get McKeon’s
layout a little closer to mine, we were in the action.
Birds came from head-on, behind us and the sides —
pretty much everywhere but above us.
Another unique trait about most divers is they fly
low, 10 feet or so, to the water. As a more experienced
puddle duck hunter, I had to train my eyes to look out in
front of me, not out and up like we do in marshes when
mallards and other dabblers are circling.
After becoming more comfortable in the layouts,
both McKeon and I started to actually make quality
shots. We picked our birds and the angles that we
thought would yield success. Waves of birds started
to run up our decoy strings and getting the bead out
in front of them became the next challenge. A two- or
three-foot lead was needed in some cases.
Despite our awful shotgunning, Captain Schnautz
didn’t lose his patience. He worked with us, helped us
with friendly tips and provided humor to help us not
feel so bad for the missed shots. Above: MUCC Education Director Shaun McKeon displays a
If you are in the market for a longtail hunt this fall drake longtail that is currently at the taxidermist. This was
or if you haven’t ever had the chance to hunt out of a McKeon and Green's first hunt out of layout boats. Below:
layout boat, look up Captain Stephen Schnautz with R Green hunkers down in the layout boat as Schnautz gets
& D Guide Service. Stephen guides year-round through ready to set up the other layout for McKeon. Layouts are
the ice, on the Detroit River and Saginaw Bay for perfect for diver duck hunting because of their low profile
Walleye and in the marshes and on the Bay for ducks. and stability.

Summer
SUMMER |2019||Michigan
2017 2019
Summer Michigan
MICHIGAN OUT-OF-DOORS
Out-of-Doors 4947
Out-of-Doors 49

Summer 2019.indd 51 5/8/2019 9:10:34 AM

 MUCC & Partners Host Second
Annual Habitat Series
By Morgan Warda, MUCC Wildlife
Cooperatives Coordinator

Michigan United Conservation

Clubs once again partnered with the
Michigan Department of Natural
Resources (MDNR), Farm Bill biolo-
gists and other stakeholders to host
five wildlife habitat and conser-
vation-related workshops. These
workshops took place in Farm Bill
biologist coverage counties, specifi-
cally Lenawee, Branch, Lapeer,
Gratiot and Tuscola. There was
interest expressed from multiple
parts of the state, and we hope to
expand the series in the future.
The workshops were created to
have a cohesive feel by the partners
mentioned above – each one followed
the same agenda. Our goal was to
have the same message presented
to each audience. We created the
agenda together and worked on Michigan can help you determine recreational areas and other public
topic presentations in groups. Each what conservation practices would lands.
workshop included a discussion on have the most significant impact on As a group, the MPRI’s focus
why grasslands are important, the your land. on habitat has helped restore more
benefit of wildlife cooperatives, how To ensure that all partici- than 7,500 acres of grassland acres
to implement and manage grass- pants received the most relatable in 2018, planted 11,500 acres of food
land habitat and what programs are information to their situation, plots and enhanced 2,700 acres
available to assist landowners. workshops included staff from of wetland habitat, among other
The intent of this series was to Natural Resources Conservation accomplishments. One of the note-
highlight grassland habitat and its Service, Michigan Association worthy moments late in 2018 was
value to Michigan’s wildlife and of Conservation Districts and the MPRI Coalition applying for and
water, along with how private land- Pheasants Forever. The partner- receiving approval for 40,000 acres
owners can produce high-quality ships present are a perfect example of CRP State Acres for Wildlife
habitat on their properties and of the work put forth by the Enhancement (SAFE). SAFE is
who they can work with to do so. Michigan Pheasant Restoration an enhanced version of the CRP
Workshops had representation from Initiative (MPRI). program that focuses on habitat for
each partner to offer diverse knowl- MPRI is a conservation initia- wildlife. Just over 10,000 acres were
edge to participants that ranged tive put in place to restore and contracted through the program
from small scale acreage to large enhance pheasant habitat, increase for 2019 and will benefit pheasants,
agricultural producers. One of the wild pheasant populations and monarchs, mallards and other
most important things to remember increase hunting opportunity on grassland wildlife. This program,
is that you may be influencing public and private lands. Together, along with many others, was a topic
habitat differently than others, but these partners acquire state and discussed at this year’s Habitat
your contribution is still significant federal resources to assist land- Series. The Farm Bill biologists
— the more quality habitat on the owners in their pursuit to improve work directly with participants and
ground, the better. The network of wildlife habitat on their properties support them through the entire
professionals that is available in and by improving state game areas, program process.

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Summer 2019.indd 52 5/8/2019 9:10:35 AM

 Another facet of MPRI that
was discussed at the Habitat Series
Workshops was the Michigan
Wildlife Cooperatives Program.
This program is supported by
MUCC, MDNR, Pheasants Forever
and the Quality Deer Management
Association to promote the creation
and expansion of wildlife coop-
eratives in the state. With a focus
on private lands, the cooperatives
program unites like-minded people
in a geographic range and helps
them work together to improve
habitat to benefit a variety of wild-
life and pollinators. This program
falls under the umbrella of MPRI
and works directly with those
partners to further success of the
initiative.
More than 150 individuals
attended the Habitat Series
Workshops this year – with an
average of 33 people per workshop.
Thank you to those that participated
Summer 2019.indd 53
and expressed interest in wildlife
habitat. The professionals engaged MPRI by the numbers
in this series are motivated and
passionate individuals, but it takes
landowners such as yourselves to
make a large, private land impact on
conservation.
7,500
Partnerships in conservation is acres of grasslands restored
not a new concept. As individuals
and separate entities, we can make
strides, but together we are able
to meet the expectations of our
personal missions while sharing 11,500
a vision. That shared vision is the
definition of conservation.
acres of food plots planted
Grasslands are a sensitive
part of our ecosystem that is both
aesthetically pleasing and critical
to wildlife and water quality. If you 2,700
are interested in working on habitat
within your community or need acres of wetland habitat
guidance on where to get started,
contact Morgan Warda, MUCC improved
wildlife cooperatives coordinator, at
mwarda@mucc.org or 517-346-6454.
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 51
5/8/2019 9:10:35 AM
 Greenwing Customs:
By Nick Green

52 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 54 5/8/2019 9:10:36 AM

 T
he lathe whirled as he
pressed his wooden-
“There’s an intimacy and a story behind each of the calls I turn by hand.
handled shapers into the People will always want that — they want that story and heritage that
block of acrylic. The dull
hum of the lathe and rhythmic ‘tap,’ has built who they are as waterfowlers on their lanyard.”
‘tap,’ ‘tap’ from the acrylic pieces
in the marsh ended for the season and it keeps me thinking about that
hitting the window above him
and the last Canada goose made its next cupped up mallard decoying or
sounded like a metronome keeping
pilgrimage south. longtail buzzing the diver spread.”
time.
He bought a bargain lathe There aren’t many 24 year
Dimly lit, the shop hadn’t quite
and started turning. More than olds that have the work ethic and
woken up with the songbirds and
100 faulty calls litter his shop, old drive of Chedister. From founding
pheasant cackles that morning. A
lanyards and his shelves — they are Greenwing Customs to investing
small lamp sat on the worn work-
a reminder of the time, effort and in better equipment to further his
bench beside him — shining its light
failures that it took to achieve his craft, one can’t help but view him
on what would soon be artwork or
own unique sound. as an old soul with an unparalleled
a utilitarian tool in the right hands.
It took Chedister two years — work ethic; he’s the kind of person
‘Quack,’ ‘quack,’ ‘quack’
and lots of equipment upgrades you want to watch the marsh wake
sharply broke the shop’s silence.
— to develop the perfect rasp and up with and have next to you when
“Just right,” he said, as he set
responsiveness he wanted in his the mallards start circling.
the turned piece of acrylic aside.
calls. Greenwing Customs was born. Turning calls has taught
“There’s a science to this and a little
After his day jobs at General Chedister patience, too. Patience
bit of knowing what you want,” he
RV as a lot transportation specialist that has translated into all aspects
said as he grabbed a reed and cork
and as a furniture-delivery man at of his life — relationships, family
out of a drawer.
night, Chedister makes his way to and duck hunting.

Built from the ground up

his grandparent’s garage where his “It used to be that I couldn’t sleep
“Competition or easy-
shop is portioned off. at night thinking about the hunt
blowing,” he asked. “Whatever I
“I spend lots of nights out here the next morning, what our spread
can make sound good,” I replied.
until one or two,” Chedister said. “I would look like and how many
“Easy-blowing it is,” he said.
never have a bad time when I’m here, ducks we would take,” Chedister

Starting with a block

Brandon Chedister, 24, has been
turning duck calls since he was 20.
Through trial and error, he has
crafted a sound that was proofed by
friends and family — all of whom
are serious waterfowl hunters.
Chedister started duck hunting
at 18. Accompanying his stepfather,
Dean Noble, on Saginaw Bay and the
surrounding marshes soon became
his penance. He placed decoys, sat
quietly and listened. And then he
listened more — trying to absorb
everything he could from the old
guard.
At 20, Chedister decided he
wanted to try and turn duck calls
— if nothing else, at least for some-
thing to do once the last sunrise

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 53

Summer 2019.indd 55 5/8/2019 9:10:37 AM

 said. “And, after turning (calls) for
a while, something changed in me:
it was about the experience and
journey, not the kill-strap’s weight.”
In just over four years, Chedister
has started to build a cult following
and has turned several hundred
calls — each marred by the imper-
fections only hand-turning can
bring.
Plans are in the works to start
offering acrylic, precision-turned,
machined calls in the next year.
Chedister has found a shop to take
his favorite calls’ specs and repro-
duce them into something auto-
mated machines can build.
“I don’t think I will ever get
completely away from hand-
turning, though,” Chedister said.
“There’s an intimacy and a story
behind each of the calls I turn by
hand. People will always want that
54 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 56
— they want that story and heritage
that has built who they are as water-
fowlers on their lanyard.”
Plans to start a website and sell
more branded gear are also in the
works. And Chedister’s savvy busi-
ness sense will pay dividends for
him in the future.
The fine-tuning
Through all of Chedister’s trials
and tribulations, though, his friends
and family have been his worst
critics.
“I remember an old guy I hunted
with telling me a call I turned was
junk and it better served its purpose
at the bottom of Saginaw Bay,”
Chedister said. “That’s the stuff that
drives me.”
In his free time, Chedister also
trains retrievers. An industrious
man, there isn’t much Chedister
isn’t willing to tackle in the world
of waterfowling. It wouldn’t be
a surprise to see him in 20 years
with his own, well-known retriever
program, kennel and duck call
business.
Last fall, I was fortunate enough
to accompany Chedister on several
hunts. To learn the proper way to
call from someone rooted in the
tradition of call making is an oppor-
tunity that has shaped who I am as
a hunter and caller.
Hand placement, cadence and
air flow all were covered by 7 a.m.
on our first hunt.
“Keep blowing,” he said. “You’ll
get it.” And I soon did.
And just like that, the flip was
switched on the lathe. It came to
a slow halt. He unscrewed the
mandrel and pulled the unpolished
5/8/2019 9:10:39 AM
 block off, examining it under the
lamp next to him. “Not perfect, but
it will quack,” he said. “Then again,
none of them are perfect. And that’s
why they are all unique.”
Handing me the call, he asked
me to blow a greeting call and
several quick quacks. Quickly, he
pulled out the barrel, took off the
reed and cork and started to sand
on the tone board all in one motion
— almost like he knew exactly what
it needed.
“There,” he said, “that’s tuned
to you.”
The smell of polisher stung my
nostrils as Chedister wiped a small
coat on the call. After one final
inspection, he declared it finished
and fit for a lanyard.
To find out more about
Greenwing Customs or to order
one of these Michigan-made, hand-
turned calls, visit the company’s
Facebook page.

