G.R.U.B.

"SNOW BIRDS"

First off I have to give a great big "Congrats" to both of my parents as they have officially retired and are starting the Good Life. For those of you that do not know this amazing couple, they are truly the reason I enjoy life to the full and they are my inspiration for chasing my dreams. To the rest of you that know my folks, I don’t have to explain any further as I’m sure you already feel like part of the family.

Dad (KovacJ) is my number one hunting partner and no one I would rather be out with chasing memories in the great outdoors. Mom (PKovacik) is an absolute trooper as she has had to deal with not 1 but 2 outdoor addicts for many years and has been there to make sure we have plenty of stuff cabbages at hunt camp and has even taken up deer processing and helped me gut one this year. At her request I bought her a pink fishing pole and tackle box this year as she plans on spending some time at the Lexington Harbor over the summer as her latest hobby. We may have finally corrupted her! Both Mom and Dad retired from the City of Warren this year. Mom was a court administrator and Dad a 39 year police veteran. They have served their time to us all and I could not be more proud and thrilled that they are starting a new chapter in their lives.

I’m writing this as an observation to all, that retirement is what you make it, just as life is. To some it could be the start of growing old or questioning what will you do with your time. Not these two. Vacations , more time in the woods or on the lake, going to the gym and spending quality time with their family, friends and each other is what keeps them young in heart, body and soul. The proof is in knowing people like my parents. Dad would hike fields and climb trees all day long for a chance at the big one and I challenge anyone to accomplish as much in one day as my mother is capable of. With that said, I am inviting you all to join along in this first chapter of the Kovak Retirement Journey as Mom and Pops spend their first winter season in Florida. I entitle this, “SNOW BIRDS” and it can be found in the forums for your enjoyment and comments. I will be posting Dad’s weekly journal which has already been nothing short of hilarious.

Here are the first entries he has been sending, enjoy! :

December 29th, 2011

Okay, I thought you would get a kick out of this. I'm stopped, getting gas and your mother, trying to be helpful is cleaning the windshield. Once I'm done, I Look around and your mother is nowhere in sight. I figure that she went into the gas station to use the rest room. I start the car and I'm ready to back up. Just then, I notice your mother coming around the passenger side with a big wad of paper towel. I think to myself, "no she didn't" yep, she did, she was cleaning the back window. Tim, you wouldn't know but the van is packed in such a way, with so much shit, that there is no way you can see out the back. I told your mother, lucky that we have a back-up camera on the van or I would have ran her ass over.

Okay, then we go to dinner and of course your mother is asking this young man next to her if he had ever eaten their before and a bunch of other stuff and I look at her and she is wearing this neck brace around her neck that looks like a horse collar. Of course she didn't realize that she still had that on. This guy must have wondered whether to continue the conversation or grab your mom and look for a field to plow. She is priceless.

January 1st, 2012

Okay, your mother and I are getting ready to experience how the peeps at Spruce Creek celebrate New Years Eve and already she's getting on me to be on time. I say, "don't you want to be fashionably late?" Naturally that doesn't go over big even when I explain that we have assigned seating. Anyway, at exactly 8:30 I roll into the parking lot and the place is packed. As we walk inside the music is already going with this guy sitting on the stage playing an organ to the hot hip hop number, "Ain't she sweet," a song that Nonnie use to sing around the house. Now I contemplate, "this gig started at 8:30 and people are already dancing and eating," what time did they get here, noon perhaps?" "In fact, they already look tired, except that you can't break a sweat to a Waltz. All I know is that no matter what time I would have got there I would have been late. We sat with some very nice people and had a nice time. However I did make some distinct observations. The guy who was playing the organ did diversify and played some CD's (or cassettes, or 8 tracks or 45 records or 78 records). Now, his favorite selections were and as a matter of fact repeatedly the following block busters; "Old time rock and by Bob Seiger" and "Staying Alive by the Bee Gee's." I didn't connect with the first song being playing a few times but the second song got me to thinking, "hmm, Staying Alive, did these folks just love disco or was this their utmost wish for 2012?" Mom did approach our disc jockey, Johnny Tario with a request for Mick Jager Moves by Maroon 5 or something by the Black-Eyed Peas. He looked at her kindly and said, "Listen, these people are old, you look 36, how the hell did you get in here," nice try though, I think someone else asked for the Black-Eyed Peas. The highlight of the evening for me was this 83 year old guy at the table who served in WWII. He was wounded with machine-gun fire early in the war and was shipped home. He was singing along to a lot of the tunes and every once in a while he would very slowly get up, with much difficultly to dance a couple of dances with his wife. The one dance he did get up to bust a move with was...you guessed it, "Staying Alive." Also, there was a couple that was 93 and I was amazed at how well they could "get down" on the dance floor. Right after the stroke of 12 there was an amazing transformation that occurred. I turned around and everyone seemed to vaporize. They fled out of this place like grease lightening. I don't know if the oxygen tanks were running low or the "Depends" were bursting at the seams. Anyway, we had fun and the people there were very nice. I hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve. I did. Will give you more as I get it.

January 4th, 2012

Okay, coming back from the activities building after doing floor exercises with the peeps from Spruce Creek (a story within itself), we're cruising back on the golf cart, tooling down the boulevard. Now, your mother has been telling me she wants to use the golf cart so when I start my physical therapy she will have a means to go to the activities building to do things. So, I find an out of the way path to get her acclimated. She gets behind the driver's seat and asks me in a concerned voice, "how do you adjust the seat?" I let that go. Next, she says, "you better put your seat belt on." I explain that the top speed of this battery operated rocket is 18mph and I doubt that I'll be ejected from this muscle car which is barreling down thunder road with no other vehicles, bikes, people, animals or insects in site for the harrowing 2 mile trip. So, mom starts to really get into it and I look over at her and I see intensity, concentration and sense that she having a blast. I also notice that because it has been cold here and your mother is wearing her hooded jacket trimmed with fur, that is tightly wrapped around her head, she showed a very strong resemblance to Kenny from the "South Park" show. Once again.....priceless!

