tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-162935312024-03-13T05:41:35.878-07:00Mac Arnold's Hunting & Fishing SpectacularThis outdoorsman lives the stories he tellsMac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-86350454111414302482013-10-25T21:22:00.001-07:002013-10-25T21:22:06.047-07:00http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/<a href="http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/">http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/</a>Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-25779417805586116982013-09-24T02:19:00.001-07:002013-09-24T02:19:05.740-07:00http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/<a href="http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/">http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/</a>Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-66866453450073911622013-09-06T21:36:00.001-07:002013-09-06T21:36:19.892-07:00http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/http://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-38084874907967598732013-08-13T00:08:00.001-07:002013-08-13T00:08:09.135-07:00Recent bass outing on other bloghttp://rockinwithmac.blogspot.com/Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-34026266816306046712013-04-10T10:44:00.000-07:002013-04-10T10:44:56.230-07:00This space for rentI will no longer be posting on this blog. If you want to continue to follow my travels and experiences while taming the great outdoors, log onto Rockin' Outdoor Adventures with Mac Arnold at www.rockinwithmac.blogspot.com.<br />
-- Mac ArnoldMac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-60633241205188906772013-03-28T22:27:00.000-07:002013-03-28T22:27:39.836-07:00Coming around for gobblersBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
As the temperature slowly rises from the winter that never seems to end, I have also begun to rise from under the covers and dream of days afield.<br />
<br />
No, I am not mocking the holiday. In fact, I don't know where I would be right now if He wasn't the driving force in my life.<br />
<br />
I have had a flush of game changing events happen in my personal life over the winter, which at times have seemed to put me on my heels and into inertia, at least with outdoor activities.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are many who could say the same in this day and age of economic surprises behind every corner.<br />
<br />
However, after reading about the differences of shot velocity versus knockdown power for turkey loads in the latest "American Hunter," I realized the motivation was returning for the glorious spring gobbler season.<br />
<br />
There are a couple of automatics in my life, one being deer archery and the other of course being the upcoming turkey season.<br />
<br />
I am getting pumped! I want to put the hurt on some poor innocent thunder chicken big time.<br />
<br />
The best money for getting the job done on this would be with the old reliable 835 Ulti-Mag Mossberg, a true and tried warhorse. The only consideration for this aging turkey hunter with a couple of surgically repaired shoulders is the weight of the brute. With the Jellyhead choke tube at .880 constriction and Hevi-shot No. 5's, no doubt it will get the job done up to 50 yards and has on a few occasions over the years. <br />
<br />
Last year, the weight of the scatter gun did cost me quickness in drawing a bead on his precious little head, which was really the only opportunity I had to fill my tag. I was too slow slipping the barrel out of the pyramid blind, he busted me and started high-stepping out of the setup. It was the only bird I called into range that May.<br />
<br />
So this year, I'm seriously considering using the boy's H&R single shot .20 gauge. With it being much lighter and having a shorter barrel, I'm thinking it will compensate nicely for the whimp I've become. LOL.<br />
<br />
Obviously there won't be any 50-yard shots with its modified choke. I've heard good things about the Winchester Xtended turkey loads, so that's the first one I will try to pattern with during practice.<br />
<br />
Oh, so much fun is on the horizon in the upcoming months. I'm so glad I've risen and so has He. Happy Easter!<br />
<br />
Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-20113661425512757532013-01-16T20:51:00.000-08:002013-01-19T21:19:52.164-08:00HibernatingBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
For anyone wondering where I went, I'm still around but I haven't gotten back into the woods since the debacle of a hunt on New Year's Day.<br />
<br />
I mean it ended well as far as obtaining tasty venison vittles but not so good for peace of mind.<br />
<br />
During the New Year's Day hunt of two years ago, I once and for all tore my right rotator cuff in 40 mph winds while chasing the infamous "demon blind." I eventually caught up with it, and used it again this late deer season at the Sanilac County dairy farm, where it remains today. I'm sure it's still there. I wouldn't have any such luck of someone stealing it. I would be more upset about the stakes disappearing than that blind walking off.<br />
<br />
This past New Year's Day I lost my jeep key in a foot of snow while helping one of the hunters at the camp recover a doe. For the life of me, I can't see why I brought it with me. Stupidity?<br />
<br />
I'm all good now but I had to get a couple of breaks in order to make it that way.<br />
<br />
I can tell you all this: next New Year's Day I WILL NOT BE HUNTING.<br />
<br />
And speaking of not hunting, I have had a few things going on in my personal life that are making it tough to be motivated to do "fun things." I'm sure I'll get back at it but just haven't felt like it. Hopefully, by spring gobbler, I'll regain the spark.<br />
<br />
In addition, this past season was basically crap for me. Thankfully, a couple of the guys at the camp gave me two nice-sized deer, so I can't complain about not having meat. The freezer is packed.<br />
<br />
Backstrap is on tap for the next meal.Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-58027568216650323622012-12-20T22:08:00.001-08:002012-12-20T22:09:29.205-08:00Will there be a top hunt in 2012?I would say look for Mac's Top Hunts of 2012 here but as the fall hunting seasons are winding down, it's looking like there won't be one.<br />
<br />
It has been one of the most trying years I can remember in some time, probably on the same level of 2008 when I took four does to make two and when I was blanked in 2000 for the first time ever since I started hunting in 1994.<br />
<br />
As the Christmas holiday approaches, tomorrow is likely the last chance I will have to bag a buck with a firearm -- and if it rains, I'm out. Since I've picked up the smoke pole, the chances have been fleeting with one missed shot at the Sanilac County dairy farm.<br />
<br />
There will definitely be some righteous doe hunts before the Jan. 1 bell rings, maybe even a late bow hunt, so anything is possible.<br />
<br />
And with a new found passion for coyote hunting, something could strike big in the new year. <br />
<br />
You have to dream it.<br />
<br />
Merry Christmas. <br />
<br />
-- Mac ArnoldMac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-6017377668421698622012-11-29T23:28:00.001-08:002012-11-29T23:33:17.156-08:00First-half report not so goodBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
