Deer Hunting Abscession Explains It All

Finally there a study that sheds light on the reason the hunters from our camp up north don't get the big deer. The usual take is a few sightings and every 4 to 5 years 1 in 10 will get a spike. My 7 pointer is the only multi-point deer in 25 years of hunting there.

As reported by Dr. Dave Samuel a bacterial disease called intracranial abscessation is killing our older mature bucks. The buck deer fight to determine a pecking order in the herd. When the rut is on, bucks fight and
even though those fights look bad, it’s pretty unusual for bucks to actually kill each other. One gives up and high tails it out of the county. Now a study done by Gabrial Karns, a graduate student from North Carolina State University, and Dr. Mark Conners, manager and wildlife biologist at Chesapeake Farms on the eastern shore of Maryland, shows that some fights involving mature bucks do lead to a slow death.


The bacterial disease known as intracranial abscessation (basically a bad infection) affects the brain, deteriorates the skull and leads to the death of some older bucks.

These researchers found the disease in 35 percent of the older bucks they autopsied that died a natural death. That doesn’t mean that the disease killed all of those bucks, it just means that 35 percent had the infection. No one can be sure what killed them. It's highly probable that the older bucks are infecting one another when they fight during the rut.   With this new knowledge everyone in camp can feel better about themselves. We can't help it that we hunt in an area with an epidemic amount of deer with this disease. I just hope it doesn't cause the number of hunt hours to plummet. Plus with the new Lower Peninsula Deer Management Initiative (LPDMI) that has proposed a four-point APR for all of Zone 3 in southern Michigan things could get worse throughout the state.

 Atta Boy to the researchers working at Chesapeake Farms — a great cooperative effort that might just lead to lowering the mortality caused by this nasty disease.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Fish For Free Before The Price Goes Up

Just a reminder that all Michigan residents and non-residents can fish without a license this Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. Please note all other fishing regulations still apply.

Do you still need a muskie tag?

Saturday and Sunday make up the Summer Free Fishing Weekend, an annual effort to promote Michigan’s numerous fishing opportunities. While many individuals and families will head out to fish for free on their own, there are also numerous organized events scheduled throughout the state to celebrate the weekend as well.

Don't know where to go? Try the DNR's family fishing page. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364-299046--,00.html

You could even make money fishing!

As if on cue along comes Michigan's first significant increase in hunting and fishing license fees since 1997, passed by the House on Wednesday, a move that has the blessing of outdoor groups.


Legislation approved 77-32 by the Republican-led chamber would raise about $20 million more for wildlife, fisheries and habitat programs, a 40 percent boost. The fee hikes, which legislators recently built into the next state budget at the request of Gov. Rick Snyder, would begin in March 2014.

Michigan has 227 different types of hunting and fishing license fees. The bill headed to the GOP-controlled Senate would leave the state with approximately 40, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis.

For the average fisher or hunter the fees will be lower. Great news in these financially challenged times.

So Get Outdoors Downriver.

Last Chance

Last chance to purchase 2013 bear and elk hunting applications

The Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the application period to purchase a bear or elk hunting application ends June 1.

Hunters can apply online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings, at any authorized license agent or at a DNR Customer Service Center. A nonrefundable $4 fee is charged at the time of application. Hunters may purchase only one application for each species.

Drawing results may be checked online at www.michigan.gov/huntdrawings beginning June 24 for both species.

For more information on the application process and hunting of bear or elk, check the 2013 Michigan Bear Hunting Digest, the 2013 Michigan Elk Hunting Digest, or online at www.michigan.gov/hunting. All hunting digests can be found online at www.michigan.gov/dnrdigests, at local DNR Customer Service Centers, or at a license agent.
Want another chance at a bear and elk license? Hunters can increase their odds by applying for the Pure Michigan Hunt. Applications are $4 and can be purchased at any license agent or online at www.mdnr-elicense.com. Applicants can buy as many applications as they want. Three lucky winners will win prize packages that include elk (Michigan residents only), bear and turkey licenses; first pick at a managed waterfowl hunt area; plus firearms, crossbows and much more – worth more than $4,200! For additional information, visit www.michigan.gov/puremichiganhunt or check out this short Pure Michigan Hunt video.


get Outdoors Downriver

Time to Remember

Thank you to the families that lost loved ones and the people that served. The price of freedom is very high and hard to comprehend to those whom haven't contributed. If you make it to a cemetery this weekend try to count the flags flown at grave sites. Only then can you come to realize how many paid a price for our freedom. If you agree thank a vet, they'll appreciate it.

