Staff Author TR Michels

Column – TR’s Hunting Tips
Subject – Hunting Tips and Tactics
Authors Website – view

TR’s contributions to the online magazine come in many different forms of hunting and understanding your game before heading into the field. His articles reflect game animals such as whitetail deer, elk, and wild turkeys.

About The Author:
T.R. Michels has been called, “The most versatile hunting seminar speaker in North America.” He is nationally recognized for his action-packed, informative seminars, which are based on his experience as a wildlife researcher and professional guide.

As a speaker for seventeen years he has appeared at the Deer and Turkey shows in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin; and at the Chicago Sport Show, Chicagoland Sport Show, Denver Sportsmen’s Show, Eastern Iowa Sport Show, Gulf South Hunting and Fishing Show, Louisiana Sportsmen’s Show, Michigan Outdoorama, Milwaukee Sentinel Sport Show, Minneapolis Sport Show, Minnesota Game Fair and the Quad Cities Outdoor Show, He has also been the featured speaker at the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association banquet, the Iowa Bowhunters Association banquet and the Christian Deer Hunters Association banquet.

As an outdoor writer for seventeen years, T.R. has written articles for the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter and InSights, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Turkey Call, Petersen’s Bowhunting, Bow & Arrow Hunting, Buckmasters, Fur-Fish-Game; the Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Sportsman; and North American Whitetail. In 2003 those magazines published ten feature articles on whitetail, elk, turkey, pheasant, duck and goose by T.R. In addition, he has columns in the Rub Lines and Whitetail Fanatic magazines; is a regular contributor to Adventure Sports Outdoors, Dakota Outdoors, Fish and Game Finder, Fishing and Hunting News, Indiana Outdoor News and Midwest Outdoors; and has written for Bird Dog News, Dakota Country, Wildfowl, Waterfowl USA, the Christian Bowhunters Association Speaking Out and the Christian Deer Hunters Association newsletter. He also writes for several hunting related Inter! net services: Bowhunitng.Net, Fish and Game Finder, HuntingNet.Com, Up North Outdoors. He has also authored seventeen books, including the Whitetail, Elk, Goose, and Turkey Addict’s Manuals; Hunting Northern and Western Game; the seven volume Deer Addict’s Manual series; the Scrape Hunters Manual; and three Outdoorsman’s Cookbooks.

T.R. has spent several years studying game animal behavior, including communication through vocalization, scents and visual stimuli; and ways to use this knowledge to attract game. He conducted a seven-year study to determine how weather and lunar factors affect deer movement and rut related activity; and the effectiveness of using scrape activity to determine when and where to hunt whitetail bucks. He conducted a four-year study to determine how seasonal and current weather conditions and lunar factors affect turkey movement, gobbling, and breeding activity. He has also conducted a study to determine how elk activity is affected by meteorological conditions and lunar factors; what calls elk use and how they use them; and how daily and seasonal bugling are affected by age, dominance and competition among bull elk.

As a professional guide, and owner of T.R. Michels Guide Service, T.R. specializes in trophy whitetail, turkey and bear hunts in Minnesota, and has guided in the Rocky Mountains for elk and mule deer. His clients include former Federal Cartridge Corporation owner Alan Newcomb, Trebark Camouflage designer Jim Crumley, former Feather Flex Decoys manager Dave Berkley, retired Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant, retired professional wrestlers Vern Gagne and Paul Ellering, and outdoor writers Kathy Etling, Mark La Barbara, Mike Strandlund, Norman Strung and John Zent.

As the owner of Trinity Mountain Outdoors T.R. is also active in the design of hunting products. He devised the Daily Deer Movement Indicator, the Moon Indicator, the Rut Phase Indicator and the Rut Indicator, which predict deer movement based on weather conditions, lunar factors, and rut activity. He also devised the Turkey Activity Indicator, which predicts daily turkey activity based on weather conditions; and the Turkey Breeding Phase Indicator, which describes the various phases of the turkey breeding season, and when they should occur. He is the innovator of the Feather Flex Upwind goose decoy, their bedded deer/elk/antelope decoys, their rabbit decoy, and the influence behind their strutting turkey decoy. His research on goose behavior is the influence behind the white crescent found on many goose flags and goose decoys. He has also consulted on the design of elk, goose and turkey calls.

To learn more about this author we invite you to read his column in each issue of our online magazine or visit his website for a personal view.

Article List for TR Michels
Call Like A Duck
Understanding Turkeys
Pre-Late Breeding, Late Breeding and Post Rut Phases
Habitat Management and Fire
Corn Country Bucks
Cashing In On Metro Bucks
Foul Weather Turkey Hunting
February/March Deer Management
Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques
Duck Hunters
Seasonal Elk Activity
Hunting Merriams Turkeys on the Nebraska Plains
Wildlife Watching
Elk Calling
Become A Predator
Choosing Deer Stands
Understanding Daily Deer Movement
February Deer Management
April Deer Management
May Deer Management
Whitetail Security Factors
Stand Placement for Whitetails
Duck Hunters