With what I consider to be the first half of the deer season -- archery and regular firearms seasons -- about to come to a close today (Friday, Nov. 30), I'm in the throes of one of my worst years ever.<br />
<br />
It was bound to happen.<br />
<br />
I've had three straight years of bagging a buck prior to this one. <br />
<br />
At least today I got out, stepped away from stand hunting to do a little spot and stalk. I figured with the slight warmup, the ruminants would find little reason to move about unless I could bump into one.<br />
<br />
And despite not having the desired results, I truly enjoyed myself, and isn't that what it's all about anyway?<br />
<br />
I did want to give the firearms season one more go with the "freezer packer" -- my Mossberg 695 slug gun -- before throwing in the towel<br />
<br />
I can say I'm not going to be skunked but with the antlerless deer I tagged, that might not be saying much other than it will be good eating.<br />
<br />
Moving quickly into the next train of thought -- the second half of the Michigan deer season -- which is made up mostly of the coveted muzzleloader one -- always holds promise. I shot my best buck ever in 2007 with the help of my friend Walt, who drove him out of the thicket so I could get a clear shot with the .45-caliber Knight inline.<br />
<br />
I remember standing on top of a knoll in a cut cornfield with a few inches of snow barely covering my pac boots as I was freezing and shaking so that I could barely put on the 209 primer. And just like a dream I had prior to that day, out came a large-racked deer from below a canopy of intertwining bare trees and the shot was true.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Then we had to track him four fields over, which is another story in itself.<br />
<br />
This year the smoke pole season in the southern zone will run from Dec. 7-Dec. 23, which is a little later than usual in past years. But I welcome it. I like a break in between gun seasons. It offers a chance to try something else for a change, such as breaking out the archery gear again or upland bird hunting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj789AN_KyqO1-afAKKQIx7tyuQsER4Aw5x2T6_aXDifeIqbt-zBuh_tQxmfKXPKVRt9y5NXerhbiZqzQtQ_K8BR7s9AazKJB5iSx0UUnigmyUjxUAUkxO8vImLyQRXk9apjlDn/s1600/Mac+with+many+miles+buck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj789AN_KyqO1-afAKKQIx7tyuQsER4Aw5x2T6_aXDifeIqbt-zBuh_tQxmfKXPKVRt9y5NXerhbiZqzQtQ_K8BR7s9AazKJB5iSx0UUnigmyUjxUAUkxO8vImLyQRXk9apjlDn/s400/Mac+with+many+miles+buck.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
This 8-point was taken during the 2007 muzzleloader season. Yes, that was a long time ago. But it did happen, and it can happen again. At least I hope so.<br />
<br />
MAHFS file photo<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
In other recent news, there were rather exciting things going on around the state:<br />
<br />
* As of Nov. 20, deer license sales were about 2 percent higher
than at the same time in 2011 since the 2012 firearm deer season opened Nov. 15, according to a Michigan
Department of Natural Resources news release. It also reported nearly 640,000 hunters had
purchased one or more Michigan deer licenses.<br />
<br />
* Then, the DNR confirmed the three recent trail camera photos of cougars in the Upper Peninsula<br />
were the real McCoys. The photos were taken in Menominee and Marquette counties by private landowners who wished to remain anonymous. In the two from Menominee, both were taken in October of a cougar wearing a radio collar -- one near Cedar River and one near
Menominee just north of the Wisconsin border. According to the DNR news release, the nearest states that put radio collars on cougars are North Dakota and South Dakota. The cougar caught on film in northern Marquette County was taken in November, and it did not have a radio collar.<br />
<br />
* A bill was approved Thursday in the Michigan Senate to designate the gray wolf<span style="color: red;"></span> as a game species, which opens the door for a potential hunting season, according to an Associated Press article. Senators passed the measure 23-15. It moves onto the House, which has a similar measure pending.<br />
<div>
Our western neighbors -- Wisconsin and Minnesota -- already held fall hunts this year. Michigan is thought to have a close to 700 wolves. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-65573172434392138512012-11-24T21:34:00.001-08:002012-11-24T21:34:38.875-08:00Getting back out thereBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Midseason burn out.<br />
<br />
It can happen and it did for this whitetail hunter.<br />
<br />
The difference now in my late 40s compared with when I was in my 30s is I recognize it and take a break. Spend some time with family or working out and build up that desire again.<br />
<br />
Strangely, the other day I found myself getting geeked while changing the oil to the Jeep in the driveway. In the distance I could hear gun blasts while the chilly north wind sent temperatures plummeting and whipped snow flurries off my face.<br />
<br />
I was in hook, line and sinker. Unfortunately, I had to work that day so I couldn't hit the woods.<br />
<br />
But now the weekend beckons.<br />
<br />
I gave plenty for bow and early gun season and just couldn't get the job done on a buck.<br />
<br />
Starting Sunday, the final week of the regular firearms season will afford me an opportunity to do so and then usher in the late seasons -- muzzleloading and late doe -- both of which I've enjoyed greatly the past few years.<br />
<br />
I guess I should include the late bow season in there as well but I'm apt to hunt that less than the other two previously mentioned. In fact, I'm looking one specific weather condition for archery: after a snowy night with layers of powder pulling down branches and creating a winter wonderland of tunnels. I love stalking deer when the conditions are like that. And it will be with the recurve. But if this occurs during muzzleloader I'd most likely opt for the smoke pole. <br />
<br />
The connect percentages aren't good for me sticking one of my combo tags on a buck in these later seasons. I don't know exact figures but I'm sure it would be in single-digit percentages.<br />
<br />
It would probably improve to between 20 and 30 percent for dropping a baldie. <br />
<br />
But right now I'm pretty set for meat in the freezer so I'm mostly looking for a nice trophy animal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-22242288107228200642012-11-21T13:18:00.000-08:002012-11-22T20:35:39.235-08:00Jason and the mighty 9-point<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIj0lWGrbA6Ev30oJyXKSX_CwyF2RS4MB2TKN69Bef389BetQqIsCZBAGCx8eEZ9hEla-4eoVpNFgwG84JcaTvcI-LvHZRmD0kQGdbPY1ptzlRRxI9qcN8Xm0c2f1zrawC6zlr/s1600/Jas+nine+point.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIj0lWGrbA6Ev30oJyXKSX_CwyF2RS4MB2TKN69Bef389BetQqIsCZBAGCx8eEZ9hEla-4eoVpNFgwG84JcaTvcI-LvHZRmD0kQGdbPY1ptzlRRxI9qcN8Xm0c2f1zrawC6zlr/s400/Jas+nine+point.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
Jason Bosch of Sterling Heights took this nine-point Nov. 16 weeks after having received a kidney transplant from his mother Betty.<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