Summer
Summer 202019
19 | |Michigan Out-of-Doors 5555
MichiganOut-of-Doors

Summer 2019.indd 57 5/8/2019 9:10:41 AM

 Ladies, Guns and Roosters
M
arch is a trying time for lovers of the
outdoors in Michigan: winter is on its way
out the door and spring tugs away at our
need for sunshine and greenery. This year,
I had a chance to welcome March with a new opportu-
nity, as my Llewellin setter pup Chip and I were on our
way to our first ladies hunt. Anxiously packing gear for
the dog and I the night before, I realized that I had not
had many opportunities to hunt with women who share
similar passions in hunting and wingshooting.
Chip and I braved a fierce snowstorm as we left home
in the northwoods. Although I questioned whether
the bad road conditions were worth it, I had a feeling
that this would be a unique experience that I did not
want to miss. We were headed to Crooked Foot Upland
Game & Bird Hunting Club in Owosso to meet a group
of 14 ladies of varying hunting experience levels. Kim
www.michiganoutofdoors.com
56 || www.michiganoutofdoors.com
56
Summer 2019.indd 58
By Heather Shaw
Capone, Crooked Foot club assistant, and Sandra Meyer,
Mid Michigan Safari Club International representative,
had invited me to join them on a ladies European hunt
followed by lunch and a walk-up hunt in the afternoon
— I didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation.
As we arrived, I let Chip out to stretch his legs,
and a diverse group of bird dogs that participants had
brought greeted him. I immediately knew that I was
going to fit in with this group of girls and gundogs.
After introductions, a safety discussion and an oppor-
tunity to brush the dust off of our shooting skills for
the winter, we headed out for the European hunt. I had
never participated in a tower shoot and was not sure
what to expect; however, I was pleasantly surprised with
the number of shooting opportunities followed by hoots
and hollers from the ladies. I laughed the entire time
while harvesting several pheasants and missing even
5/8/2019 9:10:45 AM
 more, thrilled to smell gunpowder again. The retriever
work by the Crooked Foot team was nothing short of
fantastic by both dogs and handlers — the majority of
the retrievers were labs of varying ages and experience
levels, and each of them was eager to get the next bird
in their mouth.
Over lunch, our sponsors for this event were recog-
nized and the list included Crooked Foot, Safari Club
International, J&B Boots, the Ruffed Grouse Society
and the Wealth Advisory Group. Sponsors provided
prizes to be raffled, as well as scholarships which
covered hunt costs for our new hunters. This was a
great way to encourage participation!
Following a wonderful lunch, we split up and
headed to the field for a walk-up hunt to pursue the
birds which eluded us in the morning. I wanted to
take this opportunity to train Chip on a few brazen
Summer 2019.indd 59
pheasants and branched off with a new acquaintance
Teresa Arnett who wanted to do the same with her
English setter, Prim. I was very impressed with the
way that Prim worked, as she had only been hunted a
handful of times since Teresa brought her home as an
adult dog — she was a natural. Walking through the
switchgrass, we talked about training successes and
failures while watching the dogs work independently
from one cover to the next. It was obvious that the dogs
were thrilled to be back in their element; there was a
bounce in their stride and their senses were exploding
with the scent of birds. It is important to note that Chip
and I finished the grouse season last year hunting up to
the last day in December, where to my dismay he had
busted a few birds. We still have a lot of ground to cover
with training, but I am confident in my adolescent bird
dog's drive and ability. That being said, I was hopeful
Summer
Winter2019
2018| |Michigan Out-of-Doors 57
MichiganOut-of-Doors 57
5/8/2019 9:10:48 AM
 a passion and bonded over our love for the outdoors.
The hunting community needs more of that; we need to
be better, and we can be better.
I walked into this event not knowing anyone and left
with 14 new friends that I cannot wait to join in the field
again. Cheers, ladies — until next time.
Heather Shaw is the Regional Wildlife Biologist
for the Ruffed Grouse Society in Michigan. When not
working, she spends her time in the forests of northern
Michigan with her Llewellin setter, Chip, exploring
new covers and enjoying all that the northwoods have
to offer.

Women are the fasting growing

demographic among hunters. In a world
where we are rapidly losing the old
guard, it is more important than ever to
include everyone, from all walks of life,
into our sport.

that he would provide a solid point and an opportunity

at a rooster following three long months of hiberna-
tion. Luckily, things clicked as we worked the edge of
a swale. Chip slammed on point and Prim immediately
honored! In the moment, all I could do was ask Teresa
to take a picture while I "whoaed" Chip. Teresa and I
walked away grinning ear to ear, knowing that we had
harvested the best bird of the day for ourselves and our
beloved gun dogs.
Following the hunt, the parking lot was full of
ladies with birds in hand, laughing at my horrible jokes
and telling stories while the dogs played around us. My
heart was full; I had found my tribe.
When Kim Capone and Sandra Meyer envisioned
this event, they aimed to provide a fun and comfort-
able environment for hunters of all experience levels,
and it did just that. Kim Capone said it best when
mentioning that 14 women, most whom had never met
before, bonded immediately over their shared passion
and interest for hunting. Six women, including Capone,
had never hunted before, and I can guarantee that this
will not be their first and only experience. Still, why
was this hunt so different, why was I still glowing on
the long drive home? Normally, I hunt alone, a soloist
through and through. I have started to hunt with other
friends when I can, and I am realizing that nothing
compares to time in the field with good friends and bird
dogs. At this event, we lifted each other up rather than
cast judgment, we encouraged each other to be the best
that we could be and earned our salt as female hunters.
We welcomed those new to hunting with open arms and
a day full of non-stop, wingshooting action. We shared

58 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 60 5/8/2019 9:10:51 AM

 Subscribe, become a member and get MUCC and
Michigan Out-of-Doors gear at www.mucc.org
and www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Get Michigan Out-of-Doors

by becoming a member of
Michigan United
Conservation Clubs
Visit www.mucc.org/join_mucc
or
Call Sue Pride at 517.371.1041

Affiliate Club members: Ask the person at your club who handles
membership about subscribing to the print edition
for a discounted rate.

Summer 2019.indd 61 5/8/2019 9:10:52 AM

 U.P Predator-Prey Study
By Jacob VanHouten
A
s if holding a semi-conscious
coyote that had been
trapped (leg-hold), sedated
and repeatedly sampled, poked
and prodded by scientists from
Mississippi State University wasn’t
thrilling enough, I had to endure
watching two large ticks crawl from
the coyote to my arm. The coyote
was covered with them.
Being a biologist as well as an
outdoor writer, I was doubly inter-
ested in the study that had just
started the year before. As part of
a group of outdoor media attending
a Michigan Outdoor Writers
60 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 62
Association (MOWA) summer
meeting in Marquette (June 2010),
I was lucky enough to observe and
take part in some of the sampling
activities being conducted at that
time by the university researchers.
Other than being surprised to see
“MSU” not being of the Spartan
variety, I was however familiar with
the techniques and methods being
used in the study. These included
trapping with leg-hold traps (I
am a life-long trapper), collaring
and telemetry, and predator-prey
relationships.
The process of trapping the
coyote is only the beginning. The
captured victim must feel quite
confused after being sedated. At that
time, the coyote has blood drawn, a
tooth extracted for aging, a telem-
etry collar attached, a numbered
ear tag inserted, an anal thermom-
eter reading is taken, as well as
weighing and other data collection.
No wonder the coyote I helped
sample looked somewhat dazed
and confused, wondering what the
heck happened and proceeded to
kick back for quite a while before
slinking off into the brush… with a
little extra “bling” around his neck.
5/8/2019 9:10:53 AM
 Research into deer fawn predation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
has been on-going since 2009 and continues as of this date. This important
study has included a phased approach, with Phase I (2009-2011) taking place
in the low-snowfall zone; Phase II (2013-2015) in the mid-snowfall zone; and
Phase III, which started in 2017, in the high-snowfall zone. The last phase
has been undertaken by SUNY (State University of New York). All of this is
being conducted in cooperation with the MDNR, as well as Phase III being
sponsored by the Campfire Program in Wildlife Conservation (NY State
Dept. Environmental Conservation).
The primary focus of the study involves tracking (radio collar/telemetry)
to determine fawn predation from predator species that include coyotes,
bobcats, wolves and bears. With the first two phases of the study completed,
data indicates that for the low-snowfall zone, coyotes were responsible for
32 percent of the killed fawns that were collared , while bobcats killed 18
percent and wolves 7 percent; with bears taking only approximately 5
percent (12 percent were from “unknown” predation). In the mid-snowfall
zone, bear predation was about even with coyotes (between 4 and 17 percent).
Researchers are still collecting data for the high-snowfall zone near Baraga.
It was noted that coyote-fawn predation numbers dropped by half
between the low- and mid-snowfall zones while wolf numbers doubled. It
will be interesting to determine the impacts of predator species at the conclu-
sion of the study. Stay tuned as this important work continues to further
assess predator impacts to Michigan’s deer population. For further informa-
tion, including zone descriptions and other details, check out the Campfire
Program in Wildlife Conservation (part of the State of NY Department of
Environmental Conservation) at: www.campfirewildlife.com/projects/
predator-prey/the-study.