SEE MORE ON THE FORUMS UNDER "SNOW BIRDS".

2011 “Top GRUB” Contest

So Im way behind on setting this up for the 2011 season, but its time once again to kick off a little competition and see if I can give away the GUT CUP to someone else this year, since I really dont enjoy winning my own contest as I did for 2010.  Suckers! I will be posting scores and pics in the  General Forum and it looks like we have a great season starting out already as Ive had great reports from the Spring Turkey Season and a few of us have put up some really nice fish already thanks to our friend and member Capt. Chuck with Premonition Muskie Charters.  Good luck to all and let's see some trophies!  On a side note, if you are not familiar with how to post your enteries or if your one of the old guys and navigating a web site is not unlike a blind man knowing when he's done wiping his own hind end...Shoot me an email at Jeff@gutsrusoutdoors.com and I will be sure to get you squared away.:

Official Contest Rules and Scoring

1. All state rules and regulations that you are hunting and fishing in must be strictly obeyed. Any violations will result in immediate disqualification, everybody will think you’re an a** hole and I will probably call the R.A.P. hotline.

2. There will be a contest photo register on the site. You will be required to take a picture of your harvest, with you in the picture and a current year tag or license also shown in the photo. Also to be included, will be a description of what method was used to take your harvest. In some cases it may be required to have a photo with a tape showing specific measurements. So don’t forget to carry that camera and tape measure when you’re heading out.

3. Deer Scoring:

Each hunter will be allowed to submit 1 antlered and 2 antlerless deer for scoring. You will be allowed to cull your buck if you shoot a second one that is bigger than the first one that you entered. You will also be allowed to cull your antlerless if they are taken with a bow instead of a gun or crossbow.

Points will be awarded by weapon + tines longer than 1". The weapon points will act as the 'base' points awarded depending upon what the hunter used to take their deer as follows: Gun or Crossbow=2 points / Compound Bow=4 points / "Traditional" Bow=5 points

-Antlerless (ANY deer with antlers of LESS than 3 inches in length)=8 points

-An antlered deer will= 15 points + the number of tines one inch or longer.

ie: you shoot an 8 point buck with a compound bow...you get 4+15+8=27 points

4. Turkey Scoring:

Each hunter will be allowed (2) turkey for the season. One in the Spring & one in the Fall.

Beards

Jakes or Hens with beards 2'' or less will be 5 POINTS

Jakes or Tom with beards bigger than 2 '' but smaller than 6'' will be 10 POINTS

Birds with beards between 6''-8'' will be 15 POINTS

Birds with beards bigger than 8''-10'' will be 20 POINTS

Birds with beards bigger than 10'' will be 25 POINTS

Bearded hens will get the same scoring as Jakes and Toms beards.

SPURS

3/4" or less 2 POINTS

13/16’’ – 1’’ 4 POINTS

1 1/16’’-1 3/16’’ 6 POINTS

1 1/4’’- 1 1/2'' 8 POINTS

Bigger than 1 1/2 10 POINTS

*** Multiple beards and spurs count.***

***Both spurs will be measured and scored***

5. Fish Scoring:

Each angler will have the opportunity to score points by meeting minimum length requirements for each fish species listed. The angler that takes the largest fish for each species will be awarded double those points.

One of each:

Lg.Mouth Bass over 20” =5 POINTS

Sm. Mouth Bass over 19” =5 POINTS

Bluegill over 8”=5 POINTS

Carp over 28”=5 POINTS

Catfish (Any Family) over 25”=5 POINTS

Crappie over 11”=5 POINTS

Musky over 42”=5 POINTS

Northern Pike over 36”=5 POINTS

Yellow Perch over 11”=5 POINTS

Salmon (Any Family) over 29”=5 POINTS

Trout, Brown over 21”=5 POINTS

Trout, Brook over 15”=5 POINTS

Walleye over 25” =5 POINTS

*Anglers that qualify for points in (6) or more species will also receive an additional 30 POINTS Bonus.

6. Varmint Scoring:

Each hunter will receive 5 POINTS for each Coyote, with a maximum of (5) for the year.

7. Migratory Bird Scoring:

This is way too difficult to keep track of, so I say you shoot 1-Duck + 1-goose + 1 woodcock and you get the Migratory Trifecta good for 20 POINTS.

8. Small Game Scoring:

Here again way to difficult to track and measure so I’m going to say you shoot 1-squirrel + 1-rabbit + 1-opposum and you get a nasty soup good for 20 POINTS.

9. Bear & Elk Scoring:

If you’re lucky enough to get on a hunt for one of these categories, we will throw you 35 POINTS for whatever. Limit one bear and one elk.

That’s all I have and I can’t wait to see some feedback! Like I said, please post your comments and suggestions in the forums under “General”.

2010 Fowl Language

Alright, I know I’m many months and some change behind on this report and with the season now over, I figured it’s time to talk some turkey. This has probably been the most eventful turkey season I have ever had, with my journeys starting in Nashville, TN. for the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation) convention, to Irons, MI. for the 4th Annual TNT (Turkey-N-Trout) season opener trip, to an amazing first bird ever hunt for me and “Pops” Kovak in Lexingtion, MI. I apologize for neglecting the G.R.U.B. blog spot as long as I have, but with all the events I’ve just listed, plus we are now into the Michigan fishing and boating season and the fact that I am the hardest working man in the facility management industry, I am just a wee bit behind. So without further ado, let me update you all on what I consider to be the turkey season that has forever changed my passion for chasing long beards. Yes, it is official that my pursuit of “Tommy” has reached a level of addictive proportions very similar to my already lifelong dependencies of tracking down all that is horny or that will bite my worm. Where does one find the time to do it all? Even finding time to write this article has been a challenge, but I am managing to squeak in some writing time as I gaze out my window seat heading out west for a little R&R in Las Vegas. My life does not suck!

