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Skunks begin waking up in late...

It certainly isn’t the most pleasant thing to see or smell alongside of the road, but it’s a definite sign of spring, no less.

I’m talking about skunks.

After awakening from a long winter snooze in late February or early March, skunks are in the mood for love and become active – so active in fact,  that many of them suffer their demise at the wheels of passing cars along many of our area’s rural roads. I’ve already seen and smelled several of them.

Skunks don’t hibernate, but they do become inactive for extended periods at a time during winter months. Described as shy, secretive and solitary, the only time they actually come together is during breeding season, and during the winter when you might find several of them sharing a den.

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Dave Bouck sets up an underwat...

Like everything else in life, ice fishing sure has come a long way since I was a kid.  At the risk of sounding like my dad when he told the old story about walking three miles, uphill in a blinding snowstorm to school, my thoughts about ice fishing have a familiar ring to them.  

When I was originally introduced to ice fishing at age 7, we would unload the Plymouth station wagon with all our stuff, pile our gear onto a rusty old two-runner sled, and pull it through what seemed to be record book amounts of snow to the awaiting lake.  With four excited kids, once again, Dad had opted for a fanatical fishing experience.

After finally agreeing on a good spot, we each used a little “elbow grease” to manually drill our holes through the ice with an ice auger.  In doing so, we worked up a good sweat, eliminating the necessity for a warm ice shanty.  We then found the correct fishing depth by snapping a standard sounder onto our lines, then lowering them to the weedy bottom of the lake.  We baited our teardrop hooks with wax worms and there we sat waiting for a fish to bite.  Sometimes it could be a long wait. Finding the “right spot” meant trial and error.  Going to all that effort with four easily-distracted kids and getting everyone set for a non-guaranteed fishing expedition seems awfully brave to me these days!

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Hunter Bemman bagged this 5-po...

GROVELAND TOWNSHIP, Michigan - Last week, Hunter Bemman lived up to his name, bagging his first deer ever – a 5-point buck with a crossbow in the woods behind his house.

“That kid was so excited,” his mom, Karri Bemman said. “He and his dad weren’t out there even 20 minutes and the deer came in about 15-feet away.”

One precisely aimed shot later, Hunter had reason to celebrate.  “I’m not sure who was more excited about the deer – them or me,” Karri said of Hunter and his dad, Tim Bemman.

Now that Hunter got the venison, Karri will be looking for a few ideas on how to prepare the meat this winter. Well, fear not, Karri – there are a million things you can do.

The two main gripes about venison are that it tends to be a little tough, and can also have a wild or gamey flavor.

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Sue Julian

CLARKSTON, Michigan – Despite the advances of urban sprawl into northwest Oakland County, the North Oakland County Headwaters Land Conservancy (NOHLC) remains stalwart in its battle to preserve the area’s precious natural resources. The organization has gained great ground – quite literally – since its early inception in the 1960s.

Last week, the NOHLC announced it now seeks national accreditation through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance.

“During the last three years, NOHLC has been restructuring its organization with an eye on becoming the best in class among Michigan-based land conservancies,” NOHLC President Sue Julian said. “Achieving accreditation assures our donors and landowners that we are dedicated to the highest conservation standards.”

Accreditation affirms that NOHLC meets national quality standards for protecting natural resources and complies with standards for ethical and technical operation of a land trust.