June Loons, beavers and Northern Michigan habitat

In this episode of the award-winning Wildtalk Podcast, we talk to Brian Mastenbrook about all things habitat in the Northern Lower Peninsula region of the state, fly away with a discussion about the common loon, and we wrap up the episode with a chat about the American beaver. Pete Kailing also stops in to talk about hunting and trapping opportunities and more that are available in the month of June. 

Episode Hosts: Rachel Lincoln and Eric Hilliard
Producer/editor: Eric Hilliard

• All things habitat
  • Prescribed burns
  • Bovine tuberculosis 
• All things feathers
  • Common loon
• All things fur
  • American beaver

Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 (WILD) or email dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov.

Transcript

Announcer:
The Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app is your digital connection to all things hunting and fishing in Michigan. Buy, store and display your hunting and fishing licenses, check your points and chances for elk and bear, apply for the draw, and view drawing results. Access all the hunting and fishing regulations. View your hunter safety certificate and report your harvest all from within the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app. Just click the app banner at the top of the page for download instructions at michigan.gov/hunting.
You know what that sound means? It's time for the Michigan DNR's Wild Talk podcast. Welcome to the Wild Talk podcast, where representatives from the DNR's Wildlife Division chew the fat and shoot the scat about all things habitat, feathers and fur. With insights, interviews and your questions answered on the air, you'll get a better picture of what's happening in the world of wildlife here in the great state of Michigan.

Rachel:
Hello, everyone and welcome to the June episode of the Wild Talk podcast. This is your host, Rachel Lincoln, and joining me today is the always energetic, Eric Hilliard.

Eric:
Energetic. I am feeling pretty energetic today. I think I'm going to just do a full 5K after work. I'm feeling so energetic.

Rachel:
That's many energetics. Best of luck. Glad you're getting hydrated this early with your giant pitcher of water, so that you can go the distance. When you run, do you listen to music or do you listen to the natural sounds?

Eric:
I listen to music. So, when I run, it's just less harsh on my joints and bones. I run on a treadmill, so I run indoors. And I listen to music. I've got a really good playlist of songs that just really get me amped up, especially midway through the run, and that runner's high starts to hit, and you're ready for that beat to drop and just send you into beast mode.

Rachel:
I am not a runner. But occasionally I do like to do some sprints, because I was the fastest kid on the playground and I feel like I have to be faster than my 8-year-old. The old school Judas Priest is on my workout playlist, and usually gets me amped to do the extra circuit.

Eric:
See, for me the song that really does it is Robot Rock by Daft Punk.

Rachel:
Okay, I know that one.

Eric:
But not the studio version. There's a live version that is really... The studio version is okay. I don't feel the same level of ampedness of beast mode when I listen to the studio version though. But that live version, yep. It's like I turn into a robot. There's these really long builds in that particular live version. When the beat finally drops, it's almost like my metallic skeleton rips forth from my body, and begins to run on the treadmill instead.

Rachel:
Right on. Speaking of which, cicadas are about to be doing exactly that, ripping out of their exoskeletons. We can imagine that they're doing that to Daft Punk, but they'll be screaming and screeching here really soon. So Eric, I feel like we should introduce you as Eric Hilliard, the cicada, what's the word? Embodying a cicada.

Eric:
The Cicade Man. And now I'm picturing a giant cicada running on a treadmill, and it's a little bit terrifying.

Rachel:
Yeah. I mean, for as innocent as they are, they're not the most comforting insect to the eye. And if you had a buff one running on a treadmill, it'd make you think twice.

Eric:
Yeah, they are quite hideous. Picturing them giant is just, yeesh. Enough about cicadas and treadmills, and exoskeletons, and endoskeletons. What have we got lined up on the show for this month here?

Rachel:
Oh, we've got another exciting episode for this month. Brian Mastenbrook, the regional manager for the Northern Lower Peninsula, is back on the show today to give us an update on all things happening in the tip of the mitt. We will be talking about the always fascinating common loon, and then we will dive into the life of the industrious beaver. Of course, Pete Kailing, wildlife biologist, will be back to tell us about hunting and trapping opportunities happening this month. And then of course, we will round out this episode with your chance to win one of the Wild Talk podcast camp mugs. So chocked-full episode of fun June goodness for you.