Left: Biologists and researches work efficiently and fast because as sedation wears
off, the animal can become stressed. Below: Researches and biologists extract a
tooth in order to age the coyote during the U.P. predator-prey study.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 61

Summer 2019.indd 63 5/8/2019 9:10:54 AM

 MUCC set to kickoff
On the
Water
in 2019
By Nick Green, MUCC Public Information Officer
Michiganders will soon be filling recycling bins and
dumpsters and improving aquatic habitat through a
new program called On the Water (OTW).
Through a Consumers Energy Foundation Planet
Awards grant, Michigan United Conservation Clubs
(MUCC) received $100,000 to kick-start this OTW initia-
tive — a spin-off of the organization’s wildly-popular
On the Ground (OTG) program.
Since 2013, MUCC has been improving public lands
through volunteer stewardship at OTG events. In 2018,
the program logged more than 3,000 volunteer hours
and positively impacted more than 600 acres of habitat.
But, because OTG is funded through a memorandum
of understanding with the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources Wildlife Division, project scopes are
limited to game species, their habitat and hunter access
— leaving a whole world of opportunity on the water.
Freshwater is Michigan’s No. 1 natural resource,
and connecting people to our resources is at the core of
who MUCC is as an organization, said MUCC Executive
Director Amy Trotter.
"Creating a stewardship between Michiganders
and their lakes, rivers or streams will help promote
62 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 64
better habitat for wildlife, fish and recreationists,"
Trotter said. "If we can connect volunteers to their
waterways as anglers, hunters, canoers or kayakers, we
are creating a true appreciation of Michigan's greatest
natural resource: freshwater."
The OTW program will span 10 to 12 projects
throughout the next 18 months and cover all corners
of the state. Currently, MUCC has been completing
two river clean-ups a year on the Manistee and Clinton
rivers. Both of those programs will be rolled into the
new OTW program. The program will operate almost
exclusively on volunteer hours, and MUCC looks
forward to engaging and diving in with volunteers.
OTW is much deeper than just river clean-ups,
though. Our Great Lakes, inland lakes and streams will
also be impacted by the program. An educational piece
will accompany the program, helping volunteers under-
stand the best ways to recycle and why it’s important.
MUCC Education Director Shaun McKeon also
applauded Consumers Energy and their five-year envi-
ronmental goals of:
1) Saving 1 billion gallons of water
2) Reducing waste to landfills by 35 percent
3) Enhancing, restoring or protecting 5,000 acres of
land in Michigan
5/8/2019 9:10:55 AM
 MUCC is seeking organizations or businesses to
partner on the OTW program though sponsorships,
volunteerism and promotions. For more information,
contact Trotter at atrotter@mucc.org.
Check back with www.mucc.org in the coming
months to see what OTW projects will be happening
near you.

“For a corporation as big as Consumers Energy

to understand the need for, and take the initiative in,
healthy, vibrant natural resources speaks volumes to its
character,” McKeon said. “Each small impact made by
these grant recipients will, in the end, create a cleaner
and improved resource.”
Currently, MUCC is seeking applications for the
On the Water coordinator position. Please email your
Pictures are from an OTG project cleaning up the Clinton
resume, cover letter and references to McKeon at
River in July 2017. MUCC is excited to expand its public-land
smckeon@mucc.org. The job description can be found
improvement footprint through On the Water.
at mucc.org/staff/careers/.

"Education is your best defense"

DO A TICK CHECK
These guidelines should be followed during tick removal
1. Use fine point tweezers and protect bare hands
with a tissue or gloves to avoid contact with tick
fluids.
2. Grab the tick close to the skin. DO NOT twist or
jerk the tick, as this may cause the mouthparts to
break off and remain in the skin.
3. Gently pull straight up until all parts
of the tick are removed. You may
Ticks are becoming an increasing have to tug gently several times.
4. After removing the tick wash your hands with soap
problem in our woods and or waterless based hand rubs. Clean the tick bite
backyards. Be aware of the with an antiseptic such as an iodine scrub, rubbing
diseases they can spread and alcohol, or water containing detergents.
Please save the tick for testing. Call 888-784-5963 for
how to prevent them. instructions.
Common Symptoms
Headache * Flu-like Symptoms * Fever * Fatigue
1-888-784-LYME (5963) Red rash * Neck stiffness * Forgetfulness
www.mlda.org Brain Fog * Mood swings * Facial paralysis
CFC #17513

Summer 2019.indd 65 5/8/2019 9:10:55 AM

 Form Follows Function:
On Finding the
Perfect Outdoorsman's Vehicle
“A
horse, a horse!
My kingdom for a
horse!” bellowed
King Richard III
in what may be the world’s most
chronicled bartering attempt ever.
He may even have had a particular
horse, or at least a particular type of
horse, in mind. He no doubt wanted
a well-hung steed that maybe wasn’t
much to look at but walked with
a swagger and hung out with all
the loosest, prettiest little syrupy-
tongued mares around.
King Richard had nothing on
modern man. Over time, we develop
decided preferences in our rides.
And, of course, our vehicles are a
64 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 66
reflection of ourselves. Show me a
fastidiously maintained Prius that
sports a coexist bumper sticker, and
I’ll know everything I need to know
about the car’s owner. The same
is true of a battered pickup with
a Bass Freak bumper sticker on
one side, a Duck Dynasty bumper
sticker on the other and a dog box
in the back end. I know the driver
of that truck even if I’ve never met
him. We’re pals.
I re-learned that lesson during
the last three years of driving the
totally wrong type of vehicle for me.
Having never been affluent, I’d
fallen into the habit of buying old
$2,500 pickup trucks. I would pay
By Andy Duffy
cash for them and avoid the dreaded
car payments. I would bomb around
in them until they fell apart and
would then pay cash for another
one.
My trucks reflected me perfectly.
They’d been ridden hard and put
away wet. But they seemed comfort-
able around all the scruffy, bearded
societal rejects I hung around with,
and they obeyed the same rules I had
for the people I associated with. The
trucks chattered a lot, were often off
on hunting and fishing trips, were at
home on back roads and they never
interrupted my stories.
My system worked out great.
Most of the trucks were two-wheel
5/8/2019 9:10:56 AM

drive vehicles, which worked out
just fine. Four-wheel drive would
have been better during the winter.
During the summer, though, the
two-wheel drive trucks would take
me almost anywhere I wanted to
go. Into the bed of each truck would
go my tents, fishing rods and camp
stove. During the fall and winter,
dogs and guns would go either in the
back of the truck in my dog box or,
often, would ride in the cab with me.
I liked my trucks. And one of
them even gained a degree of noto-
riety. I was out hunting or fishing
with an outdoor-writer friend of
mine – I forget now which it was –
and on the trip, my truck’s tailgate
Summer 2019.indd 67
dropped open with a thud. That was
something new. My latch hadn’t
failed before.
Then my friend wrote a story
about our excursion. In his article,
he called my truck Mrs. Belcher and
wrote something about her having a
loose rear end. After that, it seemed
that anyone I bumped into around
town would call my truck Mrs.
Belcher.
Then my system took a hit.
After a period during which I had
no gainful employment, I took a
real job, an out-of-state one with a
newspaper. It was my brush with
respectability. I drove my wife’s car
out to my new job and left her home
with my old, beat-up truck. I dressed
up, kept the car washed and played
well with senators, congressmen,
mayors, judges and councilmen. At
home, my truck was out of sorts,
too. Perhaps missing me, it puked
out on my wife, and she replaced it
with an attractive SUV.
I didn’t keep my out-of-state
job for long, though. Soon after an
awful butt chewing I took from my
boss, a gal who looked like Kendall
Jenner but could rant like Cruella
de Vil, I was back home again.
Continuing my brush with respect-
ability, I took another reporting job.
I hit a deer with my wife’s old car,
the one I’d taken out of state with
me. The insurance company totaled
out the car leaving me with the cash
I needed for my next truck. That’s
when disaster struck. If I was going
around doing all the things people
do when they have real jobs, I needed
something besides a rusted-out
pickup. That is what I told myself. I
took my settlement check from the
insurance company and – it kills me
to admit this – bought a used-but-
still-looking-good luxury sedan.
The car fit the bill. When
driving it, I could look the part of
a journalist. It didn’t matter who I
went to see. I interviewed doctors,
"My trucks reflected me perfectly. They’d been ridden hard and put away wet.
But they seemed comfortable around all the scruffy, bearded societal rejects
I hung around with, and they obeyed the same rules I had for the people I
associated with."
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 65
lawyers, another U.S. senator and a
governor. I hobnobbed with county
commissioners, city councilmen
and business leaders. My wheels
never made me feel self-conscious.
But I grew to loathe the car. It
was as pretentious and elitist as
the people who drove them. I hated
its slow-moving power seats. How
I missed the spring-loaded seats of
my old trucks.
I hated the car’s power windows,
those dratted things that would go
down all the way even if I wanted
them to go down just a bit. I never
trusted them. I was certain they
would fail me if I accidentally drove
the car in a lake or a river some-
where and needed to roll a window
down to escape.
I hated the car’s power locks.
They had minds of their own. They
would lock when I didn’t want them
to and would refuse to unlock no
matter how much I yelled at them.
Plus, somewhere between the car’s
trip home from the dealer and the
time I bought it years later, the key
fob disappeared. That was OK; an
old-fashioned key is fine with me.
The passenger door had no key hole,
though. If I carried a bag of bait
out of the sporting goods store and
tried to set it on the passenger seat
instead of hauling it in through the
driver-side door with me, I couldn’t
unlock the door.
I hated the car’s headlights.
Instead of waiting for me to turn
them on, they would come on as I
was starting the car. Someone told
me the car had a switch so I could
stop the headlights’ bad behavior,
but I never did find it. The lights
would stay on after I turned the car
off. I suffered through cold winters
wondering if the pretentious thing
would fail to start because the
lights were drawing juice from a
shivering battery. Plus, of course, I
couldn’t slip into a field in the pre-
dawn darkness without warning
5/8/2019 9:10:56 AM
 everything and everyone that I
was in the neighborhood. I suppose
some people laud the engineers who
load cars up with such gosh-awful
features. I wanted to slap them.
Then, I fell back into my old
ways. I gave up steady employment
and began free-lancing articles for
the outdoor market. I never saw any
members of polite society except at
church, and they had to accept me.
That’s a biblical dictate.
My respectability continued to
degenerate. I figured I would never
again meet a U.S. senator unless we
were in a hunting camp together
somewhere, so gradually all my
“good” clothes made their way to
the back of my closet. I didn’t need
them. Brush pants and fishing vests
moved to the front. My hair grew
shaggy. Mud and dust from two-
track roads accumulated on my
classy car. Fishing rods and dog hair
took up permanent residence in it.
Soon, a stroke of good fortune
fell. The car got in such bad shape
my mechanic told me it wasn’t worth
66 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 68
fixing. For a mechanic to turn down tried to crawl in. Someone had left
work, I figured the car must really the seat ahead. I grabbed a handle at
be a mess. I began shopping for the the bottom of the seat, and a heavy
proper kind of horse to be my ride. spring made the seat zing back in a
When I saw the four-wheel-drive jiff.
SUV sitting quietly at the edge of The windows had no buttons.
a dealership parking lot, I didn’t
fall for it right away. I eyed it the
way King Richard might have eyed
a gentle mare. Carrying the brand
name of a leading manufacturer
of utility vehicles, it didn’t have
the look I wanted. I’m old enough
to remember the two-letters-and-a-
number designations of that brand.
The old body styles are what I like.
The vehicle didn’t have many miles
on it, though. The price was the
same as the asking price of trucks
I was looking at, but it had a third
of the mileage. It would get much
better mileage than the trucks
would give me. The vehicle was
plenty big enough to haul camping
gear, fishing gear, shotguns and
rifles. And, of course, it’s always
nice to have four-wheel drive.
I knew I would buy it when I
5/8/2019 9:10:58 AM
 Instead, old-style cranks let me yam what I yam.” I interpret the two out with the wrong crowd.
adjust the windows to suit myself. together to mean we should know And I once again have the
The headlights mostly let me ourselves and accept ourselves the wheels that befit my lifestyle. It may
control them. About the only thing way we are. I’m OK with that. I’ll not be a vehicle a lawyer could drive
that would have made the vehicle be the guy who drives the redneck to the office, but it’s a great as an old
better would have been a bright/ wheels and spends too much time pickup truck for the ne’er-do-wells
dim switch on the floor where one hunting and fishing and hanging of the world.
belongs.
My new vehicle sits outside
now caked with mud from yester-
day’s trip to a river. It carried me
to the wilds last fall for grouse and
squirrel hunts. It took me down two-
track roads last winter on quests for
hares. I can’t say what others think
of my ride, but it is a reflection of me.
King Richard’s quest for a new
horse didn’t turn out that well as
well as mine did. He didn’t find
the steed he wanted, and he died
in battle. Had he accepted one of
the available horses, perhaps he
would have grown to love it. Maybe
he would have had a horse and his
kingdom to boot.
And I?
Well, Socrates told us we should
know ourselves and Popeye said, “I

