Autumn Is Coming

Autumn comes each year with a balmy day, breezy weather, days when a sweater feels just fine while greeting the dawn, and on the odd day, fall rains pelt us with cold water that will soon turn to snow.

Remembering and solitude

But for now, on the sixth anniversary of my twin brother George’s death, I welcome the bright sunny day. I fished the Betsie River for Chinook salmon, without success, and suffered and sweated in the near 90-degree heat.
That I didn’t catch a fish didn’t matter. It was a time of quiet solitude, a chance to think back to our 64 years together, and to remember all the great times and good fun we enjoyed along the way. That said, there is more to autumn than this early heat wave.

Autumn’s Magic

There is something magical that offers to show its pretty face right after Labor Day. The hordes of tourists have abandoned northern Michigan, and once they leave, the frantic pace of northern living slows down and the residents can take stock of their lives.
Mine revolves, as it always has, around fishing and hunting. It's just that these outdoor pastimes speak a bit more provocatively to me, and I willingly imbibe in everything that epitomizes autumn weather.
It might be enough for most people just to watch the brief flurry of autumn colors as future days grow shorter and the weather cools. It begins with a gradual blend of orange, purple, red and yellow colors. They quickly intensify in the depth of their beauty, and brilliant sunshine seems to make each color more lovely.
There are one or two days each fall when the brilliant sunshine combines with just the right angle of the sun in the sky to make each color stand out in vivid contrast against any nearby conifers. I've yet to see a pine tree whose beauty wasn't enhanced by its close proximity to aspens, maples or oaks in full color.
Those days are when I stop the car, step outside, and bask in the glory of the autumn hues. I love the sight of the leaves in full color on the trees, and frown slightly once they lose their sparkle, and fall dead and somber to the forest floor.

Other magical things about autumn …

I love running water. The sight and sound of a trout stream twisting through the woods and gurgling around a log jam, makes me happy to be alive. I often pause, during an autumn day, to idly sit on a river bank to watch the ritual of recreation as Chinook salmon move onto a spawning redd and renew their kind.
The old adage about Pacific salmon holds true: They are born an orphan, and die childless. Think about it, and it's another marvel of nature that requires too much thought to explain. It's enough to know that it is true.
Autumn means testing my mettle against the thunderous flush of a ruffed grouse, the corkscrewing flight of the woodcock towering over an alder run, a long-tailed rooster pheasant cackling into the air, or the quick flush of a snipe from the edge of a wooded water puddle once their hunting seasons open. These game birds, although I seldom run into snipe anymore, provide something immensely important to me.
These months often deliver a day of fine dog work. It's wonderful to watch a brace of pointers or setters work the cover, singly or in tandem, moving into the wind, cutting the breeze at a 45-degree angle, and suddenly slamming to a rock-hard point, their bodies quivering with anticipation of a flush.
They stiffen in position, one dog backing the other, and hold steady as we move in. Calming words of "easy now" are muttered softly as a hand gently touches the dog's head or shoulder to steady them up, and the hunter moves ahead toward the flush. His eyes aren't on the ground but a few feet above the ground, a built-in hedge against being startled when the bird goes up.
The bird is up and away, and a shotgun barrel swings through the grouse or woodcock, and when everything looks right, a shot is fired.

An occasional good shot …

Sometimes, for me at least, the bird commits suicide, diving into a long shot string of No. 7 1/2 bird shot early in the season and slightly larger shot once the leaf drop occurs.
It is sitting still in a tree stand, marveling at the fall splendor of color along the oak ridges, and watching a buck ease through a saddle and become back-lit by the setting sun and a back drop of blazing color.
Autumn is knowing I can kill a buck with my bow, and having the intestinal fortitude to forgo the shot because it isn't necessary. There are times, once I draw on a buck, and then let off without taking a shot, that I know that buck could be killed. Knowing it and doing it are two different philosophies.
This next two months are the finest of the year. They provide me with everything I need to feel whole. They stroke my one-eyed vision, offer me daily glimpses of some of the most colorful sunrises and sunsets that an angler or hunter could ever hope to see.
Fall is my time. It is the best time of my life, and just think, it starts this month and I can't wait for it to unfold. I'm ready, quivering like a dog on point, and panting to be afoot in the woods again.
Being there, once again, moves me in such an exquisite way that words to describe my awe often fail me. But then, you probably know what I mean. 

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Michigan’s Brown Trout Record Is Broken

RECORD BUZZ

It began as a local buzz in the Manistee area Wednesday before turning into something that resembles a feeding frenzy for the world-wide angling community.

