EdB

I keep my expired flares in the boat. Might have to test fire the oldest ones off at home to check them. If they work, I'll keep them in the boat. I figure having the old ones as extras might be real helpful if I ever need them.

From the MDNR: Trap-and-transfer effort boosts northern Michigan turkey population When Michigan began rebuilding its wild turkey population in the 1950s, Allegan County was the center of the effort. Birds were brought in from Pennsylvania and were released there. But as the population grew and expansion became a possibility, Michigan wildlife managers began looking north. “A long time ago it was thought that turkeys needed 10,000 acres of contiguous woods with oak trees as large as you could put your arms around,” said Al Stewart, the upland game bird program leader with the Department of Natural Resources. ”At that time, short of the Allegan area, northern Michigan showed a lot of promise.” Areas such as Baldwin and Mio were selected as potential release sites because they had big blocks of lands with mast-bearing trees. “When we put birds up there in the ‘60s, those were the sites that were considered to be the best,” Stewart said. ”Over time we realized that turkeys were more resilient to habitat types such as we had in southern Michigan, more open lands. “But it wasn’t until the 1980s that we decided to really expand turkey populations across the state and that’s when we decided to restore turkey numbers south of that line from Bay City to Muskegon. And at the same time, we began to actively move birds around in northern Michigan.” Fast forward to today and southern Michigan is now where the bulk of Michigan’s wild turkey population lives. Birds in northern Michigan have not fared as well. “In both the Mio area and the Baldwin area – some of our traditional strongholds of turkeys – the birds have been in decline over the last five to eight years,” Stewart said. “There are still oak trees there and winters haven’t been any more severe than in the past, but numbers are still dwindling a bit. Some of that has to do with poor nesting success, but the numbers were going down to lower than what we would consider optimum.” The DNR has embarked on a mission to rebuild Michigan’s northern wild turkey populations. Over the last two years, Wildlife Division staff members have been trapping and transferring birds from thriving southern Michigan populations to northern Michigan. “There are still good numbers of birds in northern Michigan, but from our hunter survey information, we’ve seen some decline in hunter satisfaction and hunter success,” Stewart said. “Those things kind of throw up a red flag for us. But we have the luxury to be able to respond to it; we have birds in southern Michigan, so we’re able to move them and revitalize the populations in that northern range.” DNR staff from the Barry State Game Area recently completed a few successful trap-and-transfer operations, moving 25 birds – 22 hens and three toms – to the Baldwin area. The birds were trapped on private land in southern Michigan and moved to public land in Lake County. (Another six hens, trapped within the city limits of Norton Shores, were also relocated to the Baldwin area.) Wildlife Division personnel scouted the farms around the Barry State Game Area and located several areas that were holding hundreds of birds. They approached the landowners for permission to trap and were warmly received. “A lot of the farmers are willing to share the birds on their property,” said Randy Heinze, a DNR wildlife assistant in Barry County, who worked on the trapping project. “They get apprehensive when they see huge flocks of turkeys in their fields. “One of the landowners said he just thought it was a neat project and was happy to let us take the birds.” DNR wildlife biologist Sara Schaefer, who oversees the county, said there are more than enough birds in Barry County to spare some for northern Michigan. “We have abundant flocks and the reproduction has been very good lately,” she said. “One of those places we trapped had more than 200 birds on it. The population is robust.” Wildlife Division staff baited the fields with corn to concentrate the birds for trapping. Using a compressed-air cannon, which dispatches a net, the staffers watched from a nearby blind until the birds were on the corn pile, then fired the net. They quickly collected the birds, boxed them, and trucked them to northern Michigan to the release sites. It’s a tricky bit of timing as the birds are most easily trapped during winter – when the birds are in big flocks and come readily to corn -- but the wildlife staff didn’t want to move the birds up north while there was still 2 feet of snow on the ground there. So the operation took place in March, when winter was beginning to ebb. It complicated the trapping a bit, but conditions on the ground in northern Michigan were more hospitable to relocated birds. The recent trap-and-transfer operations coincide with habitat improvement projects in the area where the birds were released. For the last several years, DNR Wildlife Division staffers and volunteers from the Michigan Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) have been growing crabapple saplings from root stock at Rose Lake Wildlife Area and transplanting them in the northern turkey range to provide a winter food source. Jim Maturen, co-founder of the Michigan Wild Turkey Hunters Association (MWTHA), said he’s glad to see the DNR move the birds up north. “It’s a win-win situation,” Maturen said. “It shows the landowners in southern Michigan who perceive they have a problem that the DNR is doing something. And at the same time it shows they’re trying to do something for our situation up here.” Tony Snyder, president of the Michigan Chapter of NWTF, described the partnership as “awesome.” “We have long worked with the DNR to support wild turkey management in Michigan,” said Snyder, who has personally helped with trap-and-transfer operations. “It’s a great program.” The DNR’s Stewart said that since the releases were primarily hens, he hopes they’ll add to reproduction in the area as well as add a bit of genetic diversity to the turkey population. Combined with crabapple plantings and additional habitat improvements by the DNR’s Forest Resources Division – which is trying to increase oak production -- he’s optimistic that the transplanted birds will thrive in their new digs. With spring rapidly approaching, it’s unlikely the DNR will be able to trap and transfer many more turkeys this year. But as long as there are robust populations in southern Michigan and landowners who are willing to share them, the opportunity exists to continue relocating birds in the future. To learn more about wild turkey management, hunting opportunities and season information, visit the DNR website at www.michigan.gov/turkey. During a Department of Natural Resources turkey trap-and-translocation outing this month on private lands surrounding the Barry State Game Area, DNR personnel hidden in a blind detonate an air cannon to propel a large net over a small flock of birds gathered at a baited site. Many of the birds will be relocated to the Baldwin area to strengthen population numbers in northern Michigan.| DNR Wildlife Division staff prepare boxes (designed specifically for turkey translocation) donated by the National Wild Turkey Federation. Staff used the boxes to successfully relocate several turkeys trapped on private lands in Barry County and bound for northern Michigan. Just after deploying the compressed-air cannon net to trap the turkeys, Department of Natural Resources wildlife assistant Randy Heinze untangles them from under the net. Heinze was targeting hens as part of a DNR trap-and-translocation effort in Barry County, capturing turkeys for a move north to the Baldwin area. DNR wildlife biologist Sara Schaefer readies a bird to be boxed and shipped to a release site near Baldwin, as part of the Department of Natural Resources’ turkey trap-and-translocation outing in Barry County. The final step of the journey for 22 hens and three toms: release onto public land in the Baldwin area. The turkeys were moved as part of the Department of Natural Resources’ trap-and-translocation effort to strengthen the turkey population in northern Michigan. DNR staff and volunteers from the Michigan Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and Michigan Wild Turkey Hunters Association worked together on this successful outing. Editor’s note: Photos to accompany this story are available for download at www.michigandnr.com//ftp/OutReach/ in the folder marked Turkey Translocation. **Credit photo: Michigan DNR For photo assistance, contact David Kenyon (517) 373-6516 or [email protected].

