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Posts by TR Michels

Foul Weather Turkey Hunting

Foul Weather Turkey Hunting

Foul Weather Turkey Hunting by TR Michels article copyright Even though the first day of the spring turkey hunt was cloudy, and a cold wind was blowing, I headed for the soybean field where I had seen a flock of turkeys appear just after daylight for the last two weeks. I was fairly sure the […]

February/March Deer Management

February/March Deer Management

February/March Deer Management by TR Michels article copyright February White-tailed deer in the northern and mid-latitude states should be on their winter home ranges, looking for remaining/preferred food sources. In some areas there may still be some fawns getting bred. In the south they may still be on fall ranges, and still breeding. Coping with […]

Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques

Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques

Advanced Duck Hunting Techniques by TR Michels article copyright Normal duck hunting techniques work well during the first part of the season on the “locals” and early season migrants. However, the local ducks usually learn that the season is open in a very short time. They know where they’ll get shot at, what decoys spreads […]

Duck Hunters

Duck Hunters

Duck Hunters by TR Michels article copyright Each fall as the cold descends upon the northern lands many species of waterfowl begin their migration south to warmer climates. Duck hunters also begin their yearly migration. They leave their everyday lives as farmers, laborers, clerks, doctors, lawyers, businessmen and the thousands of other jobs that occupy […]

Seasonal Elk Activity

Seasonal Elk Activity

Seasonal Elk Activity by TR Michels article copyright Migration Because of their large size and food requirements, and because mountainous habitat forces many herding animals to wander during the summer and fall in search of food, elk often migrate when severe cold or snow depths make it difficult for them to survive and find food. […]

Hunting Merriams Turkeys on the Nebra...

Hunting Merriams Turkeys on the Nebraska Plains

Hunting Merriams Turkeys on the Nebraska Plains by TR Michels article copyright The sun was already high in the sky when Bill and I saw our first Nebraska turkeys. They weren’t in the wooded ravines where I expected them; they were just off the highway that ran through the Sandhills region of north central Nebraska. […]

Wildlife Watching

Wildlife Watching

Wildlife Watching by TR Michels article copyright As I looked out the kitchen window last spring I was astonished to see three male Indigo Buntings and five male Rose Breasted Grosbeaks on the ground. It was the first time I had ever seen an Indigo Bunting, and I was amazed. Their blue color was astonishing; […]

Elk Calling

Elk Calling

Elk Calling by TR Michels article copyright As I sat quietly in the pre-dawn darkness a scream of a bull elk split the silence. I knew the bull was close because I could hear it coming through the trees. I waited a few minutes, and then a cow called softly. The elk screamed again and […]

Become A Predator

Become A Predator

Become A Predator by TR Michels article copyright One of the reasons humans aren’t successful when they hunt is because they don’t become a hunter. Putting on hunting clothes and picking up a hunting weapon does not make you a hunter. Taking a weapon into the field with the intention of hunting does not make […]

Choosing Deer Stands

Choosing Deer Stands

Choosing Deer Stands by TR Michels article copyright An understanding of deer behavior and travel patterns can help you choose a hunting site. Because deer feed primarily during low light conditions they have two primary rest periods, late at night and during mid-day. Generally they leave their daytime bedding areas in heavy cover late in […]