daverichey October 25th, 2009

It's sometimes odd how my blogs come about. Sometimes they are planned long in advance, months before they are posted.

Other times a note from a reader is what triggers the thought for a different kind of blog. Sometimes they just pop into my head while reading the morning paper over coffee.

This topic, if all of us live long enough, will be one  we shall all face. A reader wrote: When do you know the urge to hunt has withered and blown away?

When the flame of fishing or hunting anticipation disappears

It seems a simple question with an equally simple answer. Live long enough, and the answer shall become obvious.

The urge to hunt may leave  any of us at any time although at age 70, I'm happy to admit it hasn't clawed its way into any of my urges and driven me away from fishing and hunting.

Age can play an important role in when this question jumps on a person. A disability or serious health problem can slow or stop any one. The natural attrition of hunters is due, in large part to age, feebleness, illness or some major injury that may make hunting just too difficult or painful to pursue as we grow older.

The average person, based on hundreds of conversations with other sportsmen, can begin to lose his/her urge to hunt anytime after the age of 55 years, and for some, even earlier. For many, they just get lazy and decide not to go out anymore.

Health slowly eats away at a formerly active hunter, and more time is spent dreaming of the old days and not looking forward to future field trips. Often the hunter, growing older, may develop a heart or lung problem that makes it far more difficult to muster up enough energy to hunt regularly.

We all need fishing & hunting buddies

Some sportsmen may lay the blame on not having someone to hunt with, and I'm indeed fortunate with my eye problems, that Kay is not only my best hunting buddy but my wife, and a person who enjoys bow hunting as I do. Some folks are not so lucky, and I know some older hunters who have taken young sportsmen hunting for years, but the youngsters forgot about who originally brought 'em to the dance. Now that is a sorry thought and rude behavior by a younger person.

The urge to stay home comes with the normal aches and pains of aging. Many say they no longer like to eat venison, the woods are too crowded, too many small deer…whatever.

There are usually a variety of reasons. Some folks fear falling from a tree stand, and pin their reluctance to hunt to a fear of falling. Some say they don't see or hear as well as 10 years ago but that happens to almost everyone.

As this progresses, hunters begin making excuses for not wanting to go hunting. Reasons include but are not limited to:

A list of possible excuses

I haven't had time to sight in my rifle. I've found that my shotgun doesn't shoot as well as it once did (which means the hunter is really missing more often). Got me a hitch in my git-a-long. I had forgotten that this hill seems a lot steeper that it once was. I've been huffing and puffing for two years. Don't want to die and miss out on future hunts. The sun is too bright, not bright enough, and the  snow is getting deeper in the woods. etc. Makes it too difficult to get around, and I'm afraid of falling. Gas is too expensive. Doesn't bother them to go bowling, golfing or doing something else. Hunting just isn't as important to me as it was 20 years ago.

I've heard all of these excuses, and countless others, but the fact is the person is too ill, too lame or too lazy to exert the energy to go hunting. It's not the hunting that is at issue here. It is the attitude of the sportsman.

The fact is that hunting can be hard work, but those who stay in decent physical shape won't find it much different. The loss of a close hunting buddy often takes the hunting fire out of the belly of the sportsman who is left behind. Perhaps that is the time to find and teach a younger hunter.

Share your outdoor knowledge with others

Sharing the wealth of a lifetime of fishing or hunting with a youngster can keep us young and more in touch with the seasons and the fish we hope to catch and the game we hunt.

We all grow old and we all grow tired, but hunting at one's own pace is available to all sportsmen. Take your time, remember those past hunts when the fire burned bright and hot in us, and when we couldn't wait to get into the field.

Sometimes, a little kindling in the form of watching a young hunter develop their personal memories, is all it takes to renew our personal interest in hunting.

It may be the start needed to rekindle the hunting flames of yesteryear.

Fanning The Flames Of Personal Outdoor Adventures  ((tag: Dave Richey, Michigan, Outdoors, experiences,fanning,  fishing, flames, hunting, lifetime, rekindle, sharing, work. youngsters

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daverichey October 23rd, 2009

Pre-rut deer are like a walking billboard. They advertise themselves in many ways, and savvy hunters may want to bone up on some of the pertinent data that bucks leave behind as they travel around their home turf.

Deer scrapes are where you can find them during the pre-rut. Those scrapes found along field edges often are "boundary scrapes" that mark the edge of a deer's normal range. They are usually small, and somewhat regularly spaced along a wooded field edge.

A deer will open them up, and may never return again. They serve little purpose other than to mark their personal range. I've seen cases where 10 or 12 scrapes will follow a field edge, and once opened, they are never touched again. A string of boundary scrapes should not be confused with a scrape line or a rub line.

When do bucks visit hot scrapes?