After
years of being a lone wolf on the opening day of deer firearms season, I
got an opportunity to be part of a camp and had a ball.<br />
<br />
It also has its benefits, which I'll get to later.<br />
<br />
We dropped six deer in two days.<br />
<br />
For
sure the best deer of the weekend is a story that was definitely
spectacular. Something that has been missing lately on this blog ... <br />
<br />
Uh, moving along.<br />
<br />
Jason
Bosch, the son of our group's fearless leader and property owner,
George Bosch of Clinton Township, connected on a 200-something pounder
nine-point and a real nice doe on the second evening of the season.<br />
<br />
That in itself, would be a pretty good story, but wait it gets better.<br />
<br />
See, Jason, 32, received a kidney transplant Sept. 26 from his mother Betty and is only now getting his strength back. His kidneys failed gradually over the years because of a birth defect.<br />
<br />
When the action went down as dusk slowly approached
at the Sanilac County, Mich., farm, Jason was able to peek through a
small window of branches from his blind at the buck moving 100 yards
out. On the first shot, his 12-gauge kicked up and bucked into his chin,
so he knew he missed but was confident the second shot was true yet the
brute acted strangely like a deer not hit.<br />
<br />
Then the
doe made its appearance. Already slightly perturbed at missing the buck,
Jason was even more determined for the next go around.<br />
<br />
"I said, 'I'm not gonna miss two freaking deer in one night,' " he recalled.<br />
<br />
And sure enough, down she went.<br />
<br />
After
getting out of the stand and having some assistance from another hunter
Paul, they both confirmed there was no blood or hair and began to deal
with the doe.<br />
<br />
Later, George was surprised at the
headquarters -- the trailer in the center of camp -- that his son, a
reputed awesome shot, hadn't brought down the monster.<br />
<br />
"This kid just doesn't miss, I can't believe it," he said.<br />
<br />
But hold on a minute, the story doesn't end here.<br />
<br />
On Saturday, Nov. 17, we got into our positions around the farm and hoped for more action on the third day.<br />
<br />
The
day proved to be quite slower than the previous two with maybe the echo
of 10 shots from the surrounding farms and none from ours.<br />
<br />
I was planning to get down around 10:30 a.m. when at 9:52 I received a text from George, saying, "Got it."<br />
<br />
I'm
thinking at this point, "it"? Really? (There is a absolute wall-hanger running around the property that everyone is hoping to tag
and make history.)<br />
<br />
I wasn't even sure I had heard a shot. <br />
<br />
So I responded I would check him out after I got down out of the blind at 10:30.<br />
<br />
As
it turns out, when George went to leave he turned around to climb down
and caught a glimpse of a deer's white belly. When he walked over, lo
and behold, it was Jason's buck from night before.<br />
<br />
He had hit him a little back in the liver.<br />
<br />
So
it was good they didn't really investigate the scene hard on
the night of the shot because he might have gotten up and headed over
to the neighboring farm and possibly beyond.<br />
<br />
Liver shots require a little more time of waiting before a deer will expire.<br />
<br />
There
was evidence the deer had moved from the open field and tried to hide
better in the bordering woods, probably when the two hunters had
initially looked for blood and hair. The buck had likely heard their
impending footsteps.<br />
<br />
The benefit of other than being
included in this great event on what is one of most time-honored
traditions here in Michigan was both Jason and George looked at me and
asked, "You want him?" Minus the horns obviously, and knowing the lame
season I was having at this point.<br />
<br />
I was stunned and wondering if they were half serious or what.<br />
<br />
"We just want to be helpful," they told me. <br />
<br />
George had taken a buck as well the previous night to go with Jason's doe, and they were loaded to the gills with venison.<br />
<br />
So the moral of the story for this grizzled whitetail stalker is sometimes it pays to be a self-taught deer processor.<br />
<br />
Which
is a skill that comes from only one thing: having experience from
cutting up a few of my own deer. So even though this year hasn't been
the greatest in the hardwoods for me, I took advantage of other know-how I learned in the hunting game.<br />
<br />
With November being the month for gratitude, that's what I am, grateful a bountiful supply of succulent venison.<br />
<br />
But surely Jason is grateful for much more this Thanksgiving season -- the gift of life with a donated kidney from his mother Betty and more time with wife Jennifer and their two-year-old daughter Farrah Grace.<br />
<br />
And, yes, for more time in the field deer hunting.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-1318093370281154462012-11-06T22:23:00.000-08:002012-11-06T22:23:01.450-08:00A short anecdoteBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor <br />
<br />
Here's a short anecdote that seems fitting for the way my fall hunting season is going:<br />
<br />
There was some buzz recently in The Macomb Daily sports department about the latest Denzel Washington flick "Flight."<br />
<br />
I butted in and said the movie seemed "repetitive" because the movie he just did two years ago "Unstoppable" mirrored a similar plot.<br />
<br />
"He stopped a train in that one and now he's moved onto stopping a jet plane," I said cynically.<br />
<br />
Both Chuck and Mandy chimed in.<br />
<br />
"Kinda like Mac Arnold hunting stories where he goes into woods and then comes out empty handed over and over again."<br />
<br />
I laughed but I'm crying on the inside.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Of course, none of that changed today or this past weekend.<br />
<br />
It was just another day of merely dragging my beaten down body out of the woods instead of a deer. (I'm nursing a sore back.)<br />
<br />
Man, it was cold today (Tuesday, Nov. 6). I did a three-hour sit with a slight SSE wind and temperatures hovering at 30 degrees on the Sanilac County farm I've been blessed to hunt this season.<br />
<br />
I did see a deer for the first time while on the stand in a week. Sadly, I dismissed a slight crack behind me because there had been a squirrel raising havoc behind me, in front of me, below me ...<br />
<br />
Anyway, I decided to hit the grunt call and away she pranced, a doe, not a squirrel. Oops.<br />
<br />
I'm hardly a prognosticator of weather at the level of the Farmer's Almanac or The Weather Channel, but I'm going out on a leg and saying we will likely have snow by Michigan's Nov. 15 regular firearms opener.<br />
<br />
Which reminds me of one of the last opening days I had at the old family property Arnold Airport in Croswell back in the late 1990s. I shared this great hunt with a buddy of mine, who also served in the Army about the same time I did.<br />
<br />
It was his knowledge of survival skills that took me by surprise during that hunt. A hunt that turned snowy and in a hurry. If I remember right, we had 7 inches of snow on the ground by the time we packed up and headed home.<br />
