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MDNR Report
Black Buffalo State Record Broken by Angler on Grand RiverThe Michigan DNR confirmed the catch of a new state record black buffalo on June 12.
The fish, a member of the sucker family, was caught by Brandonn Kramer of Muskegon, Mich. at 11:30 p.m. May 25 on the Grand River in Ottawa County.
Assistance was provided by Kramers friend and fishing cohort, Shawn Grawbarger, also of Muskegon. The fish weighed 46.54 pounds and measured 39.75 inches. Kramer was bowfishing when he landed the record fish.
The record was verified by Jay Wesley, a DNR fisheries manager for Lake Michigan.
The previous state record black buffalo was caught by Sage Colegrove of Muskegon on the Grand River in Ottawa County on April 12, 2015. That fish weighed 44.54 pounds and measured 38.5 inches.
State records in Michigan are recognized by weight only. To qualify for a state record, fish must exceed the current listed state record weight and identification must be verified by a DNR fisheries biologist.
For more information, visit Michigan.gov/masterangler.
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MDNR Report
There are two large inland lakes in southwest Michigan, both of which are profiled in the Michigan DNR’s edition of Reel in Michigan's Fisheries.
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Michigan offers its Free Fishing Weekend Saturday and Sunday (June 9-10) for both residents and non-residents.
On Free Fishing weekends, you don’t need a license to fish in public waters in the state. All other fishing regulations apply.
In addition, there are no fees charged for entering state parks or ORV parks.
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MDNR Report
Prolonged wintry conditions in the Upper Peninsula have forced the Michigan DNR to postpone a release of sharp-tailed grouse in the western part of the region, a place where they have not been seen reliably since the mid-1990s.
DNR wildlife biologists had planned to capture about 20 birds from the eastern U.P. and re-introduce them to Ontonagon County this spring. However, late winter snowfall and a persistent groundcover of snow, as deep as 3 feet in some places, have delayed the effort until next spring.
"We have been working diligently to get our team in place to capture and re-release these birds, but at this point, we are concerned about likely low survival and poor nesting success of birds relocated under these extreme conditions," said DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason. "We will continue to monitor and survey sharp-tailed grouse populations in the eastern U.P. in advance of completing our relocation effort next spring."
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By ANDY EVANS, MDNR
Hunting Michigan Morels with Mi-HUNT
It was early May, and a certain spring activity was on my mind - looking for some tasty morel mushrooms in the beautiful hardwood forests of northern Lower Michigan.
As that Fridays work shift was drawing to a close, I thought about places on state-managed land that I might find a new honey hole - a spot covered with morels.
A new weekend adventure would soon be at hand, and an amazing forest with rolling hills awaited. We are quite fortunate here in Michigan, having over 4.6 million acres of state land to explore.