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 67

Summer 2019.indd 69 5/8/2019 9:10:59 AM

 PMA

ositive
ental
ttitude
By Tom Nelson

T
he sun was quickly disappearing behind the
mountains to my west. It was almost welcoming
as my tired body was about done-in anyhow. It
was day four of my elk hunt, and my Montana buddy
Mike Parsons and I had been humping it pretty darn
hard since my arrival. That day, like the previous 3,
had started at 4 a.m. and ended well after dark with our
return to camp. We were seeing a lot of elk and hearing
a fair amount of bugling. However, even with it being
mid-September, the bulls were not exactly running us
over in response to our calling. We had only a few posi-
tive reactions to our efforts to lure in a bull within bow
range, but these were foiled by fickle winds or just a
reluctance on the bull's part.
It was well after dark when we returned to camp,
and my thoughts turned to a warm meal and hitting
the sack. As most elk bowhunters can attest, sleep is
at a premium on these hunts, and after a hard day of
tromping about the mountains, it is much needed. As
I ate my evening meal a bit more hastily than normal,
I listened to the other hunters in camp recount their
day chasing elk. Their stories were about the same as
mine, albeit they were getting a bit disgruntled with the
uncooperative elk. As I took care of my empty plate, I
mentioned to them that this was only day four and we
still had two days left — plenty of time to arrow I bull, I
stated. As I headed for my sleeping bag, I could still hear
the grumbling.
One essential item I take with me to every hunting
camp is a positive mental attitude (PMA). To me, this is
every bit as important as my bow and arrows. Staying
positive and believing that you will be successful is, in
my opinion, a vital key to success. If you start feeling

68 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 70 5/8/2019 9:10:59 AM

 down and discouraged, you will attract similar results.
Staying positive even into the last hour of your hunt
is a must if you want to be successful. I crawl into my
sleeping bag at night believing that the following day
will be a great day of bowhunting and get up the next
morning feeling the same. I stay upbeat even when
others give up. One bowhunter complaining and feeling
defeated can bring down an entire camp. Me, I do not let
it affect me, I stay upbeat and make sure I let the others
know it. I do not care if it's raining, windy or the like, I
remember that I am bowhunting and not stuck on some
highway in traffic. I am where most other bowhunters
would love to be, and I appreciate it.
The following morning while eating
a quick breakfast, I told the others that,
"today is the day." I recounted a few
"Staying positive and
past elk hunts in which I had arrowed
bulls at the end of some tough hunts believing that you
and explained that we were going to do
the same. My words seemed to affect the
others, and they gathered their gear with
will be successful is,
a bit more enthusiasm than previous
mornings. in my opinion, a vital
Mike and I hunted hard that day.
We messed with a dandy six-by-six bull
until late morning, giving up when he
key to success."
followed his cows into a deep canyon.
That morning's hunt had seen more activity than those
previous — the bugling lasted until late morning as did
the elk movement. Things were starting to pick up. That
afternoon, we again worked a bull, but he hung up at 70
yards raking a small fir tree with his antlers. With no
cover to close the distance, all we could do was watch the
show which was well worth the price of admission.
When we returned to camp, it was abuzz with
excitement. The two other hunters had both shot bulls
that evening. After five days with no opportunities,
they both arrowed good bulls less than 10 minutes
apart. Was it luck or was it their improved attitude?
I exited the warmth of my sleeping bag and was greeted
by a star-filled and frosty morning on my last day of elk
hunting in Montana. I had elected to take the morning off
as far as chasing elk, and instead, helped the successful
elk hunters get their elk off the mountain. It was the right
thing to do, although I was wishing
I was bowhunting that last morning; but, packing out
one elk is tough, and two is exceptionally demanding.
Thankfully, we had the manpower, and by noon, we had
both elk back at camp. At this point, it would have been
easy to call the hunt a success and enjoy the last afternoon
in camp before departing the following morning. Instead,
I grabbed my gear telling the other hunters I was going
out to kill a bull. With Mike smiling at our last ditch effort,
we took off for the timber.
As we hiked, I mentioned to Mike that I wanted to hunt
this last afternoon in the same area that I killed a nice
five-by-six bull the previous year. Mike nodded approv-
ingly and eased slowly through the dark timber towards
our intended hunting area. Reaching the area, we bugled
Summer 2019.indd 71
and were answered with a deep bugle. Without a word to
each other, we struck out in the direction of the bugle to
close the distance. When we felt we were in the vicinity of
the bull, Mike cow-called from his position some 40 yards
behind me. The bull's response was instant and close.
Within a minute or two, I could hear limbs snapping as
the bull approached. He was close, I thought to myself as I
tightened my grip on the bow. Then I felt the wind switch
on the back of my neck. Within a sparse few seconds, I
heard the tell-tale snapping of branches. Walking back to
Mike, I recounted my encounter. With the sun setting, we
elected to work our way down the mountain hunting as
we hiked.
Honestly, we were not overly
stealthy. In fact, we were talking about
previous hunts both successful and not.
It had been a great week, and I enjoyed
every minute of it. As we reached a cattle
trail halfway down the mountain, we
elected to use it because it was an easy
travel route. We had only walked a short
distance when Mike grabbed my sleeve
and sure enough, some 100 yards above
us, a lone bull was making his way down
the mountain heading right for us. How
he did not hear or see us I am not sure,
nor did I care. We eased forward another
20 yards careful to stay undetected. Then the bull reap-
peared 50 yards away and was walking with a purpose.
With Mike looking over my shoulder, I drew my bow as
the bull went behind some blowdowns. As he reemerged
at 30 yards, I cow called stopping him broadside. My shot
was perfect, and at the shot, the bull charged downhill.
Mike immediately bugled stopping the bull some 60 yards
below us. Then, as we watched, he went down. It was the
last hour of the last day. More interesting is the fact we
were just below where I had tagged my bull the previous
year.
Staying focused and positive was a real key to our
success — never giving up even as time was running out.
There was never a point that I felt dejected or like giving
up. Keeping a PMA and letting it rub off on others makes
for a successful camp and hunt.
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 69
5/8/2019 9:10:59 AM
 Whitetail Sex

70 || www.michiganoutofdoors.com
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Summer 2019.indd 72 5/8/2019 9:11:00 AM

 Segregation
By John Ozoga

I
n white-tailed deer, the adult sexes live separately during
much of the year just as do mule deer, red deer, elk, moose,
bighorn sheep and other ungulates. Scientists refer to this
social and spatial separation — most pronounced during the
non-breeding months — as “sexual segregation” or “niche
separation” of the sexes.
As with any behavioral trait, the whitetail’s social orga-
nization — sex aggregation included — is an adaptation. It
evolved in response to numerous environmental stresses,
including predation, disease, climate, habitat conditions and
so forth. As with any adaptation, it is genetically linked and
inherited. It promotes social order, genetic selection and
physical fitness, and it is essential for the species existence.
Females and their young live in a matriarchal society of
related individuals, while bucks — generally unrelated — live
in all-male groups in a fraternal (or bachelor) society. Hence,
each sex lives by the rules of its own society, but each must be
able to interact and communicate effectively with the other.
While the typical (non-migratory) female whitetail might
spend her entire life on a relatively small ancestral range, the
male is inclined to disperse to new range. Therefore, at some
point, the young male must leave on societal unit and join the
other if he is to someday become a successful breeder. Related
females typically share an ancestral range, the size of which
will depend upon habitat conditions and female survival. A
key factor in the whitetail’s social behavior is the tendency
for adult does to be extremely aggressive, defend fawn-
rearing territory and socially isolate their newborn for about
one month. Such behavior results in sharp seasonal changes
in female sociability, limits the number of does within a given
area during the fawning season and determines how deer will
be distributed at that time of the year.

