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(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Wolves remain a hot issue in Upper Peninsula
On a snow-swept back road in Delta County, a Michigan DNR wildlife biologist drives his vehicle slowly. Watching out his windows, he scans each set of animal tracks he sees pushed into the fresh snow.
Among the footprints left by bobcats, white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare and other animals, he's looking for the large-pawed tracks of gray wolves, laid out in a path down the road or into the woods.
Discovering wolf tracks - and then following them for long distances - helps biologists estimate population size and delineate where, and how, wolf packs are spending their time this winter.
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Watch Nesting Eagles on Live Eagle Cam
A partnership between the Michigan DNR and Carbon Media Group now allows the public a rare chance to watch, for free, a pair of nesting bald eagles currently in residence at the Platte River State Fish Hatchery near the Benzie County town of Beulah.
The CarbonTV Eagle Cam live streams 24/7 from carbontv.com/cams/carbontv-eagle-cam and the site also features taped clips of the eagles engaging in various activities, including eating a rabbit, building and clearing their nest, and being visited by great horned owls.
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The Michigan DNR has announced the 2015 results from its Master Angler program that recognizes large fish caught by recreational anglers.
This past year, 1,542 anglers representing 15 states and Canada submitted catches that were recognized as Master Angler fish. That's a better-than-50-percent increase over the 987 fish recognized in 2014. The large increase likely stems from the department's simplification of the Master Angler application.
Of the entries accepted in 2015, 899 were categorized as "catch and keep" and 643 were categorized as "catch and release."
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Little Bay de Noc a Mecca for FishermenLittle Bay de Noc's fishery is gaining quite a reputation, even on a national scale. While initially thought of as strictly a walleye mecca, it's hosting of the Bassmaster Classic in September, 2014 has caused the conversation to start to change.
According to DNR fisheries research biologist Troy Zorn there are lots of different species to fish for on Little Bay de Noc, and he's got data to back up that claim.
"We conduct an annual fish community survey," he explained. "Perch are pretty good, walleye are pretty good, northern pike are pretty good, smallmouth bass are pretty good you get the idea."
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Fletcher Floodwaters Cranks Out Panfish, Pike and BassFletcher Floodwaters is a beautiful lake in Alpena County that Tim Cwalinski, DNR fisheries biologist out of Gaylord, refers to as "a monster.
"It's one of the biggest lakes in the state at 8,800 acres," he explains.
Fletcher's is an impounded reach of the Upper South Branch Thunder Bay River and, despite its size, is actually pretty shallow. As a result, it's often one of the first large lakes to freeze and bring with it excellent ice fishing.