Deer Hunting in Michigan- Get Your Program and Lose Your Head Win $200

  The article will be much shorter than the headline implies. Compared to last year the regulations are easier to remember. Last year the combination of hunting scenarios was 47. That's combining hunting area, antlers/ no antlers, antler length, number of points and type of license. This year the regulations are more traditional lets say. However the baiting rules are much different, last year no baiting - this year baiting is allowed except for area 487. Well for most  of area 487, the new regulations allow baiting in certain township included in the area. You'll have to check the regulations for which townships are excluded because once again the DNR has made it difficult to know them. So get a program and good luck his year.

  Another decision the DNR made but hasn't got the word out about is the cash for TB. If you're luck enough to bag a deer in the 487 area, and are willing to turn in your head , if your deer is infected with TB then you'll win $200 from the DNR. They say lightning doesn't strike twice but you could bag a buck and bag some bucks all at the same time.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Extreme Makeover Downriver Edition

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge will be celebrating the makeover of the area this Monday November 7th at 2pm in the Gibraltar Carlson High School. The DRIWR is the only international refuge in the country and the property just north of Humbug Marsh, designated the Refuge Gateway, has gone thru an amazing makeover in just a few short years. Considerable cleanup and restoration has been accomplished in 2011 including restoration of a natural shoreline, restoration of 3 acres of riparian buffer habitat (thanks to Nathan Lewis and the scout troop #802 out of Woodhaven), construction of a second access road, creation of the kayak landing and the greenway bike trail connecting Humbug marsh and Lake Erie Metropark. Amongst other projects with more to come.

From October 16, 2011

Not that long ago the developer, Made in Detroit, would have ripped this area apart to make a high end housing development with a marina and golf course. I wonder how that project would have ended up with the current economy. Definitely no where near the jewel it’s become so far and will become in the near future. So come and join Congressman Dingle and all those involved in the making for a truly joyous celebration.

From Downriver Outdoors

From October 16, 2011

Get Outdoors Downriver.

They Shoot Plates, Don't They?

      Friday night at the Wayne County Sportsman Club they do during the "Duel". This is a neat set up that's unique for this area. There's a shooting booth that 2 shooters occupy and the starter spins a double arrow on the top of the booth to determine which shooter aims at which color plates. Whomever knocks down all their plates first advances to the next round. The last shooter standing wins.




    They have many rules that fill up a sheet of paper that make the event fun for everyone and safe. The gun must be of a .22 LR caliber with a barrel limit of 10 inches. No shooter may win more than $50/month or $200 per year but many compete anyway with the winnings going to the next eligible participant. The cost is $5 per game with a $1 clean up fee, very reasonable for a night of fun.

     The club also has skeet, trap (available under the lights at the end of video), a pistol range and archery. They host ANSS and ATA shoots, steak roasts and lots of other fun get together. Definitely check them out at http://www.waynecountygunclub.webs.com/. With the pheasant season upon us this is the only skeet shooting in the area to practice up.



Get Outdoors Downriver...

Ms. Nature

I've taken my Grand Daughters for the last 5 years to the Oakwood Nature Center to attend the Tadpoles program. That's the park located just south of Michigan memorial Cemetery and is part of the Huron-Clinton Metro Park system along with Willow, Lower Huron and Lake Erie in this area. The $25 entry sticker gets you in all the parks in south east Michigan and is quite a bargain. Lake Erie is closer and has many attributes like the wave pool, boat launch and their own Nature center along with Luc the eagle. Our Granddaughters really like Oakwood because of the instructor Ms. Jennifer.


Ms. Jennifer is a grade school teacher from the Deaborn School District and it shows when does the Tadploe program. I don't remember much from my Kindergarten classes but Ms. Jennifer is the best I've seen recently to combine a book and a craft around a theme. This month's was spiders, kind of a lead in to Halloween. She reads the book and draws pictures to explain things in the book. To keep 3-6 year olds attention for 15 - 20 minutes while she covers the book is amazing and well worth the price of admission. Then there's the craft and the parents/guardians are needed so everyone gets involved.