A brown trout certified by Department of Natural Resources’ fisheries biologist Mark Tonello of Cadillac was positively identified as a huge brown trout once the weigh-in scales were double-checked and the huge fish was weighed in front of witnesses.
The Ludington News today reported the fish weighed 41.725 pounds. It measured 43.75 inches, and was caught by Tom Healy of Grand Rapids, who hooked the fish while fishing the Manistee River. Of all the state record-book browns caught, this is the first brown trout caught in a river that is tributary to Lake Michigan. All of the others have been caught from the big lake or a drowned river mouth lake.
If Healy’s fish holds up after any possible further checking, and certification from the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame http://www.freshwater-fishing.org/index.php, it will become the largest brown trout ever caught in the world. It soundly beat the previous Michigan state record brown trout caught on Mothers Day, 2007 by Casey Richey of Frankfort, Michigan.

BROWN TROUT RECORDS

Casey’s fish – a 36.81 pound brown trout from Lake Michigan at Frankfort, Michigan – was hooked while trolling a Rapala http://www.rapala.com/index.cfm. His fish also holds the world record in the 10-pound line class.

Healy’s fish was earlier reported as weighing 40 pounds, 6 ounces, which would have been two ounces heavier than the former world-record 40 pound, four ounce fish caught by Howard Collins on May 9, 1992 from the Little Red River in Arkansas.
Currently, the next largest brown trout was caught on August 7, 1988 by Michael H. Manley from the North Fork River in Arkansas. His fish weighed 38 pounds, nine ounces.
Casey Richey’s Michigan state record weighed 36.13 pounds (both weights stated here and above are from the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
“Records are meant to be broken,” Richey said. “My father held a state record for pink salmon for about a dozen years, and then someone caught one much larger. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this new record broken sometime in the near future, and I intend to try to reclaim that record.”
It appears, if no further developments require a change, that Healy not only will own the Michigan state record but the all-time world record for brown trout as well.
This begs two questions: when will Lake Michigan get the attention it richly deserves as the best brown trout fishing hole in the world, and how long will this record stand before it too is broken by a heavier brown trout?
Records are made to be broken, and it makes one wonder just how big Great Lakes brown trout can grow. Only time will tell.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Crossbow Hunting by William Hovey Smith

TITLE:  Crossbow Hunting
AUTHOR:  by William Hovey Smith
PUBLISHER:  Stackpole Books
DISTRIBUTOR: Stackpole Books
CONTACT:  Stackpole Books5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

WEBSITE: Stackpole Books web site
ISBN: 978-0-8117-3311-4
COST: $19.95 + S/H; paperback

Crossbow hunting has taken the hunting world by storm, and whether some sportsmen love or detest it, is immaterial. Those who argue against crossbow hunting often lean toward traditional archery’s long bow and recurve. Sadly, there is no right or wrong way to hunt with a bow. It all boils down to personal preference and one’s ability to shoot straight.

Whether they or anyone wish to argue the point, the average age of hunters today is growing older. Many sportsmen no longer can pull a recurve to full draw yet others argue that a crossbow is really not a bow. It shoots an arrow, and unlike other bows, this bow is shot from the shoulder. Some arguments for or against crossbow use have become volatile.

This book debunks many of the common myths. For instance, it is not an ideal poachers weapon, even though it is relatively silent. It loses its accuracy beyond 40 yards, and because of the shorter arrow, it also loses its velocity very quickly, making down-range shots less accurate than many people believe. The heaviness of a crossbow is another detriment.

It is, however, a salvation for those bow hunters who no longer can pull and shoot a more conventional bow. It’s ideal for the elderly, the infirm and for youthful hunters with strength problems.

This book covers the evolution of different crossbows on the market today, and how to select the right arrow, target point, broadheads and sights. It covers shooting and hunting techniques for deer, bear, hogs and elk.

It also covers classic crossbow hunts for big game in Africa, Australia and Canada for a variety of big game.

A battle has brewed for many years here in Michigan and in other states. In Michigan, as just one example, a group of approximately 2,000 people have kept everyone who is healthy, and many who are not, from hunting with a crossbow unless they were legally certified as being unable to shoot a regular bow.

George Gardner, the innovator of the 10 Point crossbow company, was unable to hunt with a crossbow for many years because his physical problems were not distinctly addressed by the existing rules. Now, Michigan has allowed a more general and more liberal law about crossbow hunting for the 2009-2010 season, and many more elderly or infirm hunters are welcoming the change.