Nashville National Wild Turkey Convention Review

February 18th-20th, 2010

So, Nashville… here is a place I could use too. Fishstick and I teamed up once again for a journey that was nothing shy of,”TURKALICIOUS”. We also had the entire Texico, Illinois hunting crew there, to show us the ropes of how you do one of these here NWTF Conventions Tennessee Style. Let me say, that Tennessee has some of the finest music, food and good ole’ southern hospitality, that I have experienced anywhere. Since our trip, it also should be mentioned, to keep the people from this area in your prayers as they have suffered a devastating blow from the floods that hit there this spring. The city and the people were amazing and my heart goes out to them. If you have never been, make a point to not miss an opportunity to visit. Speaking of which, we will be returning to this gig again in 2011. We had about 20 of us this year and would love to recruit a few more for this next year’s party. In addition to what a fantastic town and party this was, the show was equally a must see. The Grand Ole’ Opry Hotel and Convention center is the perfect setting for this turkey extravaganza. I don’t think you could pick a better,” down home country feel” venue, to compliment what turkey hunting or any hunting is all about. The hotel and the show are both huge and offer something for everyone. Bring the wife, kids, hunting buddies or whomever, cuz this one will not disappoint. I would recommend you give yourself two full days to walk the 4 acre show, some good shoes and a turkey gear slush fund to make the most of it. I would add an extra day just to hit downtown for the chow and entertainment. Trust me! There were so many things to see at this show that I cannot possibly name them all, so I will highlight the best I can. My favorites, FREEBIES & DEALS! All 43,000 attendees, I seen walking out of this place had a bag of goodies and a smile on their face. World-class call makers were on hand with more calls then I have ever seen. And every one of them was happy to give you a few tips, a demonstration and couple of great hunt’in stories to go with it. Prices ranged from very reasonable to is that a call or a piece of art work? Some were even FREE if they liked you. I had several give me call to try out for the season as long as I report back to them with my results. Let’s just say they worked and I will get to that story later… In addition to the pros at the booths, the show had no shortage of industry experts and celebrities. Jeff Foxworthy, Harold Knight & David Hale, Will Primos, Michael Waddell, Lee & Tiffany from the Crush, Ray Eye, host of "Eye on the Outdoors", Mark Drury of Drury Outdoors, Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland of Mossy Oak and many, many, many more. There was tons of gear, new products, firearm and archery manufactures, taxidermists, decoys. So many that I can’t even begin to list them all. Then you had the seminars, call making contests, auctions for all the calls that were made, raffles, kid’s activity areas. And if yer dogs were barking from all that walking, just sit back and watch the Grand National Calling Contest Championship. Now that’s entertainment right there! I cannot say enough great things about this show and trip. If I have not enticed you enough to come along with us next year then you probably just don’t get it. Check out the NWTF web site for more info. www.nwtf.org and I hope to see a few more GRUB’s in the mix next year! Should be posting some pictures of this in the fall once I get together with Illinois crew again.

3rd Annual TNT (Trout-N-Turkey) Trip

April 21st - 25th, 2010

For those of you that don’t know about this TNT gig, its time you did. Three years ago, I got together with GRUB members; Jordan, SalmomSlayer and a good friend “Wild Bill” Walters and headed north for the trout spring opener in the Manistee National Forest. While we were checking out the many excellent trout streams in the area we noticed a ton of long beards strut’in around in the same areas. It then came to my attention that these dirty birds were also in season for the killing at the same time as the trout opener. Well the rest is history. How could a hunting/fishing fanatic possibly pass up on such an opportunity to get back in the woods after a long winter? It’s been a bit of a struggle organizing these the last couple years to get everybody involved, but it’s still alive and becoming a great tradition. We have also changed the locations where we stay the last couple years, which in my opinion has made it that much more interesting, trying new turf.

This year’s trip took me, Jordan, SalmonSlayer and Greedy Smurf to beautiful Irons, Michigan where we rented a small cottage on the Little Manistee River. You can check out Deerwood cottage where we stayed at www.deerwoodcottage.com . It’s a nice little cottage with basic amenities and Barb the owner gave us a good price and a hassle free booking and stay. It’s not quite what the web site makes it out to be, but it makes a great hunting or fishing cabin if you’re in the area.

For turkey hunting we started out by returning to a spot that we had hunted the year prior just north of Evart. Vortex had success after a 30 minute hunt at the 2nd annual trip, in a sweet little honey hole I knew from hunting deer in the area and since we didn’t have a lot of time to scout the Manistee National Forest we chose to take the hour ride to the Pere Marquette State Forest for a hopeful repeat. Sure enough, I sent Jordan and SalmonSlayer into the bush and about 20 minutes later Greedy and I heard the shot followed by a big Tom flying across the pond we were hunting. Sorry Salmon, first time Turk Fever! The lessoned learned is you got to see Jordan do a picture perfect stalk and call set up that you won’t soon forget. That’s really about all the luck we had on Turkeys for the trip. We spent many hours and miles scouting the Manistee National Forest with not a single bird talking. I’m convinced that the turkeys in the Irons, Michigan area love to hang out within the 400’ no shoot zone of the local roads. Or they were all trying to hitchhike out of the area because they knew the GRUBS were in town. The fishing was not much better, but we did not hit it that hard. Saw some Steelies and caught a couple Browns and Rainbows. The true highlight of my trip had to be seeing Greedy and SalmonSlayer have their first real experience with good ole’ Michigan deer ticks. We laid up in some long grass by a swamp the one day watching some deer and calling turks and when we got back to the truck we were covered. They don’t bother me much, since I’ve been to S.Illinois in the summer and nothing compares! But watching these guys dig and scratch every time the wind blew the next couple days…Well, that’s entertainment right there! My opinion of the area and the trip would have to be, “Irons, it’s a beautiful place to HIKE and bring your DEET!” Good Times!!!!