Summer
Summer 20
2019
19 || Michigan Out-of-Doors 71
Michigan Out-of-Doors 71

Summer 2019.indd 73 5/8/2019 9:11:00 AM

 Whitetails do not interact at
random. Each has an identity. They
communicate (visually, vocally and
via scent), recognize each other
and function cooperatively. Their
relationships are highly ordered,
giving way to social classes — or
social infrastructure — wherein
individuals advance according to
levels of physical, physiological and
behavioral maturity.
In whitetails, social class struc-
ture tends to be hierarchical in
nature, with more immature indi-
viduals occupying the lower classes,
and the most mature occupying the
upper classes. As a result, competi-
tion and dominance-submissive
relationships tend to have a
suppressor effect within the female
and male societies. This means
the reproductive performance of
animals in lower social classes is
restricted to some degree by pres-
sure from individuals of a high
social rank.
According to renowned
Summer 2019.indd 74
European researcher Anthony
Bubenik, most ungulates demon-
strate five maturity classes. Male
and female whitetails can generally
be assigned one of these classes
within their respective society
based upon their level of maturity.
In a smoothly-operating and well-
structured society, a long-lived indi-
vidual advances from a young (pre-
pubertal) state to peak productivity
at prime age and on to senility at an
advanced age.
It’s important to note, however,
that an animal’s age alone does
not determine its social standing.
Nutrition, social relationships,
reproductive success, herd compo-
sition and density as well as a host
of other factors might interact to
determine an individual’s status.
Also the sexes differ greatly with
regard to factors that determine
their social growth and status
within their respective societies.
In many parts of North America,
antlered bucks are harvested so
intensively that mature-buck groups
are virtually non-existent. From the
standpoint of the whitetail’s social
evolution, groups of yearling bucks,
in the absence of older bucks, do
not represent true fraternal groups.
Groups of yearling deer tend to
represent transitory, summertime
social groups that often include
yearling females.
On the other hand, female
whitetails are often grossly under
harvested by hunters in many areas,
leading to very complex social
arrangements that can result in
serious food and cover deficiencies
and sometimes catastrophic natural
mortality.
There are a number of theories
put forth by researchers to explain
sex segregation in whitetails.
Personally, I’m not convinced any
fully explain this phenomenon.
One hypothesis, probably the
best, suggests sexual segrega-
tion among ungulates occurs as a
result of differing energetic and
5/8/2019 9:11:03 AM
 reproductive strategies. That is,
females presumably select habitat
that is best suited for rearing
offspring. Normally, that means
diversified food and cover arrange-
ments with ample hiding cover for
mother and young. This serves as
predator defense during the critical
state of early fawn-rearing.
By comparison, males tend
to select areas where nutrition is
superb, which allows for maximum
body growth to attain high-domi-
nance range and improved breeding
success.
Oregon State University
researchers Martin Main and Bruce
Coblenz emphasize that the male’s
mating success is influenced by
body size, physical strength and
general body condition, as is winter
survival. Therefore, “replenishment
of energy reserves should coincide
with major growing seasons, and
optimal forage resources by males
should be most evident during these
periods as they prepare for the rut.”
Since the whitetail sexes differ
Summer 2019.indd 75
in many aspects of physiology,
behavior and anatomy, they must
have evolved differently. For
example, bucks and does differ
in size, shape, growth rate, meta-
bolic rate, life span, food and cover
requirements and in many other
ways. It also takes a buck a year or
two longer than a doe to achieve
maximum physical size.
Based on behavioral investi-
gations conducted in Southern
Michigan’s George Reserve, Dale
McCullough concluded that bucks
and does do not complete equally
for the necessities of life on a
year-round basis. In his words:
“Resource partitioning between the
sexes in white-tailed deer adds a
new dimension to the role of social
behavior as it relates the animal to
its environment.”
This means that habitat and
deer population management prac-
tices favoring one sex might be
detrimental to the other.
Main and Coblentz probably
hit the proverbial nail on the head
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 73
when they criticize traditional deer
management practices that expand
female groups — especially in
limited antlerless deer harvesting,
predator-control and bucks-
only harvesting — because they
contribute to a high deer density
and range carrying capacity reduc-
tion. As a result, they suggest white-
tail bucks often occupy certain poor
habitat strictly by default — areas
where few or no does live.
Interestingly, I found that
northern migratory bucks judi-
ciously scent-mark their traditional
summer range as soon as they
return to it in the spring — a behav-
iorism often overlooked by most
investigators.
Needless to say, white-tailed
deer are extremely adaptive crea-
tures, making their social life
equally flexible and often myste-
rious — a subject worthy of much
more investigation.
5/8/2019 9:11:04 AM
 Life After Bait
Part 2: Steer Them
By Tony Hansen
O
ver the years, I’ve probably
hunted deer just about
every way you can think
of, save for a southern-
style hound hunt. I’ve hunted with
bait, without bait, with food plots
and without food plots. I’ve hunted
big timber, wide-open prairie, boot-
sucking swamps, high desert, low
desert, mountains, foothills and
pancake-flat lands.
Throughout all of that, there
has been one constant: Deer walk
where they walk.
I understand the allure of using
bait. It’s fun to see deer, and bait,
when used correctly, can help with
that. It also makes it much easier
to predict where deer will end up.
The problem, of course, is that deer
wise up pretty quick to bait stations.
Unless you are obsessive about scent
control (and I’m not sure it’s even
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Summer 2019.indd 76
possible to eliminate enough human
scent to make it seem as if you were
never there), the odds are high that
deer will know you’ve been around.
This means that the bait station will
probably attract plenty of deer, but
Tony Hansen is a lifelong
it’s often going to be after dark. Michigan resident who has
Some of my most successful hunted whitetails all over the
outings when bait was involved
didn’t take place when the bait was country. He's even managed
actually visible from my stand loca- to kill one or two of them while
tion. Instead, I was hunting a funnel
or terrain feature that steered deer
doing so. Hansen's four-part
in a specific direction as they trav- series will detail tactics for
eled to the bait. harvesting mature whitetails
Now, here’s the thing: The bait
might have been the destination, but on private and public lands
it was those travel routes that led without bait
them there. The bait wasn’t critical
to the success; the travel route was. second part of a four-part series,
With Michigan’s new regula- we’ll look at one of the best ways to
tions ending the use of bait, it’s time do — hunting deer where they walk.
to find new ways to fill tags. In this
5/8/2019 9:11:05 AM
 Left: With today's technology, using your smartphone to view and dissect topographical maps makes determining likely
deer funnels an easy endeavor. Top: Hinge-cutting trees is an easy way to direct and guide whitetail movement in a certain
direction. Photos courtesy of www.huntstand.com.

Funnels
If you’ve read much about deer
hunting over the past, say, 30 years,
then you’ll have likely read plenty
about the importance of funnels.
You won’t read anything that
contradicts that here.
Deer aren’t terribly unlike
humans when it comes to travel.
While we will occasionally take a
“scenic” route, we tend to get to and
fro by choosing the most direct and
logical path between two points.
Deer do precisely the same thing.
Spend much time hunting in
hill country and you’ll see this in
a hurry. In hilly areas, ravines are
common. Every ravine features a
head and a foot. The head is located
up high and is where the ravine
begins. The foot is down low where
the ravine empties out. In each loca-
tion, you will almost certainly find a
well-worn game trail. Why? Because
deer don’t like hoofing up and down
steep banks any more than we do.
In most of Michigan, you likely
won’t find such stark examples of
funneling terrain. But, you’ll find
funnels all the same.
Any area that forces deer to
move in a certain way is a key loca-
tion to focus on.
Edges
Much more prominent in our
state are edge features. These aren’t
exactly funnels because deer could
easily walk in other areas; but,
they choose not to. For whatever
reason, deer love to travel along
edges where two habitat types come
together. Think about hunting near
the edge of a cornfield. Deer could
easily walk 15 to 20 yards into the
field from the wood’s edge. But they
don’t. Instead, they tend to stick
tight to the woods and walk along
the edge between the woods and the
corn.
They do this where alder
swamps meet hardwood stands in
the Upper Peninsula. They do it
where aspen stands meet conifer
forest in the Northern Lower.
Anywhere two types of habitat
come together, deer will walk.
Least Resistance
So far, we’ve talked about
features that force deer to move in
a certain direction. Whether it’s a
funnel or an edge, deer walk those
routes because they are, generally
speaking, the paths of least resis-
tance in the areas they want to be.
Yes, it would be easy walking to
traverse down the center of a paved
road, and while the number of deer

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 75

Summer 2019.indd 77 5/8/2019 9:11:08 AM

 "For whatever reason, deer love to travel along edges where two
habitat types come together."
hit by vehicles each year may indi-
cate otherwise, deer know that’s not
exactly safe. The same can be said
for traipsing around in an open field.
The walking is easy, but the level of
security is low. So when looking for
an area where deer travel, you want
to look for both security cover and
ease of travel. Funnels and other
terrain features located very near
security cover are ideal. But deer
will not exert more energy than
necessary. This can be used to your
advantage by creating paths of least
resistance where none exist. Or,
conversely, by blocking a path deer
are using and forcing them to use
one that is more advantageous to
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Summer 2019.indd 78
you as a hunter.
I’ve dropped trees, created
fences and other sneaky blockades
along deer routes in an effort to
make them use a path I prefer rather
than one they choose. It works
like a charm in some instances.
Obviously, nothing is fool-proof, but
some careful planning and creative
thinking can help steer deer in the
direction you want them to travel.
Summary
Deer will continue to travel
whether you are using bait or not.
Their end destinations may change,
but the way they get there likely will
not. Terrain features that dictate
deer movement aren’t something
that changes from year to year in
most cases. I’d wager a hefty sum
that those areas where you used to
bait and saw plenty of deer are still
good areas to hunt, and the deer
that live there will continue to use
the same travel routes they’ve used
before. Now, instead of using them
to visit bait stations, they’ll use
them to frequent areas of natural
forage or ag crops or whatever else
they choose to eat. Learn to deci-
pher those travel routes, and you’ll
do just fine in this post-bait era.
5/8/2019 9:11:08 AM
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Summer 2019.indd 79 5/8/2019 9:11:09 AM

 Hunting
Michigan's
Wild Weather
C
limate change? Cyclical
weather patterns? Global
warming? The natural
progression of things? Call it
what you want, but the reality is that
any deer hunter knows the weather
we've been gifted these last few
seasons has presented some unique
hunting situations. So, no matter
what you blame it on, here are some
tips for hunting our “new normal.”
Heat
Last time I checked, the 10
hottest years on record have
happened in the last 20 years. Keep
in mind that thousands of years of
deer physiology have yet to catch up
to the new weather trends. At some
point in the fall, a deer's winter coat
has grown in. I'm an avid runner,
and I equate this phenomenon
to me running a marathon in my
Carhartts. When it is hot and or
humid, the deer are going to move
as little as possible while the sun is
up. Instead, they will wait until it is
78 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 80
By Jason Herbert
dark and cooler temps are present.
As if low daytime deer movement
isn't enough, we hunters who try to
hunt during these warm temps risk
excess sweat stinking up the joint,
more bugs and the possibility of
meat spoilage.
In extreme, warm hunting situ-
ations, keep these basic concepts in
mind: The animals will be thirsty!
Hunt evening water sources. Also,
anything green like alfalfa fields
or green soybeans will have a
high moisture content, feeding the
animals while also satisfying their
water intake needs. On a warm, fall
hunt, one of my favorite places for a
sit is on the west side of a standing
bean or hay field. Along with the
moist greens, the cooling shade that
forms along the west side of the field
as the sun sets will be the first place
a hungry deer will want to feed.
In warmer temperatures, be
sure to wear light, breathable
clothing to minimize your body heat
and sweat. Also, be a scent-control
disciple because, as I mentioned
earlier, your body will be cranking
out stinky sweat. Consider using
an insect control device such as a
Thermacell. It's no fun trying to sit
still and swat biting mosquitoes. Pay
close attention to the weather. After
a few warm days, the animals will
go nuts as soon as the temperatures
drop 10 degrees or so. I love hunting
that first October cold front.
Wind
The wind is a deer’s best friend,
but too much of a good thing can
be a problem. When the woods are
too windy, the deer have a hard
time hearing anything, and there-
fore, they do not feel very comfort-
able moving. Also, erratic winds
coming from who knows where just
stress the animals out and tend to
persuade them to stay bedded down.
Not only will the animals be reluc-
tant to move, but erratic winds will
spread your scent to all corners of
the county. In heavy winds, deer
will often elect to bed down in an
open field where they can depend
5/8/2019 9:11:10 AM
 Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 79

Summer 2019.indd 81 5/8/2019 9:11:10 AM

 Herbert hunted the first
real cold snap of the 2015
season. As predicted,
while most hunters were
watching MSU vs. U of M
football, Jason shot these
two deer who got up on
their feet early to feed.