Eric:
Yeah, we got those new mugs, right? Like the new ones with that slightly darker blue, that kind of midnight blue. That looks really good. So yeah, people are definitely going to want to get their hands on one of those.

Rachel:
That's right. We do have a new sweet set of Wild Talk podcast camp mugs. There's a little variation to them, but they're still, the quality of these mugs is unmatched. They really are the best mug to take camping, or to just have your morning coffee in, or boil cereal. I love mine. I use mine every day.
Before we dive into this podcast, let's hear a word from our forests.

Forest:
Trees provide for the wellbeing of our state. That's why we work so hard to keep our forests healthy and abundant, so wildlife has a home. And so do people. So that there's clean air, and water, for everyone. And so Michigan's economy can be as strong as the trees that support it, because every branch of forestry ensures that future generations will always have a tree for life, and forests for a lifetime. To learn how sustainable forestry benefits your life, visit michigan.gov/forestsforalifetime.

Rachel:
Brian Mastenbrook, the regional manager for the Northern Lower Peninsula, is back on the show today to give us an update on all things happening in the tip of the mitt. It is always a pleasure to have you on, Brian. Thanks so much for taking the time to join us.

Brian:
Glad to be here, Rachel. As always.

Rachel:
Well, what kind of projects are the Northern Lower Wildlife division staff working on this time of year?

Brian:
Well, there's a bunch of normal stuff that we do that I'm not going to highlight, doing some field work and openings, getting ready for goose banding, and duck banding. We've got a couple of things I would like to highlight. Three, actually. The first is fire, putting prescribed burns on the ground. Our staff, last year we had just two people that were working on prescribed burns, and now we have eight. And so that helps spread the effort out among people. We've also got 10 fires done already this year, and just about 1700 acres. And these fires range from two acres to over 400 acres. Most of them are over a hundred acres. The two acre one's kind of an anomaly. The next smallest one's just over 40.
So, these are a way to put work in the ground fairly inexpensively. We do the fires, it's cheaper than bringing equipment out. It's also better for maintaining our native species, and maintaining those native species means there's less chance for invasives to come in. So it's a really win-win situation. We get more done for less money, we have a better effect, and we can impact a larger piece of ground. So that's pretty exciting for us.

Rachel:
What is the goal for the amount of fires you want to have, or the total acreage that you want to burn this year? Do you have a goal in mind?

Brian:
Well, I think we've met our goal. Our goal is kind of a sliding thing. It's really hard to set a goal, because it all depends on conditions. And if you have really dry conditions, then all the forestry staff who assist us are working on wildfires, or potentially wildfires. If you have really wet conditions, then you can't burn anything. We've had a pretty good mix this year, so again, we've done pretty good this year. We never seem to get quite as much done as we want to, but what we're going to be doing is trying to start doing more burns later in the summer perhaps, or in the summer when conditions are also dry, and we can achieve our goal.
A lot of times our goal is to kill woody vegetation in open areas. So we need to make sure we can have a hot enough fire to do that, and not just blacken the ground. We want to meet our goal. So, I think the increase, and that's why the increased capacity is so important, because more people then can go out and do stuff, and other regions are increasing their capacity too. So, I think across Wildlife division and across the state, we're going to be able to do more good things with fire.

Eric:
Hey, Brian, compared to last year, what accounts for that increase of people that you had working on fire?

Brian:
We tried to promote it. We talked to people about the benefits of it and we really encourage people to become fire certified, and I think people are seeing the benefits of that. So it's really been rewarding.

Rachel:
What does it take to become fire certified?

Brian:
It's not that much, really. There's two online courses you need to take, and then there is a bunch of equipment you have to have. The equipment anymore is a little bit expensive. But again, we put money in our budget for that. We were able to do that. At this time last year we were talking to people about getting more people certified, so when we did our fiscal year 24 budget requests, we had lots of money in there for people to buy equipment.
So then, everyone's outfitted the way they should be, people aren't having to borrow stuff. And again, a couple courses, and then a couple of days of training. And then they can go. They can start with the easy stuff, and then as you do more, you can do more and more. You learn more and can do more and more. So it's pretty easy to start at the beginning.