Some of those folks who fought against crossbows in Michigan may find themselves in a position in the years to come where the only way they could hunt would be with a crossbow. Also, this book even has a chapter on cooking wild game.

This book describes in reasonable depth the various manufacturers of crossbows in the United States. It discusses hunts to Africa and Australia, and includes one to Canada’s Northwest Territories for musk oxen.

The controversy over the use of a crossbow may rage on for years but it mostly falls on deaf ears except for some traditional bow hunters. Many traditionalists argue that the use of these modern imitations of medieval weapons will cause an erosion in the ethics and proper respect for the game being hunted.

Personally, I’ll continue to hunt with my compound bow. However, for those who choose a crossbow because of health reasons, I’m all for them to hunt with this now-legal but old-fashioned method. People will grow accustomed to the bow, and whether I agree or disagree with the crossbow issue is immaterial.

Let’s face it, folks. We’ve lost some hunters over the year. This use of crossbows could bring a resurgence of enthusiasm and interest for hunting among our older sportsmen. We need to save as many of these hunters as possible.

This book makes a solid case for crossbows for hunting. Now that it’s legal in Michigan, each and every hunter must make a personal decision. It’s very possible that this book could provide the knowledge needed for hunters to make a logical and wise decision before buying a crossbow.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Bow Quivers: On Or Off The Bow

BASIC CHOICES

Life is about making personal choices. None of us must follow other hunters like a flock of sheep, and do as they do.
This applies as well to bow hunting as anything else. Every bow hunter worthy of the name has his or her way of doing things, and often they turn out right. We all learn from the best teacher, experience.
Bow quivers are a case in point. Should hunters leave the quiver on the bow while sitting in a stand and shooting or should they take the quiver off to minimize weight and to remove an unnecessary item that could easily tangle in tree limbs and mess up a shot?
I'll go first, and throw my hat in the ring and voice my opinions. I climb into a tree stand, and after attaching my full-body safety harness to the tree and my body, I sit down, and use the haul rope to raise my bow from ground level. The bow quiver is then removed and placed elsewhere on the tree after one arrow is removed. I often hang the quiver on a nearby limb where it will help break up my silhouette.
Once the quiver in hung, I unscrew the broadhead and attach my Game Tracer string behind the FirstCut broadhead, and screw it into my Maxima carbon arrow shaft.
I attach the release to the string, stuff the lower limb of my C.P. Oneida Black Eagle bow into my left boot, and relax. I hunt and shoot sitting down, and my stands are positioned so bucks usually come from behind me and on my left side.

PREP and PATIENCE

If the deer follows his normal pattern, he will approach from behind and on my left side. I'm right-handed, so when the buck comes within shooting range, and looks the other way, I start my draw and as I reach full draw, the lower limb clears my boot and is clear of my leg, the stand or any tree branches.
This allows for a minimum of movement, is very quiet, and oh so effective once a hunter becomes used to it. This method of drawing a bow wouldn't be possible if my bow quiver was still attached.
The arrow shafts, vanes or even the quiver could get caught up in clothing, limbs or branches. But there is another reason why my quiver comes off my bow when I begin hunting.
It reduces the overall bow weight. Not much, mind you, but when hunting in a variety of locations, sooner or later a bow quiver is going to hang up on something. I remove all possibilities of that happening by taking it off and hanging it some place where it is out of my way.

COMMON SENSE TIPS

Whenever I watch a television show, or hunt with someone who always leaves his or her quiver on the bow, it makes me wonder how many lost opportunities have occurred because of that quiver.
A bow is a one-shot piece of archery equipment. It's not like hunting with a bolt, pump or semi-automatic firearm. Unless the wind is very strong and noisy, second shots at a buck are so rare as to almost be nonexistent.
A bow quiver on a bow, doesn't speed up getting off a second shot at a deer. It is somewhat awkward to reach to the quiver, pull out another arrow, reach across the bow to nock it, and prepare to shoot. Chances are, any self-respecting buck with heavy headgear will be gone if you miss the first shot.
I often use my bow to help camouflage my upper body and head. I wear a face mask while hunting, and can still turn the bow inside my left boot so the handle and upper limb breaks up my silhouette. If a deer offers a shot, a simple and slow half-turn of the wrist will point the bow toward the animal as the hunter comes to full draw.
Such a movement may or may not be necessary, and that is a debatable point, but it would be impossible to do with a bow quiver attached. For me, that is a strong reason for removing the quiver.
The slight added weight of a bow quiver (even a three-arrow quiver like I use) can allow a hunter to unknowingly cant the bow to that side. Is it enough, under the pressure of a nearby buck, to throw the arrow off its intended course?
I don't know and don't care to test the theory. My preference is to shoot a bow unencumbered by a quiver. It's my thought that it simplifies things, reduces weight, eliminates canting, and besides ... it works for me.
Anyone willing to plead their case for keeping a bow quiver on a bow while hunting is encouraged to contact me. You won't change your mind, I won't change mine, but I'd love to hear your philosophy.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

King Salmon: Heart-Pounding River Action

BUMP - BUMP - ACTION!