The really hot and active scrapes may be visited several times every day, and most of them will be found in fairly thick, heavy cover although some of the largest scrapes I've ever seen were located in a grove of sparse pines.

The scrapes in that area were all as big as a washtub, and every one had fresh urine, a hoof print and antler tine marks in them. Each one had a licking branch directly above the scrape, and most of the nearby pine trees were nearly girdled by the rakings of a large buck. Know this that a really big and hot buck may yank the licking branch down but I've had great success by tying a new limb in its place

I hunted that area several times over two years, and eventually the big rubs and scrapes disappeared. The buck was working on trees 10 to 12 inches in diameter. It would take a huge buck to do that kind of damage, and I never heard of such a buck being taken and it's likely he died of old age. He may never have been seen.

Some tips on scrapes and what they can tell you

Some of what follows may seem elementary but it's important stuff to know. Fresh and actively maintained scrapes are round or oval in shape, and sometimes one will overlap into another scrape. The ground is pawed away until all grass, leaves and twigs are scattered away.

Nearby trees often feature smooth bark but I've seen many rubs on cedar and pine trees as well as popple, tag alder and maple.

A scrape offers great indications about when the buck is visits and works the scrape, and the clues are easy to spot. Most, if not all, of the pawing will be done in one direction. The dirt, grass, leaves and twigs will pile up at one end of the scrape.

If the dirt is piled up at the end of the scrape closest to thick cover, it usually means the buck is visiting it in late afternoon or early evening while leaving his bedding cover. Dirt piled at the end closest to open feeding fields often are visited in the early morning as the buck heads for heavy cover to bed down.

New or old? Good question, and easily answered. Some scrapes are made, and then abandoned. Perhaps the animal was spooked by a hunter, and went elsewhere. Active scrapes are damp with urine, and often feature one or more hoof-prints and/or antler tine marks.

Old and abandoned scrapes fill in with grass and fallen leaves. An active scrape will be cleaned of all debris once to several times a day, because this is where the buck wants to meet an estrus doe. Of course, bucks and does often meet in open fields or woodlands but the initial contact usually occurs near an active scrape.

Scrape hunting can be exciting

Watching a buck work a scrape is really neat. A young buck knows he is supposed to be doing something but he doesn't have a clue. A buck with some age will often wind-check the scrape from downwind, and if it appears to have been visited by an estrus doe, the buck will tend the scrape.

He will paw the dirt, nibble on the overhead licking branch, rub his forehead scent glands on the overhead branches, urinate in the scrape, paw and stomp it into mud, and hang around nearby. This is when a hunter may get a chance for a shot if he is positioned properly.

Some does often hang close by waiting for the buck, and sometimes, the buck will follow the doe's trail. Such tending bucks often give a low grunt as they follow the hot trail. Bucks usually wind-check active scrapes 20-30 yards downwind of the scrape. The hunter, if he sits 40 yards downwind of the scrape can often  intercept the buck coming through and wind-checking as he walks through the arera

Scrapes full of debris are not being used. Scrapes can go from hot to cold overnight, and a previously active scrape that shows no use provides hunters with another important clue. An active scrape that suddenly shows no use means just one thing: the rut has started.

Rut hunting is a fascinating time to be afield but remember the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. are mid-day hours that bucks prefer. The bucks can appear at any time during the day, and watching a randy old buck hot on the trail of a young doe gives us all hope. Maybe, just maybe, she will lead him past our stand.

One can only hope. Waylaying a nice buck near a scrape does happen but the hunter must always be ready. Big bucks rarely offer a second chance.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Tags: archery, books, bow, dave richey, deer, fishing, hunting, Michigan, outdoors

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daverichey October 9th, 2009

It’s difficult to know where we are going unless we know where we have been, and looking through old outdoor magazines is a pleasant way to spend free time. If you are like me, and are a hopeless romantic when it comes to all things related to fishing, hunting and reading about these pastimes, perhaps this is a good time and a wonderful way to gain a greater understanding of our outdoor heritage.

Many years ago I acquired the fabulous magazine collection of the late Ben East of Holly, Michigan. He was the long-time field editor for Outdoor Life magazine where he worked his red-pencil magic on articles written by other writers. East worked for the magazine for 41 years, and also wrote hundreds of magazine articles for other magazines before beginning his Outdoor Life career. We shared several years of our lives when I was writing full-time and 95 percent of my work went to Outdoor Life, and he was an excellent mentor. His magazines and extensive files spanning his 60-year writing career came to me following his death.

Careful storage of Ben East’s valuable magazine collection

I have carefully stored those old outdoor magazines (as many as 1,000 of them) and other historical files, in a temperature and humidity controlled atmosphere for nearly 20 years. Now, after reading and studying them, it’s come time to part with about 300 magazines from various publications. Storage space has become very limited, and this calls for a drastic but necessary decision to let some magazines go.

