SHORELINE
Outdoors Fall/Winter 2016
A special publication of the
Ludington Daily News
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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
www.ludingtondailynews.com
Getting ready for deer season BY BRIAN MULHERIN DAILY NEWS OUTDOORS EDITOR
Your first consideration should always be your license. Keep it in your wallet so you don’t leave home without it.
Are you one of those people who always leaves something behind when you head out deer hunting? Here’s an attempt at helping you remember all those things you need to bring.
Be legal Your first consideration should always be your license. Keep it in your wallet so you don’t leave home without it. Second, you need to be visible. If you don’t have all-weather hunter orange, ask yourself why not? You get 14 or 15 days of rifle hunt-
ing a year if you’re lucky enough to hunt them all. You get eight more of muzzleloader. And you can use weather-proof orange for rabbit hunting or
squirrel hunting. This is the year you need to invest in some orange rainwear. After making sure you’re legal, you should
turn your attention to your firearm. It’s September. Buy your ammunition now. Right now. Set the paper down and go buy at least two boxes. Practice with one and hunt with the other. Don’t be the guy running from
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Dunham’s to Walmart to Meijer to Kmart to Shopko Home to the Ruby Creek Store and finally to Jay’s Sporting Goods because nobody has 30/40 Krag in 180-grain bullets. Or whatever oddball thing you shoot. I don’t know about you, but after my rifle, the most important thing I carry are my binoculars. A good pair of binoculars lets you see earlier and later. It also helps you count points. It doesn’t really matter what you think of our local threeon-a-side rule, what matters is that you can tell how big a buck is before you take that shot. Scan your field early and often, get a good count on ant-
ler points on anything out there, then take your shot knowing that all you have to focus on is the vital area. I prefer roof prism binoculars because they let in more light than the old style binoculars that use mirrors to re-direct light. If your binoculars were made before 2000, it’s time to put them on display and take them out of the pack. Newer binocular lenses have coatings that really do cut down glare and help you see more. If you’re a caller or rattler, bring what you need. Just remember that less is more when it comes to calling most deer. SEE DEER SEASON, PAGE 3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
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| LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS www.ludingtondailynews.com
DEER SEASON: Getting the most of the great outdoors FROM PAGE 2
Cut to the chase Assuming you get what you’re after, you’re going to need a knife. I’ve got a great Ken Onion folding knife, but for ease of use, ease of cleaning and grip, you’re better off with a fixed-blade knife. My fixed blade is a Benchmade Bone Collector knife, however, I covet a Bark River knife. Bark River is one of several companies to spring up around the old Marbles knife company, which also still exists in Escanaba. I want the Trail Buddy II and someday, I’ll buy the darn thing. Bark River and Marbles and the
little knife shop in Rapid River are all great sources of Michigan-made knives that will serve you well and probably your kids and grandkids after that. It’s great to think that we can clean a deer the way our parents and grandparents did and if you have an heirloom knife, that’s fantastic. But there’s no reason for you to get blood on your hands – in fact, with all the diseases popping up, it’s better that you don’t. Spend a couple dollars and get a kit, or make a kit, that includes some protective gloves and a great little tool called the “Butt-Out.” It does what you think it does and darn it, I don’t want to clean a deer with-
out one again. Of course, there’s the inevitable search for a deer shot at sunset. Bring plenty of flashlights and a roll of toilet paper for marking blood drops on the trail. Finally, pack some zipties to attach your license and some rope or paracord to help you drag your deer out of the woods. If you hunt the dunes, pack a roll-up carpet sled to help you drag your deer more easily and cleanly.
Spare gloves or mittens are great. I love to put mittens on with handwarmers in them when it’s bitter out. If it gives me one less reason to leave, it’s worth having. In snowy years, I’ve also used the adhesive toe-warmers. There’s no shame in bringing extra socks, either. There’s nothing better to keep you going than trail mix with M&Ms in it. The nuts give you longterm energy that keeps up after the quick pickme-up of the chocolate. However, I don’t like the loud plastic single-use Stay on stand sleeves. I re-pack the mix The rest of your pack in my own quieter zipshould be devoted to seal bags. On the issue of being keeping you in the hunt.