<br />
Where the hunt went backwoods was after I discovered my pal had forgot his hunting boots and was holding watch on the east side of the property in his high tops.<br />
<br />
After not hearing from him in a couple of hours, I turned the corner only to see a wisp of smoke coming from the fenceline.<br />
<br />
Puzzled, I went up to investigate only to find him leaning back on a log with his feet up against a fire and his high tops perched upside down on a makeshift drying rack.<br />
<br />
No wonder I wasn't seeing anything.<br />
<br />
<em></em><br />
<br />
<em><br /></em></div>
Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-42569619969697157832012-10-31T22:13:00.001-07:002012-10-31T22:13:52.975-07:00When the bucks seem to be movingOnce again I almost had to lock up the brakes in an effort to miss a roaming buck while heading home last night.<br />
<br />
It happened in a more residential area than what one would normally expect -- on the southern side of Interstate 69 along Wadhams Road barely 50 feet from the new Pilot gas station.<br />
<br />
The whipping wind and spray of rain had no effect on what he had on his mind I'm sure. <br />
<br />
He wasn't the size of the brute I saw the previous week just off of the shoulder on Interstate 94 near where I blasted the buck last year, east of the westbound rest area in Macomb County.<br />
<br />
But still he looked like a shooter nonetheless.<br />
<br />
So I would like alter what I was saying about the deer not moving because, in fact, they are active ... at 4 a.m. Unfortunately, that isn't when any of us hunters can be out, unless we want to tag one with our vehicles.<br />
<br />
Ahem.<br />
<br />
I already went down that road last year and would prefer to get one with my bow, slug gun or muzzleloader. <br />
<br />
-- Mac ArnoldMac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-16087043454305939162012-10-30T22:59:00.001-07:002012-10-30T22:59:57.559-07:00November's promise, we hope<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWIG5EVoXJRw_n73X1dfS3ZRLFXnzzqLhFSexi5tKPINqTM1tTwNP9hWkWE7rJUYdOvEfdXyyt6q9RFf3pRj4lReGsjKBJ69ad_356Dr_Ps4RNeKZxpG2mvlwcoBO0Rjl4SBd/s1600/Brockway-20121028-00206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWIG5EVoXJRw_n73X1dfS3ZRLFXnzzqLhFSexi5tKPINqTM1tTwNP9hWkWE7rJUYdOvEfdXyyt6q9RFf3pRj4lReGsjKBJ69ad_356Dr_Ps4RNeKZxpG2mvlwcoBO0Rjl4SBd/s400/Brockway-20121028-00206.jpg" width="300" /></a>With all the leaves already down, the look of southeastern Michigan woods is reminding me of how it looks during gun season.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Not all seasons are the same.<br />
<br />
Somehow I always forget this. Especially when the ease I had at dropping a buck the previous October is nowhere to be found this October.<br />
<br />
And now October is over.<br />
<br />
This is when I usually find my best opportunities in the stand -- from the 20th to Halloween. <br />
<br />
I've often said if I'm going to make it happen, it's in that window of 12 days.<br />
<br />
Gulp!<br />
<br />
Hasta la vista.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Well, hold on here a minute. Before I catapult from this deer season into next spring's gobbler season, I still have two months left of prime time -- November's regular gun and December's muzzleloader, let alone two more weeks of archery, which is often thought to hold the best time of the rut.<br />
<br />
I haven't witnessed it of late. Usually I prepare for a slow time in early November in Michigan until the orange army takes to the ridges and swamps.<br />
<br />
And that's what I saw over the weekend. It may have been more related to the weather and Sandy's residual barrage.<br />
<br />
High winds and sideways rain. Yep. That will definitely shut her down out there.<br />
<br />
What I found equally intriguing was how the game predictor -- based on the full moon mostly -- liked the deer movement from Saturday to Tuesday. These days were expected to be "good" to "excellent." But the predictions couldn't account for the downright nasty weather that came busting through our state, with sustained 30 mph winds and gusts up to 60 mph that packed enough wallop to take off the roof on the dog's house.<br />
<br />
Woof, woof. Rusty was quite happy to take a night off in the indoor kennel. I've never seen him so willing to go inside and curl up.<br />
<br />
Don't let all this negativity fool you because I will not give up. Even though I've been at this long enough to know the percentages (I usually get two opportunities in early bow and I've botched both tries already), maybe there's a rogue chance coming the next time I go out toward the end of this week.<br />
<br />
Never quit. Never quit. Never quit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-49282211301272524702012-10-16T22:28:00.000-07:002012-10-16T22:32:11.707-07:00Mr. Murphy calling?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-c4huQcaR_18A7ERHH8hroI8AmjKjyBe9FdhW_xgunvfYwoL0FXdFOfIPQSBt5VFzJV7cjzn38Rr7Cpezmkgq3uVJXvoHzPRQprsvQxwbrtVvoGdAd35YCmlJ7PKhnZg4S46/s1600/Grouse+hunting+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-c4huQcaR_18A7ERHH8hroI8AmjKjyBe9FdhW_xgunvfYwoL0FXdFOfIPQSBt5VFzJV7cjzn38Rr7Cpezmkgq3uVJXvoHzPRQprsvQxwbrtVvoGdAd35YCmlJ7PKhnZg4S46/s400/Grouse+hunting+2012.jpg" width="300" /></a> On Saturday, Rusty and I joined Art Johns and Walt Lucken for a little bird hunting around Art's house near Chesaning. On and off rain made for tough conditions but we still were able get out for an hour.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
MAHFS photo by Walt Lucken</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
As I previously posted on Facebook, so far I'm having a Mr. Murphy deer archery season, which opened Oct. 1.<br />
<br />
Judgment miscue (maybe). Equipment failure (definitely).<br />
<br />
Not that I will go into specific details. I'm leery of being awarded another online site's worst hunter of the year just for doing what hunters do: pursue game. Although I'm sure I'll be nominated anyway on basis of being an honorary member.<br />
<br />
A couple of these screw-ups I touch on briefly in an archery article slated to run in our "Sporting Michigan" special section on Oct. 28.<br />
<br />
Happily I can say the gear is back on track and now I'm again shooting with a high level of confidence. And just in time for what I consider the best time of year from the Halloween week until the second day of the gun season, Nov. 16.<br />
<br />
Now is not the time to stay rutted in a funk.<br />
<br />
Instead, it's one to work out the wrinkles and star at the moment of truth.<br />
<br />
I've already seen lots of sign -- nice rubs and scrapes in the areas I hunt -- and had two great opportunities to load up a slowly emptying freezer.<br />
<br />
Now I need a little luck at the right time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-85820064081441133012012-10-03T22:40:00.000-07:002012-10-04T00:11:48.851-07:00Slow go so far<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wx6pIR5u4whRNU0ntHfiWrKgOj1vviL_rh-JBJ-Ay8C5oCU3_D2-gHpavtZm28SjGE50wmwz_UjMKMXPne9B9wFtK9YfX6z7q7GDAv8DOgQFjQ8bFm-Qiwjer4u6z48rDCOO/s1600/Taco+mama+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wx6pIR5u4whRNU0ntHfiWrKgOj1vviL_rh-JBJ-Ay8C5oCU3_D2-gHpavtZm28SjGE50wmwz_UjMKMXPne9B9wFtK9YfX6z7q7GDAv8DOgQFjQ8bFm-Qiwjer4u6z48rDCOO/s400/Taco+mama+falls.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
