# The big woods.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Kare and I spent a good amount of time searching for what was supposed to be our retirement property. We finally closed on 37 acres in Michigan's UP with a half mile of frontage on Big Bay De Noc. 
The land is nearly completely surrounded with federal land which not to many use as it is most cranberry bogs, miserable stuff to try to walk across. 
Our place is divided by a black top road about a even split of the acreage, about 15 acres of hardwoods and the rest about 10 acres of thick cedar swamp the rest cranberry bog and beach. 
We closed on the property Nov 3d 1991. I felt to late to fire harm deer hunt there that year, plus I didn't have a place to stay nor any idea how to hunt woods like that. I had always deer hunted wood lots of 40 acres or less in farm country. No farms any where near this UP property. 

I had all summer to make plans to hunt the property in 1992, First thing was a place to stay. I found a used travel trailer at a reasonable price, Made plans to meet my dad at the property with his tractor. I needed to go get a culvert we had bought and lay in the ditch for a drive way. Then use the tractor for better maneuverability to pull the travel trailer in and set it where Kare and I had planed on putting it. Dad had forgot to put the draw bar on the tractor so that didn't happen. I just cut some trees down so I could make wider swings with the truck. 

Every chance I had to use vacation time Kare and I would go up for a long weekend planted over 500 white spruce trees along the road making it so it looked like all Pines from the road in the future. Today they are really thick and block any view people on the road would have of the cabin. 

Firearm deer season is coming up in Nov and some of the guys at work asked about hunting the place with me. I told 5 guys I would be happy to have them join me, slowly one by one they came up with an excuse not to join me till the first of Nov. one guy was left, I am counting down the days and making list of things I needed to take up there with me. Finally I am finished with the list, started packing things in my truck. A 55 gallon barrel of water, four 20 pound tanks of propane since that is all I had at the time. the generator finished off all the big stuff. Just food that Kare was cooking and freezing for me for bigger meals, clothing and hunting equipment. 
November 12 I walk in to work and meet the fellow the last one who was going to go with me. He informed me that he wasn't going to go with me, several excuses but the biggest one he dwelled on was they were not allowing any doe hunting in that DMU. That put me in a pickle as it was really late to find some one who didn't already have plans already. Kare was not hot on me hunting the first time there all alone. Day before I was to leave which was going to get canceled it seemed Kare told me she would go up there with me so I would be able to hunt and she wouldn't worry so badly about me there alone. We left Nov 13th drove up and got the camp set up for the week (7day) stay. Kare came down with some thing and was running a high temp after four days so I packed up and brought her home. I went back for the Dec. ML season alone to finish the first year we owned the place.

 Al


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## diamondtim (Jun 10, 2005)

Good story. Thanks for sharing.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

*THANK YOU FOR THE NICE COMMENT.*

We started year 2 with a trip to the property in late May with more trees to plant. This time I had about 150 white pines and 50 some white spruce to put down the south west property line. 
Also had some wall nut trees my dad had dug up from part of his yard as an experiment to see if they would grow there next to the bay that controls the climate some. Ok we had went up in the winter over the schools Christmas break for the kids but we had gotten a motel room so we could swim and use the hot tub after a day of cross country skiing. we skied the logging trails which are few in the area, mostly the Hiawatha trail east of Rapid River for 5 days. I don't count that really.
We went up again in Late June, Kare and I spent 5 days there while our son and daughter spent 5 days at Michigan Tec in Houghton. Kare and I spent a lot of time walking the beach ours plus the 1mile and half of the feds property down to the river. Also at the end of June we went to a wedding of a family member, My old hunting partner was there also. I asked if he was still hunting with his sons, I knew one had moved to Utah but the oldest still lived near by. He told me no that the oldest boy had some friends who got together and hunted together in mid Michigan. I asked if he wanted to go hunting with me in the UP he said he would go p and take a look at the place and let me know. He called in early in August to say he would like to go and wondered about some of our other friends. I told him that would be great but all 4 of them declined till the 1993 season.
Stuff we learned on that 1992 season was some thing we relied on for the next 12 years. We named places where we had ruff brush blinds and just a good spot up against a tree. Rick was fond of a spot across a clearing on my place thru the Indian cemetery up a hill where there were a half dozen huge hemlock trees he called hemlock hill and where he harvested his first UP buck a 4 point, same day I got my first UP buck a 6 point in out hardwoods which just became the hard woods.
He could only hunt the first week so we went home, I returned alone with the Idea I would not be going roaming while there alone. I had already discovered A couple places where I could make a compass needle spin like a top from the iron ore in the soil. So ended year # 2

 Al


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

I agree...thanks for sharing the story Al. Pack plays tonight against the Queens....we sure would like a win. Go Pack!

