Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Joe Reynolds’ 10-Point Muzzleloader Buck
A good buck taken by Joe Reynolds on December 9th during Michigan’s muzzleloader season. An account of the adventure will be posted on or after Sunday. Come back for the entertainment.
GW: Bad news, for sure. In mid-Michigan, we’ve already lost all of our ash trees to Emerald Ash Borer. The prospect of losing walnut trees is disturbing, although there is no indication this scourge will reach us.
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) today announced the first discovery of Walnut Twig Beetle in southwest Ohio. The Walnut Twig Beetle is a small beetle known to carry a fungus that causes Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD), which threatens the health and sustainability of walnut trees. At this time, there have been no trees determined to be infested with TCD in Ohio. Read more
GW: If you can’t find it within yourself to join the NRA, here’s a good option: Buy your firearm and outdoor gear from Midway and donate a few pennies to the cause of gun rights. It really adds up!
For the first time ever, MidwayUSA Customer Round-Up contributions topped $1 million in a single year, the highest amount ever donated by MidwayUSA customers since the program launched in January 1992. In the month of November alone, Customer contributions totaled over $100,000, the most that has ever been collected in a single month – two incredible records! Read more
Michigan became world-famous when it made a daring effort to revitalize the Great Lakes sport fishery by stocking Pacific salmon in the 1960s. While Chinook and Coho fishing still remain very good overall, Michigan is now looking at residents of the other ocean to beef up the Great Lakes fishery: Atlantic salmon.
Highly prized around the world for their sporting characteristics, Atlantic salmon are currently thriving in the St. Marys River, the
connecting water that drains Lake Superior and flows into Lake Huron. Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Division personnel hope to expand the Atlantic salmon fishery further into Lake Huron. Read more
The Archives of Michigan today announced that the original survey maps of Michigan’s 1,400 individual township parcels have been scanned and are now available to search, browse and print at www.seekingmichigan.org. 
The maps included in the collection at Seeking Michigan document land surveys that were conducted by the federal government to lay out Michigan’s township and range grid system. Some maps Read more
This from the NRA… “The bill would amend the law to clarify that the EPA does not have the authority to regulate shot, bullets or sport fishing equipment.“
Just over two weeks ago, the U.S. Senate voted 84-12 to advance S. 3525, “The Sportsmen’s Act of 2012.” However, this week, by a 50-41 vote, the bill suffered a setback when the Senate failed to clear a procedural hurdle and move on to finish work on the bill. There is still time to get this critically important legislation passed, but you must act now! S. 3525 is an essential piece of legislation focused on the expansion and enhancement of hunting, recreational fishing and shooting on federal public land. But it’s more than that. Read more
Interested in avoiding crowded stores? Need a little help locating one-of-a-kind gifts? Like gifts that support Michigan’s wildlife, natural resources or history programs? 
If any of those scenarios sounds like you, consider turning to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for several gift-giving ideas sure to satisfy the outdoor/nature enthusiast or history buff on your shopping list. Read more
To better understand predator-prey relationships, SCI Foundation helped fund studies on Whitetail deer in Michigan. In Michigan, Deer survival is influenced by many factors including disease, predation, weather, and hunter harvest. In the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, deer survival is especially influenced by winter food supply and cover. Predators also play a role in the survival of deer, particularly fawn survival during the spring and summer. Understanding deer survival and the factors that influence survival throughout the year is vitally important for proper management of the deer herd.
The Safari Club International Foundation has partnered with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Mississippi State University, and the Michigan Involvement Committee of Safari Club International to better understand the impact of predation on deer, while also determining how predation is influenced by winter weather and deer habitat conditions. Learn more right here.
Conditions are right for a heavy dose of lake-effects snow this season and the reasons are here…
Archives of Michigan offers free, searchable 1894-1994 Michigan census data The Archives of Michigan today announced that more than 62,000 Michigan state census records from 1894 and 1994 are now available to search and print for free at www.seekingmichigan.org.
“These records will help family history researchers track important data, such as more extensive information about women and children,” said Jessica Miller, archivist at the Archives of Michigan. Read more