At the same time there's a program for the 8-10 year olds. Our Oldest Grand daughter still likes to stay with Ms. Jennifer  but in just a short hike around the center the participants discovered some mushrooms, many of which I'd never seen before. So check this program out.


Go to their website to check out all the events they have.
http://www.metroparks.com/parks/index_all.aspx?ID=10
Like the Owl Prowl on November 11th and 12th.


Don't forget Veteran's appreciation Day.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Perch Madness

Saturday was the Downriver Walleye Federation Perch Tournament and the die hards were out. Actually it was great weather but I think the giant low pressure system parked over us put a damper on the fish. Recent reports had the fish coming in shallow and really biting but the results weren't there on Saturday. A nice time was had by all with the food offered at weigh in. The biggest fish was caught by John Lewandowski at 1.14 lbs and 13 3/4 inches. Bob Clark and John also supplied the pickles.
Captain Jerry Hinton guide his team to the overall title amassing 6.34 lbs. Doesn't sound like much but the rules of this tournament allow only 10 fish to be weighed in. Last year pre-fishing for the tournament Jerry and his partner caught 2 limits weighing 75lbs. So the 10 didn't average quite as good but still fine none the less. The rest of the team was made up of M. Pasik, T. Taylor, D. Bloxum and M. Barkley. Congrats to all, it's always nice to be in a tournament, get in next year.

, 2011

Looks like the weather should be better by Thursday so go get some perch.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Fall Back

I just got back from a long trip to Colorado. It's always amazing for me to see the Rockies. From awe inspiring to sheer terror in just a few miles. We went out for my niece's wedding and were part of a beautiful experience from the church to the reception. The lodge we stayed at and attended the reception at has a view of Long's Peak, one of Colorado's 50+ 14,000 foot and higher peaks. My BIL, Dan and I climbed this beast 40 years ago so the sight of old Diamond Face brought back a lot of memories.
We took Trail Ridge Road thru Rocky Mountain National Park and were entertained by the sights.
What a beautiful place to visit.

On the way home I met up with Jay Wolf from Illinois that bagged a nice 5x5 elk with Hubbard Creek Outfitters out of Hotchkiss, CO. Jay had a great hunt and his guide got him to 125 yards so the muzzleloader could get the job done. Shoot me an email Jay with all the details if you read this.
We stopped on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River to get some Kum and Go gas and saw this trio.
So it's time for fall and time to get back in the hunting mode. That means target practice weather its bow and arrow, or shotgun, or rifle get out and put your time in. Bow and arrow practice can be had at the local Gander Mountain, the Lincoln Bowman's range and Wayne County Sportsman's Club. Shotgun at Wayne County Sportsman's Club with non-members paying a little extra for skeet shooting. Rifle practice can be had at Western Wayne County Conservation Association. Get out early.

Hopefully you've consulted my calendar during my hiatus. Maybe you saw a kettle of raptors at Hawkfest, or heard the Championship duck caller at the Point Moullie Waterfowl Festival.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Find Your Niche

  I recently talk to a good friend of mine that's a charter captain on the great lakes. He follows the fish from one side of the state to another depending on what's biting. Captain Dan from Stormy Chinook Charters starts fishing in April from Lexington then heads to Drummond Island from the end of May till early June. From June to half of July he's at the tip of the thumb then he heads to Frankfort for the rest of the season. Like my cousin Jojo it's hard to know where Dan is half the time. His daily schedule during the fishing season is very rigorous, we met him at the boat at 4:30 am for the morning fish. He'll get done cleaning fish after 11 pm most nights. That's a crazy schedule and he's booked up most of 6 months. I couldn't last a week let alone 25+ years like Dan has. He says it's a love to do what he's doing, in some minds it would compare to torture. You can tell he really enjoys what he's doing as he sets up ten lines in record time, just don't touch the steering wheel or any other equipment unless ofcourse there's a fish on. Dan is driven to catch fish and it seems that’s a common denominator in successful guides. They start young and fish all hours of the day then develop a way to take others out to make a living. Drive is imperative but some use creativity to keep successful.