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quiet, “the crud” is always around in November, so do yourself a favor and get a Silencer cough tube and some cherry Ludens cough drops. The Ludens don’t open your sinuses up like the menthol ones and they don’t alert every deer in the county with their scent. Alternatively, you can pack apple and cherry Jolly Ranchers to help your throat. (Just don’t tell your dental hygienist). If you’re really sick, you can try a Thermos full of something warm (but steer clear of hot cocoa, it gets you cough going worse). Bring lots of water to drink, but avoid those super-thin bottles that make crinkling sounds
whenever you move. Also, remember to peel off all the blue labels. Deer see blue better than any other color, according to studies. Finally, maybe you can watch your woods or field all day without interruption, but I can’t. I like to have something like video poker, blackjack, Yahtzee or something to give me a little mental stimulation when the sun starts shining and the animals move less. If you’re a reader, you can put books or even comic books on your phone (guilty) and look up every few pages. That’s about it. Don’t forget to take a nice photo of your deer for your local newspaper.
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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
www.ludingtondailynews.com
Beat cabin fever with a squirrel hunt BY BRIAN MULHERIN DAILY NEWS OUTDOORS EDITOR
What’s more fun that squirrel hunting? Who wouldn’t want to be in the woods in the fall, walking around, observing the wildlife, taking in the crisp air and sunshine? Squirrel hunting is one of my favorite pastimes because of all these things. This year does not appear to be a bumper crop for acorns, which could actually be a good thing if you’re after squirrels. A sparse crop means they’ll be on the move, foraging for food, rather than sitting and searching only when it suits them. My favorite squirrel spots involve a lengthy hike, but you can find them close to the car on some of the thousands of acres of oak woods east of Custer or north of Ludington.
Gear Squirrel hunting isn’t complicated. You need your license, some hunter orange clothing, a firearm and a knife. I also pack a couple of gallon freezer bags. If it’s a warm fall, bring some water along. On the subject of firearms, it depends on how you choose to hunt. If you want to stalk along and shoot them where you see them, bring a shotgun. If you’re more patient, bring a rifle or .22 pistol. As fall gives way to winter, you might want to bring your snowshoes.
Just pick a location that hides you from the trees where you believe the squirrels are. Then it’s just a matter of waiting them out. There’s not much better to break up the cabin fever of a winter weekend than a snowshoe hike for squirrels.
woods, but squirrels find all sorts of food. There are still some beech trees that produce nuts and other forage is still around. I like to find a place with some topograDestinations phy to it. Flat woods with trees As stated before, your best bets will be oak that are all the same age
are rarely as productive for me as some good mature forest on rolling hills. Whether you use a shotgun or a pistol, you’ll get some shots as you crest the hills. Shotgun hunting is probably the better bet in the early fall when there are still lots of leaves on the trees. If squirrels retreat to the safety of their nests, you can still get a shot at them. However, be sure you can retrieve what you shoot. Rifle and pistol hunt-
ing can work as a spotand-stalk exercise or you can sit like you’re stand hunting for deer. Just pick a location that hides you from the trees where you believe the squirrels are. Then it’s just a matter of waiting them out. Squirrels don’t have a lot of patience. If you can sit for 10 minutes, you can get them to show themselves again.
their wrists and ankles and make a few connecting cuts. Then grasp the feet, step on the tail and pull. If you did it right, the skin will come off like a T-shirt. If you did it wrong, you’ll have to get back to work with your knife. I’m partial to crockpot recipes for squirrels. They’re an acquired taste and putting them in some barbecue sauce is always a good introducCleaning up tion for people new to The best way to clean dining on them. your squirrels is to score
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
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| LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS www.ludingtondailynews.com
Jump into ice fishing season this year often won’t care. I like to start with spikes because they’re livelier, but there are days when waxworms generate more bites. Carry both if you’re planning an all-day trip. Another option is being an aggressive jigger with soft plastics. I like to do this when fishing is slow. It will often produce bigger fish than just bait on a “dead stick” presentation.