Rachel:
So, prior to June, you had burned at least 10 times. And then you mentioned, hoping to get some more burns in later in the summer. Does burning at different times of the year have different impacts to the habitat?

Brian:
Yes. And so it depends on the habitat you're burning, actually. You've got what we call cool season grasses, and warm season grasses. So you've got different compositions of species in these areas. And some respond to burns in the spring, some respond better to burns later on in the summer. And I talked about the control of woody vegetation. And actually, it's kind of a fine line when you can do that. You want to do it when the tree is growing, but you don't want to go too far into the fall when all the energy is already back down in the roots. But you can't go too early in the spring when all the energy is still down in the roots. So that's a broader span of time. You can hit that, but you do need to be conscious of that.

Rachel:
Well, thanks for shedding some light on prescribed burns. We know that they're happening around the state this time of year, so that's really helpful information to know why those burns are occurring, especially where they're occurring, if people do come across them. What else is your staff working on this time of year?

Brian:
We're continuously thinking about management of the state forest. And we did a workshop last winter that is starting to show fruits right now. And it was a workshop about climate change. And when you talk about climate change, you hear about melting glaciers, you hear about oceans rising. And it's hard to know what to do. But this workshop we had, we were able to bring climate change impacts down to what the effects would be to us in the Northern Lower Peninsula, to some of the species we manage, to some of the habitats we manage. And so people have that information now. They're starting to use that information to filter their actions, to start planning for more things. It was a really impactful workshop. And maybe I can talk about some of the things we've talked about.
We understood better what local considerations are. We know that we're going to have more big rainfall events, more over two-inch rainfall events. But from our perspective up here, we're basically in sand. And we had two inches of rain on Monday. And there's no water left standing. Our rivers didn't come up. We don't have any of these flood concerns. And what we do have, or what we're going to have though in addition to that, is more hot dry periods. So, we may have big rains that, again, have very small effects for our vegetation, but then we're going to have these longer dry periods, like longer dry periods during the summer, more likely more rain in the spring. In the winter, more of our precipitation will probably be rain rather than snow, and that's going to affect species like snowshoe hare, and everything that eats snowshoe hare, which is basically every predator in the northern forest.
And so people have a good idea, and so should we work on snowshoe hare habitat, when you've got a lot of this stuff working against snowshoe hare. If you're going to do that, you should be cognizant of what your effect is going to be. You're basically fighting a losing battle. And maybe this snowshoe hare habitat battle would be better fought in the UP where they're likely to hang on to morse no longer. So, it was really good.
We talked about challenges we're going to have. We're going to have tree species decline. Aspen is going to decline, balsam fir is going to decline. But we have opportunities too. We can be planting swamp white oak, or white oak, which is a southern species, and there's some up here already, but it's going to do well in the future. So, we can start planting that. We can maybe plant hickory, which is again, we're at the northern edge of the hickory range, but in the future we're probably going to be right in the center of it. So, it was really, really helpful for people, again, to start to not feel helpless, and to move forward positively, so we're going to have good effects.
We talked about resilience of forests, keeping diversity, travel corridors for all kinds of species. So again, it's a way to frame our actions so that we're working positively as we move forward. And we're not working with blinders on saying, "I can't affect climate change." Well, we can't affect climate change very much, but we can affect what the landscape looks like, and we can make it more resilient to climate change. So, I think that's a really cool thing that we did, and that we're starting to incorporate in our actions.

Rachel:
I agree. That is really cool, and it's great to hear those conversations are happening. Out of curiosity, how much state forest land is in the Northern Lower Peninsula?

Brian:
About two-million acres.

Rachel:
That's a lot of land.

Brian:
That's a lot of land. So we've got a lot of playground we can work with. And so our biologists, they touch every single acre of that at some point, where they can. So it's a big pot to stir.

Eric:
And that two-million plus acres that's open to the public, right? The public can go out and explore that forest?

Brian:
Correct.