A large male king salmon held almost motionless in a four-foot-deep run along the edge of an undercut bank. Long tendrils of grass hung down, creating some problem in accurately placing a fly.
My fly would swing past his nose, time and again, and he’d either back away or ignore it. The casting became repetitious, cast, drift, lift the line and fly out and cast again and again.
After perhaps 50 casts the big male moved forward an inch or two to intercept and inhale  the wet fly as it drifted near bottom. The fly’s drift simply stopped, and only one thing makes that happen.
The rod tip slashed back with a forceful hook-set, and the 17-pound king uncorked a jump that would have made any fish proud. The big buck salmon surged upstream, throwing up a wake in the shallow water, made another belly-smacker jump and the yellow-orange fly hung from its lip like a lit cigar. Rod pressure was applied, and the fish took off on another short, stuttering run.
Minutes later the fish rolled up on its side, and rod pressure  slowly skidded the fish up onto a gravel shingle, and the hook was wiggled free. The fish was held upright in the current until it gathered its energy, and swam off toward the deep holding water. It was 15 minutes and 200 yards of river that was traveled to beach this hefty fish.

KING SALMO ON FLY

It’s still a bit early, and the water is still too warm for active spawning, but salmon have begun their spawning runs. This is a fly-rodding sport unequaled by any other river fishery in this or almost any other state.
There are king salmon in varying numbers up the AuSable, East Branch of the AuGres, Betsie, Boardman,  Cheboygan, Little Manistee, Manistee, Muskegon, Pere Marquette, Pentwater, Rifle, White and many other streams that are tributary to Lakes Huron and Michigan.
Cooling air temperatures and a good cool rain will lower river water temperatures and cause king salmon of both sexes to head upstream to find spawning gravel. It’s here during the next four weeks where flyrodders can find great fly rod action.

IF YOU DECIDE TO GO

..take this advice from an old river guide who originated most of these techniques 45 years ago.

• Wear polarized sunglasses and slowly walk the river banks and study the water. Stay out of the water until you spot fish, and then slowly move within casting distance. Slowly can mean taking 20-30 minutes to get to within 30-40 feet of the fish. Move slowly, and if the fish start milling around, stop and remain motionless until they settle down.

• Fish only for the males. If fish numbers are scarce, and the female is hooked or caught, the reason for the males to hold in that spot is gone. They will disappear in search of another female.

• Sight-fishing for visible fish seems like it should be easy, but it isn’t until you’ve got a few trips under your belt. Learn to read current speed, depth of water, and sinking time in fast water. Flies should be tied in sizes 4 and 6. I usually used wet fly and nymph patterns.

• Two fly categories exist: attractor and imitator patterns. The attractor patterns are tied with bright colors while imitator patterns are tied in shades of black, brown, gray, dark green, etc. On any given day, fish will go for an attractor or imitator pattern. Choose one pattern, and if after 15 minutes of pitching it to a salmon without a take, switch. It also pays to switch from smaller to larger sizes or vise versa.

• Anglers can choose shooting heads, sinking fly lines, floating lines with a sinking tip for shallow water, but in many areas where a back cast is impossible and a roll cast won’t allow the fly to go deep enough to interest the fish, it may be time to switch to the chuck-and-duck method.

This method means using enough split-shot to take the fly deep. My choice is to determine depth and current speed, and add just enough weight to take the fly to the proper depth, which means scratching along the gravel. Carry a hook hone to keep the hook points razor sharp.

• Casting positions vary depending on location and water current conditions, but my preference is to cast from below the fish. If fishing with a fly line, mend the line often to slow the drift and keep the fly near bottom. If chucking-and-ducking, I still prefer a downstream approach. Read the water speed, water depth, and cast quartering up and across. Strip line as the fly comes down, and make certain the fly line or shooting head, lead core line or whatever you use is out of the fish’s sight. Fish each cast out but once the fly drifts past the fish’s nose without a hit, lift the line out and cast again in a quick, repetitious manner. Don’t wait for a salmon to chase it downstream. It doesn’t happen.