Bow season started here yesterday...the herd numbers look great this year.

brownegg


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## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

Ahhh, free public education in America. It's a shame more don't appreciate and take full advantage of it


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I've had partners bail out on me like that on a couple occasions.
It's pretty frustrating, but I've learned to say the heck with it and just go solo. Biggest thing to remember hunting solo is to just slow down and be a bit more careful about everything.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Year 3 started in mid march when Kare and I went up and stayed at the travel trailer for a long week end and snowmobiled around the area. 

We had got wet one day in year two hunting and got caught a good ways from camp. Every try to figure out how to hang hunting coats and pants in a 22ft travel trailer to dry so you could wear them the next day?

I bought a 10x10 barn style shed kit in late April, I had them load it on my equipment trailer because I wanted to take my small tractor with the blade up there and level a spot for it and level by the travel trailers door. Kids got out of school for the summer in early June, went off to spend a week with Kare's folks. Kare and I went up to the camp for a week. I used the tractor to level for the shed then we unloaded the kid near that spot. Took the trailer with us to the Garden peninsula to get some flat shale rock we had seen along some logging trails on federal land. Got the shale back and laid it out so the shed would set level not that took a lot of trial and error to get it right. The remaining shale I laid in front of the trailer as a patio and it looked good. 

I also decide d on that trip I needed a source for potable water on the property with out driving to a camp ground and filling pails and jugs with water. Summer bathing was easy just wade out in the bay a half mile or so to get in knee deep water.

Once we were back home I went about collecting pipe and driving couplers & caps. For our family vacation that year we went to camp, kids and Kare would go swimming and walking he beach picking up treasures while I used a hand post hole digger to start the hole for the well pipe. I had called the county (Delta) and asked what depth I had to go to and they said Michigan minimum was 25 feet. I had 18 feet in a couple 3 hours spread over a couple of days, that last 7 feet took forever it seemed. I figure I hit a ledge of shale at 18/19 feet and it took about 4 hours to get thru that, maybe 2 feet. I had bought a pitcher pump at an auction sale several years ago to go with out antique collections of things. It worked good once primed to bring up that sweet tasting water. There was a flowing well with some sulfur tasting water down the road a bit where we got the water to prime the pump. We always kept a couple of gallon jugs for the first prime every year and learned to soak the pitcher pump to soften the leathers so it didn't take so much water to prime it.

Now we are ready for my 3 year of fire arm deer season. We had Glen, a friend of a friend Paul, Glens friend and a old work friend of Ricks. Jim a old child hood friend of mine I had stayed in touch with and his brother Don.
We had a good time and every one just pitched in to do cooking, dish washing and other camp chores like pumping water making the coffee that we drank gallons of every day. Every one had to go home in 7 days but I stayed alone for another 7 days as I had learnt a bunch and wanted to make some brush blinds and trails.

Glen died in the early summer of a heart attack while fishing a favorite trout stream.
He was the first to leave us and who we did our first toast to day before season opener every year. We never did ask any one else to take his place, just seemed right.
Ended Year # 3


 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

*Again thanks for the reply's.* 

The pack lost, I watched the game to the bitter end being a pack fan. Detroit lions, Who Dat? some small college team of some thing?
I don't think to OL did a good job or protecting Rogers. I also don't think Rogers has his head in the game every since I had heard he was love sick last year.

I can excuse a person who bails at the last minute, when there is some kind of family emergency. I have no use for some one who waits till the last minute with a reason they didn't allow doe hunting in that DMU, or he couldn't come up with the money for a trip. should know how the money is at least 30 days ahead of time. I never had room for him to go again even though he kept asking for a few year after when I would come pack and post the pictures on my work bench. Crap on me once shame on me and I did learn.
I did allow two other guys to come in 2006 after my last partner passed away. Should have just packed and went home as soon as they arrived. Brought a uninvited friend and they had been drinking pretty good before they got there. We so lazy you had to kick them in the rear to get a arm load of fire wood for the furnace. and a real small arm load at that.
I called Kare and told her to call me that evening with a family emergency. They wanted to stay and lock up when they went home but I would not let them, didn't trust them.

 Al


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Bringing an uninvited friend to deer camp would be a problem with me.
Nothing wrong with somebody new joining the group, heck it's always good to meet new people and that is how we forge friendships, but it should be worked out beforehand, introductions made and everyone in agreement, rather than just showing up.


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Yep, the Deer camp needs to be in rhythm without anyone telling someone what needs to be done. The pack is not in rhythm either, and the results are less than stellar. I woulda kicked the field goal and not left points on the field.

