Answering fishing & hunting questions from readers.

I didn’t pass up this buck.            The author plays a 15-pound brown.

Got a question? I may or may not have the answer so give me a try.

I stockpile questions from readers, and when there are enough to fill a column, out they come. My reasoning is if more than one person asks the same question, it must be a good one.

Here are a number that have come since I began writing outdoor copy for my website.

I like to help my readers. If I can’t answer a question, I’ll try to find out.

Many questions are not signed or are written under a screen name, and frankly, the question is more important than who asked it. Such as these examples.

*What color floating No. 9 Rapala was your nephew, Casey Richey of Frankfort, Michigan, using when he caught the new Michigan state-record brown trout that weighed 36 pounds, 13 ounces, which has subsequently been broken here in Michigan and Wisconsin?.

He caught it on a orange-yellow (chartreuse) floating Rapala. It dives four to five feet on a steady troll.

*How long did it take him to land that fish?

It took him between 15 and 20 minutes to land the fish. The fish took out 150 yards of line, and that gave him some time to reel in the other planer board and lure.

*What is your favorite rifle for all-around big-game hunting?

A good question, and my personal favorite is my pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 in .264 Winchester Magnum. I've used it on bear, caribou, deer, and elk. Loaded with the proper 85-grain Norma bullet, I've shot crows at distances of over 300 yards. I made one-shot kills on the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore property years ago that was almost 400 yards. I had a solid rest and plenty of time to calm down, aim and shoot.

There also is a 7mm Magnum that worked like a champ with a big Alaskan moose and a New Mexico elk. I have a .22-250 that is great on coyotes and deer. My favorite rifle is always the one I happen to be carrying at the time.

George Richey with a beautiful brown trout.    I passed up this buck. No good shot.

*Have you ever caught a trophy brown trout?

I’ve caught hundreds of big browns, fish weighing from eight to 15 pounds. However, most of my big browns were caught in the late 1960s and through the 1970s. I probably caught and released several hundred big browns from the Platte River until 1974 when the Michigan DNR put in their lower harvest weir.

The private contractor hired to remove the salmon that year also removed brown trout and steelhead as well. As far as those jokers were concerned, all the fish in the harvest weir were salmon. The run petered out soon after.

My largest brown is about 20 pounds. I hooked one that would have weighed 25 pounds but lost it near the boat. I can blame no one but myself because I botched the netting job.

*Over 23 years with The Detroit News, and now a daily weblog.  Why?

The answer is simple. It's always been my intention to help people enjoy the outdoors, and there are still things left to be said. Knowledge gained over a lifetime of being outdoors can help other sportsmen. If I can help an angler or hunter understand a fishing or hunting technique or problem, so be it. Besides, writing outdoor copy is a love that keeps me going, and as a blog writer I am my own boss.

*Why have brown trout numbers declined in recent years?

Lots of theories are floating around, and all may have some merit. Some of the reasons include over-fishing, which is foolish. Even when browns were plentiful, many people put them back and they can be difficult to catch.

Other theories include planting the wrong strain of brown trout; a major lack of smelt, once a heavy forage base for browns  in mid- to late-April; a change in water clarity due to zebra mussels; increased pressure from charterboats (another dumb thought); poor planting techniques, heavy predation on fertilized brown trout eggs by alewives and smelt; and the list goes on.

Jack Duffy of Leland, who once held the state record with a 31 ½-pounder, told me that he has boated very few brown trout on his Leland charterboat over the last several years.

*Do you really pass up shots at whitetail bucks, and if so, why?

I do pass up shots at bucks every year. For me to shoot a buck or doe with a bow, it must be at 15 yards or closer because of my bad vision. I've learned how to pick spots, know how to remain silent and motionless, know when to draw and that allows deer to come close and within range.

The reason I pass up bucks (and does) is because I dislike shooting a deer early in the bow season. I want to know what else is out there, and then if I find a particularly fine animal, that's the one I'll hunt.

Over the years I've shot numerous small bucks. It's now my personal opinion that a small buck could be a big buck in two or three years if allowed to live. So they get passed up. The thrill comes from outwitting an animal, drawing down on it as if you were going to shoot, and then let it walk on by. In 1989, when Michigan's herd was peaking, I  passed up 45 bucks before shooting the 46th one.