I'll spare you another mugshot of myself and</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
let the stunning beauty of the Tahquamenon</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Falls stand on its own.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
I'm back from a weeklong vacation in which I strung together four different hunts and ended up bird-less, turkey-less, bear-less and deer-less. In between the bear and deer hunts I fit in two days of festivities for my 30-year high school reunion at Birmingham Seaholm -- Class of '82.<br />
<br />
I only saw the targeted game animal during the last item, which was a small doe at dusk on Monday.<br />
<br />
Now I'm recovering from what was a very long week, but in a good way. Having Mike Avery of Colorado, a friend from the old days stay with me while he was in town for the reunion was a blast. Many laughs were
shared and so were plans to visit him next year so we can possibly elk
hunt.<br />
<br />
I remain optimistic, mainly on the deer front. This season I will be hunting private land in Sanilac County as part of what is considered a loose-knit hunting group in addition to the usual public land spots.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I don't see me getting back to the Upper Peninsula for another shot at Yogi before the season ends Oct. 26.<br />
<br />
On a positive note, I finally did what I've always wanted to do by crossing the "Big Mac," seeking intel from a Department of Natural Resources biologist, in this case, Kristie Sitar, baiting a spot on public land and going for it.<br />
<br />
And despite a tight watch from one contingency of local hunters, I came away unscathed, but bear-less as previously noted.<br />
<br />
However, I saved anywhere from $900 to $1,200, which is about what you'll pay for a guide to bait ahead of time for you.<br />
<br />
I've also gone this route in the past and seen the exact same results. So no harm, nor foul. I will admit there is a sense of security being treated to someone else's expertise, as the Upper Peninsula is vast and it can seem overwhelming at times to figure out where to set up.<br />
<br />
Another thing I accomplished during the bear hunt was finally seeing the Tahquamenon Falls after nearly 49 years, most of them as a Michigan resident. I was surprised at how emotional of an experience it was for me. I think part of this was thinking how I wish I could have shared it with my kids who are in West Virginia now.<br />
<br />
Today is my 49th birthday and I always love to be on watch in a tree stand to celebrate, but after a night at the office and temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s, it looks like I'll be sleeping in and hitting the trail for a 2-mile run.<br />
<br />
I'll wait to kick off the party this weekend. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-49072196736801849632012-09-21T22:41:00.000-07:002012-09-21T22:44:32.480-07:00Getting ready for takeoff <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iT-HrJzYEl9DZLXp0TztZXvFO765PnORdRzLSZ5lmz9CjBKdxtxCKlLbUL208C5boW2N5iqk-iH5ncmORybm6h_eWcaAmkchDvh_U2YNNDQDOvGhsLglpd-4rgcxHJP0z6Tf/s1600/Opening+day+of+fall+turks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iT-HrJzYEl9DZLXp0TztZXvFO765PnORdRzLSZ5lmz9CjBKdxtxCKlLbUL208C5boW2N5iqk-iH5ncmORybm6h_eWcaAmkchDvh_U2YNNDQDOvGhsLglpd-4rgcxHJP0z6Tf/s400/Opening+day+of+fall+turks.jpg" width="300" /></a>By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Sorry I haven't been on here more vigilantly in the past week or so.<br />
<br />
But let there be no letdown because I will soon be in the woods with a vengeance and have plenty of upcoming details on hunts.<br />
<br />
I will be on vacation over the next week and the festivities will open with more fall turkey hunting albeit I was out on the opener, Sept. 15.<br />
<br />
And even though I didn't see a bird, it was a glorious morning at Dairy Farmer Dave's in Sanilac County, Mich., with plenty of bite in the air, which really got the blood pumping.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo<br />
Nothing is better than the excitement of an<br />
opening day of a hunting season. Here I am<br />
front and center for Michigan's first day of fall<br />
turkey season.<br />
<br />
<br />
Frankly, I was surprised I didn't have any action but it was only Day 1 so I remain upbeat.<br />
<br />
The main event will be next week when I return to the Upper Peninsula to bear hunt. It will be the first time I've been after Yogi since the mid-2000s.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, I will be posing from behind its head with my bow leaning across a 300-pounder.<br />
<br />
Another pursuit will be upland birds -- grouse and woodcock. Grouse have already been available to hone in on since Sept. 15 but the timber doodle season opens Saturday, Sept. 22, which is when I prefer to start because I hate to be revved up on a flush only to find I have to pull the Browning back down.<br />
<br />
The vacation week ends with the king of all hunts -- deer archery. <br />
<br />
Soooooo, lets get ready to ruuuuuuuumble!!!! <br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-32346223688459496432012-09-12T16:58:00.003-07:002012-09-12T16:58:37.763-07:00Doe tag snag A brief item:<br />
<br />
On Monday, I waited nearly three hours at VF Sports in Port Huron Township to nab two doe tags for the public land areas I hunt during the fall deer seasons in Michigan.<br />
<br />
This is one place where I go when I want to make sure to avoid glitches on my tags, i.e., getting the wrong zone, wrong hunt or the sales person hasn't a clue what tag I'm trying to get. Too often at the larger department stores I find they put kids in charge of running the Department of Natural Resources' machine and let's just say it is rarely an automatic transaction. <br />
<br />
Well, it was anything but automatic on Monday either. Evidently the new upgraded system the DNR recently implemented statewide has a few bugs to work out.<br />
<br />
The leftover doe tags went on sale at 10 a.m., and by 11:30 a.m., the second person was just getting his tags. Two tags in an hour and a half. Yikes.<br />
<br />
It wasn't the store's fault. The sales clerks were just doing what they usually do, but once the item got to the DNR checkout on line, the transaction would cycle endlessly before finally going through after a lengthy delay.<br />
<br />
I'm sure many would-be hunters walked away without getting the tags they had hoped to get.<br />
<br />
Luckily I didn't have to be anywhere by the time my name was called in the ninth spot at 12:50 p.m.<br />
<br />
In past years, I would have been out of there in an hour or less.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-- Mac Arnold</div>