I prefer to hunt alone....most folks just aren't savvy enough to the knowledge of the deer.
If you see orange....then you will see deer.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ya a field goal would have made it a tie at the end of regulation time.

Would have been my first year of hunting all alone, and I just wasn't sure how I would feel hunting there alone after so many years with a group and the last 3 with Rick.
Those two clowns don't even belong to the sportsman club any more they wore out their welcome there too. Never showing up for work week ends like they were supposed to or surking their share of the job.

I hunt alone today don't have a problem with it. I tell Kare I will be back at such a time and here is where I am going so send the people there to get the remains if I don't return on time.

Till the cabin was built the chores were cooking and doing dishes, filling the generator with fuel and making sure the oil was up to snuff and pumping water. With the original group we and our wives cooked freezable meals at home enough to feed 6 at a sitting. Then we took turns for supper heating the stuff up usually what you brought. Breakfast 99% of the time was rick doing the cooking he liked doing that and we knew when he brings a big grill plate to cook breakfast on. Dinner was a lot of sandwiches made with home made meat loaf, canned fish made like tuna and other types of sandwich stuff. We always made a big kettle of bean soup to go with the sandwiches, and a pot of chili. We always ate good. Rick always brought a huge box full of home made bread enough for all of us for 7 days.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Year 4 started in May during a extended Memorial weekend. I had been to a auction sale and bought a brush hook axe, to clear some brush away from the trailer and shed.










I also wanted to do some fishing on the bay. Back in my early 20's I used to go to Wilderness state park west of Mackinaw city with a couple old school mates who were still single. Rig a crawler harness up and wade out in the shallow water till we came to some rock formations that had sandy places around them then crawl the crawler thru there and pickup bass that were spawning. Since the bay by our camp was similar I thought I would give it a try. It proved to be good fishing for bass and walleyes too.
Later after school was out the family went up for the family vacation there. I took the canoe, Daughters last summer vacation with us before heading to college in the fall. She and I took the canoe down the road about 10 miles from camp and put in the river a natural non cleared river that flowed to the bay, we set a time for the wife to meet us at the bridge just before the bay. We got there and had to wait but we really had a great time floating the river and it has been our time together every since. Now in her late 30's she will come home and say lets take the canoe to the lake, I know now she wants to talk about private stuff with me, like her divorce before any one else. She had also asked if her boy friend could go on vacation with us, I was against it but was over ruled by Kare. KI was right in the end as they got in a argument a couple days before we were to leave so it got uncomfortable.
We never had a family vacation there again. 

Deer season rolled around and every one showed up as they said they would. Of course there was much talk of glen and many stories of times spent with him. We all did some scouting of old blinds and fixing any that needed a bit more brush piled on. We also decided we needed a buck pole, we filled it nearly the first 4 days.
Again I stayed the second week alone to do things I wanted to do, clear more brush from around camp. 

End year 4


 Al


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Here you go Al...turn up the speakers...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IheODRwalEw[/ame]


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

Here in PA, the first day of buck season is pretty much a holiday. Most manufacturing business's are closed, schools are closed, etc.

When my wife & I first moved here to our farm, I was forever kicking hunters off our land. People who just assumed they could hunt here - because "We've hunted here for the past 5 years." or some such excuse.

Once here, my wife's Father invited his friend to come down here and hunt. It worked good for a while, but then his son started hunting here too. He wanted to make sure the property was posted, and towards the end, it just got to be trouble. He finally got too old to hunt - it was kind of nice to be rid of him and his son.

A local family asked if they could hunt here, and I agreed. Again, it was taken advantage of. For several years they just showed up and hunted - never asked each year - just assumed it. The one year I heard my wife (and other neighboring property owners) telling me that deer were running through and the guns were just being unloaded with bullets flying where ever, after that season, I told them they were done. By that time my son was hunting, and I just used the excuse that we were going to hunt the whole farm and didn't need other hunters.

Over several years, I now have several local church members who hunt here. They ask us EVERY single year, if they can hunt, they do not take it for granted, and they usually reward us with a gift card, or candy, or a frozen turkey. I've told them they don't need to, but they are just so thankful to be able to hunt here. And if I ever needed a favor or anything, they would bend over backwards to help.

