EdB

It was nice to get back out fishing today after the last 2 months of nothing but hunting seasons. My buddy and I hit the St Joe river. We started around 11:30am and fished till 5:15pm drifting spawn bags. We had bites throughout the afternoon. We hit 11 fish. boated 8 and kept 5. The steelie spawn supply is looking good after today. Had some nice fish.

Good job guys.

Merry Christmas to you too Frank and to everyone here! May the New Year bring calm seas, tight lines, big fish and heavy boxes to all!

It is usually ice fishing or steelheading on the St Joe and KZoo rivers. I also like to go hiking with my girls on all the trails in Waterloo when the snow isn't too deep. My oldest daughter and I hiked about 5 miles today on some of the more hilly terrain around here. She always wants to get off the trails and cut our own track and that's fine with me. This winter, I'm going to put more effort into coyote hunting.

Good luck, I was walking on the ice on the lake I live last weekend, now it's all open water:( Was going to hit the St Joe river today but it turned to chocolate milk with the rain we had mid week...no steelies for me. I guess I'm going buy a doe tag today and try to get one for Sportsman Against Hunger this weekend.

Welcome to the forums!

I disagree we should cap buying more state land, more info below, call your legislators to express your opinion. http://www.michiganoutofdoors.com/2011/12/deer-say-action-needed-on-land-cap-bill/ There are a number of issues out there right now that could have big time consequences for how we hunt in Michigan that are not related to number of deer. One such issue, Senate Bill 248 – also known as the “land cap bill” – is coming up for a vote in the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, December 13th. As its name implies, the bill would “cap” the amount of land the DNR can own and manage into perpetuity at 4.65 million acres, which is a mere 17,000 acres over what the department currently manages. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Who hasn’t felt at some point that the DNR has over-stepped their bounds, and this is a great way to control their power, is it not? Not so fast. Think for a minute about what is happening here. Say, for instance, part of our solution for a better deer hunt is to purchase more tracts of accessible public land in southern Michigan, or some quality winter deer yard becomes available in the more northern reaches of our state – which has had its fair share of low deer years. Once we get close to or reach that cap, the department would have two choices: 1.) forget the land and keep things the way they were, or 2.) purchase the land and sell off land someplace else. Sounds reasonable, right? Except that most land to be sold off would be tax reverted land the department has been trying to sell off but can’t – mostly because it is poor quality land. And if not, the department would have to start looking and similar sized parcels of quality land they could sell off. Imagine if you are a community or user group of the land chosen for sale. If it were part of the Traverse City State Forest or Rose Lake State Wildlife area near Lansing where this writer typically likes to go, I would have flames coming out of my nostrils. You would too if it was your favorite place to hunt. And so will other communities and user groups. The problem with SB 248 is this: it identifies an issue – that the state has a lackluster plan for acquiring public access land – and then does a lackluster job of trying to solve that problem. That is why MUCC cannot support this bill the way it is currently written. And that is why we need your help to take action. Call or email your Representative today to get it on their radar. In addition, you can also contact the members of the House Natural Resources committee, who will be voting on this bill Tuesday, December 13th. Sportsmen and women in this state have too much stake in our natural resources to let legislation that could have large consequences slip by. Take action by calling or writing today. Members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Tourism, & Outdoor Recreation Rep. Frank Foster, Chair 517-373-2629 [email protected] Rep. Matt Huuki 517-373-0850 [email protected] Rep. Holly Hughes 517-373-3436 [email protected] Rep. Joel Johnson 517-373-8962 [email protected] Rep. Kurt Damrow 517-373-0476 [email protected] Rep. Peter Pettalia 517-373-0833 [email protected] Rep. Wayne Schmidt 517-373-1766 [email protected] Rep. Harold Haugh 517-373-0854 [email protected] Rep. Tim Bledsoe 517-373-0154 [email protected] Rep. Maureen Stapleton 517-373-1008 [email protected] Rep. Dian Slavens 517-373-2575 [email protected]

Mike, that hobby is going to be more expensive than fishing, better luck at the next race.

Sounds like the wait was worth it this year, way to go.

Awesome buck and great pics! It is even more special to target a specific buck and get him. Well done!

Makes an awesome Thanksgiving day appetizer. Started with some Hi Mountain cured and smoked venison logs, just follow the recipe on the package and roll the venison burger into logs and smoke it. Last night, I smoked the chedder so it could chill. If you have never smoked cheese you really need to watch the temps and not let it get to hot. I crack the lid on the smoker, put the cheese on the top rack and keep a close eye on the temps. If it gets to hot, the cheese will melt. A couple hours of smoke is all that is needed. Your not trying to cook anything, just putting a nice smoke flavor to the cheese. Slice the smoked venison logs and chedder and lay them out on a platter to serve with club crackers. I might have to put a padlock on the fridge to keep the family from eating them all before we head to moms for dinner later today. Smoked chedder give a unique twist to any recipe needing cheese.

Hard to see it markings but I'll guess either a Pinook(king/pink cross) or an Atlantic salmon.

Great buck, congratulations!

