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Hunter safety field days offered; Florence students explore

Outdoors report

By Jim Anderson 8 min read

IRON MOUNTAIN -- Michigan Department of Natural Resources Hunter Safety Education Week will take place Aug. 10-16. To purchase a hunting license in Michigan, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete an approved hunter education course.

"Right now, hunting is not on many people's minds," said Lt. Tom Wanless, DNR recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor. "The challenge we see is folks waiting until the week before they want to head out to hunt to look for a class, only to find that most classes are already full."

The DNR offers four options for completing hunter safety education, all of which require at least four hours of in-person instruction:

-- Traditional classroom-based course.

-- Online course followed by an in-person field day.

-- Interactive online course followed by an in-person field day.

-- Take-home study course followed by an in-person field day.

Learn more or register for a class at Michigan.gov/HunterEducation.

As of Friday, a field day scheduled for Aug. 8 at the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club in Channing was nearly full, but a dozen seats remained for an Aug. 29 field day at the DNR office in Norway. Seats also remained available for an Aug. 22 field day at the Mid County Sportsman Club Range in Stephenson and a Sept. 26 field day at Normenco Sportsmen Club in Powers.

The DNR-managed hunter safety program teaches lifelong skills -- such as firearm safety, basic first aid and how to use a map and compass -- to an average of 14,000 students per year.

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This past week, the University of Wisconsin-Extension held its Outdoor Adventure program in partnership with the Florence County School District.

Outdoor Adventure is a four-day long program for middle school students, with a goal of introducing them to some of the region’s natural resources.

Participants visited Lost Lake campground, Bewabic State Park, and the Wildwood Zoo in Minocqua, Wis. They learned about trapping, fire building, and water filtration, and participated in activities like kayaking, dissecting owl pellets, tie-dying t-shirts, and making pudgie pies.

The Red Oak Foundation provided financial support to make the program possible.

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The North Lake boat landing on the Spread Eagle Chain of Lakes in Florence, Wis., will be closed to all public access beginning Monday, due to a reconstruction project of the boat launch facility.

The closure is expected to remain in effect through early September.

During this time, the boat landing and launch area will not be accessible for launching or retrieving watercraft and will be closed to all public. There is not an alternate public boat landing within the Spread Eagle Chain of Lakes.

“We appreciate the public's patience and cooperation as these improvements are completed to enhance safety and accessibility for all users,” the Florence County Forestry and Parks Department said in announcing the closure earlier this month.

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Registration is open for Wheel Hike Together, an adaptive hiking event where individuals with limited mobility can pre-register to use an all-terrain tracked wheelchair to explore up to three miles of trails and scenic views at Thunder Mountain Overlook Park in Marinette County.

Individuals who are not able to hike due to temporary or permanent limitations may reserve chairs to explore the park’s autumn scenery with friends and family during one-hour slots from Sept. 30 through Oct. 4.

There is no cost to reserve a chair, but reservations must be made in advance. Regular park entry fees apply.

Thunder Mountain Overlook Park is about 20 miles northwest of Crivitz.

To register, go to https://www.exploremarinettecounty.com/events/wheel-hike-together/.

Sponsors include Options for Independent Living, Atz Manufacturing, Half Moon Outdoors, Aging & Disability Resource Center of Marinette County, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

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On Aug. 15-16, residents and out-of-state visitors can legally ride Michigan’s off-road vehicle trails and routes without an ORV license or trail permit.

The DNR offers these reminders:

-- All other ORV laws and regulations still apply.

-- A Recreation Passport is required where applicable.

-- Riders must provide their own ORV.

-- Do your part to help prevent the spread of invasive species by cleaning mud and plant material from your ORV, trailer and gear.

-- Consider purchasing an ORV license or trail permit for the season. Fees generated through the sale of ORV licenses and trail permits are reinvested back into the ORV system to help pay for trail brushing, signage, maintenance, bridge and culvert construction, maintenance of trailhead amenities and other expenditures.

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The Wisconsin DNR reminds eligible disabled hunters hoping to participate in the 2026 gun deer hunt for hunters with disabilities to contact and confirm their hunting location with a hunt sponsor before Sept. 15.

Sponsors have enrolled nearly 70,000 acres of land across 47 counties for this year’s hunt taking place Oct. 3-11. To participate in the 2026 hunt, hunters should contact sponsors directly.

New for 2026, the hunt will be statewide the same weekend as the Youth Deer Hunt -- Oct. 10-11. During these two days, eligible hunters may hunt statewide on public land or a property they have permission for without the need to have the land enrolled in the program. The other seven days of the hunt -- Oct. 3-9 -- will still need to be done on a property that is sponsored and enrolled in the program.

For more information, go to https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/disdeer.

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The Michigan DNR reported this Upper Peninsula activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Walleye anglers reported success trolling for fish near drop-offs with crankbaits. Slim-profile crankbaits were the typical presentation, although some anglers trolled live bait harnesses rigged with nightcrawlers. Yellow perch anglers reported slow fishing overall. This week's limited success was sporadic and varied from day to day, but worms worked well when fished near weeds. Northern pike anglers had some success this week, reporting catches while both trolling and casting.

Manistique: This week, Chinook salmon anglers trolled magnum-sized spoons, as well as flasher-fly combinations. The fly portion was typically green or blue with flashy material. Anglers targeted the thermocline and deeper waters while using glowing lures. A few anglers also reported catching fish on meat rigs. Anglers fished near drop-offs where salmon were feeding during dawn and dusk. Fishing deeper water during other times of the day resulted in scattered fish farther from drop-offs and over deeper water.

Marquette: Lake trout anglers continued fishing slightly deeper than usual. Most anglers started trolling north of White Rocks toward North Granite Rock in depths ranging from 120 to 160 feet of water. Others found success jigging around 80 to 140 feet of water on structure near White Rocks and other islands. Some anglers returned to Sand River and Shot Point, with mixed reports when targeting lake trout. Most anglers who caught fish found success in deeper water.

Au Train: Fishing remained slow in Au Train again this week. Only two anglers were observed fishing, while all other boaters were not actively fishing. Anglers continued to target depths around 120 to 180 feet of water. All lake trout caught were found near the bottom. One coho salmon was also observed being caught on a dipsy diver while trolling for lake trout north of Au Train Island.

Lake Independence, Big Bay: Fishing activity increased, with most anglers targeting walleye and yellow perch. Anglers had the best success while trolling in 10 to 15 feet of water using natural bait.

Munising: On days when weather conditions improved, boat anglers caught a few Chinook salmon and splake in the bay, as well as some lake trout around Grand Island. There were also several reports of lake trout being caught at Big Reef.

Ontonagon River: Over the past week, anglers reported catching fair numbers of walleye. Overall fishing effort on the river was also fair. Reports indicated that trolling was the preferred method for most boat anglers, while jigging was also successful but less popular. Shore anglers reported catching low numbers of walleye and rock bass. Occasional catches of lake sturgeon were also reported by anglers fishing with natural baits.

Ontonagon/Silver City/Union Bay: Common catches consisted primarily of lake trout. Catches of coho salmon and brown trout were also reported but in lower numbers. Trolling at depths ranging from 60 to 180 feet of water produced these fish.

Black River Harbor: Boat anglers reported catching fair numbers of lake trout. Trolling across a variety of depths ranging from 80 to 180 feet of water produced the most success. Shore anglers reported occasional catches of white suckers and northern pike within the harbor boundaries.

St. Ignace: Anglers reported catches of walleye, perch, and bullhead catfish at the Pine River.

Starting at /week.