It takes time to find the grateful ones. It doesn't take long to spot the "users" who aren't grateful and think one invitation to hunt, means they have a lifetime place to hunt, and don't need to ask anymore.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Year 5 started in July on the property. Both Kids got invites to Michigan tec. for 2 weeks of college type classes in engineering. Kare and I took them up then came back to the property. We just loafed some, I cleared more brush and we marked out where we wanted to build my work shop that would serve as the cabin till I retired and built the house. That was a lot of trial and error trying to get the location where we didn't have to remove a bunch of big trees. Finally we got it worked out and marked. It would be 3 more years before I took the tractor up there and removed trees and leveled the location out. Kare and I also went way up the forest highway and put the canoe in and floated the river down to the flowing well state forest camp ground. did that several times and saw a few bears while doing so. We also went to Seney National wild life refuge. Floated a few ponds and fished some, another day trip to drive the auto tour. that tour takes us many hours to do, but we stop to watch the loons and their chicks, the Osprey fish and feed their young and watch the eagles fly in and feed their young. 
When Fire arm deer season rolled around 2 more of the guys were missing. Jim had found out he had cancer of the colon and was in treatment chemo and radiation. Don said he just didn't feel like coming and hunting with out his brother , they had been hinting together since Jim was 12 and Don was 9 small game then deer. We had a good deer season again I stayed alone the second week as I wanted to take a couple of days and drive up to the college and spend a day with my daughter, Have Thanksgiving dinner with her since she was not going home as she had gotten a job at the mall in Houghton.

It also was the last year till 2000 we would spend any summer time at the place. 

End year 5.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I can explain the lack of pictures. I was working my butt off, 12 hours minimum a day 7 days a week as was Kare so I could retire when I turned 55. We also had two teen age kids about to go off to college. I only had a 35mm slr camera and getting film processed we felt just was to costly for what we want to go in the future. We just didn't take a lot of pictures of the place and although I have a few I need to scan them so I can post them.
We didn't get our first digital cheap camera till 2000 when I our first grand daughter was born. You know you want lots of pictures of the grand kids.
I lost a bunch of digital UP pictures when we had a virus wipe out a computer, which wasn't a big deal as I had stored them on line at image station. Those were lost when image station stopped storing pictures. This is a picture from my favorite deer blind It is right on our north property line just about it is about 100 yards to the left side of the picture.
I have sat in that blind and watched eagles fish the bay take a bath on the edge of the beach and had a snow owl set in the limb of that tree near the center of the picture and spend nearly all day there. I got a buck there the second to the last day of the season with my dads deer rifle, he died 15 months after giving me the rifle.
I wrote a story about that which got published in the Michigan Out Of Door Magazine November 2004.



My second best blind isn't that far from the road maybe 75 yards. Is in a clump of white pines that are in a big patch of red oaks. there is a rise to the left about 50 yards where the top is about even with the 15 foot high windows in the blind. Straight out is a small clearing we had talked about putting a food [plot in but never got around to doing it before Kare got so sick. Just across the clearing is the hard woods. Watched many a deer cross along the clearing from a big cedar swamp over a hill to the right and go across the road to the beach. 



Anyway I will try to scan what few pictures I have and get them up soon. Isn't like I can go out squirrel hunting or go cut up fire wood for about a month yet I thing. 
Some thing happened last Friday and my toes, foot and ankle looks like the good year blimp every since Saturday morning. Been icing it heavily too.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The line of cedars then hard woods across a cranberry bog in the fall. deer do run in those bogs and have trails almost a foot deep in places.



This is where we put the drive way to the trailer, which sat near the tall pine tree way in the back ground.



Me and the family during a vacation taking a break from doing small chores. 



 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

In July 2000 we got notice from the exactor of the estate that Mister Ricter and passed away at 105 years old. They asked if to simplify the estate We could manage to pay off the land contract 6 years early and subtract some from the total pay off amount. Kare and I sat down and looked at our finances and decided to pull some money we had in the college fund and use it to pay off the contract. I was still working 12 to 14 hours a day but my 55th birthday was coming up quick my retirement date which we would change if need be when that time rolled around.
Rick and I had been hunting there alone since deer season year # 6. We liked it just fine as we had more room in the trailer to move about.
Those dang red squirrels had moved into the area and got in the travel trailer also, they can make a mess in a hurry. When I got home in December I sat down with Kare and we again went over our finances and decided I could spend up to 5000. to build a cabin.
It was decided we would build a pole barn with a loft and use it as a cabin till we retired then turn it into a work shop. I did retire on April 1st 2001 after 33 years, I was not 55 yet but was so close not funny.