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Summer 2019.indd 82 5/8/2019 9:11:12 AM

 on their sense of vision and see any
threat that they can't smell. When
the conditions are overly windy, I
like to hunt low, in secluded river
bottoms and wooded potholes where
the winds aren't too strong. I'll also
possibly stalk through a standing
cornfield, hoping to catch a bedded
animal.
The wind also has benefits. In a
high-wind situation, a hunter can
get away with a lot more movement
in a treestand. That being said, make
sure the tree you're in can hold up
to the wind, and be sure to look for
any “widowmakers” (dead trees or
limbs nearby). Falling trees are cool
at a distance, but no fun when you're
in the woods with them. Also, if you
are archery hunting in high winds,
beware of the arrow getting carried
away a bit by the gusts. In a game of
inches, the wind can wreak havoc
on an otherwise well-placed shot.
Wet
Believe it or not, rainy condi-
tions are some of the best to hunt
because the deer don't like to lay
down when it's wet. In heavy rains,
look for the animals to be bedded in
shelter like heavy, thick woods or
pine thickets. They will probably
be extra hungry as well, burning
additional precious calories staying
as warm as possible.
In rainy conditions, it is also
hard for the animals to hear in the
woods so look for them to possibly
be in an open field if they are
moving. One of my favorite things
to do is hunt a green bean field after
a rain. The rain has a sort of salad
dressing like effect on the leaves of
the soybeans, and every deer in the
county will be hammering those
beans that evening if you get rain
during the day. Another benefit to
long-term levels of extra rain is the
fact that it limits where the deer can
walk in the woods. Deer don't like to
walk through muck and water any
more than we do, and if your woods
are starting to flood, look for them
to be in the high areas that are dry.
Obviously, when hunting wet

The evening of November 5th, 2018 was perfect for hunting, but the weeks leading up to it were not. Instead of hunting in
warm, windy conditions, Herbert elected to play it safe and scout this buck. When Herbert did get the wind, temperatures
and barometric pressure he was looking for to hunt this buck, the evening ended well. As the buck scent checked a popular
doe bedding area, Herbert was waiting.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 81

Summer 2019.indd 83 5/8/2019 9:11:14 AM

 conditions wear rain gear. The
problem with most rain gear is that
it is hot and it makes a lot of noise
when it gets rained on. When it is
wet out or there is more moisture
in the air, the deers' noses are even
more effective; so, don't think for
a minute that because it's raining
they can't smell. Once again, keep
your scent control in mind. Also,
as much as deer do like to move
in the rain, it's tough to follow
a blood trail in the rain. I don't
mind gun hunting in the rain, but
I try not to ever bow hunt in it.

The cold
When hunting in the cold,
bundle up because you're going
to be there awhile. Deer also move
well in cold temperatures because,
once again, they are burning so
many calories trying to stay warm.
I simply focus on evening food
sources in the cold and try to arrive
as early as possible, knowing that
the animals more than likely are
going to try to beat me to the punch.
When it is really cold, be careful
as you are approaching your stand
because the deer will not be bedded
any further away than they have to
be from the food. I have noticed that
when it snows a lot, the deer like to
go for the easy-picking foods such as
standing corn or twigs and leaves. I
believe they don't like to stick their
nose in the cold, wet snow looking
for food, so they probably start to
look above ground for their meal.
Regardless of how hungry they
are, deer are still survival machines
and if you scare them off a food plot
or field when you're walking out for
an evening hunt in the cold weather, many different things you can be to hunt.
it's going to take them a while to doing to be productive while it is To be quite honest, I only hunt
come back. Also, watch your scent not ideal to hunt. One thing I do is a dozen or so days a year. I try to
control because they will smell you tackle that “honey-do” list. Another go into the woods with a purpose
and still have no patience for human thing you could do is wash all your and a plan of killing a mature buck
odors. hunting clothes. Shoot your bow or every time I leave the truck. If the
gun and make sure it's still on target conditions aren't perfect for me,
The bottom line and that you still have that muscle I don't even bother to hunt. Most
memory for shooting. I also like to overzealous hunters who simply
Generally speaking, I try to drive around in poor conditions think they have to be in the woods
sit the bench during all of these and simply check my trail cameras. every possible opportunity end
hunting situations and not waste Glassing the fields from the climate- up boogering up their spots and
my time in the woods. There are so controlled comfort of my truck is a blowing their chances at otherwise
great thing to do when it's too warm killable deer.

82 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 84 5/8/2019 9:11:14 AM

 CALL THE
HOTLINE

REPORT
FERAL
SWINE
TO REPORT FERAL SWINE OR
FOR
MORE INFORMATION PLEASE
CALL: USDA WILDLIFE
SERVICES AT
517.336.1928
OR
WWW.MICHIGAN.GOV/
FERALSWINE

FERAL SWINE
DAMAGE AGRICULTURE,
NATURAL RESOURCES,
PROPERTY, PEOPLE AND
CULTURAL SITES

This project was funded by the Michigan Invasive Species

Grant Program (www.michigan.gov/invasives).
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 83

Summer 2019.indd 85 5/8/2019 9:11:17 AM

 Michigan United
Conservation Clubs
82nd Annual Convention
June 21-23, 2019
Lakeside Resort & Conference Center
Houghton Lake, Michigan

1937 to 2019
84 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 86 5/8/2019 9:11:18 AM

 Convention Announcement
When... June 21-23, 2019
Where... Lakeside Resort & Conference Center
100 Clearview Drive
Houghton Lake, MI 48629
989-422-4000

Convention registration will be held on Saturday, June 22 from 7:00 a.m.

until 9:00 a.m. at at Lakeside Resort & Conference Center

Friday night picnic June 21 at:

South Higgins Lake State Park
106 State Park Drive
Roscommon, MI 48653

Lodging Information
Lakeside Resort & Conference Center
TTo make a reservation, please call 989-422-4000 and mention that you will be
attending the Michigan United Conservation Clubs event. If rooms are unavailable
at the time of your call, please see our Annual Convention website for details about
other hotel accomadations.

South Higgins Lake State Park

TThis Michigan State Park is located ten minutes from the Lakeside Resort
& Conference Center. For reservations, call 989-821-6374 or visit www.
midnrreservations.com for more information.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 85

Summer 2019.indd 87 5/8/2019 9:11:18 AM

 Michigan out-of-doors youth camp
Cooler Pledge
Our affiliated clubs are the backbone of our organi-
zation. Without each and every one of our clubs and its
members, we would not be able to do what we do for the
sportsmen and women of this great state. We greatly
appreciate all of the support that our clubs give to us.
However, sometimes circumstances arise that require
us to ask for a little extra help from our core supporters.
As many of you know, MUCC does so much to fight
for conservation here in Michigan, but we also help
create future conservationists through our Michigan
Out-of-Doors Youth Camp. Since 1946, our camp
program has helped create over 58,000 conservation-
ists. In order to continue creating future generations of
hunters, anglers and conservationists, we need to make
sure our camp facility is well-maintained. We have a
small but dedicated group of volunteers who help us
keep our camp up and running. Sometimes, we run into
problems that are even a little too big for our skilled
volunteers.
Our walk-in cooler in the kitchen is extremely old
and has probably been in operation since the 1950s.
After working on the cooler and making several emer-
gency repairs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, we do
not think it will make it through another summer. If the
cooler were to break down in the middle of the summer,
it would be a major disaster for the camp staff and kids.
The estimated cost of repairs to get the walk-in
cooler running like new is $10,000, and that is what we
are looking to raise with your help! With this $10,000,
we will be replacing the compressor and evaporating
coil. We will also be moving the compressor to a more
suitable location and upgrading the electrical work to
keep the system functioning efficiently. Any extra funds
committed this year will help defray other needed main-
tenance and operations expenses for camp and MUCC’s
other education programs.
To make a pledge, simply email Amber Albert, busi-
ness and membership affairs coordinator, at aalbert@
mucc.org and she will send you an invoice to pay at any
time, on or before September 1, 2019 or visit http://bit.
ly/CoolerPledge.
The good news is we are already more than half
way there since announcing this drive in early April.
To date, we have raised $4,650 in club and individual
donations/pledges and Rob Miller Electric Inc. will be
donating their time to complete the needed electrical
work and matching other cash donations. We are so
grateful for the donations to start this work!

