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Tom Pink

Tom Pink: Is it too late to save Great Lakes whitefish?

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Michigan, National Fishing, Opinion /

I have been earnestly following the state and tribal efforts to put a stop to the decline in Great Lakes whitefish populations, not just because whitefish are near and dear to me, but because of what they represent to the Great Lakes region, its history, and its people.
In the Sept. 11 issue of Michigan Outdoor News, it was reported that the Michigan Legislature had approved $350,000 toward whitefish recovery, with efforts directed especially in northern lakes Michigan and Huron, where zebra and quagga mussels have severely diminished the population by filtering organisms that young whitefish need to survive.

Tom Pink: Is it too late to save Great Lakes whitefish? Read More »

Tom Pink: Michigan waterfowlers face issues here – and ‘there’

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Michigan, National Hunting, Opinion /

For Michigan waterfowlers, early goose and teal seasons begin on Sept. 1. For ducks other than teal, the northern waterfowl zone opens Sept. 26, and the zones in the Lower Peninsula follow. It’s a long season – the federal framework has allowed us 60 days and a six-bird bag limit for many years.

Tom Pink: Michigan waterfowlers face issues here – and ‘there’ Read More »

Tom Pink: Can anything replace the valued Michigan United Conservation Clubs?

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Hunting, Michigan, National Fishing, National Hunting, Opinion /

I’ve been thinking a lot about Jack Ammerman’s column in Michigan Outdoor News a couple months ago about the impending dissolution of Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and Victor Skinner’s story that followed when the organization’s board made the official decision to close the doors in June.
Since then, many have wondered who or what will take the place of this influential group that had been around since 1937. I didn’t know, until I read Skinner’s story, that MUCC was the largest statewide conservation organization in the country, although I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Tom Pink: Can anything replace the valued Michigan United Conservation Clubs? Read More »

Tom Pink: Take it from me (and my broken leg), help and access are vital in the outdoors

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Michigan, National Fishing, National Hunting /

Many years ago, some friends and I helped someone who had not been able to hunt because of an accident that rendered him blind.
We took him to a place where the walking was easy – a two-track path through an oak forest that held deer, grouse, snowshoe hares and many squirrels. It was the squirrels we hoped to harvest.

Tom Pink: Take it from me (and my broken leg), help and access are vital in the outdoors Read More »

Tom Pink: Sharptail hunters, landowners are happy with Michigan’s Hunting Access Program

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Michigan, National Hunting, Opinion /

I moved to the Upper Peninsula from southeast Michigan more than 40 years ago with the idea of staying for just four years until I finished my bachelor’s degree. I grew up hunting and fishing in the Lower Peninsula, and I was excited to spend some time in the wilds of the UP. (And to spend lots of time cracking my textbooks, of course.)

Tom Pink: Sharptail hunters, landowners are happy with Michigan’s Hunting Access Program Read More »

Tom Pink: Cacophony or euphony? Sounds of the turkey woods

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Michigan, National Hunting /

Turkey hunters use a variety of words to describe the sights and sounds of morning arriving in the woods and fields. Hushed. Peaceful. Beautiful. Inviting. Exciting.
How about this word: cacophony or cacophonous. That’s a word that comes to my mind when the sun just starts to provide a glow to the northeastern horizon and the woods is coming to life.

Tom Pink: Cacophony or euphony? Sounds of the turkey woods Read More »

Tom Pink: Maintaining a spear shack on the ice each winter is worth the work

Blogs, Featured, Fishing, Michigan, Opinion /

Although there is still enough lake and river ice to drive a truck on in some spots in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, we pulled our spearing shack to shore recently. We will still be ice fishing in this neck of the woods for nearly a month, but we’ll be using a portable shanty or sitting on a bucket from here on out. 

Tom Pink: Maintaining a spear shack on the ice each winter is worth the work Read More »

Tom Pink: Checking its stomach will tell your fish’s story

Featured, Features, Fishing, Michigan, National Fishing /

Too many hours of staring into an empty spear hole in my ice shack lately has me wondering about what I can do to get more fish to appear. While the fishing was good in January, it has slowed considerably in February, which is traditionally a slow time for ice fishing in many places.
A long-standing practice for many anglers luring whitefish in Michigan’s St. Mary’s River is to put down a “feed bed” of any combination of things, mostly cooked rice, canned corn, and oatmeal.

Tom Pink: Checking its stomach will tell your fish’s story Read More »

Tom Pink: No need for an Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission

Blogs, Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Michigan, Opinion /

I was a bit surprised at the results of a recent opinion poll in Michigan Outdoor News that asked whether readers believe there should be a separate Natural Resources Commission established for the state’s Upper Peninsula, as opposed to the current NRC that sets statewide hunting and fishing policy. 
Just over 70% of the respondents voted “no,” while 23% voted “yes” and 6% said they were not sure. I thought the vote might be closer.

Tom Pink: No need for an Upper Peninsula Natural Resources Commission Read More »

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