“POPS” Kovcj First Bird

May 2010

With my turkey license expired, it was off to Lexington to team up with my dad and do some calling to see if I could get one in close for him to get a poke at. We had seen plenty of birds there over deer season in the fall and since we hunt a relatively small piece of land not much scouting would be in order. I showed up at dad’s place a few days after my trip to Irons and arrived in the evening, prime time to put some birds to sleep. We headed out to the property with a couple hours of daylight left and set up by a small watering hole that if figured the birds would be roosting near. We watched a couple Toms in a field with a mess of deer and come dark could hear birds coming to the roost nearby. Once it was dark we moved out of the woods and hit the hoot owl call which got an immediate response from several gobbles. Back to the house we went for a little rest and the latest episode of “Pacific” on HBO. Nothing like war flicks to prep you for morning combat. We got up early and got settled up back in the area we heard the birds about a 75 yards away. They were already talking to the hens when we set up. Not good! They came down and immediately got henned up and headed for the field. We waited a short time for them to get comfy out in the field and made a stalk down a hedge row to see if we could get ahead of them for a shot from the cover. Upon our arrival, we saw nearly 60 birds with 12 Toms in full strut on the field to one side and a group of 10 jakes on our other side. Too many eyeballs for me! We did have one Tom pass about 65 yards to us, but chose to sit tight and quiet for a better shot. About an hour or two later the birds moved off the field and back to the woods. This seemed like a good time to grab lunch and come back out in a couple hours once the hens break away from the Toms for the afternoon. We returned at 3:30 and set up some decoys about 25 yards inside a wood line on the edge of a field where a small trail is cut out for a decent open shot. We got comfortable back to back under a big pine and I started into my first set of clucks for the day on my mouth call. Immediately we got a big response from a few Toms that sounded about 200 yards off. I paused about 10 minutes and did a couple clucks and a purr on the slate and again got an immediate response now closing in at less than a hundred yards. I said, “There on us pops!” He asked,” Where? Can you see em’? “ “Not yet, but they know where we are.” Next thing I see is three red heads working through some high grass and searching hard. I gave one light purr and they gobbled and started B-lining right out in front of dad toward the decoys. I told him to get ready and right about that time the turkeys saw the decoys, I heard the safety click and I gave one cluck for good measure. When that bird stuck his head out to belt out what would be his final gobble, dad dropped that long beard where he stood. We jumped up hoot‘in and hollar’in, hugging each other and noticed the other two Toms were still standing there checking out there old buddy and those decoys. Why didn’t I get a permit for Lexington???? Check out the pictures of dad’s bird in the photo’s on the site. The smiles are worth more than I could ever write.

The Wild Turkey hunt is a great way to start out every season. Especially if you’re like me and don’t do the ice fishing thing. Ice is for cocktails! I will look forward to the fall hunt and the years of chasing limb hangers to come. Big thanks to the following for making my turkey season all it could be; Fishstick (You are a saint for all the time you allow me to do what I love and I loved having you by my side for the convention.), The TNT Crew (Nothing better than hanging with GRUBS), The Illinois Crew (Thanks for the invite to the show. Looking forward to the next one. See you in the fall!), Dad (That’s the stuff memories are made of.), The Folks at Keystone Calls and Woodswise Calls (Keystone Calls gave me a mouth piece called the Seducer and this sexy little number does what it says. I bought a slate from Woodwise calls which works great in wet conditions and has three surfaces to work off. Nice products! www.keystonecalls.com & www.woodswise.com )

Bring on the Fishing!!!!

Schifty, our newest member to the GRUB shoved off from the docks at 5:00 a.m., July 10th, 2010, accompanied by myself, Vortex2theNeck, Capt. Chuck Smith(Premonition Charters) and soon to be member Josh, for the Annual MOMC (Michigan Ontario Muskie Club) Homer LeBlanc Classic Muskie Tournament.  Little did any of us know what kind of a weekend was in store.  Even looking back now, the Captain himself has made claims that Saturday could have been the best day he's ever seen on the lake.  If you consider that we fished nearly 15 hours Saturday and only 6 hours on Sunday, then Sunday could also be considered the best 6 hours he's ever seen as well.  For those of you that know the Captain, you know thats saying something based on the years he's been doing this.  He's much older than me:D Because we are still fishing tournaments currently, I have to be brief in my details for now.  We have all been sworn to secrecy regarding lures, spots, speeds, depths, the music playing on the radio, what we ate for lunch, boxers or briefs... So dont bother asking!  I will tell you this, we boated nearly 50 muskies, 6 of which were in the 30lb.+ range, we threw back the second place fish to catch the big one and went through a box of bandaids.  That's work'in y'all!!  Im not going to toot my horn yet, but watch out for the Premonition in the upcoming tourneys, cuz it's runn'in a grubby crew and it's gonna get ugly!

The Fish

So Schifty grabbed the right rod at the right time.  We had already thrown back what would later be determined the 2nd place fish.  I think we all knew this one could be the one and were anxiously awaiting a look at this one, since he was refusing to surface.  Schifty kept assuring us that it was something good and mentioned several times that the forearms were burning.  Finally, the captain got a look at the beast from the flybridge and proclaimed,"Boys, that's a good fish!  Dont get nervous, but nobody better screw this up!"  We handled it like clock work and the fish was in the livewell in no time flat.  Chuck immediately asked the all important question,"How long is he?"  We replied it's longer than the livewell.  "WHAT?"  Before we could repeat ourselves he was on the deck, with a scale in hand.  We gathered around and watched the digital scale flash 38.3, 38.4, 38.5..."REEL'EM UP BOYS!  Like a flash we were packed up and on our way to the weigh-in for what would be more than just a tournament victory. 

We got to the MOMC weigh-in station still high-fiving eachother after a lengthy trip across the lake (hint, hint).  The fish was measured at 56 1/4" and 38.5lbs.  Captain Chuck asked the weighmaster,"that could be the club record?"  He replied,"Maybe a tie."  As the two of them went inside the trailer to check the record book, we were happy to strut around for all the folks at the dock, still high-fiving and posing for pictures.  The best moment of the day came when the Captain danced, and I mean danced out of that trailer, grinning from ear to ear and said, "Boys, we just broke the club record for the longest fish in the clubs history!"  For those of you playing the home game, the club was established in 1954.  NICE!!!!!!  Congrats Schifty!!  I personally think Vortex should give up his biggest muskie of the year points in the "Top Grub" contest, but then again you should have been signed up prior to the contest.  And the season is not over.  Bring on a 60 incher!!!  Big thanks to congrats to Captain Chuck, the Premonition and all of the crew.  I hope it was'nt a once in a lifetime, but it was amazing.  Watch for us in the Muskie Bash Tourney, July 24-25.  There's a GRUB crew in town and we're gunn'in for YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A couple more pics from the end of year award ceramony:

Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup Meeting Ypsilanti

As some of you may have seen in the forums, under Outdoor News, I have been following along pretty closely to the developments in the battle to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes water system. As my commitment to the members of our site and my personal commitment to the great state of Michigan, I have made it my obligation to educate myself and others to the best of my ability in order to protect this, ?Outdoor Mecca? that I call home.