Quite the day at the office today. They say the NCAA tourney causes a lot of lost productivity in many companies. The wildlife near our office slowed things down a lot today. It started off with a red tail hawk taking out a rabbit on the front lawn. He was eating him on the grass just outside the cafeteria window. A steady parade of people were checking it out. Then a turkey buzzard landed in the tree above him and ended up on the grass waiting his turn. The hawk left and buzzard took over. A half hour later, the hawk came back and drove the buzzard off the kill. The hawk left and buzzard got back to his meal. The parade of spectators continued. Then the squirrel showed up. I missed this part but my buddy had a good view. The squirrel started running tight circles around the buzzard trying to drive him off. The buzzard raised up and flared his wings a couple times to keep the squirrel at bay. Not sure when the buzzard left but when I went out for lunch, the squirrel was on the rabbit eating him. I stopped the truck to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. The squirrel was eating him! After lunch, my buddy comes by office to tell me he saw the squirrel eating the rabbit so at least I have another witness. Must be a hard winter for him, never seen that happen before. When the day was done, the rabbit was gone.

Checked the ice this morning on my lake in southern MI and it is a rock hard 3-4 inches. I might do some spring time ice fishing after work.

St Joe

Also know its a short ride to St Joe if there are issues with the launch when you get there with your boat in April. You can trailer there if needed.

You can't judge it well from that sat. pic. It is not very common for the big lake to get to murky for fishing. It happens in the river plume after heavy rain but it is usually fishable outside of it. The only time it can be a problem is if there is a huge blow for a few days prior to your trip. It really has to rip. Don't let the satellite pic make your decision. Boats will be fishing by April. Your best source of info on lake conditions will be here on these boards once a lot of guys start fishing.

Can't help you on the launch/harbor info but the stained water is always better than clear water in early spring. It has to be very, very murkey to become unproductive. If you only have 3-4 inches of visibility, it will be a problem. You want to target the warmer water and the stained water is usually a few degrees warmer than the blue water in early spring.

Congratulations Matt, looks like it will be a great summer for you.

Hey Terry, We stayed too long fishing on the river and never got down to the docks to check the levels. If I get down there next weekend, I'll try to check. From the forecast this week, doesn't look like a good week to get the trolling season started yet.

Went back and added some pics throughout.

We are on the trailer and headed home. No more bites. I'll edit in some pics later.

I just switched to a bobber. Took off the heavy coat. First cast, nice hen in the boat for me!

The sun is shining, getting warmer. I just landed another colored up male.

John lost his. I hit our first jumper, he was thrashing and leaping. I lost him jumping. Fish are kicking our butts.

Had a lull and John just got one on.

I just put a chrome male in the boat for number 4, Looks like its going to be a great day.

He got him!

Fish on for John. Let's hope he boats this steelie.

Just hit another fish, fought it for 5 minutes and it came unhooked.

Dropped back, John hit one and she come unhooked at the net.. I just lost a screamer that took me into the wood. Hot fish today!

John got a 9 lb hen in the boat.

Fish on for my buddy John.

Got anchored at 7:45. Third cast, wham fish on! I landed a colored up 8lb male. A few minutes later, my buddy hooks up, one run and gone. I'll keep you posted as the day goes by.

Neat concept, not in my budget this year. I think I'd up to some heavier line launching one on a core or diver if I did have them. Line breaks could be costly.