Why collect old outdoor magazines? Frankly, the front cover illustrations on older magazines were graced by full-color drawings by leading wildlife artists of the day, and they have become collectible. These color cover drawings had the power to inspire a reader, to make them dream of a fishing or hunting trip that would be the capstone event of their sporting lives.

These drawings evoke a sense of the wilderness and of wild places and things. The artists could capture some of what today’’s photo-illustrated covers cannot. I get goose bumps looking at those old covers, and as a kid of 12 years, my twin brother George and I had our own subscriptions to Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, the Big 3 outdoor magazines of an earlier era. We greeted each magazine arrival with great anticipation, and read the articles from beginning to end, cover to cover.

Learning about our outdoor heritage

We immersed ourselves in the outdoor literature at a time when outdoor writing only meant writing about fishing, conservation issues and hunting. They were my link to the past, to another era when the outdoors only meant the consumptive sports of fishing and hunting. These were not spectator sports, but were participant sports where what you caught or killed was eaten.

What these magazine covers did, and something current outdoor magazines can’t do, is show human emotions. The drawings could be funny, gritty, raw or tug at your heart strings. One could see dejection, happiness, sadness, or it may portray a funny scene. Each cover had an emotional element that was readily apparent when seen, and the covers depicted things that readers could relate to.

Those stories, and particularly the color covers and inside b/w and color art, were the stuff of excitement. The writers wrote Me and Joe stories where people went fishing and hunting, and the reader was welcome to come along for the literary ride. We shared vicariously in the writers’ defeats and successes, and felt as if we were right at their elbow as they made the final stalk on a big ram or caught a heavyweight bass. We traveled to far-off countries, hunted lions and tigers with Jack O’Connor and other firearm writers, and came away with wild and vivid experiences. Those stories carried us off to one adventure after another.

Meet some of the legendary magazine writers

Those were not the days of the how-to story. Instead, those writers knew how to capture the imagination and the thrill of an outdoor experience and weave it into a great read. Many of those writers were legends in their own time. Men such as:

and many others held our minds in their hands as we read along and enjoyed every moment of every story.

Meet and treasure the outdoor illustrations of these legendary artists

However, as great as these writers were, it was the artists who drew the color cover illustrations that took our mind away from other things and captivated us with the artistic mastery of their drawings. There were artists named

and many others.

Here’s the deal

A total of 301 of these magazines will be offered for sale but there are far too many to list here. If you are interested in some great old outdoor magazines from Ben East’s personal collections, send a personal check for $5 with the word magazines in the subject line, and I’ll send the complete list which notes the magazine name, date of publication, a listing of some of the authors in that issue, and notes on the artist and topic of that particular cover.

Your $5 fee will be refunded from the cost of the first purchase. Orders of $50 or more will be shipped free. I can send scans of the covers but please limit your choices to three per order.

Various magazines being offered

Magazines include

• Boy’s Chum
• Field & Stream
• Fishing Facts
• Fishing & Hunting Guide
• Forest & Stream
• Fur-Fish-Game
• Great Lakes Fisherman
• Hunting & Fishing
• Hunter Trader Trapper
• Michigan Sportsman
• National Geograpic (only one)
• National Sportsman
• Outdoor Life
• Outdoors
• Outers Recreation
• Outdoor Recreation
• Outdoorsman
• Sports Afield
• The Michigan Sportsman
• The Northern Sportsman
• The Sportsman

Most magazines are one of a kind and all are scarce while some are rare. Sales will be made on a first-come basis.

Categories of outdoor magazine covers

This listing is broken down into broad categories including

• Atlantic Salmon Fishing
• Bass Fishing
• Bears
• Brook Trout
• Comic or Mood Scenes
• Deer & Deer Hunting
• Duck & Goose Hunting
• Exotic Wild Game
• Game Bird Hunting
• Hunting Dogs
• Lake Fishing
• Misc. Outdoor Action
• Muskellunge
• River Fishing
• Saltwater Fishing
• Various Wildlife
• World War II Related

How to pay

1) Make checks payable to

2) Enclose

• your complete address (home)
• e-mail address
• magazine name
• publication date
• price

These magazines will make a novel and much appreciated birthday or Christmas gift. Although I don’t recommend it, magazine covers do look wonderful when framed under glass, and hung on a cabin, den or recreation room wall wherever sportsmen gather. Each order will be accompanied by a letter from me certifying that these magazines originated from the outdoor magazine collection of Ben East. E-mail me at www:daverichey.com to determine availability before ordering.

Please note that there is a wide variation in prices, which is determined by the artist’s stature as a magazine illustrator, content, scarcity, presence of inside art, and topic of the cover art. These magazines date back to the 1920s through the 1950s, and only a very few are newer.