We tried in the 90's for 2 years and after watching numerous bucks cross the fence and get whacked, we gave up. Back in those days, we always get our bucks. sometimes 2 of them but most were scrawny or small basket racks. Typical 1-1/2 year old deer. Then some dedicated guys got the co-op started 5 years ago and 2 of our neighbors got in with us and it has been getting better ever since. Our neighbor on the 3rd side joined 2 years ago. Now that others are seeing the results, more people are joining and it is getting bigger.

We had another great deer camp this year, just cut shorter than most due to my buddies work schedules. On opening day, I saw a lot of does and 4 bucks I let walk. My buddy Rick watched this nice 9 pt bed down 200 yards from his stand around 10:00AM. He got down and made a nice stalk and got him with a 60 yard shot. I got a doe in bow season but I haven't shot a buck in a few years although I've had plenty of chances. I let a nice 2-1/2 year old 8pt and 10pt walk last season and maybe this buck was one of them. He had a similar rack only a lot nicer this year. I spotted him following a doe at 11:30 on Wednesday. He stopped behind some brush about 70 yards out. I had him in the scope and 2 steps forward and I had a shot. We had a 10 minute stand off but it gave me some time to settle my heart down. He stepped back and not forward but turned and started coming my way. He came close enough for a bow and then turned broadside and I took the shot and nailed him. I'm glad I didn't rush a long distance shot. With the split brow tine and a kicker, he's got 13 points. We have really seen some good results in the Springbrook Co-op. We have been letting little bucks walk for 5 years now. Even though each of us doesn't always shoot a buck each year, we have always got our deer meat shooting some does. It is great to see the nice bucks that are growing older. Voluntary trigger restraint pays off. Everyone in our camp has shot a least one very nice buck since we have started. Still a lot of time for hunting, I'll be looking for another doe for the freezer. Good luck!

Got back from deer camp last night and it has been a good season for me. I'll get some pics up later.

Welcome Frank, love the posts you put up in your forum already, very interesting.

Congratulations!

Hey Nick, where are you looking at in Ludington? Have you checked out Tamarac. I have a place there. It's a great community. We have lots of fisherman and a great fishing network. There is a section for travel trailers, a section of trailer park trailers and manufactured homes. You have permanent neighbors, no transients like you have at campgrounds. If you haven't bought yet, you should cruise through and check out the ones for sale. I have a buddy with a travel trailer for sale there. There are some great deals on trailer park trailers and you'll get a ton more room than a travel trailer and probably save some money too over a new one. We are on Hamlin Lake and have a marina there with access but I never have time for Hamlin. It's about 4 miles to the Loomis St. It a lot closer than to Lk Mi than many other places on Hamlin. There are lots with direct Hamlin access but they are more pricey. You should check it out.

Good job on the fish and tow. That dude was lucky, not many boaters out now and even fewer that would go out 12 miles to tow him in. Pretty low of him to not offer you at least some gas money for that long tow.

Good job in tough conditions. One of my buddies got blanked at Onekama last Sat and didn't fish Sunday and pulled his boat

Bet the kids have fun. They have a track in Jackson, if you ever get over here to race, I'll have to come check it out.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/10/army_corps_reduces_power_on_as.html Power is being reduced on an electric barrier network designed to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes because it might be interfering with operations on a nearby railroad, federal authorities said Wednesday. The announcement came barely a week after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned up the juice in the barrier to make it more effective against juvenile carp. The barrier is in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a man-made waterway that links Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River basin and could provide a pathway for the voracious carp to attack the Great Lakes. The device emits rapid pulses to chase away fish that wander into the area and give them a possibly fatal jolt if they persist. The Army Corps said the barrier is doing a good job of blocking the carp's northward migration. But critics argue that it's inadequate and want physical barriers erected in the Chicago area to sever ties between the two watersheds. The Corps turned up the heat on Oct. 11, after research raised questions about whether the force field was strong enough to prevent small fish from getting through. The power level was raised from 2 volts per square inch to 2.3 volts. The duration and frequency of pulses were revised as well. But the Corps said Wednesday that it was restoring the previous settings after technicians said the barrier might be causing a railroad crossing gate about 200 feet from the barrier to malfunction. It also might be interfering with signals that indicate whether trains are approaching, said Lt. Col. David Berczek, deputy commander of the Corps' Chicago office. "Public safety must be the primary concern with the operation of the barrier," Berczek said. Technicians are studying the problem and will try to find a way to operate the barrier at the higher levels without affecting the railroad, he said. It's too early to say how long that could take, he said. Berczek said the barrier had done well stopping the carp before the power was ramped up and would continue doing so. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania have filed a federal lawsuit concerning the barrier, contending that the only way to stop fish and other organisms from moving between the Great Lakes and Mississippi watersheds is to physically separate them. They note that scientists have detected Asian carp DNA beyond the barrier, although just one actual carp has been found there. The problem with the railroad is an example of the electric barrier's shortcomings, said Joel Brammeier, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, an environmental advocacy group. "This is why there has been such a clamor for a permanent solution," he said. "We'll probably keep finding these hurdles as long as we rely on interim steps like the barrier."

Great pics!

Mike is a good guide in south central Mi, here is his website: http://www.coldwatercharters.com/waterfowl.htm