BY BRIAN MULHERIN DAILY NEWS OUTDOORS EDITOR
If you believe the weatherman, this will be a cold winter. If you groan at that, you’re on the wrong page of the section. A cold winter often means more ice fishing and there are plenty of great options for local fishing. So instead of moaning and groaning, jump in and start preparing for a great season.
Panfish We’re blessed with great panfish locally. To get started, all you need is a 4-inch hand auger, a bucket to sit on and a rod to jig with. It’s great to have a shelter and electronics as well, but you can catch fish without them. Let’s start with where. If you’re new, you can go it alone or follow the pack. I suggest following the pack to start. Once you get a feel for what you’re doing, you can head out on your own. Experienced ice anglers like to do open-water surveys of a lake shortly before the ice comes in. This gives them ideas of where dense
Experienced ice anglers like to do openwater surveys of a lake shortly before the ice comes in patches of cabbage weeds are, as well as where adjacent sparse patches — often better producers — are. Pick a spot and drill your hole. Take your rod, to which you will have tied a jig, and attach a clip-on sinker (called a depthfinder or plummet). Now, depending on the style of your rod, you’ll have a clip or a peg that you can set your depth with on your reel. Get
your lure on bottom and mark that depth. Now, we should probably discuss jigs. I like size 3 tungsten jigs in metallic colors to start other people like Demon Glow jigs. Whatever the make, you’ll find people who swear by an orange jig. It doesn’t matter whether it’s called “school bus” or “tequila sunrise” or just orange, that’s also a good color, especially on Hamlin Lake. The key to being a successful ice angler is finding out what’s hot, then buying up all of them. I’m only half-kidding here. There are pike and bass that will steal your favorite jigs, so buy in bulk when you can. You can fish with spikes or waxworms and the fish
Walleye We don’t talk much about walleye because I like to get through winter without death threats. However, good populations of walleye exist on Silver, Hamlin and Bear lakes. The best time to
fish them a half hour prior to sunrise or for an hour surrounding sunset. The best lures are small spoons like Do-Jiggers and body baits like Jigging Rapalas. When I go to a new body of water, I look for dropoffs along inside turns in the depth contour. Think of these as submerged coves. Freshwater Fishing Hallof-Famer Mark Martin taught me to look for these features, as well as submerged points. Jigging for walleyes can be trial and error, but Martin likes to fish two rods – one with an active presentation and one with a passive presentation. Tip your lures with emerald
SEE ICE FISHING, PAGE 7
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shiners or just the heads of emerald shiners. Keep your two lures about four feet apart, vertically, in the water column, and alternate which one you jig most. In some areas, you can draw fish in by pounding bottom, but I have not had much success with that in our sandy-bottom lakes. Frankly, walleye fishing is not for everyone. It takes some stouter rods with six- or eight-pound test and lures that are a little too big for perch, yet too small for pike. But if you want to chase them, you can find them.
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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
www.ludingtondailynews.com
Learning the ropes of bird hunting BY BRIAN MULHERIN DAILY NEWS OUTDOORS EDITOR
What’s more fun than going grouse hunting? Whether you have dogs or not, you’re seeing some beautiful country at a fantastic time of the year. Mason, Manistee and Lake counties offer some fantastic bird hunting opportunities on pubic land and commercial forest land. If you’re new to bird hunting, you’ll want to invest in a shotgun, an orange vest and a plat book. What kind of shotgun depends on how good a shot you are. I highly recommend contacting your local sportsperson’s club to check on trap and skeet shooting. Shoot a few rounds of each and find out whether you need a 12-gauge, 20-gauge or if you’re sharp enough to use a .410. The cheapest way to start is going to be with a simple pumpaction shotgun, but the best guns to carry for birds are going to be double barrels or autoloaders for quick follow-up shots. A good by-product of going shooting at local clubs is you might find someone to show you the ropes of bird hunting and, equally as important, show you some birdy places to hunt. Finding birds can be as simple as finding good stands of aspen on public land. However, you can use several tanks of gas if you head out without some clue as to where birds might be. There are some great
One thing to stress when hunting in a group is discipline. Every hunter can only shoot a safe cone in front of them about 45 degrees wide. You never want to swing on a bird in such a way that your partners or the dog are in your field of fire.