This is also the start of traditional summer activities, bbqs, swimming pools and bon fires. The action also picks up at the Metro Parks. Experience how the Native Americans and first explorers lived in and around this area at Oakwoods Nature Center. You can even get a ride in a large canoe that they once used. At Lake Erie Metro Park take a "Park Wander" with one of the guides. Take a walk on the elevated boardwalk thru their wetlands, always something different in there.

Peruse the summer newsletter to find an activity that'll suit you.
http://issuu.com/hcmetroparks/docs/hcma_2013_summer_newsletter

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Native Invasives?

Walleye guide and the voice of Walleye 101, Lance Vallentine recently posted a pic of a client that caught a Chinook salmon in the Detroit River. This sounds very rare but with Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania planting salmon it's not too farfetched.

Therehave recently been reports of bears in close quarters with humans. One in Muskegon, http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2013/05/black_bear_in_muskegon_identif.html

One in Southern California at a pool party.



So far these encounters have been fine, hopefully we won't get invaded by these.



Well wait I take that back, that is of course if they have a taste for cormorants.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Comment on Sugar Island and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge info.

Comment period on draft compatibility determination for additional public use of sugar island unit, Detroit river international wildlife refuge

GROSSE ILE, MICHIGAN – A 14-day public comment period on a draft Compatibility Determination for additional public use of Sugar Island Unit, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), begins May 2nd and runs through Wednesday, May 15, 2013. This draft Compatibility Determination is being issued to ensure that additional public use of Sugar Island is compatible with the Refuge’s purpose and mission. If any use is determined to be “incompatible”, it will not be allowed on Sugar Island. The Compatibility Determination will be available for public review and comment at the Refuge office located at 9311 Groh Rd., Grosse Ile, MI 48138 for the 14-day period identified above.

The public is invited to provide written comments to Steve Dushane, Assistant Refuge Manager of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (9311 Groh Rd., Grosse Ile, MI 48138; steve_dushane@fws.gov) by 5 PM on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

The Refuge incorporates more than 5,800 acres along 48 miles of the lower Detroit River and western Lake Erie. The Refuge focuses on conserving, protecting, and restoring habitat for a broad range of native fish and wildlife and their habitats. It is the first international refuge in North America and one of a few urban ones in the nation. Unique habitats being managed within the Refuge includes islands and shoals, coastal wetlands, wet prairie, and forest.

For more information, contact Assistant Refuge Manager, Steve Dushane (734-692-7604).

Also:
Partners and friends of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge are invited to celebrate this past year’s accomplishments at an annual benefit dinner on Saturday, May 18th, at 6:00 p.m. at the historic Edsel and Eleanor Ford House located in Grosse Pointe Shores. The benefit dinner will:


Celebrate major refuge accomplishments highlighted in the 2012 Annual Report (e.g., control of Phragmites on over 300 acres of Refuge wetlands, completion of $1.5 million in cleanup and restoration work at the Refuge Gateway, logging over 18,000 volunteer hours in support of the refuge; www.fws.gov/refuge/detroit_river/in_the_community/annual_reports.html);

Honor Ford Motor Company, Friends of the Detroit River, and Dorothy McLeer as the 2013 John D. Dingell Friends of the Refuge Award honorees in the business, nonprofit, and citizen categories, respectively; and

Make a major announcement about the next step in the cleanup and restoration of a former brownfield site into the Refuge Gateway for public use.

Individual tickets and sponsorships are available through the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance at: www.iwralliance.org or 734. 692.7671.­­ Proceeds from the annual benefit dinner and auction will go to support the ongoing restoration work, environmental education, and outreach activities of the Refuge that benefit our region’s quality of life. Please join Congressman John Dingell and U.S. and Canadian partners at the Ford House to show your support for building North America’s only International Wildlife Refuge.

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge incorporates 5,800 acres along 48 miles of the Detroit River and western Lake Erie. The Refuge focuses on conserving, protecting, and restoring habitat for 29 species of waterfowl, 23 species of raptors, 31 species of shorebirds, over 100 species of fish, and over 300 species of birds. It is the first international refuge in North America and one of the few urban ones. Unique habitats being managed for conservation include islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands. The Western Lake Erie Watersheds Priority Natural Area is the institutional mechanism for Canadian federal, provincial, and local partners to cooperatively work with U.S. partners on the International Wildlife Refuge.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is, working with others, to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

The International Wildlife Refuge Alliance is the Refuge’s friends group and a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. The Alliance’s mission is to support the first international wildlife refuge in North America by working through partnerships to protect, conserve, and manage the Refuge’s wildlife and habitats, and to create exceptional conservation, recreational, and educational experiences to develop the next generation of conservation stewards.