It’s possible to be a bit more precise with the split-shot, monofilament (usually testing 10-12 pounds) and fly. The split-shot will take the fly deep must faster than a fly line, even if the  leader has a split-shot or two a foot up the leader from the fly. Once the fly passes the fish’s nose, lift the fly out and cast again. You’ll soon learn that a cast too close to a fish will spook it, and judging exactly where to place the fly takes time to learn so take your time and don’t get discouraged.

• I don’t care how skilled you are as a fly caster, if you cast enough times to a motionless salmon, if your cast is off a little bit, there is a chance of foul-hooking the fish. If this happens, don’t set the hook but jiggle the line to make the fly fall off. Or wait for the fish to move and often the fly will fall off. Occasionally salmon will hit a fly hard but you can’t count on it happening. Most takes are very soft as the fish picks up the drifting fly, moves it a few inches and drops it.

• Some people don’t feel competent at casting flies. Guide Mark Rinckey of Honor (231) 325-6901 uses spinning gear with bait or spinners to catch king salmon in the Betsie River. He has a night job, and may be sleeping or guiding when you call so leave your name and number on the answering machine and the best time to call.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Counting Coup On A Buck

It was a blistering hot day in western North Dakota as I hunted antelope with a bow several years ago. The ground was dry as a bone, and there was no escape from the sun and sweltering 95-degree heat.
I was making a long stalk on a big antelope buck surrounded by other goats, and trying to get close enough for a bow shot took me through some low brush and a few scattered trees. I was moving low and slow, stopping often to look at the antelope 100 yards away.
It was during one of these pauses that I looked ahead to check the big buck antelope and spotted a mule deer buck bedded down only 15 yards away. I was hunting into the wind, and the mulie buck was bedded down with his nose into the wind. He apparently didn't expect danger to come at him from behind. This buck was about the same size as the photo of a mullie buck shot by me in Wyoming.

COUNT COUP

He was safe because I only had an antelope tag. I was too close to try to circle the buck, and to turn around might spook the animal. I decided to do as some High Plains Indians used to do during a battle, and that was to "count coups."Coup is a French word, and is pronounced "coo."
"Webster describes it as a highly successful, unexpected strike, act, or move," said Douglas Deihl, director of Indian and Ethnographic Art at Skinner, Incorporated, in Boston, quoted from a published article. "It is a clever action or accomplishment."
He said the High Plains Indians, such as the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Crow or Sioux, often used a coup stick or bone or willow riding quirt to touch an enemy.
"In Plains warrior societies," Deihl explained, "Sioux warriors gained their status by being brave in battle, and one way this was done was known as 'counting coups.'
"What the Indian warriors tried to do was get close enough to the enemy to touch them without getting injured or killed. Doing so was considered more honorable than going in and killing and scalping them. To touch the enemy and survive was considered the greatest honor in battle. This put the warrior close to the enemy, which offered a great risk and required more courage than shooting them from a distance."

BLISTERED COUP

The mule deer buck was now less than 10 yards away, and the tension was mounting. Each step was a soft and very slow movement forward. The forward toe felt softly for any stick or piece of brush that may snap or make a noise.
Once the foot was placed, the other foot came forward, feeling for a noiseless place to set it down. Foot by slow foot brought me ever closer to the mulie buck, and I was alert to his every small movement.
I was perspiring in the heat, and was surprised his instincts had not warned him of my presence. I was hunched over in a low crouch to prevent being seen by the antelope. I eventually remembered the bow as I stalked closer.
I was now within six feet, and could have leaped on the buck, but that's not how counting coups is done. It is the classic pitting of one's skills against the other, and although it was done by one armed Indian against another in the old days, in this case it was man versus animal.
Each step brought a mounting sense that the deer would leap to his feet before I could touch him. Another step was taken, and the buck moved his head slightly, but didn't turn to look at me. I eased forward another step, and was now only four feet away. Another small step was needed.
Ever so slowly the last step was taken, and I was directly behind the buck now. I settled into a kneeling position, intuitively bowed my head in respect to the buck, and slowly reached out and put my left hand on his left back leg.
The buck turned his head, looked back at me, and our eyes met, and then he bolted, nearly running me over as he headed away. One might wonder how the antelope hunt played out. I stalked within 20 yards of a buck but a roll in the land contour kept me from getting a shot at its vitals. It didn't matter.
On that day, I had counted coup on a mule deer buck. It was similar to an Indian brave doing the same to an enemy warrior, except under admittedly less dangerous conditions.