Eric:
Those forest acres.

Brian:
Wide open. Camping is permitted. There's campgrounds, but you can also camp off-site with just a card. There's berry picking, there's hunting and fishing, of course, there's canoeing and hiking. Yeah, it's open to everyone, for everything. And it's a wonderful resource. We're very, very lucky to have it.
When I talk with people from other states about what we manage, I remember when I was a biologist, I was responsible for about 450,000 of those acres. And that was more than, I'm trying to think, it's Delaware? Than the whole state of Delaware had. That was just my work area. And so we dwarf most other states when it comes to public land, and available, especially eastern states availability.
And the other thing is ours is so varied. I mean, there's some in southern Michigan, 300,000 acres in southern Michigan, all the way to the tip of the Keweenaw. And so you've got just a great variety of opportunity to play, recreate in these areas. And enjoy. I mean, being up at sunrise at any of them is usually fun.

Rachel:
Over four million acres statewide public land for you to enjoy.

Brian:
I did have one other thing. That's the TB vaccine trial that we've got going on. And so most people know, or a lot of people know, TB is endemic in the deer herd, which means it's in there, and it's staying there, unless we take actions otherwise.

Eric:
And when we say TB, we're talking about bovine tuberculosis.

Brian:
Correct. Bovine tuberculosis. And we've been aware of it, what that is, where it is, since the mid-nineties. We've been trying to reduce the population to reduce the spread. We've been trying to limit baiting, and feeding to reduce the spread. And we've been somewhat effective with this. We've reduced it from what it was in the mid-nineties, but it's been stable, and not getting any lower for a long time. And so it's been a long-term project, but we're at the point now where we're actually doing a field trial on a TB vaccine for deer. And again, it doesn't just happen. There was a research project before this to look at what kind of baits the deer would take up, because you've got to encapsulate the vaccine in a bait. You're not going to go in there and stick them with a needle, they've got to eat it and then it's got to get in their system.
So, developing that, that would get in their system, developing it so they could eat it, doing modeling. We did a lot of research into how much it would take to really have an effect on. And we've got a lot of this done, but now we're to the point of seeing, will they actually pick it up? And will they actually eat it? And will we actually be able to measure that they're taking it or not? And this is important, not just because deer have TB and we don't want deer to have TB, but it's a human health concern as well. And it's not something that a lot of people have been exposed to, or gotten, but when people do get it, it's a bad disease to get. It's very hard to get rid of, it takes a long course of antibiotics. It's been around for thousands of years, and it's a resistant little bug, and it just doesn't go away. It is very good at persisting in a body, in some kind of body.
So there's the part that we want. We don't want a diseased set of wildlife, but it's also there's human health concerns with it too. So we want to address both of these. So getting to this vaccine trial, and this is just, again, this is a trial. We're finding there's wrinkles in doing this, and we're working through those to actually apply this vaccine on the ground would be a multi-million dollar multi-year project. Yeah, I don't even know how many millions, but many millions for a decade at least to get enough deer to be vaccinated to reduce that prevalence rate even more. So again, we're trying to set the plate so we can take this big step and be successful if we have the opportunity.

Rachel:
And the human health concern with this disease and the wild deer herd is that a human would come into contact with an infected deer?

Brian:
Correct. Correct. And so we had a person that happened to, they owned a cabin. This woman's family owned a cabin up in Alcona County where there's TB. They didn't even know about TB in deer. And one of the neighbors picked up a fawn, and she helped bottle-feed it once. And somehow she got some of that fawn saliva, this is what they think happened, on her hand or something, wiped her mouth. Somehow it got into her. And it was latent for five years, five or six years. And then it hit her. And so it doesn't take much. It doesn't take much. We used to say, if you're cutting yourself when you're dressing a deer, you can get it. And that's still true, but there are other ways to get it too. And I think as they're looking more for it now, and they're finding it more as well. So there are people with latent TB. And some of it is from people drinking unpasteurized... No, a long time ago, and cattle having TB, but some of it is from, they traced what this woman had to a deer.