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-28539004537836904342012-09-03T16:17:00.003-07:002012-09-03T16:17:50.088-07:00Down the home stretch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPvWIBGIbS8uo26ZbB5JvpFBtWmQS5mesh5FRM2ao1l4bCPJW9rOdlt9kj5FFfmhJl_41Wg4utKmQ-Ej9toW-Tg6fF-Mztp0806cgWDLPW9HqR9vF7wHmb9DGv5hmLPYVTT8n/s1600/Mac+doing+card.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPvWIBGIbS8uo26ZbB5JvpFBtWmQS5mesh5FRM2ao1l4bCPJW9rOdlt9kj5FFfmhJl_41Wg4utKmQ-Ej9toW-Tg6fF-Mztp0806cgWDLPW9HqR9vF7wHmb9DGv5hmLPYVTT8n/s400/Mac+doing+card.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Here I am with the confounded score card during Sunday's archery shoot at the Silver Trails Boys Scout Camp in Jeddo, Mich. Hey, no peeking.<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Much like the Detroit Tigers battling their way to take the AL pennant in the final weeks of the baseball season, I'm trying to get my house in order before the "90 days of insanity" open in full Oct. 1.<br />
<br />
You could make it 105 days if you throw in the first 15 days of the fall turkey season when it kicks in Sept. 15.<br />
<br />
As it has been written here before, I can get pretty obsessed during the deer archery season and beyond.<br />
<br />
So far, I haven't been able to get out and shoot (at) the impenetrable geese at Dairy Farmer Dave's and it looks like that may have to wait until the regular season opens in Oct. 6.<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if I could have even if the planets were perfectly aligned when the nuisance season opened Saturday, Sept. 1 -- I had a physical affliction that required a trip to the hospital that same Saturday and I also was nursing a gimpy ankle that I twisted around the house.<br />
<br />
But I have been out doing hunting-type stuff the past two weekends.<br />
<br />
I helped Marysville Dan put up his coveted ladder stand on a private land spot Aug. 26. Boy, it was hot and the mosquitoes were doing pushups trying to get at us. We managed to fend them off and secure the stand in a piney cove that I think will end in pay dirt for Dan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPjJPDMGNKlLLVL2fllzjngeez05pgQXkNnu3NesW_J_Fn06Aos9dQQdkr1T0BHh-itCK08LMcW1Qfk4WzlP12zbrCOZEDJB1g8COv0f2x903yr0dfzLWQqvSLoGEKszvs5aM/s1600/Dan+and+stand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPjJPDMGNKlLLVL2fllzjngeez05pgQXkNnu3NesW_J_Fn06Aos9dQQdkr1T0BHh-itCK08LMcW1Qfk4WzlP12zbrCOZEDJB1g8COv0f2x903yr0dfzLWQqvSLoGEKszvs5aM/s640/Dan+and+stand.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
As I told Dan, I always like to have setups in pines because they make for great cover scent. I have some clothes that permanently smell like pines.<br />
<br />
Then Sunday, Sept. 2, after a much improved ankle was braced up, I decided to test my skills again on the fun course during the archery shoot at Silver Trails Boys Scout Camp in Jeddo.<br />
<br />
And although I improved my score from August's outing by nearly 30 points, I would still not reveal such a laughable result. However, I did notice the right shoulder felt much better than it had after the previous shoot, so the continued progress was duly noted and will be where I place my focus.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately it appears I will have to be out of town for personal business for some of the Sept. 15 turkey and small game weekend opener. As much as this bugs me, it involves financial affairs and could<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold<br />
Marysville Dan takes a much-needed break after we finally were<br />
able to secure his 15-foot ladder stand in place. Whew, that was<br />
a lot of work. I hope the reward is fresh venison backstrap.<br />
<br />
<br />
greatly help me over the rest of the year.<br />
<br />
Like most hunting fanatics, if I'm not in the woods actually on a gig, then I'm thinking about the next one so I'm sure I'll have much to mull over during the long drive to and from West Virginia. <br />
<br />
Go Tigers!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span id="taw" style="margin-right: 0;"></span>Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-37570188103632883572012-08-24T23:10:00.000-07:002012-08-25T21:12:55.601-07:00What's coming up for this high voltage hunterBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Remember this: Sometimes it's not spectacular. Sometimes it's mundane.<br />
<br />
That's how it goes before the arrival of fall's hunting seasons, mainly deer archery.<br />
<br />
It
takes a lot of practice in my opinion. So when that moment of truth
comes, when Mr. Big steps out of the mist and into your shooting lane,
everything is instinctive.<br />
<br />
For me, the flinging of arrows also helps me keep sane while waiting for that magical opening day.<br />
<br />
In
addition, those old standbys in the gun cabinet that will be used need
to be sighted in and checked over to make sure everything is in working
order.<br />
<br />
<br />
This is the time of the year when my head is swimming with all
the possibilities of upcoming seasons: goose, turkey, grouse and
woodcock and then finally king of kings, deer.<br />
<br />
A guy can
get ridiculously loaded up with tags if left unrestrained. At some point
reality needs to set in ... at least for this lone wolf stalker. I mean
with family, work and other obligations, there are only so many that
can be done or done well for that matter.<br />
<br />
<br />
I've been tentatively toying with the idea I may try to do a
little more bird hunting this autumn. Not that I think my big lug of a
mixed Lab is going to be any better; it's probably because I only got
out a handful of times last season.<br />
<br />
But what will probably happen -- like always -- is I'll get on the trail of a big buck and those plans will go out the window.<br />
<br />
Here are the early seasons I'm zeroing in on off the top of my head:<br />
<br />
Sept. 1: Nuisance goose.<br />
<br />
Sept. 15: Grouse.<br />
<br />
Sept. 15: Turkey.<br />
<br />
Sept. 22: Woodcock <br />
<br />
<br />
Sept. 25: Bear. (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I drew a
bear tag for the third season in the Newberry zone of the Upper
Peninsula.)<br />
<br />
Oct. 1: Deer archery.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-39928498750075258882012-08-18T15:25:00.000-07:002012-08-18T16:08:42.153-07:00Up on the roof and hitting the spots<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXGhKobPgE5UYlYXnJFGNl0YdSXNSBvfZQA518VommFBh3H__Z8RapFtH1rG8XqSJOXDCStsoP9F7kzzQKcvPSh1l6L-iK_uNEowpzBXDM9VUIn5bbrxttVYUD8_Y1yd1wUxI/s1600/Canoe+shot+on+Black+River-00098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXGhKobPgE5UYlYXnJFGNl0YdSXNSBvfZQA518VommFBh3H__Z8RapFtH1rG8XqSJOXDCStsoP9F7kzzQKcvPSh1l6L-iK_uNEowpzBXDM9VUIn5bbrxttVYUD8_Y1yd1wUxI/s400/Canoe+shot+on+Black+River-00098.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
The cloud cover over the Black River in St. Clair County, Mich., made it nice for bass fishing on Monday, Aug. 13.<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
As advertised, on Friday I was on the second-story roof of my house zinging arrows into the deer target.<br />
<br />
With temperatures in the mid-70s, and nice breeze to boot, the opportunity was too nice to pass up. And lately, more curly brown leaves are floating onto the deck, triggering a response in me similar to a Pavlov dog. <br />
<br />
It was the first such exercise in awhile and it showed.<br />
<br />
I can't believe how everything else was a bit shakier from a year ago, even climbing up the ladder <br />
seemed to require more effort. <br />
<br />
But the final arrow of the round hit the 10-ring, so good enough.<br />
<br />
