Some early season pics...

There's not a whole lot I can do towards my bow season right now. I still can't shoot because I'm broke and can't afford arrows or a rest for the new bow yet. I know the season is approaching soon. Whenever I am able to shoot I'm going to need to put in some crazy time. I have had only one camera set up on my parents property over a salt block just to see where the deer are at developmentally. I only got one pic of a buck.

Wolves in Michigan: Endangered or not?

 So wolves may be off the endangered list in Michigan and some other states. The public has a chance to "comment" on the ruling to take them off the list. Here are some notes from the DNR website and then my comment I submitted a while ago.

"We frequently hear from people with very strong opinions about wolf management," Hoving said. "This public comment period is an opportunity for those people to go on record with their concerns. The decision to de-list isn't a done deal. The comments submitted during this time matter."

To submit public comment, go online to www.regulations.gov and use docket number FWS-R3-ES-2011-0029. Comments can also be sent through regular mail to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R3-ES-2011-0029; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA, 22203.

The deadline to submit comments is Tuesday, July 5.

 My comment:
"Decisions on an entire species should not be decided on an all or nothing ruling. I am concerned that rulings are being made to manage the wolf based on a far too general population study that covers too broad an area. Districts or regions should be created and governed depending on their own needs. Wolves in Michigan may or may not be more common than in another area creating more or less of a need to manage the population. Simple geographic divides should be made and each region created should have its own decision on whether the wolf is endangered in that area or not based on surveys and devastation to its environment. Obviously, biologists can determine the impact of such a species in an ecosystem. Making the entire species endangered when it runs ramped in areas occupied by the unsuspecting public is irresponsible. I know we can do better."

I guess if they get taken off the list, the DNR will monitor population numbers for five years to make sure they maintain healthy numbers. The wolf will be a non-game protected species but the state legislature would have control over changing that at any time. Its pretty cool to think I may be able to hunt wolves in Michigan in my lifetime.

"Prost" Season Scouting State Game Areas

I've been out twice this week doing what I call "Prost" season scouting. Its kind of post season because it is only spring and winter just left and its kind of pre season because the new season will sneak up on us soon. I hit three different spots that I have been to before but each new time I check out different sections of the areas. The first outing this week I took my fiancee' and we stuck to the main trail and took a lunch with us. We saw a deer on the way in. We ate lunch with a swan and a few noisy geese. It seemed to be snake city as she stepped on one and in one part of the trail I counted 4 good sized snakes. It started raining on the way out so we beat the rain.
Today I went out alone getting to know my new GPS better. It is awesome! I can't believe I have walked around uncharted areas without it before. Its probably the coolest piece of gear I now own (don't tell the bowmadness). I didn't see any deer. There was a pile of fresh deer carcasses thrown around the parking lot which made me feel sick even before the smell hit me. Most of the pieces still had fur so these were most likely poached deer since they were in pieces and its been months since the latest open deer season. I walked two areas and it started raining as soon as I reached the first parking lot. It really started pouring at the second stop and I got drenched. The DNR I assume did a controlled burn on a bog I was looking forward to walking which made it easier to walk but I didn't really see anything cool. I found one treestand left up illegally which is the norm in these areas for me. It seems like I have a sense for knowing when I am in the presence of one. Whenever I think to myself "man, this spot is great" I look up and find a treestand. Its okay though because those spots are always good spots for treestands, not deer.

Working the bugs out of the new trail camera...

I set up my new Wildgame Innovations camera that I got for CHEAP around the apartment to see how it performs. It is the easiest camera to use that I own but it also has the least options. It still performed, as all my Wildgame Innovations cameras, better than all the other brands I have tried. I am going to get it in the woods as soon as possible.

Haven't posted in a while....

I haven't posted in a while because our power cord caught on fire so I haven't had a computer. I applied for Bear and Elk in Michigan today. The application period started today. I put in for "BULL ONLY" and for the Red Oak zone for Bear. Not expecting to get a license anytime soon, will be sweet one day when I do though.

Not much going on.

Haven't done a whole lot lately. Have very little money to put towards the trip. Saving up for the Apache rest for the new bow.

The saga continues

I met with my hunting partner Joe this past weekend to work on some details for our trip. Its looking like we are a lot more ready than I thought. I put my Fuse sight from my old bow on my new one and it looks pretty sweet so that will stay on.

Bought a Barska spotting scope from Midway USA and have been glassing the neighborhood picturing antlers on the neighbors' dogs. Also got another trail camera for an awesome price. Typically when I see Larry Potterfield on the Midway USA commercials I usually have a feeling similar to a 5th grade bully when he sees a 3rd grade nerd. I just want to put the guy in a headlock until he can't squeeze out his "thanks for the business" crap. But I must say, he runs a business with an amazing logistics department. I received my order in about 3 days, Gandermountain.com took 5 days and Cabelas always takes 10 days. I was very impressed with the accuracy of the order, the speed of receiving it and the quality of the products.

Introducing the newest addition to my family!