To do that means hunting where there are lots of deer and some good bucks. However, all things change and a spot that was good five years ago can quickly go sour. It's a part of deer hunting that hunters must accept and deal with.

*I read your weblog three years ago about not getting a Tom. What’s up with that?

I ran into a very savvy limb-walker three springs ago. This gobbler was covering a good bit of ground, and although I had him patterned well, he was call-shy and decoy-shy. Such birds are a big challenge.

I did get into a couple of calling bouts with him, but if I called too much, he would shut up. If I called softly once or twice, and then put my call in my pocket, he would come closer, but would never come close enough for a shot.

I’d call once or twice, shut up and move in the direction he had to come, hoping to get within range. The bird would come out in a new area. He’s a smart longbeard, and if he's still alive and still in the same part of the Hoosier Valley, we might bump heads again. However, I think he is gone because I haven’t seen that ghost gobbler in two years. Someone else may have shot him but I suspect a winter coyote may have pulled him down. He was the toughest bird I’ve ever hunted, and one must respect such a bird.

*How did it feel to be castigated by a few anglers for writing about the Loon Lake perch fishery a few years ago?

Not bad. My job is to cover outdoor news and personal thoughts in my blog, and it doesn't bother me. I’ve deal with similar problems for 44 years. Three hundred people a day fished that lake for a week, andthey think  it's a  big secret? A few people complained but most are mature enough to know that with heavy angling pressure, the word will soon leak out.

I don't make the news but I report it. The weather took care of too much angler pressure because it began to rain two days before that story was published. The warm weather and rain made the ice unsafe. Some anglers think if they got in on the ground floor that it was their personal hotspot. Theirs and that of 300 others. This kind of mind-set stretches my imagination.

*Muskie fishing? Why bother with something that isn’t good to eat?

I know many people who enjoy eating muskies. I, for one, do not particularly care for them and would prefer to release my fish. For me, catching a big one reminds me a great deal of hunting gobblers.

There is a great deal of hunting involved in taking a big fish, and it can take years to catch a really large fish. My biggest is 36 pounds, which is a big muskellunge wherever it is caught, but among fanatics, it isn’t big until it cracks the 40-pound mark. Look for some truly good fish to start coming from Lake St. Clair.

*What three types of fishing do you prefer during the summer months?

That’s right down my alley. I thoroughly enjoy muskie fishing although I don’t get as many opportunities to fish them as I’d like. I’d love to find one or two people who fish Elk and Skegemog and Torch lakes, as well as Intermediate Lake, and wangle an invitation to go fishing with them. I’ll pay my fair share of the expenses.

Anyone out there willing to take an old dude like me out muskie fishing?

I enjoy walleye fishing as well, and spend a good bit of time on Lower Herring, Leelanau, Long and Platte lakes. The fishing can be sporadic on all, and weather conditions often determine success.

I also enjoy catching Chinook and coho salmon on Lake Michigan, and fish it as often as possible. I’ll spend at least two or three days chasing muskies on Lake St. Clair again this year.

Look for more questions and answers in the future. Stay tuned

Title: Answering fishing & hunting questions from readers.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, send, in, questions, deer, antlers, trophy, browns, muskies, salmon, smelt))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Learn about sunlight and shadows.

Knowing how light & shadows worked in my stand led to this buck.

The vision of a whitetail deer is truly impressive. It's uncanny how they can pick a bow hunter out of a bushy tree or a ground blind.

Hunters often question this ability. They claim their hot new camo clothing eliminates being spotted. They claim their scent-killing clothing and sprays will defeat a whitetail’s nose test.

In many cases they are dead wrong. The clothing and the sprays can help, as can deer scents, but the deer can spot a hunter. They can sniff out a hunter, and accomplished sportsmen know this. They know what will work and what will not.

Fooling deer means melding your knowledge against the deer. Think!

Nothing is absolute unless you stay indoors and never venture out. What hunters must realize is they need to be smarter than the deer. They must use their brain to figure out how to avoid detection.

Years ago I often sat in tree stands and watched the deer and their interaction with humans. Many sportsmen think if they can't see the deer, the deer can't see, hear or see them.

Whitetails are masters at standing in heavy cover, and studying the terrain in front of them before they commit to a move. Some deer have stood without any visible movement for 30-45 minutes without moving any part of their body except their eyes. I once shot a nice bucks that had stood for 65 minutes in belly-deep water before deciding the coast was clear. I finally took him out of the gene pool.

Follow this example. One day I had a man hunting, and he talked a good story about being able to sit still. I sat in another stand 200 yards away with binoculars, and watched him. I had an advantage because I knew where the deer would come from at his location.

Half of my time was spent watching him and half was spent watching the area where the deer would come from. He couldn't see the routes the deer used to approach his stand as well as I could, and the deer were much closer to him than me.

This gent was spotted time and again. Many hunters believe that when a deer spots a hunter, it will snort and run off. Sure, that happens often enough but the animals often will remain silent and take a wide stroll around the unsuspecting hunter. The hunter figured if all remains silent the deer never spot him.

Get used to the idea that deer can see better than you can.

I watched deer stand 200 yard away in thick cover, and they would pick up the hunter quickly. A slight movement, a slap at a buzzing mosquito, some wayward drifting scent -- anything can spook deer. Once scared, a buck or doe can steal away through heavy cover without ever being seen.

It has become a mantra for me. There are only so many ways to tell a hunter how to sit still. They jerk, twitch, try to look behind them, and they feel the deer can't spot them if they can't spot the animals.

Folks, that assumption is dead wrong. Take a long look at your tree stand or ground blind. Are there an adequate mix of light areas and dark shadows?

Have you mastered the art of having cover behind you that will break up the human silhouette? Have you learned to memorize the light areas at various times of day? Move at the wrong time, and suddenly blot out an area that normally contains a brighter zone, and deer will spot that movement.

Deer are not stupid. They depend on their instincts, and if they see something out of place, something that wasn't there the day before, they don't consciously suspect that area as dangerous but on an instinctive level, they seem to know that something is different or out of place.

If a bow hunter sits in a tree, and blocks out a bright spot but moves and covers it up when a deer is looking, the chances are great the animal will pick him up instantly.

Learn that deer live in a world of sunlight and shadows. Use them.

This sitting still and studying the bright spots and shadows is an art. Study your stands long before the season opens, and note where shadows and light areas are found during that two-hour period before shooting time ends. Do that, and you'll learn where these areas are and how they change as the sun starts going down.

This is not calculus nor rocket science. This is more a matter of common sense. Know your surroundings, know what provides shadow, and know when the moving sun will be more of a handicap than an asset.

Study your tree stand site, and do it from all angles. Too many hunters view their stands only from in front or slightly to the sides. Most forget about standing 50-75 yards to the rear, and looking for moving objects.

Bow hunters can bet that a deer will do that. Savvy bow hunters are simply smarter than the deer they hunt. Being smarter just means paying more attention to your hunting site, your surroundings and try to look at things from a deer's point of view.

Learning to think like a deer, and trying to see what a deer sees from a distance, will eventually pay off.

Title: Learn about sunlight and shadows.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, movement, patterns, sunlight, shadows, how, they appear, and, disappear, time))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

A Great Day For Good Memories

Remembering great pheasant days of yesteryear. Two long-tailed roosters.

Today was a great day to be alive. The air was cool at 7 a.m., and it's that little touch of coolness that brings out strong urges for fall hunting.

It's months until autumn colors will start showing up, and the color spectacle will then ripen like a tomato on the vine until it splashes forth in full glory. And then, as if a silent reminder to one and all, the color glows briefly, the leaves fall, and we are left with many months before fall color graces our lives again.

Today is the kind of day when I remove my Winchester 101 over-under from the gun safe, stroke the fine walnut stock, run a Hoppe's No. 9 soaked patch down the barrel even though it doesn't need it. Hoppe's No. 9, with just one whiff of this famous odor, is enough to bring back a half-century of wingshooting memories.

Memories are something wonderful to look forward later in life.

I harken back to my first rooster pheasant exploding in my face from a Genesee County cornfield, and it rose, wings cupping air, and cackling like a poor demented soul, and my shotgun barrel pushed out in front of the bird. I kept the barrels swinging, and down he came.

Close examination of that pheasant's feathers, the bone-white ring around its neck, the glistening red head, and oh, those long barred tail feathers. This was a bird as beautiful as an autumn sunset.

Quick to mind came a memory of Fritz, a German shorthair pointer of mine, that was steady to wing and shot, and came with a snuffling nose that could ferret out pheasant scent like a Hoover vacuum chasing dirt. That dog could hunt for me, for the neighbor kids, and if a rooster existed, he could find it, work it into a corner, where the only possible opportunity for escape was to flush.

He and I were a pretty good team many years ago. He'd point them, and I'd shoot, and if he was of a mind to do so, he would retrieve. Most times, he'd lead me to the bird, and work off to find another one. My job, apparently because I shot it, was to pick it up. He was too busy hunting to care.

Pheasanr hunting in thr 1950s and 1960s was something very special.

Back to the forefront of my memory was a dandy 8-point buck I shot on Oct. 2 one year. I was hunting from a pit blind, and it was a day much like today but a bit cooler. Two bucks showed up, and there was an 8-point and a 10-point, and they got to getting pretty wound up. Heads would drop, and together they would come, antlers clashing as they pushed each other back and forth. They kept at it for 15 minutes, and the smaller buck was as strong as the bigger one, but they raged on.

I had the chance on a dozen occasions to shoot the 8-point but kept holding out for the 10-point. The problem was the larger buck was quartering toward me all the time while his sparring partner was quartering-away. Both were wonderful bucks, and the distance was 12-15 yards. I finally gave in to temptation, and when they separated and both stood 10 feet apart, their chests heaving from the exertion, I drew and shot the big 8-pointer. He ran 40-50 yards before dropping.

Days like today bring back memories of many days spent hunting ducks. Those days with hard stiff winds, lowering skies, and a breeze with a bite to it were something special. The ducks would come like feathered speed demons, screaming in low over the cattails before flaring up, turning into the wind, and pitching into the decoys.

I can remember the days before the point system began. There were ducks a hunter could shoot, and some they couldn't. We knew how many birds we could take, and we went about our business in a methodical fashion. The shooting was good some days, poor on others, but there were real duck hunters in those potholes. If they worked a bird, and it passed over us, we would let it go and they would do the same for us if we were working the birds. Now, it seems to be every man for himself, and duck hunting is much the poorer for it.

Remembering nor'easters and ducks that with it is another great memory.

Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end, but sadly, many of them have. I hunt daily now, not so much to feed my family as I did before, but to experience the glory of our outdoors.

There were far fewer anglers and hunters back then, more room to move around in, and sportsmen respected each other. Some of that still exists among the older hunters, but some young hunters need to spend time with an old-timer and learn about peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.

Days like this morning bring a flood of memories. And oddly enough, most of them are absolutely wonderful. It's not all about fish caught or game killed, but it's more about just being there.

And if was considered a bonus if you could spend that special time with a good friend, one who would blurt out "Take 'em!" as a flock of mallards teased the decoys, banked into the wind, dropped their wings and methodically dropped on to the water.

I'd stand up, shout "Hey!" and start shooting the greenheads. It makes my heart, these many years, do flip-flops. That's the great thing about memories; remember the good times and forget the bad ones.

Title: A Great Day For Good Memories

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, memories, ducks, geese, fly, hatches, bucks, ducks, geese, Fritz, pheasants))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Preplan bow hunts with a good checklist.

Proper planning and a checklist can lead to a big buck like this one.

Good bow hunters leave nothing to chance. They know what their plan will be every day they hunt, and if coincidence or bad luck occurs, savvy hunters switch to Plan B.

Granted, we have a good bit of time to wait until the Oct. 1 bow season. That having been said, it's a wise hunter that plans ahead. Now is an excellent time to rearrange stands and other things before it gets too hot.

The majority of good bow hunters have a loose plan in mind, often to eliminate possible problems suffered last fall. They seldom think about it because their plan is basically the same from day to day. All that may change is the weather, wind direction, and how deer move. The important thing is for hunters to have everything that they can control in place before they climb into a ground blind or tree stand.

Develop a loose plan for hunting, and add to or detract from as, as needed.

Smart hunters do most of these things on full automatic. For those new hunters, or bow hunters who haven't hunted long enough to acquire many of these skills, or learn these tricks or ideas, here is a check list for the future. Paste a copy to your back pack, memorize it, or write it down on the palm of your hand like a kid cribbing for a class test.

1.    Have a detailed plan with an idea of how and where you will hunt.

2.    Have good knowledge of the terrain and where deer come travel. It pays to walk the land during the spring or summer to learn where deer are now moving.

3.    Always be downwind of where deer move, and if in doubt, at least be crosswind. Milkweed fibers released into the wind will indicate how scent may be carried. A border of thick trees can affect the wind.

4.    Know which deer -- bucks or does -- frequent the area. Some areas are better noted for big bucks than anything else. However. hunting known big-buck habitat is usually reserved for the own. Learn the best spots for the areas you can hunt/

5.    Make certain your back pack has everything you need including a spare release, extra spool of Game Tracker string, compass, light, matches, Space Blanket and other necessities. Don't forget the license.

Go over these tips, and decide if all are fine with you.

6.    Wear clean hunting clothing and clean rubber boots. Scent eliminating sprays can help, and cover scents and sex scents can help.

7.     Wear Scent-Lok clothing if you wish to help eliminate human odor. Being clean is an obvious detail. Keep boots and clothing separated, and never pump gas in your hunting togs.

8.    Shoot your bow two or three times at a target before going hunting. Know exactly where your bow is shooting at all times. Perfect practice produces perfect shooting skills.

9.    Use a Game Tracker string tracking device. It can eliminate long hours of searching for blood from a wounded deer.

10.     Make certain broadheads are razor sharp. Never settle for "that feels pretty good." Make certain the head is keen and sharp.

11.    If hunting from a tree stand, wear a safety harness while climbing into, out of, and white seated in the stand. Don't fall asleep. If you take medications that causes drowsiness, hunt from a ground blind.

12.    Observe everything about a tree stand and the ladder or steps before and during the climb. Visual inspections can save your life.

13.     Always maintain three points of contact when climbing ladder stands or screw-in steps or wood ladders. That means either two feet and one hand or one foot and two hands. Don't take unnecessary risks. Never carry anything up or down the tree that might inhibit a firm grip.

14.    Study the terrain within your shooting area. Know where shots can be taken and where they cannot. Know your open shooting spots. Everything seems to chance during the last 30 minutes of shooting time.

15.    Know where the primary deer trails are, and learn how to pick holes through heavy cover. A hunter may not be able to shoot through it but they may spot a buck moving through.

16.    If you use a grunt call, do so sparingly. Too many hunters toodle on the thing too often. Calls work best when a buck is visible, and then call in moderation.

The best plans only work if a hunter is still, quiet and downwind of deer.

17.    Study every deer that comes within range. Know which shots are high percentage opportunities -- broadside or quartering-away -- and forget about every other kind of shot. They are too risky.

18.    Once your buck is spotted, keep an eye on him and wait for the deer to offer the shot you want. Don't develop tunnel vision and ignore other deer. More good shots are ruined when the hunter ignores other deer, starts drawing his bow, and is spotted by a non-target animal.

19.    Pick a spot. Don't aim for the center of mass, but pick the exact spot to aim at. Do not lift your head at the shot. To do so can cause the arrow to go high. Don't drop your bow hand until the arrow hits.

20    Know where the arrow hits. It can offer good clues to how far the deer may travel before it falls.

21.    Know your range, and know how far you can accurately shoot every time, and don't exceed it your skill range.

22.    Learn to sit motionless and silent. The two are not the same. Be still and quiet, and draw smoothly without a herky-jerky movement. Deer spot motion well.

23.    Learn to read a deer's body language. It can offer clues as to what they are planning to do, if a buck is following behind, and many other things. Each deer is an individual, and that means each animal can and may react differently to various stimuli.

Don’t crowd people into a hunting area. Save crowds for card games or movies.

24.    Hunt alone. One hunter can be silent and motionless, but it is very difficult for two people to do so. The only exception is when children must be under your direct control.

25.    Once a shot is taken, remain motionless and silent. Keep your eye on the animal that has been shot, and often you can see or hear it fall.

26.    Another reason for No. 25 is that it can avoid spooking other deer in that area. The stand can continue to be productive if other deer are unaware of a hunters presence.

27.    Ease in and out of a hunting area, and have two or three entrance and exit routes. Vary your routine. Don't become predictable, and don't hunt the same stand two days in a row if it is possible.

28.    Don't shoot at deer that stand with their head up. Shoot when their head is down, feeding, looking at other deer or distracted by common sounds in nature, such as cawing crows or scampering squirrels.

29.    Be prepared for a shot at any time. Don't be caught with the bow anywhere other than in your hand.

30.    Shoot once, shoot straight and don't miss.

Title: Pre-plan bow hunts with a good checklist.

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, plan, study, remember, when, to, shoot, key, aiming, spots,  alert))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

When Black Bears Come To Town

The author (left) took this 350-pound sow in the U.P. Tony Knight with 450--pounder.

The Traverse City Record-Eagle newspaper had bear photos on the paper earlier this week. At least two black bears came to town for a brief visit. They were probably both boars (male) bears looking for a sow (female) to breed.

There was one photo of a Michigan State Police (I think) officer a few feet from the wild animal, and a man standing on his porch (also close), and neither person acted concerned. Often when bruins come visiting, the animal climbs a tree and a crowd gathers below.

No one seems to act as if this is a wild animal, one that is fiercely fast and strong, and could harm or kill a human. If a bear shows up, everyone calls their friends and neighbors, and the whole crew surrounds the animal. That someone hasn’t been seriously injured with their foolish actions, is a miracle. A black bear and out-run a horse for 40 yards, and I don’t care how fast you could run the 100-yard dash in high school, any time a human is within 100 yards of a bear, they are in potential danger.

Black bears, no matter how cute and cuddly they look, cannot be trusted.

During my 44 years of outdoor writing, I have deliberately put myself close to wild bears for the purpose of taking photos. Sometimes I’ve been armed but often I am not. I know a good bit about the unpredictability of black bears, and whenever I’ve been close, I am well aware of the problems. One can get close to some bears, and other animals will attack. I’ve had many close encounters with bruins, have written bear attack stories for Outdoor Life magazine years ago, and have faced many bluffing charges.

The difference between a bluff charge is like bluffing on a poker bet.
The problem is few people can tell the difference. If a bear bluffs, and the human runs, he/she may be attacked and seriously hurt or killed. Never run from a mean dog, and never run from any bear unless the bear is far away and you are close to cover.

A black  bear might look cute and cuddly, but people who live in bear country know (or should know) that looks can be deceiving. Never, ever turn your back on a bear.

Bears, right now, are moving around. This is the beginning of their breeding period, and boars are looking for sows. Those sows with nearly two-year-old cubs are sending the kids off on their own so they can breed with the largest boar in the area. This means that people who frequent cedar swamps, other dense and thick areas, could encounter a bruin.
Folks who live in and around Traverse City obviously live in bear country. Don’t forget that we do live near bruins even though we seldom see them.

Never trust a black bear of any age. They are unpredictable animals.

Some black bears attack. Some do not, but people shouldn't walk around without being aware of what is going on in the woods around them. A sow with cubs is always a potential threat, and boars occasionally attack as well.

Black bear encounters can be sticky or the bruin may run at the first sight or smell of a human. But here are some recorded black bear attacks by animals that didn't play by the rules. As you will see, some paid with their life.

Some documented Michigan black bear attacks.

*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.

*July 7, 1948: Three-year-old Carol Ann Pomranky 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 little girl’s corpse.

Some people survived bear attacks and some did not.

*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 were 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 squalled, 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 the man 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. But the next bruin I meet may prove to be an exception to the rule. Never trust a black bear, and whenever possible, avoid any confrontation.