This day, it was important to me, to make sure that the GRUBs were represented and be able to report back from the front lines on this very critical subject. I left out work a little early to ensure I would get a good spot to hear from the A.C.R.R.W. (Asian Carp Rapid Response Workgroup) and what they have to say. Many questions were racing through my head in anticipation of arriving at the convention; how will they be spending the multi millions in stimulus money allocated to this project? Will there be protest? Who will show up to represent Michigan and our concerns? As I pulled in to the parking at the Marriot it appeared full with a couple of news trucks, but no protesters or pickup trucks. Further inside, I?m greeted by some ladies at a long table and asked if I would like to make a comment inside the meeting and what my affiliation is. They took my name to submit comments, invited me to take some literature and said I may step inside. So I pick up my 39 pg. draft of, ?Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework?, put out by A.C.R.R.W. and a couple pamphlets on, ?how to clean my boat? and ?Fish consumption? a guide to eating your catch. Once inside I am immediately thinking something is awry here. Lots of folks dressed up in uniforms and suits, I have no problem finding a seat, there is definitely no one here that looks like they frequent any of the outdoor club meetings I go to, approximately 400 in the crowd?WEIRD!

The A.C.R.R.W. takes the stage and spent about an hour explaining the roles of the E.P.A., Illinois DNR, US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish & Wildlife Service in relation to what they each are doing to prevent the fish invasion and a show and tell of their studies and the evolution of the problems at hand. It seemed to me it was a lot of, ?we are working on it, but don?t have any solid answers.? Later during the technical questions portion of the conference the folks in the A.C.R.R.W. showed their true colors by lack of evidence to answer questions and admitting that everything is in the early works and they are still trying to figure out the best solution to the problem. Early works? They have known about the migration of this fish and the damage it has done elsewhere for decades. Not to mention all the other invasive species(Gobies, Zebra Mussels, Plants etc.) that they have failed to stop from crossing over between these two fresh water basins (Mississippi & Great Lakes) via the water ways that are in question of being closed. Bottom line is the group that has been assigned by the White House Council of Environmental Quality has no answers, has not explored all of their avenues to get answers and are questioning if there is enough evidence of a threat to close shipping canals while they get some answers. With that said I will tell you what I think the real question is. What?s more important to this group; the immediate jobs and commerce that will be lost in the Chicago area or the slightly longer term effects of this problem on a 7 billion dollar per year Michigan fishing industry plus our tourism, retail and boating jobs that would be lost? Oh yeah, did I mention the threat of destroying an Eco-system? Seems like a no brainer to me, but when you factor in that these agencies are funded and appointed by the White House and the last thing they want right now is egg on their face over any more job losses, I see a problem. Combine that with the peculiar decision to hold the conference in Ypsilanti Michigan on a Wednesday at 3:00 pm and fill the place with 90% Chicago Illinois tour boat captains, shipping workers and politicians and we have real problems.

If you think for one second that you are being represented by your elected officials, sporting organizations or others for the state of Michigan side, you are sadly mistaken. The next portion of the conference was opened up for comments from politicians followed by technical questions from whoever wished to speak. A statement was read from Carl Levin that asked to shut the canals. Congressman Dingle addressed the board in person and commended them on doing something finally, but demanded they close the canals until real solutions could be put in to place. Senator Stabenow and the Mayor of Grand Rapids also addressed the board with very similar messages. I wonder where Mike Cox was. The next half of the conference was dominated by the Chicago side lining up around the room to have their concerns heard. Their arguments were real and supported with evidence or lack thereof on the part of the A.C.R.R.W.?s part. Where were the people of Michigan that should have been there flipping out over how it?s going to affect us and how we will not stand for it? Where was our support from our neighbors in the Great Lake region? Thank you Sierra Club and The MUCC for sending representation and telling it like it is! I?m not saying we have no supporters, but we are so far outnumbered in this fight that it?s pathetic. To organize at this point of the game may be too late but it?s time to get involved and try any way possible. Our lakes and wildlife and jobs depend on it. A woman from Wisconsin stood up and spoke of a different invasive species that has had very negative effects on a beach where she resides. It wasn?t another story of invasive species pollute our Great Lakes that had my ear as much as one thing she pointed out that really hit home. She said,? while everyone sits hear arguing over the right and wrong ways to handle the situation the fish are swimming?. We don?t have the answers and we all need to work together, including Illinois and Michigan to find the answers. We all have too much to lose. Until there is a solution however, we must take every precaution to stop the transferring of these species to our greatest resources. GET INVOLVED AND CLOSE THE CANALS!!

February 17, 2010 was a sad day for Michigan and its Great Lakes. Worse yet, I fear there will be many more sad days to come for anyone that enjoys our fishing, boating or tourism resources throughout the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes and their native species of fish and wildlife are in dire straits of being overrun by invasive species of fish, plants and disease that are infiltrating the lakes through numerous river and canal systems connecting the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River Basin. We are now relying on a bunch of politically motivated agencies, which have been appointed to fix a problem that they have known about for decades and have yet to correct. Worst of all, is that Michigan, who in my opinion stands to lose the most, is so poorly represented in comparison with the city of Chicago. With the shipping and the tour boat industry, the Illinois commerce and jobs will be the biggest influence on how these agencies address the problems at hand. That said, the Great Lakes and the future of the tourism, retail, fishing and boating industries are in grave danger.

If you would like more information, you can find the Control Strategy Framework Document at  http://www.asiancarp.org/regionalcoordination/

Make sure you follow me on the forums for more information on this subject.