Stormy Chinook

 Jon Bondy was at the Downriver Walleye Federation meeting this month to talk about fishing the river. He started young fishing for smallmouth and walleye but was then smitten by an incidental catch, a musky. When a big fish hits and tries to yank the rod out of your hands while taking line out of the reel it's an exhilarating experience, one you tend to remember. Jon couldn't forget and the passion he developed caused him to concentrate on catching these fish and using some extreme measures. At least that's how the clubs musky expert tells it. Mr. Johnson also has the musky fever and while he was trying to treat it one day a kid in a tiny boat came up and started to follow him. Mr. Johnson enjoys his solitude during these musky fever treatments and so after some negotiations he showed the kid how he was fishing and actually let him catch one of his musky. That kid was Bondy tying to learn everything he could about the ways of muskies. Jon used Mr. Johnson's techniques and caught many fish while trying different methods like casting. What he found was that after 9 am his catch rate really dropped off causing him to think the fish were moving into deep water. After all that's where he was making the incidental catches fishing for walleye. So after much trial and error he came up with the Bondy bait.

 

Bondy bait

The baits have been around for a while and Jon has been on many outdoor TV shows and in many outdoor magazines. A smaller version is out now and are being used to catch lake trout and also some saltwater fish. It's nice to see a local guy make good even if he's on the wrong side of the river.

 Another guide often seen on the Detroit River is Lance Valentine he's often seen because he drives a big white boat and is hard not to notice. Lance's niche is walleye and he likes to talk about anything and everything about walleye. You may have heard of his Walleye 101 web site where the motto is “Teachin' fishin' ...That's our mission”. Check out his site for everything to do with walleye fishing from techniques on fishing, sonar use, gps workshops and fishing reports. His latest endeavor is “Catch For a Cause” along the same lines of Sparky Anderson's charity with a different kind of catch. It's a fishing tournament on Lake Belleville in conjunction with the HOSPICE of Michigan. There is a ton of prizes for a raffle that uses tickets won during the event depending of which fish you catch. There's also a bigger ticket raffle that anyone can buy a ticket to win. Visit Lance's site for more info or to buy tickets.

Lance

Get Outdoors Downriver...

Heat Wave

Forcasted high is 100^oF. Record high for this date is 96^oF so it looks like we're headed for the history books. It makes it hard to get Outdoors Downriver but there's so much going on. The top draw would be the Trenton Boat Races known as the "Roar on the River". The activities start tomorrow so check out their web site- http://trentonroarontheriver.com/ for more info. They have a fund raiser on the Diamond Jack boat but you can take a cruise Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays leaving Wyandotte's Bishop park at 1 and 3:30pm. See their web site for more info-http://www.diamondjack.com/.

Remember the water is only about 75^oF so the ride should be a bit cooler than being on shore. Lake Erie Metro Park has boat tours also on a limited basis. Check their web site for more info- http://www.metroparks.com/calendar_item.aspx?ID=1727&PID=7&r=3 or go to the Discovery Cruise's web site-ID=1727&PID=7&r=3http://miseagrant.umich.edu/discovery/ here's the schedule.

Lake Erie Metropark 2011 Schedule
Cruise Dates	Cruise Times
	10am	2pm	6pm	9pm
June 25 - Saturday	No Child Left on Shore	No Child Left on Shore
July 1 - Friday				Fireworks!
July 6 - Wednesday	ROV Adventures	ROV Adventures	River deTroit History
July 7 - Thursday	Eagle's Eye	Aliens Among Us	Bob-Lo Island	Night Watch
July 8 - Friday	Great Lakes Science for Teachers		Whiskey River
July 9 - Saturday	Eagle's Eye	Strait Talk History	Bob-Lo Island	Night Watch
July 10 - Sunday	Eagle's Eye	Big River Meander
July 13 - Wednesday	All Aboard Kids	Shipping Out	River deTroit History
July 14 - Thursday	Wind, Waves & Weather	Fish Story	Eagle's Eye
July 15 - Friday	Bob-Lo Island	Shipping Out	Handy Billy
July 16 - Saturday	Whiskey River	Lower Lighthouse Lore	Eagle's Eye
July 17 - Sunday	Eagle's Eye	Strait Talk History	All Aboard Kids
July 22 - Friday	Aliens Among Us	Eagle's Eye	River deTroit History
July 23 - Saturday	Strait Talk History	Lower Lighthouse Lore	Detroit River Revival
July 24 - Sunday	Fish Story	Big River Meander
July 25 - Monday	Journey Through the Straits (10:30-4:30)

Getting closer to the water would be a canoe or kayak outing. The Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyandotte has tours and classes to get you on the water. Every Saturday and Sunday at Elizabeth Park they rent kayaks. Check their web site for more info- http://www.riversidekayak.com/.