Contact: Joann Van Aken, Executive Director, International Wildlife Refuge Alliance (iwr_alliance@yahoo.com; 734.692. 7671), or John Hartig, Refuge Manager, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (john_hartig@fws.gov; 734-692.7608)

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Turkey Tribulations

The good news is that I got my bird. The other news is that I had to go thru many changes in emotions and tactics to do so. The ups and downs of hunting turkeys in Michigan. Opening day was clear but windy, 7 to 15 miles per hour winds. This cuts down on your calling range and demands you stake your decoys. Staking is putting a stick long enough to impede the decoy from moving too far to either side on each side. So even in a strong wind the decoy moves but doesn't spin around on it's pivot point to look like a top. Birds were gobbling when I set up and for an hour after sunup. Unfortunately that was it and all 5 toms I saw within eye shot over 2 days never gobbled.

Now for the tribulations. Monday afternoon around 3 I looked over my shoulder to see a tom zooming in to my decoy set up. No gobble just a stealthy drive by to teach my jake decoy who's boss. Not having any shooting windows on that side of the blind I had to open the sliding door to get a shot. The door opened easily and unbenownst to tom. As I lined up the shot I noticed iron sights. The kind that are on a slug barrel not the normal shot barrel for bird shot. I quickly calculated the difference in aim point with the different sights and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. As I looked at the gun I could see the shell wasn't all the way into the chamber. A little force didn't help the situation and I was forced to eject the shell and the succeeding shell of the same type. My third shell was different and one I considered a long shot, size 4 shot shell. The shell did go all the way in and I focused on the tom heading well out of the decoys and looking over his shoulder trying to figure out what all the noise was coming out of the blind. I aimed right for the waddles and pulled the trigger. Not a feather was touched and the bird ascended into flight across the field only to land at the hedgerow and run into the woods.

This was the low point of my hunt with many negative thoughts and feelings rushing over me. Not seeing anything for the rest of the night I headed in a little early to find a way to see where the gun was shooting. I found a large piece of cardboard and measured out 20 yards. My shot was 4" low and 4" to the right so I would use this as my adjustment for any further action.

The next morning found me in the same blind with the same decoy set up. The sunrise gobbles were very distant today but the woods was full of hens. A dozen hens searched the river bottoms for food when a single hen came thru giving a roundup call. Another 10 hens came out of the surrounding woods to join the group and they all headed off to the west. Mid morning a puffed up tom suddenly appeared 70 yards out and he was with 2 hens. I tried every conceivable call I have in my repertoire but got no response from the tom. The hens naturally ignored my calling and probably became suspicious and they all left to the west.

About noon I decided to switch spots to an area I heard gobbling in the morning. The blind is on the other side of a creek and just before the creek there is a rise in the terrain. As I topped the rise I spotted a tom in full strut accompanied by hens. I dropped down to my knees and set up decoys, back off about 20 yards and started box calling. No response, so I tried crawling to the top of the rise to get a shot but the hens detected me and were on the other side of the creek being followed by the tom.

Crawling in mud takes a lot out of you so I packed up and made my way to the blind. Set up the dekes and climbed in and after allowing the area to settle in I did some calling. No responses back but within a half hour 2 hens with a tom in tow appeared across the small field I was in. The hens didn't like my decoys and headed back into the woods to the awaiting tom. That was it for the next 5 hours, no responses, no sightings and negative feelings setting in.

Just before 6 o'clock some sort of switch was turned on and about 20 deer moved from the woods across the field I was in, across the field and into the woods behind me. Some of the deer didn't like my decoy set up and ran across the opening.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E-tMfBSZFbY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Soon after the deer were done turkeys started to follow. First 2 hens ignoring my set up, then a young tom with about a 6" beard came thru trying not to make eye contact with the decoys. All these birds were just out of range for me even with the right barrel. Next up was a nice tom and he puffed up when he saw my set up. He walked right in displaying to the hens in my grouping. He was well within range and I waited to see if he would attack my jake decoy. Suddenly something just didn't seem right to him and he deflated and started to walk off so I lined up the sights with the allotted deviation and fired. The gun fired but the turkey was trying to leave the area a little quicker. The second shot somehow connected and the bird went down.

