Michigan Hunting Articles
Setting Goals for Hunters
It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone. 2011 is long gone ...we're well into 2012. And with a new year comes hopes of better days ahead. It is a time when the slate is wiped clean, and we have the opportunity to make the new year better than the last. Many of us began 2012 with resolutions. For some, those included plans to eat healthier, exercise more, and hopefully to weigh less. For others, it may have included a promotion, a career change, or maybe the beginning of a new business venture. Very rarely, though, do you hear any of us diehard hunters talking about our hunting resolutions for the new year.
Winter Scouting
For the deer hunter, winter is a long period of nothing but waiting. The fall hunt is over and there is little activity related to hunting deer, plus it seems like the new season is such a long way off. Around here, winters are tough, so even the fun stuff like getting out and shooting the bow or going to the rifle range is out of reach. There is one thing winter is great for, and it is a way to stay connected to your favorite hobby. Winter is the best time to get out and scout to see what the deer have been doing at your hunting spots.
Tree Stand Safety
Every year countless hunters fall victim to tree stand accidents. Fall being the operative word, using tree stands can be risky business. Unfortunate but true, no one plans to go airborne, but it happens. I know several individuals myself who have suffered injuries while putting up, sitting in, or taking down stands. The good news is that commercial tree stands have evolved plenty over the past couple decades. Furthermore, by taking a few extra precautions we can avoid, or at very least minimize, the potential for tree stand mishaps.
For the Traveling Sportsman
Every year thousands of hunters across the continent book outfitted hunts. Some are booked in their home state or province; others require considerable travel by air. For those with the means, exotic trips abroad are a unique privilege. But regardless of where a hunter goes, the research, booking and travel aspects are imminent. Simple or complex, logistics are a part of the game. I've seen it more than once with first time traveling sportsmen.
End of Summer Food Plot?
When most people think of planting food plots, they envision planting them during the months of May or June, and then watching their crops grow throughout the spring and summer months. Many don't view the dog days of summer as a time to be planting food plots. Most deer hunters plant the usual varieties of plants to give their local deer the extra nutrients to encourage healthy body weights and antler growth. Unfortunately, most of the hunters really aren't providing their local deer the well rounded, yearly feed that they should be providing.
Deer Diary: How to Keep a Hunting Journal
Twentieth Century philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Chances are he wasn't thinking about deer hunting when he spoke those words, but the principal still applies, none-the-less. If you are like me, just remembering what happened on your last hunt is challenging enough. Being able to recall specific details of the hunts from years past would be dang near impossible without having some type of written account. That is why a hunting journal can be such a great resource for the serious deer hunter.
Satellite Bucks: Making the Most of Your GPS
Not that long ago, it would take the average hunter a few seasons to truly learn the ins and outs of a new area. Typically, he would gain knowledge of the local topography bit-by-bit, mostly by hunting near obvious landmarks such as watercourses, trails, ridgelines, meadows, and clear cuts. And, for a while, this would work just fine.
Communicating with Big Game
Minutes after climbing into my stand I began my calling and rattling sequence. First grunting, then working the antlers, I stared down at the mock scrape I'd been religiously anointing with doe-estrus scent for the previous two weeks. I hadn't even finished my first round of clashing antlers together when I saw a nice buck run in from the heaviest cover. In a magnificent display of dominance all four feet were planted firmly in the center of my scrape as he swung his head back and forth in defiance! My efforts to communicate had sent this buck a clear message and he responded on cue.
