BOUNTY: hunting in michigan’s upper peninsula
Cold climes breed tough people, arming them with endurance and fortitude to make their own warmth against long winters. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, remotely nestled in the north, is home to such folk, hunters who have harvested life from the land for a century and a half. Elsewhere, many have come to consider the practice of hunting obsolete, objectionable, or even a luxury. Yet for Yoopers - a colloquial name for locals from the U.P., shortened from Upper Peninsula - time spent in pursuit of wild game remains an essential part of life. Gleaning meat from the landscape has provided for generations, fueled a love for nature, and strengthened camaraderie within communities. These connections with each other and the environment have kept hunting a vital part of life in the U.P., fostering a culture which prides itself on rising before the sun, braving frigid temperatures, and tracking for days. (Ongoing.)
Conrad Spieles, 10, looks back at his dad, Jon Spieles, as they try to sneak up on ducks with his brother, Ben Spieles, 14, at the pond on their property in McMillan, Mich. The boys have been going out to the woods with their parents since they were toddlers, as they hunt bird, duck, deer, and rabbit.
Meagan Harrington adjusts her ponytail after locating her bear kill after three hours of tracking on her family's land in Republic, Mich. It is her second bear.
Keepsake photographs in George Lindquist's hunting cave in Negaunee, Michigan. Lindquist and his brother Larry grew up hunting, as did his father and both grandfathers. His family has lived in the Upper Peninsula for the past century or so. He now hunts on the land he has owned since 1979 with his wife, Julie.
Jim La Fave, left, family friend Steve Calhoun, center, and grandson Nick La Fave, pull on their gear before going out to duck hunt after breakfast at the La Fave cabin on Thunder Lake in Inwood, Mich.
Jim La Fave displays the curl of a duck feather at his lifelong cabin at Thunder Lake in Schoolcraft County. His dad built the cabin in 1929 and he has spent every summer of his life there. He began hunting ducks at the age of ten.
Jodi Spieles and her son Ben, 14, peer into the woods after trying to shoot ducks at the pond on their property in McMillan, Mich.
Nick La Fave drops decoys into the water to prepare for the dawn arrival of ducks at a small pond near his grandfather's cabin on Thunder Lake in Inwood, Mich. Nick is a fourth generation hunter whose family has been hunting in Schoolcraft County since 1929.
Luke Carey, 21, of Iron Mountain, bird hunts with his cousin Rick’s 12-year-old lab, Huck, on Rick’s land in Channing, Mich. “You know, I don’t even get made if I don’t get anything or I don’t see anything,” Carey said. “I just like that enjoyment, of being myself or with a best friend or with my father or brother, just being together. (…) enjoying time with yourself, and in nature, enjoying the things that God gave you.'“
Trail of blood to Meagan Harrington's bear kill in Republic, Michigan.
Jim La Fave finishes his duck after dinner with his son Bill La Fave, grandson Nick La Fave, and their friends Bill and Steve Calhoun at the La Fave cabin on Thunder Lake in Inwood, Mich.
Jim La Fave sits with a glass of wine the night before an early morning duck hunt at the La Fave cabin on Thunder Lake in Inwood, Mich. He has been hunting ducks out of the cabin since he was ten years old. His sons and grandsons have hunted with him since they were old enough to go.
Escanaba, Michigan
Arnold, Michigan
Hunters and their dogs gather at the annual tent camp of Jim and Jesse Zimmerman to hunt ruffled grouse and woodcock with their dogs in the Escanaba River State Forest in Arnold, Michigan.
Norman Balko, 65, of Munising with a family photograph from the 70s, on his land in Munising, Mich.
Afternoon football game between bird hunts at Camp ZZ, Ralph, Michigan.
Three generations of the Larson family gather for a family weekend at their camp in Sagola, Michigan.
Andrew and Jay Neddo, 17, sit on their beds at their family cabin the night before opening day of deer season on Drummond Island, Mich. This is their second year hunting as adults on their grandfather John Ostlund's land on Drummond Island. He has owned and hunted on the land since 1977.
Mueller, Michigan
Bird hunt, Escanaba River State Forest, Arnold, Michigan.
A beaver thrashes underwater after being caught in a trap in Skanee, Mich. The function of the trap is to kill the animal quickly, but it had entangled itself and had to be mercy shot.
Jim Engel wades through the riverside after checking his trap in Skanee, Mich. At the conclusion of his check, he had caught seven muskrat, an otter, and three beavers. He has been trapping since the age of 13.
John Ostlund, 77, watches for deer in the early hours of opening day of deer season in the cabin on his land on Drummond Island, Mich., on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Ostlund's son and twin grandsons, 17, are also gathered at the camp for opening day weekend.
Still life at the cabin of Paula and Rich Schwenke of Marquette, in Luce County, of which they own a one-fifth share.
Nick La Fave gazes out across the pond, searching for ducks in Inwood, Mich.
A mallard at Jim La Fave's cabin at Thunder Lake in Schoolcraft County.
Axe and target at the annual tent camp of Jim and Jesse Zimmerman in the Escanaba River State Forest in Arnold, Michigan.
Abandoned blind, Flat Rock, Michigan.
Nick La Fave climbs into the boat with his grandfather, Jim La Fave, to bring it back to load up after a morning of duck hunting in Inwood, Mich. It was a slow morning, with one duck harvest from Nick.
Bear paws in Republic, Michigan.
Jesse Zimmerman peers through the trees, hunting ruffled grouse and woodcock with his dog in the Escanaba River State Forest in Arnold, Michigan.
Dew, Lindquist land, Negaunee, Michigan
Dan Harrington and a family friend drag a freshly gutted bear carcass through the woods on their land to their truck in Republic, Michigan. Dan's daughter, Meagan, had shot the bear the night before, and they tracked it for three hours that night and three more hours the following morning before finding it.
Huck, relaxing between bird hunting excursions at the cabin on Rick's land in Channing, Michigan.
Jodi Spieles cooks duck meat shot over the weekend, on the grill for dinner for her husband, Jon Spieles, and their two sons, Conrad and Ben, in McMillan, Michigan.
Luke Carey, 21, of Iron Mountain, Mich., checks his gun after bird hunting with his cousin Rick Carey and Rick's 12-year-old lab Huck, on Rick's land in Channing, Michigan.
Michael "Bugboy" Ostlund peers out the window after a game of cards with his dad, John "Bugman" Ostlund on opening day of deer season on Drummond Island, Mich., on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Thus far, they had not seen anything but does and fawns.
Jon and Jodi Spieles explore with their sons Ben, 14, and Conrad, 10, between dawn and dusk deer hunts at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Paradise, Mich. on Saturday, November 21, 2015. Jodi later took Conrad to hunt at her brush pile, an area she has been hunting in for 18 years.
Love note, deer blind in Sagola, Michigan
Jim St. Peter hunts with the help of Ken Buccholz and Fred Nordman of Wheeling Sportsmen, in Hyde, Michigan. Wheeling Sportsmen is a program to equip disabled hunters to participate in the sport.