what habitat might You can stomp around alone and flush and shoot on produce the most food at some birds, but it’s so much more fun to a given time of year. have friends there. Hunting
phone and computer apps that will help you find land using aerial photos and property databases, but when you’re confronted by a landowner or a conservation officer, you want that book in your hand. After using a plat book and putting some miles on the car, the MI-Hunt app is my favorite way to find huntable lands. You log in and you can search not just by property ownership type (state, federal
or commercial forest) but also by cover type. Being able to punch in and search aspen is a huge time saver. The primary quarry is grouse in most of west Michigan, but wetter and more mature stands of aspen will have woodcock in them. Woodcock are a migratory bird and require a free state-issued stamp. Grouse are not migratory birds, per se, but they do make seasonal movements based
The best time to hunt is when you can get away. Birds are less likely to flush and more likely to run when it’s damp out, but other than that, you can get them to fly all day. A good dog is always a welcome hunting companion, but in the absence of dogs, a couple well-trained partners will work out well. You can stomp around alone and flush and shoot some birds, but it’s so much more fun to have friends there.
and a bird flushes, shout it out and try to draw a bead on it. If you’ve got the shot, take the shot. The limit for grouse in southern Michigan is five birds, while there’s a three-bird limit on woodcock. The woodcock season varies from year to year, so be sure to check your hunting digest for Safety the dates before you Keep everyone in a line, head to the woods. walking at the same pace Cooking it up and keep it safe One of the things peoPeople who don’t ple don’t think about when they head out bird hunt sometimes queshunting is just how bro- tion those of us who do. ken the terrain can be in The best way to convert someone is to let them a stand of aspen. Aspen and other soft- try your quarry. While wood trees will snap, so woodcock can be an acexpect to stumble over quired taste, grouse is branches and trunks that delicious no matter how it’s served. The first time have come down. Wear brush-buster I had it, we cooked the pants or chaps to pro- breast on a stick over an tect your legs and some open fire. You really don’t need boots with good support more than that. Howevto protect your ankles. er, if you want to impress Everyone should be company, I suggest a recaware of where each other is in the line. If one ipe from Mason County person falls back, wait authors Mike Gnatkowski for him, because you or John O. Cartier. Gnatdon’t want to be in front kowski’s “Wild Game of someone who flushes Simple,” has a bevy of a bird but doesn’t know recipes, as does Cartier’s “Wild Game’s Double Bohe’s behind. If everything is safe nanza.”
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
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| LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS www.ludingtondailynews.com
ICE FISHING: Buying an electronic flasher recommended for walleye fishing FROM PAGE 5
I strongly recommend buying an electronic flasher for walleye fishing because you can actually see how the fish react to what you’re doing with your lure.
Pike Fishing for pike with tipups is great fun for small or large groups. You’ll want a slightly larger auger for this kind of fishing – many people go for the 10-inch power augers if they know they’ll be pursuing pike. However, early in the season you can get by with just a spud or ice chisel. Tip-ups are reels mounted on crossed sticks. A friend taught me to just
run straight 20-pound test on my tip-ups and I’ve been happy with that. After all, who in this salmon-oriented town, doesn’t have access to a big spool of 20-pound-test monofilament? I put a couple pea-sized split shot on my line about two feet up from the hook. I like size 10 treble hooks because you can hook them on the dorsal of a sucker or golden shiner and they don’t hinder the swimming action of your bait much. To get started, attach your plummet or clip-on sinker to your hook, lower the hook to bottom and mark the spot on your line with the tiniest redand-white bobber you can find. Then slide the bobber
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down the line two to four feet. This will put your bait that far off bottom. Bring the hook up, take off your plummet and put on your bait. Lower your bait until the bobber is at the spool and set the flag. Just like that, you’re fishing. Now you’ll want to watch your flag. When it pops up, walk over to your tip-up, check to see if the spool is spinning and get ready. When the spool stops spinning, take up the slack gently and get ready to give a firm tug on the line when you feel the fish. Then bring the fish in hand over hand and you’ll have an adoring crowd coming over to see your fish. Enjoy the winter.
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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS/SHORELINE OUTDOORS
| TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
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