The Spirit of the Woods

Summit Viper SS Review

2008-11-04T02:26:20Z

I managed to get my hands on a new Summit Viper SS climbing treestand last week. Previous to purchasing the Viper SS I spent a fare amount of time reviewing climbing stands. Like most hunters I like to spend time up front reading about products before I even step foot into a store. I knew I wanted a higher end climbing stand with high end features but I also wanted to make sure the price made sense. Before I give you my feedback I want to give you a bit of background about myself. ...(read more)

Poaching Neighbors

2008-10-13T21:02:00Z

This weekend my buddy and I were walking our hunting property when we were hit with the ominous stench of a rotting carcass. After searching for a few minutes we came across a deer carcass which by the looks of it was shot in the chest with an arrow by our neighbor and dragged onto our property. The carcass was only 10 feet from the property line and you could clearly see where it had been dragged through the leaves. We reported the incident to the Michigan DNR and I was impressed when a DNR Law...(read more)

(Update) Michigan Baiting Ban, the Economic Impact

2008-09-26T03:39:00Z

Unless you live in a cave you probably have heard that Jennifer Granholm inacted a law that bans baiting in Michigan. This action was taken in response to Michigan's first documented case of Cronic Wasting Disease (CWD). For years CWD was found in animals in some midwestern states but was primarily contained in western states. Michigan's first case happened to come from a deer in Kent County (see Grand Rapids) that was contained in a pen. I have not read how this deer came to be infected with CWD...(read more)

Michigan Archery Season Update

2007-10-03T02:40:00Z

The Michigan archery season is in full swing and opening day could not have come soon enough. At deer camp on Sunday afternoon the trash talking was abundant as slammy decided to start calling his shot for opening morning. Unfortunately the Michigan weather did not cooperate as a low pressure system brought unseasonably warm weather along with thunderstorms that quickly reduced the overall confidence level at camp. Despite the the poor weather conditions we didn't manage to harvest an animal although...(read more)

My Muzzleloader Dilema

2007-08-21T18:29:00Z

I have been spending quite a bit of time researching muzzleloaders to try and figure out what type of setup I want to purchase. The only blackpowder hunting I have done in the past was done with borrowed equipment. After several incidents last season that involved missed opportunities on nice bucks during firearm season in Michigan CB375HH talked me into picking up a good muzzleloader. I spend a lot of time hunting in the shotgun only zone in Michigan and rather than purchase a separate slug gun...(read more)

Old Man Logic

2007-03-28T02:32:00Z

Have you ever had a situation where you are in a heated discussion with an older person and they throw around the phrases "because I know" or "it is that way because I said so". I generally refer to this as old man logic. It is relatively easy to spot old man logic in action and there are three simple ingredients; a heated conversation or argument about a popular topic (hunting, fishing, politics, etc.), two opposing opinions, and of course an "older" person expressing their opinion without any basis...(read more)

Still Frustrated With Gander Moutnain

2007-01-29T02:56:00Z

For those of you who are not familiar with Gander Mountain it is a regional hunting, fishing and camping department store. Gander Mountain has stores located in 21 states throughout the Midwest and East coast. I recently blogged about that lack of customer service and knowledge of the Gander Mountain associates (blog post here ). Well my frustrations continue. I recently visited a Gander Mountain store near my home and found the store to be in complete disarray. Gander Mountain generally carries...(read more)

Mid-Winter Blues

2007-01-28T19:56:00Z

Got a case of cabin fever? I know I do! I always hate this time of year as we transition between deer season and into the dead of winter. Here in Michigan the ice has just begun to freeze ruling out any ice fishing for at least another week. So brave fisherman have ventured out onto the ice but I am going to give it another week. I really don't want to take a $1500 helicopter ride compliments of the Coast Guard. Right now the only outdoor activities available are predator hunting or trapping. Now...(read more)

Food Plots Can Really Payoff!

2006-12-08T21:11:00Z

There has been much written about the benefit of food plots especially when it comes to the health of the deer herd. Most probably don't realize how quickly you can realize the payoff. The picture below is of a turnip that came from one of the five food plots that we have on a relative small piece of land. After only one year we have establishing healthy food plots that have dramatically effected the patterns, number, and quality of the bucks on the property. All of our food plots have been planted...(read more)

Proposed License Fees in Michigan

2006-12-08T20:36:00Z

Those of you who live in Michigan or plan on hunting in Michigan should get ready for a bit of sticker shock when it comes time to purchase your 2007 hunting and fishing licenses. At least this will be the case if the proposed licensing fees get approved for the 2007 hunting and fishing seasons. Now I am not one to complain about the cost of hunting and fishing licenses but the new increases seem a bit excessive. Now some folks will tell you that the increase is overdue and that the Michigan Department...(read more)

Sporting Goods Store Lackeys

2006-12-08T19:13:00Z

I have to rant for a moment about the lack of knowledge possessed by the lackeys that work at your local sporting goods stores. This week I spent some time bouncing around a couple of chain sporting goods stores in my area (Gander Mountain and Dunham's) looking at various firearms, gun safes, and black powder rifles. The one thing I noticed is that no one at these retail outlets had a clue about the merchandise they were selling. For example, Gander Mountain is known for its wide selection of firearms....(read more)

2006 Deer Season Update

2006-11-28T02:39:00Z

I have to say that the 2006 whitetail season has been my best ever. The ironic thing is that I haven't even knocked down a deer yet! We have put a lot of time and effort into developing our new hunting property and it has really paid off. After developing the habitat and planting food plots I have seen over 20 different bucks with 12 of them being nice shooters. We are really starting to hold a lot of deer on a reasonable chuck of land (about 27 acres). It turns out that my tree stand has been one...(read more)