Need grocers for a good hunting camp

Just returned from hunting the Roscommon area and Gladwin County without touching so much as a hair on a whitetail.
While the weather was cold and blowing hard, we hunkered down, especially in he afternoon to hunt until dark. Not a sound to be heard nor was there any movement to be seen.
The deer were hunkered down like us, waiting of the wind to abate maybe so they could hear any strange sounds they weren't used to.
Back at camp, we broke open a package of venison salami from Michigan Venison Company, headquartered in Traverse City,
Now, practically any deer camp comes prepared with the requisite steaks, eggs, bacon, cheese and crackers, along with a supply of venison sausage that can range from so-so to down right inedible.
The summer sausage with had had from Michigan Venison was the most mild, soft, tender, and great tasting summer sausage I have had in a long time.
Whether it's deer camp or siting around watching the game, your must try this excellent tasting sausage.
Check their website at www.miciganvenision.com for more information, More stores are planned for southern Michigan,

Compass or GPS needed in the woods

I'm hunting from a friends cabin near Roscommon. I might just as well be in the middle of Clarkston for the lack of deer.

Hunting unfamiliar land like the Mason Tract is a little like someone dropping you in the middle of the Mojave Desert and telling you to find water. It's not going to happen.

Neither am I going to run into a nice buck meandering his way through the woods I'm sitting in, crossing a two track, plowing through some thick cedar, all on the way to the AuSable River and a drink.

On my drive into the area I was to hunt I saw no tracks in the soft sand of the road. Once I had parked and gotten my gear together, I headed for the opposite side of the road away from the river.

Again, there wasn't any sign. But a short walk into the brushy field and I saw a run that looked like I-75. It was large and seemed to be well used. Other runs were in the area.

All around me were huge trees that had been toppled during the recent wind storm. Runs ran near the downed trees then skirts them to get to the other side.

Walking into the woods about a quarter of a mile, I found what looked like a good spot to sit. I could observe several runs in front of me and the wind was right. I didn't see a single whitetail.

Just shy of the lights going completely out, I decided to call it a day and began walking out. Somehow, I angled my walk away from my truck. By the time I hit the two track, I had to look hard to see it.

I'm glad I didn't wait much longer or I could have still been out there looking for my ride. Even though I hadn't gotten too far off the beaten path, that woods began looking like it had when I walked in.

With no compass or GPS to guide me, I was on my own. It's a good thing that some dead reckoning paid off.

Fireams deer season is already memorable

This is the first firearms season opener I've missed. Some of them have given me the chance to hunt but most of the others involve meeting hunters, conducting interviews and taking pictures.
This year I spent most of the day and a good part of the evening in the cath lab at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac.
In a way I was to blame for being there. Even since I had a stent placed ten years ago, I've been up front and very honest with my cardiologist Randall Reher, M.D.
While we were visiting in Germany and walking around some of he little rounds I noticed I was getting dizzy, my heart was pounding and I was breathing deep. A check with a doctor over there revealed nothing.
Back home I made an appoint with Reher. He began scheduling all sorts of tests; chest x-ray, stress test, echo cardiogram, and keg. These all came bak within normal limits.
The next step was a walking treadmill test. I'll pause here and tell you I dread this test. I used to run long distance-usually 6-8-10 miles daily-but since both knees have been replaced running is not an option.
In my running days I would try to burn the rubber off a treadmill thinking I could take it to the very end. I never did but I gave it a good try in theses days.
"We need yo try and duplicate your symptoms on the treadmill," Reher said. Coincidentally, he was present when I had my test.
"I'm going to order a stress test for you. Despite no indication, my gut tells me there is something wrong. Lets check it out and be sure," he sad.
When I got done I was really breathing hard. Reher felt this was an indication of a possible blockage. A few days later I saw him in his office. "Everything is clear. None of your tests show any blockage," he said.
The next and hopefully final step in the process was an angioplasty. This involves inserting a catheter in your wrist and on into the heart. Or they can go in through the groin.
Once everything is set they inject dye to see if all the vessels, arteries and parts of the heart are carrying it through.
Again, mine checked out ok with the exception that one small area of the heart did not appear as strong as the rest.
I'm on some new medication which should improve that condition and overall make me feel better. Even though things turned out well, I still found myself thinking about the opener, and who was bringing deer into the Holly check station. Most of all I missed talking with wildlife biologist Tom Payne along with Julie Oaks and Jon Curtis. Maybe next year.

Cold weather, just in time for deer opener

Those dedicated, die-hard, veteran hunters will welcome the colder weather headed our way for the foreseeable future along with predictions of snow.
Tracking snow it's often referred to. The kind of snow that allows hunters to find deer they have shot. More often than not, deer run after being hit by an arrow or a round from a firearm.
That's why it's important to sit tight after shooting. Any quick movement on the part of the hunter trying to pursue a whitetail is a recipe for pushing that animal further into thick cover.
Once you shoot, try to remember exactly where you last saw the deer before it disappeared. Sitting for a few minutes affords the deer to run, usually a short distance, before it lays down.
The snow-fresh or not-allows the hunter to follow a blood trail easier than trying to find it in leaves that often make tracking difficult to say the least.
Remember, once you shoot, take the time to have a cup of coffee, eat a sandwich or an apple before attempting to find that down whitetail.

Rain, wind helps hunters

That's right. Rain and wind will benefit hunters by getting all those leaves off the trees which helps hunters see game much better than trying to peer through all those leaves.
My front yard is covered in what has blown down. One good raking and it all goes into the compost pile where it will eventually make it's way into the garden.
Almost one week ago, my router decided to die leaving me inter net less. No email too! Just this afternoon a new writer and cable box arrived. After continued calls to my cable service, bingo,  we were off and running.
With kids scattered around the world, we depend on email, Facebook and Skype to stay in touch. Of course there is the phone. But we've gotten used to using these other means as well.
With the firearms deer opener right around the corner, many hunters are busy planning this year's deer camp.
My neighbors headed north a few days ago. They don't hunt the firearms season; instead they are very dedicated bow hunters no doubt enjoying some time in the woods before the largest peacetime army heads north.
Good luck to all of you this hunting season. Make it a safe one!

Trash-Ease makes collecting refuse easy outdoors

It's such a simple looking device, I wonder why no one thought of it sooner. Trash-Ease is a round metal frame that clamps to the end of a picnic table or other flat surface.
Depending on the size-13 or 33 gallon-hang the corresponding plastic trash bag on the frame and you've got handy trash collection ready, waiting and nearby.
Gone are the days of laying a bag on the ground then having to chase it in the wind or continually open it to dump unwanted stuff into it.
This should be a simple, easy to use solution to a problem most of us have experienced when tailgating, camping, having a picnic or entertaining on the back deck or patio.
 Made in the USA, the sturdy design of the Trash-Ease makes it durable enough to be taken
and used everywhere on a daily basis, while its slim, lightweight and one-piece design allows it to be transported and stored easily in a closet, shelf, trunk, camper cubby or nearly any other similar storage location without the need for tools.  Each Trash-Ease comes packaged with 2 standard drawstring garbage bags in the same size as the model of Trash-Ease.
No need to purchase special trash bags.  The powder coated and rubber dipped exterior protects against damage to surfaces where the Trash-Ease is attached. For more information visit trash ease.com.