Andy Pritchard of Vulcan, harvested this 8 pointer on Oct. 28 in Dickinson County during Michigan’s archery season. Successful hunters are encouraged to send photos to The Daily News at news@ironmountaindailynews.com. Please include the hunter’s name, community of residence and, at a minimum, the number of antler points and the county in which the deer was taken.

IRON MOUNTAIN — A lake-effect snowstorm unfolding this weekend is expected to steer north and east of the central Upper Peninsula, but it’s a reminder that winter is near.

In Michigan, state-designated trails are open Dec. 1 through March 31 and grooming occurs when there is enough snow on the ground.

Tri-County Snowmobile and ORV Club, which maintains Dickinson area trails, will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at Waucedah Township Hall in Loretto.

In addition to registering your snowmobile with the secretary of state, resident and nonresidents who operate snowmobiles on public land in Michigan are required to purchase a snowmobile trail permit.

The trail permit enables snowmobilers to ride state-designated trails, public roads and public lands where authorized. The state’s snowmobile program is 100% funded with trail permit dollars.

The Blue Ox Snowmobile and ATV/UTV trails in Florence County, Wis., are maintained by the Florence County Blue Ox Trail Riders. Nearly 200 miles of trails in Florence County connect riders to Iron Mountain, Crystal Falls, and Iron River along with Marinette and Forest counties in Wisconsin. Free overnight parking is offered in the lower level parking lot at the Florence Natural Resource Center.

For more, go to https://www.exploreflorencecounty.com/recreation/?category19=Snowmobiling.

Information on Wisconsin snowmobile registration is available at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/permits/registrations/snowmobile.

The U.P. Trappers Association is offering an online trapper’s education class with a six-hour field day to be held at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources field office in Escanaba on Saturday, Dec. 16. There is a $10 fee, but this includes a light lunch and those students who are under the age of 18 will receive a pail of “goodies” worth many times the fee.

Please contact Bob Steinmetz at 906-786-6265 or bobsteinmetz@charter.net. Leave a message if calling.

Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season wraps up Sunday while Michigan’s 16-day firearm hunt runs through Thursday.

As of Friday afternoon, Menominee County had the highest buck harvest total during the firearm season in the U.P. with 1,861 antlered deer taken. Delta County was second in the U.P. at 1,213, followed by Marquette, 710; Dickinson, 580; and Iron, 562, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ online deer harvest report.