Seasons End

As March draws to a close, there are many things that need to be taken care of and renewed.  First, if you have and shanty's, sleds, snowmobiles or other winter equipment, you'll have to prepare them for storage and get out all the summer fun.  Also, small game season comes to an end and with it, so does your licenses and permits.  So, when the 1st of April comes around, you'll need to purchase new licenses and permits in anticipation of the next year full of adventures and memories and stories to be told.  Warmer weather is on the way and so is all the fun that is to be had.

Finding land to hunt

In Michigan, you don't need to own land to be able to hunt.  Michigan has many state-owned public land to hunt and there are also areas created by the DNR to help promote hunting.  The HAP or Hunting Access Program opens up areas to hunter for small game hunting such as rabbits and ruffed grouse.  All that is required for these areas are a valid license and you sign in and sign out when you enter and leave the property.  Also, you can speak with landowners and get permission from them to hunt their property.  If you don't own property, that shouldn't deter you from getting out and enjoying the great outdoors of Michigan because there are many options for everyone's needs.

Riding the Trails

With warm weather on its way and some areas that still have snow, Michigan has lots of opportunities to enjoy the views of the wilderness.  Weather it's off-roading or snowmobiling miles of trails, you can get out and see what Michigan has to offer all the while sitting on an ATV or snowmobile.  In the Upper Peninsula, Sault Ste. Marie takes advantage of the weather for snowmobile riders to enjoy with the International 500 snowmobile race that occurred just two weeks ago.  Riders and racers from all over the country make the trip to the Sault to compete or watch.  Many others enjoy the trails that stretch across the Upper peninsula with amazing views of Lake Superior or the vast forest it contains.  In warmer weather, you can enjoy the trails on your ATV or jeep mudding through the trails.  Rain or shine, cold or warm, Michigan has plenty to offer.

Baiting

As many outdoorsmen know, baiting is a huge tactic in hunting but it also diminishes the chase of fair game.  Baiting plays a role in the lives of animals, sometimes coercing them into a routine that works in our favor.  I believe that baiting should not be allowed, letting wildlife move in their natural habitat with as little human influence possible allowing them to follow the course that nature intends for them and when being hunted, we should act as a predator in the wild and use nature just like any other predator.  Yes we have different tools to aid us, but if hunting the animals in their natural environment without being drawn to a place we want them.  Instead, we should look for places they go to naturally and let nature take its course with all of the animals adaptive skills and senses to create a fair chase of all game the outdoors has to offer.

Predator Control

Out of all the hunting opportunities throughout the year, sometimes you find yourself in a dead period just looking for a way to get out to the woods.  For hunters who like small game hunting and deer hunting, you like to see quality deer herds and lots of small game to hunt.  To help see this happen, you can hunt coyotes and enjoy more time outside.  There's no limit on how many you can take, and its not always easy hunting, but just like all other game, it's a thrill and gives you a sense of achievement when you harvest a trophy.

Poaching

Around the world, with all of the wildlife available to us and all things valuable that we can obtain from animals, there are people who will obtain those pieces illegally without consideration of how it will effect the animal population.  The Northern White rhinos are on the verge of extinction with the last known male dying in July and three females still living in protection.  These animals are being killed, not for sport, but for their horns that can be used to make items of worth to people who want to have an exotic collection from around the world.  Poaching is a big problem for wildlife conservationists around the world and is damaging our reputation as human beings as we are the only ones that have the power and ability to stop it from happening and protect the wildlife around us.  Rhinos aren't the only animal in danger.  Game wardens in Montana have problems with elk sheds being hunted out of season and elk themselves being killed only for their antlers and the rest of their bodies being left to rot without any other use to those killing them.  When animals are killed like this, it makes it hard for hunters who have a passion for wildlife to get out and enjoy the outdoors as they notice differences in movement and population of species.  It's bad enough that we have to deal with natural reasons of diminishing wildlife, but when we have human causes that effect wildlife, we need to stand up against it and protect and preserve nature for future generations to enjoy.

Living in Michigan, we are surrounded by nature and all it has to offer.  Many businesses use this to help connect customers to all the wonders provided to us that many people miss out on in their daily lives due to where they live or constraints of their daily lives.  Others however, experience what the outdoors has to offer every single day.  With the opportunities that Michigan has to offer, we can snowmobile trails across the state, swim and fish in the Great Lakes, walk the Sleeping Bear Dunes, hike Pictured Rocks, zipline through the forest, cross country ski, and camping along with many others.  We live in a state that has so much to offer and many people miss out, but it's a great way to make memories and go on a vacation and share the beauty of nature with others.  So why not go out and experience everything our great state has to offer and help preserve it for future generations to experience.