Hunting Adventures
Deer Hunting and Camping During the 2007 Michigan Deer Hunting Season Near Crystal Falls In Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula
Our camp took three deer in the first few days of the Michigan deer season. It felt great to drive to teh UP with my son. I picked him up at the Detroit airport and the next morning we drove the 505 miles to Crystal Falls 50 miles west of Escanaba. Our drive gives us a chance to catch up on things. I'm pleased that he values a traditional deer camp. Deer numbers in the UP pale with numbers in southern Michigan. But the UP woods have fishers, bears, wolves, bobcats, pinemartens and many other animals. it always makes me smile to see what locals call a whiskey jack (Canadian jay) and enjoy the lamenting of the ravens.
Early dawn on opening day and Josh Herrala gets his outfit on in the Lance camper
We enjoyed a turkey dinner the night before opening day
I camp in my truck camper but have the luxury of electricity from the cabin where everyone else stayed. Most of the hunters are UP guys and we get visits from other deer camps. A neighbor of the camp fills us in with the local deer report.
We drove out of our main camp for three days of our hunt and would stay out all day. It was nice to come back at noon, have lunch and coffee and get the morning hunting report.
Josh Herrala having a snack
It amused me that there were more seer hitting my bait supplies behind the camper at night than out in the woods. No problem sleeping after sucking cold air all night long. The night skies were clear and the stars put on a fine show. I winterized my camper but used antifreeze in the black and grey water tanks.
Wherever you stop, you're camped
I finally got a big fat doe on December 18, west of Ann Arbor during the Washtenaw County special doe season. I got a real workout sledding it for an hour through a swamp and the snow drifts of a corn field.
Eleven Point by Wally on November 29, 2006
I drove to Milan from Ann Arbor to pick up my son Josh's deer from the processor. I figured I had about two hours to hunt and the deer would not thaw out much in that amount of time. I have to admit that I was down on myself for not seeing more deer this year. So it wasn't with a lot of hope that I decided to string together two more days of hunting during the buck season- today and tomorrow. I won't need tomorrow because my persistence in the face of not seeing many deer this year changed in a second when a fine nine or maybe eleven point (the way I count-any nub) stepped out of a hedge row as the sun was setting tonight. Problem was that he was out there about 120 yards and coming the wrong way for my left handed shooting. I could not see horns without my Burris 1.75-5 and then I had to take it off my should. But I realized this would likely be my season so I decided to go through the checklist of shooting reminders that we all carry around in our heads. Another problem was my runners heart was knocking the gun around as I squeezed off a shot. Low and behold the deer dropped. I could see the tail laterally moving up and down in the diminishing light. That meant he was on the ground. "Wait" was a I was supposed to do. I was elated and willing to wait until It got up. I shot again in a useless gesture. Out of the stand with whatever caution I could muster. Indian style, I kept a small bush in between us and covered a lot of ground quick. When I emerged from behind the tree the deer ran right at me and I hit him in the neck and he dropped for good in twenty feet. I got out of the stand because the deer was moving and I did not think I could track it with no snow, a big rain coming, and night closing in. I'm glad I did. Both shots were in the neck and I can't believe the deer could move with that kind of damage. I used a .12 gauge Harrington and Richard with Hornady SSTs.
He's a beauty
I had to drag him a long way on the sled
Oh yea, beer and deer
My buck pole
Mounted
Classic Michigan Upper Peninsula Deer Hunt 2006
I hadn't hunted deer since my father passed away ten years ago so when my wife's family invited me to hunt with them in a classic deer camp in the upper peninsula I was excited. The Heron deer camp is on Lake Mary near Crystal Falls, in Iron County, northwest of Escanaba. My son josh flew from Seattle to drive up to the UP with me. Josh is an IT person and works in a tower in downtown Seattle. We looked forward to talking about deer hunting, my old man, and listening to the diesel eat up the miles. Unlike last year where we were held up at the Mackinac Bridge by an oncoming storm we crossed the bridge in light rain. We enjoyed looking at the north shore of Lake Michigan as we drove west toward Gladstone.
Josh and I get ready to board the Lance camper and drive the 510 miles to Crystal Falls
It's a pleasure crossing the bridge with the excitement of opening day building
My dad was never a hunting camp kind of guy but Josh and me are well suited to it. We enjoyed the success of others and looked forward to the daily hunting reports, eating and drinking together, and the sharing of strategies. Josh got a good advice from the resident UP deer hunting experts. Rick let him use his blind to kill his first deer.
We had a nice campfire the first night we arrived.
Contrast the weather with last year
We had mild weather (20 to 40 degrees) for Michigan. Last year the power went out for days with all the heavy snow. I slept in my Lance camper but had electricity from the cabin on Lake Mary.
Josh and I went to the local gravel pit, sighted in, and went and set up our blinds
I enjoyed wearing my vintage hunting outfit and not so classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Jim Heron did a fine job with the "night before" prime rib dinner. We even had a hunters grace led by Bob Surface.
Our camper was a great place for Starbucks breaks and lunch deep in UP forest
Jim heron and Rick got deer on the opening day. Josh scored on Thursday in Rick's blind.
Josh and his deer
My first UP Deer in 2004