Did a lot of getting price quotes from different lumber yard, most saying we could not have a loft in their pole barns and they couldn't come to grasp with how it could be done.
I had learned of the pole barn with a loft from Rick as he worked with a guy who had one. He got it from Big L lumber Sheridan Mi.
http://big-l-lumber.com/ It was 3000.00 cheaper than buying it from some place in the UP, and charged us 300.00 to deliver it in late Sept 2001. Kare and I got all the permits required and we had to have a per test done on the property and a septic system plan for a 2000 sq.ft. house laided out. We dug all the holes for the post, they were way over size in diameter because of the sand that kept caving in. We got all the poles in and back filled some of them were so long we needed help from Kare's Durango and a jin pole to raise them. Once the poles were up Kare and I did the purlins and started the siding.
While we were doing that my brother and Rick had shown up, they had been up gambling, and decided to stop in and check that every thing was OK not been molested. They helped finish the siding and helped do the loft floor joist and flooring. The both said they had to get back home for one reason or another. Kare and I got up in the morning to tackle what I was dreading most the roof. I am totally afraid of high places where I can not stand. But never the less I started by setting the 2 ridge planks 2" x12'x12' For the full 24 feet. Once I had those in place and spiked good with 2 lag bolts at each post too I was ready to set rafters. Rafters are 2"x10x12, I had to figure out the birds mouth on the wall end cut them and set them in place. Kare helped with the getting them to the loft floor and once I had one on the ridge planks hold it while I spiked it in place. then go to the wall side and spike that in place. I was about finished with the first easy 12 feet when we quit for the day. Oh I forgot I was taking breaks and shooting those tiny red squirrels and putting them in the burn pit, more on that later.
Just as I was ready to suck it up and start on the high end roof joist Rick pulls in the drive. His job had required him to work in really high places so he was used to it and even had his safety harness. With me cutting The birds mouth handing the joist to him to spike in the ridge plank and I spiking the birds mouth it was not long before we had one side finished. Had lunch Kare had cooked for us and started in on the south side. We completed that and had the roof deck on the south side finished that evening. By the next evening we had the roof deck complete and the steel roof laid completely on the north side and half finished on the south side. The next morning we finished the steel and Rick left for home. Kare and I spent the rest of the day boxing in the eves. The next day We were going to build the 2 big swinging doors. Kare went and uncovered that pile of lumber while I was putting et another red squirrel in the burn pit. some small furry critter came scurrying out of the pile of lumber and scared Kare to death. I get down there and make sure it is now safe for Kare to come help carry some of the lumber up to the building. Looking around I see a big pile of red squirrels by one end of the lumber pile under a over hanging plank. We get the lumber for one door up to the barn and lay it out. As I am making the frame I tell Kare to watch the lumber pile as that critter I am sure will come back for it's easy stach. Pretty soon Kare says to me that critter is back down there, It is a Weasel. It had been going under the fire pit cover and getting the red squirrels I
had been throwing in there. I had once gave thought that some thing was cleaning up those red squirrels because the pile never got bigger.
While I am doing the last door Kare is inside bending over all the nail ends that came thru the purlins. That afternoon We called to have the inspector come look at the barn and give us an OK. He walks around the out side looking at every thing, then went inside and kept saying you bent over every darn nail, No one does that until I tell them too. Got the ok so we installed 3 windows and 2 service doors then went home for a rest, it was Oct.20th and started snowing as we pulled out on the road.

The beach from the south property line looking to the north line.



 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Scanned some pictures.

Kare and I at a road side rest stop off US 2 on a property search trip.



The 22 foot coachman travel trailer I paid less than 2000 for. Wish I would have spent another 1000 and gotten a air stream how ever. I seal coated the roof, put new flint in fridge gas starter, Freed old and replaced a froze hot water drain plug. After the second year did a yearly Furnace motor removal and motor brush replacement. 



the south property line is where the tire tracks are at. Old (96) fellow we bought from wanted to make sure we knew where the lines were.



Kare and kids playing in the sand on the beach.



Chris our son checking water temp, bath tub warm.



Trying to talk about setting the beach afire, whoopy.



Kare's Jeep on one of our Christmas ski trips.



 Al


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## brownegg (Jan 5, 2006)

Good stuff Al, and thanks for sharing all the pics...seems like you have enough to share with us'all.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Just trying to make it interesting and how you can if you put effort into the hunt and work hard get your own Valhalla. Our kids grew up with out cable of dish TV nor had their own phones in their rooms.

We didn't dine on expensive grocery store steaks and stuff like that. 

The cabin Nov 2001, is stained gray now.



There is also a window up in the peek now, plan is to put another one up the some day too.





Inside the shed we use for drying wet hunting suits and changing to hunting togs in the morning. MY partner Rick the last of them from deer camp.





Did I ever mention in 15 years of hunting there I saw/met 9 other hunters and 3 times was the neighbor up the road a ways. 

 Al


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