Thank you!

Kojak

The verdict is finally in despite the fact that it has taken me nearly a week to post a review on the latest show. And my verdict is…Well Done GR! And to think I almost missed the fine spread that The Delta Plex Arena had to offer. I was originally going to head out Friday after work, but that never works out. Then Saturday, I promised Papa Kovak I would help move some furniture. So by Sunday, I’m thinking…all my road dogs are out of commission, making it a solo trip + 2 ½ hours one way driving + possible repeat of something advertised as “The Best” or “Ultimate” + I have to meet Greedy at the Coachman bar the next day = I can’t drink beer at this thing and the couch looks really comfortable. That’s right about the time my “Fish Stick” turned to me and asked me, “What would a grub do?” I reminded her that she was a grub too. To which she replied, “I know, so let’s go!” And she offered to drive, so I could have some beers if I like. I know what you’re all thinking and yes, I keep her chained in the basement most of the time, so she’s dying to get out. But I kid! It was really her inner grub gnawing at her back home desire to hit the pond for some crappies. I think. Anyway, we were off and running by 10 a.m. and I had a wonderful breakfast that I like to call “The Dude”. Anybody? I will give you a hint. Two words – Jeff Bridges. Let’s move on.

The parking lot was packed and free! Pickups were parked off road to make room in the lot for women and children. There were plaid flannel shirts and orange and camo caps as far as the eye could see. Did I mention the Grand River ran along the road leading up to the arena? This had the making fur sump’in gooood! To top it all off, the entire arena is this manufactured home looking metal siding, which gives it the feel of a giant double wide. It was “Hunt Camp” and we had arrived! In through the front doors to get our $9 worth of all that Grand Rapids and the Hunt’in Industry has to offer. My heart sunk for a brief moment as I came through the door and seen boats?!?! Oh no! Not again! Not an “Ultimate Hunt’in Boat Expo”!

I am pleased to say it was anything but. This show had a little bit of everything and Michigan was well represented. Manufacturers, Guides, Organizations, Firearm Dealers, Archery Shops, Food, Taxidermist, Auctions, Raffles, Great Speakers and yes, Boats.

So where to start? It had been a long ride for a Sunday morning, I was thirsty and it was past noon. Beer! But this was no ordinary beer stand, because it had neighbors. “The SKOAL ZONE”, serving up free sample of fine winter green long cut on one side and “The Cheez-Steak Man” on the other side. Not hot dogs…Cheese Steak! Can anyone tell me what says, “Brunch” better than a cold draft, cheese steak and a pinch betwixt yer cheek-n-gum? Maybe free wild game samples? Ask and you shall receive. They had rattlesnake jerky, deer sausage, wicked hot sauces and everything in between.

As many of you know, I had a mission on this trip to check out the 2010 bows, but more specifically to see the new Darton Pro3800. So with my hunger and thirst satisfied Fishstick and I were off once again. Well, I checked out and shot a lot of bows this day. So here is a quick low down on my opinion of the 2010 top bows. Before I get in to this let me just say there are a ton of great bow out there with lots of different price points. Just shy of a thousand bucks, I can afford the best and with as many hours as my bow is in my hand yearly, there is no accepting anything less than the best. So here we go…I will give you my opinion of the top 5 bows on the market for 2010;

5th place the Darton Pro3800 – Darton has made an attempt to put out a bow that competes with the big dogs. Problem is that they are charging the same $850-900 that the “players” are and have been charging but they simply are not there yet. If they we’re marketing wizards like me, they should have come in a couple hundred less than the “players” and they would have got some “shooters” to buy it on value and the “average Joe” (which is Darton’s key market) to spend a little more to have much better quality than the $200-300 bows. It just didn’t feel that great to me. The draw was not as smooth as others, the balance was a little off, it was louder than the others and the boys at Darton didn’t have it tuned at all. Arrows were coming out sideways. Hint: if you’re introducing a new product make sure it’s functioning well before you let a couple thousand people review it! And it was ugly.

4th place goes to PSE X-Force – Great bow if you’re looking for the compact size that packs great speed. I do however like something a little longer axle to axle, because it’s a little more forgiving at longer range. To get that from PSE you will pay more and they just don’t have the feel of the ones to come.

3rd place is Mathews Z7 – When it comes to speed Mathews is King. These things zip! Cosmetically, Mathews wins again. This is a beautiful bow with the honeycomb riser, red highlights on the shock absorbers, roller guide, string and cams and it just looks sleek and mean. I must say I really liked this bow with a couple exceptions. First it seems the balance is a little off being top heavy. I noticed this in the monster as well. The draw was smooth but bottoms out quick and almost a bit jerky. Aside from that I’m afraid it may be substituting some of its accuracy for speed down range.

2nd place the Hoyt Maxxis – Alright, I know I’m going to catch the bias, favoritism call flag on this one because we all know that I’m a “Hoyt Guy”. And rightly so, cuz this one here is SWEET. Smooth draw, quiet, incredibly accurate, more than enough speed, balanced and there is no way I would buy it. Let me explain. This was really the deal of the day when it comes to bows and I will tell you why. If you can still find Hoyt’s 2009 Alpha model, you could save yourself a couple hundred and get the same thing. I shot the two side by side and could not pick out much difference. The only real difference is that the Maxxis has roller guides on the cables, making it barely smoother and the limb configuration is slightly different giving you about a foot per second more than the Alpha. A hell of a bow either way, but for $650 it could be my pick for 2010 if I do the upgrade this year.

1st place and a drum roll please…The Bowtech Destroyer – This is without a doubt the finest piece of compound bow engineering that I have seen. It simply has it all. The binary overdrive on the cams is innovative and the concept makes good sense. In a nut shell it keeps the cams in sync and assures the bow will stay better tuned. It also makes for a really smooth draw and release. This is huge for down range accuracy. I spoke with one pro that is a diehard “Hoyt Guy” and owns his own shop and swears this bow has shaved considerable points off his score during competition. Top it all off with the fact that it shoots great, looks and feels great in the hand and does not substitute accuracy for speed but still zips as well as the competition. Well done Bowtech on being a leader in the industry and I love the motto, “Refuse To Follow”.