A most promising element was how I only had to crank the Martin compound down a quarter turn. My recently repaired shoulder has improved greatly but I will need to be steadier. More practice will take care of this.<br />
<br />
So if I decide to go to the Upper Peninsula with the bow for bear in September I should be fine. I still haven't made up my mind yet whether to take the compound or the 7 mm Savage. What will likely happen is I'll bring both and alternate the gigs. I just discovered I drew a turkey tag in that zone so I'll need the bow.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***</div>
<br />
In other activities by yours truly: I was victorious in a spontaneous bass "tournament" against the teflon brother-in-law Monday, Aug. 13. <br />
<br />
I had the home water advantage on the Black River in St. Clair County. Not that it should have helped me that much since I don't fish it as much as I would like.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_1N-SfWy3Alyz_2rl4n1KmY1P6_rmstnnd5yU_gB8HYjw-XnnP8X82BxDlBFQ5mmnBHwT4msNhoQ_M_yGV2mKVAiFMr4O9jZjvjn4ElGRvB0WihZa9TGLWJR1Tx28Myd6HnN/s1600/Black+River++canal-00095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_1N-SfWy3Alyz_2rl4n1KmY1P6_rmstnnd5yU_gB8HYjw-XnnP8X82BxDlBFQ5mmnBHwT4msNhoQ_M_yGV2mKVAiFMr4O9jZjvjn4ElGRvB0WihZa9TGLWJR1Tx28Myd6HnN/s400/Black+River++canal-00095.jpg" width="300" /></a>Another part of this that downgrades the win is he was using my gear and an "affordable" rod of his choosing from Meijer.<br />
<br />
He went with a Quantum rig, which is what he prefers for the rivers and creeks in his home state of West Virginia.<br />
<br />
I had the first fish of the morning as we made it out from the weedy canal into the river. It wasn't a bad largemouth.<br />
<br />
There were a few missed fish afterward before Mike hoisted one out from a deep pool around the side of a dock an hour later.<br />
<br />
I broke the tie with another one as we returned to the canal where the Jeep was waiting for us. The time was such -- we were in the middle of<br />
<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo by Mac Arnold<br />
To the left of those tall reeds is where I caught<br />
both of my bass during a spontaneous bass<br />
"tournament" against my brother-in-law Mike. <br />
<br />
<br />
moving -- that brother-in-law's usual adept skills at escaping defeat were foiled.<br />
<br />
"You took another fish from me," he said. "But that's what you're supposed to do after someone misses one; put something different in the same spot."<br />
<br />
What happened was Mike got a pretty good hit after he zipped a buzz bait next to a lily pad but he couldn't land the fish. I followed his cast by dropping a green Senko right behind him and hooked the rascal.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there is a butt kicking coming my way the next time we go out in the Mountain State, which may be in early September, so I'm not going to bask in the limelight for long.<br />
<br />
It looks like the next outing will be for coyote on Sunday so get back to me and we will see if I'm successful at long last. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-44922625460392454172012-08-08T01:22:00.000-07:002012-08-08T01:22:30.736-07:00The usual summer archery gig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgAw-06U_POQPDYNThgnn3ZGIMDfQwISX3O9M48SN8OGmI5uU9b-0ej9jU4x4R74Wray1BZQDOTgbPHOKGg70D3aiQHmBZdLORMdajnAneD_7SBPu3Xr0nsTovrzmCMf5CssW/s1600/IMG-20120805-00091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgAw-06U_POQPDYNThgnn3ZGIMDfQwISX3O9M48SN8OGmI5uU9b-0ej9jU4x4R74Wray1BZQDOTgbPHOKGg70D3aiQHmBZdLORMdajnAneD_7SBPu3Xr0nsTovrzmCMf5CssW/s400/IMG-20120805-00091.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
For some reason, my best shots of the day came on the bizarre targets. I think this one was a giant frog.<br />
MAHFS photo<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
On Sunday, I took in the archery shoot at Silver Trails Boy Scout Camp in Jeddo, St. Clair County.<br />
<br />
And despite a typical crash at the end of the course, which sent my score into the depths of hilarity, I enjoyed myself.<br />
<br />
The weather was perfect -- low humidity with temperatures in the low 80s -- and a mixture of puffy white clouds and bluebird skies. It was great day for a walk through the woods.<br />
<br />
Even the bugs were moderate. However, I was warned by one couple about the tiny mosquitoes before getting started on the fun course.<br />
<br />
"You have bug spray?" they asked.<br />
<br />
"Yep," I assured them, and even pulled out the can from my fanny pack and began spraying my ankles while they were talking to me.<br />
<br />
I was still in the outdoors game mainly because I had just been coyote hunting the previous weekend and had the canister of "Backwoods Off" pegged from memory where it was in the garage, otherwise the answer would have been "nope." It was slipped into the fanny pack just before I walked out the door and headed up Wildcat Road in the Jeep.<br />
<br />
It was also quite breezy, which assisted in keeping the bloodsuckers at bay.<br />
<br />
Mainly with these shoots for this Robin Hood, it's all about shaking off the cobwebs. I'm not gonna try and fool anyone. I know I'm not winning any archery shoot. But by the time Oct. 1 rolls around, I will be ready and confident to put an ethical shot on a whitetail.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXamXBfh5c15WbUMxRYLYhahjxMoFi8K212SBMs-H0VuTW7UF30Pom2IseOblwrWRYkz8vLyuYh2uSP6Vun25s04moPYgv22YQd9kD0W8G_JYTR3FxF3-KsavR5FLmtl6VdfV/s1600/IMG-20120805-00092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXamXBfh5c15WbUMxRYLYhahjxMoFi8K212SBMs-H0VuTW7UF30Pom2IseOblwrWRYkz8vLyuYh2uSP6Vun25s04moPYgv22YQd9kD0W8G_JYTR3FxF3-KsavR5FLmtl6VdfV/s320/IMG-20120805-00092.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
This is because I prepare closer to how I will be hunting in the fall woods on the home course.<br />
<br />
I would bet 90 percent or more of my archery hunts are from the skies above in a Summit "Open Shot" tree stand while armed with a compound bow, and the shots are at a distance of 20 yards or less. Most of the shots at archery shoots that I have been on are from the ground.<br />
<br />
There also is a sportsman course at Silver Trails with shots up to 40 yards. But I rarely if ever plan to take a shot that far with bow in hand during the season, so I opt for the other course.<br />
<br />
If I was getting ready for a western elk hunt for instance, then I would make it a point to practice longer shots. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
MAHFS photo </div>
The Sunday shoot turned rugged for<br />
me when a dead tree limb jumped out<br />
and nailed my shin. The bump even<br />
swelled up into the size of a golf ball.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm sure this isn't the first time previous blog readers have read this justification ... ouch!<br />
<br />
Anyway,
as the season approaches, a couple times a week you'll find me on the
second story of the house raining terror with a Martin compound on a
very worn deer target. And I don't quit a session until the shots are on. Dead on. <br />
<br />
In addition, I do a few full battle dress rehearsals with all the gear on and 22 feet above the ground in the tree stand. (Kind of nice at times having a woodsy yard for just this purpose.)<br />
