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Spent the entire weekend fishing with my son, we had a blast. Started out up near Houghton Lake on the Cut River, and finished out the evening Sunday below Holiway Dam. Our Saturday found us doing very well on rock bass, smallmouth bass, perch, and river chubs. We spent most of the day sitting on a road bridge over the river, drifting nite crawlers into a deep pool below the tubes under the bridge. I was hoping to catch a sucker or two, but wound up catching a couple very respectable smallmouth bass. Those went back in the river as the season is yet to open. We also caught a few nice rock bass and a bunch of those river chubs. Strange little fish, most of them had some sort of weird little bumps on top of their heads. Looked like tremendous pike bait.

 Today we ran down to Holiway Dam and fished the north side of the river. Used perch rigs with minnows and heavy sinkers due to all the current. The boys easily caught a couple dozen walleyes, most in the 10 - 14 inch range. They did also pick up a couple nice smallmouths as well. Those again had to go back to fight another day. We also saw a guy latch onto something extremely large, probably a carp, but we never did get an look at it, it took alot of line before finally breaking off well down the river from the dam.  

 All in all a tremendous weekend had by both my boy and me. Nice to get a little father son bonding time, just the guys hanging out, eating the wrong foods and staying up to late. Heck we never even worried about a shower Saturday morning, just pull on a hat and we’re all good. Alas……….Monday’s right around the corner.

Well, my son continued his dominance of the ole man this weekend. First he out fishes me up north, then we return and he fills his turkey tag this morning!!  Ole man couldn’t be prouder. Always nice to see life coming full circle. As I remember I was usually filling most of the game tags when my dad and I were hunting together.

 We saw quite a few birds this morning on the acreage we were hunting. As usual things didn’t get underway till after 7AM. This property seems to be a place where the animals sleep late. The past 3 times I’ve hunted there I haven’t seen much till after 7AM, makes it nice not having to walk in the dark. The bird my son got came out into the field with another at about 30 yards from our location. Took a few tense minutes to be sure they had beards and then it was up to him. He took the closest one to him and I decided to pass on the other bird as I wasn’t fully sure I could see a beard. One shot from his new 12 gauge and that was it, about 35 yards. We did have more birds gobbling around 8:30AM, but they didn’t show and the wind was getting pretty cold, so we bugged out at 9:30. I’ll be back there next week to try and fill my tag too.

Woke up this morning to news of the passing of Ernie Harwell. It was one of those things you knew was coming, but it’s always difficult. I have no problem telling you a few tears were shed this morning while I listened to different radiio stations and their tributes. I’m sure if you’ve been around the Tigers for very long you’ve had a brush with Ernie and I’d guarantee you came away better for the experience.

 Ernie for me WAS Tiger Baseball. Yes indeed there were many great players who have graced Tiger Stadium. But for me at least they pale in comparison to Mr Harwell. I’m sure many of you can recall times of setting around listening to Ernie call a game and feeling like you were right there on the field. His ability to paint a picture with words has never been equaled.  Personally I remember numerous nights setting on the picnic table in our backyard listening to Ernie call a late evening game. Heck my dad cut a panel out of the side of our garage just for a place to set the radio during Tiger games. 

 We’re going to miss Mr Ernie Harwell, his broadcasting ability, his uncanny sense of being able to make you feel like you were the most important person in the world, and most of all his unwavering belief that the Good Lord always had a purpose for everyone.  God be with you Mr Harwell, I hope you’re up there right now calling a late evening game with Ty Cobb up to bat and telling that long familiar Harwell line ” He stood there like a house by the side of the road!!”

Been really busy the past few days in the woods of Tuscola County. I’ve had the privilage of showing a few folks around some listings in Tuscola County. The woods have been alive with critters!!  Over the past couple days we saw deer, turkey, raccoon, ducks, geese, cranes, squirrels, and too many song birds to count. Seems like everything is alive an kickin in the woods right now.

 For you folks chasing turkeys right now the toms are strutting their stuff!! We saw probably 6 - 8 toms both while driving and walking  the properties. We also came across dust bowls, wing drags, and tracks galore.  For you hunters who don’t relish getting up at dawn, most of birds we saw were in the middle of the day.

  A little hunting tip for you turkey hunters who have to hunt the afternoons, find some dust bowls and take a seat. Dust bowls are small depressions ( 12 -18 inches in diameter) in usually sandy soil. The turkeys use these to roll around in and flop their wings trying to rid themselves of insects. My best success in these bowl areas has been from noon to 2 PM.  No need for a decoy here as birds know where these are and search them out daily. You need good camo, and little to no movement. These are great hunts to do from tent blinds. Another great afternoon tactic is to find small creeks winding thru the woods. They are usually less than 2 feet wide and have lots of green vegetation along their banks. Turkeys love these little seeps to find food, and cooler temps in hot weather. Again a great place for a tent blind.

My son, his buddy and I spent the weekend up at Houghton Lake trying to fill a fish basket with some spring bluegills. What we wound up doing was freezing our tails off. Holy Cow,  I got up to Houghton Lake Thursday evening after a day of real estate and it was HOT, 81 degrees, had to open the windows on the trailer to cool er off.  Then ran back home Friday to pick up my son and his friend for the weekend.

 We got up raring to go Saturday morning only to find it was snowing, blowing and only 37 degrees. Just about unbelieveable condition change in a matter of 18 hours time. I mean it went from 81 to 37 degrees in less than 18 hours!!! Course we didn’t pack ice fishing gear, figuring it would be a bit nippy in the AM, but would be nice by 10AM. Man did we get an education in spring weather in Michigan.