Extreme Fishing Gets Good

The Lindberg Flash says walleye are almost jumping in the boat on the DR delta. Many reports are coming in from up and down the river of limits. Summer is finally here and the mayflies are gone. Many fish, especially walleye, just gorge themselves on these pupae. The fishing usually slows during this time, except for the silvers, so it's a good time to be fishing now that they're gone. Unless you're into extremes.

Extreme Fishing show host British actor Robson Green returns for yet another series of the show in which he travels the world screaming and swearing his head off as he reels in the fish. Today he is visiting Detroit and he's probably going to fish one of the hot spots on the river. Fighting Island, Mud Island, Sugar Island, pick any island and you should find some fish around. So which island does Robson pick? Zug Island!

He usually goes after an exotic fish, a toothy relative of piranha or a hammerhead shark or even octopus. What is he fishing for around Zug? His specialty is competing with local anglers using their fishing techniques. So let me guess, he'll be handlining for carp. Oops sorry handlining isn't fishing, my bad. We'll just have to wait and see what’s so exotic about fishing the old channel of the Rouge River. Probably the view.

What is it about the rest of the world and Detroit? Writers covering the Autoshow cover the desolation of the city, ESPN writes about how rundown and depressing the city is and then the show about what would happen if humans were wiped off the face of the earth; building unoccupied for 50 years, crumbling with trees and other things growing out of the cracks. Nothing about the sharp new cars or the new sporting venues we have and surely nothing about new neighborhoods going up around the city.

I made a call to Lockeman’e Hardware in Delray to find out the scoop. Dave said I should call Andy’s Bait and Tackle Shop who was contacted by the Friends of the Rouge River. This was becoming a tangled web and I found out that Delray resident Danny Newsome would be Green’s competition. The FOTR, http://www.therouge.org/, had contacted Mr. Green about fishing the Rouge and showing off how much the river has been cleaned up. It looks like this may turn positive after all. The program is only aired in the UK and should be available in September. Green’s web site is;

http://www.robsongreen.com/extreme-fishing/#

From a very reliable source I’m told that Zug Island wasn’t an island until 1888 when Mr. Zug let the River Rouge Improvement Company cut a small canal through the south section of his property to connect the Rouge River and the Detroit River more directly (this Short Cut Canal, as it came to be known, was enlarged in the early 1920s by Henry Ford to allow large ships to more easily navigate to and from his famous Ford Rouge Complex. Making it easier for Iron Warriors like Yash to build our country. Like sands thru the hour glass so are the changes on this river.

Happy Birthday Amelica

  Yes this weekend we're celebrating my Daughter's birthday along with the country's. It seems just a few short years ago that she was born. It was the 200th anniversary of declaring our freedom. Now she's old enough to be President. Happy birthday Melissa! Let take a fishing trip if you can pull yourself away from all of the Bike Club meetings.

  Fishing will be on the US side since she doesn't have a Canadian license. For those of you that have them I ran across an article from Bassmasters.com:

  From Bassmaster.com

Anglers caught in Canada's border crackdown
Lake Erie
B.A.S.S.
For U.S. anglers, what is required when fishing Canadian waters on Lake Erie remains unclear.


By Frank Sargeant
Jun 29, 2011

On May 30, 22-year-old Roy Andersen of Baldwinsville, N.Y., motored to his favorite fishing spot in the Gananoque Narrows of the Thousand Islands area in the St. Lawrence River — as he had done dozens of times before — and proceeded to fish for pike and perch.