My new bow is here! Thankfully my fiancee had a snow day so she was able to man the post waiting for the Fed Ex guy. Looks awesome! Can't wait to shoot it. Now I only need an arrow rest, sight, quiver, peep sight, loop, arrow nocks and some dampeners. Probably will be shootable by mid June. Haven't jerked the old string in a while, 70lbs. might be tough now but I have plenty of time to get back into hunting shape. I am taking it in to Gander Mountain next week to get a Zebra Barracuda string put on it instead of the stock one.

NEW BOW!!!!

Well, I would say the wait is over but its really just begun. I ordered my new bow just minutes ago. Going with the 2010 PSE Bow Madness XS. Will be delivered next week sometime. There will be a lot of sleepless nights until then that's for sure. Went with the XS over the other regular and XL Bow Madness bows because of the great price, the ease of carrying a smaller bow and it only shoots 10 FPS slower than the other two. Fifty bucks off on Gandermountain.com and free shipping. I went with PSE over Quest because I got some Gander Mountain bucks for my birthday and the deal at GM was too good to pass up. Cannot frickin' wait! Now I will have a decent bow and a back up for my season. Can't wait to shoot it but first I will be hitting up Spot Shooter for some help customizing this bad boy.

Look what showed up today.

Tags showed up in the mail today. Even better, on my birthday.

Best Birthday Present Ever: GOT THE TAGS!!

So I noticed that North Dakota cashed the checks I sent for our licenses this morning, mostly because it overdrew my account. I posted on archerytalk.com forum that they had cashed the checks but there still was no way to check your draw on the ND website. I figured if they were going to give a refund they would cash the checks as well so I tried not to get excited. A guy on the forum said to go to reprint license and put in your info and it would show if I got it and it did. Can't wait for September 3rd! Got a lot to do to get ready though but that can be just as fun. Especially bow shopping! Tomorrow is my birthday so this might be the best present ever.

Spring is coming.

I saw probably over 500 geese flying on my way to work this morning. Could be a good sign the snow is done. Have yet to hear anything about any tags being drawn yet.

Any Day Now

Feeling overwhelmed with the unknown, I called the North Dakota Fish and Game Commission today to see what was going on with the archery season. The woman on the phone as always was very polite but had no clue. I asked when and how one might find out if they drew an archery tag and she just said watch your mailbox. Easier said than done. I didn't even get an approximate date of arrival. My fingers are starting to fall asleep keeping them crossed for so long...

Changing the date of opening day in Michigan?

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/02/bill_proposes_annual_shift_in.html

So the topic of moving opening day of gun season in Michigan from November 15th to weekends only has been proposed. Here is my opinion:
First off I am against it for traditional reasons and I also like the idea of potentially being able to hit the woods sooner than some other unlucky hunters who can't get off of work. But I have an idea if they do decide to change.
They have proposed moving it to a weekend based on a study that showed more money was spent by hunters the years that opening day was on a weekend. My idea? Divide the state into 3 units like it is already for many outdoor purposes. One Southern unit, one Central Unit and one UP or Northern unit. The Southern unit's opening day is the first weekend in November, the Central would be the next and the Northern would be the following. This would give people the chance to hunt with a bow longer if they wanted by hunting in the unit that hadn't opened for gun yet or hit all 3 gun openers potentially. A lot of hunters I know don't hunt just one area. Many, like myself, hunt in central Michigan and Northern Michigan. If they had 3 weekend openers more money could be raised by hunters trying to hit all three openers and would give people the chance to get at least one weekend opener in the field if they couldn't get in the field for if there is only a single date for the entire state. They also seem to think having it on a weekend will get new hunters in the field. I don't see how that makes sense. Every hunter has to take Hunters Safety so its not like someone is going to just pick up a gun, buy a tag and hit the woods since its the weekend. Plus, each gun season contains at least two weekends anyway. I am for anything that promotes hunting and gets newbies into the woods but I don't see how a weekend opener adds new sportsmen.

Antler Shed Hunting

I took a much needed week off from work next week. I'm going to try to make a stop in to see the parents and hopefully the weather allows for some shed hunting. I usually put in about a dozen hours, and as many miles, each year but somehow have never actually found a shed antler. I always think I know the best spots but never any success. Do I have to live in Iowa to find these things? Anyway, success or not its always good to get outside. Hopefully get a good idea of the deer that made it through season. Should find out about North Dakota tags in 5 days.

Getting close

Ordered a map of the public land in North Dakota we're hoping to hunt. Got it posted in my living room. I like to sit and stare at it...Should know within a couple weeks whether its on or not.

Application Season

I have already posted about my application sent out for Mule Deer Archery Season in North Dakota, but I have decided on the other hunts (or future hunts) I am going to apply for. Here is the outlook on the apps I'm going to hit this year;

Michigan: Obviously these are the hunts I have to apply for. I will always buy the over the counter deer tags.
Elk- Its $4 to apply and I get a preference point. I am applying for Bull only since that's what I want to hunt and I can hunt cow elk elsewhere if I want the experience. Hopefully get drawn sometime in my lifetime. I will keep applying every year until I do.
Bear- Its $4 to apply and again I start gaining preference points. Application period is May 1st - June 1st. Results posted later in June but I won't draw for at least 4 years it seems. I will keep applying until I draw, plus I can use the preference points in any bear area once I collect them.