Eric:
Yeah, I think I remember that story, Dan O'Brien saying they actually did some genomic testing of the TB, and were able to trace it back to the source. That's a really interesting case. And I think a lot of times people think we're being kind of cold and heartless when we say, "Don't take wildlife into your home, and don't raise it in captivity in your home." But there is a health concern for them, their families, extended families, friends. And it's always best to just leave wildlife in the wild.

Brian:
Right.

Rachel:
Because there are far more zoonotic diseases than just bovine tuberculosis. Correct?

Brian:
Right. Right, right.

Rachel:
So leave those fawns alone if you find them this time of year. It's best for the baby, it's best for the human.

Brian:
And the rabbits, and the raccoons.

Rachel:
The raccoons. Raccoons are cute as heck. Leave them outside. Well, that is really awesome information that you have shared with us. It sounds like there's just incredible work going on in your region. As always though, we're not surprised. It's an awesome region with awesome staff.
Brian, thank you so much for coming on to share with us what the region is up to. It's just always a joy have you on the show, and to hear about the awesome work your team is doing.

Brian:
All right. Thanks. I'm always glad to talk about it too.

Rachel:
All right, folks, don't fly away, or you will miss the all things feather segment coming up next.

Announcer:
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Rachel:
Today, we're diving into the fascinating world of loons.

Eric:
Ooh, diving. I see what you did there.

Rachel:
Diving. They are divers. They are beautiful, and mysterious, and truly an iconic bird that really embodies the spirit of the northern wilderness. They make a haunting call, and it's almost like nature's very own soundtrack for the great outdoors.

Eric:
So that kind of makes them toony loons, right?

Rachel:
Indeed. Yes, it does. These loons are truly special animals that we have here in Michigan. As we mentioned, they're expert divers, and they can reach depths of up to 200 feet into the water when hunting for fish. And their legs are positioned towards the back of their body, which makes them amazing swimmers, but a little bit awkward when walking on land. The reason for their swimming prowess is because loons have solid bones. So unlike most other birds which have hollow bones to aid in flight, this bone weight actually adds to helping them dive deep to catch their prey, which is their primary food source. Animals such as fish, amphibians, even crustaceans, and even some aquatic vegetation. So they have a really varied diet. And they're call is obviously one of the most recognizable sounds in nature. There's a couple different types of calls they'll make. They will yodel, they have a tremolo, I've never heard that word.

Eric:
Tremolo.

Rachel:
Tremolo.

Eric:
Tremolo is a type of guitar sound you get on electric guitars too. It's like that, woo, woo, woo.

Rachel:
Oh, interesting. Loons are interesting because you know exactly what it is when you hear it. Without even really knowing the sound they make, you're just like, "That's a loon." Because you hear them when you're on the water, it's dusk, it's kind of spooky. It's like that in between hour, and then you hear them call, and you just instinctually know, "That's a loon." We really enjoy hearing them.
Loons are also quite the travelers, and they will migrate long distances between their breeding grounds in the northern lakes to their wintering grounds down along the coast. So loons will breed in freshwater lakes across Canada and the northern United States. But during the winter, they move to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. And interestingly, juvenile loons will stay in those coastal areas for a couple of years before returning inland to breed. If you've ever seen a loon, you know that they are striking and very distinct in their black and white plumage during the breeding season. They basically look like they're wearing a little tuxedo, and are on their way to a black tie event. That striking plumage is another reason why they're so admired. They're easy to spot, you know what it is when you see one. They've got these intricate patterns of feathers that make them stand out. And during the breeding season, their feathers turn almost a subdue gray, which make them look quite elegant.

Eric:
And they got those red eyeballs too.

Rachel:
The red eyeballs. Similar to a cicada.

Eric:
So that means that every flight they take is a red eye back to wherever they're going.