PUBLISHED COUP

I've since done it twice on whitetails, and each time under  windy and wet conditions. Whitetails are more spooky than mule deer, but no matter. Under Webster's definition, I've also counted coup by telling my story to my readers.
It is one of the most exciting hunting methods, and it doesn't always work. In fact, it rarely works, and only with the right conditions (a sleepy mule deer) or two whitetails during a wet and windy storm can be claimed by me.
Each time it worked was exciting, but I shall never forget the first time I counted coup on a wild deer. It's more exciting than shooting a trophy buck.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Never Trust A Black Bear

A bear may look cute and cuddly like a toy bear, but people who live in bear country know looks can be deceiving. They also know that if a person is within 100 yards of a bruin, his or her life could be in danger.
"These wild bears are not Disney cartoon characters," Marquette author Richard P. Smith said. "A black bear can outrun a horse on flat ground for 50 yards, and they possess incredible strength and agility. They are very unpredictable and can cause great harm or death to an unwary person."
Smith has written Understanding Michigan Black Bears: The Truth About Bears and Bear Hunting. It can be ordered directly from

Smith Publications
814 Clark Street
Marquette, MI 49855

It is available for $19.50 postpaid. He also has written Black Bear Hunting, and it sells for $38 postpaid, at the above address.
Michigan’s black bear season first begins on Sept. 10 in the Upper Peninsula, and about a week later in the Lower Peninsula bear management units.
Black bear encounters can be sticky or the bruin will run at the first sight or smell of a human. Each bear encounter can be different, but attacks are rare.

Here are some recorded black bear attacks where the animal didn't follow the rules.

• The Early 1900s: Frank Devereaux, of the Cheboygan area, was attacked by a bruin after he shot the animal in the flank with a muzzleloader. The bear struck the man on the head and killed him after biting him on the leg. The animal was later found dead a short distance from Devereaux's body.
  A wood sign was placed at his grave site and it reads: "Here lies F. Devereaux, killed by the ferocity of a famous bear, in whose memory this monument has been erected out of generosity of his grandson." A marble headstone was added years later. One wonders, the way this is written, whether the monument was for Devereaux or the bear.
  
  

• July 7, 1948: Three-year-old Carol Ann Romranky lived with her parents in the Upper Peninsula in a remote U.S. Forest Service fire-tower cabin near Brimley. The girl was playing outside when a 125-pound bear pulled her off the cabin porch. The animal dragged her into the woods, killed her by biting through her neck -- severing her spine -- and fed on the body. The bear was killed the same day as it returned to feed on the girl's corpse.

• June 5, 1960: Arthur DeGault, 71, of Engadine was attacked by a sow with three cubs. The man happened on the bears by accident, and when he tried to get away, she attacked and bit his thigh. He hit the sow with his fist, and it stood erect to swat and bite him as he tried to back away. He drew a knife and stabbed the bear several times. The bruin fled, and he walked a mile to his home. His injuries required 100 stitches.

• July, 1975: Paul Cameron, 16, of Dearborn, was camping in the Upper Peninsula's Porcupine Mountains. He awoke in the morning and heard a bear prowling around. The animal knocked his tent down and began dragging it away.
  Cameron rolled from the tent, lay motionless on the ground, and the bruin grabbed him by the throat with its teeth. He screamed, and the bear dropped him and ran away. A 125-pound sow with two cubs was later killed as they ransacked his abandoned tent.
  

• Autumn, 1976: Joe Newman, Sr. of Palmer was grouse hunting and nearly stepped on two sleeping bear cubs. They screamed, and Newman was charged by the sow. The bear was shot three times at point-blank range with a 20-gauge shotgun. Newman was not injured.

• June, 1978: Michael Patterson, 19, of Alma, was attacked by a boar and climbed a balsam tree to escape. His back and legs had been bitten and scratched by a bear, but he died of a ruptured lung and kidney. It's thought a bear pulled him from the tree, and the fall killed him.

• September 19, 1982: John Skosnik of Warren was bear hunting and apparently shot a sow that was accompanied by unseen cubs. The wounded sow charged the hunter and bit him numerous times before leaving.

Bears are very unpredictable. There have been several very close encounters between me and adult black bears but I have never had a major problem, and the same holds true for Richard Smith, but we both know the next bruin we meet may prove to be an exception to the rule.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors