My first guest this week is Stephanie Brown of the Mid Michee Bowmen club. That club is very active in recruiting new shooters to the sport of archery and Stephanie has some great advice on getting kids involved in shooting. She’s also an avid wildlife photographer and you can see her work on her website. Stephanie’s husband Bill is a Darton shooter and food plot consultant, you can learn more on his website.
Next, Tony Hanson of MUCC joined me. Tony had some good insight into the DNRE’s new partnership with the Quality Deer Management folks and also a proposal to institute a limited Michigan moose hunt.
Hour number two kicked off with Doug Deming of the Fish Point Lodge on Saginaw Bay. Doug had some great advice on ice fishing for walleye and perch. He also told me about a little know fishery for whitefish on the Bay.
The hour wraps up with Mark Romanack of Precision Angling. Mark talks about a recent ice fishing adventure when he caught a good mess of bluegills in just two feet of water.
Our final hour of the show kicks off with Dan Hess of the North American Shed Hunters Club. The hunt for shed antlers from deer and other big game is drawing lots of folks into the wintertime woods. Dan has some great advice on where to find them.
We wrap up with Dixie Dave Minar. As always Dave has a tasty wild game recipe.
Consider this your invitation to a venison spaghetti dinner on Sunday afternoon February 21st.
The event is a fundraiser for my church, Trinity Monitor Lutheran at Salzburg and eight mile roads in Bay County. We want to raise funds for some repair work on the grounds, but I see it as a good excuse to get together and tell hunting stories.
Tickets are $15 dollars each or $25 for a pair. Dinner is at 3 and the auction starts at 4:30. You can reserve tickets by calling (989) 662-4891.
Here’s the flyer for the event.
Chef Dixie Dave Minar is our guest speaker, and he’s also bringing samples of his new wild game soup.
There’s an auction with several nice items up for grabs, including a Darton bow, Ameristep blind, MOR archery target, Jay’s Sporting Goods gift certificate, Nikon binoculars, Dixie Dave cookbooks and gift certificates, Carbon Express arrows, Nikon rifle scope and lots more.
I hope you can join us at this first annual event for some good fellowship, food and fun…and remember, it’s for a great cause.
Posted 3 days, 7 hours ago at 6:41 PM. Add a comment
In that role, I often draw the anger of anti hunters, which is something you might expect. Lately though, I find myself being criticized by fellow hunters….or at least people who say they are.
Let me give you a couple of examples.
On a recent TV show I featured Pro Staffer Gus Congemi making a hundred yard archery shot on an antelope. Now, I admit that’s not a shot most bowhunters should try, but in Gus’ case, I don’t have a problem with it. The veteran hunter routinely practices at those distances. In fact, he made a video of those practice sessions that you can watch here.
After airing that show I got lots of negative emails from folks who call themselves bowhunters. Most were very upset, and even appalled, that I would show what they called a “very unethical shot”.
Another example involves my friend Chad Stearns of Jay’s Sporting Goods. On a recent hunting trip to South Africa I videotaped Chad shooting a two ton giraffe with his bow. After stalking the giant animal for ten hours, Chad was finally able to get within fifty yards and put a good shot in the vital area. Unfortunately, the shot didn’t get much penetration and Stearns was forced to put another arrow into the giraffe. That second shot would have certainly killed the animal, but Chad wanted to speed up the process so he used a rifle to finish the job.
It took a tremendous amount of skill and patience to get an arrow into the big bull, and I give Chad a lot of credit for being humble enough to pick up a gun to keep the animal’s suffering to a minimum.
It’s always been my policy to show hunting in a realistic manner so I aired all the details of that hunt. I could have edited it down and “sanitized” the experience, but chose not to.
Again, the critics came out of the woodwork…and again, the vast majority of complaints came from folks who call themselves hunters.
I was surprised by the intensity of the criticism, and level of anger those people expressed.
It seems to me, that in today’s society filled with anti hunters, and an even bigger group of non hunters, it serves no purpose for hunters to fight each other. Just because one hunter chooses to do things differently than another, it doesn’t make it wrong. From my perspective if the act is moral and ethical in a particular hunter’s eyes, and legal in the eyes of the law…I certainly have no problem with it.
Because I’ve faced such strong criticism in the past, I’ve been a bit reluctant to air another recent hunt from Gus. This one features Gus crawling into a cave in Wyoming where he killed a mountain lion with a handgun at point blank range. Congemi actually went in there to rescue a dog that followed the big cat. However, I’m sure a certain percentage of hunters who feel they have superior morals will look down on this hunt by saying Gus had the animal trapped, and they’ll claim it was an unethical act.
The truth is I don’t think I would have the guts to crawl into a cave and face down a mountain lion, so I’m not about to pass judgement on Gus. For the record though, I see nothing wrong with the hunt. In fact, I’m in awe of a guy who has the nerve to do it.
Because I think this hunt tells a great story, and also because I’m not about to bow down to pressure from anyone, I’ve decided to put this adventure on the air and deal with the complaints as they come.
My patience is getting thin though with the small, but vocal group of self righteous hunters who believe their morals are superior to the rest of us. I believe in today’s world hunters need to stand together and remember who the real enemy is.
We kick off the show by talking with the owner of a new Michigan company. Tim Yaroch of MOR Archery Targets. Tim tells me how he came up with the concept and who he thinks they’ll appeal to.
Next, Tony Hanson of Michigan United Conservation Clubs kicks off a new segment as we discuss the latest outdoor related issues. Tony will be joining me on a regular basis over the next several months.
Hour two opens with John Eberhart. In my opinion, John is one of Michigan’s premiere bowhunters. He shares some post season scouting techniques and we talk about the state of hunting in general.
The hour wraps up with Mark Romanack of Precision Angling and Fishing 411 Television. We talk about ice fishing on Saginaw Bay and picking the right outfitter for a fly in fishing trip.
Michigan’s “Mister U.P.” joins me in the third hour of this week’s show. Dan Donarski is a veteran outdoor writer and observer of all things outdoors in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He’s also a booking agent for first class African Safaris through his company Hunter’s Horn Adventures. Dan and I talk about a wide range of topics including ice fishing and possible misuse of deer range improvement funds.
The show wraps up with wild game chef Dixie Dave Minar. Dave tells me about the re-opening of his restaurant and we discuss a couple of fundraising dinners coming up in the next couple of weeks.
The latest edition of Outdoor Magazine radio is another busy show….
We kick off the program with Derrick Poet of Jay’s Sporting Goods. Derrick and I talk about the recent ATA show in Columbus, including the new gear and products coming to market this summer.
Tom Campbell of Woods-n-Waternews wraps up the hour with a look at the February edition of Michigan’s premier outdoor publication.
We talk turkey in the second hour with Al Stewart of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. January is the time to apply for a spring turkey permit in Michigan. Al gives me a history lesson about turkey hunting in the state and the status of that sport today.
The third hour features Pro Staffer Gus Congemi of New York State. Gus is a hard core bowhunter and adventure junkie. He tells me about his latest adventure in Wyoming when he crawled into a cave after a mountain lion. Yep….into a cave. You won’t want to miss that conversation.
The show wraps up with Chef Dixie Dave Minar who was another great wild game recipe.
Another interesting and diverse show. I hope you enjoy it.
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago at 11:06 AM. Add a comment
The show is also on Tuesday night at 9:30 and Wednesday morning at 10:30. That’s in addition to our regular slots of Thursday evening at 7, Saturday morning at 7:30 and Friday morning at 1AM.
That gives you lots of chances to watch Outdoor Magazine TV. Thanks Sportsman.
Posted 3 weeks, 2 days ago at 12:34 PM. Add a comment
This weekend on the Outdoor Magazine radio show we take a look at some great wintertime activities in the north country.
First, Dale Chapman of Chapman’s Sport Center joins me to talk about snowmobiling today. The sport has come a long way since the early, unreliable sleds of the sixties. Dale tells us what to look for in a modern snowmobile.
Then, Randy Jorgenson of Woods-n-Waternews tells about the latest edition of Michigan’s premiere outdoor publication and runs down the sport shows they’ll be at over the next few weeks.
The second hour kicks off with Pat McKenna of Ameristep. Ameristep is a great company that specializes in hunting accessories…primarily tree stands and ground blinds. Pat talks about new products being unveiled at the Archery Trade Show in Columbus.
Mark Romanack joins me next. Mark is the host of the Fishing 411 television show seen on Sportsman Channel. He’s also the guy behind the Precision Trolling. line of reference books. This week Mark and I talk about ice fishing, and his plans to order a new Starcraft STX 2050 fishing boat.
Our final hour kicks off with another well known Michigan angler….Mark Martin. Mark gained a reputation for catching big walleye while guiding on the Muskegon River. Later he excelled on the professional walleye trail, winning the first PWT championship. Mark has some great advice on ice fishing for walleye.
The show wraps up as I talk about my plans to attend the big archery trade show in Columbus. That’s the venue for the announcement of new archery products for the upcoming season.
Another busy show. I hope you enjoy it.
Posted 3 weeks, 3 days ago at 2:08 PM. Add a comment
Then, RJ Meyer of the Trophy Room Taxidermy Studio joins me to talk about preserving your hunting and fishing trophies. This is the best time of year to catch a double digit walleye and RJ has some tips on what to do with that big fish on the ice to get the best mount.
We wrap up the hour with Tom Campbell of the Woods-n-Waternews. Tom is the editor of that magazine, commonly known as Michigan’s premier outdoor publication.