Current Donors:
Alpena Longbeards ($50) Paul and Carol Rose ($250)
Cadillac Sportsmens Club ($500) Amy Trotter ($40)
Cedar Rod & Gun Club ($250) Fran Yeager ($200)
DeLodder's Conservation Association ($50) Livingston County Wildlife & Conservation Club ($450)
Fruitport Conservation Club ($50) Montmorency County Conservation Club ($250)
Maple River Wildlife Association ($500) Perch Point Conservation Club ($50)
Hammond Bay Area Anglers ($50) St Clair Hunt & Fish Club ($500)
Huron River Fishing Association ($100) St Joseph County Conservation & Sportsman Club ($100)
Huron Valley Conservation Association ($100) Lake St. Clair Walleye Association ($1,000)
Jane Finnerty ($60) Rob Miller Electric Inc. (Electrical work)
Greg Peter ($200)

86 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Summer 2019.indd 88 5/8/2019 9:11:19 AM

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Summer 2019.indd 89 5/8/2019 9:11:19 AM

 Green Broke
An exploration of a novice trainer, working dogs and the journey
A
dding to the pack is never
an easy decision: One
must weigh other dogs
in the equation, person-
alities, purpose and handler ability.
Such a conundrum faced my wife
and I in January.
We knew we, while I, wanted
a third dog — if nothing else to at
least stave off her ambitious hope
for kids within the coming years.
Both of our hearts were set on a
Llewellin Setter from Kyle Warren’s
Paint River Llewellins in New York.
If you haven’t heard of Kyle
or haven’t seen his dogs work, I
encourage you to look him up.
He breeds foot-hunting, grouse
88 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 90
dogs with an insatiable attitude
to please their handlers. Warren’s
dogs exhibit inherent bird-finding
and hunting ability. From a young
age, sometimes just a few weeks
old, these dogs are pointing and
honing their skills with one purpose
in mind — finding, pointing and
hunting grouse.
As my wife and I weighed our
decision, we decided that adding a
third, dedicated upland dog to the
pack might not be the best fit for our
family. I bird hunted, in some form
or another, more than 60 days last
year. Oftentimes, that means I take
my four-legged best friends with
me. My wife wanted a dog that could
By Nick Green
remain home with her during some
of the long weeks of fall when I am
in the marshes or aspen stands.
I made the call to Warren and
let him know our situation. As with
any breeder who is worth their salt,
Warren was empathetic to the situ-
ation. And despite a PRL setter not
coming home with us this year, our
next upland dog, whenever that may
be, will come from Warren.
My wife and I took the next
logical step — we decided to buy
a Labrador retriever. Although,
some might not call that logical. My
current dogs, Summit, a German
shorthaired pointer, and Calvin, a
small Munsterlander, are versatile
dogs. Both have retrieved ducks.
However, they aren’t built for
breaking ice or the long hours in a
marsh with the air temperatures
hovering just above freezing.
Every serious waterfowler
dreams of a hardy companion to
climb out of bed at 2 a.m., wag its
tail, sit in the blind patiently and
wait for that one moment of pure
joy when it can leap from the stand
and retrieve fowl. I wanted that
retriever.
Quickly, I contacted some of my
friends in the retriever world and
found Jean Stephens and Newfound
Retrievers in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Jean was new to breeding, with
my pup’s litter being Jean’s first.
It was clear that Jean had done
her due diligence when choosing
her breeding pair: Both dogs have
hunting titles, come from a long
pedigree of proven and titled dogs,
are health tested and are excellent
hunters in the field.
It didn’t take long for me to
settle on Stephens as our breeder.
And with a litter of pups born on
January 3, the prospect of having a
5/8/2019 9:11:20 AM
 young, but capable, duck dog in the
marsh with me this fall looks good.
We brought Newfound Little
Miss Sure Shot, “Annie,” home on
February 23 at seven weeks old. I
told Stephens I wanted the highest-
drive female in the litter — and she
picked us out pink girl, now named
Annie.
The early weeks consisted of
potty training, running around
the house after a young pup and
exposing her to every scenario, envi-
ronment and dog that I deemed safe
for her. At nine weeks, Annie was
running a field behind her brothers,
diving into puddles and growing her
curiosity for the world around her.
Luckily, I knew some people,
Stephens included, that were part of
the Great Lakes Hunting Retriever
Club in west Michigan. I joined
the group, attended their monthly
meeting and was welcomed with
open arms.
As a serial researcher, and
someone who mostly trained my
two previous pointing dogs on my
own with assistance from a profes-
sional trainer, I wasn’t sure what to Annie and I will surely grow an with my previous dogs is that they
expect with a retriever. The drills unbreakable bond these next few have this uncanny want to always
and expectations are different for months as we move from puppy, please their owners. Even though
a retriever; however, the need for positive training to a little more our hunting dogs work for us, they
obedience remained the same. formal obedience and training. also work with us — and that is the
Currently, at 13 weeks, Annie And, like I said, I expect there to be important thing to remember.
has learned sit, down, kennel, come, failures. But, one thing I learned
mark and her retrieve command.
By the time this publishes, I expect
Annie to be force broke, maintaining
some kind of blind steadiness and
running some adult drills with ease.
Getting Annie has been a
journey for us as a family. Whenever
you bring a dog into your home,
especially a dog with a purpose,
there is this unspoken bond between
you, your family and that dog. There
will be expectations for Annie, and
there will surely be failures — that
is a part of training dogs that will
actually accompany you in the field.
This new journey should be a
fun one. I suspect Annie will also get
to run through an aspen stand or
two this fall, too. For as much flak as
I have caught from my pointing dog
cronies, I think it will be fun to try
and train a flushing dog and hunt
behind one.

Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 89

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 The CAMPFIRe
Camp Season is here!
By Max Bass
MUCC Lead Educator
As I sit here looking out over Cedar Lake, white
pines surround me. The sounds of birds chirping
and frogs croaking fill the air. The squirrels and
chipmunks scurrying through the forest let me know
spring is here and summer is right around the corner.
The peace and serenity of this beautiful place will
soon be filled with the screams and laughter of 80
campers, and I cannot wait! In mid-June, our Michigan
Out-of-Doors Youth Camp staff of 24 will arrive at
camp, and we will jump right into our week of staff
training to prepare for all of the excited campers.
By the end of June, camp will be in full swing.
Campers will be waking up every morning for a chance
to take on the day starting with a morning swim. But
after that swim, each day will hold a new adventure.
Maybe they will be out on the rifle range, maybe they
will be exploring the bog, maybe they will be collecting
macro invertebrates at the lake or maybe they will be
heading into the forest to discover what trees and crit-
ters live there. By the end of the week, each camper will
90 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com
Summer 2019.indd 92
hopefully be going home happy, exhausted, a little dirty
and with a freshly-signed Hunter Safety Certificate.
The idea of being away from friends and family for
the entire week can be scary and unnerving to some
campers and parents. For others, it may be the moment
they have been waiting for all year. Summer camp is a
fantastic opportunity for many to make new friends.
It is a time for kids to step out of their comfort zone
and into their challenge zone. It is a time for campers
to take that first step into independence, to grow as
leaders, to find what interests them, to adapt to a new
environment, to create lifelong memories and, most
importantly, it is a time to have fun.
No matter how excited or nervous your camper
might be for their week of fun, it is always a good idea
to sit down with them and discuss some things to help
prepare them for camp. It’s important to remind your
camper that for this week they will be sharing a living
space with at least 13 different people, and sometimes,
just like in life, we are not always going to agree with
everybody.
Be sure to discuss any fears or worries that
your camper may have. If you are worried about
5/8/2019 9:11:22 AM
 homesickness, discuss how much fun camp will be and of our affiliate clubs that made a generous donation
that home will be waiting for them at the end of the to our cooler repair as well as the team from Miller
week. Also be sure to take a minute to discuss hygiene Electric. We truly could not have repaired the cooler
with your camper — they should be sure to shower if it were not for all the support that we received, so I
while at camp, remind them to change their socks and would like to thank you on behalf of our kitchen staff,
underwear throughout the week and that they need to all the campers and staff with full bellies and myself. I
dress appropriately for the weather. would also like to thank all of our amazing volunteers
Take the time to go over the Parent Camper that came out for our camp clean-up day on May 3rd. I
Handbook with your camper. Make sure that your cannot wait to see what this summer has in store for us!
camper understands all the rules of the camp. Take
the time to pack with your camper and not for them.
Campers should know what they brought with them and
why they brought it. If you have any questions before
camp starts, be sure to reach out to me at mbass@mucc.
org.
Before the season starts, I would like to take a
moment to thank so many different people. Without
them, we would not be able to run our camp program.
Our dedicated volunteers on our facilities committee
work so hard to make improvements each year. This
year they were able to completely renovate our craft
building and connect water to it and our health office.
They stained several cabins, they did some significant
upgrades to the rifle range and archery range, they
replaced and fixed the sink and drain in the dish room,
some roofing on the cabins and helped with some elec-
trical issues. They even helped undertake our massive
walk-in cooler repairs. I would also like to thank all

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 Conservation Through Education

Habitat Matters
By Shaun McKeon
MUCC Education Director

As the MUCC education director, I am in charge

of our education programming including Michigan
Out-of-Doors Youth Camp and TRACKS magazine.
The field programs here at MUCC fall underneath my
purview as well. Over the winter, we went through some
staff transition, which meant I was spending more of
my time focusing on our field program On the Ground
(OTG). For those of you who may not be familiar with
OTG, this is a habitat improvement program that
provides opportunities for volunteers to have a direct
impact on public land habitat improvement throughout
the state.
In partnership with the Michigan DNR, This
program began back in 2013 with six projects, and
we averaged nine volunteers at each event. Over the
years, this program has grown tremendously. We are
currently averaging 24 volunteers per project and have
been completing 25 or more projects for the last couple
of years. During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, we engaged
659 volunteers and improved 680 acres of habitat
throughout Michigan. These volunteers accounted for
3,450 hours of giving back to their public lands to make
habitat better for wildlife.
Building on the success of OTG in 2016, we created
and launched a program called OTG Jr. This program
is a fully-funded-field-trip program for schools. The
aim is to get kids out of the classroom and engaged in
habitat work at state game areas near their schools and throughout the spring, we were planting trees all
homes. The students perform a habitat improvement around the state. We are creating new partnerships
project in the morning, take a break for lunch and then and are engaging with new and diverse school districts
learn a recreation activity in the afternoon. Popular across Michigan. In February, we were also pleased
projects have been stream clearing, invasive species to receive the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action
removal and rabittat building. Council’s Regional Land Use Pillar Award. This distinc-
Typical recreation activities include archery, tion highlighted the benefits of the OTG Jr. Program to
fishing and wildlife identification. This program helps the Ingham, Eaton and Clinton county areas. We have
connect kids to their resources and shows them the completed 16 projects so far, including seven OTG Jr.
outdoors does not have to be some faraway place. Since Projects.
the beginning of this program, we have conducted 22 One of the best parts about OTG is the platform
projects with students, chaperones and their teachers. the habitat work provides. A volunteer opportunity on
OTG has started 2019 off strong. We began with a public land typically brings out the best kind of people
rabittat project in January during a blizzard, quickly — those that are willing to get up early and sometimes
moved to wood-duck-box-building projects and, drive for hours to help make habitat better for wildlife

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 are the kinds of people I enjoy spending time with. OTG
brings together hunters, birders, anglers, berry pickers,
hikers and even dog walkers. All are happy to give back
to the areas and resources they enjoy. It creates an even
playing field for birders to talk to waterfowl hunters
and for turkey hunters to talk to berry pickers.
Not surprisingly, once these people are in small
groups and working on projects to benefit the resource,
the chatter begins and the common interests start
flowing. Birders and waterfowlers start talking about
their favorite ducks and the beauty of the migration
seasons, deer hunters and hikers talk about the impor-
tance of access and why removing invasive species is
important, and people everywhere start bragging about
what their dogs have been up to lately.
These projects are important because they help
shrink the divide that can sometimes form between
different user groups on state land. When you are in
meetings or town halls, it is easy to see someone with
an opposing viewpoint as the enemy, and it is easy
to forget about the resource and only want to have a
concern for your piece of the pie. However, with OTG
we are bringing people together on the landscape to
show them that their differences are not so big. Habitat
is what matters for the wildlife: it matters for the
game and non-game species; it matters to the hunter;
it matters to the angler; and it matters to the birder,
the mushroom picker and the outdoor enthusiast.
Without quality, accessible habitat, none of us would
be able to do what we love. With several events coming
up around the state, I encourage you to come and join
us in the field. Come on out and make a difference for
wildlife. We will even feed you lunch.