Black bears that visit Michigan’s cities are not tame. Stay away from them.

Bears have invaded Traverse City, and these wandering critters of late spring and early summer are almost always young two-year-old boars. All are trying to find a new home, somewhere where larger bears won’t be running them off or trying to eat them. Besides the local bruins, bears have been seen in the Thumb area, near Midland, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and even down the Michigan-Indiana border. Bears are moving around and people should be aware of their surroundings. One of the Traverse City bears was seen wandering the streets that day.

I think it’s neat that bruins can live fairly close to civilization. However, too many bears near large population centers frighten little old men and women and children. How people react to bears at close range can determine the outcome of such encounters.

Whatever you do, never run from a black bear. It can cause the animal to chase you, and bears can out-run a galloping horse for 100 yards. Stand your ground, make yourself look as large as possible, and talk – don’t shout – at the animal. If it’s possible try to back away but never turn your back to a bear.

Know some of the rules of bear-human confrontations.

This bear is the size of the largest bruin in Traverse City, Michigan. It is over 400 pounds.

Over many years I’ve had quite a number of face-to-face encounters with a bear. I’ve yet to be attacked, but have had a few bruins conduct a false charge. Trust me, if you’ve never been at the end of a false charge, you’ll think the bear is going to eat you alive. Often, it’s possible to softly talk a bear out of continue the charge,.

Softly spoken words, and standing face to face with a bear, calls for some courage. Turn and try to run under such circumstances and an encounters can quickly turn into a real attack. Common sense, remaining as calm as possible, and time may cause the bear to walk away, and that’s always a good thing.

Sound, scientific management can help control bear numbers. Contrary to some thoughts, bears are best managed by hunting. If a specific area starts seeing far more bears than normal, an increase in the number of bear harvest permits can be increased. Hunting the animals is the best way to keep bear numbers at acceptable levels.

There are black, brown, grizzly and polar bears. The three larger bears can be unpredictable, but if they charge and cause and bear-human encounter, may bat you around, bite a few times and walk away. The black bear is the most unpredictable: if it charges and makes contact, the results can be fatal.

If you see a bear in the back yard, watch it from the house. Call the DNR or police, but don’t stress out the animal by calling a bunch of people. Left alone, the animal will usually move on. Disturbed and stressed by people, can make bears edgy,  and after many close encounters, I know that most people can live a long life without up-close action.

Title: When Black Bears Come To Town

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, bear, encounters, false, charges, face, bear, don’t, run, stay, alert))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Get ready for midnight trout action

This silvery fish was caught one night about midnight on the Sturgeon River.

The night was dark, the moon almost non-existent, as three of us stood quietly talking alongside the river. The water chuckled and gurgled as it swept under a big sweeper that formed a hole where my late twin brother George and I learned to trout fish back in the early 1950s.

We listened for the slurp, splash, and sizzle of a broad-bodied trout trout hazing minnows in the shallows. A few small fish fed the first night but none of them were the big brown trout that nearby Burt Lake once held. Those fish moved up-river in July and early August, and held in deep holes before spawning in October and November. For me, this trip was a reunion of sorts.

It's been said that a person can never go home. That's not true because I returned to my Home Stream -- the Sturgeon River in Michigan's Cheboygan County -- for two days. Well .. really it was for two nights of after-dark fishing for the brown trout I caught 55 years ago as a 15-year-old and hoped to catch now.

It was like coming home to one of my favorite holes on the river.

I was joined by two Hoosiers -- Les Booth and Ed Hauser -- on this trip back to yesteryear when I caught brown trout to 11 pounds here, but the stream has changed, and Private Property signs are more common. Fortunately, a number of years ago, I was befriended by a sweet lady, the daughter of the late Russ Bengel of Jackson, who was the last Michigan waterfowl market hunter of ducks and geese. This late and wonderful man also befriended me more than 25 years ago, and now his daughter has granted me permission to fish what is now her Home Water. Russ was a kind and generous man as well, and donated large sums of money to Ducks Unlimited, paying back what he felt was a debt for the waterfowl he killed as a youthful market hunter.