Utah: I will be applying for Preference Points only looking forward to building my points for future hunts. Application period is February 1st until March 10th. Its $10 for the application fee and only $10 for each species you want to apply for.
Mule Deer- Want to start building points for a bow hunt in the mountains.
Elk- A decent state for Elk and probably the second cheapest application for me. It will take about a decade but worth applying for every year at the low price and a great DIY area for elk.
Antelope- I don't really have a huge interest in hunting 'lopes but if I don't start applying now, I won't be able to later if I end up wanting to and its only $10.
Shiras Moose- I want to hunt moose some day for sure, and again $10?! Why not.
Moutain Goat- Again, $10. I'm not really passionate about the hunt but who knows if I will be someday and if it takes 15 years to draw I don't want to be starting to apply when I'm 35 and trying to chase them at 50.
Sheep- Same deal as Rocky Mountain Goat but I do want to get my hands on some of those horns someday.
I have heard Wyoming is making many changes that will take place in 2012. I don't have details so I'm hoping I'm not wasting money.

Wyoming: Yes, Wyoming. These hunts I can't wait for. I believe I have to pay the license fee for Archery of $30 and the Application fee of $14 on top of how much each tag costs but these hunts would be well worth every cent to me.
Mule Deer-$40 each year for one point and many many years of wishing and applying but awesome an awesome hunt.
Elk- $50 each year for one point and even more years of wishing and applying but the best elk hunt to me I can think of.
Antelope- $30 for the point. I don't know about this one. Depends on how much money is in my wallet come application day.
Application period for Wyoming is pretty awesome since it doesn't align with Utah or Michigan so I don't have to choose between states. Its July 1st - September 30 if you are applying for points only.

We're still waiting with crossed fingers for our North Dakota tags. Should find out in a few weeks!

Michigan Elk?

Yes indeed, Michigan has a wild elk population. So large in fact that there is a season open to residents to hunt them. While talking hunting with some local guys, I brought up that I am going to start applying for Michigan elk. To my surprise (and theirs I guess) they did not know about Michigan elk at all. There are any elk and antler-less only licenses drawn for each year and its only $4 for residents to apply. The typical point system like so many other states use for returning applicants applies here. If you don't draw you earn an extra listing in the drawing the following year. Some people draw in the first few years but most wait 5+ years.

So, the only real crappy part of this whole Elk hunting in Michigan is that if you are drawn for an antler-less only tag you have to wait TEN YEARS before you can apply again! This seems outrageous to me for people to try for antler-less only tags. Who in their right mind would apply for the antler-less tag? I guess older people who want a chance to hunt elk in their home state but for people with hopes of taking a bull this is nuts! If you draw an any elk tag you can't even apply for the Michigan elk tag again EVER. Well, this will be my first year putting in for it and I'm trying to decide whether to put in for any elk and wait for what seems forever and possibly not being able to go in the next 5-10 years when I get drawn or if I do go hunting and am unsuccessful then I'm screwed forever.

So, do I:

1. Put in for antlerless only and get to hunt sooner but then wait 10 years to even apply again? If I do this I would hope the population would somehow explode in the next years and the regulations might be changed.
or
2. Do I put in for any elk and wait close to a decade for a one time shot?

Not sure now. I am going to let it rattle around my melon for the next few months until I apply.
Michigan DNR Elk Info.

Help fight to save our rights to use the Huron Manistee National Forest !

"THE MAN" is trying to take away hunting and snow mobile use in the Huron Manistee National Forest. Even if you don't visit the forest, anytime you can promote hunting and fight for our right to hunt its a good idea. I am posting a link to Senator John Moolenar's electronic petition and some other information about the lawsuit that could hurt hunting in the UP.
Reasons to sign:

1. Help protect to our right to hunt.

2. If this land is taken away that would be how many hundreds to thousands of snowmobilers and hunters using the recreational land you currently use because they got kicked out of theres?

3. If this forest gets taken away, the anti-hunting campaign will gain momentum and it won't be long before they're attacking your land and rights.

Here is the link to the information and the petition is linked on this page, please help:

http://www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/senators/moolenaar.asp?District=36

And more information (a little easier to read):
michigan sportsman forum

PSE Bowmadness -vs- Quest Smoke

Quest Smoke

Bow Madness

So I want to pick up a new bow for the North Dakota trip and I can't decide. Right now I am shooting a Buckmaster 2000. Don't get me wrong, I love my bow but I'm overdue for a new one. Anyway, I put up a poll on an archery forum which didn't help at all. Right now both bows have 8 votes each, 50/50. I guess I'm going to shoot them before I decide. If you have an opinion hit up the forum and vote for me.
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1412479