Overlooking the poor shooting the hunt was fairly typical of the ups and downs of hunting turkeys in Michigan. Hopefully the birds will start to respond to calls shortly and I can call in some birds for my sons and cousin.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Boating season is Upon Us

The Coast Guard has recently become aware of counterfeits of U.S. Coast Guard approved portable fire extinguishers manufactured by Amerex Corporation and Buckeye Fire Equipment. Both companies are major producers of genuine approved fire extinguishing equipment and serve a worldwide market. These counterfeit extinguishers present a significant safety hazard. Their capability to extinguish a fire is unproven; they may be charged with a powdery substance that is not a fire extinguishing agent, the pressure cylinder is not DOT approved, and the pressure gauge may not function or give false readings. The dry-chemical counterfeit extinguishers are size B-II and may be identified by several distinguishing features: Counterfeit units may have duplicate serial numbers. Genuine approved extinguishers will have a unique serial number for each extinguisher.

For counterfeit Amerex extinguishers, the serial № V-654690 has been reported. There may be other serial numbers used on the counterfeits. For counterfeit Buckeye extinguishers, the serial № K-094927 with a red handle and serial № YMU76222 with a black handle have been reported.

• The labels on counterfeit extinguishers may be simply printed. Labels on genuine approved extinguishers will include a security imprint / texture behind the UL LISTED logo, classification, testing and approval data. Genuine Amerex Corporation extinguishers will have a pattern of scored "circles," and genuine Buckeye Fire Equipment extinguishers will have the letter "S" scored into the label.

• The bottoms of the counterfeits have a rounded curved in lip as shown on the right side of the image on the right. The bottom of a genuine Amerex extinguisher is shown on the left side of the image. Genuine Buckeye extinguishers will have a date stamped on the bottom. Inspections and Compliance Directorate Genuine Counterfeit The counterfeit extinguishers have been reported to have black or red plastic handles. Genuine approved dry-chemical B-II extinguishers typically have handles that are constructed of silver-colored aluminum (although there are some with plastic handles). Pressure gauges on the counterfeit units may be the wrong color. The gauges on genuine approved Buckeye dry-chemical extinguishers will have a red background. Counterfeit extinguishers may have welded seams on the sides of the cylinders. The Coast Guard believes that counterfeit production is not limited to Amerex

Be careful out there and...

Get Outdoors Downriver.

35 incher in the Walleye Capital of the World, For Now

This has been an unbelievable year for walleye fishing in the Detroit River. Due to the weather it's been a later run compared to recent years but the fish are worth the wait. Big fish, that are maybe sticking around longer waiting for the water temp to be right before dropping their eggs. This one came into Dip Net in Ecorse it measured 15+ pounds and more impressive was 35.5" long. This was probably the biggest reported but there are so many that a bigger fish could have been caught and the old river rat just isn't saying anything.


  My son Justin caught his personal best and the largest in family history. This one measured 30.5 inches and weighed 10.6 pounds  

And my best for the year, a 28.5 inch male. Any of these fish would be fish of a lifetime if caught in other waters. Here in the Walleye Capital of the World they're caught on a regular basis in spring.

Get Outdoors Downriver.

Insider's Look at Point Mouille

Got to go thru the gates and ride on the refuge's dikes. What a nice experience and what a place to visit. This was back on March 23rd with much of the area still under ice. Still early for many spieces of birds but there were thousands already there. The first stop was for  trumpeter swan.


The bird was acting nervous with our presence, leaving a mound in the bullrushes and swimming back and forth in front of us. We left this spot, which wasn't very far from the Siegler road parking area, and headed to the banana dike area on Lake Erie. The Army Corp of Engineers was working on filling in a section of the dike. We stopped a little farther on and got a pick of the eagle's nest.



We also got a glimpse of some other wildlife. There were a few muskrats around, but no beaver.

It was a great day on the refuge especially so that we could drive and not have to walk like a couple of others that didn't know about the outing. I got to spend the day with my brother-in law, the professional fisherman, and my dentist Brian Hartwell along with many members of the Detroit Audobon Society.

Thanks to Joe Robison for leading us around and Zack and Chuck. Joe gave us some info on the refuge in regard to funding the projects there. The place has really changed in the past 10 years due to their efforts and money from various sources. Joe emphasized they need support from all of us and the best way is to but a refuge permit, which goes right to them, or buy a small game license. Even if you don't hunt buying the license opens the vast amount of Pittman-Robertson money that's building up quickly due to the run on guns and ammo. A $15 small game license purchase brings $45 of RP money to the state. Please buy one even if you won't use it. Stay tuned for info on the next ride on the dikes.

Get Outdoors Downriver.