The bow offering was fantastic at this show. From manufactures to all the mom & pop local shops that showed up, there was no shortage of great deals and great, friendly people that were there to assist every level of shooter with their archery needs. This seemed to be the theme throughout the show as we moved on from archery to some of the other attractions.

Like the Argo at the last show, I always enjoy anything that will make playing in dirt more exciting!

Live Critters are always cool. The Michigan Hawking Club was very interesting. I would love to trade in my squirrel gun for one of those guys. I just don’t think they would get along with the Chihuahuas though. They had a couple of deer penned up at that show too, but they we’re a little camera shy.

And what’s better than Live critters but Dead critters. We saw some amazing taxidermy work. The three above are a few of my favorites. Keep your eye on the photo gallery as I’m sure Fishstick is going to post a whole album just on these works of art.

A couple more honorable mentions for this show have to be made before I wrap up. First off, nice job to the DNR for showing up and putting on a town hall question and answer session, for anyone that wanted to attend. I must say I was disappointed to only be 1 of 8 people to attend this session. There was a lot of great information and questions that were posed. More outdoors folks need to take advantage of these types of opportunities. The future depends on us. I am attempting to get a C.O. from the show that I have met several times before to be our in-house ask the DNR specialist. The other couple groups that really made this event a cut above the rest were the Michigan manufactures selling everything from turkey calls to tree stands and the gun dealers that put on a couple hundred gun live auction. It reminded me of the old school gun shows that are just too far and in between now a day. Almost everyone I saw walked out of this show with something in a bag or over their shoulder.

I will close with this thought. Get out and support our Michigan outdoor industry. This time of year you don’t really have a season unless your ice fishing and there are businesses that are depending on us. They put on a great show for those that made it out and you can bet the Grand Rapids Hunt’in Time Expo will be on my list for next year. Mark your calendar too!

January 9th, 2010, the Guts-R-Us "Road Trippers" headed out to beautiful Novi, Michigan for the Ultimate Fishing Show at the Rock Financial Expo Center. Like all real Michiganders we first picked a meeting spot to dump a few rides and posse up in one vehicle. That's right folks, we are conservationists doing everything we can to save on gas and our many other resources. Plus when your meeting place is Tony's Sports Bar, it’s good to designate one driver. So by 3:00 pm we were off to the show, where we spent another hour and some change tailgating in the Rock Financial Parking Lot doing what real sports fans do! It was good practice for ice fishing and since parking was $5 I was getting my lot worth.

Finally the Grubs arrive: Kojak, Vortex2theneck, GreedySmurf and GhostRider were primed and ready to go! Ready to get our $10’s worth of all that the fishing Industry has to offer. But first, a stop at the beer stand to make it all feel real! GhostRider was right 2 it, checking out the huge offering of boats that were on display. The show probably should have been called the,” Ultimate Fishing Boat Show” but I digress.

And it was only a short time later those brothers, Vortex & Greedy started thinking good thoughts of the family charter service they’ve been talking about for years…Put some down riggers on it!

It was about this time also, that Tony’s Bar, Tailgating and Beer Stands brought me to the conclusion that my feet were not working properly. And when that happens, grub needs FOOD! This brings me to my personal favorite part of the show…Lots of wild game processors with lots of FREE samples. The vendors were all very generous letting us try all sorts of goodies. Mmmmmm smoked critters! We took home a bunch. My personal favorite is always Almont Smoke House, but all were awesome.

With a last stop at the beer stand for a beer, water, some hotdogs and Rolaids, we were full and ready to get back to shopping. Although the wild game food vendors were my favorite, I really came for the gear specials. Rods, reels, lures…That’s what I’m talking about. Show me the latest innovations. Show me the catch all Wonder Worm, Banjo Minnow, Disco Dunker, Mutha Mutha for 2010! Nope. Just a bunch of old crap that was probably sitting on a Kmart shelf 10 years ago that some guy bought below wholesale and still has not gotten rid of. Alright that’s harsh. There were some really nice custom rods and what not, that were out of most anglers price range too. I am only one man and one opinion. These shows do not have many deals or cool fishing supplies. They have other stuff but not fishing supplies. However, Vortex did have a bag of something from one of the lure stands. I think he bought them because he knows what an amazing Muskie Angler he is and wants to brag and laugh about being able to catch one on a turd of a lure.

Despite my disappointment with not being able to spend a pocket full of cash on new lures and gear, we were off and running again to see what else the “Ultimate Show” could offer. One word…”ARGO”! These things are too cool. Not the first thing to come to mind when I think fishing but really cool and a must have none the less. Vortex and Greedy were right there with me. If only that thing came in a metallic blue to match that paddle boat you guys were looking at early. Price would have been no question. SOLD!

From there it was off to ice fishing. My favorite! For those of you that don’t know my saying its, “the only way I like my ice is with scotch or bourbon poured over it”. But I have been know to head out every now and again so lets see what is new in shanty technology. Still looks like a pain in the a** to drag out on the ice…Check. Zero built in heat source, insulation or solar panels…Check. Tight quarters with uncomfortable seating…Check. No automatic hole puncher…Check. Wrong color to double as a deer blind…Check. Is there any more beer or free jerky sample booths around here???