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Throwback:
By Ed Zebrowski, Jr.
Over the years, many owners of
companion hunting dogs have been
faced with countless training obsta-
cles. Many of these problems center
on having quality training time, a
suitable place to train or others to
train with.
Realistically, most of us do not
get a chance to get out every day of
the hunting season, which shortens
the season and the dog’s hunting
opportunities even more. Living in
a state like Michigan, we also face
Mother Nature’s obstacles like cold
and snow, and our water tends to get
hard!
If you’re a professional trainer,
chances are your dog gets out a lot
more often and probably
has real birds to
work
Summer 2019.indd 96
This article was originally published in April 2000
Hunt Testing
with on a regular basis. For most,
this is only a dream.
Registries such as the American
Kennel Club many years ago
designed the field trial, an opportu-
nity for some of the sporting breeds
to compete and thereby establish
standards for judging different
breeds based upon their ability.
Like any other sport, the field trial
evolved to a point of developing the
super athlete and leaving the rest
behind.
A little over a dozen years ago,
in response to a growing demand for
a fairer system of measurement, the
hunt test was created. Today,
with distinctly
different standards, the AKC, UKC
(United Kennel Club), and NAHRA
(North American Hunting Retriever
Association) all conduct hunt tests
for sporting breeds.
The AKC version, which I
happen to be most familiar with,
runs tests for retrievers, pointers,
setters and lure coursers. The
primary reason for the evolution
from a field trial to a hunt test was
simple. The field trial had become
very competitive, placing
dogs first, second,
third and
5/8/2019 9:11:26 AM
 so on. The game also became domi-
nated by the professional trainer/
handler, thus giving the average dog
owner an unfair disadvantage.
I am not criticizing the profes-
sional. I happen to earn part of
my living from being paid to train
hunting dogs. I do, however, appre-
ciate the absolute necessity of
keeping the average hunter and his
or her dog involved in the sport.
Hunt tests by design have one
basic difference from field trials.
Hunt tests are designed to a stan-
dard and dogs that meet that stan-
dard pass the test. For example,
the Rules and Regulations for AKC
Hunting Tests for Retrievers states,
“The purpose of a Hunting Test for
Retrievers is to test the merits of and
evaluate the abilities of Retrievers
in the field in order to determine
their suitability and ability as
hunting companions. Hunting
Tests must, therefore, simulate as
nearly as possible the conditions
met in a true hunting situation.”
Test distances are expected
never to exceed 100 yards. This
basic rule sets the standard for
the whole game. The hunt test
committee and the judges
assigned to each division
(there are three) set up
hunting conditions, using
live birds and realistic
terrain. Instead of being
placed according to a
process of elimination,
dogs are judged on their
ability to complete the
test that has been set
up.
Instead of
placing, we have
qualifying scores.
If all dogs complete
the requirements
of each test, they
all qualify. The
result is owners
who can partic-
ipate and learn
from the tests
while their
dogs get
some much-
needed practical
experience.
Summer 2019.indd 97
The hunt test has more cama-
raderie with everyone pulling for
everyone’s dog. We eliminate the
“my dog is better than your dog”
syndrome. The three hunt test
divisions are Junior Hunter, Senior
Hunter and Master Hunter. Each
requires the dog to qualify to stan-
dard tests appropriate for the dog’s
level of training.
The Junior level consists of four
single marks, two on land and two in
water. A dog that attains four qual-
ifying scores from separate tests
receives Junior Hunter designation
from AKC. The Junior competition
tests a dog’s basic skills in marking,
style, perseverance and trainability.
Its design is to encourage the
handler and dog to hone their skills
and advance to the senior level.
The Senior level tests the dog in
a minimum of four hunting situa-
tions which shall include one land
blind, one water blind, one double
landmark, and one double land
water. Dogs must also do a “walk
up” off leash to demonstrate their
steadiness and also honor another
working dog. The dogs are tested
in their ability to take casts (or
handling) from their owners to aid
them on blind retrieves. The Senior
level dog will develop a handling
bond and confidence with its owner
and have the necessary training and
skill to develop to the most difficult
Master Hunter level.
Master Hunter, the highest level
in hunt testing, requires testing in a
minimum of five hunting situations
as follows: multiple landmarks,
multiple watermarks, multiple
marks on water and land, a land
blind and a water blind (at least
one of which will be a double-blind
in any combination). There will
also be at least three series of tests.
Diversion birds and/or shots must
be used at least once.
Hunt test committees from the
various dog clubs select judges for
each test level. Judges are required
to be approved by the AKC in advance
of the test. Each judge must attend
an AKC judge’s seminar at least
once every three years and serve as
an apprentice judge. These men and
women are the same individuals
Summer 2019 | Michigan Out-of-Doors 95
who train their own dogs; most
having titled a dog in the level they
are judging, and many will be found
in the marshes hunting those dogs
during the waterfowl season.
Dog clubs holding a hunt test
are required to use birds for all
participants. Each dog is entitled
to one live flier for each series run.
Most clubs use game-farm-raised
mallards with some opting for
pheasants and chukars. The bottom
line is that your dog gets to practice
on the real thing.
More and more women are
involved in the sport – and I think
that’s great. Judging at these events,
I have also noticed more and more
young people getting involved,
which reassures me that this fine
tradition will be preserved and
passed on to our young hunters,
boys and girls alike.
In Michigan, we hold AKC
Hunting Tests at two primary
locations, Lapeer and Belding (Flat
River area). Several clubs are orga-
nized for the retriever enthusiast.
The east side of the state has the
Wolverine Retriever Club, Huron
River Labrador Retriever Club and
the Fort Detroit Golden Retriever
Club. On the west side is the Flat
River Retriever Club. Just to the
south of Michigan in Indiana is
the Backwater Retriever Club. All
those clubs have one common goal:
retrieving dogs. They all put on very
good hunt tests, which usually begin
in April and go to September. The
clubs operate with members who
volunteer their time and, as usual,
more help is always welcome.
Other dog clubs are the HRC
(Hunting Retriever Clubs) and
NAVHDA, which is the North
American Versatile Hunting Dog
Association. They too have events
in Michigan.
The hunting test and belonging
to a dog club will benefit both you
and your canine partner. Training
opportunities increase sharply
and the knowledge shared among
members, who most often become
friends, is priceless. You will also
see your dog reach a potential you
never dreamed possible.
5/8/2019 9:11:27 AM
 Parting Shot
Nick Green
It isn't easy being the one to watch over Michigan's
natural resources and the bodies that govern them.
However, that's what we do here at Michigan United
Conservation Clubs.
The last six months, and particularly the bait
debate, have proven to me that Michigan has a hunting
population who cares about our resources — particu-
larly white-tailed deer.
It doesn't matter what side of the coin you fall on —
to bait or not to bait — we can all agree that whitetail
hunting in Michigan is a tradition steeped within all of
us passionate about our outdoor pursuits.
Sometimes, the qualifier to the bait debate is where
replicated by others in the science community. This is
what we deem sound science.
Again, it doesn't matter what side of the debate you
are on. However, I would encourage you to dive deep
into the information, inform yourself and then come to
the table with your well-informed opinion.
Too often what I see as editor of this magazine and
public information officer for MUCC is emotion driving
an argument. And while emotion does have its place
in some arguments, the management of our natural
resources is not one of them. Sound science should
dictate the course and management of our natural
resources.

"One of the penalties of an

you live. Other times, it is the news you consume or the
people you spend your time with. And in some cases,
your decisions are formed with the help of organiza-
tions like ours.
While the science and science community have
ecological education is that one
clearly proven that baiting is a man-made factor that
contributes to the spread of disease, that is not the point lives alone in a world of wounds.
of this piece; the point is to form your own, educated
opinion on the matter. Much of the damage inflicted on
Most of us on the anti-baiting side, at least in the
face of disease, will agree that the science could be
bolstered and strengthened regarding the subject. And
land is quite invisible to laymen.
that goes without saying that more science is needed
on the disease as a whole because we still don't have a
An ecologist must either harden
"cure."
A simple Google search will yield more scientific his shell and make believe that the
information, and some misinformation, than a person
can read in a lifetime. Now, the internet is not the holder
of all things holy; one must be cautioned when under-
consequences of science are none
taking research on the internet — it is, essentially, fair
game to whoever wants to post on it.
of his business, or he must be the
However, the internet is a great tool at your
fingertips to do your own research and form your own doctor who sees the marks of death
in a community that believes itself
educated opinion on the baiting debate.
Most important, though, is to be critical of the
information you are receiving. Look for articles that
have been peer-reviewed and published in scientific
journals — these are what biologists, scientists and
well and does not want to be told
policy makers should be considering when seeking the
true science behind our natural resources decisions. otherwise."
These articles tend to be dry and sometimes tough
to understand. However, look for a synopsis or a jour-
nalist's break-down of a piece; these are ways to help
make the scientifically-written piece digestible. Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac
I would like to point out, though, that many of the
claims advocating for baiting, such as baiting doesn't
spread disease, have not been proven by peer-reviewed
science. Although a scientist may have come up with
the theory, it is not science until it is proven, tested and

96 | www.michiganoutofdoors.com

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and www.michiganoutofdoors.com

Get Michigan Out-of-Doors

by becoming a member of
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Visit www.mucc.org/join_mucc
or
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for a discounted rate.

Summer 2019.indd 99 5/8/2019 9:11:28 AM

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