By Leon E. Hank
Buy new: $12.95
13 used and new from $4.04
Customer Rating:
First tagged by jlambert
Customer tags: qdma, waterfowl, hunting, upper peninsula, outdoors
Review & Description
The book Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers has 50 true life stories that describe the unique culture of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, called "the UP" and the heritage of hunting in the UP. People who have ties to the UP are called "Yoopers" and this book celebrates the proud Yoopers and their proud hunting experiences. The book tells how many UP residents came to our country and to this remote location from eastern Europe. The author talks about the timber industry and its importance to developing the UP and supplying jobs to its residents. The book also talks about challenges to retaining the UP culture because young Yoopers leave, going to other areas of the country as they search for better jobs and careers. For the hardcore hunter, there are stories about whether we should use bait for deer, how we will live with wolves, how we track wounded deer, which deer we should shoot, and how we control buck fever. There are chapters about ruff grouse, sharptails, geese, ducks, and those frequently howling UP coyotes. For youngers, there are tales of pursuing frogs and chipmunks, as the training ground for bigger game to follow. And there are stories about favorite guns, bows, arrows, and a very special three-legged bird dog. There are also stories about four generations of one family hunting together out of the same deer camp and all four hunters getting a deer. There is also an emotional story of a 95-year old hunter wanting to kill one more buck before he moves on to the final hunting ground. Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers has three chapters about Michigan's great black bears and the excitement they can give a hunter, especially at point-blank range. There are also lots of habitat tips in this book for hunters who want to make their land into a wildlife paradise. Readers will learn about planting oaks and conifers for cover, creating waterfowl wetland ponds, making productive food plots in the middle of the woods, and managing timber for wildlife and profit. This advice comes from some of the best landmanagers in the state including Michigan's Mr. Food Plot, Ed Spinazzola. There is also a chapter about remodeling the perfect Yooper hunting cabin. For non-hunters, there is a chapter about a wife discussing a man's hunting obsession on the Oprah Show. There are also lots of stories about families and those important loved ones who mean so much to us. Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers talks about the development of deer management in Michigan and the work of the state's Natural Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources in managing our wildlife. The book extensively covers how some hunters become involved in "Deer Politics," the politics of hunting and wildlife management. The Hank family has also hunted for decades on public hunting lands in the UP, including in the great Gogemain Swamp near Stalwart and Raber. Throughout the book, there are numerous hunts and adventures that happen deep in the vast forests of the eastern UP's Gogemain, the "Burning" and "Hungry Hill." Proud Hunters Proud Yoopers explores the emotions of being a hunter and how hunters evolve over their lifetimes into land managers and stewards of wildlife, becoming some of our best conservationists. Test Read more