In conclusion, the show was pretty alright. The kids all seemed to be enjoying themselves at the live fish pond. The giant pool they had for demonstrations was bigger than most lakes in Indiana. Lots of boats. Plenty of charter services that you look up on line and see any time. Great wild game samples. But here’s the thing: Last I checked we live in Michigan, home of the Great Lakes and some of the greatest fishing in the nation. We have arguably the best Muskie and Smallmouth fishery in the world, in Lake St. Clair. Lake Michigan is amazing for Trout and Salmon. We put up a world record brown trout in 2009. We are fishing. Why then is not every big name in fishing showing up at our events? Where are all the guys with the shows on the outdoor channel and ESPN? Where are the bait companies and electronics guys? And no offense to the good City of Novi, but Novi for the “Ultimate” fishing show? Let’s get some out-of-towners in here and at least give them a view of a lake. We do have a couple. Can we get a top country act to throw us a little twang at one of these things? Or at least, “Kid Mr. catching walleye off the dock Rock”. I’m going to Nashville in a month for the Turkey Convention. They have Jeff Foxworthy as the MC and bunch of other acts + like every hunting show in existence and real hunting names like Knight & Hale showing up. I guess I just think it’s a shame that Michigan has so many outdoor resources, so much talent in our outdoor manufactures, tons of amazing charter and guide services yet the best promoting we can do, is to call something “Ultimate” to fill a parking lot in Novi with a bunch of folks already suffering from cabin fever because we love our fishing so much. One Industry that can always stand strong in this state is the outdoor industry. Many depend on it and we are doing an injustice to our state and outdoors folks by not better promoting it!

I will continue to contribute to all Michigan Outdoors Biz on any level, even if it’s weak at best. Remember this; charging me 15 bucks to go to something called “Ultimate” should be a step up from the local retail in the area. Cabelas, BassPro, Gander and Dicks put on better show and give me 20% off coupons.

All in all we had a great time as we always do. It was the company. We knuckled up with Kapt. Kayak and Greedy gave us the best demonstration of the day, with a quick instructional on proper shot placement. Sportsman, women and children UNITE!

2010 “Top GRUB” Contest

Alright, I have some thoughts on putting together our first annual “Top GRUB” Contest. I want it to be a well rounded contest that will incorporate the different styles and types of outdoor resources. I think this will make us all try some different things and improve the quality of our harvest. Let me know what you all think in the “General Topics” Forum so we can get this baby roll’in. I would like to see this jump off by the end of February and continue through the 2010 season. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have any way of funding a big year end ceremony at this point, so this year it will just be bragging rights. If something changes and I hit the lottery I will keep you all posted. I will do my best to come up with an award that can be passed on from year to year like the Stanley Cup. Maybe the “Gut Cup”! Keep in mind that side bets are strongly encouraged. With all that said, let’s get down to biz:

Official Contest Rules and Scoring

1. All state rules and regulations that you are hunting and fishing in must be strictly obeyed. Any violations will result in immediate disqualification, everybody will think you’re an a** hole and I will probably call the R.A.P. hotline.

2. There will be a contest photo register on the site. You will be required to take a picture of your harvest, with you in the picture and a current year tag or license also shown in the photo. Also to be included, will be a description of what method was used to take your harvest. In some cases it may be required to have a photo with a tape showing specific measurements. So don’t forget to carry that camera and tape measure when you’re heading out.

3. Deer Scoring:

Each hunter will be allowed to submit 1 antlered and 2 antlerless deer for scoring. You will be allowed to cull your buck if you shoot a second one that is bigger than the first one that you entered. You will also be allowed to cull your antlerless if they are taken with a bow instead of a gun or crossbow.

Points will be awarded by weapon + tines longer than 1". The weapon points will act as the 'base' points awarded depending upon what the hunter used to take their deer as follows: Gun or Crossbow=2 points / Compound Bow=4 points / "Traditional" Bow=5 points

-Antlerless (ANY deer with antlers of LESS than 3 inches in length)=8 points

-An antlered deer will= 15 points + the number of tines one inch or longer.

ie: you shoot an 8 point buck with a compound bow...you get 4+15+8=27 points

4. Turkey Scoring:

Each hunter will be allowed (2) turkey for the season. One in the Spring & one in the Fall.

Beards

Jakes or Hens with beards 2'' or less will be 5 POINTS

Jakes or Tom with beards bigger than 2 '' but smaller than 6'' will be 10 POINTS

Birds with beards between 6''-8'' will be 15 POINTS

Birds with beards bigger than 8''-10'' will be 20 POINTS

Birds with beards bigger than 10'' will be 25 POINTS

Bearded hens will get the same scoring as Jakes and Toms beards.

SPURS

3/4" or less 2 POINTS

13/16’’ – 1’’ 4 POINTS

1 1/16’’-1 3/16’’ 6 POINTS

1 1/4’’- 1 1/2'' 8 POINTS

Bigger than 1 1/2 10 POINTS

*** Multiple beards and spurs count.***

***Both spurs will be measured and scored***

5. Fish Scoring:

Each angler will have the opportunity to score points by meeting minimum length requirements for each fish species listed. The angler that takes the largest fish for each species will be awarded double those points.

One of each:

Lg.Mouth Bass over 20” =5 POINTS

Sm. Mouth Bass over 19” =5 POINTS

Bluegill over 8”=5 POINTS

Carp over 28”=5 POINTS

Catfish (Any Family) over 25”=5 POINTS

Crappie over 11”=5 POINTS

Musky over 42”=5 POINTS

Northern Pike over 36”=5 POINTS

Yellow Perch over 11”=5 POINTS

Salmon (Any Family) over 29”=5 POINTS

Trout, Brown over 21”=5 POINTS

Trout, Brook over 15”=5 POINTS

Walleye over 25” =5 POINTS

*Anglers that qualify for points in (6) or more species will also receive an additional 30 POINTS Bonus.

6. Varmint Scoring:

Each hunter will receive 5 POINTS for each Coyote, with a maximum of (5) for the year.

7. Migratory Bird Scoring:

This is way too difficult to keep track of, so I say you shoot 1-Duck + 1-goose + 1 woodcock and you get the Migratory Trifecta good for 20 POINTS.

8. Small Game Scoring:

Here again way to difficult to track and measure so I’m going to say you shoot 1-squirrel + 1-rabbit + 1-opposum and you get a nasty soup good for 20 POINTS.

9. Bear & Elk Scoring:

If you’re lucky enough to get on a hunt for one of these categories, we will throw you 35 POINTS for whatever. Limit one bear and one elk.

That’s all I have and I can’t wait to see some feedback! Like I said, please post your comments and suggestions in the forums under “General”.

:DWell the new Guts-R-Us Blog is up and running! I need suggestions, pictures, writers, stories, reviews etc.  Let's hear it guys, I did this for us!