IRON MOUNTAIN — Tip-up Town of the U.P. is set for Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club.

Admission to the clubhouse is free, but you must be registered and have a button for the fishing contest on Sawyer and Edey lakes. Buttons are $10 each or $5 for ages 17 and under. Registration begins at 7 a.m. on derby day.

The clubhouse is on Sawyer Lake Road four miles north of Channing.

Find out more at https://stsportsmen.com/tip-up-town.htm.

***

MJE Cares Foundation will host an ice fishing tournament Saturday, Feb. 28, at Lake Antoine. Preregister at https://www.zeffy.com/…/lake-antoine-fishing-tournament.

Derby day registration begins at 6:30 a.m. and fishing will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more, go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lake-antoine-fishing-tournament.

***

Michigan’s spring turkey hunt application period is open through Sunday. Applications are $5 and are available online, at a license agent, or in the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app.

The number of units has been reduced from 14 to 3. The units are M (Upper Peninsula), NN (northern Lower Peninsula) and ZZ (southern Lower Peninsula).

The Upper Peninsula season is April 18 to May 31 with a license quota of 6,000.

Meanwhile, there is an unlimited license quota for a statewide hunt that will run from April 25 to May 31. That hunt does not require an application in the drawing and licenses will go on sale March 16. You can, however, purchase just one spring turkey license per year.

Drawing results will be available March 2.

***

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports six snowmobile fatalities so far in 2026 as conservation wardens conduct Sled Safe education/enforcement both this weekend and next weekend.

Wardens will share snowmobile safety tips with riders and watch for operators who may be impaired or causing safety problems for themselves and others.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is for snowmobile operators to be safe, responsible and sober. Impairment of any kind can have tragic consequences,” said DNR off-highway vehicle administrator Lt. Jacob Holsclaw. “Alcohol is among the top factors in fatal crashes.”

***

The application period for the Upper Peninsula’s Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative competitive grant program is now open.

The Michigan DNR initiative is a cooperative grant program designed to enhance deer habitat on private lands in the U.P.

New for 2026 the total DHIPI program budget has increased to $200,000. The maximum and minimum grant requests have also increased respectively to a maximum of $25,000 and a minimum of $5,000. The required match remains at 25%.

The complete grant application package is available on the DNR website at Michigan.gov/DNR-Grants. For more information or questions regarding eligibility, please contact Bill Scullon at 906-250-6781 or ScullonH@Michigan.gov.

Project applications must be received electronically or postmarked by Friday, March 6.

***

The Michigan DNR reported this Upper Peninsula fishing activity:

Little Bay de Noc: Anglers fishing the upper bay had limited success. Most anglers targeting walleye reported lethargic marks, making for a tough bite. Perch anglers reported similar results, struggling to convert marks into fish on the ice. Cold temperatures made using set lines outside of the shack difficult. Shiny lures tipped with minnows were the presentation of choice for most anglers. Minnows and wax worms were the preferred bait for perch this week. Anglers fishing farther south toward Escanaba also reported slow walleye fishing.

Les Cheneaux Islands: Anglers in Muskie Bay caught a lot of undersized northern pike when targeting perch. The perch were few and far between in Muskie Bay. In Hessel, anglers caught good numbers of perch, with the majority being throwbacks. Very few splake were caught, and the fish were tough to find. The wind and negative temperatures this past week were brutal. Spikes, wax worms, and minnows were the most popular baits.

Munising: The coho salmon bite was steady this week, with anglers having good success. In the bay, anglers did well on splake and whitefish, but many of the splake caught were undersized. Anglers targeting perch had little success this week, as the bite was slow. Anglers had success using wax worms, wigglers, and eggs for bait.