Hunter Etiquette & Responsibility
Respectable hunters live by both a written and an unwritten code. Most of us acknowledge our responsibility to follow the formal and informal rules of etiquette. Webster's dictionary defines etiquette as, "rules governing socially acceptable behavior." Unfortunately there are those among us who choose to ignore etiquette, conducting their hunting activities with only self-serving interests in mind. At a time when our heritage activities are under constant scrutiny it behooves us to heed the importance of etiquette and ethics. As I contemplate this issue I can't help but conclude that it's really all about respect - respecting the law, landowners, the land, as well as non-hunters and hunters alike.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Then I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He had approached from behind and was standing 30 yards to my right and glared in my direction. His eyes seemed to search through every inch of the grass that I lay in, trying to locate the rabbit that lured him in. I remained still, waited for his shoulder to appear in my scope and squeezed the trigger. As I made my way to the coyote, I couldn't help but to admire the ghillie suit that had kept me hidden so well among the grass and wonder why I hadn't tried this before.
Reverse Slope Gobblers
I once read that the Duke of Wellington was notorious for utilizing reverse slopes when deploying his troops. The famous general, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, would hide his forces on the far side of a hill or rise so that he could maneuver unseen, and ultimately conduct battle or ambush on his terms. If I didn't know better, I'd say the Duke was a turkey hunter.
Turkey Hunting: Scouting Early Equals Opening Day Success
Very few hunting sports have grown as quickly as turkey hunting has in the last few decades. When I started turkey hunting, tagging a longbeard wasn't as difficult as it is today. Toms used to come running every time I let loose on my favorite box call. If I made a mistake or two on a tom, most of the time he could be called right back into shotgun range. Gaining permission to hunt was a piece of cake.
Deer Hunting and Weather
Every time we step off the asphalt into the country's wilderness, we carry with us a considerable store of outdoor lore, some of it based on personal hunting experience, some on information gleaned from our peers and our mentors and some on what we have read and heard in magazines and on programs. Our moment-to-moment decisions, regardless of how big or small, are based on this accumulated storehouse of both conscious and subconscious knowledge.
Rattling 101
Rattling is one of those techniques that you either have complete confidence in or completely lack confidence in. It's true that there are few hunters these days who steadfastly maintain that rattling is little more than a gimmick and that the technique only works in Texas where the countryside is supposedly crawling with whitetails. They're convinced that no self-respecting northern whitetail would ever fall for the trick and that the fad will eventually blow over.
Planning Your Outfitted Hunt
So you've saved your money and your significant other has granted permission to book a hunt. Perhaps it's a once-in-a-lifetime deal, or maybe you're one of the lucky ones that gets to do it every year. Regardless of your circumstance, a daunting decision remains... choosing an outfitter.
Spring Farmland Bear Hunting
From my perch high up in a poplar tree, I patiently gazed in the direction of my bait barrel. A movement to the left caught my attention and within seconds I spotted the outline of a black bear. The animal was standing in heavy underbrush and it was difficult to see how big the bear was. The bear cautiously moved along and within minutes it was less than 20 yards from the tree I was sitting in.
Planning Your Spring Turkey Hunt
Planning for a spring turkey hunt can be an ordeal. Everything from pre-season scouting to acquiring and practicing calls, gathering topographic maps and researching turkey behavior are commonplace. Following months of research I was finally on my first wild turkey hunt for Merriam's.
How to Bow Hunt Big Mature Bucks Over Bait
Even though it was 49 years ago, I still vividly remember shooting my first buck. I was in Lugerville, Wisconsin, a small community in the northern part of the state. As I was proudly standing over my buck, with my dad, uncles and cousins congratulating me, my Uncle Louie called me a "lucky stiff." He had hunted many years without killing a buck.
The Art Of Stalking Whitetails
Still hunting for whitetails is, I'm convinced, a matter of character. No one technique is more effective than another, rather, some hunters are better suited to one style than another and so they're more adept at it. I still hunt because the technique suits me like a favorite wool sweater. And, in the three decades since I stumbled across my first living, breathing whitetail, I've refined, modified and tweaked my skills to the point where still hunting has become second nature.
The Bear Facts - 25 Things Every Black Bear Hunter Should Know
Despite divided opinion about the political correctness of bear hunting, it is something every hunter should try at least once. But a word of caution, if you want to make the most of your outings, there are a few key things you should know. The more knowledgeable you are, the better your chances of tagging a trophy.