The first night of fishing meant more listening for moving fish than fishing but fly rods and spinning rods stood at ready. We just needed to hear some fish moving, and we'd start fishing. A few small trout splish-splashed around but not a big fish moved.

The next night was somewhat different. A cloudy sky blanked out the stars, and we began hearing a few fish working the tail-out of several pools. We used big flies that more resembled mice, huge moths or injured fish. We'd time their rises, and one whist-whist of a back cast and forward cast, and the fly landed like a small bird hitting the water. Les had three strikes, Ed had three and I had three hits that memorable evening.

The difference between one night and the next can be dramatic.

My vision problems prevent me from seeing well at dark, and I pitched a seven-inch Jointed Rapala in silver-black and a chartreuse-orange Rebel that also measured seven inches. I worked the tail-out of each hole with determination, and one big fish (it may have been a husky brown trout) slammed the lure so hard it nearly pulled the rod from my hands. Bing-bang, and it was gone, leaving me breathless. There's something about strikes from big fish once the sun goes down that takes your breath away for a few moments. The other two strikes were complete misses.

Ed, fishing a downstream pool, hooked a big and powerful fish, and had him on for several long seconds before it too shook free. Les, like me. had three hits but no hook-ups. One might ask if any of us did anything wrong, and the answer would be no. Big trout trout don't hit flies or lures if the anglers makes a mistake with their presentation.

For me, this was a return home. It's where I sprinkled twin brother George's ashes in the river after his 2003 death from cancer. I spent hours both nights thinking of my brother, remembering his first steelhead from one of the holes we fished, and drifted back to yesteryear when life was much different than it is now. Most of all, it was a return to the river of my youth. Perhaps next time the fish will lose and we may win a round.

One can always dream.

If you decide to go:

*The Sturgeon River flows north into Burt Lake. Try fishing the downstream end closest to Burt Lake. I prefer fishing from White Road (the end closest to M-68) and on downstream. Much of the land along this water is private. Be courteous to landowners, and pick up your trash and that of others. The summer brown fishery will begin in four or five weeks, based on my more than 55 years of experience on this stream.

*This river is extremely swift, and anglers should wade downstream through a likely spot during daylight hours to determine where they can and cannot wade. Some holes are lined with clay, and an angler who gets caught on a clay ledge will go swimming. There is a great amount of stumps, sweepers and other debris in the river.

*A few big brown trout from Burt Lake move into the Sturgeon River in mid-summer. They are not easy to catch, as our two-night fishing trip would indicate. The fish move upstream in small schools and often can be heard splashing as they move up. Don't slosh around, make noise or shine a light on the water. A light flashing across your fishing spot will put the fish down.

*If a fog starts rising off the water, head for the sack. The browns stop hitting when a fog comes off. I’ve caught these fish under a bright full moon.

*Fish safe, and avoid the river during daylight hours if you wish to maintain your sanity. You may be upset by hordes of canoers, kayakers and tubers, most of whom are out-of-control once they start downstream. If local legends are true, there is one spot on the river where the current flows at 22 miles per hour. The current is swift and heavy, and log jams and sweepers are common. Use special care when fishing at night, and pay attention to where you wade. There are a few treacherous spots when an after-dark swim is not recommended.

*The biggest brown trout that I know of was caught by the late George Yontz, once the owner of Hillside Camp, three miles north of Wolverine, Michigan, on old M-27. The fish weighed 13 ½ pounds on certified scales. There are big native stream browns, and silver-sided lake brown that that move up the river in the summer. The silver fish are fresh-run from Burt Lake while the darker golden-sided trout are natives. Count yourself fortunate if you have a big fish on. There are some walleyes in the river as well.

*Approach each fishing location by land. East quietly into the water within easy casting distance, and then stand there and listen. If big brown trout are there, you’ll hear them moving just under the surface. Cast minnow-imitating lures across and downstream, and fish the lure on a tight line. Once it finishes its drift, jig it up and down two or three times before reeling it in.

Title: Get ready for midnight trout action

Tags: ((Dave, Richey, Michigan, outdoors, Sturgeon, River, Cheboygan, County, trophy, brown, trout, fly, night, fishing))

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors