By Glen Wunderlich

After a couple days away, I came home to find the deer had acquired an appetite for my prize pumpkins.

Deer Damage

Fortunately, most are fine but not ripe yet.  Good news is that even the green ones picked early will turn yellow in time.

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

Reserving a campsite at the Rifle River Recreation Area was easy enough with www.Midnrreservations.com.  I found the website easy to navigate by simply entering the location, arrival and departure dates, number in the party and camping equipment such as tents or trailers.  With a few clicks the payment was made and my mind was eased to know I would have a specific site when I made the distant trek north.

My adventure would include exploring the vast Huron Manistee National Forest in Ogemaw County just north of the camp.  To do so with a 2-wheel drive pickup didn’t make a lot of sense, however, with the cost of fuel and the uncertainty of the condition of the dirt roads and trails.  That little light bulb in my brain then clicked on and led me to uncover what it would take run an ATV on the trails, so it was back to the computer for reference.

I learned that an ORV trail permit is required when operating on state-designated ORV trails and scramble areas. The cost is $10 (plus $26.25 for the ORV license) for a total of $36.25. ORV trail permits are not valid as a stand-alone license; an ORV license must also be purchased.

Furthermore, an ORV license is required to ride eligible county roads, frozen surface of public waters, state forest roads (open to ORV use) and eligible national forest roads.  The cost is $26.25 and both the trail permit and license are valid for one year, which begins April 1 and ends March 31 of the following year.

The question had become how to get these trail stickers.  Nowhere online did I find the answer, so I contacted the Michigan Secretary of State for the solution.  The automated system informed me that I’d have to wait on hold or I could get a return call when it was my turn.  I chose that option, because I could go about my business without a phone stuck to my ear.

The call came as advertised and at this point in the process I was transferred to a person who led me to believe I was on the right trail.  He signed me up for an appointment at the Secretary of State the next morning.  Ah, now we were getting somewhere.  He also informed me that I would need some proof of ownership of the ATV, such as a title or bill of sale.  No problem.

When I got to the counter, title in hand, the clerk promptly informed me that they didn’t sell the permits and that I’d have to get them at a retail store such as Walmart or Meijer.  What?!  There must be some mistake!  With my tail between my legs, I walked off in puzzlement and across the road to Walmart.  Sure enough, they took my cash and the DNR stickers were in-hand.  The joke was on me, but the mission was accomplished.

I’d love to talk to the person that sent me on that wild goose chase, because I have no idea why he thought I was after geese.

FORT KENT, Maine – 81-year-old Stanley Flagg, who was last seen on Sunday morning at his home, was located alive this afternoon, and transported to a local hospital.

Three game wardens located Flagg deep in woods, where he was found shoeless, dehydrated and disoriented in the Spaulding Brook drainage in Fort Kent over a mile from his home on Franklin School Road. He was found in an area surrounded by dense alders and softwoods, approximately ¾ of a mile from his tractor, which he appeared to have abandoned before getting lost.

Game Warden K9 Gordon and Warden Preston Pomerleau, with Game Wardens James Gushee and Brandon Sperry were searching the brook area after a Maine Search and Rescue Dog volunteer searcher and their canine located a slipper that was later confirmed to belong to Flagg. The three wardens were searching the area, when Gushee thought he had heard a voice, then he saw a man stand up. Gushee called out “Stanley!” and rushed towards him, where he found Stanley, who had sat down on a fallen log. Read more

After three years’ absence, the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival returns to the winter sports complex for the 16th time at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Ontonagon County.

The Aug. 26-27 festival – known for its wide variety of musical styles ranging from Americana, bluegrass and folk to R&B, rock, blues, world music and more – is presented by the Friends of the Porkies, a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the state park. The Michigan Arts and Culture Council also supports the festival.

Organizers have been hard at work since the last festival, which was held in August 2019.

“The downtime was very challenging for us,” said Chery Sundberg, festival director. “The past three years gave us time to examine our own personal commitments to the festival, to envision its future, and to make the adjustments needed to help us return fresh and strong, with the demand for live music now greater than ever.”

The festival is staffed by a handful of year-round volunteers and more than 50 event volunteers.

