By Glen Wunderlich

With only one week remaining in the late antlerless deer season in southern Michigan, longtime friend, Joe, and I agreed to an afternoon hunt on Christmas day. Both of us had celebrated the holiday with our extended families earlier in the week and it was Joe’s only day off for the week, so why not?

The “winter” weather could not have been more cooperative. The welcoming sun shone brightly and the northerly winds forced the issue as to which stands would be best for each of us late-season hopefuls.

Never can I recall such friendly weather for an entire season – and, that covers a few decades. Clothing for the mid-40-degree temperatures was light and the insulated hunting boots were left behind.   Warmer weather means that deer are not prone to much movement in search of nourishment to sustain their needs; their fuel requirements are less. Such obliging weather has been one solid reason that hunters have had the success they’ve had this year in spite of the declining deer populations statewide.

Preliminary deer check-station indications are that hunters are taking more adult deer as a percentage of overall kill ratios. Several harsh winters in a row in the Upper Peninsula have taken a toll on weaker deer, but natural selection means the strongest survive. This fact, plus antler-point restrictions in the U.P. are driving forces behind the quality hunters have seen, even though total kill numbers are down considerably.

Larger, healthier deer are being reported statewide and our seasonal take seems to corroborate these findings having taken deer of 2 ½, 3 ½ and 6 ½ years of age. Giving up nothing in firearms performance, Joe and I were toting modern muzzleloading rifles in one more attempt to fill the freezer.

My strategic location had me overlooking the healthy remnants of a brassica food plot replete with about half of its original foliage plus an estimated 90 percent of the turnip bulbs fully intact – another sign of unseasonal temperatures. As the sun began its daily descent on the horizon, I noticed a lone bird atop a spruce tree some 80 yards away. My Burris binocular confirmed a beautiful male Eastern bluebird with its rosy red breast reflecting the sun’s rays.

Eastern Bluebird

The once-threatened song bird, bug eater was enjoying the last bit of warmth, as I scanned a tree line of spruces. To my naked eyes, it looked as though someone had placed some Christmas ornaments on many of the upper tree branches, so I pulled up the glass to get a better look. To my amazement, the trees were adorned with numerous bluebirds and house finches – all taking their respective places at the tips of branches gleaming in the waning sunlight, as each one faced the solar warmth before retiring for the day. It was truly a spectacular Christmas sight I’ll not soon forget.

As prime time neared, a mature doe fell to a perfectly placed Barnes bullet from my belching smokepole. Darkness had descended before the field dressing chores were complete and a rare Christmas full moon had risen as an exclamation point to Mother Nature’s bountiful blessing in Michigan’s great outdoors.

Late Season Doe

Thormahlen & Cochran Safaris is a dynamic and experienced safari company operating for 15 years in a variety of concessions. They outfit in South Africa and Namibia for dangerous and plains game, and accompany clients to Cameroon on request. They will be exhibiting in booth 3320 at the 2016 SCI Hunters’ Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 3-6, 2016.

Those visiting the Thormahlen & Cochran Safari booths will find the largest variety of game available to hunt and a choice between two great countries that offer unique experiences. While at the convention, clients will have the opportunity to meet the friendly, professional and knowledgeable professional hunter with whom they will hunt. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charlie took careful aim with his muzzleloading rifle at a December survivor buck only to witness it run off carrying its front leg. For most hunters, the process of retrieving a deer is a straightforward matter of following a blood trail; for Charlie, however, the process is problematic: He is effectively colorblind.

While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Charlie learned the extent of his malady, which was determined to be a 78-percent color deficiency. While average eyes can see all the colors in a rainbow, Charlie sees only a yellow stripe. Translated to blood tracking, what others see as bright red, he visualizes only hues that blend with ground cover. In other words, following a blood trail is impossible for him.

At an early age, he archery hunted deer in Cadillac, Michigan with his uncle. During his military career, while stationed in Washington State, Charlie honed his skills with a rifle and learned to be an excellent shot. His talent transferred to the deer woods and the necessity of making perfect, drop-dead shots was his only means to put venison in the freezer. To Charlie, it was accuracy or nothing. And, for a man who had decided to fish and hunt in an effort to avoid supermarket mystery meat, hunting and fishing had become much more than sport; it was his chosen, spiritual lifestyle and a nutritious way to feed his family of three.

Since he couldn’t hunt by “color”, he developed a sense to see movement and shapes in the wild – often before typically sighted hunters see deer. He explains further that color-blind troops would be chosen for night-watch duty in World War II, because of the keenness of their eyes to detect movement or anything out of place with no regard to color. However, for Charlie, it means that without help being available, he does not hunt unless it’s during an afternoon session. Interestingly, and by accident, he discovered that a green light will show him blood at night clearly, because it stands out as the only thing black on the ground.

But, this time Charlie was hunting in the morning and that’s when the call came in to his work associate, Joe, my friend, who was with me at the time. We promptly headed to southern Shiawassee County with Joe’s aging chocolate Labrador, Cocoa, to assist in the tracking chores.

Charlie hadn’t found any blood but he had a good view of the deer’s direction, as it disappeared. Soon we located the trail but Cocoa showed no interest in the chore she once found exciting; we were on our own.

The sporadic trail of blood finally vanished and we resorted to visually checking the cover of a swamp and surrounding habitat. Nothing. Hours had passed, and dejected, we headed out of the woods together.

Then, Charlie piped up, “Hey! Over there!” It was the unmistakable white belly hair of a deer 40 yards away. Charlie could not believe his eyes and thought out loud, “Is it dead?” He cautiously prodded the 7-point buck with his gun’s muzzle to confirm that his success was real.

Charlie’s 2 1/2 Year-Old Buck

Together, we ran the gamut from despair to elation in 30 seconds. And, long after the tasty venison has been consumed, the lesson in persistence and teamwork will remain.

Port Clinton, OH (December 18, 2015) – Hens play the ultimate roles in determining spring gobbler behavior and, ultimately, spring turkey hunting success. From the first gobbling of the breeding season through the very end of the nesting period, toms are constantly on the lookout for receptive hens.

Like males of the human species, gobblers aren’t mind readers. Even the most macho sometimes needs an obvious sign. In the turkey world, a hen simply can’t convey her receptiveness to suitors any more clearly than by laying down. Bow-chicka-bow-wow. Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that the 2015 late antlerless firearm deer season is right around the corner. Below is a list of the deer management units (DMUs) that are open and closed for this private-land-only hunt.

A valid private-land antlerless deer license is required for this season, which runs Dec. 21, 2015, through Jan. 1, 2016. Read more