<br />
The truth be known: I'm still waiting to land the monster buck with archery gear, but I usually have decent success during the bow season. I know I'm still munching away on venison trying to clear up freezer space for the upcoming harvest.<br />
<br />
So, yeah, I missed a few targets and had some laughs at my expense but that's how I roll, on the fun course.<br />
<br />
The next shoot at Silver Trails is Sept. 1-2.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-3558677805044144042012-08-01T23:32:00.000-07:002012-08-01T23:37:31.435-07:00A midsummer's rustling soundBy Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
With the hypnotic buzzing of the insects keeping time all around me, the dusk air felt heavenly on my face and neck while I kept watch for whatever was slowly creeping under the fixed stand at George's Melvin farm.<br />
<br />
Right at that moment I realized I was in the "zone" and every worry I had was pushed out of mind.<br />
<br />
The perfect antidote.<br />
<br />
Coyotes were the main objective but I did conduct a quick patrol of the ground hog's known hangouts before walking into the western section of woods on the property.<br />
<br />
It was certainly Chuckie's lucky day because he decided not to stick his up neck from above the debris piles.<br />
<br />
While walking along the edge of leafy soy beans, I startled a dinky fawn in a row 10 yards away, a million eyes' stare and then three seconds later, it bounded into a stand of maples and disappeared.<br />
<br />
By the time I climbed up the ladder and got situated on the chair, I was definitely thankful the temperatures had backed down Sunday from the previous days.<br />
<br />
And three minutes before my set departure time, there was a lone howl.<br />
<br />
Too late for me to call in even if I could get the howler I brought to work right.<br />
<br />
The howl came from the usual spot George and I have pinpointed just about every time we've been out.<br />
<br />
I never did figure out what was under the stand.<br />
<br />
This will require further investigation well into August and the upcoming months. <br />
<br />
Yes, indeed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-1348790861786423632012-07-13T22:25:00.000-07:002012-07-18T15:33:37.189-07:00Coyote time already?By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, the coyote hunting season opens Sunday (July 15), according to the Michigan 2011-12 Hunting and Trapping Digest.<br />
<br />
I just stumbled upon this item wondering what kind of gun fun I could get into after recently buying a small game license -- mostly thinking woodchucks -- if I decided to hunt rather than fish in the upcoming weeks.<br />
<br />
In a previous post, I had noted "what to do" and lo and behold, here's something I could do, especially since I took nary a wily critter over the winter and spring.<br />
<br />
The original thought that crossed my mind with regard to this, is it sure is hot as of late for a dog with a noted thick coat to be running about the countryside. But then again, they must get hungry just like any other animal.<br />
<br />
Heat never seems to stop the birds from coming into the feeders, especially the hummingbird spazzes.<br />
<br />
And it would give me good reason to break out the Under Armour and Visa Endurance clothing I have packed away around the house. <br />
<br />
I guess the calls to use would be the old reliable distress ones, with stress being placed on the deer fawn bleats, since many does give birth in late spring and summer.<br />
<br />
But if they outwit me again, I could also see if the woodchucks show themselves. Where I plan on hunting there are a couple that give the landowner fits and he's already offered me an invitation to give it a try. He can never quite get a shot a them.<br />
<br />
Maybe I can.Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16293531.post-66059510671039817922012-07-06T22:44:00.000-07:002012-07-07T14:31:58.013-07:00What to do ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwtu4jIYoizMrFWisVDaTBeBt_60qIYTx0MYXqv1UD9aK-0KbGSPdufgYfjjFGNuU0x-HE7KHUO4OFgVJnkLowueL8LVr968wAr8vdNQ-psrecMFjMuItylRt89dVyo5eJ-78/s1600/Golden+Rod+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwtu4jIYoizMrFWisVDaTBeBt_60qIYTx0MYXqv1UD9aK-0KbGSPdufgYfjjFGNuU0x-HE7KHUO4OFgVJnkLowueL8LVr968wAr8vdNQ-psrecMFjMuItylRt89dVyo5eJ-78/s400/Golden+Rod+for+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a>This picture here reminds me of goose hunting during the early season in September, which is late summer.<br />
<br />
MAHFS photo<br />
by Mac Arnold<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
By Mac Arnold<br />
MAHFS Editor<br />
<br />
This is the time of the year when I start figuring out what I want to do in the fall hunting-wise.<br />
<br />
I've already done the dangerous tempting by watching Primos "Big Bucks 19" video, and it's way too early to get psyched about deer hunting just yet.<br />
<br />
One thing I can cross off my list is a Maine moose hunt. I was again foiled in the annual drawing. The percentages are so low for a non-resident to pull a tag in this lottery that I could probably cross it off every year. But one day ...<br />
<br />
I did put in again for the Vermont moose draw, but again, we're talking pretty astronomical odds here. Sure would make for a fun fall though if it did come through for me.<br />
<br />
The scenery and stiff breezes from the Kansas and Iowa episodes taken in the Primos deer video did look refreshing with all the heat we've been having lately here in Michigan. I know I could have been beamed up from the sofa and strapped into one of their treestands with little resistance.<br />
<br />
From prior investigation, I know you have to put in a lot earlier in the year to hunt the monster bucks in those two states anyway.<br />
<br />
But I do like summer no matter how hot it is right now and despite my love for deer archery, I'm not ready for autumn just yet. Maybe another couple weeks of getting dive bombed by biting flies in the backyard will get me there.<br />
<br />
Late summer remains one of my favorite times of the year with the dark yellow hues of golden rod and striking pastels of purple loosestrife dotting the roadside to go along with the comforting cooler nights for sleep.<br />
<br />
Another vision that sticks with me is the tremendous foliage framed by the violent cloud formations streaming off of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula during the September/October bear hunting season, which reminds me, I did draw a tag for that one. I just hope I can afford to go this year.<br />
<br />
I will attest to being a gym rat once the heat kicks in. So for now that's where I'll be for most of the upcoming weeks. And I need to be with the way my shoulder felt after a short weekend of canoeing and casting recently.<br />
<br />
It was weak and I can't have that once I start swinging from the trees in the climber during deer archery.<br />
<br />
Despite one snag when I felt a twinge while trying to unloosen the canoe off the top of the Jeep, I continue to feel stronger.<br />
<br />
So let it be hot. Let it be summer. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Mac Arnoldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15375839208846440537noreply@blogger.com0