Tickets cost $95 for a two-day pass. Daily passes are available at the gate for $50. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $10 for either a two-day or single-day pass, and children under 6 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The festival will be held rain or shine. A Recreation Passport is required for entry to the state park. Park staffers will be selling passports near the festival entrance.

This year’s festival headliners’ schedule is:

Friday, Aug. 26: JigJam will do a special Q & A session inside the Chalet at 6 p.m. EDT and will hit the stage as the opening day headlining act at 8:30 p.m. Read more

In honor of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24, entry fees will be waived at national parks and other federal public lands, including national monuments, forests, recreation areas, seashores, wildlife refuges, historical sites, battlefields and grasslands.

National Public Lands Day is a great day for a visit, and it also is the nation’s largest single day of volunteering for parks and public lands, with 100,000 volunteers expected at federal sites as well as state and local parks. People can find hundreds of already-planned volunteer events and other cool activities in most states https://www.neefusa.org/npld-event-search with more added every day. Read more

A 142-foot-long bridge installed last fall over the Tahquamenon River just got an important addition: a name. Friends, family, Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials and other colleagues gathered Monday morning at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls to dedicate the Ronald A. Olson Island Bridge, honoring the man at the helm of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division as chief for 17 years.

The fabricated, all-aluminum pedestrian bridge at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, located in Paradise in the eastern Upper Peninsula, officially opened for use over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The bridge itself is an apt symbol for Olson, who has built a career around bringing people together and encouraging them to aim for destinations they can’t yet see.

“When it comes to possibilities in parks and recreation, nobody is better at building bridges and getting people to the table than Ron Olson,” said DNR Director Dan Eichinger.

“Ron lives and breathes Michigan state parks, trails and waterways, and he will talk – and listen – to anyone, anywhere about ways to protect and improve these treasured resources so that every resident and visitor can enjoy them and be inspired to love them as much as he does,” Eichinger said. “I am proud to be here today and share in this much-deserved celebration of Ron’s remarkable contributions.”

The bridge’s installed naming plaque reads: “Ronald A. Olson Island Bridge. In honor of his dedication, hard work and accomplishments with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division.” Read more

The fast-thinking actions of Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Nick Ingersoll and Monroe Charter Township Fire Department Capt. Dave Nadeau earlier this year are credited with saving the life of a 14-year-old boy who was stranded in cold water at the Dunbar Quarry.

The two men received Lifesaving Awards from the DNR Law Enforcement Division during Thursday’s meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, hosted at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit.

“On behalf of the department, I am proud to recognize CO Ingersoll and Capt. Nadeau for their quick assessment of the situation, which required them to risk their own safety to save another,” said Chief Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division. “We are grateful for the teamwork with the Monroe Charter Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police and other responding agencies that turned this into a successful lifesaving effort.”

The rescue happened Thursday, May 19, after Ingersoll heard a dispatch call about a person who was yelling “Help!” at the Dunbar Quarry – the local name for a deep portion of Lake Monroe (a private lake), located near East Dunbar Road and Hull Road in Monroe County.

Within five minutes, Ingersoll met emergency responders from Monroe Charter Township Fire Department and Michigan State Police trooper Mitchell Lehman, who were already on scene. Capt. Nadeau attempted to toss a throw rope to the boy, who was clinging to a rock cliff and displaying early signs of hypothermia. Read more

Industry’s Most Durable and Reliable Vehicles Available at Yamaha Dealers Soon

MARIETTA, GA – Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, unveils its 2023 model year lineup of Proven Off-Road ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles. Designed, tested, and built to maximize capability, comfort, and confidence for every off-road enthusiast, from heavy-duty ranch work to adventurous expeditions across extreme terrain, only Yamaha meets and exceeds the standards customers demand.

Every Yamaha SxS and full-size ATV is built with pride and assembled in the USA at Yamaha’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, for worldwide distribution. The 2023 models include:

• • Recreational SxS Lineup: Wolverine RMAX2 1000, RMAX4 1000, X2, and X4
  • Pure Sport SxS Lineup: YXZ1000R SS and YXZ1000R
  • Utility SxS Lineup: Viking and Viking VI
  • Utility ATV Lineup: Grizzly, Kodiak 700, and Kodiak 450
  • Sport ATV Lineup: Raptor 700, Raptor 700R and YFZ450R
  • Youth ATV Lineup: Grizzly 90, Raptor 90, and YFZ50

Read more