Rachel:
Oh, boy. There it is, a zinger. Yes, you could say that. Now, if you wanted to see some loons, we do have lots of places in Michigan where you could go. The best time to see loons is during the breeding season in the northern lakes. Really anywhere across Michigan's upper peninsula. If there's an open body of water, you can find loons. But especially in the Seney National Wildlife Refuge, where the oldest reported pair of mating loons has returned this year. Now, loons prepare clear lakes with plenty of fish, and often nest on small islands or secluded shorelines. So if you're up in UP this summer, make sure to just spend a little time around a clear lake during the evening hours as it's becoming dark outside, and listen intently for that notable call.
If you are lucky enough to see a loon, keep your distance and observe respectfully. Disturbing their nests or getting too close can cause significant stress and harm to these birds. So admire them from a distance. Loons are an integral part of our natural heritage, and it is up to all of us to help protect them in their habitats.

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Rachel:
Let's talk about one of Michigan's most industrious creatures, the American beaver, Castor Canadensis. One of the busiest builders in the animal kingdom. Beavers are truly a remarkable animal, and they're known for their impressive engineering skills and the significant impact they can have on habitats. But let's start with some basics. Beavers are indeed rodents of unusual size, as they are the largest rodent species in North America. Adult beavers can weigh between 35 and 60 pounds, and can be up to three feet long, which includes their iconic flat paddle-shaped tail.

Eric:
Oh, 60 pounds. That's like three toddlers, maybe four.

Rachel:
We only measure things in quantities of toddlers and children on this podcast. And yes, I know, the second-grader that lives in my home is about 66 pounds. So second-grader size. Now, their tails are quite versatile. And beavers will use them for swimming or balancing, while they're gnawing on trees, and even as a warning signal to other beavers by slapping their tails on the water's surface to communicate. They are well adapted to their semiaquatic lifestyle. They have webbed hind feet, which makes them the most excellent swimmers, and they can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes. Their eyes also have a special membrane, so it's like built-in goggles to help them see underwater. And their fur is thick and oily to repel water, and to keep them warm even when in frozen, frigid, icy waters. So you could say that beavers have quite the toolkit for a life in and around water.
Now, one of the more fascinating aspects of beavers is their ability to drastically alter their environment. By building dams, they create these ponds that provide habitat for a variety of other species that also reduce erosion, and they help to maintain the water table. Now, their lodges are built from branches and mud, and provide safe and dry living quarters above the waterline. You can imagine a lodge as a little fortress with underwater entrances that keep predators at bay and unable to enter the lodge.
Now, as we mentioned, beavers are meticulous builders, and they'll use their strong ever-growing incisors to take down trees and to gather building materials. Now, interestingly, the sound of running water triggers their building instinct. And if they can hear water flowing through a break in their dam, they will quickly patch it up. Now, a characteristic of rodent species is that they have ever-growing teeth, but beaver teeth are even more interesting. They are coated in an orange glaze.

Eric:
Yeah, that glaze looks super weird too. That orange look to their teeth, it just looks like they either ate a bunch of Kool-Aid powder. When you look at a picture of a beaver and you look at their teeth, you're like, "Wow, that's a lot of orange."

Rachel:
It is noticeably orange. It's a vibrant orange color. And a lot of people do think they are stained from the foods that they eat, but that's actually false. So, while they might be a little discolored from wood and vegetation that they're eating, their orange teeth are actually from an iron-rich protective coating of enamel on the front of their two front incisors. And that helps to reinforce the strength of their teeth while chewing on hard woods. Now, on the backside of those teeth, it's made of a soft bony tissue that actually wears away much faster than the enamel, so that the beaver's teeth are wearing down unevenly. That gives the incisors a chiseled shape, which helps them to cut through hard objects like wood. So these nature engineers are really always on the job, and that has significant ecological benefits. Beaver ponds create wetlands that support diverse plant and animal life, which will improve biodiversity overall for our Michigan habitats.
Now, these wetlands also act as natural water filters, which will trap sediments and pollutants to enhance water quality down the stream. While beavers play a crucial ecological role, their activities can sometimes conflict with human interests. Their dam building can flood roads, farmlands, or woods, which leads to property damage. However, many wildlife managers and conservationists advocate for learning how to live with beavers by using variation of mitigation techniques. There are several different methods, including installing flow devices in dams to regulate water levels without destroying the structure, or using fencing to protect valuable trees from being gnawed on.
It's also important to make sure that people know, beavers are really cool, and that it's important to recognize the benefits that beaver bring to the landscape while also managing the challenges. Beavers are so important they're a keystone species, which means their presence and activities have a disproportionately larger effect on their environment. And by understanding and managing our relationship with them, we can better preserve the important ecological functions they provide. I hope that you've learned a lot about beavers today. And if nothing more, your takeaway is that they're not just busy, but they are essential to our ecosystems here in Michigan.

