Pristine sand dunes part of 100-acre addition to Ludington State Park

Contact: Ron Olson (DNR), 517-243-1477

Purchase to be funded by state sources, commitments from The Nature Conservancy and the Mott Foundation

One hundred acres of pristine sand dunes, wetlands and forests soon will become part of Ludington State Park in Mason County, Michigan. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today that it has purchased the land and mineral resources from Sargent Minerals-Ludington, LLC – commonly known as Sargent Sands – a Michigan-based company, permanently preserving this valuable property for public recreation.

The 100 acres, adjacent to Ludington State Park, are comprised of sand dunes – about 60 acres of which have never been altered. The property is located in the northern section of a larger 372 acres that have been mined for sand for decades. Although surrounded by state park land on three sides, the Sargent property is not yet part of Ludington State Park, where mining does not occur.

“This purchase will permanently protect a beautiful tract of critical sand dunes, conserving a unique landform and its plants and animals for public enjoyment,” said DNR Director Keith Creagh, who approved the purchase during the Oct. 11 Natural Resources Commission meeting in Lansing. “We are very appreciative of the willingness of the Sargent family to work with the DNR on this purchase. Their generous actions will leave a considerable legacy for future generations.” Read more

General

Michigan: Help MI Birds partners count birds this winter

Formerly on the brink of extinction, the bald eagle has rebounded, and hundreds of these birds spend their winter along the Detroit River. Photo by Bonnie Block/Audubon Photography Awards 2017.

Getting antsy in this cold weather? Check out these community science opportunities hosted by MI Birds partners across the state.

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (multiple dates throughout December): Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is entering its 119th year of existence. Originally created in 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman, the CBC replaced an old holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt,” which was how scientists and hunters originally would census an area, shooting everything in their path! Chapman and others established the CBC in an effort to curb bird population declines. Conservation efforts have grown tremendously since 1900, as has the reach of the CBC. This census is conducted primarily by community scientists, like you, and the data collected has been used by Audubon, the Environmental Protection Agency, American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others to help identify long-term population trends and movements for hundreds of species across North America.

Visit Audubon’s interactive map to find contact information for the coordinator of a Christmas Bird Count near you. Read more

Wildlife

Michigan deer cooperator patch always a keeper; help create design for 2019

Since the early 1970s, the Michigan Deer Management Cooperator Patch – with a new look and design every year – has been a collector’s item for many hunters around the state. The DNR again is asking the public’s help in designing the next patch.

“We had a great response last year with over 200 submissions,” said DNR outreach assistant Emilie O’Grady. “We’re expecting this year’s contest to bring in even more creative designs.”

The DNR provides the patch as a thank-you to hunters who bring their deer to check stations during hunting seasons. At check stations, DNR staff members collect valuable data about the state’s deer population for a given season – things like the age and sex of the deer taken, locations where hunters have been successful, and an overall look at herd health.

The contest is open to everyone. Those interested in participating in this year’s contest should submit their designs by Feb. 1. Patch designs may be done in any medium, but must be hand-drawn or printed and include a maximum of seven colors. Read more

Hunting

Illinois Calls on Michigan For Immediate Help in Funding Invasive Carp Battle

Michigan’s $8 million offer welcome, but should be put toward immediate efforts, not 10 years from now

CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner said today that Illinois is happy to accept $8 million from the State of Michigan to put toward the fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes — provided the funds can be used now to advance the effort. Unfortunately, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s current offer of financial assistance isn’t applicable until 2028.

Rauner sent a letter today to Snyder with a counterproposal to continue the fight against Asian carp. The Illinois governor said the best way to reduce the risk of Asian carp invasion is to enhance commercial fishing strategies in the Upper Illinois River and the Alton, LaGrange and Peoria pools today. Putting the $8 million to use on these ongoing efforts would dramatically reduce the risk prior to construction of a deterrent barrier at Brandon Road, which won’t begin until 2022. Read more

Fishing

Dickinson Arms Plantation SXR

Elegant and Distinctive Shotgun Combines Precision Mechanical Design, Premier Turkish Walnut and

Rare Bone Charcoal Color Case Hardened Finish

Dickinson Arms has introduced a new model to its distinctive and refined Plantation Series of shotguns. The new side-by-side Plantation SXR gives serious shooting enthusiasts, collectors and hunters what they have come to expect from Dickinson — a rare combination of beauty, engineering and performance. And with

12 GA., 16 GA., 20 GA. 28 GA. and .410 bore models to choose from, there is a quality Plantation SXR to suit the needs of every shooter.