But in short order, two officers from the Canadian Border Services Agency boarded his boat and informed him he was in violation of customs procedures. He had failed to report in to Canadian customs when he crossed the international border at midriver.

This amazed Andersen, since not only he but hundreds of other U.S. anglers routinely cross the border to fish. The norm has been that so long as no one attempted to anchor or land on Canadian soil, reporting in was de-facto not required.

But the CBSA officers understood the rules differently, and they informed Andersen that if he did not pay a $1,000 fine, on the spot, his boat would be confiscated!

Andersen managed to pay with a credit card, but the incident, which seemed to mark a dramatic change in Canadian policy on border enforcement for boaters and fishermen, has ruffled feathers all the way to Washington.

Andersen is appealing the fine, and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and Congressman Bill Owens, both of New York, have sent letters to the head of CBSA requesting an explanation of the change in policy. The outcome of the incident could have an impact on tournament anglers as well as casual fishermen throughout the border region, since anglers routinely pass back and forth across the unmarked open-water border during fishing trips throughout the Great Lakes and the connecting rivers.

The possibility of fines and confiscation of property threatens anglers competing in the upcoming Bass Pro Shops Northern Open on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio, as well as B.A.S.S. Federation Nation events on border waters.

There’s been a lot of confusion over what’s required, with different offices and officers of the CBSA interpreting the rule differently now that the question has come to a head.

Here’s what Chris Kealey, spokesperson for Canadian Border Services Agency’s Northern Ontario Region, told Bassmaster.com:

“These rules have not changed. If you are entering Canadian waters by boat and you drop anchor or go to shore to refuel, lunch or shop, you must report to Canada border services. It’s the same for Canadians going into U.S. waters.

“However, there is an exception that states if you are in transit from one location in U.S. waters to another in U.S. waters and pass through Canadian waters temporarily, that is permitted without reporting in to CBSA. And we also recognize that, in some areas, navigation into Canadian waters may be necessary for safe passage. In the Thousand Islands, for example, you might travel into Canada to avoid islands and shoals in many areas on the U.S. side, and that’s no problem.”

Captain Rick Unger, president of the Lake Erie Charterboat Association, said that he had never had an issue in many decades of taking anglers into Canadian waters to fish for walleyes, nor had he heard of any other skippers who had run afoul of CBSA — until the Andersen case.

“This is a big issue for us, naturally, so I tried to run it down,” Unger said. “I called the CBSA’s CANPASS remote reporting number and got hold of the Windsor office, and the officer in charge there told me flat out that word had come down from the top last week that they were not going to require U.S. boaters and fishermen to report unless they anchor or go ashore, period. I called back the next day, got another officer, and got the same answer. So, the members of our association are proceeding on that, (and we’re) fishing as we always have without reporting on trips that go straight out and straight back to U.S. ports.”

Chris Kealey of CBSA agrees: “We understand that boaters may not even know when they cross the border at times; in general, our enforcement people are not going to arrest and fine fishermen who do not attempt to anchor or land. However, if you have doubts, you can call 888-226-7277 anywhere along the Canadian/U.S. border to report in,” Kealey told BASS Times.

Chris Bowes, tournament manager for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens, said that based on what is known at this point, anglers in the Lake Erie event (scheduled for Aug. 25-27) will be permitted to cross over and fish the Canadian side of the lake, but they will be advised to check in by phone with a Canadian customs office.
 
  Some good and bad news about our country's bird the eagle. Last year I wrote about the eagle I saw soaring over I-75 coming back from turkey hunting. This year I heard of an eagle being shot in Genesse County a mile from where I saw the bird. It had to be the same one. Now this:
 
An injured bald eagle is recovering from a gunshot wound and should take flight again soon.

The five year old male eagle was rescued February 17 in Genesse County with a broken wing after being shot. The eight pound eagle was moved to the Howell Conference and Nature Center from Monroe in early May to continue rehabilitation. The facility has a large flight pen which allows the bird to fly back and forth to regain the strength necessary to survive in the wild.

Veterinarian Maxine Biwer tells Action News the eagle's release could possibly come in the next three or four weeks. The shooter was apprehended and fined heavily.