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Rachel:
Now is your opportunity to win a Wild Talk podcast camp mug. As a thank you to our listeners, we'll be giving away a mug or two every episode. Our May mug winners are Julie Zella and Brian Marks. Check your email as we'll be getting in touch with you soon. They answered the question, "How many native crayfish species are in Michigan?" There are eight native crayfish species, and two that are invasive. But the answer we were looking for is eight. Not to be answered into the drawing for this month, test your wildlife knowledge and answer our wildlife quiz question. This month's question is, "What is the top speed of a peregrine falcon as it dives for its prey?" Email your name and answer to us at dnr-wildlife@michigan.gov to be entered for a chance to win a mug. Be sure to include the subject line as Mug Me, and submit your answers by June 15th. We'll announce winners and the answers on next month's podcast, so be sure to listen in to see if you've won, and for the next quiz question. Good luck, everyone.

Announcer:
Michigan conservation officers are working hard to protect and keep the outdoors safe for current and future generations. If you witness a natural resources violation, you can call or text the report all poaching hotline 24 hours a day at 1800-292- 7800. Or fill out the complaint form available at michigan.gov/wrap. If you would like more information on becoming a conservation officer, click on Become a CO at michigan.gov/conservationofficers.

Pete:
I am Pete Kailing, DNR Wildlife Biologist, bringing you the June calendar for outdoor sporting action. June brings us the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Sunburn, and cicada, and summer fun approach. With the end of May came the end of Turkey season. It was a good season overall, and the hunting calendar becomes a bit slim. However, optimistic hunters, the solstice can also mean the tide is already turning toward the hunt in other ways. For example, June is a great time for dog training, dog trials, competitions, and visiting bird reserves for some tune-up for you and your canine pal. Whether you are a bird hunter with pointers, flushers, or versatiles, or love hunting with hounds, it's a good time to stretch some legs, four-legged and two. Dog ticks, and all the other tick species are at full strength in June. So take precautions with repellent spray for you and for your pets.
Some veterinarians are recommending a year-round tick control for your dog, as are mild Michigan winters allow ticks to be active almost year-round, especially in Southern lower Michigan. What do you have if a tick crawls on top of your wristwatch? That would be a TikTok. Okay, total dad joke. I know, time is ticking away. Doubly sorry.
Remember that woodchucks and hayfields show up after the first cutting of alfalfa or clover, and farmers hitting chuck holes with expensive tractors. We usually welcome the varmint hunter who asks permission to thin groundhogs and pastures and fields. It's not too late to join an archery 3D league, or shotgun league. Trap, ski, sporting plays, they all help keep your eye-hand coordination. If you're not hitting most claybirds, consider paying a pro for a shooting lesson. Invite along a new shooter, share the fun, prove your skill, and get two for one. On June 24th, we will post the Lucky Michigan Elk Hunter draw results for fall 2024. Good luck.
Target shooting is popular in summer. On state land, please pick up after yourself, and you cannot use a tree as a backstop. So bring your own target stand, and try and find a burr as a safe backstop. Please, pick up your empties and blasted targets. Treat state land as your own. Thanks for that. That's a wrap for June outdoor action. Get some mud on your boots. Take a friend. But for Pete's sake, try to keep the mud off the carpet. Or at least blame the dog if you have one. Till next time.

Rachel:
Well, thank you everyone for joining us on this June edition of The Wild Talk Podcast. Remember, if you have questions about wildlife or hunting, you can call 517-284-9453, or email dnr-wildlifeat@michigan.gov. We will see you back here in July.

Announcer:
This has been the Wild Talk Podcast, your monthly podcast airing the first of each month in offering insights into the world of wildlife across the state of Michigan. You can reach the Wildlife division at 517-284-9453, or dnr-wildlifeat@michigan.gov.