Here is a rare opportunity to own something that once belonged to the legendary Ben East, the Dean of Michigan outdoor writers. All lists will be sent by e-mail. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

Tags: artists, artwork, authors, categories, conservation, dave richey, fishing, hunting, legends, Michigan, outdoors, writers

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daverichey September 28th, 2009

Positive thinking can take anglers and hunters farther down the road to success than negative thoughts. I’m going walleye fishing later this week, and I’m already feel confident and positive about catching fish.

One thing I’ve noticed over many years in this fishing and hunting business, and writing about trips and photographing them during my freelance career and my 23+ years as the staff outdoor writer for The Detroit News, is that negative thinking is a downer. People who also plan to go fishing tonight are probably asking themselves: “I wonder if we’ll hit the walleye bite tonight? I hope we catch some fish.”

Think positively at all times

Not me. I know we will hit the bite, know we are going to catch some fish, and feel good about our prospects. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit to being wrong on occasion, but none of us bat 1,000 percent. I find myself being successful far more often than not wit this attitude.

For me, my glass is always half-full while pessimists believe their glass is half empty. I am the eternal optimist. I try to see the upside about everything I do, and although that doesn’t work all the time, thinking positive thoughts are important to personal success.

I’ve used this analogy before. A red-white Dardevle has always worked for me when casting or trolling for northern pike. There is something special about the spoon’s wobble and paint job that turns on big pike.

So, do you suppose I’d make a pike fishing trip here in Michigan or in Ontario without carting along 10 pounds of Dardevles of various colors and sizes? It’s not very likely I would trust a day or week of my fishing time without bringing along lures that have always proved themselves as being superb fish-catchers.

Positive thinking leads to making better decisions

Positive thinking can make any fisherman or hunter better at these pastimes. Looking on the bright side of things is like carrying a lucky rabbit’s foot in your pocket. It gives you a mental edge, and often, that’s all it takes to become productive on the water or in the woods.

One of the key things about positive thinking is it has a tendency to point your brain in the proper direction, and that allows the human mind to filter out extraneous stuff and narrow our focus onto things that will help.

There isn’t a night I hunt deer that I don’t believe an opportunity will present itself. That I turn down many opportunities to shoot a buck or doe, or once or twice a year, hunt without seeing a single animal, is beside the point. It doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm or cause me to second-guess my reasons for being afield.

You see, I believe in myself and my personal abilities. I know what to do, when to do it, and am confident that my tactics will work. If they don’t, regardless of the reason, I still continue to believe in myself and that makes me much more confident when fishing or hunting.

Seek out opportunities & make ‘em work for you

Looking into the crystal ball doesn’t show me doom and gloom. It shows me a vast number of opportunities to succeed, to catch fish, shoot deer, and to do all of the other things that I write about.

It allows me to believe in myself. A personal belief that the fish will hit, the deer will move, the roosters will flush in front of the pointer, are deeply held beliefs. These thoughts bring hope to my heart, and with such positive thoughts, it makes me a better angler and hunter.

When and if something goes wrong, and the fish don’t bite or the game doesn’t move, it’s not my fault. There are days when such things do not happen, and it’s somewhat easier to chalk it up to how nature works. But, even though I get skunked on the lakes and streams at times, it’s not because I wasn’t thinking positively.

My beliefs are simple: I believe in my personal fishing and hunting abilities. I believe that I can catch fish and shoot a buck if I wish, and even though I pass up deer every year, the opportunities for success are there whether I choose to shoot or not. I believe my thoughts on fishing and hunting are positive in my mind, and that those thoughts and this whole concept is what makes me successful.

For me, believing in myself is very important. Anglers and hunters who strive to be optimistic rather than pessimistic are generally the most successful sportsmen of all.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors

Tags: beliefs, buck, Dardevles, dave richey, doe, fishing, hunting, Michigan, northern pike, optimism, outdoors, positive thinking, whitetails

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daverichey September 24th, 2009

Everyone collects something. Writers collect information, baseball fans collect cards of their favorite players, and hockey fans collect sweaters of favorite players or signed hockey-pucks or sticks.

My mother collected old Mason canning jars and hid change in old pill bottles. I go through enough pill bottles, but have precious little change to save. Besides, I prefer what little money I have to be in my pocket.

People have been known to collect string, wire and tin foil. Most of my collecting was related in one way or another to fishing, hunting or trapping for the past 50 years. I even have an old bear trap found while Atlantic salmon fishing in New Brunswick. My guide once trapped black bears in that Canadian Province.

The world of fishing and hunting is rife with things to collect. My brother collected old Michigan-made fishing lures and black-white postcards, especially those with fish on them. I helped him locate lures and he helped me track down old fishing and hunting books.

What Is Collectable?

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