Jacob DeNell scouted the buck for at least a week and it kept coming in to the game camera at the same time four days in a row – about 6:45-7:15 a.m. On the day of the Michigan Youth Hunt, Jacob and his father saw the deer come in at about 6:45 a.m. and it was sparring with another buck. At the time, there was about five deer in the field, three of which were bucks, and he shot the nine-pointer.  He was hunting in the Brule River area. (DeNell photo)

CHANNING—On Aug. 25, the Sagola Township Sportsmens Club hosted its third annual Combat Pistol Tournament.
 Shooters from across the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin were all invited and many shooters from the local area also attended.
 The event was divided into four scenarios.

Kaylee Gill was 3 years old when she went hand-in-hand out to the deer hunting blind with her grandfather, Larry Pifke, in their matching red and black plaid wool coats. Now, at 12 years old, she not only went out to that same blind with her “papa,” but came home with her first deer. Pifke, who has been mentoring youth for many years during the Wildlife Unlimited of Iron County Youth Hunt, finally got to take his granddaughter on one of the youth hunts. They hunted on the family land, which had been set up with a WU food plot. On Sept. 22, Kaylee made one shot at 40 yards with her Grandma Shirley’s .243 Winchester to harvest the spikehorn. Kaylee is the daughter of Chad and Lisa Gill of Iron River, and she says she is ready to go out again during the regular firearm deer season. (Pifke photos)

Gabe Scarlassara, 9, of Crystal Falls took his first buck on Saturday evening, Sept. 22, during the Michigan Mentored Youth Hunting program. He was hunting in Iron County with his dad, Tony. This was Gabe’s first deer hunt. He was using a 7mm-08. (Scarlassara photo)

Haley Nichols, 16, who was up from Shiawassee County with her dad, Pat, got to participate in a bear hunt. She harvested a nice boar on Friday, Sept. 21, in Iron County. This was her first big game animal. She made the shot using a 20-gauge shotgun with slugs at 30 yards from a pop-up blind on public land. (Dave Painter photo)

Jacob Tomasoski bags a pair of wood ducks during the youth waterfowl hunt. He ended the weekend with four wood ducks and one black duck. He was hunting with his dad, Tony, on their favorite Iron County lake. (Tomasoski photo)

Hunting with Maggie, an English setter, Joyce Ziegler loves it when the bird dog points the grouse or woodcock, even if she doesn’t always hit the bird. (Ziegler photo)
IRON COUNTY—Michigan’s ruffed grouse season opened Saturday, Sept. 15.
 This year’s grouse hunters can still expect to see a fairly good grouse population in the Western Upper Peninsula. The adjacent woodlands of Wisconsin are a good indicator for U.P. grouse numbers.
 An annual report by Brian Dhuey of the Wisconsin DNR indicates that grouse drumming counts in their northern area decreased from about 2.3 (2011) to 1.7 (2012) drums per stop.

The Sno-Kats have finished work on a new trail into the west end of Crystal Falls, which replaces an older trail. (Sno-Kats photo)
CRYSTAL FALLS—The Chippewa Sno-Kats Trail Club has been busy this summer. That will mean better trails for snowmobilers this winter—and for those who ride all-terrain vehicles, too.
 Club President Joe Chavis said the Sno-Kats, helped by a grant from WPPI Energy, has finished work on a new trail into the west end of Crystal Falls, which replaces an older trail.
 The new one splits from the existing snowmobile-ATV trail along U.S. 141 and runs parallel to the east side of 141 south to Zavada Drive in the industrial park, connecting with the trail system in town.

AMASA—The Iron County 4-H Sharpshooters will meet on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 5 p.m. at the Amasa Recreation Center.
 All parents and club members are asked to attend. Registration and fees should be turned in at this time.

Wild turkey season opens in the Upper Peninsula Sept. 15. Wild turkeys are numerous across Iron County, as can been seen while driving along roadways and along fields. (Bob McCarthy photo)

LANSING—Small game hunting season began Sept. 1 with the opening of the early Canada goose season and continues until rabbit and hare season ends on March 31.
 DNR wildlife biologists across the state say hunters should find conditions similar to last year – with a couple of notable improvements – in Michigan’s wood lots, farm fields and wetlands.