 We did eventually suck it up and get out and do some fishing. All total we spent about 8 hours over the weekend sitting on a dock on a cut feeding from Houghton Lake. We tossed earthworms below a bobber and picked up about 30 bluegills, only about 6 keepers which we gave away to save having to pull our hands from our slightly warm gloves.

Spent a few hours with my son fishing some small ponds in the Lapeer State Game Area. We picked up some night crawlers, rigged up a couple poles, grabbed a bucket and headed out. First stop was at a small flooded cattail marsh. Looked like a better duck hunting spot than a fishing hole. As is often the case, appearences can be deceiving. We immediately spotted some small gills and sunfish cruising the shallows no doubt looking for suitable spawning areas. A few casts provided us with a 1/2 dozen fish, maybe only a couple keepers, which we decided to toss back for another day.  The second and third stops provided no fish, but excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. We saw many ducks and geese, a few deer, and heard 3 different gobblers thundering in the woodlands.  

  Though we didn’t come home with a pail full of fish, I was very content to spend a couple hours in the outdoors with my son. As the slogan on my website says It’s about building memories!!  Parents, don’t make the mistakes of so many wishing they would have done things different with their kids. Take a few minutes, grab a pole, some worms, and take your kids fishing.  Heck, block out an entire weekend on the calendar and spend it with your kids in the outdoors.

 I’m reminded of a scene in the movie Wild Hogs, when everyone makes the decision to toss their cell phones in the drink and how they seem to immediately feel free after doing so. Well folks, try it, leave the phone in the truck, grab the poles and worms and have a seat in the greatest theatre in the universe……our wild America!!

I spent the day walking some new listings yesterday in St Clair County. The first two were fairly uneventful as far as wildlife sightings. The last one was 100+ acres near Lake Huron and it proved to be a bit unnerving. It is a really wild looking piece of realestate when you got back off the road, thick and brushy with a ton of fruit trees. Lots of deer sign including some pretty good rubs. Anyway I was well over to the northern edge of the property and I came out to a secluded winter wheat field. Standing just inside the brush I peered down the field and saw what for all the world appeared to be a lone wolf cross the field. It was far too big to be a coyote, and had the gait of a canine. Definately wrong build and movement for a whitetail. It appeared to be following a scent trail as it crossed the field and headed into some thick brush.

 Yeah I know, a wolf, down this far???  Exactly what I thought and I couldn’t say for sure that’s what it was,  but it did cause me to rethink my options of how I was going back to the truck.  Kind of eerie when you’re out in the woods and thinking you might not be the top of the food chain.

Spent the day today walking the woods with a client. Always a great time sauntering thru the woods in the springtime!!  Warm sunshine, birds tweeting, we even heard a gobbler thundering off this morning. Spent a couple minute on a listing of mine off Washburn Rd. There’s a pond in the middle of this one and a pair of mallards gave us a good quacking send off. You just swear they were saying”Hey this is our place, get lost”.

 We also spent quite a bit of time walking a 65 acre parcel out in Kingston and a 40 acre parcel with a home on Phillips Rd. Both of those properties never let me down for the multitude of deer and sign. It’s hard not be stepping in a track or a runway on either of those properties litterally on every step. The 40 acre parcel is just full of impressive rubs from last falls rut.

 Now is the time folks if you’re interested in buying land this is the time to be in the woods. The leaves are down, the snow is gone and you can really see the lay of the land. Course it’s also a great time to look for deer sign. If you’re real lucky, you might even find a shed or two.

Just returned from a late afternoon photo shoot of a property I have listed in St Clair County. That area is just amazing. From the road front it looks like another farm, plowed fields and barns. Now when you get behind the farm house and start down along the river it transforms to something you’d expect to see in northern Michigan.  Steep gullies, high bluffs, huge oaks and white pines and tons of deer and turkeys. Then you make it to the river edge and you’d swear you’re walking along the Betsie or Big Manistee River in northwest Michigan. Bubbling rapids, large boulders, deep undercut banks, all tugging at your senses, telling you to break out the rod and spawnbags and start fishing for steelheads. Well, actually they do get a small run of both steelhead and salmon on this Mill Creek stream. I’ve personally seen a few and heard tell of some being caught in that stretch of river.

 I was soon running out of light and had to head back for the truck. Creeping up over a big ridge I came upon a crop field filled with deer and turkeys. There had to be dozens of big wide fanned toms and some pretty darn respectable sized deer too!!  As a hunter it still brings a jump to the heart rate to see them even though you know the season is far away. A great evening in he woods on very nice piece of realestate.

Spent pretty much the entire weekend walking properties with clients. It was a beautiful time to be wandering the woodlands. Bright warm sunshine, melting snow and a woods full of critters, or at least their tracks.

 We walked a 75 acre parcel on Sunday near Vassar that had the most turkey sign I believe I’ve ever seen. There were litterally tracks everywhere. The property was a perfect make up of woods, pines, hardwods, poplar, maple, they were all there. Nice rolling terrain and a creek too. Going to make someone a heck of place for a hunting camp. We also walked the 65 acres I have listed near Kingston. That property has yet to let me down as far as deer sightings, and Sunday was no exception. We saw many deer both out in the ag field to the north and roaming in the woods. I also found out that the ice had become weakened from the warm weather. Got to wandering around looking for a corner stake and found myself up to my knees in ice water. I figured there had been plenty of deer wandering on the ice evidenced by all the tracks, guess I must weigh a bit more than the deer. LOL!!! Wound up getting pretty wet, thankful it was warm weatherwise.