At the heart of the Plantation SXR is a precision trigger plate mechanism with cosmetic side plates and receiver hand engraved with beautiful English scroll. This gun is hand built in Turkey by expert craftsmen who use only the finest materials and components and take great pride in their work. The receiver is finished with true bone-charcoal case hardening that makes each gun an individual and highly functional work of art. The luxurious look and feel of the Plantation SXR is further complimented by Dickinson’s use of premier grade Turkish walnut, featuring fine 24-lines-per-inch hand checkering and a hand-rubbed oil or gloss finish. The ability to select an English, Price of Wales or Pistol Grip stock further enhances the individuality of this gun. Special order upgrades to Grade 3/4/5 walnut stock are also available.

The Plantation SXR offers a Single/Double trigger, automatic ejectors and can accommodate 2-3/4” or 3” shells. Availability of 24”, 26”, 28” and 30” barrel lengths ensures that shooters of all types and sizes can find the ideal Plantation SXR. This shotgun can accommodate fixed or thin wall chokes for different shooting applications. Read more

Firearms

Paying Dues Pays Off in Late Season Deer Hunt

By Glen Wunderlich

A self-imposed, one-buck limit meant my friend, Joe, and I were finished for the season in search of antlered whitetails.  Joe had taken a fine 8-point buck during archery season and I had the same good fortune with only two days remaining in regular firearms season.  Those successes would have us afield for some late-season antlerless venison.

The first Saturday of muzzleloader season – the season in which hunters no longer are required to use muzzleloaders in the southern zone of Michigan – Joe and I sat together in a blind overlooking a 6-acre field of clover with a half acre of brassicas in a small food plot.  The bright sun was directly in our faces and was about a half hour before sunset, when we observed several deer entering the field somewhat over 100 yards from us.  Neither of us was interested in attempting long shots, so we were content to watch the show.

To our amazement, a heavily antlered buck with headgear stretching beyond its ears in both directions began feeding with the does.  For some 20 minutes the large buck mingled peacefully with the other feeding deer and both of us could only hope that the brute would survive through what was left of the deer hunting seasons.  As entertaining as it was to witness such a spectacular animal as it fed in the open, we had other plans and antlers were not part of them.

As the sun sank, it became more problematic for us and kept us toward the back of the blind, where we maintained our vigil.  Before long Joe whispered, “Don’t move.  There’s one right in front of us.”  In short order within 60 yards, one deer after another appeared from behind a stand of spruce trees.  Neither of us was in position to shoot and there was no way we could move a muscle without being detected by one particular doe that was tuned in to our position.  It stood right there and kept us pinned down, while the rest of the group fed.  The seasoned doe kept an eye on us and without notice, decided that our presence could no longer be tolerated and led the entire group away from us into cover. 

The following day, Joe brought a lady companion with him for a chance to see that big buck from the same blind we hunted the day before.  I would hunt from a portable blind some 150 yards from them – one that faced the south, and therefore, not directly toward the sunshine.  We wished each other luck, as I ducked into the hideout and they continued to theirs.

I zipped the shelter closed and sat on a bucket preparing for the afternoon hunt.  With the zippered windows closed, I opened my backpack and got my gear ready.  The sling was removed from my .450 Bushmaster rifle, the two-way radio’s earpiece was placed in my ear, my camo head net was positioned, a set of hard-shell ear muffs was put into place to soften the ear-piercing muzzle blast and a rangefinder was removed from the pack. 

All of this commotion was totally hidden in the relative darkness of the blind and finally it was time to unzip the canvas window openings.  A small side window was first and then a large two-zippered window in the front was next.  Zip, zip.  I rolled the material upward and there, not more than 45 yards, were two deer in front of me.

I did my best to line up the mature doe, but it was staring right at me.  I held my motionless position waiting for the suspecting animal to look away.  I finally got my chance to level the crosshairs on the deer but two factors kept me off the trigger:  I didn’t want a frontal shot and the uncontrollable adrenaline rush had my heart beating like I was on a treadmill.

I had to settle the crosshairs down and the doe had to turn for the proper, broadside opportunity.  A good hold and smooth trigger squeeze were the ingredients for an ethical take of another Michigan whitetail.  I had paid my hunting dues, and just like that, another deer hunting season had ended

Hunting

Conservation Groups Oppose EPA Move to Remove Wetlands Protection

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have proposed removal of Clean Water Act protections for ephemeral streams and intermittent streams and their wetlands.

Such waterways flow in response to rain and wet seasons, and, according to the EPA, comprise 59 percent of all streams in the Lower 48 states; including 81 percent of waterways in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah.

The proposed change would remove environmental protections for many wetlands associated with these waterways, reserving protections only for ephemeral and intermittent wetlands connected to other waters covered by the Clean Water Act.

Passed in 1972, the Clean Water Act is intended to maintain “chemical, physical, and biological integrity of our nation’s waters.”

Disregarding research

“This disregards the EPA’s own research that shows wetlands and ephemeral and intermittent streams—even those that lack surface connection—provide important biological and chemical functions that affect downstream waters,” maintains the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP).