Tim Roller of Ultimate Outfitters Guide Service and the Wild Addiction TV show joins me next. It was Tim’s client Tom Healy that caught a world record brown trout on Michigan’s Manistee river late last summer. You can read the account of that here. Tim brings me up to speed on the process of catching, and certifying a world record fish, and how it’s changed his guide service. We also discuss his TV show seen nationally on Sportsman Channel.
The third hour kicks off with another popular guest….Tom Lounsbury. Tom is an expert hunter and outdoorsman from Michigan’s thumb. He has some great advice on wintertime rabbit and coyote hunting.
We wrap up this week with Chef Dixie Dave Minar. This time Dave has a tasty perch recipe for us.
More tower maintenance Sunday morning on Newsradio 790 WSGW in Saginaw. Area listeners can still hear the Outdoor Magazine show on their sister station, 100.5 FM. The show airs there every Saturday morning from 9 to noon.
I’m not one of those guys who’s always been “anti crossbow”, but I’ve never been a big fan of them either….at least not until now.
When the Michigan Natural Resources Commission opened the door for more hunters to use crossbows, I was in favor of that move. I figured anything that could encourage folks to spend more time hunting, would be a good thing.
At the time I didn’t plan on hunting with one. In fact, I was concentrating on the other end of the archery spectrum…a recurve. I spent twelve straight days in the spring chasing gobblers with a Predator recurve bow.
Recurve Turkey
I hunted hard and missed several birds before finally taking a nice tom on the final day of my season. If I was hunting with a shotgun, or even a compound bow, I probably could have ended my season a lot sooner, but I wanted the challenge offered by traditional tackle.
I still had my recurve in hand when I headed to Ontario in August after black bear. There, I passed up a very big boar, in part because of the limitations of my weapon. You can read more about that hunt here.
The beginning of the Michigan bow season found me with the recurve still in hand, but the right deer wouldn’t give me the right shot. After a few weeks, I put down the Predator and picked up a Darton Pro 2500 compound.
I hunted with that bow in Michigan, Ohio and Kansas. I passed up a few nice animals, but never did shoot a buck.
These examples should help point out the fact I’m not looking for the easy way out when it comes to bowhunting. In fact, I really enjoy the challenge archery offers.
It’s because of that love for bowhunting that late in the season I picked up a Darton Lightning crossbow. As a bowhunter and outdoor journalist, I need to be knowledgeable about today’s crossbows and what it’s like to hunt with one.
First, I had to sight the bow in. Since I’d never used a crossbow before, I called in Ted Harpham of Darton. Ted is an expert crossbow shooter and he had my Lightning dialed in with just a few shots.
Then it was my turn to shoot the Lightning. My first impression was that the bow was heavy, bulky and awkward. I’ve since become more comfortable handling the weapon, but it was a definite change from the recurve and compound I was used to.
Ted showed me how to use the monopod to brace against my body. That technique allowed me to hold the bow steady, and my first shot at thirty yards was right on the mark. Next, we moved back to forty yards and I made another nice shot.
Later, I spent a couple hours shooting the bow on my own, and I got a better feel for what it’s capable of. I was able to shoot well at seventy yards before dropping my rangefinder and breaking it, but at that point I knew I was ready to go hunting.
I should point out, even though the Lightning is capable of longer shots, I wanted to limit myself to forty yards or less for now. That’s about my effective range on a compound too.
My first hunt was interesting. Everything about the experience seemed foreign to me. The process of cocking the crossbow, learning the best way to carry it and how to position myself and the bow in a blind were all a learning process.
Once I got settled in though I was glad to have the crossbow in front of me. It was very cold that night and I had on lots of heavy clothes. It would have been pretty tough to draw a compound with those extra layers. Plus, my cold muscles were glad they didn’t have to do much work in those conditions too. It was also nice to know that any deer inside forty yards to give me a shot would more than likely be going down.
I didn’t get a shot though. I saw lots of deer, but none within range. It was the same story on the next few nights. That’s when I started thinking that hunting with a crossbow is a lot like any other bow. You are still limited by range, and the number of shots you can quickly get off.
Eventually I moved to a treestand on the south side of the property. From there I had a great view of the terrain….a woodlot to the east of me, and an orchard at my back. Before long deer started heading out to feed on the apples. I let several fawns and small does pass by me, and eventually settled the crosshair of the four power scope just behind the shoulder of a very big doe.
I pulled the trigger and dropped the animal in her tracks. The Carbon Express F-15 expandable broadhead was very impressive. In fact, the exit hole is so big I can’t even post a picture of it here.
Beautiful, late season Michigan doe
I got down, walked over to the doe and realized I was smiling. Not because I had killed a beautiful animal, but because I had to work for the reward of the hunt. Harvesting that animal with a crossbow was a challenge, just like using any other archery gear.
I don’t expect to put away my Pro 2500 compound, but I will certainly be looking for more opportunities to hunt with the Lightning crossbow again. In fact, I think the spring turkey season would be a good chance to do that.