Tuesday, active EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler denied that research. Read more

Wildlife

“A Sapir Sampler” Features Articles from Glenn Sapir

Handsome, new book is a treasure trove from an award-winning writer

Putnam Valley, NY—The first collection of articles —167 of them—by veteran and prize-winning author Glenn Sapir has been thoughtfully selected and published in a new, leatherette-bound volume, “A Sapir Sampler: Favorites by an Outdoor Writer.” Sapir has enjoyed a long and storied career, not only having written for a wide variety of publications, but also having been the first person to serve on the editorial staffs of what was considered “The Big Three” of outdoor magazines—Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield. His writing has been recognized with an impressive list of awards, including lifetime excellence in craft honors from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. He has been inducted into the New York Outdoorsman’s Hall of Fame.

“Having retired from full-time work in 2014, after first beginning my career in 1970, I had amassed a tremendous collection of feature articles and columns I’d written for a variety of magazines and newspapers,” Sapir said. “I wanted to select some of my favorites from 1970 until, as it turned out, 2018, and share them with family, friends and interested readers.”

What was originally envisioned to be a small collection grew to a 480-page book. The articles are divided into four categories—Family and Friends, Destinations and Adventures, Interesting People and Mixed Bag—and the articles range from fishing for char in an Arctic Ocean tributary to angling for peacock bass in the Amazon basis. The hunting articles vary from pursuing caribou and moose in remote Newfoundland to stalking mule deer in Montana’s Missouri Breaks. Mixed with those many far-flung adventures are accounts of outings close to home in the author’s beloved Hudson Valley in New York. Read more

Hunting

Summit Unveils Flagship in New Line of Ground Blinds

BIRMINGHAM, AL — For nearly four decades, Summit has proudly provided hunters with the industry’s safest, most innovative, and most comfortable treestands. For 2019, the company’s passion for putting hunters in a position to succeed is on display once more in an all-new series of state-of-the-art ground blinds. Comprising four different models, Summit ground blinds deliver the premium design characteristics and exceptional manufacturing for which the brand is known—and at truly affordable prices.

The flagship blind in the series—the Viper—is available in 3- and 4-person versions. The Viper combines numerous proprietary technologies designed to give you every advantage when hunting from the ground. Its Hush Silent Hatch hinged doorway system enables stealthy entry/exit without using a zipper. The windows feature TruViewTM panels, which perfectly match the blind’s camouflage exterior, but allow for an unobstructed, near-360-degree view from the inside. The panels silently adjust up and down the integrated tracks of the Split Silent Slide system for easy concealment customization and for when shot opportunities present themselves.

Gone are the days of wrestling your ground blind back into its carry bag. The Viper features the innovative yet super-simple Snap WrapTM carry system—a durable nylon sheet that securely holds the folded blind during transport and doubles as an in-blind gear organizer during the hunt. The Snap WrapTM features five large pockets for all of your hunting accessories. Read more

Hunting

House Bill 5321 Would Prohibit Deer Sterilization

This from MUCC…

Good morning, MUCC friends, followers and family.

Just before 2 a.m. this morning, the Michigan House of Representatives concurred on minor amendments to House Bill 5321, which would prohibit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources from issuing any sterilization permits to municipalities for game species, which now heads to Gov. Snyder’s desk.

For more than a year, Michigan United Conservation Clubs has worked on this legislation with bill sponsor Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona. This bill puts in a place a four-year moratorium on sterilization permits being issued to Michigan municipalities in response to the current white-tailed deer sterilization efforts in Ann Arbor.

Per a Detroit Free Press article this morning by Kathleen Gray:

“Why do we need deer sterilization in the first place when we have sportsmen who are fully capable of managing our deer species,” Cole said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for urban residents to learn about quality deer management and the benefits of hunting to the entire state.”

This bill would allow the “research permit” granted to the city of Ann Arbor to run its course; however, no sterilization permits to Ann Arbor or any other city will be issued until at least April 1, 2022, giving the Natural Resources Commission, Legislature, and DNR time to study the effectiveness of the current project and determine if there are more suitable ways to manage urban deer herds.

Michigan United Conservation Clubs Deputy Director Amy Trotter said this is a victory for sportsmen and women across the state.

“MUCC firmly believes that the proper management of game species in Michigan belongs to its citizens who pay, through licensing dollars and other methods, to manage these species,” Trotter said. “We have worked this bill hard since its inception, and the passage of this bill to the governor’s desk is a testament to the grassroots process and engagement that MUCC brings to the table.”

MUCC would like to thank all of you who called your representatives, sat in on hearings and helped to spread the word about this bill. It is because of you that our game species in Michigan have the chance to remain protected from sterilization and under the management of Michigan hunters.

Yours in conservation,

Nick Green, Public Information Officer

For questions or comments, please email MUCC Deputy Director Amy Trotter at atrotter@mucc.org or Public Information Officer Nick Green at ngreen@mucc.org.

Wildlife
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